The Chou Life

We think that Calla looks like Eric’s mom in this photo.

Calla and her Lao Lao in their Goorin Brothers hats!

This is Eric’s version of a poor man’s fisheye lens effect.  Anyone able to guess how he captured this photo?

Flying Calla!!!

-Abby

Here are the last of the pics from our San Francisco trip…lots and lots of cute kiddos!

Hudson lounging in bed one morning:

Cousins Stone and Hudson, 3 weeks apart:

Calla, Liam, and Judah playing outside the hotel room:

Calla waiting patiently for Hudson to finish nursing:

The four of us watching the sea lions at pier 39:

Hudson chillin’ in his front pack:

Again:

Aren’t you supposed to put tips IN the jar, not take them out?  (We caught them before they grabbed anything):

The three mobile Simons boys and our little girl at Muir Woods:

A couple of fun shots by Eric (he was the photographer for almost all of the trip):

Calla and her Auntie:

Calla (still swinging her dangerously long stick) and some big trees:

Another one of Mama and Hudson:

All 12 of us:

-Abby

“Two Lao Ye’s!”  This was Calla’s excited exclamation when she realized who was holding her hands as she walked down the hallway (see pic below).  “Lao Ye” is the Chinese title our kids use for Eric’s father.  For his grandfather we decided on “Great Lao Ye,” rather than the technically correct “Lao Lao Ye.”  Calla warmed up to her Chinese great-grandparents rather quickly on this trip, to their delight.

On Monday we visited Alcatraz Island, aka “The Rock.”  Alcatraz was definitely a highlight of our trip.  Besides learning the fascinating history of the island, we enjoyed the beautiful vegetation and lots and lots of birds.

Lao Lao and Calla next to the abundant calla lilies…

We opted to participate in the audio tour of the prison and it was well worth the time.

That’s all for today.  I’ll post some pics of the cousin clan soon!  Can you believe we traveled around successfully with six kiddos?

-Abby

Wow, what a week!  We arrived home in Colorado on Saturday after spending eight days in the San Francisco Bay area with Eric’s side of the family.  Along with the normal touristy stuff (Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Fisherman’s Wharf…) we were able to spend quality time with Eric’s parents, great grandparents, and uncle and his family, all who live within 30 minutes of each other.  Eric’s sis and her fam also joined us halfway through the week so it was an all-out reunion!  Although the vacation was a little tiring in some ways (think messed up infants’ schedules, lots of driving time in crazy traffic, trying to agree on plans with more than a dozen people) we were also very energized and encouraged by being with people whom we love and who love us.  God is good as always and we thank Him for blessing us with such a precious family…and for the opportunity to enjoy BEAUTIFUL California!

We took nearly 600 pictures during the week so I’ll take a few days to post our favorites.  The food first.  Bye bye grain free!  Maybe we’ll start that again in a couple of weeks.  Maybe.

Yummy yummy dim sum:

One of our faves, the “fried taro thingy,” according to our slightly airheaded waitress

And the next day we enjoyed some tasty In-N-Out…

Eric, Calla, and I shared a delectable chocolate-strawberry crepe on Pier 39…

Hudson was happy enough even though he didn’t get to partake of the gooey goodness.

And of course we had to stop at Chocolate Heaven, the self-proclaimed “greatest chocolate store in the world!”

I wouldn’t argue with the “greatest store” claim.  My favorite was the dark chocolate rocky road.  Yum.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll post the Alcatraz pics…if I have time between loads of laundry!

-Abby

Eric took this on one of our recent grocery shopping excursions.  We like to make these trips fun, as going to Safeway is a major event considering it’s a 25 minute drive away!  Thank goodness they have a Starbucks.   Calla was helping us pick out some meat on this particular trip.  I think she was a little hungry.

-Abby

I think I found my new favorite jarred sauce, Seeds of Change brand organic TIKKA MASALA!  Love it.  This meal took maybe 15 minutes total (although I did start the brown rice an hour ahead of time).  Saute some diced onion and bell pepper (in coconut oil!), add thinly sliced chicken and cook through, then add entire jar of sauce and simmer 10 minutes.  We served it over brown rice,  topped with some chopped green onion.  Calla even loved it…she ate her chicken before she ate her peas, and that NEVER happens!

