Ayrika and Matt's Wedding

Olivia and Ruby both had colds and I hadn't clearly planned out what I would do with the girls during the temple. I decided to find a babysitter the day before and Sam came to the rescue. Andrea and Davis picked Bob and I up and we drove up to Salt Lake. Andrea picked up the flowers before picking us up and they were 15 minutes behind. Needless to say after that, a couple wrong turns, and then not being able to find a parking place in the parking garage we were cutting it close. The sealing was at 11, we were supposed to be there at 10:30, and we arrived at 10:55. Luckily we made it on time and didn't miss a thing. (My mom on the other hand was having some intense anxiety since we weren't there.)We can all laugh about it later, but it was a little intense.

We barely survived taking pictures, because it was freezing. I took a couple with my phone, and I regret not taking more. But it seriously was so cold. We were all rushing to get back inside.

After the sealing, we had a couple hours to kill before the luncheon. I was feeling nauseous, so we found a couch and just relaxed while I drank a hot chocolate. The luncheon was at the Joseph Smith Memorial building and the food was delicious. There were some wonderful toasts and the dessert wasn't bad either.

We left quickly after so we could get home to the kids. Luckily the kids were awesome. Hopefully Ruby will continue to be good for babysitters, and we have ended the "I only want Mom stage."

Africa & Matt's Open House

The night before the wedding Ayrika and Matt had an open house at my parent's house. Unfortunately Olivia had a fever and wasn't feeling great. We served cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. It was a great night to mingle and to get to know Matt's family more. There were a lot of people that came that I hadn't seen for a while.

Olivia spent most of the night laying on Grandma's bed watching movies.

Unfortunately we only got a few pictures we got with Ayrika and Matt, and these are the best. Ha ha!

12 months

Oh sweet Ruby, I can't believe that you have been a part of our family for a whole year. We love you so much and can't imagine life with out you.

Ruby loves to play Pat-a-Cake and claps all of the time. She has started playing Peek-a-boo and loves to try and cover her own eyes. Occasionally you will hear her trying to say boo. Her favorite song is If You're Happy and You Know It. She also is really into books lately. She will sit and look at the pages, squealing in delight. In the mornings, she likes to watch Mickey Mouse with Olivia. And by watch I mean, occasionally glance at the TV and scream in delight.

She loves stuffed animals and baby dolls. For her birthday Olivia picked out a pink Kitty Cat at the Pharmacy gift shop and Ruby loves it. She hugs it tight up close to her face, it is so cute. She also is still on a baby kick. She got a baby of her own so Olivia doesn't have her dolls being stolen all of the time. Olivia loves to push Ruby around in her baby stroller, and Ruby loves it just as much. {I remember when Ruby was a newborn and I would see Olivia pushing the stroller around with her bitty baby in it and I'd panic thinking it was Ruby.}

She is getting stronger and stronger everyday. She will walk when we hold her hands, but it has to be both hands. If I drop one hand she instantly falls down. She isn't standing on her own yet, but I am sure it will come soon. I think she is perfectly content to keep crawling. She is so fast and can get anywhere she wants pretty quick.

Over the last month, I have dropped a nursing feeding each week. A couple days before her birthday she was completely weaned from nursing and is now drinking whole milk from a bottle or sippy cup. Because of how small Ruby has been, I decided to go for the bottle so I could see how much milk she was drinking each day. {With Olivia when she went to a sippy cup I remember that she didn't drink too much and I didn't want to worry more about little Ruby.} She has been drinking 3- 5oz bottles a day. If she is thirsty and in the carseat, she will down the whole bottle during a 10 minute car ride. But normally she'll drink a couple ounces here and there throughout the day.

Ruby generally goes down 2 hours after waking up for her morning nap. It usually lasts around an hour. And then I put her down around 1:30 and she will sleep anywhere from 1-2 hours. When she wakes up from her afternoon nap (she naps in our room in the pack n play) and we walk past the girls room, she points and talks in her little baby language. I assume that she is telling me that she wants Olivia to come out and play. It makes me so happy to see how much they love each other. I can't wait for Ruby's vocabulary to develop so they can talk with each other. Ruby goes to bed around 7:45-8:15 depending on the night. I try to put Ruby to bed 20-30 minutes before Olivia since they are now both sleeping in the same room.

Her favorite foods are currently: macaroni and cheese, yogurt, beans, oranges, french toast, sausage, applesauce, and any treats. She loves ice cream and her favorite thing is to share some with Bob. She got her first taste of chocolate milk and loved it.

