KEEPIN' UP WITH THE JONESES

merry christmas!

2011-12-25T22:42:00.000-08:00

Wow this month sure flew by! These photos were kind of taken on a whim with Christmas card intentions but I never got around to designing them so... here you have it! Christmas is becoming even more fun as Ruby gets older. I just love these sweet little girls. They have made my love so rich and we feel very blessed.

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My parents skipped town (with my sister Laura and her husband Ben) to spend Christmas with my sister Kate and her family in Seattle. With that crowd in Seattle, my other sister Sarah and her family in New Mexico, brother Brian in Berlin, and other brother Daniel in Korea... we were left to fend for ourselves and to hang with the Jones family at home. Even though I miss my family... it is kind of nice to not have to share our time with as many people. We went to a movie ("We Bought a Zoo") with Adam's family on Christmas Eve (during the day), and did our own thing in the evening... Chinese take-out and a quiet night in with our own little traditions. Christmas jammies, baking (Adam really wanted to make beignets... which were quite tasty), stories (T'was The Night Before Christmas & Luke 2), movies (Elf), more baking and leaving out Santa's snacks... etc. To be honest... it was a full night. Ruby finally went to bed around ten and we slaved like little elves wrapping and setting up the scene for the next morning. Playing Santa is really, really fun. Ever since I was little... I have loved the scene of a living room filled with presents, prizes, and filled stockings left by Santa... all dimly lit by the lights on the tree. Magical. Adam (like a 5 year old) woke us up bright (dark really) and early (6:45am) to start the festivities! He was so excited! We needed to start early if we wanted to be at church on time at 9:00 am. Even though I would have preferred to have church a tad later.... I am so glad that we made it and were able to celebrate and honor the birth of our Savior on this special day. We then headed up to Salt Lake for Christmas morning at Adam's parents. It is always so fun for the little cousins to get together... show off some of their favorite gifts and get spoiled even more by Mimi and Papa.

Christmas Day

the most wonderful time of the year...

2011-12-03T23:21:00.000-08:00

There are a few things that are on our holiday bucket list every year and seeing the lights at Temple Square is one of them. We had a lovely night downtown tonight. We did a little shopping at Gateway Mall, then we took Trax up a few stops to Temple Square. The lights always amaze me. After stringing our Christmas tree and knowing how annoying it is to wrap lights around every single bough... I am in awe of the many many lit trees down there. It was fun to show Ruby where Adam proposed to me (almost exactly to the day) 7 years ago! She liked the huge nativity scenes from around the world, and going into the visitors center to see the Christus statue.

Another thing I love about this time of year is decorating our house. Our little house looks so cute all lit up.

Another must-do is to visit the Festival of Tree's. Some highlights were: going with our good friends Laura and Alice, visiting the kids corner for a few crafts and making a human sized bubble, perusing all of the awesome trees, and of course sitting on Santa's lap. When asked by Santa what she would like for Christmas... Ruby told him that she wants him to surprise her!! That's easy enough:)

"greta bean"

2011-12-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

I don't really know why... but "GretaBean" has kind of stuck as a nickname. This little girl is SO easy, so laid-back, and really smiley when you talk to her. We are just so in love with her.

{don't mind the open pj's... she's just showin' a little leg!}

O Christmas Tree

2011-11-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

We took a little trip to the tree lot tonight. Picking out a tree is one of my favorite things to do. We had a fun little family home evening decorating it and listening to Christmas music. Ruby is SO excited for Christmas. Our Elf on a Shelf named "Buddy" appeared. We read his book and straight to bed we went... easy peesy. If only it were this simple every night. Hopefully this "Santa knows," "Buddy is watching," "you better be a good girl" ammunition will work all month!

the north pole

2011-11-27T10:16:00.000-08:00

We took a little trip to the North Pole on the Polar Express last night. It has become one of our favorite festive traditions. The kids get so excited and it is really quite a magical night for them. We went with the Baker Family (my sister Kate) who are down from Seattle for Thanksgiving. The kids all wore their pajamas just like in the book. And they were so starstruck when Santa came into our train car and greeted each kid. It was the perfect activity to kick off the holiday season.

thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-27T03:47:00.004-08:00

Thanksgiving started out with our annual family (McCallister-Adam's mom's side) bowling game. I know it is random, but it has become a very fun tradition for us.

