A Great Life

Just a normal Monday at our house. I keep thinking about how tomorrow is APRIL 1ST and that's one step closer to it being May. And that's almost June. And at the end of June is when this whole escapade will come to a great big exciting finale. And she'll be here. And we'll all cry tears of joy. Until then, I'm taking it one day at a time.

In the meantime, I have been humbled lately at the problems that I DON'T have. I am pregnant, I have a sore back, I'm not lookin' too sexy, my house is not clean, I miss my family a bit... And those are my problems, for the most part. Well. My neighbor has five kids. And lives in a two bedroom townhouse. She has five kids and is pregnant with her sixth baby. She's due in April which is... um.. now. The other night her husband got arrested because he violated his probation (I don't know any details). When I drove them to the car dealership the other day, they failed to mention it:) Alright, people, now SHE'S got problems. Big ones. They both work, so who's going to watch all those kids while he's in jail? And is he going to be there when his baby is born? Her middle two daughters are less than a year apart and are both flunking first grade. I don't live in the nicest area of this town, but I didn't expect that my nice Puerto Rican neighbor, (the one with the tattoos) who has four daughters and one son and loves them dearly, would get arrested. The arrest happened right in front of our house with four cop cars and handcuffs and lots of yelling and crying. Come on, where is the LOVE? Just another reason why I am a very lucky lady. I've got a great life, and I need to remember that more often.

My Favorite Things

Cinnamy rolls.. I can feel the love from here...

Simply Orange Juice.

Chips and Guacamole (Darrell's guac is the best, but you have to have him as a Bro in law).
Steamed asparagus

Chinese food
Cobb Salad, or any other salad...
These popsicles.. chosen for the texture, not for their "sugar freeness".
Roma tomatoes, sliced, drizzled with zesty italian and fresh parmesan.. eaten in groups of ten.

Cafe Rio salad. How much I miss you.
Chips and Salsa. Anywhere, anytime.
Chocky cake. This is something I usually only love when I'm pregnant.

Dried Mangoes. Be careful what you eat these WITH.
These items don't even scratch the surface, but it's a beginning. I think about food A LOT. And it tastes so much better when you're pregnant! Sometimes I lie in bed at night thinking about food, glancing at the clock to double check, "yes, it's definitely too late to go get take-out... and I already ate... hm, yes, it's definitely too late". Having a conversation with myself.. that's always fun. Sometimes a stop at Checker's for their seasoned fries is the 9:30 pick-me-up that I need. Plump and healthy, that's the look I'm going for...

"Happy" Easter

We had a hunt (Grace thought it was an Easter BUNNY hunt, but she realized quickly it was just eggs). You can tell from the photos that I gave up making my girls look at the camera a long time ago. If they actually do look, it's either pure luck or it's me telling them that there's a huge My Little Pony dancing on my head.

Here are some grandkids on the bench above, Grace, Ruby, Simone, Reef, and Oz. Nana got EVERYONE an Easter basket, even the babies!

Today is Monday and we all have the flu. Fever, chills, the shakes, and two little girls who are mad at the world. Pray for my survival.

The Daily Stuff

Note to Ruby: Since you are potty trained, let's keep that theme going. Please stop saving up your poos for your diaper that you wear overnight and poo in in the morning hours. The diaper can become very flimsy and it creates a lot of laundry for your poor mommy. And wiping a bum lost it's appeal after... let's see... Grace was 1 day old. Also, I wish you expressed how tired you were in other ways besides crying. That said, I do love how much you snuggle me. I'm your only whine quencher, and I love that role.

Note to Grace: Please do not take advantage of the times that you wake up early in the morning. Please do not fill tupperware containers with water and pour Cinnamon Life cereal into them, place them on the carpet, and make Ruby eat it. Ruby does indeed think cereal soggy with water is delicious, but I hate all the soggy cereal smooshed into the carpet. It is the worst thing to open my eyes to in the morning. And next time, I'm making YOU clean it up with a spatula. What I did love today is when you played with Ruby and hugged her and told me, "Mom, all you do is DO things for US, huh?" Thank you Grace.

Note to Jake: I do appreciate you, how hard you work. Everything about you. Please forgive me for being crazy. Give it a few more months, I'll revert back to the original saved copy of Sarah. Oh, and try to hang up your shirts.

Note to Self: Do not let the girls be downstairs by themselves for any period of time. Check your cell phone minutes. Make sure you know today's date. Let breakfast contain something other than a giant bagel with an inch of cream cheese on top. Be more prepared for everything. Try to go to bed earlier. And please, try to take a shower every day.

I'm changing my name to "Our townhouse finally sold".

Sold, funded, recorded. And that's a wrap. After an offer fell through, and a 2 week contract fell through, we got another buyer who almost fell through, but finally closed. We now don't own any property in Utah, and it's a relief, I must say. Having my RE license has really saved and made us some money, and it was more flexible of a job than I thought. And think about the real estate market right now- it's like a huge Ross store. Everything's discounted... if it's not, you can ask the manager for one and you'll probably get it.