-Abby

While flipping through the May issue of Reader’s Digest, I found an especially interesting health blurb, “Spotlight on a Hidden Cancer Risk.”  I know there are supposed hidden cancer risks lurking around every corner, but this one got my attention.  The article states that “artificial lighting may help explain why breast cancer rates are so high in industrialized nations.”  Basically, using artificial light at night may contribute to both breast and prostate cancers, possibly because it decreases production of the hormone melatonin in the body.  Two recent studies support this theory.  One study analyzed satellite measurements of nighttime light and cancer rates in 164 nations.  The most brightly lit had the highest rates of prostate cancer…more than double those in the dimmest countries.  The second study tracked 18,000+ women and found that those with the lowest nighttime levels of melatonin were about 60% more likely to develop breast cancer.

Artificial light is known to suppress the brain’s production of melatonin.  This hormone MAY have a part in immunity and slowing cancer growth.  So it makes sense to me that going to bed earlier might be beneficial for more than just getting adequate sleep.  The less time spent using artificial light at night the better.  The article gave three tips for minimizing the possible risk posed by modern lighting:

1) Sleep in as dark a room as possible.  Room-darkening blinds are an option if you have a streetlight outside your window.

2) Keep a night light in the bathroom instead of turning on the overhead light in the middle of the night.  Even brief exposure to light can suppress melatonin.

3) Eat breakfast by the window.  A little dose of sunlight will help to reset your body’s natural rhythms and help ensure a healthy nighttime melatonin peak.

-Abby

I had offered to make a lemon meringue pie for our Easter dinner so I could use up the massive bag of lemons I bought a few weeks ago.  But after reading up on how to adjust a meringue for high altitude, I have to admit I was a little scared of ending up with a disaster.  So I opted for a variation on the traditional lemon meringue pie.  I found several recipes on allrecipes.com that call for a baked meringue crust, which is then filled with the custard and topped with whipped cream.  These are typically called “angel pies.”  Here is my version:

LEMON ANGEL PIE

Meringue crust:

5 egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 250.  Beat egg whites until stiff.  Add cream of tartar and gradually add sugar, beating until glossy.  Place meringue in a well greased 9 or 10 inch pie plate (glass/pyrex is best); spread and build up the sides a little above the edge of the plate.  Bake 1 1/2 hours.  Turn off oven and leave meringue inside to cool.

Filling:

5 egg yolks

1/3 c. white sugar

2 tsp. lemon zest

1/3 c. lemon juice

Combine these four ingredients in saucepan; cook and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until thickened.  Cool completely.

Topping:

2 c. whipping cream

1/3 c. powdered sugar

Beat cold cream until stiff; beat in sugar.  Mix 1/2 cup whipped cream into lemon custard.  Spread half of the remaining whipped cream on the meringue crust.  Top with lemon custard filling.  Spread remaining whipped cream over the custard and garnish with lemon zest or lemon peel curls.  Best if served immediately, but can also be refrigerated and served later.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good picture of the finished product!  I guess you can use your imagination

The pie turned out pretty yummy (although Eric couldn’t handle the tartness…so if you have any tart-opposers you might want to increase the sugar in the lemon filling).  I think I’d like to try it with a chocolate filling next!

-Abby

Due to several inches of snow this weekend (which made us 30 minutes late to church!), we were all confined to the indoors for Easter Sunday.  We enjoyed watching the ginormous snowflakes fall…what a beautiful reminder of God’s holiness and His gift of peace to His children.  Since we were stuck inside, my mom and brothers hid some eggs around their house so Calla could have her own private Easter egg hunt   I love seeing how much excitement the little things produce in her almost 3-year-old self.

We enjoyed a tasty feast at my parents’ with a few families from church.  Leg of lamb, glazed ham, spiced sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, green salad…mmmm, I wish I could eat it all over again.  For dessert, a delectable 3-layer coconut cake, my version of a lemon meringue pie (another post with recipe to follow!), and of course lots and lots of chocolates!

Hudson looked quite dapper in his argyle sweater, and Calla was a doll in her Laura Ashley dress I found at a garage sale a couple of years ago.  Or was it my bargain shopping expert sis-in-law who found that dress?

I just adore my two little China dolls.  Thank You Lord for these precious gifts!

-Abby

Our weekend was full of family, friends, good food, and most importantly, focus on the reason we celebrate!  Watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ Saturday evening was a severe reminder of what Christ suffered in our place.  The dramatization of what He went through was almost more than either of us could bear to see.  However, after spending those couple of hours thinking about the horror of Christ’s torturous death, it was such a burden lifted to dwell on the glory of His resurrection and ultimate victory!  With His stripes we are healed!

Isaiah 53 (ESV):

¹ Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
²For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
⁸By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
⁹And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. ¹¹Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

-Abby