Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving!

Well it happened...nothing quite earth shattering outwardly...but maybe inwardly.  The big 3-0 happened to me today.  Steve thinks I'm just silly, but it's because he's still enjoying the fruits of the 20's.  I've approached middle aged...but to introduce myself to it, it all started with a delicious breakfast in bed by my deliciously hot husband, Stephen.  An omelet with homemade salsa, tortilla, and strawberries.  It was - oh - so good.  I also got to get a shower in BEFORE the kids got up.  This made me feel 10 years younger in and of itself.  

Ahhh - it feels good to be showered and teeth brushed!

I decided being 30 meant I was going to go for some new goals...like a clean house.  So that's what Ross and I while Ruby crawled around trying to help.  The end result was everything I hoped for.  The other nice thing today was how gorgeous the weather was outside, we spent a good part of the morning out with friends, soaking up the sun, chatting, looking for worms, and digging in the dirt while eating pretzels.  Fabulous.

The kids ate their lunches well and settled down perfectly for their naps.  I enjoyed some me time finishing up my clean house in time for Steve to come home and start the set up for a little cake and ice cream get together.  

He took me and the kids to Red Robin for dinner which was also fabulous since I got to order my favorite drink - the freckled lemonade.  That never gets old.  Their bruschetta chicken sandwich is the other item I'm always pining for.  Ross and Rubes did splendidly and we got home just in time for some friends to arrive and hang out and have some cake.  The kids ran wild with balloons (only two popped which was miraculous) and the rest of us talked over all the commotion.  
 

That's A LOT of candles - Steve made the cake from scratch - it was delish!

 

To end the first day of my 30's, Steve showed me my present I get to pick out - a brand new bike!  Woot woot!  He's been building up this present for the last six months - it has literally driven me crazy with how much he's bragged about it - how good it was going to be and how he couldn't wait to give it to me...for six months he's said this.  The funny part is - I had not a clue, but kept mentioning to Steve over the last few months how we need to get bikes so Ross will be more into bike riding (and it would be good for us).  I'm so excited!  We just have to make sure we don't move somewhere with ridiculous hills...like from my mission in England hills.  
 

Can you imagine biking up these babies?  WITH two babies.

I've been dreading this big 3-0 age, but I've gotten some hope from friends who are already in their 30's.  They are amazing, beautiful, and still seem so young to me.  Here's to following suit my friends - here's to following suit. :)

SO - here are thirty things about me you may or may not know...

1)I have a no-mess-around laugh...I've been told I may be located easily when I'm laughing.
2)I hate - let me emphasize - HATE - being hot - any rationalizing with me is no longer possible when my temperature is messed with.
3) I get passionate about things and push encourage people to follow my suggestions on certain things such as items to choose at a restaurant, hairdressers, books to read, movies to watch, photographers to choose.  If I love something - I'm all in.
4) I have had gas permeable contacts since I was 10 years old...I am now attempting to switch to soft lenses.
5)I prefer sleeping on my side curled up in the fetal position.
6)I sing ridiculous songs to Ruby during breakfast/lunchtime to distract her enough to feed her rather than her playing with her food.
7) My favorite feature about myself is currently my hair.
8)I consistently fall asleep in bed while trying to read books I've been excited to get to all day long.
9) My favorite movie is Joe vs. the Volcano...it NEVER gets old.
10) I converted to listening to Christmas music in November instead of December on my mission when my companion and I were sick in bed for three days and could not STAND any more of our other music.
11) I can't handle having my fingernails painted - I just pick at it till it's all chipped off.
12) I'd like to get good at photography but never seem to find the time to find out how.
13) My favorite way to eat oreos is in a cup with milk poured over them - cereal style...it's been an awfully long time since I've had those babies.
14) I once was an incredibly journal writer - getting married threw a wrench in the trend.  I have 15+ journals documenting mostly embarrassing truths about my life.  They may only be read by my children after I'm dead.
15) I love playing the piano, but never seem to do it as much as I'd like, because I'm used to practicing when I'm alone...ask me how often that happens these days. ;)
16) I still do cartwheels and handstands to the delight of my children (hey - cheap entertainment is still entertainment) - my body definitely feels different doing them AFTER bearing children.
17) I get extremely upset if anything sad EVER happens to children or babies...I can't handle it after having my own.
18) While skyping with family I like to use my fingers right up close to the camera to look like they're pinching my husband's head off...or driving one of Ross's cars close up past the camera and laugh my head off...I'm totally mature like that.
17) I like to wear socks to sleep in, but never seem to wake up in the morning with them on.
18) My favorite scripture is Doctrine and Covenants 88:63 "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
19) My husband and I have a secret, yet absurd, sign to do to each other when we find that we're talking to much in a group....yes - we talk too much.
20) My ears ALWAYS perk up whenever I hear ANYTHING about England mentioned.
21) I made Ross tell me Happy Birthday all day long today...he happily complied all day long - sweet kid.
22) I'm a Rascal Flatts fan through and through.
23) My wardrobe currently consists of solid colored attire and striped attire...I just noticed this a few weeks ago...I'm not a brancher outer when it comes to clothes - I don't have a defined style enough to do it.
24) I thought about cutting my hair short for the first time literally a day before I actually did it.
25) I get on binging bursts with sewing and then don't do anymore for months.
26) I can't properly go to bed without washing my face, brushing my teeth, and putting my retainer in (like a teenager)...you know that part on Date Night?  That's me.
27) I actually like organizing and sorting Ross's toys and books...even though they get mixed up and strewn around the house five minutes later...it's so weird.   
28) I always prefer baked goods over candy or any other goodie - and I always crave them - which is always bad.
29) I would be extremely good at eating healthy all the time if someone else did the cooking.
30) I am ALWAYS a sucker for flowers - the cliche generic roses - they make me so happy, and thankfully Steve has set aside his feeling of not understanding why and gets them for me on special occasions.