The Princess is 5.

Today Grace turns 5. These past 5 years have been our little experiment. We've learned what to do, and what not to do. Grace had to walk the gauntlet of, "Jake and Sarah, The First Time Around". Poor girl. I remember the day she was born and the first time I felt angels in the room as she was brought into the world. I remember carrying her in a baby carrier and going on walks, and talking to my baby Grace who didn't talk back to me yet. I remember her blessing, her first tooth (7.5 months old), the way she always spit out the carrot baby food and how annoyed I would get!

I remember how she was then, how she is now, and all the time in between. That is the gift that she has given me as a mother, and I want to thank her for that. She has an unquenchable fire inside of her. A fire to do good, to stand up for what she wants, and of course, unbridled emotion that only comes from being a 5-year-old girl. Now through tears, here is what I've learned from Grace so far:

I have learned that the food groups have changed, and consist of mainly bread.

I have learned that friends are defined only as people your own age who are within 100 feet.

I have learned that baby lips are to be snacked on, and if it's your own child??, snacked on several times a day.

I have learned that in the mind of a little girl, the schedule for the day is very clear: Have fun, and eat whatever you want.

I have learned that taking care of your little sister means taking possession of her toys, as well.

I have learned that having a smart little girl with a perfect memory can work to my disadvantage.

I have learned to calmly accept a screaming, writhing meltdown as completely normal.

I have learned that after spending a lifetime with her, I will be the luckiest mother on earth.

Pros and Cons

Cons:
My back hurts.
My face looks bigger.
I have an overall "matronly" physique... (Hi, I'm Helga, let me make you some stew!)
When I lose control of my children in public, people REALLY stare, like 'she cannot think that she can handle ANOTHER one!'
I have to be very careful to avoid looking like a tent.
June 26th is very, very far away.
Everything is itchy and stretchy.
I look twenty times worse when I cry.
I cannot be in any pictures anymore. I just can't take the reality of the weight gain.

Pros:
I can feel my new baby girl moving all the time.
I live by the beach.
I can eat whatever I want.. and the consequences will all blend in at the end...
My brain has stopped working and started thinking only of the baby and what needs to be done for her. A state of ignorant bliss, I tell you.
I have an excuse for things.. like eating late at night and not exercising.

The Nut Turns 3

When Ruby was born, March 4, 2005, the minute she started breathing, she cried. I heard it, Jake heard it, the nurses, the doctors, even Jake's parents in the waiting room heard her cry. I soothed her, expecting things to be easy like they were with Grace. As Jake puts it now, "She started crying when she was born and she didn't stop for a year". She did have a lot of smiles, coos, and pretty baby smells for us, but there were so many dark, dark times of endless crying and a strong Mother preference (or female, for that matter).

Now, our Dubes is lovingly referred to as the "nut" of the family. She is such a riot, and runs around with her head and chest out and her legs following desperately. Here are a few things we've learned about our Rubygirl over the years:

She likes broccoli and hates yogurt.

She has a husky voice.

She gets mad at toys, while playing alone, for not doing what she 'says'.

She has urine issues.

She makes you work really hard to get on her good side, unless forced by her mother.

She is the best snuggler I know.

She is disorderly.

She loves making messes, they create some sort of blind freedom in her mind.

She disdains little boys her age, and tends to use violence toward them.

She is very daring.

She doesn't mind getting in trouble, in fact, she usually thinks it's funny.

I can't believe I spent my entire life up to three years ago NOT knowing Ruby. I was really missing out. For her birthday, we went to Chuck E. Cheese and played, and then to Nana's house for some presents and birthday cake. I heard her aunt remark that Ruby was the nicest she's ever been during the present opening.. I guess niceness has to be given out small doses. When it counts the most.

Turning 30

Jake turned 30 yesterday. He had mixed feelings about this birthday, and true to his personality felt that being 30 should consist of a lot more. He felt that he should have attained more of his life goals by now, and the prospect of being 30 has been weighing on him. I think he has it all, that man. I think he will always be happy but never be satisfied, and I love a man with goals. I have so much to say about him, but this is not the place. Instead, here is a list of things I have learned from Jake since marrying him on that beautiful day in August, 2001:

I have learned that pregnancy isn't an excuse to not get out and enjoy the day (get off my behind).

I have learned that when you don't feel like kissing your daughters, it is the time when it's most important to.

I have learned that the depth in which a man loves his daughters is unexplainable, frightening, surprising, overwhelming, and incredibly beautiful.

I have learned that I am sexy even when I am chubby, or skinny, or freckly, or too loud, or too white, or have really ugly feet.

I have learned that Saturday is not a day to relax, it's a day to get out and DO THINGS as a family.

I have learned how to disagree with someone effectively.

I have learned that the things that annoy you about a person can turn out to be the best things about them.

I have learned that loving a man as my husband, taking care of him, arguing with him, and looking past our differences, can be the most rewarding accomplishment I will ever have in this life.

I have learned that sometimes, you just gotta throw your clothes on the floor and put them away tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, baby.