a great summertime recipe...

guacamole salad

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon grated zest and 1/3 cup juice from 3 limes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 poblano chiles, seeded and sliced into thin matchsticks
2 ripe avocados, pitted, skinned, and cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

salt tomatoes - toss tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. transfer to paper towel and let drain 15 minutes.
make dressing - combine scallions, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. let sit 5 minutes, then slowly whisk in oil.
toss salad - add chiles, avocados, cilantro, and drained tomatoes to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. season with salt and pepper. serve.

**we made this for cinco de mayo and it was a crowd pleaser! it tastes so fresh and summery...i just had to share!**

wordless wednesday...sort of!!

"sweet pea" at 17 weeks

this seems kinda silly...seeing as there really isn't that big of a bump (YET!!!)...but this post is more for me - years down the road - you know, all moms reminisce about pregnancies gone by...and i want to remember almost every second of this miracle (i'll be glad to forget the severe "morph into a non-human nausea" that seemed to plague me for about 15 weeks!!) anyway, i plan to do this until we meet this little someone...

a date that i look forward to with great love and anticipation...

and one that i am certain i will surely reminisce about once it has come and gone.

how can you not smile...

at this little face...



or these little faces...

or this happiness...

i was cleaning the kitchen the other night while jeffrey took the girls up for their bath...i suddenly hear my husband screaming for me saying "meredith, meredith...come here quickly..." - "bring the camera!". as soon as i recovered from the fact that the last part of that sentence wasn't "call 911"...i ran upstairs with my camera only to find this scene!!!!!!

madeline was completely "dolloped" with bathtub foam (the girls' absolute favorite thing for the tub)...and they were hysterically laughing! i really wish jeffrey had yelled for me to bring the video camera, because while i will NEVER forget the moment, the pictures just don't do it justice! both of the girls look quite evil with their mouths hanging open...because they could. not. stop. laughing. neither could their daddy or i!!!!!

madeline may march to her own little independent drum...but she doesn't fall short in the comedic category whatsoever! she keeps us in stitches quite often...and we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

and at least for this particular night...i didn't have to wonder if their hair really got washed with soap!!!!!!

friendship friday...

i LOVE my friends...and when i make one...i want to keep them for life! since i have some of the best friends in the world...i thought that fridays would make a perfect day to celebrate each one of them! from now until every lady is featured, i am going to be hosting "friendship friday"...i can recount what makes them so special to me and you can get to know them better!!!! i plan on drawing names out of a hat...and our first feature is none other than:

meredith davis. aka mer.

i love this girl. mer and i have been friends since our college days...but quite honestly, it feels like i have known her my whole life! we don't get to catch up nearly as often as i would like... with her having three small children and me having two...opportunities for endless chatting are few and far between! go figure - but each time we do talk, it's like no time has passed at all.

mer was my first friend to have a baby...and you better believe i was one excited "aunt"! i waited on pins and needles to get "the call" so that i could be there for the birth of her sweet firstborn son! i don't normally like driving by myself, but this was one road trip that nobody was going to stop me from taking! i got there and was able to be with mer through most all of her labor, some major attempts at pushing, and then in the end - waiting at the nursery window after my sweet friend went in for a c-section! "l" was the sweetest baby and i enjoyed every minute of his precious first days...i cried most of the way home when i had to leave them! he will always hold a special place in my heart...just like his precious mother! (who by the way now has two more precious children...a daughter and another baby boy!)

mer has a great sense of humor and doesn't take herself too seriously! she and i share an absolute disgust for germs...which makes for some pretty interesting hysteria when we are together!!!! she is GORGEOUS, has the most beautiful blue eyes, and has FABULOUS hair (you know the kind that doesn't get a lump in it when taken out of a ponytail!!!!!) she has a funky sense of style which works perfectly on her, she will ponder a purchase for far more time than should be allowed (HA!), and she loves to watch things on ebay! this girl has the patience of job when it comes to waiting for the "right" thing to buy...no impulse shopping here!!!!! she is not afraid to venture to wal-mart on her own at night (much to my displeasure...worry wart here!) and she makes some darn good spaghetti! she has a penchant for sweet candy late at night...which works perfectly...as both of us are night owls! sleep deprivation is usually on the agenda when we get together! one more random fact: as close as we are, neither one of us has ever been able to attend a birthday party for our children...c.r.a.z.y!!!!!

