guess who is FOUR YEARS old?

Four years ago we started this little blog so that family and friends who lived far away could see pictures and hear tidbits about our latest project, baby Ava Elliot. I can't believe that four years have zoomed by, or that this little girl blowing out the candles on her My Little Pony cupcakes is the same baby they handed me in that Ohio hospital who changed my life forever. Since then, our family has grown (and grown). We have moved twice and both changed jobs. Our lives are in full swing, and this birthday thing is another reminder of how fast she is growing up. Someday she will look back on the little blog and be able to read the story of her life from our point of view. This year:

• She is still a little old soul. Intense and fully absorbed in whatever she is into. This year we have added some silliness to the intensity. Knock-knock jokes are a regular.
• She still loves bugs and knows the names of more than I do.
• She loves anything animal and her favorite game to play is some kind of pretend animal story which is usually very detailed and must be followed exactly as outlined.... "You be the Mama polar bear and I'm the baby polar bear and Olivia is the cub. This crawl space under my bed is our ice cave and you need to climb under here to protect your cubs. Here, this stuffed animal is a fish. Now, rip the head off the fish and eat it, and then feed the pieces to your baby bear cubs. Now, paw at the sea lion that is climbing into our ice cave. Oh no, your polar bear cub is escaping, better catch her."
• Her favorite show is Word Girl, and this includes listening to the CD in the car OVER and OVER and OVER while she tries to memorize the theme song (which is incredibly fast and difficult).
• She loves most vegetables, including salads and will ask for them regularly.
• She is a great big sister (most of the time) and I love to watch her try to teach Olivia how to say a certain word or how to play a game with her. She is also smart about this, and uses it to her advantage to get what she wants at times.
• She is a good mix of confidence and reservation in public. We used to worry about the reservation, only because we wanted her to feel confident enough to stick up for herself and be able to have a conversation with people without being so painfully shy. Those days are over. Whether it is just getting older, or going to school, or having younger sisters to compete with... she has emerged from her shell. I love to see her feel comfortable talking with people without looking down at the ground and then clinging to me waiting for me to answer for her.
• In our household she is BOSSY, in a very matter-of-fact-I'm-four-and-I-know-what-I'm-talking-about-so-you-should-listen-way! We are working on balancing this out... not easy since she comes by it naturally I'm told. :-)
• She loves being outside.
• She loves her cat Oliver.
• She has an incredibly high pain tolerance and never cries when hurt.
• She HATES having her hair washed or brushed.
• She is really a very sweet, sensitive, and intuitive little creature, although I don't think you get this from her until you are in her inner circle.
• She is not a hugger, or a lovey-dovey-er. She doesn't really like fawning and doesn't always answer when you say "I love you". But, when she does... you know she means it. One of my favorite times of day is the early morning when she crawls into bed with us and says, "Mama, I need to snuggle." I always just wrap my arms around her and breath her in. Happy Birthday little lady. We love you!

4th of July weekend.

Train ride in record breaking heat wave (102 degrees). H.O.T!!!!!

Carousel rides in the same heat (what were we thinking???)

Feeding the sting-rays at the aquarium. So cool, both because it was indoors and because it was amazing.

Pony rides on Aunt Sara and Uncle Jeff.

Chillin' in her Ray Bans.

Big sis reading time.

Biking down to our neighborhood 4th of July parade!

Time for some zone defense.

Love me those chubby cheeks (hers, not mine).

Olivia signaling the parade for more candy!

We had a wonderful, albeit HOT weekend. I love 4th of July!!! I think I say this every holiday, but I really do love this one. :-) It is such a great reminder of this wonderful country that we live in. I am so thankful to be a citizen of the United States, even living in the state that constantly tries to talk about seceding... I am thankful to have been born a woman in this country. To be allowed each day to speak my mind and raise my voice for any opinion I might have (I have a lot). To read the books I want to read, to learn the things I choose in school, to teach others the information I wish, to form groups with whomever I wish, to marry who I wish (and divorce him if I chose), to have the career I chose (or not), to worship as I see fit. To fall asleep at night without fear for myself or my family. It is a great day to remember all those who make this country what it is. The service men and women of the present and the past, our founders who had such great vision, and the citizens of the country who contribute everyday in millions of ways to make our country work. With all our warts, there is no better place. Now I wish I had a gorgeous picture of fireworks to cap off the post but I don't, maybe next year?

Happy Father's Day, to one man in particular.

