Malaika in Africa

Happy Six Months Ayame!

2011-11-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

I have no excuse. Oh, wait, I do: new baby, graduate program, preschool co-op, church calling. Hence, no posts for months and months. I'll try to be better but there's no way to catch up. So we'll just start here.

A bit of summer fun...

2011-08-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

Another little random video clip to share that I just realized I had loaded but not posted...

More summer fun

2011-08-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Aren't these desserts amazing? I wish I could give credit to the chef but alas--I don't know her name! She is the friend of my friend Christine--who threw a great one year birthday party for her baby girl Addison.

Summer Fun

2011-07-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

A few photos of our summer adventures:

Not a great photo but this is of North Beach, Maryland--a great Chesapeake Bay beach only 1.5 hrs away. We went with our great friends the Wilks family and the blob you see in the water is Nate with Yumi riding on his back.

We frequently meet Nate for lunch at the nearby Reston Town Center. Can you spot Yumi?

With the addition of an infant carrier in the grocery cart, Yumi has been promoted.

Yumi and Emi both ADORE Ayame.

One of my best friends in the whole world Marliss came to visit her family in Maryland several weeks ago--and nicely came into DC and out to us in Northern Virginia for fun times. Here we have all the girls--Banner, the token boy, is out of the picture--at the zoo. From left to right (and forgive me mispellings!): Bria (Marliss), Emi and Yumi (mine), Melia (Marliss) and Eden (Marliss's sister Elaine and also a great friend of mine).

Yankee Doodle Sweethearts

2011-07-05T11:39:00.001-07:00

We had a great day! Ward pancake breakfast, visit to the farm, and a multi-family BBQ at our home in the afternoon/evening, culminating in an amateur fireworks show in front of our house.

More cuteness

2011-05-21T11:33:00.001-07:00

At Frying Pan Park today. I went on my own (sort of); my awesome friend Nicolina meet up with me and totally helped me manage my girls...but Aya was A GEM and was pleasantly and peacefully awake the whole time.

Our homecoming earlier this week:

Deep thoughts....

Happy Birthday Baby Aya

2011-05-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

Baby Aya was born today! 8 days late, she decided to make up for lost time and was born after only 3.5 hrs of labor at 6:23am. Yikes! Also--8lbs 7oz--most of that in her cheeks. For the record, her name is Ayame (ah-yah-may) Mariam Ayer. Enjoy the photos!

April!

2011-05-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

What a busy month! Nate came home, we had many fun times with the girls and their friends, we celebrated Easter, built a castle in the backyard, bought a car...the list goes on. Here are a few (ha!) photos in completely random order--as I still cannot manipulate the blogger photo system.

Emiko, with our great friend Abby, at an Easter Egg hunt at Rachel's home. Below that, Mayumi's and her best friend Juliette.

Mayumi and Aiden, hunting for eggs.

My two beautiful girls--I can't help taking pictures of them at the most random of times.

Emi has taken after her sister in wanting to wipe off all wet/dirty surfaces. She took the towel from the kitchen and wiped off the bike seat on her own initiative.

Mayumi LOVES babies. Loves them. Here she is, 'nuggling' my friend Nicolina's daughter, Baby Mary.

Once again, with cute Abby at her home. Her family (the Wilsons) spent nearly every Monday evening with me when Nate was gone. I love these guys.

Mayumi's betrothed, Wyatt. Can you believe this photo? We did not set this up--this is exactly how she looked on the back of his battery-powered bike.

The kids table (General Conference brunch). Apparently Emi wasn't old enough to merit her own plate....

Mayumi's darling friend Juliette invited us to her 3rd birthday party. None of us thought in advance how hard it might be for Yumi to watch a peer receive a bunch of presents...and not receive any of her own. I was proud of both girls and how they handled it. Here is Mayumi, trying hard to be brave and share in her friend's joy in receiving a princess outfit.

These girls really do love each other.

Same pair, different day--enjoying a dress-up trade. Mayumi is wearing the above-mentioned princess outfit and Juliette is wearing Mayumi's fairy costume. Happy as can be.

Mayumi, Wyatt, and future sister-in-law Bekah.

I have cute nieces and nephews!

So, Nate came home! Yay! We enjoyed a get-away to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

Reunion with the girls.

The new car!

The 'castle' (as Yumi calls it) that Nate built (from his own design) in our backyard. Amazing, isn't it??

My friend Stephanie (the seamstress that coached me through the quilt and quiet book adventures) is ALSO an amazing dance teacher and owner of her own studio. Mayumi is own of her students and these are a few photos I took on 'parent appreciation day.'

Westward Ho!

2011-04-07T11:51:00.001-07:00

We took a fabulous trip to New Mexico (to visit Nate's family), Arizona (to visit my sister Lindsay), and Utah (to visit my sister Monique). Here are a few photos from this fabulous trip. Those who scroll to the bottom will be 'rewarded' with a little video clip. Note: most of these fabulous photos were taken by my sister Lindsay and my father-in-law Karl--both of them amazing photographers.

Emi, busy at Lindsay's house. Homemade lemonade, not from concentrate. Fresh squeezed, straight from trees...it's really really great. Yumi with her 'mimi' (Nate's mother), sliding down the sand at White Sands, NM. Mayumi at a bouncing place in New Mexico. Emi the Good! Emi with her papa Karl.

My new darling nephew Niels.

Mayumi wrestling with her papa Karl.

Emi impressed with her uncle Nolan and his trumpet.

Yumi with her great-grandma Gloria.

Emi and her Mimi.

Cousins!

Yumi and her great-grandma Tonie.

At the Alamogordo Train.

To Dada, with love

2011-02-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

This video clip was made for Nate, just so he could see a slice of his daughter's life while he is away. Any other viewers might question why I posted it, but Nate will understand. All of you, however, will hopefully understand the cuteness behind this photo of my bedroom as I found it one day after leaving Mayumi playing unattended therein. From left to right: Barbie and Teddy.

Emi uses a spoon

2011-02-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

Warning: this clip violates my 'no-pictures-of-children-with-food-on-face' policy.

Emi the Sad

2011-02-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

Cuteness (and water) Strikes Again

2011-01-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

I think these pictures speak for themselves, so I won't say much. Only that we've just experienced Flood Number Three (the water heater decided to leak last night, dumping who knows how many gallons of water into our downstairs basement). What ELSE can possibly leak and require us to replace our basement carpet/padding? This is the THIRD TIME. :-) But on a happier note...look at these cute girls:

A Holly Jolly Christmas

2011-01-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010--loads of fun!

Here--fondue and a "Little People" nativity with our great friends The Lisles' (Brittany, Mark, Juliette, and Baby Vienna). The tutu that I made for Mayumi:

Mayumi opening said tutu:

Both girls, enjoying some of their gifts:

All I want for Christmas is...

2010-12-20T06:19:00.001-08:00

Another girl! Three's definitely not a crowd (I hope). Haven't decided on a name yet. My favorite choice (Aisha) was immediately and vehemantly vetoed once again. We'll see if if we stick with the Japanese-Arabic combination. While I love it, Nate has rightly pointed out that I've chosen these last two times and he should have the chance to choose.

Emi the Good

2010-12-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

We love you Emiko, Emi-ness, Emichan, Emibaby, Emlette, Ems, Muffin!

p.s. I can't stand the picture upload function in Blogger. Impossible to get pictures in the order you want them...so in spite of my best efforts, these pictures are NOT in chronological order. Alas! She's still darn cute.

Ballerina Fairy Princess

2010-12-03T04:06:00.000-08:00

If you ask Yumi these days who or what she is, she'll say: "I ballerina fairy princess!" She has only recently conceded that she is ALSO Mayumi.

We moved her to her "Big Girl Bed" the other night--with perfect success, no bedrails required. Notice the sheets!

Thanksgiving 2010: New York, or Bust

2010-12-01T17:40:00.001-08:00

I wanted to do something different for Thanksgiving this year, to challenge myself. So, when my old roommate and dear friend Amber invited us to come up to New York for the weekend and stay in her neighbor's flat who was travelling--I felt we had to say yes. And so we went! Now--the travel to/from NYC was horrendous. Six hours each way, with Emi crying much of that time (and throwing up on the way back). Not fun. But many many aspects of the trip were great. For example: Thanksgiving Dinner, hosted by Amber and attended by 16 friends. This dinner was no ordinary Thanksgiving meal. Amber has a recipe testing project going on (learn more at her blog: http://www.recipetestnest.blogspot.com/ ) and this meal was one of her famous twice-monthly 'Test Nests.' We all were asked to SERIOUSLY contemplate our taste buds and rate each dish. I contributed a dish of baklava, the score of which I do not yet know--but judge for yourselves from the photo. Delish. Nate graciously carved the SAGE INFUSED turkey. Emi and Yumi entertained the guests--every last one a saavy single New Yorker who probably hadn't been around a child in several years--but were very kind and cute with the girls.

I was excited to take Mayumi to the Macy's Santa Land. I was not very excited, however, when Mayumi threw a large tantrum in the elevator to the 8th floor and home of Santa Land. In spite of the fact that there were millions of people crammed into that elevator on Black Friday, Mayumi still found a way to lie down and throw a fit. Amazing. I could not actually get Mayumi to approach Santa Claus (a little overawed, I suppose). Not for lack of encourage by the extremely enthusiastic Elf.

Good times were had, however, when we went to the Central Park Carousel. And Times Square. And on a jog through Central Park. And on the Staten Island Ferry (make sure to look in the background of this photo of Emi and me).

Definitely a highlight of the weekend was getting together with my dearest old friends Amber, Sally, Mala, and Mala's roommate (and new friend, Beth), to see a show! Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Not the most amazing show, but featured some of our most favorite Broadway performers and we had a GREAT time. Thank you, Nate, for indulging me--and making this trip possible. Thank you Amber, Sally, and Mala for being excellent hostesses and great friends.

One great step for babykind...

