Dinner With a Side of Silly

These girls are sheer entertainment, most of the time.  While eating dinner, we danced in our seats, while Glenn did some serious karaoke to Adele, after which, Ruby imitated Stella with some orange slices.  We Aydelottes sure know how to have some fun!

Sure do adore these two!

Stella is Six!

Six years ago, Glenn and I were so excited to meet our little Stella, that the night before i was to be induced, we ended up laying in bed all night wide awake.  It was like waiting for Christmas to come.  Every half hour or so, one of us would ask the other, "Are you still awake?".
Stella came into our world with tons of curly hair, rose bud lips, and eyes that had me at 'hello'.  This little one has such a special place in our hearts, and was just who we needed to come into our lives.  She is a bit of an old soul, and still teaches me many things.  Though I am always Mom first, she has become such a fun little friend to hang out with.  She has the silliest sense of humor, and has developed some pretty amazing impressions.  The girl can throw on an accent like nobody's business, and I am continually amazed at how patient she remains with a sometimes impatient Ruby.  She is the best big sister.  In fact, she is teaching Ru a preschool game in the Ipod, right now.  The two have become each other's cheerleaders (which is how family should be).  I am completely smitten with Miss Stella.  Check out how our little beauty has evolved:

Belated Father's Day Post

So….  I am never any good at going public with things like this, but I will do this for G, for Father’s Day (nope, no new baby on the way).  And I will post this to my blog, as it will be read by fewer people, thus reducing any self-consciousness that may result of my sharing some personal feelings in a public forum.

This is a belated Happy Father’s Day shout out to my main squeeze (as opposed to my secondary and tertiary squeezes).  This man got me to fall head over heels for him at an SF Giants game.  We had been dating off and on for quite a while, but I finally opened my eyes to my feelings for him at a baseball game.  It was in between bites of some amazing sandwiches I had made to bring with us.  At the time we were off again.  We were sitting in the bleachers, section 138, to be exact, and chatting over our dinner, when I suddenly realized that I never wanted to date anyone else.  I had missed him, and didn’t want to feel that again.  From then on, I couldn’t get the guy out of my head.  I remember I couldn’t think of Glenn without smiling, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him.  He was so easy to talk to, and made it easy to be completely myself when he was around.  I loved that his hands were always warm, whenever mine were cold.  I loved that he always signed his notes to me ‘Love, Me’.  I love that he would get me flowers from my favorite little market in Berkeley.  I love that he challenged me in ways no one else ever had before, and that he was (and still is) my loudest cheerleader.  I loved how sweet and respectful he was to his parents.  I love that he stuck it out, no matter how often I deluded myself into thinking I maybe didn’t want to get married.  And I love that I picked him to be the father of my beautiful girls.  They have no idea how lucky they are, though I try and tell them every single day.  What a lucky girl I am to get to celebrate Father’s Day with this guy.  And he’s mine for eternity.

Sunday, Sunday. Sharks. And Other Things.

We go to church most Sundays.  Church is three hours.  Three hours can be a long time.  Three hours can be a VERY long time with a restless toddler.  Stella is so great about sitting quietly, most of the time. She is five, so she certainly has her moments, but, generally speaking, she is well behaved.  I have often heard myself refer to Ruby as a handful, but, really, she just keeps us on our toes.  We are constantly on high alert with this little one.    She is very curious, and just likes to go, go, go.  The entirety of Sacrament meeting consists of Ruby climbing all over me and Glenn, occasionally taking breaks to flirt with the little old ladies sitting right behind us.  Oh, and once in a while she will really harass Stella.  Generally, Glenn and I can never keep a straight face through this last meeting.  I wonder what our little bench looks like to an outsider.
Stella, meanwhile is obsessed with sharks.  She recently got a shark book, and when she is not actively reading said book, she is comparing the sharks to try and figure out which shark has the most advantage in the water, or which one she would most like to be.  I remember when Stella really wanted to be a pink pony when she grew up.  Her best friend Jake wanted to be a police dog.  Those two were quite the pair.
It won't be long before I really miss these days, despite the seeming constant chaos, and serious lack of sleep.  Until then, I will eat up every minute of it.  These two are my loves.  They are my reason for getting up every day.  They remind me what it is to fall in love over and over again.  And they are proof that there is more to this life than a mere temporal existence.  They have their own individual, spectacular personalities, that I never thought I could love so very much.
This Friday Glenn and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage.  I married my very best friend.  I married the sweetest husband and father on the planet.  I love this man more than anything in the world.  I cannot imagine my life without him.  And I will always love him for giving me Stella and Ruby.

Pajamas & Ice Cream

We are really enjoying living in Ogden. There are some interesting places to eat. The older homes in town really add some cool character. It also doesn't hurt that we are right up against the Mountains. After a day full of play dates, shopping and down time, we bundled up the girls in pajamas, coats and hats, and went out for ice cream in 30 degree weather. Yum! Thank you and good night...

