So fun! Love you guys!

After a snack break, it was back to sleep…

Big brother Dominic wanted some face time too…

In fact, he was so inspired, he picked up his own camera and played along. A quick learner, he could be heard repeating things I had said like, “Turn this way,” or “Open up your shoulder.” So funny!

Gina and Roy’s house has this huge window in the living room…. making moments like this possible.

Dom was sporting a new haircut yesterday, making him look so grown up!

So much fun! xoxoxo

Dominic was soooooooo excited. He could be heard proudly (and repeatedly) proclaiming, “My baby brother!”

Oscar gets checked out by the pediatrician (Oscar was not too happy about having been interrupted while eating!)

This is my favorite—the look on big brother Dom’s face when he walked in the room and saw mom with baby brother Oscar. LOVE!

So glad Oscar is here! Can’t wait to get some quality snuggle time with him soon!

When it suddenly started raining, I suggested we find Dom’s rain boots and go out to play. This is precisely why I love having the S95 in my purse—it’s on-hand and available for spontaneous moments like these!

When I turned 13 and became a teenager, I actually wrote a note to my parents apologizing in advance for whatever drama my teenage years might hold. (Who does that!?)

Turning 15 meant you got a learner’s permit (mine came with a typo that made me 24 instead).

Turning 16 meant you could finally drive without your dad in the seat next to you, grinding his teeth every time you let the clutch out too quickly (or not quickly enough). (Pst! Love you Doad! :)

Then you turn 18. 21. And—30.

Then, you just turn… wait? How old am I again? I’m lucky if I actually remember my birthday when it arrives…so to figure out how old I am, I usually have to resort to math. That—or ponder the age my siblings are, and then add the correct number of years. :)

So this year, I’ve done the match, and apparently, I just turned 32. I’m grateful for all the Facebook posts, cards, twitter/text messages, and—voice mails. Particularly these three:

My mom was the first to call today, which makes me smile. How sweet is her voice? I love her to pieces. (And now you know that my parents call me “Pumpkin.”)

This one is from my aunt. I love it when she (and the rest of my family) calls me “Kharita.” (This is, of course, in addition to “Pumpkin,” which is reserved exclusively for my parents’ use.) My aunt was followed by mi Abuela (grandmother)—who calls me Princesa (as well as “Kharita) and speaks to me in Spanish. I treasure it. She also sent me a card, like she has every year for as long as I can remember. Her handwriting is impeccable and instantly recognizable.

Then, my brother-in-law, Adis, called and put little Haris on the phone. The sound of his sweet little voice saying, “Happy birthday Khara!” made my heart melt.

That was so much fun. I’m already looking forward to 33! :)

Dom is at the age where in order to get him to lay down with his head on the cushion, I had to ask him not to lay his head on the cushion. Worked like a charm. I’m onto you Dom!

Dom is such an expressive little guy… he always makes me laugh. :)

After a nap, he wanted some mama-snuggle time…

So glad you guys are back!

The soup I planned to make called for juicing 5 lbs of carrots (the results of which can be seen in the pitcher below) and 2 bunches of celery (instead of using vegetable broth). I’d never used our juicer before, but it was pretty darn amazing! You drop in some carrots and magically—out squirts a bunch of carrot juice! (Look out David Copperfield—I was a magician in my kitchen this weekend!)

The whole soup included the carrot/celery juice, 8 zucchini, 4 onions, 3 leeks, oyster mushrooms, split peas, lentils, kale, cashews… and some spices. I’m a huge vegetable/soup fan… but was skeptical at first (kale!?). Happily, once it cooked down, it started to smell amazing, and with 10 servings, it will last Emir and I at least a few days.

My latest book also included a recipe for a spinach/chocolate smoothie. It sounded too interesting to pass up. The ingredients are:

• 2 cups of frozen blueberries
• 1 banana
• 4 dates (pitted)
• 1/2 cup almond/soy/hemp milk
• 1 tbs ground flax seed
• 2 tbs natural/unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 oz. of spinach (This is MUCH more than you think! Roughly 3 huge fists full…)

I wasn’t sure if the drink would be blue from the berries, brown from the cocoa, or green from the spinach… but as you can see for yourself in the photo below, it’s pretty dark. It’s also—DELICIOUS!!!!! Emir and I have had it for breakfast and a night time snack every day since. We ran out of blueberries this morning and substituted half the frozen fruit with strawberries. Also good. :) Can you believe there’s 5 oz. of spinach in there? (We weighed it out on a scale… it’s quite a bit more than I would’ve guessed.)

If you’re curious and want to get started with a healthier diet, here’s the books I read (in the order I read them… which I think was helpful….)

