Cute new things

At night, when I put Charlotte down for bed, she says "bye bye" and blows kisses. No crying either.

When I ask Charlotte if she can say I love you, she says "wuv you mommy." She adds the mommy part all by herself. It is the sweetest thing.

Tonight I asked her for a kiss before bed and she gave me one. She also pointed to Oliver and gave him a kiss too.

If you ask her how old she is, she will tell you 2! Jumping the gun just a little, but she will be all ready in a month.

3 Years Ago Today...

Happy Anniversary Love!

My Other Baby

I have always dreamed of a lush garden. There is something so calming about going out in the evening and watering the plants. Now I know why my Grandma Phillips always enjoyed it so much. There is also something very fascinating about watching the different plants produce fruit. And there is nothing better than clipping the veggies of your plant and serving them on your plate the very same day for dinner. I have become so obsessive about the garden {I have to refrain from saying "my" garden since Kayu has done a lot of the work} that I once made Kayu run out in a massive hail storm to cover the plants. The hail was so harsh that Kayu came back into the house with swells on his back. But at least my plants were saved!

Raspberry Honey Tapioca

I decided to try my hand at tapioca. I was a little weary at first because there was so much liquid. But after a good thirty minutes {and lots of patience}, the milk turned into a creamy custard. The lemon gives a light refreshing taste and pairs well with the raspberry.

Soak the tapioca in 1 cup / 240 ml of the milk in a medium, heavy saucepan for 30 – 60 minutes. Whisk in the yolks, salt, honey, and remaining milk.

Bring the mixture barely to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring. This will take about 15 minutes. Decrease the heat so the mixture gently simmers, stirring constantly, for another 20 minutes or until the tapioca is fully cooked (this depends on how large your tapioca pearls are.) The tapioca is fully cooked when the pearls swell up and are nearly translucent – tasting is the best way to tell. The pudding itself will also thicken into a custard. Continue to taste and stir, preventing the tapioca from scorching.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lemon zest, then let the pudding cool (it will thicken a bit.) Top with raspberries and enjoy!

Charlotte's Gallery

I want

I miss those days when we used to go to the store and Charlotte would just lay there in her car seat wide eyed and content.

We saw a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal today and she recognized him. "Ichey" she said as she pointed to him. I gave in and let her hold and kiss him. Then I tried to sneak him back onto the shelf but she caught on and started crying.

Then we went to the running store and she started throwing the little soccer balls they had. When it was time to leave she threw a fit even though I told her she has the same mini soccer ball at home. One of the workers came to the rescue with a yellow balloon.

23 Months Old

This quite possibly could be the last "months" post. The little munchkin has outgrown babyhood and is in full force toddlerhood. Here is the latest...

• She can now walk up stairs instead of crawling up them by herself as long as she has a wall or banister to hold on to
• "Mine" is the word of choice
• She can count to three on her own now
• When Daddy says mouth and nose in Chinese she points to them
• If we don't put shorts on her, she will take off her diaper at nap time which leads to regret