Dried Apples!

These are even better than the bananas.  I love them most.  I wasn't sure exactly how I wanted these, so I tried a few different things.  Now I know!

First of all, while I wish I had one of those awesome apple-peeler-corer-slicer doohickies out there (that would make this whole thing SO MUCH FASTER), I have never really tried peeling apples much, but it turns out I am a naturally-born-apple-peeler-magician-guru. I can peel an apple so that the peel comes off as one long, pretty spiral...which isn't actually important, but man alive! I should have been an apple peeler by trade.

See?  Proof!  Side note: if you don't have a dog begging incessantly for your apple peel scraps (ahem, Obi), don't just throw them away!  For a deliciously unhealthy snack, cut them up and fry them up with a VERY little little butter and some cinnamon and sugar!  They are a chewy, apple-y treat.

Secondly, you don't need straight lemon juice to pretreat apples.  You can make a solution of 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 cup water, and just soak the apples a good 5-15 minutes after you slice them however you want.  You SHOULD pretreat apples--oxidation not only is gross-looking, but MAY mess with the flavor and WILL cause a slight loss in some of the vitamins (A & C).  At least, that's what I read.

Thirdly, I tried just plain ol' apples, some with cinnamon, and some with cinnamon and sugar (I wanted to see if the natural sweetness of the apple would be enough sugar for it).  It turns out that, at least with green apples, you really do need that sugar added.  So they might not be quite as healthy, but they are really, really yummy that way.  But I like the plain ones quite a bit, too.  And I will have to get back to you if the red apples are any different...it seems like they would be, right?

Fourth and lastly, apples dry WAY faster than bananas, which surprised me as I don't think of bananas as a very juicy fruit.  But the apples were done in 4 hours, and I let them dry another 2 for good measure, and they were most definitely perfect.

So, here are the final products (that are already halfway gone, and I can't wait to make more for my sister and niece tomorrow!):

Apple rings!  I cut these at 1/8".  I STRONGLY suggest, if you're like me and don't have the cool corer/slicer/peeler gadget, that you cut the slices FIRST and then just "connect the dots" to cut out the core--you'll see what I mean.  :)  I tried taking the core out first, and I almost cut off my thumb.  Then I got smart.  :)  These are the ones I put just cinnamon on, so the taste wasn't quite as awesome, but the fun shape makes up for it!  And now I know better for next time.

Apple slices!  These were plain and tart and waaaaayyyy good.  If I were making a baggie of dried fruits or wanted them for cereal, these are the kinds I would make.  I quartered the apples, cored them, then I cut these in 1/8" slices.

Apple bits!  Perfect for trail mix, young kids, and oatmeal.  I cut the apple in eighths, then sliced them in 1/4" thick slices.  I should try just dicing them in cubes, but anyway...I love how light and tart these are--I could eat them like popcorn.  :)

And my FAVORITE--apple chips!  I know these aren't as crisp as in an oven, but they are pretty dang crisp, and I kind of like this better, anyway.   I sliced these SUPER THIN, like a millimeter maybe, and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on top.  I made sure that even in the rotation of the trays these stayed on top, near the heat source and fan, and it helped.  These are the kinds I'm making more of for the family.  

That's it!  Happy eating!

Dried Bananas!

I have this dehydrator that I bought YEARS ago at BYU and haven't really used since.  But I love granolas, fruity oatmeals, adding fruit to cereals, etc.  So this year, since I have no idea how to can, I am going to put my NESCO American Harvest Dehydrator to use!  So you will be seeing LOTS of posts of my dehydrating successes...and failures.  First up, success: dried bananas!

Now, first of all, it needs to be said that unless you use oil and bake or fry the bananas or add extra chemicals, banana chips will not turn out crisp and crunchy like they do in storebought trail mixes.  I think if I had dehydrated them longer, they could have gotten MORE crisp, because the outsides of these are nice and crunchy, but the inside is chewy, like a fruit gummy.  I love them this way.  And, more importantly, they are healthier this way.  And, just as importantly, they are still beautiful.

Next week, I'm going to try dehydrating them a little longer and see if I can get them crispier.  I may also try one of the MANY oven recipes out there (which require a little cooking spray and being baked in the oven at low temperatures for several hours) and see how those turn out.  But for now, and for all of you who are just beginning to learn how to dry fruit like I am, here are some tips I learned to make this batch turn out so well:

1. Banana chips actually turn out best if the bananas are still a little green.  Drying fruit seems to bring out the natural sugars.  Also, the firmer they are, the less likely they'll turn brown quickly and the easier they are to cut.

