Parenthood Adventures: Stella: 2 Months, Ruby: 17 Months, Mama: Alive

Hey Everyone,

I've been meaning to blog for awhile now, but am just now getting around to it. Today Stella is 2 months old, Ruby is just about 17 months old, and well....I'm alive to blog about it. Oh yeah, Ben and I have been married for 6 years! Yahoo!

Ben is such a wonderful man. As you are well aware, teachers don't make a whole lot of money. He works so hard and usually picks up different side jobs like drivers ed and helping out with the ag program in Buffalo just so I can stay home with the girls. We both find it so important and it is something that I have always wanted to do. It is SO wonderful having Ben home on summer break. We've just started the Daniel Plan diet and I've been able to cook good (non-processed) meals for our family. I forgot how much I really truly enjoy cooking. It is so hard to do with an infant and a toddler at your legs wanting up, or trying to climb in with her sister in her rock n play. Oofta! Ben is such a great dad. We had fun celebrating him on fathers day! Oh yeah! Ben also got a job at Phoenix Learning center in Buffalo! We don't have to move! Praise God! Phoenix Learning center is an alternative school, which I think Ben will do amazing at! His heart automatically gravitates towards at risk kids and so this will be right up his alley! Thank you everyone for praying for us. It is such a relief knowing where we will be at least for another year.

Let me tell you..God must have known that I needed an easy baby. I will get more to Ruby later, but Stella is seriously a dream baby. So far she goes with the flow, sleeps when she can, and eats about every 3 hours. At night she sleeps from around 9:00-4:00, eats, and then sleeps again until around 8. It is amazing! She never really cries unless she is really hungry. She doesn't seem to mind her carseat. I absolutely love her. I do feel guilty though when there are days where I only hold her when I"m feeding her because of her older sisters needs. Those days aren't too often though. Ben was on a mission trip to Pine Ridge for a week. Yep, I was a single mama for a whole week. It was rough! It made me appreciate all that Ben does around here even more. Stella is starting to coo a lot more and smile more socially. She has her 2 month well visit tomorrow. I wonder how much she weighs. I think she is longer than Ruby was at this age and maybe a little lighter. Long and lean. She doesn't get that from her mama. ha ha!

Ruby. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. She is such a joy, but this girl is busy. I mean, from the moment she wakes up to the moment she is in bed she is always moving. She won't watch the cartoons I swore I never would let our kids watch. I got PBS all ready for Ruby. She sat down for about 5 seconds and then bam she was off. Ha, I guess that's what I get for saying "I"m never going to..." Which by the way, I think I've already done everything I said I wouldn't do. Oh well. Ruby's hair is super curly in the back, especially after a bath. The front of her hair goes down over her face, so now we dress her up like bam bam. It is adorable. It is really hard to tell Ruby no with a straight face when she looks at you with those big brown eyes. She is starting to talk a little bit more, but definitely has her own language. I say her own language because she says the same phrases often and says them quite seriously.

Six years ago, our wedding reception was being held in the basement because of tornados. Thankfully it didn't last very long and we were able to party the night away. We like to say that people made money by coming to our wedding. (Hello hail damage!) Ben and I spent our first 3 years of marriage in Alaska. Don't worry Alaska...we will be back...someday. Our second 3 years were spent in Maple Lake. We have gone through so many life's trials in our marriage. The biggest one is probably losing my dad. Ben has honestly been my rock and I don't know what I would do without him. We plan on celebrating by going to the Carrie Underwood concert in October. If you think this is all my idea...pull over Beethoven! Ben doesn't mind me saying this, but he knows every single word on her new cd. He requests that we play it in the car. It is wonderful because I have been a Carrie fan since my good friend Erin McBurney introduced me to her 10ish years ago. Right now Ben is mowing the lawn. When he comes in I think I'm going to pour us some wine, watch a movie, and be in bed by 10:00...because that's what you do when you have kids. Right?

Sorry for the very random post, but I'm kind of a random person!