October Fun

We've been busy playing and enjoying the outdoors before it gets too chilly. Here's a little recap of some of the fun things we've done together as a family lately.

We took the kiddos to Cornbelly's Corn Maze/ Pumpkin Patch at Thanksgiving Point. This is fast becoming our favorite fall tradition. There is so much for the kids to do. We spent a few hours playing-- and could have stayed longer if we weren't anxious to eat and get Ruby and Wyatt home for bed time.

The singing farm animals were a major highlight for both kids.

The giant jumping pillow was a huge hit.

The girl waited (not so patiently) for her turn on the grey donkey; and she enjoyed every minute she had on it.

Scrumptious blue eyes! He's a total future heart breaker.



Cow train fun.





Wyatt is anxious to try meat.

Dressing up and dancing on the princess stage was her favorite activity of the day-- hands down!

So professional, right?

We took our last hike of the season through Corner Canyon. The leaves were the most amazing shades of red and orange-- autumn does have it's benefits. We can hardly believe that we live just a few miles from these beautiful hiking trails. I really have to admit that living in Utah is growing on me...

Ruby went to her first BYU football game. I know she's our little girl, but she was the cutest little cougar in attendance! She loved singing the Cougar fight song and would stand up with us and shake her pom poms every time we scored a touch down. Afterward she'd request to do it again. The snacks were also a hit-- umm, who can resist a warm pretzel? She hung in until sometime in the middle of the 3rd quarter. When she started hanging off the bleachers we decided to pack up and head for home.

Ever since we moved here we thought it would be fun to fly kites at the park next door to us. Well, when I was at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago they had a clearance bin full of them-- so I bought 4 (hey, they were only 50 cents a piece) and we finally had our day at the park. Ruby and Scout loved it. Wyatt just hung out with me and had a little snack.

The Bathroom is 90% complete!

After months of work, the kids' bathroom is practically complete. Here's a rundown of everything I did:
- painted stripes on the wall
- painted the vanity
- replaced the hardware on the vanity
- replaced the tp holder and towel racks
- bought new towels and a bathmat
- made hooded towels for the kiddos
- organized/lined the drawers and closet shelves

And a list of future plans:
- frame the mirror
- finish sewing the new shower curtain
- replace the shower hardware (we REALLY need a hand held shower head since this is the tub where I shampoo the kids' hair)
- frame and mount pictures of the kids (I have a few super cute, naked, bubble covered baby bath pictures that will be perfect)






I really love how it's coming together. It has been a labor of love and I'm proud to say that I did all of the work myself. Of course, my mom is helping me sew the shower curtain and Grandma babysat quite a bit so that I could tape and paint the bathroom; so I guess I didn't do it ALL by myself. :) Nonetheless, it still feels like a huge decorating diy accomplishment!

The next project on deck is to decide on interior paint for the house and hire someone to paint it before Thanksgiving. After the holidays I think we'll get serious about remodeling the kitchen (and that is going to be a major project-- new appliances, new countertops, a glass tile backsplash, new sink/faucet, new lighting fixture, curtains, and-gasp- we're going to attempt to refinish the cabinets ourselves!).

Ruby Speak

Here's another installment of toddler talk:

Prayer:
"Heavenly Father, Thank you I could play in my room and read Best Nest. Thank you for kiss night. I won't touch the button and make a loud noise. Jesus Christ. Aaaaaamen!" (She is referring to an incident that happened over 2 weeks ago. After we put her to bed and went down to the basement she climbed out and touched the lighted button on the carbon monoxide detector in the hallway. It made a terrible sound and by the time we got upstairs she was crying, traumatized in her bed. Frequently at bed time she still mentions that she'll never touch that button again. Sounds good to us!)

"Mommy I'm going potty. Give me some privacy please."

When some asks, "How are you?" Ruby's standard response is, "2."

"That's cow poop-- gross! I don't eat cow poop." (While pointing to potting mix I was using in the garden.)

Nope e nope

Yep e yep

When she gets tired she usually makes this request, "My eggs hurt. Carry me ike a baby."

Frequently she drops the letter l from the beginning of words. So, Cousin Lynsie is "Cousin Insie," listen is "isten," legs are "eggs."

When she hears a loud noise she proclaims that something is "making sounds."

Ruby- "I need my ipstick to make me pretty."

Mommy- "Things don't make you pretty. Who you are on the inside makes you pretty. You were born pretty."

Ruby- "No. I need my ipstick."

Oh, sigh...

While spinning in circles, "Weeeeeeee! I'm getting bizzy. Woa- I fall down!"

