Baking with Barefoot

Tonight I attempted to bake Barefoot Contessa's chocolate cake. I want to take this to Noah's preschool orientation meeting this weekend, so I had to try it out. I got a late start and with all the waiting for the cake to cool before icing it... before I knew it was approaching ten o'clock. We had a late dessert to say nonetheless but it was well worth the wait! What dessert should I tackle next???

Tooty-ta? I don't think so...

Noah's summer camp performed Tooty-ta and a few other songs. Unfortunately, Noah did not want to perform. He stood there, center stage, looking at the ground! It wasn't until the performances were over and Teacher Judy put on "I Like to Move It" (a 1994 music track performed by Reel 2 Real which is featured in the Madagascar film series) that he started to dance. What will his next performance be like???

Ina and Kim #2

Tonight we had Barefoot Contessa's baked shrimp scampi. The recipe called for butter, butter, and more butter. It was delicious (paired with a nice white wine). After tonight, I have to take a break from Ina but I will start exploring again in a few days! What will I make next???

Ina and Kim

Last week, Jawsh and I saw the movie, Julie and Julia. I was kind of inspired by it. Now, I am a big fan of Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) via my mother. And instead of going through all her recipes, I want to try a few a month. So I started tonight with her rib eye and cornmeal onion rings (paired with Blue Moon beer). Boy, was it good. Jawsh really loved the whole meal from start to finish. What will I make next???

4 little monkeys

Here is a recent picture of all the kids. It's near impossible to get all of them looking at the camera at the same time. Don't they look sweet???

Hi Reno Rubins

The Reno Rubins were back for a few days for their annual Camp Caryn summer trip. For some reason, I have absolutely no pictures of the crew! But I did find one image of Micah's typical reaction when he first met them. He just put his head down. It was completely hilarious because he's usually more outgoing. It was great catching up with everyone. When will go visit them in Reno???

Money, money, money

It's very unexpected when my parents come to LA. Today they had to run an errand that brought them to Koreatown. I took the boys to meet them for an impromptu lunch at the local Korean mall and of course, Noah made his way into the toy store. My dad, who is not known for buying toys, bought Noah a Thomas the Train wallet and let him have the change. The whole afternoon, Noah kept telling people what he would buy them with his two dollars! I would hear him say, "Micah I'm going to buy you a lightsaber, okay? You have to make good choices." Or he would tell me, "Mom, I'm going to buy you Luke's lightsaber okay?" I have to love his generous spirit. But how long will everything revolve around Star Wars???

R4 again...

To further illustrate the point.. here is Noah and his lego versions of the Star Wars robots. C3PO, R2D2, and R4. He's just a little obsessed, right???

R4

Here is Noah's latest drawing of R4. If you only know R2D2, you can't hang with Noah! Noah takes Star Wars very seriously... so much so that he quizzes Micah all the time. First it was Thomas the Tank Engine series, now Star Wars, what's next???

Star Eco-Station

Noah's summer camp took a field trip to the Star Eco-Station. It is a non-profit environmental education and exotic wildlife rescue center, dedicated to the mission of Preservation Through Education. They work in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other government and environmental organizations to provide a last chance for illegal or abandoned at-risk exotic wildlife. Noah got to meet several animals that were rescued and of course, he did not pass up a chance to hold a snake! I personally enjoyed learning about the programs and the animals... when will we head back???

Age of Mammals

Kaitlyn and Crew went with us to check out the Age of Mammals permanent exhibit at the the Natural History Museum. The Age of Mammals tells an epic evolutionary story that spans 65 million years! But its theme can be distilled into just six words: Continents move. Climates change. Mammals evolve. This picture shows Kaitlyn doing her tiger growl! We went on the first free Tuesday and it was way overcrowded with summer campers and families on vacation! When will we head back???

