4:1

If there is one thing I've learned after a year of parenting, it's that the more help the better. I have nothing but respect for single parents because there is NO WAY I could ever do it alone. In fact, I think the ideal scenario is more like a 4:1 ratio of competent adults to young child.

A couple of weeks ago, Ryan's parents came to visit, which gave us the perfect 4:1 capacity ratio. Of course we love catching up with them, but the real treat is that Patty and John want to take care of Arlo all the time, and they are eager to babysit so Ryan and I can enjoy a night out. After the Patricks leave, we realize how spoiled we are to have them. Sigh...

 Must have been a tense moment during a Sounders game.

 Grandma Patty blowing bubbles with Arlo.

A sunny day at Woodland Park Zoo with friends, Amy and Wyatt. 

My favorite picture from the trip!

Grandpa John showing Arlo the elephants.

During their visit, Patty and John bought Arlo a walker for his birthday and started a training regime to help Arlo learn how to walk. If this video is any indication, it won't be long until Arlo is running around the house like a maniac.

   

Enjoying freedom while it lasts...

Trick and Seasonal Treats

First the trick part of today's post. Arlo is getting more fun by the day. We officially entered the phase where we make him do tricks for entertainment purposes. He can high five, wave, shake his head (incidentally, we can't tell if it also means no or is for dancing purposes only), clap, and show us how big he is. Needless to say, it's the cutest thing we've ever seen.

 

"How big is Arlo?"

And now, the seasonal treats. Summer arrived late in Seattle this year, but we are thrilled it's sticking around for a little while. Today, it was a perfect 83 degrees with no humidity. Awww...

Since we were going to eat on our deck, I felt a little inspired to cook a meal with parts influenced by an episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. Now, I know what you may be thinking, "Anthony Bourdain is a d-bag." Well, you're probably right. I don't know the guy, but he does flaunt a rough around the edges personality (or persona?) on his travel/food show. He also called Paula Deen "the worst, most dangerous person to America." 

The truth is, Bourdain makes part of his living by saying extreme things that have a grain of truth, and as an opinionated person, I respect that. Paul Deen does embody a lot of what's wrong with us, myself included. She eats too much. She cooks food in fat, fat, and more fat. She has created a food empire with a wholesome down-home face, all the while completely disregarding or ignoring the corporate machine that supports her "brand" and makes our food, something we all need to survive, fundamentally unhealthy and unsustainable. 

Maybe it's the uptight northerner in me, but I'm a Bourdain fan. He is a jerk, but he can also admit when he's wrong and make fun of himself easily. He doesn't seem to appreciate vegetarianism, but I respect the way he treats meat and food on his show, which is to say that he seems to connect to places where people, either because of need or culinary training, use every part of an animal and know where their food comes from.

But enough of that little tangent and back to the food. Bourdain went to Rome, and in an early scene of the episode, sat down at an outdoor table in a little restaurant to have a local pasta dish. He briefly described the dish, which was a simple spaghetti pasta with a sauce of pasta water, olive oil, salt and pepper and was served in a parmesan "cup." It looked amazing and the scene has stayed with me for months. 

Cut to today when I was appreciating all the fresh tomatoes in the garden and (late) summer bounty. I knew I wanted to make a simple Caprese salad with tomatoes, fresh basil, good mozzarella, olive oil, salt and pepper. However, I didn't want to make a heavy entree since it was warm outside. So, I decided to take a crack at the dish Bourdain chowed down in Rome. It was so simple and so good. I highly recommend it. 

Making parmesan cups was as easy as 1...

2...

3.

I took a block of parmesan and shredded it with a microplane (if you don't have one in your kitchen, you really need one) into two thin piles, about 6 inches in diameter is best, on a baking sheet. I suggest using parchment paper or something to keep it from sticking like mine did. The, I baked the cheese at 400 degrees until it was bubbling and was just starting to brown. Immediately after taking the sheet out of the oven, I used a spatula to form the cheese into a cup shape by putting it in a muffin tin. I don't recommend this for two reasons: 1. the cup is pretty small for a serving of spaghetti (I lean more toward a Paula Deen serving than a normal serving), and 2. you can get the right size up by putting a large-ish ladle on top of the cheese and curling the edges up. No need to dirty a muffin tin.

