Ruby sees the light

Ruby said her first word yesterday- "light".  Its super cute to see her say it so happily as she points to the light fixtures.  Guess this means that the light made more of an impact on her than Mama or Dadda has.  :)

Its cloudy out

Feeling a little stinky today.  And I don't mean the smelly kind.  I just have a cloud over my head and I'm not in a good mood.  I know I have reasons for it - ones I don't really want to talk about but this mood is ruining my day.  Its making me have less patience for my kids, the messy house they create and my inevitable long day without Andrew because he is busy with church needs.    It is one of those days that the only thing I really want to do is to lay on my bed and have a good cry. 

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that I know who I am and what I want in life.  There are far to many people who do not know these two things about themselves and they go throughout their lives constantly looking for greener grass or an easier way.  I am thankful that I know how to live a contented life and my happiness depends on me and not others.

The Many Talents of Ruby Dubes

Ruby learns a new trick - stick your tongue out and she will too!

 She is such a ecologically minded baby.  Here she is voluntarily re-sorting our recycling.

 As some of you might remember - from my POST earlier in the year - it is hard to be the youngest kid - you get put in some strange places and left there when your siblings run off to play something else.  This picture is from a few months ago when this happened.

 Apparently there was no lasting psychological scarring from the earlier event because now that she can do it herself - it is her favorite activity.

 Ruby is also so health conscious.  Here she is emptying the pantry of anything she deems unfit for healthy eating.  Also noted in this experience: Do not grab onions and take bites out of them.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for the experience I have had with being a host mom.  It has been such a different experience to what I expected but in a better way.  There are times I am challenged beyond what I think I can handle and then somehow things are worked out and I am amazed with the results.  It has been really rewarding to get to talk to someone about their day who is at the maturity level higher than a 6 yr old.  It makes me very excited to see the life experiences and perspectives that my children will have when they are Chantal's age.  I am not her mother - we could never replace what her parents mean to her but that isn't what we want.  We are glad to be part of her life and hope that this is an experience everyone will have fond memories with the rest of their lives.

 [Chantal having her first smore and finding it delightful and sticky]

 [Chantal at Halloween as a sumo wrestler - it turns out she is eating way too much of our fatty American foods!]

 [Our princess Corilynn at Halloween - its a Southern Bell costume but she insisted she is a princess]

 [ Of course Darth Vador was there to protect everyone - Lyman was probably the happiest boy alive to get to have this costume]

I am thankful for Ruby and her silly smile.  She loves to look at me and start laughing.  I don't know what is so funny but something is and I cant help but laugh too when she shares with me her delight.  I am thankful that she is learning to walk.  I was not excited for her to crawl so early several months ago because I thought it would mean she would walk soon and then I wouldn't have my little baby anymore.  But she is growing up a lot more and almost 11 months- tomorrow actually - and I am ready for her to make that next developmental state.  I am thankful for the fun she has in the bathtub.  She loves bath time more than any of my other kids did and they really loved it.  She splashes constantly and smiles and giggles as she keeps being amazed at the feeling of the water as she touches it.  I love it.  It is super fun to see her find something so fascinating and interesting. 

Mama always said...

My mother always said that you never stop worrying about your kids.  I didn't believe her because seriously you cant be thinking of your kids all the time right?  Wrong.  A mother always thinks of her kids and always worries about them.  Even when things are going right you are thinking about how to make them go... does it even make sense... more right?  There is never a worse feeling then having a valid reason for worrying for your kid and not have an ounce of an answer as to how to help them or what to do.  It feels horrible and it is times like those that I just know I could never ever be a mother without a personal relationship with my Savior and Father in Heaven.  Sometimes the answers I receive is not how to help things or change things with this child but it is little glimpses of peace so that my mind can relax a moment enough to find the clarity I am seeking on my own.  I just want my kids to grow up to be good people - and not just good people in my eyes but people others will see as good people.  I wish I could see the future.

Corilynn Can Speak Spanish!

We discovered yesterday during bath time that Corilynn knows how to speak Spanish.  At least she thinks she can.  She told us over and over that she knows how to say this or that in Spanish.  Then she would proceed to show us by putting her mouth under water and talking underwater.  Hahaha!  Its cute how kids' minds work and how she thinks speaking in Spanish is as simple as talking underwater.  If only it were that easy for Chantal at school.  :)

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for Skype - I recently signed up and have had a load of fun talking with my family recently.  Love it!

Senior Discount

Well I am doing it.  A few weeks ago I decided I would try to speed walk 2-3 miles a day for 5 days a week.  This is mostly because my joints still kind of suck and running is hard on them more than twice a week still.  I found if I do at least 2.5 miles and at a quick pace then I still get a good aerobic exercise out if it and I am left with that same warm, sweaty, healthy feeling with tingles in my muscles for the rest of the day that I get when I run.  Three miles takes me about 50 minutes so its a good amount of time too.  I have kept to it and in fact have found I really enjoy it.  It has been about 4.5 weeks and I have upped my workout to being about 14-16 miles a week with this week working for 20 miles (4 a day).  I put on the headset and talk to my sisters or friends (thanks to those of you who will listen to my stalker-like heavy breathing on the other side while we chat) and sometimes I listen to music. 

Since I am still breastfeeding I had no intentions of this leading to weight loss since usually all of my efforts to loose weight during breastfeeding never have worked in the past.  However the other day curiosity popped up and I found I have lost 6 lbs.  Woohoo!  Old lady speed walking might just be my thing.  Does this mean I have to buy some turquoise high water polyester pants?

Sidenote: when I pressed publish on this post the sponsered add on the next page was for "Boniva" - yeah Im such an old lady.

If you are grumpy and you know it...

Man oh man.  I feel like a mosquito in a mannequin factory.  Everything is irritating me and I'm grumpy for no reason.  I have been able to hold it off and not take things out on my family but I can feel it.  I'm sure they have noticed too and bless their little irritating hearts they have been kind.  I hate when I cant shake a feeling like this and it feels like I just need to go back to bed. 

Little things bother me a LOT on days like this that usually only bother me a little.  Like the fact that the chairs to my kitchen table apparently have a polar magnetic pull with eachother and never stay pushed in.  Or that every single cup in my house has found its way to being dirty and at the side of the sink despite an empty dishwasher ready to house them.  These little phenomenas in my house cannot be explained because "I didn't do it" is the auto-response programmed.  Another interesting bit of physics that cannot be explained is how if there is a clean place in the house - the kids will gravitate to it to start a project or game.  Another gravitational pull.  Me.  If I want my kids in a certain part of the house all I have to do is try to avoid them by going to that part of the house.  Wahlah!  There they are.  In fact I don't even have to want them there - they go where ever I am.  It would be nice to just have a few minutes to go pee without a knock on the door asking me what I am doing.  "I am finishing my taxes and then I'm going to do some step aerobics!"

I think adding to my feelings is that Ruby has been a little glazed donut nosed, grumptastic little squeal monster today if I move out into the "no fly zone" - of either not holding her or being more than 2 feet from her.  I don't mind so much because I know she is not feeling well but it is exhausting.

Tomorrow is election day and I think I am going to vote for Yes on Proposition Nap, No on the Levy increasing Scream At Eachother time and Yes to Amendment 9 - granting 9 hours sleep minimum to all moms.