Friday, October 21, 2011
Crawling, A Style
These are some funny pictures of A trying to crawl this week. She is working on getting everything synchronized, and still does a lot of belly flops, but is able to get around if she wants to.We are definitely in trouble now. You can also see how she'd much rather work on walking than crawling, but is making due just fine.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Just Another Manic Monday
Well, this weekend was a ton of fun and Monday wasn't so manic for A and me as it was for Chris. This past weekend we managed to make it down to the MSI. We got to see the Dr. Seuss exhibit, and it was really really really cool. Did I mention it was cool? It was small, but jam packed with all sorts of good stuff in it. It had a great timeline, some of his unusual taxidermy, some of the stuff he did for the war office during WW2, some great magnetic boards to create rhymes, and really cool artwork that he did -- some of it well known, others out of his private stash that he did only at night, just for himself. One of the coolest things was the original pages from the Grinch that Seuss did. (Did you know he was 53 when he wrote the Grinch, and it is a parody of what he felt was increasing commercialism and forgetting the real meaning of Christmas?) For all of his books he would type them using a typewriter, and then place the words on the page as he wanted them. Then the drawings would go around the words. When he had them perfect he would send those pages to the publisher with specific color pallets. He did that same process for all of his books. So it was really cool to see the pictures, here is an illegal photo of one of them in fact. Yes, I thought it was cool enough to risk security guards confiscating my phone to get a photo.
After the MSI we went to Lincoln Park for the Pumpkins in the Park 5k. I ran it while Chris and A cheered me on in the windy fall weather. It was quite pretty, but the wind, oh the wind!
\One HUGE thing this past week has brought is a fairly mobile A. She isn't crawling, but she is definitely inch worming and able to get from point A to point B if she wants to. She often does, and it is fun watching her try and crawl. She likes to look into the cabinet that houses our dvd player, wii, etc. She also likes our boxes of games, but she wants to put all of it in her mouth. It is quite entertaining to see her move up to something with her mouth open and try to get something flat into it. I'll try uploading a video and see if I can get one to work here:
She really just wants to stand, so she pushes off with her feet more than her knees and hasn't really gotten the hands down yet. She's good about rocking, so we're expecting some real movement sometime soon.
\One HUGE thing this past week has brought is a fairly mobile A. She isn't crawling, but she is definitely inch worming and able to get from point A to point B if she wants to. She often does, and it is fun watching her try and crawl. She likes to look into the cabinet that houses our dvd player, wii, etc. She also likes our boxes of games, but she wants to put all of it in her mouth. It is quite entertaining to see her move up to something with her mouth open and try to get something flat into it. I'll try uploading a video and see if I can get one to work here:
She really just wants to stand, so she pushes off with her feet more than her knees and hasn't really gotten the hands down yet. She's good about rocking, so we're expecting some real movement sometime soon.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Philadelphia
This past weekend (and for Columbus Day so our friends would have an extra day off) we went to New Jersey. We got to see Josh and Anna. :) We originally had planned to go to their wedding in July, but decided to go and see them instead. We are super glad that we did that to celebrate them getting married. As most pastors will tell you, a wedding is a day while a marriage lasts a lifetime. While we were there we went to Philly for one day, and Princeton for another. We also managed to watch the OU/TX game at an Irish pub since the game started shortly after we arrived.
While in Philly we went to the Franklin Institute. It was pretty neat to see everything explained in relation to "Dr. Franklin" or how he would have done something. It was also cool to see some of his original designs of things. The Institute was housing the "Mummies of the World" exhibit. The exhibit was very cool since it had mummies from all over the world. We got to see mummies from South America, Asia, and Europe as well as a few from Egypt. The exhibit started by discussing the way mummification happens -- either intentionally or unintentionally. It then went on to describe how scientists are able to use modern techniques to un-invasively see what was under mummy wrappings. The exhibit also discussed using clues from the mummies to determine how the people lived and what their lives were like. The most interesting in this regard was a Hungarian family that had died of TB in the late 1700s. The mom, dad, and baby were all almost perfectly preserved from a drying mummification process.
After we were done with the mummies we went through the Earth, Electricity, and Heart exhibits at the Franklin Institute. They have a HUGE walk through heart. You walk through the ventricles, lungs, aorta, etc. and it was neat to be "blood" for a few minutes.
After we were done with the Franklin Institute we walked to the Pennsylvania State House. There were groups of people demonstrating. While Anna thought hard about joining them, we really didn't get close enough to see what they were protesting. The state police had barricades around the building so we couldn't get super close. We did manage to play in a "park" of game pieces across the street from the state house. There were chess pieces, sorry pieces, monopoly pieces, etc.
As we rested our legs on the game pieces we continued our walking tour of Philly and went to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. There was a really long line for the bell, so we walked up behind the museum and got to see it that way. Independence Hall was also closed for renovations.