 Tomatoes from the garden with basil, mozzarella, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Beautiful and delicious.

Finished product (just add wine)

 For the spaghetti, I used a few ladles of the pasta water (always cook your pasta in salted water, by the way), olive oil, salt, pepper, shredded parmesan, a little leftover basil, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It was divine!

Proof it was good.

5 Years of Wedded Bliss

For the annual "Happy Anniversary" post, I like to share photos from our wedding. We look so young and fit and well-rested. It's a funny thing when you've been married long enough to notice the difference between then and now.


I am so lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life. Love you, Ryan!

Happy Birthday, Arlo!

As the cliche goes, time flies when you're having fun. Arlo is officially 1-year old. Ryan and I can't believe it.

I don't know why it seems like time evaporates as we get older. Apparently, the phenomenon of feeling like time goes by faster as we age is a common belief shared by humans regardless of culture or nationality. One theory is that when you are experiencing a "first" of something, then your memory of those new experiences goes in slow motion.

While this theory probably has more nuances, I don't think the memories of my first year as a parent, which has been chock-full of new experiences, can honestly be described as "slow motion." On the contrary, they seem more like a series of flashes much like a strobe light: Arlo's birth, the first week (a.k.a. hell week), his first bath, sitting up, eating solid food for the first time, laughing and crying, crawling, soccer practice, my first day back at work, his first Halloween and Christmas, his first plane ride, long road trips, meeting friends and family for the first time.

I wish I could remember every detail forever, but I guess that's why living in the present is the only way to reach enlightenment.

We didn't want to do much for his first birthday for a couple of reasons: 1. we're lazy, 2. Arlo will have no recollection of his first birthday, and 3. we didn't want to set a high bar for future birthday parties. How lame would it be if your first birthday was you best birthday?

So we bypassed much of the fuss and had a small group of friends and family over for dinner. Since we weren't going nuts with balloons, a petting zoo, or a bouncy castle thing, we decided to have some good food. We made grilled pizzas, a fresh salad, and homemade S'mores cupcakes.

S'mores Cupcake
Yeah, that is my A-game.

Graham cracker crust, thin layer of dark chocolate, chocolate cupcake and marshmallow frosting.

I think the cupcakes were a hit. At least Xander liked them...

... and Ava too!

Arlo didn't really know what to do with the cupcake at first.

But he quickly figured it out.

Arlo has a sweet tooth like his Mama.

Although he wanted to shove the entire thing in his mouth at once, Arlo quickly learned the benefits of taking your time and making a mess.

The party scene.

I can't believe how much has changed this year, and I'm sure there will just as many, if not more, changes in the year to come. As always, we will keep you (blog) posted!

The Swedish Ballard Babies are 1!

When I was pregnant, we went to a "Centering Pregnancy" group at our local hospital midwifery group (Swedish Ballard). The group was composed of parents-to-be who shared a due date in the same month. In the case of our group, everyone was due in August of 2010.

I affectionately call our Centering group the "Hippie Vagina Love Circle" because I suspect many people who are unfamiliar with the Centering Pregnancy model think it's a little weird. The fact that we are all Seattle progressives who chose midwives over an OB/GYN for our prenatal care is just icing on the HVLC cake.

Since having our babies, we've gotten together regularly to catch up and have a few drinks. You may remember the Halloween party we posted about last October.

Last weekend, we celebrated the 1 year mark at a garden party hosted by one of the families in our group. Before you get distracted by the adorable babies, I have to tell you that I made homemade Hostess cupcakes (gluten-free and glutenous, of course) for the party, and they were di-vine.

YUM!

It's funny to see Arlo's personality emerge a little more everyday. He's shy and observant, like his father. Goofy and stubborn, like his mother. He's also curious and very loving toward people he knows. At the party, he was a little reserved around the kids he doesn't know well, but when he saw Vivian (the little girl he hangs out with 4 days per week due to our nanny share), he was positively giddy.

Arlo with dirt on his face (yes, he was eating dirt, it isn't chocolate) and Miss Vivian.

