Movies and Parks

Friday was Ruby's Thanksgiving Feast at school. All week we were practicing her songs. Their performance was in the chapel at 11:00. When she walked out with her class onto the stage I teared up at the sight of her. Anthony and I sat and held hands, watching our first born daughter grow up just a little bit more that day. Overall they all did a great job. In the video below they are singing Jesus Loves me! I love you too and you will always be my baby girl!

The pastor handed out "special" bubbles to all the kids. Ruby could sit for hours blowing these things.

Saturday morning I took the girls to the Nature Center. I love it there! Then Kim had the idea to take the older kids to the movies. This was Ruby's first time at the movies. We saw Bolt and it actually was pretty good, although I think Pixar movies tend to cater to adults more than kids sometimes. They were really good until about half way through. Then they got ants in their pants. Both Ruby and Trevor said they didn't like it. Actually, Ruby told Anthony when we got home that it "wasn't even good". Oh, well. It was cute to try a new adventure.

Saturday night we had our last Bunco of the year. We had a lot of people cancel at the last minute, so I brought my mom. It was so cute to watch her play and we all had so much fun. My mom was the biggest loser, so she won her 20 bucks back!

Abby is obsessed with eating, chewing on, spraying, etc. the baby detangler. I hope that it is non-toxic because she seems to always be able to find it and put it in her mouth. She has a royal fit when I take it away from her. I have a feeling that sharing is going to be a hard concept for her.

Sunday morning I decided to go on a different adventure and took the kids to Huntington Central Park. My parents used to take us when we were kids and I have very fond memories. The ducks and chipmunks there are insane. As soon as you walk up, they come right up to you and start quaking. They were jumping on Ruby and ripping the bread out of her hands. Abby, in the meantime, was busy trying to capture one. She was running and diving at them. She barely caught one and was laughing until I got her off.

I really enjoyed spending the morning there. Amidst all the chaos of city life, I really admire those who put in the effort to set aside and care for these beautiful parks and nature centers. I admit that I let my kids watch way too much t.v. and I am not proud of it. When we are out in nature I feel like a better parent. We explore. We pick up leaves and sticks. We stop and smell the flowers.

To top off my busy weekend... I went and saw Twilight last night!!!! I seriously just finished reading it at 2:30 yesterday. I was really against going because my general rule is to not be out 2 nights in a row... I miss my girls too much and I want to be the one to put them to bed and kiss them good night. Then, my mom actually convinced me to go. Other than the movie theater being 100 degrees, the show was great. All the teenagers screamed when Edward first made his appearance. I could here teens saying OMG he's so sexy and all other kinds of giggles and sighs. After we went to dinner and I got to catch up with Paige... you look amazing btw!!! Pregnancy suits you!

Below is my girlie singing... so cute and I am so glad she actually sang!!! Yah Ruby!!!

How Come?

1. The price of gas is currently $2.17 and no one talks about it?
2. The week before "my time of the month" I can eat ungodly amounts of snacks?
3. I love Taco Bell hot sauce so much?
4. People are decorating for Christmas and Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet?
5. Little kids cannot dress up like Pilgrims and Indians any more? (seriously, if you disagree with me on this one, refrain from commenting.) This one really gets under my skin. The principal that I heard "explaining" why kids cannot do it, also said that it is a new trend(currently being applied at this principals school) to no longer give kids detention because it hurts their self esteem!!! I'm not kidding, if you agree with the principal: DO NOT COMMENT!
6. Anthony are not rocket scientists and when we tried to buy the house we live in 2 years ago - were pre-qualified - and saw what our house payments were going to be - and decided NOT to buy because we know simple math and could not afford it... yet everyone is getting bailed out and still living in nice homes that were way out of their price range?
7. We reward people who are stupid and make poor decisions?
8. Stupid people are home owners we are not?
9. Every time I dress the kids up in "nice" clothes, they are filthy before we ever get to whatever event we are going to?
10. It is not 4:00 yet?

Hope everyone has a good weekend!!!!!

Abby Ramblings

Nothing exciting, nothing new. I just didn't want to go into the weekend on a sour note, so:

Abbyisms:

Abby baby rambles more than any baby I can recall. It is so cute because she can have the longest conversation, and you'd never know what she was saying. I am slowly deciphering her little sayings. She says a few things clear enough that anyone would understand: momma, nana, dadda, yes, no, hi, oh no, oh shoot, what's that. Moving on to the others (I'll translate)

one, two, three : ah, two, eee

see you later : eee ooo ater

there she is : eh eee is

She can sing(not words, but it sounds like da da ta ta): twinkle twinkle little star, abcd's, ring around the rosie's, row row row your boat, wheel's on the bus.

