Our Happy Family

valentine's day

2012-02-15T13:33:00.000-08:00

My favorite part about Valentine's Day is breakfast with Kenji and the kids. We are all breakfast people and getting to lounge around together and eat something yummy is just lovely (and we're lucky papa could have a leisurely brunch with us on a weekday!). I made heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries and cream, the pancakes were a hit and the kids gobbled them up!

Naomi gave papa the sweet little card she made for him and then we had our own little surprise for the kids... we made up a fun scavenger hunt for them to find their valentine's day treats and they thought it was the funnest thing ever. They have a little mailbox in their room so while they were sleeping we delivered a little note with their first clue, along with some cookies from one of papa's co-workers which had the kids bounding into our room first thing in the morning squealing and eating their cookies...

They were so excited and ran off hunting for all the clues...

My favorites were hiding a clue in an empty yogurt container in the fridge and one in Sabertooth's bed - at first the kids were following her around the yard because they thought maybe the cat knew where the next clue was, but Naomi figured it out! And the last clue led them to the bathtub where they found their gifts, heart shaped chocolates and gummy worms!

monday

2012-02-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

I've said this before, but I really like Mondays. I love the fresh start that comes with a new week. It's kind of like a mini new year's... a chance to move on from the past and lay out a new set of goals and hopes for the next 7 days. Mondays are good for the soul!

Some nicer weather would be really good for my soul right about now too, but one can't have everything right? Weather aside, I am very blessed.

here are 5 good things going on today:

1. it stopped raining. just long enough to play outside, I just love a swinging baby!

2. I've been less sick in the mornings the last two days.

3. guacamole veggie burgers. Fat Burger has veggie burgers, did you know that? Kenji had a gift card so I checked them out and was pleasantly surprised they had something for vegetarians (I thought I would never go somewhere called fat burger, seriously, that name cannot be marketed towards women)

4. Naomi's reading is really taking off. I just love hearing her read a book from start to finish!

5. tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I can't wait for the little surprise I have for the kids...

Happy Monday!

linking up for cup 1/2 full today, because my cup is half full!

fast food: smoothies

2012-02-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

One of our mid-morning rituals is making smoothies for everyone. The kids love smoothies and it's seriously one of the easiest ways to get more nutrients in them. Naomi is not a big vegetable fan, but she doesn't mind greens in her smoothies (Popeye has helped them become friends with spinach!). Here's my go to smoothie recipe for them...

First, I prep the ingredients. I freeze fruit chunks and greens in ziplock bags (once we have more kitchen storage space I want to switch to tupperware since they would be easier to wash and reuse, we hardly use plastic bags for anything anymore which I love!). Here I have frozen about 1 1/2 cups total chopped fruit like mango, papaya, pineapple, and strawberries along with 1 1/2 cups baby spinach in each bag...

In the morning, we just grab a bag out of the freezer and dump it in the blender along with 2 bananas, 3 - 4 cups orange juice, 1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt, and a drizzle of honey. I blend it on the liquify setting to really blend up all that frozen fruit and spinach. It's comes out a nice minty color which the kids love!

resting and other things I'm bad at

2012-02-11T22:43:00.000-08:00

{Saturday morning pictures courtesy of Naomi and Akemi}

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

It's been a long week. The pregnancy is really wearing on me. I'm trying to keep up, do all the things I need to do, want to do. But I've been having a rough go of it.

I'm sick and dizzy most of the time. I have no energy. My body is not getting the nutrients it needs. I've been on all sorts of prescriptions and supplements, eating everything my Dr recommends, but I've been so sick, nothing sticks. I just feel drained. all the time.

I've had to re-prioritize a lot lately, to make sure the most important things are where I'm putting my time and energy...

I'm always helping other people out and it's hard for me to say "hey my hands are full". But they are (quite full actually). And I know where God wants me now is taking care of my own family. Homeschooling, baths, feeding everyone, reading, giving my good energy to my husband and kids and this little baby I'm growing.

That's where my time really counts.

I can put in the hours and see them blossom

and I know I'm doing fruitful things.

So I've revised my new year's goals and at the top of the list, for the next two months, are rest. nurture myself and my family. And pray that at the end of April I am healthy and holding a healthy baby girl who will make it all worth while.

what hapa means

2012-02-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

hapa (ha'pa) adj. 1. Slang. of mixed ethnic heritage with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry. n. 2. Slang. a person of such ancestry. [der./Hawaiian:hapa haole. (half white)]

I'm guest posting over at More Than Hapa today as part of the series what hapa means. Come on over and read about our experience as a mixed race family and what it means to us!

valentine cards

2012-02-08T22:49:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to share our Valentine's Day cards with you this year as I think they're extra cute! I always love using pictures of the kids in cards they give out; I think it just gives them that personal touch. And once I realized we had the perfect number of little ones to spell out I ♥ U I just knew we had to do it!

I cut the letters and heart out of red construction paper and just taped them to the kids wearing their white long johns. I think I had to take about 20 pictures to get a couple good ones where everyone was facing the camera and smiling at the same time. Not too bad really. I already shared a few shots on the blog last week, but would you like to see a few outtakes? Yes? ok...

When we were done they insisted on hanging the letters on the wall for a few days. I picked a favorite and ordered some wallet sized prints from Costco, the photos were less than $4 total!