Thirty, Flirty and Thriving!

Here's to the big 3-0!

Fabulous November and a 30-life crisis

We've been moving along lately.  I've been in a baking mood more which is delicious not a good idea when you're wanting to be healthy.  Somehow our bananas haven't been getting eaten so quickly which results in them being turned into banana bread...with chocolate chips.  Also pumpkin chocolate chip cookies have been made about seven times in the last month.  My friend, Jen, also made an amazing pumpkin pie that I got the recipe for which I'm dying to try out.  I can still taste the slice I had at her house.  Oh blasted holidays - why do you have to be filled with delicious baked goods?

Steve has been working hard on his clinical reasoning seminar (STILL) and had to go to some horse stables to get some footage of a patient riding.  We jumped on that bandwagon so we could see some horses.  We had a grand old time (until Ross saw the backyard of a house filled with tractors and trucks in a sand pit...then it was a bit of a meltdown) and had fun looking around.

Ross was really excited about the skid steer (and no I didn't know that name until this expert came along).  He really wanted to stand in the bucket.

Ruby has decided she has legs she might as well use them.  She's been climbing up everything - including our stairs.  Multiple times we've caught her up the third step, and because she will just sit back whenever she's done climbing, she can't be trusted with those babies.  We had to lower her crib due to being able to pull herself up.  She's started cruising around as well.  Ross is a huge motivation for her to get going.  She gets sad when she's left out and doesn't like being left behind.  

I LOVE tights!  I love love LOVE these - I love having a girl. :)

I was attempting another picture and Ruby seemed to lose her grip and this is what we got.  She was okay - don't worry.

Her tights may be a little big...just a bit.

Cutie!

I've finally gotten her to say "Mama" and it's music to my ears!  I love it!  She also LOVES to growl...like a lot.  Like - in a not girly way at all.  I still have yet to get that on video.  
Got the growling! :)

 

She can be so girly at the same time with her cooing and talking, and then out of the blue - a bear sound comes out of this adorable, smiling face.  Silly girl!

She LOVES to stand.  Ross's foot is photo bombing.

She's so proud of herself.

Ross's foot really wanted some picture time too.

With my babe.

Still trying to hold her...she's trying to get to her next appointment...the green truck over there.

Ross is starting to grow out of some of his 2T clothes which is depressing.  He's such a kid.  He loves to go jump in puddles lately (since it's started raining more), ride his trike (okay I've been making him since he never has an interest in it...until I started making the truck driving sounds while he's riding it - then he thinks it's cool) and be rocked to sleep.  Last Sunday, due to no naps, I was nursing Ruby after church and she crashed asleep right after.  She's never still in my arms, so I enjoyed just holding her and rocking for a while...makes you love those little rascals even more.  And then that night I was rocking Ross and singing a few songs and he fell right asleep too.  I've realized he's our little snuggle bug.  He likes to be rocked and held and cuddled.  It's nice.  He's getting so big.

