Oh Gosh

Best Thing #4

2012-02-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the 4th Best Thing about my life right now. Christy and Danny and the girls living in Salt Lake has greatly improved my life! The only beef I have with them is that they live a full hour away. Luckily, that hasn't stopped us from hanging out about twice a week. The increase in our gas budget is worth it for the increase of my happiness (hopefully Kyle agrees).

Ruby loooooves Christy and her kids. She gives Christy lots of hugs. She plays with Lucy like CRAZY. It is so fun to watch them run around together. Ruby basks in the attention that Lucy gives her. She also loves Joyce and Lydia! She talks to them and gives them pats, it is really cute.

Hanging out with them definitely brightens my week. We usually hang out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lucy's non-preschool days. Today is Thursday and I'm not hanging out with them because Christy made plans WITH SOMEONE ELSE. Rude. Jk. We also all get together on Saturdays sometimes, which is fun because Danny and Kyle get to hang out with each other. Last week we went up there and babysat each others kids so we could both go on a date. Kyle and I went out for brunch at this place in Salt Lake that has the BEST sourdough french toast, and then went to an enormous antique mall. We then babysat their kids while Christy and Danny went out, and then we packed up all the babies and all went to The Pie for dinner. It was such a fun day!

Christy and I have wanted to live near each other for years. We still think it's so exciting that we can go to lunch together, go shopping together, and make crafts together. We're living the dream! Now all we need is Katy here too! The ultimate dream is to have a little Anderson Row on some street. Someday.

Today is boring until Kyle gets home from work. Then we are going to celebrate Groundhog Day by eating Costa Vida and getting my eyebrows waxed! (That sounds weird. Yesterday I got a haircut from Kerry and planned to get a wax, but we ran out of time so I'm going back today.)

The 3 Best Things

2012-02-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

If asked, I would say that things are...good. Not AMAZING, but definitely just fine. The best things about life currently: Ruby being sooo funny and cute, Kyle being the most helpful and thoughtful man in the world, and Felicity.

RUBY. She is insane. She zips around the house, talking and playing with everything she can get her hands on. Ruby talks CONSTANTLY. She is a little babbler and I know it has meaning. Sometimes she will look at me and say the same thing over and over again, waiting for me to get it. She is obsessed with her guys--Bunny and Tigger of course, and now also Abby and Nemo and Dumbo and a couple babies she has. She feeds them, gives them juice, holds them and kisses them, pushes them in the stroller, and she's even starting to pretend to change their nonexistent diapers.

Her favorite game is "Where's Bunny and Tigger?" which she plays with her dad. She is really good at finding them after Kyle hides them and has started to hide them herself. Kyle and I just sit on the couch cracking up when she does this, it is so cute and funny.

Ruby wants to dress herself. She tries to put on her socks and pants by herself until I eventually help her because she is not even close at being able to do it. It's so cute! She tries putting on my shoes and I just about die. She does the signs for "more" and "all done" and she can say hi, bye, more, mama, dada, and no. Caitlin is also pretty sure she said basketball yesterday at Timmy's birthday party, but I didn't hear it :) Ruby looooves brushing her teeth with dad. When we tell her it's time to say prayers, she comes and kneels down at the ottoman and usually folds her arm for a couple seconds. Next we'll work on not giggling through the prayer and poking my face while I try to pray.

Ruby loves to count. Not with numbers, of course. She counts using made up numbers but the exact right inflection, it is so cute. She does a big loud "DEEE!" that mimics how I sound when we get to "TEN!" It is adorable. I now wake up every morning because it is so loud when she jumps in her crib, her new favorite activity. Luckily, it keeps her extremely happy and entertained so I can sleep in. When I do get her up in the morning, she points to her diaper to let me know she needs it changed. She loooooves Sesame Street, particularly Elmo. She freaks out with joy when I put on the Elmo cd when we're driving. We watch an episode while eating breakfast, and it makes her eat soooo slowly. She loves it.

Ruby is amazing and every night Kyle and I tell Heavenly Father how grateful we are for her.

KYLE. Guys, how did I get a man like Kyle? He does everything for me. By the time he gets home from work, I am completely wiped out and feeling sick and exhausted. As soon as he gets home (from his own long and trying day at work), I get on the couch and he proceeds to do EVERYTHING. He feeds and takes care of Ruby, he feeds and takes care of me. He does the laundry and the dishes and cleans the rest of the house. AND he manages to do it all with a smile on his face, to keep me from feeling too extremely guilty that he is doing everything by himself while I just lay on the couch. He says that my biggest job is just to survive and grow this baby. He really understands how miserable pregnancy can be, and he tries to make me feel better any way he can. The other night I was feeling desperate for chocolate so he went to his nightstand and got out a Milky Way he had been secretly saving for just such an occasion. COME ON THAT IS AWESOME. He is amazing.

FELICITY. Is it weird that a 90s show would be such a lifesaver these days? Ok, so at this point in my pregnancy I am SO TIRED. There are days when I have to let Kyle know that he is married to Zombie Becca at the moment. All I want in the world is to TAKE A NAP. Buuuut I am also having trouble going to sleep at night--like, getting in bed at 9:30 and not falling asleep until 3. SO I am trying really hard to not nap during the day, because that really kills nighttime sleep for me. The hardest part of the day is during Ruby's nap. I have like a 2 hour stretch of time when I don't have the energy to do anything but sit on the couch, but I CANNOT let myself go to sleep. So. Enter Felicity. It is the only thing that is capable of keeping me awake during those times. Mostly because of how AWESOME AND DRAMATIC AND COMPELLING it is. I remember when it was on when I was a kid, not nearly old enough to understand or even watch it. Even without watching it, I knew that I LOVED Ben and didn't understand the appeal of Noel. OH HOW I'VE GROWN. Noel is now my faaaave and Ben is just cute. When anything happens between Noel and Felicity, my heart literally jumps in my chest. That's how much I love them together. Thanks heavens for Netflix, which has all 4 seasons on Instant Play.

8 weeks

2012-01-19T09:46:00.001-07:00

We found out I was pregnant on Dec. 30, after getting a negative result on Christmas. I took the test after Kyle got home from work because we just couldn't wait until the next morning. I left the test in the bathroom without looking at it. I was certain it would be negative and was dreading the disappointment I would feel. When it was time to look, I started crying a little because I was sure it would be negative. Kyle held my hand and walked in with me to look. I couldn't believe it was positive. We were dumbfounded and just hugged.

That day we told some friends and called Kyle's family. Barbara's excitement is what first got me excited instead of just shocked. She was at Carolyn's house in Amarillo because Carolyn had just had a baby (Julian, who we can't wait to meet! the first boy in the family!), so everyone thought it was hilarious that there's another grandbaby on the way. Her first reaction (and Carolyn's) was "Are you serious?" It's a good thing Grandma Barbara loooooves her grandkids.

Two days later my family came to town and we told them in person during 2nd Christmas. Mom screeaamed. It was a really fun surprise for them. Christy took a couple pictures right after they found out.

Bawling.

Then screaming.

I've decided it's much more fun to find out with Kyle. With Ruby, I took the test while he was at work. I spent all day freaking out, but not being able to tell anyone. I had no idea how to tell him either. I definitely prefer him knowing the same instant I do.

I am feeling fine. Very tired, occasionally nauseated, but nothing even close to when I was this far along with Ruby. I haven't even thrown up yet! I am really grateful that I can take care of Ruby without extreme misery and needing help from everyone around me. I'm also grateful that I can eat! Sometimes I feel so normal that I can't believe I'm pregnant. It's almost worrisome. I'm trying to just enjoy it while it lasts.

We are assuming it's a boy. I feel so different from last time, and people say that boys make you sick later than girls. Of course everyone and every pregnancy is different, but it's fun to think of a little boy in our family. (But then I think about a little girl and that is equally exciting.) Kyle's mom and dad visited this weekend and bought her a little baby boy doll when we went to Blickenstaff's. He is so cute! Ruby puts in his (magnetic) binky and pushes him around in the stroller they gave her. I hope she's so helpful when it's a real baby. (Although I think I'll take over stroller duty for a while.) Ruby LOVES babies right now so I hope that stays true. She is so gentle with Christy's twins. She is so excited to see them, but just pats their heads softly and talks to them instead of getting rowdy.

Long Lashes

2012-01-13T11:29:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, my friend and co-sister-in-law Lindsay came over and gave me eyelash extensions! She is training to get certified as an extensionist so I was the lucky guinea pig who got extensions for free. I have wanted to try it for a long time but was always too nervous/poor so this was just awesome. And I LOVE IT!!!!

I keep looking at myself in the mirror and batting my eyelashes. I am going to have to refine my flirtation skills to include coyly looking up at Kyle from under my lashes too.

I made these pictures small because it was freaky to see huge eyes on my blog, especially my own eyes. And no one wants to see my pores in that much detail.

Lindsay did awesome and I am really happy with the result. I'm a real girl now!

uhhh

2012-01-09T09:38:00.001-07:00

I spent the week with my family, who were here to move in Christy and Danny. Their house in Salt Lake is super cute and I am so happy they are here! Ruby is going to have so much fun playing with her cousins, and I finally get to shop with Christy whenever I want.

There is a strong possibility that I am going to get eyelash extensions soon and I am FREAKING EXCITED. I have the dumbest stubbiest little lashes, and I have always been bitter about it.

I just scheduled my first OB appointment with the doctor who delivered Ruby and I am thrilled because I LOVE HIM. This guy cut me open and hefted my uterus so you could say that I trust him.

I don't feel pregnant still. I'm not sick yet, praise heaven! Just reaaaalllly tired.

Ruby discovered that snow is the Most Fun Thing Ever. Today we spent nearly 2 hours outside playing. It was a welcome diversion from her other afternoon activity--throwing tantrums every 5 minutes. Little punk.

Super excited for the New Hampshire primary tomorrow!!

20 Questions

2012-01-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some things you may be wanting to ask me, even if you didn't know it yet.

1. Do you still like the purple in your hair?
Yes yes yes yes. I'm liking it more and more. I'll probably keep it up.

2. What's your current TV addiction?
Obviously Voyager. Kyle and I are in the 6th season and it's still awesome. I also am secretly obsessed with Vampire Diaries but let's keep that quiet.

3. Who do you like in the GOP 2012 race other than Mitt Romney?
Tough--there are good and bad things about all the candidates. Even when pressed, I think "Newt Gingrich--oh wait, no, there's that thing. Okay how about Huntsman--except no, remember that one thing? Ron Paul! Uhh...no, he is delightful but kind of crazy." So basically, they're all better than Obama, but Mitt better win.

