Little ray of sunshine

I had to be at work by 7 this morning so Avery walked me out to the garage, pausing in the sun.

Tahoe to Utah

This past week (from September 1 through the 8th) we were on vacation.  1600 miles in 7 days.  We spent the 1st through the 5th in South Lake Tahoe and then the we drove to Salt Lake City and spent Thursday there.  We left Friday morning and drove west, ending up in Reno, where we stayed the night.  It was a nice trip.  Jen's parents and Grandma came to Tahoe with us and her parents came to Utah with us as well.  Keith's mom and Tom spent Sunday and Monday with us in Tahoe before flying back home.

Avery got to play on the beach for the first time.  She love, love, loved the water and sand.  She is our little fish, I worry about her liking her face in the water though. *sigh   Guess we need swim lessons sooner rather than later!  :)  It was a nice relaxing trip in Tahoe, we wandered around the Heavenly Village and went through art galleries and spent time together.  Our parents would watch Avery for an hour or two so we could spend time together, either walking around or at a casino.  Hey, its Tahoe, gotta play roulette!  Sunday night we all watched the fireworks (well, minus Tom and Ruth, they watched a sleepy tired Avery).  It was a great show, 20 minutes of nonstop action and color and music.  We went last year with the Warners and had a blast, so we've decided to turn it into an annual trip.

Avery was AMAZING on the ride to Utah.  We would stop every two hours or so to change her and feed her and let her out of her seat for about 20 minutes.  She was a real trooper, she would let us know when she was hungry so Jen could get her a bottle before she had a melt down (thank goodness for metal water bottles that keep water hot) and otherwise she played and sang and talked to us and just had a good time.  It was harder on us because we had to stop every few hours to give her a break, we wanted to avoid overdoing it and letting her kick her legs and 'walk' with us seemed to keep her happy.  She is such a great baby, Jen gets giddy and smiley just talking about her.  LOVE.

Here are some photos of our trip.

College and Individuality

We, my mom and dad and I, took TJ to Utah and left him there.  Yep, we left my brother to start a new chapter in his life.  It's called James goes to College.  Yes, James.  Apparently the name I have known my brother by his entire life is no longer his name, it's now James, his middle name.  I guess it's another attempt at individuality.  :)  Like Virginia going by Gina or Ginny, however briefly, or me switching from Jennifer to Jen when I was in my mid 20's.  Everyone needs to feel different and important.  The problem, as I see it, comes when you try so hard to be different that you end up actually being the same as so many others trying to be different.  The ones that succeed at being different are the ones that stop caring what others think and just do what they want, wear what they like, and eat how they see fit.  They are the ones that end up being the ones that everyone else tries to be like.


TJ is enrolled at UVU and he starts college in just a few weeks.  He is growing up and becoming a man, my baby brother is 18 and living on his own for the first time.  I actually envy him the next few years.  The time he'll get to make decisions, become who he wants to be, learn what he wants to learn and go where he wants to go, without the weight of too many bills and obligations.  If there was a time in my life I wish I could re-do, and still end up where I am now (maybe with a few minor changes) it would be college.  I'd do that study abroad program.  I'd have better grades.  I'd have finished college and gotten my law degree or international law or relations.  I would have traveled and had so many more adventures rather than done things to make others happy.  



I hope James (TJ?) you know how very much I love you and how much I hope you love college and make the most of every moment.  Work hard, get good grades study abroad and learn art and music, dance and theater in other countries too.  You are at the starting line of the best and most rewarding race you'll ever be in, just remember that you decide the pace you run and your destination.

Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts

1. 12 ounces bucatini (we used Penne)
2. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 5 chicken breast tenderloins, chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
3. 4 tablespoons melted butter
4. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5. 1/2 pound cauliflower florets, cut in 1-inch pieces
6. 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, halved or quartered if large
7. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8. 1 small onion, finely chopped
9. 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
10. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
11. 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
12. 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
13. 1 cup dry bread crumbs
14. 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the oil. Add the cauliflower and brussels sprouts and season with salt and black pepper; cover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of oil to the skillet along with the onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, rosemary and thyme; cook, stirring, until the onion is slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat until the cauliflower and sprouts are tender, about 3 minutes. Keep warm.
3. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Dredge the chicken pieces in melted butter and then in the bread crumbs and cook over moderately high heat until golden brown and crisp.  About 2-3 minutes, turning regularly to cook evenly.
4. Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the vegetables and cook over moderate heat, tossing, until the water is nearly absorbed. Remove from the heat and stir in the 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Serve the pasta in wide bowls and top with the chicken and extra cheese or breadcrumbs.

Time Flies!

Time flies!  I can't believe it's already July 26th.  It's Virginia's 30th birthday and Avery is already 8 months old.  I know people say time speeds up when you have kids, but I had always hoped that it was a gross exaggeration.  I know now...it's no lie, it's no exaggeration; its the unfortunate and sordid truth.

So, let’s try to catch up on the past 3 months.  The Boulants moved to Arizona.  Did I mention that already?  If not, they moved to Laveen, AZ where Matt got a job as an engineer.  Go Matt!  The kids have to wear uniforms to school now, not something they were accustomed too, but all things considered it’s a great opportunity for them and a good move.  Avery will miss her cousins, Uncle Matt, and GiGi.

We were in Lakeport for Mother’s Day this year and Grandma Angie got to meet her youngest great-granddaughter for the first time.  They hit it off really well, even though Angie did forget a few times whose baby she was.  Keith would remind her that Avery was ours and she’d go “Well, where’d you get a good looking baby like that from?   Must be from her mama!”  I love Angie!

