Easter 2014, Winn style

It’s been a few days since Easter, but I won't be me if I were posting this on time :)

Easter for us was low-key, but fun nonetheless. Little lady’s cousin Mae was in town Friday before Easter and the 2 girls had a wonderful time egg-hunting in Oma and Opa’s backyard. Saturday morning our park had an Easter egg hunt and we all took Annika to gather some more chocolate. She didn’t get too many, because other parents got in her way. (I’m serious. So many parents were gathering eggs themselves instead of letting their kids do the job. It was a little unsettling to see.) However, Annika had a lot of fun and managed to intimidate the heck out of the Easter bunny.

After the egg hunt we came home and painted eggs. Annika loved it so much, that every single day, at least once, she asks to paint eggs. How do you explain to a two-year-old that we only celebrate Jesus’ resurrection in this very particular way only once a year? (And while we are at it, how would you explain that to me?)

On Sunday we went to Oma and Opa’s church and then had a quiet family lunch all together. And you can call me cheesy, but Annika and I were matchy-matchy. I LOVE matching our outfits, but I try not to do that too much for fear of being weird :)

 

On a serious note, what a blessed occasion! I’m so beyond thankful for Jesus and his sacrifice for us. And I hope to remember it every day and teach my children the same thing. 

Blessings and love,

Lena

Coconut milk + chia seed pudding recipe

Have you heard of this super seed that's become a staple in every hippie's diet lately? I don't exactly consider myself a hippie (although I secretly want to be), but I jumped on the bandwagon and have fallen in love with chia seeds. I put them in everything: oatmeal, salads, yogurt parfaits...  And having been recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes (again, just like during my first pregnancy), I went bonkers when I tried this chia seed pudding recipe that was low-carb. My sweet (very sweet) tooth was skeptical at first, but I tried it and I LOVED it. You should try it too.

Here is what you'll need: (and you can adjust volumes of everything to suit your taste and needed amount... it's that easy and flexible)

1.5 c coconut milk (or coconut-almond milk)
5T chia seeds
some honey
some vanilla

Mix it all together and put in a fridge for 4-5 hours. The mixture will thicken, because the seeds have this amazing power to absorb liquids better than your drunken uncle.
Before serving, garnish with... well, anything you want, really. I LOVE it with raspberries, coconut shavings, and nuts, yes, all together.

ENJOY!

Annika says...

I feel like I'm unceremoniously barging in on my own blog after so much time of not posting. But I can't be the only one who hibernates during winters? Especially the kind of winter we all had ourselves here in the Midwest. Brutal doesn't even begin to describe...

Anywho... My sweet little bunny... She isn't so little anymore. She is only a month away from turning two and it's my most favorite age The most fun is to hear her talk. The girl talks. so. much. Every single day she whips out something new to say and Greg and I look at each other and go:  "Did you just hear that?" or "Where in the world did she learn that?"

I don't want to forget these fun little Annika-isms and I think it's time to start writing down some of my most favorite ones...

So here it goes... Part I of Annika says. And boy, do I expect to have many-many more of those. 

"Where is it mommy go?" (Where did mommy go?)

"Want to push the buttons on a alligator!" (elevator!)

"Water going down the dream." (drain!)

"Annika's butt itching!"

When she hurts a part of her body, she always wants me to kiss it to make it "all better". Once, when she fell on her bottom pretty hard, she came up to me and said: "Kiss my butt!"

And you better believe I did!

Me: "What color is mommy's car?"

A: "Black."

Me: "That's right! What color is daddy's car?"

A: "Brown, too."

Puts her baby doll on her time-out chair: "Mary, time out!". Points a finger at the doll: "Listen!!!"

Me: "Why did you put your baby in time-out?" 

A: "Baby pull Annika's hair. Hurts!"

Me: "Annika, can I have your paci, please? You're awake now, and paci is for night-night."

A: "Nooo! I need it!"

Me: "Annika, did you just toot?"

A: "No. Daddy toot." (totally fibbing!)

I've been trying to teach her to say "Yes, ma'am!" when I reprimand her and want her to understand the correct behavior. 

Me: "Are you going to throw food on the floor again?!"

A: "Yes, ma'am!"