4. Are you pregnant?
Yes, yes I am.

5. What about--wait--seriously?
Ahuh.

6. When is the due date?
August 30

7. Did you plan this?
Yep.

8. Isn't Ruby a little young for you to be having another baby?
Well, yeah, but Katy and I are about the same spacing as Ruby and this baby. It turns out that Kyle and I both feel pretty strongly about having kids close in age. Me because I know how great it is to have close siblings, and Kyle because he wants to be an empty-nester as soon as possible.

9. Aren't you a bit freaked out?
Understatement. I'm terrified. The memories of pregnancy and childbirth and those newborn months are still fresh in my mind. But I decided I'm willing to sacrifice ease and comfort for a few years, for the next eternity of my kids being close--in age and hopefully relationship.

10. Are you secretly hoping for a boy or girl?
Secretly, a boy. I have a name I'm pulling for, and it'd be fun to have the first boy in my family. He'd almost be the first boy in Kyle's family too, but Carolyn beat us to it on December 27th. Of course, girls are awesome and less mysterious to me and we have a ton of girl stuff, so that would also be incredible.

11. What kind of birth are you planning?
I am having lots of thoughts about doing a VBAC or another C-section. I don't want to talk about it in comments or the blog in general, it's way personal and not anyone's business but my own, and it's a highly charged subject that involves lots of feelings and opinions and I am easily bugged by it. And I need to talk to a doctor anyways. Plus that's months away. PLUS it might not even be in my control. So let's just avoid it and everyone can be happy!

12. When did you decide you wanted to do this?
I didn't even start thinking about this until Victor from Rice King strongly encouraged us to have another baby a few months ago. Um, it's pretty much a given that I will do anything Victor tell me--except try something on the vegan menu.

13. How do you feel?
Fine. I'm 5 weeks along, and with Ruby I started getting sick at 6 weeks. I am making the most of this week and eating at all my favorite places!

Ok, 13 questions is enough. We're very very happy and excited!!!!

Christmas Fun Times

2011-12-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

Ruby's beautiful Christmas dress is from Grandma Karen. I love the faux fur collar on her little shrug.

Our tiny tree and little pile of presents. We wrapped Oreos and egg nog to bulk it up a bit.

Snow overalls and fur hat!!!!! Thanks, Grandma Joyce!!

We heard Ruby laughing so I went to check on her. Clothes were strewn about the room and she was giving Dolly and Tigger some juice. She now does this all the time, I love it!

As a special treat I gave Ruby a whole Oreo to eat all by herself. She LOVED IT.

We watched Holiday in Handcuffs and visited the Provo Instacare (it was no big deal) and ate an awesome pot roast and soooo many Christmas Cadbury chocolates. Mini Eggs in December? HEAVEN!!!

I am Home for Christmas

2011-12-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

My favorite Christmas song is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"--the Bing Crosby version. And not just because it's the song in my favorite X-Files Christmas special, How The Ghosts Stole Christmas. The words are just really awesome, and they've really hit me especially this year. "Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow. Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow." This year, the fates did not allow us to visit any family. The day before we were going to drive to Amarillo to spend Christmas with Kyle's family, the weather got really bad. The roads were closed for both routes we could possibly take. It was too dangerous to do with Ruby and flights were crazy expensive. Our disappointment at not seeing the Vaughns and Fanellis is pretty extreme. We've had to work extra hard at feeling Christmasy--it's just not the same without family. We are having fun by ourselves, but it definitely feels like this is a year where we "have to muddle through somehow."

The most disappointing thing was not seeing Kyle's family and friends. The second most disappointing thing was not going to Rosa's, the best Mexican place on the planet. To make up for that part at least, Kyle said we could go to Costa Vida as often as possible. So far we've been on Thursday and Friday, and we plan on going for dinner on Monday as well. That makes it seem like a special vacation to me! I know it's ridiculous, but it has been super fun and decadent.

I had my presents for Kyle delivered to Jennifer's house in Amarillo so Kyle basically had nothing to open at our place. And Ruby only had one present from us, because we were certain she would get plenty from our families. Soooo of course we had to go shopping for more presents so we got the full Christmas morning experience! On Friday night we shopped at the mall and the Riverwoods and bought ourselves presents. We took them to Kelsie, who wrapped them beautifully at her gift-wrapping station at the Riverwoods. That definitely made me feel Christmasy :)

Today we went to Aunt Diana's house for a family Christmas party. This DEFINITELY made me feel more homey. It felt familiar and fun to be with my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. Ruby had a blast with all her cousins. We set off fireworks, sang songs, and ate a ton. I died and went to heaven when I ate a bacon-wrapped date--oh my gosh, it was amazing. I am so glad we had somewhere to go, and got to spend time with family and not feel all alone. After Ruby went to bed, Kyle and I watched How the Ghosts Stole Christmas because I HAVE to watch it every year.

I am happy that tomorrow we get to go to our own ward for the Christmas service. The two families in our ward that we are closest to are here for Christmas as well, so we're going to all sit together and feel like family. Church is at NINE--I know, right?--so after church we'll open presents and laze around and eat pot roast and enjoy ourselves. Just our little family. I think it will be quiet and nice. I'm hoping that without all the normal Christmas stuff that we're used to, we'll be able to focus on togetherness and the Savior and establish some of our own traditions. (We already have--Christmas Costa Vida and a Christmas car wash.) So it has been and will continue to be a fabulous Christmas, albeit different from what we expected.

Sneaky Baby

2011-12-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Ruby went into stealth mode while I was washing a mountain of dishes today. I didn't even know she was in the kitchen with me until she got my attention with a delighted squeal.

Needless to say, she was very proud of herself and had a very wet bottom.

Have Yourself a Merry Ludichristmas

2011-12-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 4th Ludichristmas celebration, and it was awesome.

Lots and lots of presents.

Dinosaur heads adorned our tree.

This year's Ludichristmas mascot.

I didn't take many pictures but we filmed the entire thing :) Not much to blog, but we won't forget how fun it was.

Feeling Christmasy

2011-12-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

The Christmas spirit came and hit me in the face yesterday. It was awesome! Sadly, I think it has to do with presents. The UPS guy came with several packages for us to put under our tiny tree and it really pumped me up. Plus, yesterday we did our Ludichristmas shopping at Honks with our friends, which is the best fun of the entire year. I came home and wrapped all the presents (18, because I wrapped Kyle's too) while listening to Christmas music and it got me PSYCHED OUT OF MY MIND with love and joy and cheer. Kyle decorated our house for Christmas while I was in Washington so I am just REALLY happy.

My Romney shirt came! I never want to take it off. I also got a Romney onesie for Ruby, but it's for Christmas, so shhh.

Also making me extremely joyful is the fact that in two weeks, CHRISTY AND DANNY AND THE GIRLS ARE MOVING TO UTAH. I cannot get over the excitement of this. My family is coming up after New Years to move them in to their new home in Salt Lake City!!!!!! I will always love the University of Utah for having a grad school program that Danny is interested in. And I will always love Danny for getting into the U of U and moving his family here. I wish they lived down the street from me, but being in the same state is also acceptable. This is the only gift I need this Christmas.

I'm obsessed with makeup lately, which is really weird. The girls in my family were never that into makeup, because Mom wasn't I guess. But Ashley got me into Bare Escentuals and I am in love. I now want EVERYTHING. I am very excited for one of Kyle's gifts to me this year...

Half of my family will disown me, but I have to say it: I love Michael Buble's Christmas album. I listen to it everyday on Spotify. Mock all you will.

family pics

2011-12-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

As predicted, the rest of the family pictures are nothing special. I apparently wasn't having a very cute day. But I still like them, because we were in a beautiful place and my husband and child are very attractive.

Surprise!

2011-12-11T21:02:00.001-07:00

I LOVE surprising people. Especially when I know that it will be a HUMONGOUS DEAL. So when Ashley and I had the idea to go Washington and visit Celia and the new twins, we got really excited for the opportunity to surprise her. We called Cheryl to make sure it was okay that we stay there, and drove there on Thursday. I left Ruby at home because bringing another baby into the mix would defeat the purpose of us going there to be helpful. (I underestimated how horrible it would be to say goodbye to her and miss her for 4 days. It was terrible! I'm never leaving her again.)

Well, Celia was certainly surprised. When we walked in the door and came up behind her in the kitchen, she just looked at us with confusion and shock. She then burst into tears and ran to get her inhaler. It was a very satisfying surprise!

The babies are amazing. Eliza is adorable. Celia is awesome. Nathan is...another A adjective...athletic and assertive. It was really fun to get to know Nathan's parents, Cheryl and Rex. We drove for an hour to the Tri-cities to take Celia out on the town--shopping and the new Costa Vida! We played Guillotine, ate a lot of junk food, and watched the GOP debate (along with plenty of trashy tv). It was awesome!

Cheryl gave us a seminar on our seasons--I am spring, Celia is autumn, and Ashley is winter. Here we all are in our colors.

We held Ezra and Elliot and played with Eliza, who talks and plays and is a little Princess. I love them all to pieces.

Ezra is in the red reindeer jammies, Elliot is in the green stripey jammies.

The babies are SO TINY. Little Ezra isn't even 5 pounds! They are also the sweetest, quietest babies I've ever seen. They didn't make a peep the whole time I was there! They sleep all day and eat really quickly. They are so easy to love. And SO IDENTICAL. I had to memorize who was wearing what and had which blankie, because there is no other way to tell them apart! Nathan and Celia says that Ezra's face is smaller, but it is really hard to tell.

Eliza has grown up so much in the last 5 months. We played lots of games and I gave her her first manicure. She is very affectionate and made me feel like she really loved me. I got to do her hair and gave her a pink princess nightgown that she danced around in. I miss her already!

Seeing Celia was the best. I love her so much and have been missing her and Nathan since they moved in July. I hate that they live so far away! Othello is a funny little town; Walmart really is the only place to go in the entire city. It was worth the drive to get to hang out with Celia and her family for a few days. It's funny, it didn't even seem weird to be with them again. We hung out and did the same things like we'd never been apart. And THAT'S how I know that we are true best friends! I hope that it is like that forever. I can totally imagine us getting together in 20 years, eating Muddy Buddies and watching Food Network. Sounds like heaven!

Riverwoods at Christmastime

2011-12-05T21:10:00.001-07:00

Tonight Emily and I took our kids out to stroll through the Riverwoods to see the lights, get a glimpse of Santa, and play in the toy store. Bonus: seeing Kelsie, who just started working at the gift wrap station! We had such a great time. Ruby had the time of her freaking life in Blickenstaff's, the awesomely fun toy store. I had to drag her away.

