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Once we returned from vacation, July was spent soaking up as much summer fun as we could manage.

We spent it digging in the garden, going to playgrounds, swimming at Grandma and Grandpa’s, swimming at a local pond (here Quinn is playing with his friend Charlie)…

…going to outdoor concerts at the library park with friends (all the kids were running around like crazy – here are the boys with their friends Nicole and Matthew when they finally decided to take a breather!)…

…going on a hike with lots of moms club friends…

…going to zoo camp (Quinn went for a week of zoo day camp – here he is with his Southern Screamer puppet on the last day of camp)…

…and lots more fun stuff. We visited our friend Paul, Karen, and Zoe (more on that soon!), went to the Polar caves in NH with Aunt Becca, and generally did a lot of fun (and exhausting!) stuff.

Miles is still napping several afternoons a week, but doesn’t always want to give in to sleep, so sometimes I find him like this…

…yes, he’s really asleep under there!

This year some fellow moms club members conned me into … er … talked me into running in a local 5k race in which many of them had participated the year before. I was pretty diligent about running for 5 weeks before the race and was feeling pretty good about doing it. Then the weather changed. On the morning of the run it was 80 degrees, sunny and sticky – a far cry from the 40 degrees and rainy that we’d had for our last practice run a few days prior. But we all made it to the finish line!!!
Ready to run:

At the finish line: Here are some of the moms who ran (I think at least 9 of our club members ran – a great showing!) – Liz, me, Holly, and Sara:

They also had a kids’ race in which both the boys participated. Miles was enthusiastic but had no idea where he was supposed to run. He and his best bud Ellie brought up the rear of the pack but they made it all the way through the race!

Gathering the kids to get ready to race:

Beribboned at the finish line:

There are a few more photos in the May album.

After not attending many MOMS Club events in January (since I got the flu and was sick for two weeks and then we had a week of vacation), we tried to make up for it by going to lots of fun activities in the first couple weeks of February.

Making dinosaurs at the library…

…making birdfeeders…

…and decorating Valentines cookies (can you even tell there’s a cookie under all that candy? And what a face – this is what I get when I ask Quinn to smile for the camera!)

Fun stuff!

Decorating gingerbread houses with the MOMS Club kids…

Playing outside in the snow…

Taking Nana and Papa to La Salette to see the lights. Within minutes of arrival, the boys discovered a carousel and had to try it out…

It was pretty cold so we were all bundled up!

Today the boys and I hosted a pretzel making playdate for the MOMS Club. There are lots of germs going around right now so a number of people couldn’t make it, but it actually worked out fine because there was room at the table for everyone to create their pretzels at once! These photos are courtesy of my friend Kim, since I couldn’t figure out where my camera had gone. Here’s the whole crew working on their pretzel dough!

They all got to make whatever shapes they’d like. I think Miles was a bit at a loss for what to do, but he ended up making some balls and some snakes so I think he did a great job!

Quinn also had fun making his pretzel creation (and hamming for the camera):

After they made their shapes, they got to paint the pretzels with egg and then decorate them with salt, cinnamon sugar, and/or sprinkles. Here’s Miles concentrating on his paint job:

The pretzels were tasty and I think the kids had fun making them. I think we’ll try this again during the winter!

Soft Pretzels

1 pkg. yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
4 c flour
1 egg
Kosher salt (or cinnamon sugar)

Mix in a bowl the yeast, warm water, and sugar. Stir in flour.
Dump the dough onto a pastry cloth and knead until smooth.
Cut of lumps and make into ropes to shape pretzels. (Other shapes work fine, too.)
Place on cookie sheets lined with foil.
Brush pretzels with beaten egg and sprinkle on salt or cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.