Saturday, November 18

Behold...Green Bean Casserole. I'm curious, has anybody out there NOT heard of green bean casserole? Am I crazy to to believe it is a standard Thanksgiving side dish? Please, if you read this (does anybody ever read this?), tell me whether you have or have not heard of green bean casserole.

Tuesday, November 14


I just had to share some pictures of this gorgeous sweater we found the other day. It's a size four, so it won't fit Mack for a while, but I had to have it. I even made Tyler ask the guy if they made them in my size (they don't). It's from Otavalo, where Tyler served his mission. All the little details--such as the hut, llama, sun, etc-- are hand stitched. We picked up a few other beautiful items, but I can't share them on such a public forum, what with Christmas right around the corner. Hooray for the Holidays!

"Singing in the Bathtub!"

AH HA! Mack, caught naked in the bathtub. We don't have a real tub, so Mack takes his bath's on the kitchen rug, in front of the oven...Old West Style.After the initial shock of the first couple flashes from the camera, Mack seemed to warm up to the idea of having his naked picture taken. Should we be worried?
Ahh, all fresh and rosy after a nice bath and bedtime feeding. It was laundry day, so Tyler improved by putting him in some 'comfy' pants and his old shirt from when he was a baby. A - You're adorable. B - You're so beautiful. C - You're a cutie full of charm (we listen to a a lot of John Lithgow around here). I love the fact that Mack is semi posing in these last two pictures.

Friday, November 10

amazing

I've been following Teeny Tiny Truman for about a month now. Truman's struggle, coupled with his parents' determination throughout the entire ordeal, has been really inspiring. I often find myself thinking about him and what a trial this must be for his family. As a mother, his story has caused me stop and give pause to consider how blessed I am in regards to my own family. Cheers and good vibes to Truman: Grow Baby, Grow

You asked for it...

Here are some pictures I took of Mack yesterday. He's not doing anything especially spectacular except being spectacular in general.

You did not ask for it...


A couple days ago, we were out buying milk (the kind from a box) and I spotted this beautiful PUMPKIN! Buying a pumpkin here is not impossible, but it's not a given either. For example, we had no problem finding one a full month prior to Halloween, but on the night itself there was not a descent (ie: not rotten) pumpkin to be found. SO...we got this pumpkin so I could try making cabaza en tacha. Here goes!

First, cut the pumpkin in half. Next, you skin it and chop it into 1-2 inch chunks. Next you let it simmer for a couple of hours with all this "stuff". Cinnamon sticks, orange zest, orange juice, piloncillo. You can get a recipe here.

THIS is the final product. It was very tasty and would probably be good with whipped cream (like pumpkin pie). I don't think I'll ever make this again unless it's for more than 5 people. We had a LOT left over. Plus, peeling a pumpkin is hard work! Maybe sharper knives would have helped?

Tuesday, November 7

We're back and nearly recovered from a whirlwind trip to San Diego. Tyler had a job fair to go to on the 3rd and Mack and I decided to tag along. Ty wasn't comfortable leaving us in Monterrey for 3 days alone, and a hotel across the border would have cost just as much as flying to San Diego (we snagged $89 each way, direct tickets thanks to Southwest). As far as I can tell the job fair was a success. Tyler spoke to all 12 companies there he was interested in and is now waiting to hear back from them.
I managed to get Mack into see the doctor while we were in CA. It's just as we suspected, he's still growing. He's 28 inches long (95th %) and weighs 19 pounds 2 ounces (85th %). He thought the appointment was basically tickle time, so no worries there. Obviously he wasn't too keen about getting his shots, but who is?
Have you noticed Mack is SIX MONTHS OLD! Babies are so great! In the last six months he's conquered a countless number of skills. In fact, as I write this he has learned how to pull down his toy-with-the-blue-arches and scoot his way inside. AMAZING! Maybe I'm a little biased...but I think we've got a genius on our hands...