I was able to go over to see Olivia again yesterday and got to stay and play.  She was SUCH a sweet little baby, and hardly made one peep the entire session.  I’m so excited about these images.

WOW!  That’s all I can say.   I walked in to the birthing room exactly 1 minute after Miss O made her debut.  I missed the initial reactions, but I’m so glad I did get to capture the wonderful first moments of her life.   What an overwhelming feeling to be in the room and not be the one doing the birthing.  It has been 4 years since I’ve been in a labor and delivery room (Ronan’s birth), however, the last time I witnessed the first few hours of a someone else’s little blessing was back in 2004 and it happened to be with another Olivia (my friend Catherine’s baby).   I can’t say enough about how great the staff was and how helpful and informative it was to see her Doula in action, not to mention that Heather gave birth all natural and began breastfeeding shortly after.  WHAT an HONOR to be invited in this incredible day for the Hurd family!   Happy Birthday Olivia!!

Time is passing quickly and spring warmth is in full force.  Unfortunately the wind storms in Clovis have yet to get the hint that no one wants them around.  We are currently under a “brown out” warning, which means I have a headache.  The amount of dust flowing through the air and making it’s way into our lungs is off the charts.  No sense in it being 80 outside if we can’t go out and play. The wind storms have gotten SO much worse from 3.5 years ago when we moved here.  They used to be one a year, and now it seems like it’s once a week.  Is it windy more often in your neck of the woods?

Only about 6-8 more weeks of Clovis weather and it’s off to experience something new!   Spokane is calling my name!  I can’t wait to be reunited!  ;)

Our week has been spent celebrating Ronan’s 4th birthday!! Can you believe this guy is 4??  When did that happen.

Ronan and his marshmallow gun.  

Ava finishing a chapter book.  ( her second one this week).  

Ronan asleep with one of his favorite gifts from his birthday.   (Thanks Ellie).

Ronan in the new indoor park the base built! Yay! Cannon AFB needed one of these desperately.

Here are some shots from Ronan’s party:

I’m still working on this session, but I know that Noelle is waiting patiently to see a preview of some of the images from last night.  So, without further delay:

Did I tell you that we are moving? NO?  Well let me tell you.  We got the official word a few weeks ago that we are heading back to Spokane, WA.   We have  come to love our life in Clovis, but we are also excited to go back to the land of plenty.  Clovis is the land of online shopping.  I fear I will forget how close we will be to shopping in Spokane and still order stuff online.  But then again….who forgets that there is a Target nearby?   I will not go into a Walmart probably EVER again.

We will most likely be out of here in very early June.  June/July/August/September are probably the best months to enjoy Spokane, so what a blessing it is that we will be arriving right in that time frame.  I’m beyond excited.

Here is some updates since my last personal post:

Ronan after preschool most days.   Leaves his pants in the bathroom and digs for buried treasure.

Still trying to fit into his 2T spider man suit.  (I got him a new one for his birthday, but don’t tell)

Ava smiling for me at the latest photography group meet up.  Love this girl!!

Spring arrives here in Clovis.  Seeing new blooms on the trees makes me so happy.

Ronan wasn’t feeling so great, he laid there most of the day.

He obviously felt better the next day.  He always asks for chocolate “opa-meal” aka oatmeal for breakfast.  I cook some  plain oats and add in dark chocolate.  He loves that.  

Showing off his sword as he watched Mulan.

This is my model for my photography classes.  She has great skin tone, and listens so well!

It’s spring break here in Clovis.  Adam has been studying for Tsgt, the wind has been howling and we’ve not done a whole lot.  The outside temperature is rising steadily though and that makes me happy.  Supposed to up to 84 this weekend. It’s all about the little things right?