On Monday we walked around Princeton University and a square in town. Overall it was an interesting college, especially seeing as the buildings were older than the country.
While in Philly we went to the Franklin Institute. It was pretty neat to see everything explained in relation to "Dr. Franklin" or how he would have done something. It was also cool to see some of his original designs of things. The Institute was housing the "Mummies of the World" exhibit. The exhibit was very cool since it had mummies from all over the world. We got to see mummies from South America, Asia, and Europe as well as a few from Egypt. The exhibit started by discussing the way mummification happens -- either intentionally or unintentionally. It then went on to describe how scientists are able to use modern techniques to un-invasively see what was under mummy wrappings. The exhibit also discussed using clues from the mummies to determine how the people lived and what their lives were like. The most interesting in this regard was a Hungarian family that had died of TB in the late 1700s. The mom, dad, and baby were all almost perfectly preserved from a drying mummification process.
After we were done with the mummies we went through the Earth, Electricity, and Heart exhibits at the Franklin Institute. They have a HUGE walk through heart. You walk through the ventricles, lungs, aorta, etc. and it was neat to be "blood" for a few minutes.
After we were done with the Franklin Institute we walked to the Pennsylvania State House. There were groups of people demonstrating. While Anna thought hard about joining them, we really didn't get close enough to see what they were protesting. The state police had barricades around the building so we couldn't get super close. We did manage to play in a "park" of game pieces across the street from the state house. There were chess pieces, sorry pieces, monopoly pieces, etc.
As we rested our legs on the game pieces we continued our walking tour of Philly and went to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. There was a really long line for the bell, so we walked up behind the museum and got to see it that way. Independence Hall was also closed for renovations.
On Monday we walked around Princeton University and a square in town. Overall it was an interesting college, especially seeing as the buildings were older than the country.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Pasta and Fabyan VIlla
Pasta is something we like and would eat more of if it wasn't so expensive. Because of this I've been experimenting with the pasta roller some. I made some chickpea/rice/yuca pasta yesterday. It turned out quite tasty and as always, making pasta is easy.
1 C Chickpea
1 C Yuca
1/2 C Rice
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 TBS olive oil
3 TBS water
Really only use the water until it is wet, like you would when making a pie crust. The dough should stick to its self. After you make it, roll it out with a rolling pin, rolling it as thin as possible. Then you can cut it how you like, or use a roller and make it thinner. You can make lasagne noodles by just letting it dry flat in the sizes that you'd like. Or you can make strips out of it and it is linguine, or roll it a bit around something and then you'd get a manicotti shell. Well, you get the idea. If using a roller of any form (I use the one attached to my mixer) smaller pieces are better than larger ones and may make it manageable for a single person to do the whole thing. The difficult thing for use is having a place for the pasta to dry. It needs to be exposed to air until it dries.
When dry, put in a bag and refrigerate. Cook for about 5 min in boiling water like you would any other pasta.
In other news, yesterday (Sunday) we went exploring in the area. There is a place nearby called the Fabyan Villa. It is a Wright designed house that is on a huge plot of land which was converted into a park. There is also a japanese garden on the property, as well as an old windmill. We went exploring there yesterday and it was quite a bit of fun. The weather was perfect -- only needed a long sleeve shirt and pants to really be comfortable. We didn't get to tour the villa like we wanted, so we will go back for that sometime. Here are a few pictures from the day. We were having some trouble setting the pictures which is why the one of me and A is washed out, but it is "artsy," not really a mistake, right?
In general A is really getting on the crawling bit. She also really wants to eat food, but won't get that until she can sit up by herself and has a few teeth. She watches intently as anyone eats. This morning she got mad at me when I took my breakfast plate into the kitchen to put away. She also has a four point stance down pretty good, but prefers her elbows to her hands. She is definitely interested in moving and will roll over to get places if she wants.
Chris and I are continuing to put out applications so please pray for that. Nothing really new on any front, so we're holding steady and hoping to hear back from applications.
It looks like we've got a stellar week of weather ahead of us which almost makes up for all the rain we had last week. Almost. We will be sure to get out and about because winter is coming and then we'll be stuck inside.
1 C Chickpea
1 C Yuca
1/2 C Rice
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 TBS olive oil
3 TBS water
Really only use the water until it is wet, like you would when making a pie crust. The dough should stick to its self. After you make it, roll it out with a rolling pin, rolling it as thin as possible. Then you can cut it how you like, or use a roller and make it thinner. You can make lasagne noodles by just letting it dry flat in the sizes that you'd like. Or you can make strips out of it and it is linguine, or roll it a bit around something and then you'd get a manicotti shell. Well, you get the idea. If using a roller of any form (I use the one attached to my mixer) smaller pieces are better than larger ones and may make it manageable for a single person to do the whole thing. The difficult thing for use is having a place for the pasta to dry. It needs to be exposed to air until it dries.
