The Many Faces of Ruth

I have been told all my life that I am horrible at hiding my thoughts...so exactly what I'm thinking comes out in my facial expressions even if I didn't want it to. I believe this is something my daughter has inherited. Just look at the evidence!

This is Ruth smiling, I couldn't believe I caught this on camera!

This is Ruth showing her disapproval, first by sticking out her tongue and then by sticking up her dukes...watch out she's a tough cookie!

Ruth's Blessing

I found some pictures from Ruth's blessing so I thought I would post them. My mom made the white dress she's wearing. You can't truly appreciate the detail in the dress from the pictures but it was beautiful. It was actually kind of funny because we had to bless Ruth when she was so young (only time both sets of parents were in town) the tights that we had didn't fit her. She looked like one of those old grannies whose nylons are saggy around the ankles! Luckily the dress was long enough that no one at the blessing knew this secret but me, mom, and Ruth. It was a really special night, despite Ruth's saggy ankles.

From left to right this is Bishop Williams, Matt Lents, Steve Lents, Brad, Nate Nevins and Asa Laws

This is us in front of our gorgeous Christmas Tree!

Baby Shower

Kristen threw me a baby shower on Saturday, December 6th. I was slightly skeptical of having it after Ruth came but it was totally and completely wonderful. It was great because we already had everything we need for Ruth up to 3 months. So I got a bunch of adorable clothes that range from 6 months to 2 years! I also got a great blanket you see Paula working on in the picture, approximately 400 diapers and great bath toys. We also had really great food, mini quiche and cinnamon rolls, delicious juice, fruit, and yogurt. And the best part was that my old roommate that I haven't seen in over 2 years came! We had a great time catching up...it was funny because she hasn't ever met Brad or seen my wedding ring!

After the baby shower we took Paula to the airport and then went shopping. We tried out the sling my mom made me and we both totally love it. I also bought myself a new outfit from some money that Linda Whitton sent and said was to be spent on me, not Ruth! Thanks Linda!

Matt and Ruth's B-day!

So Matt turned 19 yesterday, December 9th and Ruth turned 3 weeks old! We all stayed up till midnight so we could greet the 9th with cake and candles. Matt's favorite cake is, of course, yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Brad did a great job baking it up and decorating it with nineteen candles. We thought it would be funny to put 20 candles in the cake, make Matt put a button up shirt on and take a picture so we could pretend we were part of his 20th b-day (obviously we won't be there since he'll be on a mission). Matt also opened his presents, money from us and a great red sweater from mom. We all had a great time. I am wearing my hat because I cut my hair on Sunday so it's super short...it's taking time to get used to it, plus I hadn't done my hair that day. Brad also took some great pictures of baby Ruth on her b-day.

Thanksgiving and Loads of Help

So Ruth was born the week before Thanksgiving, what a thing to be thankful for! My mom and dad were also arriving right before Thanksgiving. My mom was tons of help with figuring out breastfeeding and bathing babies and especially with a baby who is a night owl!
Thanksgiving was fun because I hadn't spent it with my parents for the last 5 years since I've been at school. Mom and Brad split the cooking duties and made us a delicious meal. (The trick to cooking a great turkey is brining it the night before then cooking it breast side down so the juices run to the white meat...this helps the white meat stay moist and not dry out!) That night Brad and I tried to be sneaky...while everyone else was in bed we ran to Smith's to buy a Christmas tree. We were going to surprise everyone with a beautifully decorated tree the next morning. We were disappointed to find out that Smith's is only open between 9 and 6 on Thanksgiving. So Brad had to go get our tree on Friday. Not as fun, but still very beautiful.
Before my parents left, and as soon as Brad's parents got into town we blessed Ruth. Luckily we have a great bishop who was willing to come to our apartment on Friday night so we could bless her while both sets of parents were here. It was a wonderful experience and Ruth looked gorgeous in the dress my mom made for her. I've included two pictures of Ruth doing her favorite thing. One is with my mom, the other is with my dad.
Once my parents left Paula, Brad's mom, stayed to continue with the baby/house help. We had a lot of fun, especially watching the original version of the Bishop's Wife. It was so nice to not have to worry about cooking or cleaning for two whole weeks, thanks mom and Paula!
We also had lots of visitors from Asa's side of the family. Here's a picture of Brad, Ruth, and Grandma Laws.

