Oh Ruby...Dear, sweet Ruby

So here I am on a Saturday once again watching the girls!

Alicia is at work this morning and will probably be home soon. In an effort to keep the girls preoccupied we went to Lowe's to return a few items, look at the Christmas things (their favorite thing to do) and get a plug for the Christmas tree lights. Needless to say, they were actually pretty good in the store. I got one of those carts with the race car steering wheels so while they were steering us all over the place, I was going around the store looking for the plugs. Hannah is extremely intelligent and actually pointed out the sign for them before I even got a chance to see where they were located, so it was actually pretty quick.

We came home to get the tree done up and Hannah got some old ornaments out and started going to town. Ruby pitched in while Katy decided it was nap time. So after getting her down I let the girls decorate the entire tree. It was a lot of fun, and hopefully we will be all ready for the holiday this year. Our tree is a little lopsided, and I guess after having a tree since we were married it is going to be time to get a new one this year. Luckily we always buy right after the holiday so it is always way cheaper that way.

Hannah and Ruby got in a scuffle and I think Hannah was tired anyway, so I put her upstairs to "think" about it. While upstairs, Ruby became interested in the tree again, and was doing something. I got a call from work about someone who wanted to come in for an interview next week, so I was trying to be good on the phone as I watched the tree topple to the ground with Ruby screaming and ornaments everywhere. I am not 100% sure she saw me, because her screams subsided quickly.

Now, I know Ruby is quite the screamer, but she is probably the sweetest little person I know, and is always looking for ways to not get in trouble. She is one of those who "fears" punishment and as a result is very good when she needs to be. As I finished my conversation I watched Ruby frantically pick herself up and evaluate the situation. She proceeded to give the tree a kiss, telling it she was sorry and to get up. I was almost bursting in laughter! Then the moment came where she saw me! Oh no!

At this point Ruby came over to me and so I knelt down to see her at eye level wondering what she was going to say. Sure enough it made me laugh even more. She says, "Daddy, can you please not call Santa and tell him. Please?"

So now for the past 20 minutes, she has been walking around the house cleaning things up and speaking only in whispers because Katy is asleep. Oh how I love Ruby.

It's Almost Thanksgiving so you know what that means......

YES! The kids are sick again!! I swear this is the Thanksgiving curse that plagues my home every year. It all started 2 years ago right when we moved to Utah. I was preggers with Katy and Ruby got the whole I don't want to eat and I have stuff coming out of both ends non-stop. My welcoming party to Utah was a trip to Primary Children's where I spent the night. I did also have Hannah come in to with the same thing thanks to a ride there by Grandma! Happy Thanksgiving to me! Steve started in with the same thing and had quite the adventure getting back to our apartment, but I will let you ask him about that. Just say side of the road and he will know what you are talking about.

Last year the kids were sick too with the same thing. Not as bad, but same thing still. So it brings me to today.....2008. Ruby has had issues with the potty chair thanks to the lovely bug she got from somewhere. Let's just say I have picked up poop off the floor b/c she could not get there fast enough. She is on the mend and last night dear Katy could not keep it all down. You know that gagging coughing thing kids do in their room and you know what will be there so you try and ignore it like you didn't hear it?!?!?! but you know that you have to drag yourself out of bed to that welcoming nasty smell of vomit everywhere. At least the bear was spared last night. Katy really hasn't kept anything down today either, so we will be into the doctor's around lunch today. I am going in begging for the IV so that I don't have to make that traditional visit to Primary Children's tomorrow.

WISH ME LUCK THIS THANKSGIVING!!!

spinning chairs and falling leaves

So here is what we have been up to lately at our house. Getting the kids dizzy in the spinning rocking chair and raking leaves from our 6 HUGE chinese elm trees that are spread out over our 1/3 of an acre. Let me tell you there are lots of leaves and they keep falling. It is really fall here in our little neck of the woods. The video for the leaves only have Hannah and Ruby in them b/c Katy was sleeping away. How she was sleeping with them doing road construction right outside her window I will never know but she was asleep the whole time. We decided to rake before the game on Saturday so the kids would be somewhat calm. After the blow out of the first half, Steve and I resorted to knowing the Cougars were going to lose so we watched more of Dawson's Creek. Our show we decided to watch now that Dexter is over until the next season comes out on DVD. Steve totally missed Dawson's Creek b/c it started when he was on his mission!! How much am I aging us now?? So we are starting in season 1 and having some great laughs with the whole teenage love stuff!! This is what you do when you don't have many channels to watch on TV and Netflix is always willing to send more DVDs!!!

