Hot Dog Anyone?

Meet the latest addition to our household....the little Pumpkin Eater!! Isn't she just down right adorable. She isn't actually ours, but my Mom's little wiener dog, or daschund for those who are more politically correct than I. We get all the fun of having a dog, but not much responsibility. She spends the weekdays down in Yreka with Granny, and comes home on the weekends. The kids just adore her, as you can see in the pictures. It has however caused many fights over who gets her first when Granny comes home, and she is the first thing anyone goes for when they wake up in the morning. Ashy carries her around like a little rag doll, and Adeline just tries not to choke her! She really is so much fun, and the kids love when Granny has to leave her to go out of town, they get 'paid' to babysit pup while she is gone. They love the responsibility, and I love that they are learning to take care of someone else.

I don't know who loves her more, me or the dog!

Just a boy and his dog!

He wanted everyone to see how long this 'hot dog' really is!!

got Park?

This is what four hours at the park will do to your children! Too bad my littlest runt took her nap at the park or I would have had a blissful afternoon. Oh well, three out of four ain't bad!!

Aiden

Anden (top)

Ashden

They took all of the pillows off of the couch, and then stripped down all the beds, and if you look close enough, you can see the twins with their giant Teddy Bears, and the spiderman looking thing next to Ashy is his Build-a-Bear! Too Cute!!

Me & XIV.....finally!

Here we go, our fabulous fun filled three day weekend in Hollywood. We started the trip with a whirlwind night at my brothers restaurant XIV, it was so much fun I can't even describe it. Hopefully you have read my previous posts and know a little of the background of my brother and the restaurant. Suffice it to say, it totally lived up to all of my expectations and then some. Our dinner reservation was for 7:30, and we didn't leave until almost 1:00am. During that time, the following people were also enjoying dinner at XIV. The Prince of Saudi Arabia, (who pretty much trumped any other 'star' that wanted to come that evening, because his entourage and security detail is so large). The King had been in the night before, and so the Prince just had t come and check it out too! The CEO of Sony records and the President of CBS or NBC I can't remember now, and a big wig from Disney, who hopefully my brother can get to comp us into Disneyland! Also the band Fall Out Boy, and a couple of Lakers players, and their ladies!! A few Bangle football players were also there, and the lady who played the Mom on 7th Heaven for 11 seasons was there celebrating her daughters birthday. They sat right by us, and kept looking back to see who we were, we were seated at the VIP table, (yes, we not the Prince got the VIP table) so people were wondering who we were, because obviously we didn't look famous, but the chef kept coming and sitting with us and we had like five waiters attending to our every need, so people kept asking the staff who we were!! I think that is the closest thing I will ever get to fame.

Here is the photo recap so enjoy the montage!!

Here we are on the roof of our hotel, before we left. They had a pool and all of these little cabana's, it was very cool. We wanted to come up and skinny dip after we ate, but the pool closes at 1:00am, and we didn't get home until 1:30.

My Mom and I before we sat down to eat, I think I am part Amazon, because seriously could I look any bigger, it's like Mutt & Jeff.

Here is the Naan bread they serve first as you sit down, it is a nod to Michael Mina's native India. It was so yummy I seriously ordered seconds, it came with this yogurt dill, feta sauce that I licked off of the plate. You can't order this, it is not on the menu, but everyone gets it as soon as they sit down.

Our first of 14 courses, Michael's Caviar Parfait.

Ahi Tuna Tartare: Ancho Chile, Pears, Mint, Pine Nuts, Sesame Oil

Heirloom Beets: Burrata, Wild Arugula, Aged Balsamic, New Olive Oil

One of our favorites.

Chilled Maine Lobster: Potatoes, Celery, Chestnuts, Truffle

(note the additional Naan bread, I just couldn't get enough of it)

Dungeness Crab Crepe: Basil, Capers, Scampi Hollandaise

This was our absolute favorite, there is a thin Meyer Lemon sauce on the bottom that was in every bite, so yummy!