It is funny to say, but she is officially a bully. The good(or bad) part of it is: she only bullies Ruby(for now). When she sees Taylor she hugs her and loves her. I don't think I have ever seen her hit either Trevor or Taylor. She torments the crap out of Ruby. Last night she took a full sippy cup and banged Ruby on her forehead right between the eyes! She didn't know I was standing there and when I yelled "ABBY", she threw the cup and put her face in the carpet. Meanwhile, Ruby is balling saying "why did she do that?" I actually put Abby in time-out. She just looked at me like "what the heck is going on". Later I caught her trying to pull Ruby's hair(which she does regularly). How can a 19 month old be a bully? I hate to say it, but it kind of makes me laugh. At least later in live Ruby will have someone to stick up for her... and then she will be thankful:)

Sick of Sick!

If I have to clean up puke one more time I am just going to grab my keys and walk out of the house. At least I am feeling better. This week we are 3 out of 4 sick in our house with the flu. I am going on my THIRD week in a row with what seems to be some mutating strain of illness... from hand-foot-mouth to colds to the flu. I guess this is a sign of things to come. The smell of Lysol is now making me nauseous. I don't want to give 2 to 3 baths a night. I don't want to get up every hour to get water, clean puke, get a cool rag. I don't want to hear the kids crying. I don't want to clean. I don't want to cook dinner. OK, it's somewhat out of my system. Now that I have vented I can hopefully move on and have a good day:) Hope you all do, too!:)

Zoo's, the Nature Center, and Puke!

On Saturday we met Kim and Angie and all the kids at the Santa Ana Zoo. It was a gorgeous day! Abby was a bit of a handful... but I couldn't love her more. She brings so much joy to my life! All she wants is to get out of the stroller. If I let her out, she runs as far away as possible. What do you do?:)

As usual, we tried to get a group photo. There was NO WAY that I was going to get Abby to just sit there. Ruby fell off twice. She didn't get hurt, but is certainly scared her... my delicate little flower:)

Look at these handsome blondies! Future lady killers for sure.

Miss Aubrey... you make me smile every time I see you!

On Sunday Kim and I took the kids to the Nature Center for the two mile walk. This time Ruby walked about half of it. There is two lakes and several streams. Kim was pointing out all the turtles and ducks.

This was a highlight of my weekend. To preface, I always thought I would only have boys. I am not and have never been a girly-girl. I don't like doing my hair or putting on make-up. I am 33 years old and finally brought myself into Macy's to actually buy make-up: foundation and powder. The older I get, the more I realize that I NEED it. It was a bit embarrassing being helped by a 19-something year old. I just walked up to the Clinique (sp?) counter and told her I have never worn foundation or powder... can you help? Back to the story. Ruby is SUCH a girly-girl. I think in the back of my mind I just thought I could toughen her up and get her to like sports. I had an epiphany yesterday... not only am I going to embrace this girliness of hers... I love it about her! So, after putting Bean down for a nap, I pulled out all the stops. I put on her dress from Jessica's wedding. I painted her nails. Put lip gloss on her. I let her wear my heals. I even put EYESHADOW on her!!! She ran around the front yard like a fairy. Twirling around, picking flowers, singing songs. She was so happy!

Watch out America's Next Top Model! She was rocking my heals way better than I do!

I Love this picture. There is something so sweet about it!

On to the low part of the weekend. As I was getting ready to go to bed last night at 10:30, I heard Abby crying. Not a whiny cry... a hurry up and get me cry!!! I went in her room and she had thrown up all over herself, all over the crib, even all over the bumper. Anthony took all the bedding off. I cleaned up Abby and got her into some fresh p.j.'s. Anthony slept on the couch so I could take Abby to bed with me. We got into bed before midnight. At 1:30am I woke up to Abby throwing up on me, all over our bed(sheets, pillows, comforter), and all over herself. I got up, woke up Anthony, started another bath. Got Abby clean and myself changed and clean. Anthony took our bed apart. I don't know what time it was that we all got back to sleep. I do know that Abby was up just after 5:00. She threw up twice this morning. So, four pairs of pajama's and lots of dirty linens later... and WAY TOO MUCH laundry to do... I am going on my 3rd Monday in a row with a mind changing lack of sleep due to sick kids. Anthony called in sick to stay home with her. I just got off the phone with him and she has been perfect all day. I thought she might have the flu, but she has no fever or any other symptoms. Maybe it was just something she ate... I hope. It was so sad to see her so pathetic. She never just lays on the couch... my sweet little girly! Hopefully it is out of her system now! Hopefully Anthony will do all the puke laundry and get MAJOR brownie points!

Moving on

Ok, I was going to have a Dear Christy post (from emily comment) but I will try to move forward. It is interesting though... just because you disagree with my political beliefs you accuse me of being intoxicated... or were you accusing Don? Either way, I still have love for you:) Ok... now I am moving on. Both the girls are over their sicknesses and things are back to normal... for now. It is amazing to see how quickly children pick up on Christmas. Last year Ruby enjoyed Christmas, but didn't really get the concept. This year everything she sees she tells me she wants for Christmas. The sweet part is that she is always talking about getting other people presents. Last night she said the following list: Mom... I want a doll house for Christmas. I want to get Abby baby toys, you toe polish, daddy some shaving things, nana some toe polish, Trevor a Spiderman thing, Taylor a doll, papa a flashlight, and Grammy some toe polish. What's with the toe polish? She said she wanted some, too.

