Christmas 2009...

For some reason, I didn't take many pictures of our Christmas in 2009. I also swiftly misplaced them and because I had this 2 year belated post lingering, I haven't been able to print my 2009 blog book. Sheesh!

I only have pics of Alice's Santa stuff...she got a dog in a bag and a little mp3 player with whatever was in her stocking.

We celebrated Christmas morning with Jeff and Mary's kids...Nathan, Sarah and Jane. It was a challenge because they don't celebrate Christmas believeing in Santa like we do. It wasn't easy, but it almost worked. Nuff said.

Great Wolf Lodge...

All the kids: Ruby, Ellie, Alice, Jensen and Mia

This would have been the second annual trip to GWL with our friends the McDonald's, but last year, I refused to go at the same time as them on grounds that I didn't want to spend two days walking around in a swimsuit with ANYONE that knows me. I gave up on that idea this year and we went with our friends and had a nice time.

This little leap pad rope thing is really quite hard to maneuver, and I was so proud watching both of the girls get all the way across.

We had a better time this year, the kids were just a little bit older and more daring, and that made all the difference. It was also fun to have friends to share in the fun.

Sweet little friends, Alice and Ellie.

Ruby's celebrations...

We were in UT for her actual birthday, so we got to spend the whole day with just our little family. Wonderful!

To start out the morning, we went with Chris' aunt and uncle on a tour of the underground tunnel system connecting various LDS church offices, the conference center, temple, etc. It was really interesting! His aunt and uncle are volunteering for a year or so to run translation efforts for all the broadcasts made by the church to church members worldwide. They are over 12 languages, but the broadcasts are in many more languages than that. It's a full time job! It was amazing how many of the languages I had never heard of. I even know someone who translates in Guarani, an indigenous language of Peru and Uruguay. We had lunch with them in the church office building cafeteria, where they "work" and enjoyed their company and were grateful for the time they offered us during their busy day.

After that, we went rollerskating as a family. It was a Monday during school hours, so we had free reign of the joint, which was really fun. It was Ruby's first time rollerskating, and SHE WAS IN HEAVEN. I was loving her joy as she skated around and around to all the tween music they were playing. I was a little sad she didn't get to share that fun with friends, but she didn't seem to mind. It was also a bounce house, so Alice played in that a lot while Ruby mostly skated. The day couldn't have ended any better in Ruby's opinion. Alice fell asleep in the car and went to bed, and we watched "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe," together. She is mildly obsessed with "The Chronicles of Narnia" at the moment.

We had big plans for a theme birthday party with her friends the weekend that followed, but we came home to a ruined house and had to live in a hotel, so plans were (thankfully) scaled way back. We wound up inviting friends to the hotel, they let us use the breakfast room for the party part and we went swimming.

Ruby overheard me telling a friend that we had to nix the theme due to our circumstances, and she started to cry. I asked her, "what would make this party a Narnia party?" It turned out that she just wanted to color some Narnia pictures to put around the room, have Narnia cupcakes and play pin the tail on Azlan. Whew! Done. That was simple enough!

So we had a really nice time. I think like 18 kids came. We swam, had pizza, cake and ice cream, opened presents and played pin the tail on Azlan. Ruby had a blast as did her friends. My friend Lauri started a cupcake business and she saved the day since I couldn't make a cake and made some cute, snowy, Narnia cupcakes.

Ruby got a Lucy costume from Chris' parents and she wore it proudly...not just at the party, but for days and days!

I always forget to get a group shot before some of the friends leave. Here is a group of the kids who came to wish Ruby a happy birthday!

My best foot forward...

