Vegas Vacation

This month we went to Las Vegas for a big family reunion and had a great time. Between getting some good old fashioned R&R, we were able to go see and do some pretty fun stuff.

Day 1. We went to the Spring Mountain Ranch in Red Rock Canyon. We enjoyed a picnic lunch with the family at the pavilion and then hiked around. There were several 1800s buildings and a "lake"—apparently in Nevada they have a very generous definition of the word lake. The red rock mountains in the area were also beautiful to look at.

Day 2. We took Charlie on his first swimming adventure! In an attempt to be extra safe, I bought a baby floaty for Charlie before we left for vacation, and it worked out really well. The adventure had a rough start. I'm not sure if the pool temperature wasn't quite to Charlie's liking or if he was just freaked out 'cause it was a new experience, but after only a few minutes of wining, Charlie seemed content to watch the other kids swim around while he floated in his inner tube. I think by the end he was enjoying himself.

Day 3. We took family photos, barbequed, and played games in the park. We had a good time visiting with family and eating some delicious chili dogs.

Day 4. In the evening, we went to see the light shows on Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas and the water fountain shows in front of the Bellagio on the strip. The theme for the light shows was all about the '80s—lots of '80s music and even some classic video game footage. The light shows were pretty cool, but Freemont Street itself was pretty grimy. The water shows at the Bellagio were pretty cool, too. We stayed and watched three. The first was set to Luck Be a Lady, the second was set to something instrumental I didn't recognize, and the third was set to the music of Simple Gifts—it was weird hearing a hymn on the strip, but also cool.

Day 5. We went to the Venetian and enjoyed our first taste of gelato in their replica of St. Mark's Square. We bought the gelato at Cocolini, and however expensive, it was delicious! The gelato was smoother, creamier, and had richer flavors than the regular American ice cream we are accustomed to. St. Mark's Square and the other Grand Canal areas were also really interesting. We have never been to Italy, but when we walked into these areas it felt like we had left Vegas. The vaulted ceilings were painted with partially cloudy blue skies, and with the lighting, I really did have to do a double take that I was still inside the Venetian.

All in all, our trip to Vegas was a lot of fun. It was great to get away from the daily grind, rest and relax as much as we wanted, and go do some fun things that we hadn't done before.

Independent Movement

Charlie has begun figuring out the basics of moving his body by himself. He is good at rolling, and I'm pretty sure he's started scooting—pretty sure because he only does it when I'm not looking. So in honor of this momentous occasion, I would like to list the pros and cons of this milestone:

Pros
1. Charlie has another means of entertaining himself.

Cons
1. Charlie can move by himself.
2. At some point during sleep Charlie positions himself in the corner of his crib (evidenced by the above photo) despite me placing him in the center, and then wakes up horribly upset and screaming as if to say, "How dare you put me face down IN THE CORNER! You are such a jerk!" At least now I know that when he gets older putting him in the corner may actually be an effective punishment.
3. He tries to roll over during diaper changes. Poopy bum plus rolling. Need I say more?

Chicken Lasagna

2 T. olive oil
lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions
4 medium chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 jar sauce, Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs
16 oz. cottage cheese, small curd
Italian seasoning, to taste

1. Mix chicken, 2/3 jar sauce, 2 eggs, and 1 cup cheddar. 2. Mix cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup cheddar. 3. Spread olive oil in bottom of 9x13 pan, coating evenly. 4. In pan, layer: lasagna noodles, 1/2 chicken mix, noodles, cottage cheese mix, noodles, 1/2 chicken mix, noodles. 5. Top with remaining sauce and cheddar. 6. Bake at 375° for 30–45 minutes, and let cool 5–10 minutes.

This was a fun experiment for me, and I think as a whole the experiment was a success. The lasagna turned out pretty good—not mouthwateringly fabulous, but pretty good. However, I think the concept has the potential to be mouthwateringly fabulous, but I don't know what the recipe needs to make it so. The lasagna was just missing something, so if you have any idea on what ingredients I could add or change, please leave a comment.

