Merry Christmas!

The Printer

Our printer is in our closet...mostly because it's a huge black monstrosity that I don't want in the living room. Ruby is fascinated by it. Every time we print or copy something she has to check it out. And she always strikes this pose:

Butterflies

We have a few bushes in our landscaping that attract butterflies and during the summer we didn't see many, probably because it was so hot. But once fall hit and the weather cooled we've had tons of butterflies frequenting our yard. Ruby's loved watching them and trying to find them and it's been fun for me to see the plants that I picked finally doing what they're supposed to.

Can you spot them?

Thanksgiving

We had such a great time in Utah for Thanksgiving. We saw Bobby's family and Ruby loved spending time with her Grandma all of Daddy's family. We ate lots of good food there, of course, and enjoyed being together.


We spent most of our time with my parents which was so nice because all of my siblings and their spouses were able to be there. With all of us and our schedules it's not a common thing for us to all be able to be under one roof too often.

Unfortunately Ruby got walloped by hand, foot and mouth disease and was understandably a crank most of the time. Luckily she's got such an easy going and sweet personality that she still had a great time, and we know how blessed we are to not have to have too hard of a time when she's under the weather.

She had so much fun taking a trip to the Wheeler Farm and seeing the animals.



And playing with Grandpa and his iphone and ipad.


And of course putting stickers on her aunt's and uncle's noses.

Going to Colorado

A couple months ago our little family came to the conclusion that our little Texas town is not where we're supposed to be. Bobby started looking for a job and I reluctantly realized that we'd need to pack up our house and move (ugh, I hate moving!).

We narrowed down where we'd like to go either to Utah or Colorado, both being much closer to family. Utah ended up being a no go, but we lucked out with Colorado and Bobby has landed a great opportunity in Broomfield, Colorado. We're very excited, and feel very blessed that this has all worked out and that we'll be able to make a new home there. Especially since we'll be having a new addition to our little family in June.

We'll be moving at the end of the month, so Christmas will be celebrated, albeit somewhat abbreviated, and then we'll finish packing up and be on our way. It definitely will be a little bit of a shock going from 70 degree weather to freezing temps, but we are so excited.

We will miss the wonderful people we've met here in Beeville. They are honestly some of the kindest people we've associated with and our little congregation here is truly special.

So now our next few weeks are going to be a blur of packing, cleaning and trying (cross your fingers) to sell our house before we move. Our new adventure awaits!

Happy Holidays!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Brownies

The last few weeks, Ruby's loved getting in the kitchen with me and helping me make stuff. She'll pull a chair up to the counter and have to hand me things and dump things in a bowl and stir. She's not particularly good at it, but she loves to be there lending a hand, and I can't deny her because it's so sweet. She helped me whip up a batch of home made brownies a few days ago and we all enjoyed the fruits of our labors.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy a great meal, a full belly, time with family and friends and remember to be thankful for all the bounteous blessings we've received. We are truly grateful for all we've been given and for our relationships with all of our loved ones. Happy Thanksgiving!

Building

Yes, she did this all on her own. She was sitting on the floor working on her creation, and my only assistance was to tell her to stand up to put on more blocks.

Bubbles

We've only done bubble baths with Ruby every once in a while, because, while she enjoys them, she's never really loved them. Until the other night. She didn't need any of her other toys, all she wanted was to play with the bubbles and put them on her chin. Another reason we know she loved it? She cried when it was over.

A Finished Quilt

I got my quilt back from the lovely woman who machine quilted it this week and I spent the next couple days working on the binding. And it's done! I absolutely love it, I can't believe I really finished it, and I can't wait for the day Ruby gets a big girl bed so that it can be used. When it was finally done I brought it out for Ruby and told her it was for her. She smiled, laid down on it and smooshed her cheek against it...the sure fire sign that she likes it.


I had so much fun working on it. I can't wait to do another one!

Another reason I haven't posted lately...

So remember a few months ago when I mentioned that Ruby was loving getting her picture taken? That she would bring me the camera just so I could take her picture? Yeah, that doesn't happen anymore. Most of the time now she loathes to get her picture taken. Case in point: we were in Phoenix and I took a picture of Lilly with her birthday cake. Ruby just happened to be in the background, saw me coming with the camera and assumed I was taking a picture of her. My cute pic of Lilly has a protesting girl freaking out in the back.


