iron chefs in the making

we just discovered a fun easy little snack to make. it is called "peecha pudi" (i think it is translated as flour that is pinched). it is a snack that my mom's mom used to make for them after school. it is a mixture of rice flour, coconut and water with a little sugar, and then steamed. mahala and noble had fun making it! i think this may be a our new favorite activity when we get home.

mahala's favorite part

we asked mahala what her favorite part of our trip has been so far. i thought she was going to say the elephants, but she said it was riding the auto rickshaw (three wheeled taxi vehicles-you can see them in the photo). i guess she is really enjoying life without car seats! we took one to go shopping-she rode on the end one time but it was "too dusty" but she really enjoyed sitting in the middle. that way she got to enjoy the bumps and the view without having dirt blown in her face.

kerala backwaters

kerala is known for its beautiful "backwaters". kochi (the city where my parents live) in particular has many waterways that weave in and out around islands that make up the greater kochi area. not exactly venice but beautiful in its own right! we took a boat ride this morning and saw many small canoes with fisherman aboard and even some men diving in the water to catch fish by hand..











the backwaters are lined with coconut trees and homes as well as the chinese fishing nets.

india part two

mahala and quinn got to dress up today for a big party we had here for my uncles and aunts and their families. we also celebrated my dad's 70th birthday. from an outline put together by seens and i, douglas wrote a wonderful script for our skit about my dad's life-it was amusing mostly because mahala and quinn acted out parts of the skit. (noble unfortunately had to back out because he had a fever). we are not so sure the that our humor translated, but it seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves.












douglas was decked out in a jubha and munda. i also had the chance to finally wear my wedding sari...almost 8 years later. needless to say, i needed to let it out a bit! but according to many relatives, i have "gained weight and look much better" - honestly, this has been said to me more often than anything. indians consider it as a compliment. americans consider it the time to call jenny craig.












yesterday we went shopping and scored at a great new store called
"fabindia". all i can say is that cochin needed a hip place like this! noble and mahala were treated to many new outfits on behalf of ammamma and appappan. douglas could not come with us so we are going to take him next week and hopefully get him to look like the next model for indian gq.

india part one

we went to my aunt's house where my aunt lives with my cousin and his wife. we toured their land with rice paddies, banana trees, pepper plants, jasmine plants and coconut trees, enjoyed some coconut juice and flesh. here is mahala walking in the rice paddy.












then the kids got to play around with water, rocks and coconuts. mahala and quinn spent most of the time washing rocks and coconuts. noble liked moving the pails around!












quinn and mahala holding coconut husks.

one daddy elephant and two babies came to visit after breakfast. mahala and i got to hop up on top of the daddy and then we were able to feed all of them some bananas, pineapples and molasses biscuits. noble was a bit frightened at first but had some time to enjoy them and feed them too. it was a fast visit because the elephant keepers were only supposed to be taking the elephants for a walk-not going to visit foreigners!

we then ate a wonderful lunch on banana leaves in traditional style!

noble on line 1

a holiday letter (for those who can sit through it)

We hope this letter finds you doing well and that the past year has brought you plenty of things to be thankful for. We love taking this chance to reconnect with all of you. Whether by mail or e-mail, we look forward to hearing from all of you around this time of year. Like always, our year has been busy but good!

Douglas is just about to start his fifth year at San Quentin and was able to “make up” his own job just recently, which has conveniently included overseeing some of the construction for the new mental health building. So he has finally managed to have his dream job: being a psychologist AND a contractor! Douglas has been caught up with the political race this year and continues to be a Cal fan, and also more of a Virginia Tech fan than I will ever be. He has two happy kids to greet him after coming home from work – what more could one want? Oh yes, a frazzled wife. Yes, he has that too.

I am back to part-time work in architecture but I am not working too hard with only 10 hours a week. I found this great job through the architects I used to work for and it has worked out amazingly well. For Noble we have the same type of co-op daycare we did with Mahala: 4 babies, a caregiver and one parent. I host the co-op on Wednesdays. As Noble gets older and more independent, I find myself having a little more time to get back to cooking and art projects with Mahala, which I love. I am struggling with my favorite hobby, cooking/baking, due to Noble’s numerous food allergies. He is allergic to wheat, eggs, nuts, tomatoes and more things that will be tested soon. Besides being awful news in general, this was even more horrible for an avid baker like me. So now, after experimenting, I have finally found great recipes for pancakes, muffins, and cookies but most importantly, a wheat-free, egg-free version of my favorite food: chocolate cake.

Mahala and Noble are getting so much out of being with other kids in the mornings. We have watched Mahala, now 4, blossom in preschool, from being very shy and overwhelmed to being incredibly social and a good helper with the younger kids in the class. She is still a bit feisty and stubborn and we have been told that she has the highest pitch scream EVER (which is what we have been trying to tell people!) but when she is in a good mood, she is focused and very responsible. And as far as Noble goes, she often is annoyed by him but at the same time misses him when he is not around and could not wait until he got to sleep in the same room with her. She is still the slowest eater we have seen (dinners spanning up to 2 hours) and I am only comforted by the fact that she eats anything – and I mean it. She eats kale, Brussels sprouts, any ethnic food. Apparently, being such a gourmand requires that she savor every flavor, talk in between bites, and do plenty of wiggling during her nightly marathons.

Noble, now 16 months, is such a content little guy. Despite his ever present itch from his food-allergy driven excema, he is very happy. He’s pretty goofy, loves to kiss and make funny faces, is an early walker/late talker and is a climber. His favorite thing to do while I am busy cooking is to climb up on the dining table and just sit there on top with a “knowing” expression on his face. He squeals with delight when he sees Mahala which makes her proud – and usually she squeals back. (It’s their secret language I think.) He is the oldest member of the co-op and adjusted to our separation fairly quickly considering he is quite a mama’s boy. We’re doing early potty training with him and surprised at his a success over the year. He’s never been a good eater or good sleeper but boy is he fun! It’s all about balance, right?

Our house is virtually complete which I still cannot believe. Of course, now that it is done, we are thinking of moving…I know, I know…what are we thinking? Well, we can’t seem to stay put I guess. But really, we are thinking of moving closer to Douglas’s work and simultaneously moving into a good school district. Surprising to many that we may consider buying another fixer-upper!

Next month we are heading to India. We have not been back since 2001 so it is long overdue. We will be flying with my sister, brother-in-law and niece which should make the long plane ride more entertaining. My parents are already there at their flat and are so excited to have us all come at the same time. We will be there for about 3 weeks. I am looking forward to watching Mahala soak it all in! It is sure to be an interesting trip and I am sure we will return with way too many photos. I hope to “blog” while I am there though so stay tuned for photos and videos.

We look forward to seeing you in the coming year. From our house to yours Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Sheeba, Douglas, Mahala and Noble - December 2008