PS: For one of the side dishes with the lasagna, I had some cooked baby carrots, and unfortunately there were leftovers—I HATE veggie leftovers, they usually warm up overcooked and gross. Anywho, I had tacos for dinner tonight and was reminded of going to dinner at a Mexican lady's house while serving as a missionary. We had tostadas at her house, and for toppings she served the typical ones but also cooked carrots and potatoes. So, tonight I warmed up some cooked carrots, sliced them, and put them on my tacos. They were delicious! So the next time you've got cooked carrots leftover, I highly recommend trying them on tacos, or tostadas.

Something AWESOME!

So, as the title of this blog indicates, I was recently exposed to something AWESOME! And instantly had a desire to share it with the world. I now share with you the awesome dip & squeeze ketchup packets made available at Chik-fil-A. With three times the ketchup as a foil packet and shaped like unto a ketchup bottle, this delightful new condiment container can easily fulfill all your fast-food ketchup needs. Either tear off the cap and enjoy squeezing a steady stream of ketchup onto your chosen food product or peel back the foil lid and enjoy dipping your chosen food product into a fabulous pool of delicious liquefied tomato goo. Whether you're a dipper or a squeezer, I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Homemade Baby Food

Since Charlie's been tolerating his oatmeal and rice cereals well over the past several weeks, I've decided to get him started on veggies and fruits. And in an effort to avoid buying expensive baby foods and to satisfy my control freak tendencies, I've started by making my own baby food with the help of a fantastic book my sister gave me, Cooking Light First Foods.

There are two specific things I really love about this book. First, it shows that you don't have to buy any expensive equipment. When discussing the tools needed to make baby food, the book gives a list of items ranging in price from as little as $2 to as much as $150. And thus far, none of the recipes I've looked at require the expensive baby food makers. Second, it offers lists of food choices beyond what I would have thought to feed my baby. After all, my thinking is just because I don't like a food doesn't mean I shouldn't expose Charlie to it; he may love foods I don't usually eat or enjoy. There are two lists I like to peruse, one that breaks fruits and veggies into color groups and another that groups fruits and veggies by seasons.

So, with my handy-dandy baby food cookbook, I got started by making Charlie some carrots. Now the recipe given is super simple and also kind of obvious—you may be thinking, "she needed a cookbook to figure THAT out!?" But I do find the book helpful. So here's the recipe:

1. Steam 1 pound carrots for 20 minutes or until very tender. 2. Blend, process, or mash until smooth, adding cooking liquid to reach desired consistency.

Since I already had a really awesome blender, I used that, and it worked great. Now obviously a baby isn't going to eat a pound of carrots in one sitting, so I spooned my carrot puree into an ice cube tray and put it in the freezer; when the puree was frozen I took the cubes out of the tray and am storing them in baggies in the freezer. One serving for Charlie is about two cubes.

All in all, the experience of making baby food was a success. I found it to be quick and easy. Plus, now I feel all thrifty and domestic—hooray for esteem boosters!

Tulip Festival

This weekend we went to a Tulip Festival and had a great time. For some reason I had it in my head that at the Tulip Festival we would see fields of tulips. It was not like that. We walked on winding paths through a massive garden—we were there for about three hours and could have easily stayed longer—and saw the tulips arranged in beautiful flower beds with a few other kinds of flowers.

There were also some special arrangements of the flowers, such as "the secret garden" and "the fragrance garden." The secret garden was very much as its name suggests. It's a walled garden filled to the brim with flowers, and it was gorgeous! The fragrance garden was also very much as its name suggests—fragrant. Although I don't know that it was any more fragrant than other parts of the festival, but the fabulous smells coming from the flowers was delightful!

This was technically our first family outing, and I was a little anxious as to how Charlie would behave. But he was an angel! He was perfectly happy to sit in his stroller and be pushed around. All in all it we had an excellent time—even Chad who thought going to see a bunch of flowers would be totally lame.

After all that, I am now completely ready for springtime—bring it on! Too bad it's cold and rainy today, but May showers bring June flowers?