2012 aka my year of being 28

It's so weird to be 29. Next year is the big 3-0. That will be weeeeeird! It sounds old, but I don't feel old. It's weird to look at my friends that are 25 and think, oh they are so young! Ha ha ha, life is weird. How many times do you think I can say "weird" in one paragraph? I think I need to go to bed...

Anyway, I better post my list of highlights from the past year since it's become kind of a tradition. I wasn't very good at blogging in 2012 so this list might be a little smaller than the norm since my memory is not the best. I guess I really am getting old! I swear birthing a child seriously diminishes brain cells. It's hard work people! :)

-At the beginning of the year we found out Ruby was a girl! I was super excited to be able to use all Lucy's old clothes and girly things again.

-Me and Lucy became pros at Just Dance 3. That's how we survived the cold, gloomy winter months.

-We started our co-op preschool with some of Lucy's friends and their moms and loooved it! It was just once a week but with a bunch of 2-year-olds, it was perfect. I loved hosting and coming up with fun craft projects for the kiddos.

-The potty training! Probably the hardest thing I've gone through as a mom thus far because it was such a drawn out process with Lucy. I'm talking like a year! It feels so good to be done with that. Holy cow, it was rough.

-Partied at the Niehoffs for Easter. Lucy loved "camping" with Daddy in the backyard in a tent. We sure love our east coast family.

-Enjoyed all my neighbor friends being pregnant with me. It was so fun getting together and talking about our pregnant lady woes and comparing how we were all feeling. We were all due within a month of each other. So crazy! Now all our babes are 7-8 months old!

-I gave birth to Ruby! And it was a quick labor! And Trey almost missed it! And I kept my head and actually used the hypnobirthing techniques I practiced! And I did it naturally!!! And I didn't die! And I might actually do it again! Well, maybe. :)

-Our summer was pretty mellow. We made it to Hershey Park a few times. My parents came out to help with Lucy while I recovered and took care of my newborn. Trey's parents came out over the 4th of July with cousin Morgan and the Mylers came down too. That was so fun. Lucy was in heaven with all her cousin friends.

-Trey finished his 3rd year (wahoo!), rocked Step 2, and applied for residency programs all over the country. He was invited to interview with most of them and he's had 11 interviews. It's going to be so hard to rank them because all the programs are so great. Wish us luck! :)

-We went to Utah in October and then again in December and surprised both of our parents for Christmas. Both sets of parents were completely surprised, it was perfect.

-Lucy started preschool in September. She goes every Tuesday and Thursday and absolutely loooves it! Her best friend Stockton is in her class.

-We took a road trip up to Ithaca, NY to stay with the Mylers over Thanksgiving break. We had such a great time! And the girls did great on the 3.5 hour drive.

-We took another road trip to Charlottesville, VA to go on an interview with Trey. Virginia is so beautiful! I could totally live there.

-We partied at a cabin in Eden, UT for New Years Eve with my fam. We were able to be together with my whole fam over the Christmas holiday and almost all of Trey's too. We had such a great time and Lucy and Ruby had fun playing with their cousins.

-I got released as a primary teacher and got called to be a librarian at church. Best calling ever! Especially when you have a baby. As long as you have awesome fellow librarians to help you out, which I do. :)

It's been a good year. It's so crazy to think that by this time next year we will probably be in a new place with new neighbors and friends. Trey will be a real doctor man and will be making real money!! Ahhh! So exciting! I'm so done with loans. Oh man. I try not to think about how in debt we are right now. Ha! I laugh so I don't cry. :)

Here is a pic of our little family of 4. We had pictures taken of all my fam since we were all together over the holidays and then each family had a few taken and this was the best of the few they took. It's not my fave but we'll take it since we haven't had family pictures taken since Lucy was 1. Luce was super excited about taking posed pictures, as per usual. :)

{8 months!}

Has it really been 8 months since our little Miss Ruby made her grand debut?! I can't believe how fast time has gone! My wee babe is so big these days. Especially in this picture in little jeans! You're killing me girl. Way too much cuteness going on here!