Ronan was running around naked posing as batman the other day:

and giving me all sorts of cheesy smiles the day before that:

We went to the first photography meet-up of 2013 today and surprise, surprise…it was windy. We had an awesome turn out though, lots of kids, lots of smiles, and lots of wind. I did manage to snag this shot of Ava though.  I really like it.  It’s not the typical thing that I shoot, but I saw those cool circle shadows and asked Ava to pose for me (she kept smiling, so I asked for a serious face):

Tonight after bathes the kids went out to draw on the sidewalk:

Ronan insisted he wear The Incredibles suit (that is 3 sizes to big for him).   He is great at giving me the weirdest face ever:

of course…no post is complete without our weekly Instagram collage

Ava freezing in the back yard

Homemade Granola

Energy Bites

Stand here and pose with your sister

Don’t eat GMO’s

I tend to only do the recipes on Pinterest that have minimal steps involved.   Maybe I’m lazy, or maybe I’m just a mom that tries not to spend the ENTIRE day in the kitchen.  If I had a better kitchen, maybe I’d be into that but I have a small kitchen and when you add in the dog under your feet and a 3 year old swinging on the refrigerator door it makes me want to leave that room ASAP.  I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.  I’ve been too lazy to get out my big camera lately, so bear with my grainy iphone photos.

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 225.

Step 2: Slice apples (on a mandolin slicer, but don’t cut off a finger) I used the second option on my slicer for a thicker slice after getting floppy slices like you can see here from my first attempt.

Step 3:  Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.   Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Step 4:  Bake for 70 min.

These were gone in about 30 seconds (literally), so use several apples if you want to actually save these for a later date.

I tend to fall into my hobbies and not find time for anything else.  Maybe you noticed? When I find something I have passion about I like to dive in and learn until I feel like I know the ins and outs of it.  I did the same thing when I started photography 4 years ago.   Clean Eating is a very new passion of mine.  I’ve played around with it for a few years, but I kept falling off the wagon because I didn’t do the research to fully send it home to my brain that THIS IS what I need to do for myself and my family.

When I read books about food my blood pressure skyrockets and my passion for truly voting with my wallet runs deep.  It’s such a cluster$#%& of issues though.  You finally cut out wheat or start eating grass fed meat, but then you hear about GMO’s and the kind of havoc they can wreck on your body.  Basically, it’s time to start over.  It’s time to take things slower, quit your second job and get back to basics.  It saddens me that I don’t know anything about growing my own food.   Both sets of my grandparents had HUGE gardens when I went to visit as a kid, and sometime between then and now that information stopped being passed on. I’m not blaming anyone, but I really do just want to know how to do it.  Is it just dirt, water and seeds?  I will be finding that out soon as I grow my own non-GMO seeds this spring.

So here is to my first 3 weeks of CLEAN eating and being wheat-free.

iPhone Imagery #pictapgo

Flouride Free Toothpaste

Big Lots Deals

Cashew Waffles

Happytizer

Chemical Garbage

Spaghetti Squash

OMG!  YUM!   That is all I have to say about this!  I really thought I might die at the thought of giving up wheat, but the more recipes I try, the more I”m convinced that this isn’t the end of the world.  I found this on Pinterest via my friend Carol and I have to SHARE it with you! SO So Good!!

I’ve recently read the book “Wheat Belly” and we have come to the conclusion that wheat is no longer something we want to consume.  We have purged it from our diet.   Ava is having a VERY hard time with it.   She laid around the house for nearly 5 days and didn’t want to eat anything.  I totally felt her pain.  Day 2 I wanted to curl up in the fetal position and have someone wake me up in 30 days.  Wheat is/was an addiction and it takes a whole lot of will power to give it up.  The book recommends not eating other grains as well, but if you only are ready to give up one, give up wheat.  All other grains should be consumed in no more than 1/2 cup at one serving.  It’s very doable after that the first couple of days.   Dealing with your blood sugar being in the dumps is tough, but your body DOES readjust to it.

With that said, here is a recipe that my sister in law shared with me a few years ago .  She has the most pristine diet ever, but allows her self some sugar from time to time.   These are considered “clean” and have only 6 ingredients.  When I made them it was 5 because I didn’t add salt.

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
• 3/4 cup Sucanat
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater), broken into small pieces

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Here is a quick instagram shot I took of my final product. I also need to add that these are kid/husband approved.  They are soft, and taste better than you’d think.