Drool

Tuesday I put away all of the bibs because she hasn't worn one in months and months- but tooth number 8 is about to pop through and we had to break out her favorite:

Trouble

This is how she giggles when I say "ouch" for real when she bites me:

And here she is pulling herself half up onto the coffee table (no more books, magazines, glasses, computers, drinks, etc. up there anymore!) It was her interest in the story of how Warren Buffett gained his entrepreneurial spirit that really drove her to finally make the effort.

And here is her first raspberry from falling into the side of the table once she was up (it's a bad picture of her but the only one that was in focus)

The first of many!

Newest Tricks

Oly can now scoop up finger foods, her favorite being little spinach puffs. She also provides a running commentary on every meal.

She applauds her Mama and Papa continuously for doing a such great job raising her.

And she is thiiiiiiiiiis close to crawling. She spends most of her day in this position:

Trip to the Farmers

All of you die-hards have already read Amy's blog post about this weekend and the rest of you certainly will: so I will not compete with her wit and simply post more pictures of our gorgeous children.

This video needs an explanation- she's playing in the kiddie pool but instead of splashing around in the water, she's trying to get out so she can eat handfuls of grass. Sigh. I'm almost never a mean Mom, I promise. But in this flick I sound a little harsh because we'd spent the entire day pulling blades of grass and chunks of clover out of her mouth.

Mid-Summer Update

Oly is eating tons of new foods, most of which come off of our plates. Here she is enjoying summer corn:

Dabbing daintily at her mouth after chowing down on my Trout Amandine at Parc Restaurant and Bistro:

Here is a recent picture of the beautiful backyard garden plot that our landlords Fran and Paul built for us in April. It's a wonderful use of the space that used to be a parking spot 50 years ago, but is now too dangerous to have anything of massive weight on it. Now we are eating tons of food from it: bush beans, spinach, mache, lettuce and leeks.

I don't have a picture of before we started cleaning it up, but here is one in the very early stages of cleaning it off and building up the cinder block walls:

Here is what you get when you try to photograph the beautiful curls on the side of Olympia's head:

And Now- Back to the Cook Off!

So we planned an epic cook off, because the Reading brothers are extremely competitive. Turns out Niki is too. Me? Meh, I just wanted to eat some delicious food. And I did!

So the rules were as follows:

Each team had to prepare an Appetizer, Entree and Dessert- each with a drink pairing. One of the courses had to primarily be cooked on the grill. The OPPOSITE team chose the other's Entree protein the day of grocery shopping, so it was a little on the fly.

The Dahlia bloomed for the occasion:

We went to the garden to get some of the veggies we would be needing and some of us played around a little:

The very first tomato!!!!! A yellow pear tomato that we waited a day too long to eat so it was a little mealy. But still! So exciting!

Oly and I picked baby carrots (Hallie neglects to inform you that she ate the carrot by herself and didn't share with anyone else)

We went to DiBruno brothers and Reading Terminal Market in the city to get most of our meats and also to Moore Brothers to get wine. After that, it was on:

First course from Jeff and Niki:

Soft Shell Crab Sandwiches with Pancetta and Garlic Curry Aioli on a Potato Bun with Micro Green Salad paired with a 2007 Riesling.

Tim and Hallie's first course:

Surf and Turf Done Raw. A Scallop Crudo with Grapefruit Supremes and Local Cayenne Peppers as well as Beef Tartare with a Smoked Tomato sauce and Raw Egg.

It was paired with an Orange and Yellow Bell Pepper Gin Martini, with a hint of basil.

Jeff and Niki's second course:

Apricot, Tarragon and Honey Glazed Duck Breast with Fingerling Potatoes smashed with Bay Leaf, Cream and Pancetta (yum) alongside a Wilted Garden Rainbow Chard in Duck Fat with Lemon Juice. (I can't remember the drink pairing. Guys?)

Tim and Hallie's Second Course was a Grilled Chilean Seabass with Sauteed Garden Carrots and Local Peas- but the fish was bad (we're not sure it would have mattered anyway). Curses! And we won't mention the failed attempt at soybean puree (you wouldn't think it would be awful, but it was awful). Our second course basically a disaster. Oh well, on to Jeff and Niki's dessert:

Champagne with Blackberry and Basil Reduction along with....

(This is just a picture of greek yogurt full of brown sugar. Woah.)

Where was I? Right, the Champagne along with Barbecued Peaches topped with Brown Sugar and Greek Yogurt with a Sprig of Mint (in photo below in the glass in the middle)

Tim and Hallie's Dessert:

Rosemary and Olive Oil Cake with Strawberries and Lemon Whip Cream (on the plates) paired with a Sweetened Vodka Seltzer with Mascerated Strawberries and Mint (in glasses in the top of the photo).

Who won? Well, since we didn't really get to serve an entree, (although the carrots and peas were extremely yummy) we forfeit. Until next year!!!

Going back East.....

Shopping for a new hat for Oly:

Me: It's a pretty silly....

Allison: When can you wear a silly hat if not at 8 months old?

Me: Sold.

Have you ever peeled a watermelon? It's torture.

But worth it for Watermelon Pickles!

Pots of apples (blueberries added later), strawberries and honey become....

Jars of Blueberry Apple Butter and Strawberry Honey Jam! (I'm only this industrious with when I team up with Allison)

And after all of the canning,

adoration,

dog kisses,

and more adoration,

there's nothing left for a girl to do except to hang up her holster and take a nap.

Pool Party

We went to the Community Pool in Jackson so Oly could splash around- her favorite thing nowadays.  She had a blast.  She waves her hands around, gets water in her eyes, constantly kicks her little legs- she's like a pig in 'you know what'.  Happy.  

We took some video but I can't find it on Allison's computer right now and we leave early for the airport tomorrow so you'll have to wait for it.  No really, you'll live.  

My, What Grand Tetons You Have

On Thursday we hiked up to Bradley Lake in the Teton Mountains.  It was a nice mellow hike, but I made other people pack that chubby kid.  

She slept the whole way up,

But woke up to play once we got to the water.  I know, I know, it looks like we just went to the mall and took some pictures in front of a painting of some mountains.

Snuggling with Jeff

You can't really tell, but her eyes are the color of the lake.

Playing around with Jeff and Danner.