Christmas, part 1

I put together out Advent bags. I just typed out activities and put one in each bag. Maggie is very unimpressed on the days we "only" read Christmas books and watch Christmas movies. To which I say, ppfff. 

Day 1: We decorated the house!

The Christmas tree is in jail for its own protection.

Update and Thanksgiving!

Poor Ruby got ridiculous sick. She had no symptoms except a raging fever for 7 days! It was so awful. We got completely out of whack, off schedule, etc. She was a sad little baby.

This rooster was just wandering around outside where I see my kiddo for therapy. Like a stray dog. But a rooster.

We went to Austin for Thanksgiving. 

Sweet baby!

Alan and Emily were there. Emily is growing up so fast. Somehow her legs are longer than her entire body. Strange.

Poor Jilli.

When Laurie saw this picture, she said, this picture sums up the girls' Thanksgiving: Ruby got into something (that's a trashcan she stole--it's upside down) and Jilli cried. 

Isn't this a great picture? 

They stayed in this room and played games and watched TV just about all day. Laurie and I were so busy chasing babies we were quite happy for them to be occupied with anything. :) Maggie and Ella; not Gran. 

Jeff helped with cooking but then left before lunch and drove to College Station for a football game then drove back at like 6 am and picked up breakfast for everyone. Jeez.

Isn't Laurie beautiful? 

Lunch. And look at that view.

Everything was sooooo good. I appear to be a liar cos this is lunch and there's Jeff in the background. Now that I think about it, I think he sat next to me. He just blends into the background, I guess.

Ruby stole someone's chair. The end.

Week in the Life: Day something. . .

I woke up feeling like I'd been up with Ruby all night. But when I checked by FitBit dashboard, it said I slept great. But, of course, yesterday, I woke up feeling great and thought I'd slept great and it said I got about six hours and was awake for almost two hours in the middle of night. So. . .

I brought Ruby out to the living room, turned off the alarm and porch lights, let Spot out, and turned on my coffee. I changed Ruby's clothes and diaper. Then I started feeding her. I got more berries this week and mixed with yogurt and she was quite happy with that. She ate and we read and played until around 10. By that point, Maggie was still asleep and Ruby was fussing like she was tired so I put her to bed and got Maggie up. 

This is why I can't do yoga while Ruby is awake.

Once Maggie was up, I started breakfast. But before I could half way done, Ruby was awake. Stinker! So I made her some toast and eggs, which she ate. Maggie had her breakfast too and I read history and Christmas books. Maggie did her reading, practiced her monologue for comedy, practiced her karate student creed, did Bedtime Math, and did Spelling. She also worked on her solar system model we made a few days ago. I have a picture of it. It's super cute. 

After that, I sent her to take a bath. By the times she was done, it was time to try again for a nap for Ruby. When I came out, I exercised and did yoga. Then Maggie and I got ready for the Christmas festival. When Ruby got up, we all had lunch and then finished getting bundled up. 

Arlington was having a festival with games and entertainment leading up to a parade. I had checked the website and it said it would only cancel if there was ice, which there wasn't. We drove out there but nothing was there. I drove around seeing if it was somewhere besides Levitt Pavilion but no. Finally I accidentally got kicked out of the website on my phone and when I googled it, I saw another link to a news stations saying it had been cancelled. I clicked on that and it hadn't been cancelled but moved to J. Gilligan's. You know what would be good information to put on your website?!?

So we went to Gilligan's and it was pretty small. They had to reconfigure at the last minute because of the rain. We played every game, Maggie got a balloon animal and her face painted. We saw the Grinch. After all that, it was still an hour and a half until the parade. So we didn't get to see that. I didn't say anything about it and Maggie was thrilled with everything we did get to do but what a bummer. Especially because we had been planning on going to the festival in Mansfield last night and didn't go because it was raining. And not only did they not cancel it, it was still the same as every year. We definitely picked the wrong time festival to brave the weather forecast.

Oh well, the girls really did have a good time. Once we got home, we just kinda hung out. Ruby ate again (someone is feeling better) and I puttered. I cleaned and put away and picked up, etc. Ruby went to bed and Maggie started on her list again. She finished her math lesson and did her chores. But pretty much, we're just sitting around. It's been quite lovely. 