Several years ago (pre-children) I attended a meeting for women scientists and they had a panel of successful women who had made names for themselves in the scientific community. The forum was answering questions about how to succeed as a woman in science. How do you balance the rigors of lab science with kids and life in general? I remember clearly one woman said, "The number one most important career decision you can make... is who you marry. The smartest decision I ever made was to marry my husband." Now, marrying Dave was a decision I made out of young and unadulterated love! But it turns out, it was also the smartest decision I ever made mainly because of the kind of partner he has been in raising our three girls.

These days, women get a lot of support and recognition of the difficulties that come with trying to balance motherhood and work. This doesn't make the job of being a mother any easier, nor does it make the juggling act that comes with trying to work outside the home while being a good mother any easier. But, at least we women are getting some recognition for the decisions we are having to make and the roles we are taking on. I actually think the Dads are getting a little shafted in this department.

As women have taken on more outside the home, Dads have taken on more inside. It's not enough anymore for them to come home spent from the day at the office and plop into the lazy-boy with beer in hand. They need to be ready to help with the car pool, the homework, the laundry, the cooking and cleaning, the dirty diapers and potty training, and on and on and on. Dave (and lots more of our friends who are fathers) regularly hops into the mix and tackles whatever job needs to be done. He can change a diaper with one hand, dole out juice and snacks while avoiding arguments, swaddle like a mean-mo-fo, play princess and animal kingdom, build a bad-ass fort, give bubble baths, and even fix pretty good pigtails... all before or after being at the office for 8 hours.

I think our world is a better place due to this general shift in the caretaker roles. I see our own girls growing up loving their father, not only because he commands respect, but because he gives it too. He truly shares their lives with them in the small little moments that he makes time for them and participates fully in their upbringing. What an amazing gift from an amazing father.

Recipes and food!

Well, its clear that everyone loves tomatoes and olives. I had 4 people email me or request Sara's yummy tomato & olive salad recipe (pictured below). She posted it in the comments section, but in case people don't visit there, I will post it here too. Thanks Sara!

Italian Tomato and Olive Salad

Sliced ripe tomatoes (garden variety or store bought 'on the vine' is best)
1 small jar of capers
Olives (I used olive bar style kalamata pitted black olives and garlic/red pepper green olives)
Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper
Tomato and basil feta cheese (crumbled)
Curly leaf parsely
Fresh basil

Slice tomatoes and arrange on a plate. Rough chop the olives and mix with feta and chopped parsely and olive oil and capers. Sprinkle mixture over tomatoes and top with salt and pepper and basil. Can also add green onions and garlic to taste. Reduce balsamic vinegar for 20 minutes or until syrupy, cool and pour over salad. Just sprinkle with balsamic vinegar if you don't want to do this step.

And here is the awesome recipe for a cilantro cream spread that she also served. It was great on my hamburger, but you could also pair it with pitas/chips/brushetta... you name it.

Cilantro Cream Spread

1 block of 1/3 fat cream cheese
3-4 TBSP of light sour cream
Juice of 2 limes
2 garlic cloves
1 bunch of cilantro
green onions
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes or jalopenos (optional)

Soften cream cheese and mix with sour cream. Mix lime juice (I scoop out some of the pulp too), garlic cloves, cilantro, and green onions in food processor. Once lime/cilantro mixture is chopped well, add to cream cheese mixture. Add salt and pepper and red pepper or jalopeno if desired. Best when refrigerated for a few hours, then served. Can also be mixed with spinach and more sour cream to make a nice dip. Original recipe also called for one small can of tomatilla salsa and cumin.

YUM!

I've started going to a holistic health lady to help get me back on track after all these babies and nursing and so on. She is really great and has opened my eyes about my eating habits. I always thought that we ate really healthy since we eat lots of fruits and vegetables and lean meats... but I have learned lots of ways to improve our diets. First, just by getting real and keeping track of what I was really eating (instead of what I thought I was eating). EYE OPENING! Starting with how much cheese I was eating. I knew I loved it, but I was just kind of throwing it into anything and everything thinking "yeah, that's healthy and has some protein".... oh, cheese how I'll miss you. The other thing was how little greens we were really getting into our meals. Greens are soooooo healthy and are really easy to cook with and incorporate into your diet. I thought we did a pretty good job since everyone in our family likes salads and spinach and even some swiss chard. But again, once I really paid attention by food journaling I realized that we don't get as many greens as I thought. We have been working to add dark leafy greens into our meals at least once everyday. And, here is one way that we do it (without having to bust out a single saute pan)....