I hope you noticed her adorable boots and coat.

We visited Kelsie in the gift wrapping room, and made the little kid craft (a paper bag Rudolph), and wrote a postcard to Santa.

We totally randomly ran into Ashley and her friend Emily, and we all saw some llamas.

Ruby did NOT like petting the llamas, she kind of freaked out. I loved it though! They were so fluffy!

The llamas were there for Carollama, a group of people who carol with llamas to collect cans of food and donate them to local charities. I was actually part of the very first Carollama my freshman year at BYU, when it was just a small group of us. We split up in groups of 3 or 4 and each group took a llama and went to a different neighborhood. It was awesome! If you want to do it, sign up on their Facebook page. It would be awesome to do with an FHE group if you're at BYU or stuff like that.

I can't believe it's still going, and is a MUCH bigger deal. There was a KBYU news crew there, filming Ruby crying because a llama's face got too close to her. The guy who started it, Ty, saw me and gave me a cool Carollama tshirt and asked me to talk to the camera crew and be interviewed about the very first Carollama. By the time I got the guts to go do it, they were all done filming! Phew. I was NOT prepared to be filmed. And I don't know what I could have possibly said, other than that I went to the first event because I was head over heels for Ty. That would probably have been awkward, and is a subject for a different blog post.

Christmas Party!

2011-12-03T13:48:00.001-07:00

The ward Christmas party was a total success! It was fun to do, but I'm glad it's over and I can relax. It's a good thing it was so early in the month so I still have plenty of time to get in the real non-stressful Christmas spirit.

Creepy, Ruby. Real creepy.

Katy and I folded these and painted them gold and silver. I love them.

If only we had more lights! These could have been so much cooler!

We filled about 8 million mason jars.

These were tricky to fold but everyone loved them.

Katy and I made this epic wreath.

This is my Christmas present from Kelsie! It's on my front door and I am in love with it.

Kelsie and Landon.

Good food and a good program. Everyone was really complimentary and I felt great about it! The most fun part: all the kids during cleanup. They wanted to take EVERYTHING home! Luckily I was usually able to oblige them.

Family Pictures

2011-12-01T10:27:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, last February, I won a giveaway! For the first and probably last time. It was very exciting. I won a free mini-session and disc with Namba Photography, a friend of my cousin Lisa's and the photographer she always uses--so I knew she was awesome! Well, I finally redeemed this mini-session right after my birthday in October. We went up to Bountiful and took pictures in a pretty park. Ruby was cranky and whiny the whole time, but Kassandra was able to get some cute pictures of her. I don't have the disc yet--it's coming this week, so I'll blog them later--but Kassandra put some on her photography blog .

I really like this one:

And these:

And of course the cute Ruby pictures:

I am NOT giving you the link because she also put up a truly hideous picture of me--which is entirely the subject's fault, not the photographer's. You know how you kind of know what your body looks like and you can be content with it, but then someone shows you what you ACTUALLY look like and it's a shock to you? Yeah. I now know the true meaning of pear-shaped.

Hopefully there will be more cute ones to put up when I get the disc!

B-t-dubs, I loved Kassandra. She is super nice and easy to take pictures with--normally we are SUPER awkward about it. Plus, I love her mini-session idea. Take pictures for 15 minutes (instead of the epic 2 hour photo shoots), which is all Ruby is good for anyways, and it's just $75 instead of $8 million-including a disc of like 15 pictures. I recommend her!

Thanksgiving Week

2011-11-26T10:35:00.001-07:00

Long time no blog! Ok it's only been a week, but that feels like ages when you're super busy.

I finally got a calling. I am on the Relief Society Activities Committee. So now I'm wishing I'd gone to a single Enrichment activity (ok I know that's not what it's called anymore) so I knew what I was in charge of. The committee is more like a partnership, because there's only 2 of us. We'll see how that goes.

Yesterday Barbara wanted some alone time with Ruby, which we definitely took her up on. We left her with Ruby for about, oh, 11 hours! Kyle and Katy and I spent most of the day with Alan and Nieman, which included 2 meals out, braving the crowds at Fashion Place, and 2 Star Trek episodes that have haunted us since childhood. It was fun to do everything without a kid--everything is so much easier! But we did miss her by the time we got back.

So last Saturday Kyle and I left Ruby with the Broadbents, drove 6 hours to Colorado, picked up Katy in Telluride, ate lunch, and drove 6 hours back. It was surprisingly not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Here we are at a pizza place in Telluride. It was taken right before I got hot sauce in my eye. IT WAS HORRIBLE.

This was the most relaxing Thanksgiving ever. We decided to forego many of the things we usually do--making a full turkey, making a ton of side dishes, using our fancy dishes, etc. It was just Kyle/Katy/me, so we just made a turkey breast and simplified the menu down to the basics. It was so much better! We spent a lot more time enjoying ourselves, and a lot less time doing dishes. When we have more people we'll go back to being fancy. As per usual, we watched Poltergeist so it still felt like Thanksgiving. We also watched a ton of Voyager, which was most fun.

It's been fun having Barbara and Ken in town this week. Ruby loves them! Christmas is going to be so fun this year. Ruby decided that Ken is her favorite toy, and made him hang out in her room while the rest of us were talking on the couch. She would literally stand in the doorway and push him back inside anytime he tried to join us. We also go out to eat with them everyday--and Ruby ate her first onion ring. She loved it.

The big ward Christmas party is on Friday. Wish me some serious freaking luck. A couple days ago the number of people to plan for doubled, which really complicated matters.

Purple

2011-11-20T15:29:00.001-07:00

It's hard to take pictures of yourself without getting all Myspacey in a bathroom mirror. I did the best I could.

The color is different from what I expected, but I like it. It is slightly different in real life than what it looks like in these pictures, but it is really dark, as you can see. In the sunlight, it looks like a really pretty deep violet. It's better than crazy bright purple. I also think that it will fade to lighter purple.

Kyle likes it. He's relieved I don't look like an 80s punk rocker wannabe.

I used to see people with interesting colors in their hair and wonder about them--it made them hoodlums, but also kind of mysterious and cool. Now I am a hoodlum and I'm loving it.

The strongest proof that I feel good about it is that I forget about it when I'm out and about. I'm not at all self-conscious about it, which is out of character.

Ruby the Big Girl

2011-11-18T14:28:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how big Ruby is. It's really only hit me in the last week or so. Taking care of Sophia every day is really making me realize that Ruby is NOT a baby. Ruby is actually a helper! She loves entertaining Sophia. She also brings a binky anytime she thinks Sophia might need one. They have a really sweet friendship--Sophia lights up when Ruby talks to her. I take Sophia into Ruby's room when it's time for Ruby to get up from her nap, and Ruby is always so excited to see her!

Ruby is also eating more like a big girl. Sometimes, when she's going to have a bath immediately after, we let her practice feeding herself. It's messy but she does a pretty good job.

And she LOVES drinking from a cup. It doesn't faze her at all when there is juice or water running down her tummy.

Of course she still loves the bath! I'm so happy. She is such a sweet kid.

Dream Dinners

2011-11-18T09:29:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, Ashley and I ran a 5k for a charity her grad school was supporting. We were pathetic and slow (it was the day after I got my wisdom tooth out! But I would have been slow anyways) but it was fun and for a good cause. AND in the raffle afterwards, we BOTH won prizes! I won 2 free milkshakes at Sammy's, which we used that night. Ashley won $150 gift certificate at Dream Dinners. Whatever the heck that is.

OH WAIT, DREAM DINNERS IS AWESOME. We finally used the gift certificate last night and it was soooo coooool. There is an incredible menu. You pick 12 meals (of 3 servings each) (or fewer meals of 6 servings) (or 8 million meals if you feel like it), go in, and make them in IN AN HOUR. Everything is all together for you to just combine ingredients and put in ziploc bags and take home and put in your freezer. Ashley and I had so much fun! And we walked out of there with a box full of meals. I am so excited to try them. I am pretty sure they'll be good because they gave us a sample of two things from next months menu, and they were DELICIOUS. Kyle is excited because we will finally have some real and fancy meals around here. I go through phases with cooking, and right now is a fend-for-yourself kind of phase. So now, we get to look forward to chicken yakitori, monte cristo chicken, baked potato chicken, baked chicken tetrazzini, sage crusted pork chops, chateau chicken with almond butter sauce, and other things that I don't even remember. I know Ashley got some mango glazed salmon and greek shrimp pasta something or other.

ANYWAYS. It was fun. I am excited to have these meals in my freezer to bust out. I wish it was cheaper so I could do it every month--maybe after Kyle tastes the food, we'll decide that it's worth paying money to do it all the time. I hope so, because it was fun and easy and for some reason, really exciting!

biznez

2011-11-14T16:14:00.001-07:00

3 more books until I am finished with the Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge! Katy totally schooled me, she beat me ages ago. This was great because it made me actually keep track of my books on Goodreads, and it was occasionally motivation to read instead of mess around on the computer.

Yesterday I was put in charge (along with another girl) of decorations for our ward Christmas party. Which is in 2 weeks. OH SNAP.

Starting tomorrow, I am babysitting an adorable 6-month-old every weekday while her normal sitter (Kelsie) is out of town for 2 weeks. I am excited because Sophia is so cute--but sad that this means Kelsie will be gone. Honestly, going to her house every afternoon is such a habit, I don't know what I'll do without it. Especially with another baby to take care of!

On Saturday we're driving 7 hours to Telluride, picking up Katy, playing around for an hour or two, and then driving 7 hours back to Springville. Probably in the snow. Worth it to get to hang out with Katy for a week!

We're in the process of getting Ruby off the binky. She's gone 2 days without it--night time is fine, but naps are hard. We probably shouldn't have done this while she's teething. I just didn't even think about it. Moron! I think she's getting her molars, which basically just means she is drooly and has a runny nose. Runny nose=death for me. I hate it. She's a bit needier than normal, but is generally still happy. She already loves Sophia, so we'll see how Ruby deals with me taking care of another baby instead of Kelsie doing it.

I think Thanksgiving is going to be completely overshadowed by Christmas this year, just because I'm going to be spending the next 2 weeks frantically preparing for the ward party. But we'll still have a nice meal, and Katy will be here, hallelujah! And we'll still watch Poltergeist. It just isn't Thanksgiving without that.

Also, Mitt Romney is fabulous.

That's all.

Busy Morning

2011-11-10T10:30:00.001-07:00

Normally after breakfast I make Ruby sit with me and read books. Yesterday, I let her run wild and followed her around with the camera. We both had a blast.

