Is this India?

On Monday we had our first Team Day.  It was a blast!  We didn't tell them what we were doing- just that they had to be ready for breakfast by 9:30.

Our plan for the day was to go to the zoo and then to a nice hotel to relax at the pool!  Unfortunately, the zoo was closed.  Who knew?  Closed on a Monday? Sure, why not...  It was a big bummer because we drove almost an hour to get there. So, we changed our plans and went to a museum.  It wasn't the best museum I've ever been to, but we had some laughs! They should have let us in for free due to the amount of pictures that were taken of Hannah- you would of thought that she was part of the exhibit! Ha! :)

The BEST part of the day (in my opinion) was the pool.  It was incredible.  (This might be because I am a lover of pools.)  Hannah was a little unsure of the water at first, but she warmed right up to it!   Once we got there, you wouldn't even think you were in India.  It looked like a resort right out of the U.S.!

"Me, a model? No... " :)

Hannah, as always, was making friends.  One of the pool helpers even offered to bring her a milkshake.  Too sweet!

Father's Day

Hannah and I are lucky gals!  We have the best man in our life to celebrate! :)

Family in a Rickshaw

We joined the fun on Saturday night and tagged along for the group date.  I was so excited about spending time with our students that I didn't really think about the fact that Hannah goes to bed at 8.  Oops.  So, here is what our evening looked like- ride in rickshaw to "Eat Street," meet up with the students, order Pizza Hut at the food court- chicken tikka pizza, anyone?, Hannah gets her picture taken at least 3 times (by other people), eat pizza really fast, climb back into the rickshaw and head home.  Oh, and Hannah basically ate at least half of my ice cream cone on the drive home.  Even though it was short-lived, we had a great time!

Father's Day at Mozzarella

On Sunday, Bob, Hannah and I went to Mozzarella- a fancy restaurant just down the street from our flat.  We had SO much fun!  Since Indians generally eat later, we were some of the only people there for a while. 

We weren't really sure what to order, so we decided on the buffet (pronounce the "t", that's how they say it here.)  The buffet itself was huge, but they also brought out 3 veg and 3 non-veg appetizers to you- as much as you wanted!  Whoa.  Not to mention one veg pizza and one non-veg pizza!  That's basically a whole meal before you even started at the buffet! 

Here's the dessert portion of the buffet.  I love that it says "Sunday Brunch" on the cake.  Ha!

Remember how I said Hannah is a CELEBRITY here?  Well, immediately after sitting down at our table, a waiter comes over and is talking to Hannah.  This is normal, so I think nothing about it.  Then, he proceeds TO TAKE HER OUT OF THE HIGHCHAIR AND CARRY HER OFF.  On the outside, I'm like, "No big deal....haha, so funny!"  On the inside, I'm thinking, "WHAT???  Bring back my daughter!"  Thankfully, Bob read exactly how I was feeling and kindly got up and followed the waiter.  And of course, he wasn't doing anything crazy.  He was just showing her off and showing her the restaurant.  :)  A little bit later, the bartender brought Hannah over a special drink.  No kidding.  (Don't worry, I tasted it first.  Just mango juice.)  And Hannah downed it.  

Not the most flattering picture, but it was the only one that showed the mango juice. :)

P.S.  Notice that Bob isn't sporting his glasses in any of the recent pictures??  They were lost in a rainy day/rickshaw splash/going-through-mall-security-adventure.  He's got new ones coming. :)

Around the Neighborhood

Hannah and I make an effort to get out at least once-a-day.  Before I was brave enough to try out the rick-shaws, we would leave and walk around our neighborhood.  We live in a really nice part of Hyderabad.  We can see a lot of the city and even have a park near-by!

Here's some houses around our flat.  

Aren't they beautiful!

And some new construction is happening!  Their idea of scaffolding is a little bit different than in the U.S....

There is a Hanuman temple just down the street from our flat.  Hanuman is a Hindu deity that resembles a monkey.  This temple is actually very small compared to most others.  We were able to visit a temple in another part of the city a few days ago, but couldn't stay long because the temple closed so that the gods could take their morning rest.

When Hannah was still adjusting to the new time zone (10.5 hours different!), I read online that exposing babies to the sun during the day can help their little bodies to adjust.  Since I wasn't super thrilled about the 4am wake-up time, I decided to give it a try.  These pictures are from the day I woke Hannah up from her nap (she had already slept for 2 hours) and we went to the park.  

Slightly ironic, huh?

Small smile for the camera

Obviously Thrilled to be Awake

Thankfully, Hannah has adjusted to the new schedule and is doing quite well.  I mean, who wouldn't?  She's practically a celebrity here.  Yesterday I went to the store to get some items and the owner gave her a candy bar for free.  (But really me, because Hannah can't eat candy...)  Too sweet!

