A very merry Christmas

Christmas Eve was celebrated at our home this year. It was a lovely evening filled with plenty of good food, good company, family, and love.



Our little walker entertained us all by toddling around most of the evening. Ryan similarly entertained with his cries of, "Open it! Open it!" It was a very merry Christmas for all.

What will tomorrow bring?

As of yesterday, the most Sara had walked independently was about four steps.

Then came tonight. We went to Ryan's Christmas program at his preschool, and Sara started walking down the aisle! We counted as many as 10-12 steps on numerous occasions. Of course, I insisted on capturing the moment before we left the church, which is why you see her walking down a random church corridor in this video.

It's still not her preferred mode of travel, but I'm seriously wondering what tomorrow will bring. Will I wake to a crawler or a (gasp!) walker? Whatever the case, it's clear her days on all fours are numbered!

A visit with Santa

Tanja and I took Ryan and Sara to see Santa Claus at the Cerritos Mall today. I thought Baby Girl would scream her head off, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Ryan wants a monster truck for Christmas. Sara just stared at Santa quizzically. :)

Frohes Fest!

On Saturday night we and the Rosas went to a dinner party hosted by our friends the Masterjohns. The Masterjohns have a love of many things German: BMWs, German food, and of course yours truly. ;)

We had a really fun evening watching the kids, catching up, and eating delicious food! This was followed by decorating our graham cracker houses. Later on we headed over to a neighborhood in Brea that does an exceptional job with the Christmas lights. It was a great time overall, and we hope to do it again next year!

Play date

Today a couple of my friends from Mommy & Me came over with their kids. They're too young to really play together, but they basically crawled over each other as they tried to get to their mommies. Plus, we adult ladies had lots of fun! ;)

Road trip

This past weekend we went out to Lake Havasu with Tanja, Eric, and Ryan. The weather was beautiful, and we really enjoyed the Christmas boat parade.

I only took a few pictures on the drive up, so here they are. :)

Baking cookies with Karen

Last year, my friend Karen came over a couple of weeks before Christmas to bake cookies. My little newborn Sara Jo basically slept the whole day, and Karen and I baked our little hearts out and had a wonderful time.

This year, we decided to get together again, and our little baking tradition has been born! This year, we made three varieties: gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, and walnut cookies. Sara was a good sport but definitely wanted to be in on the action.

I'm already looking forward to next year!

Recipe review: Chicken burritos with mojo

Since Thanksgiving was last week, I sought out recipes I would be able to use with leftover turkey. I really enjoyed this one and will happily make it again with chicken or turkey. The rice to me was the weakest component of the dish. It was okay, but nothing special. The beans were good in the burrito, and Sara LOVED them! They took longer than the 1.5 hours to cook fully for me, though.

Easy Chicken Burritos with Mojo

Ingredients

Mojo Sauce:

• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 serrano chilies, seeds removed
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves
• Juice 2 limes
• Juice 1 orange
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 large flour tortillas
• 1 (3 to 4 pound) whole roasted chicken, shredded (I used leftover turkey)
  
• Yellow Rice, recipe follows
• Spicy Black Beans, recipe follows
• 2 avocados chopped
• 1 cup grated queso blanco or Monterey jack cheese
• Sour cream, for garnish
• Cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions

Make the Mojo Sauce: Put the garlic, chilies, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, and olive oil into a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

To make the burritos: Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds in a dry skillet or on the grill until pliable. Place some chicken down the center of a tortilla and top with rice and beans, avocado, grated cheese, and Mojo Sauce. Roll up the burrito and serve topped with a generous drizzle of sour cream; garnish with cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lime juice.

Yellow Rice:

2 cups long-grain rice

4 cups water

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 bay leaf

Put all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the rice has absorbed the water, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf, fluff with a fork, and serve.

Yield: 8 servings

Spicy Black Beans:

2 cups (about 1 pound) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quick soak the beans: Put beans in a pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let soak for 1 hour. Drain the beans.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and bay leaf and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Taste the beans and season them with salt and pepper.

Yield: 8 servings

Thirteen months old

People have told me that the older your child gets, the faster the time passes. If month #13 is any indication, I'm in serious trouble!

Sara changed so much this month. From a physical standpoint, her top two teeth are now through and just about all the way in--with an adorable big ol' gap between them. :) Cognitively, though, she has changed even more. Up until a few weeks ago I wasn't convinced she understood anything I said. I was probably wrong, but that was how I felt. Now, I feel like she understands almost everything I say--whether she chooses to listen is a different question entirely. :)

She now has three consistent words in her expressive vocabulary: ball ("ba"), bye-bye, and more ("ma"). She will also stick out her tongue on command, and if she's in the mood, she'll also point to her nose (and say "na!") and her ear (and say "ah!"). Sometimes she'll say book ("boo") and shoe.

As far as the big "walking" question goes, she's getting very, very close. Today I saw her initiate taking a step on her own for the first time. She took about a step and a half before plopping down. She can walk with her push toy now. She's also cruising everywhere and getting into whatever mischief she can find. Although we have installed gates at the top and bottom of our stairs, she has now learned how to descend the stairs, which she enjoys practicing whenever we give her the opportunity. (Just please don't ask how we figured out she can do it. All I'll say is it's more evidence for my "Mother of the Year" award.)

What an exciting, fun month it has been! I can't wait to see what she figures out next!