This is what heaven tastes like...

Birthday Weekend

This year I celebrated my birthday a few different times. The party started on Saturday when Rich's parents were in town. They took us to Il Forno Classico and I got portabello mushroom raviolis. Going to this restaurant was a big deal, not just because it is my favorite, but because Bruce doesn't like pasta. Since it was my birthday they let me pick and we also knew there was a good steak and some seafood on the menu. I'm happy to report Bruce enjoyed his meal and I of course loved it!! They also gave me 2 cupcake recipe books which I'm excited to use and some money which I'm deciding on how to spend.

On Sunday I celebrated with Rich and Ava. Rich made me one of my favorite meals, hamburgers (homemade on the BBQ). He then gave me some of my birthday gifts so I could use them on my actual birthday. Rich got me a new camera lens (55-250mm zoom with image stabilizer) and a camera/laptop backpack. He told me about these gifts a month ago, so I could pick out the lens I wanted...what an awesome guy!!

They way Rich was able to get them was pretty awesome too. He knew we couldn't afford to buy me a new camera lens, so he came up with a solution. Back in March he started doing medical surveys that paid him in Amazon gift cards. I don't know exactly how many he did, but he had enough to completely pay for the lens and camera bag...by the way did I mention how awesome Rich is? I wasn't surprised the day he gave it to me, but I was surprised and excited the day he told me about it. To know he put that much thought and effort into getting me something I really wanted but didn't think I would ever get made me feel special and so loved...Thanks Rich...I love you!

After getting my new gifts ready, Ava and I headed down to my parents that night. I planned to spend Sunday night and part of Monday with my family. When we got there my mom was frosting my birthday cake and my mouth started to water. Every year I ask my mom to make me a checkerboard cake because it is my favorite and she makes the best cakes. While we waited for dessert Ava played with Papa Harry. When my mom was done we all enjoyed cake with milk. Of course Ava loved it and everybody ended up sharing some with her. Before bed my parents gave me my gift in an unique way. They put a check on top of a Buzz Lightyear car and rolled it to me. We thought Ava would love it, but the car actually scared her. I think it was because it made a lot of noise and drove by itself. I personally thought it was pretty cool. My parents gift is to help me buy the Cuisinart food processor I've been saving for. I have been saving Amazon rewards and with their gift I now have enough to get it. I'm pretty excited about this because it is something I've wanted for a long time and thought might never get.

On Monday Ava, my mom, and I went to the Oakland Zoo for my birthday. I thought it would be a nice way to spend my 33rd birthday and not be stuck in the house. It was a great day and I enjoyed Ava's excitement as we walked around the different exhibits. I was also pleased that Ava loved the turtles in the reptile house. It is hard to say what Ava enjoyed the most, but I can say the big disappointment of the day was not seeing the Lions. Ava kept roaring like a Lion, but both times we walked by the exhibit they were nowhere to be found. I enjoyed the tortoises and bats, but most of all watching Ava's reactions. After a long day at the zoo Ava fell asleep, so we headed back to my parents.

After Ava's nap we met my brother for dinner. We decided to have an early dinner, but that turned out to cause trouble. I decided to have Cattleman's, but when we got there it was closed. Instead of waiting for 20 minutes we decided to try a place in town. We walked into the small steakhouse and waited for a few minutes before someone told us the restaurant part was closed on Mondays. At this point I was hungry, tired, and a little grumpy. I didn't know where to go next and was about to just settle for Taco Bell when my mom suggested one more place down the road. We walked down the street and ended up eating in a BBQ joint. It definitely isn't the kind of place I would eat all the time, but I enjoyed my tri-tip sandwich and onion rings. I also enjoyed sampling my mom's garlic fries. After we ate we packed up and headed home to Rich.

We got back to Rancho just in time for Ava to have a bath and get ready for bed. The first thing I noticed was the delicious brownies with chocolate chips Rich made for me. Then I noticed another surprise birthday gift. Rich saved this gift for me, so I would have something to open on my birthday. He gave me a French rolling pin. I have been looking for one, but had a hard time finding it. Rich also had a hard time finding one and almost gave up on the idea. He was at Bed, Bath, & Beyond about to buy me something else when a worker asked him if he needed help. Rich said, "No, because you don't have French rolling pins," and the worker replied, "Yes we do." Rich was surprised because we just looked there a week prior and they didn't have any. I was surprised too and excited to have this new kitchen tool. I have already put it to good use making apricot scones.

After the long birthday weekend I was tired, but more importantly happy. I had a wonderful few days. I appreciate all the love I was shown from family and friends. Thanks for making me feel special.

Buzz Lightyear in the house...

...no wait that's just Ava.

