My Cute Little 2 Year Old

Back in September (wow, time flies) you turned two! Probably the cutest two year old I have ever seen. We ate yummy rainbow cake, you opened presents; a dolly, necklaces, a purse, a bike and some clothes. You are one loved little girl.

You love Gavin even though you guys fight. You give him the biggest hugs when we pick him up from preschool. When you call him "Gav" it makes me smile.

You are so independent. You must do EVERYTHING on your own. It's pretty cute, and sometimes if you can't figure out how to do something then you finally ask for help.

You call knives "sharks". I think you heard me wrong the first time you heard me say sharp and that is how you have said it ever since.

You are gentle, loving, sensitive, sometimes loud, and so much fun. You love to read books and the swings are your favorite part of any playground. You also LOVE to swing on anything you can get your little hands on...monkey bars, the bar outside Gavin's preschool, the pews in front of us at church...anything.

You are still in your crib. You can climb out, but we just haven't gotten a bed yet for you. Someday we will.

You still have your binkie. You love that thing, and your blankie and your cup. Those three things just go together.

You are such a blessing in mine and your dad's lives. You bring so much joy into our home. I am so glad Heavenly Father sent you to us. I love hearing your little laugh, giving you big hugs, and reading with you. You make me smile each day. You are growing up so fast.

You are definitely a two year old. Mad if I help you get in the car etc... But I love your spunk and silly personality.

Mother's Day

I started writing this a few months ago, and completely forgot about it. I truly am blessed to be your mother. It's not always easy, and a lot of the time I feel like I am failing, and am not living up to my potential. But there are so many moments that I feel and know I am a good mom. I want you to always know how much I love you, and that you and Gavin and your Dad come first in this life after your Heavenly Father. Being your mother makes me want to be better each day. I am continually praying to my Heavenly Father to help me and guide me so that I can be the mom that you and Gavin need. I pray for patience daily, and pray that I can remember to not lose focus on the things that are most important in this life. You are so special to me Ruby, and I am so grateful Heavenly Father sent your little spirit to me. I am honored to be your mother.

Remembering The Little Things

I feel like my head is going to explode right now if I don't write everything down about you. You are changing so fast, and I keep meaning to write in here, and then time gets away from me. Ruby,  you are seriously the. cutest. thing. ever. You walk around with your little pig-tail on top of your head and usually two in back with a cute little smile pasted across your face. You are still missing four teeth; two on top and two on bottom, both in the same place. You have little gaps on both sides of your mouth. So cute when you smile. You have lots of spunk, and think that meal time means making the biggest mess possible, and sometimes eating a little too.
For a while whenever we would ask you a yes or no question and you would answer yes you would say, "huh" in the cutest little tiny voice. Just recently though you have switched over to the big girl way of saying it..."yeah, or yes." Still cute, but we were sad when you left the "huh" behind.
Forever you called Gavin, "Ga-gee," and now you've mastered the "Gavin" or "Gav". I'm sure Gavin is happy about that since a couple times when you called him "Ga-gee" he got a little mad and stated, "it's not Ga-gee Rubes, it's Gavin."
You love to color, and pay attention to the little details. I love watching you when you are in the zone coloring. You aren't much of a movie watcher, and are so squirmy still when we go to movies. You sing the ABC's in the cutest voice ever. Tonight while I was laying with Gavin before bed, you were on the floor looking at books and singing the ABC's to yourself. I often hear you sing them and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at night in your bed before you go to sleep.
You love to be naked, and if I haven't seen you for a while, I usually find you naked somewhere. Something about being so free I guess. ;)
I love it when you are trying to tell me something. I know there is so much going on in your little head, and it's so cute to hear you explain whatever it is you are trying to say, or show your excitement.
We recently got back from Medford, Oregon. We were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Merrill. You had so much fun swimming in their pool. You love Grandma and Grandpa, and for the longest time you called both of them, "grandma and grandma" or "grandpa and grandpa."
We were gone from home for three weeks, while Daddy was here working away. When he picked us up at the airport both you and Gavin ran as fast as you could and jumped into his arms. You love your dad, and he adores you.
I wish all the time I could bottle up this stage of your life. You change so quickly and are always saying and doing the cutest things. I know these moments are short, and I have to always remember to cherish them, and to take life slowly so that I can be in the moment with you and Gavin.
You also love gum, and are always trying to get in my bag to steal it. A couple times I'm pretty sure I have caught you with at least 3-4 pieces in your mouth. Little stinker.
You love to ride your bike, and be outside. I love watching you. You are the sweetest little girl, and make me smile every single day.

18 Months

I can't believe my cute little thing is 18 months! You went to nursery for the first time today, and did great! You are still my little baby, and can't believe you are old enough to be in there.  You make me so happy. You are such a joy and know how to make me smile everyday. Some of your favorite things right now are:

Your "cee-cee" or toothbrush with "bubble" or toothpaste.
"Ah-me" this means you usually wants any sort of candy or treat you can get her cute little hands on.
Books... you love, love to just sit down on my lap and flip through stacks of books. I love it too.
Your "binkie" and her "binkie". Translation: your binkie and your blankie.
Wants a book when you goe down for her nap now.
You also have to have every blanket in sight stacked on top of you while I sing to you before I lay you down for bed.
"go-go"...go-gurts
You loves putting on Gavin's clothes. Almost everyday you grabs one of his shirts or pjs and wants us to put them on. Sometimes you want his underwear on too. You'll walk around all day in his clothes. So dang cute.
You love to go outside and walk around.
You're afraid of ants.

I can't imagine my life without my sweet girl. I feel so blessed to be your mother and just want to squeeze you every chance I get. You have such a fun and happy personality. You are starting to get a little fight in you and know what you want. I love to see you become your own person, and hope that I can let you always be yourself and support you and love you in everything you want to do in life. You have so much ahead of you in this life, and I hope I can be the best example for you. Always trust in your Heavenly Father and remember the importance of prayer. Stop growing baby girl. Love you always.

First day in nursery

Cute little pigtails

Just having fun in your Halloween costume from last year.

Looking at the geese outside with your dad.

Painting at the children's museum in Pittsburgh, PA.

Some more fun at the children's museum.

Swimming in the Marriott hotel in Pittsburgh. We spent a few days here with Grandma and Grandpa Merrill.

Daddy's Girl

You love your Daddy. You go around the house looking for him calling, "DaDa". You love to snuggle with him. It is so cute. I love that you love him so much. He loves you more than you will ever know. You are his little baby girl.