A Little Bit of This & That

 Ruby has been perfecting her "cheese" face. She'll randomly look at me with this smile and it makes me want to simultaneously laugh and kiss those little cheeks of hers.

 

After Noah begging for my diet coke I finally gave him a drink thinking he would hate it, but instead he kept asking for more! Yikes. I love how he will eat anything I make for him & appreciates my cooking. That boy can eat!

 

 These two have been loving having "picnics" & eating their lunch outside. I live for this view.



A Few Things I Want to Remember

 

I've been meaning to jot down a few of the funny things the kids have said/done lately before I forget. Noah has been randomly crawling around like a baby & he'll look at me & say "baby" & laugh. He thinks he's so hilarious acting like a baby & it cracks me up every time. Lately he's been getting this little sneaky smile on his face & then he'll go & steal one of Ruby's toys from her & then run away as fast as he can screaming & squealing. Total little brother.

And here are some of the things Ruby has said lately that have kept us laughing:

When she was sick - "Mom I'm in sad shape."

 

Me: "Ruby, how did you get so cute?"

Ruby: "I just played."

 

As she watched me seal an envelope: "Hey! That's not for breakfast!"

Me: "I'm sealing the envelope, not eating it."

Ruby: "Then why you put your tongue on it?"

 

When Ruby was looking sad & I asked what was wrong:

"Noah went to bed & now I have no brothers to play with."

 

When Ruby, Tyler & I were sitting on the couch she was staring at Tyler & said to me, "Mom, look at that cute face."

 



I Think I Just Blinked

As I was looking over these pictures from the week I had one of those all too familiar moments where you look at your children & realize how big they've suddenly gotten. Ruby just went to her Sunbeam class for the first time last week & while I was totally prepared for her to have a hard time & not want me to leave her, she just walked right up to her teacher, held her hand & walked off. I was so proud of her but also was trying to wrap my head around the fact that she's not in nursery anymore! I peeked in on her a few times & watched her sit in Primary like such a big girl & felt awfully lucky that she's mine. And Noah's personality has just exploded recently. He's talking a lot & loves to tell me exactly what he wants by walking around pointing at things & saying, "That!" Lately he's gotten such a sense of humor & seems to always be laughing. He especially finds himself hilarious & will do something like throw a toy & then just laugh hysterically at himself. It's kind of the cutest. Life is definitely better with these two in it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



A Moment to Breathe

I feel like there are moments when life & parenting become easier & you kind of get a little breather where you can really soak in all the goodness. We're in one of those stages now & while I know that in no time I'll turn a corner & there will be a new challenge or worry, I've learned to enjoy these moments for the gift that they are. Today as we were driving Ruby was dancing & making funny faces at Noah who would laugh hysterically & try to mimic her. And I just about die every time I see those two holding hands - there is something so beautiful to me as their mother seeing those little ivory & olive fingers intertwined. And I hope I won't forget the way their eyes light up & they get big smiles when I whisper, "I love you, yes I do!" in their ears, as if I'm telling them some wonderful secret. This moment in time is a good one & I'm looking forward to seeing what 2015 brings for our little family.

 

 



Christmas Recap

We had a great Christmas this year, & as I always say, it was our best one yet. Ruby & Noah are at such good ages & I love creating a fun Christmas for them. Our month was full of Christmas activities & traditions & they couldn't get enough of it. After dinner on Christmas Eve we drove around & looked at all the Christmas lights & while Noah craned his neck to look out the window, Ruby talked about how beautiful it all was, & Tyler & I talked about all the traditions we want to have for our family. We came home & set out the sugar cookies we had made for Santa & Ruby asked Tyler to take her outside just one more time to see if they could see Santa before she went to bed. I realized this year that I really love Christmas Eve more than I love Christmas day. And I just know that I'm going to miss the days of having toddlers at Christmas. Ruby woke us up & loved seeing all the presents Santa had delivered & was wide-eyed throughout all the unwrapping. I love that girl's excitement. And I was amazed at how quickly Noah caught on to what was going on & got right in there ripping open his presents. And now we've packed away all of Christmas until next year, when we do this whole thing all over again. And I can't wait!

 

 

 

 

 



Merry Christmas!

I always love the Sunday before Christmas & getting to see all of the little kids in their outfits & listening to the Christmas program at church. It always makes me feel ready for Christmas to come. We are pretty pumped for Thursday to roll around at our house & so far I'm succeeding in making my children love the holiday as much as I do. I feel like the month is jam packed with activities & shopping & baking, etc. but I think this year will be one that I'll look back on with such great memories.

 

 

 

We've been making a conscious effort to make this time of year Christ-centered for our family. We've been reading books about Jesus' birth & reenacting the nativity & the video below has been on repeat at our home. I think on a daily basis Ruby asks to watch the baby Jesus video. She loves this story & is so interested in baby Jesus. I love how the simple beauty of this miraculous event can even affect a toddler. And I've found that as we've made this more of a focus in our home, the stress that inevitably accompanies this holiday has decreased, while our peace has increased.



It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

The month of December has been such a fun one so far for our family. I've decided that 3 years old is the perfect age for Christmas - Ruby seems to fully "get" what it's all about & is still at the age where she has no expectations. Everything has been so exciting & fun for her. Everyone needs toddlers at Christmas time! We've tried to start a lot of family traditions this year as we want to create fun memories for our kids over the years. We started our Elf on the Shelf & it's been a hit! As soon as Ruby wakes up she's searching all over for the elf she named Sparkly. And she gets such a kick out of the different places she finds him & will usually laugh & say, "That silly little elf!"

We made a gingerbread house & I think Ruby thought she had died & gone to heaven. I love how excited she gets over the little things. She kept saying, "This house is SO beautiful! Isn't it gorgeous mommy?" Gingerbread houses have never been so fun.

 

 Noah is still too young to know much of what this Christmas stuff is all about but he is loving all the decorations & just kind of watches everything Ruby does & talks about. And I'm amazed because he has been awesome about not messing with all of my not-so-kid-friendly décor. That boy is a good one & I'm looking forward to watching him open his presents this year. I love this time of year & I feel awfully grateful to spend it with these people that I love most.