• Skinny Bitch – Pretty extreme, great if you need a pretty stern kick in the pants  to kick your bad habits :)
• In Defense of Food – Fascinating exploration of food, culture, and putting our society in perspective
• Eat to Live – A good review with some delicious recipes (like the chocolate smoothie above and the yummo cancer fighting soup)

All in all, I’ve had a ball in the kitchen while exploring healthier eating options. I’ve learned how to prepare leeks, oyster mushrooms, and have come to love tofu, dates, and even spinach for breakfast. :)

Have you ever had the feeling of being completely, 100% over overwhelmed with joy? Not just on your wedding day, or the day your child is born—but on an otherwise uneventful Tuesday? I find myself struck right now. I’m not sure why—it could be any number of the countless things that I am grateful for on a daily basis: my one-of-a-kind awesome family, the work I feel honored and privileged to do, the people who are part of so many different aspects of my life, and the exciting calendar of events stretching into 2012 and beyond.

My guess is that whatever it is, it probably isn’t related to the dead bird the cats dragged into the house this morning… but it could have something to do with the clean-up number I did on my inbox today, or the fact that I turned in the final version of Chapter 9 last night.

Who knows? Right now—I’m happy to just ride the wave.

I’m celebrating with a latte. Happy Tuesday everybody!

According to wikipedia, a yurt is portable, wood lattice-framed dwelling typically used by nomads in central Asia (commonly associated with Mongolia). And though it is technically portable, it’s definitely more home-like than tent-like. I liked the sound of it, and started researching them. What they’re made of, how they function, how we might build our own… and even contemplating buying an acreage and putting up a yurt until Emir and I could get around to building our next home (that may take awhile….).

Thankfully, this past weekend (only three years later), I finally got to experience one first hand. Our friend Jason is a professional outdoor adventure leader with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln who regularly takes people (students and non-students alike!) on all kinds of amazing experiences. He and his wife Christina are living-breathing adventure/fitness advocates who ooze a contagious passion for an active lifestyle that will absolutely (and happily) infect anyone who comes in contact with them (they are directly responsible for the fact that I started running last year, which in turn got Emir into running too). So naturally, when they approached us and said, “Let’s take a fun trip somewhere!” Emir and I responded with a resounding, “Absolutely!”

Last Wednesday morning we climbed into a van with another couple of great friends and headed west to the backcountry of Colorado for a weekend of cross-country skiing, good food, good friends and… a yurt. The inside of the yurt had three sets of bunk beds, a propane powered stove for cooking, some firewood, a table and folding chairs, and a wood-burning stove. No processed garbage or canned junk food, each couple would be responsible for a home-cooked/healthy meal. Christina & Jason cooked up our first dinner of whole-wheat pasta with fresh vegetables in an incredibly yummy sauce. The next morning Emir and I whipped together some buckwheat pancakes with 100% real maple syrup. For lunch we ate pitas stuffed with fresh veggies and that night, Paul & Stephanie put together an unforgettable veggie & peanut stew that disappeared in record time. Learning to cook and wash dishes without running water was actually… fun. The wood-burning stove kept the yurt more than warm enough while serving double duty and melting the continual supply of snow we placed in the large soup pot on top for drinking water and washing dishes. (See below.) When we weren’t cooking… we were skiing. I had only ever down-hill skied before, so the whole cross-country thing was entirely new to me… but after wiping out a few times (and stepping through a few snow banks that reached up to my waist) I’d say I caught on fairly well. :) The scenery was gorgeous! The feeling of gliding over the snow while surrounded by sunshine and tall aspen trees was surreal. The view from the entrance to the yurt was breathtaking, day or night (that’s the outhouse in the bottom left corner). Of course, we had to have a little head-lamp/night time/long-exposure fun! :) If your tail is wagging and you’re thinking to yourself, “I’d like to go on an adventure!” Check out the current trip schedule and see what tickles your fancy. Jason and his staff lead folks on all kinds of trips like rock climbing, canoeing, camping, and biking. No experience/equipment required, they will get you the full hook-up! The pricing is unbelievably reasonable and… you don’t have to be a university student… everyone is welcome!

When I found out the song of choice was “Firework” by Katy Perry, I thought it was pretty apropos, considering we were all getting ready to head out to WPPI, one of the biggest (and most fun) conferences in the industry, where pros from all over the world come together to be inspired, share with others and continue the quest to master their craft.

Some of the cast gathered in the Los Angeles area to do a group shoot, while others filmed their segments remotely and sent in the finished files for editing. My segment was filmed locally at Marz in dear ol’ Lincoln, Nebraska… you can see the result at 00:51 and again at the end.

Huge shout out to everyone involved… The Bui Brothers rock it again! :)