Snapshot of our little fam

With these beautiful June evenings we can't help ourselves from spending them outside and using the nice light for some quick pics.  In this first photo, Oliver wanted to take a pic where he was very tiny. He got quite a kick out of how small he was in this photo and how his parents just couldn't believe it!

Frugal or just plain cheap?

You know you are frugal/cheap when:

• Your version of internet shopping is perusing the pages for items, placing them in your cart, but never pressing the "buy" button.
• Going to Costco is one hour of long division practice, taking the price of an item and diving it by the number of items in the box, then trying to remember if that is a better price than the previous math you've done earlier that month at the local grocery store.
• You wait so long for something to go on sale at the Gap that it is no longer there, or it is there but the only size they've got is XXL.
• You never get items that you so desperately need, so your sisters/friends end up buying the items for you.

These are some of my current examples.  How did I get this way? I'm not sure.  Sometimes it serves me well and sometimes it does not.  The funny thing is, I don't mind spending money (sometimes) to eat out or travel, but when it comes to other things it takes me forever to make the purchase.

four months

Ansel is growing like nobody’s business. He is such a smiley guy. When Oliver notices he announces, “Ansel’s smilin’,” and we all love it around here. Ansel likes bathtubs, he’s getting better at sleeping, and he’s recognizing his hands. He’s just about the cutest babe around, talking lots and laughing during a good tickle. He loves to go outside, sit on my lap, and listen to the wind rustle through the leaves. I remember doing the exact thing with Oliver. Now I am at it again, and it’s nice.

Reliving my high school smoothie days

Back in high school zuka juice had just opened around my neighborhood and it was very popular. We'd go there on weekends and pay top teen dollar for a smoothie packed with flavor and any power-powdered extras we were interested in.

Fast forward a few years and now zuka juice is jamba juice. The smoothies are near the same and the extras are something like 25 cents. But now they serve sandwiches too!?!

Anyhow, in my desire for something delicious, nutritious, and flavorful I look to the tradition of high school (ha!). I whip up a smoothie at home and add an extra, spinach. Very good. Fairly cheap. And just about as good as those at zuka...I mean jamba juice.

Mom, am I still four?

Oliver turned four this past month.  It was a birthday that had Oliver patiently waiting.  In fact, on Sunday the 19^th of May, the primary sang to Oliver.  He was excited about the singing but reminded some of the teachers that his birthday was actually the 23^rd.  When the day came, he was very excited.  He is a great four year old and has really started to be a ham.  The day after he turned four I was woken up with the question, “Mom, am I still four?”. Of course!

Oliver does some awesome things as a four year old.  He requests that Ansel be up in his room with him during quiet time.  Sometimes I set Ansel on the foot of Ollie’s bed and he watches as Oliver draws, lines up blocks, and the like.  One time, I heard Ansel whimpering a bit.  I went up to find Oliver comforting him with the one word Oliver knows Ansel speaks, which is, “A-goo.”

Oliver is between having a nap during the day and not taking a nap.  As a result, he is very sleepy during the late afternoon hours.  As such, he falls asleep during dinner and I just wake him up again.  Just today he fell asleep during reading lessons.  He was mid-sentence – “the fat eagle”- when he was out.  I moved the book which woke him.  He then said in his half awake voice, “Mom, I was reading about a bird.” He then continued reading, “the fat eagle saved the white eag…” and he was out again.

And finally, Oliver likes to write "birthday messages."  This involves getting a square of toilet paper and writing on it with a marker.  Some messages included: "Oliver Dad," "Mom I love you too," "Big Bird I love you," "2 Grade," and " Your prise is a stuft anamal.".  All good stuff.

A month without posts...

...makes me want to take on the challenge of a month full of posts, that is, one post a day (excluding weekends).  Can it be done?  Will it be interesting?  Who will care?  Well, let's face it, just me.  But I am up for a challenge.  And so, here we go.

