Jeff and Lisa Newman

The Mission

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 04:25:27 +0000

I love my little bear for so many reasons. One morning this week he was on a mission from the moment he woke up. In his blanket sleeper he marched right downstairs and declared it was time to go outside. It was the first really chilly morning we've had this fall. We got him all cozy in his bright orange puffer vest and his bright blue snow hat. This kept him warm while he rode his bike, hiked around the yard and pulled off and examined tree branches, and pulled apart many expired roses. It looked like he was on his own little tour of the world out there. For a few moments, I remembered what is was like inside the mind of a small child. All is new and fresh. There are things to touch and causes and effects to learn. What an invigorating and intelligent time of life.

Adventures with the boy

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 01:19:35 +0000

Alex watching the hot air balloon fly over our house: "Daddy, let's go in the hot air balloon!" Jeff: "Do you notice how they are up there and we're down here?" Alex: "Let's get the ladder, Daddy!! Get the ladder!"

  "Mom! Let's pump a rock!" (I have NO idea what this means or where it came from, but there it is, folks).‎
   Sitting at his desk looking at a magazine, "Look, Dad, I'm reading!"
  "Hmmmm, where's the zebra?" (pretending not to see it in the book we're reading). "Oh there it is! I found you, Zebra. " -Alexander Jack Newman

The little bear asked, "who's been sleeping in my bed?"

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 04:25:34 +0000

Landmark day. Alex got a twin-sized bed and it was set up this last weekend. He loves being in the big bed. My parents generously got him some big boy furniture. He was very excited to help Grandpa set it up and as he screwed things into place told Grandpa, "I'm helping!"

Tonight as he prayed in a hushed voice I heard him say, "and thanks for Nana and Grandpa, and my bed, and my blanket, and Nana and Grandpa, and my bed, and my blanket." It's been almost a week. Apparently it's really made an impact on him.

The 3 Year Old Dream

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 02:06:10 +0000

There is a certain fascination with large machines that make lots of noise when you're a child that dissipates at some point around early adulthood. My son is amazed by dump trucks, street cleaners, cranes, tractors, fire trucks and motorcycles. As an adult I observe these without much thought. The eyes of a child bring back the wonder of such great machines. It's not uncommon to see Alex run to the window when the trucks arrive. He's especially fortunate to live across the street from a truck that has lights and beeps and makes all sorts of noises. When we see fire trucks while driving or parked we always talk about them.

For his third birthday it seemed appropriate to give him a more up close and personal look at a fire truck and the station where it stays. So we scheduled him for a visit. This was the most exciting 45 minutes for him. He loved seeing the trucks and talking to the captain and other firemen. He was even able to try on a suit and get in the truck. Alex loved his trip so much that every day he's asked to look at pictures and watch videos from his time at the fire station. It was really fun to see him SOOOooooooo excited. Happy birthday big boy!

A Smantering

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:04:40 +0000

It's been a couple weeks since I've captured any of Alex's antics. The following is a collection of memorable events.
Alex spent some time running around the house, purposefully falling (and making a crazy screeching noise that sounded like the beginning of a rooster crowing) and then exclaiming, "I'm okay!" Intermittently he stops at Natasha and says, "Oh hi, Tash!"

I banged my knee on the gate at Alex's door and since he saw I was hurt, Alexander bent down and kissed my "boo boo" to make it better. So sweet.

Here is a of how we spent my birthday morning.

I think Alex has seen me take my shoes to a spider too many times. He just found one of his boots and ran over to a beetle...and....well, you know what happens next.

Today Similac is voluntarily recalling some of it's powdered formula for the "remote possibility of the presence of a small common beetle in the product produced in one production area in a single manufacturing facility." Yesterday Alex ate a gigantic beetle.

TODAY:
Alex requested changing out of his clothes to put on his freshly washed blanket sleeper. He promptly declared, "I feel much better," and laid down on the couch :)

An automated solicitor just called. Alex is telling them what's up.

Alex injured his finger on a toy and promptly ran over to have me pray for his finger and then asked me to kiss it. He then exclaimed, "I'm better now."

Ear buds are edible

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:30:35 +0000

Did you know you can eat an ear bud without side effects? My son proved this theory about a week ago.

Normally my ear buds are just lying around on a counter somewhere. Usually our little bear pays them no mind. This day was different. He was playing with them and trying to get them to do things they weren't intended to do. Natasha started crying because she was hungry, so naturally, I went to her. My little man comes around the corner smacking his mouth and looking as if he just chewed something up. And his facial expression was curious and questionable. There was mild guilt and humor in his eyes and look. When I asked him to open his mouth, there was nothing abnormal to see. Then a thought came to me (must be a result of parenting a curious almost 3 year old boy) and I turned around to look at my ear buds (the last item in his hands). One was definitely missing.

The best part: when I looked back at him, he smiled and asked if he could eat the other one. At least I know he's learning some manners.

Glo-stick

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:33:12 +0000

His first encounter with a glo-stick was a sight to behold. We had some left over from a party. I generally save stuff like that (stickers, coloring books, etc) for times when he's bored or needs a distraction. Well he was very distracted by these! I cracked them and wound them up to make a bunch of bracelets. Leading him to the bathroom was the best part because once inside he was in disbelief at what he was seeing. He then spent the next 20 minutes opening and closing the bathroom door to see them glow.

The remainder of the night involved him running from room to room (coat closet, garage, our closet) to spy on his glowing bracelets and calling out, "you can't catch me!" to us, as if we were trying to chase him. He had so much fun. So much that after I put him to bed, I found one of the bracelets and brought it to him as a special treat. He was enamored and it was adorable to watch him sit up in bed and play with it, then lay down and stare at it. He did this for almost an hour. At least it was the weekend!

