8 Months, Resolutions, and Still 2 Under 2.

Hey Everyone,

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas. It is always such a fun time of togetherness with family, but it always feels like it is over way too fast. Kind of like going on a big vacation. You anticipate for such a long time, have a great time, and then bam it is over and you're back to real life. We enjoyed going to the Harvey's on Christmas Eve and then Ben and I hosted my side on Christmas Day. We don't do Santa, but I LOVE filling stockings. Ruby's stocking was full of everything Curious George. She loves him. She lovingly refers to George as "ah ah" I think it is because we always say that is what a monkey says. Both girls have had terrible colds for the last week. It is such a bummer when they get sick. It is mostly a hefty cough. Ruby woke up from her nap on Friday pulling at her ear, so I took her in and she has an ear infection. Stella has a cough, but as of right now, I think/hope that is all.

Stella is 8 months old. It is just crazy to me. She has 2 teeth on the bottom and hasn't bit me while nursing yet! When Ruby got teeth she would smile when she was done and clamp down. It was painful as you can imagine. Stella is crawling all over the place trying to keep up with her big sister. When we are at home, Stella is pretty lively, smiles often, and can be pretty goofy. When we are not at home, she is so so serious. People will try really hard to make her smile and she will not give them the time of day. It is kind of funny. She is starting to have a little bit of stranger danger. She will look at someone and stare at them and then get that look in her eyes where she is about to cry. Her bottom lip turns upside down and it isn't long before she is wanting to see her familiar faces. Stella has been sleeping a lot better lately. When she was getting those two teeth, it was a doozy. She was wanting to comfort nurse about every two hours at night. Now she wakes up 1-2 times. I know I should probably just let her put herself back to sleep and she will eventually. However, knowing that Stella is probably our last, I really do enjoy going in there and nursing her in the silence of the night and just holding her. We, including Ruby absolutely adore Stella.

Ruby is doing really well. Although, it seems like she is sick one week, has a couple weeks of health, then will come down with another cold. I have a love hate relationship with nurseries/play dates. We send Ruby and Stella to the nursery during church and MOPS. It is usually hit or miss, but usually one of them comes down with something. Then we have play dates with my MOMS Club friends and well, you know kids...if they are good at sharing something, it is their germs. :) With that said, we can 't just hibernate all winter long or we all go crazy. Ruby continues to climb everything. Our dining room chairs right now are on top of our dining room table. She loves pushing them all around and getting into everything she shouldn't. Is this normal? She has SO many toys, but she would rather get into all the things! She is so busy, but so much fun. She has the capability of making  me want to pull my hair out one minute and the next minute she can make my heart melt into a puddle of mush. She helps keep me grounded and enjoy the little things in life.

Do any of you make New Years Resolutions? I think all of us can say that at one point we have made a resolution to stay/be healthier. Well, this year is no different. As a mom of two littles, it is SO hard to take care of yourself. Their needs will always come before your own. I don't think that will ever change. But, that can't be an excuse to neglect yourself entirely. So, I will continue on my 21 day fix plan. I have been pretty lazy with it lately, but starting on the 1st, this momma is getting healthy. Something that I love about this, is that I'm not doing it to lose weight...although, that is REALLY nice. I'm doing it to actually be healthy. I know the weight I'm at right now is not healthy, and I want to be the absolute best for my kids. I don't want to get winded running up and down the stairs. I want to feel confident in my jeans and perhaps even put on a swimming suit this summer. ;) I love the way I feel when I'm getting at least 4 servings of veggies a day. When I eat junk, I feel like junk. When I eat clean, I feel SO much better. If any of you are interested in hearing more about the plan that I do, I would love to fill you in. I'm not a coach, so I'm not hassling you! It is just something that has worked so well for me.

For one more month I will still have 2 girls under the age of 2. I don't know why, but it just seems like a big step for me. I feel like that means the girls are getting older, and hopefully it means a little more manageable! haha! Stella is the easiest baby alive, but she does just add another dynamic to our day. Before having Stella, I had severe mommy guilt thinking that Ruby was going to feel neglected. Boy was I wrong. Ruby still runs the show, and I often feel guilty thinking that Stella doesn't get held enough, she plays by herself way too much, and that it is just not fair for her. It is what it is I guess. My living room floor is always a mess, and I'm ok with it for the most part. Cleaning it up while they are awake is like shoveling in the middle of a blizzard. It is just nearly impossible. So, to keep myself sane, I pick up everything while they are napping and after they have gone to bed.

