Last night, we went to walk through all the christmas lights at Tilles Park with Luby, Anna and Sam. Everyone loved the lights. Even Henry - who thankfully turned a corner on his nasty cold the night before. The weather was perfect, chilly but not cold and thankfully dry.
After a loop around the park, we got to get in line for Santa. Luckily, because it was dark, Ruby and Sam could not see what we were waiting for. Santa was in a giant sleigh (looked real in the dark but I didn't look that closely) and whoever wanted to could get up in his sleigh for photos that you got to take yourself, and of course, gift requests. When I asked Ruby what she wanted to tell Santa to bring her for christmas, she asked him for Christmas. Sweet. Santa promised he could deliver. When it was Sam's turn he was a little scared at first so Luby got in with him. Samson just stared at Santa - which made for a very cute picture. They also had a real reindeer right there that you could pet, but Ruby just chose to look at him. He seemed really small for a deer but had really big antlers. neat-o.
Afterwards, we went to Bandanna's barbecue because it was right around the corner and Luby said it was fast and they would tolerate the kids. Ruby and Sam were pretty good for the first 30 minutes which is all we really needed to stay. Then they started running around a little but not being too loud. I'm pretty sure that Ruby was trying to teach Samson how to play tag. Luckily, we were pretty much in our own section. It was about 8 o clock on a Sunday night.
It was a really really nice time. I'm so glad that we got to do the Santa thing outside of a mall. We might still go see him in a couple of other non commercial places.
So far when anyone asks, all Ruby's asked for is a teddy bear and when the question is pressed, she's asked for another "baby" (doll). Though, earlier this year, she went through this phase of "I just keep wishing for a computer." Finally, we hooked her up with an old laptop so she can type away on notepad. I guess it helps her with recognizing letters out of order. She now has her own desk on a shelf below mine. I thought that she was actually wishing for a portable dvd player like Cameron's, but I guess not. It looks like we'll have at least one more year of festivities without greed. (Yay!)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Sickness
For the second time since we've moved, Ruby, Henry and I all have colds. Henry has it the worst again and it's just plain miserable. Doing my best to keep it together. Thanksgiving is coming with back to back dinner parties. I'm sure we'll be fine. I just wish I had more energy this weekend to finish unpacking.
This week Ruby wrapped up her "my first school" at the magic house. We decided to re-enroll for the winter as several other parents are as well and she really likes it.
Ruby woke up this morning wanting to comb her hair. It has seriously become one of her favorite things to do. She also is really into brushing her own teeth. She always has done the brushing, but now she likes to get out the toothpaste and the whole nine herself.
She's really facinated with electricity. She loves to flip switches, especially on the lamps. And she's always wanting to plug and unplug things. Plus, we're always having to recharge things. I've tried lots of ways of trying to explain how electricity works to her, but finally she explained it to me. Apparently, in her world, electrons are jelly beans and all the lamps and computers are eating jelly beans when they are plugged in. And when batteries run low, it's because they need more jelly beans. I guess my parents have given her jelly beans at some point.
My mom has taken her to the dreaded McDonalds twice now. Once to eat in and once to the drive through for a sundae. Since the very first time, she's been able to recognize the iconic architecture no matter where we are and has asked to go back. Today I finally started telling her flat out that we don't go there because they are mean to animals at McDonalds and their food is bad for you. We'll see if it makes a difference.
Poor Henry is waking up again. He can't get decent sleep with this cold. Poor little guy.
This week Ruby wrapped up her "my first school" at the magic house. We decided to re-enroll for the winter as several other parents are as well and she really likes it.
Ruby woke up this morning wanting to comb her hair. It has seriously become one of her favorite things to do. She also is really into brushing her own teeth. She always has done the brushing, but now she likes to get out the toothpaste and the whole nine herself.