It reminds me of his first encounter with bubble wrap (click the link for a FB video). Who doesn't love the satisfaction of a good "POP!" of bubble wrap?!

Brr, it's cold outside!

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:59:44 +0000

Our little bear has quite the imagination. Recently he's become very interested in snow and the conditions surrounding it.

The other day he went outside to play in the snow. Then he came running in telling me he needed to wear his big red jacket because he was cold. He called me out to have a snowball fight with him. Keep in mind we were having a heat wave and the a/c was on in the house.

When we were driving home from church he started rubbing his arms and repeatedly said, "brrr, it's cold!" Then looked out the window and informed us it was snowing and asked if we saw the snow. In the front seat, we had the a/c blasting.

In addition to it being cute to watch and pretend as a child again, we are seeing him develop and understand the connections between weather and how it feels to be in a certain environment.

Oh the wonderful world...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:43:13 +0000

Last week Alex decided he was an extreme adventurer and explorer.

It was a day where he managed to get into things faster than I could clean up the messes left behind in his wake. He spent some time turning the electric tea kettle off and on and off and on. Then moved his stool to the sink and played with dirty dishes and pans, grabbed the clean strainer on the counter and took it to the hardwood for an experiment. Apparently there hasn't been much R&D on the result of standing in a strainer while on hardwood as opposed to using a strainer for it's intended purpose: to strain.

Then he went outside to throw boats in the pool, possibly to see if they still functioned? Upstairs he went only to throw any found clothes over the railing and down to the bottom floor. At least he's helping me with the laundry. He spent some time hiding blankets and moving all the cushions on the couch to a new (and better?) location. Alex is refining his redecorating skills for when he moves out. Then he decided to use the chairs as trampolines to practice his olympic skills in "couch bombing" to train for the next summer olympics.

Apparently the computer charger was in the wrong place (attached to the computer) because that HAD to be hidden. And after that, why not grab little sister's bottle and pour milk on her?! All the while, asking me to sing the "Jesus song" (Jesus loves me) with him while he went on exploring around the house. He gets points for creativity.

And just when I thought it was over (by 8am), Alcatraz struck again. I had the top bolt locked, as always when we're home because of his desire to explore the world all on his own (not until you're an adult, Alex!). As I prepared dinner in the kitchen I was a little distracted and after a minute or two realized it was toooo quiet. When I got to the front door to see it ajar, imagine my surprise when I saw my little Alcatraz on the other side of it! Somehow he'd managed to push a chair up to the door to open the lock just enough to squeeze through. Thankfully, our kind neighbor (with a toddler of his own) witnessed our little escapee expressing best wishes to all who drove past to have an awesome day, waving with all his heart. It's funny that most people use those locks to keep people out when we just want to keep people in the house!

Vocabulary Words

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:00:58 +0000

Today we were reading a vocabulary book for toddlers. It's questionable whether it was considered reading since Alex can't "read" and it was only one word per page anyway. BUT, that's what we were doing. Really this book is meant for babies but seriously, what baby is going to tell you what these pictures mean? It should be called "Toddler's First Words." Some editor might've missed the boat on that one. At some points I felt it was unfair to ask Alexander what the picture was because, in my opinion, it was a terrible representation of said item. For instance, the "clock" they pictured looked something like a modified boombox and cuckoo clock. He busted out with an affirmative guess, as if he was sure he was right, even though I had NO idea what he was saying. This happened on a handful of pictures that were meager representations of the real deal. The best part, for me, was when Alex decided that this was obviously a living book that required his dramatic representation of what to do with said item.

The following are quotes from Alexander Jack Newman (I'm sure you can imagine the item he sees):

(puts ear to the book) I'm gonna talk on the phone! Hello? Who's there? Okay, bye!

(puts face on the book) I'm gonna wear my glasses!

I'm gonna use the broom!

(moves head back and forth on the page) I'm gonna brush my hair.

I'm gonna take a bath! (tries to climb on the book and into the pictured bath tub)

I'm gonna ride the swing (sits on the book and pretends to swing)

I'm gonna wear my mittens (puts his hands on each of the mittens)

I'm gonna drink my coffah! (pretends to drink a cup of coffee) - this is really how he pronounces coffee. It was actually a steaming cup that was probably filled with tea but to him it's coffee. I don't drink coffee so I'm not sure where this came from but it was cracking me up!

Fish! (makes bubble noises and pretends to swim)

I'm gonna take a picture! Say cheese!

Ride the skateboard! (makes rumbling noise and tries to stand on page)

One aspect I absolutely love about toddlers is their lack of inhibition! He just thought this was a great idea and had to do it for every item he could. The other thing he likes to do when we read is pretend that he's eating the picture. This is fine when it's a picture of blackberries or carrots but randomly funny when it's a kid and he says, "I'm eating the kids, Mom! Munch munch munch" as he pretends to eat whatever is on the page.

Mommy & Me

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 04:16:18 +0000

As a mom I spend most of my time behind the camera trying to capture those memorable moments I'll forget if undocumented. This picture is special to me because I have only a couple pictures of just us and it captures cuddle time I love to have with her. Forever in my mind is the image of her asleep in my arms before I lay her down at night but I also love to hold her while I'm sitting or lying down. She swats at my face in love and grabs at whatever she can reach. My favorite is eye contact with her because although she's just 8 months old, her eyes express so much emotion.

