Cole's Valentines Message

The following is a special Valentines message from Cole.

Thai food for Valentines

On Valentines day Stan went and played in his first PGA ProAm.  He brought me home some roses, candy, ice cream and cookies.

I unfortunately had a head cold, but wanted to do something to show Stan I loved him - cook Thai food. Cole and I had to go to Ranch Market for Asian food supplies.  It was kind of funny - the store chain is the same one I shopped at in Jakarta for American food. Their motto should be "we have food from whatever country you're not currently in!"

I haven't cooked Thai in a long time so it was a day long labor of love.  As requested here are some of the recipes:

Crab Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2/3 cup uncooked long grain white rice 1 1/3 cups water 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 medium onions, cut into wedges 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1/2 tablespoon white sugar 2 teaspoons salt

1 egg, beaten 1/4 pound cooked crabmeat 3 green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 1/2 cucumber, sliced 1 lime, sliced

Directions:

1.	Place the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2.	Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Cook and stir the onions and garlic in the hot oil until tender. Mix in the rice, sugar, and salt, and cook 5 minutes, until well blended. Stir in the egg until the rice is coated. Increase heat to high, and mix in the crabmeat, green onions, and cilantro. Continue cooking 2 to 5 minutes, until the crab is heated through. Garnish with the cucumber and lime slices to serve.

Kai Pad King (Ginger Chicken)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice 3 1/2 cups water   2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 cup fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks 1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips 3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 4 green onions cut into 2-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon Thai red chile paste, or to taste 2 tablespoons chicken broth salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1.

Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

2.

Meanwhile, heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and chicken; cook for 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, ginger, red pepper, mushrooms, and onions. Cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are nearly tender, about 3 minutes. Dissolve the chile paste in the chicken broth, then add to the chicken mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper; sprinkle with cilantro leaves to garnish. Serve with the hot rice.

Random Picts

Double pacifier - if only his mouth was bigger...

 My Guys

 Workin the sippy cup!

7 Months Old!

Our happy boy!

Grubbin on Rice Cereal!

Yummy!

TGI Fridays - First Restaurant Highchair!

My Superhero!

Cole's First Time Swinging at the Park

Dinner and walk at the beach

Feb Picnic At the Beach

Forward Locomotion!

Cole took his first crawls forward Friday (Feb 4th - at 6.75 months old)! He had been scooting backward here and there and spinning around on his belly, but not really moving forward til last Friday night.  Stan and Cole were in the floor in the family room and I came in to play.  I sat a little ways off and Cole grabbed the carpet, dug a toe in and moved forward! I kept looking at Stan's hands confused that I could see them both and neither were helping Cole.  We both kept saying to each other - are you seeing this?!  We were so proud and excited - what are the chances we were both present for the event too! That made it extra cool.  This opens a new era - time to buy baby gates and safety proof the house!

Flower Garden

Cole and I planted some flowers in the front yard today. I'm trying to figure out where to put some herbs or something else. Also looking for a great hanging basket for the front porch - wonder if the OC has great farmer's markets like Oregon?...

Laundry!

Laundry used to be one of my least favorite chores growing up.  I've made peace with it though and think there are some keys to success.
#1 - upstairs laundry room - makes sense to have the laundry where the clothes are!
#2 -I have seperate empty baskets by room waiting so that I can put straight from dryer into appropriate room's basket
#3 - Have a home for all your clothes - too many clothes means drama
#4 - DVR a couple of shows to watch while folding
#5 - Don't get too far behind
#6 - Have a cute kid to hang out in the basket!

Life is Wonderful

I love being a stay at home mom - I love not spending my evenings strategizing for work at the office,  but rather approaching each tomorrow wondering what new experiences I'll get to have with Cole.  It's a weird and wonderful transition. Sometimes I feel anxious like there is something I have to get ready for, but then take a deep breath remembering that I'm doing what matters most and its not about numbers. So very blessed.

Swim Lessons!

Today I took Cole for his first swim lesson at SwimVenture. The pool is indoor and located in a strip mall! They basically took two suites, installed a small pool and a few bathrooms - whatever works! Cole did pretty well. He has some homework to practice holding his breath with some shower water in his face. Here's hoping we have a future swim champ on our hands!

Cole Six Month Photo Shoot