Butterfly Hunting, Homemade Popsicles, & A Blue Tutu

Ava enjoys hunting for butterflies in our backyard. She waves her net around and shouts, "butterfly, butterfly". Ava hasn't caught a butterfly yet, but she is pretty determined. Next year I think we will have to add more butterfly friendly flowers and maybe make a butterfly station with fruit to help Ava have a better chance at catching one.

Throughout the summer we have been making our own popsicles. We have used fresh fruit, pudding, yogurt, and fruit juice as some of the ingredients. This is a special treat Ava and Rich like to share after dinner.

I'm sure you have noticed the blue tutu in the previous pictures. A couple weeks ago Ava was given some play clothes from her cousins Bella and Lily which included this awesome tutu. Ever since Ava laid eyes on it she wants to wear it. I guess everything is better when wearing a tutu.

"This corn is like an angel"

Ava just discovered her love for corn on the cob. She helped her dad shuck some corn the other day and started eating one of the cobs. She didn't mind it raw and gobbled it down cooked. Ava was so funny carrying around the cob. She loved it and wouldn't let us help her even though she could barely manage it. It was fun watching her enjoy such a simple pleasure.

Question- The title is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies. Does anybody know what movie?

"I'm Turning Japanese, I Think I'm turning Japanese..."

"...I Really Think So"



A few weeks ago I found an article in a magazine about Japanese Bento lunchboxes and that sparked the desire to learn more about Japanese food. I have been looking up Bento websites and got some cookbooks from the library. I know I might not like some of the foods, but I want to learn to make something new and completely different.

On Saturday Rich took me to Oto's Japanese Market in Sacramento to support my new obession. I took a cookbook so I could buy a few ingredients for my first attempt at Japanese food. I also bought a bento lunchbox for Ava and I to use when we are out and about. While we were there we decided to get lunch too. The market had sushi and a variety of bento boxes. We got three boxes and all shared.

Checked-Out

These are the books we currently have checked-out from the library. I also have 19 more books on hold and Ava has 4. I love that we can order books from other Sacramento County Libraries and just wait for them to arrive. I always have at least 5 books on hold and I'm always so excited when they finally arrive.

LISA'S BOOKS

As you can see the majority of my books our cookbooks. That is probably about 90% of what I get from the library. I love books I can learn from. Along with the cookbooks I have one photography book.

AVA'S BOOKS
Can you tell what we are working on? The bottom row of books kind of gives it away. The middle item is actually a DVD called "Once Upon a Potty." There is also a book to go along with it, but we are still waiting our turn to check it out. (Ava really isn't potty training yet, but we are introducing her to the idea and trying out books from the library).

The top row of books are by John Butler. I just discovered his books one day while we were hanging out at the library. Ava was playing with a puzzle and I was browsing and came across a few of his books. I fell in love with the illustrations and checked out an armful of his books. We have since returned a few, but we found more online and added them to Ava's hold list.

Ava's 1st Library Card

Yesterday Ava got her very own library card. Ava loves to read and she has been enjoying many books from the library recently. Since my library card kept getting overloaded with mine and her stuff I decided she needed to get her own card. Ava didn't really know what was going on, but she loves to hold the card and hand it to the librarian. I figure this way we can check out more books and I can begin to introduce the idea of responsibility for borrowing items. I know learning responsibility will take several years, but I don't think it is ever too early to start teaching values.

Next time you're at Lowe's don't look up!

Last month while admiring the plants and flowers at Lowe's we looked up and this is what we saw...

BIG, CREEPY, SPIDERS...YUCK!!!

Once we noticed one we realized there were at least a dozen more hanging from the metal roof structure. Even though, I found them fascinating, it CREEPED me out. I have a fear of spiders and they are often the subject of my (stress) nightmares. There was a time in my life when I was really stressed, that I would wake Rich up 2-3 times a month screaming for him to kill the spider coming to get me. Once I woke up I realized it was just a dream and sent him back to sleep. Fortunately, the Lowe's spiders stayed far away and didn't pose a real threat. I am also grateful I haven't had any nightmares about spiders for a long time (knock on wood).

Picnic at the Sacramento Temple

On Monday for Family Home Evening (FHE) we decided to have a picnic at the temple. We packed sandwiches, grapes, and some other snacks to munch on. We got to the temple around 6:30, so we could enjoy it before it got dark. After enjoying our picnic we walked around the temple grounds and took some pictures.

Ava had a good time walking around and exploring the grounds. She especially liked the water fountain and Angel Moroni on top of the temple. She kept pointing to him and looking up as we walked around.

Just as we finished walking around the temple Rich spotted some deer. We followed them for a bit, but they were too fast. Since it was getting dark we decided to go home. As we drove down temple hill we saw the deer again before they dashed away.

