Are You Bee Why

I love my little R-U-B-Y.

Right now I am loving her creativity and her desire to learn.

She LOVES letters.

And she LOVES to spell her name.

She has been able to verbally spell her name for a while and we have been pretty proud of that- but she has brought it all to a new level- kicked it up a notch if you will.

It all began one late night in Utah (this post has been a long time in the making) when she wouldn't go to sleep so Justin was hanging out with her in her room and taught her how to write her name.

And I love it.

I love watching her write her name.

She is on her way to being literate and I couldn't be more proud.

Soon I am sure her letters will be close to the same size, her b's and d's will no longer get mixed up and every word will be in somewhat of a straight line.  

But until then we will enjoy her writing for the masterpiece it is...

Yes, Forever

The cousins have come over to play- well some of them- and Ruby could not be happier.
She loves her cousins and when they are not near she is constantly making me name all of them- so let's just say I am glad that her cousins are over too.
They love to be together and I always love to see the bond that they all have with each other.
Last night Ruby and Karla got to share a bed and they were so excited.
So excited that I had to go down and talk to them about going to sleep.
This is the conversation we had (the condensed version)
Me- Girls it is time to go to sleep.  If you go to sleep you can stay together.
Karla- Forever?  We want to stay together forever.
Me- Well you better go to sleep.
Karla- Me wish Ruby was my sister....

But then you wouldn't have that perfect cousin love anymore...
I am so glad Ruby and Myers have so many people in their lives who love them as much as we do.
A few minutes later this is how we found the two sweet cousins....

 Notice how they are squished to the left and sharing a pillow so as to make room for the many stuffed animal babies they need to take care of together.

Pineapple Popsicle

Everyone loves a good old fashioned pineapple popsicle don't they??  mmmmmmm DE.LI.CIOUS...

Ain't Nothin' But Sunshine and Tea Pots....

While it has been snowing and storming in Calgary we 'Medicine Hatters' (which I am allowed to call myself while we are homeless drifters...wherever we reside at the moment we become.) have really been enjoying the sunshine.
Now, it isn't quite like the bahamas but there is no snow- and let's face it- I'll take that any day.
Remember when I said that Justin was done school- and then I amended it and said that he had to write the last of the boards.  Well he went and did that this weekend, now it seems a little anticlimactic to say- HE IS DONE!  Because I already said that- but HE IS NOW DONE!
He came back from a three day trip which included 38 hours of car time, one ear infection (not his), a snow storm, about 100 deer (his estimation), a board exam, some target shopping (a little jealous) and did I mention a lot of driving in a very short amount of time?
He left at 5am on friday and was back by 7 am on Monday- and they went all the way to PORTLAND.  At least he had Clark to keep him company....
He came back looking a little tired, a little haggard, and a little stressed.  (The relief and joy will come soon)
But now all we have lined up is a bunch of visiting (family and friend), relaxation, travelling, and fun times.
We are still working on Visas but hopefully everything will be worked out soon and we can start planning our move to Ohio....
Ahhhh- let the good times begin.

While Justin was gone we did our best to have fun and enjoy ourselves.  We took a little trip to the downtown core of Medicine Hat and enjoyed some easter egg hunting and some easter bunny spotting.  It was fun!  In fact- everyone should come to the Hat and I can show you all the great sites!  I am sure the Hat was on your list anyway- I mean we do have to World's Largest Tepee....
And to conclude our weekend we painted a teapot.  Grammy's house is full of fun and excitement and cousins (most of the time) and one thing we love about grammy's house are the hot chocolate parties.  Ruby has been asking for a hot chocolate teapot of her own for a while and when I found a white one at winners for $2 I picked it up.  My mom had these porcelain writers that she has kept from when I graduated (10 years ago) and we had made everyone a personalized a mug with school colors- and they were perfect!  Ruby preferred the purple and we have a perfectly personalized tea pot of her very own...



The cousins are headed over today for a sleep over for a few days so we will get our chance to try it out...

A Day To Remember

Today is a day to remember.
A day for all to rejoice- yes that includes you.
Rejoice I Say!
Today was Justin's last day of school.
Dare I say- EVER!!!
All he has is the last set of boards in a week and we are home free.
Nothing but opportunity and student loans lay in front of us....
I must say I am really proud of Justin and all the hard work he has put in.  He works hard both at school and at home.  He is amazing and we really love him......

There is Sunshine In My Soul Today...

I am sitting by an open window with the sun shining in on me and I swear if I couldn't see the snow I would think it was the most beautiful day of summer out there.  I feel uplifted and healthy and ready to take on the world.
The weather and my health aren't the only reasons I feel uplifted.
It was General Conference this weekend and the words that were spoken and the songs that were sung really did uplift my soul.
I am just feeling good.
Spring is on its way and everything is sunshine and roses.
Seriously.
We have been sick for a long time in our house and we are just starting to get back to our old selves.
I have a few bruised ribs still lingering and holding on but if I hold really still and breath shallowly I barely notice them...

I have a million projects in my head, some much needed outdoor time, and of course some blog catch up...
I think like spring we all deserve and need a fresh start.
Oh how I love spring...
Its amazing what some fresh air, sunshine and a good message can do for your soul....

We got all three this weekend!!

It is the perfect weather for playing outside in the snow.  You can enjoy the sun and the warmth while also getting the snowballs and the snowmen.  A perfect combination if I do say so myself.

We even learned a few things today- Noni loves snowballs.  Especially when I hit Justin in the face with one.  He is even a pretty good sport when a rogue snowball gets him in the face.  Ruby loves to get buried in the snow and she now loves snowballs being thrown at her.  Just my idea of a perfect snow outing.... (because, lets be honest, it is some serious fun sitting outside in the sun throwing snowballs at willing recipients all day.... serious fun)

But don't get me wrong- I am definitely looking forward to a snow free lawn.... soon enough, soon enough....