I'll Be There for You

Yup, that's right. Julie and I are in "Central Perk" for all of you Friends fans out there. I was in HEAVEN! I could have stayed there all day but unfortunately we weren't allowed to. Julie and I had some time to kill on Monday morning when we were waiting to get into the Ellen Show and so we decided to take a tour of the Warner Brothers back lot. It was a great tour and we saw a ton of sets and props from old and current TV shows and movies. During the 2 1/2 hour tour one of the stops we stopped at was the only set left of the Friends TV show. I loved walking around and looking at everything and being able to sit in the seats and take pictures. One thing that i didn't realize was how small the set is. It is tiny but looks so big on TV due to the different camera angles. The whole tim eI was in there, I kept singing the theme song "I'll be there for you"...

Another highlight of the tour for me was the second floor of the museum. We weren't able to bring in our cameras but I really wanted to. The whole second floor was dedicated to Harry Potter. There were costumes, props and designs for all the films represented. I loved looking at he detail in the costumes and in the props not to mention that the sorting hat was there and I wanted to see what house I would be put in. After putting the hat on, I was put into Hufflepuff.








The whole reason we were in Burbank was because I received tickets to the Ellen Degeneres Show. Julie and I were so excited to go so we got there early to get out number to be called into the studio. The guest on the show were Gordon Ramsey, Ewan McGregor and an American Idol contestant. It was fun watching her do her thing and dancing in the audience. They had us dancing for about 20 minutes before the show starts which Ellen and her guest that are on show can watch plus during her 'dance' segment and during all the commercial breaks. It was so loud but full of energy. Since we can only go o one taping a season, come August, I am going to try to get tickets again. It was a TON of fun. Try to find us in the audince. It is sort of a Where's Waldo feel. The pictures are from her site on Facebook.

Poop and Giggles

One of the duties of being a parent is doing something that you really don't want to do like cleaning up poop. Isaac was our blow-out child. He pooped on EVERYTHING! Elizabeth has had only one minor blow out until the other day. She had to poop and she pooped a TON! (If you don't want to read about poop, the skip down to the next paragraph.) Not only did it come out of the sides of her diaper but it also went up her back and front. to make matter worse, when i was trying to clean her off before I took off her clothes, she was sticking her feet in the poop and then when I tried to take her clothes off, I underestimated how much poop was on them. She ended up having poop not only on her bum, back, tummy, legs and feet but now she had it on her shoulders head and face. So I decided even though it wasn't her bath day, she needed one anyways. You know, sometimes baby wipes just don't cut it

On another note, one great thing about being a parent is listening and watching your kids play together...nicely. I love watching Isaac and Elizabeth play with one another. Each one always tries to get the other one to laugh which in the end, makes both of them laugh. I couldn't help myself this morning and took a video of the both of them playing and laughing together. Perhaps I took it subconsciously so I can remember that at one time they did like each other and did get along.

Date Night

Since Jim's sister Julie is in town, we decided to use her babysitting services last Saturday night and went on a date. I have been looking forward to this date since December when we found out she was coming. I told Jim that it was his turn to plan the date since I am always the one planning our dates and/or outings. As the day was getting closer I was worried because I knew that Jim hadn't planned anything due to a busy school schedule. Nonetheless, I kept my fingers crossed. Well on that Saturday morning all 5 of us went for a family run together on Pepperdine's track which was fun. Isaac enjoys getting out of his jogging stroller to run beside us and believe it or not, he can run for a while. The bonus of the run was that when he was done running, he had Julie to play with until Jim and I were done.

After the run we showered and ate some lunch then were off to our date. We went to Disneyland (where else would go?) but this time WITHOUT KIDS!!!! We never even stepped a foot into Fantasyland! It was great being able to ride "big kid rides" and not have to maneuver a double stroller around. For dinner Jim took me to the Grand Californian to eat at the Napa Rose. We have been wanting to eat there for some time but have always opted to eat somewhere else because it is a bit fancy.

