Blast off!

Will can sense when it is time for his daddy to get home from work. He starts saying "daddy? daddy?". I usually tell him we can go outside and wait for him.

Will lights up when he sees him - it is so cute!

One of Will's favorite things to do with his dad is play 1, 2, 3 blast off!

I love watching these two play together:)

Peanut butter balls

Peanut butter balls are a great snack - they can easily be packed up for car trips and snacks on the go, they are simple and quick to make, and they are loved by husbands and toddlers alike! And best of all, they are pretty healthy, loaded with protein and whole grains and no refined sugar! Matt and I gave up refined sugar a few months ago (except for occasions!), and use honey or agave nectar or stevia if something needs to be sweetened. Honey is still sugar though, so don't go crazy and eat the whole batch at once, like I want to do every time I make these!

Peanut Butter Balls
1 cup rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats)
1 cup dried milk
1/2 cup peanut butter (the only ingredient should be peanuts)
1/2 cup honey

Mix all ingredients together (I use my hands!). Form into balls (it will be very crumbly - just keep mashing together) and put on wax paper. Refrigerate until chilled. Store in the fridge.

And if you want to make them even healthier, cut back slightly on the dried ingredients and add a few tablespoons of ground flax seeds! You won't be able to tell the difference, and flax seeds are loaded with good things like omega 3's and fiber! Just make sure you buy them whole and grind them as you need them - ground flax seeds go rancid quickly.

Thomas, fireflies, and others from last week!

This post is just a lot of random pictures from the last week that I don't want to forget!

Out of focus I know, but I just love this smile!

Will LOVES Thomas the Train! He was trying to show me all his different trains...

We found the big one at a garage sale last weekend for about a dollar and he loves it! When we gave it to him he started jumping and dancing around he was so happy!

Last week we had perfect weather, sunny and in the 70's, and spent every moment outside...

I love this laugh!

Playing with daddy!

Bubbles!

Catching fireflies!

Will's birthday!

We gave Will his birthday gift Sunday afternoon - a balance bike! I'd seen them awhile ago and had been thinking of getting him one when he turned 2. It is basically a bike without pedals - you use your feet to scoot along. Apparently, learning to balance is the hardest part about learning to ride a bike, and it is easier for kids to learn by balancing first rather than pedaling first. I think he liked it, but even with the seat at the lowest setting, he was still a little bit short for it. He'll grow into it soon though!

Matt made popsicles with fruit we had on hand, so after Will checked out his bike he had one outside with daddy!

We are currently having a heat wave so we got back out the pool Sunday afternoon. So far Will won't get in it - I don't know why! He loves his bath! He likes water though so we turned on the sprinkler. Matt was in the pool and would splash him if he got near the pool and Will loved it! He would run up to the pool and get splashed and run away squealing!

Monday morning I made him blueberry pancakes for breakfast! He's only had pancakes maybe once so it was a treat!

He liked them and kept saying "more cake! more cake!"

And yes, that is syrup in his hair:)

Matt came home a little early and we went out to dinner in Wilmette. By then it wasn't quite as hot anymore and we sat outside and it was really nice!

After dinner we took him to Homer's for ice cream. It's a well-known spot for awesome ice cream around here - in fact Bon Appetite wrote them up as having the top 10 ice cream in the country. We ordered a banana split with 3 spoons - Will LOVED it!

I think he had a pretty fun birthday!