Milestones

Last Friday we were having some family time in the living room when Grace got ahold of D's keys and up and walked over to the sliding glass door that goes out to the backyard. I was obviously excited that she was walking, but even more amazed to see what she did next...reached up with keys in hand to try and "unlock" the door.

She looked over to us, as if wanting a sign of approval. I was practically breaking out confetti and congratulations banners. It was awesome. Then she walked from the door, to me, and then back to the door. Over and over and was so stinkin' pleased with herself.

Here's a little video of some walking action. Please ignore my mom voice and the giant face plant that almost occurs at the end. Also, notice our lovely doormat that sits out back. Clearly not my idea of appropriate home decor, so it hangs out on the back porch and we laugh about it...but yes, I realize it makes us look like rednecks. I swear we're not. At least not Grace and I...

xo,
H

On house guests

On Sunday night I learned that we would be having some guests for the week. The hubs has a friend (in another unit at our post) that just got back from deployment on Saturday and needed a place to stay until he and his girlfriend could move into their apartment. Of course we obliged and were really excited to hang out and see them.

It was a fun few days, but we learned a couple of things in the process:

1. Couples reunited after being apart for an extended period of time are very "lovey" with one another. Let's just say the PDA was on full display...and to the point where D and I kept finding ourselves wide-eyed, whispering "Did you see that?!" to each other throughout the day. Awk-ward.

2. Couples without kids have a drinking tolerance much higher than our own.

3. Couples without kids have bedtimes much later than our own.

4. Couples reunited after being apart for an extended period of time might want to double check the room they stayed in when packing up after said stay, to ensure they do not forget any personal items that might make the house owners gag/fake vomit when found.

That is all I am going to say about that. Onto a recipe! 'Cause I'm sure you worked up an appetite reading that little list...

On Tuesday I was looking for a creative, but easy recipe to make for us and the aforementioned guests. You all are well versed on my love for Mexican, but I wanted to do something different than just your run of the mill taco night (so delish though, right?!) and I found this recipe- Slow Cooker Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers.

If you don't wanna click the link, here's a run down of the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
2. Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
3. Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice and top with the avocado and cilantro.

This was SO easy. I served everything separately and included whole wheat tortillas, shredded cheese, corn, and sour cream, so people could build their own burritos if they didn't want to eat it over the rice. I wanted to try it as written, so I did over rice and it was fantastic.

For an appetizer we had chips and I made Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style salsa. This was excellent and made an entire blender full of salsa. It would be great for summer parties. I can't wait to make it again.

Two winning recipes in one day?! Almost makes me feel like my appetite is coming back after witnessing LoveFest2011 for the past couple of days. Almost.

;)

xo,
H

Hello, hello!

Happy Monday Thursday, everyone! Yes, this was my Monday post that ended up not getting done. We were surprised with a couple of unexpected house guests for a few days this week and since the desktop is in the guestroom, I have been a little MIA. Here's a weekend recap...and hopefully more later today!

On Saturday we had the best little family outing that we've had in awhile. Our morning got of to somewhat of a lazy start when I discovered my legs didn't want to work after that new class I tried out the day before.

P.S. I'm an idiot. It wasn't called Body Pump...it was Boot Camp. It's all making more sense now.

I felt the burn of  long lost muscles in my legs, some I didn't even know existed...but like I said in my last post- love it! I've even got D convinced to meet me next time I go on his lunch break to see what all the fuss is about. Should make for a fun little class, haha. (And hopefully he doesn't just breeze through it and decide I'm a wimp!)

Back to Saturday. I decided to forgo spin class for a quick treadmill walk and some abs, followed by a nice dose of Advil. We decided to make our way to the zoo around 2pm, after the little one's nap, and do some errands and grab any early dinner out while in town. The zoo went over MUCH better this time. Grace was definitely entertained...but after about 45 minutes she was getting antsy. Girlfriend does not really love being strapped down to the stroller and mommy's arms were starting to get tired, which resulted in some whiny-ness...from both of us. D tried to carry Grace for awhile, but after maybe about 5 minutes, it was back to wanting me. It's tough to be so in demand. ;) Luckily, the zoo is pretty small, so we finished walking through and ran a couple quick errands. D purchased his annual over-the-top Christmas sweater from the JCPenny American Living Collection and is pumped. Behold:

Back story - D insisted on wearing one of these to our big family Christmas at my Nanny's house the year we got married and thought he was being hilarious. Nobody knew that he was joking and I'm pretty sure one of the males in my extended family wore something similar (obviously not thinking it was funny), so he did not get the reaction he had anticipated. This has not deterred him from buying a new one every year since...and this year, since he now has three, he's convinced my two brothers to wear them as well and really make a statement. My brothers are in college and basically dress like hobos, so I think D's hoping the humor won't be lost this year. We shall see...