2. A really cool trick I learned is that you can cut the bananas into thirds or fourths and use an egg slicer to get them that perfect 1/4" thickness consistently.  I love that!  It's really important in a dehydrator to have everything at the same thickness, because otherwise you can burn some and not fully dehydrate others (which prevents them from storing well).  And I'm not so good at that.  So I went so far as to go to Walmart and buy an egg slicer just for this purpose (Paul's allergic to eggs, so there was no reason to have them before!).

3. To keep the bananas from getting brown, bathe them in a shallow bowl of lemon juice for about 5 minutes. You can't taste the lemon once they dry, I promise!  I also put a little honey in the bowl, but I don't think you can taste that, either.  So it's not important.  Another blogger I found actually puts lemon juice in a spray bottle and sprays all her fruits with it before drying, which I thought was clever.

4. Lay your slices on the tray, close but not touching.  Make sure, also, that from tray to tray your pieces aren't "overlapping" or stacked right on top of each other or that will slow down the drying time, too.  So stagger them.  FYI, I used rather medium bananas, and I could fit 3 bananas on each tray.  Just an estimate.  :)

5. Dehydrate!  Fruits in general should be dehydrated around 135 degrees--I put mine up to 140--and bananas should be dried until they are firm but pliable.  You should flip the fruits at least once during the drying time (I did after 4 hours), and rotate the trays.  A good test for the doneness of ANY fruit is to pick up a piece of fruit and rip it in half--if there are any beads of moisture, it's not done.  In my dehydrator, I was done after about 8 hours.  I probably could have gone longer, but it's getting late and I wanted them to cool.  Which brings me to:

6. COOL THEM DOWN IN THE DEHYDRATOR!  Unplug everything and let them cool down in the dehydrator, slowly at room temperature is best.  If you try to put them in your airtight container warm, they will let off steam and heat which will just mean more moisture inside the container, which will spoil them faster.  Well-dried and cooled fruit can be stored in an airtight plastic container (even just a baggie) for MONTHS, even up to year--longer if you put them in a freezer.

7. ENJOY!  These are so yummy.  You can rehydrate them if you want for recipes and stuff later--just google that.  Our two trays worth (I only dried a single bunch) won't last beyond tomorrow, I am sure of it.  :)

Like I said, next week I will be buying some more bananas and trying out a few other methods, just to see what I like best.  But for a healthy, potassium-rich natural snack, these bananas are amazingly simple and SOOOOOOOO yummy!  Hope you make some and enjoy them as much as we have!

28 Things You Might Not Know About Me

Since I’ve been 28 (for one whole week now), I’ve been working a lot on my self-awareness.  This is mostly because I’m trying to apply for jobs and prepare for interviews, but also because I sometimes feel like I, the REAL me, gets lost in the shuffle of staying at home or even the niceties at church or the familiarity of friends.  So, as a mental exercise AND a celebration of being 28, here are 28 things you may not know about me:

1. I’m a Tetris nerd…especially Tetris Shadow.  Not only do I love it, but I’m pretty good at it…I’m currently ranked 52 in the world for the Wii Tetris Shadow game times.

2. Teacher or not, I still want to be a writer.  I have dreams of having a children’s book published someday…for real, not like my recycling book.

3. If I were a car part, I would most definitely be the steering wheel.  I have control issues.

4. My tastes may have changed quite a bit since I was a kid, but I still don’t and never will like brussels sprouts.

5.  I go through phases about once a year where, for like a month straight, I will have nightmares and sleep really awfully.  I have no idea why.

6.  My favorite “domesticated” animals are horses.  My favorite animals overall, though, are penguins and giraffes.  I’m pretty fond of dogs, too.

7.  I love cold cereal or oatmeal for breakfast.  I prefer them over pancakes, waffles, eggs of any kind, or breakfast meats.  My FAVORITE oatmeal flavor is raisin, date, and walnut.  My favorite cereal is cracklin’ oat bran (MUCH tastier than it sounds!).