Nantucket Bay Scallops Tempura: Cauliflower, Passion Fruit, Almonds

Pumpkin Dumplings: Stewed Cherries, Brown Butter, Sage

To die for!

Jidori Chicken: Truffled Mac & Cheese, Caramelized Onion Sauce.

This puts Kraft to shame!

Crispy Pork Belly: Pea Leaves, Orange, Salted Cashew

(pork belly is like a fancy Bacon)

Braised Rabbit: Fresh Ricotta Cavatelli, Parsnip, Truffle Jus

(the ricotta cavatelli is like gnocchi, but so much better)

Japanese A5 Kobe Beef: Chanterelles, Haricots Verts

(so delightful, you could cut the meat with a fork, literally melts in your mouth)

Worcestershire-Braised Short Ribs: Celery Root Puree, Glazed Mirepoix

Loved, Loved, Loved!

Chaource: Rambutan, Guava, White Ale

Cameo by the Chef

(this is a soft cheese)

Idiazabal: Dates, Smoked Bacon Powder, PX

(this is a hard cheese)

"The Cake"
The whole gang.

Have you ever seen anything like it before, I can't even describe it's yumminous, it was so unbelievably delicious, I could have just died.

Where all the magic begins, Steve working hard making sure each plate looks fabulous!

The view from Sunset Boulevard

The interior of the restaurant, it looks like a living room, with bookshelves and fireplaces.

The patio, and the $60,000 chandeliers!

Spices

So there you have it, our fabulous trip. To give you an idea of what it would have cost to eat there, had we not had special connections!! The 'fourteen from XIV' is $95 a person, plus an additional $25 per person for the Kobe beef, and an additional $25 per person for the Caviar, plus the $250 for the Birthday Cake, and the 5 bottles of $8 Fuji water, and the three $9 'Mormon Mocktails' our grand total would have been with tax and tip, around $985 for the three of us! Good thing my brothers the chef!

In case you do want to check it out, they do have 'A Light Meal' of 8 courses for $55 a person, or 'Something More" which is 11 courses for $75 a person. You can always order individually for $8 a course, but if you are a party of four, that is $32 per course, because everyone gets the same thing. It is like social dining, so fun and causal, like a big house party. I can't wait to go back, there are 35 items on the menu, so I still have a few more to try, and in case you are wondering, you can order "The Gamut" all 35 courses for $250 a person, so bring your appetite!

Kodak Theater, where the Oscars are held.

Steve and Sophia on the steps of the Kodak Theater, where all the stars walk for the Oscars. She is so beautiful I wanted to vomit, and her English accent is just adorable. She is just as nice as she is cute, and they make a perfect match. We love you Sophia, welcome to the family!

XIV Preview

OK, so here is just a little taste of my fabulous trip to LA. In case you have been living in a cave, or haven't been within ear shot of me lately, here is a quick update. My Mom and I flew to LA in January for a belated 60th Birthday Bash, and met up with my sister Sheri. We stayed in a super swanky boutique hotel, and ate at my brothers most amazing restaurant XIV, which by the way is hosting the Sony Music Grammy after party bash tonight, as I type. So jealous! Here are just a few pictures to wet your appetite! Enjoy!

The lobby of our hotel, before the Chauffer picked us up, oh yeah, we showed up in style!

One of our favorite dishes, Heirloom Beets with Burrata, Wild Arugula, Aged Balsamic, New Olive Oil. So Yummy!

This was our first dish, after the traditional Nan Bread was served (which I will go into detail about in my longer, more elaborate post) Michael's Caviar Parfait. I could have died it was so tasty!

This is us, after consuming 14 courses, that yes indeed, I ate without any need to adjust the button on my pants. Oh and that chocolate concoction sitting in front of my mother, was her custom made birthday cake, that seriously was so good, words can't describe it, well they can, but this isn't the forum, and for those of you that have gone to Morning Glory with me, you know what I am talking about! I will post pictures of the inside, it had five layers of chocolate bliss, all infused with a different flower, like lavendar and elderberry, it was so delightful! So there you have it, a taste of things to come, this was such a once in a lifetime trip. Jen, we really missed you, and hope we can make this an annual girls trip!