• Ruby grew another tooth! And this is the best part, it is her top right fang. Vampire baby!
• Her hair really filled in this past month and it looks darker.
• She took her first bath with sissy in Gma Robin's awesome yellow tub.
• She's very ticklish pretty much everywhere.
• She has a cute little cackle, but she saves her best belly laughs for Lucy of course. Ruby sure loves her big sis.
• Hair, eyelashes, and noses are fun to grab!
• She's started scooting! Crawling next? Nooooooo!
• Total daddy's girl. She always lights up when she see's him.
• This girl loves nibbling on apples. There is one way to make this girl mad and that is taking an apple slice away from her.
• She really enjoyed playing with her cousins in Utah this past month. She was in heaven being passed around and held and played with all the time.
• She got her first sickness in Utah, an eye infection, which then moved to the other eye when we got home. Poor thing.
• Loves peek-a-boo and playing airplane with mama
• Loves looking at herself in the mirror
• Lays on her side a lot
• Loves to stand and dance. Whenever music comes on she sways and bounces and flings her arms and legs around. Silly Ru!
• This girl gets so excited when Wheel of Fortune comes on.
• She loves when daddy throws her in the air and holds her upside down.

Happy 8 months sweetie pie!

P.S. We really do love our Lucy too, I've just been a huge slacker with blogging and have just done Ruby's monthly posts because they are easy and quick. I'll do a Lucy post real soon. She deserves it. She is one silly goose. Also, I need to do my annual "year in review" post I do on my birthday. That will be coming soon too...maybe. :)

Here are a few pics from the past month (in Utah)...

Rubes with her fellow baby cousins born in 2012 (from the Brenchley crew)

I love this one with Adam putting his hand on Sierra.

Ruby looks huge compared to little Sierra. So sweet!

 Ruby and cousin Reagan (from the Banbury crew)

 Reagan was looking for  Ruby's belly button.

 Heath and Helen's wedding!

 Back home again, trying to recover from having 2 eye infections. That little medicine bottle in one of her favorite things to chew on.

{7 months!}

Ruby's sweet little personality is shining through more and more everyday and I just love it. We can't get enough of this girl. She almost always has a smile on her face. Whenever you catch her eye she gives you a cute little toothy grin. She's pretty content to just chill and watch people and smile. And sway. This girl has herself a little dance. You know she's happy when she does the "Ruby sway". She basically just rocks back and forth. She learned it from her favorite thing ever, the jumperoo! She'll alternate back and forth from jumping to swaying. If you put her on the ground, watch out! She will steamroll you. She is our little rolly polly these days. And she's fast! And strong! If she has something in her hand, good luck getting it from her. Girl's got a kung fu grip!
Here are some more 7-month-old Ruby-isms...

• She's starting to like baby food more which is nice. Still loves her puffs and yogurt melts.
• She loves to drink water out of my cup.
• She is a very distracted nurser. I call her "the snacker" these days.
• She loves people and being out and about.
• She has a fascination with mouths.
• She prefers to roll around rather than sit up on her own. She can do it okay but she'll tip over after a few minutes. Her little bum must be too round I guess. :)
• She loves to blow bubbles.
• She figured out how to click her tongue and does it often.
• She will usually give me kisses if I ask her for them. They are big, sloppy, open-mouthed kisses and it makes me laugh every time she lays one on me. She usually won't stop at one. I get them on both cheeks, my nose, my mouth, and my chin. :)
• Her hair is laying down a lot more. It still sticks up on the top. I'm kind of sad the fuzz head isn't so fuzzy anymore.
• She naps like a champ.
• She loves to chew on everything.
• She has a strange fascination with the remotes.
• Her happy dance is wild. She always does it when I read books to her on the ground.

Love these light blue jammies on her.

Playing with her friend Bella. They were born exactly 1 month apart.

 Her favorite! She's mid-sway right here.

 Look at that cheeser! Just as happy as could be. 

 Ruby's first Christmas!!!

Love you Rubes!!! You are such a ray of sunshine.