2010-11-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

Emiko is starting to walk! See here for yourself:

Big sister is making it difficult for Emi the Good to practice her new moves:

The Basement Rennaisance

2010-11-16T04:20:00.000-08:00

This is our awesome basement, newly remodeled by my amazing husband Nate. Here is the computer 'nook,' housing the "Jenibot." She is pink, and Nate built her from SCRATCH.

I could care less about televisions, but I have to brag about how cool this is--seemingly wireless! He fed all the cords/wires through the wall behind the television and connected them with the DVD player, etc. Also, if you go back to the previous picture of the computer nook, notice: NO CORDS. They, too, are fed through the wall. Amazing.

OUr downstairs is now a fun playroom! I love the rug.

Emi the Good, sucking so hard on this bottle that it has caved in.

Start spreading the news...

2010-11-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

It is a beautiful time of year in Northern Virginia. The whole family enjoyed a trip to the National Zoo on Veteran's Day. Emi was too busy checking out the animals to look at the camera.

With the fall comes the leaves. Nate and Mayumi have worked out a neat little system; she rides in the wheelbarrrow and helps Nate rake the leaves. Of course, no matter how often or how much we rake, the whole lawn is always covered again by the next day. Alas! And the garden: winterized. Goodbye, basil. Goodbye, tomatoes. Goodbye, pumpkins that never grew to maturity. We had a good season.

Well, it was bound to happen: Mayumi may be joining a dance class. My dear friend Stephanie (who helped me make the onesie quilt and the quiet books) is ALSO a professional dancer and dance teacher! She just opened her own dance studio and invited us to try it out free for a week. I decided to get my 'money's worth' and come to THREE classes in one week: adult ballet, adult jazz, and toddler dance. LOVED it. Stephanie is amazing! Here are a few photos of her class. The thing is (and I realize this is very selfish of me, but I'll be honest): it wasn't as fun for ME as I had hoped, because I had to chase Emi down the entire time. No real chance to chat with the other moms or even take pictures...Emi was INTENT on participating (yes, that is her in one of the pictures below). So--not sure if I will enrole Mayumi, but we're going to give it one more go this week.

More rediculously cute pictures

2010-11-09T11:28:00.001-08:00

Thank heavens we found another way to upload photos from my camera (thanks, Nate!), because it would seem that our fabulous video camera has kicked the bucket. We got a LOT of use out of it--thank you to Nate's parents for presenting us with it.

This may be a good time to include this darling picture of the girls in dresses given to them by Nate's mother, Grandma Mimi.

Earlier in October, the girls and I went with our good friends Nicolina and her two cute kids (Ethan and Cora) to an apple farm way out in the countryside. The kids had a great time watching the apples sorting, playing on the farm equipment, and selecting pumpkins to be carved later that month.

Can you believe I bought 4 bushels of apples? Yikes. I borrowed an applesauce maker from my good friend Rachel and starting cooking and mushing apples like my life depended on it. Two weeks later--30 quarts of applesauce.

It was an ambitious project and I am not sure I'll ever do it again. But the applesauce sure is tasty!

Now, for Halloween:

Mayumi was a "Ballerina Fairy." She grabbed her frog two seconds before the photo was taken-an absolutely perfect touch. Emi was The Littlest Pumpkin. Thank you to Stephanie for Mayumi's costume (she made the wings for Yumi's participation in a Christmas nativity last year and gave Mayumi the leotard and ballet shoes). Thank you to Grandma Rosalie for Emi's costume (the oneside and hat--gifts to Mayumi in previous years).

Wondering about that amazing rug upon which the girls are positioned? It is one part of our NEW and REMODELED basement. More pictures are forthcoming.

Of course, no Halloween would be complete without some pumpkin carving. I did not take any photos of the event this year, but we had a great time doing it with Mayumi's BFF Juliette and her family. Here are the resulting Jack-O-Lanterns:

From right to left: Nate, Hilary, Mayumi (who was cranky when hers was being carved), and Emiko.

And finally, a bit of nostalgia:

Halloween 2007:

Halloween 2008:

Halloween 2009:

I am sorry, but these are too cute.

2010-11-06T17:00:00.001-07:00

I've lost my camera USB cable (argh!); hence, no posts all month. I am finally breaking down and simply posting yumi-muvis and emi-emmys.

Hopefully we'll find that cable soon and provide darling Halloween photos, among others.

The Renn Faire!

2010-09-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Ack! I have dozens of great pictures and mini movies to share of our adventures this late summer/early fall, but alas! Time is flying by me and I can't seem to find enough of it to blog.

Some of you die-hard jamilahabibi fans (all three of you) will remember that we like attending the Maryland Rennaisance Festival. Here's a picture from our visit in 2008:
That is a 4-month old Yumi, with an awesome band called The Rogues in the background (we've attended their performances every year).

The following are pictures from our 2010 visit. Sadly--there seems to be no record that Emiko came with us. Poor Emi. She was there--but just quietly sad in the back of the double stroller and just didn't seem to get caught in the camera. Mayumi, on the other hand, is a camera hog:

Meeting King Henry VIII.

Nate trying bravely to climb Jacob's ladder.

The highlight of Yumi's day: pony rides.

Berry Picking!

2010-09-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Mayumi joined her buddy Ethan in the double stroller, and took off up the mountain to pick peaches with Nicolina (Ethan's mom) while Emi and I picked blackberries.

My poor pumpkins--fell off their stalks in my garden--so I picked them, cut them up, and froze the pieces. To be eaten later (and not carved on Halloween, which was the plan....). Alas!

Times they are a'changin

2010-08-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Growing up can be hard to do, as Mayumi learned last week. Thanks to Nate's efforts while I was visiting family in Utah, Mayumi was able to give up her two very best friends in the whole world: purple and blue, pictured here.

Baby sister Emiko is also growing up. Here, she is getting more vocal:

Here, she is moving on to finger foods:

And finally--for the big one:

She has since 'crept' across entire rooms and a pretty good pace--but this is literally her very FIRST attempt--caught on tape. YAY EMIKO!!!!!!!!!!

Cheesy on the outside

2010-07-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted to finish my Project Fresh (or 'month of local') with a bang: homemade cheese. I had to start by getting A LOT of milk from our local dairy--an expensive and refrigerator-consuming task. It so happened that we ordered butter for the first time from SMC AND some half-and-half--so we were stocked with dairy. Those of you who are surprised (shocked!) that I bought butter, rest assured that it is for Mayumi and not for me. :-)
I ordered cheese from 'Ricki the Cheese Queen.' I found her online even before reading about her in 'Vegetable Animal Miracle' by Barabara Kingsolver. I ordered two kits--mozzarella/ricotta, and hard cheeses (to make Parmesan). I was excited to begin and made my first effort on Sunday. Unfortunately--I failed. I tried again on Monday--even worse. My first attempted yielded a mozzarella-like product (that is delicious!) that, although ungrate-able, was slice-able, and I tossed it on top of some lasagna (see below--left). The second batch basically turned into cottage cheese. Delicious, but totally unsatisfactory as far as I am concerned. Sigh. I still had to use it to top a second lasagna, as I was making two (see below right).

A short video, staring Mayumi and my hand.

I've had more success with peaches. We have long since run out of apple sauce and sugar--which although we don't use TONS of the latter, we still do use a bit of the 'Sugar in the Raw' almost on a daily basis. And applesauce-who can live without applesauce when you have small kids? So--I made peach puree, with which we have sweetened our greenbean puree ('greach' is what Nate is calling it). Some of that same puree, strained, went into our iced herbal tea (Teavana--NOT local but super delicious) as a sweetener. Not too bad.

I borrowed a food dryer from a friend and went to town trying to replace yet another 'staple' in our house: raisins. I dried a bunch of peaches and cut them into little chunks. Tasty! But I ate them almost as fast as I dried them so very few (none, really) were left for storage. Sigh.

I plan on using this food dryer a great deal. Here I've dried some oregano from our garden. I also dried a bunch of basil in the oven.

Thanks to my buddy Nicolina, I keep on trying new bread recipes.

And I made my own hamburger buns, filled entirely with local meat and produce.

Difficult to see, I know, but in this pan are homemade ravioli in a light cream (SMC) sauce.

This month has also seen my first attempt at cooking okra. AND eggplant. I decided to knock both of these mystery vegetables out in the same meal. Not terrible (but not awesome).

Soaking the eggplant (on the left, submerged in salty water).

This doesn't look so bad--but the olive oil and lemon sauce is really what made it tolerable.

Breaded and oven-fried okra. Weirdly--Mayumi loved it and ate her entire portion.

We have basil come out of ears but have run out of Parmesan. So I made parm-less pesto, and tossed it with mozzarella (not of my own creation) and homemade noodles. It was tasty. Nate could tell the difference but I was happy with it.

One of my favorite meals of the last week turned out to be enchiladas with a homemade tomatillo and jalapeno sauce. Yum! Filled with local chicken, beans (from our food storage), and local corn. Topped with local cheese.

Peanut, Peanut Butter (JELLY!)

2010-07-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

Mayumi learned this song in primary and sings it from time to time, getting REALLY excited to loudly whisper that last part--'jelly!' She finds it very silly and laughs great peals of Yumi laughter.

Hopefully you will understand, then, how challenging it was for everyone in this house to go without peanut butter the last two weeks. Mayumi loves it, Nate could eat it by the jar, and I just find it convenient. Sadly, we finished our only jar the second day of the month--and I was committed to not buy anything from the grocery store we could make ourselves or buy locally.

Peanuts ARE grown in Virginia, but it took me some time to find a seller this far north in the state. After a few misses, I finally found someone--the local Lions Club! They had a booth at a farmers' market in the next town over and I pounced on them. On their peanuts, anyway, and pumped them for information regarding peanut butter production. Fortunately one of their number knew what to do and imparted some of his secret methods to me. You, too, can learn how to make peanut butter. Just watch:

Many long minutes later (I was worried it would blow out the motor), it DID turn into PB, and on top of some homemade bread and with some of our local honey--mmm mmm mmm.

Pizza time again. Here we have 100% whole wheat crust (serviceable, but nothing to write home about), Fertile Plains Farm Canadian Bacon (from our local Farmers' Market), Mozzarella from the Falls Church Farmers' Market, homemade sauce (can you believe that it took 12 Roma tomatoes to make sauce for one pizza) flavored with herbs from our own garden. Yum!

