Australia Day

Did ya'll realize what yesterday was? January 26th people. That means it was Australia Day. It's the day that the British first landed in Sydney years ago...or the day that Aussies celebrate just what it means to be an Aussie. Usually that involves some kind of BBQ, libation, and beach/footy combination. Two years ago, we experienced our first Australia Day (in the land down under). If you've been with us from the beginning, you may remember this post. One of the originals.

That day we made a deal: we will celebrate the 26th of January every year, regardless of the circumstances :). Last year, we had a small (last-minute) gathering because we almost forgot (terrible, I know) the special day....

This year we decided that we needed to be a bit more planned. We had our families over (as well as Ashley & Patty - two girls I mentor through Younglives) and had an evening of Aussie food, fellowship, and some Wii (compliments of the Greens - thank you!).

Here is Ashley mashing the potatoes (yes, I did tell her she could sit down :) - she was in her groove though, and they turned out great - she's a pro!)

Here are the guys "bowling". After three rounds, someone (Aaron) finally beat Patty. I think it was only because we made her start closing her eyes.

You may have wondered about my cooking goals. Yes, I have been making something new each week. I made a wonderful tortellini soup and then tackled two new recipes (and 3 old ones) for the party. The new ones? Australian meat pie (yes, I attempted to decorate the top like an Australian flag)

& chocolate steamed pudding (kind of cheating - since it's not truly Australian, but I paired it with this delicious sticky date pudding that I got from my friend, Donna, in the land down under). I forgot to take a pic of the puddings until it was a bit too late. You're probably thinking...sticky date what? But it is delicious, I tell you. Especially drizzled with a little extra caramel sauce.

That's it for now. Happy belated Aussie Day everyone!!!

Beauty?

Last night I watched this video at a teen mom event. Maybe everyone has seen this already, but I hadn't.

dove video

Of course I know that airbrushing takes place and make-up, of course, works wonders. Still, it gives you a little something to think about, huh? Sometimes the thought of parenting a girl is a little bit frightening.

Kimberley, BC

I have known five Kimberlys in my life. I have liked all of them. One I've known forever, one I met in college, two were fellow teachers in Colorado, and one I just recently met. I have good luck with Kims. If you are a mean Kimberly, I don't want to meet you because I don't want to break my record ;).

It's not surprising, then, that I like the city of Kimberley too (slightly different spelling, same great connection). Ha! Okay, in all seriousness, Kimberley, BC is a great place. I'm convinced that us Washingtonians do not take advantage of all that Canada has to offer enough. Most of us Spokanites especially take the trek to the coast/Seattle much more than we ever venture north. Now it is a bit harder, I know, since traveling to Canada requires a passport. Still, it is well worth it! It is beautiful and there are so many great places to explore without breaking the bank.

The past long weekend we went with both our families to spend the weekend in Canada. The seven of us stayed in a beautiful condo together and ate well, xc skied, snow-shoed and relaxed. Yeah for family! And yes, to answer your question (I know you're wondering), we did go with both families. One of the strange things about the Amy/Jono relationship is that as we started getting to know each other (in high school), so did our families. They immediately hit it off. It's not that surprising, really. We were raised very similarly, and our parents have about a million things in common. At first it was weird...I think our parents went on their first vacation together (without us) when we were engaged. Since then they've been to Hawaii together (again, without us) and spend lots of time together. We're very thankful that they love each other :). It makes things pretty easy. and fun.

Real Simple

I'm due for an update. The only problem? There isn't much to share. Life is as simple as it has ever been at the Hook home. I can't really complain about it. Life is good. I will probably look back on these days and laugh -because I'm sure our home will get crazier in the years ahead.

Clara keeps us on our toes daily - she's full of so much fun and life. She's not crawling quite yet, but likes getting up on all fours and rocking. She's also a pro at scooting around the wood floors of the living room on her tummy....backwards. She hasn't quite mastered the forward motion, so she'll wedge herself into corners and chairs. Or in this case, a bucket. It's great.

She's also loving trying lots of new foods. Mostly. She initially disliked green beans and carrots, but has been eating them pretty well these days. The latest disappointment? She can't stand avocado. Won't even attempt to swallow it. The funny part was that I was really excited to try it since other babies I know love it. Not the Claranator. Since I purchased two bags of them from the Rosaures produce sale, I have been busting out other avocado recipes. This one is from my good friend, Shelley. If Clara liked her avocados, I may not have made this recipe, so maybe it's okay. I will not give up, though :). Someday she will like avocados. If you're an avo lover, here's Shelley's recipe:

Cowboy Caviar

1 can of shoepeg corn, drained (used Costco frozen corn instead)

1 can blackeyed peas, drained

1 bunch chopped cilantro

1 bunch chopped green onions (didn't have any, so I used red onion)

2 diced roma tomatos

2 cubed avocado's

*I added some green bell pepper since I had some

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp cumin

s & p to taste

splash of lime

Which leads me to one of my New Years resolutions, which is to make at least one completely new recipe each week. In addition to cowboy caviar, I've made homemade caramel corn, real refried beans, and Julia Child's chocolate cake (I messed it up really bad, but oh well ). So that's another thing I've been up to. Cooking & baking. Oh, and making lots of baby food. That's right. I'm totally granola. Cloth diapers and homemade baby food. This is a glimpse of our freezer door...

In addition, I am whipping myself into shape. New Years resolution #2: run my first half-marathon. Yep. It is on the calendar, ladies and gentleman. May 15th - paid for even. My good friend, Carly (had her baby 6 weeks ago - an inspiration) is running it with me. So my week also consists of three runs and a 5:30 am pilates class. Now that I've posted this on my blog I can't back out :). That and I've already paid $65, so this is for real!

Hmmm. What else? I get some quality time with my niece since I watch her for one day a week. Isn't she just precious? It's fun to watch Clara & Sophia interact (or Clara attempt to destroy her cousin). Don't worry, Anna, I grabbed Clara right after I clicked this picture. She didn't hurt Sophia ;)

I guess that's it for now. Just a few more of the girly goo's faces. She's so fun. I know I've already said that.

Family XC Skiing

Yesterday was our debut family cross country ski trek. We'd been looking forward to this day since we purchased the burley bike/xc trailer in October. Sunday afternoon we finally had our first opportunity to head to the mountain. The whole excursion took a bit more planning/packing than previous trips, but that is just life with a little one. Thankfully, Clara was a champ! I knew I would be a little nervous about her temperature, but she was just fine. She slept for almost the entire trip and when she wasn't sleeping, she was "talking" (if you've been around Clara, you know she talks a lot).

As we were skiing, I just kept thinking about the fact that you can't choose the family you're born into. Poor Clara doesn't really get a choice - she's going to go on lots of family treks/adventures. I'm just hoping that she'll love them as much as we do and won't hate us for it later :)!

Waiting for daddy to put together the trailer (in the warmth of the ski lodge)

Clara's excited - little does she know what's in store

All put together - a success!

Let's just say it takes a little bit more coordination to ski with one of these things. Not only that, but going up hills is a real challenge! Thankfully, Jono pulled it almost the entire time.