She's really facinated with electricity. She loves to flip switches, especially on the lamps. And she's always wanting to plug and unplug things. Plus, we're always having to recharge things. I've tried lots of ways of trying to explain how electricity works to her, but finally she explained it to me. Apparently, in her world, electrons are jelly beans and all the lamps and computers are eating jelly beans when they are plugged in. And when batteries run low, it's because they need more jelly beans. I guess my parents have given her jelly beans at some point.
My mom has taken her to the dreaded McDonalds twice now. Once to eat in and once to the drive through for a sundae. Since the very first time, she's been able to recognize the iconic architecture no matter where we are and has asked to go back. Today I finally started telling her flat out that we don't go there because they are mean to animals at McDonalds and their food is bad for you. We'll see if it makes a difference.
Poor Henry is waking up again. He can't get decent sleep with this cold. Poor little guy.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Out of hibernation
So many awesome things (good and bad) too easily forgotten. Need to get them on the record. No expectations beyond that.
Now, Ruby is 2 years and nine months. She does amazing/funny/frustrating stuff daily. Last week she jumped out of the cart at Target simultaneously and accidentally knocking Henry, carseat and all, face down on the floor. It was mortifying. But luckily no one was injured.
Later the same day while henry was asleep in the swing and ruby was quietly playing with her dolls (a sure sign that she is about to do something crazy), i was in the kitchen prepping for dinner. I called into the living room asking if henry was still asleep. she replied "he woke up when i gave him his medicine." turns out she climbed up on the diaper pail and got a bottle of homopathic cold medicine down and assured me she only gave him one pill. I seriously do my best, but I am sure the knock on the door from dcfs is coming any day now.
On the positive side, she started using the words actually, meanwhile, and literally appropriately in sentences this week.
i was really proud today when I asked her gymnastics teacher if i should keep her in the twos or move her up to the threes for the next session. her response was definitely move her up. it rates right up there with the first day of preschool a couple months back when the teacher walked up to me and said "it's really nice for the other children to have a role model like ruby in the class". Those little moments of reassurance almost make up for that carseat tossing/little brother almost poisoning business.
In a lot of ways, she's like a mini teenager - slamming doors when not getting her way, etc. She's picking out her clothes regularly - the whole outfit from barrets to shoes almost every day and sometimes really has a hard time choosing. A real girlie girl who loves to apply chapstick and smack her lips afterwards .
She likes our new house a lot but says reguarly that me and Brian and Henry should all move across the street because she wants to live in our house by herself. She's confident that she can take care of everything cooking and all. And when I ask her if she'll get lonely, she says she'll come visit us because it's just across the street.
Last night, she watched the extended version of that youtube video about the guys who owned a pet lion and then released it and reunited with it in the wild in africa and sobbed afterwards.
She loves our backyard and spends lots and lots of time under our big oak tree. Brian tells her made up stories about Steve the Squirrel and all the other critters that live in our yard and so now she's super tuned in to nature. so amazing and cool.
last weekend, we found a dead bird in our backyard that obviously flew into our sunporch. Brian put it in a shoebox and got rid of it. Later, they were at the daily trip to the hardware store (since we just moved), and Ruby made him call me to check on the bird to see if it was better yet. I of course reported that it did get better and flew away. there was an episode of her favorite show, nanalan, where something similar had happened.
She's finally really into potty training. Last night, I told her that Target ran out of diapers and that it's all pull ups from here on out. My mom started a treasure box thing today where every time she goes on the potty she gets something new for her treasure. When brian went to pick her up she was completely into it. Oh how nice it will be to only have one in diapers.
Henry is also amazing. He is SUCH a good natured baby. He just smiles and rolls with the crappy cards he's dealt almost everyday. Ruby is such an attention hog that henry often just seems to be along for the ride. But luckily he is in love with the view.
He's 8 months now and can barely sit up. I'm always holding him or he's strapped in somewhere. Especially since we've been packing and unpacking since september.
He loves to snuggle and thinks everything is hilarious. Really cute! But looks hauntingly like Brian's dad when he's happy and Brian's brother when he's not.
I just had to put away all his six months clothes last week and get out the 9 months. So sad to say good bye for good to more of the tiny cute things.
