Milestone

If there's anything that signifies the true end of babyhood, it's this:

Moment #1: Kyle came to me one day, very concerned.
"Mom, I was eating a snack and it pushed on my tooth and now I think it's loose!"
It was only after much excitement and celebration on my part that I convinced him that it was okay for his tooth to be loose. Not only was it okay, it was great!

Moment #2: He comes to me again, even more concerned,
with a bloody mouth and a gaping hole in his smile.
"Mom, I was un-tying my shoe lace (with his teeth) and look what happened!"

Once again, it was up to me to convince him of the greatness of this moment.
So we danced and cheered and celebrated.

He celebrated because not only did he get two whole dollars, but he also realized he was the first of his friends to lose a tooth. That's a big deal.

I celebrated because I didn't have to pull it out! I don't have the stomach for it, and he's too big of a chicken. I was sure that tooth would be hanging by a thread before it came out.

A Jolly Holiday

We experienced a freak snow storm here in the desert this year. Except, when I say we I really mean them because we were on our way to Virginia for the holidays. And as much as I'd like to have experienced snow in the desert, we sure had a great time. It was the first time we'd all been together in about 2 years and we'd been looking forward to it.

What's a vacation without a trip into D.C. on the metro? We thought we'd seen it all,
but we made it to a few new stops.

Like the Bureau of Engraving. It was quite possibly the worst tour I've ever been on, but it was interesting and Kyle was fascinated by the money.

I wanted to buy a sheet of un-cut dollar bills, but they were charging four times the price!
First of all, they're rejects. Second, I was actually saving them time and money by not
cutting them. I just couldn't do it...

Next stop: The American History Museum



Where, luckily, they had a fantastic children's area. We love kid-friendly museums.

We had some new family photos taken.

And still had time to relax...

...and play Rock Band. Kyle and I are starting to feel gypped that we don't have a Wii OR Rock Band. Might have to do something to remedy that situation.

We played games, including some killer Bunco, and Bingo, where Kyle won 4 of the 6 rounds.

Then it was time for Christmas Eve pajamas, which were out of this world.
Are you ready for this?

No really, are you?

Aren't they fabulous?! Kyle had "Kung Fu Panda" on the brain and declared them his Ninja pajamas. The fabric came straight from Grandma's craft room, were sewn with love, and are oh, so comfy!

We were having so much fun that Christmas was almost an afterthought.
Marie couldn't get enough of the bows and paper.

And Kyle seemed pleased as punch over this Star Wars toys. And BYU gear. And videogames. And movies. And new Transformer. My, my, isn't he spoiled.

And somewhere in all of this, my girl celebrated her half-birthday.
To celebrate the big day, she got a new dress.

And at:
15 lbs. 5 oz.
25 5/8"

it fits her perfectly.
I could eat those cheeks all day long.
Love her.

A Moment in Time

If only I could freeze time. I'd keep her just this size and in just this stage. She sits by herself, is easily entertained, but unable to get into trouble. She smiles on command, babbles on endlessly, and loves everyone.

And then I tell myself that the next stage is just as fun. She'll soon be delighted by the new tricks she's performing. She'll discover food and will be entertained and distracted by snacks. Her personality will emerge and I'll get to know this little person even better. Every stage is oh, so fun.

But I can't help but feel a little sadness as I notice how much room she takes up in her crib now. How her 6-month clothes are fitting perfectly, which means soon they'll be too small. I breathe in her smell and bury my face in the rolls of her neck because I know that all too soon, I'll forget. And I don't want to.

How do we love the past, the present, and the future all at once?

Taste Buds

Research shows that children may need to try a new food up to 10 times
before they'll accept or like it. I'm afraid Marie might require 15 or 20.

Give 'em what they want

I've been called to repentance. A comment from last week:

Anonymous said:

"o.k. ruth. halloween was over a month ago! where are the updates?"

Okay, anonymous, I admit I'm a slacker. I have no excuses. And even though my house is a disaster, and I should be working on Christmas cards, I'll blog.

I shall no longer be a hypocrite, criticizing others for their lack of posts in three whole days, when I haven't blogged in a month.

A word of warning, though. I just might play catch-up so posts might appear at the bottom of the page.

Happy reading! And writing, for me...

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

This photo just kills me. It makes my heart melt, my insides turn mushy,
and I just want to take them both and squeeze them.

I've seen a few Christmas pageants in my life, but this one was the best yet. Kyle got the prime role of Joseph, starring alongside one of my favorite girls of all time, Libby. These two are great friends, so it was only fitting they got to share the spotlight together. Plus, they're just so darn cute!

The program went off without a hitch. And although Kyle didn't have a speaking role, he sang his heart out to the two songs included in the program. In fact, he sang so well that I made him come home and sing it for me again while I videotaped. That'll show him.

Next year he might play a sheep. But he'll always remember his year of stardom.

Fallen Heroes

It's no secret that Kyle's into (obsessed with, consumed by) Star Wars. The obsession has come and gone several times over the last year, but right now it's in full force.

He has a few little action figures that he likes playing with. But recently, these Star Wars fellas have found some new buddies - his Book of Mormon action figures.

Oh, wait. Did I say buddies? Perhaps I worded that incorrectly.
Take a close look at the picture below:

If I'm not mistaken, poor Captain Moroni, Samuel the Lamanite, and the Brother of Jared have been defeated. I guess the force wasn't with them on that particular day. . .

I suppose more Family Home Evening lessons are in order. My work is never done!

Outside the Box

Kyle and I made gingerbread houses last night (Kevin was kind enough to hold fussy Miss Marie). This wasn't a well-planned activity, it was more of a last-minute affair. It was a "Oh, there's still an hour before bedtime. I'm sure we can squeeze in some more holiday cheer." Gotta make the most of this special season, right?

So Kyle and I set to work on our high-quality graham-cracker gingerbread houses. I didn't even make homemade frosting, it came right out of the tube. We worked with what we had - some tubes of green and white frosting, Skittles, gum drops, cinnamon candies, and some fantastic rainbow licorice Kyle had conned me into buying at the grocery store earlier in the week.

We had fabulous time, with candy flying everywhere and frosting smeared on the carpet. But I learned something in the process: I'm a by-the-book kind of girl. I have visions in my head of what a proper gingerbread house should like, and I build accordingly. I can guarantee almost every gingerbread house I've built in my entire life has looked something like this (most a little more elaborate than this):



However, my son doesn't share my way of thinking. I'd give a suggestion on what would be "aesthetically pleasing" and he'd reject it. Meanwhile, I'd wonder (in my head, of course) what on earth he was building with all of that licorice and frosting. I just couldn't figure his little project out. We were on two different pages, we were.

But I think I need someone to teach me how to think outside the box. Because I ended up being very jealous of Kyle's house:


Isn't that awesome?! So much better than my boring building.