Peposo!!

Instructions: Take one hunk of tough, well exercised cow muscle. A calf muscle is preferred, but a pot roast will do. Put it in a pot with one bottle of Chianti, a bulb of garlic, salt, and 3 tablespoons of pepper. Cook for 12 hours. Eat with wine and bread. It will change your life.

Kevin recently read a book called "Heat" by Bill Buford, a New Yorker writer who learned to cook old school with the world's most famous butcher. He described this meal and we had to try it. It really was wonderful-- super peppery, deeply satisfying, intensely flavored, and remarkably simple.

Jesse on the beach

These are the pictures that we were taking when Julie took the pictures of us on the beach (see below).

Elena on the beach

A rocking it out at the Experience Music Project...she's a natural!

Julie's visit

The Krentz Family-- all in one place, and no one is crying!
Kevin and Julie-- thanks for a great visit!!

A rare photo of Kevin laughing. Jesse had just tried to feed him some soggy ice cream cone.
Before my sister and her family came to visit, we had the pleasure of hosting Julie, an old wonderful friend of Kevin, for a few days. She actually took some pictures of the whole family, which if you have small children, you know how unusual and difficult that can be. I especially like the ones of us taking pictures on the beach at sunset-- very cool.

The German Invasion

Five big kids!
One little girl.
A tiny boy.

One Auntie.
l And one auntie's beau, Bo.

l
One Grandma! And last, but not least, one mini dog (not shown)...

...equals a lot of wonderful chaotic fun. We had a great time with my sister and her entourage. They put up with a half finished basement, a small flood, Seattle traffic, stressed out Krentzes, late late dinners, jet-lag, and crying babies. I got to enjoy non-stop babysitting, wonderful food, a clean kitchen, trips out and about, and that special kind of love you only feel when surrounded by the folks who have known you since you were born. Elena seemed to "get it"-- and became very attached to her cousins by the end of the visit.

He can walk!

Date: August, 2009

Age: 10.5 months

Event: Jesse's first steps

Setting: Surrounded by family

Tomatoes!!

I have achieved the impossible: ripe tomatoes in Seattle. Unbelievable.

The plight of the big sister

It is super hard for Elena when I give Jesse lots of attention. I find myself holding back my enthusiasm when I play with him because invariably she will come interrupting and asking for the same. If even just make a funny face to make him smile, she says, "make a funny face at me, too!!" and I do, of course, but it is pretty pitiful. Here she is after I took all the ball photos of Jesse in the last post. She wanted her picture taken with her ball. But she refused to smile about it. And then she just broke down in a full fledged tantrum. I love my big girl so much. It is so hard to be both so big and so little all at the same time.

Apparently also a ball man...

I like this one with the spiderman ball-- looks like a super hero pose to me!

The red mark between his eyes is partly a birthmark and partly a bruise from Elena pushing him into the side of a box.

Sometimes...

...lucky little brothers got to share an ice cream cone. But only the very lucky ones, and only the very, very end of the cone.

It was a hot week in Seattle...

...which meant a lot of ice cream cones and hanging out in bathing suits.