Muffin Tin Monday: Fort Food

My husband and I were gone all day Friday and Saturday to an Adoptive/Foster Parenting Conference in Nashville (more on that in a later post). Even though we came home both nights, and Waylon got to spend both days with people he loves and had fun with, we could see that he was having a rough time with us having been gone all weekend long. So, we wanted to apply some of the parenting principles we had learned at the conference with our biological son. Parenting skills for any type of child will work, whether it's a bio or adopted/foster child. You can never learn too much how to care for your children. Back to the topic at hand. :)

Mainly, we wanted to reconnect with him. So, we spent Sunday doing things he would like to do, and one of the most fun things was my husband building him a fort in the living room, so he could watch a movie and eat snacks with him. And this was no rinky-dink fort, either, folks. It was pretty state-of-the-art, as far as forts go. It had A/C, electronics (to watch Cars, no doubt), a chemlight, sleeping bags, pillows, my snacks (haha) and with the way my husband rigged it up, it was not going to crash down around them. So, I found it appropriate to create a Muffin Tin for their snacks. Two birds, ladies. I figured I would throw in a photo of the fort, for good measure.

Fort Reconnect

From Top Left Clockwise: Ingredients to Make Mini Smores - Marshmallows, Chocolate Chips, Honey Graham Cereal, Fruit Snacks, Trail Mix (Because who doesn't need just a little more chocolate thrown into the mix with a 2 1/2 year old? This chica!), Cheese Crackers

*Note* - Yes, I totally see that there is no nutritional value WHATsoever to this snack. And...this was after we had donuts at the park for breakfast that morning. No, they did not teach us at the conference that sugar is the way to reconnect with our child. That was our bad. He did have a semi-healthy lunch and I will say...a very healthy dinner. And...a very good nap, after the sugar high ended, and he crashed. We all did. Don't judge. Making forts and taking photographs is tiring. :) Oh, and learning. Learning can make you tired.

Check Out My Breakfast Tacos

Source: etsy.com via Briana on Pinterest

I am so excited to be a guest blogger over at Campfire Chic today!

Kam is having an Around the Campfire Blog Party on her blog.
Every hour on the hour there is a new fun post about Camping, Hiking, Recipes, How-To's, Checklists, Photo Tips, Advice for Newbies and much more! There's even posts for folks who aren't so interested in The Great Outdoors!

So, check out my post Recipe: Summer Camp Breakfast Tacos, and check out all the other guest posts from today, as well. They will be going on well into the night!

Hope you have fun meeting other bloggers, fall in love with their blogs
and have some fun Around the Campfire!

While We Wait - Summertime Fun

I am linking up with Mattie over at Bring Hope Home for her "While We Wait" series. It's for adoptive families to share what we're doing, while we wait for our little ones to bless our families.

For us, summer began the moment Daddy stepped off that plane from Afghanistan!

Whew! No more anxiety! Now the fun can begin! Yay for being a family again!

I started making more and more jewelry for the Etsy shop. I found out there is a Downtown Market in

Clarksville. Now, I'm getting ready to have an actual little "shop" set up. Oy! It's a lot of work!



Summer just wouldn't be summer without a couple of trips to the zoo to visit Waylon's favorite animals.

He loves flamingos! I'm sorry, I mean "Mingotes." That's how he pronounces it. :)

We took a drive into Guthrie, KY and found a little hole-in-the-wall BBQ place to eat called Red Top BBQ.

Sometimes, those places have the best food, and this was one of them!

Eric got interested in GeoCaching, while he was deployed. When he got back, we started up.

It's a lot of fun! Kind of like a grown-up treasure hunt, but without a treasure chest full of gold at the end.

We found Waylon Jennings' old house in Brentwood, TN. When one of the guys at REI heard Waylon's name,

he told us where to find it. Underneath the "Flying W," it says "Southern Comfort." Too cool.

We went to a Nashville Sounds baseball game. It was fun, but it was when the cicadas were in full swing.

So gross! They were dive-bombing everyone! Waylon had fun watching the game, though.

This was only one of a couple of our trips to the Adventure Science Center. We love that place!

I like this neon globe thing a lot! It reminds me of The Goonies!

We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe on Broadway in Nashville. I love it there! All the waiters and

waitresses are so unique and funky! We got our first Hard Rock pin. New fun collection - yay!

After dinner at Hard Rock, we rounded the corner and saw that Charlie Daniels has a free museum.

Awesome! We went in, looked around and our toddler had a "moment" on the floor. Gotta love the "two's."

I worked on teaching Waylon his colors this summer. Every color used to be "green."

I guess that was his go-to color. This was a fun and yummy way to practice all the colors. If you look closely,

you can see Rawhide chowing down on some strawberries in the background.

We took a quick daytrip to Chattanooga and visited the Tennessee Aquarium.

Waylon had a blast checking out the fish, sharks, penguins, etc. This was a favorite shot from the day.

