Fall

It is so fall here right now.  I LOVE it!  Crisp air in the morning and evening, warm in the middle of the day, beautiful colors everywhere, lots of things being harvested and therefore made into things in our kitchen, apple cider, hats, vests, and...pumpkin carving!

Here are a bunch of random videos of life at our house. 

First, let's say hello.

 

Ruby is getting more and more mobile.  She is army crawling a lot longer than Owen did.  She has mostly stopped pushing up onto her knees and is pretty efficient at getting around with her chosen method.  She might just do that for a while.  We'll see.

Drinking out of a sippy cup is not something I ever thought I would get excited about, but I am!  They are getting more and more independent, capable, and wise about the world every day.  And, their personalities continue to develop and show themselves.  Ruby has become quite the goof.  She laughs all day long at anything and everything.  Here she is seen being silly with her washcloth.  She loves to put it, and anything else she can get her hands on, on or behind her head.  So funny.

These two just love to play and joke around with each other.  It is hard to catch on video, so this is the best I have for now.  Sorry, it kind of drags on for a bit, but I just love the giggles and facial expressions.

A Boy and a Girl and their Dog

Kessler has definitely picked up some neurotic habits since moving back to Utah.  For example, she thinks it is really fun to chase cars.  And, she doesn't just chase them.  She runs AT their tires going at least 25 miles per hour.  Needless to say, she now has to walk on a leash.  Bummer.  But, we got a shock collar and hopefully this busy momma can figure out how to use it and be consistent enough to help Kessler learn better habits and earn her freedom back.  I mean, we live closer to wilderness than we ever have, the leash is ridiculous!  Anyway, I digress.  

Aside from all that, Kessler has been an AMAZING dog with and for the kiddos.  She lets them "love her"...in whatever way they can muster up...which at times looks more like hair pulling and hitting than cuddling and petting.  Although occasionally she gets up and walks away from them, more often she waits patiently as they have their moment with her, and then she licks their faces to return the love.  Kessler hasn't chewed a single toy that isn't hers even though there are fun possibilities strewn about constantly.  I will say, she has a thing for the Sophie.  It squeaks, which she has always liked in a toy, and it is always half covered in babyfood as the Sophie is often our mealtime toy.  Who could blame her for loving that thing?  

 Remember when you were young and got to lick the beaters when your mom made cookies?  Sometimes I think that is what Kessler feels like as she helps Ruby and Owen clean up their hands during a meal.

 Just two pals, watching the world go by.

 She is SO patient as they climb all over her.

You might have already seen this on FB, but it needs to be part of this post.  Joy, in the moment, with those that we love.  That is all I really hope for in life, for myself and definitely for my kids.  I love that Owen and Kessler practice often.  :)

"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog."
- Edward Hoagland

9 months!

I can't believe it.  Ruby and Owen have been outside the womb longer than they were in it.  I am in awe of how much has changed in nine months.  They are so stinkin fun right now and we are loving every second!

The first five months seemed to pass so slowly...not in a bad way,  it was an experience like no other, just SO many new things to learn and get used to that it made time slow down.  There were times when I thought they would never roll over, let alone crawl or walk and they were definitely never going to babble, sleep through the night, or hold their own bottle!  And here we are, just nine months after their birth and there is not a day that goes by that I am not blown away about the little people they are becoming and the skills they have gained.  I wish I could document the last three months all in videos, because they are so animated and active these days that that seems like a better way to capture where we are at.  So, I will include some of those, as well as pictures...cause we have a million of those too. 

Owen

Weight- 19lbs 3oz. (30th percentile)

Height- 28 inches (50th percentile)

Well, the biggest new thing on his horizon since our last update is movement.  The little man can boogie! He can crawl like a champ- follows me around the house-finds me, even when I wish he would just stay somewhere and play so that I could get something done.  And, when he does find me, he constantly wants me (or whoever will oblige) to offer him a few fingers to pull up on and walk around the house with him.  He has a walker and he can crawl over to it, pull up on it, and walk around, but I think he thinks it slows him down too much.   Nothin cruises around the house as fast and corners as well as another human being.  The boy is no fool.  I just really hope he is walking soon, cause I am not sure how much more of this my back can take!    Let's see...he is also babbling.  He loves to say "ma" and "ba" and to scream.  He finds lots of things funny these days including peekaboo, bugs, especially spiders, and dancing.  Owen loves to dance to the "ABC" song too.  Really funny.  Owen can often be caught trying to grab his sister and give her kisses (I know it LOOKS like he is trying to bite her...but I am sure they are meant to be kisses).  They are pretty cute together these days- playing together more and more.  Owen and Ruby also love to swing...and go really high.  They squeal with delight.  Love it.  And, he is waving and pointing- a real crowd pleaser. :)

This is a t-shirt that Chip wore as a kid.  Then, his Curious George wore it...until we put it in the wash and passed it down to Owen.  He hopes to visit Cancun someday for sure.

Ruby
Weight- 21 pounds (80th percentile)
Height- 28.25 inches (75th percentile)

Ruby and Owen were passed down a bunch of retro clothes from my side of the family.  They are in amazingly good shape and very cute...well, some more than others.  Some Mindy and Gus wore and some is Tina's I think.  At any rate, we have been dressing them up in them, taking a picture and usually then, before we ruin anything, we put it in a pile to pass on to....maybe Ruby and Owen's kids!

Ruby is also making her way into the world of independent movement.  She rocks up on her knees a lot and can army crawl forward to get something she wants.  She also scoots sitting up on the wood floor to get over to things.  I am always surprised about where I leave her and then where she ends up...and what she has managed to get a  hold of, by the time I get back.  She is just a mellow, happy kid who, in general, is pretty entertained to watch her brother run around the house and is not all that interested in chasing after things right now.  She says all kinds of things like, "Da" (her favorite), "La", "Yeah", and I swear, she occasionally says "All Done" (this is the first sign we have been working on- apparently she prefers to just say it).  Ruby also likes to clap and put things over her face, like a blanket or her wash cloth, and play peekaboo with whomever will watch her.  SO stinkin cute.  Ruby also likes to dance to the "ABC" song- not sure what it is about that tune- only she dances with her head for now, shaking it back and forth...sort of Stevie Wonderish. She laughs often too and shows her four big teeth that are right up front.
If you haven't guessed already, Ruby loves to eat.  Actually, so does Owen.  They eat more or less the same amount each day give or take a few ounces of formula.  It is amazing their different shapes.  Owen burns more of his calories now with all of his movement, but he has been a thinner build all along.  And, it looks like Ruby is shaping up to be tall like some of the Mulliken and DuRoss gals.  75th and 80th percentile!  Never would have guessed that could come out of little ol' me.  Fun stuff.  She is also pointing and occasionally waving and she loves arching her back to play "upside down Ruby".

Both...

are sleeping pretty well these days.  They sleep for almost 12 hours.  Ruby sleeps with almost no interruptions unless she is teething.  Owen still gets a few binkie pops throughout the night, but nothin compared to previously.  No one eats at night anymore, and for the most part, mom is starting to feel caught up on sleep.  Yahoo for that!   Their personalities continue to develop as time goes on.  Owen seems to be the social butterfly- quite easy going when in the arms of friends, smiling and engaging with visitors when given the opportunity.  Ruby, right now, is the cautious one.  At home she is all smiles and, really, the more mellow, easy going baby. However, once in a more social situation, she tends to save her smiles and quietly observes everything around her.  Or, she cries to be in mom or dad's arms.  I think that part is just a stage.

Here is one video, and more will be added shortly.  Just want to get this posted before they are 10 months old!