April 2009 -- Part III -- Sushi Chef

When Allen returned from school, he decided he wanted to make some sushi rolls. His first attempt was quite sad.


However, with some help from friends (like Andrew)...


he got much better.

He even started teaching his friends how to do it, in this case Erica Z.

After a few practice sessions, he got really good.

April 2009 Part II -- Bookcase Paint

This is how our bookcase looked before.

This is how it looked after. I prefer the neutral color. Which do you prefer?

April 2009 -- Allen IV finishes his freshman year and GETS HIS MISSION CALL

Allen IV finished his freshment year at BYU.


In between playing with his friends...


He got some studying done and was accepted into BYU's animation program.


He got around on his Schwinn Varsity.

And received a mission call to Santiago East, Chile Mission.

We watched him open it via Skype.

Elisa, Rebecca, Debbie and Martha got to watch live.

March 2009 -- Physics Lessons

Adam and his friend Trevor Reese experiment with gravity.

February 2009 -- Ruth Gets Braces -- Snowman Needs Braces

Ruth got braces in February.


We also made snowmen in Nana's back yard.

January 2009 -- I run over my own foot

After pulling into our driveway, I got out of the VW bus and it started to roll. My foot was in the wrong place. The shoe was pinched so hard under the wheel that I couldn't pull it out. I was able to get my foot out however, leaving the shoe behind. There has to be a life lesson in this.

Rose Parade Floats, Olvera Street and Flap Hats

When the Rose Parade is over, they leave the floats out on display for a few days. On January 2, we took a family fieldtrip to Pasadena to see the floats up close. They were lovely. It was very crowded. We didn't let the kids buy funnel cakes or $9 Kettle Korn. I wouldn't go every year, but once every four or five years is worthwhile. 4 Beavers (any family activity that result in an older brother kissing his little sister gets an extra beaver, otherwise, it would have been 3 Beavers).

After the floats, we had dinner and haggled with the merchants at Olvera Street in downtown L.A. We ate at El Paseo Inn and the food was surprisingly tasty for a tourist trap. 4 Beavers. Afterwards, the kids all got Churros from a street vendor (I was feeling sorry about the funnel cakes and Kettle Korn). 4 beavers for the $3 peruvian flap hats.

Ukuleles!

For Christmas the family received two good quality ukuleles, as if we don't already have enough noise around here. The kids spent hours playing them on Christmas and have spent many more hours since. Jane has a particular fixation with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." I caught her singing and playing it to herself in her room late one night last week. Then I learned she plans to sing it for her choir Cabaret Night. We purchased from Musician's Friend the Oscar Schmidt OU5 and the Applause UA10 Soprano Uke. 5 Beavers for the Ukes.

What Happened to the Princesses?

It used to be that getting into mom's makeup meant trying to make yourself look all grown up. It appears the princesses have moved on to other pursuits.

Anna Sedgwick, Madison Sedgwick, Ruth (aka the Princesses)

Natraj Indian Cuisine

Following a performance of the Nutcracker at Saddleback college (during which Cathy and I finished a bit of last minute shopping) Debbie, Monica, Cathy and I and most of our respective kids (18 total including Jared and Trevor Reese who tagged along) decided to dine at Natraj, an Indian restaurant at Alicia and the 5 next to Big Lots. I first learned of Natraj over 10 years ago when they catered a party hosted by Raj Ahuja, a business associate of Cathy’s father. We loved the food and have returned to the restaurant whenever we crave something Indian. Last night I ordered for the whole group and we shared family style. Dishes I recommend highly are the Lamb Korma featuring lamb simmered in an almond cream sauce (the Chicken Korma is terrific too) and Chicken Tikka Masala with chicken in a tomato cream sauce. These dishes come in small pot with lots of delicious sauce to mix with your basmati and saffron rice. The kids loved the tandoori chicken which the waiter brings on a sizzling skillet with onions and peppers. The kids even enjoyed the Saag Paneer, creamed spinach with homemade cheese chunks. Debbie noted (in a good way) that the food made her feel like she was in a different country. Despite the exotic fare, there was no food left at the end, even on the kids’ plates. Lunch at the restaurant is buffet style which allows you to try many different dishes that you might not otherwise try if you were ordering from a menu, including some very nice Indian desserts like Kheer (rice pudding with pistachio slivers) and Gajjar ka Halwa (warm carrot pudding). 4 Beavers for Natraj. It has become a family favorite.