8. I went to exactly two elementary schools, two high schools, and two colleges.

9. I can’t stand Josh Groban’s voice.

10. I think motorcycles are HOTT, but I would never let Paul buy one because I’d be too scared he would die.

11. I am a completely different person in front of a classroom than I am anywhere else.  My teaching strengths, like flexibility, being brave and taking risks, a quick wit, or the ability to multi-task well, somehow do not translate at all into my “real” life.

12. I H.A.T.E. using the phone for anything besides texting.  I think it’s borderline phobic.  I get a small panic-attack whenever I hear it ring, and I usually don’t answer it unless I know who is calling and why.

13. I want, even need, hot showers (the kind that steam up the mirrors) all year long.  Even on the hottest summer days.  I just really hate being cold.

14. I am a morning person.  I pretty much turn into a pumpkin at midnight.

15. I don’t mind cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming, but I hate doing laundry.  Even dishes, once I get started, aren’t too bad…but I never enjoy doing the laundry.

Obi loves it, though--she can make a nest for herself in the pile of laundry.  :)

16. I’ve recently discovered a pet peeve of mine is when I’m discussing something with people and they break out their cell phones and start texting.  Maybe I’m self-centered, but I want their undivided attention if we’re having a heart-to-heart.  I’ve also discovered another pet peeve: people using google to PROVE how wrong I am about unimportant things.

17. Paul was my first “real” boyfriend.  I’d dated enough, and had quasi-relationships, but nothing official ‘til Paul.  I don’t regret at all that he got all my firsts.

18. I’ve recently become obsessed with National Geographic specials on Netflix.

19. I’ve never been to a concert.

20. The craziest thing I’ve ever seen was here at Purdue--a guy on a bike getting hit by a car…they came at each other at right angles and neither of them saw each other, and the guy’s bike literally flipped in a perfect arc over the car while the guy rolled gracefully across the hood.  The biker landed on his feet on the other side, got up on his bike, and rode away—he looked more embarrassed than hurt.  But it was a shocking moment for everyone else who saw it!

21. My favorite hymn is “Lead, Kindly Light” (and only PARTLY because I’m kinda afraid of the dark).

22. I still have no idea how to answer the question about which famous person, living or dead, I would want to meet/have lunch with/travel with on a road trip…if someone asked me that question in an interview, I would be completely stumped and would just freeze up.  Even now, thinking hard about it for the last 10 minutes, I’ve got nothing.


23. During my 4 ½ of my 9 years of off-and-on-again college I worked as a Taco Bell Cashier, Alcoa sales temp, BYU laundry/textiles cleaner, preschool aide, EFY counselor, factory/assembly line for Heartland Automotive, reading/math tutor, daycare teacher, ESL tutor, and before-and-after-school-program worker.  The other 4 ½ years, I didn’t work.

24. I am actually really clumsy, especially lately, and most of my bruises come from my own clumsiness rather than my dog.  Currently I have 4 bruises that I can see—one on my arm, two on my right leg, and one on my left hip.  The most likely way to get these bruises is by walking into doorways or swinging my arm into a doorknob.

25. I was, overall, a really good kid.  The only time I ever got grounded or punished in any real way was when I didn’t stand up for my little sister when my friends said she couldn’t play kickball with us one summer day and I had to stay inside for the rest of the day.

26. Even though we watched a lot of T.V. as kids, my brother and sisters and I still played outside a TON and had all sorts of awesome games we played regularly—like drive through, Indian orphan children, kid on the mountain (only at Grandpa’s house!), and mean babysitter (with the chocolate milk medicine).  And, of course, I played school ALL SUMMER LONG.

27. I hate wearing shoes.  If I could go barefoot safely all year long, I would.

28. Guilty pleasures?  Music—Aly & AJ.  TV/movies—Star Trek stuff (I blame Paul).  Books—the Hunger Games series. Food—chocolate, not only the food itself but my COMPLETE AND TOTAL INCAPABILITY TO CONTROL MYSELF around it.  If there is chocolate in the house, I will eat it instead of eating real food.  For days, until it’s gone.  It’s that obsessive part of my mild OCD coming through.  J

That’s it!  *Whew*  I know none of it is shocking or surprising, but I hope you still learned something about me that you didn’t know before!

