Spring Break Memories - and 30 before 30

We've been having such a wonderful Spring Break this year. 2015 has been so good to us so far. On my 29th birthday, I made a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30 (here). I've checked off some of those this week, and tonight I want to share some of those with you, and some of the moments that have been making my days warmer and brighter.

First we'll start with things I've checked off my list:
I've planted carrots, beets, and strawberries in our garden. The weather got nice Wednesday afternoon, so I finished turning the soil over and pulled out the last of this one plant (still not sure what it was), which had a root system that spanned about a 4 foot radius. It took me 3 separate sessions of digging, pulling, chopping up the roots with my shovel, and shaking the dirt off of them. Whew! I also relocated several flowers from the patch which is now for food, and moved them to other parts of the garden. I have plenty more room to plant beans, tomatoes, and peppers from starts when the time is right. Here are some photos from the gardening:

The "Before" photo - this is actually after lots of work a couple weeks ago

After: Strawberries in front, carrots and beets behind, with lots of room for more later this Spring

Other things I've checked off my list?
Drink wine and beer. Had a nice IPA from Stone Brewing in Carlsbad (I know, I know, not local, but we visited the brewery when we were down there, and it is very yummy), and a glass of Acrobat pinot noir. Yummy.
Cook from scratch... We had friends over and BBQ'd steak and sausages, and had strawberries and a veggie tray. So it wasn't a complicated meal, but it wasn't from a box, can, or the freezer. So it counts. I've also been roasting veggies a lot, which I feel like counts, even if we did have them with frozen turkey meatballs from Trader Joe's. It's a work in progress...
Go to Itty Bitty Bible Study with Olivia. This is obviously an ongoing one. Itty Bitty Bible Study is our church's play group for children under school age. It was the one commitment I made on maternity leave, and Olivia and I made it almost every week. But it's on Tuesday mornings while I'm at work, so I can only go on breaks. This week we went and Olivia had a blast! I love seeing her around other kids because she's not in daycare yet. She is fascinated by them and gets all smiley and laughs and squeals. It's super cute. On Tuesday, she got hugs and kisses from the "big girls" and got to play with the other babies there. She and I also helped out in the nursery on Sunday, and here is a photo of her interactions with the boy whose mother (one of my best friends and a fantastic mommy) and I are determined will be her husband one day, Marco:

I think that's all I've checked off so far, although I plan to take Olivia to the park (another ongoing item on the list) tomorrow, and may even get around to painting my nails, drawing, and maybe even playing some Just Dance on the Wii.

Now, onto the things that have happened but aren't on the list. What a blessed life we have.

Running. I have run by the river and run with Olivia. Most importantly the running was in the beautiful sunshine, and, eerily (for me) allergy free. That's right, folks, the tree pollen is high right now but my allergies have not been bothering me. Odd, and I don't trust it, but until they kick in, I'll just roll with it and enjoy the sunshine!

BBQ adventures. We got a BBQ with our tax return, and have been grilling up a storm. The other night, as I mentioned, we had friends over for steaks, and last night we made carne asada and grilled asparagus. Rob is already a master with the grill, and we've enjoyed having meals outside together.

The new BBQ in all it's glory!

Yummy!

Speaking of meals outside, Olivia, although she won't be 6 months old until tomorrow, has had her first couple of tastes of solid food! We're going with Baby Led Weaning, or BLW, which, in a nutshell, is very well explained by my friend Carolyn, in her post about it, here. Another good one is here. In any case, the gist of it is that rather than bothering with the hassle and expense of pureed and/or jarred baby food, and spooning food into baby's mouth, you just let baby get messy and taste things on her own, in her own time. Olivia had sweet potatoes for the first time the other night, and it went... interestingly. It's hard to fight the impulse to bring things to her mouth for her, because that's what we're used to, but our child won't open her mouth for them anyway, so it would be a losing battle. We just have to remember that at first, it's about play and exploring, then later about actual eating. Anyway, here are some photos of Olivia's first "food" experience:

She did get it into her mouth this time. The night before, it was mostly just smooshed around the tray

Not sure what to think!

But the whole experience was really enjoyable. She was really excited to be sitting with us at the table and was very "chatty" all through dinner. Jack, the dog, enjoyed the fact that only fractions of pieces made it into her mouth. The rest landed conveniently within his reach!

She tried a chunk of pancake tonight with similar reactions, but went back for more at least twice. So she's open to the idea. She was also really into watching us eat our foods, so we made a big deal out of that process. Pretty silly to see two adults talking excitedly about taking bites and then chewing with our mouths open!

