A few weeks ago a friend of ours from college wrote a blog post about how its currently Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Her daughter is currently in the process of her fight with a form of leukemia, and one of the things she alluded to in said post was that often times, people are already aware, but apart from that, nothing really changes. You feel bad for a second, and maybe offer some prayers on their behalf, but ultimately even though your aware and your intentions are good, you feel a little helpless in how to make it better. So, she made a list detailing realisic things [both big and small] that others-people like us-could do to actually help. And I have to be honest, it was such an a-ha moment for me [as Amy  Benning would say.]  There is a saying in our church that goes 'faith without works is dead.' and I think that really applies here. Even if your not religious-believing in something isn't gonna suddenly make it happen. You still have to do your part. Desperately wanting, preparing and practicing for a job isn't really gonna work if you don't submit an application you know? Everybody else can write references and do their part-but its useless without action.  So, obviously,  after looking through the list, we decided a little kiddie lemonade stand was one form of support and action we could take-and one that the kids could be involved in, not only so they could experience the joy of service, but help their sweet friend. So we went with it!

When the day finally came, it ended up being the hottest day this area has seen in years. So, we lathered on the sunscreen and set up our creative lemonade stand  [try doing one on a hill/slope and you'll see why I say creative haha!], juiced lemons for a million years, posted a few flyers and made a million baked goods and went to town. Honestly, we weren't sure how it would go but the response was AMAZING! We got to spend time outside watching whales breach over a goregous sunset, meet a lot of our neighbors and community members, visit with friends and family, eat delicious treats, play with bubbles and sidewalk chalk [in between customers, and hand sanitizing of course] and even visit with Maia herself when her family made a surprise visit! It was such a treat! And we well exceeded what we were hoping/expecting to make. Sara [our friend, and Maia's Mom] repeatedly thanked us, but the funny thing us, we feel like we were probably the ones who benefited most from this lemonade stand. With things the way they have been lately, it felt good to enjoy some goodness and light, and I'd say it was good for our souls. All in all, it was a success I'd say!

In other Pineda news [and since I haven't been updating as we've been doing stuff], we were able to visit Daddy who was working an event during one of his long shifts away. It was a small course bike race, with hilarious teams and costumes, like the Farting Unicorns who apparently use jet propulsion to get ahead in the race if you catch my drift, and so on and so forth. They had lots of food trucks and vendors out,  as well as a kids area with a climbing wall and it was such a fun little treat. And even though we only got  to see Daddy for a few minutes [you'd be AMAZED at some of these injuries  from this little bitty bike race, and how often they came] it was the high light  of our week. Addy loved the rock climbing best, Isla loved the fancy popsicles best, and I LOVED the paella best-just look at that magnificence below. I am drooling just thinking about it.

Speaking of delicious food, we're finding that we have hit almost all the spots we've wanted to in the city at this point. Mr. Holme's cruffins truly lived up to the hype, and just like Godiva's soft serve, Toto's delivered the goods as well.

And so, as a result you can find us experimenting new cuisines and recipes in our own kitchen, be it with baking, or cooking. Its like I said to my sister recently-I like baking cooking, bc it is the ultimate sensory experience-art work you can not only see and smell, but also touch and taste. I love that its something Lester and I can do together. So even though we've had a few misses, over all the kitchen experiments have been a success. 

monkey bread

bolognese

homemade horchata and tortillas for our tacos

asian bbq chicken

[italian meatballs, marinara and al dente pasta]

[sweet and savory flank steak, marscapone mashed potatoes, caprese salad]

And as usual, our best two creations are adorable and thriving as ever. We love watching them grow and progress, even if it is all happening to best. Such an incredibly good, good life we are living. 

[She always says to me when she's doing something she thinks is dangerous 'be careful Momma!' So cute!]

[Love when the Morco's are in town]

[I couldn't find her one day, till I walked into Luke's room where she was reading a book on his bed, acting like I interrupted her or something. Hilarious child!]

So thats whats up with us these days! Onward and forward to fall now if you please!