I can't believe that it will be Thanksgiving this week! Holy Cow where did the year go?? Sorry for the early Christmas music, but it is all over the radio right now out here in Utah and for some reason we are all super excited about Christmas this year. The tree is going up on Friday along with the lights. I guess it is because this is the first year we have ever been in our own house for the holidays. At least that is what my husband tells me. So sorry for the early Christmas music, but it is all in fun for the season!! Can you guess which song is just for Ruby this year??

Over a week without an entry........

WOW!! This must be a record for me with no blog entry!! Must be the long nights at work, running kids here and there, and getting ready for the holidays. It really has been a typical regular week for all of us. Work, school and playtime!! I have had a ton of fun reading all of the blogs that have been updated this week too.

Oh yeah....I do have one story to share. About Ruby of course. She did potty train in ONE day for me when she was good and ready to and we went to the store I hate, lothe, curse, and all those fun words you can think of.....Wal-Mart this week. I had to get some pictures printed out and they are the only ones who can do it quick, so off I go to my most favorite store with all three kids. That was mistake number one! Mistake number 2 was having Ruby my potty training kid with me. The kids really were great getting the pictures and the hair things we needed, so I told them I would buy them lunch at McD's. That was mistake number 3!! They are so shopping cart unfriendly there!! Why they did not make it bigger I will never know. So we finally get someplace to sit amongst all the carts and few tables that they have. This is Utah and you would think that they would have more tables with wider isles, but oh well we work with what we have right?? So I get all the kids sat down with their lunches and am getting us through lunch with tired kids. Then this is where mistake #2 comes into play...Ruby has to go pee right now!! I just can't leave Katy and Hannah at the table in the massive store I hate, so I throw the tray with all the food in the cart. Put Katy and Hannah in the cart, carry Ruby and almost run to the bathroom with pushing the cart too. So we get to the bathroom and low and behold there is a line!!! There are 4 grown women in front of me and all just glance over their shoulder when Ruby starts screaming "I gotta go potty Mom!" I tell her that it will be our turn soon. Do you think any of those grown women will let the two year old go pee first!??! NO!!! I swear I hate wal-mart and the mix of lunch. Needless to say Ruby peed her pants well before we could get into an open stall and the burgers were on the floor before I could get back to the other two kids. So lunch was in the trash and I needed new panties and pants for my Ru. Such was my day at Wal-Mart. I knew I should have gotten lunch to go, but I didn't and see what it turned into. So once again I will swear off Wal-Mart, kids, and lunch.

What an afternoon.........Glad it was over!!

BYU Game on Saturday

Steve and I had a great day on Saturday! It was just a day for us and it was so much fun. Kelsey was able to come up from Provo and watch the girls. It is so much easier to have someone you trust to watch you kids and have a good time. We started our day at the University Mall for an early lunch. It was just easier to eat there and take the bus down to Provo then to drive down there in all the madness to find a parking spot. Lunch was great. No kids! WOW!!

The trip down to the stadium was fun too. Not a big deal. Just on the bus and we were on our way. Our seats were great too and in the sun so we were not as cold as other folks in the stadium. As everyone knows I am never satisfied with the seats that I get unless they are super close, so from the start of the game I was on the hunt for better seats. I found some so after half time we got to move to the 2nd row!! Yippie! The pictures can tell the difference. The first two were from our original seats. The last two are from our even better seats!!! Those pictures are not even zoomed in either. That was the best part of being on the 2nd row :-) We even got to see them score too and it was right on our side too. It was awesome and so much fun even if we were sitting in the SDSU section.
The best part of the whole afternoon was half time. The band did a tribute to video games that we have all played and the last song they did was for Guitar Hero. Major addicting game. Well watch what the flag girls did for that!!


All in all it was a fun afternoon with some great pictures and short videos!! I love my football games and am already talking to Steve about getting season tix for next year. I am keeping the fingers crossed already!!

Another week is almost in the books

WOW!! What a week. It has been really interesting this week with voting for a new president and just life in general. It has almost been routine with not much other than the normal things. I can say that Steve and I are not really happy about who is our new president-elect or are a lot of people that I work with. The people have voted and just not for our guy. All I can say is that it will be a very interesting next 4 years. I am not looking forward to paying more in taxes because we work hard for all we have!! It is sad that the new homeowner tax credit that the country has for all first time home buyers in 2008 which we are some how we don't qualify since we bought and closed on our house before April 8th of 2008!! HELLO!! Crazy I know and I am sure that it was some crazy person in Washington who just picked a date out of a hat.