He wanted to see his face on the camera so I convinced him to cheese for me.

LOVE this face. :)

Oh and with my birthday looming just four days away - I must be feeling like a 30-life crisis, because I chopped and colored my hair.  And I LOVE it!  No more dead-mommy feeling.  It feels pretty good.  Hopefully that's a good omen for the big 3-0 coming up.  

Woot woot!

I'm lovin' the cut!

Other than that...we've been starting to organize ourselves for the big move in December (although we're still trying to find a place to move to).  It's too depressing to me!  We've been friending it up a lot lately for that reason.  I'm going to miss all these peeps I've met and come to love.  Oregon - what have you done to me?! :)   

Our place (in all my sentiments) notice how my dead flowers have come back...and it's because I left them alone!

I was running to drop something in the mail and ran over this.  Is this red not the most gorgeous thing ever?!  Just outside my back porch too.

Happy Halloween 2013!

It was a pretty festive day.  Ross went to his pre-school where they had a cute Halloween party - he came home and thoroughly enjoyed his candy corn.  He enunciates every part of that word, "candee Korn" - I love it!  He kept saying, "I LIKE candy corn!  I like candy corn!"  Well...who doesn't?  We're all saying it in our hearts anyway.

This girl Is in fact too cute it's scary :)

Ross's ghost glows in the dark - he thought it was AWESOME - maybe because he got to use a flashlight to charge it as well.  Another silly "cheese" face :)

These two are SO over looking at me.

We played with our friend Jack afterwards, baked some pumpkin cookies and then after naps, we invited some friends over to our BYOCP party (Bring your own carved pumpkin party).  We had pizza, bread, veggies, dip and drinks.  Oh yes - and of course, pumpkin cookies (those babies were ALL gone by the end and I had made a double batch...mmmm - can't pass up a good pumpkin cookie)  Delish!  I'm all for take out for parties - it was SO easy.

Some of the crowd

More crowd - it's how we roll - chillin' with kids crawling everywhere.

Cheerleader Paige and Rubes having some girl talk.

Rubes checkin' in with her pumpkin boyfriend Henry - they are on the same page being just 2 weeks a part.  Every time I see that kid I just want to kiss his cheeks to death...well every baby, but this guy has got some knock out cheeks!  Poor Ruby - she just can't get away from me and has to suffer kisses all the time.

Our little apartment was busting at the seams a bit, so some of the kids spilled out onto the playground after eating.  We voted on the carved pumpkins and passed out the awesome prizes. ;)  A Sees Candy gift certificate (I won one last year - it was well used.  We thought we'd keep the tradition up this year.), I Married a Monster Alien movie from the 50's, and The Piano Guys CD.

The contestants.  The 1st place winner was the eyeball in between the pink painted pumpkin and the sinister smiling pumpkin. 2nd place was the spiderman, and 3rd, was the scarecrow pumpkin chillin' against the fence.

We attracted a live pumpkin!  Is it the Great Pumpkin? He is pretty cute.

Maybe he should have been the real winner...

 

This one's pretty cute too.  EVERY baby has to be a pumpkin in my book - even if it's for a moment. :)

I love pumpkin babies!

We also had some Amigos visit us from the Woods...three of them to be exact. :)

It was fun to get together in costumes before it got dark for the trick or treating.  I felt much more festive this way!
 

I can fix it!

"Alright...get that back in it's holder"

Fix it Felix!  Woot Woot!

Vanellope Von Schweetz...in the flesh

There's our smile!

"I'm gonna wreck it!"

"All right, ladies! The kitten whispers and tickle fights stop now!"                              "Doomsday and Armageddon just had a baby and IT IS UGLY!"

After we got ready, fired up the jack-o-lanterns, and headed to the trunk or treat which was extremely bare this year!  Our first year we were cleaned out in five minutes.  Last year we were late and were stuck with the candy, and this year we were also late, but everyone was leaving a half hour into it.  Lame!  We drove to one of Steve's patients' houses to do a little trick or treating which was fun and then headed home to throw kids in bed (gently - gently throw).

Ready to go!

The trick or treater!

We met up with one of our best buddies, Wes the skeleton.

This girl was so sweet she didn't need any sweets!

 

It was super fun!  We love ourselves a good Halloween - here's to another happy one next year!