And how's this for gorgeous? Mayumi would be satisfied if all she ever had to eat were berries--particularly BLUE berries.

Blue and purple just aren't colors you see enough of in edible foods. We'll be trying some more of those great colors this week as I try to cook EGGPLANT. Oh, I've tried to cook eggplant before but I can't say that I've enjoyed it (I made some moussaka earlier this year but just didn't love it). As you can, there is some eggplant in my crisper here, along with some peppers, tomatoes, and garlic. On a shelve above you would find another vegetable I have ZERO experience cooking: okra. We'll see how it goes. Why okra? Well, that is what they are selling right now--that is what is in season.

Equally as colorful but not evident from the photo are the cooked carrots and green beans to the left. I've always made my own baby food, but this year it is strictly from veggies/fruit on offer from the farmers' markets. Thus--no sweet potato (right now) and no apple sauce (I just made some peach sauce--I'll include the photo next time). These veggies pictured were just boiled, the drained, and then were processed into (yum) puree. Hey--Emi loves it.

Yes! We have no bananas.

2010-07-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

We like bananas. Mayumi ADORES bananas. We have been known to go through over 12 bananas a week, and that is if ration them.

Bananas are a healthy portable snack ideal for toddlers--but they also come with a price. Our banana consumption alone doubtless contributes at least half of the GDP of a Central American country, but are these Banana Republics better off? Probably not. At anyrate, no one grows bananas around here, so it is off the list this month.

What is on the list? Check it out:

It isn't QUITE ideal apple season yet, but one particular variety are popping up at that markets--a tart variety, good for baking. I used them to make baked apples (ala mode--homemade icecream with SMC milk and half-and-half) and sweet apple bread (baking now--pictures forthcoming).

Speaking of dairy, Nate made some yoghurt the other day. He used to make it all the time during his mission in India. We used SMC milk and yoghurt to make MORE yoghurt. This SMC yoghurt is DELICIOUS and quite runny (think 'drinkable' yoghurt. I guess that particular bacteria is just runny...because that is what it made: more runny yoghurt. No complaints there; we all (especially Mayumi) love it. The finished product is here to the right.

Remember the mustard disaster? Well, who needs mustard anyway, when you can make 'Glo's Goddess Dressing.' My mother made up this receipe based on the famous Annie's Goddess Dressing she loves to buy but wanted to make herself. I eliminated the olive oil to make it thick. It is DELICIOUS, and the recipe follows:

1/2 C. canola oil (I normally use olive oil when I make it for salads)

1/2 C. tahini (sesame seed butter)

1 t. minced onion

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1T. soy sauce

1 t. lemon juice

1 T. Garlic

1 T. sesame seeds

1 T parsley flakes

DELICIOUS! See the photo (the parsley in the foregroun is from our garden):

Speaking of disasters--end blossom rot! We have it! Or, to be more precise our tomatoes have it. Look at these pitiful vegetables! As you can see, our garden look awesome. The basil is growing well, the pumpkins are getting bigger...it looks like we can't complain. But the tomatoes--every single last one even the still green ones--all have have end blossom rot. I haven't the faintest idea WHAT that is but when I described the problem to someone they nodded sagely and diagnosed it. Sigh. Our tomatoes last year were so beautiful (still enjoying the dried tomatoes). Thankfully the professional farmers seem to know what they are doing, because I can't have a sandwich without a tomato.

Speaking of tomatoes--we put some of our sundried tomatos on top of our pizza last night! So here we have totally local pizza: whole wheat crust, homegrown and canned sun-dried tomatoes, local mozzerella and ricotta, tomatoes from the Farmers' Market and homemade pesto with homegrown basil. YUM! And for dessert-baked apples and homemade icecream.

Speaking of herbs, we used some of our garden grown parsely for a wicked awesome soup the other day. Local zucchini, potatoes, corn, bell peppers and SMC half and half, along with some whole wheat rolls that Nate says were my best to date. This chowder is a Rachel Ray recipe.

I like it: Independence Day

2010-07-11T12:32:00.001-07:00

This is Mayumi's new favorite expression. She says "I like it," followed by a dramatic pause, and then states the thing she likes. One of my favorites--"I like it: samak truck" ('samak' is 'fish' in Arabic and the 'fish truck' was the travelling aquarium we visited). I also enjoyed 'I like it: Daddy singing' (meaning 'daddy's song' which is the BYU Fight Song).

Mayumi really enjoyed the Independence Day celebrations. My mother challenged us to do something patriotic every day the week prior to the holiday, and we gave it our best shot. The most obvious of these patriotic acts was to buy and mount a flag on the front of our house.

We had two gatherings--one on the Saturday before with our wonderful neighbors the Mathews family and other friends Shawn and Janna, and then one more event (just dinner, really) on the 4th itself. With the Mathews--we BBQed and set off fireworks. Mayumi LOVED it.

Nate had the following Monday off from work--so we soldiered out in the blistering heat to Clemyjontri Park--and rode the carousel.

Unrelated, but still nice--I randomly chose to plant Zinias in front of our house. They are gangly, awkward, but very beautiful.

Today I made mustard...

2010-07-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

...and it was TERRIBLE. Turns out mustard seed one buys in India three years ago 1) may or may not even BE mustard seed, 2) was bad to begin with, or 3) has expired. I am not sure which of the above reasons explains why each of the three mustard recipes I tried (faithfully, I assure you!) were so foul that Nate didn't even try to pretend to like them.

This photo features all three vile concoctions and the ingredients therein. Why was I making mustard? Well, naturally, we ran OUT of it and this month I am not allowing myself to go buy a replacement. If it isn't made locally, it is not going in my refrigerator this month.

Here is one of the meals I made this week:

You can see some of that cheese, the picture of which was in my last post, on top of Nate's homemade spaghetti. The sauce, featured below, is also homemade, with blended up tomatoes from the market and herbs from our garden. Not having any tomato paste, the sauce was EXTREMELY runny. But it tasted GREAT with the ground meat from the local farm. I used up the last of our garlic for this sauce, and worried we'd have to go through the rest of the month without that delicious....root (is it a root?). I had heard a friend of mine was growing it and I contacted her. Yes, she is growing it, but no, it isn't ready yet. But check out this next photo--what do you see in the middle of that pile of glorious vegetables I acquired only yesterday?

GARLIC!!!! YAY! Our very own local Farmers' Market had some, and I snatched it up.

Like last week, Thursday is usually sandwich day. THIS time we are eating smoked ham, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches (note: NO mustard). We DO have a new spread, however, that works in a different situation: pear butter. Yes, I made pear butter from our leftover peaches last week.

Our sandwich bread is homemade! Yay! My friend Nicolina, who used to work at Great Harvest, had me over this last week to coach me in my bread making (sounds domestic, eh?). Not only did we make whole wheat, but we tempted our taste buds with a cheddar garlic bread. INSANELY yummy, and I pretty much ate one whole loaf the moment I pulled it from the oven. Next week we'll make a sweet bread, so stay tuned.

That whole wheat? Freshly ground at our house (thanks Glojo for the wheat grinder!).

Nate makes delicious whole wheat pancakes, which this time contained SMC milk and little chunks of peach. Topped with a local honey.

I still make my own baby food, but this month the green beans are totally local. Thanks to my food processor, it isn't as arduous of a task as it sounds.

Emiko is naturally the major consumer of babyfood around our house these days, but we still make Mayumi eat the green beans. How? We mix it with apple sauce and call it "Greenple." Nate gets the credit for the name. Mayumi loves it. I, for one, love to hear her asking for greenple.

Another random meal--roasted potatoes, corn, steamed squash.

Okay, so people have been asking me how I am liking this project. The answer: I am enjoying it. It IS almost twice as expensive as buying regular 'cheap' food on sale. But it is so FUN to shop the Farmers' Markets, and they really do provide enough for one to eat from them exclusively. Of course I have had to make more food from scratch than I usually do. While I have always enjoyed cooking, I enjoy it less and less now that I have kids. Nothing makes hours slaving in the kitchen less worth it then one's 2-year old throwing what you've made on the floor, while you and your husband shovel down your food in silence because you can't possibly hold a conversation over the toddler wails and whines.

Do I sound bitter? Trying not to be. But I was kept awake for 2 hours last night but the younger one who is sleep training.

Ah, the joys of parenthood.

Project Fresh: Days Two-Four

2010-07-04T18:29:00.001-07:00

A few lines about and photos of our first few days buying/eating only locally grown/made foods. Here we have 100% whole wheat homemade pasta with pesto, feature basil from our own garden.
This project (and these blog entries) will really get interesting later in the month when we have to start creating alternative ways to make some of our favorite foods like pesto (our supply of Parmesan, olive oil, and garlic won't last all month--but we LOVE using our basil in pasta dishes). Until then, however, it isn't hard to make regular dishes using locally-grown veggies and fruit. Pictured below is my breakfast--scrambled eggs (SMC) with ham (Farmers' Market), whole wheat bread (Farmers' Market) with apple butter (made by me last fall with apples from the Farmers' Market), and peaches (Farmers' Market).

Pictured here is the loaf from which that slice of toast came, as well as three locally-produced cheeses--Muenster, Colby (SMC), and Mozzarella (Farmers' Market).

This is just one of the bins of my refrigerator, stuffed to the gills with vegetables. This week's menu will be sandwiches (Monday), homemade pasta, sauce, and squash (Tuesday), tacos (Wednesday), and roast potatoes, risotto, green beans and corn (Thursday). Check back in Thursday night to see some pictures and to hear how it all went!

Project Fresh: Day One

2010-07-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sandwiches are my favorite--the easiest dinner possible. Yet--Nate and I have been growing increasingly uncomfortable with deli meat. It just looks so...so...unnatural. We'd love to have just vegetables, but it is extremely time consuming to create a truly filling and delicious veggie sandwich.

Our sandwiches on Day One featured Honey Baked Ham, tomatoes, and lettuce from our local Farmers' Market.