We All Must Do Our Part

This is the children's book I "published" as part of a graduate student's research on the impact of literature on science education in elementary classrooms in Provo.  I got lucky to be picked as an "author," as the whole thing was a lottery.  The whole process was really cool--I had to pick a science content/standard that the other 10 people weren't covering in THEIR books (I wound up with recycling), research and include at least 5 facts and at least 2 teaching applications, get my research approved by a faculty member, write and sketch the concept of the book (I'm still not sure where my other teaching application ended up...it's not in the file), then get paired up with an illustrator from the art department.  Going through the process and seeing the final result kinda reminds me of the time I recorded an original song in a recording studio--it's not that the final product is all great or anything, but I still feel blessed to have had that experience, because it's just something that not everyone gets to do.  I know a little more now about writing for someone other than myself, and even though my tastes AND understanding of how children think and learn have changed tremendously since then (this was Fall of 2003!), I'm still proud of it.  I'm even prouder because of the 10 or 15 people who went through this, mine was the one that the grad student chose to present at her presentations.  I must have done SOMETHING right.  ;)  Anywho, here it is, and feel free to use it!  (If you want the pdf files, just email me at pcfernandez515@yahoo.com and I can get the larger files to you.)

A "Greener" Cleaner

I found this great, simple idea for a natural cleaner for your home that I thought I would make and pass along.  I found it HERE.  The smell of it reminds me of my step-mom, who used newspapers and vinegar to clean the windows in our home.  I personally love it.  :)  Anyway, it's simple, cheap, and non-toxic...and so far it has actually worked pretty well, too (which is important!).  In fact, it's just about PERFECT on mirrors/windows (it looks like it's going to streak right before it dries, but then, like magic, everything is beautiful and clean and streak-free).  I'm particularly going to use it for a windex substitute...anyway, here it is:

Fill a spray bottle halfway full with white vinegar.  Add as much lemon juice as you want to cover up the smell of the vinegar.  Then fill the rest of the bottle with water. (If you want the lemon scent to actually come through and not just cover up the vinegar smell, you'll have to add quite a bit...like 2 parts vinegar, 1 part lemon juice and 1 part water.  For my first round, I just put a few tablespoons in to cover up the smell and you really can't smell anything.)   Shake before using.  THAT'S IT!  :)  If you're at all like me, you should probably label it so you don't accidentally use it to spray plants or puppies.  ;)  But I like using this for our bathroom and kitchen--it smells fresh and clean, and I don't feel bad about breathing in the fumes or rinsing it down the sink.  :)  Going green AND saving money?  YES, PLEASE!

Easter Button Egg and Felt Chocolate Bunnies!

I love following artsy-craftsy blogs, because I find the best inspiration for easy, cheap projects.  I particularly loved this craft because it looked simple and I had all the materials I would need on hand already--which meant a cute, simple, perfect Easter decoration that cost me NOTHING!  Can't get better than that!

My white chocolate bunny.

My milk chocolate bunny.  :)

Anyway, you can find the GORGEOUS original as well as a tutorial (including the bunny pattern!) HERE.  I pretty much did what she did, except I used a slightly less sophisticated color palette since I had all those springy buttons and lots of spring felt.  I also used two different colors of felt instead of the burlap, and hot glued it (after I sewed) right onto the backing of the photo frame.  (Side note: this was even MORE perfect because I had a boring 5" x 7" wood frame that was missing its glass and needed revamped, so this worked out just right!)  Otherwise, I pretty much just followed exactly what she said in the tutorial.  I WILL advise, however, that if you make the bunnies, you stuff as you sew--especially on the smaller size!  Even my pinkie didn't quite fit in the ears or front feet, so stuffing as I sewed made it easy.  Still, it was a SIMPLE, cute project and I would make it again in a heartbeat!

The finished product.

What do you think?  :)

28 Birthdays and Counting...

I thought it would be fun to try to remember (or find pictures or journal entries of) every birthday I've had.  Turns out, it's a lot harder than I thought.  This was a good exercise for me, especially, because I already have like the world's WORST long-term memory, and I'm finding it's only getting worse as I get older.  But, except for a gap in my childhood years, I didn't do too badly.  I've still got a few places to look for more pictures, so maybe I'll update this post in a while.  For now, come stroll down memory lane with me and see me through the years!

Technically, I guess, I've had 29 birthdays...this is my very first one.  (Well, a day after, anyway.)