We then headed over to the Adam's parents (I am so sad I didn't get any pictures) for a wonderful dinner (all yummy but my favorite dish would have to be Dawnette's sweet potatoes...mmmm) and THEN over to my parents for round 2!! My parents house was bustin' at the seams. I think there were around 26 people there. It was a full house, but the food was deeelicious. It was all amazing but this year I think Janeva's green beans, Kate's stuffing, and mama's pumpkin pie were my faves. Jason's smoked turkey was up there too!

My sister Laura invited this cute little family from Kenya. Susan and her three cute kids Chadwick, Pauline, and Paula. Ruby and Pauline have become great little buds. All of the little kids/cousins played so well together. Ruby had an especially good time with her cousin Hazel all weekend. They had two sleepovers and were inseparable the whole weekend. We went to check on them one night in their bed and they were just chatting it up like teenagers. We spied on their conversation and were laughing SO hard. They were talking about their boyfriends and how they are going to kiss them when they marry them. Ruby's boyfriend Felix is apparently always asking her what her name is! They were also offering to pick each others boogers! The whole conversation was hilarious. Our stomachs hurt so bad after trying to silently crack up while we were eaves dropping on them. Ruby was devastated when they left. I hadn't noticed but I looked in the rear view mirror as we were driving home and she had the saddest look on her face and her eyes were welling with tears. Priceless.

Kate working her magic with "The Pencil Test." Watch out... she might tell you that you are having SIX kids! It is really weird... this test seems to work! We did it on my mom a few times and every single time... without fail... it "read" the exact amount of kids she had and their gender! Freaky. Just so I remember... mine read girl, girl, boy, boy, girl, boy! Unless I have multiples... that is NOT happening!

It was fun just hanging out, chatting, catching up with everyone. Some more cousins (Kari, Nate, Jodi, and Kayla) came over after dinner for some dessert. We stayed up way too late talking and decided to hit some Black Friday deals at Target. We were such amateurs. I could barely move in the store and was SO overwhelmed that I didn't even know where to start or how to even do it. People are crazy. We found a few good finds but then realized that the line to checkout was SO long. It went through like every isle of the store. So... we almost bagged it and walked out... trying one shot in the dark attempt on our way. We walked up to the customer service counter and asked to check out and the nice lady agreed. Easy Breezy! We were shocked. While checking out, a girl came up behind and asked to do the same and the worker told her "No, you will have to go wait in the line with the other customers!" Saweet! She totally saved us at least an hour of waiting in line! After the experience though... I can't say that I will ever do it again! Too many crazies.

new mexico

2011-11-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

Greta and I (and my parents and sister Laura) took a quick weekend trip to Albuquerque to visit my sister Sarah and her cute family. They just moved there this summer. It was so fun to see them and hang out at their awesome house. We ate yummy food, had a little family photo shoot, went to church, did a little shopping, played some dance game on the wii that I am terrible at, and just hung out. It was very fun, and I hope to go back soon. Maybe in February when they welcome baby #5 into their family!

Just a few random shots from my phone...

Harrison and Greta (11 months apart)

blessing day

2011-11-06T22:34:00.000-08:00

Sadly, these are the only photos that were taken on Greta's blessing day! Oh well! It was a really lovely morning. Adam did a great job blessing her. We had a few people over to our house for a little brunch afterwards. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. And, we are SO grateful to have this new little addition to our family.

Ruby is really into making funny faces... so we played along.

All tuckered out after a long day.

halloween this&that...

2011-10-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

It feels like Halloween this year was a month long. I don't know how many times Ruby donned her beloved Hermione costume. I didn't take very many pictures on Halloween this year. My favorite one of Ruby in her costume is here. We had a fun & festive day. We went trick-or-treating at Foothill Village with our good friends the Creer's. Stopped by a friends house for a little chili & treats, and made the rounds at both of our parents... meeting up with cousins, making scones, and handing out candy. All in all... it was exhausting but fun.

Sydney, Greta, Ruby, Livi, Georgia (and Katie), and Stephen

the first snow.