We picked out a little treat to go with their cards, heart shaped lollipops...

and glued the pictures to some pretty pink paper. Naomi and Henry are writing their Valentine's notes on the back...

And stuffed them in some cute little Japanese envelopes perfect for delivering to those we love :)

lovely things

2012-02-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

above, clockwise:

Vintage Heart Cup and Saucer
Origami Make Love Poster
Candy Heart Stud Earrings
Valentine's Day Card

Squirrel Heart Statue

Pink Cupcake Earrings
French Macarons

Linking up for What I'm Loving Wednesday today... I'm thinking about sweet things with Valentine's Day just around the corner! How cute is that Favorite Husband card?! I love it. I'm also loving some of my cute Pinterest finds this week...

from here

hello february

2012-02-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

This picture of baby Henry... oh it gives me baby fever so bad!

He was such a cutie, I just want to kiss his little cheeks.

Of course, he is still cute, but you know, there is just something about babies.

We've been having an unusually sunny streak of weather lately.

Waking up in February with the sun pouring in through the curtains...

it's glorious and I love it!

I have a rough time with the dreary winters up here and have long said I would relocate in a heartbeat if the timing felt right and all the cards fell into place. I'm not a wintery person. I try to enjoy it but really I am just counting down the months until it's sunny and warm again.

We were in bed over the weekend, just waking up and enjoying those rays of sunshine when Henry hopped into bed with us and before I knew it he was throwing up all over... I mean it went everywhere.

So gross.

We've been doing laundry for like 36 hours straight.

None of the kids are sleeping well.

Do you have those days where you're just really looking forward to bedtime and it's barely afternoon?

That's today.

they're only little once

2012-02-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

It's safe to say I don't have a very big personal space bubble these days. Akemi is almost always in bed with us by morning... draped across my belly, I can feel the baby kicking her as she cuddles up as close as she can get.

The kids are always with me. Even when they're in classes, they're only the kind where one of us is there waiting for them too. I don't leave them very often.

Some days are harder than others... extra challenging, more exhausting. There are times I do think wow I just need an hour away. To work, to run errands, to have coffee with friends. To have a few minutes where little people aren't climbing on me. And I can get that... even if it's just a hot bath while the kids are at the park with papa. To refresh...

and then it's back on duty!

But I'm ok with that. Because I know they are only babies once.

They will grow up and not need me someday...

they will stop climbing in bed with us

hanging on our shoulders for rides

talking to me 24/7

all of these things, they will grow out of.

and I will miss those warm little babies in our bed in the mornings...

the pitter patter of tiny feet

the weird little towers of blocks and animals they leave all over the house.

This is a phase for them...

for us.

And I don't want to let it slip by without soaking it all up

so I'm happy to not have many nights out, or free days on my hands.

I'm ok with the insane amount of time it takes to pack everyone up for an afternoon of errands, because someday they will be jumping in and out of the car, buckling their own seat belts, and they won't need me...

as much.

I am so blessed to be their mama

to be the one who gets to hold them like this, for this short time in their lives.

and remembering that makes all the long days better!

what i'm loving...

2012-02-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up for What I'm Loving Wednesday, can you tell what is on my mind today? I need a vacation! But the second best thing to actually going on one might be drooling over these gorgeous vacation inspired picks... I am seriously in love with that bag!

clockwise from top left:

Goldtone Bauble Bracelet
Paisley Dress
San Diego Sun Hat
Roman Sandal
Shrug Sweater
Weekender Bag
Vintage Scarf

And speaking of stuff I love, I have to share this awesome new product I found for the kids... I never knew something like this existed (I think I'm behind on the times)! It's called the Aqueduck Faucet Extender. It's this nifty little spout you slip on your faucet so the kids (and short pregnant women...) can reach it more easily. The kids love it.

Especially Akemi since she couldn't even reach the water standing on our bathroom stool, and now she can! Oh this girl loves washing her hands. And Henry can now reach it without a stool at all which is making my life just a tad bit easier. Plus it slips off in less than 2 seconds when we don't want it on this sink. Genius product.

gift exchange

2012-01-31T18:23:00.000-08:00

I got to participate in a fun little New Year's blogging party this year where a bunch of us bloggers were paired up and did a gift exchange. What fun! I've met so many extraordinary women through this little thing called blogging and years ago when we started our little family blog I never imagined that it would become such a way to share our lives and make new friends (or that a network would want to pay me to do it)!

I was paired up with beautiful Kimberly over at Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl ... check out her blog, I especially love her Love Dare posts! She sent me this gorgeous sea green necklace which, as you can see is already getting a lot of use. With several other girls in the house, there are always a few little fingers in my jewelry box excited to wear something pretty!

weekends

2012-01-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

Weekends around here are for sleeping...

sometimes all piled in our bed after watching black and white Tarzan movies.

They're for homemade blueberry pancakes

and coffee

and staying in our robes until noon

(except for Mass on Sunday - we do get dressed for that you know).

Weekends are for playing

and building forts

and reading Bible stories.

for turning off the phone and jumping into giant piles of pillows...

isn't it lovely?

That's just the way weekends are supposed to be.

lunch

2012-01-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

For lunch this week we've been grilling up caprese sandwiches. A friend asked me once "what does a vegetarian eat on a sandwich anyway?" oh there are so many yummy vegetarian sandwiches, but this one is definitely one of my favorites! And it's so easy to make at home...

