Nick, Liv & Stella

26 weeks along...

2012-01-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

...and I'm already gripped with excitement to meet this little girl. Stella will surely be the best big sister ever – she gives the baby (my belly) hugs and kisses every morning and says, "I want to play with my little Sister" before tickling my belly and telling it stories. I can just feel my heart grow with adoration for Stella and what a lovely little person she has become.

I can't wait to post Birth Day photos and the Birth Story in April. Until then, I will sit and day dream of what little girl Tostenrude will look like :)

'Tis the season for buying!

2011-12-14T21:18:00.000-08:00

By Liv

If you have any last-minute gifts looming in your near-buying future, I highly recommend buying them from Amazon.com. Not just because my husband works there, but also because they have super fast shipping and usually the best prices found online.

And, if you plan on buying through Amazon this holiday season (or any time of year!) please consider navigating to Amazon.com by clicking the banner on the right side of my blog. Why, you ask? Because I recently joined the Amazon Affiliates program, which means that whenever someone navigates to Amazon by clicking on my link on this blog (look to your right), I will make a percentage of commission on their purchase(s). It doesn't cost any extra for the buyer, it just means that Amazon shares a small amount of the purchase price with me!

Don't tell Nick, but this is my long-term plan for Stella's college fund. (He's not-so-secretly depending on a tennis scholarship, but I think I'm much more realistic...).

I hope the giving and buying season is lovely for everyone and I hope you receive everything you asked Santa for this year!

Happy 32nd Birthday to Nick!

2011-12-13T18:31:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Young man Tostenrude turned 32 this weekend. Stella had to out-do me by singing him a special birthday song and baking him a delicious wooden birthday cake :)

My Sister's Wedding: 11-5-11.

2011-11-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

By Liv

My Sister had the most lovely wedding I've ever seen. The theme was appropriate for our Mexican heritage and for the time of year: Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. The wedding venue was splashed with vibrant colors of mexican paper flowers and intricately decorated sugar skulls. Jessica's wedding dress was a one-of-a-kind mexican wedding dress with an amazing veil to top it off.

I've never been to a more personalized and intimate event in my life. Everyone was made to feel part of the couple's special day and that day ended with a private rock show at Columbia City Theater - headlining one of Jessica's best friends' bands as well as a special performance by the groom as lead guitarist when Hedwig and the Angry Inch played. Talk about a full day of festivities!

All our love to the newlyweds!

Baby Girl Tostenrude - due April 20th, 2012!

2011-11-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

Today, we give thanks for many things. First and foremost, we are thankful for the newest addition to our family - a baby girl who is due to join our family mid-April!

I'm so very thankful that we have family and friends to spend this day with. Thanksgiving is a perfect day to spend in stretchy maternity pants – now we are off to feed our bodies with delicious food and our souls with the love of our family. I hope everyone has a lovely day of Thanks!

Stella's first hair cut

2011-10-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I've been told by numerous people that I should NEVER cut Stella's beautiful locks. But the truth is, it needed it! Luckily, I have a lovely friend (who also happens to cut my hair) and agreed to tame Stella's mane. Ava owns Tigerlilly salon in Ballard and does an amazing job with hair. I'm so very thankful that she went out of her way (and out of her comfort zone) to attempt cutting little bambina's hair.

As I promised, and much to Ava's surprise, Stella was perfect in the salon chair. She sat in silence and simply observed what was happening around her. In the end, we left with no tears shed and not a peep from her little mouth until I asked if she was ready for her lollipop :)

Settling in Seattle

2011-10-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

By Liv

We are pretty much settled in. We've found a beautiful new townhouse in Fremont (Seattle) that is filled with natural light, hardwood floors and all the comforts that we've missed over the last two years of traveling and living abroad.

Now that we are settling in to our new home, we have enjoyed getting out and doing some fun things. Here are some of the highlights from our October in Seattle.

Searching for the perfect Halloween pumpkin: All three of us had a lovely time splashing through the mud in search of the perfect pumpkin. We took a tractor ride and attempted the corn maze before heading home and warming up with some hot cocoa. Stella, of course, wanted to pick out the SMALLEST pumpkin she could find...

A breathtaking view of Seattle from the Bainbridge Island ferry: Not that it's possible, but if one ever runs out of fair-weather outings in the Emerald City, I highly recommend a trip to one of the many destinations that the local ferry takes you to. We took the short trip to Bainbridge Island and back. Stella loved being on the ferry and seeing all the sights from a different perspective - and we enjoyed the fresh air and time together as a family :)

What our 2-year-old is like.

2011-08-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Stella is now 2. People often ask me if time has flown by and I can honestly say that it hasn't. We've done so much in the last two years, we've crammed so many travels and adventures in the last 24 months that the time has not flown by. I remember all the places we've been and all the wonderful people we've met and I can't help but think that it feels like Stella should already be 10!

And let's be honest, she jabbers like a ten-year-old. This child can talk until you're sure there's nothing left to say, but still she'll say more! It's quite amazing to listen to. Even when I've had enough and I stop listening, she wanders over to the cat, Lucy, and starts a conversation with her!

Here are some milestones that our bambina has met, and I want to keep track of them so I never forget!

• She speaks in full sentences and says some of the funniest things I've ever heard! Some of my favorites are, "Lucy, don't cry. We'll be right back..." (Speaking to our cat when we are leaving the house.) "Mama, call the doctor!" (After any time she hurts herself.) "Oh hi, Daddy! So happy to see you!"

• She is potty trained! Well, she was trained at 22 months, so technically before she turned two, but who's counting? (I'd like credit for this amazing feat!)

• Stella loves to sing songs and can sing in perfect tune many of her favorites, including "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Ba-ba Black Sheep"

• Still has the tiniest feet in the world. She's still barely a child's size 4, so she looks like a little mini-person!

• Sleeps in her own big-girl bed in her own room.

There's so much more to say about my little love but I figure this is enough for now. We have really enjoyed watching her grow in the last two years and can't wait to share her milestones when she's three!

Her new favorite thing is the jewelry her Abuelo gives her. For her second birthday, she got her first pair of fresh-water pearl earrings. She insists on wearing them every single day :)

Stella, Abuelo and Seren.

Iceland.

2011-08-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I know what you're thinking, "Liv, when the heck did you go to Iceland? I thought you were living in Seattle now and are all settled?" Well, you're right. We ARE living in Seattle and we ARE settled, but over a month ago, when we left England to move back to America, we made a short stop in Iceland along the way. Call it our last adventure for a long time, if you will.

We stayed in Reykjavik, Iceland. We rented a beautifully renovated 1-bedroom apartment right near the center of town and settled in with our 8 checked bags and 4 carry-on bags that was the entire contents of our house in Oxford. Yes, 8 checked bags. Yes, 4 carry-ons. And a stroller. Crazy, I know.

Besides strolling through town and admiring how amazingly expensive everything in Iceland is, we spent some much-needed family time together and enjoyed the local zoo as well as the world-famous "Pylsur" (aka Hot Dog) stand that both Metallica and Bill Clinton once ate at.

Directly before our flight to Seattle, we made a day trip to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulphur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to have healing properties, too. The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 98–102 °F.

We had an amazing time at the Lagoon and would highly recommend anyone who visits Iceland to make a stop there - especially right before your long international flight!

This store, "Stella" sold only the craziest looking pantyhose you've ever seen.

Riding the carousel at the Zoo.

Enjoying Pylsur at the most famous Pylsur stand in all of Iceland.

No sink is too small for this girl!

The Blue Lagoon's milky blue waters were very warm and calming.

It was like being at the biggest spa in the world!

The tiniest spa-goer...

The things I do and don't miss about living in Oxford.

2011-08-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I know I've spouted on and on about how much I love(d) living in England. I really did love it. There were quite a few things that (now that we are back to the USA) I can honestly say that I do NOT miss about living in Oxford. Here are a few:

I do NOT miss: hang-drying all of our clothes, hearing all the goings-on and people walking past my house (i.e. drunken undegrads), Nick being away working on assignments for what seemed like 24/7, the never-ending bug problem in our flat (first moths, then spiders then slugs!), using a self-rigged shower (our bathtub didn't have a shower head but just a hand-held shower head that we had to rig to the ceiling so we could take a shower!) and not being able to call and chat with my American friends whenever I want.

But, the list of things that I DO miss is even longer. I DO miss being surrounded by academics, amazing architecture everywhere (it really looked like I was living in the Harry Potter movies), the hilarious British accents all around, making new friends that were all in the same situation together (i.e. starting from scratch in a brand new place), walking EVERYWHERE, having so many wonderful restaurants within walking distance - my favorite Indian restaurant of all time was only a block away!

Mostly, I miss the friends that we made during our stay in England. I will never forget them and hope that we stay in touch for a long time to come. Here are some photos from our last week in Oxford. Everyone really rallied together towards the end of our stay - and we ended up having more than one going away dinner, which was lovely. I wish we were heading back for Capstone and Graduation, but it doesn't look likely. For all our OX friends, please keep in touch! We miss you all :)

Anas can really play the tennis-guitar!

Laka and the gang put together a delicious home-cooked Indian going-away feast for me!

Lovely Laura and her precious son, Tenzing. Stella and Tenzing Skype almost every day :)

Stella's best-buddy at their favorite spot: The Perch Restaurant in Oxford.