Ruth's Arrival

Monday night, the 17th of November, I was talking to my sister-in-law Tia on the phone. I sat down on the couch and suddenly felt a gush of liquid and said, "Tia I think my water just broke, I have to go to the hospital!" Brad called Jerry (our boss, so he could cover the motel while we were at the hospital) and then excitedly started scurrying around our apartment gather odds and ends to take with him to the hospital. Neither of us expected her to come 3 days early so he hadn't packed anything for the hospital yet. By 8:15 we were out the door, 8:45 I was in my hospital room undressed and hooked up to the fetal heart and contraction monitors and by 9 pm my contractions were really picking up in intensity. I didn't know going into the hospital if I wanted an epidural or not...but by 11 pm I knew it was time. I had this notion that getting an epidural was the easy way out and that I wouldn't have a true birthing experience or that I would be hurting Ruth if I got one. But then I had a realization that I am blessed to live in a time when epidurals are routine procedures so I got one...and it was the best choice for me. By 11:30 the full effect of the epidural was felt, I could still feel when I was having contractions, they just didn't hurt any more. Now I was free to enjoy myself, Brad and I started laughing and joking and watching cartoons on tv. Then we realized that we still had not settled on a middle name for Ruth. She was practically here and she didn't have a full name yet! We were debating between Elizabeth, B, Eva, Bouddica, and several others. We decided on Elizabeth because it flowed the best and reminded us of England. By 1 she had a full name and I guess she knew because by 4 I was fully dialated. I only had to push for 30 minutes and by 5:10 am Ruth Elizabeth Laws entered the world. It was a strangely surreal moment to see the child I had been carrying for the last 9 months. She weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 19 inches long!

Men and Women

Since becoming a stay at home mom-to-be, I have begun channeling my Molly home-maker, i.e. my two new desires in life is to become a master baker and get a sewing machine so I can make my kids clothes and costumes. Much of this is the "nesting" syndrome pregnant women tend to get, i.e. preparing for baby by setting up the crib and getting everything ready for her arrival. I have definitely been going through that, every day I seem to go out and spend a few dollars on organizational equipment or other baby odds and ends. But my crafty side has been coming out as well. Brad and I inherited a rocking chair (as we have most of our furniture, i.e. desk, book shelf, guest bed, dining table, and desk chair...as well as two house plants...that I killed) from Brian and Tia. It's a great chair, but didn't have any seat cushions. I went to Walmart looking for some cheap cushions, but to get a seat and back cushion it would have been $20-$40 depending on how cushy I wanted the cushion to be. Then I found 4 square pieces of seat cushion foam for $7, so I bought that, a spool of white thread, 21 feet of white satin ribbon and headed home. (I didn't buy fabric because I had a white skirt that had a big old hole in the back...thus I saved fabric expenses by recycling my old skirt!) I got to work as soon as I got home, cutting up my skirt, sewing the corners of the foam so they'd stay together, fitting the foam into an old pillow case then sewing up the edges and attaching the ribbon. It took me two days, mostly because I don't have a sewing machine! But I have now finished. My proudest moment was when I unveiled my sewing project to Brad and he just kept saying how impressed he was with my "hidden talent." I guess he didn't know I could sew. I love being a stay at home mom-to-be (in two weeks just mom)!

