Survival, Pre School and Showers

Well...we survived Steve's ridiculous 6 day work horse schedule.  It was the first time he's had to work on Sunday, and I have to say - I didn't like it.  I did church by myself which, tender mercy, went surprisingly smooth.  We missed Steve like crazy though.  I got to attend Relief Society this time, a break from teaching Primary since I had to keep Ruby with me, and I was very nicely edified and spiritually fed.  I was so glad when Tuesday came around and we got to have Steve around.  Ross was a bit of a wreck through the week.  He missed his number one hero pretty bad - considering for 6 days he only saw him in the evenings for maybe 45 minutes or an hour before it was bedtime (okay we let him stay up a little later a few times).  Ross would cling to him and behavior would go downhill if Steve was out of sight or had his shoes on even (a sign of him leaving) - since he was desperate to spend time with him.

During the week Steve was so busy we did do a few things including another trip to the farmer's market (my favorite).  Ross started his pre-school - aka glorified play group introducing a form of academic structure.  Some of the moms around here got together and we decided to do a twice a week for two hours each little school.  We rotate who's teaching each week - meaning that the other 7 weeks you're not teaching, you get to get things done.  For me, Ruby takes her nap then, so it really is free time for me!  Woot woot!  Really what I've done this week is exercised and showered (both essential for the day).  Ross has learned about the letter A and number 1, apples, and the rules song.  He came home singing it the second day "Never hit, never hit, never hit" - I'm glad he at least learned that important rule.  Hopefully he's keeping it and not just singing it. :)  He's sporting his McQueen backpack thanks to the Vosses for snagging it for him - he LOVES it.  My week is in October and I'm pretty excited to teach.  I miss it these days (not all the grading and disciplining all the time, but the introducing something new and guiding discovery - it's fabulous).  I'm pretty much expecting play group, but it will be fun to try out the teaching.

Ready for school!

Gotta show some muscles before he goes!

This is Ruby's "pre-school" time. :)

She's still smilin'

We had a few play dates too which was nice and a good way to mix up the week. 

But now we've got Steve for 5 days and we've been soaking him up.  I must say - I'm not a fan of this starvation and binging schedule of Steve time.  I'd prefer consistency to be honest.  In the few days we've already had with him, we have been pretty busy.  Ruby decided, in celebration, to start crawling.  Really?  She's not even 8 months yet!  It's the army crawl, but if there's a toy in front of her - she can sure as heck get to it.  She also enjoys being on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth like crazy - it's like she's just charging herself up before she takes off.  I'm getting sad that her sitting and not going anyway phase is coming to an end so quickly.
 

Can't you just see why we want this guy around all the time!

Some girl time!

Ready for another farmer's market trip :) I LOVE this hat.

Ruby likes to make all kinds of noises - raspberries, helicopters, frogs, growls, grunts, squeals, burps, shouts, - you name it - she does it.  She likes to sit and play with her toys for a while, but if she wants something she happily pitches forward to her belly and scoots on over somewhere else. I've decided she's little Miss Disneyland.  She is always up for a smile and a laugh - even if she's whining about something for a second, the second you catch her eye and smile - she's got a big ol' cheeser on and is ready for some fun.  I just have to squeeze her all the time!  The only thing I wish is that she'd be in to snuggling more - she just wants to be moving ALL the time. 

Ross is currently in the mode of being addicted to outside.  I let him back on our back patio sometimes when I have to still take care of Ruby - if I can't see him I call to him and he says "Coming mommy!  Coooommming!"  - regardless if he really is or not.  I think he thinks if he says it to me - he can keep doing what he's doing and keep me at bay for a while.  Little stinker pants.  He loves preschool and has been able to become better friends with Jack since we got to swap babysitting so we could go to the temple.  It was so refreshing to go to the temple and remember and renew our covenants.  They had a new temple film which we enjoyed too.  Oh how I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know it's true and I know only following His commandments are what will make our lives fulfilling and happy.  

I've gotten into a sewing nitch lately too.  Since I was throwing my friend, Kim, a baby shower, I got the juices flowing on what to give her.  The Sunday we were without Steve I noticed that Ross was pretty much too big for his ties, so I decided to make him some which led to my baby shower present.  I got in a bit of a tizzy and spent quite a while making them throughout the week.  I also did a freezer meal swap with some friends which was the best idea ever from my friend, Jessica.  It was like trick-or-treating for moms.  We all made 8 of the same dinner to freeze and then swapped them so we could each have 8 different dinners.  We're set for a while - I just wish I had a bigger freezer to be honest.  Oh well.

