Sunday Seven: Five

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate

on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. —Oprah Winfrey

ONE

This past week I woke up while the house was still quiet (like usual), but noticed that the sun was starting to rise. What a special treat to see the sun and get ready for work to the music of songbirds. Grateful for early sunrises and birds tweeting!

TWO

Life gets busy and in our house we like to celebrate the big and little — So we observed this guy's two year and eight month birthday with cupcakes!

THREE

As a mama, it is my duty to have snacks on hand. Am I right? I like whole, real snacks — not the who-knows-what-laden packaged snacks and bars. Valor loves a good bar...enter the world of homemade bars! In the past I've made different granola bars but they need mixed, melted, toasted, baked, cooled — then you cut them and they crumble into five billion crumbs — not good. Then I discovered the best soft granola bars. Easy enough for your toddler to help make, win-win.

The Best Soft Granola Bars

Author: Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:

2 cup rolled oats

2 cup pretzels, crushed down to 1 heaping cup

1/2 cup peanut halves

1 cup peanut butter (more as needed)

1/2 cup honey (more as needed)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Toss the oats, crushed pretzels, and peanut halves together in a bowl.

2. Stir the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla together in a separate bowl until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients into the other bowl. Stir until combined.

3. Press the bar mixtures into a 9x9 inch pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 30 minutes. Pull out of the pan and cut into bars. Store bars individually wrapped in the freezer for quick grab-and-go snacks.

FOUR

Look at Valor's eyes for daddy, insert all the heart eyes. I am so thankful for the time they get together each day.

Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys.

FIVE

Saturday felt like the perfect day. It started out at the local Touch-A-Truck event where Valor got to climb up in a fire truck, police car, ambulance, garbage truck, street sweeper, a moving truck and more – He even got to honk the horns! When Nick got home from work we spent the evening in our backyard around our new fire pit making veggie dogs and s'mores. I hope this summer is filled with many more Saturdays like this one.

SIX

I had the honor of my writing to be published on Scary Mommy! Read the article here.

SEVEN

Mark this down as one of the things I want to remember about his childhood. One of the sweetest and cutest things in the morning is Valor's crazy bedhead illuminated in the morning light.