Caprese Sandwich

baguette or crusty bread

fresh mozzarella

fresh basil pesto

olive oil vinaigrette (or you can use a vinaigrette caesar dressing)

tomatoes

red onion

iceberg lettuce

Slice baguette and spread generously with pesto. Top one side with sliced, fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes. Grill in panini press or toast open face in oven until cheese is slightly melted. Add sliced onion, lettuce, and drizzle with vinaigrette dressing. Enjoy!

pancakes

2012-01-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

The power went out overnight... we've had some very windy days here this week. Nothing like waking up and it's freezing cold and you can't make anything hot to drink and the kids are sad because they can't watch Sesame Street. So we did what's only logical: packed up the kiddos and went to IHOP.

Naomi said Henry at IHOP they have electricity and it's filled with warm air and pancakes! That girl loves her pancakes.

linking up for embrace the camera today!

cuteness

2012-01-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

I have some super cute finds for What I'm Loving Wednesday this week... something about it being freezing and yucky outside with a couple more months of winter left has me day dreaming about spring. I love all these bright and cheerful things! I read that's why Norwegian homes are typically painted all white with bright pops of color left for the decor, it helps them weather the long winters inside. I guess we're kind of like that in the Pacific Northwest too!

clockwise:

Fuzzy Bunny Tea Towel

Latte Bowls in Chartreuse
Rabbit Hanging Knob
Striped Bottle Vase
Yellow Bridge Teakettle
Rain Boots in pink
Stonewear Tumblers
Faux Bois Pillow in Beech
Pikku Jatski Paper Napkins

cupcakes

2012-01-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

It was a long weekend over here... Akemi has been fighting off a little bug and I'm suspecting she may have an ear infection now too so it's off to the doctor we go. Our poor little girl has been so miserable and fussy and just not sleeping (which means this mama is kind of miserable and fussy too). I don't know if it's just the cabin fever from being stuck inside with all the winter weather, but the big kids have been a bit testy as well.

I think it's safe to say we all needed a little fun, so we whipped up some cheerful little cupcakes over the weekend. I know Valentine's Day is still a few weeks away, but everyday is a good day for pink cupcakes right? Naomi decorated some for Papa and I thought her little sign was just so sweet...

Sometimes people ask Kenji how he feels now that him and Henry will be so outnumbered by girls and he always says it will be great because the girls in our house bake him cookies, clean and decorate, bring him breakfast in bed, give him back rubs... a lot of daughters doesn't sound like a bad situation after all!

holding on

2012-01-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we're having a baby. In three short months no less... no matter how active she is, kicking and playing at all hours. No matter how many times I see her, or hear her steady heartbeat at the doctor's office (or have insane midnight cravings for cheesecake). It just doesn't feel real.

It never really does.

At least not until I'm holding that baby and they're looking up at me with those little newborn eyes that are seeing the world for the first time...and I can touch them, and feel them breathing, then it's real.

Until then it's like we're holding on to a little piece of them, but they're not quite here yet. So we just wait, and hope, and pray.

I leave every good appointment overwhelmed... with gratitude, with joy

with total amazement.

To remember sitting in an office seven and a half years ago, hearing we would likely not be able to have children.... to have four of our babies leave us too soon, it felt unbearable. How could I have ever imagined how full our family would be today? How blessed we would be with these little ones? I still can't quite grasp how awesome it all is. But I know God has a plan for our family... for each of these little babies.

and it is awesome.

For those with faith, no explanation is necessary. For those without, no explanation is possible. - Thomas Aquinas

{linking up with Casey at the Wiegand's today}

snow angels

2012-01-19T22:41:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing here for 2 days straight and we're loving every inch of it. I don't even mind a good ice storm as long as we're all stuck at home together...

eating hot soup

sledding with the neighbors

snowball fights... it's a nice pace for the week!

Though I may have learned first hand that trying to make snow angels with the kids while in the third trimester is a hilariously bad idea that will require help to get up. So we won't do that again. But we most certainly will be enjoying more hot cocoa, building more snow men, and cuddling up in warm blankets once the sun goes down...

what i'm loving wednesday

2012-01-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

It's about as wintery as it can get over here today...so what I'm loving most is being bundled up inside with my hubby watching the snow fall! And drinking hot cocoa... and watching the kids eat pirate booty with their bright pink cheeks from playing outside so long. Plus my cute finds this week are perfectly cheerful for this mid-winter day!

clockwise from top left:

Snow Cascade pocket dress

Black & White Knit Striped Scarf
Chunky necklace, unknown

Renee Boots

Woven Straw Belt
Sophisticated Cocktail Ring
Christy Faux Fur Tote Bag
Tiered Pom Pom Scarf
Puppy Dog Zipper Pouch
Striped Sweater

linking up with Jamie for What I'm loving Wednesday!

tuesday

2012-01-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

Oh Akemi, this girl is just a bundle of energy and giggles. Her zest for life is incredible (especially at 7 in the morning). She wakes up ready to play and loves to climb into my arms for a tickle - but usually I just insist on snuggling her a bit and soaking up her honey smelling baby hair. Because once all 3 are up, the day gets busy, and I like to savor those quiet times.

It started snowing again today while we were out running errands. The kids were so excited. It's slushy now but there's supposed to be more to come tonight....

This afternoon we're cookie baking (or as Akemi calls them chookies!)

catching up on laundry

working on some projects.