One last thing, Ben and I got a ping pong table and oh my gosh, it is so much fun! We put the girls down at night and will go downstairs and play ping pong. I don't know if Ben reads these or not, but I'm totally winning. Yes, we have a tally going right now and I think I'm up 11-5. Boo yeah. Turns out  I'm still pretty competitive. :/ Anyway, if you are reading this, thank you! I often feel like a horrible friend because I honestly just don't have the time I used to to devote to friendship. It doesn't mean that I don't care, I so care, but it's just a different season right now. Thanks everyone! Hope you have a happy New Year!

Ruby and Stella at 8 Months Old

Ruby never lets me do anything with her hair. Today I pinned held her tight and go the cutest little pony in. 

Sick babies are no fun! :( 

Grandma got her a trampoline for Christmas. She loves it an has now started hanging on the bar and spinning in circles and falling off on purpose. 

I love this little girl. 

Ruby loves her daddy. This was on the first night of Christmas Vacation! 

Sometimes it is hard to remember that at one time it was just us. 

When their papa looks like Santa. 

Ruby and her cousin, Cam. 

The feeling is mutual. 

Ruby getting a stuffed Curious George. 

Kennedy family Christmas. Just missing Kieran who was too busy playing with his toys, Kaylie, and Jaz. 

A beautiful mess. 

Confessions from a SAHM

Hey Everyone,

Confessions from a stay at home mom. Should be interesting. First things first though. Stella is 7 months old. I just brought a meal to a friend from MOPS who just had a baby and she was just so tiny. It is crazy to think that just 7 months ago, Stella was that little. They really do grow and change so fast! I will give you 5 facts of both Stella and Ruby. Ruby will be 22 months on the 29th of November.

Stella:

1. Stella had a rough couple of weeks of sleeping. She would require me to nurse to sleep and then proceed to wake every 2-3 hours. It wasn't fun. I was a crabby wife and mom and it was just not cool. The last 3 nights we have been laying her down awake with hopes of her putting herself to sleep. At first it was a little rocky, but I think she is getting the hang of it. She will talk a little bit and whine a little bit, but then after about 5 minutes she is out. Not only that, but she has only been waking up once to feed. It's awesome! The same is holding true for naps, although she still takes pretty short naps.

2. She is crawling/scooting all over the place. She can definitely get to where she wants to go.

3. She will fall asleep instantly in her carseat. She also falls asleep during our Pastors sermons on Sunday mornings. Maybe I should just play his sermons in her room at night. haha. I'm kidding....kind of. Thanks Pastor Max!

4. She absolutely adores her sister, Ruby. If Ruby even looks at her she will just light up and smile and sometimes giggle for no other reason than Ruby looking at her.

5. We joke around often that Stella kind of looks Asian. She has Ben's "squinty" eyes. She is a spitting image of Benjamin.

Ruby:

1. Ruby is just so good with Stella. I don't know how we lucked out, but boy did we. She calls her sissy and will often go up to her and just rub her head. It's the cutest.

2. Ruby is a climber. She climbs anything and everything. She also never stops moving. Ruby is probably the most active toddler I have met. I worked at a daycare all through college and Ruby still takes the cake. She keeps me busy.

3. Ruby locked me out of the house the other day. I went to start the car in the garage and shut the door behind me. Well, she locked me out. After a quick panic, I remembered that there were house keys with my van keys. When I tried to unlock the door, the door wouldn't unlock. More panicking sunk in as I didn't have my phone on me. I tried again and apparently Ruby was kind enough to unlock the door. They keys that I tried are for the front door and not the garage door. Sheesh!

4. She is talking so much. A lot of times Ben and I will just look at Ruby in amazement. She is so goofy and has such a big personality.

5. She LOVES Curious George. In fact, in the morning a lot of the times she wakes up saying, "ah ah." That's what she calls it, because that is what a monkey says. For those of you who know Ruby, know that she doesn't sit still....ever. Well, if Curious George is on she will sit still and watch for most of it.