Outside the aquarium were little waterways to splash around in. It was so nice on that hot day!

Those are my favorite little feet. And since I pretty much hate feet, those are the only feet I like, haha!

We visited Rock City on top of Lookout Mountain. It was really neat. You can see 7 states from up there.

I got a little birdhouse that says "See Rock City" on it. Too cute!

I started doing muffin tin meals, after I came across the Muffin Tin Mom blog. It has been a lot of fun

and a success in most cases in getting Waylon to try new things. He still will not touch carrots!

We had a fun Fourth of July! I decorated, made food, we had some friends over, and my mom,

step-dad and nephew came in from Houston just in time for the festivities. I was excited to find those

cute sparklers! Waylon didn't like the sound of the fireworks, though, so we stayed inside and watched a show.

Oh well. It was hot outside, anyway. :)

I came up with a new shop name and had a logo and banner design done for the Etsy shop. Next up is to get all of the

jewelry from the old shop and all of the new designs photographed and up onto the site.

We took Waylon and my nephew, Hayden, fishing for their first time ever. My mom showed Hayden how to fish,

and Eric showed Waylon how to fish. What did I do? Well, I took the pictures, of course!

My dad came in town from Denver for a visit. We did some sightseeing in Nashville, as always,

I put him to work on some household projects. Poor dad. He always has to do something, when he comes to visit.

Never fails. He loves me, though, so he doesn't mind...I'm sure.

Waylon got a guitar from a shop on Broadway in Nashville. Broadway...that's where all the country stars

get their big break. Watch out world...here's the next big country music star.

He even likes to wear his cowboy hat when he plays.

Gone Fishin'

Waylon was paying really close attention to what Daddy was doing.

Granny (my mom) teaching my nephew, Hayden, how to fish.

He did such a good job reeling it in!

Bobber in the water...Bobber in the grass...Eh, the fish weren't biting anyway.

Hayden did NOT like the bugs one bit. This may have been his first & last fishing trip.

Like Father, Like Son
This was my Favorite Picture of the Day!

With my mom and nephew in town for a couple weeks, we decided to take the boys fishing. Neither one of the boys had ever been before, so this would be a fun treat for us grown-ups to take them on a "first experience" fishing trip together. Waylon got a little bitty Cars fishing pole, and Hayden got a bigger kid Spiderman fishing pole. We packed the picnic basket with some water bottles and treats, because we all know that as soon as you leave your house, your kids will be one of three things:

1) Hungry
2) Thirsty
3) All of the Above

This Mama was ready! We went to a recreational area right outside of Ft. Campbell, with a playground and creek, where children 12 and under can fish. There were ducks everywhere; even a mama duck with her two little babies in tow! We set out our blanket, got our smelly catfish blood bait on their hooks and tried to catch the little 4-5 inch fish we could see swimming around in front of us. Unfortunately, we didn't get a bite. We got quite a few nibbles, though. And we did help move the creek bed grass from one spot to another...so, I guess we can say that we helped out our amazing environment, as well. Not too shabby. It was pretty fun. And it was really neat to watch Waylon enjoy himself with a pastime that I myself really love. And one that Eric really loves.

Just a little fishing family. *Love*

Chattanooga Road Trip

Last week, we took a day trip to Chattanooga to visit the Tennessee Aquarium and Rock City, where you can see 7 states from Lookout Mountain. It was a lot of fun, one reason being that I love a good road trip, and the second reason being that I love hanging out with my husband and son. This trip entailed both. Score! I figure the best way and probably the most fun way to explain how our day went is to show it in pictures, so here goes:

Our Chattanooga Road Trip

This kid is ready to rock the aquarium. He's got his shades, his dino shirt...

Let's do this, people. Take me to the sea turtles.

Eric to Waylon - "Do you want to touch the fish?"

Waylon, with his hands clutched in a ball at his chest - "No."

Can I just say - What is up with this turtle's neck?

We have a turtle, and his neck is normal. This is icky!

He pointed out Nemo in this fish tank, or as he calls him "Mee-mo."

Waylon and Daddy hung out with some GIGANTIC spider crabs inside their tank!

We had a bit of a tickle-fest before lunch at TGI Fridays.

We all took off our flip-flops and walked in the waterways they had all over the place.

Seems like everyone was doing it on that hot day!

You can see 7 states from up there: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina,

South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

Can you see the face in the side of the stone? Look closely. Pretty cool, huh?

I actually bought one of the "See Rock City" birdhouses for the backyard.

Waylon had fun in the gift shop.

We had a lot of fun and realized that there are a lot of things in Chattanooga that we want to do, so we will probably be taking more day trips there. Why day trips? No hotel costs AND no having to kennel our 3 dogs. Our neighbor can let them out and feed them for us, if it's just a day. (Thanks again, Danielle!) Plus, it gives us a chance to get away for a day and see the beautiful Tennessee countryside. Oh, we also got some geocaches on the way back - just another reason to take some road trips. So, yay for us. Do you have any road trips planned for the summer?