Pictured here are the peaches (Farmers' Market) and milk (South Mountain Creamery) we used for smoothies. Note the glass bottles from SMC. Cool, eh?

Mimi and Audrey come to visit

2010-06-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Mayumi and Emiko's Mimi (Nate's mother) and Auntie Audrey came to visit and take care of Mayumi during my week in New York. We had a wonderful time and Mayumi still hasn't stopped talking about it.

Audrey was the best Auntie ever. While she is here she spends hours playing with and holding them. When she is away, she sends Yumi and Emi postcards. We love you Auntie Audrey!

Mimi is a champ for spending a week of nonstop fun with an emotional toddler. THANK YOU Rosalie!

Project Fresh

2010-06-30T09:39:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defence of Food, Nate and I have really tried hard to eat more 'responsibly.' I won't even attempt to summarize Pollan's argument (get the book!) but basically the idea is this: 'cheap' food actually has many hidden costs: health care (cheap food causes heart disease, diabetes, some cancers) and petroleum (shipping the food across great distances) to name just two. Pollan urges us to know where our food comes from and pay a responsible amount for it (a larger percentage of our income than we currently are). He definitely advocates farmers' markets.

I frequented the farmers' markets in our area last year but only picked up random things to supplement our primarily grocery-store-based diet. My goal for this summer was to only purchase foods grown locally for ONE WHOLE MONTH. Nate and I have decided that July--starting tomorrow--is that month.

Now I need to say here that we will have to be reasonable about this. There are just some foods that we really 'can't' go without that aren't grown locally. I still have a lot of research to do, so I may find out otherwise, but we assume that grains are not grown/sold locally. And olive oil! We can't live without olive oil. There are a few reasons we've decided to name a few exceptions to our goal.

So we've decided that 1) we will continue to eat 'taboo' foods we already had on hand in the cupboard or the freezer throughout the summer, 2) prepared foods acquired out of the home (e.g. restaurants, friends' houses) are permissible, 3) when we have dinner parties (which we do often) that we'll use supermarket foods so we don't break the bank (local foods can get pricey!!) and 3) items we just MUST have (e.g. grains (old fashioned oats for cereal) and olive oil) may be purchased from the supermarket. But we'll give up sugar when we run out, nuts (other than what we can get locally--and Virginia does have peanuts!!), etc., and ONLY eat dairy, fruits, and veggies that we can get locally.

I've told a few people what we intend to do and one or two asked if I'd keep a log of it. So--to the best of my ability, I'll keep that record here. I am not an avid blogger and I do not enjoy time in front of the computer. But I'll do my best.

Wish us luck! And Mr. Pollan--if you google yourself and have found my blog--we love you!

Happy Birthday Dylan Gard Stansfield!

2010-06-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Dylan, born 12 June 2010 at 5:13pm, 6lbs13oz (I think!).

Here is Baby Dylan and proud parents Lindsay (my sister) and Danny.

Way to go Lindsay!!!

Anniversaries

2010-06-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Second and Six Month Birthdays, Mayumi and Emiko!!!

Here is a short clip taken at Mayumi's Second Birthday Bash. Thank you to all who came and especially to Mayumi's Grandma Mimi and Aunti Audrey who brought raw tortillas all the way from El Pasa, TX for us to cook on the spot and serve with our sweet pulled pork tacos.

Yesterday (one day early if you follow the Americn Pediatric Association recommendations) was a big day for Emiko; not ONLY did she get her first taste of rice cereal, but we weaned her from the Kiddapotomas (swaddling blanket) AND started sleep training (she used to be a great nighttime sleeper but has gotten in the habit of waking every four hours). The cereal was a success, she didn't seem to miss the Kiddapotomas at all, and she only cried for 35 minutes in the middle of the night before falling back to sleep--making it a 7 hr stretch total without a feeding.

WE LOVE YOU GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gardening time again!

2010-05-13T12:35:00.001-07:00

I never thought this stawberry patch of ours could survive three feet up snow.

But it did!

Delicious!

Flood '10

2010-05-13T12:30:00.001-07:00

As if last year's sump pump flood wasn't enough....

Our kitchen was in shambles for a while...

Nate fixed it...all of it. Drywall, everything.

Belatedly...Mother's Day

2010-05-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

A little late...Mother's Day! This is the beautiful spice rack Nate found for me. You can see the bouquet of roses in the background as well.

Tiny Dancer

2010-05-13T11:55:00.001-07:00

I just can't WAIT until Mayumi is old enough for a dance class. I picked up these tap shoes at a thrift shop and I can already see her twirling and tapping, pink leotard and hair in buns.

Mayumi is such a funny little girl. She is obsessed with towels and drying things off. Here, you can see her wiping off her slide after a rain.

Fire!

2010-05-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

The other week I looked out over our backyard and saw a fire raging in the yard next door! I ran down the stairs, yelled to Nate, and called 911. Nate grabbed our hose and valiently started spraying water on the fire, which was nudging up against our fence. He kept spraying like a champ until he heard a deep voice on the other side of the fence: "Thank you Sir, we'll take it from here." The Fire Department had arrived.

Herndon hosts concerts each Friday night during the spring/summer. We took the girls last week to 2U, a U2 tribute band. Mayumi LOVED it; danced, sang, and refused to leave when we figured it was time for bed.

Pretties

2010-05-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Emiko?

2010-04-28T19:14:00.001-07:00

The Quest for Quiet

2010-04-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has tried to sit through an hour of church with a toddler understands--engaging activities are a must. Once again my friend Stephanie rose to the challenge and helped me create a "Quiet Book"--one for me, and one each for both of my sisters (and their kids).

I presented them in person when in Arizona and my sister Monique nicely took some pictures of her book.

Left-hand side is "The Garden of Eden." The 'leaves' have velcro on the back and attach/detach to/from the tree (and can be stored in the pocket below, disguised as a bush). The 'petals' can be taken off the flower-shaped buttons. The right-hand side is the 'Family' page. The pocket labeled 'family' has many photographs of the extended family.

The left-hand size is 'Noah's Ark,' with foam animals attached to blue ribbons that can be placed in the pocket (disguised as the body of the boat). The right-hand side is 'Jonah' and, as you can see, there is a little Jonah that goes inside the whale (and the mouth zips shut).

On the left is the right inside of the cover. I attached a little pocket I removed from an old jumpsuit of Mayumi's (this pocket features a little turtle, Monique and Leah's favorite animal). The right-hand side is 'Joseph and the coat of many colors.' The coat opens up and ties shut.

The left-hand side is the 'Tithing' page. I should mention that pattern for many of the shapes/images in the book were drawn by Nate. The piggy bank is one of those images. The left-hand side is the inside of the cover. I attached the buckles of the old jumpsuit for just one more little activity.

This photo did not load properly. Sigh. Well, the left-hand side are a bunch of funky belts with fun buckles. Simply an 'activity page.' The right-hand size is the 'Helping Hands' page; there's a beaded bracelet around the wrist of the hand, and three images--a bar of soap with suds (I attached pink and white beads for texture), a bed with a 'blanket' that can be removed and attached via velcro, and building blocks (from which letters that spell the name/s of the kids in that family attached to ribbons hang). It is really too complicated to explain clearly--unfortunately this picture just didn't work out.

Thank you to Stephanie for designing the book and guiding me along each step! Thank you to my mother for helping fund the books. Thank you to Nate to gave endless validation and moral support!

Arizona Cuties

2010-04-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

My sister Lindsay and her photographic/photoshop skills get the credit for the following pictures. See her blog (link to the right) for photos of ALL the cousins (I didn't want to totally steal her blog post so am only posting the ones of my girls).

In front of the Phoeniz Zoo--all the cousins and the grandparents. Check out Emiko in her 'sausage suit.' We bundle her up like that when it is time for her to nap.

I guess love of furry creatures is generally universally among small children. Yumi, and her cousins Lily and Allie, brushing a goat at the petting zoo.

We like to call Emiko 'Emi the Good' because she is, well, so GOOD.

Yumi REALLY liked this frog.

We visited the pool many times during our visit to Arizona (imagine--a pool open in April!!).

Sweet Home Arizona

2010-04-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

My younger sister Lindsay moved to Arizona a year and a half ago, and has generously hosted all of our family members multiple times. As we did last year at this same time, we gathered at her home over Easter weekend and let the little girl cousins go wild. Nate had my camera (he has been abroad) so I took the video camera and took many little clips of the Cutes. I do not yet have the loads of pictures everyone else in my family took, so I'll provide those, and a few more video clips (including the easter egg hunt), in a future post.

Here is Mayumi with her cousin, of almost identical age, Lily. Lily is a sweet tempered little darling.

Emi was a HUGE hit. I personally have never met a better-tempered, easier baby, and I think everyone in my family agrees with me on this point. Lindsay's girls Allie and Lily sure did love her.

Lindsay graciously took us to the Phoeniz Zoo, which ROCKS. Here, Yumi saw giraffes (her favorite) for the very first time. That clip is, unfortunately, too long to load. Sad. This clip features us all in the Monkey Village. You can hear Mayumi saying her word for monkey ('eee eee ooo ooo ah ah ah') and 'Baby Noah' (from the Baby Einstein series--her word for animals).

spring

2010-03-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post! Enjoy this cute video clips and pictures. The last few pictures are of the surprise birthday party Nate planned and threw for me. Believe it or not, we ate ALL of that baklava.

Seedlings

Sisters

Anyway, sorry for the more-than-usual poor format of this post. I am leaving for the airport in mere minutes for a trip to Arizona--yay! Check in soon for many cute pictures of the five cute cousins!!

Uh-oh nose

2010-02-24T18:20:00.001-08:00

Emiko is growing so quickly! She can hold up her head, has the same freakishly strong legs as her sister (she can hold her own weight), smiles whenever she sees her mommy, and coos adorably. At her most recent doctor's visit, she weighed in at 10lbs 6ozs. No light weight, this one.

Mayumi is always fidgeting with Emiko; inserting her pacifier, stealing her blanket, trying to insert a sippy cup into her mouth, sitting on her, and kissing her.