Ok, I realize that this post is going to get long. Now, onto the title. Confessions from a stay at home mom.

Going from a childless Kindergarten teacher to a stay at home mom was/is hard! Being able to stay at home has always been my dream and thankfully Ben's vision as well. I wouldn't trade my hardest days to go back to work and be away from these girls.  Again, I must state that I know incredible working mothers. This is no way shape or form me bashing on working moms. This is coming from my own experiences as a stay at home mom. So, let me just throw out some confessions. I don't know where this will take me or how many confessions I will confess, but here we go.

1. I need Jesus daily. Holy moly do I ever. There are several days where I mutter, "I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength." Being a mom to two girls under 2 is hard. My patience runs thin a lot of the time. It is hard when Ruby is hungry and so is Stella. It is hard when I'm nursing Stella and Ruby falls and gets hurt. (Probably from falling off of something she tried climbing.)

2. It can be very lonely. There are times where I haven't seen an adult besides my husband in 3 days. It can get lonely talking to an almost 2 year old and a 7 month old only. I so appreciate my friends who love me even when they haven't heard from me in forever. I appreciate my friends who invite me out time and time again. I so appreciate my MOPS and MOMS club group. They help me get out more.

3. Getting out of the house is hard. You have to take Stella's nursing schedule and Ruby's activeness into affect. It is hard to go to events or indoor gyms when I'm doing it solo. If I have to feed Stella, who is going to chase after Ruby. Get my drift? I have to time everything with Stella's feeding and Ruby's napping schedule as well.

4. Most of the time when the girls/Ruby (It is rare that they both nap at the same time) are napping I check email, Facebook, instagram, and I relax. I try not to be on social media while the girls are awake. This means that sometimes Ben comes home to toys on the floor and dishes in the sink.

5. I question what I'm doing all the time. I told Ben the other day that I guess my way through parenthood probably 99% of the time.

6. I graduated with an Early Childhood Education degree. So, I'm always questioning if the girls are where they need to be developmentally. It's kind of annoying. At the same time, Ben asks me often, "Is that normal." A lot of the times I honestly don't know.

7. I sometimes get jealous that Ben gets to go to work and have an 8+ hour break from the girls every day.

8. I absolutely love getting to stay at home and I don't think you could pay me a million dollars to spend this time apart from them. It is worth it to me (and Ben) to spend the early years at home with my girls. I don't take this job title lightly. I try my hardest to be on the floor and present with them at all times. I try not to let the world and other moms dictate the way that I mother these girls.

9. I am so amazed by my own mother. From when we were in school she went to work, did all the house work, always cooked home cooked meals, and supported our activities. She was seriously amazing and I never realized it until I became a mom. So mom...you seriously are amazing!

10. Taking care of me is hard. I forgot what it felt like to be healthy and look nice. What I mean is that I have recently decided to eat healthy and exercise. I also have attempted to put on make up every day and you know...look presentable to society. I think it is so important to take care of yourself first so that you can take care of others. I love being and feeling healthy.

That's all I have for now. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and have lots to be thankful for! I know I do!

Love this little girl!

Chilling with Santa. 

Ruby knows the real Santa. This totally wasn't him. 

Cruisin all around. 

Stella is 6 Months and I'm 30...Yikes!

Hey Everyone,

Stella is half ways to 1 and I'm half ways to 60. What the what? Ha! It's been a great 30 years so far. I was talking to Ben about how our 20's have been so full. In our 20's we graduated college, got married, and moved to Alaska where we taught for 3 years. We moved back and found new jobs. We had our babies in our 20's. I depended on God like I never have in my life when my dad died in my 20's. It has been some of the most happy days of my life and it has been some of the absolute darkest days, but through it all God was with us every step of the way. We look forward to what our 30's have in store for us! Anyway, now onto Stella Louise.

 Today she is 6 months old and man, she continues to be such a great baby. I will give you six fun facts about Stella.

1. She is a great sleeper at night. She usually only wakes up once and wakes up around 7/7:30. Somehow both girls wake up at the same time almost every morning. Probably one of them wakes the other. However, Stella does not nap well. She will take cat naps here and there, but only for about 30 minutes. Ruby makes it very hard for Stella to nap.

