you want to eat this: smashed chickpea & avocado salad sandwich

I keep forgetting to share the new vegetarian recipes we're trying out and falling in love with since I set a new goal for myself to branch out more. Here's one of the latest: Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich.

{photo credit: two peas & their pod}

It really is fabulous. Shane likes it, too, which is really saying something because at first he looked at me like I was insane when I told him to plop some gooey, puke-green mixture on his bread. Serve this sucker with some spinach and sweet pea sprouts and wow... I ate the extra with a spoon! Great source of protein and good-for-you fats. I've probably had it three times in two weeks and I'd happily eat another batch tonight if we weren't low on supplies.

Another winner from Maria and her husband at Two Peas and Their Pod. I turn to them often for ideas often because most are made with simple ingredients and can be prepared quickly. I also feel I can relate to them a bit because while Maria is a vegetarian her husband is most certainly not!

And here's a new version to try, posted today: Edamame Avocado Salad Sandwich.

an evening of cherry blossoms

It's been two weeks since we spent an evening with the cherry blossoms but the memory still makes me smile. It was truly the perfect night. Even the traffic was cooperative. We found parking down behind the Jefferson (great spot because it's hidden from the tourists) and entered the breathtaking scene of D.C.'s famous cherry blossoms at their peak (which, by the way, turned 100 this year!).

 Between our Potbelly sandwiches (and let's be honest, Potbelly cookies -- which just might be the best non-homemade chocolate chip cookies available) and our gorgeous surroundings, it was definitely one of those nights where we're reminded of how lucky we are to have lived and experienced life in D.C.

I know I should be better at editing these photos down but Katy had fun with the camera and captured so many pretty shots that I want to share them all.

four months old

Hard to believe it but Pierce is four months old today.

He is such a joy for all of us to be around. Christian, in particular, adores him. When I pick him up from the babysitter most days all he can say is, "Where's my Pierce? Pierce needs me! I need my Pierce!"

Pierce is rolling over more and more. He's very happy on his tummy these days. He loves to be a part of the action. He can get a little whiny if he's left alone in the other room and can't see us but as soon as we put him where the action is he's content for hours. He's so strong! He's had good head control almost from day one. He is quite the happy "talker" when he gets going. Most morning he wakes up with a big smile on his face and squeals and kicks the whole time we're running around him getting ready for the day. He's also very good with his hands -- he'll pluck his pacifier from his mouth and then wonder where it went. He's good at getting his thumb in his mouth and he can grab things in front of him like a pro. Like my hair. Or anything else within reach.

He's sleeping really well. For a while he was going down from 9:30 to 6! Then we had a week or so filled with lots of middle-of-the-night feedings. Thankfully, this week he's been going down around 8 and sleeping till 3 or 4, eating, and then going down again till about 5 or 6. Not too shabby. If only I could get on his schedule!

countdown to 30

I turn 30 in 30 days. It totally snuck up on me. Yikes.

It seems like I've been in my 20s for ages. In a good way. It probably doesn't help that we're still living with a grad-student mentality so we don't really feel like we're "grown ups" just yet.

I figure it's a great time to hit the restart button on some of my priorities. It takes about 30 days (or less) to form or break a habit, or so the story goes. So, I'm attempting to form some new daily habits, and break some old ones. Here's what I'm focused on for now:

- Hitting my knees first thing in the morning to say my prayers BEFORE starting my day. I've gotten totally out of the habit of this (having little kids wake up extra early doesn't help) and half the time end up saying my morning prayers in the car on the way to work. Better than nothing but I know when I pray first thing my day generally goes better, maybe just because my attitude is in the right place.

- Getting out of bed the first time my alarm goes off. No more hitting the snooze button! I've been really bad with this lately -- daylight savings seems to have affected me more than usual -- but it's got to stop. I know why I set it for the certain time and I need to stop justifying another 10 mins, following by another 10 mins...

- Reading my scriptures BEFORE the end of the day. Again, another thing I know I would get more out of if I would regularly do them first thing. Lunch can also be the perfect time if I make it happen. It's hard to get in more than a verse or two if I wait till I'm about to go to sleep at night and it doesn't leave me with much energy for pondering what I've read.

- Doing the "100" or at least a variation of it every day. I still run regularly throughout the week but I need to get back to core strengthening and toning exercises to improve my posture and rid myself of those post-baby jiggles. Just for fun (?!) I'm finally using my "30 Day Shred" DVD while I countdown to 30. I figure it couldn't hurt -- well, actually, it does hurt (so far), but that's the point!

- Drinking a green smoothie a day. This, for me, is a great way to get in some good raw vegetables and fruits with minimal effort. Christian loves them too. He loves to put "leaves" in the blender and he's in charge of blending it all up once the lid is in place. I prefer them for breakfast but sometimes we have them with dinner if the morning was too crazy. We'll eat them for a few days in a row and then drop the ball so I'm trying to do better with this. It helps keep me balanced.

- Leaving the sink EMPTY before going to bed at night. Is there anything worse than waking up to a dirty, dish-filled sink? We try to stay on top of things but once a week there's a night that's totally insane and I look at the pile we never got to and decide to head to bed instead. After that, it's all downhill from there. Our apartment starts to fall apart and there's no recovering it until the weekend thanks to our busy schedules. You may think I'm kidding but I really think a clean sink and cleared counter make all the difference in our home. It keeps all of us motivated to load our own dishes and clean up after ourselves. (Side note: I spotted this cleaning schedule so I'm going to try it out. I must prefer to get the cleaning done during the week so we can play on the weekends and it will help me to have a set schedule.)