I have to constantly remind Mayumi that "Emi is not a toy." Fortunately, she does have her own dolly to 'baby.' Thank you Grandma Mimi! This baby goes where Mayumi goes. My favorite is when she tries to put a pacifier into the doll's mouth, holds it close and rocks it, and 'shush shushes' it. She does all this with a concerned look on her face (knitted brow) and adorably pursed lips (she cannot make an 'sh' or 'ch' sound without seriously pouting her lips).

We have to watch this little Mayumi very closely. For example: Nate picked up these little sticky fake gems to affix to Valentine's Day cards. We had fun with them and only a few remained after our craft project. Somehow Mayumi got a hold of one and next thing we know she's saying 'uh-oh nose' and rubbing at her nose, sticking her finger up inside repeatedly. We expected the worse and, sure enough, Nate spotted it up there with the aid of a flashlight. He got out the pliers. Fortunately she sneezed it out before he performed surgery on her. Whew.

Blizzard '10

2010-02-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

I am certain that there are thousands of blog posts with the same title, but that is exactly what it was: a blizzard. Or blizzardS, I should say. For those of you outside of the Eastern Seaboard, you may need a bit of an update: we had three '10-year storms' in Virginia within one month of each other, making this the worst Virginian winter in (statistically speaking) 1,000 years (the math brought to you by Nate). Our back deck is still covered in two feet of snow, and that is after more or less 1 full week of sunshine and melting.

We were blessed to have a houseguest during the second of these three storms. Old roommate and dear friend of eight years Amber Henrie made it down on the last bus from NYC. It was already snowing heavily when she arrived, and didn't stop for several days. She deserves the credit for many of the following photos.

Nate spent hours...hours and hours...shoveling. He had to borrow a shovel since someone stole ours (can you believe it? The nerve). You can see his handiwork here. Can you believe this snowpile in our front yard?

Yumi did her best to keep as warm as possible, but it was hard to keep the snow off her incredibly long lashes (you'll have to enlarge the picture to see what I mean).

The Federal Government was closed for four full days--meaning Nate was stuck at home. He got a little stir crazy, as you will see through the following series of pictures and video clips. Enjoy!

Our master bedroom window.

Amber couldn't be outdone, so she went next:

If you are one of Mayumi's grandmothers, you should skip the next video:

And finally, to top it off, I take the plunge. You'll hear Mayumi in the background...enough to make your heart bleed. She really loves me.

This picture is worse than the Peter DeFazio picture (inside family joke...). You'll have to blow it up to get the full effect, but I won't be offended if you don't. Again, I have to credit Amber for this heinous but most excellent photograph.

Two Months of Darlingness

2010-02-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

Happy two month birthday Emiko!! You are an angel, a dream come true. Who knew that an infant could be so EASY!? We love your big smiles and patience when your big sister mauls you. We love how you graciously accept the many 'gifts' Mayumi piles on top of you.

We are impressed with how strong you are; you are already holding your head up, are comfortable on your stomach, and rolling over (if unintentionally).

Thanks for joining our family--we love you!!

Now--a sneak preview. As the few followers of this blog undoubtedly already know, we had a HUGE storm this weekend, receiving over 28 inches of snow! Crazily enough, another is headed our way this moment, with another 12 inches predicted. I'll be posting fun pictures and unbelievable video clips in the next day or two. But for now...a sneak preview! Here is Mayumi sitting on snowbank (created by Nate's expert shoveling) in our front yard.

Sisters

2010-01-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

Mayumi and Emiko being cute.

Emi the Angel

2010-01-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

Emi does not do much yet except for be sweet and darling. Here she is, doing what she does best.

Mayumi really cannot leave Emiko alone. Here is poor Emi, minding her own business, covered in Yumi's 'presents.'

Ever hear of a 'baby straight-jacket'? Well--this is it.

Emi the Cute.

The Quilt Extravaganza

2010-01-10T18:00:00.001-08:00

My mother once was quite a seamstress, but at some point in my childhood she retired her sewing machine and called it quits. That's why we were all surprised when she first presented me with a quilt made from some of my old t-shirts, then next to my sister a quilt made of her old sports t-shirts. Mine is pictured below:
And then I got the idea--a quilt made of onesies--onesies of the then only four grand daughters.

My dear dear friend Stephanie is a quilt master. She guided me every step of the way. Under her tutelage, I put together a 'practice quilt' to gain skills, experience, and confidence (pictured below). After some time, my sisters Monique and Lindsay sent me their quilt quadrants (made from 16 patches of onesies) and (from Monique) the embroidered centerpiece featuing each girl's name and birth date.

Following Stephanie's instructions, I put it all together. It took hours. Hours and hours. I think at least 100 hrs. But it was so much fun--and seeing my mother open it on Christmas day (via webcam) was worth ALL the effort.

Us girls knew she'd love it for many different reasons. First of all--the fact that it is a huge nod to her efforts creating quilts for us. Secondly, the fact that it is made from the onesies from her beloved grandbabies. Thirdly--we used the sewing machines that she gave us. Fourthly--we worked together very closely--many phone calls, emails, etc....and any mother loves it when her kids collaborate--right?

So that's the story! Thanks to my mother for being such a great mom, my sisters for their efforts, to Stephanie for teaching me, and Nate for being so supportive (and fixing the sewing machine a few times).

Mother and child

2010-01-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Emiko was blessed this last Sunday at church. Thank you to Nate for taking some photos and Lindsay for touching them up.

I know this picture is a bit out of focus, but I love the hazy, candid look of it. Nate is holding both the girls and Mayumi is doing what she does MOST of the time with Emi--hugging her.

Sylvester II

2010-01-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

If you look back to our previous two Christmas posts, you'll note that we've enjoyed the company of our pet Christmas Tree, Sylvester. This year, however, Sylvester spent the Christmas outside on our deck. See, we thought (think?) he died. In fact, we were certain he had passed out of the relm of the living and had gone to tree heaven. It was only after we replaced him that Nate noticed his branches are still pliable. Stay tuned--we'll know more about the first Sylvester's status in the spring.

In the meantime, we enjoyed Sylvester II imensely. Decorating him was far more problematic this year (Mayumi immediately removed and broke many of his decorations) but he hung in there.

Here's our cute family. Some people have noted that Nate's smile is much bigger when holding his gun (see previous post) but I disagree. He loves his Emiko.

Nate surprised me with a pasta maker! We've gorged on pasta ever since.

White Christmas

2009-12-29T11:53:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone. This is Nate typing. Hilary was uploading photos for a post that she intended to write later and I guess I must have hit the publish button or something before she was done. Hilary is busy at the moment and so she wants me to explain what is in these photos.

Snow.

That sums it up. But in greater detail, we have here approximately 24 inches of snow covering everything in the mid-Atlantic seaboard. And I had to shovel it. And it seems like I'm the only one in Virginia who feels any kind of moral obligation to shovel his sidewalk. But I digress. The snow-shoveling habits of my fellow Southerners are not the point here--the point is the snow itself.

Snow. And a lot of it. Enough to keep roads closed for days. Enough to close the federal government two full days afterwards, and give a "liberal leave policy" after that. Enough snow to make Hilary push the stroller through the street because people are too lazy to shovel their sidewalks. But I digress.

On a happier note, snow can be lots of fun. See the exhibits below as evidence.

Here's a little snow house I built on our back porch. This is after a week of melting, by the way.

Here is our back yard as seen from the dining room.

Same location, closeup of what's right outside the door. Notice the 24-inch strait edge ruler sticking out of the snow.

This photograph was not faked. That is indeed a 24-inch strait edge ruler pushed up to the hilt in snow.

And this is the cutest little yuminess in the whole world playing in the snow.

The Double Stroller Dilemma

2009-12-18T18:25:00.001-08:00

Knowing I would want to get out with the two girls as soon as possible, I decided to get a double stroller before Emiko was due to be born. I thought. I fretted. I researched. I started to dream about them...double strollers dancing through my dreams. I even considered NOT using a double stroller and relying on my fabulous Ergo baby carrier (featured below) to carry Emiko.

But finally I decided on the Phil and Ted, which I obtained used. I won't say how much I paid for this pricy bit of metal and fabric...it is AMAZING how expensive these babies are. Below is Emiko in the bassinet seat...you have to look cosely to see her!

Here's Mayumi in the top seat. You'll note that the special 'point' of the Phil and Ted stroller is that it is neither double WIDE nor double LONG. The seats are 'in-line.' Some say the kid in the back gets the shaft...but I have high hopes.

Mayumi's paternal grandmother Rosalie (Mimi) was concerned that Mayumi might want her own baby to match mine. She kindly rushed off a package containing a baby doll complete with all kinds of accessories. Mayumi loves it (her?) and takes (and puts) her everywhere:

This is where we found her one morning:

One cute meets another

2009-12-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

Our good friends recommended that we get a photograph of Mayumi meeting Emiko. While we tried, our shutterspeed just could NOT keep up with her wild excitement. She jumped. She spun. She laughed. She clapped. She danced. We TRIED to capture the moment but I am afraid we failed. What I DO have are a few photos that are 'classic yumi' (if you ask me) and one short little video clip.

Here we Mayumi offering Emiko Emi's own pacifer. Very considerate of her, I felt, and quite auspicious. Mayumi, you should know, is addicted to her own pacifier.

However, in classic fashion, she changed her mind shortly thereafter and tried to take it back for her own use.

Honestly, my favorite moment was when Mayumi offered Emiko, still snuggly tucked into her car seat, her favorite pink ball. That, too, we were too slow to capture on film. Here, however, we DO have Mayumi doing something she hasn't stopped doing since the moment Emiko came home: kissing her new baby sister.

Many people have noticed that most of my pictures of Mayumi are of her with Nate (and not me). This trend will probably continue--but how can I help it? Nate and his girls are so photogenic.

Emiko's Grandma Glo was very much a part of this experience, but for some reason I don't have any good photos of her with Emiko (yet...I trust she got plenty on her own camera and will send them to me shortly...). I DO have a GREAT one of Papa Astroland giving Emiko her first sponge bath at home.

