Spring Break on the California Coast

I've always wanted to drive down highway 1, and it did not disappoint! The drive took a lot longer than we expected, and it was annoying to have to slow down so much on some of the curves, but at least we were entertained the whole time with the amazing view of a bright blue ocean, giant waves crashing against the rocks, and the rolling emerald hills dotted with wildflowers.

We stopped at Hearst Castle on our way down to SLO (San Luis Obispo). I loved it, and would definitely go back. It just seems such a shame they don't let people really enjoy these pools. I'm sure Mr. Hearst would have wanted us to swim. I would definitely pay extra for a swimming tour.


Here's the hilltop view overlooking the ocean.
Hearing the story of this guy reminds me of Howard Hughes except with children. Turns out they were buddies, and Hughes would fly his plane to Hearst's personal runway. So the story is that Mr. Hearst was an eccentric man with money to indulge his eccentric ways...until it ran out. That is why his mansion on the hill is now a California state park. I found it hillarious how they tried to make him sound so noble in the tour bus audio and various movies. They really had to play down some of the tabloid-worthy moments of his life too.
Will became ravenously hungry and whiny during the tour. Our eccentric, tour guide was not very happy. But he let me feed him in one of the marble bathrooms during a short movie.
Ornate spanish-style ceiling. (I think)
I love this indoor pool! It was empty when we saw it, but doesn't that high-dive look so fun!?
Ok, so we finally met up with KK. She took us to this fantastic hole-in-the-wall burger joint (Sylvester's in Los Osos in case you're interested), and then this beach.
We also toured downtown SLO and Britton was about to take Will down the infamous "Gum Alley" when Will dropped his pacifier...
We also saw the old mission in SLO. This is about as old as buildings get on the west coast!
Thanks for showing us around KK, miss you!

Spring break didn't end there...no! Then we picked up Britton's fam from the airport and spent the rest of the weekend with them. I guess we didn't take many pictures, but here's Will at AJ's baseball game. Not too much longer Will, and you'll be using that bat too.

Fun with Balloons

Will got a balloon at Trader Joe's the other day. I almost told the cashier that he was way too young to care, but I secretly wanted the balloon too so I accepted it. To my amazement Will was completely in LOVE with his balloon. He even took it to his nap with him.

Here is his look of confusion as it floated up to the ceiling.

It Begins...

It's finally time to baby-proof the house. He can't even crawl yet, but somehow he gets from one place to another sitting up and scooting. One of his favorite things is the heater, its power cord, and he just started reaching for the wall socket. Eeek! We'll have to do some rearranging to make sure the house still stays as warm as we like, and it is blocked from any reaches from the Willster.

Google, You Complete Me

Britton has hit the big time. Google now auto-completes his name after only typing "Britton O". Try it! Go ahead, try it! Then revel in the beauty of animated, rainbow-colored Raleigh-Taylor-Instability.

日本語で書ける！

本当に楽しみしている！今パソコンで日本語で書ける。日本人と一緒に勉強してる。誰にもこれを読むことができると思わない。

Work Week in Review

That's right. I have a job. / vb as
d/x,
Sorry about that. Will wanted to type a message too. Looks like some kind of code.
From 9-5 I take care of Will solo. I have to admit it's a pretty sweet job. Allow me to answer the question so often asked me, "What do you do all day?"

Monday was a triple play because I watched my friend's two kids in addition to Will.
Basically we did park, lunch, nap, backyard. Coordinating eveyone's diaper bag, car seats, bathroom breaks, nap times and food times kept me BUSY!

(Cute Note: My friend's son was cracking me up all day.
After the other two kids went down for naps he suggested that I vacuum! Then he pointed out the spots that I had missed. Lucky for me he likes a clean house because someone was coming over after the kids left and I wanted to keep the house decently clean.
Later we watched a few minutes of Nanny McFee, and he turned to me and said, "I tried this movie, and I don't think I like it. Can we watch this one instead?" He tried it like it was food or something...cute!
THEN he said he wanted to say a prayer before he opened up the case of the next DVD! So I let him go ahead and say a prayer. It was pretty long.

Later, another mom came over for a language exchange. She wanted to practice her English, and I wanted to practice my Japanese. It was a good deal for both of us. (Speaking of Japanese stuff, I explored the local Daiso (Japanese dollar) store and it was like stepping into Japan for a few minutes.)