- Applying wrinkle cream morning and night. When I turned 25, I told my mom all I wanted was a big jar of wrinkle cream. I used it casually till it ran out. Reality hit hard the other day when I studied the skin around my eyes in the mirror the other day and, let's just say, I'm rededicating myself to making the effort. (I also think I spotted my first gray hair! Shane says it wasn't but I think he was just being nice.)

- Flossing every day. I'm the worst with this. I just need to take a minute each night to make it happen. That way maybe I won't get scolded by the dentist next time around.

- Getting six hours or sleep or more. This entails going to bed earlier, especially on days when I'm planning to run before work. For me this is going to take real effort. It's so easy to justify staying up when you have so much left on your "to-do" list  -- or I just need some time to unwind -- but I need to just remember, it will still be there tomorrow. ;)

Okay, some of these goals/habits are obviously more superficial than others (and there's plenty more I'm trying to work on) but really, I just want to be more in control of my life as I enter this next decade. To act and not be acted upon. I want to be more organized, I want to be more generous, I want to be more available to others -- whether its my family or my church or my community. And I feel like I'll have more that I can give if I do better at keeping myself balanced along the way.

golfing into spring

Last weekend we spent some time at the driving range over at DC's Hains Point, soaking in the signs of spring all around us. It's become one of our favorite things to do as a family when the weather is nice and we have a little free time.

It was Katy's first time. She's a natural athlete so she picked things up quickly. Christian made for a great little caddy. ;)

Christian was happy as a clam. He always is, when there are balls and things to hit them with involved.

Christian got some really good hits in. Or drives. Or whatever they are called.

Pierce was so happy to be outside, enjoying the sun. I think being a winter baby makes you appreciate the little things that much more.

Another highlight for Christian was picking out his own drink at the vending machine. Ahh, the little things in life that make our day. ;)

We then played a round of mini-golf because we just couldn't get enough of our gorgeous surroundings and perfect weather. (Plus, at $5 per kid, it's a no-brainer!)

Katy has some real mini-golf skills so she made her way quickly around the course.

Sweet little P took in all the excitement he could handle and then fell asleep sitting up.

Focused. At least for a good 10 secs or so.

Don't you just love the view behind them? Blossoms along the Potomac River.

A few days later, the cherry blossoms peaked. More pictures of those beauties to come.

shedding

My hair is a disaster these days. Wait, I take that back I am a disaster these days. But my hair certainly isn't helping matters.

It all started falling out around the 12 week mark, which I expected, but Pierce will be 17 weeks on Monday and there's no end in sight. I just pulled what was probably a sixth of my hair on my head when I woke up this morning off the back of my cardigan while I was in the ladies' room. So gross.

What's really sad is I never had all that much going on in the first place. People are always saying I look like my mom but I definitely didn't get her thick, lustrous hair.

Oh, and the rise in humidity levels definitely isn't helping things. My hair doesn't know whether to be straight or curly these days so it's a yucky, in-between fuzz.

Okay, done with my rant. For now.

pray, dream, believe

"God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as he always has. But he can't if you don't pray, and he can't if you don't dream. In short, he can't if you don't believe." ― Jeffrey R. Holland

interview with christian

He's practically naked and obviously distracted but I had to capture his voice and cuteness while I had the chance. Before I know it I'll be the mother of a three-year-old.

playing with his toes

Figured the grandparents might enjoy this video we recorded of Pierce last week. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it was blurry until about halfway through filming. Sorry about that!

He is such a happy, and very strong and coordinated little guy. People keep thinking he's much older than he is due to head and hand control.

christian lingo

Man, Christian has grown up SO much since Pierce was born. Within three weeks after Pierce joined our family Christian had tripled his vocabulary. He wows us every day with new phrases and questions.

- "I want a show watch." I've stopped correcting him on this one -- it did no good and it's kind of endearing.
- "This not match." Okay, who taught him about matching? And how dare he call me on his non-matching -- okay, they were clashing -- pajamas! ;)
- "I hat you." He makes up verbs. He was literally putting a hat on my head.
- "I'm scared of ghosts." This is what he says when we're putting him to bed. I "scare" the ghosts away while Shane insists there are none to begin with.
- "What's that sound?" This is one he uses ALL THE TIME and sometimes it drives us a little nuts.
- My favorite? "Pierce, don't cry. We're almost home, Pierce." The way he says "Baby Pierce" just melts my heart.
- "I not tired." He also uses "not" a lot instead of opposites. For example, "It not closed." You mean it's open?
- "It not fit me."
- "It not fair!" Whoever taught him that line deserves to be mauled by a bear. Not even kidding.
- "Don't talk, Mom." Uh...thanks, but I'm the adult here, son. You don't really get to tell me what to do.
- "Don't sing, Mom." Ditto.
- "I not like this." Only "like" sounds as if Forest Gump is talking "laaaike" but instead of pronouncing the "l" replace it with a "y." "I not yaaaike this." Same with "yove."
- "You miss me? Oh, I miss you!"
- "Mater, mater, mater." Chants this while walking backwards or "in reverse" like Mater from Cars.

- Another favorite: "Awww man!" Half the time he says this he also smacks his forehead. For the longest time we couldn't figure out where he got this from. It was my mom who solved the mystery while she was here helping out after Pierce was born. It's from "Swiper the Fox" on "Dora the Explorer."