Sunny Mango Sippers

What got her out of her new pink booster seat? Ahhhh . . . she wanted to make Sunny Mango Sippers from her Silly Snacks Sesame Street recipe book. This recipe is ridiculously easy, quite healthy, and very tasty.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen mangoes
1/2 cup orange juice
6 oz. vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
*Serves 3 using small cups.

Put ingredients in the blender on high for a few seconds, and voila! a tasty snack.

As Anja says, "D-Yummy-Licious!"

A "Big Girl" Booster Seat

A few weeks ago, we discovered that Anja was quickly reaching the maximum capacity for her current car seat, so off we went to research the best and safest booster seats for her. We discovered that not only were 5-point harness seats the safest, but with safety you also pay a bit more. (Can you really put a price on safety though?) Anyway, while looking on-line with Anja last night, she pointed out that she rather preferred every pink booster seat that popped up. So, off we went and purchased a pink Britax Frontier booster seat for her. Needless to say, she likes it!

She wanted to try it out, so we all went and sat in the car this evening.

As many of you know, Erik's dad, Paul, is home from the hospital and recovering from quite the week. His recovery will be long, and lifestyle changes will be great, but we feel ever so thankful that he is still with us (and celebrating his birthday today!). Your thoughts, prayers and help with their transition back to their life at home have been greatly appreciated.

Thank you . . .

We just wanted to thank everyone for their outpouring of support for Paul, Marilyn and all of our family. Erik is posting updates about him on this site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paulderickson
Right now all of the news is positive, but we know there's a long way to go.

Please keep Paul and Marilyn in your thoughts and prayers.

Transition Time!

Erik teaching Anja how to use an Allen wrench, or the "zigzag."

We've gotten a ton of use out of our Baby Bjorn Sitter in the past 2+ years, so much that we've just realized that Anja is about seven pounds over the "maximum weight" limit on it. (Oops!) We decided that it was obviously time for a change (with the new baby coming!), so to IKEA we went. Their kid-sized Poang chair was the perfect fit. We brought it home and she put it together with Erik. As you can see, she's a great little helper.

Anja worked very diligently.


Finished!

We've begun a lot of "baby sister" talk and have tried to get her into the mindset that we'll be welcoming the new baby into the house in the next month or so. It's going to be a big change for everyone, so we hope that with all of this talk it'll help when it becomes the real deal.

Erik collapses the Baby Bjorn, just until the new baby arrives.

I'm the BIG Sister! Class

Anja's already pretty good at changing Baby Stella's diaper, but we'll have to see how she feels when it's a real one!

Today Anja and I went to a class specifically for her to learn about what it will be like to be the BIG sister . . . or something like that. The kiddos got to see a couple of newborns in the nursery and up close, changed their baby's diaper, swaddled their babies, and learned how to hold a baby. Anja did pretty well, and was especially excited to ride the elevator up to see the real babies! Here are some photos from the morning. She's going to be a great BIG sister in a few weeks!

Almost done . . .

No naked babies here!

Practice holding the "baby."

Anja receives a certificate and coloring book for successful completion of the class.

Yay for Warm Temps!

Ironically, Anja had the run of the park. We didn't see anyone else!

Today's outing was quite the treat . . . 50 degree temps meant it was finally time to hit up the park again. Anja, Erik and I went on the first walk we've been on for quite some time and enjoyed getting out under the beautiful blue sky. We look forward to more of these days to come!

We were all smiles the entire time . . . nice to be outside!

Festival of Colors (Holi)

Someday I will attend this festival. In fact, this is probably in my top 5 wish list of things to do. I've seen video and other photos of this amazing celebration. The Festival of Colors or Holi is a Hindu celebration which welcomes the coming of spring (rebirth), and the triumph of good over evil. I think we'll have to wait a few years until the girls are a little older though :-)

Just Warm Enough for a Spin . . .

This week, we were fortunate to have a few days that reached into the 40s, so we tried our best to take advantage of the "warm" temperatures. Anja saw a few teenagers riding their bicycles, so she figured it was about time that she got to ride her tricycle again too. Too bad there's snow in the forecast for tomorrow and Tuesday! Ahh, we'll take what we can get guess!

She kept chanting, "Faster! Faster!" We kept chanting, "Pedal! Pedal!" There's something about having a semi-uphill driveway when you're trying to maintain momentum . . . guess she might have to watch some Tour de France highlights this summer to see how the pros get out of the saddle. Should be an interesting one this year, with Lance back as well as Landis, Hamilton, and the rest of the formerly suspended cyclists!

A Tasty Dinner Recipe . . .

This afternoon, I busted out our Rival Crock Pot and made another meal courtesy of our monthly Everyday Food magazine. Slow-Cooker Spiced Chicken Stew with Carrots was the selection this time, and it was extremely easy. They call it a stew, but I definitely wouldn't. The chicken, although it turned out a little dry, was fantastic. I halved the recipe, so that may have contributed to the dryness (next time I'll add a splash of water to the pot). Try it--you'll like it!

The BIG Picture

Kyrgyzstan was featured in today's Big Picture. This is one of my favorite photo sites. Check it out here.