Marston's 2nd birthday

Marston turned 2 last week. I can't believe it! We had a great time celebrating his birthday. I hung the birthday sign, we had balloons, lots of presents and a mini cake just for Marston. We had all of Dan's family over and had a BBQ and went to our pool. I think Marston had a really good time. 

IT'S A GIRL!

We are so excited to find out that we are having a baby girl. The ultrasound went perfectly. It was great to see her move and that she had fingers and toes. We are one blessed family!

Oatmeal Applesauce Blueberry Muffins

I woke up this morning thinking MUFFINS, I must have MUFFINS. I found this recipe a couple of days ago and thought I should give it a shot. It has whole wheat flour, oats, applesauce and only a couple tablespoons of oil in it. Really healthy. I was a bit skeptical about how they would taste - but to my surprise they were terrific - yummy even. I think I will actually keep this recipe and make it often; they are that good. It was a great way to start my day. 

Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

source: adapted from Joy the Baker

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh are highly recommended)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases or spray with nonstick cooking spray. I simple greased and floured a muffin pan, saving the paper.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
4. Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Yields 12-15 muffins.

Hiking on Memorial Day

We decided we needed to get out and explore the area some more so we went on a hike. I found it in a book I have I got at REI a while ago called, Easy Hiking in Northern California. We decided to hike to a place called Dry Creek Falls. It's in between Grass Valley and Marysville. We had a good time. Marston was busy and tired from not getting a nap. He had a hard time knowing what he wanted, like most 2 year olds. Anyway we hiked in about 2 and a half miles to the falls. It was beautiful and huge. I think the book said it was 50 feet tall. We looked at the falls, ate some trial mix and turned around for another 2 and a half miles back to the car. It was a nice day and it felt good to exercise.