Ruby loves all animals. She loves to go downstairs and chase Grandma and Grandpa's dog Bogey. She gets so excited when she sees animals in real life and in pictures.

Because Olivia is in and out of the bathroom all day long, the door is open and little Ruby takes advantage. She loves to unroll all of the toilet paper or put her hands in the water and splash away. Other favorites are pulling all of the dishes and utensils out of the dishwasher. And chasing me while I sweep. I now can only sweep when she is in the high chair or napping.

11 months

At 11 months:

Ruby is finally sleeping through the night. Hallelujah! She goes to bed around 8 - 8:30 and then wakes up anywhere from 6:00 - 8:00. Once she wakes up, she is hungry. Sometimes I can feed her and put her back down, and other times she is awake and ready to go for the day. She will wake up vocationally during the night, but she is getting better at self soothing and putting herself back to sleep. She does wake up very easily. She still sleeps in our room. I would love to put her in the crib in Olivia's room. But I am sure they will just play all night and never sleep. Olivia is such a good sleeper, I don't want to lose that.

She likes to eat food. I feel like I feed her all day. I only nurse her when she wakes up, around 1 right before naps and then once before bed. And in-between all of those times I am cutting up food into small pieces, she eats, we clean up the messes she makes and then a few minutes later (it feels like) I am doing it all again. For breakfast she eats french toast, eggs, pancakes, or cereal pieces with some fruit. For lunch and dinner she eats bread, cheese, beans, cooked veggies, yogurt, and pasta. Usually I will cut up whatever we are eating, but sometimes it's just not her thing so she'll eat what I mentioned.

Her best friend is Olivia, although it might be a one sided relationship. Olivia loves Ruby, but she can only handle so much of the hair pulling and toy stealing. They are both so excited to see each other in the mornings and after naps.

When I lay her down in the bath to wash her hair, she kicks like crazy. She loves being in the bath and always has a smile on her face. Now that she is drinking from a sippy cup, she does try and drink the bath water using the cups and toys in the bath.

She is obsessed with one of Olivia's baby dolls. It's this super small baby wearing a purple and floral outfit that she got for Easter when she was a baby. Ruby crawls all over looking for the baby and when she holds it she shakes with excitement. And she loves all of the princess dolls that Olivia is playing with.

Ruby loves to clap. If she hears, "If your happy and you know it" she instantly starts clapping and will have the biggest grin on her face. She lifts her hand to wave but doesn't move her hand too much.  She doesn't talk to much, just lots of gibberish. She still has her bottom 2 teeth and it doesn't look like she'll be getting any others anytime soon. But we know that can change in an instant.

Ruby {10 Months}

Ruby girl is growing too fast and learning so many new things. This was such a fun month. Her main nickname is Roo Roo. She is a mamas girl and wants to be by my side or held all day. She also likes her Dad which makes is nice at the end of the day.

She crawls everywhere and is fast. I love when she sees me while crawling and she gets a huge grin and crawls as fast as she can to get to me. Along with crawling comes finding anything and everything on the floor and trying to eat it. I have been trying to be better about sweeping after each meal and vacuuming daily.

She finally figured out pulling herself up, and grabs on to the couches, entertainment center, chairs, Olivia's bed, and anything else close to her height. She stands really well, and then when she gets tired she cries until someone helps her sit down.

Usually Ruby will wake up before Olivia and when Olivia comes out of her room, Ruby's face lights up. She loves being with Olivia. They play well together for the most part. I usually find them sitting next to each other playing with the princess castle.

After Ruby's 9 month appointment I decided to dive into sleep training. I had been worried about stopping night time feedings because she has been so small. The doctor told me that she would make up for the calories lost during the day - and that I should go right ahead and wean her at night. We got the pack n play from my parents house and took down the bassinet. Olivia sleeps so well, I didn't want her to be waking up from Ruby sleeping in her crib and crying all night. The first couple nights were rough and she cried for 2 hours with me giving her her pinky about every 10 minutes. The next night was only an hour and a half. And then after that she did pretty well. She still wakes up and cries a couple times a night but its for less than a minute and she puts herself back to sleep. I run in the mornings at 6, so sometimes I will feed her right before I leave if she is stirring.