But she ended up reading a book anyways.

Her first exposure to Han Solo!!

Thanks for the Star Wars book, my awesome sister Christy!

YW in Excellence

2011-11-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

After spending the day setting up the Primary room for the YW activity, Kelsie convinced me that I should go to the activity. I'm not in any way affiliated with the Young Women, but I'm really glad I went! It was such a sweet meeting. The parents got up with their girls and spoke about how their daughters depend on the Savior (that was the theme...D.O.T.S) and gave them a little gift as a reminder. I basically cried the whole time. Everyone said such sweet things and it was so tender to see the relationship between these girls and their parents. You could tell everyone was so proud of their girls. I think most people in the room cried, so I didn't feel silly. Wasn't that a great idea though? The spirit in the room was amazing.

Afterwards everyone looked at the projects that the girls had displayed in the room that Kelsie and I decorated. It looked so cool! The girls loved it. One Laurel told me that she walked in and knew that that was how she wanted her wedding to look :) I don't know about that, but it was certainly festive! And fun to do. Kelsie and I spent the day together setting everything up, it was a good bonding experience!

It looked cuter with food on the table and projects on those little tables

Letters for every value--some people didn't get it though!

Kelsie! See, she's real.

The leaders of the YW are really cool. They were nice to me even though I was an interloper :)

The girls are super sweet!

old school

2011-11-08T09:52:00.001-07:00

It's funny how blogs change over the years. When I first started my blog, my posts were like "I'm going on a date with this boy, oh man school is hard, it was so cold today!" Not just the subject matter has changed--it was all very day-to-day, here is what is going on kind of stuff. That's probably why it was easier to blog every day! And now I have to wait until I can have a post dedicated to cute pictures of Ruby's little bum in her crib.

So here is some of what is going on, without pictures or themes.

I have started indexing during Ruby's naps. It is fun, and it makes me feel better than just browsing the interwebs. I'm currently working on a census from Surrey. My favorite thing is when they mark the occupation of 4 year olds as "scholar."

Ruby is entirely off of bottles. Yay! She can finally drink from any sippy cup we give her. I think I read that babes should stop using bottles at 14 months, so I've been stressing for some reason. Needlessly, because she's only 13 months.

I have been sewing circle garlands until my fingers ache. Kelsie is in charge of decorations for the Young Women in Excellence activity, so I've been helping. It's tonight and will be super cute.

My finger AND toe nails are painted in a gray Essie shade--chinchilly. I am ridiculously in love with it. I look down and see winter and sophistication. (Mind you, I am not sophisticated. Nor are my nails. Just the color.)

It is freezing here. I don't hate it yet, but I will soon. Stay tuned.

We are 97%ish done with Christmas presents. I think we've done a good job this year! Much better than last year--our presents were so lame. Sorry, family. And I have an idea for what I'm giving Kyle that is going to knock his little argyle socks off.

AND I've just started a wish list for what I want for myself. Oh snap.

Every day I change my mind about whether or not I want a purple streak in my hair. Oh, I haven't blogged about that yet. Awkward. I've been wanting to forever, and now I have a friend in the hair business. I've been taking a poll of everyone I know to decide if I should do it. If you haven't been contacted, consider this your invitation. I keep going back and forth.

I kind of miss this style of blogging. It's been fun.

Little Sleepy Bottom

2011-11-05T21:13:00.000-06:00

This has only happened once, and she didn't make a mess in her crib, so I think it's adorable.

Next time, not so cute.

The way she sleeps with Bunny--that kills me.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T12:17:00.000-06:00

This was a really great Halloween! Even though Ruby is too young to care, it is still more fun when you have a baby. She loved wearing a costume and was so cute running around as a cat all evening. She thought my makeup was funny, but was really scared of Kyle at first.

We went to the 4th Annual Bluffs Halloween Party, and it was so fun! When we move away someday, we might have to travel back to Utah for Halloween, because I can't imagine that we can miss this party. We covered all our traditions-- Garfield's Halloween movie, werewolves, costume contest, and talking late into the night.

My friend Kerry did my makeup. SHE IS SO AWESOME. She's also the one who cut and colored my hair a couple weeks ago. AND did my nails. I am so lucky to be her friend!

Our friends had awesome costumes, as per usual:

CB trying to capture Edward's sneer was pretty great.

Grapes and a sailor girl.

They have a thing about geography.

Thanks, Emily and CB. You always throw an awesome Halloween party. And we always have a freakishly good time.

Kyle was creepy.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-27T15:16:00.000-06:00

I haven't been blogging because I'm having a ton of fun in California this week and I didn't bring my camera! BUT today Christy and I took Lucy and Ruby to a pumpkin patch, and did manage to take a few pictures. Ruby wasn't feeling cooperative (she's a little sick, and she must really miss her daddy by now), and the orange reflected off the pumpkins so her face is orange, but it was still super fun. Christy is having a lot of fun with her new camera and was nice enough to take a few pics of Ruby.

Ruby fell apart towards the end.

I love dinosaurs. I was obsessed with them as a kid--the first purchase I ever saved for and made with my own money was a big dinosaur book from Costco. (I saved that money in a very cool dinosaur wallet.) The bridal shower my sister and friends threw for me was dinosaur themed. Having a girl meant I couldn't decorate the baby room with a dinosaur theme (although robots would also be tempting.) Lucky for me, Christy has a random dinosaur costume that fits Ruby! So now all my dreams have come true. I have a dinosaur baby!!

Made For Each Other

2011-10-19T21:22:00.000-06:00

I made this while we were watching Voyager tonight.

Kyle was horrified. I think he wouldn't love me if I had a beard and a bulbous nose. Shallow.

So then I made this, so that Ogre Becca and Ogre Kyle can be together forever.

Awww.

It was my 26th birthday

2011-10-19T09:47:00.001-06:00

I should probably blog about it! Guys, it was such a great birthday. Everything came together in such a way that was awesome.

On Friday morning, Jennifer and Timmy came over. We played and went outside where Timmy ran around with a ball and Ruby sat and watched him. It was sunny and warm even!

In the afternoon, we went over to Kelsie's. She made an AWESOME chocolate cake for my birthday. I loved it. Kerry and Ashley also came over with their boys. They sang for me and we all indulged in a piece. We played all afternoon.

When Kyle came home, we left Ruby with Kelsie and went to...COSTA VIDA!!!! Oh bless that place. We ate ourselves sick, it was so pleasant. Then we went to the Riverwoods and walked around and window shopped. We made ourselves even more sick with a delicious caramel apple.

After we picked up Ruby, Council Bluffs and Emily came over. We hung out and ate the rest of Kelsie's cake.

It was a great day because I hung out with a lot of my friends and got to go on a date with Kyle. And...presents!

And now I'm 26. So far so good, I guess!

Dang Food

2011-10-17T09:49:00.002-06:00

I have been completely off the wagon all weekend. My birthday was a break day, and I just never started again. I feel like I've probably undone all the progress I made! I did the fruits and vegetables thing for a week, which felt like an eternity, and I lost 4 lbs. Great. I now feel like giving up because I'm sick of healthy food. This morning I had Rice Chex and it was so good! Kelsie is going to do a 30 Day no flour/no sugar thing, and that is just somewhere I can't follow.

I'm now debating. Should I just count calories for a while and see what happens? Attempt that super-healthy fruits&veggies thing again? Do nothing? Eat myself to death? Train to be a sumo wrestler? So many options!

It's Birthday Week Time!!!

2011-10-11T23:55:00.003-06:00

Birthday Week began yesterday! We celebrated by having the Broadbents over for some stir fry. Birthday Stir Fry is awesome. Thanks, Broadbents.

Today there was a really great Birthday Week Debate, celebrated with the GOP presidential candidates. Thanks, guys. (Especially you, Mitt. You did awesome. And you looked very handsome.)

Tomorrow, I am going to get a Birthday Week Haircut and go Birthday Week Shopping for a post-Birthday Week family picture session. Gotta get something that will look cute with a present that is very mysterious and secret and I can't wait to open! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Thursday...actually, I don't know what our plans are on Thursday. Probably some Birthday Week TV Thursday. Thank, NBC.

It is weird to have Birthday Week celebrations that don't revolve around food. Tricksy!

I'm still going strong with my food changes, I am just bored of writing about it. Things are good though--weight good, vegetables good, fruit very good. If anything exciting happens, I'll let you know.

Fast (and easy) Sunday

2011-10-10T10:03:00.001-06:00

Finally, an easy day. Yesterday was Fast Sunday, so that made it a lot easier to control my meals and appetite.

Breakfast: fasting

Lunch: fasting

Dinner: Big salad (spinach, carrots, red bell pepper, corn, pinto beans, a teeny bit of cheese, and fat-free Italian dressing) and one piece of cornbread with honey as a treat

Kyle is loving this, by the way. He has fully embraced eating salads for dinner and fruit for dessert. It makes things a lot easier for me.

I was very excited to weigh myself this morning, expecting some big results...and was sorely disappointed. I lost TWO TENTHS OF A POUND. Come on! I ate ONE MEAL--and that meal was A SALAD. Sucks. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I'll lose a ton. If I can stick to it today. It's sad how easily my motivation goes down the drain.

Meanwhile...

2011-10-09T20:29:00.000-06:00

When NOT obsessing about food and weight and cravings and being healthy, we are having a fun time!

Ruby is hilarious and entertaining.

We've finally made friends and feel comfortable in our ward.

There are a bunch of kids Ruby's age in our building, and all their moms are cool, and we have play dates almost every day.

After Ruby goes to bed, Kyle and I watch Star Trek: Voyager. We just started season 3. We're having a blast. That's how cool we are.

My birthday is on Friday!!! I am so excited this year. My birthday last year was the worst birthday ever, so it won't be hard to beat. I have a couple presents coming that I know about that are thrilling, and we have fun plans. PLUS it is a break day so I can eat whatever I want! I'm already planning my food that day. I am really, really looking forward to it. Kelsie is making me a chocolate cake and apparently it's amazing.

It's likely that we'll be taking family pictures on Saturday. What am I going to wear??

Ruby is overly confident when walking. She has 2 bruises on her face--so far. One from tripping and falling on a DVD case, and one from running face first into a door frame. Crazy.

Healthy eating--Saturdays Suck

2011-10-09T16:01:00.000-06:00

Saturday was hard. I expected the weekends to be a bit more difficult, because Kyle and I just love food so dang much, but man. I almost broke so many times. And this juice thing--ugh.