Little Cupcake

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 04:06:25 +0000

She is now 8 months old. Hard to believe because I feel like I just brought her home. And yet, we can't imagine life without her. It's a sweet spot to be in with a child when you've developed the bond of relationship and knowing each other.

Tashy is developing quickly and loves exploring. She can climb stairs, stand up, sit down and even walk gingerly along furniture. This amazes me since her brother was still just sitting at her age. She even likes to wrestle with him. Just tonight we caught the two of them like little bear cubs rolling around. She climbs on him, then rolls onto his face and wriggles around until they're both giggling. Then he puts himself at her mercy repeatedly because he loves his little playmate.

She's also started feeding herself, which Jeff thinks is just so cute. It is cute. She likes to make a clicking noise with her tongue and have you respond in kind. She has the sweetest personality and people are always commenting on how happy she is and what a joy to be around. Recently I started telling Jeff about naptime because she's generally a quiet baby, however when Alex is sleeping she turns into a noisy baby. It's very sweet to hear but funny because she squawks and squeals. Our latest theory is that it's because her brother is usually so talkative that this is her time to share what she's thinking with us.

Tash loves to be engaged by others and will respond fiercely with smiles, a turbo crawl or cute baby noises. The rest of this post is a ton of baby pictures. Consider this your fair warning.

The Melter

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:07:43 +0000

Natasha is passing the baby milestones quickly these last few weeks. She sits, climbs, crawls on all fours and even likes to try standing. She's my little wanderer and I always have to be aware of my surroundings because there's a chance she could be underfoot. She enjoys having free reign of the downstairs, although she does get frustrated under chairs when she can't find her way out. The other day I found Alex "feeding" her cereal as she was under his chair. He would drop one piece at a time to the floor. Thankfully, I saw this happen before she was able to grab any but I could see why he tried using her as his little roomba. She frequently reminds me of how dirty the floors are when I pick her up and see the dust on her clothes.

The first time Alex learned to sit up on his own was in his crib at 3 am. We lowered the crib. The first time Natasha learned to climb up on her knees was in her crib at 3 am. I came in to find her hands on the rail and her little head bobbing around above it looking at me and smiling in the darkness like, "look what I can do, Mom!" Now that the crib is lowered, it's not as alarming but rather adorable to watch her move around the crib and pull herself up on her knees.

She's still adept at getting herself to sleep without much help from us. I place her in the crib with her favorite pacifier and she rolls over and goes to sleep. Sometimes she rolls around and talks to herself first. My favorite time is at night when I get to cuddle her. While eating she uses her hand to play with my hair, my face or my fingers. She lets me know when she's done eating. That's my cue to get her pacifier. After taking it, she turns her head to nuzzle me. I could sit there holding her little warm body like that for hours.

Tasha is very focused and intent on people and generally gets a response. People always comment on her eyes, which are beautiful, but I think they're so noticeable because she stares and studies. We call her the melter because, Jeff jokes that with one look from her, he melts. We also refer to "the spice" when she pierces us with those gorgeous blue eyes, for those of you sci-fi lovers.

One night last week I was getting the kids ready for bed and after the bath we went to Alex's room to read some books. Natasha crawled around for a while banging on things and playing with books. Eventually she tired out and I brought her onto his bed. She loves to roll around on his bed and blanket while we read. She made her way to the pillows at the head of the bed and rolled onto her back with her pacifier. This lasted for an entire reading of a book. She just laid there so calm and peaceful. No whining or fussing. Just relaxing on his pillows, sucking on her pacifier and looking around. I scooped her up, snuggled her and laid her in her crib. Sure enough, she rolled over and went right to sleep. It was sweet to see her so at rest in our presence without a care other than the current comfort of the pillows and her pacifier.

Tash also sat in a park swing for the first time over the weekend. She loved it and was looking all around while smiling.

She continues to be in the 97% for her height at 28 inches long and weighs 20 lbs.

We took the kids to a local harvest festival over the weekend and dressed her up as a little cow.

We love our little daughter. We're thankful she's feeling better as she battled several different bacterial and viral infections the last few weeks. She's such a gift and truly an amazing child. She will continue to be a tremendous blessing to those fortunate to be in her life.

A little tenderness

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 03:51:48 +0000

My little sweetness is a sitter.

Tash likes sitting and playing with toys but sometimes gets frustrated because she doesn't always understand that she can move into a crawling position from there. Soon enough she will be able to get to a sitting position all by herself.

She's very explorative with her crawling and will go find things to bang and make funny noises. Today it was the vertical blinds she kept swatting. Then she crawled to the garbage can and banged on that. Then pulled the hand towel down from the fridge and started throwing that around while she talked to me. I think she enjoys her freedom. Yesterday she charged Jeff as soon as she saw him come home from work. She expresses her love by trying to climb on you. The endearing thing she's just started is rocking back and forth on her hands and knees and scrunching up her nose while she smiles and breathes in and out quickly because she's so excited to see you. She's very free with who receives her love in this way. And she continues to tenderly grab our faces as a sign of affection.

The two kids together are laughable and heart-warming to watch. She laughs all the time from what he does and he loves to be around her. Before naps I'll lay her next to him in his big bed and she swats at the books while we read. And she likes to roll around and swat at him and his blanket.

I bought a baby food cooker and have served her all kinds of goodies that can't be store bought. So far she's eaten and enjoyed cauliflower, avocado, broccoli, zucchini, yams, carrots, banana, apple and prunes. It's been fun to be creative in this way. Without this cooker I think she'd be eating organic jarred baby food. Alex likes to eat the leftovers too!

