Wednesday was a fun day for us! We went to the movies in the morning with some new friends. They had an early showing for free. I had not been to the movies since I was pregnant with Ruby. It was Ruby's first time. I was kind of nervous that it would be too hard to sit through it with two girls, but it went perfectly. Elsie sat on my lap and watched it, with nursing here and there. Ruby ate popcorn, played quietly in her chair, and watched most of the movie. Such a great experience and a fun movie too, Night at the Museum (the second one). We were at the Garland too, which is such a neat place to be.

After we finished the movie, we packed up and headed over to The Milk Bottle, a restaurant shaped like a milk bottle only a block away. Ruby held one of the boys hands nicely, so cute to watch her, she loves to hold hands any opportunity she gets. We specifically went to this restaurant for their hand made milkshakes, I had read that they were so good. The atmosphere was awesome too. While we waited for our shakes, we watched an employee putting potatoes through a cutter to make fries in the back. The milk shakes were sooooo good and Ruby picked raspberry which was a wonderful choice. One shake was perfect for us to share, a small one for Ruby and a large one for me. Yum! Next we need to go there for lunch, their menu looked great.

Later that day, Elsie started coughing in a wierd way so we called the nurse. They told us she was probably okay and just had a cold, so not to worry. She actually ended up getting a bad fever, it got to 103.6 throughout the night and the tylenol brought it down thank goodness. Hard to watch her feeling so crummy though.

When we woke in the morning, she had a lowgrade fever of 100, so we decided to continue with our plans of going to First Night in downtown Spokane. That was a blast. Lots of fun crafts for Ruby and interesting activities. We walked from a free parking lot, it was snowing and Ruby was loving it. Just nice to be out and doing something as a family. We decided to eat at Chili's, Mike loves it there and it was right by us and within walking distance. We were all so hungry, so we ate quickly and enjoyed it. After all the crafts and dinner, we went to the carousel and Mike and Ruby rode together. She loves doing this! After this we walked to the ice arena, but it was getting cold at that point and late, so we decided not to go iceskating. It was fun to look at the area though. As we were walking back toward the car, we stopped to watch some snowboarders compete. After this we walked past a slide made of ice that was being carved earlier, this time it was done and Ruby was able to go down it a few times. Fun. We decided to stop back by the convention center (where we started), and Mike walked the rest of the way to pick up the car and bring it back for us. We stood inside looking out the windows and waiting.

When we got near home, we stopped at IGA and each of us picked something drink. My first glass of wine in a long, long time and it was really good. Ruby drank sparkling apple cider and Mike some Guiness. Ruby was intrigued by all the drinks and wanted to smell them over and over. We also clanked cups and said cheers a bit. So funny! We watched Curious George the movie and she headed off to bed.

Happy New Years everyone! Hoping for a wonderful 2010!

This morning Ruby wanted to do some crafts. I got out some fingerpaints and stickers and she went to town. We sent out the finished product to her cousins and grandma. She is such a busy little thing. We also did some stamping with her new stamp set. She used to love stamping with my stamps, but now that she has her own they aren't as exciting and entertaining.

She is getting much better at putting puzzles together. I bought her a curious george puzzle and she worked on it until she finished the entire thing, what a proud girl.

After Daddy returned from his errands, we went out for a long drive to Medical Lake area and looked for deer. They are everywhere out there. Lots of awesome pictures too because they are not afraid of people. We drove out to Deep Creek to take a look, so beautiful. We saw a huge group of turkey and I got a picture of them too.

Picked up an inlander on the way home, so excited to see that there is a huge celebration of the New Year in Spokane. We are planning on attending, it should be a blast. Lots to do that Ruby would love.

Ruby has been into playing games a lot lately. Mike played a few with her today and they had a lot of fun together. We have some really simple ones right now which makes it nice.

Elsie is so funny, she actually pulled herself up on her Daddy's leg tonight so that he would pick her up to play with our dog Henry. She usually wants me to hold her, but lately has been perfectly content with her Daddy.

At dinner, I have been offering her baby food out of the jars and she is NOT a fan. I keep trying just to see if she will finally start liking it. She loves her teething biscuits though. I put a piece of chicken in her mouth to suck on and she loved it, couldn't get enough of it. Mike thought I was crazy. It was a huge chunk and I had ahold of it the whole time. So funny, both my girls are huge meat eatters.

I have been trying to get Elsie to bed on time, but she is so full of energy when we lay down. Today she was playing with the covers and flipping into crawling position over and over. She didn't get to sleep until close to 9 pm when she usually goes down at 7 pm.

We spent most of the day trying to workout some issues with our bank, so frustrating. After spending over an hour on the phone getting transfered from one representative to another, we decided to go into the bank and talk with someone firsthand. Thank goodness, she was able to make some headway.

Elsie started waving today. She is so funny, I caught her waving at all of us at one point or another and then she also waved at the lady who helped us at Bank of America. Love it!

I went to workout today, Elsie slept the entire time so I was able to concentrate on the entire workout which was nice. Mike dropped me off and took Ruby with him for an hour. They went out to Medical Lake and looked at deer together, they are everywhere out there. Amazing. He said that they actually got out of the car to get a closer look at them, they were really close. Ruby enjoyed it. When they got back, Ruby was asleep in the car.

Mike is such a good Dad. I just love watching him with Ruby and Elsie. Just so much fun, Ruby loves all the running around and goofiness. He is always stealing a kiss when he holds Elsie. When Ruby gets upset or doesn't want to do something, he will quickly turn her bahavior around by making her laugh and taking her mind off of it all. So thankful I chose him as my husband, what a blessing.

We spent the entire day home, I really wanted to get out and do something, but it just never happened. I did get lots of work done around the house.

The past few days have been pretty challenging with Elsie. I think she is teething and she just wants to be on me all the time, preferably nursing. There are moments when she is interested in something or doing her own thing, but overall she cries or gets irritated pretty quickly and wants me to hold her. Poor little thing, wish those teeth would come in already. I used to give her teething biscuits and she would suck on them alittle and then they would fall to the floor because she lost interest. The past two days, she has been sucking on them forever and gobbling them up. I just think her poor gums are upsetting her right now.

I noticed that Elsie is starting to bounce a bit to music she hears, today it was totally obvious that was what she was up to. So cute. Can't wait for her to do it more often, so fun to watch.

Ruby surprised me today several times while were eatting. She wanted to eat and was willing to eat things she normally wouldn't. So funny! She also wants to eat what Elsie has too. She is also trying things that she turned her nose up to just a month ago. I made her a leftover turkey sandwich and she ate it with no problem. Thinking she wants to be like Mom and Dad. I really think she going through another growth spurt...she is so big already...but now she always says she is hungry even after we have just eatten.

I have been looking at planning a trip to Yellowstone area this summer or the next one. My Dad brought my attention to a city right by it call Virginia City, MT. It is a living history town, and looks totally amazing. Not sure we can swing the expense yet though or the hassle of travel with a youngster. I think Elsie may be ready the following summer. It is only 6 hours away though and I would be so excited to go there.

Wheww...can't believe the day is nearly coming to an end.