When you ask her to make a choice (i.e. Do you want to wear your ballerina pjs or monkey pjs?) she takes a moment, thinks about it, and responds, "Ummm, how about....?" and inserts a choice. So, grown up.

We hear a lot of the phrase, "Oh, I know!" As in, "Ruby, what do you want to do?" "Oh, I know-- play legos."

"Mommy I'm a princess and you're my queen."

R- "Daddy is Brandon Efford."

M- "Who am I?"

R- "Shen Efford."

Waking Ruby up after nap time she sat up in the crib and yelled, "No, Mommy! Get out! Shut the curtains." Already? I thought stuff like that doesn't happen until they become teenagers.

"Mommy can you help me put my penguin backpack on? I'm going on a business trip to Wyatt's room."

While playing with ducks in the bathtub, I overheard her say to them: "These ducks are mountain biking. These ducks are on a business trip."

While playing legos, I overheard he explain to herself: "He's getting in a helicopter and flying to Texas to see his friends and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." (Could she be getting our flights to Texas and California mixed up in her mind?)

After Wyatt threw up:

R- "Ewww, I don't like it when he throws out!"

M- clean it up

R- "Good job Mommy! I'm so proud of you! Way to go!"

On our way out the door Ruby was complaining it was cold and wanted her jacket on, but since it's hard to buckle her car seat buckle while she's wearing a jacket we were encouraging her just to get in the warm car. The conversation went something like this:

Brandon- "Get in the car. It's warmer in there."

Ruby- "No. It's warmer in my jacket."

PInk Series Half Marathon

*Pictures to come (Remember my camera is on the fritz? Brandon took a few on his iphone and Cherie took some that she's going to share with me after she gets back from her cruise.)*

Last Saturday was the big day, and much to my dismay, it snowed. Cherie and I bundled up and plowed through it. At mile 2 I dropped my scarf on the side of the road. At mile 3 I put my gloves in my pocket and at mile 9 I left my sweat pants next to the porta potty (not to worry I had a pair of running pants on underneath). It never got warm enough to take off my athletic jacket. In fact, towards the end of the race it actually got colder and I put my gloves back on again. So much for showing off those cute tanks we had custom made that read "13.1" on the front and "because I'm only half crazy on the back." Oh, well they were thinner/more transparent than anticipated (so much so that we dubbed them "nipple shirts").
It took me about 2 miles to get warm and thaw out my feet. After that I hit a good stride and we kept pace between the 2:30 and 2:45 pace setters. I wanted to finish about 2:40 and for most of the race it looked like we were going to accomplish that. Then 9 mile happened. We both had to stop and use the porta potty, which took longer than anticipated because the person in front of us was having bowel problems (my worst fear during a race). By the time we finished the 12:45 pace setter was ahead of us and we had to run a mile straight up hill to catch up to him. Did I mention that this race was in Park City (about 4,000 ft higher than where I did the majority of my training). Mile 9 killed me! My body wasn't achy or sore (thanks to the ibuprofen I took at mile 7), but I started to struggle with my breathing. By 10.5 miles I was feeling dehydrated and still struggling to breathe properly. So, unfortunately, I ended up walking most of the distance between 10.5-13.1 miles. I hit a wall-- at least I didn't stop! And tmi side note: I didn't have to stop and drop a dookie or vomit while running (I did throw up on the side of the freeway on the way home, though).
I crossed the finish line after 2 hours and 46 minutes. So, I didn't meet my goal; but I finished despite the weather and elevation challenges. I'm still really proud of myself. I have NEVER been a runner or liked running. I started training for a 5k just 5 months ago since it was something simple I could do close to home while my newborn was too young to go the gym. It morphed into something I really never expected. I actually began looking forward to my training runs-- especially the long days when I knew Cherie and I would get a chance to get out together and have some girl chat. I began to love the feeling of pushing myself just a little further every week and feeling pleased that I was rising to new challenges. I never lost more than a few pounds of baby weight, but I learned a ton about myself and gained so much in the process. I guess that's life for you-- always delivering unexpected (often better) outcomes than you could have envisioned.
And a little shout out to my running buddy Cherie-- she is AMAZING! I really adore her for, first off, agreeing to run with me and secondly, challenging me to train for something out of my comfort zone. Week after week she gave me tons of positive reinforcement and encouraged me to keep going. She believed I could do this long before I did! She is a great friend. She slowed down her pace significantly for me and never left my side. And she's the only woman I know who looks glamorous while running. I hope this isn't the last race we do together.
I have plans to push myself to train and do a race every summer. This one trail was especially beautiful and the weather really wasn't typical for this time of year, so I might actually do this one again next year; but I'm willing to explore other options (marathons are still out of the question). Anyone else want to join in the fun? I promise that you'll have a good time! Chelsea? Alyssa? Jamie? Rachel?

