Better Late Than Never...

This is a video that I took while we were at the pumpkin patch that I've wanted to put up on the blog for a long time... I just never got around to getting it off my phone and onto the computer.

I like this video because it's cute to watch Edison walking through the pumpkins. But my favourite part is what he does as soon as he hears the airplane. Edison LOVES airplanes and has crazy airplane radar. Sometimes when we're outside, I'd never have noticed an airplane in the air but Edison will spot it right away. It's really cute... and impressive.

Click the fullscreen button if you'd like to see it bigger

Cheese Please

A couple of nights ago, my mom and I decided to embark on a whole new adventure.... cheese making! It's actually something my mom has been wanting to do for a while. She ordered a couple cheese making kits online and we decided it was time to give it a whirl.

There are lots of different kinds of cheeses you can make at home. After reading the little book, the (seemingly) easiest and quickest one to make is mozzarella. In the grand scheme of things, making your own mozzarella is not that hard. However.... it was a harder than we thought it was going to be and our first batch was a bit of a failure.... well... a total failure.

All you need is milk. Add a little citric acid... 

Add the magical ingredient called rennet... 

Wait 5 minutes... 

Ta da... you have curd and whey 

You cut the curd... 

And stir over heat. However, somewhere in here, we did something wrong because our curds are very soft

We put the curds through a sieve, which was also wrong  

It is NOT supposed to look like this!

By the time we got to the step where we were supposed to microwave it for a minute and then kneed and stretch it like dough, our curds were still the texture of yogurt... not dough. We weren't really sure where we went wrong. 

After doing some reading online, we decided to try a couple of things differently and go back into the kitchen for round two. Edison was very patient while we experimented, playing on the floor with toys, and the dog. 

Here we go again, another gallon of milk 

Hoping this time it works... 

Checking to see if the whey is clear 

Stirring over heat, this time the curds are much firmer... We're on the right track!

Removing the curds 

I know... it doesn't look that appetizing yet 

Edison checking out his new booster seat at Grandma's house! 

 Edison and Grandma 

Hot! But at least it looks like dough, yay! 

Stretching the mozzarella  

We had to take turns stretching it because it was so cool! 

Giving them a cool bath 

Giving them an ice bath 

Ta Da! Fresh mozzarella! 

Insert 'cutting the cheese' joke here 

Yum!! Edison LOVES it! He kept wanting more

Vacuum sealed and ready to take home

We sure had fun in our first adventure into the land of cheese. We're excited to try another type of cheese next and, hopefully, not have to throw out a whole gallon of milk in the process! Stay tuned...

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch

Okay, I know! I've been a little negligent in the land of blogging lately! The farther behind in my blog that I got, the more overwhelming it seemed... and the less I wanted to do it. But, here I am... attempting to catch up on the last month of our lives.

A few weeks ago, Edison and I ventured out to Abbotsford to see his Grandma (my mom) and explore the pumpkin patch at Maan Farms.

I would like the pumpkin patch to be a fall yearly tradition... Jonathan's is not quite as enthused about it as I am... maybe it will grow on him. We took Edison last year (even though he was only a teeny tiny 3 months old). We walked around, looked at the farm animals, and propped Edison up on some (dirty) pumpkins... Edison was less than impressed.

This year however, I knew that Edison was going to love the pumpkin patch. We checked out the petting zoo... which as a side-note, I have to say "petting zoos" are not what they once were. When I was a kid a petting zoo meant that you went into an enclosed area where all the animals were loose, and you got to walk around and pet whatever ones would let you near them. Now, it seems to be that all the animals are still in their fenced in areas and you can just pet them through the fence...if they come close enough. To me that's just not the same.

The bunnies were the only little guys we could pick up to pet. 

This pig was a people person! 

Edison kept trying to climb into the chicken coop

After the petting zoo we checked out the playground area for a while. Edison loves wandering around checking everything out. He also loves slides and this playground had a super cool wood slide that we went down a few times.

After we played, we headed on over to the pumpkin patch. As soon as we got to it, Edison was just motoring around... he was on a mission to check everything out. There were a variety of pumpkins, squashes, gourds, and even cucumbers in there, so he was picking up all sorts of things and walking around with them. He also marched right on into the corn maze like a man on a mission. It was pretty fun to watch him have such a good time.

At the end, we each got to pick a pumpkin to take home with us. Edison had a little Edison-sized pumpkin, I picked a larger one and got it half way to the check-out area and was wishing I'd picked a smaller one....but I managed to lug it there.

Overall, it was a really fun day. Edison had a blast, the weather was great, and we look forward to going back again next year.

Thanksgiving Day

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,

whom he has redeemed from trouble…

… they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

He sent out his word and healed them,

and delivered them from their destruction.

Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,

for his wondrous works to the children of man!

And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,

and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!..

Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,

and praise him in the assembly of the elders…

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;

let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

~Psalm 107 ESV

Photographer Jonathan

Jonathan has been taking over some of the picture taking duties while I'm at work during the day. I just downloaded all the pictures off the camera card the other day and discovered some good ones that Jonathan  had taken... and I though that some of them needed sharing!

Edison has become a regular at the skatepark while hanging with his Daddy during the day 

Drool face 

Yummy waffle breakfast 

"Hey what's that prickly thing?" 

"Hey! I can't reach it!" 

Edison loves playing on the deck... something he won't be able to do for much longer (without getting cold and wet that is) 

Could he get any cuter?

Hope you enjoyed them. I know I sure did!