New toys and a spring snow

Last week there was a huge local consignment sale of kids clothes and toys.  I made it out with this shape sorter below, a little t-ball and bat, 6 pairs of shorts, 9 t-shirts, and some Nike sandals for $39.25!  I was pretty excited about my score and Ty loved his new toys.

So, one morning I was getting ready to go to the grocery store.  I got Ty ready and then went to put on my shoes and was getting all my stuff together when I came back in the kitchen this is where I found him, patiently waiting for mama to be ready.  Guess I’m training him young. :)

Tyler can get up on the couch by himself now, sometimes with out a step up on a toy.  He was pretty proud of himself here.  Tinker-not so impressed.

Last Saturday we got about 4 inches of snow so we got bundled up and played in the spring snow.  He really wanted to ride his car, but didn’t want to get snow on his hands.  When he did fall and get snow on his gloves, he ran straight to me so I could dust it off.

Ty’s first haircut

Ty got his first haircut this weekend from his great grandpa, who has been a barber for 60 years.  The haircut went much better than expected and now Ty looks so grown up.

Watching daddy get a haircut first.  “Daddy, why is grandpa vacuuming your head?”

Now it’s my turn.  Not real sure about it, but I want to be like daddy.

I do like your barber chair grandpa!  Happy 80th Birthday!

Ty also got to see his other great grandpa this past weekend too.

Exhausted

Exhausted after the St. Patty’s day party.

Sit

Working hard on sitting.

I can do it myself, Part 2

Tyler is getting pretty good at feeding himself with a spoon or fork. Sometimes that's the only way he will eat, if he gets to do it himself. He's so proud of himself!

New Shoes!

Tyler is now up to size 7 shoes.  I bought these Converse shoes on clearance at Babies R Us a couple months ago for $10!  Here we tried them on for the first time.  They are still a little big, but the 6’s are too small and he asks to take them off immediately right when we come home, so, size 7 it is.  He loves his new shoes.

Culinary Exploration: March

Month: March

Food: California roll

History: In the 1960s,LA became the entry point for sushi chefs from Japan seeking to make their fortune in the US.   Ichiro Mashita a sushi chef began substituting avocado for tuna and after further experimentation, the California roll was born in the early 1970s.   Traditionally sushi rolls are wrapped with nori(seaweed) on the outside, but Mashita also eventually made the roll "inside-out", i.e. uramaki, because Americans did not like seeing and chewing the nori on the outside of the roll. After becoming a favorite in southern California it eventually became popular all across the United States by the 1980s.

Description: Today’s exploration is a little different because we have both tried California rolls in a restaurant, but have never tried to make them.  Jeremy chose to make them with the following ingredients; sushi rice, nori, avocado, cream cheese, cucumber, shrimp, celery and imitation crab.  After cooking the shrimp and rice, he sliced everything else really thin so it would roll easily. Once assembled he put them back in the fridge to chill.

Taste Test: Anyone who knows Jeremy knows he loves spicy food and is a big fan of sushi.  So, of course he bought a tube of real wasabi and ate it with his California rolls.  The California rolls were good, I tried one with avocado and crab and avocado and shrimp.  I did try dipping one in the wasabi/soy sauce mixture, but it was too much heat for me and while I swallowed that bite, I chose to eat the rest without the sauce.  Jeremy loved them and wants to try making them again so he can work on his rolling technique.  He’s even looking into where he can buy sushi grade fish locally.  I’m not a huge fan of sushi, I have eaten it, but there are just so many other foods I would pick before it.  Tyler did try it, but only ended up getting the rice in his mouth and liked that.

Before

Essential to the California roll construction is a bamboo rolling mat and sushi rice.  We also bought nori, sesame seeds, pickled ginger, and wasabi.

After

Tyler enjoying a bite.

I can do it myself

Tyler is becoming more and more independent everyday.  He can now find anything and everything to help him get up on the couch.  And he’s growing so that number of things he can use is growing, he really just needs an inch boost.  He loves to “read” in his rocker.  He can get in the chair while holding a book all by himself.