On Christmas Eve we went into town to visit Santa. We went to the mall downtown. Santa was on break when we arrived, so we ate at Taco Del Mar while we waited. Ruby gobbled down her quesadillas and by that time Santa was back in business. The girls were both dressed up really cute in the same colors. Ruby needed some new tights, so we went to Gymboree and found a cute pair. They were having their semi-annual sale...so much cute stuff, but thankfully we made it out without purchasing anything. The line to Santa was sooooo long, so Mike and Ruby walked over to Starbucks for his coffee. When they returned, we had made some headway in the line. Elsie was laughing and smiling at a little boy who was playing with her. I chatted with the couple in front of me, time went by much faster with someone to talk to. Right when we made it to the front of the line, Ruby had to use the restroom. I was so worried that she wasn't going to be back in time. Elsie started to cry too, but thankfully was back into a better mood as we walked up to Santa. Ruby was so excited. She wanted to talk to Santa, but when she got on his lap, she was so quiet he couldn't hear her. He told her to leave cookies and milk and carrots for the reindeer, she loved that. Elsie took a look at Santa, turned to look at us, looked back at him again, and then started to cry. We actually got a good picture of them both though and it was an overall fun experience. My scanner isn't working right now, so I can't post it :(

When we were done, we went over to my Dad's house to visit and exchange gifts. Ruby is getting pretty comfortable there, but she is really, really shy around my Dad. She loves to explore their house though, so that is fun. She asked for juice while we were there, so my Dad mixed some up for her. She remembered she got one last time. My Dad loved the shirt I got him and he got us all books, which we really liked too. They were perfect, you could tell that he spent some time trying to get the right one for each of us. I wanted a picture of my Dad with Ruby, Elsie and I but it didn't work out. Ruby wouldn't stand in the picture and Elsie was being fussy. Mike did get a picture of Ruby hugging his wife Sandy and my Dad, so that was nice. My Dad's cousin came by to visit at the end of our visit, he hadn't seen me since I was a baby. It was neat to finally meet him.

We stopped by Fred Meyer and then headed home. On the way home, we stopped by my Mom's house and delivered their presents. My mom came out and carried Ruby into the her house to say hi to everyone. Ruby loved that. When we finally made it home, Ruby and I made cookies for Santa together. She enjoyed doing it! We also put a plate of carrots out and then some milk.

Ruby woke up this morning to see if they were there, and was so excited to see they were gone and that there were presents under the tree. Mike got up soon after and she proceeded to open them all. Elsie had fun pulling up on the presents, listening to the sound of the crinkled wrapping paper, and trying to keep up with her sister. Ruby's kitchen is finally full of fun play food and dishes, most of her presents were along that line. She spent the rest of the day cutting it and playing with it. Love Melissa Doug stuff! We also put together a puzzle and read some new books she received from family. It was a great year full of the perfect presents, usually I have a hard time finding things...but this year it came easy for everyone. My grandma sent us a funny doggy that rolls on the ground and makes noises, I caught Elsie laughing like crazy at it when it got stuck on her. So cute!

I made turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing...the same old...but Mike loves it! It took a long time to prepare, but very little time to devour it. Ruby ate almost all of it, yay...and Elsie ate some mashed potatoes :)

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching Christmas movies and eatting apple pie.

I am so tired, even though we really didn't do much but cook. It was a great day and loved spending it here with my lovelies.

Well...I got out of the house today with just Elsie and I while Mike took Ruby bowling. It was a very relaxing morning. I met up with the lady who does my girls hand and footprints, she had three pieces she completed for me. They all are amazing. I had them done way back when Elsie was 6 weeks old. One is a 3D of their foot/handprints and is so awesome! I also went to the consignment shop to look for some Christmas dresses for the girls and I found two sweater dresses that are really cute, they both wore them a bit today and like them. All the Christmas clothes were 50% off...so good deal for me. While I was there, I tried some fun flower headbands and tutus on Elsie. They were adorable and I decided to take her over to JCP to get her pics taken in them. The pictures turned out wonderfully. The very first one was the best and when I went to the viewing station, they handed me a release form so they could use the picture in their studio. I was so excited, this is the first time they have asked me this in all the times I have been there for pics. I can't wait to share them, but they won't be back until January 4th.

Later, we decided to drive to walmart to check out stands for our computer that could be put in the corner of our living room. We are moving it to the living room so Elsie can have our spare room. We found a really inexpensive one to use. After walking through the store...we headed out to look at some lights on the way home. Ruby ooed and awed at the different colors and creatures they had set up. We almost hit a deer on the back roads...it ran right out in front of our car. Mike stopped and it went back. We sat there for a minute more and it crossed again further from the car. Thank goodness it was alright.

Elsie was so full of sounds and noises today...all day it sounded like she was saying "baby". At points I caught her clapping, so cute.

Ruby had a good time today with her Daddy, they went bowling, then to a new restaurant called "Loco Dogs", then to Sutton Park to play. They have been doing things, just the two of them, more often lately. She is becoming quite the little Daddy's girl, makes me sad at points. There are times when she wants to snuggle with me, but not as often as the past.

Wow! It has been awhile since my last post. Mike is off work for a bit, so I haven't been able to sit down and write.

Ruby has been so into The Jungle Book, what a fun story and movie! She loves Baloo, she scratches her back on the wall like him. She also loves to sing all the songs throughout the day. Who knew it would be such a hit. I bid on a 40th anniversary edition and won today. Love ebay, only $7.50 for a brand new set of DVDs. Ruby will love it and it will probably be here for Christmas to open.

We went to Ephrata on Saturday to visit Mike's brother Steven's family. His son, Tyren, turned 4 this week. Ruby loved running around with them. They all dressed up in play clothes and played together, so cute. Ruby loved these little shoes and wore them almost the entire time. All the kids were all over Mike most of our visit, it was fun to see all the interaction.

We went to Old Navy yesterday, so much fun! They were having all kinds of deals. Mike found a super cute, warm coat for Elsie that matches Ruby's coat. I found a fleece and a bright green hat to wear. We are pretty much set for when snow hits. We decided to go to the mall to check out Santa, Ruby seems excited to visit with him. She really wanted to go sit on his lap, but we weren't ready quite yet. We hope to do that on Christmas Eve.

Elsie started clapping yesterday, Mike saw her. Today, she was clapping up a storm. When I would say "Clap! Clap! Clap!" she would sit back and put her hands together high in front of her head and proudly clap. So cute! It is funny to compare milestones between my girls. Ruby didn't clap until she was almost 10 months old, Elsie is only 8 1/2 months. So far they have been following the same patterns, except for sitting up and this. It will be fun to see how close they are on the ones to come!

We had a few moments of sunshine today without rain, so we hightailed it out to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge to take some family pictures. Mike set up the camera on the self-timer and we found a neat spot. We were on a bridge that Ruby loves. They turned out pretty good and I just love it out there, so gorgeous no matter where you pick to explore. Right when we got back into the car, it started back into the rain. Perfect timing.

Mike's Dad went in for surgery today, he had a tumor in his stomach removed and one of his kidneys that also had a tumor on it. Everything went okay...just praying that they tests come back that the one on his kidney isn't cancerous. We are heading there tomorrow so Mike can go see him and the girls and I will spend time with her aunt and cousins. Later in the day we will exchange gifts and have dinner together, should be fun!

I put Elsie in the bath tub with Ruby today, under my supervision of course. They loved it, Elsie has been crawling up to the side of the tub every time Ruby is in it. She pulls up and laughs at her like crazy. She was trying to reach in and touch her and the toys today, so I decided to put her in to see how it worked out. Not too bad at all. Elsie spent most of the time trying to grab toys and put them in her mouth.