Fancy a spot of tea?

Happy Second Birthday, Stella!

2011-07-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Stella's birthday isn't actually until July 20th, but since we left Oxford on July 17th, I decided we should host a birthday gathering before leaving England, so we could celebrate with all of our new friends.

And what's more appropriate for a little girl living in the romantic English town of Oxford than a proper Mad Hatter's high tea birthday party? Especially since Stella enjoys having her very own high tea at home every single day.

As I have mentioned about 39 times in my previous posts, I have made some amazing friends during our time in Oxford. I have met people who I know we will be friends with forever. Some of those friends came to the rescue on Stella's big day and helped me to put together a fantastic gathering. We had over 20 people join us to celebrate and we served a completely gluten/egg/dairy free menu that was delectable and delicious:

• Tea Sandwiches •
Chopped olive & cucumber
Wafer-thin turkey & hummus
Almond butter & strawberry jam

• Fruit •
Strawberry, banana, grape and peach fruit skewers

• Treats •
Ginger cookies
Brownie bites
Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate cookie sandwiches filled with vanilla frosting
Shortcake fingers

• To drink •
Mimosas
A selection of fruit and black teas

The decorations were perfect, the food was delicious, the weather was delightful and the company was wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate our daughter's 2nd birthday.

My helping hands: Vini, Thanzeem, Yuvi, Neelima, Lakshmi and Mahdieh.

Taste-testing every single flavor...

The ever handsome, Jamal.

Gluten free and still delicious!

Ellie Claire sporting her Mad Hatter Hat.

The Royal Tea party and the birthday girl at the head of the table :)

Stella sat in her chair at the table for almost 2 hours, sipping tea and eating cookies!

Anas & Thanzeem :)

The Gareys: looking fabulous as usual!

Enjoying some tea and treats.

Neelima loves Stella.

The whole group.

Rahul is one of Stella's favorite new friends.

Stella loves Anas and Thanzeem.

Vasu & Neelima are always so happy to see her, too!

Stella loves Laka and Ash!

Mahdieh did most of the decorating and did a fantastic job. Stella says, "Thank you!"

Anas trying to convince Stella that he's cooler than Rahul :)

These girls love the bambina soooo much!

How many tea sets does a girl need? In Stella's case, the answer is three. This is just one of them :)

Summertime happenings in Oxford

2011-07-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

By Liv

A few things have happened since the last time I blogged (sorry!). Nick has been busy with school and turning in some finals to the exam school. The morning of one of his exams, Stella took it upon herself to "color" his exam paper, just minutes before he was to leave to turn it in... oops!

Punting along the Thames is one of my favorite pastimes in Oxford. I spent a lovely afternoon with some of my favorite people - punting, laughing and sharing some snacks. I will miss these moments but I'm glad that I have photos and memories to last a lifetime!

Punting group: Me, Lakshmi, Amy & Thanzeem.

Pretty Vinni & Pretty Thanzeem.

Green Templeton College hosted a family event that had all kinds of entertainment for young kids. When we entered the college grounds, we were greeted by living statues. Stella wasn't so sure of them...

Jamal was trying really hard to get Stella to hold his hand...

Neighbors and friends.

Our neighbor, Ellie Claire, had her 5th birthday party. The theme was a princess party, so Stella wore a cute dress and tried to play along with the bigger kids. It was really adorable to see her try to fit in :)

The Birthday girl's little brother, Archer.

Watching the party from a distance.

Wimbledon 2011.

2011-06-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Nick is a member of a tennis club here in Oxford, so he had the option to enter a lottery to buy tickets to Wimbledon this year. He was lucky enough to land two sets of tickets to two different days. The first day (Monday) was a wash, literally. It poured down rain and we ended up not seeing a single second of tennis. The second set of tickets was for Saturday and it was perfect weather – it completely made up for our crummy first attempt at Wimbledon!

We had tickets to Court 1, so we were able to watch Nadal vs. Muller, Serena Williams vs. Maria Kirilenko as well as the Bryan brothers vs. Gonzales/Starace.

Even though we knew beforehand that children under 5 are not allowed in the stadium matches, we hid Stella in the backpack carrier and waited until she was asleep to sneak past the security in to our stadium seats. Even after she woke up and I held her on my lap, she was perfectly quiet and once the security man came over to inform me that children are now allowed, he then continued to say that he would allow her to stay until the end of the match (Federer!) since she was being so quiet. I think it's a sign that she will one day be playing on that court :)

Day #1 was rainy, but this is where we WOULD HAVE sat if there were a match going on!

Yay!

The highlight of the day was her Wimby bear.

The princess in her seat up-high.

Wimbledon try #2: Bryan brothers vs. Gonzales/Starace

Bryan brothers vs. Gonzales/Starace

Sleeping through the first half of Nadal vs. Muller

Rafa!!!

Awesome seats.

Enjoying Wimbledon's famous strawberries & cream.

Her future's so bright, she's gotta wear shades!

Gabe & Kathy's wedding in Bristol, England.

2011-06-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

By Liv

How lucky of us to be in England at the same time as our friends Gabe & Kathy's wedding in Bristol. The wedding ceremony was lovely and the reception was even more so. It was held at a beautiful venue and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the groom's sister showed up as a surprise to everyone — all the way from America! What a perfect day for a perfect couple.

Daddy & Daughter.

We love our fascinators!

The Swatzells.

We were so happy to see Annie!

And Stella was REALLY excited to see Annie, especially since she shared her champagne with her :)

Bambina.

What do you think? I think they will make perfect parents!

Nick & Gabe.

Liv & Gabe.

A beautiful venue.

Family portrait.

It couldn't have been a better day for a wedding.

Bambina.

Our little musician.

2011-06-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Stella loves to sing songs. Her favorites are "Ba-ba black sheep" and basically every song from Mary Poppins :) She's amazingly good at humming on tune. Check out her and Nick's rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"— She's our little star :)

Stella-Pie's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2011-06-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

These gluten/egg/dairy-free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies are simply delicious! I promise you won't miss any of the ingredients that are found in other recipes - try them, I dare you!

Stella-Pie's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

*As with any of my recipes, I find it's best to choose organic ingredients as often as possible.*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C)

Combine in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy:

2/3 cup coconut oil, such as Nature's Way Organic Coconut Oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mashed banana plus 3 Tablespoons apple juice (or 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce plus 1 Tablespoon extra brown sugar)
2 teaspoons quality vanilla extract, such as Rodelle Organic Pure Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons local organic honey
1 large carrot, shredded

In a separate bowl whisk together the dry ingredients:

1/2 cup brown rice flour or sorghum flour, such as Bob's Red Mill Organic Brown Rice Flour or Bob's Red Mill Sorghum Flour
1/2 cup oat flour (blend some of your rolled oats - listed below - in the blender until it's a fine powder. There's your oat flour!)
1/2 cup potato or corn starch (Note, potato starch is NOT the same as potato flour! Bob's Red Mill Potato Starch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum, such as Xanthan Gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons flax seed meal, such as Flax USA 100% Natural Organic Flax Seed Meal
2 Tablespoons brewer's yeast, such as Bob's Red Mill T6635 Large Flake Yeast
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, beating to combine. When the dough is smooth, add in the following, by hand, and mix well:

2 cups rolled oats, such as Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats
1/2 cup raisins

If the dough will not hold together at this point, slowly add 1-4 Tablespoons of apple juice, just enough to hold it together.

Use a 1/4 cup to measure out the dough, and using your palms make round balls. Place the balls of dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet about two inches apart. Don't flatten them.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, until they are golden. They will be quite soft until they cool, so simply lift the parchment paper out of the cookie sheet and lay on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy with a coconut milk coffee or cream tea!

A shameless brag post: my daughter is so rad!

2011-06-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Stella is 22 months old now. In my eyes, she is the most amazing person in the world. I've seen her grow from a helpless newborn to an ever-growing independent toddler. I'm proud to say that she has hit 3 huge milestones that I'm excited to share with our friends and family.

First, she now sleeps in a "big girl bed". I was worried that this transition would be difficult, but as with most anxieties that I have had with her, my worries were unwarranted. She did a great job. She now wakes up in the morning, toddles in to our bedroom and softly pokes me in the arm, whispering, "Mama, go downstairs and play?" It's a lovely way to wake up.

Second, she is potty trained! I write this with an exclamation mark because it's one of the most exciting things that has happened in my life recently. I dearly miss her cute fluffy cloth-diapered bum but keep reminding myself that maybe one day we will have another baby to use those adorable dipes, and I can re-live my cloth diaper addiction all over again.

Third, Stella now speaks in full sentences. Some of her favorite things to say are:

"Mama, I love you." or "Mama, I miss you."
"Oh no! The doggy fell down!" (or insert whatever noun you can think of in place of "doggy". She's big on making her toys fall down and then hugging and kissing them to make them feel better.)
"Dadda! Time for goat-meal!" (She calls oatmeal goatmeal.)
"Come here, Mama/Daddy/Tenzing!"
"Mama, please call Papa!" (She loves talking to her Grandparents on Skype!)

Nick and I have been amazed at how quickly she has turned from a baby to a little girl. We are soaking up every second of this beautiful time in our lives because we know that all too soon, she will be a bigger kid and will heading off to school, high school, college and moving out!