For lunch I had "juice"--more like a shake, really--made of a ton of spinach, pineapple, and an apple. It was terrible, more because of the texture. The texture was identical to vomit. Thus, I really wanted to throw up. Poor Kelsie's was so much worse, as it was just vegetables with kale as a base. We managed to drink it though.

The rest of the day, all I wanted was something that tasted good. That juice really filled me up, so I wasn't hungry at all--just craving something tasty. I almost caved a million times. And not being able to have something delicious made me MAD. Poor Kyle. I think I took it out on him a bit.

Before I did something crazy like eating something dripping with cheese or have chocolate milk with so much Nesquik it became a solid, I decided to enjoy a small indulgence. A peanut butter sandwich. And it was GOOD. It satisfied my craving, but wasn't wildly unhealthy.

Well, it satisfied my craving for a little while. Once it got to be late at night, I was about to cave again. I struggled all night. At 11, I walked in to the living room and announced to Kyle that I was going to have either chocolate milk or Rice Chex. Then I clapped my hand over my mouth and went into my room to go to sleep. Sleep was the only thing that would get me out of that situation without a million more calories. Luckily it worked.

And it was worth it! This morning I weighed myself and did a little dance on the scale. I'm back down about 3 pounds! I made up for the 2 pounds I gained from Friday, and lost an additional pound. The peanut butter sandwich might have cost me a little bit, but that's okay with me because it kept me sane. I was about to give up, but weighing myself this morning re-ignited my motivation.

Oh, and also--the juice thing is not happening anymore. Anytime Kelsie thought about drinking it again, she almost threw up. We discovered that we would both rather starve than drink any more, which is certainly not the point. So we decided to abort. And were both suddenly so much happier.

Break Day

2011-10-08T09:18:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a little break from freakishly healthy eating, because of two previously scheduled events revolving around delicious food.

Kyle and I had a lunch date at Macaroni Grill (courtesy of a free lunch coupon) where I had a very moderate (and sooo good) meal. Half sandwich and a little salad--better than pasta with gobs of cheese yeah? And I drank water! I HATE not ordering drinks at restaurants because a)I'm in the mood for fun and b)I don't want the waiter to think I'm cheap. But does that really matter? No.

Kelsie and I planned a big soup dinner for a ton of people in our condo complex, which was awesome. I made 4 batches of corn bread and only ate one little piece. I chose the least healthy soup (sooo cheesy) but at least it had broccoli and carrots in it, and I only had a small amount. I only ate half of my bread bowl. Aaaand I then had 2 brownies. Oh well. Other than that, I only had water all day. AND I made a ton of new friends, so it's worth the unhealthy food.

Break days, while fun, are costly. I just weighed myself--ouch. I had lost 3 pounds, and now I've gained back 2. It's okay though. This was a practically a planned weight gain. Once I start eating healthy again, I think the pounds will drop off easily.

Kelsie is going on a juice fast. (Yeah, just like in Modern Family last week!) Basically you take 6x more vegetables than you could ever just eat and turn it into a glass of juice and that's your meal. It's nasty. It's really hard. We watched a movie about it, and people were like practically suicidal for 3 days because they were doing it. Kelsie, however, is going to be awesome. I am going to do a very laid back modified version. I'm just going to continue to eat the way I've been eating, with just fruits and veggies. (No more Ezekiel bread--the stuff is just way too nasty. I'll give the rest of my loaf to Kelsie.) I'm just going to replace lunch with the really gross "juice"--we don't have a juicer so it'll be more like a thick, goopy, chunky, frothy, smoothie.

Anyways! That's the plan. I'm not even dreading going back to eating fruit and vegetables. Honestly, it's not that bad. I don't always feel hungry like I thought I would. I could do this for a while, I think. With some obvious break days (like my birthday! next Friday!).

Healthy eating, pt. 2

2011-10-07T09:41:00.001-06:00

You know, this really isn't too bad. It's just once in a while I reallllly want something I can't have--usually chocolate milk. And in those time, I either think "what would Kelsie do?" or mention it to Kyle or Christy--they are my good encouragers.

Yesterday:
Breakfast: an apple

Lunch: Ezekiel toast with homemade raspberry jam (the only approved sugar)

Snack: grapes and a little bit of pineapple

Dinner: big salad including spinach, lettuce, carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, and pinto beans
Dessert: apple with peanut butter and honey. (I have never felt more indulgent--or guilty. I may not have been breaking the letter of the law, but I certainly broke the spirit of the law. I should not have enjoyed that as much as I did.)

Grapes and apples are definitely what are going to get me through this.

Oh and I've lost 2 pounds!

A new me?

2011-10-06T10:21:00.002-06:00

My life is CHANGING! Thanks to my friend Kelsie. For some reason, she is able to make me try weird vegetables, she gets me to eat salad, and she is extremely motivating when it comes to altering my diet to include good things and cut out bad things.

Here is a typical day in my normal eating diet:
Breakfast: Rice Chex and milk with a ton of sugar
Lunch: Chocolate milk
Dinner: Whatever Kyle and I eat, usually involving lots of cheese and noodles
Dessert: More chocolate milk

No wonder I'm not losing weight! I eat the worst food. Kelsie does intense things like going 30 days without flour or sugar. She mostly eats raw fruits and vegetables. To me, that has always seemed IMPOSSIBLE. Until...NOW. Something has just clicked in my mind, and now it seems like such a great idea! Even though I don't like many vegetables, I'm determined to change my taste buds so that a) I like more vegetables and b) I want to eat vegetables.

Here's what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: I hadn't started yet, so just Rice Chex
Lunch: Humongous salad with Kelsie, including kale, red cabbage, tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, kidney beans, avocado, corn, celery, carrots, and I can't remember what else.
Dinner: Salad including lettuce, red bell pepper, pinto beans, and corn
Dessert: none

You guys don't have to read it, but I am going to blog about what I eat. Just for a couple days. I'm totally not doing this long-term--I'm just trying it out. No milk, no sugar, no nothing. Just fruits, veggies, and beans. Oh and I can eat a little bit of Ezekiel bread--I got some yesterday and it's all right.

Kelsie took me to Sunflower Market yesterday and I loaded up on produce. It was fun and so...we'll see how this goes! Usually, my goal is always weight-loss. But this time, health actually matters to me! Kelsie has shown me a couple food documentaries that are mighty convincing...

Scary Ruby

2011-10-04T21:28:00.000-06:00

I can't stop making these ever since I discovered these Halloween effects on Picnik. Umm...Zombie Ruby is so cute.

I think I'm obsessed with Halloween. And don't worry, her costume is cute--no beard this year.

October

2011-10-04T12:08:00.000-06:00

So, October is my FAVORITE!!! I am so happy it's finally here--September felt sooo long! Now it's finally a little rainy out (although still way too hot to feel autumbal) and I can light my Mulled Cider candle. I tried really hard to wait until October 1st to decorate for Halloween, but I caved. September 29th we decorated for Halloween--and I LOVE it! In two weeks it will be my birthday, in three weeks I'm visiting California, and in 3 weeks it's Halloween, my favorite holiday!

I wanted to make a wreath, and I wanted it to be way easy and pretty cheap. I already had a plain grapevine wreath, so one trip to the dollar store and some hot glue later, this is what we have:

Cockroaches, spiders, and snakes. Understated and creepy. And sooo easy!

Toddler

2011-10-03T14:55:00.003-06:00

One minute, you have a baby who crawls around everywhere.

The next minute--literally--she's a toddler. A toddler who WALKS.

Honestly, it's like a switch was flipped. Yesterday Nieman taught Ruby to walk and now that's all she does! She is so proud of herself--she gives me a smug little grin and claps for herself constantly. I can't believe she's a walker now. She woke up this morning and took off walking--and has been walking all day.

We went out walking on the grass today and she did great.

She's still a baby though. Right?

I only cried once. A teeny little bit. I'm being very brave!

Berry Picking

2011-10-01T23:19:00.000-06:00

I love U-pick fruit farms, and it's something I really miss about my home--going to Brentwood and picking peaches was a huge deal, even though I don't even like peaches. I never really sought one out here in Utah, but I just discovered one and have now been there twice in a week.

It's called McBride Briar Patch, and it's located in Mapleton. No website, but here's their Facebook page with directions and info. It is SO GREAT. They are all out of blackberries (dang it) but their raspberries are going strong. There are a million! And they're only $3 a pound. A STEAL. The first time, I went with Kelsie and Landon and we picked 3 pounds between us. That night, Kelsie and I made 2 batches of raspberry jam that is to die for. (We also made 6 batches of plum jam that night. I'm all jammed out!)

Kelsie hard at work

Sweet, sweet Landon. I adore this child.

Cool tricks!

Ruby looooves raspberries now. She could eat a million of them.

She got a tart one! I think this picture is hilarious.

I wasn't feeding them to her fast enough.

A couple days later, I went with Jennifer and Timmy. This time, the owner was there. He is AWESOME! It was way more fun having him there to show us a great spot, give Timmy a little Batman pail, and show Ruby where the swings were. And we met their sweet dog, Belle. Mr. McBride is soooo nice! It really added to the experience.

I only got one picture, on my phone, of that trip:

This time, I bought 1 pound to just eat fresh. I thought it would last a day or two, and maybe we could have some with crepes. Unfortunately, that evening Ruby and Kyle and I sat on a blanket in the grass to play. We ended up eating the whole pound. Oh well--I think I'll have to go back!

Dinner Time

2011-09-28T09:33:00.001-06:00

This is what happens when you let Ruby feed herself:

And this is what happens when you let Kyle clean her up:

Oh, those guys.

Ruby's Birthday

2011-09-25T16:30:00.002-06:00

Ruby's first birthday was awesome! Barbara and I took her to get her 1 year pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids in the Provo Mall. The photographer was awesome and couldn't believe how great Ruby was. She was smiling and laughing the whole time--which is incredible, because I was stressed out that she would be awful. She never ceases to amaze!

Ruby's birthday party was super fun. We had a Ruby Red theme (of course) and Ruby's best friends came over. She wasn't all that excited about opening presents, but she loved playing with them once they opened. We ate cake and sang, and I felt like a Real Parent!

We're so glad that Kyle's mom came for the day. Ruby so loves her Grandma!

A FREE cake from Macey's. They wrote her name on it and everything!

This is the first picture of her as an official 1 year old, taken the next morning:

She's so big! I can't believe it.

1 Year

2011-09-21T09:03:00.001-06:00

My baby girl is 1 today! I'm trying to only be happy and excited, and not at all sad that she is growing up so fast.