When she goes down for naps, she likes to be laid on her side and with her blanket over her face. She usually naps in the morning about 1.5-2 hours after waking up. This nap only lasts 30 minutes - an hour. Then she goes down at 1 and I'm lucky if it lasts an hour, sometimes a little longer. It's so crazy how different your children can be. Olivia napped 2, two hour naps everyday and was super consistent.

Ruby has been pounding the food lately. Her favorite foods are grapes, watermelon, peas, and corn. She loves peas the most, and I wonder if they are just the perfect size for her to grab. I've been mixing up smoothies with avocado and yogurt to try and put on some ounces. She gets constipated easily so I don't give her a ton of dairy.

She loves to clap and has just figured out how to clap with her hands open. In the past she has clapped but it was always with close fists. She also waves. She says dada, and has started saying mama, but only when she is crying in her crib and really wants me. Ha!

9 months

This month you have had a lot of fun changes!

You got your first two teeth. Your bottom right came in first and then the left came in about a week later. The first tooth came in smoothly but the second was a little bit harder on you. You had quite the runny nose and you needed a few extra cuddles. Nursing 5 times a night was also a hint for Mom that your gums were bugging you.

Whenever you sit in your highchair and sometimes when you are sitting playing, you will cross your feet. It is so cute to see you with one foot atop the other.

Finger foods are your new favorite and baby food is on it's way out. I try to feed her some everyday and she would much rather eat what everyone else is eating. You have been eating: grapes, melon, raspberries, toast, crackers, cucumbers, bell peppers, peaches, string cheese, and chicken. You also had a few tastes of ice cream.

I now have to vacuum the living room floor almost daily and have gone through all of Olivia's toys to keep you from eating everything. You are close to crawling, but haven't quite got the skills down. You will rock on all fours, scoot yourself backwards and roll across the living room. Just today you brought yourself from laying down back into sitting position for the first time.

Because you still wake up twice each night to nurse (usually 1 & 4:30) Mom still has you sleeping in the bassinet. You will probably be moved to the crib in the next week since you can sit up on your own, and the bassinet isn't too deep. I'm hoping that at her 9 month appointment they will say it's ok to stop the night time feedings.

Naps are pretty regular. You usually are ready to go back down about an hour after waking up and it is usually a short nap. And then around 1, you will take another nap that is around 2 hours. When I put you in your bed, I put a muslin swaddle blanket on the side of your face and if you are tired you go right to bed. If you aren't tired you will play for a few minutes before falling asleep.

Your favorite toys are the stacking rings, baby dolls, Olivia's princesses, and any shoe she can get her hands on. Everything still goes straight into this girls mouth so we have to watch her carefully.

You and Olivia adore each other equally. You both light up when you see each other in the mornings or after nap times. It's hard for Olivia to stay quiet and when she hears Ruby crying she runs to say hello.

Wearing size 3 diapers now and anywhere from 3-6 - 6-12.

8 months

Here's a little about Ruby at 8 months -

Wakes up 2-3 times a night to eat. It is seriously driving me crazy, but I feel like I HAVE to feed her because of her weight. At the reunion and Lake Powell you slept great when you slept in the same bed as mom. But when you are in your crib or bassinet, it's another story. 

Rolls all over the place. You are following in your sisters foot steps. You have no desire to crawl but you will roll and move in circles. It's getting harder and harder to change your diaper. As soon as I lay you on your back you want to roll over onto your tummy. 

Eats a lot of baby food, but would rather eat table food. You have been eating lots of beans, yogurt, fruit (watermelon, grapes, pineapple) avocado and samples of whatever the family is eating. 

Mostly wearing size 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. (Weighing in at 13.2 at our last appointment.)

Naps have started to get a little more consistent with one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It has been awesome having her nap around the same time as Olivia. 

She is definitely a momma's girl and wants to be held or be able to see me while playing. She loves to be around Olivia, and try to play with her. Mostly she is pulling Olivia's hair which makes Olivia quite upset. She gives big smiles to Dad, and all of her grandparents. 

Maui 2015

Bob's brother Brad is in DC for his summer internship. Bob's brother and parents started talking about going to visit him for Memorial Day Weekend. We jumped on board since that weekend would be our anniversary and we hadn't been on a kidless vacation since before Olivia. (Obviously we would've taken Ruby, but babies are lots easier than toddlers.) We got the days off from work and were getting ready to buy our flights when we realized Brad wasn't going to be in town that weekend. His internship had him going elsewhere. We had the days off but we weren't sure what we were going to do. The DC trip was already being put together last minute and then we didn't do anything for a few days after we reapplied we couldn't go.