Fabulous at Five

Today the twins are turning five! I can't hardly believe that five years ago today, I was giving birth to two little spit fires! Boy, how are lives have changed. The twins came 7 weeks early and spent the first four weeks in the NICU. They came home on 02-03-04, so we celebrate that day as well, since that is officially when they became 'ours'. I had planned on having their friend party on Saturday, but had to push it back a few weeks. So today we are having their family party, how boring!

This was their 2nd birthday, Noah's Ark, and Aiden is enjoying that cupcake!

Anden in front of the 'Ark'

Enjoying their present together, while watching TV!

I have posted some pictures of them through the years. They really are the best of friends, and have been since birth. We decided early on that we would have them together as much as possible. The first few days in the NICU, they had to be apart, but they would push the incubators together as close as they could. As soon as they put them in the same crib, they improved dramatically! We even have a picture of them sharing the same 'choo-chee' or binkie, one baby had it in their mouth, and the other scooted over and was sucking on the handle. The nurses took that picture for us, and gave it to us the next morning when we came in. They slept in the same crib and bed up until just recently, and sometimes they even still end up together, cuddled up close like they were in my belly.

Two boys in a wagon, Summer 2006

Aiden trying to kiss Anden, and him wiping it off!

They are very similar in alot of ways, but each has their own unique personality. Aiden is more emotional or sensitive, but is fast at making friends, especially with the older kids. Anden is more reserved and is a thinker. He is also very obedient. If something has a direct consequence, like not brushing your teeth will cause cavities, and not eating your dinner will make you skinny or skinnier in their case, or eating too much sweets with cause fire to come out of your bum (more on that later, but you do what you can to get your kids to obey, and threatening them with the dirty squirties always seems to work!!) he will follow through like a champ, diligently washing his hands while saying the whole alphabet to make sure all of the germs are off! They both are so sweet and protective of their other siblings, especially Sissa. They do not like it when the other gets in trouble and will even try to negotiate the others punishment.

One of my favorite pictures.

They went through a phase when they wanted to dress different because they were tired of their friends asking who was who, but then they realized that even in different outfits no one can tell them apart, so they gave that up too. Thankfully they have similar likes and dislikes, buying presents is very easy. They both love music, and can carry a tune. Aiden loves airplanes, and Anden is obsessed with the Resurrection. Whenever he or anyone else gets hurts, he simply replies 'don't worry that will be fixed when you're resurrected'. I love that they have a natural love for learning, their questions are well thought out, and they are diligent at learning their letters and numbers, without much prodding on our part.

Aiden 'being attacked' by the ABC's!
Winter 2006

Christmas 2006

They are all boy, they love sports, guns, and anything loud. They both wanted Pogo-sticks for Christmas, and when they first got on they could jump three or four times, and by the next day, we stopped counting. They wanted to learn to ride their bikes without training wheels last summer, but we were too lazy to take them off. We keep telling them to wait until spring!

I will be able to blackmail Aiden with this photo later in life!

Their 'Car's' 3rd Birthday! 2007

I could go on and on, but I am sure the only one reading this now is my Mom, so I will stop all the gushing, but I am so thankful that the Lord blessed me with Aiden and Anden. Our lives would truly not be complete without them. Each day I am constantly amazed at how sweet their spirits are, and the innocence of childhood. Stay tuned for the pictures and post about their much anticipated Pirate Pinata Party, until then, maybe I will finally get around to posting about the rest of the holiday season!!

Easter 2007

4th Birthday at the Family Fun Center. 2008

Cuddle Bugs, May 2008

Soccer Studs Fall 2008

Mia, the girl that could end this Twin Twosome!!

There you have it, some of my favorite photo's, or at least my favorite photo's that I have saved on this computer. I wish I had a scanner to scan in some earlier pics!!