Christmas in Monterey

Merry Christmas from Monterey! We hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season and we wish we could be with you. You are all in our hearts and prayers this year and we wish you a Merry Christmas.

Love,

Joseph, Stacy, and Xavier



P.S. This video was filmed at a secret government location. Please make little to no attempts to reveal the precise location should you feel as if you've seen this place before. Because you haven't. Really.

Bliss or Miss

This is bliss, seeing X smile--this smile was after waiting two hours for his picture session during which mom, dad, aunt and grandma tried to keep X and cousin Z entertained, and kept getting to clean up cousin Z who was throwing up but insisted on staying so she could have her pictures taken too.

And this is miss, the times in life (like this month) when it feels like everything is falling apart. This month has, so far, brought shrinking bank accounts, a statistics final and project, a malfunctioning modem and random internet service, unpredictable weather, a monster cold that had me out flat for several days, and job rejections for Joe. Still, we have amazing friends who helped watch X for us, and Joe helped me out with everything--from cooking and taking X on outings to tutoring me in stats and working out my paper. And we just keep applying for more jobs. Joe's theory is that if you don't apply, you definitely won't get the job. Smarty! This week is "apply for Kaiser" week (at least for me). Maybe I'll get some use out of my bachelor's degree (Community Hlth Ed) after all!

Now that I actually have a second to blog, although X really wants me to play cars with him, I'll show you the highlight of our Thanksgiving...Disneyland! Xavier was not sick this time around and it felt so good seeing him excited and amazed at everything. His favorites were: Mark Twain's island (is that what it's called?), the teacups, the carousel (he told us it was like being on Mary Poppins), Dumbo, and the ultimate favorite was "the castle" known to most as the It's a Small World boat ride. Everything was decorated for Christmas and it even "snowed" at certain points in the park at set hours. Very cool. We got there just as it opened and got through a ton of rides before lines started forming and then we stayed there until nine at night, I think. It was a lot of fun and a tradition we are all happy to repeat!

Treasure looting on Mark Twain's island. X did not want to leave this place until he serenaded everyone with a loud rendition of "We are the Pirates Who Don't do Anything" from Veggies Tales. Xavier did actually find a dime on the ground and very carefully put the treasure in his pocket.

The wiggly pirate bridge.

Ready for Winnie the Pooh ride after X had just gotten to meet pictures with Pooh and Eeyore.
His review of the ride consisted of putting his hands over his ears and repeating "Too loud."

Wheeeeeee! On the boat ride for "It's a Small World" with cousin Z.

X's review: "I like teacups." So there you have it.

Honey Grilled Sweet Potato recipe

If anyone wants to try a non-marshmallow, non-buttery sweet potato recipe that is yummy, try these Honey Grilled Sweet Potatoes. This recipe's directions were for the grill but since we don't have a grill, I tried to adapt it to the stove. Trial #1 sweet potatoes got an "okay". Trial #2 sweet potatoes got "mmmmm"s (as in yummmmm). I used the ingredients in bold.

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes OR 1 can cooked sweet potatoes
1 can of pineapple chunks* (drained)
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/4 cup honey OR 1/4 cup organic blue agave nectar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:
Cook sweet potatoes in microwave or oven until soft, then take off skin and cut into cubes (or use already prepared sweet potatoes in a can). Spray large frying pan with cooking spray and add cooked sweet potatoes, drained pineapple chunks, and pecan halves. Heat on medium, turning often. Drizzle most of the agave (or honey) on top of ingredients and let it heat through, marinating, for a few minutes. Add the rest of the agave (or honey), sprinkle with the cinnamon and garlic salt and stir while it bubbles for about one minute. Cover and serve warm!

*For less sugar, use unsweetened pineapple chunks.

Pillowcases for gifts ala my sister

My sister is a stay-at-home mom of five and is known in our family for making fun pillowcases as gifts. I love having new pillowcases that go with the holidays and she is finally taking her pillowcases (and other hand-made items) public. She also takes special requests. Get your order in early, as time and fabric is limited!

See the Blog Pillow Case Place or PillowCasePlace at Etsy.

My Big Boy

Xavier made this Lincoln Log creation all by himself about a month ago. I didn't notice him making it, so when I turned around I was amazed at his imagination and building skills! Each log is close together and he even balanced a second row.

One of my favorite nicknames for Xavier is "Baby Boy" because to me, no matter how old he is getting, he really is my baby boy. However, he often reminds me that he is not a baby anymore. At the grocery store the other day, a little girl younger than he was pointed to him and said "Baby boy!" He was polite enough not to push her over for saying that, but he quickly came back to me and told me, mostly to reassure himself, "I not a baby boy. I a BIG BOY." So there you have it. Xavier is not a baby anymore. He's a big boy, and only his mommy gets by with occasionally calling him "baby boy".

I Spy...YOU reading this post

About two weeks ago, my friend Miru from Japan sent me a birthday package in the mail that included an "Anpanman Sagase" book for me to do with Xavier. It's the Japanese version of an "I Spy" book. That started a new thing for Xavier. He loves to find things by looking. At the park today, we spent 10-15 minutes playing an "I see..." game while we walked around. I would start by saying something like, "I see a boy walking" and he would respond with something he saw. At first he said whatever I said, but pretty soon he started adding on to mine ("I see a blue car" instead of just "I see a car.") and then said the things he noticed on his own, like "I see a shadow," or "I see a duck in water." I always find it fascinating what he notices. X is an observant little boy.

We played a similar game for Family Home Evening tonight. Joe and Xavier lay on their stomachs and I was the caller. They had to look around the room and visually find the things in the room that I asked them to find. Xavier's were easier--Can you see Mr. Potato Head? Can you see a book? Can you see something brown? Joe got harder questions--Find three things that show your personal preferences, find three things that remind you of me, etc. Joe had me find three things in the room that made me feel happy. It's a fun, easy game that requires NO preparation whatsoever. :)

Another fun thing we found with our imaginative little Xavier right now is the use for random boxes. His diaper box was converted into a fire truck with some construction paper and he likes to put stuff in it and push it all around the house. We also found two great books about using your imagination while playing with boxes. One is called Not a Box by A. Portis, and the other is Panda the Train Engineer by Oda Taro. I make up my own words for Not a Box (basically repeating, "It's not a box! It's a ..." and letting Xavier fill in the blank) but the idea of the book and the pictures are great.

Any suggestions for fun books or activities you've done with young kids lately?

Kami No Ko

Xavier is singing the primary song "I am a Child of God." He then sings the Japanese version "Kami no Ko Desu."

Here are the lyrics, see if you can follow along:

I am a child of God
And He has sent me here
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me
Help me find the way
Teach me all that I must do
To live with Him some day.

Kami no ko desu.
Watashi ya anata
Afureru megumi ni
Kansha shimasu.

Watashi wo tasukete
Michibiite
Itsuka mimoto e
Yukeru youni