The restaurant was wonderful with big loungy seats, thick, pressed napkins, beautiful lounge with fireplace and very delicious food. The menu changes seasonally to accommodate the food that is in season. This was the first time that Jim and I had ever had a "fine dining" experience. Below is a sample menu but is not the current menu that was being offered when we were there last week.

		Menu Date: January 2010 Winter Dinner Menu 2010 Starters Sauteed Hand-Harvested Diver Scallops - with a Sauce of Lemon, Lobster, and Tahitian Vanilla. $19 "Ahi Carpaccio" - Pounded Thinly, Tian of Blue Crab, Black Beluga Lentils, and Lemon Creme Fraiche $17 Pappardelle Pasta - tossed in Arugula Pesto, Roasted Veal Loin, Sauteed Coastal Mushrooms, and Dried Local Cherries. $17 Baked Winter Squash - Napa Valley Goat Cheese Tart, Roasted Duck Confit, and Cranberry Port Vinaigrette. $16 Oak Roasted Sonoma Quail - Filled with Portobello Mushroom & Swiss Chard, Sweet Potato Polenta, and Dried Apricot Sauce $16. Fried Halibut Bradade - with Meyer Lemon Aioli, Warm Fingerling Potato Salad with Green Olives, Capers and Petite Arugula. $15 Our Signature Pizzetta - Smoked American Prosciutto, Red Flame Grapes, Caramelized Onions, & Cambozola Cheese $15. Salads & Soups Tempura Fried Lobster and Spicy Asian Beef Salad - Mizuna Salad with Daikon Radish, and Coconut-Lime vinaigrette. $18 Winter Endive and Watercress Salad - Candied Walnuts, Poached Pears, Rogue River Blue Cheese, and Pear Vinaigrette. $15 Select Organically Grown Field Greens and Baby Lettuce - with Shaved Marinated Cucumbers and Napa Rose Fresh Herb Vinaigrette. $12 Portobello Mushroom Bisque "Cappuccino" - with Brandied Thyme "Froth". $15 Market Inspired Seasonal Soup - $15 Starters to Share (Please allow 15 min preparation time for these starters as they are made to order!) Seven Sparkling Sins - An Array of Tantalizations Featuring Spicy Beef & Peanut Roll, Curried Crab Taco, Seared Ahi Nacho, Shrimp in Cucumber Wrap with Lemon Dill Creme, Citrus Cured Salmon with a Corn Cake, Tangierine Grilled Scallop, and Grape Leaves Stuffed with Pheasant. For two. $45 The Sizzling Beach Rock - A Combination Appetizer of Garlic Seared Shrimp, Soy Glazed Spare Ribs and Lemon Grass Chicken Skewers cooked on a Hot Beach Stone. For two. $36 Main Courses Thyme Grilled California Swordfish - on Braised Beef Oxtail and Lobster Bubbles. $38 Wine Country Cioppino - Wild Stripe Bass, Sea of Cortez White Shrimp, Snow Crab, in a Hearty Roasted Tomato Broth. $37 Maple Leaf Farm Duck Breast - with Marinated Juniper Berries, Fire Roasted Chestnuts, Pancetta, Salsify and Blood Orange Jus. $38 Portobello Mushroom Ravioli - in Sauteed Truffled Sage Brown Butter, Winter Vegetables and Parmigiano-Reggiano. $32 Zinfandel Braised Angus Beef Short Rib - with Risotto of Wild Rice, Pine Nut and Dried Cranberries, with Butternut Squash Sauce. $40 Grilled Petit Filet of Angus Beef - with Crisp Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi, Smoked Bacon, Grilled Onions and a Merlot Jus. $40 Walnut Crusted Mountain Meadows Lamb Rack - with Boneless Braised Lamb Shank, Roasted Parsnips, and Sonoma Mushrooms. $40 Napa Sides Sauteed Market Eggplant - with Yellow Bell Peppers, Toasted Garlic, Pine Nuts and Olive Oil. $10 Truffled "Mac & Cheese" Orecchiette Pasta - with Parmigiano-Reggiano. $12 Roasted Organic Broccoli - with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Tangerine Hollandaise. $10 "The Vintner's Table" A Chef's Tasting Menu inspired by the Bright, Fresh Flavors of Summertime's peak. Four Course Prix Fixe Menu: $85 - Add Flight of Four Wines: $45 (The Vintner's Menu changes every Friday) Manila Clams - Roasted in Our Wood Burning Oven, a Citrus Watercress Salsa and Soria Chorizo - Leek Broth Nora, Albarino, Rias Baixas DO, Galicia, Spain 2007 Sauteed Veal Sweetbreads - with Winter Trumpet Mushrooms, Reggiano-Parmigiano Flan and Port Essence Camille Giroud, Pinot Noir, Gevry-Chambertin Bourgogne 2005 Braised Angus "Beef Pot Roast" - Oven Roasted Local Rainbow Carrots, Scarlet Turnips, in a Rich Zinfandel Essence Robert Biale Vineyards, Zinfandel, Black Chicken, Napa Valley 2007 Baked Crepes filled with Milk Chocolate - topped with Pecan Brittle Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream and Candied Orange Peel Magicale, Brachetto, (Sweet Sparkling Rose) Piemonte DOC, Italy 2006 Napa Rose Desserts S'Mores Pop-over - with toasted marshmallows, peanut butter ice cream, and chocolate sauce $11.00 Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee Tart - with marinated raspberries $10.00 Scharffen Berger Chocolate "Truffle Cake" - with Cinnamon Ice Cream. $12.00 Summer Sweet Peach "Sandwich" - Layered with Homemade Fresh Sebastopol Blueberry Sorbet and Honey Biscuit. $10 Sugar Free Citrus Vanilla Italian Custard - Orange Mango Broth and Blueberries. $9 Fresh Homemade Ice Cream or Sorbet -- Single Scoop $3 -- Double Scoop $6 -- Triple Scoop $9