Punting the river.

2011-06-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Punting is not as easy as it looks. As in rowing, you soon learn how to get along and handle the craft, but it takes long practice before you can do this with dignity and without getting the water all up your sleeve.
– Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat (1889)

By Liv

Luckily, Nick was a good sport and agreed to be the punter. He did a fantastic job for his first time. Stella enjoyed sitting with her friend, Rahul and her new friend, Areej, while we floated down the canal and on to the Thames River, known as the Isis in Oxford. From our punt, we could see Christ Church Cathedral, Magdalen College and the vibrant bright green fields and foliage that makes Oxford one of the most beautiful cities in Britain.

Our two boats. I have to admit, our punter was better than theirs :)

Stella and her buddy, Rahul.

Stella said, "Mama, that water is cold!"

Friends :)

Enjoying the ride.

Our trusty punter.

A beautiful view from our boat.

Geese, swans, ducks and their babies floated along just inches from our punt.

Country of Origin Party.

2011-06-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

By Liv

A friend of ours, Meg McCosker, had a lovely idea: to host a party to celebrate all the different countries that some of the MBAs came from. The rules of the party were to wear some clothing to represent your country and bring along a food that was specific to your country.

Since I see myself as Mexican and American, and since American food (and clothing) seemed boring to me, I decided to stick with the Mexican side. I dressed in a latin-inspired outfit and made my famous coconut flan to share with everyone. It was a hit. Better yet, Nick decided to join me and dress as an American tourist in Mexico: perfectly paired with a sombrero and a candy-filled piñata. The piñata was, of course, a highlight of the party. We had a great time and send many thanks to the McCoskers for inviting us. We can't wait to visit all of our Oxford friends in their countries of origin after the school term is over!

¡Ole!

American PB&Js.

Renee, the loud-talking American :)

Nick and Pete contemplating the logistics behind hanging the piñata... indoors.

Friends from all over the world.

Renee tried but failed.

Get it, Holly!

Edinburgh, Scotland.

2011-06-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I'm really behind on my updates, sorry! We went to Edinburgh, Scotland a few weeks ago and had a lovely time. Edinburgh reminds me a lot of Oxford (old buildings: beautiful architecture/castles) but the main difference is that there are mountains, and the castles up on the mountains make for an amazing skyline.

Edinburgh was one of our favorite places we have visited. There's a never-ending list of things to do there. We stuck to our usual plan which includes wandering around, seeing the main attractions and playing at local playgrounds with Stella – while enjoying copious amounts of food in between our adventures.

We saw a sign advertising margaritas and Mexican food. We just HAD to stop in!

The Castle.

We arrived at the Castle just in time to see their daily cannon shooting extravaganza.

The cannon shooting is followed by a musical performance by men in kilts. Awesome!

I was probably a little too excited to see the men in kilts.

So much history, so little time.

Admiring the view from the top of Edinburgh.

I couldn't escape!

Stella said, "Oh, look Dad! A horse!"

Playground break!

The Royal Britannia: Britain's royal cruise ship. Decommissioned in 1994 but open for tours.

A flag for each country on board the Royal Brittania.

The royal dining hall on board the Royal Brittania.

"The Queen".

Such a lovely ship!

For the love of France.

2011-05-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I'm convinced that the pastries in France taste about sixty times better than pastries anywhere else in the world. Might this be because I'm always also drinking wine while in France? Maybe, but I can't be sure. Until that question is answered, we will just stick with the fact that wine AND pastries are much more delicious when they are Parisian.

Our trip to France was not completely fun. It also included games! We joined about 200 other Oxford MBA students at the annual MBATs (MBA Tournament, also known as the MBA Olympics) which is Europe’s largest annual gathering of MBA students. The three days of sports competition and festivities unite over 2,000 participants, representing more than 70 nationalities, from Europe’s premier business schools.

Nick competed in tennis and although he didn't win, I'd like to note that Oxford DID win gold in badminton!

While we were in France, we stayed in Versailles, just about 20 minutes outside of Paris. It was a fun trip and I'm glad that Stella was able to see a new part of France that she hasn't seen before. Here are some photos of our adventure:

One of my favorite pastimes: drinking wine and hanging out with Stella.

The Palace of Versailles

Admiring the water feature.

I'd like some recognition for hauling around a baby all day...

on my back... up hill... both ways!

Ziss is zee palace! (and my French accent!)

MBATs

Watching the MBATs - volleyball.

Cheering for Oxford.

A quick switch to basketball: we've got to support our team!

Stella's favorite non-Parisian-in-Paris: Stephanie Poage and her two mini-me daughters.

I'm convinced that Stella likes them because she looks like them :)

Julia & Stella.

You can put on a silly costume, London Business School bulldog but the fact is, you still lost!

Fashionisto.

How did people ever travel with kids before technology?!

Versailles, part II. This time, Daddy is carrying Heavy McStellaPants!

Ziss is zee gate. (French accent, yet again.)

The Tostenrude-Hernandezes.

Nigerians are not good salesmen.

French pastries that (you guessed it) go well with wine.

We made a little side-trip to the palace of Notre Dame and I can't

begin to explain my disappointment in not seeing a single hunchback!

Stella is by far the best traveler ever! Trains, planes, buses,

taxis, backpacks and slings - this girl can do it all!

Happy to have experienced France again. Hopefully we will return again soon!

Slacker Moms: Easter 2011.

2011-04-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

By Liv

As it turns out, it's much harder than I ever expected to be a Mom. All this cooking and cleaning is enough to make a girl crazy but add to that the expectation to both REMEMBER holidays and then actually plan and execute some type of special tradition on those holidays. How's a girl supposed to do all that?

Easter was largely forgotten until – say the day before. Luckily, Marlane had psychically forecasted my slackerness regarding Easter and she had sent me along with all the fixings for an Easter basket for Stella. Jess ran to the grocery store with just a few hours to spare and landed a few extra goodies for the girls, but to be honest, the only things in their baskets were a handful of jelly beans in plastic eggs, a stuffed animal and a helium balloon. How lame are we?

You know, when our Mom was alive, she would make up these ridiculous baskets overfilling with everything from expensive candies to clothes and jewelry for Jess and I. I'm talking Easter, Valentine's Day, even Christmas and our Birthdays. She did this every year until she passed away when I was 23. So the thought of Jess and I NOT recreating this for our daughters is a little absurd. We promised ourselves to make next Easter much more exciting, but in all actuality, the babies didn't even notice. Phew!

The funniest part of Easter was when we arrived 20 minutes late to the public Easter egg hunt. We were quickly informed by a very kind man that the hunt was over and all the candy had been claimed. When his two daughters saw that Stella and Seren's Easter baskets were completely empty, those two little girls were kind enough to share a handful of foil-covered chocolate eggs with Stella and Seren!

At this point, I'm sure you're wondering what kind of fun it is to just be GIVEN a handful of Easter candy for free - without even having to hunt for it. Well, as it turns out, it's NO FUN at all. So what were we to do? You guessed it – we took the girls to a ball field nearby and chucked all their chocolate eggs in the grass and taught them to pick them up and place them in their baskets.

Stella and Seren were so excited and overwhelmed with joy at this new game that they didn't even notice that we were continuously taking those chocolate eggs that they had been picking up so diligently and redistributing them on the grass. They did this repeated egg hunt for about 10 minutes until we decided they had had enough Easter hunting. It was cute, though, and I'm sure this will be the last year we will be able to pull that trick on them :)

Here are some photos of our little darlings. They were so fun on Easter and I'm so glad that we were able to spend the day with my Sister and her family.

Wearing the Easter dress from Oma (Grandma) Marlane.

Last stop: Seattle, Washington.

2011-04-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Last but not least, we ended our whirlwind trip in Seattle with my (crazy) family. The over-indulgence in eating continued, as did the beer and tequila drinking, along with my 2-week-long birthday celebration. The highlight of this stop was definitely seeing my little (well, she's actually pretty big now...) niece, Seren. Stella and Seren sure love each other. Stella spent most of her day calling for Seren, "Say-Say! Come!" and chasing my Dad's dog around the house.

NOW I remember why people choose to live so close to family when they have kids. I can't remember the last time Stella was around so many people who love her!

Fun at the playground with the girls:

Cooking: what we do best.

Eating: what we do even better.

Mid-morning dance party!

The McClurkens.

Stella and Seren have matching sheep. Stella obviously loves hers :)

Opening my birthday gift from my Papa.

New earrings!

Birthday cupcakes. My favorite one was the red velvet cake. Yum.

Jess and the girls.

Dad thinks it's hilarious when Stella rides Zeta.

Cousins even share bubbles :)

Our old "home" - Visiting Portland, Oregon.

2011-04-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

By Liv

After spending a couple of weeks in California, we flew up to Portland to visit with Nick's parent's and our friends – many of whom we haven't seen in over a year!

We spent most of our time in Portland hanging out at Mike & Marlane's house and watching Stella enjoy all of the awesome kids toys that they have. Nick and I were both glad to see how much Stella enjoyed being around her grandparents, too. And as it turns out, they had just as much fun as she did!