2011-10-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

Ruby came running down the stairs to look out the window and yelled "Snow!!! CHRISTMAS!!!" As you can see from the background... it is still "Halloween season"... I might be able to start making "Santa's watching..." threats sooner than I thought! ;)

seattle

2011-10-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

Greta and I took a little weekend trip to Seattle to hang with the Baker's. I had such a good time and Greta was SO easy, it made the trip really feel like a vacation. Kate and Brian are such good hosts. They made the yummiest food and made me feel right at home. It was fun to tag along to Hazel's school field trip to Jubilee Farm and also cheer her on at her soccer game. We had some successful photo shoots, some fab shopping, a girls night out, and a fun trip to the fabulous Fox Hollow Farm. It was also great to catch up with my friend Lara who recently moved near Kate. It was the perfect trip. Thanks Kate and Bri... and Hazel for sharing your cute bedroom! And a big thanks to Adam and his mom for covering "Ruby Duty!"

Love my little HazelBop.

Kate and I had such a good time together. I can laugh and talk with her like no one else. I really miss her living in Utah. My sisters really are my best friends. It is tough having two of them live so far away.

Hazel

Maxwell

Max and Hazel playing with Peaches

Baker's

My little travel buddy. Isn't she pretty!

I found this cute little dress at H&M. I knew Ruby would love it because it is an "Annie" dress. I am kind of regretting the purchase now... because she has been channeling Annie ever since I got home. LOUDLY channeling.

the BIG 4!!

2011-10-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Someone has been anticipating this day for a long time. We had a little birthday bash this weekend and this girl was in heaven . It was not really a costume party but her Hermione costume arrived the day before her party and I just couldn't say no to her when she asked to wear it! She is one cute little Hermione. Watch out or she'll cast a spell on you!! We had a great time hanging with friends and family. Thank you to everyone who came and made her day special. We are so grateful for Ruby and for the joy she has brought into our lives. It is bitter sweet watching her grow up.

Harry Potter cake... complete with a scarf, wand, broom, golden snitch, hat, witches brew, and of course glasses.

Most of the little crew.

The face painting was a hit!

{3rd Birthday, 2nd Birthday, 1st Birthday, ACTUAL BIRTH Day}

photobooth {round 4}

2011-10-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

And keeping the tradition.

3rd Birthday

2nd Birthday

1st Birthday

i love this little girl.

2011-09-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

i love everything about her... even when she is naughty! she has awesome spunk. i can't imagine my life without her. she has been such a trooper and a great little helper this summer. i know i take a lot of photos of her. she is just so witty and cute that i want to remember her exactly how she is/was. she melts my heart. love you rubes.

keepin' busy

2011-09-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Soccer season has started! Ruby is on her first soccer team. They play up at the Spence Eccles Field House at the University of Utah. It is utter chaos and quite entertaining. Our good friend Dan is the coach... and it is quite the job corralling all of the 3-4 year olds out on that field. Ruby has a blast. As you can see from the video... she is still learning the rules! I was cracking up watching her... I think for some reason that she thinks she has to have her hands on her hips at all times, even while running!

She has also started ballet. She took from Ms. Julie last year. It was great and all but I was kind of getting tired of the commute from Draper and I thought she could benefit from a little more structured/disciplined environment. So far we are loving her class at UDA. It is strict though... and I know nothing about dance culture/rules. They have a uniform and even a hair dress code! I am learning something new every time... first it was sending her with her feet already in the tights instead of keeping her feet out of the special little holes at the bottom until they are ready to put their shoes on... her shoes/flats (whatever they are called) that my neighbor (a dancer) had to help me stitch. And then the other day... I was informed that she is not supposed to wear undies with her tights. I was never a dancer. Ruby seems to love it though. Her teacher is great.

just laying low...

2011-09-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

I forgot how much time you spend just laying low with these little ones. Greta has been such a good little baby so far. She sleeps A LOT. She wakes up once or twice in the middle of the night so I can't complain too much. So far... adjusting to two IS a big adjustment. I had to run to the store the other day and I swear it took me three hours to get us all showered, dressed, diapered, fed, and diapered, and fed again! I am sure I will get better at it though. Ruby has been handling everything very well and is a great little helper. She loves her little "GretaBean." We have had a lot of visitors and people bringing gifts and food, it has been fabulous. I am so grateful for all of our generous family, friends, and neighbors. One of these days, when I find the energy.... maybe I will have a little Greta photo shoot. Stay tuned.

Greta getting a little Grandma & Papa Todd time.

the stork paid us a visit...