Arlo, Jude, and Milo.
I wonder what they are looking at.

The baby line up.
From left, Jude, Vivian, Lucy, Milo, August, and Arlo.

August performing for Arlo.

The families one year later!

Sun, Family, and Bears

The Nonericks just returned from a fun week in Montana visiting family and introducing Arlo to his cousins for the first time. It was a great trip! We went on a hike in the Jewel Basin in the Swan Mountain Range and just north of Flathead Lake. Arlo got up to his highest elevation yet at between 6500 to 7000 feet above sea level. The record snowfall from the 2010-2011 winter left patches of the white stuff that blocked some of the trails, which was incredible for early/mid August.

Arlo gets some assistance from a binkie when at altitude.

The view over the Flathead Valley.

We need to work on taking pictures of ourselves (ok, I need to work on taking pictures of us).
I love this picture because Arlo put his hand on my shoulder as if he knew it was a warm gesture for a photograph. In reality, he was probably saying, "Mom, I'm here. Pay attention to me."

Arlo didn't like the sun shade on his backpack. He's too big for such baby-ish things.

Arlo and his sun shade.

In addition to hiking, we took the family on a float trip on the Middle Fork Flathead River right outside Glacier National Park. We did the same reach of the river a couple of years ago when my brother, John, and sister-in-law, Ellie, got married.

This time, we left Soma at home and brought a bunch of kids and adults. It was a great afternoon, and we saw loads of wildlife including a black bear on the shore, a bald eagle, trout, ducks, and the list goes on.

Amelia saying, "Cheese!"

Mike and Mama Nonemacher = The Motor/Paddlers

We forgot Arlo's hat so Ryan generously let him wear his grimy old thing.

Amelia and Her Mom, Emily

My co-guide, Lucy. I put her to work!

Lucy taking a break to enjoy the view and smile for the camera.

Finally, we spent a lot of time hanging out around the farm feeding my parent's cows, pigs, and chickens and visiting Arlo's great-grandma. I was adamant that we put Arlo in my favorite childhood bathtub in my grandmother's house. I loved this tub. It had fancy wallpaper and curtains and the best smelling soaps ever. Funny how you get very nostalgic after you become a parent.

Arlo in the world's best bathtub.

Of course, Arlo spent a lot of time with his cousins: Lucy, Amelia, Ingrid, and Lucas. The big kids taught him a lot.

Amelia teaching Arlo the finer points of avant-garde hat wear.

Lucas is deeply troubled that we're the other half of his family.
Well, he's either deeply troubled or smarter than us and casting judgment on our antics.

Cousin Lineup

Amelia feeding the pigs some corn stalks.

Lucy makes sure the cows have full bellies.

Let's just say we aren't going to show this picture to Grandpa Tom.

Very busy.

Arlo thinks feeding the cows is the best (and funniest) thing ever!

I took a video of Arlo feeding the cows with help from Papa, Lucy, and Amelia. Uncle Matt has a little offensive commentary in the background, so consider yourself warned.

July Buffet

At the risk of executing a random post with pieces that don't fit together, I'm taking a drafting liberty and sharing photos and videos from the last couple of weeks in our house.

Another sunny day, another hike in paradise. Last weekend it was along the North Fork Nooksack River, a beautiful river that I'm working hard with a coalition of local folks to protect under Wild and Scenic designation (think a National Park but for a river). The Nooksack is a fantastic whitewater boating river, and it's the gateway to North Cascades National Park and the Mount Baker Wilderness.

Glacier Creek and Mount Baker

The trail along the river.

Ryan and Arlo taking in the river.

The North Fork Nooksack in the beautiful North Cascades.

Arlo fell asleep upright. Poor little guy.

Hours earlier, this water was snow on Mount Baker.

Now for something completely different.

Arlo is enjoying feeding himself, discovering new things, and learning to play soccer (yes, you read correctly). Our favorite thing, like many parents, is when he laughs himself silly. See the videos below for some unbelievably cute giggle episodes from July. Also, Ryan was inspired by the Women's World Cup and started Arlo's training regimen.

"Food on the face? What food on the face?"