Thursday, May 5, 2016

Hadley Kate: 15 Months


I promised myself and Johnathon that I wouldn't be "THAT mom" that kept doing monthly baby updates after Hadley Kate turned the big 0-1, but she is changing so much day to day that I felt like she deserved an update!



First off, Hadley LOVES to explore. She's always been adventurous, but now that she is walking/running, she is always on the go and wanting to check out each and every new sight and sound. Her walking has improved dramatically, but she still takes a spill from time to time...




Even though she likes to do everything herself, she always has her escort along to make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble...
 
 
And to make sure that she doesn't flirt with the boys too much...


As much as she likes to be independent, she still likes her safety net of mom and dad. She will run to the playscape at the beach, but always waits for me before climbing to the top. She also likes to run  to the very edge of the yard, look back to see if I'm watching, then stick one foot in the street to test her limits. She definitely likes to push the boundaries of what's acceptable, but she is pretty good about not straying too far...yet. :)


Hadley is still a big fan of her food, but her teething means that we will have a week or two of great eating, followed by a week of hit or miss meals. Some days she will only want soft foods, other days she wants goldfish and nothing else. Go figure. Our current favorites are blueberries, meatballs, goldfish, squash, zucchini, sausage links, green beans, lunch meat, and cheese. Her previously favored breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs is still breakfast non grata, but she has definitely come around on pancakes and banana muffins. 

Speaking of teething...we had a two week respite from teething, and now we are on to molars. All of them. At one time. In case you are counting, Hadley just got her 7th tooth in three months. Shoot me now.



Hadley's hair has really come in over the last month or two. She definitely still has a mullet situation going on, but at least it's thickening up in the front so the effect isn't quite as intense. I can get her hair in a ponytail, it just takes an act of God (or multiple viewings of the Tiger Boo Youtube video) for her to let me do it! 

Her hair is so long it now flips up in the back! EEEKKK the cuteness!



The biggest change in my opinion has got to be Hadley's affection level. She has never been a cuddly baby. This isn't to say that we don't get hugs and kisses, but they can be hard to come by and she has never been one to be rocked or held for long periods of time. Then one day in early April, I was sitting on the ground with her while a movie was on, and she crawled in my lap and stayed there for about 10 minutes while I rubbed her back!!! I couldn't believe it. This has occurred multiple times since then, so I don't think it was a fluke. She must have finally gotten wise to the fact that mom and dad's lap is a cool place to be...or that she gets back rubs every time she laps up which, if we're being honest, is probably the reason she's there. Either way...I'll take it!

She has also started giving kisses out to everyone and everything. The primary recipient of said kisses is Sadie who gets multiple kisses on the nose in rapid fire succession. Unfortunately, these kisses are not met with unbridled enthusiasm on Sadie's end, but I think she prefers it to getting whacked on the nose like she used to!


Finally, Hadley is once again a champion sleeper! Our transition to one nap a day, plus the addition of a blanket and stuffed animal have really seemed to reinforce Hadster's status as a rockstar sleeper. She is now waking up around 9 or 9:30am, naps around 12:30/1pm, and wakes up around 3pm. Bedtime is anywhere between 7:30 and 8pm depending on how tired she is. I cannot complain one bit about her sleep habits, and I am so thankful that God gave me a child that loves to sleep!! AMEN!

That's Hadley 15 month edition, I feel like I always wrap up these recaps by saying how fast time flies, but it really does. She seems like less of a baby and more of a toddler every day, and we love seeing her personality grow and develop! She is definitely keeping us on our toes, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Tasty Tuesday: Cinco de Mayo Edition

Happy Tuesday everyone! In honor of Cinco de Mayo this week, Deanna and I thought it would be fun to share a healthy(ish) and delicious appetizer/drink combo to help you get your fiesta on! Ole!


Avocado Hummus… or “Hummole”




Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can chick peas, well drained and rinsed
2 medium ripe avocados, cored and peeled
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ Tbsp. tahini
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1 small lime)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cardamom, optional* (I love the taste)
Dashes of dried dill weed
Dashes of oregano
Dashes of basil
1 small vine tomato, cubed and gutted of seeds, divided use
Red pepper flakes, optional for topping

Directions
Pulse chick peas, olive oil, tahini, lime juice, and garlic in a food processor until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper, spices and peeled avocado and pulse mixture until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes longer. 
Transfer to serving bowl and fold in ¾ of the diced tomato.
Serve topped remaining tomato and red pepper flakes and your favorite dip chip, pita bread or veggies.






It's common knowledge that you cannot properly celebrate Cinco de Mayo without a pinata Mexican mumu sombrero booze, so here is Deanna's Tropical Martini to help you get your ebrio on!


Tropical Martini




Ingredients- makes 2 servings
1 shot Peach Schnapps
1 shot Honeycrisp Apple Skyy Vodka, or another flavored vodka
2 shots 100% Pineapple Juice
1 shot coconut water
1 strawberry, sliced lengthwise, to garnish both
2 lime slices, for garnish

Directions
Add schnapps, vodka, pineapple juice, coconut water and ice into a shaker cup and shake to combine.
Pour evenly between two martini glasses.
Place strawberry and lime on rim for garnish.
Enjoy!


Happy Drinko de Mayo everyone!

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Weekend Recap: Rustman & Jobwa Stick Dance

Kwaj had all sorts of fun activities going on this past weekend, and we thoroughly enjoyed them! 

Saturday evening a group of Marshallese men, women, and children performed a Marshallese war dance called a Jobwa Stick Dance at the outdoor Rich Theater. The dance can only be performed with permission from the King, and it has only been performed a handful of times over the last several hundred years! So needless to say it was a really big deal! We saw them setting up for the show days in advance and the stage looked great for the performance!
 


I was also really proud of how many Kwaj folks showed up to watch such a cool piece of Marshallese culture!

LOOK AT ALL THOSE BIKES!!

Everyone getting ready to watch the show!
We got there a little early, so Hadley killed some time by playing with all the palm fronds...




And she made a new friend :)
...and checking out some of the dancers back stage...

Totally stole the first two pics from Jill Beguhn! Thanks Jill!



The show finally started and I was so into all the dancers!



Unfortunately, Hadley had other plans that involved her running full speed in the opposite direction of the stage...



We didn't get to stay for all the show, but one of my friends who was there got some cool video of the stick dance:



The next day we went to church, then spent the rest of the day doing some much needed spring cleaning and organizing around the house. Monday was the annual Kwajalein Rustman Triathlon, and several of our friends compete in it every year! We always like to go down to the beach to watch the swimming portion, and to get some pictures of our friends coming out of the water! It's always lots of fun going down there and cheering everyone on, and I'm always so impressed with everyone who competes! Here are some photos from the event:

The first swimmer coming into the beach! She was so fast!


swimmers coming in to Emon Beach

Shelbi finishing her swim portion...can we just talk about that girl's legs for a second?! Amazing!

Go, Wes, Go!

Johnathon was having a lot of fun wrangling Hadley while I took pictures ;)


Jane rocking it as usual!

Angela finishing strong...

with her assistant Owen to help towel her off!

It was a really fun weekend with so many uniquely Kwaj activities! I love our little island!