Christmas Madness

Holidays always seem to descend on us way too fast and pass by even faster! Mad rush to get holiday shopping done, Xmas cards out, work wrapped up to some stoppable point, and packing for a trip - clothes, necessities (such as Elmo and binkie), high chairs, kiddie tent/crib, snacks, toys for the road, etc. Regardless of how early or how organized we are, we are ALWAYS ALWAYS forgetting something. We made it finally.. to see friends and family, after a 4 hour start delay from last minute present wrapping, snack packing, kid tending and diaper changing, and other miscellaneous things to do.. oh and, of course an emergency potty-stop right when we get on the freeway. A portable potty chair in the car is a definite MUST for all traveling kids!

Anyhow, I foresee it will take a week to decompress and catch up on sleep and transition back to normal routine. In the meantime, it is really cute to see the kiddies asking if we can drive over to visit grandma/grandpa and their cousins. =) The kiddies miss the family so much already!

Christmas Recap:

Kiddies had quality time with their cousins...

.. and the iPad.

Back in the day, pinky swearing or spit-handshake was a form of defining friendship. Now it is crayola markering that forms the bond.

Side by side dolly play with cousin K.

Opening presents!



Tons of toys to play with, and yet, the best fun always are the non-toys!



All the kiddies on Christmas day.

Christmas Day was mainly the kiddies and the cousins, though Christmas Eve fun was with the whole family - cousins, aunts, uncles, grandaunts, granduncles, etc. Quite chaotic in a good way.

Emilia was the first kid to dive into the mass of presents to look for her name on the label.

Christmas Eve present opening...

And the closest we've had to getting the whole family together. This is almost the whole family.. only missing 2, an uncle and great-grandma.

2013 Holiday Card...or not...

Looks like the company I ordered our holiday cards from sent us cards for the wrong family! So, if they can get us the cards by tomorrow, then you may just get a snail mail holiday greeting from us.. or from us, but of another family, hehe. If not, then this Holiday Card post will have to do! =P

Oy!

Kids and friends...

Knee Update : 50% and ALL!

Recent headline making scientific news is the discovery of a "new ligament" in the knee called the ALL (Anterolateral ligament).

A short summary is that majority of ACL injuries also tear this ligament, and this ligament controls the pivot shift or rotational torque which a traditional ACL reconstruction will not account for. Studies of NFL football players have shown those that have torn their ACL once, have a 50% higher risk factor of re-tearing it again. Even with a strong patellar tendon graft, the knee is still more susceptible to the pivot shift since it is not "fixed".

I brought this article to inquire with my orthopaedic during a follow-up visit, and, once again, confirms that doing the diligence to research helped me in choosing the BEST orthopaedic! He confirmed that the additional procedure of adding the extra-articular augment is in fact the ALL ligament. I am doing the limping happy dance!!

I have hit the 3-month post op mark, my 50% point of recovery. Rehab has been tough, especially with incorporating it with work and family schedule. Rehab is still painfully sore, but gets easier and the knee gets stronger every week. I do rehab EVERY SINGLE DAY. I think of it as not a choice, but something I have to do... just like brushing your teeth. It's hygiene... knee hygiene. I stand on one leg and do half squats while washing dishes, brushing my teeth, or.. yes.. even while I'm in meetings at work! I am not allowed to run yet, but I am allowed to incorporate light weight while doing squats now. I'm almost able to go down the stairs without assistance (hand rail or holding the wall). If I keep at this for the next 3 months, both the doc and PT thinks I'm on track for a 6-month recovery of 100%. That's the goal. If all continues smoothly, I can start light running and top-rope rock climbing in a month. I've been given the okay to do Pilates Reformer classes and easy weight-lifting (front and back squats).