I finally finished some new pillows for the bed... I got these cushion covers on sale months ago and have had them in my sewing pile to take in so they'd fit our Euro shams. Finally done, yay!

Tonight, I think we'll all climb into bed early and watch The African Queen... because it's always a good night to watch some Humphrey Bogart.

And then maybe we'll pass out Henry style, in the middle of reading flash cards...

life is good!

recipe: raspberry muffins

2012-01-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

Something about it being cold outside just makes me want bake. Anything sweet and warm... something the kids can run in and snack on when their fingers are icey after hours of playing in the snow...

This is an old plum cake recipe I had and I just altered it to have no eggs for Akemi and then instead of plums on the top I mixed in some frozen raspberries from our local berry farm. The kids were excited to use their new safari animal muffin tin (because you know, what's a muffin if it's not shaped like a lion?) but I think the shapes will turn out better with plain muffins next time, these were a little hard to make out with the berries in them. But they tasted sooo good! And they're really easy, the kids practically did everything!

Raspberry Muffins

makes 10 muffins

2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup softened non-hydrogenated margarine (such as smart balance)

1/2 cup cane sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 heaping tbs ground flax seed mixed with 2 tbs warm water (or 1 egg)

1/2 cup almond milk (or dairy milk)

2 cups frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350

In measuring glass, mix ground flax seed with warm water and allow to stand for several minutes until thickened. Meanwhile, cream margarine and sugars in bowl. Stir in flax seed mixture. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon all at once. Stir a few times then add in milk and stir until well combined. Mix in frozen berries.

Scoop into oiled muffin tin and bake approx 24 minutes or until slightly browned on top.

snow

2012-01-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

We've been enjoying our first round of snow this winter. And to think, just last week I was this close to packing away the snow suits and boots because it's been so mild this year, so we're quite happy to have some snow! We did have one day of pretty heavy snowfall and the power went out, but thankfully it was back on before it got dark. And what better way to be snowed in than with the grandparents who had new sleds for the kids? Naomi says it's magical!

currently feeling...

2012-01-14T16:51:00.000-08:00

love is not enough

2012-01-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

It was a busy week... doctor appointments, homeschooling, projects around the house, working a lot. I think busy becomes the natural state of life when you have 3 little ones at home. I barely know what to do with myself when I have an hour alone!

It's so easy when we're busy to focus on all the to do's and put the people in our lives on the back burner. There's always something waiting for my attention... laundry, cleaning, answering emails, getting orders out, grocery shopping. Those things will always be there (unless I get a housekeeper?)

but when it comes to people, just loving them is not enough. You have to show it. It's taking time to sit and read with the kids even though laundry needs to be done. Or staying up when my husband is working late so he doesn't come home to a dark house. It's stopping and saying "hey I love you!" even though you're sure they already know it. say it anyway! I never want to be so busy that I don't stop to kiss Kenji goodbye, or look at the picture one of the kids is drawing for me. Because those people are my life. The entire reason why I am doing all that laundry and cleaning and working... they are more important.

So we make time for family movie nights.

For impromptu snuggles or a quick lunch date...

or a detour across the skybridge because I just know how it makes Henry's day.

There is always time to make someone else happy. To do those little things that say i love you!

♥ linking up with Casey at the Wiegand's and Emily for embrace the camera today!

videos: Akemi 1 1/2

2012-01-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

A couple videos of our little girl just a week shy of 19 months...

in the first she is saying the ABC's, it's hard to understand her but it's cute nonetheless! When she does it with the big kids she makes it all the way from A to Z!

And the second she is counting...she gets up to 9 here and then gets distracted by some drool on her chin. Ha. But I have to share, she officially knows how to count to 18. 18!! Which is waaaay ahead of where I ever thought 1 year olds should be, but I guess that's what happens the baby gets to sit in on homeschooling! She loves counting everything.

our week: pinatas and baby kicks

2012-01-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

I must be honest and say it's been one of those weeks.

One of those weeks where you're like let's go out for ice cream because you kids have been so good lately! and things were all downhill from there.

Tantrums at the grocery store, not sleeping, not listening, whining all the time...

fussing everyday about picking up toys, making beds, yelling, saying no. it's been nightmarish!

And I've been absolutely exhausted, and sick every night from this so called morning sickness. I am so beat. And I find myself looking forward to bedtime like it's my dream vacation and it just can't come soon enough (even though I really only get to sleep in 3 hour increments... still, it's something).

But rough days will happen... in parenting, in careers, in marriage. And you just get through them. Tomorrow is a new day. It will get better!

And in the meantime your kids might take to entertaining themselves by building their own pinata... or rather a paper bag filled with toys from their toy box and tied off with a rope. I wasn't aware that we now have enough kids that a pinata would be fun at home? But I guess we've crossed that threshold. Awesome.

baby love!

2012-01-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones but I am in love with these adorable baby things and thought it would be the perfect theme for What I'm Loving Wednesday this week! I've always been a big fan of unisex stuff for kids and I find it's especially practical to have things we can use for both boys and girls (even though poor Henry is definitely going to be outnumbered by girls!). Plus I just love these fresh, modern colors!