Ruby turned 7 on November 30th. Here are some pictures of my girl that I love. She is such a blessing in my life, I love her animal loving, gentle, soft heart and her willingness to work hard and learn new things. She's brave, scared only of an awful fictional character, Professor Coldheart (Carebear books from my childhood). She loves passionately and craves quality time, compliments, cuddles, hugs and kisses. She never forgets to pray and reminds us to be better people if we have a bad moment. She collects stuffed animals, loves to be surprised and surprise others. She calls her sister her "very best playmate, ever" and has taught Alice the art of pretend play, which they indulge in for hours everyday. She requires reminding that she's not the mom, as "good choices" come naturally to her and she often tries to steer Alice in the right direction. She's an athlete, a good little writer, and piano player. She wants to be a hygienist and a swimming teacher when she grows up. She wants to grow up fast, and loves to look like a rock star. I love you, Ruby! Swimming freestyle at a swim meet last month. She is in the same division as 9 year old children and still placed second!Ruby with a goat on a fieldtrip to a farm. She is very sensitive to animals, and can't even watch a movie with animals being pursued by animal control people. We ran into an animal control person in public recently, and I had to pretty up his job because she hates those people (I know they do a good thing, but they are really villainized in some of the kid movies, like Soccer Dog, for example, a movie that Ruby turned off after a few minutes because she didn't like that there was someone trying to catch the animals. She was only 6 lbs and 15 oz when she was born. Here she is the first day home (before she had to go back) with her proud as can be daddy.Here's her first attempt at drawing a person. I almost died when it was on one of these magna doodles where I couldn't preserve it forever!
When Alice was born, Ruby was three. She was thrilled. We were amazed that when Alice would cry, she'd go to her and say, "It's okay, sister is right here." She loved helping with everything and the transition was easy for her.
The first time that Ruby was old enough to ask Santa for what she wanted, she rattled off a list of every known princess Barbie in her darling toddler talk. She loved all things princess.

Our first Christmas with little Ruby.

Right after we walked into the house with Ruby for the first time...I look like death...and rightfully so.

Ruby at Sandy and Adam's wedding. She was the cutest flower girl ever, and was well aware that Kelly had candy for her so she'd stay in the right place. Her desire for that candy was out of control, and will always be remembered for turning around and saying, "Mow?" (more?) to Kelly and then loudly crunching away on the super loud lifesavers as Sandy and Adam said their vows.

A mother's love...

Ruby is my first, my guinea pig...as Barbara Kingsolver's character Orleanna described, "she's my best foot forward". She had a birthday, and this post was supposed to be about that, but it transitioned as I wrote...birthday post to come.

I remember what it was like to be the perfect parent. It lasted three years...maybe a little longer. I was totally turned on all the time for that first one, it was so lovely to give her my undivided attention. I remember cringing when I'd see a parent give their child a french fry or say "no" to their little one. I never raised my voice to my first little pride and joy. We took baths together for hours, I fell asleep with her for every nap, I'd read her stories we'd pick out at the library and I even returned them on time. I was a different mom then, and it was painful to let go of that part of my life, as much as we wanted to welcome another little one.

Last week, I was having fun showing the girls old pictures that they haven't seen, I was struck by that feeling that I used to have about that perfect little toddler of mine. She was so cute! I love being a first time parent because you literally can't love anything like you love that first born! That doesn't mean that you continue to love that child more than the ones that follow, but there's something so all consuming about the first born! I think of it as love divided, not multiplied. I hope that doesn't sound negative, I love my kids and know that I will love them all equally their whole lives! If the epitome of love is equal to the number 100, I still have love at 100, I just love two...and soon three.

Sometimes there are moments when all 100 are focused on one kid, I love those moments. Like today, when Alice told Ruby she could keep and eat all of the candy her church teacher gave her for Christmas "because you are always so nice to me." That was 100 love for Alice at that moment. The other day, when Alice was earning herself a spank (not common), and I swatted her bum, Ruby cried harder than Alice and told me, "next time spank me, not Alice, she's my best playmate, ever!" That was 100 love for Ruby. It's one of my life's greatest joys to have two little girls who are truly best friends.

Maybe a better analogy is that I feel like you are in the dating/engagement phase with that first one. You are high you love so intensely. I remember all the really normal baby things that Ruby would do, like rooting reflexes or that darling sleep grin or when their lips nurse in their sleep like they are sucking on something. I used to think those were Ruby-specific, I'd tell everyone about them, and I know my mom clued me in once about how ALL healthy babies do those things! For me, having more children was like entering the married stage of parenting. It is richer, it is better, but it is harder and while the love is deeper and more sure, the daily, 24/7 twitterpation is gone...thank goodness it still comes and goes!