Spinach & blueberry smoothie

(You can make this lots of different ways, but here is an example that we made this morning)

1/4 c old-fashioned oatmeal

1 container (about a cup) Greek style plain yogurt

1/2 c soy milk

1/2 c OJ

1/2 banana

3/4 c blueberries

2 big handfuls of spinach (see all that yummy spinach in there)

Blend, blend, blend. And then you get this tasty purple smoothie that the kids LOVE!

It has lots of protein, fiber, and phytonutrients from the spinach and blueberries. It is super fast, which we need around here. The kids and I split this one and even Dave likes them.

Try it out! Let me know what you think. :-)

4 months old.

Soooo cute, I could just eat her. Seriously, are mothers the only ones who physically feel the need to bury our faces into those chubby little baby necks and kiss, kiss, kiss? I guess so because I have never seen Dave behave in this way. But, how can you not want to kiss those adorable little cheeks?

At four months old she is really changing so fast. She is:

* almost rolling over... gets to her side but stops there

* laughing

* smiling and interacting with her people. (We love being her people.)

* almost sleeping through the night (we are going to be working on this one)

* waking up in the best mood in the morning. Total morning girl. (Why wasn't I given this gift?)

* loves her mobile, her bounceroo, and anything musical

* just being the cutest thing on the planet

Photog Ava.

I had an old Canon Powershot that was busted (as evidenced by the pink hue in all the photos and several menu functions that don't work anymore) but rather than throw it out, I gave it to Ava. She loved the fact that she has a real camera that is hers, and has taken to toting it around and taking photos. It is kind of fun to download them and see what's going on from her perspective. Here are a couple from our recent trip... Ava style.

Fort Hood trip.

We made the trip to Fort Hood recently to welcome Jeff back from Iraq. It was so great to see him, and we had a good time visiting and eating yummy food with everyone. Sara made an amazing dinner (check out the tomatoes and olive salad below). We stayed in a hotel with a pool and the kids loved that. We made the 4+ hr drive without any problems, although at one point we did have all three kids crying! What's a road trip without a little crying, right?

Is it the weekend yet?

We are in full summer mode here. The girls are in PJs until at least 9 am everyday. We play outside most mornings until it gets too hot. We have hit the swimming pool a few times already, although I haven't found an easy way to do this with three kids yet. I really need backup when NONE of the kids are good swimmers yet. Ava is getting ready to take swimming lessons, but so far doggie paddle is about the best she's got.

Our veggies are doing great. We haven't gotten anything to the table, because most of the time the girls just eat whatever is ripe (so far only beans) right in the yard. Our tomato plants are huge, but no ripe tomatoes yet. I'll post some pictures soon (making mental note to take photos of the garden).

This weekend we are headed to Fort Hood (Killeen, TX) to welcome my brother-in-law Jeff back from Iraq! So glad that he is coming safely home after a year in country. We are staying in a hotel with a pool so the girls are excited about that. We are planning on visiting a pick-your-own farm on the way home, so I will post some pictures when we return.

Also, we played the room shuffle around here. Olivia is now sharing a room with Ava! This has been interesting and we are still in the process of getting a bedtime routine figured out. I think we need a little more time to adjust. They are having too much fun playing and singing and talking together at night. It is CUTE CUTE CUTE, but makes for very tired babies the next day, which is just not cool. Mia is in her own room now, which is great and helps her sleep so much. She is on a great schedule and sleeps from about 7 pm until short feedings at 11pm and 4 or 5 am, then she sleeps until 7 or 8 am. Can't complain about that.

Just catching up.

Happy Memorial Day! I loved driving through the neighborhood today and seeing all the flags out today. Some people even had their driveways lined, which made me make a mental note for next year... It is always a strange juxtaposition for me to have the great kick-off of summer parading through a day remembering our fallen heroes. Although, I guess there is no better way to honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice than to thoroughly enjoy a beautiful day and welcome such a lively season as summer.

No photos today. I haven't even pulled my camera out in a week or two. Which is a mistake with a 3 month old who changes every single day. But, things have just been too crazy these last few weeks and I didn't even really feel like taking any pictures. So, I didn't. Even though I am in the midst of taking a photography class. It's all on-line which makes it so much easier to procrastinate.