Emiko so far has proved to be a very calm and contented little girl. Or are we just more confident this time? Who knows. But she is sleeping well through the night and is calm during her wakeful periods. Excellent!

Finally--just a little clip of Emiko at her first doctor's visit (and a nod to Grandma Glo who, along with Papa Astro, were HUGE helps before, during, and after Emi's birth).

Emiko Leila Ayer, Age 20 hrs

2009-12-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

Emiko is here!

The following is a pretty detailed description of her birth. Not for the squeamish. :-)

We decided to induce labor so that she could be born well before my parents needed to return home. I knew it would be a lengthy process; it wasn't a short one by any means last time around, and I was definitely 'in labor' when I showed up at GWU Hostpital to deliver Mayumi.

So, we checked in at 7am and by about 1pm I was experiencing quite painful contractions. I was advanced enough to make me think that I could hold on and have a 'natural' birth (although why I thought of doing that after having been induced I have no idea...). But by the time I was 'at a seven' I was in agony. If the doctor thought it could be any minute then I may have held on longer. But the positioning of Emiko's head suggested that I had some ways to go. We ordered the epidural but had it turned on 'light'--allowing me to still feel the peak of the contractions. I was still in pain but it was do-able.

Finally it was time to push. This was (by far) the worst part for me last time; I had no idea that it could take so long (it took well over an hour last time...much longer than the three pushes they show in the movies). I had been discouraged and even angered by everyone's instructions (push harder!) or encouragement (just one more like that, good job!) because it JUST DIDN'T SEEM TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Well--I ended up feeling the same way this time. Once again, I started to cry when tons of pushing seemed to yield no results and just further instructions.

But alas--it WAS faster this time. I started once, took a break, and then she was born after 25 additional minutes of pushing. Last time, Mayumi was crowing for many minutes and many pushes....but Emiko came right out more or less after she crowned. That is, she came out and got a little stuck (V. PAINFUL), but eventually made her way through.

She weighed in at 7lbs6ozs, almost one pound heavier than Mayumi! Wow. I knew she'd be larger...she felt heavier. She is 20 inches. Dark, short hair (not as much as Mayumi had) and that glorious natural suntan.

And now we have her! I feel just fine--more or less back to normal. She is sleeping, nursing, etc. We are authorized to stay in the hostpital for two nights but I'd like to go home today. It isn't very restful having someone barging in every five minutes, and I can't WAIT for Mayumi to meet her baby sister.

There you have it! We have a few pictures and a video for you to enjoy. Naturally, more will come! (But not necessarily soon...I may not have ANY time now for blogging...we'll see).

Countdown to Emiko: Part Two

2009-11-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

Luckily for us, Mayumi has turned 1 1/2 JUST IN TIME for her baby sister to arrive...allowing her to attend the nursery at church (and give us a big break). Here she is, not so proudly displaying her nursery artwork (we could NOT get her to look up). Please note her leopard-print miniskirt (courtesy of Heba).

We also want to spend as much one-on-one time with Mayumi as humanly possible before she looses her number-one star status in our household. Thus--trips to the local farm to indulge her in her absolute most favorite thing: animals.

Christmas time in Reston (a nearby town) is quite fun. A huge tree, skating rink, and gingerbread village COMPLETE with train are just some of the features. We went over there weekly last year. This was our first 'holiday season' visit. You can't really tell but we are standing in front of the candy village and train. I ask you: have you seen a cuter Mayumi in your LIFE? The darling hat is straight from Bolivia and courtesy of one of my fabulous students (thank you Jamie!).

And what blog post would be complete without a random yumi muvi? Here's Mayumi dancing...not as vigorously as she is known to do, but definitely getting down.

In case anyone is wondering, I am just 8 days away from my due date...yay! I think I am ready for her--ready to switch from anticipation into reality. Still going to the gym, still feeling great. This probably means she's NOT coming out for a bit yet. I felt fabulous until the day before Mayumi was born so if that is any indication of how it will be this time...we may still be in for a wait.

Countdown to Emiko: Part One

2009-11-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

We've been trying to get caught up and 'ahead' on a lot of things as Emiko's arrival approaches. One of those things was a day at the zoo which, as you can see here, really exhausted Mayumi.

We've cleaned up the yard, raked up the leaves, and jumped in them.

We went to IKEA and, amoung other things, purchased the most adorable pink table and chair set. This has allowed us to introduce Mayumi to crayons--her new FAVORITE activity.

Along with the cute table/chair combo, we FINALLY splurged on a new dresser (at least two of the drawers of our now old dresser were unoperational). Here is Nate doing a fabulous job comprehending the IKEA assemblage instructions (only half of which were included and he STILL managed it). Mayumi loves to help out her daddy.

And finally-we are trying to make our house a little more fun for the ever-adventurous Mayumi. This means trips to the thrift shop for used toys.

Bah-bees

2009-11-12T17:21:00.001-08:00

I feel a little like Nancy Drew.

For weeks (months!) now, Mayumi has been talking about 'bah-bees.' I knew it had to mean something as she said it distinctly and frequently. Only recently, however, she has been saying 'bah-bees' and 'Kids Club' (where she plays when I work out at the gym) together. "Bah-bees, kids club!" Over and over. So often (at least 20 times during dinner the other night) that Nate asked me to go into the Kids Club and do a little sleuthing. I felt equal to the task.

We thought it MUST mean 'barbies' but that idea was shot down when I found that they have no barbies at Kids Club. Not to be defeated, I went back in today and asked a few of the ladies who worked there to brainstorm with me. Amoung the possibilities (puppies, babies) was bubbles. Hmmmm, bubbles. I formulated a plan.

This evening, after Nate returned, I set a bottle of bubbles out on the counter within plain sight (but while Mayumi was out of the room). After some time Mayumi entered the kitchen, spied the bubbles, and shouted 'BAH-BEES!!!' :-) Nice work, Nancy.

As always, I am in a New York state of mind

2009-11-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

My mother and I share a love of New York City. She is one of the few people I enjoy going to the theatre with, as she is willing to analyze the shows, the actors, the music, etc. with for hours afterwards.

Thanks to the help of my darling husband, I was able to travel sans Mayumi to New York several weeks ago and meet my mother (who also made many sacrifices to make the weekend possible). We saw TWO shows: Memphis (a musical) and A Steady Rain (play). Here's a little bit about both:

We scored front-row 'student rush' tickets to this show of which we knew NOTHING about. This is where we must thank Sally Atkinson, my old and dear roommate), for guiding us. I'll let you all do your own research on this show, but I'd like to inlcude two links here--links to one of the main songs in the show. The first features the leading man singing his song outside the theatre in New York's 'Shubert Alley' as a promotion for the show opening. The second features Bon Jovi singing the same song (Bon Jovi's fellow band member wrote the music for Memphis).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUwdQ_gwGH8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3dmUNi5QL8&feature=fvw

Our second show was the much-anticipated A Steady Rain, starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman. Here I am, looking extremely glamorous, sitting out for the student rush tickets that morning. (Thank you to Amber for the use of her chairs AND for letting us stay in her flat).

I have to say that A Steady Rain is pretty grim...downright gritty, actually. And unlike other performances I've LOVED that portray a gritty life, I didn't walk out of this enlightened, inspired, or better informed. I certainly wouldn't say it was a 'disapointment,' and any true theatre fan (or lover of D. Craig and/or H. Jackman) SHOULD see it. But be prepared to be exposed to the seamy side of life.

And yes, there WAS a steady rain that night...as you can see from this photo!

Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible!!!

Halloween Cuteness

2009-11-02T10:46:00.002-08:00

Alas, we haven't any record of our costumes on the Big Night. Nate dressed as a Gulfi Arab, I as a belly dancer, and Mayumi as a bunny rabbit (wearing her cousin Allie's old costume meant for someone 3-6 months). It really is a shame we don't have a picture (yet) of her in that costume because the leg cuffs of the costume only came down to just below her knees. Ha! We had some fun the week before carving pumpkins:

As we've enjoyed lots of warm Fall weather, Mayumi and I spent a great deal of time outside a week or so ago--much of it with our good friends Brittany and Juliette. Here we are at Clemyjontri Park in McLean.

The Farm at Frying Pan Park is another one of our favorite destinations. Mayumi CANNOT get enough of animals. She'd have climbed right into the pig pen if she could have managed it.

Sadly, Mayumi caught some nasty chest cold last week. We barely left the house (boring!) and spent lots of time cuddling (fabulous). Here are a couple of clips showing just how lackluster our little fireball was.

Adventures in Yumiland

2009-10-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

This girl knows how to have fun! A few (or more than a few) pictures to entertain you: At Clemyjontri Park in McLean, VA.

All suited up and ready to be carried in Shanandoah National Park.

Beautiful waterfall in said park.

With our buddies in Shanandoah, L-R: Juliette (Mayumi's 'best friend'?--Juliette fell on Mayumi and accidentally knocked her down today, so maybe the bestfriendship is off...I am not sure), Mark, Brittney, Nate, Mayumi, Hilary.

An important conversation between Mayumi and Juliette in Shanandoah.

Wouldn't it be nice? Mayumi, living the good life.

With Grandpa Astroland at the Sterling Library park. Mayumi cannot get enough of these see-saw things.

Like, totally pyschadelic, dude.

Mayumi absolutely ADORES animals, especially dogs. Here she is at Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C.

Warning: no Mayumi in the next few photos (gasp!). Nate and I indulged in an anniversary weekend up where we honeymooned--the Finger Lakes region (thanks Mom, for babysitting!).

It was beautiful!

But a little cold.

And finally--Mayumi with her buddy Juliette and J's mom Brittney on the Mall in D.C.

The Force is strong with this one

2009-10-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Catching up

2009-09-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

The fact that I need such a massive catch-up post...one that is already outdated without anything really recent...should excuse me from writing clever, detailed text. So--without any frills, this is what I've got:

We promised ourselves that when we lived in a home we'd start a garden and develop some food storage. After lots of self-prodding, we've made SOME progress. Here we have a picture of some basil and tomatoes from our garden, followed by a photo of some peaches that I canned (CAN you believe it? hee hee). We also canned tomatoes, oven-dried tomatos and basil, prepared 72-hr kits, and bought enough oats/beans/wheat to last two months. I say this not to brag--well, just a little.