Here Comes The Bride... An Indian Wedding

This past Thursday, our team had the privilege of being invited to an Indian wedding.  Incredible!  (Really we were friends of a friend of the bride, but in India, the more the merrier.)

my loves ready for the wedding

What an experience! The wedding was beautiful (and hot) and it makes me want to have a wedding in India so I can participate in all of the fun activities, ceremonies, and fun (marrying Bob again of course!).  Indian weddings normally last a couple of days, so we attended the ceremony on the second day where the couple "exchanged their promises."   Indians are very superstitious and they want weddings to occur on an  time and day, when all the stars and moons are aligned to bring the most fortune to the bride and groom.  Thus, the actual vow exchanges took place at 9:17am!

Beautiful girls!

It was quite the event- with two bands, servers walking around with food and drinks (one of which looked like Fanta but actually tasted like a salty egg...gross), flat-screen televisions with a live-feed of the nuptials, and lots of politicians stopping by to say congratulations.

Watching the Nuptials

 After we said congratulations to the bride and groom, Bob and I had to head out because Hannah was soooo hot and was melting down.  I am so thankful that Hannah can drink out of a straw because bottled water and straws are our best friend!

Hot baby

On the way home, Hannah crashed out in Bob's arms.  She never does that so it was quite the treat!

Rickshaws

"Autos" are very common for transportation here in India.  They are everywhere- similar to cabs in New York.  Not very glamorous, not very clean, but they get around.

(Picture borrowed from Google)

Yesterday, Hannah, Jessie, Brittney and I were in an auto and Hannah fell asleep.  Asleep.  Dead asleep in the middle of crazy, congested, honking Indian traffic.  Somebody was tired.

The First Few

Welcome to our summer home!

Swinging by the front door

We have arrived.  Yay! We have had a great time exploring and experiencing Hyderabad the first few days of being here. We have done A LOT and I am so proud of my little girl.  Even though she was confused on her days and nights for a bit....boo jet lag.  Today she slept until 6am!  I know that sounds early, but at least people consider that morning...4 am (or earlier)...not so much.

Right when we arrived we had some Hyderabadi Byurani- which is exactly what we did when we arrived the first time! :)  It's a staple here in Hyderabad and so good.  Here's the low down- its spicy chicken (that you pull off the bone) and rice that you eat with your fingers.  Spicy, dirty, and lots of fun.

Right outside the Hyderabad House
(Hannah is tired and H.O.T in this pic)

Christina and Brittney

Dan, Taylor, Ballgame, and Rick

The very next day, the students and Bob headed out to meet Indian college students.  We definitely hit the gorund running! Hannah and I didn't go out for a few days.  I was trying to get her adjusted to a new schedule, new place, and just new in general.

All the girls- summer team and long-termers

The K-State Girls 

Just yesterday (Wednesday) was my first day out on the town!  Hannah girl and I went with Jessie to meet some college students at the mall.  We rode in a rick-shaw--- quite the experience!!! I was nervous to do this with Hannah (even though families here ride with like 5 people on a motorcycle...) but am so glad that I did!  What a great opportunity to trust God!  And Hannah l.o.v.e.d it.  So much to see!

In the rickshaw

Hannah was a people MAGNET at the mall.  Oh my goodness.  Some common responses were... "White baby!" "Ohhh she has blue eyes!" "White hair, white hair (giggle giggle)!"  Lots of people wanted to take her picture!  One guy even had his 5 year old daughter pose by Hannah to snap a pic- ha!

Just one of the many "snaps" taken of Hannah.

Tomorrow we are going to an Indian wedding- at 9:17 am! (?)  Woot woot!

Team Bonding- Insanity Style

Who wouldn't want to bond over the (seriously crazy) Insanity workout videos?  Me.  Notice I peace out half-way through the "warm-up." Ha!

Enjoy!

Journey Part 2

Hallelujah.  We made it to Dubai!  It was absolutely incredible to step off a plane that you had been on for over 15 hours.  We had a short lay-over in Dubai, about 5 hours, and prior to leaving for our first flight, our team had debated whether or not we should try to leave the airport and check out even a little bit of Dubai.  However, after landing, due to a slight miscommunication about our luggage, we ended up leaving security, heading to baggage claim to get our bags, finding out our luggage was shipped all the way to India, leaving the airport, going through security again, and finally heading back to the exact same place we started.  Moral of the story- I have been to Dubai.  I have the dust on my shoes and the stamp in my passport to prove it.  