Elsie has been pulling up on everything lately, even things that don't have edges. She pulled up on the sliding glass door today more than once. One time she had a bottle nipple in her hand, and was holding up by just one hand. When she falls back, she always bends her legs and falls on her booty bottom. Pretty amazing.

Today I was thinking about all the things I would love to do when I am able. There are just so many things that I haven't done in a long time or have never done. I was talking to my workout partner Angie the other day and we were doing a move that mimics skiing and I said that I would like to learn to do it. She said that she loves skiing, I would love to go with her sometime. There are just so many things, one of these days I will write them all down. Mostly active things like white water rafting, rock climbing, iceskating, rollerblading and skating, traveling to other places, etc....

Lots of thoughts of my sister Katie lately...especially because I have been talking to an old friend of hers. She shed some light on some questions I have had for many, many years. She also openned my eyes to a new outlook. Mixed thoughts mostly. Just praying for some change to occur in this lifetime. Miss her.

It snowed over the night and we woke to a fresh coat on the ground. So pretty. Ruby was excited to try out her new snowpants and play in the snow. We got everything together and headed to a playdate.

We went to our awesome friend Tanya's house. Ruby ran around with Jacqueline all by herself. They got along really well. I kept going upstairs to see if everything was okay. Each time I went up, no issues except one. I asked if they were doing okay and Ruby had a different look on her face, but said that it was going fine. I could smell a fragrance, so I went to investigate and found that they had gotten into lotion. She always puts things on her neck, so I had to clean her neck up. Then both Tanya and I searched around to find the exact smell. We never did, but it smelled exactly like baby powder. Other than that, it went perfectly. I really emjoyed talking with my mom friends, such a great group today. Tanya made us all sandwiches with different types of cheese, one had wasabi cheese. It was yummy! Ruby ate hers pretty well, and she surprised me that she would eat it with tomato on the sandwich. She is alway more willing to eat different things when we go there.

Elsie slept through most of the playdate, but did get out and play a bit. She was really noticing babies today. There were two others, one that was 3 month and one that was one month. She pulled up on the one month old baby Jake's carseat while he slept to look at him. The three month old baby Dean was nearly the same size as Elsie, they both sat next to eachother and touched softly. Too cute.

We had so much fun there as usual, the time just flew by. Before I knew it, it was getting closer and closer to 2 pm. Once we got home, I let Ruby stay outside and play in the snow a bit. It was super wet, but she still enjoyed it. She spent most of her time shoveling, I am thinking to be like Daddy. Then I had her go out in the back yard and she was feeding Henry snow. She was soooo wet, I finally decided it was time to get inside. After I stripped her down to the first layer of clothes she was dry again.

Ruby was riding this little push toy around the house back and forth between Mike and I. She kept giving us each a kiss as she said goodbye to us. I heard her say "that was a good kiss Daddy!" over and over. Mike was like "thanks, I have been practicing". So funny, she is all about kisses right now.

Elsie is pulling up like crazy and letting go with one hand and transfering to different objects. She is taking a few steps along the object too. So amazing, I really think she might start walking earlier than Ruby who started at 1 year. We'll see! She was looking at her reflection on the sliding glass doors with Ruby and laughing at them. She loves to see herself in mirrors and glass now.

Ruby gave me 7 kisses before bed today. She didn't want to brush her teeth with toothpaste, but I told her that we would have to go talk to the dentist if she didn't and she quickly decided to comply.

When I came out into the living room this morning, Ruby was laying with her arm over Morris and had him covered with a blanket. Morris was so relaxed and enjoying the attention. So cute...they went on like this for a good 10 or 15 minutes. Morris used to just high tail it out of the room when Ruby was there, now he actually likes it.

We started the day by going to a playdate in Spokane on South Hill. We were late of course, by a half hour. Ruby frosted a couple sugar cookies and put different candies on top. She loved the m&m's and totally filled one up with them. The other one she put all sorts of colored gels and christmas tree sprinkles. She enjoyed eatting one of them and almost went on to the next one before I stopped her. She is a sweet tooth just like her Daddy.

Elsie spent the whole time at the playdate cruising around the living room inspecting any item she came across. Well...there was alittle nursing too.

We then drove straight to Angie's house to work out. I was so excited to bring my new workout DVDs. We did the Denise Austin one today. I think we are going to do a different one everyday so we don't get bored. She has at least 5 and I have 5, so it will be fun to try them all out. One of her boys took Ruby into the closet because he had a glow sword he wanted to her see shine. She get really freaked out in the dark and started crying. Other than that, she has been doing really good playing while we are working out. She will come in every so often and join us, sometimes she does the moves exactly right. Really neat! It was hard at points today, Ruby kept trying to hang on me or go between my legs. She did this once when I was coming down with a weight in my hand and I banged her head with it. Thank goodness she was okay...not even a tear. Scared me though.

When we were done working out, I just couldn't get myself to pack us all up. Elsie slept the entire time until right at the very end of the workout. She was so happy once I took her out and was laughing at Angie a lot and playing with her. She was just so adorable. She loves to laugh on her own now instead of only when someone tries to make her laugh. It is really cute. Angie said that it seems like she will have a nice personality from her interactions with her.

For the past few days, Elsie has been letting go with one hand while she holds onto the object she is pulling up on. She is really comfortable pulling up now and just speeds through the house as she crawls.

When Mike got home for his break before his concert, Elsie and Ruby were so happy and wanted to play like crazy. Elsie started following Mike around until he picked her up, she always does this. He loves it. He noticed that she is so much more cuddly today as he held her. She is just SO much fun!

Ruby was so tired today, she has skipped her nap so many times lately...I am thinking she is done with naps and we are going to put her down at 7:45 pm, this seems to work well for her. When she did have naps, she was waking up like crazy throughout the night and Mike would have to take care of it which is hard with his work schedule. This way she sleeps soundly the whole night through.

Old Friends

We spent the day with our long time friends, Candy and Ethan and their boys. It was so nice to see them, it had been a long time. Too long.

Mike and Ethan both love to play games on XBOX, so they did that while Candy and I chit chatted. The boys started out by trying to play UNO with Ruby, but she didn't stick with it and started doing something else. We then got out the Monkeys Jumping on the Bed game and that didn't hold their interest for long either. Ruby and Gage did go outside for a bit and played together, it was so cold though and they only made it about 15 minutes total before coming back inside to warm up. Elsie slept through much of the time we were visiting. Ruby and Candy colored together for a bit, Ruby loves to do that and really enjoyed watching Candy draw different things for her.

After visiting for a few hours, we decided to head into Spokane to eat at Chili's. Yum! I usually don't like their food much except for the chips and salsa. Today I ordered a cajun chicken pasta and it was really tasty. Ruby picked out her own food today, she decided on a grilled cheese. I thought corn on the cob would be fun for her, so we did that for the side dish. We all enjoyed the food very much and especially spending time with Candy and Ethan. They are so much fun!

After we made it home, I cleared off a big desk that I had in our spare room. We have decided to make our spare room into a room for Elsie since we probably will be here for another two years. Mike toted it out to the garage and also put away the exersaucer since Elsie isn't enjoying it as much anymore. Now we have so much more space. Our only issue is where to put the computer. Our house is so small and we don't have more to work with. Right now it is in the spare room, but I am thinking we will have to put it in the living room. We'll see! I am also thinking we are going to put her changing table in the garage as well, to create more space for her bed.

