Well January was definitely not a typical month. It was fun, just not our average month. From a girls’ weekend away (meaning Daddy/daughter weekend too) to a week being snowed in, it was full of memories and a great way to start off 2012.
After ringing in the new year with a potty training weekend, I headed off the very next weekend to Redding, CA with my women’s Bible study group from church to see a friend. Along with being with good friends, the unseasonably warm and clear, sunny weather made for a nice treat. We visited Bethel Church several times, ate good food, and just relaxed. It was a special, memorable time.
The very next weekend (we’re now up to MLK weekend) our good friend Kelly was in town for a brief visit. We had planned to have our usual coffee/catch-up time on Friday afternoon, but ran into a few glitches. That same day Kyle took Ruby on a daddy/kid play date to the snow with a friend and his son (Ruby’s friend from Sunday School—so cute!). On their way home our dear Subaru Outback ran into some problems at the gas station—when Kyle started it back up, it began to smoke. So that led to a tow truck and them needing to be picked up 45 minutes away from home. We were grateful they were at a gas station in a town and not stuck along the interstate trying to contain two toddlers. The car is fine, but it was a hefty bill to get the turbo repaired. We still ended up having a nice night of pizza and root beer with Kelly, but the day did not turn out as originally intended.
Ruby and I spent the next day with Kelly and 2 other dear friends from high school (Kate and Deb, we’ve known each other since our gifted program days in elementary school) and kiddos. So comfortable to just be with friends that have known me forever. Deb’s son was born 1 day after Ruby so it’s always a fun comparison in child development to get them together.
That same weekend the snow began and didn’t let up for almost a week. I got out Saturday to see my childhood friends and Kyle got to church Sunday (Ruby and I stayed home since we had 1 car for the weekend), but other than that I was home all week until Friday night. Kyle got to work on Monday and Tuesday a bit (nice I could stay cozy and safe and work at home), but by Wednesday we were all snowed in together. By Friday we had almost 10 inches, probably the most we’ve had our entire marriage. It was beautiful and fun to be stuck at home for the week. Ruby got out every day to play with the neighbor kids and absolutely loved the snow! She’d roll around in it and try to eat it. Felt like we kind of lost a week of life though, so it took some time to get back to our normal pace.
We visited Ruby’s preschool as well this month. I enjoyed seeing where she’ll be 2 mornings a week—the environment, the teachers, and activities. Since the preschool is at our church, she was quite comfortable, even in a classroom with a bunch of kids a year older. She walked right in and started playing. Hard to believe she’s old enough for preschool, but we can tell she’s ready and it will be nice for her to have her own new thing next fall after baby brother’s arrival.
In some ways, there’s nothing new to report with Ruby—she still loves her dollies, singing and dancing, has an incredible imagination and vocabulary, and continues to delight us each day. One the other hand, she is changing constantly and definitely a two year old, which has its own unique challenges. Most days we look at each other and aren’t sure what to do or how to parent, but we’re surviving. It was a big month of transitions with potty training, which led to some sleep problems. But we know we are moving her to a big girl bed soon so we’re trying to just get through it in the meantime. She continues to be social and curious and a fun kid.
As you can see life is full to the brim between our jobs, Ruby’s development, and my pregnancy (which has definitely slowed me down). We are trying to enjoy our final days before we re-enter life with an infant and are looking forward to meeting the little guy in 3 months!