Sunny Days..... And Updates

 Time flies.  Stella will be six in July.  Ruby is almost 17 months.  Stella lost her first tooth.  Ruby is getting her 15th and 16th teeth in now.

Stella is my helper.  She is so great with Ruby.  She can pick up Ruby and carry her around (quite impressive since Ru is half Stella's weight).  Stella still LOVES school, but is also looking forward to all of the fun things we have planned this summer.  She is finishing up her first season of soccer, and she had so much fun.  She gets to do gymnastics this summer, and will start up soccer again in the fall.  She still asks when we are moving back to California so she can be near her friends - Jake, Tori, and Drew.  She is our sensitive girl, whose emotions run deep.  Don't know what I would do without this beautiful spirit around our house.

Ruby loves playing with her belly button in the bath tub, and generally pushing all of our buttons (preferably all at the same time).  She runs everywhere.  She likes to make herself heard by anyone within a 3 mile radius.  Her hair has a personality all its' own, and she is almost always smiling and showing off those beautiful little teeth.  She sings all the time.  She is always babbling - there are distinctly different babbles for each request and exclamation (Stella refers to this as Baby British - not sure how she came up with that one).  She does not like to sit still, unless reading books.  She has the most beautiful laugh, and usually keeps the three of us in stitches. 

Full Hearts

Ruby:
Independent
Vocal
Assertive
Cannot miss a single thing going on around her
Restless
Playful
Curious

Stella:
Thoughtful
Sensitive
Calm
Patient
Social
Happiest one-on-one
Imaginative

I LOVE how different our girls are from one another. They are each beautiful and unique. In many ways, they are quite opposite. In a very few, they are similar kiddos– Independent, shy, affectionate, silly - who love to see new things, but, at the end of the day, they just want to be home with Mom and Dad. On the floor, reading books, or playing games.
These two just love each other so much, and are constantly looking around for the other one, Stella making sure Ruby is okay, and Ruby making sure Stella is near. There are countless hugs and kisses between the two, and Stella tells me on a very regular basis how grateful she is to have a sister, and thanks us for giving her Ruby. Ruby, meanwhile, lights up whenever she glimpses Stella, and always has to be near her. These two are just the sweetest, and we are so grateful for our little family (despite the regular sleepless nights) and love watching them grow into individual little people.

Ruby Turns 1!

Pretty cool that we get to celebrate Ruby's birthday every New Year's Eve. I can't believe how fast this past year flew by:

Ruby is our wildcard - you never know what she's gonna do next. She has the best bedhead around, as evidenced above. I can't imagine our little family without Ru!

Best Friends

Some great friends came out to Utah and we got to visit with them. Stella loves her friend Tori so much, it is such a treat to get to hang out with this sweet family. As you can see, they have so much fun together:

Soccer

Stella tried soccer this past fall and loved it. She can't wait to start up again in a few months. She had the sweetest coach, who grew up playing. What a cute team! I will say that most of the time, Stella loved watching her feet run after the ball, more than anything. It was pretty cute!

Halloween 2011

We did a trunk-or-treat this year and had so much fun! Stella was a renaissance princess, and was so lucky to have her Ya-Ya make her a beautiful costume:

And Ruby was the cutest Cupid you have ever seen:

My Cuties:

Vernal

Last October we took a day trip out to Vernal, with my family, to check out some dino bones. Is was so much fun! Stella couldn't ask enough questions, and Ruby loved being able to run around everywhere, after having to sit in a ca for a few hours.

Ruby and Stella hamming it up in the car

My Cuties (all three of them):

My oh-so-serious fam:

Updates

Well. It has been a little while. Stella turned 5 in July - such a fun little party complete with fun Uncle Scotty & Auntie Sarah, a pinata, and enormous water fight throughout the neighborhood. Stella LOVES Kindergarten, and has such a sweet teacher. She loves reading to anyone who will sit for her (especially Ruby). Stella got her first taste of playing soccer in the fall, and can't wait to start up again this spring. She continues to amaze me with her kindness and compassion towards others, her patience with her little sister, and her ever-evolving sense of humor.

Ruby was just four months old when we moved out to Utah. She is a crazy little one. She never sits still. Always has to check out what's going on around her. She talks and runs. Her favorite this right now is climbing stairs (up and down). She enjoys any toy that makes sounds, and can't help shaking her little booty, whenever the music starts. She adores Stella, and can't wait to wake her up every morning. Ruby has six teeth, that are always on display because the girl is almost always smiling. She has certainly changed the dynamic of our little family, and keeps things fun and unpredictable. She turned one last week (New Year's Eve), and I still marvel at how she's changed since we brought her home from the hospital a year ago.

Glenn stays busy with school, kids and work. He has been so great as I transition to living away from all of our dear friends (really, our family). We are eagerly awaiting snow. Lots of snow. We live 15 minutes from the nearest ski resort and cannot wait to hit the slopes with Stella this year. All in all, it has been a bit of a rough year, with many amazing highlights. So grateful for my little family and the happiness they bring. For those of your who live far away, we miss you all dearly. Happy New Year!