Friday, July 29, 2011

Ruby D at Twelve Months

At twelve months you:

-have started to walk! You took two steps for the first time on 7/16. You are now up to four steps at a time. You quite often fall after one or two steps, but you get right back up and start walking again.
-love to play with baby dolls, stuffed animals, blocks, and anything your sister has. You like to steal her Gabbas from her (you can say Muno).
-don't really watch tv or have a favorite show. We have it on in the morning for Gracie, but you usually just ignore it except for the intro to Dinosaur Train.
-love to be outside in your swing, splashing in the water table, or crawling up (yes, up) the slide.
-say so many new words all the time. Words we hear a lot: baby, kitty, hi, that, this, no, mama, daddy, whee (on the swing, when we toss you in the air), wow.
-can point at your nose (you also try to say nose, but it sounds a lot like no). You can also point out where my bobbies are and try to say boob.
-love baths, but you get in trouble, because you fill up the water cup or bucket and spill the whole thing over the edge. You also love when Mommy blows bubbles during bathtime and you reach to pop them.
-are starting to get better at drinking out of your sippy cup. You still want to breastfeed a ton (usually right after you wake up, before nap, after waking up from nap, before bed, and at least once or twice during the night).
-are such a good eater. Lately you have loved: lasagna, chocolate, crackers, cheese, ham, and pineapples.
-get jealous when Mommy holds other babies. You do like to see babies and try to touch their hair and their hands.
-love to play peek a boo and get tickled. You also like me to pretend to chew on your toes.
-are in twelve month clothes and size three shoes
-go to sleep between 8 and 9. You wake up after an hour or so, look around to see if anyone is there (or if I'm holding you). If it isn't me or anything is going on you wake up wanting to party. Night owl baby.

Oh Ruby Dee Dee! It just doesn't seem possible that you are one. You are my silly girl, my cuddly girl, my smiley girl, my smartie pants girl, my everything girl. I have to grab you and kiss you so many times every day. You make everyone smile, and I just can't imagine my life without you. I love you forever and a day.



Oh Ruby D, I could just eat you up.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

I have the cutest baby

We got Ruby D's pictures one year pictures taken yesterday. Two days early, but Andrew's schedule is crazy with back to school coming up, and it was the best day for it. Ruby was so so good. I always worry about how she will act for pictures, because she isn't always the best for strangers. As long as they aren't touching her though, and I am entertaining her she puts on a show. She can be quite the hambone. I love it! I had so many problems picking out what photos I wanted printed. They took 160! She was so funny digging into her cake that they just kept clicking and clicking. She definitely dug into her cake and made a huge mess. It took quite a bit of work cleaning her up (and her face was purple from the dye most of the day-I'm not looking forward to diaper changes). I did purchase the disc with all the images on it, and I finally narrowed it down to six images (which is pretty much what I always end up getting every time I go to Portrait Innovations). Some of my favorites:


"I'm one!"

I'm so happy I bought this pinata for her rainbow birthday party and brought it for her pictures.

How cute is that smile?



This picture just makes me laugh. She's such a silly little baby.

Taking steps and just so proud of herself.


"I will share some of this frosting with Mommy. Just come and get it."


"I think maybe I'm done. Maybe. If I get hungry later I can get some from my belly."
I LOVE this picture so so much.
 

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Vacation Highlights

Our company is gone, but now I'm in party planning mode for Ruby D. I bought all of the baking ingredients for her party today except for the fruit tray and the sherbet for punch. I'm hoping to get a few things done early, but I would not be surprised if I end up doing everything Saturday. Unfortunately Andrew's high school reunion is also on Saturday night, so I will have to work on everything earlier than I normally do. Sunday morning we will have to run to Wal-mart to get balloons blown up, but the party isn't until late afternoon (after nap time). Gracie is very excited. She is not one for a schedule. When we are on vacation and/or have company she runs full tilt and is HAPPY the entire time (well mostly, sometimes it is hard being three).

We had a great time with our company. I really like my house the more we live in it. It is great for guests, because it is so open, but we have the "guest" bedroom (thanks Ruby D for giving that up so willingly ;) and spare bathroom so that company have their own space. We stayed up late (well for them, I'm a night owl) and played games every night and ate lots of dessert. Yummy, dessert. Highlights from vacation:

Scott, Becky, and AJ. AJ is nineteen months old and was a big hit with both Ruby and Gracie.

Gracie crawling to the top of the ball pit. This is the first time she has been able to crawl without any help.

Cutie Ruby D

Daddy and Ruby D playing in the ball pit.

Ruby D loved being buried in the balls.

She is just so adorable.

Gracie at the Children's Museum. She liked both this bouncy animal and the pink doggy. The pink doggy came home with us. She is getting much better at balancing on him. Or her I guess; she named it Gracie.

Playing at the glass exhibit. She loved to screw the bulbs into the holes.

Gracie getting ready to dig. She was very excited about her goggles. So excited that she tried to make AJ wear a pair. She kept putting them on him, he kept taking them off (in his defense they really didn't fit well).

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Company Best

We have friends from Ohio coming to stay a few days. I have been a baking/cleaning fool. I made chocolate covered pretzels, double chocolate brownies, and S'more Whoopie pies. I think that I have everything done except for picking up the girls toys (which I will do before naptime). It is too freaking hot to do anything though. We plan on going to the fair tonight, but I doubt we will stay for too long. The heat index is supposed to be 115 today! I am so incredibly thankful for air conditioning and my ceiling fans. Even with baking the house hasn't gotten that bad. My flowers though, they look horrible. Poor things. We've been watering the grass every day, but it isn't looking so hot either. I am waging a war against crabgrass, but I am not winning. Sigh. Oh well, at least nothing is completely dead yet. The grass won't get watered tomorrow, because we are going to Indy. We had planned on going to the zoo, but with this heat I think we are going to the Children's Museum instead. I haven't been there in years. Hopefully Gracie will enjoy it. The bouncy house (ball pit) is also air conditioned and Gracie loves it. I've already told her that the Gabbas will not be going into the ball pit though. I am NOT looking for them. If only she could teach them how to clean the house and water the yard.