1. Foxes Knit Blanket - I must have this for baby #4!!

2. Nordicthink Baby Pram toy

3. Super Mario onesie

4. Baby Bear Tambourine - cuteness!

5. Skyline Bib & Burp Cloth set

6. Mix and match baby socks

7. Peeko doll - I just adore these handmade dolls!

8. Alphabet Poster

9. Mr. Frank Fox Pillow

10. Herringbone Tiny Toms shoes

11. Kleen Kanteen Sippy Cup

veg living: breakfasts

2012-01-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

One of my [our] New Year's resolutions is to ramp up the healthy eating a bit... with such a busy year and me being down with morning sickness the last 5 months I haven't had much energy to put into our meal planning. It's been frozen waffles, grapes, string cheese... anything I can give the kids to keep them fed and happy without having to actually cook or think about food, it's been bad. But, I am rounding the corner and looking forward to being able to prepare healthy, vegetarian meals for my family again!

So this year I'm beginning a series of posts about everyday vegetarian living, and we're starting with breakfast ideas. Breakfast is easily the favorite meal in our house and these days it's usually something easy like grapefruit and toast with almond butter, or yogurt and bananas. But we have a lot of breakfast favorites! So without further adieu, here are some of our much loved breakfasts...

Breakfast Sandwich - super easy: 1 egg, cooked, plus havarti and spinach on a toasted whole wheat english muffin. Sometimes I make these ahead and we can grab them out of the fridge for a quick breakfast or lunch...

and another version: veggie sausage patty sprinkled with a little cayenne pepper (we like morningstar farms) and sharp cheddar on whole wheat english muffin. The kids loooove these.

Homemade Blueberry Muffins

Berry Smoothie

Omelets with spinach, mushrooms, and cheese, fresh fruit, homemade orange julius

Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins, one of the kids' favorites!

Berry Quinoa - This warm and nutty cinnamon quinoa recipe is a great one for beginners. We like ours a littler lighter so I usually use white quinoa and mix in almond milk, agave nectar, a little cinnamon, and top with fresh berries.

Potato Pancakes

Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos - for these, I like to prepare the fillings ahead of time and then just pull them out of the fridge in the morning to assemble the burritos, I serve everything hot except for the fresh tomatoes which I throw in at the last minute, You can use any kind of wrap or tortilla... fill with scrambled tofu, crumbled veggie sausage, cooked plain quinoa, and chopped fresh tomatoes. I usually add grilled onions and a drizzle of olive oil to Kenji's and the kids like a little shredded cheese in theirs. My absolute favorite scrambled tofu recipe to follow ...

Scrambled Tofu

adapted from Isa Moskowitz's recipe

ingredients:

1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 T olive oil
1 medium chopped white onion (about a cup)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 a lime

Spice Blend

2 t cumin
1 t thyme, crushed with your fingers
1 t paprika
1/2 t tumeric
1 t salt

instructions:

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Saute onions 3 minutes, until softened.
Add garlic, saute 3 minutes more.
Add spice blend and mix it up for 15 seconds or so. Add 1/4 cup water and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to get all the garlic and spices.
Crumble in tofu and mix well. Don’t crush the tofu, just kind of lift it and mix it around. You want it to remain chunky. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necessary to keep it from sticking too much. Lower the heat a bit if you find that it is sticking.
Add lime juice.
Add nutritional yeast and mix it up. If it seems too dry add splashes of water. The moistness really depends on how much water the tofu was retaining before you added it.

Pumpkin Muffins

Egg white Omeletes with spinach and mozerella; greek yogurt with granola and fresh berries.

Whole Grain Waffles with fresh berry syrup

Carrot Raisin Muffins, Herb Roasted Potatoes, and fresh fruit.

Strawberry Scones - made healthy by substituting white whole wheat flour for the white flour!

Vegan French Toast - blend 2-3 ripe bananas, 3/4 cup almond milk, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, and 1 tsp vanilla in blender until frothy. Pour into wide bowl and dip crusty bread in it before cooking like regular french toast. Serve with vegan margarine, syrup, or fresh fruit.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread - chocolate chips optional but much preferred by husbands and children :)

2012

2012-01-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

He pours light into our minds, arouses our desire and gives us strength... as the soul is the life of the body, so the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls. - St. Peter Damian

We rang in the new year in style with a kiss for good luck and a serious craving for peanut butter frozen yogurt (which the local places do not have, argh!).

The kiddos were safely tucked into bed at 10:30 and Naomi leaned out of her bunk as I was closing the door and whispered "one more thing mom... happy new year!" These kids, they make me melt.

My wish for them this year... that they will thrive in their studies and all they do. That they will feel cherished and protected. That they'll have happy dreams and all the carefree days they deserve.

For us, as a family, I hope this year will bring the realization of several of our big dreams/plans... but mostly, that God will continue to fill us with desire and strength, and show us how we can use the gifts he's given us. (and may he add to those gifts more sleep and patience!)

2012 is going to be great.

goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T17:44:00.001-08:00

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. - Mother Teresa

2011. What a year. I can hardly believe it's over, though I'm more than happy to bid it adieu. It seems so many of our plans were put on hold this year, it's like we blinked and it was over! and not much happened!

But I'm realizing that the importance in how we live our lives depends not as much on the big things going our way, but on the little things. The way we love, the way we help, how we spend our days together...

the first little baby steps, the family dinners, time with friends. There is a purpose for each season in our lives, this we know.

So we say goodbye to 2011, a season that for us, was challenging and lovely all at the same time. And we look forward to all that the new year has in store for us... including a new baby girl in April!

these days

2011-12-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

These days Akemi is not sleeping very well...

which means we're not either.

