Enjoying some Birthday Gifts

It may be 112 degrees outside, but that doesn't stop kids! We've found a few minutes in the morning before the sun hits the backyard that Gavin has been able to enjoy his new slide from Nana Diane. Just love the picture with his tongue sticking out - apparently sliding takes a lot of concentration. He loves to take his baseball and roll it down the slide too.

Looking forward to Fall (probably late Fall) when we can be outside all the time with his new toys.

Woods Canyon Lake Camp Out

We finally took time out of our crazy schedules for a camping trip. We've owned the extremely cool REI tent for 5 years, and yes this is the first time it saw dirt! Our neighborhood put together a group campout and it was so much fun. 15 families with a campground all to ourselves. They had all kinds of fun 'camp' activities for us, or we could do our own thing. We did a little of both.

A view from just around the corner from our campsite. I think deep down inside the thing we loved the most was that our cell phones didn't work at the campground!

Day #1 a 3 mile walk down the trail to the lake. Gavin slept in his own sleeping bag on his own mattress right next to mom & dad. Woke up crying once because he had semi rolled off the bed, his head was on the floor (you'd be crying too).

There isn't any swimming at Woods Canyon Lake so we drove about 4 miles up the road to Willow Spring Lake for a dip in the lake. We waded in the chilly water or a bit, then Gavin decided it was time to jump in. Jason went first with Gavin anxiously awaiting his turn. He loves, loves, loves jumping off docks into water. NO FEAR!

Seville set up an "Adventure Race" for all families to participate in if they wanted. You had to have teams of 3 so we were coerced into participating. We are so glad we did, we had so much fun. Gavin loved it! The hula hoops were probably his favorite. He continued to run through them long after the race was over.

Snug as a bug in his sleeping bag. We had a very loud and wet thunder/rain storm on Saturday afternoon. Gavin slept through the entire thing, didn't move a muscle. Must be a comfy mattress.

Blogging...what's that?

We love blogging and keeping our family and friends in touch. If you read our blog regularly you'll notice we haven't put many posts up this summer. It's not for a lack of material. We've been so busy and on the road so much there just hasn't been time to catch up.

I promise to get all of our summer activities up on the blog with pictures and stories of the wonderful memories we've made this summer. At this point I'm going to start current and work my way backwards as I have time to 'catch up.'

Thanks for reading our blog and keeping up with the Hendricks!

Barb

Summer Vacation

Believe it or not we went to Paris for our vacation this summer. Cousin/Uncle Ryan got married to his beautiful bride Mandi - and Gavin was 1 of 2 ring bearers. Here are some photos of the wonderful memories we made. Congrats to Ryan and Mandi and thanks to both of them for letting us share in their very special day!

Gavin's playhouse, that is what he called our business class seats on the way to Paris. We flew British Airways.

There was a gas spill (a little scary) and we had to leave the plane. Luckily they had a nice lounge for us to hang out in. Gavin entertained the upset passengers and did a great job taking their mind off the fact that we departed 2 hours later than expected.

A picture with all 3 of us is about as good as we can get; all 3 looking at the camera - now that would be a miracle. Thanks to Barb's mom for making the dress, it was perfect for the little belly.

Waiting for the ceremony to start.

Pictures at the Eiffel Tower, that doesn't happen every day. We voted, Gavin was the most handsome (sorry Ryan, you were a close second).

It rained cats and dogs, but didn't take away from the beautiful bride, handsome groom, and spectacular day. That's what makes memories, right?

The kiss! Pre-wedding photos at Notre Dame.

A little too much excitement; he didn't even make it to dinner. He was a champ though!

Family brunch the day after the wedding. So much food and a beautiful restaurant.

This was inside the restaurant, the wall was covered with plants - way cool!

Playground in Paris.

Gavin's first Merry-Go-Round ride. He picked the train. Didn't really understand he couldn't ride it and ride it and ride it - well without mommy buying more tickets. He loved it!

