Wordless (Almost) Wednesday...

Happy Almost Leap Day!

First Dance...

This is the song Scott and I will dance to for the first time as hubby and wifey. We love this song and it always makes me smile. We are nearing the six month mark and time is flying. I can't wait to marry him and twirl around on the dance floor. The song is called "Nothing Fancy" by Dave Barnes... Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Revisited...

This Valentine's Day, we decided to spend the evening as a family. We headed to a local Italian restaurant for some delicious hamburger and black olive pizza. Ruby feasted on some mostaccioli and cheesy garlic bread. I'm pretty sure we were the only couple in the entire restaurant with a child in tow. Ruby was so well-behaved and made all of the little old ladies smile. To end the night on a sweet note, we stopped by a new frozen yogurt shop close to our house. We had fun picking out the different flavors and toppings. It was a lovely day and a perfect way to spend the holiday.

A cookie was delivered from her aunt and she couldn't stop hugging it!

Wordless Wednesday..

Vintage Valentines...

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a day full of love and lots of chocolate!

Ruby would love this dog!

For the sweet police officer in my life.

Snow Much Fun...

Last weekend it snowed... a lot. The temperature was perfect for playing in the snow, so that is exactly what we did. I bundled Ruby up in all of her snow gear and headed outside. We don't have any hills in our yard, so I got to pull Ruby around in her new purple sled. It was fun for her and a workout for me. She loved throwing the snow up in the air over her head. We had "snow" much fun!

One Year...

A year ago today I was sitting in the emergency room with a numb arm and face convinced that something was terribly wrong. After many strange symptoms over the following months and many more MRI's, I was told by my neurologist that I was probably in the early stages of having multiple sclerosis. I have yet to be officially diagnosed, but it is a possibility in the future.


As of right now, I feel pretty good most days. The lesion on my brain stem has healed, so my doctors are just monitoring me every six months with MRI's. No matter what the outcome, I am so happy to have my health now and I am thankful because I know I could have it much worse. I refuse to sit around and feel sorry for myself or accept a diagnosis that might never even happen.


Life is far too short to worry constantly about the future. Since that day, I've been trying to enjoy life and never take a single day for granted. Everyday, I thank my lucky stars that I get to watch my little Ruby grow up. I get to spend precious time with the people who mean the world to me.


Tonight I coincidentally attended a benefit concert for The Multiple Sclerosis Society. It made me smile to see so many people and musicians supporting this wonderful cause. I can't think of anything else that I would have rather been doing on this "anniversary," if that's what you call it.

Wordless Wednesday (Valentine Edition)

Snow Day Craft...

On Saturday we were stuck in the house by over 9 inches of snow. To pass the time and fight the cabin fever, Ruby and I made salt dough bead necklaces. Everyone should make these with their kids; Ruby was grinning from ear-to-ear the entire time. It was a great way to spend our snow day!

How To: Salt Dough Necklaces


Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 Cup Water


Steps: Combine the three ingredients into a mixing bowl and knead for several minutes. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to about a half of an inch thick. Use small cookie cutters to cut out the shapes for the different beads. Ruby and I used hearts, flowers, snowmen and we also rolled some sphere beads in our hands. Next, poke a good sized hole into each bead. I ended up baking our beads while on a metal skewer, in case the holes would shrink. Finally bake on 225 degrees for 3 hours. After all of the beads cool, use acrylic paints to paint these cute masterpieces and sprinkle on glitter for some extra sparkle. 

Isn't She Lovely...

Every so often I suddenly stop and it hits me how fast my sweet girl is growing up. Ruby has been a busy little bee lately. She talks nonstop, unless she is around strangers. She still loves to go to daycare a couple of days a week and has finally started taking naps there, it only took her about six months. :) We are supposed to get a big snowstorm this weekend, so we are planning on taking her sledding for the first time. I'm excited to see her in the snow. Here is a little update on Miss Ruby:


New Adventures: Playing with Play-dough and Moon-dough, Helping mom build a dollhouse, Making homemade chicken noodle soup with Grandma, Brushing mommy's hair, Swinging on a big girl swing, Wearing her new athletic shoes, and Taking Winston and Darby to the dog park


New Phrases: "I need coffee (smoothie)." "Look on the bright side." "Be nice mommy!" "I go Hobby Hobby (Hobby Lobby) with mommy." "Nice car daddy." "Where are we going?" "What are you doing?" "Where did Christmas go?" 


Favorite Foods: Clementines (She peels them herself and could eat a whole box), Blackberries, Guacamole and Salsa, Pretzels, Black Bean Soup, Annie's White Cheddar Mac and Cheese, Pancakes with Syrup, Fruit snacks, and Sweet Peas


Favorite Shows: Wonder Pets, Barney, and Mickey Mouse Club


I love this lady!

Static!