She weighs a little over 18 and a half pounds, which is the 13th percentile. This is a dramatic improvement from last month--we took her in when she was sick, and she was in the 1st percentile!

Normal head size--in the 47th percentile.

Length--29 inches, in the 47th percentile.

Some cute things that Ruby does:

Points the remote control at the tv and expects something to happen
Tickles our toes...all the time
Brings me Bunny to kiss, and then takes him back and gives him a hug
Jumps in her crib and laughs wildly when she should be sleeping
Makes friends with other little kids
Immediately picks up Tigger and shows him to me when I get her up from her crib.
Says "hi" and waves
Takes one step and falls down
Gets on all fours and looks at us upside down between her legs

She also will repeat any little action that makes us laugh. The other day at Taco Bell, she was doing a weird playing-the-violin-with-her-head-cocked thing, and Emily thought it was funny. Ruby spent the next ten minutes looking at Emily and doing it over and over again.

Our first family picture:

Our latest family picture:

This has been a wonderful year. She is the sweetest little thing and she's really taught us a lot about joy and love and responsibility. We love her more anything.

Cake Smash

2011-09-19T13:50:00.000-06:00

IT'S RUBY'S FIRST BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!!

Ruby is turning 1 on Wednesday! This is wild. To celebrate we had a fun cake smash in our living room.

( I made the cake extra ugly because it was going to be smashed. Ok, really the cake just completely fell apart when I took it out of the pan. I was SO MAD. Then, I didn't make the frosting stiff enough AND didn't let the cake cool enough before I frosted it so it melted everywhere. Massively amateur mistakes! I swear I can make a pretty cake. I just had to have this disclaimer before I put up pictures because it's quite embarrassing how ugly it is. I laughed my head off.)

She was pretty timid in the beginning. She didn't like her fingers getting messy.

But eventually she got into it.

And discovered how tasty cake is! I love her stuffing her face :)

We have a LOT more pictures. It was so fun. I got the idea from Nikki Stewart, and highly recommend it to everyone :) Ruby had a blast, and so did we!

Bathroom quotes

2011-09-16T14:51:00.001-06:00

When I was a little kid, the mirror in the kid bathroom had a ton of good quotes on it, from apostles and the Prophet. We read them when we brushed our teeth, went to the bathroom, took a bath, and eventually we had them all memorized! I really liked that Mom did that. Soooo I've started putting some up around our bathroom.

They're pretty fun to make, so I can see myself covering our bathroom eventually!

My own little tutorial

2011-09-14T10:22:00.000-06:00

I wrote a tutorial for the first time ever! It's over at Kyle's life coaching blog. He's NEVER let me guest post (although I've offered a couple times because I am quite benevolent in my wisdom) so this is quite exciting :)

Here's the link:

http://blog.vaughnlifecoaching.com/2011/09/diy-magnetic-spice-rack.html

And while you're there, enter his giveaway for $50 for dinner and a movie. I can't win (laaaame) so I want someone I like to win! It could be you!

Jumpin' Jacks & Making Friends

2011-09-12T09:23:00.000-06:00

We had a really fun weekend!

On Saturday, we invited some of our friends to go to Jumpin' Jacks with us. It is a place with bouncy house toys to play on, it is way cheaper than Kangaroo Zoo, and it is right here in Springville! I recommend it. Ruby LOVES being bounced so we had a blast. My favorite was going down the giant slide--without Ruby.

Then we went to dinner with the Broadbents and watched the second half of the BYU game. BIG MISTAKE. (Watching the game, not going to dinner. Dinner was delicious.) It seems like every time we actually watch a BYU game, we lose. Things go a lot better for them when Kyle and I are oblivious.

Sunday was awesome! Ruby was really good all the way through stake conference (I thought it would be horrible with her). She totally crashed and burned at the very, very end. Here she is looking grumpy on our way out.

And....we made friends in our ward! Guys, this is a big deal. Kyle and I cling to our old friends--we pretty much don't know how to make new ones! We still don't know ANYONE in our ward--until yesterday. We went to dinner at our upstairs neighbors' home, and had an awesome time. Then we went to the ward walk-around--an activitiy designed to force people to get to know each other--and talked for a while with our downstairs neighbors. And THEN our upstairs neighbors came over to play games. (If you know Kyle, this is pretty funny.) They introduced us to a couple fun games and we had a great time. I went to bed so happy that we were being social in the ward and were making friends with the people in our complex. It is going to make me enjoy living in Springville so much more!

Cute phone pic of Ruby in the bath:

kitchen organization, i am doing it!

2011-09-08T11:30:00.000-06:00

It is rare, but sometimes Kyle and I get in a crazy organizing mood AT THE SAME TIME. In such times, we can move mountains. Or at least crazy organize our fridge! This is what we did over the weekend. We had the time of our lives.

I wish I had a before picture. It was bad. Those large empty sections are there because we need to go grocery shopping. The cheese section next to the eggs section is BARREN.

And the freezer.

Good thing I bought that label maker with a gift certificate last year. And Kyle said I'd never use it, psh.

We've also made some exciting food storage changes! But Kyle claimed first blogging rights. Again, I say PSH.

Real exciting, huh?

Aaaaand here's a picture of Nieman about to stomp on Kyle's face.

Done and done.

11 Months

2011-09-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

11 months! Oh my gosh!

Reading has replaced eating as Ruby's favorite thing. She has tons of books from her kindergarten teacher grandma, and she could sit and read them all day. Over and over. Unfortunately, I have to be there to read them to her. Over and over. I don't really mind though! I just sit down on the ground and she brings me books to read.

Reading after bath time.

She's getting more and more teeth all of the sudden. She is handling teething really well and we don't even notice a difference in her behavior. Sweet girl. Having more teeth completely changes her look. Her two front teeth have a little gap (just like me) and I love it.

Those teeth!

Oh, her eyes.

She can now clap! It is adorable and she is SO proud of herself. You can tell by her smug little grin.

FINALLY I got a picture of her Funny Face. I looooove it. She knows I do--so she does it to me all the time to make me laugh.

It kills me.

Little shot of our matchy Toms.

Thank you Aunt Diana!

She loves her toys. She hugs and kisses them frequently. Mostly Bunny, who is unfortunately not pictured.

Life with Ruby is wonderful.

Elmo CD

2011-09-01T15:04:00.000-06:00

This is awesome!

You can get a free personalized Elmo song for your kid! Just go to this link. It is SO CUTE. The way he says "Ruby" just kills me.

In fact, I thought it was so cute that I went ahead and bought the whole downloadable cd. Ruby doesn't even know who Elmo is yet, but I LOVE Elmo. I can't wait for her to love him too. He is the sweetest little guy. My whole family fell in love with Elmo when Lucy was obsessed with him.

When I got to the last track and he says "Ruby, remember, Elmo loves you very very much"--I cried. I know, I'm pathetic. He's just so darling.

When I play it in the car (which is all the time now!) Ruby definitely perks up and even laughs sometimes. We've never listened to kid music in the car, but I think this is the beginning of a new stage in our parental life!

I can't decide when to let Ruby watch tv. But when she does, SHE WILL LOVE ELMO.

Serious stuff

2011-09-01T11:28:00.000-06:00

Instead of fun baby pics...

This week we found out that a sex offender recently moved out of our neighborhood. Not our immediate neighborhood, but close enough to make me very uncomfortable. Thank heavens he moved OUT.

Kyle and I then checked out crimereports.com. Just input your zip code and you can see if there are any sex offenders nearby. I was shocked to see how many live in Springville. Luckily, we live in a very safe neighborhood. But I decided not to leave it when I go on walks with Ruby, because once you cross the tracks in either direction there are lots of scary people! I then checked my old neighborhood in California, and Christy's area, etc. This is crazy business, people! The website shows their picture and gives their name and the severity of their crime. I highly recommend checking your area if you haven't already, just to be aware.

Work Barbecue

2011-08-31T10:54:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we went to a party at the home of Kyle's boss for people in his department. Holy cow, it was more than just a little barbecue! His boss had rented a bouncy house and hired a face painter, and there was a TON of food. It was really fun! Kyle has really nice co-workers, and there were several little kids Ruby's age. I wish I had gotten a picture of Ruby in the bouncy thing--I don't think she has ever had that much fun. She absolutely LOVED it! Now I definitely have to take her to Kangaroo Zoo, she will have the time of her life.

Here are some pictures of our fun face paint--I didn't think she would sit still for it, but she was fascinated!

Of course we were covered in glitter the next couple days, but I think that's finally dissipated. My favorite was Kyle's rhino!

Veterans Memorial Pool

2011-08-29T22:33:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun at the splash park last week! (Or the week before?)

Ashley with TWO darling babies...imitating each other?

Me and my girl.

Wyatt clearly had a blast! He was much braver than Ruby.

She gradually got into it.

Ashley looks so tan compared to me (those are her brown legs).

3 mamas!

Ruby eventually got up the courage to explore...and LOVED it.

Ruby doesn't look completely sure about things.

We miss Ashley--Ruby included :(

we've been busy lately

2011-08-25T20:32:00.000-06:00

Last week:

I cracked a tooth that turned out to be a wisdom tooth. Half of it fell out (alarming!) so I had it removed. Not fun.

Ashley and I ran a 5k. Ok, I walked. It was the day after dental surgery and I pushed a stroller, so cut me some slack.

I went to Coreyann's baby shower--it was awesome to see her cute baby tummy!

I went to a craft night at Megan's house and saw some old friends.

We went to the cool splash park with Ashley, Jennifer/Timmy, and Megan/Wyatt. Ruby and the little boys had so much fun! I love that place.

Ashley moved to New York :( But we had a lot of fun before she left!

My mom came for a few days and we had a BLAST. We visited a ton of family and bought Ruby some birthday presents and organized things in my house and went to Costa Vida twice in two days.

Here are some of Ruby's adorable boy 2nd cousins: Noah, Jeremiah, and Jacob.

And now Ruby is sick with roseola. Our wonderful amazing fantastic pediatrician (I really do love him) said that it made his day to diagnose her--he hasn't seen a good old fashioned case of roseola in quite a while! He was downright cheerful about it. I got a kick out of that. I had convinced myself this morning that she had sepsis, so I am thrilled with the diagnosis!

This movie

2011-08-07T16:39:00.002-06:00

was awesome.

Tahoe 2011

2011-08-01T10:31:00.001-06:00

We just returned from HEAVEN. Which is to say, a week at an awesome lake-side condo in Tahoe with my family. This was our best Anderson family reunion to date! It was more fun than last year because this year I didn't have to deal with pregnancy symptoms ruining everything. Instead, we got to play with Ruby and Joyce and Lydia! A highlight for me was playing with Lucy-- she is at a totally fun age and we had a blast together.

