Hey, it's okay!

It's okay that we're not gonna let Ruth get into the whole princess thing. Really, what is the moral of those stories? If you're beautiful then you'll get to live happily ever after (Cinderella). Kissing solves your problems (Sleeping Beauty). You can distract bad guys with your body (Jasmine from Aladdin). People will like you if you're beautiful (Little Mermaid). And overall immodesty is great! (Little Mermaid, Aladdin, etc.) These are definitely NOT the messages we want Ruth to pick up on. We'll stick with shows like Phineas and Ferb, Pingu and Totoro, which encourage exploration, creativity and being active.

It's okay that I think the pediatric dentists of this country are INSANE! Seriously, orajel is great and I'm not going to stop using it because of a very rare blood disorder that neither of my kids so far have...I know this because they both appreciate orajel and had no crazy side effects other than to stop screaming!

Baby Chicken

1 week old, he was SOOOO tiny!

3 weeks

1 month

2 months

3 months (finally getting chubby)

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

One year and lovin' his icing!

This is his cake; just frosting, black icing in a squeeze tube, sprinkles for the beak and a knife to make the fluff.

Happy Birthday big guy!

Adventuring

Today was the perfect summer day. We woke up early. Got doughnuts for breakfast. Went to see a waterfall, drove over a super bumpy road, hiked around some fields, ate popsicles, had a bratwurst BBQ with sparkling lemonade, and listened to a thunder storm!

Hey, it's okay!

It's okay that I change my mind about things. When I was first married I couldn't stand westerns, pepperoni, jalapenos or hot dogs. I seriously love all of these things now, which makes Brad sad. Now when we get a pepperoni pizza he doesn't get all my pepperoni's. We love watching westerns together now.

It's okay that I like Maureen O'Hara better than Katherine Hepburn. I was named after Katherine Hepburn, but Maureen plays the "strong woman" role way better than Hepburn. My namesake comes off a little annoying. I recently watched Redhead from Wyoming (a western) and LOVED it. Go Maureen.

It's okay that I like dandelions. I realize they are technically a weed, but they're the cutest little yellow flowers too! (Don't tell Brad, he is in an all out war against the dandelions in our front and back yards!) I have always liked them, even when I was a wee lass.

It's okay that I've replaced my desire to eat with retail therapy!

Pictures

We went on a wonderful picnic in the south hills. Our kids love the outdoors. Every time we came upon another part of the river Ruth would shout, "There's another one!" like we had found a new river each time.

Will is becoming an excellent walker and can take about 5 steps without any help. Ruth likes to help him walk up and down the hall from the kitchen to the bathroom and he does a great job keeping up with her.

This is a huge tulip we found growing on the side of the house.

Will got two molars in. I knew he'd been teething the past...several months...but no teeth were showing up so I thought I was just crazy. Today he was laughing really hard while laying down and that's when I saw two little white lumps sticking out in the back of his mouth. I thought that was so weird, because he's missing (they haven't come in yet) 3 teeth between his front and the molars that have come in on the top. Oh well!

Playing Outside

The kids and I have been sick since we got home from our trip. But it was so nice today that we had to go out...but going on a walk was out of the question since I'd just cough the whole time. So we filled up our sand and water table with hot water and spent an hour and a half outside. Will was covered in sand by the end thanks to that sticky substance called snot, but it was a blast. The only thing is that they really should call this toy the "mud table" not the "sand and water table." I mean really, what kids are going to keep all the water on one side and the sand on the other? Not mine!

Cedar City

We spent the last weekend in Cedar City visiting Kristen, Nate, Joey, Daniel, Paula, Asa and Paula's parents. We were there for several reasons, three of which include: Nate's graduation, Brad's b-day, and Mother's Day! We had so much fun. Brad and I also had fun in the car because we listened to Ranger's Apprentice the Ruins of Gorlan. So good. If you haven't read this series you should!

Ruth and Will on the baby merry-go-round

Me: (I was shocked when I saw this picture at how not fat I am now...it takes some getting used to...also, my hair is getting so long these days!)

Ruth just wanted to carry the balls all over the place!

Joey was being a ham for the camera, he's so funny!

Kristen and sweet Daniel

Nate and Joey

Will happily sat in Grandma's lap the entire time we bowled!

The next is Ruth hefting an 11 pound ball!

My cute in-laws and Daniel

Summary of Last Weekend

"The girl married her Prince. The bad guy is dead. It's a real Disney weekend here on Earth."

I read this (here) and had to repeat it, because it is not only true, but hilarious.

**For posterity: the royal wedding of prince William was this weekend (the girl he married was a "commoner") and Osama Bin Laden (responsible for 9/11) was assassinated by U.S. troops.

