Blue...well red really...and Gold Dinner

The theme for this years Blue and Gold dinner was Chinese New Year! I think that James had a great time. I really love the scouting program and am so excited to have it as one of those things that will help me help my boys along. There was a cake contest...you were supposed to make the cake with your Dad. Of course Ted's Dragon took the cake! I feel so inadequate compared to my husband sometimes. It's embarrassing that my Mom gave him the frosting kit for Christmas and not me...oh well.

Shake your what? Funny things kids say...and think!

I wish I could remember them all...every time I hear one I tell myself I'll write it down later...later happens too quickly and I'm busy doing something else. Like going to bed so I can wake up at 4:30 am. I think I'm too busy. Anyhoo...

Mr. Adam has lots of funny things to say. The other day we were reading the Eric Carle book The Cricket. We were having a very peacful nice time. I don't know if you've read it but the cricket is trying to sing throughout the whole book but he can't. Finally you turn the last page to hear "the most beautiful sound in the world," and Adam yells, "Mom! The batteries are singing!"

He also lately anwers us with "Of course sir," or "of course my lady" when we ask him to do something. We don't know where he picked that one up.

James thinks he's funny lately when he responds to me by saying, "but my Mom said I didn't have to" whenever I ask him to do something. He usually does it- but I don't think his little quirp is funny...he knows. One sweet-amazing little miracle. My beloved husband has a hard time with words. For almost 10 years now his response to my "I love you" has always been a muffled, "wu wu uou oo"- something to that effect. I noticed that James was picking up this same habit and wanted to nip it in the bud. So I told him that when I tell him I love him he needs to say, "I LOVE YOU TOO MOM" loud and clear! And he does...everytime...and it's very very nice...and I hope whoever he marries realizes what a cool Mom I am- ha! ha!

Everything that Kyle says is super cute! Because it's all so new. He'll repeat whatever we ask him to right now- with gusto!

Emma--oh sweet and pure Emma! She is so concerned with being modest. It's so wonderful. She started dance a few weeks ago with her cousins. The past few weeks on the way home from dance she's been very concerned about the song that they're doing their jazz routine to. She kept telling me that it has bad words. I kept telling her that Pam, her teacher, wouldn't pick a song that had bad words. Finally on the way home from dance the other night she said, "See Mommy! That song. It says, 'shake your boobies!' it's a bad bad song!" Ohhhh!! How I had to bite my tounge so hard not to laugh!!! The song is, "Shake your Groove Thing!" And little Emma- who still has a hard time with her g's and r's in speech...thought it was shake your boobies. We then practiced saying it over and over...she still can't say it right. And I explained what groove means...she doesn't get that either. I guess you would have had to live in the 80's. Ted and I had a great laugh over that later on!

And I have to fess up to my own funny saying. I teach a pilates class a few times a week. One of my classes is a "grab bag" class where we throw in different pieces of equipment to use. About half way through one of my classes I realized I kept saying, "grab your blue balls." I burst out laughing and everyone in my class was like, "Man...it took you long enough to catch on!" I had to watch what I called them after!

Hello Edward...and family

Like I've said before...a picture says a thousand words...



AGGGHHHHHHHH!!! Yipppeeeee! This is going to be quite the year in the vampire world....I wish I were a vampire!-the good kind:)

What's in a name?

My sister Jamie made me a CD for my birthday last year. That's all I ever want from her because she is amazing at mixing CD's! She entitled the CD "Little Wonders" and had a picture of each one of my children on the case. I thought that this was simply poignant. I have been obsessed with this "Little Wonders" song ever since. I think that the word wonder captures so much of what life is about right now. I wonder how I get up and keep going each day. I watch as James wonders how to be a little boy and a big boy at the same moment. Emma wonders why she doesn't get to play with her cousin Kiera anymore...because everyone is so busy:( That's not a hint to anyone...she just wonders that all day long every day.) Adam wonders why the sky is blue and why Kyle steals his toys all the time and why he has to go to bed everynight and how high he can make his Lego tower and if he dumps all the shampoo in the bathtub how many bubbles it will make. And Kyle. Wonder shines the brightest in Kyle's sweet eyes. Kyle wonders what in the world everyone else is doing running around and ignoring the amazing little things that light up his life. Like his matchbox race car zooming across the kitchen floor or belly buttons- wow! or the amazing things you can do with your tounge. Wonder is a precursor to so many great acts of history. Wonder is a precusor to so many beautiful simple moments in childhood. I wonder why I don't get down on my knees more often and beg to see life through the eyes of a child. And so I hope to capture the little wonders of life with my own Little Wonders!

My Little Wonders

I've been working on my '07 video...now that it's February! And came across some fun pics I thought I'd post for those I love...here are my little wonders!

Some Recipes

A few people have asked for a few different recipes...here they are---enjoy!

!!!! Pad Thai !!!!!!
Ingredients:
12 ounces rice noodles
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
4 eggs (beaten up)
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1-2 chicken breasts or meat (cut up)
juice of ½ lime
2 cups bean sprouts
3-5 green onions (chopped)
1-2 Tbsp peanuts (chopped)

Sauce:
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp fish sauce
4 Tbsp tamarind juice
1 tsp chili flakes
3 Tbsp ketchup
juice of ½ lime
2-3 Tbsp peanuts (chopped)



Instructions:
Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides and bottom of the pan. Add the chicken, ½ of garlic, and lime juice and stir-fry about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the beaten eggs and fish sauce and scramble until done. Remove from the pan. Add remaining garlic and onions and sauté until browned. Add noodles and fry until warm. Add sauce and fry until warm. Add chicken, eggs, and bean sprouts and heat until warm. Let sit until noodles warm and soften.

Serve with peanuts, bean sprouts, and lime.

Side Note: I tweak the sauce recipe sometimes, usually adding some water to it and using less fish sauce. Just taste the sauce to make sure it's what you like before you add it in.



Cashew Chicken

Sauce:
1 tsp chili flakes
2 T oyster sauce
1 T soy sauce
pinch of sugar
1 T fish sauce - optional

1 bell pepper - diced
4 green onions - chopped
2 chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup roasted cashews

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add garlic and chili flakes. Heat 10-20 seconds then add chicken. Let chicken brown. Add the sauce ingredients and stir, then add red pepper and green onions and cashews. Stir and serve over cooked rice.


***Both of these recipes are from the Baird Archives in Lehi, Utah. The final ingredient is a good game of Settlers!!!! We love the Bairds!!