Ruby Turns 2!

I remember Ruby's birth like it happened yesterday. I wonder if I will remember it like that in 30 years. I remember the pregnancy, what I craved, what made me sick, what smells bothered me, etc. I remember it all. I remember going into the doctor the day before my due date with no indication of a baby coming soon, only to find out that afternoon I would have my first contraction. I remember texting a good friend of mine if what I was experiencing sounded like contractions. I remember laboring at home for the next 2.5 days. I remember having contractions 4 minutes apart while my husband slept peacefully. Before this makes him sound like a bad guy, I told him that it was fine if he slept and that I would wake him up if I needed him. I remember driving to his school at 3:00 in the morning so that he could rush and put sub plans out before heading to the hospital. I remember getting the epidural and feeling wonderful. After I had some relief I remember calling my parents and telling them that I was in the hospital and would be having the baby soon. I remember the look on my mom and Dads face. The proud look on my dads face will be one I never forget. He was always smitten by his grandkids. I remember being SO tired, but having so much adoration for Ruby that I did not want to sleep.

Fast forward 2 years and another baby. Life has never been sweeter and it has never been more challenging. Ruby is full of spunk, full of love, and full of energy. I sometimes wish I could put a fit bit  on her because she would have 100,000 steps. A go pro would make anyone who watched quite nauseous. She loves her sister, Stella! It is fun that Stella is now able to interact with her as well. I can't wait for Stella to get old enough to take her toys back when Ruby takes them from her. Ruby loves her people so much. She gets so excited to talk to her grandparents on the phone, but would much rather see them in person. She loves having friends over to play and she loves her Auntie Sarah. This past weekend I was liked chopped liver while Sarah was here. First thing in the morning Ruby went and cuddled up with Sarah. Here are 10 facts about Ruby. (That's easier)

1. She loves Curious George and often refers to him as "ah ah" I think because that is what a monkey says. Anyway, we had a Curious George themed party over the weekend and it was a blast. Ruby was in heaven with all her cousins and relatives at our house.

2. She loves treats. I think she could eat treats all day long and be completely fine. Maybe it is because we never have them in the house and she goes nuts when anyone else is willing to share them with her. I think this will come in handy when we potty train her this summer. By the way, we tried potty training her over Christmas break and homegirl was not ready. Quite honestly, i'm not sure her parents were either.

3. She loves to dance. Whenever Ben gets home that is usually the first thing she wants to do. She wants to turn on the radio and dance. This usually just entails her running in circles and screaming at a decibel that would kill your dogs.

4. She is so so good with Stella. Most of the time. Of course she has her moments where she rips toys away from Stella, but everything else is usually positive. She gives her kisses and likes to play mom saying things like, "no no sissy." "Sissy, you hungry?" She has even been known to life up her shirt and try to nurse Stella on occasion.

5. She does great in the nursery during church and MOPS. She used to cry and 9/10 times we would get called out of church because she had been crying for so long. Now she practically runs in and doesn't look back.

6. She is picky as all get out. She loves turkey hot dogs, any kind of fruit, yogurt, applesauce, and the Auntie Annie's mac n cheese. She sometimes will eat peas by the handful, which is crazy because I think peas are gross. Sometimes she surprises us and will eat things we wouldn't normally think of.

7. She is talking up a storm. I just can't believe the things that she says and the things she repeats. It makes me watch my mouth a little more closely. She will remind us that we need to pray if we forget and say Amen kind of like a Southern Baptist would when we are finished.

8. She has become a pianist. She can pound some keys I tell you. She will often move two chairs to the piano so that I can bring Stella over and play with her.

9. Speaking of chairs. She moves our kitchen chairs EVERYWHERE. She moves them over to the pantry, to the sink to wash her hands, to the stove, to the coffee maker, everywhere! Thankfully we have this house pretty Ruby proofed.

10. She has the most beautiful brown eyes and curls. She looks at me with those big brown eyes and I melt. Every. Single. Time.

