a day..

disclaimer: this is in no way a typical day for us. especially when it comes to the amount of stuff done.an average day starts with ruby having a pre-breakfast snack and watching PBS after she wakes up at the butt-crack of dawn. then breakfast, maybe some time at the pool or playing while mama does some stuff around the house. it's really not a glamorous or event-filled life we lead, but this day i happened to have my camera and we happened to do quite a few things.

grams and aunt tine, shield your eyes. we started out our day with a little trim. after daniel referred to ruby's 'do as a "shaggy beatles style" the other day, i knew she needed a little snip. i went to the place where i get mine cut and they informed me that they don't do cuts for kids younger than seven. way to discriminate, ladies. they did refer me to the daughter of one of the ladies there, so we headed to the hair cuttery and she did a great job.. for only $10. i used to cut ruby's hair myself, but as the curls keep coming in i won't dare put a scissor near there. she kept giving shy smiles and listened intently to everything the girl had her do. the lady beside us was getting her hair foiled, and ruby asked if she could have her hair painted like she was. too soon, my child.

the finished product. i love it.. her curls spring up so much more after a little trim. and you're welcome for the classy shot in front of our car.

then we had a big girl lunch date at panera.. i emphasize the "big girl" part because i have to make that very clear to ensure that madness is kept to a minimum. also, a recently discovered tactic of mine is to sit at their really tall bistro tables to keep the wiggly worm from getting in and out of her seat constantly. give it a try for your little rascal.
the first face is a reaction to hearing that daddy was going to a baseball game with some of his friends that night and not taking her with him. oh the humanity. and the second is just cute because she's blowing on her food like a little lay-dee.

then we headed to the library because i've been telling her for a week that we'd go. also, i wanted to see if they had this book that i'm starting to read with my little cyber book clurb. can't wait to start that loveliness. 

this is ruby seconds before talking in an i-have-headphones-on-and-i-can't-tell-how-loud-i'm-being voice. and then i went and paid $6 in late fees.

they are building a humungo new library in our town that will open in october, but i like the one we have now a lot too. they have this super cool tree and treehouse in the middle of the kid's section that ruby always spends most of her time in. there's also a telephone in the treehouse ('cause why wouldn't there be?) that i think talks when they pick it up, but r likes to use it to pretend like she's a secret agent. there's a video at the end of this post to show you what i'm talking about.

 eyeless treehouse shot. i think she likes sadie more than me.

and because i'll never pass up an instance where she'll take a picture with me.. (she always requests a funny face).

then home for a little rest time (which i needed much more than she did) and an apple snack (i had the rest of a  bag of white powdered donuts). 

this sweet linen dress was mine and vally's when we were little. my mom cleaned it up and passed it on to my girls. i love it so much.

the little chef helped make these biscuit pizzas for dinner (yes it's another recipe from the nato's blog. we already talked about how i'm obsessed). they were delicious. and super easy. give it a try, and freeze a few for later.

her's was boring-ville sauce and cheese, but i topped mine with garlic, olive oil, spinach, feta, mushroom and mozzarella. mm. i wish i were eating one right now. 

just an attempt to make you drool a little more.

and then this happened. what other reaction would you expect from being told that you can't rip your matching game instructions in half? you know you've hit rock bottom when senseless things like, "i just want my sister sadie to be here!!" and "i don't want my feet to be on me anymore!" start a-flowin'. but then i showed her a picture of how crazy she looked and she burst out laughing. score one for team mom. 

we ended the night playing outside in the courtyard with this gaggle of childrens. our apartment is quite the melting pot ethnically, so there were a lot of languages being shouted back and forth. i'm looking forward to fall, but not so much to winter when there will be a lot less outside action happening. soaking it in while we can.

well, there's a day in the life. as much as i know i'll like going back and reading about deep thoughts and milestones on our blog someday, i think things like this will be a big part of why i'm thankful i kept this record for us. i'm motivated lately to do a good job of keeping our memories and stories written down here.. i know it will be something we'll cherish.

and here's that video. as you can tell, we're still working on the "library voice".

story time with rubes: the monster at the end of this book..

in case you've ever wondered what it's like to hear a three year old "read" a book from memory, here's a little video for you to feast your eyes upon. wacky, random, and shirtless.



my camera died at the very end. the last page is a little picture of grover saying, "i'm so embarassed." this is probably the cutest part of the book to see her read, but you'll just have to use your imagination.

dear ruby, you are a nut.