2. Stella doesn't know how to be an only child. The other day, Ben took Ruby to Menards and Stella started getting fussy and needy. I think it was because she didn't know what to do. Ha, either that or I'm not nearly as entertaining as Ruby. Probably the latter.

3. She can crawl...kind of. She is sort of like an inchworm. She gets where she wants to go though!

4. She still thinks Ruby is the best sister ever. Ruby is very sweet with Stella.

5. She doesn't seem to have stranger danger like Ruby did at this time.

6. She falls asleep almost instantly whenever we are in the car. SO unlike how Ruby was as a baby...and how Ruby is even now.

Ruby has been looking SO big to me lately. Maybe it is all the talking she is doing, the attitude she is trying to give, or the silliness that she has. I was just telling Ben the other day that Ruby alone takes up most of my mental capacity. It was almost easier teaching 25 Kindergartners. I absolutely love Ruby to pieces, but she is busy. All the time. She doesn't stop....ever.

Last week Ben and I went to the Carrie Underwood concert. We went without kids. Ruby and Stella stayed at Dennis and Kathy's (Ben's Parents) ALL NIGHT LONG! Not only that, but we didn't pick them up until 5:00 the next day. You guys, I haven't spent a night without kids since Ruby was born. Almost 2 years ago! Don't get me wrong, I did tear up as I was driving home from dropping them off, but it didn't last long. The next day I went to MOPS and then went to Target and went down every.single.aisle. I then came home and cleaned the house. It was so nice being able to unload the dishwasher without shooing away a toddler! It was SUCH a nice break. The girls did just fine and had a lot of fun at Grandma and Papa's house. That's all I have for you. Have a safe and Happy Halloween.

Did I mention that Stella isn't the best napper? But when she does nap, she doesn't care where. 

Double Trouble. 

Inching along. 

Date night! 

He loved the concert, knew every word, and bought a t-shirt to show off for his students the next day. 

Ruby was beyond tired at 5:00 and fell asleep in daddy's arms. I don't think he minded! 

Happy Fall!!!

Hey Everyone,

Do you feel what I feel? Fall is in the air. Apple orchards, pumpkin patches, (and latte's) and sweatshirts. I just love everything about fall. The colors on the trees, the crisp air, not having to apply sun screen. Can I get an amen? We are doing well here in Maple Lake. Enjoying birthday parties, being outside, and fall colds. Boo on the last one.

Stella:
Well, Stella is 5 months old now. How that happened is beyond me. She continues to be a wonderful baby. Unfortunately she has now caught Ruby's cold. Ruby never had a cold this young, so it is new territory for me. Stella is still very happy and I just continue to suck snot out of her nose. It never ends. It does make nursing kind of difficult because she can only breathe through her mouth. Big time bummer. But, she is handling it like a trooper and not getting upset. She is rolling all over the place and kicks her legs as hard as she can hoping to crawl. It is such a relief knowing that everything in our house is already baby proofed. Before we know it, Stella will be crawling and getting into things. She still has all of her long dark hair and her eyes are increasingly brown every day. I can't remember when Ruby started doing this, but at some point when we would lay Ruby down she would just stick her thumb in her mouth and fall asleep. I think it was probably around 6 ish months. Stella is much harder to get down. I usually have to nurse her to sleep. A lot of times I will lay her down and stick her paci in and she will think it is play time. There are times where I have to stay in her room and just keep my hand on her stomach while she settles down. She is still waking up about twice a night. In the morning if she wakes up and Ruby is still asleep I will just bring Stella in bed with me. Sometimes she will fall back asleep. She doesn't nap very well in her crib, which is the direct opposite of Ruby. Ruby only really naps well if she is in her crib. Most of the time Stella will fall asleep on her own in the rock n play. Whatever works, right? She continues to be a joy and she continues to look JUST like Ben. I hear a lot of people say she looks a lot like Ruby and while I see it a little bit, I have to disagree mostly. Maybe it is just because their personalities are so different. Stella is much more chill than Ruby. :)

