hayden's big week

Hayden had a really exciting week. She'd like everyone to know that she can sit up now... almost on her own. She prefers this position to lying on her back because now that she's seen the view there's no going back.

WWWAAAAAAA!!! I 'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm very discontent, I'm....

I'm sitting up!  Hey this is great, this makes me so happy, why haven't I done this before?  I'm, uh-oh...

I'm down!  Baby down!  

In other news, Hayden sat in the highchair and had a few bites of applesauce this week.  Attention grandparents: this is not a declaration of open season on feeding the baby.  Please refrain from giving her "just a taste" of ice cream, popsicles, marshmallows or any other non-approved foods.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Also this week, Hayden put on her super-cute bathing suit and took a dip in the pool.   Jason snapped a few pictures for us.

Sorry about the angle here but I censored most of the other pics of Hayden in the pool because I was directly behind her, in my bathing suit... and you don't need to see that!

tortillas

Saturday night I taught Jason how to make tortillas. He and Darren had been to a restaurant earlier in the week that made fresh tortillas and Darren reminded me that I used to make homemade tortillas ages ago. So, to appease my hungry guys we made a batch. For those who would like to give it a try, here's the recipe:

3c. flour
1/2 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tbs. salt
1/4c. shortening
1c. hot water

If your lucky enough to have a Kitchen Aid then just mix up the dry ingredients and slowly add in the hot water until a smooth dough forms on the dough hook. If you don't have one then just mix it up in a big bowl with your hands and pat yourself on the back for being so authentic!


Knead your dough on a floured surface until it has the consistency of a fresh can of play-dough (Jason totally understood this point). Divide your dough into 12 golf ball sized balls and put them under wax paper or saran wrap to keep the dough from drying out. Roll out each ball into a thin round (or mostly round) sheet and cook on a dry griddle about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. A done tortilla has a few air bubbles and a few brown spots. Keep the warm tortillas between two towels until ready to serve, again, to keep them from drying out.

abalone farm

Yesterday we went on a field trip to the abalone farm in Cayucos. What's that, you didn't know there was an abalone farm in Cayucos? It's no wonder, the farm is located down an unmarked dirt road, off the highway, past several No Trespassing signs... it's not exactly a place that wants a lot of attention. Abalone is pretty special stuff, and this farm has about 4 million creatures in various stages of life all with the goal of being sold for a handsome price. We met up with several other home schooling families for the tour which was led by a guy who had obviously handled school groups before. The kids got to see all the tanks, learn about the life cycle and even hold and feed an abalone. At the end of the tour they got to pick out shells to take home. We completed our escape to the coast with lunch and some time at the park before heading back over the hills to the heat of San Miguel. Our guide shows the kids the underside of the shell where on the females, a greenish sack lies, burdened by the million babies she is about to have.Jason holds a one and a half year old abalone... we forgot to wash his hands before lunch...eeeeeewwwwww!Jason and his lady friends feed kelp to the mature abalone... he really needs more boyfriends...er, BOY friends! Ha!
Where were the girls? Hayden was strapped to my chest, against her will and Cameron was clinging to my leg, against my will... she was not happy with the field trip, it was getting in the way of her time eating and playing, and this was not the trip to the beach that she had anticipated.

friends, Romans, countrymen...

Lend me your ears! Yesterday I gave Jason a mini-lecture about finishing strong. We have 4 more weeks of school left and I want them to be great, not a half-hearted struggle. My speech was inspiring... or at least, I was inspired, so today I added in a craft project that spurred a full-blown dress-up session. We are studying the Roman empire and the craft was a simple broach. Well, every good Roman had a broach in the shape of an animal to represent one of their gods. Jason chose a giraffe... I'm not quite sure which god that represents. Since he had a broach, he needed a cloak to pin it to and since he needed a cloak, he needed a toga to wear underneath. Pretty soon, little sis was in on the action and we had two Roman kids in our living room. We did a little math lesson on our slate (chalkboard, not beeswax) and read poetry (James Whitcomb Riley, not Euripides or Sappho). We'll be reclining to eat lunch today and I'll be supervising a dagger fight and perhaps some wrestling later this afternoon.

In other news... Hayden rolled over today, on her own, completely! She's so cute!

vacation, part 2

We had another segment of vacation last week when we headed down south to Knott's Berry Farm and an Angels game. The contrast between motorhome and hotel room is staggering. The kids had a blast at the near-empty park (Tuesdays during the school year are great days to go) and went on rides multiple times. Jason was a really brave guy and went on a few roller coasters, and as it turns out, he's hooked! Cameron loved Camp Snoopy and the carousel. Hayden put up with it all in her usual agreeable way.

on vacation

Sorry it's been awhile since the last post. We've been spending a few weeks on vacation. Last week we went "camping" in the Santa Cruz mountains. I put camping in quotes because we were in the motorhome... with full hook-ups... cable TV... and Wi-Fi. Since we canceled our cable a few weeks ago the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven with full access to the Disney Channel. When the rain came down we were not soaking wet like I've experienced in a tent... for days on end... with a pesky little brother and his yappy dog. Instead we were luxuriously housed in the box on wheels... together... for days on end... in a tiny little space... Yet somehow the kids still managed an incredible amount of injuries and a ridiculous ability to get grime in every nook and cranny of their little bodies... even Hayden had dirt under her fingernails! In spite of the rain and the close quarters we got out to Roaring Camp and the Boardwalk. We all enjoyed the train ride up the mountain and back again and Jason especially enjoyed the miniature golf at the Boardwalk (2 hole in ones... or is it holes in one?). It's a short drive and beautiful scenery so we'll definitely go again... maybe next time with a tent!Anybody seen the movie "Stand by Me"? Don't look it up mom, you don't want to know what we did here...
Ever nurse a baby on an 1880's steam train in the rain? Fun times!
The golf pros! Check out Cam in her pink "train girl" hat.. this girl loves to dress up and wear hats.
We played enough skeeball to win tickets and turn them in for vampire teeth. Everybody's got to have a set of vampire teeth!