Naomi has a little notebook where she writes people up for offenses

she wrote Akemi a ticket for waking everyone up too early...

and Henry for playing the piano too loudly

and talking about poo too much.

Our boy spends at least half of every day engrossed in books...

about science and animals and bugs and the earth.

He talks non-stop about them!

Naomi is loving her new baby dolls she got for Christmas...

she pretends she adopted them from an orphanage.

She will be a great mother someday!

I let the kids go to bed one night this week without picking up all of their toys...

(this is big as I am strict about our rules)

but I was just too tired and wanted everyone tucked in early.

Kenji wakes me up with a cappuccino in bed pretty much every morning...

he makes them just the way I like them

how lucky am I?!

Sometimes I forget what a truly awesome husband he is :)

I'm so glad he's mine!

we're linking up for embrace the camera today!

my favorite things...

2011-12-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up for what I'm loving Wednesday and this week I'm sharing a few of my current favs, because we all know moms are busy and if we don't take care of ourselves, we are less awesome for our families! So here's some stuff I'm loving right now...

1. Erin Condren Life Planner - couldn't.live.without.this

2. Borghese Mineral Lip Gloss - from Costco no less!

3. Old Navy Sweater Knit Slipper Boots

4. Lush Bath Bombs - for unwinding after chasing kids all day!

5. Mad Men reruns

6. See's Chocolates

7. Delon Body Butter - especially in Mango or Olive!

8. Odwalla Superfood - for a pick me up when we don't have time for homemade smoothies

9. My Netbook

kids

2011-12-27T23:47:00.000-08:00

Henry's masterpiece (above): he drew a picture for Kenji to show he is going to be nice after being disobedient (why yes, our sweet kiddos are disobedient sometimes. I know, a real shocker!) only instead of writing NICE he wrote MICE. Ha ha ha.... we're working on reading and writing. Then he drew figures of him explaining what happened to Papa...and Papa is saying he doesn't believe him... so he keeps trying to explain. Is that cute or what!?

We're having some much needed downtime after last week's busy schedule...

with lots of playing and art on the agenda.

Followed by some classic Tarzan movies. Naomi and Henry love anything in the jungle.

and playing Disneyland Adventures on kinect... Akemi is too short to play but she doesn't know that. So she stands next to the big kids flapping her little arms at the screen so she can fly with them in Peter Pan, yelling fly! fly!

christmas

2011-12-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year did not bring any snow, but it did bring us plenty of cookie baking, Christmas light gazing, eggnog lattes, new book reading, and generally curling up in our jammies watching lots of Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer, which is exactly the pace I like to keep this time of year.

I always feel that Christmas is one of the most spectacular times of the year to be Catholic. It's truly a feast for the senses... the spicy, familiar scent of the incense, the glow of the lanterns and flickering candles, casting the cathedral in a golden hue. The children walking in Christmas Eve with the nativity statues, reaching out with a prayer to touch baby Jesus in his manger; the sweet voices in the choir singing Christmas hymns... From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold, Peace on earth, good will to all!

It doesn't feel like just a celebration; it's an experience. And we feel that same kind of hope they must have felt some 2011 years ago when this precious baby was born. Hope that in this world of darkness a light has been sent...

there is a reason to celebrate!

Joy to the world!

christmas craft: handprint reindeer

2011-12-23T11:15:00.001-08:00

This is an adorable Christmas craft to do with kids... I just love anything that uses their little handprints! All you do is stamp their hands with brown paint as the antlers and then let them paint a reindeer face - I painted Akemi's, but the big kids did their own :)

christmas party + santa

2011-12-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

[Akemi pointed to this poster of an angel at the children's Christmas party and said mama! Bless her heart, she is so cute.]

I have a confession to make:

Our kids don't believe in Santa.

I know, I know!

It's not that we're not fun or want to suck all the magic out of the holiday... in fact, I would say the holiday is ever more magical and precious to our little ones because they really are waiting for someone very special indeed. They know who the real Saint Nicholas was, a generous man, known for helping those in need and giving especially to children. And we all joke that St Nick will come and leave treats, but we don't play it up to be real, it's just a fun story.

That said, they do enjoy seeing Santa Claus (or the man in the big red suit as Naomi calls him) at the faith formation Christmas party every year, though Akemi was a little who is this guy?!. And then she was easily distracted by all the fun that comes with pinatas... oh pinatas and kids, we were watching with Father Ryan and he couldn't believe all the squealing when the horse went down, it was like a mob of screaming kids. And a fun time was had by all!

[pin the nose on the reindeer]

[Akemi kept pointing to the fallen pinata saying uh oh uh oh, fall down!]

recipe: pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting

2011-12-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Spiced pumpkin cake is one my favorite things ever for big family breakfasts around the holidays... and it disappears so quickly! This recipe is vegan if you opt not to use cream cheese (or use Tofutti vegan cream cheese) in the frosting, and it's almost as good without frosting too. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake

6 tablespoons ground flax seed

4 tablespoons warm water

1 2/3 cups cane sugar

1 cup grapeseed oil (can substitute canola, vegetable, etc)

15 oz pumpkin puree

2 cups all purpose flour

2 heaping tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp salt

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Mix ground flax seed and warm water in large bowl. Let stand a few minutes until thickened.

- Meanwhile, grease a 9" x 13" cake pan.

- Add oil, pumpkin puree, and sugar to flax seed mixture and beat with whisk until smooth and creamy.