When dry, put in a bag and refrigerate. Cook for about 5 min in boiling water like you would any other pasta.
In other news, yesterday (Sunday) we went exploring in the area. There is a place nearby called the Fabyan Villa. It is a Wright designed house that is on a huge plot of land which was converted into a park. There is also a japanese garden on the property, as well as an old windmill. We went exploring there yesterday and it was quite a bit of fun. The weather was perfect -- only needed a long sleeve shirt and pants to really be comfortable. We didn't get to tour the villa like we wanted, so we will go back for that sometime. Here are a few pictures from the day. We were having some trouble setting the pictures which is why the one of me and A is washed out, but it is "artsy," not really a mistake, right?
In general A is really getting on the crawling bit. She also really wants to eat food, but won't get that until she can sit up by herself and has a few teeth. She watches intently as anyone eats. This morning she got mad at me when I took my breakfast plate into the kitchen to put away. She also has a four point stance down pretty good, but prefers her elbows to her hands. She is definitely interested in moving and will roll over to get places if she wants.
Chris and I are continuing to put out applications so please pray for that. Nothing really new on any front, so we're holding steady and hoping to hear back from applications.
It looks like we've got a stellar week of weather ahead of us which almost makes up for all the rain we had last week. Almost. We will be sure to get out and about because winter is coming and then we'll be stuck inside.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Ah Fall...
Well, this past week has been a good one overall. Fall has arrived and we've got great fall weather. We are really starting to see trees change color and lose their leaves. With all the rain we've gotten the past few days there are even some bare trees already. It is difficult to believe how much change happens so quickly. Last week A and I went for a walk at the prairie. I realize how much I've missed the prairie this summer and it was nice to get out and enjoy the crisp morning when I went.
I also managed to finish my quilt. It isn't perfect by any means and I think only a few of the corners match up right, but it is done and A likes to drool all over it. I will never quilt with the gingham that I used again, but may use it for future bindings. I like the pattern, so you will probably see many iterations of it.
A is continuing her drooling and hopefully we will get to see some rewards to the teething soon. We shall see as always. She has really started to work on sitting up and crawling. Today she was kind of doing a "downwards dog" (if you know yoga, it is basically having your hands and feet on the floor, with your rear end in the air, and looking toward your knees) but no real movement to speak of at that time. As opposed to "army crawling" she is more "army pushing" with her legs. She is working on these skills enough that she jars herself awake at night sometimes. Here she is sitting up all on her own.
As we wrap up September we really don't have much going on. Chris and I are continuing to put applications in and resumes out places, so hopefully something with break soon. We are at least one day closer to landing a new job, so that's hopeful at least.
One other very fall thing I did this week as create a pumpkin pound cake. It is quite tasty, recipe as follows:
3/4 C butter
1.5 C sugar
2 TBS vanilla
2 C Flour mixture (I used 1 C sorghum, 1/2 C oat, 1/2 C tapioca, 1/4 tsp gelatin, and 1 tsp guar gum)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
about 10 ounces of pumpkin
4 eggs
Cream (mixer on high setting) the butter and sugar for about five minutes -- make it creamy! Add the vanilla and cream a bit more. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing about a minute after each addition to ensure complete incorporation to existing batter. While the butter and sugar are creaming, mix up the flour, baking soda, and spices in a separate bowl. After adding the eggs, gradually add in the flour to the wet mixture. Add in the pumpkin as a last step. Scrap down the sides of the bowl occasionally, but let it beat at a medium speed for about five minutes. Distribute in muffin tin or bread tin, or however you want to cook it. Cook it at 325 F for 30-60 minutes depending on tin used.
I prefer to use muffin tins for things because that gives up easy single serve portions that are easy to freeze/thaw. Also, if I have to take bread/muffins/cakes etc on a trip it is super easy to have muffin sized things made.
I'm sure that this is the first of many things I will be exploring the use of pumpkin in. I didn't quite use up my can of pumpkin, so I may try to make pumpkin waffles or something, we'll see.
I hope that you all have a good week! See you in October!
 |
| playing with shadows on the fall flowers |
 |
| Ready to walk with the fun sunglasses |
A is continuing her drooling and hopefully we will get to see some rewards to the teething soon. We shall see as always. She has really started to work on sitting up and crawling. Today she was kind of doing a "downwards dog" (if you know yoga, it is basically having your hands and feet on the floor, with your rear end in the air, and looking toward your knees) but no real movement to speak of at that time. As opposed to "army crawling" she is more "army pushing" with her legs. She is working on these skills enough that she jars herself awake at night sometimes. Here she is sitting up all on her own.
