My friend Amanda and I met up at the mall with our girls. The girls love to go to Rainforest Cafe! They were playing in the photo booth and Amanda started to get some money out to let the girls take pictures. I was thinking that it would be a waste of money and then Amanda said something about making a fun memory and she was so right. I love these pictures! Noelle loves looking at them and commenting on all of Audrey's faces. So cute.

Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup

While on the topic of what things my kids will eat or not eat - whenever I make this soup they both eat so much of it. Natalie is a really good eater so far but still picky when it comes to vegetables. Noelle is a little pickier and then has her allergies to milk and wheat so its a little more difficult. (We hope that by four she'll be able to eat them). But they love this soup and eat everything in it. I'm considering making it once a week :).

1 lb or more Stew Meat
1 can diced tomatoes
5 cups water
3 beef bouillon cubes (I substitute a box of broth and less water)
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 onions, sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 ½ cups your choice of frozen vegetables (I usually add green beans and peas for sure and then whatever else I can find in my freezer).
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 6 hours.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on High 2 hours or more, or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Super Smoothies!

Noelle has really started to love making and drinking smoothies with me. We have one of those hand blenders and a big plastic cup and we make them multiple times a week. My cousin Lindsay gave me some ideas of what to put inside them and it makes for such a healthy treat. I thought I'd share our ingredients to add to the ones you may use and would love any recommendations.

Smoothie:
Vanilla Soy Yogurt
Juice (usually Apple)
Tofu (a big chunk of soft)
Flax seed (approx. 1 Tbsp ground)
Frozen Spinach (approx. 2 Tbsp)
Frozen Strawberries (handful)
Banana (half)
We experiment with all sorts of different frozen fruits along with strawberries (peaches, mango, blueberries, etc.)
Honey (approx. 2 tsp)
We just started adding a little frozen Acai (too much is too sour).

You can't taste any of the healthy stuff and the tofu actually gives it a really great thickness. They taste so good!
I wasn't really ready for Natalie to start drinking them (they have so many things I hadn't tried with her yet) but she wanted that cup so bad. I put it in the middle of the coffe table one day so she couldn't reach it. I went out of the room only to come back and find her sitting in the middle of the table downing that smoothie as fast as possible. She had found a nearby object to climb up on. She quickly looked up to see that I saw her and tried to keep drinking as fast as she could. So she joins in the fun now too.
Like Lindsay, we use those cool cups from the Disney store and just put our own straws in them.

Birthday Girls

We partied...opened presents...played instruments (my dad got Noelle a drumset)...

Bap Bap and Natalie did "Ta das" (little flips)...

Noelle was thrilled with her new twirly skirts and showed them off...she has three on in the picture...

Noelle was in to her presents as you can see...

Wow, I can't believe that an entire year has gone by since Natalie was born. And of course I can't imagine life without her. She is such a joy! It is so funny to see how she toddles around the house with a big grin looking for fun. I love when she comes running for me and buries her head in my shoulder, kicking her legs. My favorite thing she says, is "Ohwell" (for Noelle and in a high voice mimicking me call for her).

And Noelle, now my big girl. She is such a sweetheart. It looks like we are finally getting potty training on a right track (we'll see). It seems as though being three brings some ups and downs emotionally for her as she tries to figure life out but it also brings new interests and new abilities. It is so fun to see her get excited about new things.

Here are some pictures from their birthday party at the park. We had a really great day. I always wish that I had more time with my adult guests at the end of the day. I guess that I need to accept that birthdays are for the kids or maybe brainstorm some new birthday party options, like my friend Carly talked about on her blog (Pray Family).

Thanks to all of you who came and celebrated with us!