On Wednesday May 13th, we decided we should go somewhere. We talked about going to Denver and then explored San Francisco. When Bob pulled up the Google Map of the US with prices for flights, he found that tickets to San Fran were $350 and flights to Hawaii were $450. I thought - for $100 more, thats a no brainer. I've always wanted to go to Kauai so we started talking about that option. Bob called his parents to see if they wanted to join us. They could get flights to Maui but for them it was not cheap to go to Kauai last minute. Bob called his boss and was able to get the whole week off instead of just the few we had originally asked for.

Early Saturday morning (3 days later) we left for Hawaii with both kids in tow. Since Bob's parents live in Washington, they don't get to see Olivia as often as we would like, so she got a grand vacation for being a 2 year old. The flights there weren't bad at all. I sat by a cute couple from West Jordan who were leaving their 4 kids home for 2 weeks. They were a little nervous, but when they heard Olivia have a melt down, I am sure they were glad they left them. Olivia full on cried/screamed/loudest fit ever for about 25 minutes. She fell asleep when we got on the second flight and when she woke up it was a nightmare. Mostly for Bob though, because I was nursing Ruby when it started and there wasn't anything I could do.

Mid Tantrum!

Seriously the happiest and easiest baby.

Loaded in the car with a suitcase on Bob and the stroller on me.

Lowell and Shannon were picking up their luggage when we got to the airport and helped us get all of ours. (Traveling with kids is crazy! 2 carseats, 1 double stroller, diaper bag, purse, carry on, large suitcase and Bob's golf clubs.) We barely squeezed all of our stuff and ourselves into the rental van and off we went. To Costco. My favorite place at home and in Hawaii. We grabbed some fruit, breakfast foods, the best bread (Maui Crunch) and some ribs, veggies, and potatoes for our Sunday meal.

Only Shannon can make a feast like this in Hawaii. This was my favorite meal of our trip. 

It felt so good to unpack and relax at our condo. The past few times we have gone, we have stayed on Wailea, at Ekahi Village. This time we decided to try something new and we rented a condo that was on the Wailea Blue golf course. I believe it was hole #9 that was right out our door. This was great for the men. They loved sitting out on the lanai and watching the golfers as they passed through. During the week they played that course a couple times and the Gold and Emerald courses there.

Bob and Lowell golfing the hole by our condo.

The pool was close to our condo, but it was up a few switchbacks. It took some serious strength to walk up it and push both of the girls in the stroller. We tried to make it to the pool every morning for a few hours. The men didn't want to stay as long as Shannon and I. A few times after feeding Ruby, Bob and Lowell would take the girls back to the condo while Shannon and I read, swam and enjoyed the sun. I read a few books while I was there and it was certainly heaven.

We had the pool to ourselves most days. If we saw anyone it was usually only 2-3 other people.

One of the books I read. 

Celebrating 6 years!!

We enjoyed a day in Lahaina and took a boat tour. It was fun to see some of the fish in the water and do something new. (Although we won't be doing it again, ha ha.) We went to a bakery that Bob's grandparents went to regularly when they would live in their condo a few months out of the year. And  finished off the day with pizza and Lahaina Pizza Co. (BJ's pizza) This is one of our favorite meals in Maui, we love the pizza and the pazookies.

Church is always fun in Maui, especially when most of Sunday School is made up of visitors. We bought some leis to wear, as is tradition when we go. Olivia looked so cute in hers. The only problem was Ruby. Whoever was holding her had to take theirs off or she attacked it. There were a lot of petals on the pew after Sacrament meeting. The sweet couple that I sat next to on the way to Hawaii was attending the same ward there in Kehei.

We had a great beach day and Olivia loved the sand. She didn't want to get close to the water. I think the sound of the waves scared her, because she loved swimming in the pool. Ruby played a little in the sand, but she fell asleep after I fed her. I brought my little pop up tent and she slept right there on the beach. Olivia and Bob dug and played together for over an hour. Bob helped Olivia dig a hole that he got in and then he tried to teach her to bury him.

