Art Show

Last Thursday we went to BYU for my friend's BFA art show.  First we played around outside and let Ruby  run around Brigham Square.  Every single student who passed had to smile at her.

The art show was great.  Elise is extremely talented and it's so awesome to see how her style has changed over the years.  I remember staying up with her all night our freshman year, watching her finish a painting.  The next year, my apartment was covered with her art on our walls.  I remember those painting so well, and find myself missing them sometimes.

Ruby looooved being at the art show.  She charmed other guests and loved looking at Elise's pieces.

Farm Country

Yesterday Kerry and I took Caeden and Ruby to Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point.  You better believe that I'm going to get a lot of use out of that pass!

My favorite part was the the ride on the horse-drawn wagon.  Ruby's favorite part was running amok and watching Caeden ride a pony.  She wanted to ride one so bad--but I know the second she got up there she would have freaked out.  This girl is scared of the carousel, I don't think she could handle riding a real breathing animal.

Dinosaur Museum

The Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point is awesome.  We went on Saturday with Kaity and Alan.  It was a great deal because I have a pass (THANK YOU MOM!!!!!!) so I was free and all my guests were 50% off.  I have a feeling I will be going there a lot.  Ruby loooooved it.  She ran around to all the skeletons and models yelling "Rawr!!" because that is the only animal sound she knows, plus it's accurate.

 (Christy, avert your eyes. Megalodon coming up. It freaked me out but you will have a heart attack.)

  They have a cool physics room with lots of things to do.

We then went to Chili's for dinner.  I always always always get the Big Mouth Bites or whatever their sliders are called, and love them.  In the name of calorie-consciousness, however, I tried something new, off the healthier section of the menu.  It was nasty.  I should have seen that coming.

Reunited

One of the most fun things I did while in California was meet up with Chelsea, my best friend from high school.  Ruby LOVED her and her daughters.  She was so sad when they left!  I think she wants Chelsea to be her new mom.  Chels brought me beautiful flowers, and Lilly brought Ruby a pink balloon.  We had grand plans of all the fun things we would do together...but we got to chatting so we just spent 4 hours talking in my living room, with the babies playing around us. We haven't hung out in like ten years so we had a LOT to catch up on.

Lilly is delightful and crazy and fun.

I have so many pictures of them playing on the stairs because it was their FAVORITE ACTIVITY.  They went up and down together like a million times.

 Check out this beautiful Claira.  I could not stop looking at her face--she is stunning.

Lilly and Ruby really liked each other--when they weren't taking each others' toys, of course.  I think it was really good for Ruby; she's used to being the boss!  Chelsea also put up some cute pictures on her blog.

California

Ruby and I just got back from a week in California--a week of heaven, more like.  My home town is so gorgeous.  I just can't get enough of the Bay Area.  When we drove in and saw the green hills, Christy and Danny and I freaked out with how beautiful it is.  Any time I walked out of my house, I breathed in the air and had to close my eyes because it was so delicious.  What is it about the air that is so different and wonderful there?  I really like my home in Springville, but it just can't compete with California.

This week I got to spend a lot of time with my grandma, which is always one of my hopes for time spent at home.  I played lots of games with my sisters and bro-in-law.  I hugged and kissed the twins a lot, even though I can do that here in Utah too.  I watched Doctor Who with Katy--score! I went to Katy's singles ward, which is quite an experience when you have a rambunctious toddler who was missing her nap--remember how silent singles wards are in Sacrament Meeting? Yikes.

Christy and Danny took Ruby and their girls to the park by my house while I was at home taking a looong nap , still recovering from our drive.  (You would think that driving for 12 hours with 4 kids would be hard, but that wasn't our problem.  RUBY was. The Leininger girls were angels.)  Chris took some cute pictures.

Sad I missed out on that fun--it was the only nice day the whole week!  But California rain is different from Utah rain somehow, much more pleasant, so I didn't really mind.

It was so fun to be home.  Ruby is obsessed with my parents--she didn't want me the entire time we were there.  It would have been way sadder to leave if Mom's trip here for Easter wasn't already on the calendar!