twirl and toot..

ok, i am well aware that this will embarrass my child to the tenth degree when she is old enough to realize that i broadcast is on the world wide web. but it made me laugh so hard that i can't keep it to myself. this is why i love her.. she is full of juxtaposition. trying to be graceful one second, and letting one rip the next. completely unphased. please listen carefully at minute 1:02.

my little tooter.. i love your guts and i think you're the best little dancer i've ever seen. for real. i don't know much about ballet or what three year olds should be capable of, but i think your little toe points are the best and i love that you break into dance anytime anything remotely resembling ballet music is playing. also, there is no shame in your fashion game. you love those ballet shoes hardcore, for some reason feel the need to wear heart-y socks with them, and a leotard paired with a too-big-for-you hippie skirt that you ask me to "tie this really tight" every day when you put it on. never lose your spirit and love for the unique, little girl.

and, no, i did not pee my pants during this laugh attack.. it's been a theme lately, but i dodged a bullet this time.

and one picture lest we forget when you also threw on your christmas apron.

twenty questions: 3 year old ruby..

well, this is about two 1/2 months later than i planned, but it's done! i've wanted to ask ruby these twenty questions that i found on pinterest, and finally got 'er done tonight during a little balcony sitting. 

we were killing time while this was in the oven. confession: i used mango salsa and we weren't in love with how things turned out because of that. daniel kept saying, "there's just something about it that makes me want to gag with every bite." awesome. but i'm 100% confident that we would love this recipe using a not sweet salsa. another confession: i have turned into stalky stalkerson when it comes to jami nato's blog (that's where the recipe is from, so this second confession isn't as random as it may seem). like i'm honestly kind of at scary status when it comes to reading it and laughing and/or crying at every single post.

example: i started to pee my pants (well, dress actually) the other night from laughing at this post so hard. d was just sitting across the room starring at me while i laughed/cried/peed my way to the bathroom. when it was all over he asked, "is this a pregnancy thing?" i just said yes because there really wasn't any other way to explain what had just gone down. if that isn't a plug for the hilarity that her posts can bring then i'm not sure what is. ok.. moving on.

i found her while i was looking over who the speakers are going to be at the upcoming influence conference, and i haven't been able to stop. it's kind of like crack. crack in blog form. she's funny, honest, open, and points to Christ at every turn.. for reasons beyond her blog, i feel like i've had a renewed appreciation for the "blogging community" (that sounds kind of like a neighborhood full of bloggers only- wouldn't that be an interesting place) lately. i think "mommy blogs" can often get a bad wrap, but i've seen so many points of connection and encouragement lately through what bloggers are putting out there that i can't help but acknowledge that there is power here. power to build and to destroy, if i'm honest, and that thought has brought me to mull over what i'm putting out there in my little corner of the interweb.. more on that to come.

but for now.. this little tootsie roll in all of her random, three-year-old glory.

answers to a few question this little diddy might have brought up for you:

she has never before said that "orange" is her favorite color or that "oranges" are her favorite fruit. she literally never eats oranges and only loves pink and purple on the regular.

never saw "mexican" coming as her favorite thing to eat for lunch. who even knows if she knows what "mexican" food consists of. 

no, i have no clue what game "popping the alligators down" is.

her rendition of the "princess song" was made up on the spot. that high-pitched singing voice is how she always sounds when creating lyrics.

i'm not at all surprised by how much she referenced the general idea of "princesses". little lady can't get enough.

she loves cereal, so i was surprised that she couldn't think of a favorite kind. just the other day she informed me at target that cocoa puffs is "cereal made from birds". one of her and daddy's favorite things to do is share sugary cereals that i would never let past her lips on mornings that i don't get up and make them breakfast.

i too appreciate how matter-of-factly she said that "just holla" is her favorite holiday. gotta appreciate that kind of confidence.

no, i don't feed her mac n cheese for breakfast.

i also never thought "get your hand out of your underwear" would need to be uttered during this taping.

i have no idea how i'm going to find "christmas cookies" at the end of may next year. hopefully she'll forget about this random request. pretty sure she will since it was most likely senseless jabbering.

yes, i will fully support her if she actually does want to become a "great princess painter" someday. i'm sure there's a market for that somewhere.

oh three-year-old ruby girl.. you crack me up. you are both a joy and a challenge to us dailly, and we honestly are so thankful for that. i can't wait to see you as a big sister, and to see what madness your four-year-old self comes up with for these same questions next year. love, mama.