We made sure to swim and kayak every day.

We are influenced mightily by the beauty of our surroundings. Needless to say, we were especially happy and uplifted this week.

Danny taught Christy and me to SUP--go on the stand up paddle board. Christy and I are pool people, as opposed to lake people, so we were pretty terrified. Also, I am completely uncoordinated. BUT we managed to both do pretty well at it, and I'm positive that if we just went it alone we would never fall in. HOWEVER, it is way more fun to do it together, which meant we hit the water many times. It was freakishly fun! Unfortunately, neither Christy nor I are willing to post serious pictures of ourselves in wetsuits. We looked like whales. Just believe me when I say that we both stood up at the same time, which was tricky. We also posed for the camera in all manner of ANTM poses that Tyra would be proud of--we will just never ever display those for public viewing.

We took a million trillion pictures of each other that I love.

Danny did some nighttime supping in massive wind and crazy waves--sans wetsuit. He is truly magnificent when it comes to that board. He didn't even fall in! Although...he did jump in eventually. He about gave Mom a heart attack.

The best part: the babies. OH, the babies. Joyce and Lydia are dolls and we all got plenty of time to hang out with them. They are completely different with almost polar personalities (or at least it seems that way to us right now) and I love both of them to pieces. They both smile a lot now and it absolutely melts me.

Joycie

Lyd

Lydia

Joyce

Can't wait for next year's Anderson Tahoe Reunion 2012!

10 Months

2011-07-21T17:41:00.000-06:00

Ruby is 10 months now. It makes me feel slightly freaked out that she is getting so close to 1 year. It doesn't seem right!

She has 2 top teeth that are almost fully in, to go with her two bottom teeth.

She can stand on her own for a pretty long time, and we expect steps soonish.

She gives me kisses when I request them. I am perfectly fine with drooly open-mouth kisses.

She loves playing chase and getting attacked by the Kiss Monster.

She hugs her Bunny and Dolly--and any stuffed animal I give her.

She "combs my hair"--comes at me and bangs me on the head with the handle of her baby brush.

She LOVES playing Peek a Boo.

She waves bye-bye.

She feeds herself anything we put in front of her.

She tickles our toes because she loves hearing us laugh.

Common nicknames: Rubykins, Rubigail, The Bunny, Rue.

I left the camera cord in California so here are some random pictures from my phone:

Babypalooza...I mean, Celia's Going Away Party

2011-07-14T21:15:00.000-06:00

I guess those of us with kids haven't all gotten together before. While this was a party to celebrate how cool Celia is/send her off with all our love, it became a fun get-together centered on watching the kids play.

Atticus and Eliza ran around together, and Ruby crawled back and forth trying to chase them.

Atticus enjoyed the chips.

Ruby met Sophie and Lillian (Brittany's twins) and they mostly ignored each other.

And there was some sadness, which resulted in some funnnnnny pictures,

It was awesome. Those girls are so adorable!

Here are some pictures of adults.

Here is Ruby's new shocked and disgusted look. She does it ALL the time and I think it's hilarious.

Worst Movies Ever

2011-07-12T11:48:00.000-06:00

When asked, these are the top movies that I immediately think of as the worst movies ever. In no real order...

Skyline

Nine

Knowing

Knowing is probably the #1. It is TERRIBLE. Throw in Nic Cage and I just want to vomit all over it.

There are worse movies, but they are at least fun to watch and make fun of. These have no redeeming factor. Whatsoever.

Cheyenne

2011-07-08T10:42:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun in Wyoming for the 4th of July!

I think I gained like 10 lbs. in 3 days. It was awesome. We had a fun barbecue with Kyle's aunt and uncle and cousin, we went swimming (my first time at a country club), I saw Super 8 for the second time (I love that movie!), and set off fireworks (which Ruby HATED). Kyle reached enlightenment with Aune Jeanne's baked beans. It was great.

Ruby with her grandma and granddad

Swimming!

Wyoming is incredibly beautiful...check out this sky

I really like going to Cheyenne. It's a nice drive and we have so much fun when we're there! Ruby loves the attention from her grandparents and having a new place to explore.

9.5 months

2011-07-07T21:07:00.000-06:00

Wow, she's about halfway through this month and I'm just now updating. Things have been a bit crazy!

Ruby is nearly 17 lbs., which puts her in the 12th percentile. Little teeny girl! It's all that wild amount of crawling and cruising. She will NOT stay still. We already feed her extraordinary amounts of food, but we're going to have to up it anyways. I can't believe her appetite.

She's freakishly cute.

New things:
Waving
Dancing
Tanning
I can't think of anything else.

More than anything, she is just so incredibly fun. She is so happy and playful and loving.

Nieman and Alan's Wedding

2011-07-01T10:24:00.002-06:00

Pictures of Alan and Kaity BROADBENT:

Pictures of ME at the wedding events:

Flowers and such:

A wedding with gorgeous flowers, amazing food, fake moustaches (silly at the Fentons luncheon and classy chocolate ones as favors) and a photo booth is my kind of wedding. And no wedding cake--just lots of incredible pies.

It was one of the best days ever. Alan and Kaity were so incredibly happy and so were their families. I cried more than I expected and was (am) in love with my bouquet. I think it was the best reception I've ever been to--comfortable and beautiful and fun. The hours flew by! Kaity was beautiful. I'm so happy for them.

Photo Booth

2011-06-26T00:04:00.000-06:00

I participated in many, many photo booth pictures in what was probably the best wedding reception of the century:

my little family

my little couple

with jennifer ricks

the whole fam, minus danny and lucy

this will be part of ruby and timmy's wedding slideshow

sisters. plus lydia awkwardly groping christy!

the bridesmaids

Talk about awesome. I have 400 pictures on my camera to go through from today--temple, luncheon, and reception. BEST DAY EVER!

Raspberries

2011-06-24T22:56:00.000-06:00

Ruby loves fruit purees, of course. But we gave her some fresh raspberries in their true form this week and..she wasn't a fan.

Isn't that weird? I thought everyone liked raspberries. I guess we'll just try again later.

pseudo blonde

2011-06-17T21:47:00.000-06:00

I'm spending as much time out in the sun as I can, in the hopes of making my hair go blonde again. These hopes aren't high, and my hair is pretty much brown still. BUT check out this picture I just looked at from a couple days ago:

This picture has not been altered in any way.

Pretty light, right? Basically just the sun hitting my hair at the right angle, but it gives me hope.

That picture was taken right after Ruby got a handful of my homemade pineapple sherbet. Little punk!

Non-Robot Bridal Shower

2011-06-17T08:44:00.000-06:00

Last night was bridal shower #2 for Kaity Nieman, and I loved every second of it. She continues to amaze me with her class and sweetness. (Embarrassing, I know. But I can't help it.) It was really sweet to spend time with the special women in her life who have known her forever.

Also, pretty food. Banners everywhere. Paper straws out of mason jars. Exactly what I want out of a party.

Robot Bridal Shower

2011-06-12T17:55:00.000-06:00

Last night was the epically awesome bridal shower for Nieman. For years we've joked about having a robot-themed bridal shower for her, so it was amazing to see it finally come to fruition! (Much like my own dinosaur-themed bridal shower that Katy planned for me.) After many, many hours (days) of baking and making decorations with Katy, the party went swimmingly. The only thing I wasn't sure of, because it wasn't in my control, was how many people would come. I needn't have worried! Nieman is so loved that people traveled for hours to get here. I'm glad we had a ton of desserts for them to make it worth it.

Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out at all like I hoped. It was dark and the things I loved the most just didn't pop the way I wanted them to. Plus, I was pretty dumb about it and didn't take many pictures at all, and some things just aren't documented. This was a huge deal to me, so I'm bummed. Oh well. The ceiling was covered in yellow streamers, and we had garlands everywhere that Katy and I made. There were robot details everywhere, which were awesome. I think a classy robot shower is quite a feat to pull off!

Pierce the Robot. Beloved to all.

My first paper straw experience. A delight!

The groom himself!

This little robot was ready for bed.

Brownie cut outs

Baby raspberry cheesecakes

Mini cupcakes

An actually really good sugar cookie recipe!

Kaity looking so cute

Kaity got some awesome presents, including a croquet set and a tree. Her friends know her so well! We had about 20 people in all. The game was even fun, which I was surprised by. I know this post sounds braggy, but it really wasn't all me--Katy did everything with me, and others helped. I needed this to be extra-amazing because it's Kaity Nieman who is getting married, which is a very big deal.

Now I just need to get working on things for her next bridal shower in California!

Ruby at the Park

2011-06-06T09:18:00.001-06:00

I have approximately one billion pictures of Ruby on the swings having the time of her adorable little life. Has this girl ever been so happy? I doubt it.

We had such a great time! I'm so happy it's finally warm. It's time for me to blonde up my hair in the sun, and slather sunscreen all over Ruby's lily white legs.

I'm so happy it's June!

planning is my favorite

2011-06-03T10:20:00.000-06:00

I knooooow I need to blog. It's been days. There isn't much to say though!

This is what I've been up to:

hanging out with my mom when she was here for Memorial Day
massive Joanns trip--it was epic
got my BOTTLE GREEN Toms...and have worn them every day since
hanging out with Katy almost 24/7 because she's BACK
making bridal shower invitations (2x)
making bridal shower decorations (2x)
babyproofing the house because Ruby is capable of getting into everything now
celebrating with Celia because she's having TWINS
missing Lucy and Joyce and Lydia
staring at Ruby in disbelief because she's so dang cute
ordered and agonized and received my bridesmaid dress
found and purchased Ruby's dress for The Wedding (as godchild of the couple, she needed one)
planning a crazy, crazy June--2 bridal showers, 2 weddings, Lydia/Joyce baby blessing, 10 days in California

Alan + Kaity

2011-05-27T13:50:00.001-06:00

(I hope they don't see this.)
(Especially Alan.)

You know how sometimes you're going along and then are struck all over again with the truth that love is real? I love when that happens. I had that feeling when I was going through some pictures today. These were taken in Telluride.

Nieman was holding Ruby in the bjorn earlier.

Precious.

She's now holding a coffee table book in the bjorn.

She has ALWAYS had a thing for Carl Sagan.

They're the only couple I know who would read Cosmos out loud to each other on a road trip.

I'm glad Alan isn't jealous of Carl.

These are goofy pictures. They are sometimes goofy people. But don't they look so happy? Knowing that they are perfect together, and are getting married in a month, makes me so incredibly happy. Pretty close to giddy.

