Memorial Day Weekend 2015

I'll make this quick:

Scout jumped off the bed and either sprained his knee or tore his cruciate ligament (basically, the dog acl).  For the first few days following the injury he refused to eat and drink, so we hand fed him scraps and used a syringe to get some fluid in him.  He's now back to eating and drinking on his own, but is still limping.  We go back to the vet next week.  Fingers crossed that our puppy pal heals quickly!

We visited the Payson LDS Temple Open House.  It was beautiful-- really lovely, but Payson is a long way from Draper. After such a long car ride everyone needed a time out and 2 big kids lost a few toys to the "earn it back pile"! lol

We got some use out of our zoo passes.  The weather was perfect- overcast and warm (but foreboding, so it kept the crowds at bay).  Levi loved it.  Daddy and the big kids even took a spin on the carousel.

We went swimming at the Treehouse.  Coach Brandon gave me some pointers while I practiced swimming laps for my upcoming sprint triathlon.  The kids played, of course.

We test drove cars.  A lot of cars.  The kids loved the Honda Pilot.  We loved that none of them could touch or breathe on each other.

We took a nice bike ride.  Even Levi got in on the action, thanks to my friend Jamie who lent me an infant sling attachment for our bike stroller.  He's the youngest Linford to ride in that thing (with out the attachment you have to be at least a year to ride in it).

It was fun, and relaxing, and exhausting.

Tiny and Toothless

Last week Ruby lost her first tooth (with out dental assistance).  She had a wiggly tooth for a few weeks, but she was hesitant to pull it out.  One night it was barely hanging on, so we gave it a quick yank and out it came!
She was so excited that the tooth fairy was coming to visit that she made her a fairy house and put it at the foot of her bed (in case she wanted to stay and rest awhile).
In the morning Ruby proudly showed off the dollar bill that the tooth fairy left behind and had a plan for spending it in no time!

Ruby got her ears pierced!

I've been telling Ruby for what seems like forever that she could get her ears pierced whenever she wanted it done.  She seemed interested in the earrings, but not the pain.  Once she started school she noticed that a lot of her friends have earrings.  She brought it up a few times, but whenever I asked her if she wanted to go to the mall and get them done she'd refuse and say that she'd like to wait until she was older; until a few weeks ago...
My friend posted a picture on Instagram of her 5 year old getting her ears pierced.   I showed Ruby and it sparked a conversation.  That morning she decided that she would get her ears pierced after school.  She told her teacher and all of her school friends about her big courageous plan.  Of course, at the time she thought her little friend Charlotte would go with her.  She was planning on letting Lotte go first.  Then I found out that Lotte couldn't do it anymore.  For a quick second I thought Ruby would back out, but she decided that she still wanted to do it.
When we got to the mall she picked out her earrings, sat in the chair, had the dots drawn on her ears and then changed her mind.  I told her that was ok.  We could walk around the mall and if she wanted to do it before we left we would.  If she wanted to wait for another day that would be okay, also.  Well, after walking around the store for about 3 minutes and checking out he earrings she confessed that she really wanted to do it, but was a little scared.  I volunteered to let her sit on my lap and we decided that she should close her eyes while they did both ears at once.  It worked!  She didn't scream or cry.  She was quite brave and happy with the results and picked out a few sets of earrings to take home with us.
Afterwards she kept telling me how special she felt and how unbelievable it was that she had earrings!  When we got home she marked the date on her calendar that she can change her earrings for the first time.  Success!

Wyatt's Preschool Graduation

 Mr. Wyatt just finished his first year of preschool.  I can hardly believe how quickly that passed!

When I compare the pictures from his first and last days of school it makes me so sad-- he grew up a ton in such a short amount of time!

He really loved going to school at Miss Cari's.  She is so nurturing, it would be hard not to love it.  He also loved carpooling with our neighbor Juliet.  Dare I say, he might have a tiny crush on that sassy little lady?