I'm really turning this weekend into a much longer recap then it deserves....but moving on...we made our way to Outback for dinner. We haven't really gone out lately because the little lady has less than stellar manners and gets "over" the whole highchair confinement really quickly. Still, we took our chances on Saturday and it went far better than expected. Grace was awesome the whole time...smiling sweetly at other patrons, waving, eating everything we put in front of her, and literally was the best behaved child in the whole place. I don't think we are going to test our luck anytime soon, but it was nice to know that we CAN go out every once in awhile, both eat our meals, have nice conversation, and not worry about who is going to go retrieve the thrown toy or apologize for all of the food under the table... ;)

Sunday we had a morning walk around my usual 2.2 mile golf course loop and grabbed Starbucks and some groceries on our way home. The rest of the day is a blur...between football on the T.V., playing outside with puppies, and practicing our walking inside, it was a good day that ended with a home cooked meal, bathtime for the little one, and lots of snuggles.

I know it's already almost the end of the week, but hope everyone has had a good one! I'll be back again with more details on our visitors and a recipe~!

xo,
H

TGIF

Speaking of TGIF, I totally wish that Friday night line-up was still on T.V. A little Step-by-Step, Boy Meets World, and at one point, my all time favorite, Full House!? I wouldn't have my weekend "must have something fun to do" anxiety if I had a little TGIF to light up my night...somehow I'll push through the evening. ;)

So today I went to a lunchtime Body Pump class at the gym to mix things up. One of my girlfriends said she was going to try it and as I was glazing over at the computer this morning, I figured it might be good for me to get out. I work out 5-6 times a week. A new class would be a piece of cake, right?

WRONG.

I got my ass handed to me in the form of several different versions of squats, lifts, mountain climbers and jumps and had to step outside halfway through to get some air and try not to throw up on my kettle bell. It was AWESOME. I don't even mean that sarcastically. I love when a workout leaves me feeling like I just accomplished something...and needless to say this one did just that. I'll be back next Friday, fo' sho. :) Just shows you how necessary weight training really is to keep you in shape and I need way more of it in my life.

We are having breakfast for dinner tonight (a favorite treat...and so easy) and then weekend plans include a zoo trip, maybe another pumpkin patch/corn maze, and our usual Sunday football viewing. Hope everyone has beautiful Fall weekends. Check ya on Monday!

xo,
H

Because of course I did...

Last night I had an Army function. It was the birthday of our Battalion Commander's wife, and some of the girls decided to put together a little surprise dinner in her honor. It was at my fave Mexi place, so obviously I was in. We had a great evening and I had a much needed marg and night sans the babe and hubs. Nights get a little crazy around here, so every once in awhile it is nice to escape for those couple of hours between dinner time and Grace's bed time. By every once in awhile, I mean probably three times in the last year.

Guess what I missed on my one night out in for-ev-er?

Oh, you know, just Grace's first three consecutive steps. Because of course I did.

Don't get me wrong- I'm not upset at all. I actually think it is funny that after all of the time I spend every night coaxing her to walk to me, it happens the time I'm not there. I mean, I've seen her take one or two semi-steps in the past few days (as she throws herself over to me, open arms and laughing), but D said that they were real, solid, I'm almost a walker-type steps. He told me about them only after I gave permission for daycare to tell me if she walked there and found out this morning that she had taken FIVE...yes, 5 steps yesterday during the day. Then he added, "I didn't want to spoil it for you but..."

That was kind of sweet.

I am just so excited and proud and can't wait for her to keep moving! I'm off to run and spin my little leggies here in a bit and then pick up my big girl for a night filled with spaghetti and homemade meatballs (it's finally cold enough!), our favorite Thursday night sitcoms, and family play time. Cross your fingers that there is some walking involved too...as much as I don't mind missing last night, I may start to get bothered if I don't get to see the action myself here soon!

xo,
H

Weekend Wrap-up

We had another great weekend. They just go by so stinkin' quick these days. Here's a brief recap:

Friday:
Take out pizza from our favorite local place. Just relaxing around the house. Early bedtime for the little one who is always wiped out from the week.

Saturday:
Morning spin class for me followed by a run for D. We switch off our morning workouts on the weekends so one of us can be home with Grace (obviously). A perk at the next post we go to? Childcare at the gym...so we will be able to work out together in the morning and have more family time. :)

After G's post lunchtime nap we made our way to a Fall Festival put on by the church on post. It was a huge improvement from the local fair last weekend. There were games for kids (still a little too old for us :), pony rides, balloons, snow cones, cotton candy, a little pumpkin patch, and even Elmo and Minnie!!! Grace was so excited to go see Minnie, but when we got close, she clammed up and decided she was shy. See below...

We got a couple sweet pics the her little pumpkin before we headed out. Note the outfit. It was HOT! So excited for the cooler weather that is supposed to make it's way in this week.

Sunday:
Morning run followed by a quick shower, lunch, and FOOTBALL at our local golf club on post. The Redskins had a horrible game, but it was still fun to get out of the house and watch. Grace wore her new George Mason University tee (D and my alma mater), but all of my pictures came out blurry. She is always on the go...which makes for bad pictures and difficult trips out these days. We didn't even make it through the whole game before it was time to get her out of there. Not even Mickey Mouse episodes could keep her contained. We came home hoping to take a family nap (umm, remind me to not drink 2 beers during the day anymore...I'm officially OLD), but someone wasn't up for it.

