sometimes cute is cute...

it's just black and white.

madeline meredith...

our middle child. the perfect middle child for this family. peace maker. sharer. protector. independent thinker. funny girl. melter of my heart.

just look at those eyes...and that smile.

what an amazing little person.

madeline meredith.

forever friends...

a few weeks ago, we had the wonderful and fun opportunity to spend some extended time with some of our favorite people...the mosleys. there is hardly a day that goes by that i don't miss my sweet friend...i've said it before and i'll say it again...that this little family made little rock feel more like home to us.

caroline (their oldest) and ella have basically known each other all their lives...they are so sweet together...and maddie and sarah hold their own equally well! although, sarah sure was fond of baby ava!

the mosleys moved to the memphis area not long after we moved to D.C. and we just don't get to see each other near enough...but each time we do, we pick up right where we left off like not one day has passed!

we had so much fun spending time with each other...which was just fine with all the price girls...but we did head over to the "firemen's splash" one morning which was a blast! the firemen talked to the kids about fire safety at the library and then we walked over to the fire station where they proceeded to spray countless gallons of water on our squealing children! so, so fun!

it's funny how an entire week can pass in such a blur when you are with the people you love. i couldn't believe when our visit came to an end...and caroline's tears and sad little face won't leave my memory any time soon.

we truly love these little people...and i truly love their mommy. she is such a dear friend to me and i look forward to the next time we see one another.

my friends are so special to me and i try not to take one relationship for granted. lori, thanks for sharing your precious home and family with the girls and me. you are my forever friend...and i know we'll be friends forever!!!!!

we love yall!!!

well preserved...

i have said before that our backyard is a treasure in the way of fruit bearing trees...we have pear, fig, and pecan...and we used to have pomegranate (sshhh...don't tell about the used to part)...i have been itchin' to make some sort of jelly or preserves with some of these sweet little gems...

and i finally decided to do it!

i read just about all there is to know about canning and preserving...gathered all my supplies...and waited for about 3 weeks!!! i think i was just intimidated by the whole process! well, yesterday it was raining and the girls and i were just hanging at home...so i went for it!

i made fig preserves!

now, i don't really like figs...but from what my two tasters have told me...they turned out really well! i am so excited and now i think i have the confidence to try my hand at blueberry jam (since i now have another 9 pounds and this time they were free!!!)!

ok...so this is how it works! you take about 4 cups of figs...

i'm always reminded of my three little ones when i look at anything...i know - it's weird!!!

wash them in baking soda and water and then cut the stems off and add sugar, water, a pinch of salt, and some lemon slices. you can stand over your pot for many hours...or you can place the figs in a crock pot for about 4ish hours...and let them sit!!! (who has many hours to watch a pot when you have three littles?!?!)...

while the figs were hanging out in the crock, i got all my jars washed and ready...

once they have cooked in the crock pot, you then transfer the little sweeties into a pot on the stove top and cook them until the mixture thickens. i chose to mash mine but you can certainly can them whole!

this is pre-mash!

you have to keep your jars hot while you are preparing your preserves...and then when you're ready, you funnel your mixture in...

use your handy dandy tool to remove bubbles and fill the jars with a 1/4 inch space at the top, place lids on, then your bands, and put jars in a "granny bath" for about 10 minutes...

remove the jars and let cool for about 12-24 hours...and then marvel at the 4 1/2 jars that you produced...from way more than 4 1/2 hours of work!!!!! HA!

it doesn't matter though...i thoroughly enjoyed myself...and i'm glad that i was able to make something that was actually edible! jeffrey, who is not normally a fig person either, said he could actually eat some on a big buttermilk biscuit!!!!!

so far, our pecans have made for some delicious pies...and now our figs have made some "supposedly delicious" preserves...if i could just figure out how to make some out of our pears...

i just might be able to go into business!

i hope that i am able to make these preserves for many years to come...and "preserve" some memories for my sweet family while i'm at it!

cropping up...

we've actually got produce...in our backyard! we definitely still have a lot to learn...but what we have been able to pick has been delicious! it's so fun to go out every day and see what's grown!

this is how okra grow...who knew?!?!

spotting one of our cucumbers...

starting to pick...

ella picking an okra that seemed to double in size over night...

maddie handing ella a cucumber...

another one...looks like a giant pickle...

a baby...and after all, i'm pretty partial to babies!!!

our loot!

we're all girl around here...we go from painting toe nails...to picking cucumbers and okra...hence maddie without clothes...we had a little beauty mishap!!!!

another poppy seed...

ava had her 9 month check up last friday...and just as i expected...it was confirmed that she is indeed tiny... just like the other two price poppy seeds that proceeded her!!!! given the growth pattern that all of our babies have exhibited, our doc was not worried! it seems that around 9 months is a "falling off point" for our babes and then they even out with no problem! she is a whopping 13 pounds 15 ounces!!!!!!

she is sitting up...and well, perfectly content to do just that!!!! she can rock back and forth on her knees just a bit...but shows ABSOLUTELY no interest in really moving! the whole idea of having to remain on her belly for that long just royally makes her mad! she loves her mommy's arms the most...and unfortunately, she wins...most of the time. sigh.

***she's playing on the floor right beside me right now...and she really wants to get to me...she just doesn't want to have to get to me herself...silly little thing!!!!!***

she's a good eater...just like the big girls...although, it breaks my heart to watch her eat her "not so favorites"! she makes the most horrible faces when she is given broccoli, cauliflower, or brussel sprouts...but she never cries...she just eats it! i'm hoping those taste buds will help her out soon!

she's enjoying a few finger foods like cheerios, puffs, and tiny pieces of banana...and that definitely helps out during the "bewitching hour"! i can now let her "snack" in her high chair while i fix supper...and she doesn't have to burn so many calories crying!!!!!!

she is super laid back (unless i leave the room), has the prettiest blue eyes that attract many onlookers, giggles in the most adorable way, holds just about anything with her feet, is an incredible sleeper, snuggles like no other price baby (on my shoulder), bites me with her two tiny little teeth quite frequently (ouch!!!), loves to chew on medicine droppers, sucks either thumb...whichever is available at the moment, can find anything on the carpet, even if it's not within reach, and even though she doesn't crawl...that i DON'T need her to, babbles like crazy, still "dream feeds", and loves her big sisters as well as her daddy...

i cannot believe that we are so close to her first birthday...and my wheels have already started turning! a part of me wants to hold on to her "babyhood" forever...but i'm also so excited to see her personality develop and watch her really play with her sisters!

having three girls has been such a blessing...

i love each of our daughters for the many ways that they are different...

and for the many ways that "our little poppy seeds" are just the same!

just a little taste...

of something besides baby food! ava had her very first teething biscuit the other day and she LOVED it! she was incredibly messy when she was finished and i'm always incredibly nervous when they first start "eating"...but what's the point of teething biscuits if you wait until you have all your teeth!!!!!!

it was a fun little activity for my tiny little "two teethed" peanut...and her big sis maddie even joined in on the action! she had to partake of one too...although this time, she wasn't the most messy eater!!!!!

it is unbelievable that we are rounding the corner to our baby's first birthday...when she won't just be eating "baby biscuits"...she'll be eating CAKE! this year has truly flown by...and she has most definitely melted my heart on a daily basis!!!! she's certainly a mommy's girl...and i'm certainly an ava lover!!!!!

i love the way she's looking at me like "really...i can have this?!?!"