We did some crafting, too, as I made a couple of little baby headbands (inspired by Pinterest, of course) for Olivia to wear, and we went shopping for her Easter outfit. No sneak peeks at the Easter clothes, but here are her new headbands:

We had lunch with our friends who (if my memory serves me correctly) have not had a full "Spring Break" of not working since high school - one is now a teacher and the other is a part time student at LCC. It was glorious and relaxing. Finally, today I had a "mommy-date" lunch with one of my dear friends. Without our kids. It was quiet, and calm, and the only times we were interrupted mid-sentence was when we were laughing. It was also short, as we're both still nursing. In any case, it was good, and we both really needed it.

We have a great few days ahead of us, and it's going to be really really hard to go back to work on Monday. However, as blessed as we've been this week, it will be nice to go back refreshed and (mostly) rejuvenated. Here's to Spring Break, memories and plans yet to come, and to cherishing the moments, big and small, of our wonderful little family.

Love and Blessings to you all!

29 is the new 29

 A year ago today, I got my first glimpse of what was to be the greatest gift of my life to date: Olivia's first ultrasound. Rob came with me, and as she came into view, we could already see her kicking her little "legs" and moving her whole, miniscule little body. It was miraculous and amazing, and it is a birthday I will never forget.

For my 29th birthday, things have been a bit more ordinary - and that is totally OK with me. Olivia wanted to be the first to wish me a happy birthday, and she did so at 3am, and again at 5:30. But that 5:30 time was time spent snuggled up in bed, all 3 of us, drifting in and out of sleep. And I opened my eyes at one point to see my little girl gazing up at me. When our eyes locked, her face broke into a giant smile. How could my birthday start off any better than that?

Rob made me breakfast before work, and I got "Happy Birthdays" from so many people. My students made me hand made cards and brought me chocolates (am I really that transparent?!), and my mom sent me flowers at work, like she does every year. Rob brought cookies to my students at the end of the day, and so of course Olivia came too, and loved meeting my students. Who, by the way, were adorable about seeing her, and they were so sweet to her I may have cried a tiny bit.

As I think about my birthday and what the last year has brought me, I think about the many ways I am blessed. Although year 28 was amazing, I know that year 29 can be as well. So I want to start planning to make this year a great one. As it happens, I have been inspired, and plan to unashamedly steal an idea from a friend. My friend Carolyn had her birthday a few days ago, and posted 35 Things to Do Before I Turn 35. I loved it! So I've decided to post my own list. I may not get to all of them, and some are easier to accomplish than others, and others may simply be wishes more than goals. But here goes:

30 Things to do by the time I Turn 30
1.  Run a half-marathon. Here is the one I have picked out!
2. Plant vegetables in my garden and grow food for my family
3. Drink wine. And beer. And really, really enjoy it.
4. Read at least 2 books, all the way through. This may sound easy, but I have a child under age 1! I'm starting small and realistic.
5. Take, and (finally) pass, the Spanish ORELA. That test is terrible.
6. Sleep in.
7. Take Olivia to the park
8. Cook from scratch once a month. As in, nothing from a can, bottle, jar, or freezer - nothing pre-made. Right now, Trader Joe's and Costco rule our kitchen. I will slowly try to take it back...
9. Go camping. Or maybe Yurting. Is "yurting" a word?
10. Hike Mt. Pisgah and Spencer's Butte
11. Run the Butte to Butte
12. Go to Itty Bitty Bible Study with Olivia at Saint Mary's
13. Learn to sew something - anything
14. Write all the Thank You notes I should. Not just think about them. *winces in shame*
15. Date night with my husband once a month.
16. Take a class for credit that will add to my teaching license.
17. Write a blog post at least once a month.
18. Bake something from scratch - not from a box!
19. Make something to decorate or improve my house.
20. Go on a vacation out of the U.S... Or at least to Hawaii.
21. Draw, doodle, sketch. I used to love it. I need to do it more often.
22. Dance. Take a Zumba class, or play my Kinect "Dance Central," or Wii "Just Dance." I love dancing.
23. Do yoga once a week. More if possible.
24. Put my feet in the ocean.
25. Go Snow-shoeing. Coupled with this goal is getting over my fear of driving over the snowy pass. I'm an Oregonian for Pete's sake!
26. Vacation Oregon: Portland, Bend, the coast, Belknap, Silver Falls, Hood River
27. Paint my nails.
28. Find a mirror to go above my mantle, and hang it.
29. Learn more about the bible
30. Think a kind thought about my body every day.

So there it is. Thank you Carolyn for the inspiration to make the list. Thank you to all my friends and family who made today a wonderful day, and who make all my days a lot more wonderful. I am so blessed by you all.

Here's to year 29. And here are a few moments from my day today!