Harper and Fin relax after a tough adventure at the Denver Art Museum

Harper and Madison ride an elephant at the playground.

Enjoying a treat!

First of all, I have to tell you that this whole "eating while walking around" thing didn't last longer than that spatula.  Chocolate mousse is a good food to have in a highchair, with a bib on and a washcloth at the ready.

I have started my adventures as a sneaky chef- sneaking lots of good foods into foods that don't seem like they'd be packed full on nutrition.  I didn't realize that picky eaters came in the form of 16 month olds, I thought that was more at age 2 or 3.  I was wrong.  Today I made an "Chocolate Avocado Mousse".  Here's the recipe for my fellow mamas who are looking for a way to sneak avocado into their baby's diet.  

Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse 
Prep Time: 10 minutes

• 4 Ripe Organic Avocados
• 1 Cup of Sweetener (Agave Nectar or Evaporated Cane Juice) - I used agave, it was fabulous!
• 1 Tbls of Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Cup of Organic Fair Trade Cocoa Powder (or Carob)

Slice each avocado open and scoop out the insides. Place the inside in a food processor or blender. Next add the sweetener, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Blend or process the mixture until fully blended. The mixture should be smooth and the color of chocolate. You can instantly serve the mousse, however we recommend you let it cool in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve in cups with fresh fruit or mint. Some of our favorite fruits we like to add are strawberries, raspberries, bananas, and sometimes pineapple! Now put your fears behind and delve into this delectable, healthy, and cooling summer dessert!

Actually, Jack, that's my sippy cup.

Taking a walk in the open space near our house

Taking a break while hiking in the mountains

The saddest baby of them all

Harper had a meltdown at the end of our play date at Noah's house on Friday, but we made her sit on the couch for a group picture anyway. : (  We left right after the picture was taken and she was passed out within 5 minutes. 

Harper's friends, from left: Noah, Chloe, Dalila, Zoe, sad Harper and Fin.

Playing at the playground

Harper met a sweet little boy at the playground today who let her play with his extra pail and shovel.  She had a blast.  Guess I'll put those items on the shopping list...

Cousin Leo- 2.5 months

I just had to share a recent picture of Harper's newest cousin, Leo.  What a cutie!  And a chub! He is growing up so quickly.  Fortunately it won't be long before we see him and his sister Lucy, we are traveling to Texas in April for a Pillari family gathering.

Collecting Elmos

and we managed to leave the store without buying a single one!

The littlest gardener

We are turning into regular hippies (hence the tie-dye) over here at the Pillari household.  We have decided to take advantage of the large for Colorado (1/3 of an acre) plot of land that we have and try to use it. I have begun work on a garden we have planned for the summer.  We have broccoli, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, arugula, romaine, spinach, micro greens and kale started as seedlings already and have many more vegetables to start as seedlings and direct-seed over the next few months.  Andy took a class on "vermiculture" (= indoor composting with worms) over the weekend and we now have worms eating our fruit and vegetable scraps in addition to having a large composting bin outside.  Between cloth diapering, recycling and composting, the "trash" we are creating as a family of three is minimal.  We are trying to involve Harper in all of our activities.  She is fascinated- maybe obsessed?- with the plants we have growing under the lights in one of our spare bedrooms and I have been showing her Daddy's worms (though they hide when they're exposed to light).  She asks to visit with both the plants and the worms and I have been letting her play with the soil and watering can.  Hopefully she will be just as interested in eating the vegetables we grow when they are ready for harvest this summer and fall.

Guess who's coming to dinner?

Actually, breakfast.  Harper has recently grown attached to some of her toys, particularly a few of her dolls (who have been rotating turns in the washing machine) and a few of her plastic animals.  In addition to nursing them all- and having me and Andy nurse them too- she has recently begun insisting that they eat with her, on her tray.  This morning pig and "baby with braids" joined her for waffles.  And yes, she tried to feed them.  Baby with braids took a trip through the washing machine later in the day.

Playing with trains!

She loved the train table at the WOW (World of Wonder) Children's Museum in Lafayette.  We were at the museum for about two hours and I think she was at the train table for more than half of that time.  She clung tight to her train and would not give it up to the older kids who tried to take it from her.

A beautiful day at the park

Harper and Zoe navigate the stairs

Drying off after a swim at the rec center

Daddy & Harper turn into bugs at the San Diego Zoo