Jim and I opted for the Vinter's Table and had a lovely 4 course meal. We ended up taking home our rabbit since we were so full. Everything was unique that we ate from the anise bread to the lemon meringue napoleon with mango and strawberry confetti to the beet tartare in a cone. 2 1/2 hours later and a full belly, our dinner was over and we headed back to the park for another hour or two. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants a fanatastic meal in an intimate setting. It was nice to have some time to ourselves since Jim is always busy with school and the kids are always around. So thanks Julie for watching the kids so we can have some time to ourselves!

Valentine's Day + More

Jim couldn't believe that my last post was about a month ago. He was giving me a hard about it. The truth of the matter is that we didn't really do anything post worthy. It was just our normal day to day life of school, cleaning, and playing. So anyways, I thought I should take the pictures off my camera since Jim's sister, Julie, is coming today to stay for almost two weeks and Jim's dad is coming next week for a week.

Jim and I can't believe how big Elizabeth is getting. She will be 7 months in a couple of days!!! We thought she just looked to "old" in her Valentine's Day dress. She is sweeter than any candy received.

Valentine's Day isn't that big in our house but I always try to do a little something. This year the kids and I made homemade Valentines for Jim they also received candy. Well, Elizabeth didn't. We also always eat fried shrimp for dinner and whatever else I choose to cook with them. This year it was a couscous pilaf and grilled asparagus. As for me, a couple days before V-day, I came home from ballet class and Isaac shouted "Happy Valentine's Day!" He was holding a HUGE heart balloon, some candy and a couple dozen roses. It was so sweet. I don't get too much from Jim and the kids so this meant a TON to me! I could have cared less that V-day was still a few days away.



Isaac is making biscuits. He LOVES to help Jim make them.

After eating at Philippe's for lunch, Isaac responded with this. Anyone from our generation will get it.