Bath Time

Eve is no longer frightened and/or cries during baths. Occasionally if the water is on she will get a little scared. She loves to lay in the water and kick, kick, kick. I keep it very low so it just covers part of the ear. I wash her and let her kick for a little bit, and then I add more water for Daphne to play once she's out. Daphne is pretty patient. I have to remind her a lot, but she knows Eve will be out soon. She might try to "help" a little too much, but overall I really enjoy bathing them together. Ok, maybe "really enjoy" isn't the right phrase, but I do think it's pretty cute. And it beats bathing them separately!

She Did It! Part 2

Eve can sit up all by herself these days. Well, once I get her in position. It all started at the 6 month check up. The doctor asked if she was sitting yet...umm no, she's 6 months old, duh! And a preemie. Then he proceeded to show me a good way for her to practice; its called the tripod sit. Why didn't I learn this with Daphne? Daphne learned to sit and then the next day she crawled. I always wished she would sit and play with toys before she learned to take off. Well, I guess mom is still learning new tricks for babies. She can sit for long periods of time now and ca \n even lift a hand with success. Look at her...so proud of herself and happy! Mom is proud too!

She Did It!

Daphne learned to ride her tricycle! She can pedal all by herself now. She LOVES it. She still needs some help steering...its just too much to pedal and steer at the same time! I told her at Christmas when she got this bike I would get her another battery-operated Thomas train if she learned. I reminded her a few times over the past few months. Yesterday however, she didn't didn't seem to care or remember when I brought it up. Hmmm...does that mean I didn't even need to do that in the first place? So much to learn with the first kid.

The Secret Keeper

My friend Kelsey recommend some good reads a few months back. I have enjoyed reading many of her suggestions. I read some novels by Kate Morton and while they were intriguing and well written, I didn't love the plots. However, I recently finished The Secret Keeper and I really loved it. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good family mystery.
                                 
                                      

Books and Sunglasses

This girl loves her sunglasses. She has a very weird sense of style sometimes, but I guess that is what Mom is for. I teach about sharing, cleaning, praying, being kind, and matching clothes, among other things. She tells me she can't see without these glasses.

She also loves books. We went to the library to get some new books and she picked out a good amount. Upon checking them out the librarian said my fine was over $5 so I couldn't check out any books. Of course I didn't have cash on me. I asked if we could get at least one for Daphne since she was so excited. She said no. Needless to say Daphne was balling when we left the library. Poor girl. Reading to her is so nice most of the time. It reminds me how young she really is.

"Bear Bear" and "Talli" Visit

I just love my sisters. They make me so happy. They are all so special and beautiful and wonderful aunts to my girls. Carrie, aka "Bear Bear", has lived in Boston for the last year and a half. She has done amazing work counseling. She has had some interesting roommates too. She has served in the temple and taken lots of weekend trips to states up and down the East coast with friends and her ward. She visits other friends, goes to big cities, and participates in service projects (like cleaning up Hurricane Sandy in NYC). I'd say she had a great time in Boston. Not to mention several of us Hakes made it a good excuse to see Boston ourselves. But, it was time to move back to Cruces. So Kalli, aka Talli (currently teaching seminary and missonary prep and getting ready to move somewhere and get her teaching license to teach high school), flew out and packed up Carrie and made the 4 day drive home. They stopped halfway for 3 nights in good ol GA to see the Kelly and Cassi Wood family...that's us! What did we do? We got yogurt a couple times, went to church, took walks, got nails done, zumba'd, played with the girls, and watched movies with Kelly at night. I finally saw Skyfall, which for a James Bond movie I liked it. Here are some pictures from the nail salon. I would have to say this was by far the best pedicure I ever paid money for (I've only had maybe 7-10?). I received a gift card to this place after helping a friend. It is called "Nail Luv". No idea if it is a chain, but it was great. I always wonder when they are talking in Chinese to one another if they are making fun of my feet. Have you ever wondered that? I cannot stand the part where they take the cheese grater and shave my feet., or whatever. I think I jerked my knee about 5 times, each time the guy laughed at me. But, my feet feel pretty now.

Bike Rides

Tonight I took a bike ride. I know it’s only March, but this is Georgia and the current temperature is 57 degrees and it is almost 8pm. Since Daphne is struggling to nap these days, both girls are in bed no later than 6:30. While I miss her nap and hate her current 5pm meltdowns, I do like being free at an earlier time. Since Kelly was working on his gun, I went out for a ride (after I cleaned up and did the usual “the girls are in bed” routine). I really want to do another Sprint Triathlon-in June. The ride tonight completely spurred my triathlon enthusiasm. There is a sense of disquietude when riding. It is addicting. With a bike, one can go places a car cannot and at a speed legs are unable to. It is exhilarating! I love my bike trailer and I love taking the girls on rides, when the weather permits. They love it too. Look how adorable they are together. Tonight I learned I am much faster when not pulling a trailer and 40 pounds of cuteness. Ok, maybe only 20 pounds, depending on the day.   J

New Favorite Recipe

I really love salads. I really do. Maybe it has to do in part with how healthy they are, but they are just so good. They are fresh and big and can be made with a myriad of ingredients and done up differently every time. And they take a long time to eat too. And you don't feel guilty about having dessert, which I love to have. This is a current favorite of both me and Kelly. This is as a side dish, but you can add chicken and make it into a main dish. I took a few different versions of this salad and made this specific recipe. It is mostly inspired by my cousin, Natasha, who made a version of this in college. She used her mom's recipe (my aunt Cathy, who died almost 2 1/2 years ago) which is called "Selfish Salad". Since this isn't exactly the same, I didn't title it selfish salad, but it makes me think of my aunt, so I named it this.

Cathy's Cabbage Salad

★★★★★

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 0 hr 0 min | Makes: 4-6 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 package broccoli slaw*
• 2 green onions
• 1 package of chicken flavored ramen
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 chicken ramen flavor packet
• *You may also use shredded cabbage or slaw mix of your choice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Without opening the bag of ramen, break the noodles into small pieces. Place the dry noodles and almonds on a baking sheet and roast for 5-10 minutes, until they are golden brown. Chop the onions. In a large bowl place the salad mix, onions, and roasted ramen noodles and almonds. In a small bowl mix together the salad dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad and either refrigerate or serve, depending on your chosen temperature and how soggy you like the noodles to be.