First off, let me start by saying that I have the best in-laws ever. When we arrived to Mike & Marlane's house, it was just a few days after my 30th Birthday and I was welcomed with this beautiful birthday gift:

There's a reason why Stella loves her Grandparents: because they are fun!
Their house has the best toys - including a sandbox!

Fun at the playground in Vancouver, Washington.

This place isn't just for kids!

A quick visit over to Paul & Annie's house was just what Stella

needed. She quickly remembered Ava from their time together in Germany

last summer, and the girls went straight to work getting in to all sorts of trouble...

"We've got a phone and a wheelbarrow... what kind of trouble can we get in to?"

Plotting and scheming.

Ava doesn't have to say anything, her face says it all!

They are pretty sure there's something hidden in these cupboards.

Just in time for us to say goodbye, I hosted a dinner for a group of my

girlfriends and their kids. I've never seen all of them together at the same time,

so this was a special treat. Stella especially enjoyed all the other babies :)

She loved holding Cooper :)

Friends since I can remember: Autumn and her beautiful twins: Joselyn and Cooper.

Maria, Autumn, Melissa, Me, Tiffany Jarvis, Tiffany Turner, Angela, Shaun & Syreeta.

Liv hits the big three-oh.

2011-04-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I woke up, like any other day, to the soft and sweet voice of my daughter whispering, "Hi, Mama!"

Nick had scoped out a breakfast joint that he really wanted to take me to. It was called "Dharma's" and was 100% vegetarian and organic. We had a tofu-scramble breakfast burrito and some delicious coffee. My tummy was full and I was content to go home and change in to my beach ware and sit in the sand all day...

Somewhere between breakfast and the beach, Nick side-tracked and pulled in to a Spa. He then announced that I would be spending the morning in a state of ultimate pampering. I cannot explain my excitement at this point :) I spent the next 3 hours being covered in gooey body-firming concoctions, inside a steam tent, then massaged and relaxed and finally with a skin rejuvenating facial. Just when I thought my spa day was over, I was greeted with a personal tea service for one. Ah... I could do that every day!

The remainder of my day was spent eating delicious taqueria tacos, walking and playing in the sand on the beach and wrapping up our day with a sushi dinner followed by a birthday key lime pie. I can't say exactly how different it feels to be 30, but I can say that I'm glad I have such a loving family to share the day with me.

Sunny San Fran.

2011-04-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

By Liv

With only one more day to spend with my family, we decided to pack up and take the short ferry ride in to San Francisco. We arrived at the Pier along Embarcadero Street and forged our way forward on the street car to the popular Pier 39. There, we did what all the other tourists were doing - walked along the boardwalk in awe of San Fran's beautiful landscapes and amazing shopping and eating choices.

Stella and I had a wonderful time staying with my Uncle, Aunt, and two cousins. We already miss them and look forward to seeing them in November for my Sister's wedding!

Representing Oxford.

The marina.

Cousin Kailey.

Stella loved the ride!

We had so much fun with our cousins.

Kailey (KK), Kimberly (Kippy) and us.

The seals were the most exciting part of the trip for the bambina.

She sure does love her Uncle!

Beautiful San Fran.

My beautiful cousin, Kailey. She's growing up too fast.

La Familia.

La Familia Hernandez.

2011-04-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

By Liv

We made it to California! The weather here is lovely: sunny and warm. The people are lovely: my family are more than happy to have us here. The food is fantastic: we've had mexican food at least once a day since we arrived. We are so very thankful for our beautiful family.

Today, we met some of my family that we've never met before. They came to my Uncle's house and we enjoyed some delicious carne asada BBQ, tamales, homemade guacamole, beans, rice... I'd continue but I'm afraid I'm making you hungry and we all know that whatever you have in your fridge isn't half as delicious as what I just mentioned.

We sat outside, stuffed our faces, talked about family: both here and past. I wish Grandma Hernandez were here. She would've loved to sit and eat with us. She would've told us so many great stories.

Cousin Kailey loves her little Beebo.

We met Dinah today for the first time. I can't believe we waited this long!

Chef Boyar-Sam.

Baby girl Chiquita.

Stella's personal hair dresser.

Mama's girl.

Pretty Kimmi.

Uncle pulls out the big guns.

Stella loves her cousins, and they love her!

Que delicioso!

Silly Daddy!

Favorite Uncle Sam.

Point at your favorite person, Stella!

Uncle Sam and Dinah's husband Darnell.

My two loves.

Deep thoughts.

She wasn't exactly sure about the pool.

After a winter in England, this is heaven.

Kailey the water baby!

Mama y her little mama.

Mum's Day 2011.

2011-04-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

By Liv

The modern Mother's Day is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March, April, or May as a day to honor mothers and motherhood. In the UK and Ireland, it follows the old traditions of Mothering Sunday, celebrated in March/April.

This was the second Mother's Day that I have celebrated as a Mum myself. Although Stella isn't quite up to the challenge of cooking me breakfast (she could, you see, she just isn't TALL enough to reach the counter tops so as to chop all the ingredients...) so instead she bossed Nick around and supervised while he put together a delicious omelet feast which was perfectly paired with a glass (or three) of organic/fair trade Mimosas. Mm... organic Mimosas!

The rest of the day was all about me and whatever I wanted to do: we went to the Grand Cafe for high tea, toured the Oxford Botanical Gardens (the oldest Botanic garden in Britain!) and ended the evening at our friend Vasu and his wife Neelima's house for a delicious home-cooked Indian dinner.

I had a wonderful day, but now that I've had a taste of the good life, I'm wondering why EVERY day can't be Mum's Day?

The Grand Cafe.

"The site of the first coffee house in England."

Contemplating another scone.

Oxford Botanical Gardens.

Indian feast with friends. You-know-who was the life of the party, as usual :)

Seattle-bound!

2011-04-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

By Liv

It's official. Nick accepted a job in Seattle, Washington. We will be heading back to the States this summer. I'm so proud of him! He's not even 2/3rds finished with his degree and has already been offered a wonderful job at an internationally-known company. I'm so thankful for him and all his dedication to his studies and mostly to our family.

I will divulge more details later, but until then I wanted to let all of our friends and family know what our next move is. We look forward to seeing everyone again soon and hugging and kissing your beautiful selves!

Radcliffe Camera and Magdalen College.

2011-03-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Now that Nick has more free time, we jumped on the opportunity to get out of the house together – as a family. We headed out to Magdalen College, which is a short 15-minute walk from our house, but stopped first for some cream tea and scones at a lovely garden cafe just across from the beautiful Radcliffe camera. After enjoying our spot of tea, we stumbled in to the church next door to see what was going on. It turned out that there was a choir/play practicing and we were able to sit in the pews and watch – what a treat!

Once at Magdalen College, it became immediately obvious that Stella was much more interested in walking on the grass (which had a noteably large "please stay off grass sign") and plucking the flowers than watching the deer in the deer park on Magdalen's grounds.

Here's a bit of history about Magdalen College, which is pronounced "Maud-lin":
Magdalen College was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete, Bishop of Winchester.^[4]Regarded by some as one of the most beautiful of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges,^[6] Magdalen is also one of the most visited.

Admiring the Radcliffe Camera.

The Radcliffe Camera.

We stumbled upon a choir/play rehearsal and sat down to watch for free!

Magdalen College grounds.

Who cares about the beautiful deer? There are flowers!

Hillary Term Gala.

2011-03-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

By Liv

This term has been tough. Nick has been incredibly busy with schoolwork, interviews, practice interviews, prepping for interviews, playing tennis and table tennis (he's on both the Oxford University team but also on the MBA Olympics Tennis and Table Tennis teams!).

At the end of every term, there is a "Gala" which is a festive dinner event followed by an after party. Because this term was so trying for the MBAs, the Gala was a welcome reprieve from the intense work load.

Our good friends Lakshmi and Ashley were kind enough to babysit Stella for us so we could go out and enjoy the festivities — and I'm so glad that they did because we had a wonderful time!

The Gala was hosted by Keble College and it was beautiful! This is one of those events in our lives that we will bookmark in our minds and come back to over and over again. Here are some photos from our evening. We wish you were there to celebrate with us!

Our neighbors: Stephanie Poage and Bess & Jones Warren.

The Observatory Street gals.

I can pretend to be high-class!

Dinner.

The barrel-vaulted ceilings were beautiful.

I've made some amazing friends.

Beautiful Steph, the Southern Belle.

The academic.

The radiant Meghan and her little boy.

I happily accepted Bess's dessert in addition to my own :)

We will never forget this night.

Ryan, Juha (what the hell is on your head?) and Nick.

The after-party, at Freud.

Very high tea.

2011-03-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I figured it was about time that Stella get a proper introduction to "high tea".

High tea (also known as meat tea^[6]) is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5pm and 6pm. It is now largely followed by a later lighter evening meal. High tea would usually consist of cold meats, eggs or fish, cakes and sandwiches.

In its origin, the term “high tea” was used as a way to distinguish it from “low tea” or afternoon tea. The words 'low' and 'high' refer to the tables from which either tea meal was eaten. Low tea was served in a sitting room where low tables (like a coffee table) were placed near sofas or chairs generally. The word high referred to a table, this one in a dining room table, and it would be loaded with substantial dinner dishes - meats, cheese, breads, perhaps the classic shepherd's pie or steak and kidney pie.

