Sunday, November 21, 2010

Gobble Gobble Potluck Playdate for Lori's birthday

I hosted a playdate for our mom's group in honor of Lori's 30th birthday. Since it was so near to Thanksgiving we did a potluck lunch and everyone brought something yummy to share. I made turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce and cupcakes.


The weather was nice so the kiddos got to play outside in the leaves.







Lori and I.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Ruby is now 18 months old!

I can’t believe Ruby is a year and half old now!

She is 33 inches tall (75-90th percentile) and weighs 22 pounds and 12 oz. (30th percentile). Interpretation: Tall and skinny!

Ruby can say her own name. Other recent vocabulary additions include: hat, slide, swing, tree, bug, eyes, ears, cheese, jump, animal, bear, man, beads, doggy, girl, boy, puppet, peas, apple, water (wa wa), car, truck, socks, choo choo, boot, clock, moon, star, walk, up, steps, go, and knock knock. She is nearly able to say popcorn, color and turkey. We’re trying to teach her to say I love you and guacamole.

Other things Ruby can do…

Spin in circles. She sometimes walks on her tippy toes and tries to jump when I say ‘jump’. We’re hoping to start a mommy and me ballet class soon!

Walk holding my hand (sometimes). We tried the backpack/restraining leash thing and that didn’t go over so well.

Ask for water ‘Wa wa’ and just learned to drink from a straw. She now likes apple juice from a drink box.

Eat a variety of things such as curry meatloaf, garlic zucchini, spinach and feta cheese toast, popcorn, pickles and spicy salsa. This girl likes flavor! Although some days I think she could exist just eating a handful of goldfish and veggie sticks.

Remember things…She knows where the beads are on my dresser, that the bananas are in a bowl on the counter, that there is an owl puppet on our bulletin board, that daddy works in his office downstairs, that her wagon stays in the garage, that her swing is on the porch, that her slide is up-up (upstairs), that the goldfish crackers are in the pantry, and that the box of bows is in momma’s craft room. She remembers and will call out for these things motioning in a specific direction when she wants them.

Sleep from about 7 pm until 8 am. Alex and I love this!

Sit at her big girl table (toddler table and chairs) to eat. This is harder work for mama since she picks up her favorite bits of food and wanders off into the living room. But if she gets up, all we have to do is say, ‘do you want to go in your high chair?’ and she usually goes back to her big girl chair.

Hug and kiss almost anything on command…including pumpkins and her own feet. She always kisses her daddy which is so sweet. She waves at strangers and says bye to anyone walking out a door anywhere we go. When I say goodbye on the telephone she always says bye too. She likes to knock on doors and ring doorbells.

Shown an interest in the potty. She puts toilet paper in and flushes it. We’re not quite ready for the potty training thing, but may invest in a toddler potty just to get her familiar with it.

Follow instructions like ‘put it back’. The other day we were at the grocery store checkout and she was playing with all the different chapsticks…I said put it back and she put them in the corresponding spots. Occasionally she shares, but she is still too young to grasp this!

She likes magnets, beads, sparkly things, riding in her beep beep (red car), her 3 slides, playdates with her friends, going to the playground, stickers, and digging in the sand/dirt. (But still doesn’t like finger painting). Occasionally she gets to watch Thomas the Train or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (We do the hot dog dance).

Alex and I are just having so much fun with Ruby at this age! She makes us laugh and is just constant entertainment. She is getting more and more expressive and sweet and we love her so much!

Roadtrip to Beaumont

This past weekend we visited my family in Beaumont. Ruby got to spend time with her grandparents as well as her great-grandparents.

Four generations (Ruby, me, my mom and my grandmother).







At my grandmother's house, Ruby got to sit in the little rocking chair that my mother used to play in as a child.






She got to ride on my grandpa's scooter (on his lap) down the hallway at his assisted living facility. She loved honking the horn and put him into turbo reverse by accident.








