I just wanted to share one of my favorite family photos right now. My parents were here over Christmas, I convinced them to make the journey here with all that snow and ice. In retrospect I should have told them to stay home with the treacherous conditions but they made it here safe and sound. Anyway with all that snow we skied around the neighborhood and at the school next door everyday while all the snow was around. Since there were witnesses we actually got some pictures of all of us together. I am always capturing cute images of Travis and Carina but her and I or even just me are so very rare when she grows up and looks back at all the pictures of her childhood she is going to wonder why I never cared enough to show up.

Carina and I also made a snowlady, i had to improvise and used pine cones for her hair, coors bottle caps for eyes, I managed a carrot for her nose and red dye for some great lips. We also thought she needed some bling so Carina loaned her her pink pearls.

Decidedly not....

 

I am a vegetarian and have been one longer then I haven't.  It initially started as my stance against eating animals and really still is, along with it being about the environment.  However when I had Carina I knew that I was not going to raise her vegetarian child.  For a lot of reasons.  When I stopped eating meat I was 5' 6" and I remain 5' 6".  There is an evolutionary reason that humans started eating meat, it is the easiest way to get all the necessary nutrients and amino acids.  I know that I am not a creative enough cook to sneak all the necessary nutritious into a finicky toddler while maintaining a vegetarian diet.  I know it can be done but I knew it was not something I was going to pull off.  One of the other reasons I chose to raise a meat eater was that I want her to make these decisions for herself when she gets older and she needs to have all the tummy flora and fauna to digest meat.  Which leads me to my other reason, I knew that at some point when mommy wasn't watching, or while she was at school or at a slummer party Carina would be given meat by I am sure a well meaning grandma or school mate or another caring mommy.

I did not realize what a meat eater I would get however, its like she is still making up for not getting any in the womb.  She is overall a really good eater, she can probably eat her weight in shrimp.  Took can testify to that.  So tonight I made a yummy broccoli Parmesan cheese soup for dinner.  After a few bites Carina looks up at me and says "I need chicken in there". . . . . .of course you do Baby.  So back to the kitchen I go to "improve" her soup