Ruby is the girl who made my dreams come true. She made me a mom and I couldn't be happier having her in our life. Our lives changed forever on January 29, 2015. She makes me want to pull my hair out on some days, but on most days she makes me so happy and just content. We love you SO much Ruby and our prayer is that you grow up with the same energy and drive that you have right now to love and serve the Lord with all that you are. You were fearfully and wonderfully made-set apart and unique!

She used to not want to cuddle. Now she will snuggle right up to you if the timing is just right. 

#contentment

While mommy was away, mommy Ruby stepped in to help Daddy out. 

Yep, she was pushing Stella around. 

Those brown eyes! 

Eating breakfast with her cousin, Liam. 

After church naps are the best. 

Loves giving sissy kisses! 

Stella is 9 Months and I Just Want Some Sleep!

Hey Everyone,

Ok, I might be acting a little dramatic on the sleep part. Stella is 9 months old, Ruby is days away from 2, and I'm well, I'm here and we are all doing really well. For about the last month, Stella has been waking up 4-5 times a night. Now, at this point, I would typically just let her cry and have her self soothe. However, Ruby is right next door to Stella and will wake up if I let Stella cry too long. So, I usually give it 5-10 minutes and then I just go in and nurse her back to sleep. This very same thing happened with Ruby, although with Ruby it was because I had dried up. Probably due to being pregnant again. I'm not ready to say I'm drying up just yet. Although I have done a few experiments. I have fed her and then given her a full bottle of breastmilk and she only woke up 2 times. It still seems a little different with Stella, but we may be heading in that direction. Rest assured that I'm am NOT pregnant again. There will not be 3 under 3 in the Harvey household. I guess if God has other plans then so be it, but if that were to happen it would not be planned. I think Stella might just be a baby that doesn't require a whole lot of sleep. She takes two naps during the day, but they aren't very long. She is however such a happy baby and such a content baby. I will give you 10 fun facts about Stella and then I will blog again after Ruby's 2nd Birthday to tell you about Ruby.

1. She is crawling all over the place and climbing and pulling herself up onto anything and everything.

2. Ruby is still her favorite person. One of my favorite moments each day is when Stella and Ruby see each other for the first time in the morning. The smiles from both of them are so genuine and so beautifully big!

3. People keep asking if I have given her a haircut. I haven't. I wonder if her head is just growing into the insane amount of hair that she had. I do think it is getting lighter though.

4. She says, "mamamamamama" and "dadadadadada. I'm not sure she knows that it is us though.

5. She loves splashing around in the bathtub. I can't wait to take her swimming this summer.

6. She doesn't have stranger danger like Ruby did. Stella goes to the nursery doing church and does just fine. She does still give strangers a complete straight face though. It is pretty funny.

7. One of our favorite things to do is turn on the radio and dance. I think Stella has dance in her future. Although, I caught her twerking and told her that it was unacceptable.

8. She crawls over to her daddy every time he comes home. It's the sweetest. It is also so sweet how much Ben loves his girls!

9. She is eating solids now. I think her favorite right now is butternut squash and blueberry puffs.

10. She is just so so content. She goes with the flow, she plays by herself, but always has a watchful eye on what Ruby is doing.

Stella is honestly such a joy. We all are smitten by her! Ben and I are doing really well. We have been watching Grey's Anatomy and are currently on season 10 I think. We got sucked in big time. The girls go to bed and then we play a few rounds of ping pong and then watch a couple episodes of Grey's. It is SO nice having my husband back now that the basement is pretty much complete. He and his family worked SO hard on getting it done and I'm so so thankful for them. I'm most thankful though that instead of having to work after the girls go to bed that he can relax. He is a hardworking man! I've been doing my 21 day fix. I absolutely love doing this program. It is so simple. Eat right and exercise, that is all it is. I feel so good and I know without a doubt this is a lifelong commitment vs. crash diet. Hit me up if you guys are wondering more about what it entails! Anyway, I'm busy getting ready for Ruby's 2nd Birthday party. (Enter weeping mommy here) It will be a fun weekend with lots of family! Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned for Ruby's 2nd Bday post!

Stella on left. Ruby on right. 

Love them!

2 girls in a box. Ruby has lots of kisses for sissy. 

When moms away, Ruby steps in! 

She climbs everything! 

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.