Here are some pictures from Halloween. I made Abby an Indian costume, but she went incredible Hulk style when I tried to put it on her.

Imagine that? I was looking for her at Shannon's house and she was in the tub playing with toys.

Kyla and Ruby on the swings.

My Bean!

Papa and his girls.

Don't look to closely at her bangs. Maybe I should actually pay for a haircut next time:)

Dear Don:

For anyone who missed my point, let me clarify a few things. First, I did not vote for Obama and I did vote for McCain. I think Obama has a very week, flip-flopping foreign policy that spells trouble. I strongly disagree with his economic policy. His entire campaign he said that he would only increase taxes on those who make more than 250,000.00 a year. Both you and I know that in this day and age, that is really not that much money. Having said that, now Vice President Elect Biden as early as last week said the figure will more likely be 125,000.00. Apparently that fell on deaf ears... but I heard it loud and clear. So, for most people I know... you will be paying more taxes. Why? To fund free health care. Now, this is a totally different debate entirely. Let's just say I am very against this. Anthony works in the medical field and is very informed about this issue and he is very against it. I am not going to debate immigration because that is the one main area that I disagreed with both candidates. What did not say is that we, as a country, are educated voters. I said that we, as a country, are a great nation because we give fundamental rights such as voting(and I could also argue the definition of fundamental because a lot of people think everything is a "fundamental" right). What I was saying was that hopefully everyone can stop complaining about everything they think is so bad about our country. Debating about why people voted the way they did is futile. You and I both know why we voted the way we did and the reasons why people voted for Obama, at this point, doesn't really matter. In closing, I will say that I hope more than anything that Obama proves me wrong... I just don't thimk that is going to happen.

Proud to be an American!

Since Paige gave me my soapbox back...

I must say that I am glad the election is over. Everyone that knows me, knows how I voted. I don't need or want anyone to agree with my political views. I am not going to debate why I think McCain would be a better president. This year in particular I am really surprised at all the mean spirited, ugly actions of people whose only fuel is that they disagree with your political views. I know it happens on both sides of the aisle... so let's just move on. I have always believed that we live in a great nation, founded on the focus of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I am proud of how far we have come along in our short history as a nation. It was not that long ago that discrimination was legal. It was not that long ago that women could not vote. It was not that long ago - yesterday - that we were considered a nation of hate. A nation of injustice. A nation of intolerance. A nation of arrogance. But today... with one presidential election... we have changed the international view of our country. There was international coverage on television last night with people all over the world rejoicing for our country. Rejoicing for our choice. Admiring the freedoms and rights we so easily take for granted. I am proud that I live in a country that has proven time and time again that the American Dream is alive and well. It always has been... always will. I am proud that in such a small span of time our country went from legal discrimination to electing a black president. It proves a whole lot... not only to other countries... but to ourselves. Now can everyone open there eyes and see what I have always seen? We are a great country. There is nothing arrogant about saying that. With one presidential election perhaps everyone will realize the reality of living in our great country... anything is possible, anything is achievable... it just takes a lot of hard work, strong ethic, and a belief in yourself. If you don't believe me, just ask Barack Obama.

Don't have pictures, but...

I did get WAY more sleep last night. I actually went home early to take a nap and that was my saving grace. I was up on Sunday because now Abby is sick. She doesn't have what Ruby had... just a cold. But, this time change hasn't been that good so far, either. Abby is not the type to wake up in the middle of the night unless she is sick, and when she wakes up, she just wants to play. She doesn't like to be rocked or swayed. She loves to cuddle/play. By the time I got her back to sleep it was after 3:00am in our bed. I just fell asleep and Ruby woke up. I got Ruby back to sleep, crawled back into bed, closed my eyes... just to be woken up by Ruby again saying she wanted to lay with us, too - I think she was jealous;). Needless to say, she woke up Abby and we all got out of bed officially at 5:00am. And NO Ang, I am definitely NOT pregnant. I can't even imagine the thought let alone the energy needed for that kind of thing. I thought you loved me Ang! Don't curse me! I will post some pictures later... Halloween was fun. Shannon had a great party for the kids... Thanks Shan! And, since I have been up since 5:15, I had enough time to get everyone ready and get out the door in time to Vote, pick up a fresh diet coke from 7-eleven, and get to work at 8:03... yes I could have not gotten the diet coke and been to work on time but TRUST ME... I need it to function:) Happy Voting Day... everyone Vote! I would go on a political rant right now,but Paige has my soapbox:)

Again, too tired.

I was so happy that both girls were asleep at 7:40 last night. I thought: I am going to get a juicy night sleep. Since I have pretty much been awake since 1:00am I can tell you that I am surprised I can even type. I am so tired I am nauseous and would pay 500 dollars to stay in a roach motel if it meant I could put on the air conditioner, close the blinds, and sleep.