Cute Baby Girl

Happy Thanksgiving! Oh wait...

...that was last week! Oh well, I tried.

We went to Big Bear for Thanksgiving to spend it with Pastor Husband's dad and step-mom. I would have written up there, but Big Bear is very internet unfriendly. No matter where we went, whether we knew the password to the wireless or not, it just wasn't very nice. At least not on my stuff.

Anyway, we drove up there with our Belgium family who got to experience their first Thanksgiving. For the couple of weeks they were here the one thing they kept saying is that Americans sure eat and eat a lot! Thanksgiving was the perfect example for them.

I got to meet Pastor Husband's grandma from Florida and she got to meet Baby Girl. Baby Girl's twin cousins were there and their big brother. We played pool, watched a movie, played (sorta) some golf, and walked around the village. The weather was pretty warm, for Big Bear, but that didn't stop the man-made snow and there were snowboarders on all the slopes. We got to stay in this huge log cabin-type house that had cable (we don't have cable at home so this is always a treat) and I got to watch Gone With the Wind the night before Thanksgiving. It's my most favorite movie.

It was a good few days of getting away with family.

There's a River in Southern California?

Yes, there is! There are actually a bunch and we happen to live by the Santa Ana River, which has a very nice trail along it. The trail will actually take you all the way to the beach if you keep going. I have yet to try that out.

It's a lot easier to get to the river than it is to get to the park. The park isn't far, but it's up a giant hill! That hill takes a ton of motivation while the river takes just the small hint of cabin fever. It's a really nice walk and we should go more often, but we make it out when we can.

I took some pictures last month when we went a-walking and never posted. I remembered them today when we decided to go out and eat lunch at the picnic benches that they put out there.

"Making Christmas"

Christmas started early in the Jahn home this year. We decided to decorate yesterday because I usually like to decorate the day after Thanksgiving - keeps me away from the crazies who Black Friday - however, we'll be in Big Bear so of course that meant I needed to do it a week before! The only thing missing in our home is the tree. Hopefully, that will go up before we leave. Don't worry, it's a fake tree. I've grown used to it. I'll just snag some branches from Big Bear before heading down the hill.

Christmas is starting in the church too. We're decorating tomorrow and Tuesday. It's my favorite time for decorations because we kept up the same lights and Christmas trees for our wedding. It's like the church celebrates our anniversary every year.

Today, I decided to continue the festive mood and make my first batch of Christmas cookies. I made pumpkin cookies with brown sugar frosting. I'm pretty proud of these because it is my first time truly creating a recipe! I actually made it up out of my own head. The cookies are from a recipe, but the frosting is my invention. I'll leave you to using your own pumpkin cookie recipe, there are so many out there, but I will lay out the frosting recipe. I hope you enjoy it! I know it is now my favorite frosting!


Here is what you need:
3 1/2 cups Confectioners Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/4 Butter
1/4 Evaporated Milk
2 tsp Vanilla

Step One

Melt the butter with the brown sugar. Swish it around so it all mixes well and doesn't burn. You want to keep cooking it until the butter browns a bit. It takes a few minutes.

Step Two

Add the melted butter/brown sugar to the confectioners sugar. Add the evaporated milk and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

That's it! These cookies are probably the prettiest I have ever made so if I ever open my bakery called "Homely Goods" I don't know if they'll fit because they are just too pretty. One day...we shall see.

Linda Eder Christmas Concert - She's my favorite!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

Cute Baby Girl

Wordy Wednesday

divertido, divertida

 adjective

English Translation of DIVERTIDO

1

: amusing, funny

2

: entertaining, enjoyable

Yesterday, was muy divertido! We got to go to Disneyland and Baby Girl is so spoiled...she's been twice in less than a year!

This is how she spent most of the first trip.

This time she was awake for most of the rides and I think she really enjoyed them! We went on The Haunted Mansion, some Bug's Life ride where you fly in a bug-made hot air balloon, Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World, and the Toy Story ride in California Adventure. On that ride, each time it whipped around she would look up at me and smile. Baby Girl is going to love all rides, I think, and that is good news for Pastor Husband. I can't even go on Splash Mountain! I'm okay with waiting, walking around, and shopping while everyone else gets dropped down, turned upside down, and thrown around at a million miles per hour.

We got pictures with the big ol' Mainstreet Christmas Tree, Mickey Mouse, Snow White and Donald Duck. After the picture with Mickey Baby Girl would get so excited each time she would she him or another character. I'm so glad she wasn't scared of the giant mouse, which, I noticed, I'm taller than that once giant mouse!

Baby Girl's beautiful morning hair.

Beginning of Winnie the Pooh 

Walking with Pastor Husband to California Adventure. 

The End.

A Brother From Another Mother

Someone said that a long time ago when they walked into Stater Bros. and I have had it in my memory box ever since. Anyway, to let you in a bit on Pastor Husband, I will start off by saying that he is an introvert in extrovert clothing. Not to say that he is fake around people, but it does tire him out when he's around a lot of people for a long period of time; however, unlike me, he doesn't get all pouty, grouchy, or hide in a corner until it's all over. He genuinely cares about other people and their stories, which is why he is so good at making friends. His friends though are quite unique. For some reason, Pastor Husband, is awesome at making friends who don't speak English.

Since knowing Pastor Husband I now know people from all over the map. Our wedding was actually streamed so that all his ESL friends could be part of our ceremony!

Here's a list of our extended family:
Austria via England
Belgium
Brazil
Japan
Romania
Guatemala
Mexico

I think I've met most all of them face-to-face. Some have been in our bedroom via Skype...yeah, that's never strange. There's always some kind of language, accent, or new custom that I get to learn. It's all quite interesting.

Today, we had lunch with married Belgium friends. The husband is actually from Brazil and the wife is Turkish. She's four months pregnant with their baby boy. These wonderful people brought us chocolate - LOTS! - waffles, some kind of candy that tastes like violets (haven't tried them yet), and Turkish gummy candies that are rose, vanilla, and citrus flavor (these are very yummy).

I knew the rest of the world existed and it wasn't flat, but Pastor Husband has definitely expanded my horizons. I feel very international!

The stash.

Sleepover

Shh, Baby Girl is sleeping. We can't wait to be back home with Pastor Husband.

Goodnight all! Sweet dreams!

Wordy Wednesday

My theory is that babies really don't say their first word when they're under the age of one. I think their "words" are really sounds that sound like a word to us. They have no idea that their sounds are the names of things or people or have any meaning. Baby Girl has been saying "dada", "momma", and "wiggle wiggle" for months now, but she doesn't relate those sounds or words to anything. They're just constant sounds that she makes as she goes about her day, cruising from the living room to the hallway, which leads to her room and sometimes she takes a side trip to the bathroom.

I don't know...I could be entirely wrong. Maybe there are babies out there that can comprehend what they are saying. Baby Girl, right now, is just a babble of sounds that warm my heart (when she's not screaming them), that make me laugh (when she "talks" to Pocoyo or her monohead), and that I truly delight in.

What was your baby's first word, babble, onomatopoeia?

Cute Baby Girl & Happy Halloween

Baby Girl is too smart for us. She learned very quickly to put her hand out as we went from house to house. Aye!

I'm the rare purple legged monkey!