Ruby:
Ruby had her first sleepover at Grandmas on Saturday night. I kept calling to see how she was doing and kind of expecting to hear that she wasn't doing so well. I was wrong. Every time I called she was having a blast playing with her cousin Liam who was also staying over. She was spoiled by Grandma and Auntie Sarah, and even warmed up to Uncle Jason. She had so much fun that this morning she didn't wake up until 9:15. She woke up with some extra sass that I'm going to equate to Grandma hangover, teething, and having a cold. Ruby is talking a lot, but I think my favorite thing about her talking is her saying, "Gross!" Whenever there is a mess or a dirty diaper she will just say, "Ew! Gross!" Ruby went potty for the first time last night as well. I have been extremely lazy with potty training her. We always set her on her potty thought before her bath and last night by golly she went! Ben and I went crazy and she started clapping. It's a start. Now I just need to get by butt in gear and go after it. I'm thinking either over MEA break or Christmas break when I have Ben here to help out we will try. Ruby was the first in our family this season to catch a cold. Wiping noses is the name of the game. Hopefully it doesn't last too much longer. I can't believe that in 4 months, Ruby will be 2. Sweet, sassy, and very silly Ruby.

Ben:
Ben is back in school and liking his new job. He is doing great things with the alternative school. I think it is very difficult, but Ben is so good at what he does and has a heart for at risk kiddos. He sees his job more as ministry as well, which makes it a little easier for him. Ben has given up sweets for the most part. He allows himself to have two sweets a month. He has done really well so far! I'm proud of him. He is working so hard on getting our basement done. He is pretty anxious to get it done by MEA break, which is in a couple of weeks. He has an incredibly handy family. They have been so awesome coming and helping finish. We are just SO close. I'm excited to have a livable basement, but I'm equally excited to have my husband back. Every weekend is usually spent working on the basement, which is a huge bummer, but we are saving a ton of money by him and his family being able to work on it and finish it themselves.

Me:
I have been working very hard to get healthy. After having Ruby and after my dad passing away, I just kind of let myself go if you will. Putting myself last most often and eating things that were fast and not healthy. I also think getting pregnant with Stella right away created the mindset of well, I guess since I"m pregnant I can eat whatever I want. I don't know why so many people use that time to eat whatever they want and as much as they want. Or maybe it was just me, I don't know. Anyway, a friend of mine introduced me to a new healthy program and it has actually stuck. I've decided that since I"m turning 30 in a month, this will be the year of getting healthy. I absolutely love the program I'm following. It is SO SO easy. It's basically portion control and exercising every day. I do an exercise video for 30 minutes every day. It is SO much easier for me to workout from my home versus going to the gym. It's cheaper too! I think I forgot that I actually really enjoy exercising and eating healthy. It has been a real game changer for me so far. I see eating healthy as being healthy versus eating healthy to get skinny. Losing weight is a big bonus, but it isn't why I'm doing this. I'm eating healthy so that I can have energy and be the best mom and wife that I can be. Let's be honest...being a mom is so hard and drains all of your energy. However, I have found that if I don't put myself first, than I can't care for my girls the best that I can. SO, that's it...Anne is getting healthy. It feels really good so far! I will keep plugging away. On another note, Ben has totally gotten me hooked on agate hunting. Agates are rocks. Yep, I go rock hunting. What has become of me? haha. It is so much fun though and so relaxing.

That's all I have for you today. I hope and pray all of you are doing well. I encourage you all to get healthy and be the best you....however that looks! You won't regret it!

This is an agate...see the lines? Yep, I found this one yesterday! 

Sweet little Benjamin Jr. 

Ruby being sick equals extra cuddles.

But a very tired mommy when she wakes up in the middle of the night. 

Nothing a little wine can't solve. ;) 

She loves books and that makes me so happy.

I hope Ruby continues to be so sweet with her sister.

Sometimes she gets away with this kind of stuff while I'm finishing a workout. 

Stella and Ruby

Hey Everyone,

Today Stella is 4 months. In some ways I feel like I literally just walked into the Doctors office to be told, "Hey, want to go upstairs and have a baby?" Other ways I feel like Stella has been in our family forever. We all love her so much. She is so much more different than Ruby both in personality and in looks. That's what I think any way.

Stella:
*She has been rolling over from front to back for probably the last 3ish weeks. I think she did this faster than Ruby did. Must be that long Harvey torso.