I am back at work again. I started a new grant review panel for the Breast Cancer Research Program under the DOD. I also started as a scientific grants manager for the Susan G Komen foundation. I am excited about both jobs! I had a short trip to DC this week, which was the first time away from baby M. She did great, and I managed to survive too (although pumping in bathroom stalls is not highly recommended if it can be avoided). Aunt Sara did an excellent job watching all three kids (with a little help from my Mom). Huge thank you to both of them. This meeting was in Frederick, Maryland which was BEAUTIFUL! I just loved this area. Great little hills and beautiful small farms. Made me want to pack my bags, head out east, and start a little farm. :-)

In other news, our neighborhood pool opened this weekend and the kids were so excited to jump right in. Olivia showed no fear (who would have guessed) and was jumping off the side into the water within minutes. Ava is already signed up for swimming lessons this year, but we may have to beg them to take Olivia too!

The kids both finished up their preschool programs this last week. Whew! What a lot of activities for little ones. I kept Ava home one day because it was just such a whirlwind of activity that it was too much for me, much less a three year old. :-) Anyways, they are now officially on break and that means I need to figure out a schedule to get all of us through the days with our work done, babies fed, dinner made, and no melt-downs from kids or adults. Notice I didn't even put house cleaning or laundry on the list. It can wait. It's summertime...how many clean clothes do they really need???

And finally, love this quote that I came across recently.

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.” —Pablo Picasso

Talking with my bebe.

Don't try to prove a three year old wrong.

Ava is into dressing herself these days. She got her pants all wet gardening, so I sent her inside to get another pair. When she came out, she had a shirt in her hands.

"You can't wear that, it's a shirt, " I said.

She looked at it for a minute and then said, "It's OK, I can wear it Mommy."

For some CRAZY reason I proceeded to challenge my three year old. "I'd like to see you try to wear this shirt as pants, Ava."

And so she did...

Summer is almost here.

Backyard kiddie pool, lizard hunting, bubbles... summer is almost here. Happy Mother's Day.

Our life these days, in one photo!

Update.

Geez, seems time is flying by. I can't believe the summer is here in a couple weeks.  Ava will finish her first year of preschool this month.  And, Olivia will be done with her two-day a week school.  I think Ava is ready for some time off, although since I am starting back to work next week, I am not quite as ready.  I am still sorting out how I am going to work from home with my brood of little ones.  I have realized that to be effective at working from home you HAVE to have a set time to get work done (with a babysitter or some planned childcare). Otherwise the day flies by and you are left at 7 pm with a stack of things to get done and no brain matter or energy left to do it.  I'm still figuring out what we are going to do this summer (which is my busiest season).  We'll finagle something.

Mia is doing great!  She slept almost 6 hrs straight last night (I'm knocking on wood as I type) and I am hoping that we can continue that trend.  Ahhhhh, what a difference 5 straight hrs of sleep makes.  She is getting bigger everyday.  I'm going to set up a time lapse in her crib as an experiment.  I'm pretty sure it would be like one of those nature videos with the weeds growing out of the forest floor...

Olivia is getting so big lately.  Maybe it is a having a small baby, but she is just growing so fast. Her speech is taking off and everyday it is something new.  Her little personality is shining through too!  Such a fun little girl, and very sweet.  She loves to give hugs and kisses... in between climbing and jumping off things.  If you notice, she has a GIANT bruise across her face from falling and slamming into the wall.  I am waiting for social services to show up at our house because she is constantly climbing and jumping and falling off things.  The other day she was sitting on the edge of the couch and then intentionally leaning over until she fell off.  Then she would laugh hysterically, climb up, and do it again...and again.  And yes, I did have a moment where I thought that as the parent in charge I should probably stop her.  But then I thought she would just find something else to fall off of and at least there was carpet underneath her, and it was entertaining her.  Seemed like a win-win. 

I mentioned Ava is finishing up school this month.  It has been a great year for her.  Most of her friends are coming back next year, so I know that she will be glad to see them.  She is still digging her new cat.  I have to admit that he is a pretty cool guy.  He loves Ava (and tolerates her dragging him around as evidenced below).  When she is at school he pretty much does his own thing.  He likes some lovin' at night, otherwise he is pretty mellow and likes to hang outside and hunt for lizards or bugs or whatever.  Typical man.

Dave and I are doing really great.  We comment almost everyday how lucky we feel.  We are loving our house, our kids, our jobs... there is just not much to complain about.  We need to find a way to get out more often by ourselves. Lately, our "date" night has just been take-out on the couch with a movie.  But hey, we'll take what we can get. 

Rain, rain, go away.

The rain has finally left us...after days of dumping crazy amounts of moisture here.  After too many days inside playing pretend "cat family" (playing house where all the characters are cats complete with constant meowing), the girls got outside to play and burn off some of that energy.  I can still hear the meowing in my head...