HINT - That someone was not D or I. ;)

We gave up and took a trip to the park instead. The pups got a walk and Grace and I got some solid swinging done. We wrapped up the weekend with amazing taco salads. I don't know why I don't make these more often...they are so easy and SO delish. I just chop up whatever veggies we have on hand and top it with taco seasoned ground beef, a handful of cheese, and sour cream. This one had romaine, tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, and avocado. As you can see, I don't skimp on the cheese...

Then it was the usual nightly routine and onto Monday! We are already looking forward to next weekend...we are thinking about a throwing a trip to the zoo into the mix if it's nice out. Hopefully it goes over better than G's first zoo adventure (where she couldn't have cared any less about the whole thing).

xo,
H

Hi-yah?

What's with the title of this post, you ask? Oh, that's just Grace answering the phone and saying "hello?" in baby speak (as I melt into a gooey puddle of love). It doesn't stop there either, she chats with friends AND uses her free, non-phone holding hand to make gestures that emphasize whatever she is talking about. I wish I had a picture, but I mostly spend the time that she does this trying to stifle my giggles so she keeps going. It is serious entertainment.

Just up from a nap...sleepy eyes...and crazy bed head!

Speaking of baby talk, here is a translation guide for some other words heard 'round the casa:

Dada - Daddy
Mama - Momma
Nana - Banana or Nana (my mom)
Papa - Pops (my dad)
Shh-uh - Shoe
Bah - Ball
Baba - Bottle
Muh - More
Dahh - Dog
Duh - Duck
Hiyah - Hello

That's all I can think of for now. And, yes, I realize they are all basic sounds...I'm not claiming to have baby genius over here, but it is so neat to see her start to verbalize things.

In other developmental news, we had 2-almost-steps this weekend! They were sort of as she dive bombed from one piece of furniture to another, but she moved her feet in the process...and actually the first was her going from the ottoman in our livingroom over to "hug" Molly. So appropriate. She has been on a huge doggy hugging spree lately. She will spend most of our pre-bedtime play going back and forth from one dog to the other, just hugging it out. Poor pups. Her hugs are sort of violent. Luckily they think she is pretty sweet and give her puppy kisses (gross) in return for the hair pulling.

Grace still has 8 teeth, but not for long. Her one year molars are finally breaking through and look really painful. Her gums are really red, swollen, and almost look like they are going to bleed. Sorry for the visual. In addition to those teeth, it looks like her next ones will be two up top and two more on the bottom. We had to dose her up with some Tylenol for the first time in awhile this weekend. Ouchies.

Some other stats that I should have posted for her 1 year:
Height - 31.75 in. (98th percentile)
Weight - 24.1 (87th percentile)
Shoe Size - 4
Diaper Size -  4
Clothing Size - 18 - 24 months in most brands

Some other news? We are now switched almost 100% onto Whole Milk. I won't lie...we are having a really hard time decreasing the quantity of liquids she consumes in relation to the amount of solids she eats. We still add a couple of ounces of formula to her night time bottles to make sure she is getting nutrition. This is going to have to phase out soon....but I'm pretty sure girlfriend would binge drink milk until she had a killer stomach ache if we let her. Speaking of drinking, we are trying to move to sippy cups and straws, but we've had a tough time. Since she never really took to a pacifier, I think bottles are one of the things that comforts and soothes her, so we've been pretty relaxed about it. Now that our trip home is over, we will try to work on it more. (There was no way we were going to fly on a plane with out bottles on board...and p.s. worked like a charm- we had great flights!)

Some other things...let's go bullet style:

• Still very attached to yours truly, getting better around strangers
• Hates to keep shoes and socks on...loves to have me put them on for her to take off
• Favorite Books:
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
• 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (holds her head at the "bumped his head" part)
• Anything with texture
• Blows kisses
• Bites (only my) shoulder when leaning in for a hug
• Enjoys looking at pictures in frames, points to them and the people in them
• Obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...the Hotdog Dance cures all bad moods...at least momentarily
• Likes balloons
• Favorite foods:
• Mac and cheese
• Corn
• Applesauce
• Puffs/Crunchies
• Bananas
• Waffles
• Oatmeal
• Popcorn
• We need to work on our veggies and protein, huh?
• Waves hi and bye
• Falls asleep between 7:30 - 8:30 pm, sleeps through the night (till about 6:30 am) *almost* all the time
• Points to things she wants to see or be carried over to
• LOVES being outside. Will throw fits to get out there
• Started having tantrums right after turning one. Throws her head back and cries if she doesn't like something/get something she wants
• Down to one nap a day at school and one or two on the weekends at home  

As usual, I'm sure there is plenty that I am missing. I love being able to capture her stats on here, so those of you who don't necessarily want to read about what size diaper my child wears...thanks for sticking this post out. ;) I'll be back with a weekend recap and some Fall Decor news soon!

xo,
H