28 BIRTHDAYS:

1.  Yummy chocolate cake, and a little sister on the way!

2.  I don't remember 2-7, but I DID find a couple of pictures...

My second birthday, with my Grandpa Hall helping me blow out the candles (I was born on my grandparents' anniversary, so it was a special day for both of us!).

3rd, 4th...can't find anything. :(

5:

6th, 7th...can't find anything, except this picture which I *think* is sometime around my 7th birthday...but I'm not totally sure because there is no cake.

8. This is the first birthday I vividly remember, because not only was I supposed to get baptized BUT we only had "real" parties (the kind that cost money and you send out invitations) on our 8th, 12th, and 16th birthdays--otherwise, it was just a family or a few friends in a small affair.  Which I liked.  BUT.  This is also the year we had a crazy ice storm (over my birthday) and had to postpone everything--baptism for more than 2 months, and the party until the next year.  I spent my 8th birthday at my grandpa's house, because after a few days without electricity, Mom and Dad realized that entertaining and taking care of 4 kids without modern conveniences was just too hard.  :)

9.  My first actual party!  I had some friends over, and I don't remember much else except we had my favorite meal (taco salad, which is STILL one of my favorite meals) and played some games (like pictionary, balloon volleyball, and a hula-hoop contest).

10. I had a small sleepover with two friends, and I started my teddy bear collection in earnest.

11. I don't remember this one much, but I know I got a pretty green wrap-around skirt that I wore FOREVER.

12. My basketball birthday!  We had my party at the church, so we could play basketball.  We ate some actual food, I'm sure, but I mostly remember this awesome cake my mom made.  :)

13. I think I had a sleepover again this year, but it's a little hazy.

14. ???  All my journal says from this year is that I got older and was nervous about moving up to Mia Maids because all the Beehives got along really well, but I only had two friends in the Mia Maids.  Hahaha.

15. To make up for ruining my birthday with the news of their divorce 3 days earlier, my parents took me to Beef and Boards in Indy to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  I loved it.  It was the last happy memory I have with both my parents together.

16. This birthday was pretty awesome, although I didn't feel like it at the time.  I missed my real friends and family while I was in Florida with our high school band.  I KNOW we went to the Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Beach, AND Medieval Times.  (This was sandwiched between two days at DisneyWorld and a day at Universal Studios, marching in the Mardi Gras parade, and other fun things I don't remember.)

17. Dad and Carri got married a few months before this birthday.  One of my little sisters and both my stepsisters also had March birthdays (we're actually about a week apart exactly, except for mine which is a day off the rest), so we had a joint family party this year for all 4 of us.  I don't really remember anything else because I was too depressed to care.

18. I know I had a birthday...but I have no idea what I did, other than go to church as the wards split from two to three.  Maybe THIS was the year we had the joint party for all 4 of us?  Hmm...no pictures, so no idea.
(EDIT: I found a journal entry about this!
"To celebrate turning 18, I did all those things that people aren't allowed to do until they are legal adults in this state: I got various body piercings and tattoos without parental permission, rented a rated "R" movie, joined the army, bought a pack of cigarettes and a lottery ticket, and eloped...psych!  [Yes, I still used "psych!" and "yo" and words like that].  The only thing I can do now that I WANT to do is vote, and the next election year for the Presidency isn't until 2004...what I did instead, after the Saturday night dinner with everyone [so, yes, THIS was the year with the joint party, which means the above picture was a party just for me], was got to Church on Sunday to hear about the wards splitting...I was really bummed...it was like the divorce all over again--until the meeting that day.  We sang "Onward Christian Soldiers," and the third verse made me smile--"WE ARE NOT DIVIDED, ALL ONE BODY WE."...After singing that, I was at peace with the whole thing.  Actually, I did a total 180...We also had a BYD that night, where we reviewed and discussed President Hinckley's 6 B's...At home, Mom threw a wonderful party, complete with spaghetti and garlic bread and salad, and a TCBY chocolate ice cream cake, and money as a gift...I took Charissa and Cerene to the mall for Applebee's on Friday with it, and we had a blast."

19. My roommate and friends threw me a genuine surprise birthday party, complete with pizza and 40 helium balloons and singing and fun times with like half the ward.  I was so touched, because I had no idea that was coming.