The baby shower went beautifully.  My friend, Kristen and I threw it for Kim.  Kristen did the decorations and delicious cake pops and I did the rest of the food.  We made a few scrap book pages for the baby's 1st year, chatted loads, and opened presents.  It's always fun to get together and chit chat - it's what we ladies do. ;)  

The set up and spread :)

The party :)

The Party Girl - it's now okay for this baby to come!

Later that same day I went to my friend, Rebecca's baby shower and came home to Steve and his fellow BYU cougar fans trying to watch the football game.  It had gotten delayed 2 hours, so the wives showed up and we all finished it together.  It was really fun and went pretty late and we won against Texas of course.  Go cougs!!  It was a lot of socializing that day to say the least. :)  
 

The shirtless Ross.  When I asked him where his shirt was - he said "All wet - popsicle got it all wet" to which Steve promptly said "I told you not to tell your mom!" since he apparently had eaten 2 popsicles by 10 that morning.  Glad he's so easy to get information out of.  I'll remember that in the future. :)

You gotta have a Mac sticker if you're not going to wear a shirt!

This girl always seems to be blurry in my pics these days - she's always moving! Enjoying a book here :)

Girls of all ages have to socialize! :)

Nothin' like watching the game with cougar fans!

The group

The guys trying to watch the kids outside and the game at the same time.  This is where they hung out.

To cap the night off, Jack and Ross bid a large slug good night.

Today we got to have Steve with us at church and enjoyed having the Sabbath together.  There's nothing like having the family together.  I love it. :) 

Classy Dinner Parties

So I have to say I have some classy friends.  They were quite creative and, as we women like nice things, they threw a dinner party.  But, considering how we all live in small, old, semi/mostly ghetto apartments, they decided to scout out a beautiful spot to set up dinner.  I was VERY impressed and thrilled to be invited.  It had a fresh lemon theme in the table setting and menu.  I loved it.  We dressed in semi-formal attire.  When we arrived, I noticed Stephen didn't bring a tie which distressed me for a moment (since I wanted the night to be nothing but classy), but he was saved by one of the other husbands also going tie-less.  Lucky for him.  

This was our view - at the top of David's Hill Vineyard - amazing.

The setting...

Amy and Kim threw the party and it was us, the Woods, Horchs, and Steenbliks there.  We had salads and appetizers to start.  I made my signature Olive Garden salad and we had some delicious bruschetta accompanied by lemonade of course.  The for the main course we had salmon with pasta and green beans.  I'm not a fish sort of person, but I savored every bit of this salmon.  Mmmm - I could totally go for some more right now typing this.  

The guys standing back while we take pictures of the classiness.

Cameron was trying to battle the bees.

The gals :)

While we were enjoying our breathtaking view and settling down to eat.  As soon as I drizzled the Italian dressing onto the salad we had another guest invite themselves in...quite a few of them actually.  A bunch of bees were quite keen on that salad and didn't want to leave us alone.  We tried to make it through our salads with some giving up their seats for a while to stay away from them (some of us have issues with bees, and one had never been stung and wanted to keep it that way).  Later we thought they would leave us alone, but we had no idea that salmon was also a favorite of theirs.  We watched as bees would literally land on a bit of salmon and take a piece that was as big as them and crookedly fly off with it.  Did you have any idea that bees liked salmon?  I didn't either - it was quite humorous though.  

Aside from the bee problem, I very much enjoyed myself with good conversation that ranged from our personal phobias including the claustrophobic feeling of having the bedsheets tucked around you too tight, the feeling of latex balloons, bees, and spiders to favorite foods and things we want in life.  All in all - it was a wonderful night.  

On a side note, it was the first time we had a paid babysitter - one of the young women from our church.  Ross had his buddy Wes there too so it turned out well, if not a little crazy for the babysitter with two best friends bouncing off each others' energy.  At least it was all happy bouncing. :)  Anyway - it was a great night - quite classy!

I Have a Dream...

My book club has been reading The Help this time around and, while I mostly laugh and drink in the culture and characters of the book, it did make me reflect a little more about what it must have been like in a segregated time period.  Today, of course, marks the 50th anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech and everyone is talking about it.  I grew up in the west in the 80's - VERY far from where segregation was mainstream in both state and time.  The African-American ethnicity were a minority to say the least.  Usually if you saw a black person you were in awe.  They were few and far between growing up.  That being said, I never would have thought to think I was any better than them or anyone for that matter.  To be honest, I have found it very hard to understand why we couldn't all get along anyway.  If you treat someone nice, you would think they would treat you nice as well.  Funny world we live in.