In our case, our proper high tea was served with a delicious array of freshly baked scones, cakes, cookies, mini sandwiches, fruit preserves and clotted cream. We were not disappointed! While Nick is holed up in the Business School's Library, studying away for his exams this week, Stella and I were out enjoying our leisurely high tea. Poor Nick. We will make sure to take him out for a proper high tea to congratulate him for all his hard work.

Laura, my partner in crime.

Stella's partner in crime, Tenzing.

How proper.

Egg salad, ham & Dijon mustard and smoked salmon sandwiches.

I could do this every day.

Stella is a big fan of tea.

"I want Tenzing's toy!"

This little girl is so much fun!

And delicious, too.

Oxbridge @ Wimbledon.

2011-03-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Once a year, Oxford and Cambridge send their top 4 tennis players to Wimbledon to compete against selected members of the prestigious All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon. Because he's that awesome, Nick was one of the four players sent from Oxford to compete. We spent last weekend in Wimbledon watching Nick compete and then hanging out in London for a while aftewards. Here are some photos of our adventure:

Stella watched Nick play through the glass.

Check out that serve!

Stella was allowed "outside" to watch some of the match... until she started yelling, "Hi Dadda! HI!"

I promise his match was much more exciting than Stella is making it out to be.

Nick and his doubles partner, Dominic, on the far side of the court.

The indoor courts @ Wimbledon.

Stella was a perfect tennis spectator - and all the members and players were praising her on her excellent behavior during both the matches and the formal brunch and the high tea afterwards.

Trophies in the entryway @ Center court.

Tea, sandwiches and scones were served after the matches were over.

Center court.

She's obviously not grasping the coolness of it all...

Nick's doubles partner, Dominic.

Oxford team.

Oxford & Cambridge teams.

The three of us celebrated by staying at a beautiful hotel near the Chelsea Bridge in London.

February happenings.

2011-02-25T05:03:00.000-08:00

By Liv

This month has been a busy one. I have some exciting news to share: I am in the process of applying to graduate school! I am returning to school to obtain my MSM (Masters of Science in Midwifery) which means I will be a Certified Professional Midwife. This is an amazing career change for me and I am very happy to be working towards this new goal. I plan to be attending home births and birthing center births in less than 5 years!

I don't expect this to be the easiest thing I've ever done–in fact, earning my Master's Degree will probably be one of the most difficult goals I can think of right now–but since experiencing such a joyful pregnancy and natural birth experience with Stella, I have found the unmistakable calling towards Midwifery. I look forward to offering the same love and support to pregnant and laboring women that my Midwife offered to me.

Nick has been busy with schoolwork, tennis matches, mock interviews and REAL interviews (yay!). Now I understand the meaning behind "MBA widow". We don't see each other much but Stella and I are making the best of it. Whenever we get a chance to hang out as a family, we make sure to go on an adventure!

Our latest outing was to the Oxford Covered Market. Inside the market, there are dozens of shops and vendors–many selling local/organic fare. Nick has decided to educate himself on the fine art of cheese tasting (I'm serious), so we stopped by the cheese counter and picked up a few different types.

Admiring the floral shop in the market.

Stella is growing in to an incredibly chatty little girl. She wakes up and goes to bed talking. I wouldn't be surprised if she talks in her sleep. She has very specific preferences and has no problem communicating them in both verbal and sign languages. Her newest pastime is to pretend to change her doll's diaper and breastfeed it. She has blossomed in to this incredibly nurturing little creature. Her Mothering instincts are so profound, I can hardly believe how loving she is! She gives hugs and kisses willingly and loves to make people happy. She has always been a joy to be around and I can tell that this happiness that she brings to our lives will spill over in to our friends and families' lives, too.

Stella's loot from our trip: a handmade "Puppe" (this means doll in German) from the fairtrade shop.

Back at home, Nick and Stella built a fort in the living room and watched cartoons together in their little blanket cave.

Stella's best friend, Tenzing, had an awesome First Birthday party. There was a puppet show put on by Tenzing's Mama and her 2 friends. The story portrayed in the show was about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and how we should work hard to protect our bodies, our planet and the livelihood of future generations by saying, "NO GMOs on the jungle gym!" and insist on buying local and organic foods. A great message to share with the future generations!

Stella is calling Tenzing to say, "Happy Birthday!" even though she's already at his house.

Stella picked out a fair-trade drum to give to Tenzing for his birthday. As you can see, he's a natural.

Besides partying it up like a couple of one-year-olds, Stella and Tenzing spend a lot of time together posing for pictures and just being adorable.

My lovely friend (and my herbalist/detox coach) is always around to commiserate about how much time we spend away from our husbands... aka she brings over chocolate and we eat chocolate and watch the kids play :)

I can't believe it took me this long...

2011-02-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

By Liv

...to buy a Digital SLR Camera. I am thrilled to have this newest addition to our digital family. Here are the first photos I've taken with the new camera. I'd like to mention that NONE of my shots were taken in the "auto" mode. I'm pretty proud of that. Give me another few months and I just may create a few nice shots!

A day in my life.

2011-02-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Basically, I do the same things every day: wake up to the sound of favorite little girl playing in her crib, spend a few hours trying to feed her and then clean up the mess that she made while eating, drink coffee, spend some time with my lovely friends, feed Stella again, cook & clean again and cuddle before bed.

Because my life seems to be blissfully monotonous, my blogs might also be a bit redundant. I mean, how many times can a person watch videos and see photos of the same child? For me (and if that child is mine) I'd say countless times!

My lovely friend Laura is also my personal barista. We spend much of our time with her and her son, Tenzing, who is about to turn 1.

"La-la" is one of Stella's favorite people lately. This might or might not be because she has a never-ending supply of shoes that fulfill Stella's new shoe obsession.

Lately, Stella has started counting to ten. It's quite funny to watch. I tried to catch it on video without her noticing.
(If you are viewing this post on facebook, you can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0urzccO--Q )

My future tennis pro:
(If you are viewing this post on facebook, you can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-JUtvYaRcE )

This is what we do all evening:
(If you are viewing this post on facebook, you can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1kVgpuVqPA )

Bathtime!
(If you are viewing this post on facebook, you can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFEVqsNqiCg )

Gigglefest.

2011-02-05T04:01:00.001-08:00

Nick found Stella's funny bone!

If you're viewing this post on facebook, you can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVTRc20cAWQ

What's your name?

2011-01-31T05:16:00.000-08:00

By Liv

I've never considered that my daughter would be such a chatty kathy. In the last few weeks, I have been keeping track of all the words she says. There are 102 words on my list! I can't believe my 18-month old daughter says over 100 words! Now just imagine listening to her use all of these words... ALL DAY LONG... and this is my daily life :)

Every day, she adds a few words to her vocabulary. Yesterday, I taught her how to say her own name. Check out the video:

(If you are reading this on Facebook, please click this link to view the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjYoKMwAB4Q )

GF/EF/DF Breakfast Parfait

2011-01-28T11:56:00.001-08:00

By Liv

Try serving this to your kids. They will think it's a treat, even though it's packed full of nutritious nuts/seeds, fruit and protein or calcium - depending on what type if yogurt you use!

Stella's breakfast parfait
1 container of fruit-flavored soy yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fruit
3 Tablespoons topping (I have a glass jar full of toasted coconut, pumpkin seeds and almonds that I blend to a powder and save in the fridge)

Layer yogurt, fruit, yogurt and finish with topping.

Stella's gluten-free/egg-free/dairy-free morning muffins

2011-01-28T11:45:00.001-08:00

By Liv

Coming up with a tasty GF/EF/DF breakfast option for a toddler is tricky. I stumbled upon a recipe for morning muffins and decided to use it as a framework to create my own version. The result? Fruity, crunchy, nutty, gooey, cakey deliciousness. And the best part is that Stella loves them!

Stella's Morning Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup maple syrup
2 1/4 cups gluten-free all purpose flour mix (if your mix contains xanthan gum or guar gum don't add the additional 1 teaspoon gum to the recipe)
1 teaspoon guar gum OR xanthan gum
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots (about 4 large carrots)
1 large peeled and shredded apple
8 ounces drained, crushed pineapple
1 ripe banana, mashed
3/4 cups raisins, chopped dates or other type of chopped dried fruit
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup toasted almonds, blended to a coarse powder in blender or food processor
4 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
1/2 cup canola, vegetable or coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C

Grease standard muffin pan or line with paper muffin cup liners.

In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, gluten-free flour blend, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, Ener-G, and salt. Use a large whisk to thoroughly combine.

In a separate large bowl combine shredded carrots, apples, banana, crushed pineapple, raisins (or other dried fruit), coconut and almonds. Stir to thoroughly mix.

Add the fruit/vegetable/seed mixture to the dry ingredients followed by the oil and vanilla. Beat the mixture to thoroughly combine ingredients.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Yield: About 2 dozen standard size muffins

The hairiest of us all.

2011-01-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Stella was born with a ton of hair. I started hearing comments like, "Look at all that hair!" and "She looks like she's wearing a wig!" when she was just a few weeks old. I knew at a very early point in my Mothering career that I was going to have to learn how to manage Stella's hair because there sure is a lot of it!

I used to LOVE when my Mom braided my hair in double french braids, so I decided that it was time to try them on Stella. This is our first try, so cut us a little slack. They were cute, but next time they will be even cuter!