Sprout

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 13:19:06 +0000

Our littlest one is not only cutting teeth but she is crawling. Well, she doesn't crawl in the standard sense but the idea is she can get around on her belly. This is cute to watch but I'm quickly remembering all the floor cleaning I did during the 3 weeks Alex crawled. While my boy would sit and reach for toys until he was about 9 1/2 months old, the result was he took off and crawled for only 3 weeks before he started walking. I have a feeling Natasha's clothes, and consequently her knees, will give out before she starts to walk since she's only just turned 6 months old and is already much more mobile than he was at this age. The positive to this is she is very content to play with toys on the floor or in her bed simply because she can get them all.

She hasn't really complained about her teeth and that's incredible to me because of how painful it looks. Today I noticed a third tooth in her gums making its way down. I'm thankful this process happens when we're babies because I'm sure we'd all be struggling not to complain about our teeth "cutting" while we're at work or the grocery store. "How's your day going, Bob?" "Ah, I'm cutting two teeth right now and I just can't focus because my mouth is so sore and my head's pounding. And, of course, I forgot my painkillers today"...blah, blah, blah. :) I digress.

Overall, she's a very pleasant and responsive baby. She loves to smile at you and will grab Jeff's face when he picks her up after a long day at work. I think it's her way of saying, "I love you." She makes us feel so special because she gets ridiculously excited when she sees us after naps or coming into the room, or if we just make eye contact. She totally adores Alex and will coo and give him the biggest smiles when he interacts with her. He's wonderful with her and loves to feed her, hold her, hug her, bring her toys. All the while being very gentle and kind towards her. They are developing their own relationship, which is so important to us as parents.

My favorite time with her is when I'm putting her down for a nap. Sometimes she plays with a few toys in her crib if she's not quite tired enough. Inevitably, she tires out and after removing the toys, I give her a little lovey to hold while she sucks on her pacifier. She rolls around with it, holds it up to look at it, uses it to whack at her mobile and watch the butterflies fly around above her or just cuddles it on her side until her eyelids get droopy and the sucking slows until it fades entirely. It's a beautiful sight to behold. Truly.

Rolling, rolling, rolling

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 04:45:08 +0000

Little Natasha loves to roll over almost before she's put on her back. When I try to swaddle her, sometimes I have to hold her down. The other day she managed to roll over to her belly while swaddled. I'm sure it won't be long before she goes to bed without being swaddled. Today she rolled herself over and over until she wasn't "protected" anymore by blankets or rugs. She's definitely turning out to be a baby who needs to be strapped in before I walk away. Alex rarely rolled and was always where I left him.

The other thing she loves to do is turn around in a complete circle while on her back. I'm not sure how it's done but I will lay her down and later she has flipped completely around so her feet are where her head used to be.

My favorite part of the day happens almost every time I walk away and then return. She gives me the hugest smile and starts flapping her arms and kicking her legs. Yesterday when Jeff came home, he greeted me while I was feeding her and then walked away to get settled. Natasha immediately started crying! It was the first time we saw her realize that she'd been ignored. He didn't even realize what happened until I brought her to him and she stopped crying. Today he made a point to greet her and she was so pleased! It was adorable to see her love for Daddy.

She's got skills

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:38:59 +0000

Natasha's new skill is learning to put her pacifier in her mouth. I remember Alex figuring it out around this time. She doesn't seem to get as frustrated but is more curious about this little thing. She is also more content to just play in the jumperoo and look at things. She slowly tries to grab the hanging toucan and tree frog from above. And she certainly hands out smiles to anyone who will engage her. Today at church they told us she was such a smiley baby. She's so darling who loves to coo and make you feel special by responding to you, even if you aren't looking.

Last night I caught her staring at Alex for a good 5 minutes. She was in the jumperoo and he was eating dinner. She just stood there, amazed by him. He wasn't doing anything special. In fact, he didn't even notice her. It will be fun to see how they interact as she ages.

This morning I had the thought that one time, not too long from now, I will lay her on her back, and then she will flip over and crawl away from where I put her. She doesn't stay on her back now. It's so cute. But since Alex never did this, it's new territory for me. I have to be sure she's in a safe place to roll around if I walk away. Alex was the type to lay there until you picked him up. To sit there and reach for toys until eventually that reaching turned into crawling. She will probably crawl in the more standard way of rolling over, having some tummy time until she sees something she wants and crawls toward it. Fun stuff to experience a baby but have it feel as if she's your first. This also makes my first baby special in his own way.

Little Halo

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:06:27 +0000

Her Daddy loves that she has, what he lovingly calls, "the halo." He refers to the section of hair that is missing like a ring around her head. The rest of her hair is reddish and curly. Jeff loves that they have the same hair color. She has a similar demeanor as her dad. And her chunky little legs are so edible. I have to move the chunk around when bathing her to make sure she's clean. She's so friendly and Jeff says, "she's a responder" because it doesn't take much to get a smile from her. She loves it when people engage her and will coo at you until you walk away. She's such a sweet girl. God blessed me with how easy it generally is to put her to sleep for naps. Sometimes she just needs to be swaddled and given a pacifier to fall asleep. Tash is also an explorer. She loves to grab and touch my face when I'm close enough. The other night she reached out to me while in someone else's arms for the first time. It melted my heart. She's my little gem.

Fawn

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:06:35 +0000

Today was the 4 month check up for little Tash. The nurses ooed and awed over her: "Oh, it's the beautiful baby!" Then the doctor claimed she was the new favorite baby because she pleasantly smiled and laughed while he poked and prodded and examined her. Amazing. She's kind of a perfect little baby. Although, I wouldn't say no to 12 straight hours of sleep from her.

