Kisses for T.

Today we had a bit of fun:

I was telling Ruby the entire time that she can't tell Dad about this... 

If he found out, he would have called it child abuse and come straight home to rescue his baby girl.

But look, she LOVED it!

She (obviously) had a bath directly after this little photo shoot.

Then, she proceeded to have TWO blow outs within the next 3 hours.   

Ruby loves getting kisses.

Just like her momma! 

Master of Public Health

Dear Friends and Family,

As some/many of you may know, I have accepted my acceptance to do a Masters of Public Health beginning September 17th.  I applied to the program to keep my options open, never really intending to do it.  Then, when I was actually accepted, I did a LOT of debating, and decided to go for it!

Here are the reasons I decided to do the program:
- I love learning.  I want to be educated
- I want to contribute to the world around me in a meaningful way
- A masters degree is empowering
- Feeling of fulfillment, and accomplishment
- If I ever do a Masters, it will be now, or in about 30 years... or, never
- I want to be the best mom I can be, and I really believe educated people make great mothers
- And many other reasons...

Well, I've made the most of my summer and been playing with Ruby like crazy.  As we've gotten closer and the reality of school set in, I did some more pondering on what my goals are and how I will get there.  Completing this program would be an amazing thing that I likely wouldn't regret, but I have come to realize that I can fulfill my goals (and the reasons listed above) in other ways that won't:
A) Take me away from Ruby and my family time
B) Cost an arm and a leg and
C) Allow me the time and energy to pursue other talents and hobbies that make me happy!

This week, I gave up my spot and bowed out of the program.  It feels like the right thing to do.  I now feel very relieved and at peace.  I am excited to take piano lessons and really start advertising my photography and delving into that world.  I plan to start a book club and/or cooking group.  I can give everything I have to my calling, and fulfill my scripture study and exercise goals.

Scott has been the ultimate support through this period of self-discovery.  I couldn't ask for a better companion who loves me and values me whether I am a Master or not.

Thank you for your support of my decision.  I really feel that it is the best thing for me and my family.  It took a lot to reach this point, but I know that none of my time or money has been wasted in this pursuit.  It has been the cost of me realizing my priorities and committing to achieve them.

Hello, Stranger!

Hello, Stranger!  Could you please tell me how to take care of my baby?

This is adapted from Wendy Molyneux written here.


* This post is written to be funny.  I do not really feel this passionately.  But I'm pretty sure Scott does :)

* I welcome tips and tricks from friends and family.  Just not strangers.

Oh, hello, stranger in the fabric store!  Thank you for telling me that it is "mother's like me who kill their babies due to those silly canopies that cause babies to overheat and die every day!"   I'm glad you said something, I was wondering if the canopy I intentionally draped over my baby would kill her.  How silly am I to think it was protecting her from germs, weather and crazy quilt shop ladies...  I am super relieved because I have a series of questions about my baby that I hope you can answer, and I am going to ask them because I know you would never offer me unsolicited advice.

First of all, should she sleep, ever?  If so, should it be at night?  Should I keep her in a bassinet or crib, or should I let her sleep in the yard, or in the toaster?  Oh, and when she's sleeping should I wake her up to listen to rock music and suck on Jolly Ranchers together?  Being a new parent is confusing, so I need to rely on kind strangers like you to fill me in :)

Oh, hello Costco receipt checker!  Thank you for lifting my baby's cover and rubbing her feet and hands so ferociously that she woke up from a dead sleep to start screaming!  It's okay, we were on our way our anyway.  Thank you for the compliment on my child's beauty.  It was really worth sacrificing her afternoon nap/sleeping schedule so that you could tell me how cute she is.  Oh, and spread Costco shopping cart germs onto my child's hands.  Thanks!

Oh hi, nice lady!  You are probably right!  With my baby's fair complexion, I can't carry her into the grocery store without a hat and sunscreen.  Thank you for telling me how crazy I am for letting her face see the sun for that 30 seconds... heavens! She could get sun disease and burst into flames!  I'm so glad you stopped me!

Oh, hello, person I have never met at the farmers market! You did not scare me at all with your very loud voice as you rushed up to tell me that "two babies died today from falling out of windows."  Remind me, please, how me playing and doing tricks with my daughter at the park correlates with children falling out of windows?  I'm glad you were there so you could cause a scene and tell me not to be an irresponsible parent.  Phew!

Hi, stranger!  Oh, my baby is crying?  I had no idea!  I should see if she is cold?  Oh, she could be hungry?  Wow, good thing you were here, or I would have no idea what to do next!  There are just so many things I need to know, and that is why I rely on total strangers like you who happen to be experts on child care.

And that my friends, are true stories from a mom of 3 months.

Uinta Backpacking Trip

Well, another fun weekend to put in the scrapbook:

We hiked to Island Lake in the Uintas with our friends the Moores for a little over-nighter.

Normal hikes become more intense when you carry your food, shelter, and a few comforts of home.

Oh, and a baby...

Huge props to Scott for carrying the child and the tent.  Scott is an all star.

