Canada, aye!

Yeah, I'm lame. It's been ages since my last post. However, I have good reason for the lengthy delay- we've been crazy busy. I'll get to that later, though.

A few months ago Brian and I decided that we should take a trip to Canada while we still live so darn close. Despite the fact that a vacation with a toddler isn't actually a vacation, I'm so happy we went. It really is gorgeous there. In fact, I was reminded of one of my favorite places in New Zealand. Nelson. Beautiful!

We spent most of our time walking around the city and the huge park near our hotel. We did manage to make it up to Butchart Gardens, which is ridiculously expensive, but gorgeous. I'd love to go again when our restaurant choices aren't so limited by what Bryce will eat, or when our schedule doesn't have to revolve around nap times and bedtime. Overall, it was a great vacation that I'm so thankful our family was able to go on together. It was actually our first family vacation, with just us.

We took hundreds of photos. Of course. Here's just a small sampling of some highlights. I'll have to add more later. Perhaps Brian will put together a slideshow of his awesome pictures from Butchart Gardens.

Six Years Ago Today...

I married my best friend. He is the perfect mix of strength, kindness, charm, humor and intellect. I couldn't ask for a better partner in life. He is so supportive and encouraging. Every time I felt like quitting grad school (it was pretty tough with an infant) he pushed me to continue. He had more confidence in me than I had in myself. It was only with his help that I was able to accomplish a major life goal. Here's a flashback...





I had to include this one with Jake in the pic (far right), it's his birthday! Happy Birthday Jake!!!





I love you, Brian. I look forward to sharing all the adventures life brings our way, with you. Here's to many more happy years...

Mmmm. Meatloaf.

Meatloaf. You either love it or hate it. I found a crock pot recipe the other day and had to try it out. Yummy! Even Bryce liked it (which is pretty darn impressive for our herbivore).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons dried minced onion (I used about half of a fresh onion)
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 3/4lb extra lean ground beef and 3/4 lb lean ground turkey)
• **I added some summer squash into the mix. Great way to sneak in some veggies!**
  
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well (mixture will be moist.) Shape into a round loaf; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon over the meat loaf. Cook 15 minutes longer or until heated through (I transferred it to the oven for these last few minutes). Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

This is, of course, super juicy. If you don't have one of those fancy inserts (I don't) you can criss-cross tinfoil to create handles. They made it super easy to pull out the loaf and transfer it to the oven.

The recipe was taken from here, at Allrecipes.com.

Grandma Jeanne's Visit

We were lucky to have Brian's mom visit in August as well. She was only able to stay for the weekend, due to her busy school schedule. We are so impressed that she's made it back to school and so close to being done. Way to go, Grandma! We're very proud of you. Bryce really enjoyed spending time with his Grandma and looks forward to her next visit. He loves the super cool farm block set that she surprised him with. Thanks, Grandma! Here are a few pictures of their fun.

Hanchett Family Visit

I'm seriously behind in August happenings and need to catch up before the month ends!

Donna and her clan made it up to Oregon a few weeks ago to go camping with Mike's family. We were happy to be able to spend a couple of days with them before they headed home to AZ. Our fun included a trip to the Children's Museum and dinner at Dianna's house. Bryce really enjoyed playing with his cousins. I just wish we had been able to spend even more time together!