It is so nice that we live 10 minutes away from the Sacramento Temple. It is a beautiful and serene place to be on the inside or out. We are grateful we can take Ava there often and tell her about this special place. We hope she will grow to love the temple as much as we do.

Click HERE to learn more about the Sacramento Temple

To learn more click on the topic you are interested in or leave me a question in the comments with your email address:

-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormons)

-Family Home Evening (FHE)

-Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS

-Angel Moroni (on top of most Temples)

Blowing Bubbles

Our Little Mama

This is one of Ava's new favorite toys. As soon as we got it she was off and running with her baby (my old Cabbage Patch Kid). She loves to take her baby all around the house. She is so quick and rarely stops that it is hard to get a good picture of her. Ava also enjoys bumping her stroller into things like the refrigerator and sliding door. It is funny how she is sometimes really gentle with her baby and then just chucks her on the ground when she is done playing with her.

Daddy helping Ava put a diaper on her baby. She is preparing and ready to be a big sister.

Ava fastening the diaper on. She did a good job and it didn't come off.

Ava making sure her baby can breathe. She loves this suction tool. It is one of her favorite toys.

Ava likes to suck her own nose too. She thinks it is funny. It's nice because she doesn't mind when we had to suction her nose or blow it now.

We Love Us Some Pasta

Rich and I love pasta and Ava has decided she is a fan too. She especially loves to eat spaghetti. Not only is it delicious it is fun to eat too. Ava also enjoys feeding it to Luca.

Silly Faces

Ava is a silly girl and is always cracking us up. She thinks it is funny to make silly smooshy faces while in the tub and she is right.

Ava's inspiration

This is what happens when Rich is in charge of getting Ava ready for church...

Last week I had meetings all day for church, so Rich was responsible to get Ava ready for church. This isn't the first time he has had to do this, so I kind of know what to expect. I usually pick out her clothes and get them ready for him. I also get her diaper bag ready or instruct him on what needs to happen. Well, this Sunday I got her clothes out, but forgot to grab her shoes. As I left for my first meeting I let Rich know I didn't grab her shoes and figured he would take care of it. I also figured he would put her water in the diaper bag before leaving.

Well, I guessed wrong. When they showed up to church Ava didn't have shoes on or water to drink. Ava didn't care about the shoes as much as I did, but she did realize the water problem shortly after sacrament meeting started. She keep saying and signing water, but we didn't have anything to give her to drink. Fortunately, she is a tough girl and got over it quickly (there are also water fountains at church). It was also fortunate she was able to go to nursery with no shoes, so we didn't have to make a trip home. At the end of church it was not big deal, but next time I will make sure to get the shoes out too.

Locked Out

I just wanted to share a funny story from today. It starts with Rich, Ava, and Luca going outside to water the garden and my habit of locking doors. They were outside and I decided this would be a good time for me to take a shower and get ready for church. I just went outside for a moment to let Rich know and he said he was heading back in, in a minute. I went back inside, shut the sliding glass door, and without even realizing it locked it. Now this isn't the first time I've done it, but usually I catch myself or I'm just in the kitchen and able to unlock it when Rich is ready to come back in. Today was a little different though.

I headed back to our bedroom/bathroom and proceed to get clean and ready. The entire time I had no idea the 3 of them were locked out. At one point during my shower the water went ice cold and I yelled to Rich a few times, "I'm in the shower" but for some reason I couldn't figure out, he didn't hear me. When the water finally turned warm again I finished rinsing my hair, got out, and dressed. It was really quiet inside, but I didn't think much about it until the phone rang and it was Rich. He let me know I locked them out and they would like to come back in. I felt silly and bad. Ava didn't seem too bothered and probably enjoyed water all of our garden and front yard too. Rich is also a good sport and didn't seemed bothered even if he was.

Luca

Since having Ava our blog has been practically devoted to her, so we thought Luca deserved some face time. Luca or "Cuca" has Ava calls him has been so wonderful for her. She loves him so much and he is so good with her. Luca is a kind and gentle dog with a protective streak when necessary. Ava loves to snuggle, hug, kiss, and climb on him and he lets her. Luca has never growled or been grumpy toward Ava. If he is annoyed by her, he just gets up and walks away. We love having Luca in our home and are grateful Ava loves him too.

Ava throwing the ball down the hall for Luca. They have been playing together a lot more recently.

Ava giving Luca the almost empty peanut butter jar.

*Luca is a rescue dog from Second Chance Cocker Rescue. He has been so good for us and we are grateful for this wonderful rescue group. If you are thinking about getting a dog think about a rescue group or adopting from a city shelter. If you are thinking more specifically about getting a cocker spaniel check out Second Chance Cocker Rescue.