I have also been so glad that I am married to a real man. The kind of man who knows how to fix things and move heavy stuff. Sunday as I was feeling a great desire to finally put up Ruth's sleeping arrangements Brad's manliness came in handy. First he moved the piano into the bedroom (covering the air conditioner) until it is picked up by his mom (we never use it), then he moved the bookshelf from the bedroom out to where the piano was. Then he moved the dresser farther down the wall to make room for the crib. Unfortunately my measuring skills aren't quite up to par...we needed at least another 1/2 inch for it to fit in that space. Then Brad cleared out the left side of the closet and put the crib in there...sounds really weird but actually works perfectly. Then he pulled out our other set of shelves, put them together and set them up in the space originally meant for the crib. All-in-all it was a ton of work that he made look easy. He also recently took the sink disposal apart and fixed it, WOW! He is truly great and talented, so smart and loving...could I ask for anything more!
I love being a woman and I love that my husband is such a man! I love that we have our separate roles in our family and that we both fulfill them and enjoy them. This may all be stereotypical and strange, but these things truly bring me joy. And my role as pregnant mother-to-be is over in two weeks and two days...for which I am truly looking forward to!

So last weekend was not enough to get our fill of carving pumpkins and watching Lord of the Rings. Last night, oh around 11, the boys and I decided it would be a ton of fun to carve some more pumpkins and watch the 3rd installment of the ring trilogy. They ran to the store and we got to work. Brad tried out a new technique he found online where you scrape away the skin of the pumpkin to create a scene. It turned out amazingly well, and is especially creepy with the ghost in the background. I did a simple witch and Matt did the tree. We had a blast doing it and this time we were only up until 2 am! Brad and I also tried a new technique I read about in the newspaper. The suggestion was to cut off the bottom of your pumpkin rather than making a lid from the top. This makes it easier and safer to light your pumpkin up because you simple light the candle and place your pumpkin on top of the candle (rather than trying to stick your arm down inside the pumpkin to get it lit). We tried it and it is definitely the way to go, especially if you have kids.

Jack-o-Lanterns and Dirty Viggo

Carving jack-o-lanterns is dirty buisness, especially if you want to do something more than a simple face. Saturday night we stayed up late (3am) watching Lord of the Rings and carving pumpkins. Good times. It was perfect timing too because the pumpkins kept the house lit the next day when the power went out for about an hour. Sadly, they have already passed away and had to be thrown out. RIP

Because NBC told me to...

On October 17 we attended the Samsung world cup of short track speed skating. We arrived in time to see two really good wipe outs and a lot of good races. Watching it live, you see lots of tactics that don't really come out from watching it on TV. We did get to see Apollo Anton Ohno and, he is everything the Olympics made him out to be. I wondered if he really was very good or just the product of NBC Olympic highlights. The highlights however, can be trusted. He is that good. No, I do not like him because NBC told me to.

Time or Money?

As Brad always says most things come down to time or money. So which of those things do you need more? Apparently I value money more than my time because although I appreciate being able to save money by carpooling, I've been waking up way, way too early for the past month and a half. Contract time for school is 8:10 to 3:50. But because I am carpooling with other teachers who want to be to school by 7:30 at the latest (and generally don't leave their rooms until 4 or later) I've been spending a lot of time in the teacher's lounge. The past few mornings I've gone straight to the lounge and laid down on the big leather couch and gone back to sleep for 45 minutes (students don't show up until 8:40) and sometimes an hour. But this morning I spent some time in the faculty bathroom snapping photos of myself and my big old belly.

On a non-school related note...I have a new favorite food joint called Sammy's. Tonight I had a great chicken sandwich with avocado and provolone cheese. And the best part are their real-pie shakes. They literally fill a cup with icecream and then put a real piece of pumpkin pie on top and mix it all together...needless to say it is DELICIOUS.

In other events: we saw the amazing Chinese Acrobats at BYU. They did the whole deal, body contortions, plate spinning, lion dance, and amazing men's acrobatics. It was a very entertaining evening. We also saw a dance show called "Thriller" at the new Covey center. They were incredibly talented dancers. And coming up this Friday we are going to the Olympic trials for speed skating in Sandy. And if I weren't so pregnant we would go to the corn maze at Thanksgiving Point. However, as you can see from the pictures I have become enormous and walking much more painful to my back and hips. Anyways, anyone who is in Provo should stop by Sammy's and get a real-pie shake.

