Amazing Jakes....

Kohl and Arianna were invited to a friends birthday party at a local "Chucky-Cheese on Steroids". All the pizza, movies, games and rides you can handle for 3 hours. They crank out the parties there, and it's sensory overload, but the kids had a good time. I on the other hand about blew chunks after second round on the tea cups. Weird thing is...I used to be able to do that kinda stuff all day long. In fact one of my favorite activities (we didn't have much else to do living out on the farm) was going into Mom's sewing closet and getting out her old swivel chair. I would lay across it on my belly and use the 5 feet to spin myself around as fast as I could. Just thinking about it makes me ill now. I'm getting old.





POP QUIZ - Can you find the worlds happiest dad and lil Biggie Smalls?





Kids having fun.

Here Kitty - Kitty - Kitty.....

I was on my way to the pharmacy today and Caught this just outside our gate. I even had time to go back for my camera and still find him. Not very good shots though as there was this ANNOYING older guy out there trying to sneak up on him with his cell phone camera. He thought he was someone's pet...

Obama is coming to town...

Someone should write a jingle that describes the excitement that goes along with finding out that the President is coming to your city. Of course I am finding out last minute and who knows if I will get tickets, but I will try. Hopefully I will get to join in the fun.

Mama, I don't want you to go anywhere...

We had a nice evening with the Fisks, Alicia and Becca. It was a last minute gathering...not really, but it felt like it due to my procrastinating :-) Anyhow, we had some yummy food, nice conversation and a big serving of warm Bybee cake with vanilla ice cream. The best part was singing the birthday song to Spence as he got ready to blow his b-day torch. He said he wanted candles so I opened the box and put the entire bunch of candles on top of his ice cream - the cake was too warm. The fire spread quickly from one little candle to the next, and before we knew it we had a nice torch burning as we sang. I wish you had all been here to enjoy it with us.

Happy b-day honey!

So after a night of fun, I cuddled with my kiddos as they fell asleep. I often rush out of their rooms to go and get stuff done, but tonight felt special for some reason. I asked Nana if she would love me "as big as China" when she was big. "As big as outter space!" was her reply. I made her promise she would. I have to remember to get it in writing too. Something tells me that she will forget as soon as she turns thirteen.

They started to breathe heavy and I thought she was asleep, but as I tried to pull away she mumbled, "Mama, I don't want you to go anywhere." I stayed. I guess I am getting old and wish that I took more time to just enjoy their childhood. The crazy things they do and say. Just the other night Nana was trying to figure out what day it was and asked "is today even or oven?" Boys start family prayer on even days and girls do it on odd days. I couldn't stop laughing.

The lesson I learned today: to enjoy my babies while they are babies because teenagers are NO FUN! I know I wasn't and I am not entirely sure about Spencer. He tends to contradict himself :-)

PB&Js

Quite possibly one of the best things ever invented...ever. Thick whole grain bread, the aroma of roasted peanuts, and some fine preserves. The holy trinity of culinary genius. Perfect with a tall glass of milk; for any meal of the day. And don't even come in here with your sissy creamy peanut butter...true gastronomic pleasure isn't for the weak.

Sadly, Irene just doesn't get it. It's the whole foreigner thing.

Working from home affords me some benefits. In the afternoon when I take a quick break for lunch and lay out my preparations, I can often feel the glare piercing my skull. She argues that there's perfectly good leftovers from a meal she slaved over the night before sitting right there in the fridge. As if one would only choose to eat a PB&J when there was literally nothing left to eat. I honestly love my wife's cooking, but like a true crack junky...sometimes I just gotta get a hit.

Thankfully I've been able to affect the next generation. Kohl and Nana love it when they catch me sneaking my fix. Sometimes it'll turn into a true PB&J binge that can last an hour. It's amazing what their little bellies can put away, the guilty pleasure of it all adding to the excitement. Nana likes hers cut in triangles so she can eat it from the middle out to the edges. This always leaves behind the tell tale sign of good eats. I think this particular occasion Irene had gone early to help Kohl's class with a holiday art project. The true breakfast of champions.


Belly full-a- jelly. ;)

Arianna conquers the bike!!!

There are few things that make a Papa more proud than letting go of the back of that bicycle seat and watching your pride an joy pedal away under her own power. I'll let you in on a little tip at the end, but I knew today was the day for Nana. Beautiful Sunday afternoon in the cul-de-sac, first signs of Spring (AZ time) already coming out. We hadn't really practiced that much, just watching her scoot about though I knew she'd been ready for awhile. It just took one push and she was off. One of those difficult moments as a parent where you celebrate the accomplishment but lament that your little girl is growing up. Thankfully she still needs me; I ran to keep up and saved the day from a major spill. She can't work the break and ends up in a wobbly power skid. Thanks for the helmet Tia Mehrsa!



TIP: Ditch the training wheels.

When we moved to AZ we gained a German neighbor and an insight to how they do things across the pond. They have bikes specifically made to teach a child to ride on 2 wheels. It's basically the same thing as a normal bike, maybe stretched out a bit for stability, but the secret is that it's missing the guts. No crank, cog, pedals, chain, etc. They just ride it Flinstone style and work on the most important thing....balance. Have them pick their feet up and coast around as much as possible. When you see that they spend most of their time feet up...then move them to a normal pedal bike and off they go. Worked 2 for 2 for us. Now if you don't happen to have a German neighbor, just pull the pedals off of a US bike and you get the same effect. I used the above "Darbie Bike" with Nana and the results were the same. Never even used the training wheels. Good luck.

Tomato sauce?

No, I don't intend to make my blog a cooking site, but to all my ladies that love cooking...or simply love good food...you have got to try this sauce. I am not a tomato sauce fan or a Lagasse fan, but this sauce was yummy and so simple. I used hot house tomatoes, my friend used roma tomatoes and they both yield a delicious sauce.

Try it and you won't be disappointed!


Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce:

3 pounds Romanita tomatoes, cored*

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large, 14-inch, oven proof frying pan, combine all the ingredients. Stir to blend then transfer to the oven and cook until the tomatoes begin to caramelize, about 30 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and stir well. Return to the oven and continue to cook until further caramelized and much of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from the oven, cool slightly, and transfer to a blender, in batches if necessary, and process sauce until coarsely pureed. If the sauce seems too thick, thin with a bit of water or chicken broth. Use immediately or cool completely and refrigerate for up to 4 days in a non-reactive, airtight container.

The sauce is great on pasta as well as pizza and even makes a great dipping sauce for hors d'oeuvres. If you prefer a less rustic sauce, puree completely as described above and strain.

Yield: about 4 cups sauce

* If Romanita tomatoes are unavailable, use a combination of Roma and grape tomatoes to approximate the sweetness of Romanitas, or use another type of sweet tomato, such as Amorosa.