*She went 14 days without pooping. :/ I took her into the doctor and she had a soft belly and everything sounded great. I gave her 2 ounces of prune juice mixed with a bottle and had an explosion of poop about an hour later. She then went 8 days without pooping again, so now I have her taking prune juice every couple of days to keep her regular. Ben and I's deal over the summer was that Ben would change Ruby and I would change Stella. I think I got the benefit here.

*She LOVES Ruby. Ruby will come walking by and Stella will give her the biggest grin.

*She giggles a lot more than Ruby did and it is absolutely adorable. Of course she never does it when I try recording her.

*She is so mellow. If you all recall, Ruby absolutely hated riding in the car. Stella has no problem with it and usually falls asleep within the first 10 minutes....even with Ruby gabbing away next to her.

*She pretty much sleeps through the night. She will wake up around 4 or 5, eat, and then go back to sleep until her sister wakes her up around 8. I'm waiting for the 4 month sleep regression to hit her though.

Ruby:
*She is battling a cold right now. (Lame) I took her in to the Doctor because I was positive she had an ear infection. She was tugging at both ears. She does this sometimes anyway, but I took her in and no ear infection. Just inflamed gums and pressure by her ears. Thank you teething. I feel like Ruby will be 17 years old and I will still blame any fussiness or cold on teething. She just cut a new tooth yesterday, so hopefully the last 3 hurry up and come and cut fast.

*She is such a great big sister. She loves Stella so much and often refers to her as sissy. She loves just looking at her, bringing her blanket over and laying by her, and giving her lots of hugs and kisses. Surprisingly, Ruby hasn't gotten Stella sick yet. Praise God for breastmilk.

*She loves being as active as possible and would stay outside playing all day if she could. The mosquitos have been awful lately though, so we've been chilling inside for the last couple of days.

*She has transitioned to taking one nap. This is great, but her one nap instead of two only lasts an hour, maybe a little over. I thought kids were supposed to take like 2/3 hour naps. Bummer dude. Oh well.

*She loves fruit and is starting to be less picky with food now that she gets to sit with us at the big table. Her favorite vegetable right now is cucumbers.

*She talks so much now! It's incredible the things she picks up. It is very cool listening to her.

Anne:
*I'm still surving. I'm loving these two together. Ruby keeps me on my toes all day everyday. She doesn't sit still. Ever. She is always into something or climbing something.

* I haven't been to many moms club events lately. It's been hard with Ruby being sick and Ruby transitioning down to 1 nap. Right now she goes down anywhere between 10-12. I'm trying to make it a little bit later each day. When both girls nap at the same time...well, it's a miracle! :)

*I've been eating a lot healthier the last two weeks and exercising every day. It feels great and I can't wait to get back to my pre-pregnancy size. I'm pretty sure Ben and I are done having babies, so now it is time to take care of myself, so that I can take care of them. They are worth it.

Ben:
*Ben hasn't really had much of a summer at all. He is always working on something. He has been working on the basement and we can't wait for it to be finished!

*He is still teaching drivers ed and will continue to teach it through the school year.

*He starts inservice stuff next week. Boo.

*He turns 30 in about a week!

*We had a bonfire tonight and it was a lot of fun just the two of us. It was fun until the bats came out. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that we have bats by our house because that means that they are eating the mosquitos. I just would rather be inside while they munch out.

Helping Momma make Zucchini chips. 

Rolling all over the place. 

We had a cool fall like day. It was awesome! 

Both at 4 months old. 

Ruby is 1.5 years and Stella is 3 Months!

Hey All,

Yep, I still have 2 under 2. I don't know if I have mentioned this on here or not, but Stella is seriously the best baby. I'm SO hesitant to write that because as soon as I do, she might change. Please God, don't let her change.

Ben and I:

Ben has been busy during his summer break. He has been working on our basement like a mad man. He has been teaching drivers Ed to young eager drivers. His patience is through the roof people. He has taught behind the wheel and these last two weeks he has been teaching in the classroom from 5-8. He has also been helping his brother, Adam with some projects. I told Ben that if he doesn't slow down, I'm not going to let him complain during the school year. August is looking to be a little less busy. (He says that now) Ben is a yes man. I'm trying to teach him how to be a (sometimes) no man.