Air and Space Gallery

We went to Exposition Park to meet Kaitlyn and Crew, but we arrived earlier so we had time to check out the Air and Space Gallery. It was interesting to see the boys' reactions. There are life size satellites, airplanes, and helicopters on display hanging from the ceiling, so it was somewhat intimidating at first. Noah was hesitant but started to make connections to Star Wars (of course) and warmed up quicker than Micah. Micah on the other hand, was timid, walking slow, and clasping his hands together! I have never really seen Micah look so nervous! Noah really enjoyed going into the helicopter, but Micah wanted nothing to do with it. Will Noah want to be in aeronautics when he grows older???

The Getty Villa

Today we went to Malibu to check out The Getty Villa with Joel, Kristie, and Linnea. The landscape is beautiful and there is a amphitheater where they perform Greek tragedies in the evenings. The kids were able to paint frescoes and play in the family room. And we enjoyed walking around and eating lunch in gorgeous weather. Noah did not want to leave Linnea, but I promised him we would meet up again soon... maybe at the beach???

Roller coaster #2... Journey to Atlantis

Today we took a day trip down to San Diego and spent sometime at Sea World. Noah and Micah loved the Shamu Believe Show (again) and this time Noah and Jawsh went on a roller coaster called Journey to Atlantis. We weren't surprised that Noah wanted to go on (because he just had a great experience with Suzy). But Jawsh was surprised at how fast it went. There were many fast turns, high drops into water, and Noah was holding on to dear life. When Noah got off he said, "that was too fast." Will he want to ride a roller coaster again after this???

Noah's first roller coaster

My cousin, Suzy, flew in from Texas! She is getting married 1-11-2011! Noah is going to be a ring bearer so she spent some fun time with him this visit. Highlights were getting lunch at the Kogi truck, driving to Santa Monica, and eating it at the beach. It was such a nice day. Then we walked to the pier, where we let Noah choose one ride. He decided to go on the roller coaster! He barely made the height requirement of 42 inches and he was off with Suzy! I was nervous for him, but he did great. What will be his next roller coaster ride???

5

This morning we went back to the exact spot where we were married (7-24-05). Yes, it's been 5 years! Afterwards we took a stroll on the beach and had lunch at one of our favorite places, Cha Cha Chicken. For dinner, Jawsh and I ate at Providence. It was such a wonderful dining experience... we ate so many delicious things. Jawsh's favorite was the wild black sea bass with braised artichokes, candied orange rind, and basil and my favorite was the big eye tuna and kumamoto oysters! Yum! Thanks to Bubbe, Uncle Zach, and Dolly for watching the boys... where will we go next year???

Whole Foods Fieldtrip

Noah went on his a fieldtrip to Whole Foods with his summer camp. I always thought it was weird when kids go to grocery stores for fieldtrips, but it was sort of fun. The kids got to try all types of food, starting with the desserts! I think Noah's favorite part was eating the organic banana. His next fieldtrip is the Eco-Station... I wonder how that will go???

5 years tomorrow!

It's the night before our fifth wedding anniversary! I feel so blessed to be married to Jawsh... he is still ever patient and loving. And we both feel blessed to have the most wonderful boys. Tomorrow we head to Shutters on the Beach for a quick visit (no brunch this year) and then to a romantic dinner at Providence! Wonder what tomorrow will bring???

mygym with Micah

Micah has been enjoying mygym classes for the past few weeks. Since I did Gymboree with Noah, this is a nice change. mygym focuses more on gymnastics and there is a lot to do. Micah has been enjoying the trampoline and the ball pit. He also loves somersaults and flying down a zip line in a plastic airplane! Will Micah want to be a gymnast when he grows older???

Santa Monica Pacific Park

Today Noah and Kaitlyn went to Santa Monica Pier to enjoy all the amusement park rides. I got a great deal on groupon which gave them all you can ride passes. I originally bought these passes for Jawsh and Noah, but when we went Noah would not go on any of the rides with his Daddy! Of course, with "Kaitlyn Kourage" by his side, he went on all the rides with no problem. Here they are going up and down, enjoying the view of the Pacific, while Micah is on the bench enjoying his view of his older brother and cousin. Micah was a bit upset that he could not go on any of the rides, but all in good time, right???