Snippets

Maggie asked me, what do black and white make? (She was painting.) And I said, gray. She said, last time I asked, you didn't know, remember, you said sorry, sweetie, I just don't know. Ok. . . 

Too cool for school.

We were driving home from karate and Maggie was asking me to take her to Sonic and I told her we can't because I want to live long enough to be at her wedding. Then I thought, that's weird to say (for me), because obviously I'm not married. So I said, at your wedding, if you want to get married, or to meet your kids, if you want to have kids. And she said, I don't want to get married. So I asked if she thought she would have kids, and she said, well, only if I can have a girl. And I said, boys aren't so bad and anyway you can't really choose before hand (I guess she could adopt). And she said, I don't know, we have Ruby and now I know how annoying babies can be. Ha! Also, poor Ruby.

I think she looks just like Buddy from Elf in this picture.

Ruby figured out how to push her rocking chair up to something and then use it to climb up on that something. Ugh. She likes to push it around and she was pushing it through the kitchen. I was half keeping an eye on her (so she doesn't climb on it in the kitchen; she rarely falls off of it, but falling onto tile would hurt), half doing school work with Maggie, when Maggie said, Ruby's on your chair. I asked what chair and she said your chair, she's getting the food. I jumped up and she was in a dining room chair and climbing onto the table. Oy vey. So I pulled her down and moved the rocking chair back to the living room, hoping it was a fluke. But a few minutes later, I was doing dishes and Maggie yelled, Ruby's on the couch. I ran in and once again she had pushed her little rocking chair and used it to get up on the couch. I just confiscated the rocking chair. 

She continues to be obsessed with her belly button and now says, belly button. She's so sweet.

I saw this dog at one of my home studies. Doesn't he look just like Beasley? He was super soft and sweet and not so crazy so the similarities end with their looks. Also, he was so excited that his new best friend (me) was visiting, so these aren't the best shots.

Week in the Life: Day 4 AND Halloween

Ruby did not sleep so great last night. Boo! We got up early and came out. I turned off the alarm, turned off the porch lights, let Spot out, and changed Ruby's clothes and diaper. Then I got coffee and some berries and water for her. I finished up our Advent stuff. I decided to do all the same things we do every year but I printed each activity on paper and put them in paper bags so Maggie can open one every day to see what we're doing. Everything is scheduled now and ready to go.

While Ruby ate, I also cleaned the kitchen. Once she was done eating, I let her down to run around and did some work. At 9, we went and woke up Maggie. I made her make the bed. Then we headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Maggie got to open our first Advent bag. Decorate the house. 

This is Maggie's foot after a fire ant bite and possibly dropping something on it. Laurie insists it couldn't have gotten this bad from just the bite. But she definitely had a bite so I don't know.

Mommy's sweet little pumpkin. Everyone came to my house for Halloween. The girls drew on pumpkins with sharpies and had dinner. 

While Ruby napped, I made Maggie do her morning list and some school work. I exercised, cleaned, and made work calls. After only an hour (!!!!), Ruby woke up. I told Maggie everything she had left before we could decorate the house. She complained A LOT but did it. I played with, sang to, and read to Ruby. Finally we got out all of our decorations and started decorating. I have pictures. It would be smart to put this in a post with those pictures but no way I'm going through that mess. Sorry. We put the tree and all the decorations and rearranged the baby fence to protect it from our little tornado. We hung the wreath and set our all of our little items. Maggie is thrilled.

A little while later, Maggie went to our neighbor's house to play with her friend Dessie. I took Ruby for a bath. While we were in there, Maggie came back and said she needed a snack. So I got Ruby and I dressed and came and made Maggie a snack. She took two bites and ran back out. I laid Ruby down and started yoga but then Maggie and Dessie came over here to play. So I cleaned some more and worked.

Ruby getting her first Halloween candy.

Jeff did make-up.

Another pumpkin!

We all went trick or treating. 

After Dessie went home, I finished yoga. Maggie helped corral Ruby so she wouldn't tackle me. Then Richard came over and hung out with the girls. Then Grandpa and Joanne came over with dinner. It was busy.

Ruby has discovered her belly button and she pulls up her shirt over and over to touch it. Every time she's so surprised to find it. I got her to say, ho, ho, ho a few times but never when anyone else was around and, of course, she never lets me record.

After dinner, we played and watched Home Alone. Best Christmas movie ever.