8 Month Update!

Time flies-- today little man is 8 months old. The poor guy has spent the majority of the month sick. He got an ear infection at the end of August and then strep throat a few weeks later. A week into his amoxicillin treatment for the strep he started burning up with fever. It turns out that his amoxicillin treatments were too close together and the second one wasn't effective. Now that he's on a different medication he seems to be doing better (except now he's cutting more teeth).

Meet sick and tired. They both look pretty miserable, don't they?

First sippy cup. He mostly just gnaws on it.

Binkies are also good for gnawing.

Daddy and the babes before his business trip (On the tenth anniversary of September 11-- what a terrible day to fly)

Our sweet baby tank loves to be tickled, danced with, and roll around the carpet. He has gotten expert at army crawling and scooting to wherever he wants to be. Hands down, bath time is his favorite part of the day. I love to watch him splash in the water and try to grab the tub toys with his chubby little hands. Most of the time Ruby likes to climb in the tub with him, They are best buds-- and I hope it stays that way. She loves to hug and kiss him (and try and hold him) and he adores everything she does. She is the best at making him belly laugh. His favorite toy is a hard plastic giraffe that Grandma Dona gave him. He has an affinity for legos and books, too. Of course, everything goes directly into his mouth. Having an 8 month old baby is kind of like having a puppy-- chew, chew, chew.

Game day at Grandma's house.

Chew, chew, chew.


Diaper box races-- a favorite pastime around here.

Sister hugs. You think the little guy would be used to them by now...


He has tried all of his fruits and vegetables. From what I can tell he doesn't really have a favorite, but he makes tortured faces when I try and feed him peas. He loves teething biscuits, puffs, and gnawing on his sippy cup.
It won't be long before Mr. Wyatt is on the move and into as much mischief as his big sis.

He adores her.

Legos!



PS-- All of these photos were taken on my iphone, so sorry if they are a little grainy. I really need to figure out what's up with my camera!

Poor baby. Have you ever been that tired?

Sick and Tired

This past month we became zombies. Both kids have had ear infections, strep throat, and adverse reactions to amoxicillin. On top of that, Brandon and I both got a gnarly 24 hour flu bug and a cold virus (that hit each of us twice). Oh, and while I was trying to soothe Wyatt last night (he is cutting 2 new teeth) Brandon was trying to help make Ruby comfortable (she had a 102 degree fever). So, needless to say, we are exhausted and ready to be healthy again.
Despite being down and out we went ahead with our planned Lake Powell retreat a few weeks ago. I was nervous and missed my babies, but it was so wonderful to relax and spend time with Brandon and other adults. We camped out on a houseboat (definitely, my type of camping) and spent the afternoons playing on wave runners, kayaking around the lake, wake boarding and wake surfing. Plus, I had enough time to myself to start and finish nearly all of my novel (The Help-- loved it!). Did I mention that the trip was catered? Amazing food-- all day and night long. We were spoiled. I wish that I had taken some pictures, but my camera broke; so we are hoping that some of Brandon's coworkers will share their pictures with us.
In other news, tomorrow is my big race. When I started training for a half marathon 12 weeks ago it seemed daunting, but now I'm ready. It's surprising how quickly my opinion about running has changed in such a short amount of time. I only intended to train for a 10k, but when my running buddy (an amazing roommate from college) encouraged me to push myself and try preparing for a half marathon instead I was skeptical. As I started challenging myself and got further into the training I started to believe that I could do it. After my first 6 mile run I distinctly remember thinking, "I basically just ran a 10k. I still have 2 months left to train. I think I can do this." and so I took the plunge and invested in good running shoes and orthopedic inserts. A few weeks later I paid the race registration fee and after that there was no turning back. The first time I started to really feel confident was after my first 9 mile run. Unfortunately, a week after that I came down with the flu and got sick (I'll spare you the gross details) 2 miles into my 10 mile run. Not long after that I caught a long lasting cold virus which went away and returned. So, for the past 3 weeks my training has been sketchy, but at least I've gotten in all but one of my long runs and half of short runs and cross training sessions. I just hope the sun comes out (we've had beautiful weather up until a few days ago) and that I can get enough sleep tonight so that Cherie and I have an enjoyable run tomorrow. Wish me luck. I'll post pictures (from my iphone since my camera is still on the fritz).