I love being a mom to two kids. I can't wait to be a mom to three! I am so excited to bounce a smiling baby on my lap and to have a 7 month old who discovers how to make embarrassing noises with her mouth during a prayer at church (that happened today, it was so cute). I look forward to first smiles, schedules and steps...and enjoying all that with my two helper moms, Ruby and Alice (and of course Chris, but this post isn't about him).

Water issues...

I really thought I had more pictures of the water damage, but I guess I only took a few, and they are all of the kitchen, not the bathroom. Oh well.

So we had a toilet leak while we were out of town for six days, and the water feel pretty much directly from the toilet (second floor) onto the sheet rock of the kitchen below, so the majority of the water damage was to the kitchen.
We get to have our hardwood floors finished, a fresh paint job and obviously new sheet rock in the ceiling. We are also gutting the bathroom, and I can't wait to show what we are doing in there!

The bathroom is being tiled with white tile. A larger square tile on the floors and a more intricate octagonal tile going up the walls 4.5 feet. The vanity will be white, the floors and walls will be white and the countertop and sinks will be white. White, white, white! I'll have brushed nickel hardware and fixtures, and we are going from one large, trimless mirror to two mirrors that mount on each side and sit a few inches off the wall.

We are surviving the hotel with a little help from dear friends who have come to swim with us, brought us presents and food to the hotel, invited us to their homes for dinner, offered to do the work for free, etc. Of course, my mom is a huge support and she and my dad were great enough to keep the girls for two days to give Chris and I some time to regroup and celebrate out eighth anniversary for a minute or two.

Doug and Heather's Wedding

We were in Salt Lake City for Thanksgiving! Chris' little brother, Doug got married the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we were able to be with Chris' entire family for the holiday and wedding fun.

We had a toilet leaking the whole time we were gone, and my laptop doesn't get a good connection on the hotel network, so I am using the hotel computer and only have a few pics that Pam took (the official event photographer, and Chris' sister) to share for now.

It is always a thrill to be around a newlywed couple and see their excitement and adoration for each other, and these two lovebirds were no exception. Heather was a beautiful bride, and I have to say, she found herself a terrific catch.

It was wonderful to be with the family, to have the cousins together and eat out for Thanksgiving dinner...more to come when my life normalizes a bit.

Santa's lap...

I have a pretty active radar for questionable situations for children, and it was really going off the other day when I took the girls for their annual Santa's lap picture.

There was this nice lady with her three children in front of us in line and she was encouraging Santa to entice her timid toddler toward Santa using candy and a storybook. "Oooooh, Molly! Look! He wants to give you candy, what a nice man!"

It was funny, because as a fellow fan of Santa lap pictures, it took a second to think about how contrary this message is to children who are otherwise taught to be cautious around strangers, no to mention that you don't take candy from one or sit on his lap for story time!

I'm not suggesting that this parent did anything wrong, she knew she could trust (at least for a few minutes) her children on Santa's lap, and the child likely approached the man due to her trust in her mom's protection, but I thought it was funny that the scene was so similar to what you'd imagine would occur if a pedophile was trying to attract your child.

Kinda sad that this even occurred to me!

So here are my sweet daughters on Santa's lap. Ruby asked for lots of Littlest Pet Shop and Alice asked for a stuffed dog in a carrying bag and an ipod. She really shocked me with the ipod thing. We went to Toys 'R' Us to prepare for Santa and she saw an MP3 player she wanted, and didn't forget about it! What is a 4-year old going to do with an MP3 player!?

Pierce Family Travel Wisdom...

We've been doing some traveling the past two weeks! The more desirable trip being to Salt Lake City for Dougie's wedding to Heather, the Saturday after Thanksgiving (more to come). The latter, unexpected and still ongoing trip to a hotel less than two miles from our house...due to some water damage (more to come) that occurred during the first aforementioned trip. Here are some things we've learned during our "travels".

