Big Day for Little Ears

Addie got her ears pierced today!
We had told her she could have it done whenever she was ready, but she wasn't interested. So occasionally I would ask her again if she wanted to get it done, and yesterday she replied "Sure!" So we went over to the mall today and she sauntered into the store calm as can be.

(Here she is for a "before" shot)












She climbed up in the chair, went to town on the lollipop they gave her, and was set. "Do you want to sit with your mom?" "No, I'm fine."









This was taken RIGHT when the earrings were going in, and you can see she was a bit put-off, but didn't make a sound.
















And this is about 3 seconds later. She didn't cry, didn't whimper, didn't even flinch! I was so proud of her!
And impressed!
And a little embarrassed to realize that not only is she tough, she is WAY tougher than me!!!





Afterward, Greg and I were marveling all over again at Addie's very high pain tolerance. This isn't the first time we've seen it (she doesn't cry for shots either, and a few weeks ago she calmly walked up to me and told me she was bleeding, with a big skinned knee), but every time we see it again, we are a little surprised. We always remember how much of the first few years of her life she spent shrieking and crying, and wonder just how bad her reflux was hurting her. We also wonder if that's what made her so tough, and though going through reflux STUNK, at least she can come out of it with a high pain tolerance.

Anyway, now we have a little girl who is very excited about her new earrings. And in case you're wondering, she chose rainbow-colored daisies.

It's Finally Summer

We are glad that is finally OFFICIALLY considered summer now, even though it has felt like summer for many weeks around here. We have had a hotter-than-normal June (that's what the locals tell us), and it has been so hot, and to think it wasn't even summer yet was a little discouraging. So now that it is summer, the heat seems a little more appropriate. In case you're wondering, it has been in the high 90's almost everyday, but with humidity, and the part we're really not used to, is that it doesn't cool off at night. Like 94 degrees at 10:00 at night!

Here is Scotty, in from being out in the heat, watching a little TV and cooling off.

The last few days gave us a little relief from the heat ( a little) and some fun storms. The other night, as a storm was rolling in, this is what the sky looked like in one direction...

and then in the other direction.

Pretty beautiful, huh?

In unrelated news, I made Shrimp and Creamy Polenta for dinner the other night, and thought it looked pretty, and thought I'd share the picture. :)

Our Tenth Anniversary!

We celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary this last weekend!

The kids spent the night with our friends, the Busters, and we spent a luxurious overnight in downtown Dallas.

We checked into the Adolphus Hotel, then snapped this shot before heading downstairs to dine at "The French Room."

Aren't you dying to know what we ate? Well, for our foodie friends out there, here is the scoop:

To start, the chef sent out an Amuse-Bouche (for the non-foodies, that's a little hors d'oeurve that the chef puts together to amuse the pallete of diners). It consisted of a yellow tomato, topped with Chilean Sea Bass, red radish, capers, and drizzled with olive oil. Delish!

For appetizers, Greg ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with mango curry and raspberry jams, and lobster-lemongrass sauce. He says it was the best crab cake he's ever had. I had Crisp Pork Belly with wild mushrooms, swiss chard, five spice sauce, and carmelized pearl onions. The pork melted in my mouth and the pearl onions were so gorgeously darkened that Greg thought they were cranberries on my plate!

For Main course, Greg enjoyed Colorado Rack of Lamb with yellow corn and green garlic gratin and kalamata olive puree. I had Duck breast with white chocolate polenta, foie gras mousse, and duck confit. The polenta was sooooo creamy. I had not tried foie gras before, and I knew it was goose liver, but I gave it a try anyway and it was CRAZY GOOD!

We even squeezed in some dessert! A white chocolate souffle with grand marnier drizzle.

What an amazing meal! Every bite was a thrill, the service was amazing, the environment was lovely. They even sent us off with a chocolate-banana cake for the next morning! We had a great time!

Stuffed to the gills, we retired to our lovely room for rest! One of Greg's co-workers at his hotel called a friend of theirs at the Adolphus, and they upgraded us to a Junior Suite. So here is a shot of our room. It felt a little like a waste of space for just the two of us, but we enjoyed it anyway. :)

Next morning, we slept in, then checked out and headed to the spa at the Stoneleigh hotel for a couple's massage and aromotherapy soak. Oh the bliss. After lugging around a 30 pound boy all the time, these muscles really appreciated some pampering.

Then we headed out for a late brunch at "Smoke," a local place we'd heard great things about. We enjoyed the food, but our visit was memorable for more than just that. But before I explain, here's what we ate:

I had smoked ham (they smoke it themselves) and a farm egg fritter with a sweet corn griddlecake and dublin dr. pepper red eye gravy. I loved every. last. bite. Greg had a omelette with goat cheese, mushrooms, bbq brisket and... something else I can't remember.

The food was GREAT! Here's me about to dig in.