Everyday I have do this mental exercise of remembering distinctly what it felt like to hold him when he was a tiny little baby. There is such a flood of new memories daily that the older ones fade so fast. It's already hard for me to remember Ruby as a baby. So I'm doing the little meditation on remembering Henry in order to never forget the awesome warm fuzzy feeling of holding such a little baby that's all mine.
Now, Ruby is 2 years and nine months. She does amazing/funny/frustrating stuff daily. Last week she jumped out of the cart at Target simultaneously and accidentally knocking Henry, carseat and all, face down on the floor. It was mortifying. But luckily no one was injured.
Later the same day while henry was asleep in the swing and ruby was quietly playing with her dolls (a sure sign that she is about to do something crazy), i was in the kitchen prepping for dinner. I called into the living room asking if henry was still asleep. she replied "he woke up when i gave him his medicine." turns out she climbed up on the diaper pail and got a bottle of homopathic cold medicine down and assured me she only gave him one pill. I seriously do my best, but I am sure the knock on the door from dcfs is coming any day now.
On the positive side, she started using the words actually, meanwhile, and literally appropriately in sentences this week.
i was really proud today when I asked her gymnastics teacher if i should keep her in the twos or move her up to the threes for the next session. her response was definitely move her up. it rates right up there with the first day of preschool a couple months back when the teacher walked up to me and said "it's really nice for the other children to have a role model like ruby in the class". Those little moments of reassurance almost make up for that carseat tossing/little brother almost poisoning business.
In a lot of ways, she's like a mini teenager - slamming doors when not getting her way, etc. She's picking out her clothes regularly - the whole outfit from barrets to shoes almost every day and sometimes really has a hard time choosing. A real girlie girl who loves to apply chapstick and smack her lips afterwards .
She likes our new house a lot but says reguarly that me and Brian and Henry should all move across the street because she wants to live in our house by herself. She's confident that she can take care of everything cooking and all. And when I ask her if she'll get lonely, she says she'll come visit us because it's just across the street.
Last night, she watched the extended version of that youtube video about the guys who owned a pet lion and then released it and reunited with it in the wild in africa and sobbed afterwards.
She loves our backyard and spends lots and lots of time under our big oak tree. Brian tells her made up stories about Steve the Squirrel and all the other critters that live in our yard and so now she's super tuned in to nature. so amazing and cool.
last weekend, we found a dead bird in our backyard that obviously flew into our sunporch. Brian put it in a shoebox and got rid of it. Later, they were at the daily trip to the hardware store (since we just moved), and Ruby made him call me to check on the bird to see if it was better yet. I of course reported that it did get better and flew away. there was an episode of her favorite show, nanalan, where something similar had happened.
She's finally really into potty training. Last night, I told her that Target ran out of diapers and that it's all pull ups from here on out. My mom started a treasure box thing today where every time she goes on the potty she gets something new for her treasure. When brian went to pick her up she was completely into it. Oh how nice it will be to only have one in diapers.
Henry is also amazing. He is SUCH a good natured baby. He just smiles and rolls with the crappy cards he's dealt almost everyday. Ruby is such an attention hog that henry often just seems to be along for the ride. But luckily he is in love with the view.
He's 8 months now and can barely sit up. I'm always holding him or he's strapped in somewhere. Especially since we've been packing and unpacking since september.
He loves to snuggle and thinks everything is hilarious. Really cute! But looks hauntingly like Brian's dad when he's happy and Brian's brother when he's not.
I just had to put away all his six months clothes last week and get out the 9 months. So sad to say good bye for good to more of the tiny cute things.
Everyday I have do this mental exercise of remembering distinctly what it felt like to hold him when he was a tiny little baby. There is such a flood of new memories daily that the older ones fade so fast. It's already hard for me to remember Ruby as a baby. So I'm doing the little meditation on remembering Henry in order to never forget the awesome warm fuzzy feeling of holding such a little baby that's all mine.
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