Apparently, she's tall. 90th percentile in height. If she weren't in the 95th percentile for weight, she'd be a twig. I love the rolls and kissable, munchable cheeks. I relished the time alone with her to just observe her. She's such a dear, mellow child. I loved watching the pacifier move consistently with her sucking as she calmed herself almost to sleep until I jolted her out of her peace to keep her awake for the impending exam. And she hardly complained!

Toe-sucker

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:06:42 +0000

She's going in for her 4 month check up tomorrow. I can't believe it's been 4 months since she's joined our family. Since I've been pregnant. She is a vastly different baby than her older brother. She goes right to sleep instead of needing to be cuddled forever. On one side, it's wonderful because she's very accommodating to whatever is going on at the time. But admittedly, I sometimes miss the cuddling Alex so desperately desired. Honestly, I can't say that I prefer one behavior over the other because they each have their benefits.

I believe that she will crawl before he did. Call it mother's intuition but the way she moves is unlike anything I've seen Alex do as a baby. And she is so cute. This is obvious. She's a baby. And a baby girl. Alex was adorable, but I'm learning that there are just different types of cute. She looks at you whereas Alex looked around. So she draws you in with her eyes and then smiles and as Jeff says to her, "I'll give you anything you want!" That's what it does to your heart. Not that you'd act on it...but Jeff used to joke with Alex that he'd give him his retirement if Alex asked for it because he was so cute. Speaking of Jeff, he's taken baby talk to a new lovable level with her! The flower has Daddy wrapped around her little fingers. The way he spoke to Alex was technically baby talk but it involved more gutteral noises as opposed to the high pitched squeals I hear now.

I love my Tasha Rose.

Best Christmas Ever

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:16:49 +0000

This has been the most meaningful and special Christmas for our family. It was Natasha's first Christmas and Alex was three years old, so it was very fun.

All week Alex would ask if it was Christmas yet. A few days before Christmas we participated in a friend's annual Las Posadas celebration.

We re-enacted the journey of Joseph and Mary and it was so special to watch the children as we went door to door to see if there was room at the Inn.

Once we arrived at the manger scene, we read about the birth of Jesus and sang Christmas carols.

I felt like we were living a Christmas movie as the children played and the adults talked and ate delicious food.

It was the best way to start the holiday weekend. The morning of Christmas Eve, my parents came and Alex was ecstatic to see them after waiting all week. About three times a day he'd ask me, "Nana and Grandpa come from the skyscraper and drive in the car and we can open presents?" (They live in a highrise which he calls the skyscraper). He literally jumped up and down for joy at seeing them.

He had a great time visiting with them and for his nap had to sleep in his new Buzz Lightyear tent with his new Woody toy.

After a wonderful Christmas Eve service, we took the kids around to some of the best decorated houses in the neighborhood. For about an hour, Alex kept saying, "It's Christmas time. Let's see more Christmas lights. Do you see the Christmas lights?!" Christmas morning was lots of fun as we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and opened presents.

We spent the day in our pajamas and played with all the new games, like Candyland and Hungry Hippos.

It was sweet to remember that not only was this Natasha's first Christmas but it was the last time we'd celebrate Christmas while she was just a baby.

Next year she'll be a toddler and that Christmas experience will be different than this one. For now, I'll enjoy this one as the most special Christmas we've had so far.

Herb Chicken and Potatoes

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 04:00:40 +0000

This recipe is adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking at Home. Their recipe calls for rosemary, thyme and russet potatoes. I used red potatoes and a turkey herb mixture. It lends itself well to flexibility. I'll be sharing what I did.

I used a free range chicken and it was delicious. My husband couldn't believe how moist and tender the chicken was the day after when we ate the leftovers. And my normally vegetarian 3 year old scarfed down two legs and a thigh. We might be making this dish more often!

Ingredients:
1 chicken, about 3 1/2 lbs (giblets removed)
1 lemon, halved
8 small red potatoes (or 4 russet potatoes), peeled and cut into 3-inch cubes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons mixed herbs (thyme, rosemary, etc.)
1/2 cup chicken broth
salt and ground pepper

You can also add large chunks of carrot and small whole cipollini onions to the pan along with the potatoes.

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Trim any visible fat from the chicken and pat it dry.

Rub the chicken inside and out with the cut sides of the lemon halves. I squeezed the juice from it a little before rubbing the lemon. Place the lemon halves inside the body cavity along with some mixed herbs. Truss the chicken.

Place the chicken on its side in a roasting pan and surround with the potatoes.

In a small pan, melt the butter and stir in the oil. Brush the butter mixture evenly over the chicken and potatoes and then sprinkle with the dried herbs.

Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the bird so it rests on its opposite side. Add the broth to the pan and baste the chicken with the pan juices. Roast for another 30 minutes. Turn the chicken breast side up, baste with the pan juices, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh away from the bone registers 170*F, 20-30 minutes longer. (My bird took twice as long to cook most likely because of my inefficient oven and the larger size of my bird).

Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter and surround with the potatoes. Tent with aluminum foil (I tented it and let it cook longer in the oven because it wasn't finished cooking) and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve the pan juices in a warmed bowl on the side.

Makes 4 servings. Prep time: 30 minutes.

Coq au Vin

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 01:44:39 +0000

Coq au Vin: The classic French dish the dutch oven was meant to make. I had so much fun repurposing the dutch oven to prep all the different elements. I loved that I was frying, sauteeing, soaking and baking in one pot. The smells that wafted up from the dutch oven throughout the prep were unlike anything that's come from my kitchen before. I could have just lingered there in between each step if I wasn't concerned with finishing before naptime for the kids!

