A recent splurge on the quest for tasty, healthy, and large quantity meals for leftovers was finally getting a Le Creuset 6 3/4 quart oval French oven... in purple. =) It looks so pretty in our kitchen, and has been a great cooking tool for some yummy healthy meals. It's so pretty, I just had to post photos of it.
It takes a little getting use to, but I'm loving it already. I've used it to make really tender roast chicken and soups that require some sauteeing and braising of meats. It seems to really bring out the flavors and big enough to make enough for 3 days worth of meals!
If anyone has any specific dutch oven recipes to pass on, send them my way. Thanks!
He's my little charmer! My little man smiles all the time. While I'm busy running around trying to get things done - cooking dinner, prepping for next day's lunch, etc, seeing him and his smiles reminds me to stop and enjoy his 3 month self right now. The best part of being a parent are these simple moments... the smiles he gives me when he sees me, inviting me to hold him, talk to him, and just be there interacting with him. May I never forget to take the time to just interact and be with my children.
Some recent photos of the kiddies. Liam is growing fast! He's put on some nice baby weight and has the cute baby chub going. I love his hair. He has the natural rocker 'do. Just like Emilia's back when she was this age. He likes direct interaction - eye contact, being held - and gets excited when we carry a monosyllabic conversation back and forth with him. Yup.. that's my little man.
Part of getting ready for the zombie apocalypse is not only incorporating exercise and being fit, but striving to eat healthier than we already do. Luckily for us, it's a lifestyle that comes naturally to us and we are surrounded by lots of friends and family that are very much into healthy living and eating, and it's an interest that we like to talk about and share information. Ultimately, I think a diet is very personal. It's about what one's goals are. A diet for a runner is different than a weight-lifter; a diet for a sedentary lifestyle is different than someone on-the-go, etc.
Here's a recent article that examines the latest popular diets and rates them for best overall. Best Overall Diets
I was initially checking out the Paleo diet as a means to get back into shape and build muscle, but have since decided against it. Ultimately, the best diet is to listen to your body... what foods make you feel more alert and active and gives you more energy. What food doesn't? I love chocolate and cheese and fatty meats, but at the end of the day, I feel like a lazy slug if I eat that stuff. For me... and my family, it boils down to being dairy-free, minimize processed foods, and incorporating a lot of veggies is key. We have since doubled our intake of green, leafy veggies. We have gone from 6 bunches to 12 bunches of Asian greens a week. We also incorporate lean protein, antibiotic free and hormone free.. organic if possible.
Anyhow, this post is just to get some information on our blog. I encourage adaptation to a healthy lifestyle and eating. Not just because it's "good" for you, but because healthy eating simply makes you "feel" better. At least, I do. With 5-6 hours of sleep a night, I need all the healthy I can get so that I can get through the day. And it's working!
Yup. You betcha. Post-babies goal, and New Years resolution, is to get back into shape so that we, as a family, can have fun together, or survive the zombie apocalypse... okay.. we choose both.
Ryan and I have signed up for the first of its kind, Zombie 5K Obstacle Race, for later 2012. Not only do you have to be fast on your feet and able to sprint at any instance, but you have to also have the physical strength to handle 12 obstacles (no doubt upper body strength and agility will be required), through un-known terrain while dodging brain-eaters.
Luckily for us, there are strength in numbers, as a good 8 of our friends/neighbors, will be joining us (or sabotaging us) against the zombies (or becoming zombies). hehe. While the zombie apocalypse is a ways away, training has begun, and oh, I am so looking forward to being ready for some zombie evasion.
2012 is starting strong!!
If anymore friends want to join us, send me an email and I'll let you know our specific details.
Christmas is always really fun with my family, and when we go to visit, Christmas lasts for the entire time we're there. This time, we visited for a week and every day was packed with good food, kids playing and having fun, and just good ol' family catch up. The down side was that by the end of the week, all of us were so exhausted, it took another week of catching up on sleep and getting the kids back to a routine.
When all the kids get together now, it's always a little crazy, hectic, but very fun! It will be even more so next year as the new two babies in the family will be old enough to join the older ones. Emilia was non-stop playing with all her cousins. So much that she skipped her nap at times and went to bed crazy tired every night because she just wanted to keep playing. She hung out with cousin K, same age as her, and the two were like two peas in a pod.. playing/fighting over the same toys, sharing the same snacks, doing the same things together. It was really cute.
She also loved hanging out with the older cousins, especially cousin BitBit, who would show her the ropes on whatever kid-shenanigans they were up to. Here they're doing some sort of activity pages with stickers. Em was all smiles the whole time being able to do what the big kids were doing.
Liam, about 2 months old at this time, was a trooper in the holiday fanfare. The trip was not the easiest for him or us since his schedule was interrupted. This made him revert back to waking up every 3-4 hours for feedings at night and lots of cuddle time during the day (aka non-active, no exercise). Liam was quite happy though to have so many people hold him and give him a shoulder to cuddle up and sleep on. Liam and cousin E are the same age, and here they both just chill side by side with their uncles.
Em is now old enough to understand the concept of gifts and opening presents. This was fun to watch as she would slowly rip the wrapping paper and see what toy she received. There were so many toys around since there are a lot of kids, Em also liked getting into the other cousin's toys. A little fighting is always guaranteed.
It was really great to see Em getting along and being with her cousins. Em and cousin BitBit were almost inseparable the first few days. BitBit loved having Em follow her around and in turn, BitBit took to her like an older sister, playing with her and guiding her.
Lots of stimulus overloading for Liam. At least he had his pal, cousin E, to hang out with. Here they are again, just chilling together.
A week was too short, and yet too long, to spend with family. I hope my kids will grow up and share alongside their cousins just like I did when I was young, even though getting together like this is not as frequent as I'd like. The hanging out portion felt too short, but the exhaustion of being off-routine was too long. It was a good end to 2011, and we're looking forward to 2012!
Thanks family, for hosting and accommodating us through crying babies in the wee hours of the morning, making great food and family meals, giving such thoughtful and fun presents, and most of all, doting and caring for our kids!
I grew up as an only child, and my parents taught me that in my culture, cousins are just like brothers and sisters, and family always is fa...
About
Ryan and Connie officially began our journey in life together (wedded bliss) on August 1, 2009. This blog chronicles our journey through whatever life throws at us.
On February 27, 2010, we welcomed a new addition to the family: Emilia Ying-Zhi. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs 2 oz, and measured in at 19-3/4".
Liam Noboru joined the family on October 20, 2011. His fighting weight is 7 lbs 4 oz with a length of 19-1/2".
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