As we wrap up September we really don't have much going on. Chris and I are continuing to put applications in and resumes out places, so hopefully something with break soon. We are at least one day closer to landing a new job, so that's hopeful at least.
One other very fall thing I did this week as create a pumpkin pound cake. It is quite tasty, recipe as follows:
3/4 C butter
1.5 C sugar
2 TBS vanilla
2 C Flour mixture (I used 1 C sorghum, 1/2 C oat, 1/2 C tapioca, 1/4 tsp gelatin, and 1 tsp guar gum)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
about 10 ounces of pumpkin
4 eggs
Cream (mixer on high setting) the butter and sugar for about five minutes -- make it creamy! Add the vanilla and cream a bit more. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing about a minute after each addition to ensure complete incorporation to existing batter. While the butter and sugar are creaming, mix up the flour, baking soda, and spices in a separate bowl. After adding the eggs, gradually add in the flour to the wet mixture. Add in the pumpkin as a last step. Scrap down the sides of the bowl occasionally, but let it beat at a medium speed for about five minutes. Distribute in muffin tin or bread tin, or however you want to cook it. Cook it at 325 F for 30-60 minutes depending on tin used.
I prefer to use muffin tins for things because that gives up easy single serve portions that are easy to freeze/thaw. Also, if I have to take bread/muffins/cakes etc on a trip it is super easy to have muffin sized things made.
I'm sure that this is the first of many things I will be exploring the use of pumpkin in. I didn't quite use up my can of pumpkin, so I may try to make pumpkin waffles or something, we'll see.
I hope that you all have a good week! See you in October!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Shots Part 2
We went to see the doc again today and A got her second round of shots. She fears the needles and the team of nurses that come in with them. She was kind of apprehensive of them this time around, so she may be learning to fear them. Her basic stats were quite good -- she had grown about 2 inches, so she's now over 2 feet tall! She's also 13 pounds 6 ounces, so she's long and skinny. Big surprise. She is now consistently rolling over whenever she wants. She can go both front to back and back to front, but prefers to be on her stomach, so if you lay her down on her back it doesn't take long for her to end up on her stomach. She is also starting to sit quite well if you place her. She hasn't really started sitting up herself, but she's can sit there if you want her to for a bit.
I finished her quilt this week. It took me a month to complete the project, so I feel good about that. It is super cute and I'll make another one or two probably because it was fun. It was also interesting that some of the sewing tricks don't work with quilting because of the precision needed for quilting. In reality I've been sewing a lot lately -- I've made A a jacket, some pants, a shirt and Chris a cape. I'm starting a vest for Chris and a cape for me. I hope to have them both done relatively soon so that we can be a wizard family for Halloween if the need arises.
Chris is now done with the fourth week of school. One of his minions left so it is just him, an undergraduate, and another fairly worthless minion. We have a fairly mixed up schedule these days so it is hard on everyone's sleep schedule.
That's really about it. I need a nap and since A is asleep and I haven't heard which train Chris is on, my warm cuddly baby and I are going to sleep some. :)
I finished her quilt this week. It took me a month to complete the project, so I feel good about that. It is super cute and I'll make another one or two probably because it was fun. It was also interesting that some of the sewing tricks don't work with quilting because of the precision needed for quilting. In reality I've been sewing a lot lately -- I've made A a jacket, some pants, a shirt and Chris a cape. I'm starting a vest for Chris and a cape for me. I hope to have them both done relatively soon so that we can be a wizard family for Halloween if the need arises.
Chris is now done with the fourth week of school. One of his minions left so it is just him, an undergraduate, and another fairly worthless minion. We have a fairly mixed up schedule these days so it is hard on everyone's sleep schedule.
That's really about it. I need a nap and since A is asleep and I haven't heard which train Chris is on, my warm cuddly baby and I are going to sleep some. :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
St Louis Pictures
 |
| Playing in Patterns |
A seems to like to put paper things and cloth things in her mouth and this piece of pattern paper made a great tent for her. She also discovered her toes in St Louis this past weekend. She is also continuing to talk and regularly rolling over. She prefers her stomach, so any time you lay her down on her back she will roll over to her stomach. She then kicks her legs in sequence and tries to crawl. She is also working very hard on sitting up unassisted. She can sit with the boppy quite well these days, and with only back support for a few minutes.
 |
| Learning Rocky Top |
 |
| Riding along |
 |
| Reading the Lorax with Mama Sue |
 |
| Bridge across the Mississippi |
 |
| Family picture with the old courthouse |
 |
| St Louis Arch on its side. The photo doesn't seem to want to orient properly... |
 |
| Arch shadow |
 |
| Top of the Arch |
 |
| Looking out over the Mississippi |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)