Oh, one last thing...I have a 5 day weekend starting today. The kids have a fall break starting Thursday and coming back to school on Tuesday, so I too get a fall break. This means I get a 5 day weekend then only have 4 more days of teaching...then I'm done. Done, done! My TESOL minor class that I am taking this semester also got shortened by 2 weeks because my professor is awesome. This means I am done with my class next week. And finally, my TESOL practicum that I did in tandem with student teaching is almost done as well. I have to finish 2 more write ups and go to an exit interview and then I'm done with that. So, all-in-all I will be completely finished with school by the end of next week! Done, done with school...forever!!!

Oh, and did I mention I'm only five weeks away from our Due Date? Hip-Hip-Hooray!!!

Monkey Bun Success!!!

So, it's conference weekend and I have as yet never made Brad my families "sticky buns" (I like to call them monkey buns because it's a combo of "monkey bread" and "sticky buns" plus it's just funny). So I called my mom last night and got the recipe. After compiling all the ingredients and leaving them on the counter sit out over night (as I was directed) I get a phone call from my mom. Curiously, I answer the phone. She promptly tells me that my little bro', Matt, had just texted her asking if what I had done to the rolls was the correct way to do it. Both my husband and brother have very little faith (well, honestly, I should include myself in that group) in my baking abilities. I believe that somewhere early on in the blog Brad posted my angel food cake experience, see that for proof of my bad baking. Anyways, I woke up this morning nervous to get my buns in the oven. I walked into the kitchen and was horrified to find my buns spilling out over the edge of my bundt pan! My mom told me to only worry about this if my kitchen was too hot, so I made sure to keep them away from any heat producing appliance, safely tucked away on the counter.
But I was not going to give up! I immediately turned the oven on to get it pre-heating, chopped off the top of the buns that were overflowing and anxiously waited for a hot oven. Once I finally got them in the oven the 30 minutes that they were baking seemed like an eternity. I was thrilled when I went to the oven and found them cooked and smelling delicious. As we sat down to eat Matt told me that my monkey buns were better than moms sticky buns!!! I had purposely put lots of walnuts and doubled the sauce recipe...more sugar=better. I guess mom wanted her buns to be less horrible for our bodies.

What a Great Day!

We had a great Saturday. For the first time ever I got onto craigslist. Why, you ask? I was in search of a pack 'n play for Ruth. I already knew the exact kind I was looking for, priced at $109 on Graco.com. I was just hoping to find a great deal. What I found instead was the pack 'n play with bassinet and changing table as well as the Graco stroller and car seat combo for a total of $175!!! (Normally the stroller and car seat with base for the car would be $230 if bought new from the store) So, I basically found the deal of a lifetime! Brad and I went to pick it up immediately and were ecstatic to find that everything had been very gently used, hardly any scratches or wear and tear. And all of it had only been used for a year. So, I've included a picture of my wonderful new Graco baby gear.

After we got home from our baby shopping excursion we went to the Bridal Veil Falls film festival to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was skeptical because lots of people say it's a weird movie. Also because my older brother and dad both really like it and they also like things like Star Trek, Battle Star Gallactica and Star Gate SG-1. However, it was amazing. It's not the kind of movie you watch when you want an enthralling action movie, but it is very thought provoking. Really, what does that black monolith represent: innovation, inspiration, possibility? And the experience of watching a movie outdoors, stars above, waterfall behind (and this time we showed up early enough to sit on a couch!) is so wonderful and relaxing.

I've also included a picture I took of myself in the faculty bathroom on Friday. I was bored and had shown up really early to school...and was feeling cute in my green sweater so I snapped a few pictures in the mirror, enjoy.

30 Weeks Pregnant

I am officially 30 weeks pregnant which means I only have 10 weeks left to go! This is exciting and also terrifying; exciting because I will no longer be pregnant and terrifying because of how it will end, i.e. labor. I've already begun having strange labor dreams. The other night I had a dream Ruth came out as a boy and Brad was totally MIA. In another dream I gave birth in a waiting room surrounded by strangers. My student teaching is going well, although I'm very ready to be done with school. Brad is totally rocking his philosophy classes this semester and they've been really fun to hear about.