- In separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.

- Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and stir well.

- Pour into pan, spreading to smooth batter and bake approx 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

- Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, such as Smart Balance Whipped

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

- Beat cream cheese and margarine at high speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and slowly beat in sugar until smooth.

our week

2011-12-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

[furry slippers for chilly days]

Most of last week was spent fighting off the first winter cold to hit our house... thankfully I didn't get it, because then there's no one to take care of everyone! But the cold has passed and Christmas is in the air... we are so excited!

My last shipment of baby momo orders is out and I'm done working for the holidays... Christmas cookies will be happening soon!

And big news about our girl Naomi - on Sunday December 18th she lost her first ever tooth (how is she this old already!?). It was only less than a week ago she discovered it was loose!

Akemi is starting to put together sentences...things like stroller fall down when she was pushing her doll stroller. She's also calling Naomi nomi now, sometimes she'll be calling her and say nomi! momi! nemo! trying to get it right. It's so cute!

And some random pics from the week...

[playing animal hospital]

[roses... on their way out]

[last of the Christmas rush orders]

[yes! it is!]

[lunch date... these two make my heart swoon]

[first toothless smile!]

a papa party

2011-12-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

What better way to celebrate our main man's birthday last week than with delicious food and homemade ice cream cake! (and let me tell you, our girls can pack away the spaghetti) It was a fun night and we are so blessed to have such a wonderful papa for our family... but more on that in another post!

homemade streamers by naomi

good food

and more good food

good company

good cake

christmas craft: snowmen

2011-12-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

Oh snowmen, how my kids love you. It's a real shame that it has to be freezing outside but we have now snow... so we thought we'd make our own indoor snowmen! I remember making those tube sock snowmen at craft shows as a kid and that's where I got this idea, but seeing as none of us wear tube socks and I wasn't about to buy socks just for the occasion I used some fluffy white fleece to make our own "socks" to create snowmen with.

These were very easy... minimal sewing... kids had a blast gluing on decorations and Akemi loves taking their hats on and off! Oh and Henry insisted on making a baby snowman with a pacifier...

love, and then some

2011-12-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

I can't even put into words how much I adore these people...

how much I truly madly love spending every day with them.

Even when they're sick, or whiney, or not sleeping well,

my life is full and busy and bright with them in it.

I want to give them my best, never leave them wondering how much I love them... never save my hugs for tomorrow... today is what we have for sure!

embrace it!

life in abundance comes only through great love. - Elbert Hubbard

puppet show

2011-12-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

imagination is the beginning of creation. you imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. - George Bernard Shaw

The girls put on a puppet show over the weekend... The Gingerbread Man (very fitting! and seasonal - Naomi mentions they are moving on to work on their next production of Little Red Riding Hood).

I have lots more to post including Kenji's birthday, Christmas crafts, some more exciting news...oh my, the list goes on. But Kenji and the kids have been laying low with colds this week, Grandma had surgery, I've been swamped with Christmas orders, so those will have to wait for another day. Now off to enjoy some Christmas music... :)

notes from playtime

2011-12-09T15:09:00.000-08:00

The kids love playing together in the mornings...

and it gives mama some time to wake up with a hot cup of tea while they run circles with each other!

Sometimes they like to get out every single toy in the entire room

at the same time

even though I strongly discourage it.

(because they have sit there and clean until it's all picked up. I will help, but only as long as they're working too)

It takes the 3 of them about 5 minutes to cover the floor with toys.

The play restaurant (today Naomi was serving spaghetti and meatballs, Henry was mad because he just wanted to have a banana restaurant).

They make elevators for the animals out of baskets and ropes and lower them from the bunk beds...

they build dinosaur zoos with the blocks,

they make "libraries" with stacks of their favorite books and cushions to read on.

They make tents, hanging their blankets from the bunk and tying them to the swing...

they imprison their stuffed animals and make wanted signs for the "bad guys" they're trying to catch.

This morning they made a sleigh and Dumbo was the reindeer...

then Henry loaded the doll cradle up with toys to deliver to all the boys and girls.

Naomi was playing Santa!

I just love to watch these little people create and imagine...everything is magical and no obstacle is too big to overcome. life with them is so fun!

garden of lights 2011

2011-12-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

We made our annual trip to the garden of lights display at the botanical gardens this week. This has to be one of our favorite Christmas time traditions! Bundling up in hats and scarves... seeing all the twinkling lights, drinking hot cocoa.... what a wonderful night!

Akemi was a little sleepy, but she came around and enjoyed the lights with us for most of the time. The kids always love the animals, Henry especially liked the aquarium display with jellyfish (we had to go back three times to look at it more). Naomi was pointing out everything "look! a butterfly! some corn! a rose bush!" And a good time was had by all...

real life

2011-12-06T23:49:00.000-08:00

Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish. - John Jakes, American writer

One of my favorite things about blogging is capturing the mundane, everyday details of our lives. I know we'll always remember the big milestones, but to remember the little things... like exactly where we were when our first baby said her first word (playing on the bed in our little apartment in Seattle) or what the kids ate for their birthday breakfasts (pancakes with homemade strawberry syrup) or how long their eyelashes when they were babies...

over the years you forget their funny little habits, the stories they tell,

their favorite things at 3 years of age.

It's these little things that make up life.