For my future reference, this is my current exercise list for strengthening the knee and surrounding muscles:

EXERCISE LIST:
20min bike (L9) - incorporate 4x 1min intervals
10min incline walk (L10 @ 3.2)
20min elliptical (L10) - incorporate 4X 1min intervals
band exercise --> leg raises (4 sets x 30 reps/leg)
band exercise --> one-leg squats (3 sets x 5x)
wall-sits --> (5 sets x 60 secs)
250 body-weight squats --> (5 sets x 50 reps)
stationary lunges/dips --> (5 sets x 15 reps/leg)
side step-ups --> (5 sets x 15 reps)
side bridges --> (5x - hold)
bridges --> 5x @ 90sec, one or two legs
bolsa ball --> 1 leg stance/hold (3x)
bolsa ball --> squat fast wobble (3x)

50%!! The past 3 months, on one hand, seems to have passed by fast, though also feels slow. 3 more months... soon... very soon! =)

Shiny Happy People

The lil' girl has not been confined to a caged bed (aka crib) for a long while now... which means, the earlier she wakes up, the more unattended free range she has around the house! I have become somewhat resigned to the fact that there are mornings when things are not the way they should be. One of her favorite morning activities, other than snuggling (aka kicking/punching) with us, is "playing" on my desk.. swivel around on the office chair, tap on all the keys of the keyboard, etc. Ryan finally password protected my computer after finding she had changed short-keys and random settings that are still to this day, irrevocable. So far the worse and most memorable incidents have been:

1) Finding an open and empty container of travel sunblock lying around.. and then discovering too late, where all that sunblock went...on my toothbrush!
2) Sitting down at my desk to find a mass of papers all stuck and glued together with a half-empty bottle of glue dripping nearby.

Needless to say, I do get irate by these "surprises", but one evening as I was examining the damage from that morning, just as my temper was starting to flare up when I observed ink stains on my keyboard, I came across one of my mail letters with vandalism inked all over....

Nothing beats coming home from a long day of work and obligations, to have a reality check of what really matters... my lil' girl drew five smiling happy circles holding hands... <3 (An added plus --> the ink stains on the keyboard came out easily.. whew!)

Deck Progress

It's getting closer...

Back in the Kitchen

Now that I'm somewhat back on my feet, I am also back in the kitchen and experimenting with easy recipes that I come across from pinterest, friends, etc.

Rice Cooker Mac'n'Cheese was something I had to try. Granted, mac and cheese is easy enough to make, but this Rice Cooker method makes it EVEN easier and only one pot to wash. Score!

I usually create the mac'n'cheese base that can last several days, and then the day of, I try to throw in leftover meat and veggies so the kids have a complete meal.

On this particular day, I woke up to E sleeping in our bed in the wee hours of the morning. I just had to take a photo of this. People think snuggling with a sleeping kid is so peacefully bliss. It is definitely cute, but this is also REALLY how it is. Ryan's lucky he didn't get the foot in the face that morning!

Pumpkin Pie Cupcake (I just call them pumpkin muffins) was a staple weekly affair last year during pumpkin season. I'm back to making this one again often. We especially like this recipe because it leaves the insides all gooey like pumpkin pie. Best to eat it warmed up!

Along the same lines, for Liam's birthday this year, I tried the next recipe, the Pumpkin Cake Bar with Cream Cheese Frosting. I obviously replace the egg using the EnerG Egg Replacer and reduce the sugar. Another tip for easy removal of the cake is using a foil lining.

Pre-Oven...

Post-Oven..

Finished product!! Liam finally gets a cake for his birthday!

I alo like checking in with my friends' blogs/facebook to get inspired. Such as Sam & Christina's long ago post about sous-vide cooking (on my wish list or this at some point and time in the future!) and Monica's recent blog and recipe about banana pancakes. Sounds so easy and fun, we had to give it a try! I utilized child labor and put Emilia to work! =)

Mixing the egg replacement powder + water.

Mashing bananas.

Eating the pancakes before I even have a chance to finish cooking up the batch.

And, of course, feeding the Liam (aka sharing) behind the kitchen gate. =)

Thanks for passing along your recipe, Monica! The kiddies and I LOVED it!

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

The Corn maze.

Old school tractors.

Petting farm animals.

Whoops. Little Billy goat with the bandana scared Liam with a nip.

Antique truck.

Mo' tractors.

Kiddies try to climb everything, such as pumpkins and giant measuring sticks.

Awaiting for their turn at the pony ride.

First impression didn't go so well.

Em's liking her pony ride.

Liam's not so sure.

And finally warming up to this.

He much prefers hay barrels, solid ground, or old school truck beds.

Definitely prefers the hay!



On top of the hay barrel!

Now how do I get down?? Help!

Train ride.

Mo' old school truckbed.

Fun pumpkin patch day with the kiddies.. and all tired out... except for lil' boy!

Good night!