20. We had a small party at our apartment, but the memorable thing about this year was that my long-lost older brother (literally) and his then-fiancee (now wife) stopped by!  I was so nervous because I had no idea what to say to him, but it worked out nicely enough.  And there were kazoos.  And I got serenaded by some friends, who sang "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You."

21.  I had dinner at P.F. Changs with my roommate.  Crazy, wonderful friend Mike Ong played chauffeur.  We came back and had cake and ice cream with some old friends and all our roommates.  This was the last birthday at BYU with the Ya-Yas (my 5 roommates/sisterhood/best friends of all my BYU days) , because all of them up and married off or graduated on me within the next year and a half.  :)

22. This was a GREAT birthday.  I had had such a difficult few months (this was just after my hip injury in November AND the first year without the Ya-Yas), and I had been feeling a whole range of emotions, from sad and left-out and discouraged to blessed and eager to serve a mission and a little healthier (my birthday week was my first week without a cane!).  My roommate made a tutu (get it? 2-2) that I wore all day long, and another roommate got me some sheet music.  I went out to Dairy Queen with a friend, and another friend bought me TWO NEW TIRES for my car.  I also got serenaded again ("When You Say Nothing at All"), and a bunch of friends (including a few Ya-Yas) and I took pizza to the Provo library and watched Mary Poppins (a favorite!) and sang along with all the songs.  I felt so humbled and so loved.

23. I don't think anything good or memorable happened this year.  BUT I had really cute hair.  I've sort of gravitated back to this, but more golden hair instead of auburn...and swoopier bangs.

24. I had a party at my new apartment with my new roommates, not long after my Purdue-acceptance-letter party!  We just had friends over for cake and karaoke, and went to play on the playground at the nearby park.  Paul was there but I barely knew him then.  He said I looked sad, or distracted, or something--which was true, because, as I mentioned earlier, this was the day my brother tried to kill himself in prison.  I remember trying really hard to be happy and enjoy my day and feeling like I just didn't have it in me.  But my sisters were there to party, too, so that helped.  I couldn't find the pictures of this, but luckily Paul had made a slideshow with them in it so I could take some screenshots...sorry they're so blurry.

25. 25 was a very low-key year.  Paul and I had only been dating a few months and I was in my second semester at Purdue.  Paul, my best friend, and my sister got together and had a small party.  I was expecting more, so I look sadder than I am now when I think back on it. :)  I'm kinda into low-key right now.  BUT I do remember that Charissa got me a sticker maker, which is something I'd been asking for since I was like 9.  So that was awesome.  But I thought that having a boyfriend meant my birthday would rock, and it was only so-so.  ;)  Hahaha, still love you, Paul!  (Side note: not only is Paul's family not really into birthdays much, but it's a Filipino thing.  In fact, in the Philippines, when it's your birthday, YOU give the presents and treats.  So I still had to train him.)  I KNOW I have pictures of this somewhere, so I'll keep looking.  :)

26. 26 was a special birthday. Paul and I were engaged, and we went with my parents down to Nauvoo so I could receive my endowments.  I was very, very SICK.  We had gone to Chicago a day or two prior, and I had a terrible fever, dizziness, fatigue, swollen/sore throat, you name it.  I pretty much just passed out for two days there, then managed to make it down to Nauvoo, just healthy enough to go through the temple.  Barely.  :)  But it was a great day, and as soon as I got out of the temple, I just wanted to go back in and do it all again.  It was a beautiful day.  I wish I had pictures.  Dad and Carri took the pics with their camera so I have yet to see them at all.

27. During my 27th birthday, I was student teaching, and Paul came into the classroom to sugar-up my kids and tell them jokes and stories and speak in Spanish with my 1/3 ELL classroom.  (The video is them singing to me...in my class, the birthday kid gets to say HOW they want it sung, and since we were doing a machines theme and had studied robots, I told them I wanted to hear it robot-style.  :)  It was pretty cool.  We also went down to Indy to eat at the Melting Pot, and we traveled up to Chicago later to dress up and see the play Beauty and the Beast.  I also had a girls' night (sort of...little brothers were welcome) where we played spies and went to play laser tag and then came back to eat pizza.  (This was NOT all in the same day, by the way...we're not THAT crazy. :)

At Beauty and the Beast :)

In the classroom. :)

28. And now we're to me now!  Children's Museum, Fogo de Chau, and tonight some cake and ice cream with a few friends to wind down and wrap up birthday week.  Yay, 28!