End of April

Ruth adores her umbrella that Paula sent (she's been wanting one since we visited Oregon and discovered her cousin Brynn's umbrella). Will's under there too, not loving being poked in the face.

We discovered tulips on the side of our house that we've been picking and putting inside, so springy!

Things are good. We're all happy and healthy. And we're looking forward to this month of May: Brad's b-day on the 6th, Will's b-day on the 15th, Brad's 2 year anniversary at this hotel, and our 5th wedding anniversary on the 20th.

Easter Weekend

We had a really nice Easter weekend. Brad hid eggs in the backyard for Ruth to find, which she thoroughly enjoyed, we went to a small party at our friends house to dye eggs and eat pizza (which we all enjoyed), camped in our backyard until we were too cold to sleep anymore, and ate tons of candy and caramel popcorn.

Hey, it's okay!

It's okay that I think "Phineas and Ferb" (a cartoon supposedly meant for 5-7 year olds) is super funny. Seriously, you should watch it.

It's okay that I never read "Jane Eyre" but love the 1983 mini-series with Timothy Dalton. I'm also way excited to eventually see the new one that has come out. Books, we all know they're better, but hey, it's okay!

It's okay that I don't think the "Tiger Mom" is totally crazy. Calling your kids names is a no-no, and not letting them choose the extra-curricular activities they want is not cool. But holding them to high standards, teaching them discipline and exactness, and helping them achieve rigorous goals is a good thing.

It's okay that my kids poop in the bathtub. It totally freaks me out when they do it, and tonight it totally freaked Ruth out too. She looked down and she was all frantic, "LOOK, there's POOP!" She just froze with her hands up, waiting for me to pull her out of the tub. (Will? He didn't mind the floaters so much.) I HATE cleaning up bathtub poop because it just gets slimy and all over the place, but it's not the end of the world.

It's okay to wonder if my bleach has been diluted. After cleaning up said poop incident, I spilled some bleach on my bathroom rug and was upset because I thought I had ruined it...but then 30 minutes later there was still no bleach spot...hmmm. How clean is my bathtub?

And last, but not least, it's okay that I woke up at 10 pm, (yes I went to bed at 8) couldn't go back to sleep, and then was suddenly struck with a funny blog post, and then actually got out of bed so I could blog. I would say good night, but I actually also remembered that I didn't fill the pastel colored eggs with caramel filled chocolates or Starburst jellybeans yet.

Happy Easters!

PROOF

He now takes 3 steps before falling down, he's learning quickly!

"Walking"

Will has taken his first, independent step today!

Changes

Well, first we got a new lawn mower! Definitely the best $200 we've spent. Brad was so stoked about how well it works. All last year we borrowed our neighbors mower...and let's just say that the mower was old, and didn't work very well. In comparison this mower is STELLAR! It only took Brad like 5 minutes to mow the front.

Ruth has started yelling "MAMA!" any time she wants me, whether I'm right in front of her or in the next room, she yells. With better weather we have been enjoying lots of side walk chalk time as well as going on jogs and "racing."

Will can balance without holding on to anything and has started to walk with the push toy. He also yells "MAMA" no matter how near or far I am. He also loves the outdoors. He loves to crawl around on the grass and suck on rocks.

I have been working a day or two recently at the hotel, which has afforded us extra spending money for things like a new lawn mower!

Yesterday we rearranged the living quarters. Will has been sleeping in the office in the pack 'n play because the kids were constantly waking each other up during the night. Since separating them they have been sleeping really well. So we moved the computer into the living room and the crib into the old office. We also put the toy box into Will's room and gave Ruth a special reading corner in her room. This arrangement is WAY better for everyone! And we love having the computer in the communal area.

Excited About Running?

Today I ran 3.73 miles, with no walking. My legs felt like jelly afterwards and my hamstrings are dying but I plan to stretch off and on for the rest of the day. Up to this point I've run about a mile and a half with out walking. Granted this was easier today because I left the kids at home with Brad (when I bring them it adds 50 pounds I have to push).

I've been stuck at the same 175 pound range for what seems like an eternity and I've been getting really frustrated about it. And then yesterday's cake incident pushed me over the edge. I'm done with sugar* for a while and I'm going to start training for a half marathon...not that I'm going to do one, but I figure all that running will help shed the pounds.

I feel really good about my run/jog today and am thinking I need to figure out how to go running every day without the kids. It was so nice to not have to worry about maneuvering the stroller and just focus on keeping my legs going and breathing.

*by "sugar" I mean super sugary cereals, cake, cookies, sugar on top of strawberries, granola bars, candy, fruit snacks, and anything else that obviously has lots of sugar that I have been allowing myself to eat...oh and that includes the super delicious shakes from Shake Out.