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We have a store here called Central Market. We enjoy going there once in a while because not only do they have all the regular groceries, but they also have fun things like Asian import items that Seth remembers from his mission in Taiwan. Kayla's favorite thing about the store is the large fish tanks full of live crabs. As soon as we get near the store she says "cabs! cabs!" She loves to watch them climb over each other and reach their claws out of the tank trying to escape.
As we recently learned, the peak of the crab season is late December and January. So crab was on sale, plus we had 20% off coupon. So Seth and I looked at each other and said, why not? We researched online how to pick a good crab and cook it, then headed over to the store. Now, I've never bought a live crab. I've had fresh lobster when we visit family in Maine, but someone else has always done the selecting and cooking. It was quite an experience when the guy pulled our selected crab out of the tank, slapped him upside down on the scale, legs a-wriggling, then wrapped him up in butcher paper and handed him over to us. Once he was wrapped up he didn't wriggle so much, but as soon as we got him home and unwrapped his legs were going again!
The lady at the seafood counter suggested that we put him in a sink full of warm water and let him die before transferring him to the boiling water because he would die and expel then we wouldn't have any of that in the boiling water while he cooked up, plus it is more humane than putting the live crab in the boiling water. So we did that and it seemed to work just fine. Our crab didn't expel anything so that part really didn't make much difference.
We cooked him up, cleaned him up and ate him up. He was delicious! And it was a fun at-home date night activity.
A few posts ago I shared how I was enjoying more of my time in the kitchen by trying new recipes. The crab certainly fell into that category. Here are a few other recent dinners and treats that I am quite proud of:
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Spinach Lasagna
Blueberry Muffins
Merry Christmas to family and friends! We have had a wonderful Christmas season.This was Kayla's first year sitting on Santa's lap. Santa came to a church party which is where this picture was taken. Kayla is such a social little girl that we thought she would do just fine with Santa. However, she burst in to tears as soon as she got on his lap. I think it was a combo of seeing other kids cry and being rushed onto his lap by the people trying to keep the line moving.
This is the first time we have had a house to put Christmas lights on! Seth researched and got us a good deal on lights, then custom fit them to our house. We were very happy with the result.
We went to "Snowflake Lane" in Bellevue, which sounded like a fun festive activity. But it ended up being a high school drum line dressed in toy soldier costumes tapping to recorded Christmas music while they blew fake snow on us. We managed to have fun, but we probably will skip this one next year. The decorations and lights were nice.
On Christmas Eve we went to a get together with a few other families where we ate good food, made Christmas puppets and decorated ginger bread men. We then came home and read the Christmas story while acting it out with our Fisher Price nativity.Christmas morning dawned bright and frosty.
We must have been good this year because Santa (and Grandma) brought presents. (This fabulous Christmas tree was left in the garage by the previous home owners. I've never been much of a fake tree person, but this beautiful, low maintenance, $0 tree really won me over!)
Kayla enjoyed opening presents.
The big hits of the day were the apple in her stocking...
...the hair bows from Grandma and Aunt Allison...
...and especially the Cinderella umbrella from Grandma.
In the evening we had a traditional Christmas dinner which included roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, yam pie casserole, steamed broccoli and whole wheat rolls. Of all the things on the menu I had only made green bean casserole and broccoli before. Everything else was a first time experiment. Luckily everything turned out well and edible thanks to great tips and recipes from both sides of the family. I am actually very proud of this meal. I am excited for leftovers!
We finished the night with some homemade ice cream made with the ice cream maker Grandma gave us.It has been a wonderful Christmas season! We are so grateful for the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his season that we remember Him. We are thankful for this season where we remember to enjoy friends and family and the warmth of those relationships. I am looking forward to this next week, sipping hot cocoa and enjoying the Christmas lights for a few more days.
BOY!!!
The doctor said that everything looks really healthy. What she actually said during the ultrasound was, "I love normal anatomy." As a parent that is a good thing to hear. Our baby boy is due mid April. We are so excited and so blessed. The pregnancy is going really well; Amanda is feeling great. We hope everything continues to progress normal and healthy.
In this picture, the baby is upside down with his profile in the center of the bottom half. His body is on the upper left hand side and his leg is in the upper right hand side.
Now on to the important stuff, like picking a name and that perfect shade of blue for the nursery walls.
We have a store here called Central Market. We enjoy going there once in a while because not only do they have all the regular groceries, but they also have fun things like Asian import items that Seth remembers from his mission in Taiwan. Kayla's favorite thing about the store is the large fish tanks full of live crabs. As soon as we get near the store she says "cabs! cabs!" She loves to watch them climb over each other and reach their claws out of the tank trying to escape. 
A few posts ago I shared how I was enjoying more of my time in the kitchen by trying new recipes. The crab certainly fell into that category. Here are a few other recent dinners and treats that I am quite proud of:
