4 Months Old!

Ada had her 4 month well-baby check & immunizations this month. I remember before I had a baby thinking, "Oh brother, these moms that are so sad when their babies have to get shots are silly...it's for their own good!" Boy did I eat my words/thoughts the first time my sweet baby girl looked up at me with those eyes! The ones that say, "How could you?! You are holding me, and I am feeling pain! This is wrong!" She was so good during the shots though. She cried a little, then kept nursing.

4 month stats:

17 lbs. 6 oz.

26 1/2 in. long

16 1/2 in. head circumference

She is in the 97th percentile. Translation: BEEFCAKE!

Things Ada does:

- scoots around on her belly in circles

- pushes her booty up during tummy time (legs straight, it looks like downward-facing-dog while faceplanted)

- says, "la-la-la" and we think, "ma-ma"

- balances on one leg in Daddy's hand

- arches her back and rolls from tummy to back and vice versa

- grabs anything in sight and throws, feels, bangs, pushes, or puts into mouth

- sucks air in while making noise

- laughs, chatters, & screams

- loves to sing and dance

- pulls her binky out of her mouth & almost gets it back in the right way

- opens and closes her hands while touching people...kind of scratches you

- tries to sit up on her own

- while sitting up, needs less support

- grabs her feet

We fall more and more in love with our Ada every day. She is such a joy to be around and has such a fun little personality coming through. Her hair is getting lighter and staying curly, we are excited about that! She loves people and smiles wherever we go.

I could kiss this face all day long!

Birth Month!

I turned 26 this month! It's crazy to think that I'm on the other side of my 20s now...closer to 30! As usual, the celebrating lasted all month.

To begin the festivities, my mom took me out to lunch and shopping in Santa Barbara. It was a perfect day!

Ada was in tow, of course :)

We ate at Stella Mare, the sweetest little French-themed restaurant. My mom saw it on Rachael Ray's show when she ate there. I had an incredible seafood sandwich with melted Gruyere on it...my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

After shopping for a while, we stopped in at Pinkberry for a yummy treat! Ada loved the taste, but the cold threw her off a bit.

The next day, my actual birthday, we went to Avila Beach. It was a beautiful 80 degrees and we got a parking spot right in front as we drove up. Talk about a perfect gift! :)

Ada loved feeling the sand in her toes.

She has no choice...as a member of this family she will grow up on the beach!

My sweet 4 month old chubbalub & I

This was her second time at the beach...relaxing like an old pro ;)

Have you noticed the delicious rolls on her arms and legs?!

The next day, we headed up to San Luis for some tri-tip sandwiches at Firestone.

Ada got lots of attention all bundled up on her Daddy!

One lady was overly excited about how adorable she is; I got a little worried. It was funny though :)

We celebrated with Nana & Bobba on the 18th, coupled with our Easter celebration.

We had the annual egghunt and Becca beat me out by $2! She always wins! Matt and I decided that we will have an army of children to dominate the egghunts in the future. Ha!

Uncle Devin delivered again this year with an amazingly terrible gift! I have to take a picture of it and post it. It's awesome.

Thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday, it has truly been an excellent one.

I have been surrounded by loved ones, in the places I love the most.

Here's to another great year of life ahead!

Ada Goes to Kindergarten

Yesterday I took Ada in to meet my mom's kindergarten class. Well, half of them. This is the afternoon group making funny faces so that Ada will laugh!

I had Ada in the Bjorn in front of me, and she loved it! While my mom was teaching, she was jabbering away and repeating along with the kids. I think she's going to love school just like her Mommy did :)

(That's Ada's arm in the bottom right corner)

I love how when I first got there, everyone was on the carpet. Slowly, all of the girls ended up on the edge over by the baby. They kept saying, "She's so cute!" "Hi Ada!" & "She's so chubby!"

It was adorable...girls really are little mommas from the beginning!

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

Who loves California Pizza Kitchen? I do! This is just like the salad I order every time I eat there. The first time I ate at CPK was in New York City. Ironic, no?

Once again, another winning recipe from The Sisters Cafe!

Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I cubed mine since that's how CPK does it)

1 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped (I used all Romaine because I don't like iceberg)

1/2 head Iceberg lettuce, chopped

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

4 Roma tomatoes, diced

2 Haas avocados, diced

shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar

crispy tortilla strips

Stir shredded chicken in with the BBQ sauce until well coated. Of course you can use less or more sauce, it's up to you! Toss together the lettuce, cilantro, corn, beans, and chopped veggies. Top with shredded chicken, cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Drizzle ranch or cilantro lime dressing over salad and enjoy!

*to make crispy tortilla strips simply slice about 10 corn tortillas in narrow strips and place on cookie sheet. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle generously with salt. Place under the broiler and let bake until crispy and brown around the edges.

This makes enough salad to feed a huge family. I called my mom and had her come over to help us eat it & there was still tons leftover! Such a great salad, and hearty enough to eat as your main course. Mmm cilantro :)

Honey Lime Enchiladas

I have tried many enchilada recipes, and this is the last one! I'll never make another again.

The meat has a sweet taste to it, and complimented with the mild green sauce...it's a winner!

I found this recipe via The Sisters Cafe. They have so many good recipes over there!

I did the rice Chipotle style...thanks to miss Jasmine for the idea! It tastes so much better than original Mexican rice, in my opinion. I was there with my mom last week (oh if only she was on spring break all year long) and the girl working said they put cilantro, lime (or lemon?) juice, and salt in it. So easy & yummy!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

1.5 lbs pork or chicken, cooked and shredded

Sauce:

1/3 c honey

1/4 c lime juice

1 Tb chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Enchiladas:

2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce (I couldn't find these, so I used a 15 oz. can and it was the perfect amount for us)

equal parts mixed together of:

mozzarella cheese, shredded

cheddar cheese, shredded

flour tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork or chicken. Let the sauce soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Lightly spray 2 pans with non-stick baking spray. (She usually uses one 9x13 and one 9x9...I used a 13x15) Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom. Fill tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top - don't be stingy! (I even poured the remaining marinade sauce on top) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of oven. Let it broil until cheese is slightly brown and crispy.

Fresh Faces Contest!

Jasmine Johnson's Fresh Faces contest begins tomorrow at 8am!

Go and vote for Ada HERE! :)

Voting goes through April 13th at 8pm.

You can vote once per day (poll tracks per-24-hour period, not necessarily a calendar day).

If Ada wins, we get an on-location mini-session with Jasmine, 5 digital images, five 5x7 prints...all worth $425!

Tell your friends and pass the word along!

Thank you, thank you :)