Greg: "I would give you play-doh, but are you going to eat it again?"

A: "Yes, ma'am!"

Point totally missed:)

I could go on forever and never stop, but I think it's enough for the first time. Hope you smiled a little bit:)

This is kind of like beauty and the beast, only better!

Meet Kirby, everybody! 

She is this gorgeous blond, who is very thoughtful, wholesome, and whose work is helping people everyday. I get to call her my friend! I'll never forget the day after my baby girl was born and immediately airlifted to a different hospital. My husband went with Annika to be by her side and I was left alone at our hospital to heal my birthing wounds. Kirby brought girly magazines and spent all day with me. Except for the part my wonderful lactation consultant kicked her out for a few minutes:)  

Kirby speaks truth to my heart. Recently, after a certain huge disappointment, she reminded me how much I have in this life and made sure to "caution against discontentment". Exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. Thank you, friend!

For this shoot, she was willing to trespass with me (shhh!!!) so that I could fulfill my dream of taking pictures at this forgotten building (aka the most photographed building in town... I'm so original:)) that is about to fall apart.  I love love love how these pictures turned out and it's so hard to pick a few favorites!!!So, yes! This girl!!! { Insert an emojy with hearts for eyes.}

Having some Miner fun!

Everyone loves taking photos in the fall, because ... i mean... the colors!!!! The Colors! 

I took pictures of LeeAnn and her daughters last summer, and loved it! This time their hilarious daddy joined them and despite the chill temperatures, we all had so.much.fun. The camera loves the girls and yes, the girls do love the camera too!  No end to this pose and that...  And the daddy bore all the weight of supporting his model girls on his shoulders. Literally! At some point they all climbed on his back and encouraged him to stand up.  And he actually tried. I really hope he got a back rub and extra hugs later that day.

Model much, Little S?

My little lady totally has a little boyfriend. They go way back when they were both in the infant nursery at our daycare. Annika and S. sitting in a tree... Isn't he adorable? He is totally cheesin' for his future mother-in-law. (Eeek, that thought just made me have a mini heart attack.)
It isn't easy taking pictures of a little boy who is full of energy and never.stops.moving! Oh boy! It helped a lot that he was just so fine with the camera being constantly in his face. I wish Annika was like that, because the moment I pull out a camera she is like, so would you rather I hit you in the face or smash your lens?
Here are just a few pictures of S. and his family. I totally have some goofy ones that I will save for the wedding day (mini heart attack, part dos).

Fall.. Yummy!

It's mid-October  (in case you were wondering), and you won't believe it, but I am yet to have a pumpkin spice latte or take the little lady to a pumpkin patch. I haven't yet made chili with corn bread or carved pumpkins. In my defense, this fall has been so temperamental. Just a couple of weeks ago it was rather warm, and tonight we are on freeze watch. I think it's time to get going with my fall to-do list, because the thoughts of Christmas are already starting to creep in. Ah know!!! I've already looked at Christmas stockings online and have picked out... wait for it... matching mother-daughter Christmas PJs. AH KNOW!!! Squeal! 
But no-no, I have to make sure I enjoy fall, because that was actually one of my resolutions this year. We are going to carve pumpkins with friends this week, and I'm going to attempt chili and corn bread for everybody. Woot! I'm so excited. 
My small group lady friends and I are reading a book by the hilarious Jen Hatmaker called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. Jen writes about an experiment she conducted in order to get rid of materialism and excess in her life. Over the span of 7 months she gave up certain things (like television, shopping, Internet, and others), in order to "make room" for spiritual growth. Today we discussed food, which is the first thing Jen fasted in. Why and when is it that food takes so much room in us that it pushes out the Holy Spirit? We don't see food as a means to an end, but rather something we can't imagine having an enjoyable life without. Do we put too much emphasis on food and thus forget the real "nourishment" we should crave? Oh, I'm just thinking out loud.  Food is such a  huge prerequisite for this season, I guess it just stirred up some of these thoughts. Or maybe it was my little bestie, whose favorite phrase as of today is "food...yummy!" Or I'm just hungry, because my dinner consisted of arugula leaves and tomatoes. 
And below are a few fall photos that have nothing to do with food:)