Our Family Outing

I love this little family of mine.

Our Trip to the Zoo

We took Amy to Willow Park Zoo yesterday. Though she doesn't do too much more than widening her eyes when she sees something, she did track the monkeys running in their cages and was impressed by the peacock.

Our cute Munchki

Amy has discovered her feet. She's really fun.

Ratatouille

So, Ryan and I have turned over a new leaf and decided to start eating more veggies. This photo shows the most produce I've ever had in my kitchen before -- not including the broccoli, celery, carrots and lettuce in the fridge.

I saw a recipe for Ratatouille...and since we love the movie, we thought it'd be cool to make it. I'm pretty impressed.



And it was really tasty. Here's the recipe...along with a few others:

RATATOUILLE:

1 eggplant (sliced thin (1/4 inch)
2 small zuchinni - sliced thin (1/4 inch)
2 small yellow squash - sliced thin (1/4 inch)
onions - thinly sliced
red bell peppers, sliced
tomato paste
spices: pizza type spices
parmesean cheese

Take the eggplant, zuchinni, and squash... bake in the oven at 350 for 8 minutes on pans slightly oiled. Sautee onions and red bell pepper. In a large casserole pan, layer half the eggplant, zucchinni and squash and top with half the onions, and bell pepper. Sprinkle spices and spread a bit of tomato paste on. Sprinkle cheese. Repeat. Bake in the oven for at least 45 minutes. If the eggplant is not done enough, it will taste spicy. Make sure it's baked all the way. Yummy!!!!


YAM FRIES:

chop a yam into small wedges.
toss in oil and season all.
bake in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes and check.
Fork the yams to check if they're done.


Spinach Shakes:

1 cup yogurt
1 - 2 cups berries
1 banana
1 cup packed spinach
Dark berries are best, so you don't see the green.


Indian Fry Bread and Kidney Beans:

1/2 c. yogurt (vanilla, plain, or nonfat)
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water
2 T. vegatable oil
2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Divide into balls and let rest an hour. Roll out and fry in skillet on medium high till bubbled up and brown. Can fry in butter or just the spray on oil.

Kidney beans:
3 c. cooked kidney beans
1/4 tsp. tumeric
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 T. ginger
garlic powder and salt to taste
1 T. butter
1 T. coriander
1/2 tsp. marsala
1/4 c. yogurt
1 can stewed tomatoes
Add a little water and let beans simmer in it with other ingredients. Stir so it doesn't scald on the bottom. Boil it down to a pasty mixture. Beware: it gives a nasty smelling gas because of the spices.

The Public Library

Ryan and I love to go to the Library. Not only does it serve as our Blockbuster, but it also helps us to continue learning. I have been checking out books on tape which have been very good, since I don't really get a chance to read unless Amy's sleeping -- and then there are so many other things to get done. In the last few weeks I've listened to Nixon and Mao: the week that changed the world, The Mayflower (which not only talks about the establishment of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, but about King Philip's war and many other Indian battles), and Nothing to Fear (which talks about the monumental changes during the first 100 days of FDR's first term in office).

It has sparked my interest in a variety of other topics. For one, I realized I know next to nothing about the history of China and have since checked out several books on Chinese history. I highly recommend "Oracle Bones" which is non-fiction, but reads like a novel. Browsing through the history isles always finds me new books - like one on Romania that I read last week. Did you know Romania has a turkey/pheasant type bird that can run faster than a horse on its legs? I also acquainted myself with the tragic history of some of Romania's leaders who severely starved the people whilst building massive palaces. I also learned the true story behind Count Dracula. It's not very pleasant -- being a blood sucking vampire is not as far from the truth as you'd wish.

I love the opportunity to learn new things, and the fact that it's free to check things out makes it even better. The more I learn, the more I realize there is SO much more to learn. I am glad I majored in history. Did you know FDR did too?

3 Months Old

Amy is three months old today. Where does the time go? She smiles a lot now and talks a bunch. We love her chubby cheeks and her happy disposition and that she's learning to communicate when she's tired and wants a nap. This little outfit her Great Aunt Jan gave her...so cute!!!

Beatufiul Spring

We have a big ant colony in our garden. It was really cool to see a spot on the ground moving. We took a picture of it.


Ryan and I feel so blessed to be renting this place. Our little garden is growing slowly and the apple trees are blossoming. It makes me happy to have dirt to work with. Amy loves the tulips.

Proof that you can't always be Photogenic

This picture makes me laugh. What do you think she's thinking?

Cute PJs

I love these PJs. They are darling on Amy.

One thing she got from her Mamma

Ryan and I took a fortuitous trip the other week wherein 3 people said Amy looked just like me. It was nice to hear, even if I'm not sure I believed it. But I am seeing a few things she gets from me.

One thing is this:



She manages to get the blankets over her head when she sleeps (we don't put them this way). That is how I sleep. Oddly, as my family might tell you, when I was younger I would have my head covered, but my legs out from under the blankets. Hmmm. My sleeping like this actually started with my fear of mosquitoes and bugs. I particularly dislike mosquitoes (and flies, though I can't squash them). I started sleeping with my head covered because I had a mosquito in my room once or twice and could hear it. Apparently I thought sleeping like this would be a good precaution against them since they'd not find me. Also, I heard that bugs are attracted to the warmth of your body so I was sure to cover up everything but my nose so they wouldn't crawl in my mouth.

Family Photos (forgive the sideways one)

Motherhood

I am grateful for mother's day, for wonderful women in my life who've been marvelous examples for me and for my own dear mother. Mom is an amazing woman -- she brightens up any surrounding. She can laugh at others and herself easily, which I admire. She is easy going and doesn't get stressed often, but she does worry a lot about her kids. I guess that's a Mom trait. I love her and am proud to have her as my Mom.

I woke up this day, fed Amy, and then promptly became covered from my shoulder down to my rear with spit up. She even managed to get all three bed pillows. Kind of appropriate I think for Mother's Day, being the first Mother's day where I've been a Mom. I thought it funny, and fitting.

Amy continues to bring such joy to our lives. She smiles and coos all the time (except when she cries and fusses). Ryan and I kept laughing last night when we tried to say prayers because she started cooing up a STORM. She's loads of fun and I love being a mother. I don't yet really know what I'm doing, but I'm trying to learn.

More Pics

Cousins Jack and Amy

Jack, who is a month younger than Amy, has grown to almost her size. I say almost because his hands, tummy, and feet are bigger. Jack is a grunter, which is cute. It was fun spending time with Ryan's sisters, Stephanie and Erin.