18 Month Check Up

Last week, Mackenna went to her 18 month appointment with the pediatrician. Dr. Peterson said that she is looking great! A perfectly healthy little toddler. The tubes in her ears look as good as new, her vision looks great, and her height and weight are right on track. They think her eating habits are extraordinary in terms of the range of food she will eat. At nearly nineteen months, she weighs in at 26 pounds. He said he will keep an eye on her speech, as his only concern was her being a bit behind in verbalization and her ability to communicate through words. This is likely due to the fluid build up she had in her ears as a baby, which went on for nearly a year before she got tubes. Not a big concern, but something we will talk about again at her two- year appointment. We all agreed that Mackenna is an active child that is extremely hands on, and prefers to be on the move all of the time.

What a weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

This is her 'cheese' face. Attractive, we know.

Sleepover at Nana's house on Friday, fun in the tub! 

 

The cutest thing happened. Mackenna created her own ottoman, to be just like Dad. All on her own.

This happened.

Mackenna wasn't feeling well all weekend. We went on a Cabelas trip, and she decided it was nap time. So we improvised.

A rare afternoon of snuggling in our PJ's on the couch!

Mackenna and I took an trip to see my dad's new place in Gorham. We timed it, just 8 minutes from our house.

Bloody Mary's to celebrate St. Patricks Day. I'm sure they don't drink just beer in Ireland.

Ben and I rented Argo, which I was dying to see. Intense.

Ben made his 'Paleo Diet' approved dinner, and I got GHOP's Big Mac pizza. Third Sunday in a row, I am addicted. Sorry Ben.

And after the weekend, M and I braved the snowstorm to celebrate Sara's birthday with the other Wescotts! 

Wescott Weekend

We spent this past beautiful weekend at camp with the Wescotts and had a blast. They are truly our extended family, and we all cherish the time we spend together. The kids loved playing together, now that Mackenna is old enough to keep up. (And hug Jack constantly.) The boys loved the ice fishing. I couldn't decide which photos I liked more, so here are most of them. Hope you had a great weekend as well!

March view from the dock.

M checking out the ice. 

Our best attempt at a family photo. 

This picture makes me realize how big of a girl she is getting to be. 

Kisses all around!

Out for a toboggan ride to check out the new camp under construction.

The little babies kids.

Connect Four

Sledding danger fun. 

I'm in love.

With our new living room wall display. I love canvases, wood plaques, and quotes that make me smile. And of course, photos of my family. This turned out better than I hoped.

Paleo Pot-sticker Burgers

This 'paleo diet friendly' recipe is healthy, and amazing. The paleo diet emphasizes eating whole foods, nothing artificial or packaged; and no grains or sugars.  I've never met a diet I liked, and I've never done one; but if I had to, this would be the one. It truly combines health with taste. This is so, so tasty. They are burgers, that taste like pot sticker dumplings, and have no bread on them, but you top with coleslaw. Who would have thought? 

Pot Sticker Burgers

1 package 99% fat-free ground turkey breast (about 1.2lbs)

1 egg

3-4 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos** (I used Coconut Secret brand from Whole Foods) You can substitute soy sauce if you aren't worried about a paleo diet.

2 green onions, sliced

1 clove garlic finely minced

2 Tablespoon finely minced ginger 

1 1/2 cups coleslaw mix, roughly chopped 

Non-stick olive oil spray

Spicy Asian Slaw

4 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more)

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ginger powder

1 green onion, sliced

Remainder of coleslaw mix from 14 oz bag. (about 4-5 cups) 

Directions For the Slaw: (I started this first so it could marinate while I prepped the burgers)

1.) Mix first 8 ingredients in box then add coleslaw mix. 

2.) Toss until thoroughly coated. 

3.) Place bowl in fridge to marinate while you cook burgers.

Directions For the Burgers:

First, make your burgers with the ingredients above. 
1.) Preheat skillet to medium on your stove top, and spray with your non-stick spray. 

2.) Add turkey burgers and cook on medium for about 5-6 minutes.  

3.) As turkey has very little fat, I found it helpful to spray the pan again when you flip the burgers, cooking again for 5-6 minutes. 

4.) At this point, my burgers were still a bit pink in the center, so I covered the skillet and cooked for another 4 minutes.  
5.) Take off skillet, put on plate, and top with the slaw. 

Dig in!

Mackenna loved it too!

Recipe stolen from: http://newonu.blogspot.com

Weekend with Grandma

Eighteen Months.

I'm 18 months old! 

• I look just like my Nana, these days.
• I am becoming more talkative.
• I move constantly.
• I sometimes like to watch Sesame Street, if I can sit still.
• Some new foods I love to eat include; blueberries, goat cheese and chicken wings.