In other family news, Matthew (my little bro) is living with us for the semester as he settles into Provo and BYU living. It's been fun to have him around and make delicious guacamole for our snacking pleasure. Brad has especially enjoyed him since they stay up late together playing video games. Brad and Matt are also taking a French and Italian film class together to fulfill their arts GE. I feel like they see each other more than I see either of them since I'm up in Midvale all day every day.

Anyways, I've included a couple pictures of myself as the enormously pregnant lady that I have become, enjoy!

Wait a minute...

Is it just me, or does anyone else think the bug people should know better?

Reunion at the Pinnacles

August 8th and 9th we attended the Hall family reunion at the strawberry pinnacles between Roosevelt and Heber City UT.
We drove up the afternoon of the 8th thinking we would arrive late. We were actually some of the first. For activities we ate, played horseshoes, had a rubber duck race, had an auction, conversed and swam. A popular item was the rope swing tied to the tree near the river. We spent the night in the loft of a little cabin on the resort. It rained most of the time. Right after we left, my father called to inform us that there had been a flash flood and the river had delivered 25 ft logs and some stairs. Nate lost his wedding ring on a wild swing into the river. Sadly, unlike Kerry Walsh who had Olympic appointed Chinese men to dig for it, Nate would not recover his. I guess that means that Kristen will have to propose again... All in all we had a great time and were happy to get outside. Katie did about what she does here.

Noticing The World Around Us

This is a can of chile. This can of chile when translated says: "Chili with meat with beans". One might say that my exposure to Mexican foods and phrases is simply the result of the location of my upbringing. I can agree with this but have to wonder why a national company doesn't have a single member of the staff that would look at that and say, "that's funny, why don't we just call it Chili con carne y frejoles, or Chili with meat and beans?" Nobody did and so here I am talking about it. I like to think that maybe there was a battle in the upper reaches of the company bureaucracy between a white man and a Latino. After much blood was spilled and lives were put in the balance, a white flag was raised and a compromise was made. Being a western family, love and compromise was essential for their happiness. The compromise is what you see on the can in the picture: Spanglish.

I remember returning from my mission in Brazil and hearing about the Atkins Diet that had swept the country during my absence. I laughed to myself. The trend however has only increased. To the right is an advertisement for nutrisystem. What I would like to bring to attention is the asterisks next to "Amy lost 23 lbs". you look at the note and it says "results not typical". To me this can mean one of two things: 1. people typically loose more or 2. they loose less. Which do you think it is? Good for Amy*

*Amy has an abnormally high metabolism and an experienced personal trainer. Do not attempt to compare yourself to her body type, nor natural appearance. Amy was chosen from a large group of failures to represent the company in this ad. Amy was also chosen as she is just prettier than the rest of the participants. The hamburger in the ad is actual size.

Santa Fe Vacation!

