Family Portrait

Our family portrait...in shadow. I love it cause it makes me look skinny!

Labor Day

There are a couple of things we haven't done much in the last year and one of those things is entertaining our friends. Now that we have the space and a little bit more time, we hope to do it more often.

On Labor day, we hosted a bbq and invited our friends and family. We had a great time and Lauren enjoyed all the attention and loved playing with her cousins.

The food was plentiful and delicious. We had tri-tip marinated in Korean BBQ style marinade, sausages and brats cooked in beer, and some shrimp cakes with avocado and corn salsa. Our friends brought some delicious side dishes (corn and grilled marinated asparagus) and desserts (almond apricot cake, banana cream pie, chocolate and raspberry cheesecake) and I also made some key lime bars. I made a cold noodle salad with peanut sauce that was a disaster and ended up throwing it out (Boo!). Otherwise, everything was delicious and we all had a great time just chillin' on a late summer afternoon.

I had a couple of requests for the shrimp cake recipe so here's the link. What makes it even better is that it's a low fat recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. Enjoy!

Big Fun at the State Fair

The California State Fair comes 'round once a year and since the weather was perfect on Sunday we decided to take Lauren and her cousins.

We arrived late Sunday afternoon and like I said, the weather was beautiful. The kids had fun on rides and playing games in the Midway. Lauren had her first ride on Carousel hanging on tightly to Peter (or was it the other way around?) This was no leisurely Merry-Go-Round. I thought (and so did Peter) that this particular carousel went pretty darn fast and poor Lauren looked terrified most of the time and even though she was sitting on a horse, her arms were wrapped tightly around her daddy's neck.

She had her first taste of cotton candy and while I waited in line for half an hour (HALF AN HOUR!) for Kettle Korn, my neice got kissed by a sea lion.

We didn't get there in time to see the nursery or the petting zoo...we saw mostly big farm animals that didn't do much of anything plus it was pretty close to their bedtime so they weren't too exciting. I pointed to a cow's udder and said "Milk!" Lauren just looked at me funny and her expression said, "Let's get outta here, it smells like a farm!" We did see the bird display and saw chickens, bats, kittens, hairless rats, cages of prize roosters.

"So many cocks!", said Auntie Sarah

I like going to the fair to see the animals, Peter likes to go for the food. We couldn't leave before he had his deep fried twinkie and deep fried snicker bar. Sounds gross, but the deep fried Snicker bar was disgustingly delicious.

Peter enjoys his deep fried Snicker Bar. Ew! (but yum).

The night ended with fireworks but Lauren was conked out in her stroller by then. My teenage niece and nephew were not too jaded to admit they had fun looking at the llamas and going on the rides with their little sister.

Teenagers love llamas!!

There was so much to see and even though we were only there for a few hours, we were exhausted. It really takes a day to see everything and maybe next time we'll stay longer and bring a big picnic blanket so we can take small breaks in between and nap under a tree in the fairgrounds. Lauren will enjoy it more next year, I hope. She seemed to have fun, but by the end of the night she was in a milk coma.

My "Did Do" List

Taking a nod from Rookie Mom's Activity #295, I put away my to-do list and wrote down my "Did Do" list for the day. I was feeling a little overwhelmed and feeling like I didn't do any of the things I planned to do today so I thought this list would help put things into perspective.

• Changed 4 diapers, 2 of them poopy.
• Prepared 5 bottles of milk (one of them I made while standing in the parking lot of the grocery store).
• Did some grocery shopping with baby in the basket and managed only to forget 1 item on my list.
• Ate Breakfast (leftover Chinese food)
  
• Cut some grapes into eighths and fed them one by one to a toddler who won't sit still.
• Changed Lauren's outfit twice.
• Attempted to feed Lauren macaroni, rice, noodles, and broccoli but had no success.
• Picked Macaroni, rice, noodles, and broccoli up off the floor.
• Peeled and cooked a sweet potato. Cut it up into teeny tiny pieces so Lauren could feed herself.
• Picked up bits of sweet potato off the floor.
• Picked up bits of sweet potato out of Lauren's hair.
• Hosed Lauren off in the sink after sweet potato debacle.
• Ate lunch (Leftover Chinese food. Again)
• Played piano while Lauren danced. Got up to dance with her.
  
• Pushed Lauren's stroller through our neighborhood and to the park.
• Pushed Lauren in the baby swing.
• Prepared diaper bag for trip to the State Fair tomorrow.
• Pushed Lauren around on her airplane scooter thing.
• Heated up (you guessed it) the last of the leftover Chinese food for our dinner.
  
• Prepared Lauren's bath and undressed her.
• Wiped up pee on the bathroom floor after little accident that happened while waiting with excitement for her daddy to give her a bath.
• Listened to Lauren and Daddy happily splashing around in the tub.
• Sang a lullabye 10 times before Lauren finally fell asleep.
• Marinated some shortribs and tri-tip in preparation for Labor Day BBQ
• Cleaned up kitchen
• Picked up scattered toys in the living room.
• Checked Facebook and sent out a few emails.
• Wrote down this list.

Whew!!! Now I feel like I accomplished something!!!

Thursday Thirteen #1

I just joined the Thursday Thirteen Blogroll. Basically, every Thursday I have to list 13 things on any topic I choose....Since this is my introductory list, I thought I'd write something all about me!

Thirteen Things You Might Not Know About Me (note: These aren't necessarily impressive things...and some are just plain boring) 1. I like to eat everyone's unwanted pizza crusts. 2. I used to be a figure skating fanatic. I even got to hang out backstage at an ice show and chatted with the likes of Brian Boitano (SUCH a nice guy), Oksana Baiul (didn't speak English...didn't want to talk) and Nancy Kerrigan (SNOB!) 3. I love nachos. 4. I went to Math, Engineering, and Science camp 3 years in a row in high school...and I loved it! (GEEK!) 5. I used to paint and draw a lot, and even considered a career in Art. 6. I have size 11 feet. 7. I drink at least one Diet Coke a day. 8. I have a collection of Princess Di memorabilia. 9. I have a mangled middle finger on my right hand. (The result of a childhood bike accident) 10. I love Jelly Belly jellybeans. 11. I used to collect baseball cards in junior high and high school. 12. I dreamed of becoming a ballerina (I used to be skinny and took ballet for 7 years. SERIOUS!) 13. I love my baby so much that I ate a goldfish cracker that she wanted to feed to me...after it had been in her mouth.

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Mischief

I take my eye off her for a second and this is what happens....Yes, that's toilet paper IN HER MOUTH!!!

Movie Night

Lauren and Daddy watching Ratatouille in the movie room. She's munching on a rice cake made of puffed corn..I guess that would make it a corn cake? It's the closest thing to popcorn that she can eat.