My darlings

 Ali is five months old today. Wow! Lovin' my baby girl!

These two LOVE LAUGHING together. But, they'll never let me catch 'em with the camera.

Rodeo is 43 months and 5 days today. Wow! Having a blast with my little man!

Can you put a seed in your heart?

We read this scripture in the Book of Mormon this morning.

Alma 32:28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

Me to my son: "can you put a seed in your heart?"

My son: "No! You can only put good feelings in your heart. But, you could put a seed in your belly button and it would sneak into your stomach."

March doesn't come 'til April

"March doesnt come 'til April" said Rody, after I commented on the winter storm that haughtily dropped a foot of beautiful snow on top of the previous layers of snow - something we expect in February, but don't entirely appreciate in March.

It's true.

In Minnesota, March doesn't come until April.

But, we did have a fun time shoveling/playing [Pedro shoveled/Lisa and Pedrito played] in the snow together for almost two hours this morning.

[edited by Pedro]

Tom Kha Gai - Thai Lemongrass Coconut Lime Soup

Our favorite Thai restaurant in St. Paul makes the most AMAZING coconut lemongrass soup. After reviewing a few recipes online, I made up my own for a slow cooker version. Pedro and I were so delighted that it turned out so yummy (especially on a fast Sunday after church). I'm excited to try it again sometime.

If you can find the right ingredients at an Asian market, it is a relatively easy soup to make. Try not to substitute the kaffir lime leaves or the galangal or the flavor won't be right.


1 lb chicken or shrimp (save shrimp until ready to eat, don't add to slow cooker)
4 cups chicken stock
2 cans coconut milk (28 - 36 oz total)
1 Tbsp red curry paste
2-3 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar (or palm sugar)
10 - 15 kaffir lime leaves, torn or zest of 1 large lime
2 stocks lemon grass (just whiteish part), bruised/crushed, chopped to 1 in pieces
1 bunch green onions chopped
several shitake (or white) mushrooms, sliced
1 inch piece fresh galangal, sliced thin (not ginger, though you can substitute ginger if you have to)
juice from half a fresh lime o 1/4 cup lime juice

Add all above ingredients to crock pot.
Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or high for 3 - 4 hours (LOW is better to avoid boiling the chicken)

Remove the chicken, shred it, stir it back in
OR add peeled, deveined shrimp, stir until shrimp turns pink, serve immediately

Add cilantro to garnish
Add extra lime juice to taste
(optional) Add thinly sliced Thai chilies to taste for extra spice

TRY IT!

Revised Vanilla Almond Granola Recipe

Whisk wet ingredients on low in sauce pan:

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon


Mix dry ingredients in large bowl:

9 - 10 cups regular oats
2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds

Combine wet into dry. Mix thoroughly.

Divide into shallow pans lined with foil
Bake at 325 for 30 - 40 minutes until golden
Stir every 10 minutes

Let cool. Store in refrigerator.


Nutritional Information

Total Servings 30.5         Serving size 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories		240.3
Total Fat		13.1 g
	Saturated Fat	5.0 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	3.3 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	3.9 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		52.2 mg
Potassium		130.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate		27.2 g
	Dietary Fiber	4.5 g
	Sugars	6.5 g
Protein		6.3 g

Vitamin A	0.0 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	5.6 %
Vitamin C	0.2 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	22.6 %
Calcium	5.3 %
Copper	25.7 %
Folate	10.4 %
Iron	10.4 %
Magnesium	31.1 %
Manganese	148.1 %
Niacin	3.1 %
Pantothenic Acid	10.3 %
Phosphorus	35.9 %
Riboflavin	5.9 %
Selenium	5.9 %
Thiamin	8.3 %
Zinc	19.3 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Density vs Beaver

We tried this experiment today. It worked and looked cool. We learned a tiny bit about density, but mostly I learned that Rody would rather pretend to be a beaver than learn about density.

Princess Happy

Happy Girl at 3 months

Anyone still want to bet that her eyes will change color? ;)