I finished reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot.  It is (sadly) the first book I've read completely through this year.  Let's just say I need a very good book to keep the interest, especially when I have to stop and start often, and I like to nap.  With that said, here is my review:

Excellent non-fiction book about the life of a woman and the science behind her cells that never die*.   Part science, part history and present day, this book reveals the remarkable path of HeLa cells and how they’ve helped science.  But what’s more, the author explores how these cells have affected Henrietta’s family.  It also examines the ethics behind using patient tissues for research and how the laws have changed over time.  This book is a good read for anyone interested in science or not (I promise!), a page turner indeed. 

*And for anyone wondering how the cell never dies, well, it turns out the enzyme telomerase is missing in these special HeLa cells, so chromosome telomeres never break down, thus, never signaling the cell to die.

Gaufre

A few weeks ago, I achieved something I've dreamed about since Jess and I left Belgium after living (i.e., visiting) there for six weeks. 

The achievement: I made a Belgian Liège waffle.  And it tasted authentic!  As I took my fourth bite (it took a while to perfect the baking of the dough in the waffle iron for the correct done-ness) I was taken back to that 2008 overcast day in Belgium when Jess and I sat under the Arch at Parc du Cinquantenaire eating our first Belgian fare.

Making this waffle takes a little more work than your usual waffle or even your usual Belgian Brussels waffle, which are both batters.  The Liège waffle is a dough made with yeast and pearl sugar.  In fact, to make the magic happen, I had to collaborate with my dad (he brought the quality waffle iron) and my sister (she brought the pearl sugar).  Together we came up with something that I thought I could only get across the Atlantic.  No longer!  Although, I wouldn't mind going back sometime soon.

If you are at all interested in making this delicious, euro-doughnut treat, see the recipe here.

Almost there...

Yesterday I got Oliver, Ansel, and myself to the store to buy some food and additional essentials. I felt like I had really accomplished something - at one point I had Ansel in my arms and Ollie was helping me push the cart. How's that for multitasking? After checking out, driving home, and unpacking the groceries, I went to feed the little one. My button up shirt was on inside out.

I had a good laugh.

Big bones

This past Saturday, it was cloudy and we needed to get out of the house, so we visited the new Natural History Museum. It was great...quite the upgrade from the museum I remember visiting when I was little.

As we walked along I overheard an Uncle ask his teenage niece if she had seen the movie Jurassic Park. She told him no. This made me feel old-er. I mean, I remember the time when everyone had seen that movie. And now it is coming out in 3-D.

Needless to say, it was an awesome visit.  Fossils never cease to amaze.  And the Native American footwear of the past, I was in awe; sandals and moccasins from before the fourteenth century.  Plus, they had an interactive insect activity and I got to hold a hissing cockroach.  Then I dropped it (back into its cage) because I was a little jumpy.

This museum is must see for those who live in these parts.

General Update

Who doesn't like a general update?  So, here it goes.

Ansel is growing and smiling lots.  He is as cute as can be.  We have recently discovered that he sleeps best with white noise.  My sister-in-law noticed this first when she was holding him at my family dinner.  These dinners are loud.  We talk loud and we talk over each other.  Because of this, she took Ansel into the quiet living room where she thought he could rest best.  Instead, he opened his eyes and kept them open as long as he was in the quiet living room.  Once she moved to the dining room, where the cacophony of conversation abounded, he went right to sleep.

Oliver is growing and smiling lots too.  He will write on whatever surface he can: paper, balloons, ribbons, the sidewalk, his skin. He also digs reading and is picking up on it.  The other day we went to Old Navy.  Oliver has always called the store "Old Maybe," but this time, when he saw the sign, he read it and commented, "Mom, I always thought this place was Old Maybe but it really is Old Navy." 

Jess passed the bar.  Wahoo!  We had some sparkling peach cider to celebrate (see photo above).  He's into biking these days which is nice to do with the warmer weather.

I am trying to pull off being a mom with long hair.  It sure gets in the way a lot.  I am tempted to cut it again, and probably should, given that I don't care for it like I should.  Long or short?  Hmmm.