Elsie was a little ham today, smiling like crazy at Candy and being playful. She wanted to be on me a lot at dinner, so she fell asleep while nursing the entire meal. When she got up her hair was standing up in every direction, so cute. Wish those teeth would start popping through so she would feel better.

I decided to wrap all the presents last night, that was fun but I am glad to have it done. We also put up some more ornaments I found in the closet tonight. Ruby put up a bunch, so now the tree looks much better and more Christmasy. There were some we made from dough and cut out, so funny that she can't remember making them only one year ago. She thought they were pretty cool though. I think we will make more of them this year. I plan on making most of the ornaments for our tree, I just think it means more that way.

Another busy week ahead, something planned everyday. It will be lots of fun and full of the Christmas spirit! Yay!

Ruby wakes up every morning now to find her 5 pennies, a quarter, and a dime on the dresser. She asks for it before she goes to bed every night. Mike sneaks in and leaves it for her. It has been good though, because now she know what the different coins are. She has no idea that Mike takes the coins out of the piggy bank and leaves them for her, and then she returns them in the morning.

Life has been a bit more challenging with my sweet little Elsie this week. I really think she is teething. She has no teeth yet, but wants to nurse constantly. Both my girls didn't take binkies. Ruby did fine with teething, barely noticable. Elsie is having a more difficult time. She cries much more and just isn't as happy and content as usual. Hope those teeth come in soon, although I will miss her little toothless smile.

The girls had lots of play time with Daddy today which was wonderful. I'm loving seeing Mike have so much fun with his girls. He is liking it too :)

We went to Costco together earlier in the day, to get some needed supplies. I was able to buy three more DVDs (biggest Loser and two others) for 5.99 a piece. Such a deal! Now Angie and I will have more variety when we workout together. It was busy today, which makes Mike alittle annoyed. He really doesn't like Costco anyway, and with tons of people to get around it's even worse. He just wants to get out of there so fast. I could spend all day in there, love it. Ruby loves it too. She loves the samples, toys, books, riding around on the cart, and taking the receipt to the people at the door when we leave. Oh, can't forget the pizza, she told me she loves it too! Elsie slept the entire time through Costco, but woke up on the ride home. She cried quite a bit. She finally settled down when Ruby gave her a book and a water bottle lid to bang on it. Kept her entertained for quite some time.

Ruby ate all her dinner with the thought that she would get a "tangerine" popsicle afterward. She was surprised to know that they were called popsicles tonight, not tangerine which is one of the flavors. She loves them.

After dinner, we read a few books and then I decided to make rice crispies for Mike again. Ruby helped me. Ruby put each marshmellow in a bowl as I counted them out. We had 72 which worked out great for two batches. I melted the butter and she threw them in the pan to watch them melt. She also measured and poured out the rice crispies. Then we all munched on the leftovers in the bowl and pan, even Henry our dog.

Mike and Ruby watch the Incredibles again, she really likes it. Mike made them hot chocolate again, what a day for sweets in our household.

I asked Mike to take down Elsie's swing because she doesn't want to use it anymore. He was more than happy to get it down, one more progression to the next stage and more room to move around in our tiny house. I was happy too, but a bit sad as well. Elsie is growing up way too fast. Mike didn't skip a beat, now it is down and in our garage.

Ruby wrapped her first presents today. They were the gifts we picked out for her cousins on Mike's side. She picked out the wrapping paper for each gift, cut the paper off, maneuvered the paper around the gift with my help, taped it together, and picked out the tag and bow for each gift too. She was really pleased with herself. Elsie was content just watching and sucking on her apple pieces. I gave her the leftover paper from the gifts and she immediately put it up to her eyes like binoculars because it was shaped that way. Then she took some and made it into a skirt. Funny girl!

We started the day off by going to Angie's house for our regular workout. Ruby had fun with Tony. Elsie has been really whiny lately and didn't want me to put her down. I think she is teething and just wants to nurse like crazy. That is the only thing that soothes her. Angie was so sweet and would stop working out while I nursed or took care of Elsie and then start it back up again immediately after. Finally she let me finish up and was so happy that I could hold her again. Angie made us some peanut butter and peach jelly sandwiches (yummy, she made it herself) and then we headed out to Riverpark Square for a carriage ride.

Ruby got a very brief nap in the Durango and then I woke her up to go to the ride. We made it there right as they were loading on, perfect timing. Ruby was really excited. She sat calmly as we took a ride around the block. When we got off, she was able to look at the horses more closely. So awesome! We all enjoyed it, it was short but perfect since it was so cold.

After we loaded up into the car, I decided to go to Savvy Moms in the Valley. Loved that place! I got so many neat items for both Ruby and Elsie at a great price. I spent over an hour in there and chatted with the owner, which was a really neat guy. Ruby loved riding a bike around and the play kitchen they had, kept her entertained for a long time. I also found a Melissa and Doug birthday set there that I was looking for, Ruby will really love it for Christmas.

On the ride home, Elsie was upset and crying which is so unusual for her. Ruby said, "Mom, stop the car!" Thinking that if I stopped the car, Elsie would stop crying. I sometimes tell her that I am going to stop the car if she is being awnry, just to get her attention. She thought that I needed to get Elsie's attention.

Mike was home when we got there. We decided to have a low-key night and order pizza. It was good and they didn't have a large so they gave us two mediums so we have leftovers. Ruby enjoyed watching The Incredibles with Mike while I put Elsie down for bed.

A good day and week, but very busy! I am exhausted and ready for a relaxing weekend.

Mike is finished with his graduate class as of today, yippy yay yo! Now he only has two classes in the spring and his internship next year, then he will be totally done. So excited!

We went to a playdate at our good friend Tanya's house today. It was so much fun with lots of good company to chit chat with while we were there. Just a great group of ladies today, so thankful to be a part of this wonderful group of mommies. Ruby loved playing ring around the rosy with her friends. Elsie was perfectly content sitting on the floor and checking out all the awesome new items around her. So funny. Everyone kept commenting on how great she was and they loved that she was so smily. Diana took lots of pictures of her on her new camera. Can't wait to take a peak.

We went home with just enough time for a light lunch and nap for Ruby. She didn't want to go down at first, but quickly fell asleep and slept for almost 3 hours. I had to wake her up so that we could go to pick up her cousins to head to the carousel. Ruby was so excited to spend time with Kylar and Ciara. She laughed and talked with them on the ride to the carousel. Ciara had to squeeze into the second row of seats because I didn't have the third row up. It worked out pretty good though and Ruby loved having her next to her. Kylar sat next to me. When we finally got to Riverpark Square, we quickly got out and put both girls in the stroller and headed inside the mall to take the elevator down to the main floor. At the bottom, we headed out to the street and it was frigid. We all ran most of the way to the carousel to get there faster. Ruby enjoyed riding in the stroller and watching us huff and puff to the entrance. Ruby ate a cookie and then rode the carousel two times with her Grandma. She wanted to me to stay with Elsie and my mom to ride with her. Ciara was usually right near her. She loved it, waving to me as she went around. By this time we were all hungry and headed back to Riverpark Square food court to get a bite to eat. Ruby and I ate mexican food, she loved her chicken quesadillas, ate them all. I had nachos and they were really good too. I haven't had nachos in forever, one of my favorites. My mom held Elsie for quite some time. I was surprised by how calm Elsie was since it was now getting so close to her bedtime. We just kept her entertained by a random items while we talked. Ciara wanted to ride with me to Walmart, Ruby was thrilled. We drove there and I dropped her off to meet my mom and Kylar. Ruby laughed and talked to Ciara the entire ride to Walmart. She was so tired, but kept saying that she wasn't. She always rubs her belly button with her finger when she is tired. Her eye was really pink and irritated in the corner, I was starting to think that it was pink eye. When we got home, I sat her on the counter so I could see it better and when I pulled her eyelid up it actually was just bloodshot from a eyelash that was stuck under the bottom lid. I think that is all it was, thank goodness, I guess we will see for sure in the morning.

