Photo Updates: 4 months old!

Here's the most recent installment of pictures of our little girl. We continue to be amazed at every little thing she has been learning to do from grabbing and chewing on a teething ring to laughing at a game of peek-a-boo. We just can't get enough!

Here I am with Lily in her Moby wrap. We've learned that she is quite the curious little girl and strongly prefers to see everything that's going on around her rather than facing toward mommy or daddy.

Here she is enjoying a little time in her Bumbo seat we borrowed from a friend. Unfortunately, her legs have recently gotten too fat to fit in it.

A day at the beach in Newport. It was a little cold and windy but the forecast said is was going to be the only non-rainy day during spring break so we took advantage of the opportunity.

All bundled up for a walk outside in the rain. You get used to this kind of thing in Oregon.

Hush Little Baby

I sing to Lily A LOT. Just ask Adam. It's basically what I do all day long. I sing primary songs and jazz tunes and lullabies and nursery rhymes, lots of made-up songs, hymns, pop songs, Spanish songs and country songs, oldies, folk songs, patriotic songs, and occasionally classic rock - haha. I often just sing things like "We are putting on Lily's sockies, Lily's sockies, Lily's sockies, we are putting on Lily's sockies so her feet can be warm!" I really hope it sounds less dumb to her than it does writing it on this blog.

Anyway.

One thing I deliberately avoid singing to her is the classic of all classic lullabies: "Hush Little Baby." Because, really, are you kidding me? Who wrote this song?! Did they honestly think it was a good idea to tell their child they would make them feel better by buying them tons of stuff? And this is not stuff like fruit snacks or the candy next to the grocery store check-out line. We're talking about mocking birds, looking glasses, and diamond rings! And, if the first ridiculously impractical, extravagant gift breaks, it will immediately be replaced by another! These people obviously didn't think about the sense of entitlement their child would inevitably develop. That is, if a baby would even want any of this stuff in the first place.

However.

One day I inadvertently started singing this song anyway, in spite of my disapproval of everything it stands for. And I soon realized that I don't actually know all the words. But I just decided I would keep going as long as I could to see how far I could get. Here is what I came up with (by the way, this is dedicated to my brothers Stephen and Daniel, who are the kings of silly made-up songs):

Hush little baby, don't say a word.
Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird.
And if that mocking bird won't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
And if that diamond ring will break,
Mama's gonna buy you a chocolate cake.
And if that chocolate cake tastes yucky,
Mama's gonna buy you a rubber ducky.
And if that rubber ducky won't float,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat.
And if that billy goat eats your clothes,
Mama's gonna buy you a pretty rose.
And if that rose has a pokey prickle,
Mama's gonna buy you a big, green pickle.
And if that pickle tastes like sludge,
Mama's gonna buy you a piece of fudge.
And if that fudge is crystallized,
Mama's gonna buy you some striped bow ties
And if those bow ties are just for boys,
Mama's gonna buy you some girly toys.
And if those toys make you feel fat,
Mama's gonna buy you a baseball bat.
And if they say you play baseball wrong,
Then we'll just make up a different song.

How many new verses can you come up with?

Life is an Education

I have heard many times that life is a test. But I have come to the conclusion that it's less of a test and more of an education. The point is less to get all the answers right than it is to learn. There is no grading scale that says "80% right choices or above=Celestial Kingdom, 60-80%=Terrestrial Kingdom," etc. I feel that is sometimes how we live the gospel, and when we feel like we are no longer living the commandments at an A level, we shame ourselves into feeling like we're not good enough and we'll never make it.

It is true that the tests are important. We do need to keep the commandments as well as we can, with sincere effort, but God expects us to make mistakes. That is the purpose of Jesus Christ's atonement - so we can repent. Even if we are getting answers wrong all day every day, Christ is always willing to teach us the right answers and let us go back and fix our mistakes. Because the point isn't to get everything right: the point is to learn and to change.

My family might laugh if they read this because they how much of a perfectionist I was in college. I am not sure I realized it then, but college is more about learning and becoming someone than just passing the tests (educational flaws and poor teaching styles aside). Job descriptions often require a degree, regardless of what the degree is in, to even apply for the position. That's because simply going to college, and graduating without dropping out, helps to change us into the kind of hard-working, committed people who will be able to succeed in a demanding full-time job. All those nights of staying up late and studying for tests when the stress was high prove, cumulatively, to our prospective employers that we are willing to stay up late and work over the weekend to finish a project, or that we have learned how to do high-quality work that will be good enough for their clients (Does this give you any insight into my last job as a project manager? Maybe I should broaden my examples a little . . .). Our education also gives us the knowledge we need to succeed in the Real World.

I'm sure there are people who cheat their way through college and do get all the answers right, but don't learn anything and don't stay up late studying for tests. They get the grade but they miss the process, when the process is the important part. The process is what gives us the knowledge and the work ethic that will make us top-notch employees.