I'll never get used to this.

2011-01-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

By Liv

How many times can I say that Oxford is beautiful before you completely stop reading my blogs? How about just this one last time...

Nick and I seized the opportunity to soak up some Vitamin D compliments of the big bright thing in the sky. We triple-packed the baby to ensure that she didn't get even the slightest bit cold and took off on a bike ride to Christ Church meadow.

Oxford sure is beautiful! Oops...

Christmas part II in Bristol

2011-01-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Our friends, Gabriel and Kathy, had us over a few days after Christmas. They live in Bristol, which is a short 1-hour train ride from Oxford. While we were visiting, Kathy made sure to stuff us silly with as much British food as she could cook up. She whipped up a traditional Holiday feast and we pretended like it was Christmas all over again.

Stella had a great time playing with her brightly colored Christmas tree and we got to get out and take a look at the town of Portishead - right outside of Bristol.

Christmas in Oxford

2011-01-14T13:14:00.001-08:00

By Liv

Christmas Day was pretty uneventful. We woke up slowly and I made Mexican breakfast, which consists of fried potatoes, sausages, refried beans and tortillas. One of Nick's fellow MBA students, Ashish, came over and we all went for a refreshing walk in the snow at Port Meadow. When we returned, we warmed up with Baileys and Hot Cocoa and played Jenga (Nick lost... hah!) and Scrabble (Liv won, of course!).

We missed our family this Christmas but are thankful to have Skype and a trusty internet connection so we can stay in touch!

Stella's Gluten/egg/dairy-free yogurt cereal bars

2011-01-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Ingredients
2 cups corn flakes
3/4 all-purpose gluten/wheat-free flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup soy butter
1 cup flavoured yogurt (banana/strawberry etc...)
2.5 Tablespoons cornstarch

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F

Combine cereal, 3/4 cup flour and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form.

Press 1/2 the mixture firmly into the bottom of a greased 8-inch square pan.

Mix yogurt and cornstarch together in another small bowl.

Spread the yogurt over cereal mixture in pan and then sprinkle the remaining cereal mixture on top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Using the back of a spatula, carefully press the mixture down. Cut into bars when cooled.

Chicken pot pie: served for Mrs. Picky

2011-01-14T03:43:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Who doesn't love chicken pot pie? In order to make this appealing to Mrs. Picky Eater (aka Stella), I borrowed this recipe from Ina Garten and changed it up — substituting some things for her gluten and egg-free diet — and then made a special "small" pie just for her by filling a small oven-proof coffee mug with the filling and omitting the top crust.

Ingredients

* 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
* 2 chicken bouillon cubes
* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
* 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
* 3/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
* 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:

* Store-bought pie crusts.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Fill two pie plates with the mixture and spoon the remaining mixture in to as many oven-proof rammekins or coffee cups that you can. (I do not cover Stella's with the pie crust, but if your child isn't gluten-intolerant, you can.) Cover the two pies with pie crust and cut a nice design on top for venting purposes.

Place on a baking sheet and bake the rammekins for 15 minutes, the pies for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Bon appetit!

About picky eaters

2011-01-14T03:25:00.000-08:00

By Liv

It's quite refreshing to see Stella's little personality form. Along with this new personal independence comes preferences — and many of them. Stella's new found finickiness about food choices has been exhausting, but I have worked hard to try and overcome this obstacle.

First off, I have to say, for any parent who has a picky eater, you have to TRY and you have to try very hard to help your child mold their eating habits. It has been a very big change for us: when Stella first started eating solids, she would eat ANYTHING... vegetables, seaweed, brown rice... even things that I didn't find appealing. At around 14 months, this all started to change and hence my search for a way to instill good eating habits began.

To have a child that starts out eating (and enjoying) almost anything you give her, and see that change, is very frustrating. It took all of our combined willpower not to turn mealtimes in to a power struggle. I have done a lot of reading and a lot of testing and have come to one very important conclusion: CHILDREN WILL NOT STARVE TO DEATH.

I know it may seem like torture to let a child go without a meal, but in the end it just might be the best thing for them. For me, I couldn't imagine the thought of Stella only ever eating dry cereal, which has become her favorite food. Dry cereal is obviously not very nutritious and cannot replace the vitamins and minerals that her growing body needs from vegetables, meats and other food groups.

If her missing a meal and being crabby for a few hours would help her learn that she only has the option to eat the 3 *healthy* choices that I set in front of her at each meal, then so be it.

This "tough love" approach has worked wonders. We are now on the road back to a healthy little eater. It has taken a lot of effort both emotionally (listening to her whine for a cookie) and physically (I have started preparing special meals just for her) but really, instilling healthy habits in our child is very important to us (as it is with any parent!) and I'm sure her self-assumed independence will only grow with each day. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to have this struggle with her when she is 2, 3 or 4 years old. THAT would be hard.

I am going to start including some recipes and ideas that I have found that work for us. Whether or not you have a picky eater, I highly suggest trying out some of the ideas. Sometimes it's as simple as hiding something nutritious in their food or dressing it up to make it look special. These little things can make all the difference to a baby/toddler.

Our recipes are almost completely gluten and egg-free because we have found out that she is intolerant to both of these. You can easily adapt the recipes so that you include wheat and eggs...

Bon Appetit!

How to get your kid to eat greens...

2011-01-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

When I was pregnant, I never considered that my daughter would ever NOT eat what I want her to. I soon realized that she is her own person (and vehemently so) and would decide for herself what she wants and prefers to eat. Unfortunately, spinach is not on her list of favorite snacks.

Being the culinary goddess that I am, I decided that I would figure out a way to get raw spinach (and other raw veggies/fruits) past those adorable lips and into that cute little tummy. For all you parents out there who have picky kiddos, try this! It just may work!

Stella's Green Drink
• 1 cup of frozen berries
• 1 cup of other fresh fruit (apple, pear, banana... whatever is in season or in your pantry)
• 1 cup of fruit or vanilla-flavored yogurt (we use a single-serving-size soy yogurt)
• 1/2 to 1 cup fruit juice (apple is our favorite)
• 4 huge handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

Toss it all in the blender and give it a whirl. The end result may LOOK hideous, but it tastes delicious!

Mix up the types of fruit/yogurt/juice that you use and you'll quickly find that the possibilities are endless. And when all else fails, my answer is to get her involved in the cooking process because when she helps, she is much more likely to want to eat what we are making. Here are videos of her creating and sampling her favorite afternoon snack:

If you are reading this on facebook, watch the videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkmVvyhZpVo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2207Vmt3IKE

Thanks for the purse, Auntie M!

2011-01-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

For her first birthday, Stella was given a purse from her Auntie Jess. Since then, she's been slightly obsessed with purses, so when Auntie Marcea gave me one of her purses when she came to visit us this winter, she took it upon herself to make it her own. Check it out:

If you are viewing this on facebook, click here to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXwitiCJsxE

The Christmas Choir @ Christ Church Cathedral

2010-12-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Have you seen the movie "Harry Potter"? If you have, you would easily remember the dining hall scene in the movie - the scenes where wizardly students are adorned in long robes and surrounded by magical candlelight and spells. Well, the place where these dining scenes were filmed was at Christ Church College - where I went to watch the all-boy Christmas Choir. Christ Church was built by Henry VII in 1546. Talk about history...

Because of the flash snow storm, many people weren't able to use their tickets to see the Christmas Choir at Christ Church Cathedral - which happens to be one of the best Holiday events in all of Oxford. I joined my two neighbors and good friends, Stephanie and Bess, in bundling up in every possible layer of warmth before making the trek (by foot!) to watch the choir.

The music was amazing. The boys were amazing. They stood in silence completely still and waited for the conductor to give them the sign to begin. Once they started to sing, I understood why this is one of the best Christmas events that Oxford has to offer. I'm so glad that we were able to go see this!

The Christ Church Cathedral Grounds. Normally, visitors are not
allowed on the grounds unless they are a member of the college.

Steph, Myself and Bess. Friends and neighbors!

We were seated in front of a the Sarcophagus of Sir Georgius Croyden from 1386.

Thanks to my Art degree, I was able to notice and appreciate the double barrel vaulted ceilings!

I was sneaky enough to capture one of the songs on video...

I'm sorry.

2010-12-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

By Liv

Most people don't even know that we have a blog, but for those who do, I have been told that we aren't keeping up to date with it. I'm sorry! To be honest, I haven't even wanted to look at my blog because I know the last post I will see is about Pepe and the thought of him makes me so overwhelmingly sad... it brings me back to the day that he died and I miss him terribly all over again.

But, I have been taking many pictures of all the different events in our lives and I do really want to share them. So please excuse me if these photos aren't in a recognizable order, but until I'm back to speed with my photo sharing, this will have to do!

Stella and I are ridiculously happy to be home. Our trip back to the States was fun and it was so very nice to see our friends and family, but there's nothing better than when all three of us are together.

Oma and Papa gave Stella her very own guitar. Stella and Nick like to play their guitars together!

Stella and Nick play games before bed every night.

Stella has now officially moved to her own bedroom. To celebrate, we decorated it with a cute tree and flower wall decals. It's very "organic" looking with the main colors being brown and lime green. Here is a picture of her doing the sign for "tree' in front of her tree.