Ruby stayed up late to see her Daddy. She was so tired and fell right asleep since it was almost 10 when she finally got in bed. Another busy day tomorrow, working out with Angie and then going to town for a horse drawn carriage ride. Can't wait!

We went to a new place to eat today, Ferrente's, up on South Hill. On the way up there, Ruby said, "Mom, does Costco live in the valley?" and I said, "Yes, Costco is in the valley." Ruby kept correcting what I said and adding "live" back in. The she said, "Mom, where does Huckleberries live?" I was so surprised, she has some very neat comments lately. She is so inquisitive now, paying attention to everything around her. I had to laugh, the way she words her thoughts is too cute right now.

She loved seeing Jacqueline and Tanya at Ferrente's. The food and atmosphere was awesome there. We also met another new mom who just moved here from California and her baby Dean. The girls just couldn't get enough of him. She was really nice.

We then trecked it over to Angie's for our workout. Ruby was so excited to play with Tony and Teddy. They were really excited too and greeted us at the door before we even made it up to it. Ruby watched Monster's Inc with them as we worked out, taking breaks a few times to come in and join us for the exercise. Elsie slept through all the cardio and woke up when we were doing the strength training section. She does really good while I work out, just sits there and looks around at things and pulls up both of us. I am so sore, wish I wouldn't have fallen off track again. Loving working out with Angie though, it holds me accountable to be there. She is such a nice person too, makes it that much easier to get together with her.

By the time we got home, it was after 3 pm. No nap for Ruby again. She did really well without one though. I decided to give Ruby a bath after she walked through banana that Elsie had thrown to the ground. Next thing I know, Elsie has crawled all the way into the bathroom while Ruby was in it. She pulled herself up on the side and was laughing non-stop with Ruby. So cute. She just thought she was so cool today as she pulled up and even tried walking a bit on the edge of things. She is getting really fast too. I tried to get some video of them laughing together, but I never get there quick enough to get the funnest moments. I did get alittle though. They were so funny together in there. Ruby was pouring a little bit of water on Elsie, so she got pretty wet.

Mike got home really late, both the girls missed him so much. Elsie just can't get enough play time with him these days. She was bouncing on his lap. He held her up and she bounced like crazy for at least 15 minutes. When he sat her down on his lap, she would turn around and get in the position for bouncing again. Makes me laugh, she definitely knows how to get what she wants. She does this with me with nursing, she will just position her body in the nursing position if that is what she is wanting. The way she looks at her daddy is so amazing, she just stares at him. She doesn't skip a beat when she wants to be held by him, she immediately crawls to him and pulls up on his leg. I love watching them together.

Another big day tomorrow, we are going to the carousel with my mom, niece, and nephew. It will be so much fun, Ruby already talks about riding it with her cousins and grandma. We will also get to see Tanya again for a playdate. This has been a great week, very full of activities.

I also talked with Kathy Taylor about Elsie's 6 week hand/footprints. They are done and I am going to be picking them up next week. She also has a 3D print of both Ruby and Elsie's foot/handprints that I having her make. It is going to be so cool, I am so excited to see them.

The girls spent the morning chasing around our cat Morris. It was so cold the last few days so we let both Henry and Morris stay inside with us. They both were great the whole night through. Elsie was so excited to see him, she pulled up on him and toppled over him. It looked like she was wrestling with him. Ruby just loves to have him near her and to take care of him.

I had to leave the animals in the house when we left today and all I could imagine was coming home to a mess. Surprisingly, the house was fine and they did well together. It was the first time for Henry to be inside without one of us there, and he made it for 4 hours.

Brrrr...what a chilly day! When we got out to the car this morning, Ruby said, "Mom there is steam coming out of me!" So funny! It was just so cold.

We started the day by going to our friend Janelle's house. She just had a new baby boy Jake 4 weeks ago. We was so precious and tiny, just absolutely beautiful. Ruby played with her older son Luke while we chatted. They are really close in age and usually have issues playing together. It was really different today, they played awesome together. We were both amazed and proud of them. They didn't get into any squables while we were there and entertained themselves the entire time. So cute! It was a really great visit and so nice to see that all was going good for them. Can't wait to see them all again.

Around noon, I connected up with another friend Angie and her boys. We had never been to their home before. Ruby and I ate lunch and then she was off to play. Angie and I are working out together, we are doing the biggest loser cds together. She liked them, and so we decided to get together 3 days a week to workout. Elsie did well and just sat there most the time looking at new things. She did get a little upset at the end, but nothing major. She pulled up on Angie a few times, so cute. At one point I was in the push up position and Elsie was under me. She had the biggest grin and thought it was so cool, like she was holding me up. Ruby ran around with her boys Tony and Teddy, they had a blast together.

Later, we came home and Ruby wouldn't take her nap so I just had her lay down and rest for about 30 minutes. She has been skipping quite a few lately, I just don't have the patience to sit in there with her like I used to. She goes to be much earlier now, around 7:45 to 8:30 and falls right asleep.

Ruby has had really irritated skin all over her the past few days, I am wondering what is bothering her. Her hands are the reddest.

Mike is so excited, he actually sold his XBOX on ebay and now is looking buy an XBOX 360. We almost went into town, but it was so late by the time we had dinner and then loaded up the girls. When we got into the car, I looked back and Ruby was asleep. Tired little thing. So we got gas and turned around and headed home.

We started the day by heading over to a friend's house for a playdate, but they didn't answer the door. It was so cold, so I tried for awhile and then gave up and went to Walmart instead. Later I found out that she emailed me to tell me they were sick.

Ruby was hungry, she has been telling me she is hungry all day. So...we went to Starbuck's and got a blueberry muffin and banana bread. Ruby loved them both and she was full for a good hour as we meandered through the store. While we were in line for our treats, Ruby looked out the window and asked about everything it seems. First she noticed the yellow speed bump and asked me what the yellow bump was that was making the trunk jump. Then she asked about the pictured and drawings on the windows of Starbucks, why they were there. Next she asked about a red thing outside of a store that they were blowing air through to get peoples attention. She is just so curious these days...and I wonder why her favorite book is curious George. I am loving her comments and questions, so fun!

She is quite the little helper these days. We brought the stroller with us into the store. Ruby insisted on pushing it the entire time. Right before we were about to leave she had to use the restroom. We hustled back there and they had a tiny toilet, just her size. She loves it when things are "Ruby sized".

We were having lunch and I said to Ruby, "You know Mommy loves you right?" Just being silly. Ruby said, "Yep!" and then said, "I like you loving me!" I thought that was so cute.

She didn't go down for her nap today. So I decided to work on knitting while we sat together. I was able to complete quite a bit in the hour or so. I am getting really good at the technique she taught me. Can't wait to get going on some new ones at the meeting.