she and i have always had a special bond...i can literally tell her anything. i can sit with her and not say a word and feel like i've had the best conversation ever. i treasure her and her family like they were an extension of my own and i know, without a doubt, that we will be friends forever. i love you, mer and i wouldn't change a thing about our friendship...ok, maybe we would live WAAAAAY closer to each other...but other than that - it's perfect! thanks for being "my mer". you are no doubt a blessing to me!

wordless wednesday...

five years of blessings...

on september 11, 2003, i found out for sure that i was indeed going to be a mommy! words cannot even adequately describe how i felt and how i still feel about the fact that my biggest dream has come true...twice...almost three times!!!! as ella and i were playing in the backyard today while madeline took a nap, i just watched her and thought about her last five years. she radiates happiness and she has since the moment she came into this world.

ella smiles constantly...and i think this is just the way she outwardly expresses her inwardly happy heart.

she is compassionate, a very loyal friend and quite frankly - never meets a stranger, is always concerned about others, is the BEST big sister i know, is obedient...and generally makes me really proud!!!!! people, everyone from her teachers to cashiers, are always commenting on how sweet she is...and i think it's because she is just so happy!!!! you can tell that she lives each day to the fullest...and i know that great things are in store for this little girl!

i found this letter that i wrote to ella when she was 18 months old...not much has changed:

as i watched you work so hard to place that spoon inside the bowl you ate your dinner with tonight, i realized how much of a baby you are NOT and i became so filled with love at that moment. i am so proud of you. i am amazed every day at how much you learn even when i am not trying to teach you or when i am not even with you. everyone talks about how bright you are, but even more than that - i marvel at how much you soak up every minute of life. your humor at 18 months is outstanding...we can cue you to laugh, cry, cough, or burp...and we think you are so funny! you are such a loving little girl...you can give the greatest wet kisses and the best hugs ever! i don't want a minute to go by that you don't know how much you mean to me or how deep my love for you runs. my existence is better because of you and i look forward to every new, wondrous day with you. you are everything good and pure. i love you...your mommy.

ella - 2 days old

ella at her 1st birthday party!

ella at 2 years old

ella at 3 years old

ella at 4 years old

ella...you are growing up so very fast, but you are not missing a minute of it! you have the most amazing ability to drink in every ounce of life and i learn from you every day. the twinkle in your eyes and your precious dimples have melted my heart an infinite amount of times...and i thank God for blessing me with the privilege of being your mommy. your ability to find the best in everyone, your willingness to forgive, your patience, your zest for this thing called "life"...leave me many days in awe. how could someone that has lived such a short amount of time be so wise? you have so many special gifts and i look forward to watching you continue your amazing journey. i pray that you never lose your "glass is overflowing" outlook on life...i know that you won't...because that is just simply who you are. simply extraordinary. happy birthday angel...i love you to the moon and back...and then some.

ella on her 5th birthday

she'll always be my baby...

a "hole" lotta fun...

to say that i can't believe my first born is five would be an understatement...and i fully intend to put those thoughts on "paper"...but her party was the main event this weekend and we had so much fun! i knew that it was going to be chaos...you know - feeding 15 children lots of sugar in public...but for the most part, the party was a huge success!!!!

ella was most excited that all of her classmates were there to celebrate with her...and everybody wore their pajamas!!!!! most of the little girls wanted the "pink" donuts and the chocolates were also a huge hit...of course, we had to cut maddie off after two...she probably would have eaten a dozen had we allowed it!!!

i don't think the dunkin donuts employees had ever witnessed a birthday party there before...at one point, they were all gathered around taking in the hysteria...and one was even taking pictures (kinda freaked me out a little!!!)!!

i think it was the perfect place to celebrate one special little girl's birthday...the smiles were more plentiful than the donuts...and that makes this mommy happy!