2011-09-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCING:

Greta Snow Jones

Born: September 3, 2011

Time: 9:13 am

Weight: 7 lbs. 2 oz.

Height: 19 inches

This little angel graced us with her arrival 10 days early. For those of you who are close to me... you know that that was the greatest gift I could ever ask for. It is an understatement to say that I was done being pregnant. I am really, really not good at being pregnant. She is here, she is healthy, and we could not be more in love with her.

BIRTH STORY

DISCLAIMER: May or may not be a tad too much information. I will try to keep it clean! After an appointment on Thursday (Sept. 1) afternoon, I felt a little different and a little achy. That night, I was not feeling too hot and started having really painful contractions around midnight. I kind of kept and eye on the clock, but was in and out of consciousness (trying to sleep)... and would just moan as the contractions came on. They were about 40 minutes apart. By morning they were consistently 13 minutes apart. I got up, showered and started packing my bags for the hospital. Contractions continued. Finally... I sat down to finish up to some loose ends for work and the contractions became more inconsistent. Did I mention that it was Adam's birthday!? They continued through the day and were super painful. I managed to make it to the grocery store to grab some ingredients for Adam's birthday cake. Went home, made the cake, and relaxed. My awesome sister Laura came over and took Ruby swimming for a few hours so I could rest. That night, contractions continued. Adam went and picked up his birthday dinner and we stayed in for the night. By 3:00am... I was miserable and so was Adam. We were both SO tired and trying to sleep in-between the 6 minute contractions was a joke. So, we headed to the hospital (IMC). Adam's parents met us there to grab Ruby and we headed in. I was worried they were going to send me home because they almost did with Ruby until my water broke... because I was not dilated at all... but this time I was dilated to a 4.5. Hip Hip Hooray. Baby time. After some fentanyl (pain med in IV) to take off the edge of the contractions, the anesthesiologist made an appearance and fixed me right up. We called my mom and sis (Laura) to come to the hospital. The on call doctor came in and broke my water. After a few hours I was only a 6+ so they started me on pitocin. My doctor happened to be there for a c-section and was in a hurry to make another appointment later that morning (hence the pitocin). I didn't mind though. Around 9:00 am, I was at a 9+ and ready to push. It seemed to be a much calmer atmosphere than it was with Ruby's delivery. Dr. Terry sat at the end of my bed and chatted us up, talked me through the breathing and the pushing. After not too long, Greta was almost crowning... I stopped pushing... they removed the bottom half of the bed and I pushed through three more contractions and it was over at 9:13 am. Greta was beautiful. They immediately put her on my chest and rubbed her down to make sure she was breathing. It was tough but definitely worth it and we are so in love with her.

The fabulous Dr. Terry hard at work.

My awesome birthing team.

Ruby and her "baby sister" whom she absolutely adores.

Ruby's awesome photography skills in the hospital.

big 29.

2011-09-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

This cute guy had a birthday. I happened to be in labor all day on his birthday... so it was a quiet night in for us. I did manage to make his favorite carrot cake though. Adam is the best husband/daddy I could ask for. Ruby absolutely adores him. He is so much fun and always playing some silly game with her that makes her shriek with laughter. I love hearing them play. We are so grateful to have him and appreciate everything he does for us... especially lately. We love you Adam/Daddy.

school!!!

2011-09-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Both Ruby and I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. She is such a busy little girl and has been SO ready to start school. She loves it. I have to admit... dropping her off tugged at the heartstrings a little, but it only lasted for about five seconds! I love hearing in detail about every little thing they did and learned at school. It is gonna be a good year.

cowabunga

2011-08-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Cowabunga Bay has been our home away from this summer. We bought super cheap season passes last summer and have definitely gotten our $'s worth. It is really close to our house and it has been so nice to be able to go there for even just an hour if we need something to do or if I feel like Ruby needs a little extra exercise. We started the summer off a little timid... just hanging in the gradual entry pool and lazy river. But about halfway through the summer... something clicked in Ruby and she is now a little dare-devil. Going down most of the slides... some she is not even tall enough to go on! Lately, being super preggo... I have just been enjoying watching her go up and down the slides from my comfortable beach chair! It is kind of funny, I think she thinks she owns the place or something because she constantly just by-passes fairly long lines on each slide... she goes right up to the life guard and they let her go down the slide without waiting! I guess I will save that lesson for another day!