I was thrown back to my travels through the French countryside with a friend and her dad as I made the bouquet garni. What's that, you ask? I had no idea either! But it's beautiful and so fragrant. In this instance, it's an assortment of fresh herbs and a leek tied together.

As it turns out, I forgot to take a picture of the finished dish until my husband was on his second serving.

Coq au Vin
by Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

1 bottle (750ml) Pinot Noir
5 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, plus 2 Tbs. finely chopped parsley
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 leek (cut lengthwise)
6 oz. thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 1/4 lb. whole chicken legs (I couldn't find these in my local markets so just purchased legs and thighs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 lb. small button mushrooms
3/4 lb. shallots, halved
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
3/4 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F. I didn't do this until I started the mushrooms.

In a large saucepan over high heat, boil the wine until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Place the parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs and bay leaf against the cut side of the halved leek and tie with kitchen twine. Set aside.

In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Discard all but 2 Tbs. of the fat from the pot. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set the pot over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, brown the chicken, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Discard all but 2 Tbs. of the fat from the pot. Return the pot to medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Add the garlic, tomato paste and flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the reduced wine and the broth, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Add the bacon, chicken, mushroom mixture, carrots and bouquet garni. Cover, transfer to the oven and bake until the chicken is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the chicken to a plate. Skim the fat off the sauce, set the pot over medium-high heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Discard the bouquet garni. Return the chicken to the pot. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from Canal House Cooking, Vol. 2, by Christopher Hirsheimer & Melissa Hamilton.

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 01:11:36 +0000

I received this recipe via email from a dear friend and was instantly drawn to it for three reasons:

1. I love tortilla soups of almost any kind

2. She has three boys and is pregnant so probably doesn't have tons of time for cooking which means it's totally feasible for me to attempt making it and

3. You can use frozen chicken, which means you don't have to plan ahead a few days and defrost your chicken.

Although the recipe calls for four breasts, I happened to have two gigantic (read: 1 lb each) free range chicken breasts. I was glad I stopped there because there was plenty of chicken in the soup. I didn't have any boneless breasts in my freezer so that may have altered my decision as well since those tend to be on the smaller side. For the salsa, I had a HUGE bottle so I measured out about 18-20 oz. This soup is so easy to make and the prep is really fast. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to take pictures.

My husband loved this dish, as did I.

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

adapted from Melinda Hurley

4 chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 jar of salsa (level of salsa heat will determine soup flavor)
1 box (or 2 cans) of chicken broth
Chili powder and cumin to to taste

Put 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot with a jar of salsa, a can of corn and a can of black beans (don't drain the cans-put it all in the crockpot.)

If chicken is frozen put it on HIGH 4 hours. If defrosted put it on LOW for 4 hours.

After 4 hours take out the chicken and shred or cut it. Put it back in the pot. Add about 1 box of chicken broth (I add whatever it takes to pretty much fill the crockpot- cans or box) Add a little chili powder and cumin.

Cook on LOW for 2-4 hours...really as long as you need to til dinner.

Top with chips, sour cream, avocado, cheese, etc. (I also added cilantro) Enjoy!

Chili con Carne

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 01:00:29 +0000

Recently I've been on this cooking-different-foods journey and basically teaching myself proper cooking techniques. My husband appreciates the time I'm putting towards it and it provides me with an opportunity to learn something new, which has been somewhat missing since I changed careers once my son was born. I've also been inspired by my dear friend/cousin's cooking website TheRedBirdLife.com. (My pictures are taken with a little point and click camera so they barely get the job done but you'll get the idea).

This was the first recipe I wanted to try once I owned a dutch oven. I even bought the meat about 6 weeks prior in anticipation of making this dish. It was every bit of delicious I was hoping it would be.

Again, I was able to get grass fed beef and it was incredible to have beef chuck just melt in your mouth as you ate it. Preparing the beef chuck and browning the meat were the most time consuming parts about this dish. After trimming the fat, I ended up with about a pound more than required but I wouldn't change that. The main ingredient in this dish is the meat.

Note about chile peppers: I could only find two of the three requested chiles. I removed the seeds and ribs as they mention you may want to do if you "prefer mild chili." I don't prefer mild chili. I love spicy foods but since this was my first time trying this dish and its whole point is that it's supposed to be spicy, I wasn't taking any chances. SO GLAD I didn't take any chances. This was spicy. I can't imagine the experience had I left the seeds intact and used the third pepper. I was already downing water and milk with this meal. And I was thankful for the sour cream dollop. Also, WEAR LATEX GLOVES when handling these peppers. They recommended it but I foolishly disregarded this memo because I didn't have any. My hands were on fire for hours. Ouch.

I left out the red bell pepper at the last minute for personal reasons. Not my favorite of flavors and my husband strongly cautioned me against including it. Additionally, I haven't mastered the pulse feature on my food processor so most of my stuff ends up getting liquified. In this case, it didn't matter because it essentially pureed the whole tomatoes. I chose to use beef stock instead of water.

I absolutely loved the smell of the meat cooking and the lovely sauce marinating and once it all came together in the dutch oven, it was sensational to the olfactory system. We were supposed to have leftovers and eat this for dinner the following night but it didn't happen. And there are only two of us!