Anyway.....on to more exciting things. This weekend should be fun! It's Thursday....so of course that means I am working, but I can't wait for my weekly splurge!! I always buy myself dinner on Thursday night so I can come home and enjoy the episode of Grey's Anatomy that I missed. Thank goodness for my DVR!! Who doesn't like watching 44 minutes of some great eye candy?!?!? Yummy......
Friday means no work day for me! We are getting together with our friends for years, Ammon and Jenn and their 3 kids. We have known them since we moved to Utah the first time. Crazy that we all have 3 kids now and half of them are in school. It will be a fun dinner night and just hanging out like we used to do.

Saturday means that it is finally here. My one and only BYU football game for the year. I was in orinetation for Olive Garden during the first game, so I was not able to go. Hannah went in my place, so finally it is my turn!!! I am so excited even though I do have to go to a work meeting at 9 am on Saturday. I will let Steve get the girls ready for their wonderful babysitter to come over at 10 and then we are off to the game!! Go Cougars!!

Then we will be back to Sunday again and I have to go to work again on a Sunday. Oh well. Tips are actually better on Sundays I have found. Steve likes that since it is for the bills we need to pay.

That is what is on the schedule for the rest of the week! It should be fun and a great opportunity to take lots of pictures to post on the blog of course!

Weekend with the girls!

So this weekend has been fun with the girls! I love being able to spend some of the time I do with them now that Alicia is working on some evenings.

This week has mostly been about Katy. The first thing has to do with peanut butter. For some reason I am getting mental images from when I was a kid and my mom giving me a spoon full of peanut butter that I loved to eat. I may have to verify that with her, but to say the least, Katy has lately discovered the creamy goodness of crushed peanuts. It started the other day when she found a can of peanut butter. Now don't ask me how she did this, but she figured out that when you twist the lid, it pops off and you can access lots of gooey fun! Now almost every day she drags us to the kitchen to ask for the spoon covered in her favorite treat. This has now been going on for almost a week and she has gone through almost an entire jar! WHOA!

Next came all Hallows Eve. Alicia had to work, and since Hannah had a Halloween party on Friday, I took the time to carve our pumpkins and save the seeds to cook for later (and yes dad, I have some fond memories of cooking the seeds when I was a kid, so I was determined to spread the tradition!)

Anyway, I went a little overboard and spent about two hours on the pumpkins. For one I had to separate all the seeds from the gunk, and then I had to search online for some patterns that I could draw onto the pumpkin (since I am too cheap to buy the stencils) and proceeded to carve the pumpkins. I could have done this all night, since I was so proud of what I had carved! You can see for yourself! I really wanted to have these lit up on the porch, but we ended up going up to South Jordan to trunk or treat and I did not want to leave them lit on the porch while we were gone! I really liked the witch on the broom with a little pumpkin there and the moon in the background. Next year I am going to be so ready to have some awesome pumpkins!

The next day, we got to watch Hannah at her Halloween musical. She loves to sing! I have it all on video right here:


I got to stay since Ruby was acting out, so Alicia left and Hannah and I played games and had some fun. She got her face painted, made a pumpkin magnet for the fridge, played pumpkin toss and pin the nose on the pumpkin. She even got me to try it out! Trunk or treating was fun, but I think Katy got more than anyone! She would go up to the car and I guess being so cute as a penguin, the folks would put there bowl of treats down and pretty much let Katy take what she could fit in her hands. She has double that of the other girls for sure!

Katy was crazy yet again. While Alicia is at work, sometimes she has a tendency to wander off and do whatever. Well she was especially quiet in the back room. I had to check for sure because lately she has been getting in the kitty litter and treating it like her own personal sandbox. Needless to say that is all cleaned up and no more of those incidents will be occurring. But this time when I finally found her in my panic state I had to laugh and grab the camera. Lo and behold, two little feet were stuck on the window inside the dryer! There Katy had climbed in and was playing with the clean clothes. Lately she has been helping with laundry. Her duty is usually to take the lint filter and throw the excess lint into the garbage. She does really well and now knows how to remove it by herself. I guess the temptation was too strong because she decided this time to stick around and spend some time in there!
Ruby was cute tonight as well. When we were saying prayers she asked Heavenly Father to bless the birds, the trees, and the stars. She said thank you for the clouds and candy too. She is so serious sometimes too because her little face will get really serious and she will give you this look! She also loves butterfly kisses. I am sure Alicia taught her this! She makes me lean over and put my eye on her cheek and flutter my eyelashes on her cheek. She loves to do the same thing, and together with the hug and kiss, if I don' give her the butterfly treatment, she gets hysterical.

We also ready "Danny and the Dinosaur". Hannah and Ruby love it when daddy reads, and I remember how jealous this book made me as a kid because my brother's name was Daniel. I always thought the book had been written on his behalf. The funny thing as I think about it though, was he never liked being called Danny as a nickname anyway, so he probably hated that book! :)

Anyway, it was a fun week for sure!