Our great friends Jeoff and Rachel (featured on this blog before) threw a marvelous birthday party for newly four-year-old Bekah, pictured below. She is biting straight into her cake (and Wilks family tradition). Note the gourmet-ness of this cake--Rachel is the crepe chef and does nothing part-way. She is a Martha in the Making.

The party theme was, naturally, princesses. Mayumi was (kindly) invited, although not really a part of Bekah's peer group.

The darling Nate was nice enough to send me off to NYC for a weekend (and my NYC friends were kind enough to receive me). Here's us out front the one show I saw: Burn the Floor (feature ballroom dance).

And now for a few Yumi Muvis:

Mayumi is starting to feed herself. She's not much better now then at the time of this video (at least three weeks ago). She DOES, however, say 'please,' 'Kids Klub' (where she goes when I work out at the gym), and many other words in Arabic (I think she's brilliant).

Mayumi's closest friend (in age, at least) is Juliette. These two girls have been 'playing' together for nearly a year, but I think only recently realized the other existed. Now, they are even trying to say each others' names. Juliette has it easy; she says 'mmmm mmmm mmmm' to refer to Mayumi. Yumi, however, isn't quite up to three consonant words yet, but she's trying. We THINK she refers to Juliette as 'Jushbab.' We think.

Mayumi's favorite place to play is Rachel's house, which was created for young children (unlike ours). Here she is, with loads of other kids, entertaining themselves while their mothers are visiting teaching or being visit taught.

A Day in the Life of The Cute

2009-08-19T17:40:00.003-07:00

Just a little cuteness to brighten your day.

Mayumi, it seems, is a girl to the very core. She was born hard-wired to pose...as you can see her doing here. Whenever she knows she's caught your eye, she puts on some kind of pose.

Here she is playing with her daddy...

And here is she getting very excited about a wedding buggy we encountered in the Alkgonkian Regional Park. Everything is a 'cat' to her (although she only knows the word in Arabic), so Nate is explaining to her that this is a very BIG cat.

Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere

2009-08-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

I've taken Mayumi to a nearby library's storytime, which ended this last time with bubbles. Mayumi seemed fascinated and tried, along with her peers, to 'catch' some:

As I've mentioned previously, we've been taking advantage of our community pool. Mayumi is always trying to eat Nate's goggles, so we found her a pair of her own.

This little girl finds all kinds of ways to be cute. Or mischievous. Ever since beginning to feed herself, she demonstrated a fondness for putting her food behind her back. We have no idea where she got this idea--obviously we don't toss unwanted food over our shoulders. And yet, she does it, leaving us no choice but to strip her down before particularly messy meals. Why, you ask? Check out what happens if we don't. What you are seeing is the banana that Yumi sneakily stuffed behind her back.

As mobile as is legal

2009-08-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here's proof: she's learned how to do it!

Heba's Big Samoan Wedding

2009-08-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

You may not believe it, but I have other interests aside from Mayumi. Friends...I have friends!! One friend in particular many of you know has my indefatigable travel partner-in-crime Heba. Heba married the love of her life on Saturday--a Samoan guy that we all met many years ago in Hawaii. She reconnected with him when she moved out here and, considering their shared interest in Polynesia, really hit it off. Heba was always into Polynesian culture, particularly Maori culture. Yet, when I first met her, I doubt she'd even ever taken a Polynesian dance class. Boy, have things changed. As you'll see from these video clips, she's practically given up her haole-ness and become a true wahine. (The clips are no longer than 30 seconds a piece, so please take a few minutes and watch them all!)

Her wedding was fabulous. Nate, my dear friend Marliss, and I went and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. I took a few video clips--all are 30 seconds or less so they won't take much time to view.

Now, one last thing: Not only was I particularly interested in celebrating with Heba because I love her dearly, but also because I became rather 'involved.' See, she asked me and Marliss (who was staying at my home on visit from Florida) to put together some of the costumes for her wedding dance performances. I'll point out which ones we did:

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First--pictured here is Koko's son and Heather's new step-son Kopelani in his Maori 'Haka' costume. Marliss and I made the little loin cloth AND headress.

And now for the video clip of the boys (Kope and some cute little boy named Tavita) doing the Maori "Haka" dance. Kope's dad (the groom) is on the drums and doing the chanting.

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Marliss and I were also responsible for Heather's Tahitian costume, at least the grass skirt and 'belt.' This particular number is called an 'Otea,' and that is her new husband for whom she is dancing.

One of my favorite Polynesian dance numbers is the traditional Samoan slap dance. Here is Koko (groom, in the middle) and some of his buddies.

Finally--the dance number that had Heather the most worried. The bride, or a representative of the bride, is supposed to do this special dance titled the "Princess Dance" (in Samoan, that is). She was nervous to be dancing it in front of a bunch of Samoans...but did a MARVELOUS job. I had nothing to do this with this costume but wanted to include this clip. She started out the dance alone, but within SECONDS zillions of people joined her, dancing with her, and throwing money at her (or tucking it into her dress). It was just too much fun.

Fruit is good

2009-07-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't taken any good videos of Mayumi lately and I promise to repent. In going through a few older ones, however, I found a little one I don't believe I posted. This is primarily for the true Mayumi fan, who lives for even the most mundane pieces of news about her.

This clip features Mayumi eating some fruit, which is something she loves. What I wish I had a clip of is her eating blueberries. Who knew that one little girl could stuff so many blueberries in her mouth at one time?

Then there are apples. She attacks them eagerly, and smacks her lips after taking the last bite...dislodging the hundreds of bits of apples that have sneaked back OUT of her mouth and onto her chin after she's gummed them for a while (she DOES have five teeth but you have to give a baby a break...).

We were treated to a delicious dinner at by our wonderful friends Lindsay and Mike the other day (c.f. exotic Korean wedding ceremony a few posts ago) and they served a fruit plate for dessert. I don't know if anyone actually got to eat any of it, as Mayumi pretty much assumed responsibility for it.

Enjoy!

Mayumi is getting a....

2009-07-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

SISTER!!

Surprise! Many of you viewing this had no idea that I was expecting. Don't worry--I basically have kept this a 'secret,' telling only those who have seen me and asked.

So, there must be something about the level of estrogen in the Johnson clan, because this little girl will make the fifth of ONLY granddaughters in my family!

Now I know that ultrasound photos are, at best, vague (at worse, downright frightening), so we chose the 'cutest' one: her FOOT. :-) I love it. I love Mayumi's feet and I am sure I will love the feet of this little baby girl.

According to the radiologist, she is perfectly healthy and sound in every way. That is great news! She was moving around and around as we were viewing her. Hopefully she'll KEEP moving since she was (as of this afternoon) head up, or 'breach.'

Nate and I already have started our list of names. I am sure you can expect I am vetoing all of the 'biblical' names (Sarah, Catherine, Anne, etc.) and Nate is holding out against all of the names he deems too 'ghetto' (Aisha, Malaika, etc.). We'll see what happens. I like deciding pretty early on a name and then thinking of her by that name for a while...to see if it settles in.

Anyway!! 9 December...mark it on your calendar!

I've been a little busy...

2009-07-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy summer! First of all, the garden. I am happy to report that we are reaping the 'fruits' of our labors. Behold our tomatoes! We ate some this evening. Delicious. Also featured in the salad was a home-grown cucumber and in the lasagne, basil.

I'd say one of the most fun Saturday's I've spent in a long time was attending the wedding of our great friends Lindsay and Mike. I've known Lindsay for over ten years, back from our intern days (also pictured here are Noelle and Jenna, other dear 'Washington Semi-student' intern friends). We all met Mike here in Washington, D.C., and finally Lindsay and Mike found love in each other. As you can see here, they incorporated some of Mike's Korean heritage in their wedding reception.

As I've mentioned previously, we've been making it to the pool as often as possible. While Nate swims laps, Mayumi and I splash around in the kiddy pool. Here is the Cuteness having fun in the water.

Yankee Doodle Baby

2009-07-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

Eastern Market is home to a sub-neighborhood; Barracks Row. Home to the U.S. Marine Corp Band and Drill Squad, every Friday night of the summer the neighborhood boasts a huge performance. The streets are blocked off, 'free' tickets are made available at the beginning of the summer and gone within seconds, and Washington, D.C. residents turn out in high style.

Nate, Mayumi and I often ate out on Friday nights on Barracks Row and would weakly attempt to get into the 'standby line.' No luck. Especially not on the night that the President attended. We noticed that cars, parked on the surrounding streets, were being towed. Upon questioning some Secret Servicemen we learned that any owner of those cars would simply have to pick them up at a nearby lot if they wanted them any time soon. Needless to say, we never got a chance to see the Parade.

I've made a friend out here named Amanda. Amanda's husband is a Marine and actually has duty at the Parade each Friday night as an escort/usher. I was thrilled when Amanda said she'd get us tickets, and made it a surprise for Nate (arranging babysitting and the works). We went with Amanda, her husband Jesus, and our other great friends Rachel and Jeoff. It was a fun night full of pageantry and patriotic fanfare. Enjoy the following clip:

This was two days before the Fourth of July. On the morning of the Fourth we headed on over to the church for the annual breakfast. Here is the Cuteness exploring her patriotic side.

Later on that day we were excited to receive one of my best and oldest friends Marliss and her two adorable girls in our home. Here is Melia, the oldest of the two, at the ghetto park near our home. All in all, a great holiday.

In other random news, it turns out that Mayumi adores cheese. Here is a package of cheese I handed her without a thought in the grocery store to soothe her grumpiness. When I arrived at the register I found it...torn open and pockmarked by her razor sharp little teeth. That little cuteness!

Getting ready for the Ivy League...

2009-07-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Nate's work is sending him to Georgetown for the summer and Mayumi and paid him a visit a couple of weeks ago. If you look closely, there is a cuteness standing in front of the hallowed halls of Georgtown.