After the doctor appointment we rushed to the pharmacy to refill my pre-natal vitamins, stopped by campus to drop off my final, made a pit-stop at the house, the gas station and Subway and we were on the road to New Mexico by 1:30. (To re-cap the events to give a concise picture of what my day was like: Wake up in Portland at 4:30 am, go to airport arrive at 5:30, flight back to SLC 6:50, throw up twice, arrive in SLC at 9:30, drive immediately to Dr's appointment arrive at 11:30, pharmacy stop at noon, campus stop at 12:15, previously mentioned stops between 12:30 and 1:30, driving until 11:30 pm, complete exhaustion and bed 11:35 pm.) Highlights of our trip include: bunny pancakes with Paula and Lydia, Blue Corn Cafe, finding out Tecolote isn't good food (like the Food Network portrayed), eating at the Pantry, meeting up with Brad's friend Mikel Evans at the Pyramid Cafe, Isotopes Baseball game, watching Kung Fu Panda with the family, Brad eating at Blake's, my massage, eating at Maria's with Brian and Tia, playing with Ben and Lydia, going to story time with Tia and the kids, go to the Talent's house for a BBQ with Brian and Tia, Tia's and my adventure at Olive Garden, Brad's sharing of things he has learned in philosophy with his mom, not having to answer the phone or door (like we do at the motel), sleeping in and enjoying time with the family. The one major downside is that there is no air conditioning anywhere which is a big change for Brad and I since we blast the air all day in our apartment. This is one of the main reasons for the adventure Tia and I had at Olive Garden.
After we had all gone to the dark, cool movie theater to watch Kung Fu Panda we came home to a very hot house. Tia and I were both starving and roasting to death and both a little grumpy because of these two situations. No one else seemed to be hungry or bothered by the heat. I quickly realized that no one was very eager to cook anything because they were not hungry and it would make the house just that much hotter. Brad told me that I should take the gift card we got from my parent's for his birthday and take Tia and go to Olive Garden (I was also specifically craving pasta). So, I suggested this to Tia who loved the idea. So we grabbed Ben, without putting pants on him, and ran out the door...we could not wait to be somewhere cool and to be eating some yummy pasta. Once we got there we had a very friendly waitress named Sara. She could tell it was a girl's night out so she pushed the alcohol really hard. We had to refuse several different offers of wine and margaritas, etc. It was funny aside from the fact that we would have refused seeing that I'm pregnant and Tia is nursing and we were trying to stay within the budget of a $25 gift card. To Sara's dismay we both ordered water. Then Sara went into her sales pitch for appetizers, which we again refused repeatedly...we only had $25 to spend! So she finally asked for our order and we both got delicious pasta dishes. We ate bread sticks and soup and salad and talked and told stories and vented our problems and frustrations. We were having such a good time. We worked our way through our pasta dishes that were so yummy and we were both so happy to be eating and to not be dying of heat that we didn't ever think about the bill that was soon to arrive at our table. But come it did, and then a horrible realization hit both of us...what if the bill is more than $25?! I didn't even think about bringing my wallet, I didn't bring anything with me! Tia made the same confession...neither of us had any money, or a cell phone, or pants for the baby! We had been so eager to get out of the house that we had forgotten that you typically need money to pay for services rendered! I picked up the black folder that contained the bill, flipped it open and discovered that we had overspent by 58 cents. Tia ran out to her car to see if she had any spare change...none. And because neither of us had brought our phones, Tia had to get in the car and leave me alone at the table as she ran home to get her debit card to pay the extra 58 cents on our bill. I sat there, hoping that the waitress wouldn't walk by, but of course she did. I lied to Sara, I told her that Tia went to the bathroom to feed Ben and that she was paying so it would be a few minutes until she could take the bill. Finally, Tia returned, and we made our escape from Olive Garden with images of us washing dishes left behind. As we drove home we giggled about how silly we were and then saw a perfect bumper sticker to explain what had happened, it read: "I do not suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it." We plead insanity from heat, hunger and being pregnant/a mom of 2.
Also on our trip we all enjoyed a pleasant night out at the ball game! We drove to Albuquerque to watch an Isotopes baseball game. They were playing the Cubs. We didn't eat dinner before hand so we got hotdogs and hamburgers and pizza along with huge drinks and ice cream...it was a great game. Once the sun had gone down we really enjoyed the breeze and the 75 degree weather too. It was really refreshing to be able to sit outside, which is something I have really missed since we've worked at the motel. And our home team even won by 4 points, go Topes!
Our plan was to leave Sunday morning so we would be back in Provo Sunday night. But when we got up the trip had just felt too short. So, Brad borrowed some church clothes (I had brought a dress) and we went to church and spent the rest of the day relaxing with the whole family. It was the perfect way to end our vacation. Unfortunately what it meant for Monday is that we had to get up at 3 am to make it back to Provo in time for Brad to get to class. So up we got, and we made it home by 1, finishing the trip the way we had started it...with a Subway sandwich.