She likes to "cast spells" on me with her imaginary Hermione wand when she sees me at the bottom of the slides. This girls imagination is always going in full force.

We have also enjoyed a bunch of play-dates with friends this summer. Here is a pic of Ruby and Kaleigh heading for the slides. Thanks for the photo Emily!

2011-08-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to report on the home-front. We have really slowed down these past few weeks... waiting for this baby to make an appearance. I am almost 36 weeks along, so hopefully she will show up soon because my body has had it. Ruby is being a trooper... content to hang at home lately. We still make a few trips a week to Cowabunga Bay (even just for an hour at times). Despite swim lessons being an epic failure, she LOVES water-slides and is little miss dare-devil. It has taken her most of the summer to build up her courage... but now she is a pro. She got away from me the other day and ran up the stairs to one of the "big kid" slides, and they actually let her go down it alone even though she is about 6 inches too short!! I was searching for her and looked just at the right time to watch her little body come shooting out of one slide... then she scrambled out to do it again. I can't keep up with this girl!

Adam on the other hand has also been a trooper. Although he has still been enjoying himself with plenty of golf and even a little "ManCation" with his best buds to St. George for a weekend of more golf, he has been amazing. He just finished painting the nursery and furniture among other projects. I am basically worthless by the time he gets home from work. He walks in the door with groceries and dinner in hand... ready to feed us and take over all "Ruby Duties." He feeds her, plays with her, takes her on runs/bike rides, plays endless games of CandyLand, bathes her, puts her to bed... it is amazing. I appreciate him SO much.

Helping me with some decorations for the nursery.

workin' the runway

2011-07-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

This really was not that big of a deal... but I thought the photo was cute. I have a friend that owns a baby store up in Park City. Her store was part of a fashion show during the intermission of one of the Wednesday night concerts at Deer Valley and she asked if Ruby could help out and be one of her models. So, here she is... workin' the runway.

Dakota

2011-07-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

There is a horse in the family! "Mimi" (Adam's mom), a long time horse lover recently bought a horse. We went down to meet "Dakota" today. It was really fun watching Marilyn do her thing with Dakota and teach the grandkids what she was doing, let them brush her, and most of all... ride her! It was a big hit! We finished the trip off with a fitting lunch at Cowboy Grub.

jackson 2011

2011-07-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend of the 4th with my family up in Jackson, Wyoming. Well, actually we camped at some tent cabins about 30 minutes north of Jackson at Colter Bay. I have the best memories of camping up there when I was little. It is the perfect place to camp. You rent out these little cabins that are basically a room with two bunk beds (2 log walls, 2 canvas walls), and a covered porch area for eating/cooking/whatever, and a fire pit. There are also bathrooms about 50 yards away... so you don't have to completely rough it. Last time we camped up there I was about 7 months pregnant with Ruby... and of course, I was again... 7 months pregnant this time. Despite that discomfort, we had a blast. It was so fun to hang with my family and watch all of the little cousins run around playing their various games. Ruby does not have any cousins (on my side) that live near to play with, so it is really a treat to hang with her Claflin cousins.

The Fam at Jackson Lodge which has the best view ever.

Yellowstone - Old Faithful

Hiking around Colter Bay

Relaxing at the campfire

"The Smoulder"

Independence Day in Jackson Hole... waiting for the parade.

After the parade, we wandered onto this cute church carnival fundraiser where we spent the afternoon. There were lots of games/activites for the kids. I guess it was the place to be because we spotted this "star" (Josh Holloway, "Sawyer" from LOST) taking in the festivities! Adam was star-struck.

california

2011-06-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a fun filled trip to California with the Jones family. We rented a beach house on the boardwalk in Newport Beach. It was really fun to watch all of the little cousins play. We had a great time beaching it, shopping, eating yummy food, going on walks, and getting a little R&R.

We had to visit Ruby's Diner of course!

Cousins: Georgia, Olivia, Stephen, Ruby, & Sydney

And of course... the boys had their fair share of golfing. Three rounds of 18!!