And this is my new favorite picture of Kaity:

Just a girl with the other love of her life.

8 months

2011-05-25T14:15:00.000-06:00

Oh man, the time. It is flying.

Ruby is an all-star crawler (SO fast and steady) and stander (not on her own yet, but she can pull herself up on anything in her path super quick) and all-around Superbaby. She's showing remarkable prowess at walking with help. No clue when the real deal will happen--hopefully I have another several months before she can actually walk!

This month Ruby got sick for the first time ever. She was still well-behaved, but there were a couple days when you could tell she was just miserable. The snotty nose is taking a while to go away.

Lucky girl got to take a bath with Lucy's toys...AND with Lucy!

She is working on FOUR teeth right now. Yes, four. And she's STILL a good baby--just not quite as perfect as she has been. I could have sworn she had an ear infection because she's getting over a cold and kept tugging on her ear, which she never ever does. That's like, 99% certainly an ear infection, right? Wrong. It's a referred earache associated with teething. Poor bunny. As someone who has suffered from tooth pain recently, I really feel for the girl.

She went on her first road trip--to Telluride, which is about a 6.5 hour drive. She was an angel! I was shocked. She didn't cry the whole time--and she didn't sleep much either. She just wanted to play with Alan and Nieman the entire time.

Also this month: champion eating (including feeding herself puffs), desire to be the first female baby sumo wrestler (will.not.stop.eating.), first use of nasal aspirator (snot bulb), switch to convertible carseat (today)

Current common nicknames: Rubindranath, Rubemeister, Ruby Roo, Adorababy. And as always, Girlfriend.

More California

2011-05-25T10:18:00.000-06:00

I still can't get over how darling Christy and her family are. I can't even tell you how great it was to spend time with her and her girls. 3 daughters! Just like my mom.

They're just so beautiful! All of them! Yes, you too Danny.
But really, Christy had twins 2 weeks ago (in this pic) and is still smokin'.

The forever love of my life, Lucy.

Joyce

Lydia

Probably have a lot of this to look forward to

Ruby and I had a blast hanging out with them.

Lydia smiling at me!

Double whammy

Cuddling with Joyce

Ruby looks pretty solemn in this picture...but the rest of the time, she was giggling wildly at Lucy's antics. And pulling her hair.

I can't wait to go back and see them all in June! Those babies are only getting cuter.

I Got High In Telluride

2011-05-23T12:54:00.000-06:00

No I didn't, neither in the narcotics sense or the skiing high mountaintops sense. It was just a funny sticker we saw while on our awesome whirlwind trip to Telluride, Colorado to visit Katy.

Telluride is a really great little town. An interesting mix of expensive boutique clothing stores and medical marijuana establishments. My most fave thing was the old-timey architecture.

ACTUALLY my most fave thing was Katy's studio. She showed us the books she's been working on and demonstrated some cool techniques. The people she works with are very cool and her studio is gorgeous. The light and exposed rock walls and cool equipment were so fun to look at. I loved finally seeing all the things that I've read about on her blog.

Book binding is awesome. Katy is awesome. Telluride is awesome. But I'm still glad she's coming home in a week!

Choices

2011-05-19T10:54:00.000-06:00

The next decision in my life:

or

??????

The bottle green linen is prettier...but maybe the olive is more practical?

Our 3rd Anniversary

2011-05-17T11:39:00.000-06:00

It's my 3rd anniversary of being married to Kyle. Good decision, Past Becca.

We made it through my pregnancy (which we only managed because Kyle is a patient and considerate man) and Ruby's newborn months (also because Kyle is patient and considerate and also frequently selfless). Kyle has proven himself to be an amazing father and continues to be an awesome husband. And he's still very attractive (read: super hot).

My love for him only grows. It's weird.

Joycie and Lyddie

2011-05-13T22:08:00.000-06:00

Guys, these girls are hilarious. They make me laugh all the time.

Moments like this:

Awwww

So cute

quickly turn into this:

Thinking about it...

Yep. Cannibal baby.

What shocks me is how SMALL they are. They were both about Ruby's weight when born, and just a teeny bit longer, but she was NEVER this tiny. Maybe they just have really long limbs or something, because I swear they are so much more delicate than she ever was! At first I was scared to put them in clothes or change their diapers, but I've gotten used to handling them. They are so fun and cute. I don't know how Christy feeds and cares for TWO NEWBORNS. I am tired just after 5 days of it! Most of our time is spent feeding/burping/changing the tinies while Lucy entertains Ruby. They are BFF already and adorable to watch. I'm having a great time!

(ps Ruby is sick for the first time in her life {we made it 8 months at least} and it is sooooo terrible. Luckily she has grandparents here to hug her in her misery. Sick babies are so pathetically sad. AND we have to be so super careful because if the babies get sick, life is officially over.)

I guest posted, if you can believe it.

2011-05-09T08:57:00.001-06:00

My friend Kayla of Freckles in April fame is doing a weekly series called Fashion Blogger (For A Day). And she asked me to contribute! I had fun doing it and it definitely made me evaluate my personal style (which I've done...never). You should already be reading her blog, but if you aren't, at least read what I had to say.

I posted it to my blog as well, but backdated it to publish when I wrote it, thinking no one would see it. Except some of you tricky readers out there DID find it, thinking I just randomly wrote about my clothes on my own blog. As I'm not a fashion blogger, that would be weird.

Make It Work

2011-05-04T12:38:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, Kyle and Ruby and I went to the Gateway with Celia to check out some dresses at Anthropologie. When we got there and saw a line outside of Lucky, I remembered reading that there was going to be a special guest that day--TIM FREAKING GUNN! I love that man. We peered in at him through the windows every time we passed the store, and I freaked out when I actually saw the man himself. He was standing not 5 feet away from me! He was awesome in real life. Doesn't he just have the kindest face?

This would be a story worth telling if Celia and I had gone in and met him and got a picture with him. As it was, we were too cowardly to meet him. We were NOT dressed for the occasion. When one meets Tim Gunn, one must look fabulous. We considered buying new outfits and then meeting him, but that wouldn't be financially responsible.

I'm kicking myself now, though. Having Tim Gunn comment on the cuteness of my baby would have made my life.

My BFF + His BFF= Love

2011-05-01T22:58:00.001-06:00

I think they'll be happier when it's the real deal.

My best friend is marrying Kyle's best friend! Our life can now FINALLY be a sitcom. Oh wait, that can't happen until we move in next door to each other.

I am extremely happy. Like, I don't think I can possibly describe how happy I am. I had an inkling, because Alan's mom Midge wrote something suspicious on facebook. PLUS that night Alan and Nieman called to come over at like 9...and they have a very strict curfew of 9:30 which Nieman definitely does enforce. Conditions were suspicious.

To tell us, they walked in and replaced this paper plate (which has been displayed in our living room since December) with this one:

So now, the wedding preparations have begun! I have spent approximately 12 hours shopping for a wedding dress with Nieman. This is something I have dreamed of for YEARS. (Not just for Nieman's wedding, but for Nieman's wedding with Alan.) Life is so great when your dreams come true.

Is it bad that Kyle and I think that their sealing will be the happiest day of our lives?

Twin Pics!

2011-04-27T14:44:00.000-06:00

You're welcome.

Since Christy, Danny, and my mom are up to their eyeballs in the first week of the lives of TWO newborns (therefore sleepless nights and constant feeding/burping/diaper changing) and have no time to take pictures with a real camera, let alone upload pictures, I asked if I could put up the iPhone pictures that I have received since their birth. There are fewer pictures of Joyce because she was in the NICU for a while after birth, so Lydia was more available for pictures.

Right after getting the pitocin, I think. After hours of waiting.

Finally at a 10!

Lydia Jane

Twin moms get a special meal!

Daddy and Lydia

Umm....I think Lydia?

Mom and Joyce Aline

Meeting Lucy

Lydia

Going home!

Finally at home

Lydia's arm around Joyce

Lucy and Joyce

Lydia and Joyce

I am pining for them!

Uh Oh

2011-04-26T18:21:00.001-06:00

Today I walked into Ruby's room to get her up from her nap and found this:

Dang it. Now I have to take the cool breathable bumper off. I love that thing, but she uses it to climb up I think.

(Notice her two little teeth.)

Is it any wonder I think this girl is perfect?

I have two new nieces. With nothing to show for it.

2011-04-25T15:42:00.001-06:00

These days are crazy! Last night my sister Christy gave birth to twin girls, Lydia and Joyce. From the fuzzy phone pictures I've seen, they are beautiful. Hopefully my parents or Danny will distribute some real pictures sometime soon, because we are all dying! They were big girls too--Joyce is bigger than Ruby was, and Lydia is just one ounce less. I can't imagine having two Rubies in me. Crazy.

My other sister, Katy, is having an adventure in Colorado for the next 5 weeks, at the American Academy of Bookbinding. (Or something fancy like that.) She gallivants around the Rockies in the snow, or rambles around the little cute town of Telluride.

What am I doing? Nothing exciting or adventurous or noteworthy. Can you tell I miss my sisters? I am so used to having Katy around to hang out with. And it's killing me that Christy just had babies and I'm not there to hold them and be with her! I love Utah, but come on. I need to have Joyce and Lydia in my arms RIGHT. NOW.

I DID get to hang out with this little angel though:

His name is Jimmer or James, depending on whether you ask his dad or his mom.

Ruby isn't used to being the BIG baby around.

Baby Beck is darling. Playing with him made me realize how much I miss having a newborn (for the cuteness factor...not the sleeplessness and constant feeding/poop). He makes the CUTEST sounds when he's sleeping. I loved having him purr in my arms.

Easter was really great this year. We had some candy because Celia and I went to 5 different places on Saturday night, looking for Cadbury Mini Eggs. Macey's finally pulled through for us! Ruby and Kyle and I went over to Nieman's house and spent Easter with her and Alan. We made dinner, had a picnic, played croquet (we won't say who won), and had a egg hiding contest (we won't say who won that either). (Ok, yes we will. The VAUGHNS DID!) It was freakishly fun for some reason. Next year, we'll actually have an easter egg hunt for our child, not ourselves. I guess.

Here is a picture of Nieman looking really pretty and Alan looking funny because he noticed the camera:

And here's a bunch of pictures of Dad looking cute with Ruby.

Dad was here for a couple days and we had the best time driving around the valley, doing anything that struck our fancy. Ruby really took to him.

If you need me, I'll be sitting over here, pining for my nieces.

(Also, it's funny that I have 5 nieces and 0 nephews. Ruby only has girl cousins.)