You want to see the live action drama queen? We've got that too:



Sure, we do still get smiles every so often, but we never know what's going to happen when we take a picture. I hope this is one phase that is over very quickly!

Our trip to Phoenix

So Ruby and I went to Phoenix to visit my sister and her family. Yeah, we went over a month ago and I'm just posting about it now. But we had so much fun. The greatest thing to see was Ruby and her cousin Ivy become instant buddies. They played together, kissed, hugged, held hands during meals. Just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. Ruby doesn't have any kids her age here in our small town, so it really tugged my heart a little seeing how much fun she had.




Our trip coincided with Lilly's fourth birthday and we had a great time making a cake, decorating and celebrating. Ruby had such a great time with her cousins, and we can't wait to see them again!

Back in the swing of things....maybe....

Bobby's been bugging me the last week or so about getting the blog back up to par. I've used excuse after excuse (Ruby and my being sick was a good one!) but truth be told, I have no motivation to do it. It's the last thing on my list. I've really tried to get back into running in the mornings and since I've been doing that I've been pretty tired and working on the blog is the last thing on my mind. Though that really shouldn't stop me because blogging lets me sit on my behind and do nothing. I guess it's the working my brain part that stops me. Whatever it is, I'm going to try to be better.

Here's a quick pic of Ruby for you to get the ball rolling:


When it rains here in southeast Texas, these little white flowers pop up everywhere. They're called rain lilies (I couldn't tell you if they have an official name or not) and I just love them! Whenever we get a storm I can't wait for the day or two after when we start seeing them. Ruby loves them too and when we went for a walk one morning, she had to have one and held it tight for the whole ride.

Ruby Sick

Ruby got sick a couple days after we came home from Phoenix. She's only been sick once with a little stomach bug and it only lasted a couple hours. This time a cold hit her hard...runny nose, fever, goopy eyes, the whole shebang. She was ultra snuggly, which was fun because she usually will just hug and run, but it was so sad to see her so miserable. Luckily she still slept really well and a couple days later all was well. But the first morning she was so sad and pathetic:

Protest

I officially protest these lack of blog posts by all family members!! I have to resort to posting an entry myself. There have been some seriously cute events in the life of Ruby and if certain unnamed wives will not post them, then I am forced to do so :) I will start with this video of Ruby watching "Dancing with the Stars". I hope you enjoy.

Under the Weather

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Ruby and I took a trip to Phoenix, which was a blast, by the way and we got back last week. And of course, the day after we got home Ruby got sick. And not just a little sniffly, but really sick. She had a runny nose on Wednesday, then Thursday got walloped by a fever, and Friday got goopy eyes...seriously, they looked like boogers were coming out of them. Super gross. We took her to the doctor, got some antibiotics, and she's starting to do better.

She's still got a runny nose and a little cough but she's so much better than she was. But now I'm not feeling well and all I want to do is crawl in bed, pull the covers over my head and sleep. Which is a little hard to do when you have an 18 month old running around the house. So, needless to say, there won't be any updates until this house is illness free and healthy again. Which I hope is very very soon.

The Burn

My sister Annie has just published her second young adult novel! I've been her sounding board on this one and I think it's her best yet. If you like young adult literature and are in the mood for a great read, consider giving this one a try. Here's the synopsis:

The Burn is full of nuclear fallout, roving gangs, anarchy, unreliable plumbing. That's what Terra's father tells her. She has lived her whole life in comfort in a colony at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. She hates it. And she would pay any price to leave. But when Terra finally escapes the colony, she finds out her father is right.

She finds a group of survivors that quickly become friends, and every day with them is a race for survival. When she witnesses and commits unspeakable acts, she has to decide where her loyalty lies: with the colony she despises or The Burn, where every day is filled with nightmares.



