Flat

Which is worse?
a) Flat Hair
b) Flat Chest
c) Flat Tire

Although some might contest, after this weekend, I would like to confirm that the answer to this question is C - Flat Tire.

Emily, Jake, and I had enjoyed a $1.50 Costco Hot Dog Deal, sifted through our newly developed photos, and were happily on our way home from Fresno. I debated hitting Nordstrom Rack on the way out of town, which in hindsight probably would have saved us the cost of a new tire and two hours of my life spent on the side of the road that I'll never get back. Shame on me for ignoring the urge to shop at the Rack...that's a lesson I won't forget. Anyway, I hit something on Highway 41 but wasn't totally convinced my tire was flat (despite the error light that literally said "Low Tire Pressure"). In my defense, "Low" doesn't necessarily equate to "Zero" when talking about tire pressure. I finally pulled off to the side of the road completely filled with dread (reminder: two little kids still in the back), and proceeded to do what any self-respecting, minivan-driving woman would do: I called my dad (Ryan was working...bummer!). Thankfully, he was in Fresno with my mom and brother, so they all halted their shopping to come help me out. Dad and Anthony changed my tire (thanks, guys!), and Mom helped me keep the kids entertained (think: Wheels On The Bus and Itsy Bitsy Spider - Thanks, Mom!). I was quickly on my way and both kids napped when we got home (BONUS!!!).

It all turned out okay, but this is not a way I would recommend spending a Saturday morning.

Sibling Love

Two reasons I love this picture:

1) Emily. She is absolutely thrilled to have a new baby brother. She gets so proud when she holds him, and loves having her picture taken right now. She'll even bring me a camera and ask me to take a picture. Crazy girl.

2) Jake. Apparently he doesn't share the same enthusiasm. He makes the best "grouchy old man" face around, double chin included. I keep telling him that the more he frowns, the more wrinkles he'll get later in life. I'm just trying to look out for him.

Lots of Oats

For my Christmas baking this past year, I could not make up my mind what to make, so I ended up buying LOTS of ingredients when they were on sale and at Costco. Well, tubs of Quaker Oats have been haunting me for 4 months and I finally started to do something about it!

Cooking Light's Power Granola

2 cups regular oats
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped slivered almonds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I added more because I love it)
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1/3 cup dried cranberries (used some dried cherries and blueberries also)

Preheat oven to 300°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine orange juice, honey, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in oil and vanilla. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, stirring to coat. Spread mixture in a thin layer onto a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300° for 10 minutes; stir well. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon granola into a bowl; stir in dried cranberries. Cool completely.

Store completely cooled granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Calories: 196 (31% from fat); Fat: 6.8g (sat 0.7g,mono 2.2g,poly 3.3g); Protein: 4.1g; Carbohydrate: 32.5g; Fiber: 3.6g; Cholesterol: 0.0mg; Iron: 1.5mg; Sodium: 5mg; Calcium: 38mg

Easter

This year, our Easter was spent in Palm Springs in a very relaxed way. We got up, packed up our stuff, and had a little Easter Egg Hunt (all those eggs for just Emily!).

Uncle Tony helped Emily find ALL the eggs:

We stopped to take a picture to send to Daddy:

Jake couldn't participate in the Egg Hunt, but he was a good sport while being pushed in his stroller by Ga-Ga and being held by Pa-Pa ("Little Pa-Pa," as Emily calls him, since "Big Pa-Pa" is great-grandpa Mindt).

Then, Emily and Anthony fed the geese...candy. Emily wanted to give the birds some of the treats that fell on the ground during her high-speed hunt. So..We finally took some family photos, but it was a challange getting Emily to look at the camera while she held a bucket full of candy. Talk about temptation!

And after an Easter Brunch at Marie Callendar's, we said our good-byes and headed home. Before we left, though, Emily offered to drive Big Pa-Pa's RV home for him:

We finally started our long trip home. Yikes...7 hours in the car with a 2 1/2 year old, and a 3 week old on Easter Sunday. Don't be jealous.

Palm Springs

We took our first road trip! I headed down to Palm Springs with the kids for a little 4-day getaway. My parents and grandparents were so kind to share their timeshare and space with us. Unfortunately, Ryan had to work, but we decided to go anyway. Mom was our co-pilot on our drive, but she was mostly on Pacifier Duty, as the Jake-ster did not like being without his (thus, we've dubbed him the "Lazy Sucker").

Well, we had fun once we got there. Here are some pictures of what Emily did the entire time (swim!):

And here's what Jake did (talk and coo and stare at Ga-Ga and Pa-Pa):

We were so sad to leave, as it was wonderful watching Emily and Jacob spend time with their grandparents and great-grandparents. And thank goodness all those extra hands were happy to help, because there is no way I could have done it alone!

Rollin' - Family-Style

The minivan.

I surmise it is nobody's dream car. Yet they adorn the highways and city streets with their undeniable practicality. I equate them to the Crocs phenomenon...no one wears them for their style. Well...function has won over style in our home (not on our feet, although Emily has a few pairs of Crocs she sports!). We are the proud (hmmm?) owners of a new minivan.

Our choice? The 2009 Chrysler Town & Country. It met two of my three requirements: quad seating (Captain's Seats for the second row), and a third seat that folds completely flush to the ground. I gave up on the leather seating after awhile, but I still think it is much better for kids. Had our bank been bottomless, our choice would have been the Cadillac SRX, a sweet-looking crossover that easily meets my three requirements, plus has an enormous moon roof and lots of cooshy luxuries. But, alas, our reality is the minivan.

Emily's favorite part? The magical doors. She says abracadabra and waves her hands around, and the side doors "magically" close (hooray for push-button closures on the keyless entry).

Pictures of Jake

Because Blogger has some size restrictions, we decided to post a link to pictures of his first week. Click below and enjoy!

Baby Jake

Meet our newest family member...

Jacob Steven Lopez

March 24, 2009 at 5:24 pm

8 lbs., 8 oz. - 21 inches