Chili con Carne

Williams-Sonoma: Mastering Soups and Stews

Ingredients:

1 jalapeno chile

1 serrano chile

1 poblano chile

1 small red bell pepper (capsicum), stemmed and seeded

2 lb (1kg) well-marbled boneless beef chuck, fat trimmed, cut into 1/3-1/4 inch cubes and patted dry

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoons canola oil

8 cloves garlic, minced

4 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 can (28 oz) plum (Roma) tomatoes, with their juices, finely chopped in a food processor

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups (16 fl. oz.) beef stock or water

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream, optional

12 sprigs fresh cilantro

1. Prepare the chiles and pepper

If you prefer a mild chili, remove the seeds and ribs from the chiles, as they carry most of the heat, and then chop the chiles finely. Measure out 1/2 cup (4oz) of the mixed chiles and set aside. Dice the bell pepper.

2. Brown the beef

Sprinkle the meat cubes evenly with 1 tsp of the salt and 1/8 tsp of the pepper. Place a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbl of the canola oil. When the surface of the oil appears to shimmer, add the beef cubes in batches and brown them on all sides, about 5 minutes for each batch. Do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam instead of brown, and adjust the heat as necessary to sear the meat immediately on contact. As each batch is browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a small Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot.

3. Cook the vegetables

Add the remaining 1 Tbl canola oil to the frying pan over medium heat. When the surface of the oil appears to shimmer, add the chiles, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened and are beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and coriander and cook for about 1 minute to develop the flavor of the spices. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and the remaining 1 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper, stirring well to scrape up the browned buts from the pan bottom.

4. Simmer the chili

Add the vegetable mixture to the Dutch oven with the beef. Place the Dutch oven over medium heat, add the stock, and bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. As soon as you see large bubbles begin to form, reduce the heat until only small bubble occasionally break the surface. Cover the pot and cook until the meat is very tender and the liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 1/2 hours. If the chili seems too soupy, uncover it for the last 30 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid. About 10 minutes before you plan to serve the chili preheat the oven to 200*F and place the individual bowls in the oven to warm.

5. Adjust the seasonings and serve the chili

Taste the chili; it should be quite boldly spiced, but if you feel the flavors are a little dull, stir in a bit more salt or pepper. Spoon the chili into the warmed bowls and top with sour cream and cilantro sprigs. Serve right away.

Easiest Corn Chowder

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 02:35:02 +0000

I tried this recipe from a slow cooker cookbook (Secrets of Slow Cooking by Liana Krissoff) based on the title. And it's true! It really is easy. Aaaaannnnd, it's tasty too.

This chowder can take on whatever consistency you prefer for your chunky soups. It just requires water instead of a stock so it saves a lot of time if you normally make your own stock. I appreciate the flavor of onions but not the texture so I diced mine in the food processor until they were tiny bits. Also, the carrots and potatoes were diced into little bits. You could chop them into bigger chunks and it would probably change the dynamic of the dish but still be delicious. One point to note, however, is that it was great to have the corn be the largest chunks of food since they were the main ingredient. I didn't have any celery on hand so it wasn't in my dish but it didn't seem to matter. I used frozen organic corn and that was delicious, although I'm sure fresh corn would be even better. For the salt, I used a black truffle sea salt from our local Spice Merchant. Since it can be stronger than regular salt, I started with 1/2 teaspoon but after cooking the chowder and tasting it, ended up using the full teaspoon anyway; which means you may be adding more salt before you serve the dish. After standing in the dairy section at the grocery store looking for "heavy cream" I realized the author meant heavy whipping cream. You probably already knew this but it was news to me.

I don't have a picture because we finished it before I realized I was going to post about it. I was not too excited about the dish after the initial cooking but once the slurry, cream and parsley were added, it transformed into something spectacular. We loved it!

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 interior ribs celery, diced, leaves reserved
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups sweet corn kernels (cut off 4 cobs, or frozen)
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Put the onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, corn, and bay leaf in a 4-quart slow cooker. After cooking, my 4 qt crockpot was not full so, in theory, you could have a larger crockpot and double the recipe. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, then pour in 2 1/2 cups water. Cook, covered, on the low setting for 4 to 5 hours, until the vegetables are soft.

Ladle some of the liquid into a small cup and add the flour to the cup, stirring until smooth. Pour the slurry back into the soup and stir to combine; cook on the high setting for 30 minutes, or until thickened slightly.

Mince the celery leaves. Stir in the cream, along with the parsley and celery leaves. taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve hot.

Dutch

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:41:57 +0000

Recently I've been thinking about dutch ovens. It seems that all the recipes I want to try or have tried recently, call for one. At first I didn't think it was a big deal but so far, I'm 0-2 for total success with trying to substitute with my crockpot. They are very different tools and even with my adjustments, it's just not the same.

I never thought I'd want one and probably didn't completely know what it was when I first married my husband. But now I'm beginning to think it should be as essential as a crockpot. I mean, can you really saute or simmer anything in a crockpot?! No. And the reason I love the crockpot (one pot to clean!) is the same reason I think I'd love a nice cast iron dutch oven. One of my new favorite cooking websites is TheRedbirdLife. She is SO good at explaining how to make dishes (especially for a newbie foodie like myself). Plus we're legally related and I love that. It's like knowing a famous person! But better because I can talk with her. :) And our kids are similar in age so we have a lot in common. Anyway, a few of the recipes she has require a dutch oven and I love that! I can just smell the spices simmering in the bottom of it...but, of course, that's in my head because I'll tell you that NOTHING simmers in a crockpot when you first kick that on! Long and slow....which is, obviously, one of its strongest qualities.

