Fun with a box

 

Having a good time

Yesterday I had a couple of friends over for a tamale party. We made at least 13 dozen tamales, and at the end, when I bagged them up, we still had 12 dozen left, although Eric and kids (and me) managed to eat another dozen before they went into the freezer, and we divided up the bags so each of us could take them home. While all of us have made them before, Lily and I really enjoyed Romney's showing us her Mama's methods. She mixed up the chile and seasoning, and they came out so nicely! Every time the kids walked past they grabbed another, especially Awyn who probably ate a dozen all by herself, didn't seem to mind any spicy chile. Actually, they really didn't turn out very hot, although if you eat enough of them all nice and warm, it will sneak up on you. Eric kept us in the coffee, making a nice organic medium roast. I didn't know how well coffee went with tamales, but I do now. I also learned, albeit after the fact, that it isn't necessary to cook all of the tamales. If you freeze them before cooking, you can steam them up nice and fresh. That is a wonderful idea, and I'm not sure why I didn't think of that. I was thinking about how easy it is to take a couple of frozen tamales and put them into lunches that can be reheated in the microwave.

We'll get together again soon - next time we're making pumpkin tamales!

Daddy reads Awyn, Sam, and kitty a story

 

Awyn is in love with this kitty, and we realized we haven't posted any pictures of 'kicky'. She carries it almost everywhere with her. I blame Sparkles, the cat she learned to love in Bothell. Awyn very much likes kitties. She'll have to wait until she's got her own place to ever own a real cat though. Too many allergies here.

Sam cleans, Awyn beads

Beading

Yes, thumb in mouth

Took the picture, then removed his thumb. When I did, drool came out. Ewww.

Computer time

Sam loves a particular website, starfall.com. He can move the mouse for himself and play all the little activities. He's really made some huge strides with the alphabet and the sounds the letters make with it. Awyn loves to watch Sam play, and names everything right alongside him. She too recognizes some letters and sounds.

Bath snack

I've posted so many pictures that show how big Awyn's getting. I think she looks more baby like in this one. I don't mind! Sam was scooping the water out of one measuring cup into another and feeding it to Awyn. Of course I had to get pictures before making him stop!

Waiting for Harry

I'm eagerly awaiting our copy of Harry Potter. It is supposed to arrive tomorrow. However, it was shipped via UPS, and there's no Saturday delivery for UPS here. If I don't get my book tomorrow, I'll have to complain to Barnes & Noble. I called them before pre-ordering the book just to make sure that it truly would arrive on time, here, guaranteed. Oh yes, they told me, so I ordered it. hmmm.

More videos

I'm going to try to post a few different videos now. Some are older, some newer.

Sam flying his Enterprise, and Swimming at the Indian Lodge.

Awyn gets Pigtails

I'm going to see about posting some more videos. I have quite a few, so feel free to check back here after a while.

I thought it was a Pepper plant

I didn't plant any tomatoes. I planted sweet red bell peppers. I saved the seeds from some peppers that we ate. This is what grew from the seeds. I've been watching this 'fruit' develop, thinking to myself, gee, this looks like a tomato. I thought that maybe it was a stunted red pepper because I didn't buy seeds and instead used them from a store-bought pepper. It just didn't get any bigger, and then suddenly it turned nice and red. So I took some pictures of it, picked it, and sliced it open. It was a very delicious cherry tomato. I'm stumped. No, I didn't use any compost in my garden. I did re-use the dirt from my old garden, but I let that garden sit fallow for two years before moving the bed to its present location. Yes, I grew yellow pear tomatoes in the old garden. Yellow Pear, not Cherry.

It's a Tomato!

Awyn sets the table

Awyn always gives Sam the baby silverware. She and Sam love to set the table!

Super Awyn

Awyn is finished setting the table, now she's ready to eat!

Awyn helps make tartar sauce

Dress-up Queen

Awyn adores her dress-up play clothes. She puts everything on at once, and it really doesn't matter what something is supposed to be, so long as she gets it on. This is actually about the most coordinated I've ever seen her - she's wearing skirts as skirts and tops as tops (she's got 3-4 skirts on, and two tops)

After a long day of play...

Yes, he even sleeps with his Enterprise.

Going to Warp

Flying his Enterprise