We played lots of games of Rook, watched a few shows, ate way too many desserts and goodies, enjoyed the sun, read a few books, and enjoyed being with one another. The week seriously went by in a flash. I am so glad that we were able to throw the trip together so quickly and that Bob's parents were able to meet us there.

weight check @ 8 months

Today we ran over to the pediatricians office for another weight check. 2 weeks ago (when Ruby went up in percentile) they asked that I come back in 2-3 weeks, weird right? Anyway she was 12.14 and today she was 13.2. While I was waiting, I was planning it out in mind that I'd have to wean her and get her to take a bottle. (Assuming she wasn't getting enough or that my milk wasn't high calorie.) I thought for sure she hadn't gained enough. She went from .88 to .82%- so not a huge drop like I thought. They told me that her numbers looked great.

I would've weaned her in a heartbeat if that was what was needed. I love nursing, but her health is my main priority, not my feelings. I have been trying to feed her around 2 jars of baby food, and she sucks/chews on table food throughout the day in addition to nursing. I know I shouldn't have goals that I have no control over, but I'd love to see 14 pounds at her 9 month appointment.

splash pad flop

Yesterday we had planned to go to the Springville splash pad/river with Andrea and Jense. But after getting ready and almost loaded in the car, Olivia started throwing up. It's crazy because she was sick all day Monday and then was fine all day Tuesday. So it was quite the surprise. After she got out of the bath, she was feeling great and was sad when I told her we couldn't go.

So this morning I decided we would try it again since Olivia had been throw up free for almost 24 hours. We got our swimsuits on, sunscreen lathered, bags packed and down the street we went. I'm not sure what is the best way with 2 kids, but I unloaded without the stroller and we got to the splash pad and it was dry. (Insert sad face.) I saw the maintenance man come out of the building and told another Mom that they were fixing something and it most likely wouldn't be working today. So I am holding our bag, shade tent, and Ruby and have to tell Olivia that we need to go back to the car. She is upset and starts crying. I'm trying to think of something else when a lady comes over and invites us to some activities that are going on in the park.

The Provo Early Intervention Program was having a few activities in the park and then doing a tour of the Firehouse. It was just starting so there weren't too many people there. Olivia was in heaven. They had pools with water with a little fishing game, noodles, and cups. Then they had buckets of water with balloons. They had the kids grab a water balloon and transfer it to the color coordinating bucket. Olivia got to make a little boat and a glitter sensory bottle. By the time we finished the splash pad was working again so we went over to cool off. The water lasted about 30 minutes and then shut off, right as Ruby fell asleep in the tent. We waited another half hour for the water to turn back on before we left. We lucked out that we got to have a bunch of fun, even if the splash pad had a bunch of problems.

This is my favorite picture, I love how this water balloon was so big and Olivia is using all of her strength to walk it across. 

Ruby the snack theif

We had our first real experience where Ruby was picking on Olivia. {Besides the fact that Ruby pulls Olivia's hair whenever she is in reach. She loves Olivia so much that she just wants to grab onto her all of the time.}

We went to the river/splash pad on Springville Main. How we got there is another story in it's self. (Bob had the day off, I said let's get out and do something. The new Springville Reservoir had just opened so we loaded up the car, got the girls in their suits and lathered in sunscreen. We started driving and I put the address I had found into my phone and it wouldn't pull up. I tried our car's gps and it wouldn't pull it up either. And by that point, I looked back and Olivia had fallen asleep in the car. So we went home. We tried to lay Olivia down in bed, but she was already awake and she wanted to go swimming. So we loaded everyone back into the car and we went to the river.)

We played for almost two hours and it past time for lunch and naps. Olivia didn't want to leave and threw a fit. She was crying in the car and wanted a snack so Bob opened up a fruit leather and passed it back to her. She continued crying the whole way home and I could hear the word snack - but just assumed she was mad that it was a fruit leather and not something better.

When we got home and I started to unbuckle Ruby I noticed that she had Olivia's fruit leather in hand. Her little face was priceless. She was so happy that she had gotten that snack. Poor Livy.

the barfs

Poor Olivia woke up last night around 1 AM throwing up. I quickly changed out her sheets, put her in new pajamas, got her a bowl and put her back to bed. Bob got up with her the next 2 times around 4 and 6. When I got up with her around 9 I told her that she needed to try and throw up in the bowl so it wouldn't be so messy. She looked at me in pure exhaustion and said, "No way Jose!" Bob and I both died laughing. She is such a parrot and it's so funny when she decides to use the new phrases that she hears.

She spent the rest of the day on the couch watching movie after movie, with a few naps in-between, taking baths, and throwing up almost every 2 hours.

In all seriousness, how do you get a 2 year old to embrace the bowl?