In his year end assessment Miss Cari commented on his sweetness and sense of justice and obedience.  He really does stick to the rules and gets very flustered when others don't.  Out of my 2 school-aged children he's the only one who consistently remembers to put his shoes away in the shoe box and hang up his coat and jacket when he gets home (please let this be a long term habit).

He is solid and loves to play.  He knows most of his letters, sounds, and numbers (up to 13).  He could sit down and listen to stories for hours.  I can't wait to see how he grows next year at New Castle.

On his last day at Miss Cari's they had a mini graduation ceremony.  He sang songs (most of the time with a serious expression- sometimes he cracked a big hearty smile for us) and got one last chance to play with his buddies.  Just before leaving he helped crack open the piñata.  Because Ruby was sad she couldn't be there (she was at school) he shared his loot with her.  He really is a gentle little soul.  We sure love him!

Ruby's Dance Recital: What Do You Do With an Idea?

On May 16 Ruby had her first dance recital with the Virgina Tanner Creative Dance Program.  I have to admit, it was my favorite!  I (not so secretly) hope she wants to dance with them for a long time.  I love how they emphasize the joy of movement and dancing.  They really encourage creativity alongside good technique.

All of the  pieces in the show were based on the book "What Do You Do With An Idea?"  It was really well done and a total joy to watch Ruby prance and leap around the stage.

Even though it was rainy, all the grandmas made it (as did Aunt Brooke),  Ruby felt very loved.  They showered her with praise and flowers and cookies (per her request lol).  We got her a signed copy of the book the show was based on and she really cherishes it.

Bravo, Ruby!  Keep dancing-- you're a star!

Mother's Day

This year Brandon and the kids went all out for Mother's Day.  They did have me a little worried when they called from Costco a few days before and asked if I'd like a tent as a gift... good thing they didn't get it! lol  Instead, Ruby picked out flowers for my garden and Wyatt picked out water bottles for me to use at the gym-- both very thoughtful gifts.  Brandon bought me a new pair of shoes that I had been hoping for and my mom and grandma surprised me with a new peony bush (my favorite) for my garden.  I was spoiled!
Brandon and the kids made me breakfast before church and then after church both sides of our family came over for dinner.  All the menfolk were in charge of all the food and clean up.  They did everything from appetizers to dessert and took care of the dishes.  Win! Win! Win!
I sure love this adorable family of mine and all the effort they put into making sure that I had a special day.

Brandon's Birthday

On April 20th we celebrated Brandon's 32nd birthday.  The night before we had a fun little family dinner party at the house.  I successfully made a roast (hooray!).  And then everyone hung around and visited for awhile.

Then the next day, on his actual birthday, we started the day off with presents and pancakes.  After work we had dinner and took the kids swimming at the pool.
It was low key, but he had a good time and was happy to spend some time with the family since he's been traveling so much lately.

Here's to a wonderful year, B!

Levi's 7 Month Update

Little Moo-Moo (as Ruby calls him) is now 7 months old.  He is all smiles and is constantly on the move.

He pushes up into the plank position and then does the worm to move forward.  It is a very inventive way to crawl, but he has it down to a science and is very, very quick!

His favorite toys are his Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack and his little Fisher Price house.  Of course, he also loves to shred paper and chew on it until it dissolves.

He is starting to like some vegetables (mostly just squash and carrots).  He LOVES cereal puffs and yogurt melts.  As soon as I put them on his high chair tray he starts raking them up (no pincher grasp yet)  immediately.

Most nights he wakes up just once and goes back to sleep immediately after a bottle; although frequently he has been struggling to go back to sleep right away and is waking up earlier than normal (6:30 am).  Needless to say, we are anxious to get his sleeping back on track and are brushing up on our sleep training skills.  Luckily, his daytime napping is becoming more established.  

He takes an hour nap in the morning at the gym and a good 1-2 hour nap after lunch in his crib.  Sometimes he also takes a quick 1/2 nap in the evening just before dinner time.

We sure love him and are having lots of fun watching his personality emerge.