Tuesday Will played with toys on the ground while my neighbor and I did POWER YOGA... I learned to be happy with where I'm at because it's who I am or something like that.
Later that afternoon we joined a group called stroller hikes, explored a nearby trail, and met two donkeys.

Wednesday we zipped over to Munchkin Music in the morning. This is a class where the moms and kids sing songs, play instruments, and play with one of those parachute things. I used to LOVE that when I was little. Will loves to see all the kids, and participate in all the noise! He mostly eats the instruments though.
According to my camera we tried out the cars in the backyard.
And then...Will figured out how to turn the pages in his books all by himself!
Thursday we took a walk with the New Mom Group on campus to the cactus garden, mausoleum, and Rodin sculpture garden.
I'm sure we did some other stuff that day too.

Friday Will enjoyed his time in the spotlight. I took him with me to an appointment in San Jose and everyone gave him so much attention.
On the way home we stopped by Target, and I was holding him because he refused to be in either his car seat or the shopping cart. This lady came down our aisle and said, "Are you flirting with me?" That could have been awkward, but I can safely assume that random strangers talk to William instead of me now. She said he looked right at her, waited until he had her attention, and then gave her a big toothless smile. Will has way more friends than I do.
It was supposed to be "family Friday" where we go visit Britton on campus, but after our long morning trip I didn't feel like treking up to Britton's office. So we took a walk to the market, bank, and library instead and ran into a friend on the way home.

So that's pretty much my workweek besides cleaning, checking my email a million times, and making some really really ridiculously yummy food.

6 Month Beverage of Choice

This baby is 6 months old now and venturing out into the world of adult foods. He's tried all the basics like apples, pears, carrots, peas, and prunes, but what is his favorite?

That's right. *Diet Coke. Like father like son. Britton drinks one every morning after the gym. Gross eh? I think it's gross anyway. Way to reward your freshly energized body with fake sugar + junk.

The other 6 month news is that...He's slimming down! That's right, contrary to appearances Will is actually losing some chunk.
His 6 month appointment revealed:

All that milk has gone to his head. 45.5 cm (89%) up from 50 or 60
He is not yet blessed in the height category. 26 in. (30%)
He really is slimming down! 19 lbs. 14 oz. (84%) down from 96 or something.

Maybe getting really sick recently and puking all over the carpet helped contribute to the slimming factor.

*Photo is taken for effect and Will has never actually tasted Diet Coke. Right Britton?! He's always trying to sneak new things into Will's mouth.

Fa(s)t Sunday

It was more like Fat Sunday this last weekend. I've had this homemade pumpkin puree taking up space in the freezer since last fall so I've been trying to think of ways to use it. Let the fatness begin.

Chef Britton whipped up some fabulous Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies. No pictures of these so you'll have to use your best imagination.

Chef Renee spent Saturday night preparing a Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger-Graham Crust. We had a busy day checking out an apartment in Berkeley and then touring campus with friends so I was happy to be home Saturday night. It turned out GREAT! (In my totally unbiased opinion anyway.) Instead of being a heavy cheesecake, but it was very creamy and light.

Crust:

1 cup (100 grams) graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cups (50 grams) finely ground ginger cookies, homemade or store bought

1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated white sugar

4 - 5 tablespoons (56 - 60 grams) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

2/3 cup (145 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound (454 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup pure pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

Topping:

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick spray) an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan.

For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, finely ground ginger snap cookies, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the prepared spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cheesecake filling.

For Cheesecake: In a separate bowl, stir to combine the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), on low speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth (about 2 minutes). Gradually add the sugar mixture and beat until creamy and smooth (1 to 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.

Pour the filling over the chilled ginger crust and place the spring form pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Place a cake pan, filled halfway with hot water, on the bottom shelf of your oven to moisten the air. Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees C (165 degrees C) and continue to bake the cheesecake for another 10 - 20 minutes, or until the edges of the cheesecake are puffed but the center is still wet and jiggles when you gently shake the pan.

Meanwhile whisk together the sour cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Pour the sour cream mixture over the top of the baked cheesecake and rotate the pan slightly to evenly distribute the topping. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake about 8 minutes to set the topping. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Loosen the cake from the pan by running a sharp knife around the inside edge (this will help prevent the cake from cracking). Then place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan so the cheesecake will cool slowly. When completely cooled, cover and refrigerate at least eight hours, preferably overnight, before serving.

Serves 10-12 people.