I want us to look back on these memories and know that things weren't always perfect... we weren't always perfect, but we were happy and we did our best. Even when we were sleep deprived. Or faced with challenges.

I want our kids to see that our home was always filled with love and laughter, no matter how big or small or what city we lived in. There is a tremendous amount love here.

And that love wouldn't be possible without God. We give love and he fills us back up. We look to him for direction and are sailing through this life together.

Sometimes we forget what the important things in life truly are... sometimes we have to remind ourselves not to get caught up in this world, that there's something greater, something bigger, out there.

I want our kids to remember that we enjoyed them... everyday. In little ways and big. And that every sleepless night and hiccup along the way is worth it in the end.

It's not perfect, but it is our life and I want to remember it well!

monday

2011-12-05T22:14:00.000-08:00

Monday was good... except for a little bout with morning sickness (or as I like to call it complete all day feeling like crap sickness because for heavens sake it won't let me feel normal for long). Naomi was busy coloring a "get well" picture for Grandpa Steve, who's had a rough month health-wise. She said "isn't it pretty mom? but I think it needs more swirls... yes Steve would love more swirls!" and she was off to edit.

Meanwhile, Akemi insists on wearing her snowboots everywhere, total cuteness. I hope we get some good snow this year and she can really use them! Come on winter!!

The kids love to follow me around while running errands. It's wonderful now that Akemi can follow the big kids, it's like I have a little line of cuties trailing me around the store (old people love that stuff). Eventually I may get one of those daycare ropes...

Rays of sun shining through the clouds on Lake Washington... this is what the sky looks like pretty much all of Fall, Winter, and Spring up here in the NW, just kind of... gray. But today it looked pretty.

The Christmas tree is up! Since we're short on living space this year, we decided to put it in the nursery (as we affectionately call it now that all 3 kiddos are in 1 room). They were delighted to have the tree. And they've all been very good with it... no ornament throwing or tree climbing as of yet.

My new vintage ottoman... anything that's sea green and mid-century modern is enough to make me swoon! This was a total lucky garage sale find and I may or may not have begged Kenji to bring it home for me if he really, truly loved me (even though we're in the process of paring down our storage unit so we don't have to ship so much when we move, so really it's a poor time to acquire an ottoman... but that's ok, if it has to ride in my lap, so be it)

And we ended the night like all good Mondays should end - watching A Charlie Brown Christmas and drinking hot cocoa. Life is good!

the zoo in autumn

2011-12-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

It's starting to feel like winter now, with frost on the ground in the mornings and the holidays swirling around us; but the zoo was still blanketed with plenty of autumn leaves for the kids to run through. Fall at the zoo is really quite nice. Not as crowded, all of the animals curling up in their little dens and easy to spot.

Akemi wanted to run around the entire afternoon, I don't think she stood still for more than a moment. Where does she get all that energy?!

Henry has been engrossed in animal magazines all weekend. He saw a few new bugs in the bug exhibit and is all about the new cockroaches, or whatever they were.

We'll be back again soon, I am sure!

akemi @ 18 months

2011-12-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

What can I say about our almost 18 month old little girl...

it's hard to imagine life before she was around (though I vaguely recall it being much, much calmer...)

She is quite certain of herself and and is never to be left out of any big kid activity;

coloring, bathtime, running through leaves, climbing the slide, she is there for it all.

She is still pretty much the worst sleeper I have ever heard of at 1 and a half years old, but really, I know this phase will pass. All children sleep through the night eventually. This baby stage is such a brief part of our lives... I want to cherish it all, the baby needing cuddles at 1am, stealing covers, flipping upside down in bed between us and kicking us. Someday she won't want to be attached at my hip 24/7. And I might miss it. So I am soaking up the bright side of it which is how blessed we are to have this adorable little girl in our lives.

And her smile... oh how she has the biggest, most contagious smile! She laughs all the time, like she's making her own little jokes.

She loves coloring on the chalkboard, playing with Henry's fire trucks, pushing the doll stroller, watching Blue's Clues. She also loves coloring on walls - and tables, and her feet.

Favorite foods are almond milk, bananas, muffins, strawberries, black beans, pasta, and greek yogurt (which is the only dairy she is able to tolerate). She is a picky eater and doesn't eat much. Akemi, eat better for us, ok?

They grow up so fast!

See Naomi @ 18 months...

and see Henry @ 18 months

december 1st

2011-12-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

{ naomi and i on a winter walk * linking up for embrace the camera today! }

It's a foggy December morning here...

Naomi always climbs into our bed to say goodmorning, wrapped in her soft, pink blankie.

"what are we doing today?"

she is such a planner, like me!

As she gets older, I know we will differ more

she will have more of her own opinions on things,

Like this week when we went to pick up one more box of ornaments for the Christmas tree... she wanted red and gold but oh no, I explained, red and gold would not match the rest of our ornaments. So we stood in the aisle until we settled on bronze - a decent compromise. We have many more years of comprises to go I am sure!

I am so grateful for our oldest girl... she is such a bright shining light in our lives. And so mature and flexible, what a perfect first child because we can live and learn and figure out what kind of parents we are as we go.

When I was a new mom, my best friend told me "you're only as old as a parent as your first baby is as a child". So with Naomi, I always feel like we're in this together. She makes all the struggles and heartbreak to have a baby that came before her so worth it. And it is such a joy to see her growing and making her very own imprint on the world!

Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven. - Henry Ward Beecher