Levi Giggles

While Paige was changing Levi's diaper, she hollered for Parker and I to come over and check out Levi's first few giggles.

Bumbo

We got the Bumbo out of the attic for Levi to start using--as long as he is in a good mood when you put him in it, he doesn't mind it and will sit in it happily for a few minutes or more. Hopefully as he gets a bit stronger he will like sitting in it for even longer, until he can sit up by himself. It's nice having somewhere else for him to hang out rather than just on his back or sitting in his car seat--it's nice to be able to interact with him face to face, and for him to be able to look around more and watch Parker as he plays. 

Valentines

Today was Parker's Valentine's Day party at school. The kids were supposed to bring a valentine for everyone in their class; I decided to try to have Parker make his valentines himself rather than buy them, because I felt like handmade things have more "heart" :) At first he didn't seem that into the project, but then eventually he told me he was "more interested in it" and that he was "up to the task"--I have no idea where he came up with that second quote! We ended up making them with teamwork--I stamped the envelopes, cut out the hearts and wrote on them, and put the cards in the envelopes, while Parker stuck the hearts onto the cards with stickers, put three animal stickers in each envelope with the card as little treats, and then sealed the envelopes closed with another sticker. They definitely ended up looking very "homemade," but I tried to remind the perfectionist in me of how much I love every thing that Parker makes himself--it is all the little quirks in the final product that make it so special. He was pretty happy with his valentines--he definitely seemed more connected to them than if we had just bought them--and seemed excited to go to school today--he ended up coming down with yet another cold, so he had to miss school on Tuesday, but I finally decided today that every runny nose can not keep him out of school, or else he will end up missing way too many days! I finally understand now how it comes to be that so many toddlers seem to constantly have snotty noses.

Abu Dhabi

Lax to Dubai. Considering it was a 16 hr flight it went pretty well. The jet was about 1/4 full so everyone had their own rows to stretch out. I didn't sleep on the plane and not till 8pm did I het some rest. I awoke at 3am and waited for the sun. At 530am I was answering emails when I heard the daily morning prayers from some nearby mosque. I hope to capture the sounds tomorrow morning. Things are well. Here are a few photos.


-








Coolest honey server thingy
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Latest Baking Adventures

Last week I checked off another cookie from my to-try list: Chocolate Dipped Lace Cookies. Mixing up the batter was a breeze...almost deceptively simple, since there were quite a few steps after that to complete the cookies. They're super easy overall, it's just good to know that you have to hang around the kitchen for a while to get them done; I had to head out to pick Parker up from school halfway through the batch! I think the best part of the cookies was the combination flavors from the orange peel and the very dark chocolate.

I had been hankering to try baking scones, and they were SO easy and SO good! I made these Cranberry Cream Scones for breakfast this weekend, and it was amazing how good scones can be when they are fresh right out of the oven. I also got a chance to really try out the food processor that Jared got me for Christmas, and I happily realized that it is very easy to use, which is nice because I was kind of intimidated by it! I'm going to try Blueberry Cream Scones next.

Fishy

I made this shirt for Parker at my baby shower for him four years ago; now it's Levi's turn to wear fishy! I think his big fat belly makes a nice, generous canvas.

What's Closer Than Close?