After making it to our gate, Bob and I watched the luggage while our friends explored the Dubai airport and got some food.  It was evening in Dubai when we arrived, but I honestly had no idea what time it was, so I had a latte and some cinnamon roles.  Yum yum!

Hannah was in full-blown crazy mode due to lack of sleep, time zone changes, and genuinely having no idea where we were.  She is seriously a trooper.  Even at Dubai, she was all smiles, laughs and giggles.

Family Pic

Hanging with Taylor

Lots of this.... also occurred...

 I was SO pumped for our final flight.  ONE MORE!!  I had thought it was only 2 hours, but much to my surprise it was about 4.5.  Oh my.  Hannah basically went crazy on this flight.  But can you blame her?  When we got on the plane, the air was OFF.  (Remember we are in the middle of a desert, aka HOT).  Lots of people were staring at her (Ohh...white baby!).  And she was sooooo tired, but wouldn't sleep.

Thankfully, she FINALLY fell asleep and slept for about an hour and an half.  (Can I get an amen?)  Basically everyone on the plane was asleep except for me.  I was watching a Bollywood movie.  Ha!

Here's a picture right when we landed.  No words can describe how excited I was to be off a plane.

(p.s. the brown all over Hannah's front is what was left-over in my latte when she grabbed it from me.  Oops.)

Woohoo!!!! We have arrived!
Brad, Bob, and Hannah

Nine Months on a Jet Plane

 Happy 9 months to our sweet baby girl!

 Hannah celebrated her NINE month birthday by flying half-way around the world.  She is such a trooper! (and she seriously did a.m.a.z.i.n.g on all the flights, except for our last one...thank goodness for the DumDum sucker...)

I am convinced that with every month that passes, Hannah only gets cuter, more fun, more engaging and develops more and more of her personality.  She is an absolute BLAST to be around.

These days she is busy, busy, busy.  Hannah loves to be moving and is really only still when she is sleeping.  She loves to crawl, pulls herself up on almost everything, babble, and read books.  She laughs all the time! The other day, Bob, Hannah and I were watching some T.V. and Bob laughed during a commercial.  Hannah stopped what she was doing and started laughing so loud!  It was too cute.  Hannah is also quite the poser.  You get out a camera, or an iPhone, and that girl knows what's up.  She smiles like nobody's business.  However, the flash does throw her off a bit.  Ha!  Hannah also loves to be with me.  Especially with all of our travel, she has been attached to my hip.  Very sweet, but not so helpful with unpacking. :)

And, one for the record books:
Hannah Kate,  your daddy and I love you so much.  We cannot imagine our life without you.  You have enhanced our life in more ways than you will ever know.  You make us laugh all the time.  Thanks for always wanting to play with us, stay awake with us, and take steps of faith with us.  Thanks for being brave and going to India.  You are a special girl, Hannah, and I know one day you will change the world.  Thanks for the privilege of being your momma. I love you to the moon and back.

  

On a Journey

We made it! We made it!! 24+ hours of travel, 12 adults, one cute baby... Hallelujah.

The crew before heading off for the airport

We started in KC, flew to Atlanta, quick layover and than a 15+ hour flight to Dubai.  This picture is on our flight to Atlanta.  Not the best picture of anyone, but it was our first flight with the 3 of us, so it was worth documenting.  Please notice that Hannah looks tired ALREADY.  :)

For the long flight to Dubai, Hannah had a special "bed."  It looked a little sketchy, but it served its purpose. I could not imagine flying for 15 hours with Hannah sitting on my lap.  This little bed attached to the wall in front of us and allowed Hannah to sleep for most of the flight.  I think she probably slept for about 12 hours of the flight!  It helped that it was over her normal bed time, and that we gave her some Benadryl.  :)

I was actually surprised how quick the flight went.  The last time we flew to India, the flight seemed to take forever.  I could not wait to get off the plane.  So, it was shocking how fast this one seemed, especially since we have a baby and my T.V. was broken! But, that did earn us goobs of airline miles (not sure if we will ever use them) and $50 credit on Delta.  I asked Bob if it was enough to upgrade me to first class on the way home....probably not.  Ha!

Hannah's bed

Sleeping Beauty

Here's some pictures of our friends that flew with us!  Most of them had NEVER flown international before, so they were all initiated into long flights with our 15 hour adventure!  

Caleb, Christina, and Brittney

Dan, Tyrek, and Taylor

More to come....

Sticky

The other day I purchased a fancy bowl and plate set. The placemat advertised that it stuck to any surface and the bowl suctioned to the mat- brilliant! I thought they would be perfect for the flight. That way I would be able to put Hannah's snacks on the tray table and we (probably) would not spill!

Or so I thought.

We tried them tonight.

Sticky bowl: 0 Hannah: 2