Pre-Thanksgiving day jitters

Hubby and I couldn't travel back home this Thanksgiving*, so we're holding a small get-together here.  (Luckily, one of hubby's aunts lives nearby and is able to celebrate with us.)  It's my first year cooking a full Thanksgiving meal, so I'm definitely feeling nervous.  To lessen my load tomorrow I started preparing some items tonight.

 I successfully defrosted the turkey.  *Phew*

But my attempt at dessert didn't turn out quite so well.  

What went wrong?  Why does my cheesecake look CRAZY?

Hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family. 

    
*We miss everyone back home very very much.  Whenever you eat your turkey leg and sliver of dessert, please think of us. :)

Baby Manny meets Baby Chuck

If you've been following this blog, then you already know that hubby's sister gave birth around the same time that I did.  (To see those posts, click here and here.) Last weekend Baby Chuck and Baby Manny** chatted online.  I'd like to imagine that their conversation went something like this:

Or, perhaps their conversation went something like this:

Tee hee hee.  We look forward to Skyping everyone again soon. 


** Henceforth his pseudonym will be Manny Pacquiao.

The great baby escape

This weekend Baby Chuck met hubby's aunt.    

She gave him lots of hugs and kisses and told him about the great state of Wisconsin.

Baby Chuck-  "Really?  You get that much snow?  I'd like to see that for myself."

 

"Mom, I'm all packed.  Can we visit Wisconsin?"

One day, Baby Chuck.  One day we'll trek across that big lake.

A mum's prayer

Lately I've been finding myself praying for more
more patience,
more peace,
more wisdom,
more hope,
more understanding
more strength,
more bravery,
and more love.

Because having a child is more wonderful
and more difficult than I could have ever imagined.

I may be out of a job soon...

Lately hubby has been teaching Baby Norris to drink from a bottle. (Isn't this surprising?  Who knew that babies could struggle with this?)  Although most of the milk initially ended up on baby's clothing, we never gave up.  After a week of experimenting and coaxing, Baby Norris finally finished a whole ounce of milk!

Baby Norris-  "Hmm, I could get used to this..."

Baby Norris- "Dad, can we do this again?"

Virtual art gallery

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by.  My niece is no longer in preschool!  She's now in elementary school and making beautiful artwork.

What lovely colors!

Perhaps one day she will be a famous painter like Kadinsky?  (And a chef on the side!)

(Frame borrowed from here)

Bye, mom

Yesterday my mom returned back home.  

Here are two of my favorite photos of her and Baby Norris: 

Surprise!

Imagine opening your fridge and seeing this little guy grinning at you...

Hello!

Isn't he cute?  (Check out our aunt's amazing edible creation here)

Hooray

for family and Skype.

Happy (Birth) day!

Oh my goodness!  Hubby's sister just gave birth to a super cute baby boy!!!  We are bursting with excitement for them. :)

My funny sister

Here's a snippet from a funny email that I received from my sister last Saturday: 

 

I hope you don't give birth until at least Tuesday! I won't have my phone charger until then!!! ): So you can't call me and tell me what a gruesome experience--I mean WONDERFUL WONDERFUL (: experience it was to give birth!!

She's so funny.  Here's my response:

HAHAHAHA!  I'll be sure to keep Baby Norris in until then.

Visitors and Chuck Norris

Some family members drove zillions of miles to visit us this past weekend.  It was so nice seeing everyone and feeling so loved.  Hubby and I were also inundated with TONS of baby clothes and gear from other faraway family members and friends.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  We're now officially ready for Baby Chuck Norris's* arrival.  

(*This will be baby's nickname until he arrives.)

Below are some shots from the weekend 

(along with some humorous Chuck Norris facts):

When Chuck Norris crosses the street, the cars have to look both ways.

Chuck Norris doesn't need to swallow while eating food.

Some people get lucky and kill two birds with one stone. Chuck Norris once killed four birds with half a stone.

Mother Nature used to be the boss, until the day Chuck Norris was born.

Special delivery

Earlier this week I received a package of maternity clothes from Hubby's cousin.  They came at just the right time.  My pants were getting so tight that it hurt to button them up.  Hubby joked that baby was going to be born with a waistband imprinted onto its forehead. 

The results of my impromptu fashion show.  Charlie gave the outfits two paws up.

Windy city

This weekend we visited Chicago with our Aunt.  Although New York is still my favorite city, I can see why people find Chicago to be so charming and beautiful.

What do my country bumpkin eyes spy?  A complimentary water bottle filling station!

We rudely walked through a conversation.  This big face was talking to...

his good friend.

This reflective object called out to us from a distance.  Oooh, shiny!

Here's the otherworldly view beneath the giant shiny bean.

One of Chicago's rivers

Another view of water- Lake Michigan

Is it a pie?  Is it a quiche?  No, it's one of Chicago's most famous attractions:  stuffed pizza.  Note:  This was a "small."

Cycling baby

It's so exciting that hubby's sister is also pregnant too.  And guess what?  Her due date is just one day before mine! 

This morning she sent a text describing her second ultrasound:

"...the doctor was trying to measure the baby's legs

but it kept moving them like it was running.  

Nick says he wishes he could put a bike in there." 

So cute- like daddy, like baby.

This cute onesie was found here

Spread the blog

One of my aunts just recently started her own crafting blog.  I'm super excited because now she has a place to showcase her crafting and culinary talents.  Here's a sneak peak at one of her amazing creations:

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a sushi cake! 

Vampires and young children

After seeing my all my nieces and nephews this Christmas, I realized two things:

(1)     I love them very much.

(2)    Young children are like vampires.

Here are six reasons why children are similar to vampires.

Reason 1:  They’re super strong.

Reason 2:  They're super fast.

Reason 3:  They suck your…energy.

Reason 4:  They don’t sleep at night.

*Repeat this scene at 4:00, 5:30, 6:15, and 7:00

Reason 5:  They’re incredibly good looking. 

No matter what the parents look like, their offspring is always cute

Lastly, reason 6:  They can control your mind.

Don't stare into his eyes, or you too will fall under his spell

It's the most de-li-cious...

time of the year...

One certainly cannot celebrate the holidays without feasting!  Below are some highlights from our aunt's holiday meal:

VIEWER BEWARE:  Looking at these photos will cause your salivary glands to become overly excited.  Drooling will probably occur.    

Welcome to the holiday table!

Let's take a closer look at some dishes:

Shrimp baked in butter and garlic, then sprinkled with salty parmigiano reggiano

Roasted prime rib covered in a delicious coating of garlic cloves, mustard, and crushed black pepper

Apple, walnut, and craisen salad with mustard and maple dressing:  a wonderful mixture of textures 

Color me Christmas

Sadly, Christmas has come and gone.  Luckily for me, our aunt's decorated house helps carry holiday cheer into the New Year.

Five little snowmen send their season's greetings.

This tiny tree puts me in a wonderfully sweet and girlie mood.

Somewhere a tiny Santa Clause is running around naked.

I'll take a bite of that

Today I took it on my shoulders to be the official food taste tester of the family.

Taking my responsibilities seriously, I had to taste test hubby's dinner

and his dessert too.

Both safe.  Phew.  Now he can eat.