Me. Well, I'm still alive. Being a mom is a 24/7 job. There are no weekends or evenings off. The only time that I haven't woken up with Ruby has been when I was in the hospital with Stella. All you mamas know that is hardly a vacation. Am I right? ha!  I wouldn't change a thing about it. I absolutely LOVE that I get to stay home with these girls. I'm trying SO hard to live in the moment and not let myself day dream about what life will be like in a 5 years from now, or even 1 year from now. I also try my hardest not to complain about the things the girls do, because there are SO many out there who wish they could have my "problems." Last weekend was really great! The girls were dedicated at church and my mom and I went to the Lion King at the Orpheum afterward. It was AWESOME! So, I am getting mommy breaks here and there! :) My dad passed away on July 8 of 2015. So, we spent the weekend of the 8th this year in Fargo this year and celebrated his life by releasing memory lanterns. It was really neat. I miss him TERRIBLY. There are so many hard moments and some good moments. I often wonder what my Dad would think about this or that. I know he would be smitten by Stella and my sisters baby, Leni. It has been a hard year without him, but still so thankful for the years we did get with him.

Ruby:

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. She is the sweetest little maniac I know. She is talking so much more now and it is SO cute. Her words are: Mama, Dada, go, please, no, cheese, Moose, more, and more I'm sure. I feel like each day she is catching on and saying more. She is on the move all day every day. The only time she isn't moving is when she is taking a nap or asleep at night. Anyone who knows her knows that to be true. She is climbing all sorts of things and reaching higher and higher. We have to be super careful with what we put on the counters. She is getting a little bit better with being gentle with her little sister. I used to walk into the kitchen and Ruby would dart towards Stella like lightening. She sometimes tries crawling into Stella's rock-n-play, but it is usually to give her a kiss. It is really hard to get out of the house in the summer with Stella and Ruby. Ruby still takes two naps. One only about an hour after she wakes up and then again around 1 or 2. They are only about one hour long. Ruby also has separation anxiety. If she knows that either Ben or I are nearby she is off. So, if we go to the park or if I go to any of my MOMS club events, she is completely fine. However, if we drop her off at the nursery at church, she cries and cries and we usually have to go pick her up. Now, we have been super inconsistent with going to our regular church this summer because of traveling and what not. The ladies that are in the nursery are awesome and so sweet, so I have no fear of who I'm leaving Ruby with. Sometimes she does ok and other times she does now. We have tried having Ben taking her, which sometimes works. I'm also going to try and volunteer in the nursery and be in there with her during one of the services. If any of you have any pointers, I would gladly take them!

Stella:

Stella is such a joy. She is a laid back and pretty low maintenance baby. She sleeps pretty well. She goes down anywhere between 8-9 and wakes around 4 for a feeding and then again around 8 for the day. It is wonderful! She rarely cries. She just starts fidgeting when she is hungry. She can't wear sunscreen yet, so we have limited outside time. Nursing Stella is going really well. I haven't been able to enjoy it as much because Ruby uses that time to climb new things. She is one smart cookie. Stella has been rolling over from her belly to her back and just about rolled over from her back to her stomach. She is getting cute cute little thigh rolls. I think she is longer than Ruby was at this point and maybe not as chunky as Ruby was. There are moments where I look at Stella and think that she looks quite a bit like Ruby, and then most of the time I don't. What are all y'alls opinions? Right now as she is sleeping in front of me, I'm having serious Ruby flashbacks. She is also going to have those beautiful brown eyes. Seriously, Ruby's eyes make me melt into a huge puddle. It's really hard when trying to discipline Ruby when she looks at me with those big brown eyes. Stella is wearing 3 month clothes and still has a head full of hair that likes to stick up. She hasn't lost her hair yet. She does have a bald spot in the back from sleeping on it/being in the rock n play.

Well, that is all I have for now. We are heading to Duluth this weekend with Ben's family. It's always a fun time with all of them. Stella makes 13 for the grandkids count! We are staying at a waterpark, so that should be fun. The boys will all be agate hunting while the girls sip on pina coladas...I mean....just kidding! I'm sure I will be chasing Ruby for much of the time! :)

Sisterly Love

Fun at the park

Go Twins (even though they aren't very good)