Savvy & Kangoku Nori

Savvy LOVES kangoku nori.  Kangoku nori is a type of seaweed that is roasted and seasoned with sesame oil, salt, and a variety of seasonings and comes in packages of about 8 little 3x4-inch squares. 

It makes a great light snack, so I always keep a lot of those little packages on hand.  Today she asked for some and then sat at the kitchen table for about 30 minutes eating and playing with it. 

At one point she wrapped a piece of it around her finger and said, "Look! I have a bandaid!"

I didn't think to pull out the camera until she uttered the words, "Ooooooh, how cute is that nori present?"  Yeah, but how cute is that Savvy? 

Bug: A Story in Pictures

Hmmmm...what to do today?

Do some foraging maybe?

Act innocent when I get caught..."Who me?"

Show my mom how wearing an apron is done...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!!  When asked to comment on the age of their father, the fearless reporters Savvy and Ella expressed shock

and dismay.

Imagine their reactions when he's actually OLD and not just THIRTY-THREE?  Happy Birthday to the best husband, friend, and daddy a girl could ever ask for.

LOVE,
Your Girls

A First Birthday & a Well-Check

Ella had a fabulous birthday.  We actually celebrated Wednesday evening (the 27th), instead of on the 26th, because that way my parents were able to come for the celebration and Nate was able to make his regular Tuesday night Elder's Quorum visits.  We had Indian food for dinner from our favorite Indian restaurant, called Punjab Palace.  Ella feasted on Palak Paneer.  That girl has great taste!  She was more interested in climbing on her presents than in actually opening them.

But once we did get them open, she was happy.

Savannah was pretty interested in helping Ella play with her new toys.

For dessert I made a coconut birthday cake, and Nate helped Ella with the duty of blowing out the candle.

Are you curious to see how much of a mess Ella made eating her piece of cake?

She is a ridiculously clean eater.  Not that I'm complaining, because I'm not!  She will just miss out on having that picture that every other kid seems to have of their faces covered in cake on their first birthday.

Yesterday I took her to see her pediatrician for her one year well-check.  As he was looking over her measurements he said, "Well, it looks like she's going to be tall like her mom!" Snort.  She measured in at 18 pounds 11 ounces and 28 inches long with a head circumference of 44.2 centimeters.  The pediatrician said those numbers put her solidly in the 25th percentile on all fronts.  Other than being a tiny little thing, she is totally healthy!  I'm sorry kid, you may be doomed to a life of being short like your mommy.

Happy First Birthday Ella-bug!

I've decided that it should be against the law to age.  It just isn't right that Ella should be turning ONE today.  I mean seriously, it seems like just yesterday that she was born and I held her in my arms for the first time.

I have made a conscious effort during the past year to enjoy the little moments, but even still, I would blink my eyes and she would change.  In the past month and a half she has cut 4 teeth and started walking.  STOP IT!!!

She loves to eat, so she fits well in our family.  If I'm holding her while I'm eating, her little hand will sneak in and grab bits of food out of my hand or off of my plate.

She loves to dig through the kitchen garbage when no one is looking, finding all sorts of "treasures."  She has a penchant for cuddling and soft things that I hope won't change in the near future.  If you throw a bunch of pillows on the ground, she'll go to the nearest one, lay on it, then crawl to the next one and lay on it, etc.  She adores the cats and does an amazing imitation of Neko's meow.  If you're not looking at them, you would be hard pressed to know which of them was meowing.

She is a bright spot in our family and in our lives.  Happy Birthday Ella, we love you!!

Happy Birthday Squirrel!

How is it that Savannah is three years old today?  Actually, she's been three for almost 15 hours already, since she was born at 11:01 am in Tokyo.  We should have been celebrating at 6:01 pm last night--darn!  I'll have to remember that in the future when she's old enough to understand the concept.

I can't believe that the tiny baby who came out in scary shades of blue and purple is now the tall crazy blonde that has learned to like snuggling and still prefers Japanese food to anything else.

 

 

Happy Birthday Squirrel!  We love you!!!

"It's Savvy's turn now."

Yeah, I know, you probably think that I had forgotten about this blog.  Things have been so busy (I  know, excuses, excuses)!  So let's do a little catch up!

Halloween (FINALLY!)

This year Savannah dressed up as a pumpkin. She still loves pumpkins as much as she did last year and her pumpkin costume still fits, so we figured not to let a good thing go to waste and dressed her up as a pumpkin again.

Ella dressed up as a ladybug (she had to be some sort of bug, right?).

We all went out trick-or-treating to about 5 houses and then Nate went back to our house with Ella so that someone would be there to hand out candy, and Savvy and I continued down the street.  The first house we came to Savvy proudly said, "Trick or treating!" Not bad!  The next house she managed to say "Trick or treat!", but it was before the door opened.  After a few houses she got it down and she proudly told a father that was accompanying some kids, "Look! I got trick or treat!"  After we finished our side of the street, I switched with Nate and he took her out to go down the other side of the street.  He told me that she would get up and ring the doorbell and when other kids would start coming up behind her, she would turn around and tell them, "It's Savvy's turn now."  She came home with an Elmo head full of candy and set up camp at the kitchen table to sort through her booty.

The first thing she ate was a Dum Dum and the second thing was a pack of Smarties.  Luckily she had a few things like a pack of fishy crackers (bless the house that handed those out) that weren't so sugar laden that she chose to eat.

I love you Grandma.

My Grandmother Kenison (my mom's mom) passed away this morning.  I've been meaning to post our Halloween post (I know...it's taking long enough, I'm sorry!), but I think that will have to wait another day.  Nate took the following series of photos this past July during one of our visits with Grandma.  Grandma was having a lively discussion with Savannah about how big she had gotten.

 

 

 

 

Then Grandma wanted to know how many teeth Savannah had.  Savannah didn't respond, so then Grandma said, "Show me your teeth!" When Savannah didn't show her teeth, Grandma said, "Look at Grandma's teeth!"  Such a funny moment.

These are the moments I love and cherish.  We will miss her spunk and the love that she had for all of her family.  I love you Grandma!

My other post about Grandma: http://www.lafujimama.com/2009/11/grandma-raiding-larder-of-my-memory.html

The Great Annual Pumpkin Patch Visit

I seem to be using the same line over and over again on here, but wow, "TIME FLIES!"  I can't believe that another Halloween has come and gone.  The weekend before Halloween we went out to Redlands for our annual trip to The Pumpkin Patch. 

I can't believe how much Savannah has grown and changed since our last visit!  She was even more into the experience than the last time. 

Ella was an angel during the visit, enjoying being held.  She is such a snuggler.

 

 

 

 

Savannah thoroughly enjoyed all of the animals,

 

enjoyed searching for the perfect pumpkin,

and was a little dare devil on the big blow up obstacle course and slides.

 

 

My dad managed to make a new friend during our visit.  Sadly, my mom wouldn't let him bring his new friend home.

A perfect day!