Our children have some interesting travel vocabulary:

"Duh-cation" = Vacation (Alice, though this started with Ruby)
"Soup-case" = Suitcase (Alice)
"Ho-towel" = Hotel (Alice AND Ruby)
"Pack-pack" = Backpack (Alice)
"Unpack" = Pack (Alice and Ruby)

Alice is 4 going on 80. She gets physically put out by walking short distances (only if the destination isn't desirable), carrying anything at all and doesn't like it if you walk in front of her. She likes to go first, even if she doesn't know where she's headed, and often doesn't request to be in front of you until you are way a head of her (don't worry, one parent is always close by...but she will opt for the parent way ahead AFTER you let her take her time) and she won't tolerate that you take even one more, slower step in the right direction until she is holding onto some part of you (no free hands when you travel with four carry-on rolling suitcases (I have to brag that I got three of these at a garage sale for $5 total), two car seats, a laptop and camera equipment), and she won't hurry to get to you because she knows you are terrified enough of the consequences if you make a wrong step (I'm trying to fix this, but she is a huge control freak and I would have an all day battle on my hands if I really pushed her...believe me, I've tried).

Essentials for Flying with (our) Kids:

Suckers--keeps their mouths busy, because ours don't bite, the suck.
Gum--so you have something to give them when they say their ears hurt after take off and during landing. With ours, just a promise that something will help makes it all better.
Ipods--We each share one side of our earbuds with one kid, and play their favorite songs...which sometimes leads to allowing them to have both earbuds.
Online Check-in--You know how you book your tickets online and select your seats, but they are always reassigned before you fly? Well, if you check in online 24 hours in advance, you actually get the seats you chose, and if you aren't checking any bags, you can go straight to the security lines and skip the frustrating check-in kiosks.
Gate Check--Who wants to stress out about how you will fit 4 soupcases in the overhead bins? What if you are in the last boarding group and there's no more room!? We gate checked SIX items for FREE and it's all there waiting for us when we deplane, so it's super convenient and you don't have to worry about lost bags, paying for checked bags, getting on and off the plane with all your bags, etc.
Short Flights--I can't believe that people survive 8 hour (or more) long flights with little ones. Our flight was one hour and 25 minutes long, and we heard plenty of, "Are we there yet?"

Tips for a Long-term Hotel Stay Close to Home

The Right Hotel--We wanted a kitchen, but let's face it...extended stay joints are usually pretty scary business. Given that I live 10 minutes from where four police officers were murdered, 20 minutes from a community where Chris parked his truck for lunch on a Monday at 11AM at a strip mall and had $2k worth of in-dash loot stolen and 15 minutes from the other law enforcement casualty by a gangster one month ago, I'm not that willing to stay just anywhere. let's just say that if you watch the local news here, you'll usually only hear about serious crime that takes place south of Seattle and north of Olympia. When talking to the temporary housing people, I finally chose a hotel with no outdoor entrances, no weekly rates and no kitchen. We went for an indoor pool, and stayed close to home, because I feel Puyallup is kind of a safe haven in comparison to many of the surrounding communities.
Laundry Basket--No one wants housekeeping to handle their dirty laundry. I usually have a corner where I put my dirties, but have at time come back to find that they've been folded nicely for me, and I'm horrified. We have a laundry basket, and it gets left alone and is easy to take home for washing (or use the coin-op).
Dressers--I always unpack my soupcases into a dresser wherever I stay more than three nights. If there aren't dressers, things get chaotic and disorganized FAST.
Shampoo and Conditioner from home--Let's face it, the hotel stuff only looks fancy.
Free Stuff--When you don't have a kitchen, you do need free food! The free breakfast at our hotel is extensive with many options. We also have free cookies, apples, microwave popcorn and bottled water at our disposal all day everyday. They have also given us free disposable dishes for our in-room eating with our mini fridge and microwave.