girls weekend

ixchelle, adie, me, paola, sue

we stayed up way too late, we lived on caffeine for two days so we could function and pack everything in, we caught a late night showing of he's just not that into you, we (paola and adie) made chilean empanadas and ate lots of good food, we basked in anthropologie and all its carmel glory, some got new haircuts, some picked up some awesome souvenirs at the local toy store, and micah so willingly put up with it all, including full-time kid duty (and claims the chocolate covered cinnamon bears and empanadas were good compensation),
now we're wondering when we can do it again...

the pinnacles

this national monument is only an hour away from us and we finally got to explore it. well a little at least. it was so beautiful and refreshing to be there. there were lots of rocks to climb to perilous heights and there were caves to explore. the boys loved it.

balconies cliff

about a 2.5 mile hike

i think the caves were the highlight of the trip. they were perfect for our family. not too deep and dark. well they were pitch black and very wet but it only took 10 min. or so to get through.

jaden and i are wondering if that's really the way out.

and it was. this is when jaden turns his back on us, stamps his foot refusing to go through and declares: "i'm not going to die here!" all serious and dramatic. that is until the rest of us started through, including beckam at the front of the pack.

micah (and asher, who suffered a few knocks to the head) was such a trooper. this wasn't the only time he had to do a manuever like this. once he was on all fours crawling. his shoulders felt it for days.

he was SO glad he did it!

recipe of the week...

cheesy tortellini
an adaption of minna's recipe

tortellini, cooked (i used olivieri 7 cheeses from costco)

creamy alfredo sauce w/ a handful of fresh shredded parmesean, heated
(minna suggested using 2/3 c sour cream and 1/4 c fresh shredded parmesean)

saute diced tomatoes (i love the splendido little tomatoes from tj's, i used 10 or use 2 big tomatoes), 4 chopped green onions, 1 c mushroom and a clove of garlic in 2 T olive oil, sprinkle w/ sea salt and course ground pepper

pour alfredo sauce over tortellini and top w/ veggies. serve w/ toasted sourdough

allergy baby

the real asher

we think it's a dairy allergy. he won't drink cow's milk but it seems to be from yogurt (i've been feeding him plain, greek yogurt). we're still experimenting. this was the worst of it though. he's had sporadic breakouts since this picture but nothing like this. crazy, huh?!!

bangs

Beckam's Birthday

beckam was very specific in his plans for his 4th birthday. he wanted his dad to cook benihana's at home (which means tapenyaki-style), his friends to wear star wars costumes (even though he didn't own one, which he was fine with) and chocolate cake w/ chocolate frosting.

we surprised him by having "the papas" (mine and micah's dad) bring his cousins evan and bradon from bakersfield.

we got him a storm trooper costume, which arrived hours before the party

neighbor boys

and papa john got him an anakin costume that evan got to wear
(papa also brought light sabers for each kid--non-stop entertainment for 6 boys)
and papa dave brought beckam this:he made it himself w/ his new cake decorating accessories
(yes, that's fondant. impressive.) the other kids got chocolate muffins w/ vanilla ice cream and homemade hot fudge sauce. i thought that was an easy chocolate cake w/ chocolate frosting.
ready for the chef.
on the menu: shrimp, chicken, steak, egg fried rice, sauteed mushroom, zucchini and onion
and ginger ale to drink
awaiting the volcanic eruption:
my sweet, happy birthday boy.man, i love this kid. he greets us many times throughout the day w/ random hugs, sweet little kisses and confessions of love. the other day this is what we heard from the backseat:
"dad, i just really love you. i love you, too mom but i just really love dad. i love the way he looks. i just really love him."

some papa lovin'

turtle tent from the neighbors
happy birthday beckam boy!
we LOVED celebrating you!