The Hulse Family came out to visit us in May for Keith’s birthday.  We went on the Skunk Train and to Ft. Bragg and hung out for a day.  Avery went on her very first train ride, and she was a trooper.  She slept through part of it and was just interested in everything when she was awake.  We stopped in a little lumber town called Northspur.  Here’s a bit about the ride, from the website:

"The view from the restored rail cars is pretty much unchanged since 1885: towering trees, deer drinking from the Noyo River, an isolated fisherman's cabin peeking from the forest. With occasional whistles as it chugs through tunnels, over bridges and past open meadows, the train follows the coastal "Redwood Route" as it has since 1885.

Built as a logging railroad, the Skunk line began that year as a logical vehicle for moving massive redwood logs to Mendocino Coast sawmills from the rugged back country. Steam passenger service was started in 1904, extended to the town of Willits in 1911, and discontinued in 1925 when the self-powered, yellow "Skunk" rail cars were inaugurated. The little trains were quickly nicknamed for their original gas engines, which prompted folks to say, "You can smell 'em before you can see 'em."

There was an annular solar eclipse in May of this year as well.  Keith, Avery, and I were outside taking pictures, the lighting was just so crazy.  Everything was brighter and there were shadows of the eclipse on the ground and on the walls, everywhere.  Really strange, but pretty.

Avery is apparently a water baby.  She loves swimming.  She kicks her little legs about a mile a minute and slaps the water with her hands and tries to drink it.  She has no fear of the water, which isn't fun when you're holding her and she tries to dunk her head in the water and then she ends up coughing and with a runny nose and you're trying to make sure she's okay and she's trying to dunk her face in the water again.  I mean, really child, are you trying to make mama feel bad?  This one is definitely going to need swim lessons, soon!  She'll end up being our little swimmer, no doubt there, but in the meantime, we need some water safety lessons.  :)

Avery just before the 4th of July.  We went to Palo Cedro to see the Warners the weekend before the 4th and Avery got to play with her 'cousin' Max.  He's so cute, tow-head and he too loves the water.  They have a lot of fun playing.  

The Warners are from Washington and are Mariner Fans, thus the American Flag and the Mariners flag flying high.  I held up Avery while Keith took a photo of the flags behind her.  They were blowing the opposite direction, so we flipped the picture.  Cool, right?  

 Avery and Cailyn had their photos taken at Park Avenue Photography on July 7th by the amazing Ms. Teresa.  She took some great shots of the two of them, some of them together, some separate.  Here are some of my faves.

Isn't this just the cutest face you've ever seen?

She is the love and joy of our lives.  She makes us smile and laugh daily with her expressions and antics.  She is learning so fast.  She signs for 'Eat' and 'Milk', she adores her GloWorm, and she is trying so hard to crawl.  Nothing in our lives will ever be the same, everything is exactly as it should be.  She completes us in every way.

Monterey and Avery's 5 month birthday

We went to Monterey with our niece, Zoe for a work convention for Keith and I.  We had so much fun and got to spend some time with Zoe and Avery.  We went to the aquarium and we got to see the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Avery also turned 5 months old this past Saturday, April 21st.  I can't believe how quickly she is growing up and changing.  You always hear about it, but you can't image it, not really, until you experience it.  I wish I had a magic wand to slow down time!

 

Life 3.1

I am back at work now and Avery has been at Daycare for a few weeks.  We had her going to an in-home Daycare at first, but then the sitter decided to homeschool her girls and wanted to cut hours so it wasn't working out.  We put her in Little Treasures Daycare here in Chico, and she seems to be okay.  She comes home tired, but that's normal I would think.  She also sleeps all night now.  Yes boys and girls our angel that turns 4 months old tomorrow sleeps for 12-14 hours.  She goes down about 6 and sleeps until 7, every night for the past two weeks.  Fingers crossed that when she starts teething it won't completely decimate her schedule.  :)  She is so much fun to play with.  She laughs some now and is great at kicking her legs and reaching for things.  She tries so hard to put her pacifier back into her mouth, she just isn't quite there yet.  She loves to stand too, so if she's fussy and you stand her up she kind of looks at you like, "Oh, that's fun!" and then she smiles.  Here are some pictures, she changes so quickly.

Life 3.0

Life with Avery has sure been exciting.  We love love love being parents.  Avery is so smart and so alert, she has been since she was born, but her intelligence just beams out of her face now.  It's so awesome to watch her as she learns something new, "Oh, those are my hands."  She is the greatest thing in our lives.  Yesterday I was putting her down for bed and she didn't have her 'Silky Bunny' and she just leaned back (we lay her on her side) and looked at me like, "Really Mom, really?  Where's my bunny?"  It took me a second to realize what she wanted, I put it next to her, she closed her eyes and slept for 8.5 hours.  Yep, she's finally sleeping for long stretches.  I can't say all night yet cause the kid won't go to sleep later than 6:30 or 7pm, but hey, it's a start.

Here are some updated pictures for all ya'll.  :)

Announcing the arrival of Avery Elaine Lynch

Avery Elaine Lynch was born on November 21, 2011 at 2:19 pm.  She was 6lbs 8oz and 18 inches long.  She's the love of our life.

Maternity Pictures

We had Maternity Photos taken last Saturday (the 4th) by Wendy Mayo, she's an amazing local photographer.  Aren't they great?  We're so excited to meet our little Avery.