Ruby got a 10/10 for her first day hike in.

She earned 2/10 for the "night" portion of the trip.

And a 9/10 for the second day.

This gives her an average of 7/10 which means she'll probably get to go again...

In the morning, I was nominated to get the bear bag out of the tree which meant I got in a big fight with the branches:

We are sad to report that we didn't catch ANY fish!  

I have tried to catch a fish for 10+ years, and never succeeded, so when I finally do one day, you will hear about it!

I was really sad to carry the tin foil, lemon pepper and oil all for nothing :( Every ounce counts!

Kim won our "all natural" sailboat contest with this awesome watercraft.  Well done making a sail, Kim!

And Ruby spent the morning laughing under a tree.  She tried to eat dirt but we're pretty sure we stopped her :)

And the most thrilling part of the trip was rafting ourselves out to the island part of "island lake."  

Epic.

Kim and Jesse were so fun to hike with!

By the end, Ruby had kind of had enough...

We had a great weekend away and never regret our ventures to the mountains.  Taking a baby is a bit of a feat, but very possible if you're committed and plan ahead.  And if the baby cooperates with only needing as many changes as you brought diapers... :)  I can only imagine that this is the first of many many hikes for Ruby with her dad!

ZION

Here is the long awaited post from our weekend in St. George/ Zion.  We went with our friends the Moores (who did a great blog post -with lots more pics- summing up the trip!)  

Some fun things we did were:

Hiking in Red Cliffs

Eating good food

Off roading

Rappelling

Floating the river

Water sliding

Hiking in Zion National Park

Going to the "Little Narrows" in St. George

Avacoado face masks

Crawfish hunting

Because I am too busy impatient to put the photos in order, here's the hodge podge:

photo credit: Jesse

We began at red cliffs:

photo credit: Jesse

The Hidden Canyon Trail (highly recommend it for next time your in Zion)

photo credit: Jesse

great pic, huh???

Rubywas sure a trooper!

YUM!  Fav tradition:  these brownie sundaes at the lodge!

And we hiked a little ways into the narrows:

And on the way home, we found these gorgeous hot springs.  Total highlight!

The RED BARN.  Best apple juice ever.  

And the great thing is that we had such a good time, we are doing another weekend trip with the Moores starting TODAY!  Backpacking in the Uintas!  

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time there was a baby girl named Ruby.  She was 3 months old and very polite.

In the morning, Ruby woke up and called for her dad to come play.  They played for an entire hour before daddy left for work!

Then, she had a quick snack and played with mom for about a half hour before heading back to the crib.  Life sure wears a girl out!  

Mom did the dishes, started the laundry, and picked up the house while Ruby girl slept.  Then, when Ruby woke up around 11am, mom realized that she hadn't showered, it had been 2 days since Ruby's last bath, AND it was sunny outside!  So what better solution than to put on swimsuits and head to the pool for a mommy/daughter date!  

First they sat poolside.  Ruby beneath her shaded covering, and mom beneath the bright, Utah sun.  Before long it was time to cool off and swim around!  Ruby loved kicking and splashing and staring at her bright pink toenails.  

Mom drank some water, Ruby drank some milk, and then it was off to the next water activity: bath time!  There is nothing Ruby loves more than a nice warm bath, just like her momma!  

After a nice long drink of milk, Ruby begged for a nap.  So by the time mom got herself together and found a swaddling blanket, Ruby was fast asleep for her transfer to the crib.  Mom checked her emails, blogs, facebook, instagram, pinterest... the works.  After some time connecting with the outside world, she got some lunch and made a few more phone calls.  Then, she practiced the piano. When R girl woke up, she wanted to go to the park to roll around.  Tummy time doesn't really work anymore because Ruby just flips herself over easy as that.  

After they got home, Ruby sat on mom's lap for a good 40 minutes while she wrote emails, made calls and planned meetings for mom's church group, the Relief Society.  Then, the girls made a meal plan for the week and took a walk to the grocery store!  Ruby is too little for the free cookies, but she sure loved rolling around in her stroller.  

Dinner was the next event.  Ruby hung out in the Bjorn while mom cooked the steaks, asparagus, and baked potatoes.  Dad's favorite.  Yum! Ruby doesn't like to be alone too much, she's a very social girl. Dinner was a hit and after playing with dad, time for one more nap!  The evening was spent hanging out with some friends and playing with other babies. Everyone loved holding Ruby and getting a smile out of her!

I sure love my days with Ruby and I am the luckiest to be her mother!

What do these times have in common?

11:55pm

1:40am

3:20am

4:15am

5:30am

6:15am

Well, those are all the times that Ruby woke up last night.  

Yeah.

We've taken a BIG step backward.

I'm not really sure what is going on since she's been sleeping 7-8 hours for almost 3 months now.

Hopefully we'll get back on track sooner than later!

How Will You Keep Traveling?

A lot of people have asked if we are going to keep traveling now that we have a kid. Well, we finally found our answer...thank you Kargo Kids!