What I think was most memorable, however, was that we inadvertently got ourselves right smack in the middle of some MTV reality show. When we walked into the restaurant, we noticed a camera and crew filming two guys at a table, but we didn't think that much of it, since we still have LA in our blood, and since we only saw one camera we figured it was a B level local production or something. But after sitting down somewhat near the table, we realized it was a bigger crew that we had first noticed and that their equipment was high-end. As our meal went on, the taping broke from time to time, and the crew and cast seemed to swarm throughout the restaurant. We also noticed that the guys who took over the table next to us where somewhat connected with the guys who had been being filmed, at we were right in between the crew, the cast, and their entourage. (The waitress told us it was an MTV reality show). Though we enjoyed the food immensely, we were glad to leave the world of reality TV. :)

With bellies full, we headed to Penzy's spices for some fun shopping.

We also hit an antique mall before heading back to the Buster's to reunite with the kids. They had us stay for dinner and cards that night, which was a blast. And I must say that even after eating such great food all weekend, at dinner that night, fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper and the company of fun friends and our wonderful kids was every bit as wonderful.

It was a great time together to celebrate God's goodness and faithfulness over the last ten years. We spent a lot of time reminiscing and just enjoying each other's company. I am so thankful for the time I've had to be married to my best friend, and to share so many joyful and challenging memories together!

We had a great time celebrating our anniversary!

Unique

I found Addie like this on the couch during rest time. Evidently while reading books, she decided she wanted a blanket, and that her umbrella would provide some privacy. She was dead asleep under there! Cracked me up!

Central Market

Since our arrival in Texas, I've had a hard time figuring out where to do our grocery shopping. The nearest groceries are at the Super Walmart, which might be fine for a few basics, but the produce stinks and very often they don't carry what I'm looking for. Admittedly, I'm often looking for more "gourmet" ingredients. And that is the problem. If I wanted to find store-brand Velveeta, there would be no problem.

My other option is the Tom Thumb, which is the same as Von's/ Safeway. It is not very close, and I have also had a hard time finding much variety there (ie: a few kinds of pasta, but not the wide selection I could find in the grocery stores in CA). But I end up there more than not.

I have also become acquainted with Sprouts, which has a huge selection of produce, and great produce too, for super-low prices. Since we eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies at our house, I like shopping there. BUT- it is about 15 minutes away, in the opposite direction from the other stores, and I can only get my produce and a few other items.

So I've been left trying to hit two or three stores for our groceries, none of them close, and still I'm often not finding what I'm looking for.

All of this to say, we have for months been driving past a store called "Central Market", which is about 15 minutes away. I had been told it was over-priced and high-end and hadn't managed to get in there yet. What a SHAME.

We decided to go explore this store a few weeks ago, and found we had been missing a gem all along!

First of all, in front of the

entrance are signs that say "Foodie Crossing," and we knew that was a good sign. :) Secondly, we entered into the produce department, which is self-contained and semi-refrigerated. Also happy. The prices were a little high, but they had produce I haven't seen anywhere else in Texas, so I was delighted. Now if I want to find tri-colored heirloom tomatoes, I know where to go!

Among the aisles, we found bulk nuts, beans, and grains of many varieties. Yellow lentils! Organic red quinoa! And in bulk so I can buy just how much I want! Oh happy day! Among the dry goods there were more healthy options, more variety, more "gourmet" ingredients. We even found whole wheat gemelli pasta!

Then we hit the chip aisle and found the "El Milagro" chips our friend Vonna had told us we MUST find when we get to Texas. In the soda aisle, there was the Hank's Root beer and the Hawaiian Pineapple Soda we used to get at our favorite soda ship in Pasadena! Woohoo! There was a huge cheese counter with gourmet cheeses, and so so so so much more.

Just when we thought it couldn't get better, we rounded the corner to find the cafe, where you can order a scrumptious meal or snack and get a gourmet soda from the soda fountain or a gellato from the gelatto counter, then sit outside and let the kids play in the huge, beautiful play area (with slides and climbing toys of course). Or you can take a cooking class together in the back room. *sigh*

We were delighted with our find, and though I won't be able to go do ALL my shopping there, I will know where to go when I need unique ingredients or just need a smile. It is good to know there are other foodies in the area too.

Also, we bought a jar of Nutella while at Central Market, and had some on graham crackers the next day for snack.

The kids LOVED it, and Scotty turned the snack into a full-body experience.

Notice Our Ticker?

Just have to point out the ticker to the right that declares Greg and I have been married close to ten years now! In fact, next weekend is the big anniversary, and we are so excited!

Kindergarten Stuff

Here are some pictures of Addie celebrating "100 day" for school. We reached 100 days pretty late in the school year because we only counted days that we did school at home (not TEACH theme days or field trips). Each day we added a number to the chart, and when we reached 100, we had a super-fun day. Here is Addie with the chart, wearing her 100 crown.

Making "100 snack mix"- 10 pieces each of ten different snacks. And you can also see the legos we counted out to see how tall of a stack we could make with 100 pieces.

Addie and Scott playing 100 pin bowling on the Wii.

Our special "100" dinner! (Breakfast for dinner- bacon and pancakes with apple butter)

This fun day was just a few weeks ago, yet here we are having now finished Kindergarten. Hooray! We had such a fun year together and learned so much. Last night we celebrated the grade completion by going to the bookstore and allowing Addie to pick a new book. Then we went to get frozen yogurt, and strolled through Southlake Town Square. The kids played around the fountain and we spun in circles in the gazeebo, and mommy even got a reward! A pretty little blue glass tumbler from Anthropology! A great end to a great school year.