On top of the Arc de Triomphe. Gavin was obsessed with the Eiffel Tower, asked about it any time he didn't see it in his sight. Still talking about it weeks later - we've created a traveling monster.

A ladybug landed on G's hand, he (and all of us) watched it climb up and down and around his fingers - cutest thing ever. Didn't capture the ladybug in the picture, but it's there.

Jason and Mom in Bruges, Belgium. We took a train; what an adorable city.

Jason and Cole at Versailles. We took a day trip here as well. Got some great family pictures.

Mom & Gram at the entrance to Palace of Versailles.

Gavin called the trees like this party hats. Next to the Eiffel Tower it was his second favorite thing in Paris.

Versailles

Jason took a day trip with Auntie, Uncle, Gram, and Cole to Normandy.

Normandy.

On the flight home we were in First Class. No Gavin didn't have his own seat, he just took over Barb's seat. A regular frequent flyer. Now whenever we board a plane he asks where the TV is.

Kicked Barb out of her seat completely, but who could resist this adorable little guy.

Took us about 2 weeks to get back to the routine and the AZ time zone. It was a great trip and we once again have memories to last a lifetime.

Scrumptious Sundays

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies by Cooking Light Magazine

with Tomato & Cucumber Salad

1. 4 ounces uncooked ziti
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
3. 2 cups chopped yellow squash
4. 1 cup chopped zucchini
5. 1/2 cup chopped onion
6. 2 cups chopped tomato
7. 2 garlic cloves, minced
8. 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
9. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
10. 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
11. 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
12. 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
13. 1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
14. 1 large egg, lightly beaten
15. Cooking spray

1. 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. 3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
4. 4. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Chopped up fresh cherry tomatoes and peeled cucumber. Added lemon olive oil and white balsamic vinegar from Queen Creek Olive Mill, a dash of salt and pepper. So refreshing on a hot summer day!

Paris Vacation Preparation

This week we are in Paris...yes France...for a wedding where Master Gavin Hendricks is going to be a ring bearer. We had to make some alterations to the tux, but he looked so cute in it. He didn't seem to mind all the layers either. When we return from our royal vacation we'll have a lot more pictures of the wedding and France.

Scrumptious Sundays

This recipe was so delicious! I was disappointed that I didn't take pictures, but trust me it's worth trying. I'll steal a photo from Chloe, who we got the recipe from. We love it because it really tastes rich, creamy, and delicious - like a typical unhealthy pasta dish...BUT IT'S HEALTHY! Love it!! I should mention it's SUPER easy, takes only the time to cook the noodles to make. Every mom's dream - easy & delicious :)

Avocado Pesto Pasta

1 lb dried linguini

1 bunch basil leaves (about 2 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup pine nuts (we used walnuts because we didn't have pine nuts on hand)

2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

3 garlic cloves

1/2 c. olive oil (we were able to get by with only 1/4 c.)

1/4 c. chopped sun dried tomatoes

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package. While pasta cooks, in a food processor blend basil, nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt & pepper.

2.) Drain pasta. In large serving bowl combine pasta, pesto, and sun dried tomatoes.

We made it for dinner one night and liked it so much I made it again for our vegetarian friend Samara the next day for lunch.

1st Lollipop

Remember when you were a kid and went to the bank with your mom or dad. They always had a piece of candy to give you...they still do that. Gavin had his first lollipop courtesy of the bank security guard. He chose blue (of course), it was a sticky, slimy mess - but brought back some fun memories of being a kid.

Baseball Buddy

Jason got a UofA baseball frame for Father's Day, so we thought filling it with a picture of his favorite baseball buddy would be a good idea. Getting a wiggly toddler to sit still for pictures isn't easy. But these sure turned out cute.

Practicing the ABC's to get a smile out of him.

A little yard work while we take pictures.

Guilty?

Batting Practice