Elsie was laughing at random today, so cute. Mostly when she saw Ruby, even when she wasn't doing anything funny. She just loves her sister. They are really cute together. She is just so cute with our dog Henry too, loves to pet him and when he tries to lick her. Today I gave her some big chunks of apple to chew on and she threw two of them on the ground for him, but kept one tightly in her hand as she licked it. I was watching her in her exersaucer today and saw her repeatedly looking in the mirror . She had to arch her neck down to see in it, but kept doing it over and over. I just thought it was adorable!

Ruby has started laughing differently lately, and Mike said that he thinks she sounds like her cousin Ciara. I was thinking the same thing today. Katie and I always sounded really similar, so I am wondering if that is why.

We made spagetti tonight, Ruby's favorite. She was so hungry today, abnormally hungry. She ate all of her lunch and then every last drop of her dinner. She just kept saying she was hungry thoughout the day, I am thinking we are hitting another growth spurt.

Mike and Ruby watched Sandlot tonight and could hear them laughing together over it, I heard it was a really good show and I can't wait to see it too. Ruby kept noticing their eye color and saying that someone had green eyes like Mom. So funny!

Rice Crispy Treats!

We went into Spokane today and ate at Frontier West, the food was so, so! I bought an Entertainment book a few months ago and we have been eating at the places in it most of the time to save money. Ruby really enjoyed the bear shaped pancake through brought her with whipped cream for the mouth and eyes. She also loved the bacon and ham that Mike put on her plate too.

We decided to go try and find Ruby and Mike some snowpants before the snow hits us. I just have a feeling that it is coming our way. It was really cold today and almost hard to even walk from the car to the stores, but we managed. We finally found some pants for Ruby at Fred Meyer, only $15. So cute, she is already in girls size 4. No more toddler for her! Pink, of course! Mike also found some nice gloves and a new warmer hat to wear, but no pants. I think I am going to search out the second hand stores, they are really expensive.

When we got home, I cooked dinner while Mike and Ruby watched Lady and the Tramp together. It was a bit long for her, but she liked it I think. She is a creature of habit right now, and would rather watch the same movies over and over again. Netflix is forcing her to watch something different for a change.

We had steak for a change, it is so spendy these days. We usually don't get to have it because I buy organic and steak is way out of budget most of the time. Huckleberries had it on sale. It was really good. I also made a yummy salad, I don't make those often enough. Ruby ate everything in the salad except the red onions and lettuce. Elsie was happy just sucking on her teething biscuit, she really clobbered that thing today. While I was cooking I gave Elsie a carrot piece and celery. She tasted the celery, and made a yucky look. She is so funny, I just kept handing her item after item to keep her occupied while I cooked and she would regain interest each time.

Elsie is pinching so hard right now, thank goodness I was able to cut her nails just recently. They were really painful for a while. After I put her to bed, I came out to the kitchen and made rice crispy treats for us (mostly Mike). Ruby watched. She thought it was so fun to feed Henry the pieces that stuck to her fingers. First she wouldn't try the marshmellows, but then after the krispies were added she loved it. She eats so slowly, Mike always jokes about it. I was surprised that she took so long to eat the rice krispy treat I gave her. This was her first time of eatting one. She actually helped me make them too by pouring the krispies into the bowl. Love to have her help me, hopefully I can think of more ideas of simple things to cook with her, especially now that we are stuck inside so much.

She was so tired tonight. She has been waking up during the night time hours and Mike has been putting her back to sleep over and over. She is still going down on her own though, which is awesome!

Plumbing Fixed

Yay, our plumbing is working again! We were having major plumbing issues this week and Mike's Dad drove up here to help us out. We weren't able to use our toilet, shower, laundry, or dishwasher. It really makes me appreciate everything we have, especially when you are forced to live without it for so long. I am so grateful for the work that Mike's Dad did for us today.

Ruby woke from her nap today and said, "Grandpa is here to fix the plumbing so I can use the bathroom!" She cracks me up because she really listens to every conversation that Mike and I have and will try to explain things to us now using ideas from what she has heard.

Elsie is loving to chew on teething biscuits now, and Ruby always wants to eat one too. First I told her no, but then I thought why not? She loves them and they sit and eat them together. So funny :)

Mike and Ruby watched "Frosty the Snowman" together tonight and she enjoyed it. He made them hot chocolate to drink together and first she said that she didn't like it. Once she finally agreed to try it though, she loved it and drank it down quickly. I could hear Mike talking to Ruby about how they were going to sled together and build snowmen together, but first they need thermals to keep them warm. Ruby is so excited to play in the snow when it comes, especially with her Daddy!

Knitting

I decided to go to a playdate where I would learn to knit today and it was so much fun :) We carpooled with a friend of ours, Ruby was really excited to ride next to her friend Jacqueline. They had some difficulty riding next to eachother throughout the drive, but there were some cute moments where I heard them singing their abcs in unison together while we talked. They also gave high fives a few times.

Knitting was a blast and actually came quickly for me, I plan on attending all the other playdates that are set with knitting so that I can keep adding a new skill. Right now I can only go back and forth and make a scarf. I am hoping to make some cute little dresses for the girls eventually, we'll see! Ruby was very excited to see a huge play horse when we got to the playdate today, she immediately ran to it and sat on it. She is just in love with horses right now. My friend Tanya that I commuted with, made Ruby a lunch too and she sat and ate it with Jacqueline. Tuna yum! Elsie pulled up on everything and just loved all the space at Melissa's house. I enjoyed chatting with other moms and meeting some new ones. My mom group is awesome!

On the ride home, Ruby was really tired and being alittle irritable. She eventually fell fast asleep, Jacqueline stayed wide awake.

When we got back to Tanya's, she invited us inside so I could nurse Elsie. It was a really long ride and she needed to get a bit more. We chatted while the girls played. By the time we left it was 3 pm, we had a blast with them!

The day was going by pretty slowly once we got home so I decided to put in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" for Ruby to see. I bought a set of Christmas DVDs at Costco for an amazing price, it has 7 DVDs and a CD of songs for $13. After the movie, we decided to listen to the music CD together. I got up and danced to all of them with Ruby, she loved it so much. We had a great time together. Elsie just smiled watching us and even danced with me a bit too. So fun, I was actually breaking a sweat.

Elsie is pulling up so much now, she started pulling up on the couch now. I even noticed her pulling up and walking to closer to the object we pulled up on or to the side a bit. She is on the go and don't try to stop her. Ruby just can't keep her hands off of Elsie these days, I wouldn't mind if it didn't end up with Elsie crying or getting irritated. We have been trying so hard to get her to stop being so on top of Elsie. I am just fearful that she will get hurt because Ruby just swings her around and rolls around with her so abruptly. I really have to keep a close eye on them right now.

Despite this, they laughed a lot together today. Elsie just thinks that Ruby is awesome and so fun to watch. She was cracking up when Ruby was brushing her teeth today, so Ruby noticed it and kept doing all these funny things to keep her laughing. I just love it, too cute!

I put Elsie in bed with Ruby for a bit before she went to bed. Ruby thought it was so fun, but she was really tired and kept trying to grab her. Elsie loved it and so did Ruby though, I just kept having to remind her to give Elsie a bit of space. They laughed a lot together in bed too, Ruby can't wait until Elsie is old enough to sleep next to her :) She was sooooo tired and fell asleep immediately after putting her to bed and saying goodnight.

Noisy

I was so tired yesterday and just couldn't muster up the energy to write.

