We are slowly venturing out into uncharted territory, exploring parts of the city that are not necessarily within walking distance, but still booming with activity and culture and fun things to do.
Today we drove to Tower Grove Park, ate breakfast at a little place called Local Harvest, then walked from there to the Tower Grove Park farmer’s market, which happens to be right next to a fountain/splash ground. What you can’t tell from the pictures is that in-between the farmer’s market and fountain is a pavilion where every Saturday, folksy people come and play fantastic music in the open air, providing the perfect soundtrack to a child’s adventures.
Yeah, our kids are the ONLY ones in underwear.
(And please excuse the millions of pictures of Oliver in which you might occasionally glimpse Milo running by- he was kind of NEVER still this morning. But try finding him- it’s like “Where’s Waldo”!)
And there he goes again!
I am enjoying watching my boys this summer. There is a closeness developing between them that melts me. Probably every parent experiences this when there is more than one young bum- they begin to be so important to each other that everything (and everyone) else falls away. They are thick as thieves and just as naughty.
And I wonder, wonder, wonder what a third boy will look like in the mix. Of course, I feel somewhat guilty knowing how much attention will be transferred from two to three… the time it takes to care for a newborn is time taken away from these two. The breastfeeding, the poopy-diaper-changing, the inevitable fussy evenings and the crying, crying, crying. But then my heart fills up with joy when I fast forward a bit, to when Milo and Oliver will dote on their baby brother, make him giggle and squeal, show him the world. And I know it will all be fine. Better than fine.
Our loot from the farmer’s market
Now for the second part of this post… I couldn’t resist, since we were inundated with so much beautiful produce from the market and our garden. So here’s a little food section to celebrate the freshness of summer food! Let me know if you would like any of the recipes.
Fresh sweet corn, jalapeno from our garden: Plan? Corn salad with melted cilantro butter, lime juice, and a bit of a kick from chopped jalapeno if you prefer it spicy!
Grilled spicy eggplant (slightly salting both sides of the sliced eggplant, then letting them drain in a colander rids them of excess water which can make them mushy on the grill)
Grilled veggies before they were cooked (zucchini from our garden), spicy eggplant marinade, garlic toast, and lavender goat cheese in garlic marinara with fresh basil (also from our garden)
Corn salad complete
Dinner is served!
(Eggplant topped with fresh parsley and mint- our herbs have definitely gotten the most attention from us this summer!)
A lot of food for two adults and two children, but we plan to use the leftover veggies chopped up with pasta and feta cheese and some fresh basil for lunch tomorrow. Leftovers are a good thing!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Tomorrow is going to be a scorcher here…
What a great post. The boys look like they are such a joy. I can only tell you that having two that are the best of friends is really amazing. My girls act like they are twins – one never leaving the other (and not always in the best of moods). I bet a third boy is going to soon equal the 3 closest group of brothers ever. And I loved the food pics. Life is good.
Wow Lauren! That dinner looks amazing – you should definitely post the recipes. Glad you guys are enjoying St. Louis as much as we are… it is such a fun place to live!
This food looks amazing! I have to get that lavender goat cheese… Yum! And, yes, please post the recipes.
You are such a cute family! I’d love the corn salad recipe and the lavender goat cheese in garlic marinara. Looks amazing!! When is your due date?