It can be purchased at either Amazon or Smashwords. Check out her site for more info:

http://www.annieoldham.com/

Life

Poppa Somers has often spoken of family and how very special it is to all of us and to Heavenly Father. One of the most memorable teaching moments he gave was one where he spoke of the entire purpose we are here is to have families; that our Heavenly Father has set up this experience for us to have families. Now of course we live, we laugh, we cry, and all along the way to try to grow closer to our Heavenly Father. I have lived a varied life. I have been all over the world. I have sky dived, I have hiked into breathe taking mountain scenes, I have danced in Istanbul discothèques until 3 AM, mountain biked through Moab, swam a kilometer into crystal clear Mediterranean waters, snowboarded into fluffy Utah powder, and helped thousands of people feel better and walk away with a healed mouth. None of these things compare to the feeling that I have when I am with my family. I snapped this shot of Maggie a few months ago and I just love it. Truly family is the most important thing that we can experience in this life. It helps us feel a small sliver of what our Heavenly Father feels for us. Thank you Lord for this amazing gift. Thank you Maggie for the gift of your presence in my life. Thank you Ruby for being such an amazing blessing to our lives. Each day waking up with this to look forward to literally is the best day of my life.

Sleeping in the Car

Ruby fell asleep in the car. Bobby decided he had to take a picture of the cuteness. And let's face it, there is a whole lot of cuteness going on. But my favorite part of the picture is Bobby in the back with his thinking face on.

A visit to Houston

A couple weeks ago we went up to Houston to visit my cousin Chris and his wife Ashley. They just moved there from New York City and have been enjoying more space, a slower pace and a less crazy life. We had a great time catching up and spending time together. Chris's sister Tara and her family came into town too, so it was fun times.

We took a quick trip out to the Kemah Boardwalk and enjoyed some good dining at the Aquarium restaurant, which Ruby adored. They had huge aquariums throughout and Ruby was mesmerized by the fish.


Then we let Ruby and Tara's little girl, Molly, run through a fountain after dinner. They had a live band playing and Ruby had a great time dancing, getting soaked and trying to get other kids' belly buttons. We knew she had a great time because she threw a fit when we had to leave. First one ever.



Thanks, Chris and Ashley for your hospitality! We had a great time!

Grocery Shopping

Which Ruby loves to do, by the way. When I ask her if she wants to go, she nods, grabs her shoes and quickly sits down so I can put them on her. We have a great time at the store. She gets excited about her favorite foods and I hand her the items we need and she throws them into the back of the cart. She waves to just about everyone who goes by and they smile and wave back. Occasionally a weird stranger will stop and touch her hand or hug her, which causes me to cringe inside while I smile at them. There's something magical about this little girl that makes other people happier when they're around her. Including me.

Kisses

Ruby loves to give kisses (when she wants to, of course) and has the best pucker. Who can resist this?

Rain

There's one thing that Bobby and I were utterly unprepared for when we moved to south Texas. No rain. I've lived in Ohio pretty much my whole life, plus West Virginia for a couple years after we got married, and we never had to worry about rain. Everything flourished and was green and lovely pretty much all year round. If anything we got sick of rain and wished it would stop.

Since moving to Texas that has all changed. Granted, we're in the middle of a major drought that is destroying the livelihoods of many farmers and ranchers, so I really don't have much room to complain. But man, I do miss rain. It's rained twice, twice!, since we moved here. Once in June for an hour in the morning and once the other day for ten minutes in the afternoon.

Churches near and far are asking their congregations to pray for rain. When the clouds parted and it rained a few days ago, in my heart I said a prayer that went something like this: "Oh, Heavenly Father, thanks so much for the rain. Oh, thank you, thank you! Please keep it coming!" And when the rain stopped just minutes later, I thought, "Well, it's better than nothing."

I've never imagined living in a place where I would have to pray for rain. I've never imagined loving rain more than I do right now.

Sorry, Great Grandma!

I've been a total blog slacker lately...I begged forgiveness a few weeks ago, but I can't quite kick it. Ruby and I were facetiming her grandma and grandpa and great grandma, when Great Grandma asked, "When are you going to put more pictures of Ruby on the blog? I keep looking but I never see any." And I knew it was time. Laziness must get put aside when Great Grandma asks for something. And may I mention how awesome this woman is? I had so much fun as a kid going to visit Grandma and Grandpa and always loved spending time with her. But I could ramble on for a very long time about that. What Great Grandma really wants to see is a picture of Ruby!