We are dealing with all sorts of plumbing issues and I was so stressed yesterday. Today I feel much better though, a little more hopeful that we can take care of this without such a huge expense to our budget. We still are without a toilet and other ammenities, but we will survive. Mike has a concert tonight, otherwise he would be home working on it for us. Crazy days!

Elsie is so full of new sounds lately, yesterday I noticed that she started saying "Ba, ba, ba!" She doesn't use a bottle, so I think it is just a random sound. She is really saying Mama now too, especially when she is wanting me to pick her up or nurse. She is so playful and involved in our family now. When Mike comes home, she follows him around until he picks her up. Then once he picks her up, she just smiles and and stares at his face. So cute! After this, Mike usually chases Ruby around with Elsie in his arms, they both love it and laugh like crazy. They also play hide and go seek together, fun!

She spent a lot of the day pulling up on things too, mainly a small rocker in our living room. She has been going under the tree right by it too and stopping occasionally to touch the needles above her. She is getting really good at pulling up, I just wish she would use the couches instead of other things, they are definitely more stable and she can start to walk along the edges easier. We'll see, she has shown some interest the past few days.

Ruby has calmed down a bit with the picking up and holding Elsie, but she still tries. I have decided to implement the naughty chair again, hopefully it works. She just doesn't take me seriously if I don't have some consequence.

She just cut a perfect square today, she loves using her scissors. Yesterday she saw the letters "DVD" on the tv and identified the Ds all on her own. She is recognizing lots more letters now.

Well, off for another day, hopefully we make it through with all these plumbing issues...

Home

We have stayed home for over a week now and I am getting cabin fever. I miss being out and about. I am still barely sick, this is the weirdest cold and it lingers forever. The girls are feeling tons better, but they are really sleepy and a bit irritable still. Hoping to get out for a long walk tomorrow and get back on track with my goal to lose weight and be healthier.

Elsie was really playful today. She would make a noise and I would make one back and then she would laugh. We would keep doing this back and forth for a long time, so much fun. I absolutely love her personality that is already shining through. Before I put her down for bed, I was hiding behind the kitchen counters and playing peek-a-boo with her. She was totally into it and thought it was really funny. Just love to get her laughing!

Ruby has been into reading lately and will sit and listen to any book you bring her way. It just amazes me with the details she retains. Today she would bring me a book, we'd read it, then put it back on the shelf only to grab a new book.

She has been so cuddly lately, when she wakes up in the morning she will ask for a blanket and snuggle in my lap. When we are on the couch, she will nestle up beside me.

Before nap today, I decided to show Ruby how to cut a snowflake out of paper. She did not want to watch me do it because I had the scissors and she wanted them. Once I was done, she was pretty impressed and thought it was quite cool. She then folded hers up and cut into it. I turned it so that she could cut some pieces out too. She was really proud of her finished snowflake and taped them both to the window to look at. We also hung some ornaments on the tree. Ruby kept picking the same branches, I was afraid they would all be too heavy in one place but they are doing okay so far. So funny to see them all in one cluster on the tree. She was so tired, that she actually started to fall asleep during her lunch so I brought her into her bedroom and she fell right asleep. A two hour nap, yay!

We went to Ruby's favorite store today, Huckleberries! I love it too! They have tiny carts there and she immediately goes and gets one to push around while I put groceries in it. Works well for both of us. She also loves to put the groceries on the counter for the clerk. The clerks there are getting to know her name now. Mike came with us today, love it when he can be with us, makes the shopping a bit easier and manageable.

Birthday Party

Today we went to Makenna's birthday party. The theme was "princess", so everyone decorated a crown and played games that were centered around this theme. Ruby decorated her crown very simply, with one gem stone on each point. Ruby tried to peek when it came time to play pin the drawbridge on the castle. They also played "Frog, Frog, Princess" and when Ruby got picked, she ran around once and then ran right into Mike's lap. It was really funny. Everyone got a chuckle. All the kiddos were really cute together. The cake was really neat and so yummy, we all enjoyed that. All the girls wanted to hold Elsie or just talk to her, but Elsie was not having it. She did not want anyone else to hold her while we were there. Ruby also tried summer sausage as a snack, I was really surprised to see her eat an entire slice of it. She usually is much pickier with spicy meats, she just gobbled it all down.

I must have told Ruby 40 times today not to pull Elsie into her lap, it was really frustrating. Ruby continued to try over and over and Elsie just kept getting more and more upset. She is on the go and doesn't want Ruby to hold her down. Also, Ruby grabs her pretty abruptly. Mike and I had to be firm with her today, that she must ask us for permission before trying to hold her. She loves her sister, but is really getting possessive now that Elsie is mobile. It is hard to share your things when you haven't had to for so long. We have just noticed this the past few days. Hoping she settles down a bit, I know she will, but hopefully it is sooner rather than later.

I gave Elsie some pears to taste today, from the can. She really liked the taste and kept putting them up to her mouth and licking them. Once she got the pears into her mouth, she didn't seem too impressed about their texture though.

Moses Lake

We spent most of the day in Moses Lake and Ephrata with Mike's family. It was good to see that Steven was healing so nicely and that his vision is slowly returning.

We drove up to see Lynn and the boys first. Wish we lived closer and could be more help. The boys are so cute and Ruby loves to be around them all especially Michael, she asks about him all the time at home. Mike went and got us all food from DK's, it was really good. Just so nice to sit down and talk/chat with Lynn. Ruby and Michael ran around while Elsie and Paxton explored together. Paxton and Elsie are only 3 weeks apart and doing the same things right now. So cute to watch them together. Paxton just wanted to grab Elsie and touch her, she is alittle bashful and hesitant with other babies it seems. They did play a bit, but then she got upset and wanted me to hold her. If she is in my arms she is perfectly fine around other babies, she just gets overwhelmed when they grab at her face or reach for her. Michael also wanted to hold Elsie, but she just doesn't want to be held down these days. Michael and Ruby played around the house together, Ruby wanted to put him to bed of course. He wasn't too keen on the idea. She is all about bedtime right now since we have been working on it with her each night. She is such a little mommy to other kiddos. When we were getting ready to leave, Ruby wanted to hug Michael, but he wasn't interested. She loves hugging now. Aunt Lynn gave her a big hug and she was able to hug Paxton, so this satisfied her.

Next we dropped Mike off at his parents house to visit his brother. We left and went to Walmart to pick up a gift for Ruby's friend Makenna. Ruby picked out a barbie horse of course! She is so into horses right now. When we were in line, an old friend of Mike's family, Alice, came over to say hi. She met Elsie for the first time and Ruby was about two years younger when she saw us last. It was really good to see her! By the time we were done buying that one gift, it was time to head back to get Mike.

When we got to Mike's parent's house, they waved for us to come inside. Ruby bundled up and headed in and I brought Elsie with me. Mike and Steven talked to Ruby about Steven's injuries and she was able to look at him up close and give him a hug. She immediately wanted to get the leggos out of the back room to play with, so she went back there and got them with her grandma. Mike worked on those with her while I sat Elsie on the floor for her grandma to watch crawl around. Elsie played a bit with some individual leggos and then Mike's mom brought out some stacking cups to keep her interested. After a little chatting, we decided it was time to head home.

Ruby and Elsie both slept the entire trip home and Mike just transfered Ruby into her bed. She was so tired. I am a bit worried about her, she hasn't been eating as much lately and she has circles under her eyes. I am going to keep my eye on her, right now I am thinking that she is still just sick. Poor girl!

