How to make kimchi: Weekend Wrap-Up

So, the sickness is finally gone and order has been restored to Max's intestinal track. This is good. He was not thrilled with the bland diet the doctor put him on and made it KNOWN. Now he's back to eating everything in sight. I swear, this kid can put it away. Maybe he's training for sumo. I guess he needs all the fuel so that he can continue to run me ragged. Well played.

We did some outdoor stuff this weekend. Awesome. You know, I wish I liked nature and outdoor stuff more. Maybe if I lived somewhere cooler, LIKE HAWAII, I would want to go outside more. Jeff likes to hike and all that crap and while I'll do it on occasion, I never wake up and go "hmm, maybe I'll go hiking today!" Jeff and I went to this place in Illinois called Starved Rock State Park a few years ago and they had cabins and a main building with food and stuff, much like Dirty Dancing, and I was excited to go because it was supposed to have waterfalls and stuff. Anyway, on the first day, Jeff was like "let's go hiking!" and I was like "okay?" and then about an hour into it, I realized that hiking was just another word for walking, you just did it in the woods with bugs and stuff. Needless to say, about halfway through I was ready to be DONE and spent the rest of the time just trying to get back to the cabin. I just don't get it. It's not so much that I'm lazy, which I am, it's just that I don't find it as riveting and exciting as he does. I'll walk for hours in a city but in the woods, not so much. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, we went swimming with Jeff's dad, his brother and his girlfriend and some assorted cousins, which I WILL wake up and want to do so that was fun, and Max had a good time throwing the ball and splashing everyone. After a nap, we went to my sister's house to take her the cake I made them and to generally hang out. Auntie Laura is Max's favorite person on planet Earth because she accommodates all his whims like a good aunt should. First, she bought him a Thomas the Train water bottle, which he swigs from like a bottle of Jack.

You can even see the drips on his chin here. SLOW DOWN, MATE. She also lets him sit at the computer, which he isn't allowed to do here because that's mommy's worky time, and she has a fake keyboard for him so he thinks he's really doing it. He LOVES the computer (insert Asian stereotype here) but it keeps him occupied so I can read US Weekly so I don't mind.

He gets really into it. I think he's explaining why the printer won't work. I keed, I keed.

In case you didn't see the cake on the other site, this is what I made them.

Everything is either fondant or cake. Even the surfboards, which I imagine my brother ate already. He will probably eat all the fondant stuff before the cake.

This is the rear view because I wanted to show the grass skirt. Makes you wanna hula, no?

On Sunday, Jeff and his dad and his girlfriend took Max on a bike ride through Forest Park. Again, these people with their nature. Sheesh. I declined this time because I'm swamped at work and could have used a few hours of quiet time. Well, that and the lazy thing again. After they rode, Jeff stayed at a little park near there called Turtle Park. In case you were wondering about the origin of the name, here you go.