Blueberry goodness!

I LOVE Oregon berries in the summer and have been having fun experimenting with some new recipes ... I wanted to post this one that I found in Parents Magazine because it's so simple and easy (read: you can have time to make it with toddlers running around) and a dozen muffins are gone very quickly around here.

The Best Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup buttermilk or whole milk
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil (I substitute apple sauce)
2 eggs
1 cup fresh blueberries

1. preheat over to 425 degrees.  Spray 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder.  In medium bowl, whisk milk, oil and eggs.  Pour wet ingredients over the dry mix and add blueberries.
3. Fill each cup 3/4 full and bake 15 to 18 minutes or until muffins are golden and springy to the touch.

Yummy!  I've always enjoyed baking but find myself doing it a lot more often now that I have two little people who seem to be hungry all. the. time.  ... and I don't think Scott minds either :)
Tomorrow morning we have to say goodbye to Grammy and Gramps -- it's been so fun to watch them bond with Luke and Amelia.  I lost three of my grandparents by the time I was four and have very few memories of them, so it's very special to me to watch those relationships develop.  Grammy and Gramps were so much help during Scott's procedure and they watched the kids a lot over the last month so that I could work a bunch of extra shifts ... Thank you!

Enjoying a snuggle and a graham cracker during GG Edna's visit

Playing with the bubble-maker with Grammy and Gramps

Whew ... what a week!

One of the things I love about kids around is that they keep life real and simple and (usually) fun.  Okay, so maybe that's three things.  Not simple in the sense that you can run out of the house with just your purse, but simple in the sense that they just want to be loved and to feel secure.  They want us to laugh with them and play with them and be present with them.  I got this video in the midst of a crazy week and watching it reminds me of that.  This week Scott had a cardiac procedure done -- an ablation to those of you who are medical -- he's had issues with an irregular heart rhythm since I was pregnant with the babes.  Thankfully all went as planned, just an overnight stay at the hospital and now hopefully a chance for a cure so that he doesn't have to be on meds and have random trips to the ER to shock him back into a regular rhythm.  Any time we deal with health issues I feel like it leads to times of reflection and prayer and tonight I'm thankful ... for our health and for our families (Grammy and Gramps and GG Edna deserve a dinner out, among other things, for all of their help this week!) and for the many prayers that were answered this week.

Summer has arrived!

Nothing says summer in Oregon like picking fresh berries or spending the day playing at the coast.  We got to enjoy some wonderful family time this week and are so very thankful for it!  Outings with four adults are oh so much easier (and more fun!) than with one or two of us!

Strong work, Team Coyle!

Evan shows Luke how to fit multiple berries in his mouth at a time .... awesome :)

With Mama and Grammy!

His face says it all: berries+playing outside+ playing with the "big boys" (our friends' kids are preschool aged) = one very happy Lukey!

And off to the coast ...

Daddy time!!!

Blue sky?!  It's true.  This actually happened.

Gramps with Lukey

Sand toys are a must!

But seaweed is even more fun!

This boy LOVES playing in the sand!

17 months?!

Tomorrow my sweet babies will be SEVENTEEN months old ... that just sounds old.  Here are the things I want to remember about them at this age ...

Amelia ...

Favorite word: Doggy!  Everything with four legs is called a doggy ... close enough, right?  The other night we were literally chasing two different neighbors down the street to pet their dogs -- Amelia loves dogs!

Favorite food:  Anything.  I kid you not, this girl can eat.  Favorites include sweet potatoes, turkey, cheese, watermelon, strawberries, green peas and raisins.  Also, she loves chocolate the few times we've let her try it (can't imagine where that love came from!)

Favorite activities:  Anything to do with water.  She literally drenches me and our bathroom every night  during her bath because she has so much fun splashing.  She also loves any type of ball -- she actually has quite an arm on her!  Amelia is fascinated with small details -- she loves to play with zippers, buttons, ties, laces ... she seeks them out and I can just see her wheels spinning trying to figure out how things work.  She is a very determined girl.  When she sees something she wants she sticks her tongue out (so cute), gets this very focused look on her face and GOES for it.  The other day she all out tackled Luke to get her play shovel back from him!  Ha!  What a sight!  Most of the time she's a pretty easy going and relaxed kid, but if there's something she wants -- she WILL get it!

Luke ...

Favorite word:  Ball!  Also, his first word, it's the one I hear him say most clearly and most often.  But he has an amazing number of words that he understands.  I will ask him to do things like, "Go get your coat and shoes and bring them to Daddy" and he DOES it.  Watching their communication develop has been such an amazing and rewarding process.

Favorite food:  This has been interesting.  If Luke had it his way he'd live on cheese!  So we've had to slowly stretch his diet and encourage his tastes!  We also started juicing (today the kids were downing a lovely orange/carrot/broccoli juice ... ugh!) which is a great way to back in extra vitamins and minerals into a more picky kid.  But in the last month we've seen a great deal of improvement in Luke's willingness to try new foods.  Current favorites include: avocado (always been a favorite), strawberries, french toast, black beans, ravioli, sweet potatoes.

Favorite activities:  Reading!  And yes, it makes my heart happy to write that :)  Right now Luke is in a phase where he just loves to be read to.  Dozens of times a day he'll carry a book up to me and say, "uhh uhh" meaning: "Mama, please read to me" ... so I pull him on to my lap and we snuggle while I read.  He's a very active boy so it's pretty much the only real snuggle time I get anymore so I soak it up!  He is happiest when he's outside.  He LOVES to play outside.  Finding sticks, digging in the dirt, smelling flowers (his book showed him how to do it and now he always walks up to flowers to smell them ... so precious).  His dad may have a thing or two to teach Lukey about yard work over the years!

I love this phase.  They're so curious -- loving to explore, test, figure out the world around them.  Two little scientists at work!  But they're still in constant need of reassurance -- always wanting snuggles from mom and dad ... and more recently from each other (cutest.thing.ever).  They sleep through the night probably 90% of the time which means I'm much more emotionally available to them since I'm not fighting constant fatigue.  I'm feeling so thankful tonight for these two ... loves of my life!

We've been having a great visit with Grammy and Gramps -- I always am in awe of how smoothly things run with extra adults around.  Tonight Grammy and Gramps did baths while I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner.  By the time the kids went down I was done with my chores which meant that I had a whole extra hour (a lot of personal time these days!) before bed!  What a treat!  It's just so fun to watch L and A develop a relationship with their grandparents.  Here are a few pictures ...

Look out!  Driving Gramp's truck!!

More water play (always!) with cousin Caroline and Grammy

Gramps and Lukey reading :)