Helping Daddy bake. 
S'More Whoopie Pies (makes about two dozen)
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (I crumbled about 20 crackers)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla. Combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Fill when cooled.

Filling:
1/2 cup white shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup marshmallow cream
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 tsp milk

Cream sugar and shortening together. Beat in remaining ingredients. Spread between cookies. (My cookies needed refrigerated for the cream to set).

Friday, July 15, 2011

Party Planning

I need to figure out what I am getting Ruby for her birthday. We bought her an Ariel Disney Princess baby (which she grabbed off the shelf herself), but she needs at least one other thing. And no Gracie, it will not be Gabbas. I also need to start buying groceries for her party. I think I have decided what I am going to make, but I am not one hundred percent sure. I hope that people like sprinkles and chocolate. :)


My birthday is next week (?!) Our friends from Ohio are coming to visit us for a few days. I think we are going to Indy on my birthday, but we are taking the kids to the zoo, and I don't know what else. We will probably also go to the fair sometime that week. I want to go to Harry Potter, but I'm not sure when I will get a chance. I also have a coupon for a free meal at a local restaurant that I need to use before the end of this month. It was a gift from the hospital after having Ruby, but I just haven't thought of it or gone out that much without her the past year. She does not like it when I am not there. I'm pretty sure she can handle it for a few hours though.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Wilakeers

Oh Naughty Ruby what am I going to do with you?
My baby doesn't:
  • go to sleep without being held (to be fair Gracie was the same way until she was almost three)
  • let anyone feed her. I have to put all her food on her plate and let her self feed. What a mess! If she does take a bite of something she quite often pulls it out of her mouth to examine what we've given her.
  • sleep through the night. Greedy baby will pull down my tank top if she wakes up and thinks I'm not going to breastfeed her.
  • Like anyone to hold her except for me. She throws a major hissy fit when other people (including my mother and sister) take her. She is especially bad at night.
  • Know how to keep her clothes clean. If I don't take all her clothes off before she eats she will inevitably get something on her pants or collar or both (even with a bib). Blackberries are the worst!
  • Keep Gracie's toys out of her mouth. Although she generally spits things out as soon as I say "out of mouth."
  • Like any sippy cup as much as the one her sister has. Even if they have the same design (different colors so I don't confuse them in the fridge) she still tries to steal Gracie's all the time.
  • Keep her shoes (or sunglasses) on. She is pretty good at keeping hair ties in though.
  • Like to get her pjs on after bath time.
My baby does:
  • make me smile and laugh every single day!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Balloons and Birthdays

Outtakes from Ruby D's photo session for her birthday invites:

Gracie joined in on pictures at the end. I love the look on her face. The Gabbas joining our photo session? Yeah, I wasn't too fond of that.

Last photo of the day. I'm not sure how many balloons I am having blown up for Ruby's birthday party. Purple doesn't come in the assorted package so I will have to buy an individual bag of those.

She is just SO STINKING CUTE!

This is the first picture I took. We moved, because there was too much sun, but she was so happy.

Dancing baby.

Umm, why did you move me Mommy? I was having fun. And I do not want to sit in this wet grass.


Well maybe it's okay.
Ruby D having fun. This picture was in the running for the one I would use on her invites.


Picture I used for her invitation:
Oh how I love my baby. 

And just for comparison sake; this is the picture I used for Gracie's first birthday invites:

Friday, July 1, 2011

Fave on Friday

I don't buy new books. Unless they are five dollars or less. That means I reread most of the books I own. A lot (I'm a very quick reader). I can't go to sleep at night until I have read a few chapters. One of my favorites:



Did you know I have a sweet tooth? Well I do (a major one). I tend to like chocolate a lot more than the author of this book, but I share her excitement for sweets. Oh and candy stores. I love a good candy store.  Favorites candies:

  • Mint nonpareils (the pastel colored ones). I prefer the larger sized ones, but it is easier to find minis.
  • Reeses Fast Break, Nutrageous (very rarely sold at registers), Big Cup (I freeze my big cups, eat the chocolate layer first, then eat the peanut butter). I love chocolate and peanut butter together. My all time favorite are Reeses Peanut Butter eggs (which are better than trees, pumpkins, and hearts).
  • Carmellos. I also freeze my Carmellos. Yummy.
  • SnoCaps. Best eaten with buttery popcorn and enjoyed at the movie theater. 
  • Pixie Sticks. Purely for nostalgia. In high school I used to mix pixie sticks with Mountain Dew. Only orange though. 
  • Yellow Spree, Laffy Taffy, or Starburst. I am not a big fan of fruit flavored candy. I will eat yellow though.
  • Cadbury mini eggs (not the ones filled with cream, although I do love them). During Easter time I had a stockpile of these in my freezer. My husband doesn't really like candy, (except for Hot Tamales-gross! The only Hot Tamale I want is Mariah Carey.) but he does love these. 
  • Chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels. Years ago when I worked at Wal-mart (before it was a super center) we carried a line of Sam's Brand products. I bought a bag of these every few days. I still miss them. The candy store in my sister's town carries a different version, but at a much higher price.
Now I'm hungry. Luckily the treats bowl in my pantry (really it says that) is full.