The things we teach our children are so important for them and their future.  Too many times do I see incidents in the news or around me where I'm thinking how completely opposite that behavior is to what a mother or father would be teaching their child to do.  I tell my son, "we don't hit" or "we don't take something that's not ours" or "we share our snacks or toys with others."  These simple habits and behaviors we try to reinforce in our children and even had reinforced in our own childhoods have somehow, by some, get tossed aside once teenage/adulthood hits.  I still believe the scripture, "Train up a child the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6) and will do everything in my power to teach my children who they are, what their purpose here is, and how to become who they are meant to be.  I think too many of us forget that and are distracted by all the evil and hate that go on in the world.  

I think Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision went even further than simply blacks and whites achieving equality.  I think it had a lot to do with how we treat everyone around us regardless of our race, color, or status.  We need to stop worrying so much about what someone else has that we don't, and start worrying about what we do have and how to work to make more of ourselves so we can help others do the same.  50 years later after his infamous speech, I know a lot of headway has been made in the equality of blacks and whites.  There still is much to be done in terms of forming a real brotherhood with each other, but it all starts with us - as individuals, but more importantly in our families.  I hope that in being the mother I've found myself to be that my children can appreciate the freedoms we enjoy and count all the blessings they have been given while working hard to show their gratitude for it and share that with others.  In short, I want my children to always stand up for what is right and DO what is right as our Savior has always done for us.  That is my dream and I'm working hard to make it a reality. 

Ross's First Movie at the Drive In

We survived the last week pretty well considering Steve only had to work three days that week (it still felt like 2 weeks without him, but we survived).  He's left before any of us get up and gets home right when it's time for bed.  Not my favorite thing - not my favorite.  We found some things to distract us though while he left.  We did a lot of playing outside, practicing letters and numbers, and going on walks.  One of my favorite things of the week this time of year is the farmer's market.  Oh how I love it.  I get depressed when it's over in October.  You just can't beat fresh corn, tomatoes, berries, breads, and flowers.  I take the stroller in and end up balancing all my goods all over the stroller on the way back.  Mmmm - I'm already excited for this week's finds.  My current favorite stands are the Swiss bakery - seriously - the baguettes and chocolate croissants are my favorite and buying fresh sweet corn out of the back of a lady's truck.  My white peaches are starting to show up too....yes!!!  Ruby tried some white peaches for the first time and was QUITE happy with them.  Just like her mama.
 

The battle of prunes once again

She just wondered what a beard would look like on her.

Handsome kiddo :)  We're going to start a little mini co-op preschool in a week or two so we took some "school pics" :)

This is his "cheese" face. :)

He's gonna tickle Rubes

And he did it!

The finishing touch with a kiss :)  I LOVE this.

Cutie

The bottomless pit of toys - we have way too many.

To celebrate Steve finishing his week, we decided to try out the Drive In down in Newberg, OR.  Steve and my experiences with the Drive Ins in Utah while we were each growing up were nothing but great.  I remember being excited that we got to lay in the back of my dad's truck, eat Redvines and popcorn - and especially that we got to stay up so late to watch not one but TWO movies.  If we pretended to be asleep at the end (or actually were) we got to ride in the back of the truck on the way home.  I know - we have still lived to tell the tale. ;)  I also remember there being TONS of space at the Drive In along with radios stationed at each space.  

We decided to head down maybe a half hour before dusk which is when they start the movie.  By the time we showed up there was a half a mile long line of cars waiting to get in.  We waited for a while as the line slowly moved (shaking our fists at a few people who managed to cut in the line - I hope they had a terrible night's sleep after that) and just made it through before they were sold out.  How in the world do you get SOLD OUT at a Drive In?!  We found a spot up at the front where we parked and set up our chairs.  We walked around finding some of our friends before it started.  Some people couldn't get their cars in, but came with their chairs to hang with us.  Our friends the Jaggis and Charitons were with us.  It wasn't so bad being in the front - you could see the screen just fine and there was lots of space.  

My plan was for Ruby to fall asleep during the movie - which luckily happened (not without a whole bunch of whining before though).  Because she was sleeping in the car though - we couldn't turn on the radio - and of course they didn't have the radios available at this Drive In either.  Luck was once again on our side since we were parked next to a big truck who had the radio blaring.
 

Waiting in line and getting excited for the Planes movie :)

Set up and ready to go - Ross already in on the popcorn

Ready to go!

Some planes

He ended up with some snuggling :)

Ross claimed his chair and immediately commandeered the popcorn and candy.  The movie was Planes which was an obvious win for him.  He was really excited for it, but kept asking where McQueen and Mater were.  Ross was totally adorable and did SO well during the movie.  Ruby stirred a few times, but did well too.  I think it makes the list for a do again before we leave.  Nothing like a good Drive In movie. :)  Now we're gearing up for the week Steve works 6 straight days - that's right folks - that will be 72 hours of him gone.  I'll let you know if I've checked myself in the insane asylum by then.  Seriously. :)