Sunday 29 November 2009

Monday 23 November 2009

Happy Anniversary! Nine Years!

the decor was...interesting

Typical European dining at its best (close tables) - our neighbors kept watching us eat!


lucky the restaurant rides on Jamie Oliver's celebrity, otherwise no one would know about it - it's in the middle of nowhere (if that's possible in London)

Isabella spent the day with my friend Karalee and her daughter Kathryn. She had a blast - no tears all day. Parks, play dough, and awesome toys - she wasn't ready for us to take her home!

Fresh From the Oven!


Being home with Isabella affords me the opportunity to making beautiful pies like this! I can't wait to cut into it. It's got cranberries, apples, pears, and figs and way too much butter to be healthy.


My constant kitchen companion. A little finger paint in the pot makes everything taste better too.

Monday 16 November 2009

21 Months



We went from summer to winter within the span of a month. We left England for the US and came home to cold. We had a pretty wet weekend and our being caught in the house for most of it left both Pedro and I with cabin fever. We're spoiled rotten- we really are. We went out with friends on Friday night and spent Sunday afternoon keeping warm in a local pub - all with Isabella in tow. In between, I spent hours sewing up Christmas gifts and finishing my latest quilty creation to keep us warm on the couch for many wintry weekends to come. But I think what makes us feel gloomy is dealing with a little one who has spent the last year teething. She has been cutting at least four molars in the last six weeks and those buggers are taking their time to fully emerge, leaving us with a very temperamental toddler.

In other news, Isabella has been forming real sentences now. Most of the time we hear, "I like it," or "I dropped it," or "hold that." I have also been taking her to a new play group in the village, but she doesn't seem to be enjoying it very much at this point. Although it's an amazingly well organized group with lots of art and play, she just isn't used to the high decibel level and the concept of delaying rewards at snack time. Is it really possible to ask a not-yet two-year-old to resist chomping down on that cracker before the snack song ends, all while keeping her fingers under the table for good manners???

Next weekend is our ninth anniversary. Pedro and I are going to escape to London for lunch at Fifteen (Jamie Oliver's restaurant!!!) and an exhibit on Montezuma, while Isabella enjoys an extended play date with her friend Kathryn. We can't wait!

Sunday 1 November 2009

Halloween





This year was Isabella's second halloween and was more enjoyable than last year, when I was rushing around trying to get things done after work. We went to a Halloween party for kids and then did trick-or-treating afterwards. We finished the night with a few pints of Hobgoblin brew at a pink pub with friends and came home to watch the Halloween classic The Lost Boys (after the little one's bedtime, of course) . Having a kid grants you free license to live the best parts of childhood all over again.