We celebrated my dad's birthday a little early by going out to dinner at a nice Italian place. My sister and her boyfriend, Tim also joined us.


We had such a nice time visiting and Ruby was just in the best mood all weekend.

Ruby goes to the Renaissance Festival

On our way down to visit my parents we stopped off at the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville.

Ruby loved the scenery and of course all the interesting characters all dressed up in costume.

I have the fondest memories of the Renaissance festival because my aunt Elaine had a booth there for a while selling her pottery and sculptures. When I was younger my family and I would go and walk around. And one season I helped her out in her booth and got to be one of those interesting characters in costume myself!




Playground fun

Ruby and I met some friends at the playground. The girls loved the slide and the swing.



Ruby cooks with mama

Ruby 'helped' me make my grandmother's cranberry orange muffins. They are absolutely delicious and make the house smell so cozy and festive.

Autumn leaves at our house

We are so lucky to have some colorful trees in our yard this fall! Over the past few weeks they have gone from green with flecks of yellow to full on reds and bright oranges. It is so nice to look out our windows and see the fall leaves! And it is a great setting for taking pictures of Ruby.

Ruby 'graduates' from her high chair


Alex and I bought Ruby a toddler table for the kitchen (and one for her playroom). She has been eating most of her meals and snacks while sitting/standing at it.

She thinks she has officially graduated from her high chair (she gets upset if we put her in it and motions to her big girl table).

The only downside is that she picks up food and wanders off into the living room sometimes. But all we have to do is say, 'do you want to go in your high chair?' and she goes back to her big girl table.

Girls in pink

Ruby recently enjoyed a playdate at her friend Maddie's house.




The girls were both cute in pink.







Doing the hot dog dance from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Ruby's swing is back!

Alex mounted Ruby's swing to our patio. We used to have this on a tree at our old house, but have had it packed away. She is so excited to have it back now!


The Ruby flyer


Our neighbors were getting rid of an old 1970s red wagon. It was all rusty and worn, but Alex sanded and repainted it and put 'Ruby flyer' on the side. Good as new!

He fastened a stadium seat to the bottom and now Ruby has a new ride for up and down the driveway and sidewalks.

Ruby is so lucky to have such a handy and creative daddy!

Daddy's day off


Alex took a random weekday off of work and we went into Dallas for a bit of shopping. Ruby got to play at the Galleria.

Fossil Rim!

A few weekends ago we went to the Fossil Rim wildlife park in Glen Rose. Visitors drive their cars through a safari park and animals come up to the windows for food.

Ruby loved seeing zebras, giraffes, ostriches and deer up close.




Monday, November 08, 2010

Halloween Trick-or-Treating

This year all three of us dressed up for Halloween...Alex was a wolf, I was little red riding hood and Ruby was the cutest ladybug ever!


In front of the house before we went trick or treating...






Ruby got the hang of things after a bit...she loved digging in people's candy buckets and putting candy in her little ladybug satchel I made her. (No taste of candy for Ruby though...we still want her to think that strawberries are still the best sweet treat!)






Here she is trick or treating at our next door neighbor's house.

Playgroup Halloween Party

Our playgroup had a Halloween costume party the Friday before Halloween.



This year I made Ruby a ladybug costume. I sewed the wings and handtied her tutu. She was super cute!







Ruby and her friend Maddie put stickers on a pumpkin.




Some of Ruby's buddies in their costumes.

Day out in Southlake

A few weeks ago Ruby and I spent the morning in Southlake.

We went to the storytime at the local library...where Ruby decided to stand up in front near the librarian telling the story.




Then we went to Striderite to get more shoes for Ruby (who has nearly outgrown the shoes I bought her 2-3 months ago!). Here she is modelling her selection...






And there is a neat toy store called the Owl's nest with a neat owl statue out front. We browsed in there (and Ruby played with the trains and fed the baby dolls).







And to top it off we had a delicious lunch at Central Market. What a fun day out!
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