Such is life, I believe. We are not just trying to get the answers right. The point is to learn, develop, and change enough to become the kind of people who will be able to succeed in a Celestial world (or at least get on the right track; I believe there will be lots of continuing education provided after this life). As much as I hated homework and research papers and studying, they were necessary in order to learn, just like trials and temptations are necessary for us to learn. It is true that the more we learn, the more answers we get right. But we don't have to get 100%. In fact, we don't even have to pass every test - we just have to make sure to go to the Teacher and discuss the answers we get wrong so we can learn from our mistakes.

So the next time I feel like the stress is getting to me - like I've been up all night and I'm still not getting it - I should remember that the fact that I'm studying for the test in the first place means I'm already on the right track. And it never hurts to meet with the Instructor for a little one-on-one tutoring. He is always available and He is always willing to help.

Vegetarian Fajitas

Did you think fajitas couldn't be vegetarian? That's what I thought, since they usually consist of mostly meat with a few veggies. But they can be vegetarian, and they can also be really good! Below is my Vegetarian Fajita recipe, modified from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook by Linda Fraser. This recipe only takes about 25 minutes altogether!


Ingredients:
1/2 onion

1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
8 oz sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1 large tomato
1 tbsp cilantro
cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1 ripe avocado
salt
lime juice
large tortillas


Cut the onion in half and then slice. Slice the bell peppers as well. Combine the bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a large bowl. Stir together the oil, chili powder, cumin, and Worchestershire sauce. Pour over the vegetables and stir until coated. Let this marinate while you cut the tomato in as many wedges as you can (8-12). Chop the cilantro and grate the cheese. Prepare the guacamole by mashing the avocado and adding salt and lime juice to taste. Cover tightly.

Heat a wok or large frying pan and add the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cilantro and cook for one more minute. Serve immediately on tortillas with the cheese and guacamole. Serves 3. 

Lily 3 Month Pictures

Time for some more pictures of Lily for our grandparents! To all the rest of you, sorry if our blog is overwhelmed with baby pictures! Lily's grandparents (and some of her aunts and uncles) just don't get to see her enough, so this blog attempts (unsuccessfully) to provide adequate compensation by exhibiting as many pictures and videos as possible. Also, sorry about the video quality. It is really bad, but better than no videos, right?

This is Lily sleeping with one arm straight up in the air. Not sure how that was comfortable . . . :)

Eggplant Tomato Curry

I never liked eggplant. So I was hesitant to try this recipe. But I set a goal to try new recipes, even if I don't like some of the ingredients or have never heard of them. So I tried it, and it is SOOO good!! Every time I buy the eggplant, I think "this can't really be that good. I don't even like eggplant." And every time I ama amazed at how yummy it is!

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
3 large tomatoes
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves
1 cup oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp kalonji (nigella) seeds (I have omitted this sometimes and it's still just as good)
1 Tbsp coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cups basmati rice

Put the rice on to cook.
Slice the eggplant in half and slice into wedges. Put them in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Leave for 30 minutes so the bitter juices can be drawn out.
Boil water in a medium saucepan, score a cross in the top of each tomato and plunge in boiling water for ONLY 20 seconds. Drain and peel. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Mix 1/3 tomato, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender.
Rinse eggplant and dry with paper towels (don't omit this or the water will splatter in the pan).
Heat 1/2 cup oil on medium in a large, deep frying pan and add half the eggplant in a single layer. Cook until brown, then turn over (you can add a little more oil if needed). Transfer to a plate with paper towels to drain. Add remaining oil and cook the rest of the eggplant, remove.
Add fennel and kalonji to the oil left in the pan. Cover and allow to pop for a few seconds. Add tomato and ginger and other ingredients except eggplant. Cook, stirring until it is thick and smooth (be careful!). Add eggplant, then cover and cook several more minutes. Serve hot over cooked rice and enjoy!
(Adapted from the recipe in A Little Taste of India cookbook).

Book Review: A Tale of Two Cities

WOW!!! I just finished A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and it is seriously one of the very best books (if not the best book) I have ever read. First of all, the way he writes is amazing! I love his critical analogies, and the way he makes fun of things through his descriptions. His character development is so thorough, for such a short book, and the background information was really interesting (although not everyone probably feels this way). But once I got about two thirds of the way through, I honestly could not put it down! I read the last 130 pages in one sitting (procrastinating folding laundry, grocery shopping, and making dinner for 3 hours) because it was so intense! I did not expect a classic by Dickens to be as riveting as a thriller.

It was as touching and inspiring as Les Miserables (except it's only 350 pages instead of 1100). I cried through the last three chapters and for at least 10 minutes afterwards. And the way he weaves the different stories together was incredible; at the end, you realize page after page that every little detail throughout the rest of the book was vitally important. Kind of like the 3rd and 7th Harry Potter books. :)

Anyway, I just had to tell the world: this book is amazing!! I had no idea what it was even about when I started, apart from being set during the French Revolution. But it is my new favorite book! No wonder it's sold twice as many copies as the next best-selling novel in history! Why did I somehow expect it to be boring? If 200 million people have read it, I should have known it would be worth a try.