My Favorite Things

We have had so much going on over here, that it's hard to just write about one thing. So, I figured I would jot down a quick list of some of my favorite things we've been doing as a family. The hubs has been on leave (i.e. vacation) for the last few weeks, and we have about one more to go before he starts putting the uniform back on again. We have been trying to cram in as much fun family time as possible, while still enjoying the lazy days of summer. So, here goes:

• Strawberry Picking - a first for all of us
  
• Taking Waylon to his first baseball game and hearing him say "More," as in to the pitcher to throw the ball again
• Dodging cicadas in Nashville (not really fun)
• Watching Erin scream while dodging cicadas in Nashville (really fun, haha!)
• Blowing bubbles for Waylon and watching him laugh, as the dogs eat them mid-air
• Starting our new hobby, geocaching - It can drive you crazy, but it's crazy fun!
• Seeing Waylon's face light up, when he saw the moving dinosaurs at the Adventure Science Center (and hearing him "Roar" in response)
• Giant floor puzzle and game times as a family
• Finding out Charlie Daniels has a museum and watching Waylon run through said museum
• Having Waylon insist on wearing his helmet in his wagon, because he loves it and fearing we look like "those" parents, haha!
• Getting new bikes and going on bike rides
• Seeing Waylon Jennings' Nashville home - Southern Comfort - too cool!
• Trying out some great, new restaurants
  
• Beautifying our flowerbed with purples and pinks! (My choice, of course)
• Visiting the zoo with Waylon's best bud, Jacob

What has your summer looked like, so far? Any plans? We have a lot more on the list. Stay tuned!

Earth Day

I love Earth Day! Always have! We do what we can on a daily basis to try to help our planet. We recycle, plant flowers, refrain from littering...just our little part in our little corner of the world. Here is a little peek into how we spent our Earth Day...

Rawhide came out for a snack. He loves apples!

Then, he was over his "Nature Indoors" photo shoot, haha.

We added a little spring decor to our (un-weeded) garden.

We went for a "Nature Walk." And yes, Waylon brought his broom.

We checked out some of the storm damage from this week. Poor tree.

Waylon had fun blowing on a dandelion.

I adored my hydrangeas, which will be added to my garden after Easter. *LOVE*

We had a really good day. I'm excited to go to Lowe's tomorrow to get our free tree. It looks like it might be a small tree, so Waylon and I should have fun planting it. Giving back to Mother Nature. Teaching Waylon about the planet. (He already recognizes Earth, when he sees it. Yay!) Letting him get his little hands dirty. Love it!

How did you spend your Earth Day?

Remember, it's never too late to go plant some flowers for the spring/summer.

Everyday can be Earth Day!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

I haven't flown a kite in years! When does an adult without children really find the time to enjoy the simple pastime of flying a kite? Or get past the creepiness of being the only person at the park with no kid? Stranger danger, anyone?

So, I was excited to buy Waylon a kite last year from Lifeway Christian Store for his Easter basket. $1.99. Can't beat that! I recently came across it in his closet and pulled it out. Time to take it for a spin! Spring is in the air here in Tennessee, and the "New Life in Jesus" saying on the kite makes me think of the new blooms in my flowerbed. It doesn't hurt that Waylon has been enthralled with his flashcards lately and "kite" is one of them. He knows what a kite looks like and knows it by name. It was high time to bring out the real thing and let him see it in action. He also loved the "Fifly" (i.e. butterfly) on the kite.

Anyone that's familiar with Tennessee knows that when springtime comes, so do the tornadoes! And they last all summer! Oy vey! Well, usually, I like to spend this time in my closet - I tend to have an anxious side. However, with our latest tornado watch, which lasted 6 hours, I decided this windy day was perfect to fly a kite! Who can spend 6 hours in a closet anyway? Did I mention I take the toddler and all three dogs in there with me when I go? It can get pretty warm in there. Last time, I forgot the turtle. I felt bad, then a friend mentioned his shell would probably keep him fortified. I still had turtle-mom guilt. (Quick side-note: I only go in the closet when the tornado warning is actually upon our area.) Better safe than sorry, I say! And yes, I take my purse with me. And the dog leashes.

Back to kite-flying. Super windy day, led to a super windy evening, so we went out front and had fun. Our neighbors joined us, and we all got a laugh out of the kite string jumbling into a gigantic knot, which ended up almost bigger than the kite. But, it still flew, and Waylon loved it. He would yell "Oh, no!," when it would lose wind and drop to the ground, running over to get it. He had a ball. So simple. A little kite, and he was absolutely amazed. Mission accomplished. And I will admit that before the neighbors came out, I was belting it out Julie Andrews-style in Mary Poppins. It sounded good, well, Waylon liked it at least. And that's all that matters.