My birthday is coming up. The fact that I even considered wanting a dutch oven for my birthday shows that I must really be an adult. As if getting married, having two children and living in a house aren't already evidence that I'm aging.... As a child, when you think of your birthday there are images of shiny, new toys and fun objects to entertain the mind. As much as I'd love to be pampered on my birthday, I've begun to think in more practical ways, considering the great benefit to the family if I were to become the proud owner of a dutch oven. We'll see. I may change my mind and hope for something more "fun" like new clothes or makeup. Mostly for my birthday I just want to be with my husband. If I could wish for anything, including a dutch oven, he'd ALWAYS win. He's more than just a whimsical idea that maybe I'll be a better cook with that dutch oven. With him as my ideal husband, there's always the hope that I can be a better wife.

Sharpness

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:54:21 +0000

Wow. This morning I had a moment where it dawned on me that I used to be sharp-minded. Not necessarily that I was such a smart person...just more focused than I currently am today. I believe this is the result of sleep-deprivation. Truly.

I was cleaning out the electric tea kettle (which if you don't have one and EVER have a need for hot water, you should buy one!) with the vinegar/water solution. I couldn't remember the portions exactly and so started with 1/4 cup vinegar to 2 cups water. It seemed to boil awfully quick and without much result. So I made another mixture of 1/4 cup vinegar to 2 cups water. Same result. Sad. Then I thought, well, maybe I need more water so it'll boil longer. I did it again with 1/4 cup vinegar and filled the entire pot with water. This did have some impact but not the dramatic result I was hoping for and then a light bulb went off over my head (mostly because Alex turned the kitchen lights on but you get my point). Each time I made the solution (I did this three times) I thought to myself, I don't remember this using up so much vinegar...

I realized I was supposed to use the same mixture and boil that over and over until the calcium deposits disappeared. WOW. Yes, it took three times before I realized this is what I've always done to clean the kettle. Well, now it's clean. Maybe tomorrow everything won't be so fuzzy.

IHNI

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:39:14 +0000

Do you know what that stands for? I Have No Idea. This is in reference to all the abbreviations I see online that I have no idea what they stand for and I always ask my brilliant husband what it means. Somehow he always figures it out. I mean no disrespect to anyone who uses abbreviations online. Sometimes it makes me feel like email was just invented and I missed the class where they teach you how to draft and send emails. Do you know what I'm talking about here?!

LOL is about the extent of my knowledge. :) Unless you are using abbrevs. that are well known in written documents such as shorthand or terms used to grade/comment on papers such as "b/c" and "etc." But these are common knowledge, right? It's not surprising that I'm slow in this area because I only figured out the ease of T9 (why is it called that anyway?) 2 years ago and was probably the last of my friends to get a cell phone in 2003.

LMN SO & PO

If you can't figure that out then you must be trippin'. J/K but keep it on the DL, K? I wouldn't want to mislead anyone. This is probably another reason why I never got into the whole chat room things years ago because it involves waaaay too many of those words. I wouldn't be able to keep up.

I still prefer written word to any other form of communication. If I didn't have kids, I'd probably write more letters. I love the feel of the pen on the paper and the mystery of committing to the word your hand writes. There's sheer honesty in this because even if you cross it out, people know you changed your mind. Were you distracted when you wrote it? Did it sound different than you expected? Was it a simple typo?

When I used to teach, I found the overuse of the internet was doing a major disservice to our youth. Some students would literally not know it was inappropriate to use those abbreviations in a formal college essay.

All of this to say I still feel behind the times and often like an ignoramus when it comes to capital letters typed out to mean something other than what you're currently viewing. Thank God I have a REALLY internet savvy husband.

Bunco

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:56:19 +0000

We played couples bunco last night and I was reminded that I love to play games. This one requires no skill whatsoever but is so fun when you get the numbers you're hoping to roll. I was reminded that I'm a screamer. I can't help but get excited, even when your opponents score big. It's hard to be competitive when there's no way to improve your game and there's no prize at the end. Who really wins anyway? Games are fun because you get to see people's personalities come forth.

Jeff and Lisa Newman

The Mission

Adventures with the boy

Alex watching the hot air balloon fly over our house: "Daddy, let's go in the hot air balloon!" Jeff: "Do you notice how they are up there and we're down here?" Alex: "Let's get the ladder, Daddy!! Get the ladder!"

The little bear asked, "who's been sleeping in my bed?"

The 3 Year Old Dream

A Smantering

I banged my knee on the gate at Alex's door and since he saw I was hurt, Alexander bent down and kissed my "boo boo" to make it better. So sweet.

I think Alex has seen me take my shoes to a spider too many times. He just found one of his boots and ran over to a beetle...and....well, you know what happens next.

TODAY:Alex requested changing out of his clothes to put on his freshly washed blanket sleeper. He promptly declared, "I feel much better," and laid down on the couch :)

Alex requested changing out of his clothes to put on his freshly washed blanket sleeper. He promptly declared, "I feel much better," and laid down on the couch :)

An automated solicitor just called. Alex is telling them what's up.

Ear buds are edible

Glo-stick

Brr, it's cold outside!

Oh the wonderful world...

Vocabulary Words

Mommy & Me

Little Cupcake

The Melter

A little tenderness

Sprout

Rolling, rolling, rolling

She's got skills

Little Halo

Fawn

Toe-sucker

Best Christmas Ever

Herb Chicken and Potatoes

Coq au Vin

Ingredients:

Directions:

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

Chili con Carne

Easiest Corn Chowder

Dutch

Sharpness

IHNI

Bunco

TODAY:
Alex requested changing out of his clothes to put on his freshly washed blanket sleeper. He promptly declared, "I feel much better," and laid down on the couch :)