green smoothies!

okay. . . i have had lots of emails and comments about green smoothies since the boys shared in their poems that it is one of their favorite foods. . . .

first i have to share how i do life . . i am not a researcher. . . i get bored, i don't have time, and i don't like it. so i surround myself with great people and trust them and do what they do! like amazing moms, awesome doctors, mentor moms who have lived little kids, grounded thinking educators, and lots of people smarter than me. then i listen to them and tweak it and make my own version that works for our family.

so there is nothing magical about our morning green smoothies. i have fed the boys smoothies for breakfast since they were one. i got most of my ingredients from the book "super baby food" which my sister-in-law recommended to me and i have passed on to many first time moms it is incredible. then the other night at a church meeting two moms i respect tons- linda and heidi told me about the http://www.greensmoothierevolution.com/ book they had been reading. so the next morning i started putting greens into our smoothies. i am also a get it done person so if i think the idea is good and i really trust the people it is DONE and incorporated into our life! each day the recipe changes with what is in the fridge but here is the main ingredients -

- tofu (a few scoops) - i add this b/c i worry about my girls getting enough protein each day

- 2-3 bananas

- 1-2 cups frozen blueberries (i buy the big bag from costco and we go through one huge bag in about week and a half)

- 2-3 activia yogurts

- odwalla orange juice or v8 splash juice (1 cup about) - i do not like our juice to have any extra sugar

- greens - spinach, kale, parsley ect. . - i usually use three to four cubes - so i buy it in bulk then puree it and freeze in ice cube trays so it is easy to access and the portions are right

this recipe makes a whole blender full with a full glass for five people and small glasses for two little girls. so it is a lot. aaron and i have been drinking them also each morning and grampy of course joins in.

oh yeah how do they taste. . well. . . . .now i never said they were delicious they are not . . they are not bad at all but not delicious . . . drinkable and kind of good:) enjoy! i just love the feeling that everyone starts the day with protein, awesome fruit, yogurt, and GREENS!!!!!! feel free to ask any questions i will answer in the comments.

ps. . if your kids or you are freaked out by the green specs we call it the "green polka-dot smoothie" for lucia. . she loves polka dots! also this is not enough for my boys for breakfast they also have protein milk shakes and a bowl of granola or wheat toast. they are huge eaters!

mama please do not turn into a penguin. . .

some spring pics of lucia!

i love that she still sleeps the same way she did as a baby. .bootie in the air!

this little girl turns our world upside down. she has more personality, opinions, imaginative ideas, stories, and demands then any one human should have in their body. she never stops talking. . . okay i take that back she is quiet when you give her a bowl of ice cream or she is reading to herself. we thank God everyday for this fun, joyful, demanding, funny little girl. adoption is so cool!

lucia says the funniest things we all think she is hysterical. her imagination and memory blow us away. she easily recites long books line for line.. . the boys cannot believe it they think she is really reading. her memory is astounding! her imagination is incredible and so vivid. he newest obsession is dreams. all day she tells me "mama you turned into a penguin!"

i've tried to explain over and over that i will not turn into a penguin and that it is only a dream. she also tells us about a dream where she saves daddy's cell phone from a dragon. last night she told me a bald eagle will not stop chasing her in her dreams and i wasn't able to help because i was teaching emery to walk fast. it literally goes on and on. i would have to journal everyday to pass along all the lucia stories.

one last story. . last week i was trying to get her to nap and she was being extremely difficult to put it nicely so i finally kind of snapped about choosing her jammies and she turned to me and said, "mommy are you feeling a little bit angry and frustrated?"

um YEAH! but of course i just laughed she has got our number and she has since the first time we held her in guatemala. . . sassy, smart, sweet, and so dang cute . . what a combination!

if your family has never considered adoption pray about it because it is amazing and there are precious children who need a family. . it is the biggest leap of faith we have ever taken and the best leap of faith!

big accomplishments for all the boys!

introducing DR. MCMURRAY! he did it. . . he graduated and completed his PhD! what an amazing accomplishment. his perseverance, dedication and passion for learning amaze me! we are all so proud of dad! papa and grandma came up for the ceremony and celebration!

classic picture of josh and aaron. josh is one of aaron's best friends from college. he is a professor now at Gonzaga and also has his PhD.

keagan and kinkade completed there first big school project! their assignment was a visual representation of their animal report. they worked on the projects for a month painting, sculpting, cutting, gluing, drawing. . on and on! here is part of keagan's final project on bengal tigers. he also had a book that went with it.

kinkade chose the snowy owl. they both loved the entire process. i was glad when it was done:)

kinkade is half way to black belt he received his red belt last weekend and got a half-way trophy!

keagan and kinkade came running into the house the other day with brand new bright green t-shirts they were the top first grade boys in the spring run-off tied for first place! keagan had his spring piano recital he played the song "Westminster chimes" it was beautiful!

we brought red velvet cupcakes to the recital to celebrate all his hard work!

i am so proud of all my boys they have worked so hard whether it was one month or 9 years to complete these awesome accomplishments!

summer is in the air and on our heads!

it feels like summer today so we broke out the huge sunflower on my head accessory! and boy did we get a lot of comments out running errands!

remember this . . . .this picture was taken on our second visit trip when lucia was three months old.

i love this next picture of lucia it is one of my all time favorites . maybe it is because she never looks serious or sad.

i have been trying to add little touches of color and summer around the house. i got these napkins on sale at anthropology last winter and thought they looked kind of fun as curtains. this bread reminds of summer. . . because last year on my birthday patty brought it over with yummy balsamic vinegar and olive oil. i put it out for the boys for an after school snack and we all fell in love instantly. so it is our special "splurge after school summer treat" now. we just had it yesterday and i am telling you it is so fabulous. if you have not been to this new little bakery go immediately! heaven!!!!!!!!!

so i barley ever buy anything for the house these days just not in the budget. . . but when i found these affordable little treasures i just had to go for it. are these not the cutest prints ever!! i got them from this to-die-for etsy shop that i could look at all day long! http://www.etsy.com/shop/joom?order=&section_id=&page=1

i think they look so sweet in the kitchen.

happy almost summer!

new dresses from grandma!

papa and grandma were here for the weekend for aaron's graduation and mother's day. we had so much fun with them. grandma brought the girls darling dresses from hannah andersson! we all love them! lucia says it is the perfect twirling dress!

mama, mommy, ma ma ma ma

here are some snapshots from mothers day in our family. it was sunny, papa and grandma brought lattes and had breakfast here, we went to church, home for french dip sandwiches, off to naps, out to dinner with grammy and grampy and the harrows and finally home for family soccer in the front yard. it was a full day filled with people we love.

emery always reminds me of a little bird when she eats. . this is her at dinner. for some reason i think it is so cute when aaron does this with the staw.

white tulips, new yellow flats what could be better on mothers day! we tried to get a picture of all the kids and me before dinner. . . sometimes it just doesn't work if you can believe it this is actually the best one and it is not good!

when i think of being a mom this last year these are the words that come to mind - busy, blessed beyond my wildest dreams, exhausting, noisy, bows, uniforms to wash, prayer, proud, humbling, questions, guilt, self reflection, thankfulness, unconditional love beyond comprehension, laughter, forgiveness, fullness, worry, milk, green smoothies, hard work, support, schedules, decisions, tears, reading, cuddling. . ..

ma ma ma - emery's first words

mama - the boys always call me mama or still at times mommy

mommy - lucia calls me mommy almost all the time

i love being a mom it is hard and so humbling but it is worth every moment!

silly. . .mad. . .and still cute

so silly. . . so mad. . .

still cute. . .

emery 13 months. . .