Christmas Tree

We decided that today would be the day we went up to Camden Tree Farm to pick out our Christmas tree. It was a really nice day, not too cold. Once we were there, we decided to go on the hay ride up to get our tree. Ruby and Elsie enjoyed the ride. Once we were up at the top, we all unloaded and began our search of the perfect tree. We all walked to the top of the hill they were on and quickly found the perfect tree. Mike cut it down and then said, "I hope this wasn't sold already?" We were so excited that we found the one, that we didn't even look for a tag that said whether is was already sold. Sure enough, once we inspected it, we found a tag tucked inside the tree next to the trunk. So frustrating. Mike had already carried it down most of the way, and then decided he needed to bring it back to the spot we cut it from. I went down and explained what happened to one of the workers and they were really understanding. They just told me to have Mike bring it down and they would call the people who had already bought it and explain. So....we were back to square one and looked a bit more before finding another tree. Ruby said she didn't like it, but wanted another one that close by. She really liked this particular tree, so we decided that was the one. It had a bent trunk, but we went with it anyway. Mike was able to cut it so that trunk really didn't matter. We took the hayride back and went directly to the store to pay for the tree. Then it was time to get our cup of apple cider, yum, it was the real thing, not the stuff from the envelope. Ruby is always worried about how hot things are,so she tried a sip but wouldn't drink much more because it was hot. We went back to the waiting area to wait for our tree. They had a really nice place to sit next to a fire. Ruby could see the workers putting the trees in a shaker and through the binding, she thought it was pretty neat. Mike was able to fit the tree in the back of our Durango, I was amazed. It is nice to have a larger vehicle this year. What a great outting, I just love doing things like this as a family and making it a tradition.

Ruby and Elsie were really tired. We saw a deer on the ride back into town, Ruby was really excited to see it jumping through the field. She also loved all the horses in the pastures. Ruby grabbed the book Cinderella and read it silently to herself, enjoying the pictures. Elsie slept the whole way back to Spokane.

When we got back to Spokane, it was past lunch so we decided to go to Olive Garden. We love it there! I ate way too much, three bowls of soup, one of each type except the chili one. I can't believe how hungry I was today. There was no wait either, we went in and they seated up right away. So nice, there is always a wait it seems.

After enjoying our food, we then headed out to the valley to pick up Elsie's 7 month pics. by this time, Ruby and Elsie were sound asleep. The sunset on the ride home was gorgeous as always, it was bright orange.

We rearranged the living room to fit the tree in, I love it so much. It is absolutely perfect and smells sooooo good. Elsie was really good with it today too, she hasn't been pulling at it or anything. I am going to put very little on it this year too, so she doesn't want to touch it too much. She has been so on the go lately and can grab things so fast, it is quite the experience. She is also sitting up every chance she gets and speeding through the house to get to where she wants. Everything happens way too fast during this phase.

Ruby and I made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for Daddy tonight, although I think we ended up eating more that he did. He really wanted us to make them for him, and I promised we would make them after returning from our family christmas tree trip. It just seemed like the perfect way to end the day. I think she enjoyed pouring the ingredients in and stirring them and eatting the cookies too :)

Mike ate his leftover meal tonight, he was looking forward to it all day. He ate in the living room on a TV tray and we never do that, Ruby had to have her own too. She shared the meal with him, turkey and mashed potatoes, but didn't eat Daddy's favorite part the stuffing. Hopefully she will grow to like it since we love it so much.

What a great day!

Thanksgiving!

Dinner turned out great and everything we exactly as planned. Mike asked me to make lots of stuffing, so I used two whole loaves from Costco to make it. He is in heaven with that! I also decided to serve broccoli as the vegetable, it went perfectly. I was looking up the time for our turkey on the internet today and found out that we could cook it breast side down for juicier meat. I tried it, and it was really good! Yum! Elsie tried broccoli and mashed potatoes for the first time, she was really messy. Ruby wasn't a big fan of the stuffing and tried a bit of her turkey. She really wasn't feeling up to par, so I didn't expect that she would eat much. Later when we ate pumpkin pie, she asked for a slice.

Neal and Janessa came by for a brief visit on their way home. I wish we lived closer to them, such awesome friends. Hoping we can get together more often after the winter is over and Elsie is a bit older. They left us with divinity and fudge, it is soooo good. Hard to stop myself from eating it all :)

It was a very nice day of sitting around and relaxing (aside from all the cooking I did).

I am thankful for my family and everyone else God has blessed me with throughout my life.

I told Ruby today was a day to give thanks for the thinks we are grateful for, and I asked her if she was grateful for Elsie. She quickly said "yes!" They are so fun to watch together, can't wait to watch them blossom as sisters. Mike made me come into the living room today so I could see them crawling together. So funny, it is neat to see that even though they can't communicate verbally yet with one another, they find other unique ways. Loving it!

Food

Yesterday, Elsie pulled herself up to standing for the first time. That girl is on the go right now, she is booking it from one thing to another, hard to keep up with her.

Ruby played UNO with Mike yesterday, the child's version. We noticed that she was turning her cards so the numbers were not upside down. She is now recognizing that the numbers match and putting those in the pile all by herself, in addition to being able to put the same color together.

Last night Ruby had 103.5 temp, we called the consulting nurse and she was surprised that we hadn't dealt with this before. When we called it was only at 102 and she said that was normal, Ruby's had never even been that high before. Mike went promptly to get children's motrin and it took the fever away by 1 am. Thank goodness! So scary! Elsie had a fever about a week ago, so I think that they both had the same thing but it took Ruby longer to get the same cold. It sure kept us on the edge of our seats though.

Today, Ruby grabbed a mouthpiece of a trombone that Mike had sitting on the counter. I told Ruby not to touch it because it was full of germs and dirty. She sat it down and looked at it for a while and then said, "Did a dog pee on it?" I told her no and then she said "Is it a bell?" I was laughing so much, she just didn't quite understand what it was and why I was making such a big deal about it.

Ruby's temperature was down all day and she is feeling much better, thank goodness.

Elsie is pulling up on everything these days and following us around the house like crazy. When Mike came home today, she immediately started crawling toward him trying to get his attention. When he picked her up, she was so happy and just staring at him and smiling from ear to ear. She is so content just being held in our arms and looking around at everything.

Mike decided he was going to work on fixing a part in Ruby's little kitchen that was broken. When he sat down, Elsie crawled over to his leg and pushed up on it and watched everything he was doing. Ruby came in behind him and crawled all over him too, they were definitely missing him today. It was so neat to see them loving on him and just wanting to be with him.

Later at dinner, I made pancakes. I gave Elsie some broken up pieces of pancake on her tray. Usually she just pushes food I give her around and it ends up on the floor. I was so surprised to see that she was taking the pieces and trying to feed them to herself. So cool! She was gagging either, yay! I was totally excited and couldn't stop watching her, she is just amazing me lately. She is also sitting herself up in the sitting position all the time now. I cannot wait for her to be pulling up and then pulling around the furniture.

Ruby had a hard time going down without me today, but she is in there sticking it out. A tiny fuss, but pretty quiet so far. Hoping she can get to sleep easily tonight.

I am SOOO blessed and thankful for my two beautiful girls. Not a moment goes by where I forget to count my blessings!

Looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow...still praying for Steven and that his eyesight fully recovers!