4th of July

Jackson and I had a very nice 4th of July. "Didn't Matt have a nice 4th of July?", you ask. Well, Matt celebrated our country's independence by helping his brother, Dave, move from Turlock to Valley Springs, and Jackson and I weren't invited. Darn. :-)

So Jackson and I spent the afternoon with my friend, Joy, and her family at her aunt and uncle's house. We had a nice, relaxing time playing in the pool and bbqing. Then Jackson and I headed to Community Park, here in Davis, to picnic and watch the fireworks with the Mollos. Joy and her family found us there and were able to sit right next to us for the firework show.

We were all wondering if the firework show would be shorter or less exciting because of the bad economy, but it seemed to be more amazing than ever. We sat close enough to the fireworks that I was able to wrap up in a blanket and lay on the ground to watch them. Some of them seemed to explode right over our heads! Beautiful!

I was excited for Jackson to see his first firework display. I just knew he would be fascinated by the colors and sounds. Well, Jackson fell asleep about ten minutes before the fireworks started, and he slept through the whole show. I thought for sure he would wake up once the fireworks started exploding, but he never stirred until we were on our way back to the car. Oh well, there's always next year.

Fish Taco Recipe

This is my newest favorite recipe. I've made these twice now, and they turned out perfectly both times.

Prep Time: 12 Minutes Cook Times: 10 Minutes Ready In: 22 Minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 pound firm white fish fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 white corn tortillas - soft taco size
1 cup chopped green cabbage
½ cup chopped, seeded tomato
½ cup grated queso fresco

Chipotle Cream Sauce:
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Chipotle Tabasco Sauce (or more to taste)

Directions:
1. Mix the Chipotle Cream Sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

2. In a skillet set on medium-high heat, add the 1st seven ingredients. Sautee those ingredients for 5 minutes.

3. Add the fish, and cover and cook for 3 minutes or until fish is fully cooked. Then add in lime juice and let cook for additional minute.

4. Heat the tortillas according to the package instructions. Lay each of the warmed tortillas on a cutting board and place one-quarter of the fish, Chipotle Cream Sauce, cabbage, tomatoes, and queso fresco on the center of each tortilla.

5. Fold the tortillas over to form tacos and serve.

Welcome Summer!

Summer has definitely hit here in Davis, CA. Although we've had some unusually cool weather this June, it has still been warm enough for us to enjoy our neighborhood pool, just one block away at Manor Park. Jackson and I have started meeting a couple of moms and their babies at the pool, once or twice a week.

Jackson loves going to the pool. He crawls around and visits with the other babies in the shallow end, and Matt and I help him "swim" in the deep end.

These pictures are from a couple of weeks ago when we went to the pool with Jackson's aunts, Judy and Lauri, and his cousins, Allie (not pictured) and Ashley.

Matt's First Father's Day

 

As Matt has proven himself to be such a great dad, I thought he should be pampered a bit in celebration of his first Father's Day. I started on Saturday by washing his car and getting the oil changed (it desperately needed both). While I was out, I scheduled a massage for him to enjoy on Father's Day morning. 

After he got home from his massage, his mom, stepdad, and sister Judy, along with her husband and two daughters came over for a barbecue. We feasted on barbecued chicken, salmon, shrimp, and scallops. We also had salad, fruit, baked beans, and pasta. Mmm . . .

Just as a side note: Jackson thoroughly enjoyed his first experience with spaghetti today. And notice he has six teeth now. He's changing so fast!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a busy Memorial Day weekend, but not in the traditional camping or boating kind of way. Jackson got his first fever on Thursday. The poor guy felt awful, and since it was his first fever, Matt and I took him to his pediatrician on Friday. We probably would have waited another day or two, but we didn't want him to suddenly get worse over the holiday weekend—then his pediatrician wouldn't be there to hold our hand and walk us through it! His pediatrician told us that fevers are nothing to worry about. Fevers help the body fight infections; a virus, in Jackson's case. He gave us other wise, sage advice and sent us gently on our way. Lo-and-behold, Jackson's fever spiked to 103.5 Friday night, and then slowly, but surely went back to normal by Sunday. Today he was a little more sleepy and fussy than usual, but almost completely better! I'm happy to say that we all survived Jackson's first fever, and came out unscathed!

On Sunday, Matt and I decided we would go LOOK at living room furniture; not BUY, just LOOK and get ideas. The couches we had were well worn hand-me-downs. We've talked for several years about how nice it would be to buy new furniture, but we had other things we wanted to spend our money on and we couldn't decide what kind of style we should go for, etc., etc. Anyway, we were just going to LOOK at furniture on Sunday, but of course, we found some that we both liked and it was fairly inexpensive, so we BOUGHT. Before you could say, “So long hand-me-down sofas!”, we had our old living room sofa and loveseat out on the curb with “free” signs on them.

One of Life's Mysteries

When Jackson was born, he looked exactly like a mini-Matt, he was all Medeiros, including dark hair and skin. I could totally picture Matt and Jackson working outside on a project together in their matching plaid shirts and khaki shorts.

Then, mysteriously, a few months ago his dark hair started falling out . . .

. . . and blonde hair replaced it, and his skin got lighter and lighter. Now he looks more like me . . . except totally manly and handsome, of course. The only Medeiros feature he has left is his mouth. We still haven't figured out where the shape of his ears and nose came from (and no, it's NOT the mailman!).

My First Mother's Day

Today I was honored to celebrate my first Mother's Day. We celebrated at our house with family, and had a potluck luncheon. It was a beautiful day, so we sat outside in the shade of the sycamore tree while we visited. We spread out a blanket for Jackson to play with his toys on, and he spent the day playing and trying to eat leaves and grass. By the way he was watching his cousins play, we could tell that he can't wait until he's able to run around with them.

I was especially happy that Matt's mom and my mom were both here to celebrate with us. Since my mom lives in Washington State, it's been a few years since we've been able to spend Mother's Day together.

I received the digital picture frame I wanted from Jackson (Matt), as my Mother's Day gift. I have to admit, I wasn't too surprised as I had cut out the ad, circled it with green marker, written “Mother's Day” on it, and handed it to Matt (I've found that it doesn't pay to be too subtle). I guess I'll just have to pick out my own presents until Jackson's old enough to make crunchy eggs and pancakes, and macaroni necklaces for Mother's Day. * grin *