Ruby has been enamored with her belly button for a while now. She loves it, sucks her thumb and has her belly button in the other hand. Sleeps touching her belly button. She also has a strong desire to see other people's belly buttons, which can get a little awkward at times. But, she will proudly show off hers to anyone who asks.

Pigtails

Ruby's hair has been getting long. So I decided to try putting her hair in pigtails. She looked so cute! And like such a little girl...I can't believe how big she's getting! It's hard to imagine she's almost one and a half.

Another use for the music table

Ruby has loved her music table. But for the last month or two she hasn't played with it as much. She'll push a couple buttons every once in a while, but usually she just ignores it. Until the other day when she found out that it has another use. She decided it would be great fun to start climbing on it. I have no idea how she got the notion to do it. But I looked over and she was sitting on it.



And then later that day she was standing on it to try and get stuff of our desk. I just about freaked out imagining falling baby, wails and head injuries. But nothing can stop this girl, because now she tries to get on anything she can. I just have to cross my fingers and look away.

Can you take my picture?

Ruby used to love getting her picture taken. Back when she was 9 months old she would smile and pose and be a huge cheese ball. The last few months she gave all that up and it's been a struggle to get her to smile and stay still long enough to take a decent picture. So I was very surprised the other day when I was in the kitchen and she brought me the camera and smiled. I asked her if she wanted me to take her picture and she nodded. So here it is:

Laundry Basket

One of Ruby's favorite things to play with is the laundry basket. I don't know why. She loves to just hang out in it. She'll grab a pillow from the sofa, dump it in, then climb in herself and chill. Sometimes she'll read sometimes she'll just talk to herself. She's seriously entertained herself there for 10 or 15 minutes. Not that I'm complaining. Anything that can keep her occupied for that long is fabulous. I just don't get it. Maybe you have to be 16 months old.


But Ruby's favorite part about the laundry basket? Going for rides in it. She loves it when Bobby or I will push her around in it. And she asks for more and more and more. She could seriously do it all day long. But Bobby and I can only last for one go...we're getting old or something.

An Ottoman

Our living room arrangement is a little pathetic to say the least. Let me break it down for you: We left our big TV behind in West Virginia and just brought a little 13 incher to tide us over until we get a nicer one. That TV is sitting on a console about 10 feet from our sofa. The room is too big to hear the little TV, so we always scoot the sofa up until we're about 4 feet from it and we prop our feet up on a little tiny stool. Comfy? Great show watching? Not really.

Well, we've solved one dilemma. I've wanted to get a big ottoman to use as a coffee table. Something cozy for propping feet up and something soft that won't bash in little baby heads when they hit it. Looking around the only things I found that I even remotely liked were upwards of $300, so I thought, "Why not make one?"

And so I did. I'm pretty proud of myself on this one. Totally built, screwed, stapled and sewn from scratch.


Now for a bigger TV...

Yoga

I've started doing yoga again the last couple weeks. It's the first time I've really tried to get back into it since Ruby was born. Man, I am so not flexible anymore and I am so weak. I'm a sissy little girl. Anyway, I'm doing better now than I was when I first started, but I still have a long ways to go before I'm back to form. And I have another obstacle these days:


She really makes my workouts interesting, what with crawling over and under me and having to give me kisses and pinch my nose. But she sure is cute!

Something else I've been working on...

My sister Annie is e-publishing her first young adult novel in a few weeks and I'm really excited for her! She asked me to create the cover art for her new book and I finished last week and sent it off to her. She finished the type and here it is:



If you're interested in more info about Annie and her work you can visit her here:

http://www.annieoldham.com/

Ketchup Lover

Ruby adores condiments. She would much rather take a big handful of sour cream or ketchup and shove it in her mouth than eat just about anything else. We had some fries for dinner the other night and she was really enjoying eating her ketchup. So Daddy decided to have a little fun with her. I can't say that I approved, but it sure was funny:

Another Project

I can check another project off the list...ahhh it feels nice! I finally hung some valances in the kitchen and I love them! I ordered fabric and worked on them for a couple evenings last week and then finally hung them. They make such a difference in the room. It's no longer so stark, now it feels lived in and much cozier.