Stella is quite the little chatterbox lately. Her Pediatrician was
shocked at how many words she knows: both verbal and sign-language.

Thanks for the new shoes, Oma!

Of course, we spend a lot of time at the park. It's even more fun now that
we are home and we can all go as a family! Stella sure missed her Dadda.

Um... at least she didn't get her tongue frozen to it!

All bundled up for this cold weather.

Oops!

Nick just finished his first exam week. It was TOUGH and not just for him. Imagine it... he was gone until midnight most nights, studying in the library. I'm so glad he has a 4-week break now.

On December 18th, Oxford was hit with over 12 inches of snow. This is the front of our house and Nick's bicycle, which (luckily) he doesn't need for a few weeks... We had snow as recently as today (December 20th), and we should be getting even more this week!

Observatory Street... Home sweet home!

The Radcliffe Observatory - behind our house.

Stella actually did not like the snow at all. She kept saying, "Up please!"

It's hard to say goodbye.

2010-11-08T08:58:00.001-08:00

By Liv

Pepe was my puppy. He had many names: Pepe, Pepperoni, Pepperchini, Peplinksi, Petey-Pablo... just to name a few.

His short life was filled with happiness and love. He brought so much joy to our lives and always made other people laugh with his silly sideways walk and funny little personality.

I'm finding it hard to hold back the feelings of regret, sadness, anger and depression after his death. I really feel like I could have done something differently and none of this would have happened. I can't sleep and every time I close my eyes, I picture him. It's horrible.

My little baby dog. He was always so warm and fuzzy and happy to be around people. All I think about is that he is no longer warm. He is cold and wet and far away from his favorite thing in the world: people. I am so upset by this loss.

My Dad's partner, Sonja, kindly took Pepe back to their house and placed him in his final resting place within my Dad's garden. I wrote him a long letter and told him that I love him, miss him, and I am so very sorry that he is gone. I told him that I wish he knew how much happiness that he brought our family and that Stella keeps crying out his name and crawling towards the foot of the bed at night - looking for him. I placed the letter on the ground above him and gently pushed dirt over it.

When Stella and I arrived in Portland, she was beside herself with excitement when she saw him. Here are some videos that I took just a few days ago of them together. (If you are reading this on facebook, please follow this link to view the videos on my blog)

Goodbye Pepe. We will miss you.

2010-11-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

Our little guy got into an accident last night and unfortunately he didn't survive. Livia is devastated. She tells me that Stella keeps saying Pepe's name and looking around for him which breaks my heart. Of course, I'm back in England so I'm unable to do much consoling from afar but I'm trying.

If you never had a chance to meet Pepe, I'm sorry. He was a great little guy that was full of personality. Pepe was a toy-sized Australian Shepard. We first met him up in Lopez Island, Washington when he was about three months old. He came home with us a few weeks later.

He packed alot of excitement into his short life. Pep was my co-pilot when we drove the cat and chickens from Utah to Washington. We climbed Mt. Olympus together. Pep loved to hop like a rabbit in the Utah snow. He even took a dip in the pool during the summer (with some encouragement). Livia made sure Pepe got his exercise. They made countless trips to the d o g p a r k (we couldn't say this word in front of Pepe without him going nuts). Once, Pepe jumped out of a kayak in the middle of a lake and Livia was in the water before I even realized what had happened. She always made sure Pepe was 'well fed' too. Livia was the best to him.

Most recently, Pepe had been pampered by my parents. Plenty of tennis ball time with my Dad. I think they had a bed for him in every room of their house. I know they loved him just as much as Liv and I did and I thank them for taking such good care of him.

We sure are going to miss asking Pep to howl for us. Thanks Pepe for being the perfect companion. We love you.

Signing for applesauce.

2010-10-26T03:55:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Stella showing off her "More" and "Please" signs - in addition to her pearly whites :)

If you're viewing this blog post on Facebook, please follow this link to see the video: http://nickandliv.blogspot.com/2010/10/signing-for-applesauce.html

London with the ladies.

2010-10-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

By Liv

My Mother-in-law (Marlane), Auntie-in-law (Marcea) and their friend (Rosie) are here visiting us and Stella couldn't be happier about it. She is getting so much attention and soaking it up like a little ham!

Yesterday, we took the one hour train ride from Oxford to London and meandered all over the city for the day. Some of the top sights we enjoyed seeing were: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, The Parliament Building, Buckingham Palace and Harrods. The most difficult part of our trip was finding a way to fit in to the crowded Underground trains. Marlane and Rosie were literally SHOVED in to one of the trains by another passenger when the train was overcrowded. It was pretty entertaining.

The ride home was the perfect time to enjoy a few beers and laugh about the crazy day we had just encountered.

Baby videos

2010-10-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I'm so impressed with my new iPhone 4 - it has a video camera that is pretty useful for people like me who like to capture every other moment of life. Here are a few videos that I took at the park down the road from our house. Stella practicing her walking and playing in leaves.

If you're viewing this blog post on Facebook and can't see the videos, please click the link for this post and it will take you to our blog where you can view the videos.

Daddy-daughter-love

2010-10-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Stella is so lucky to have such a loving Dad and I'm sure she is just as proud of him as I am.

Perfect weather for a Sunday hike

2010-10-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

By Liv

On Sunday we woke up to a beautiful bright sun glowing in through our curtains. It was the perfect day to go for a hike. So we packed up Stella in the backpack and joined our new friends Xavier, Laura and their son Tenzing on a hike along the Thames.

Along our hike we saw cows, horses, fishermen and their live bait (ew), rowers practicing their pace and an array of beautiful trees and plants. We ended up finding our way to an amazing (and somewhat secluded) french-inspired pub/restaurant called The Perch This pub formed part of the inspiration for Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland, one of Britain's most loved authors.

The inside of the pub is spectacularly decorated with an eclectic array of paintings and bright decorations. The only thing more exciting than it's interior is it's exterior! The outdoor seating directly behind it is beautiful - covered in trees that hang low, beautiful sweeping branches down and almost touch the ground. Picnic tables dot the lawn and a huge stretched-canvas canopy offers covered seating, for those rainy times. Luckily for us it we didn't need any cover and instead sat in the grass on a picnic table and watched Stella and Tenzing devour the snacks that we had packed.

Nick and I shared a homemade waffle and a crepe filled with goat cheese, arugula, ham and fresh tomatoes. I can't wait to return to this little gem of a place and hopefully it will be with the same company. We love our new friends!

Nick is officially a student at Oxford.

2010-10-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

Stella doing the sign for "tree" while looking at a tree.

By Liv

Yesterday, Nick Matriculated. Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list.

In the English universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol and Durham, the term is used for the ceremony at which new students are entered into the register of the university, at which point they become members of the university. Oxford requires matriculands to wear academic dress with subfusc during the ceremony.

At Oxford, new students gather at their prospective colleges for photos and at a specified time, they march together to the Examination School where they listen to some speeches and march back to their school.

The weather really couldn't have been any more perfect for the matriculation ceremony yesterday. It was crisp and cool with a lot of sunshine.

There are quite a few of these symbolic traditions that take place at Oxford University. They seem a little strange at first, but once you live in this culture, it all makes sense. Everything is about tradition and it's all very proper and interesting. I look forward to being part of the next big event.

She walks, but doesn't want to!

2010-10-14T03:14:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Everyone keeps asking, "Is she walking yet?" and the answer has been, "Yes" for a long time now, but the funny thing is that there isn't a definite day that we can say she started walking because she did it so gradually and still prefers to hold my hand when she walks, or to simply crawl.

I'm not sad about it. Let's be honest, kids grow up quickly. My baby is now talking and has her own opinions. I know that it's just a matter of time before she starts wanting to do things without me, have her own friends, talk on the phone... aaah!

But I love this age. I love having my entire day to spend with Stella. I adore her and I hope she will always remember that, even when I'm not near her to remind her.

Here is a quick video of her practicing her walking. My other-mom, Rhonda Jarvis, (my best friend, Tiffany Jarvis's Mom) gave me some good advice the other day. She said that when Tiff was Stella's age, she also didn't really care for walking, so her Pediatrician at the time recommended giving Tiffany a spoon in each hand so that she felt like she was holding on to something while she was walking. The reason he recommended spoons was because they won't hurt her if she falls on them. I decided to try her little trick out and it worked - until Stella decided to sit down and play with the spoons.

What a sweetie pie!

Sucking up the last of the sunshine.

2010-10-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

By Liv

The weather in Oxford has been fantastic: bright sunny skies with a refreshing cool breeze. Knowing that this could all change at a moment's notice, Stella and I have been taking every possible chance we can to get outdoors. We have enjoyed trips to the two nearby playgrounds almost every day.

We also made it to the Oxford Newcomer's Club, which helps new Oxford residents become acquainted with their fellow newcomers. Stella had a great time playing with some brand new toys and I enjoyed meeting some other Mamas from all around the world.

After the long days of activities, our favorite time of the day is dinner and bath time. I am so thankful to have such a sweet little girl to share my days with. She's becoming quite the lovey little girl: she now gives endless kisses, hugs, pats on the back and loves to lay her head on my shoulder when I hold her. I hope she never grows out of this phase!