When we're not jetting into the District, we are exploring Fairfax County. In nearby Reston is a cute 'planned' community known as Lake Anne. Here's Mayumi playing in a fountain near the lake.

Water Baby

2009-07-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

We are trying to take advantage of our mandatory membership in the HOA by making frequent visits to the pool. Mayumi is getting used to it, slowly but surely.

Nate's other darling

2009-06-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Nate has a new love. Sometimes I notice him regarding his new paramour lovingly, but I'm not jealous. Hard to feel jealous of a ten-pound rod of steel. The sights may be made of hard plastic--I am not sure.

For months...years...Nate has been DYING for a gun. Little did I know how I would inflame the desire by taking him to a shooting range for his birthday last year. Our new home happens to be relatively close to the range, so occasionally Nate would ask me accompany him to the range store and, I suppose, tolerate his longing looks and loving strokes of all the 'ladies' in the shop (why do guns have to be female I wonder?). We finally decided (emphasis on we--Nate definitely consulted me on this) that he should have his heart's desire, and one day she arrived to her new home. Our home.

For those of you out there worried about Mayumi's safety, you are not alone. Nate has agreed to keep the gun unloaded and locked (although in the closet near our bed). He is anxious for Mayumi to start her gun safety training but I am opposed to her early exposure to weapons more on ideological grounds than an actual worry that she'll figure out how to climb up to the top of the closet, unlock the gun, load it, and fire it. Those who know us well will not be surprised to find that we disagree on the utility/need/wisdom of owning a gun, but we both agree that if someone has a (legal and moral) passion then they should pursue it. So--we have a gun. Well, correction: Nate has a gun.

Enjoy (or tolerate) the following pictures and video clips.

The following clip is of Mayumi at the shooting range, following around the 'range dog,' named (curiously) Darth Vader. Darth was terrified by the very fascinated and (hee hee) doggedly pursuing Mayumi.

I Heart New York

2009-06-20T17:22:00.002-07:00

Since 2003 my mother and I have been bringing groups to New York City, staying in Times Square, and introducing them into the "real" New York.

We encourage the group members to take advantage of the various promotions and discounts offered on Broadway and to see as many shows as they can. For us, that means a show per day! In the past, I have lived up to this goal and, in two weeks, have seen 16 shows (there are matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays).

Thanks the help of wonderful family and friends, I was able to fulfil my duties as Assistant to Glo (my mother) AND see many shows...all while enjoying the companionship of the junior tour conductor-in-training Mayumi. HUGE thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law Rosalie and sister-in-law Audrey, who came out to New York for the first week to spend time with Mayumi (and seriously help me out), my father (who came for the second week), my mother (who makes this whole thing possible), and my handful of great friends who babysat, entertained Mayumi, saved my spot in ticket lines, etc. Tim, Sally, and Amber...and Amber's crew...THANK YOU!

So yes, I saw 10 shows!! Here they are: Billy Elliot, Exit the King, Next to Normal, Blithe Spirit, Rock of Ages (although we left at intermission so it doesn't really count), 9 to 5, God of Carnage, Mary Stuart, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, and Guys and Dolls. I'd love to review them each for you...whoever you are...but knowing that no one is likely to read this I'll just let the random reader do their own research or contact me privately if curious. I WILL say that Next to Normal was by far my 'favorite' musical (hard to use that word since it was such a 'hard' show to watch (v. emotional)) and God of Carnage and Mary Stuart tied for favorite play. Rock of Ages was the worse musical (hence the early exit) and Exit the King was (by far) the worst play (I loved each of the others).

Enjoy the photos, courtesy of grandpa Astroland, as I took NONE. This last one doesn't even come close to capturing the funniness of the moment; one moment, she was sitting in a restaurant high chair, looking all innocent. Next moment we looked, she was practically swallowing a salt shaker. We tried to get her to do it again for a picture, but it never QUITE was as funny.

Climbing the Stairs

2009-06-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

Mayumi climbed our staircase today while I wasn't looking. Seven stairs, not an inconsiderable height. Ugh. I had a student come while she was awake (usually she naps during my lessons) and I started her out in the swing next to our lesson table. This has worked fine in the past, but apparently now that she can walk she will NOT be confined to a somewhat stationary chair. Sigh. I apologized to my student and released Mayumi to wander about the room while I attempted to teach a lesson. Considering how noisy she can be, I was relieved when she went behind the little wall the separates the main room from the stairwell going up. I was even happier to note that she was silent, and figured she was having fun playing with some toy on (I hoped) the bottom step. Knowing that she has a tendency to try to climb the stairs, I strained my ears in her direction while attempting to simultaneously teach an Arabic lesson. Nothing--not a sound. When I finally heard a sound a few minutes later, it was clearly not from the downstairs. I excused myself to my student and dashed to the stairs; that little baby was no where in sight! I dashed upstairs and she was playing far across the room. She had climbed up the stairs entirely on her own!

Now don't worry; I don't plan on giving her free range to the staircases but I was actually quite proud of her (while also terrified of what could have happened...).

A Year in the Life...

2009-06-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

On 24 May 2009 Mayumi turned one year old! We celebrated with a luau-themed party at our home. Strangely, I only took one photo of the birthday girl herself, pictured here with her Auntie Heba (Heather Hughes) and Heba's future husband Koko (Congratulations you guys!!). My wonderful neighbors took many photos of the party and Mayumi and, when they pass them on to me, I'll post them. Note--Mayumi is wearing a dress from Honduras, presented to her by one of my Arabic students.

The following are a few other photos of some of our guests. I didn't get pictures of everyone but want to thank you ALL for coming and making Mayumi (and us) feel so loved. For those who have never been to our home, this party was held in our backyard. You may catch glimpses of our fence, our little storage shed, our deck, and our GARDEN in the background.

Mayumi has left the crawling world behind and has wholeheartedly embraced WALKING. See the clip below...although it really doesn't do her skills justice. Also notice the amazing baby gates that Nate engineered, built, and installed on our stairs.

Finally--we were gone in NYC for two weeks...hence, no posts. Once those pictures trickle in to me (I took NO pictures of my own, darn it!) I'll post them as well.

Next thing I know she'll be driving...

2009-05-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Mayumi is walking!! Halting, small steps, but walking nevertheless. This video begins right as she's stood up (straight from the ground, without holding on to anything). I've actually seen her walk further than she does here--up to ten steps. My baby is growing up!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

Nate took great pains to prepare several surprises for me on Mother's Day. Not only did he take care of Mayumi all Saturday afternoon/night while I took off to D.C. to play with girlfiends visiting from New York, he prepared me breakfast and lunch on Sunday...and arranged this bouquet of flowers.

Speaking of flowers, we are working hard on our garden...and making feeble attempts on our lawn. Unequipped as we are with yard power tools, it is hard to keep up with the Jones', but Nate makes great efforts with our 'Nate powered lawn mower.' Mayumi enjoys helping out her father.

If only we could employ the same landscaping company that beautifies the D.C. Temple grounds. See this little clip below and admire the flowers and trees (if you can keep your eyes from the little cuteness in the white dress).

Spring At Last!

2009-05-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Mayumi is sick, running a decent fever, and hasn't been herself. Yet--once I put her in this swing yesterday she was her old self again...as you will see.

You may notice a 'shaddow' across the bridge of her nose...this is, sadly, a massive bruise incurred by a fall against one of our end tables. Alas, the drawbacks of learning to walk. Mayumi IS starting to walk, tw0-three steps at a time.

We love taking Mayumi to the zoo, and although we aren't certain whether or not she really notices the animals, we think she has a good time. It just so happened that this day was National Migratory Bird Week.

Garden Update

2009-05-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

See for yourself!! We'lll see if the garden will survive after all this rain....

Planting tomatoes...A close-up...

The muscle of this operation...

Our seedlings which we've cultivated indoors...

Composting!

A Catch-up

2009-05-02T04:20:00.000-07:00

Oh the responsibilities of the blogger. You lie awake nights fretting about how backed up you are and how negligent you've been, keeping all your great photos on your hard drive. The following post is the equivallent of a long, disorganized 'catch-up' chat between two girls (guys don't do catch-ups I've learned from Nate). In no particular order...some things we've been up to lately: Nate, teaching a self-defense class at the church.

Nate, getting thrown by his now well-trained student.

Me, helping Yumi open her Easter package from Nate's parents. Thanks Ayers!!

Mayumi with her future boyfriend Wyatt (son of Rachel and Jeoff, mentioned on this blog before) on Easter.

The first Scrabble game EVER that I've won. Look at some of the cool words!

Nate took his loss with grace, showing us the deck of cards HE'D been delt.

At the DC temple--gorgeous landscaping.

Me and my girl, frockling in the spring flowers.

Nothing like old friends, together at Lindsay Workman's bridal shower. Left to right: Me, Emily Jones, Lindsay Workman, and Barbara Christiansen. Emily and I know each other from BYU Jerusalem. Emily, Barb, and Linds know each other from BYU London. I know Linds from BYU DC. And Barb and I just overlapped due to millions of in-common friends and ended up rooomates at BYU.

Lastly, Mayumi at a local farm "Spring Babies Day."

In Tribute to Astroland (my father)

2009-05-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

As has been noted, my father WAS in Arizona for our 'family reunion' in early April, but was not caught on film by me. By my regular camera, that is. I did get a great clip of him dancing with Mayumi, however, which follows. But first, a little background: my father, who is musically inclined, used to sing to us constantly. We each had our own, personally little song. He also had a song for most situations and did not hesitate to sing with gusto (he still does on the front row of church). One of my favorites was a little ditty I learned later was the "Hamm's Beer" jingle (randomly, as my father does not drink). Another was the Marine Corp hymn (he was never in the military). No, there's really no way to explain his huge repetoire but there it is.

The following is one of the things he 'sung' to us as kids, but it also included a dance. We called the song and dance "Dum Dum Dum"--I think you'll see why. Enjoy!

Developmental Steps

2009-04-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Mayumi rarely does anything on cue, but for some reason I was able to capture her clapping here in this video (taken in Arizona!).