This is the first time I've really tried to make nice curtains (before I've always just hemmed fabric as fast as I could). This time I lined them and worked a little bit more diligently to make them look nice. It was more work, but I'm pleased with the result. I also learned a couple things along with way, which is good since I want to make our bedroom drapes complete with blackout lining, so I have a better grasp of what I'll need to do. Bobby is happy that the sewing machine he got me for my birthday a couple years ago is really getting a workout.

I apologize...

I haven't been very motivated to blog the last week or so. Nothing new is occupying my time, so really there isn't any excuse, I just haven't felt like doing anything on the blog at all. And so, my family and friends, you are the ones that suffer. You don't get to see what we've been up to or any new Ruby cuteness (which, let's face it, is really why you're on here). I'm going to be better. I promise. Maybe.

But hopefully this will tide you over....


Ruby loves to give kisses. She'll be playing and wandering through the house and suddenly find the need to give Bobby or me a kiss. It's very cute and I don't mind it at all. I'd kiss this little girl all day long if I could. Anyway, this is the face she makes when she's coming in for a kiss. And a little humming noise usually accompanies it too. So here's a kiss from Ruby for all of you.

Hidden

I may have mentioned that Ruby likes hide-and-seek. Yeah. Just slightly. What she's started doing now is squeezing herself into little corners around the house and waiting until we call for her. She doesn't think we can see her, which makes it even funnier. As you can see:

First Day of Work

Bobby started work this week! Woohoo! He's really enjoyed being home for the last month and a half, but he's started getting restless and was ready to work. He dove in this week and has loved it. He really is passionate about what he does and is going to be a great dentist!

Sampaguita

A few days before we moved Bobby was telling me about the national flower of the Philippines, where he went on his mission. All he knew about it was that they called it "Sampaguita". So I started googling it and found out that it's actually called Jasminum Sambac 'Maid of Orleans'. And I found out I could buy it. So after we got to Texas I ordered it as well as another variety called 'Grand Duke of Tuscany'. The Sampaguita bloomed a few days after we got it and man, that sucker is strong! It has a really beautiful, heady floral fragance similar to a gardenia. Bobby said that in the Philippines there were bushes of this stuff with thousands of blooms and you could smell them hundreds of feet away. I believe it.

First ice cream cone

While Ruby's grandparents were here, we took a trip to the Dairy Queen. And they decided Ruby needed to have her first ice cream cone. Ruby loves ice cream, but never has gotten any of her very own. Between not knowing what to do with it and trying to get over the cold, it was quite a spectacle, but she thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's always fun when grandparents come...

We had my parents here this last week and we had such a great time. Ruby adored having her grandma and grandpa to dote on her, sing to her, read stories, play games and just love, love, love her. And they didn't mind at all, not one little bit. We hadn't seen them since November, so it was great to spend some time with them.

Grandma and Grandpa quickly found out that we have a little beggar living in our home. Anytime anyone is eating anything, this little girl is by your side asking for some with the cutest little puppy eyes. Sheesh. You'd think we were starving this girl. Grandpa always gave in.


And Grandma was always ready for snuggles with Ruby. Ruby was right at home giving Grandma hugs and kisses from the start.


We took a trip out to a town on the coast called Rockport. It's a really cute little beach community with shops, a few attractions and fish. That's why we went. To buy fish that was caught that morning and bring it home and cook it that evening. There really isn't any food that's much better than fresh fish. Ruby had fun seeing the water, birds and the fish.


And of course we had fun cooking together. Dad was helping me and I asked him if he wanted to wear an apron so he didn't get anything on his clothes. And he put on one of my frilly, girly aprons. And then he posed for a picture. It cracked me up.


Mom and Dad, we had such a great time with you guys! Ruby misses you already and we can't wait to see you again!

The First Mow

Well, it happened! Bobby had to break out the lawn mower and give our grass a trim. Not the whole thing, just a patch in the middle of the front yard that was getting way too tall. Like 8 or 9 inches tall. It was starting to block the water from the sprinklers. So we gave our grass a quick cut. I think Bobby felt pretty proud of his grass.

Playing the Piano

Ruby's love for banging on the ivories continues. Now she loves to sit on the bench when she does it. And the other day she did a little channeling of Ray.