Nick has started school and homework and is still really busy. He has joined the Oxford Tennis Team and had his first practice this evening. I'm so proud of him and look forward to taking Stella to his first match. In the meantime, I picked up Stella her very own pink tennis racket. It's never too early to start getting her used to it, right?

Stella's first cold :-[

2010-09-27T03:05:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I knew it would happen eventually. I knew Stella would get sick one day. But I wasn't prepared at all! Yesterday morning, I noticed that she felt a little warm, but I figured that it was because the heat was on. A few hours later, I could tell that she wasn't feel well, so I called my trusty neighbor, Bess, and hopped on over to her house to borrow her thermometer. Stella's temperature was 102!

Of course the first thing I did was cry. I mean, what else is a Mom supposed to do with such news? After I was done crying, I called the Doctor who seemed to be much more calm than I was. He suggested Tylenol and lots of breastfeeding. No problem!

Today she is feeling about the same. She still has a temperature but isn't in a sour mood, so we are spending the day lounging around the house in our PJs. As a treat, Nick and I have been letting her watch Dora the Explorer on my laptop in between the cuddling and nonstop overbearing kisses administered by none other than yours truly :)

Learning to eat is messy business!

2010-09-27T03:02:00.001-07:00

By Liv

I vacuum the dining room at least 3 times a day. I bet you can guess why...

Stella in action.

2010-09-27T02:56:00.000-07:00

By Liv

I can't imagine doing anything else in the world except spending my entire day (and night) with my daughter. I'm so thankful to have the ability to do so. The only regret I have is that our life has taken her away from so many people who adore her. For those people, here is a short clip of what she is like nowadays.

Oxford Open Days

2010-09-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

By Liv

A few times a year, Oxford Opens it's doors and allows visitors to walk through the 38 different colleges that comprise the University. Many of these colleges open up areas that are not visible for visitors except during the Oxford Open Days, such as areas of worship and private libraries.

We took this opportunity to visit three of the most famous colleges in Oxford: Christ Church College, All Souls College and Merton College. We saw some amazing architecture, landscaping and extremely old buildings that looked like they were the setting for a Harry Potter movie — because they were!

Hello, Oxford!

2010-09-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

By Liv

We are all moved in to our house in Oxford. We have a fantastic view of the Radcliffe Observatory, which is right next to Green Templeton College (The College that Nick belongs to).

Our house is growing on us. Originally, we walked in and saw only a laundry list of things that needed to be fixed/cleaned, but with every passing day, we find a way to make this house our home. After a few shopping trips at the local has-everything-store (www.argos.co.uk), we have just about all that we need in order to live a fully functional life.

The neighborhood that we live in is considered "Bohemian". There are a number of great cafés, restaurants and bars - all of the ones we have tried so far have had delicious food. There are 3 Indian Restaurants within walking distance, so we are in heaven. My new favorite clothing store is a second-hand store just down the road that has an eclectic selection of gently-loved, funky clothing. I've already started to incorporate the local style in to my wardrobe!

Stella has enjoyed meeting our neighbors - most of whom are either students or spouses of students in the same program as Nick. There is a huge playground down the road and we found a play group that meets once a week that Stella loved.

We have met another new family that lives just a few doors down and Stella has become good friends with their two children. I'm so glad to have made a friend already - and someone to commiserate with once our husbands head off to full time school and leave us at home to *gasp* take care of our own children alone! Haha :)

We are looking forward to a visit from my mother in law, her good friend and our aunt. They are coming in October and staying for two weeks. It will be great to have some family in the house.

That's our update for now. We hope everyone back home is doing well!

Cheers!

First things first: Buy 144 British pounds (and more than 144 physical pounds) worth of food...

Second, buy furniture. Hire Stella to help put it together...
Third, video Skype with Grandpa every single day. Stella demands it!

This is our house. Lucky #6.

This is our Street.

This is the view of the Radcliffe Observatory from our back yard.

Stella (and my) favorite foods: Refried beans and tortillas!

This is the grounds for the Green Templeton College that Nick belongs to.
This is right behind our house!

Green Templeton College grounds — in our backyard.

The Radcliffe Observatory — in our back yard.

The gate from the Green Templeton College grounds to our back yard.

Just a cool looking house down the road from us.

The University Parks are about a 5 minute walk from our house.

Shopping in Oxford.

Bye-bye, Germany.

2010-09-11T13:04:00.001-07:00

Our last few weeks in Germany were... interesting. We spent them in hotels in both Berlin and Hannover. I have never spent such a stretch of time living in hotel(s) and I must say that we fared well—although we were very excited to move on to our next landing spot—England!

Here are some photos of our last few weeks in Germany. We will miss our friends and neighbors that we have become close with over the last 5 months in Germany but will always carry wonderful memories of our first time living abroad.

We are too cheap to rent a crib. This is our makeshift baby bed in Berlin, Germany.

Sansouci Palace. Berlin, Germany.

Stella loved the over-sized playground. Especially the sand! Hannover, Germany.

Maschsee, an artificial lake in Hannover, Germany.

The last days in Neustadt and Berlin part 2.

2010-08-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Really, honestly. Nothing exciting is happening in our lives. We haven't done anything that we thought you would really want to read about. But the truth is, Grandparents want to see pictures of their Granddaughter. Aunts and Uncles want to see their niece. That's really all there is to it.

In the last few weeks, we left our home in Neustadt and went to Berlin... again. Before we left the town we have called home for the last 5 months, our friends Paul & Annie and their lovely baby girl, Ava, came to visit. We had a fantastic time watching the babies play together!

What's even more fun than watching little girls steal toys from each other you ask? Well, Annie's little brother (and a friend of ours), Gabriel, coming to visit and being appointed babysitter! Stella and Ava had a blast crawling all over Gabriel and his lovely fiance, Kathy.

We are thankful for great friends and fun times in foreign countries with them. And we hope to see all our other friends soon - because we miss everyone so much!

Herrenhouser Garten. Hannover, Germany.
Gabriel and his lovely fiance, Kathy, loved playing with the girls :)
Navigating Berlin with Paul. (Notice Stella's new ride... the backpack!)
The Berliner Dom. Berlin, Germany.

Ava and Paul sharing a delicious orange beverage. Berlin, Germany.
The girls believe in conserving our resources.
The Reichstag building. Berlin, Germany.

Berlin Hauptbahnhof (train station).

A few days in Berlin

2010-07-29T01:08:00.000-07:00

By Liv

Berlin is a beautiful and incredibly vibrant city with a ridiculous amount of history. There are so many things to do and see in Berlin including: Museums, museums, a few museums and after that, you can stop by and take a peek in to a museum.

I was most interested in the Holocaust (guess what) MUSEUM, so we made sure to visit one while we were there. It was possibly one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen - so much more surreal when you are in the actual place that the atrocities took place - and standing at the exact spot where the Nazi's SS regime's main headquarters once was.

Some of the other places we visited included:

- Ku'Damm (main shopping area)
- Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, generally also known as "Gedächtniskirche"
- Berlin Zoo & Aquarium
- Charlottenburg Palace & Schlosspark Charlottenburg
- Bundestag - The German Parliament building
- Brandenburg gate
- Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
- Sections of the Berlin Wall
- Topography of Terror Museum
- Checkpoint Charlie

Partying it up like a one year old!

2010-07-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

First, I'd like to thank my lovely friends, Judy and Glenda, who traveled all the way from Salt Lake City to be here with us for Stella's birthday. It was so nice to have some friends around to celebrate with.

Nick and I figured that we will have plenty of chances to put together crazy kid-centric parties in the coming years, so this year we decided to stick with a simple BBQ. Our neighbors, Sigfried and Elza, came over and between the 8 of us, we had a wonderful time celebrating our lovely Stella's first birthday.

The weather was perfect for an outdoor feast, so we sat on the veranda and soaked in the warm German breeze while enjoying a delicious dinner followed by two birthday cakes: One lactose-free chocolate cake made by yours truly, and one mini German cake made by Elza. We had a wonderful time and look forward to her next birthday!

Opening her 3 birthday-morning-gifts. One memory: a snow globe with our photo inside, one creative gift because she is a double-cancer (which means she is super creative): a coloring book, and one thing that grows: a packet of Aster seeds (because we live on Aster Street.

Judy and Glenda were so happy to see Stella. Last time they saw her, she was only a few weeks old!

Elza, Siggy and Nick.

Goooooal!

Birthday dinner.

Mmmm! Enjoying a delicious lactose-free chocolate cake :)

Chef Boyar-Liv :)

Chef Boyar-Elza :)

Thanks for the adorable hat, Lilli! Stella loves it - but for now, she loves the box even more!

Shiny paper! How surprising!

Auntie Jess, Uncle Chris and Cousin Seren sent her this super creative bag with photos printed on it. Stella adores it!

Spending the day with the gals in Hannover.

Stella LOVES the attention!

Silly little videos of the silly little girl

2010-07-23T02:37:00.000-07:00

The sheep says, "Hi!"
Auntie Jess gave Stella this cuddly little sheep (or is it a lamb?). Stella adores it. She usually wakes up first thing in the morning and starts playing with it in her crib. All we can hear is some mumbled jabbering and a few "Baaahs" breaking in every now and again.

The cheapest type of baby walker.

Fun at the dinner table.