DISNEYLAND

We took a day off from beaching it and visited the "Happiest Place On Earth." We did the Disney thing last year and it was a huge hit with Ruby, so we wanted to do it again. We were not disappointed. It was crowded, and of course... lines were insane but it was still fun. Ruby met Repunzel & Flynn (who gave her the real "smolder") and a bunch of other characters... my favorite part about that was running into Alice & the Mad Hatter somewhere else in the park WAY after we had met them and they said "Oh it's Ruby again!" She (and I) loved that they remembered her name. It totally added to the magic. Other highlights were: the new Ariel ride in California Adventure, Bugs Life attractions (for some reason were a BIG hit), rootbeer floats on the boardwalk, churros (for Adam), and the super late "World of Colors" show. We were all SO tired by the end of the day, and my feet were swollen. My only regret is not bringing my big camera... but these photos are ok... I guess.

Ruby's Dance Recital

2011-06-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Miss Julie could not have made a smarter decision on this years recital theme. Every little girl in this recital was Repunzel and they all loved it. Ruby loves dance and especially cute Miss Julie. It was so fun to get her ready for today... she was really excited. From watching the videos... I think she was more excited to sing the songs than dance though!

When Will My Life Begin - Tap

I Will See The Light - Ballet

Roxie & Ruby are best buds in Miss Julie's class.Freestyle Finale

See her Christmas recital here.

road trip to the northwest

2011-05-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

Ruby and I tagged along with my parents on a little roadtrip to the Oregon Coast. Poor Adam had to stay home and work... but other than that, it was a very fun trip.

{Me, Mom & Kate @ Rockaway Beach}

@ the Tillamook Forest Center

Ruby & Smokey Bear

Cape Meares Lighthouse

One of our favorite stops was our tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Particularly the food/ice cream! Mmmmm.

One of the reasons for the trip was to celebrate Hazel's 5th Birthday. We had a great time having lunch at Mo's and strolling Cannon Beach (home of the Goonies haystacks).

The Bakers

Ruby striking some kind of pose.

We couldn't visit the area without stopping by in Astoria at the legendary Goonies House. "I want my bike, I want my bike."

We spent the last few days of the trip at Great Wolf Lodge. It was a really fun resort with an indoor water park (necessary in Washington). The kids had a blast and the water slides were really fun. Going down a huge water-slide with my mom might have been the highlight of the trip!

just me rambling...

2011-05-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

When is a toddler not a toddler anymore? When do they really become little people? Well, whenever that is exactly... I think Ruby has definitely graduated to being a little person. I have been meaning to keep track of the funny little things that come out of her mouth, her "Ruby-isms" but of course.. most of them come out, make me smile, and get lost in my mind. For posterity... here are a few that come to mind. Things she has done, funny, or astute things she says.

While I am sitting at the computer, Ruby comes up and tugs on my arm... "Mommy I just wanted to show you... I did a naughty thing downstairs." I love how honest they are. And thought it was really funny how as I was frustrated but quietly cleaning up her mess... she ran upstairs to get some more towels as she makes sure to tell me that she loves me multiple times.

Her imagination cracks me up. She could honestly play all day long in her room playing out these little fantasy/dramatic pretend play scenarios. Right now for example... I will dictate her from the other room for you.... "Cruella.. she's coming.. NOOOO. Get out of my car. No, I will never get out of your car. Daddy watch out, it's Cruella DeVille and her husband. Ahhh. Those two little guys are going to get you. Hurry, they took him away, gasp. My son! I don't understand why you are here. It's Cruella DeVille.. HA. Gothchu sucka! Sucka, Sucka (sucka like 10 more times, ha ha)!" I admit... sometimes I just tone her out:) Sometimes her random scenarios are SO funny. I went in her room the other day and she had these two scarves... one had both of her hands bound and tied behind her back, attached to her bed (I have no idea how she accomplished that one), and the other was over her mouth like gagging her. Just like Repunzel was tied up at the end of Tangled. It was so funny.

Her & Repunzel... and her disgusting hair that I HAD to braid within minutes of coming out of the box!

So, I mentioned Tangled. Ruby has that movie memorized from start to finish. There is a part in the movie that she quotes all the time... "[Mommy] I didn't want to have to do this but you leave me no choice... here comes the smoulder," as she gives me an alluring look. Just like Flynn Rider does in the movie. I need to get in on tape. But for now, here is a photo.

Ruby has been fighting bedtime lately. We go through the motions, tuck her in, shut her door... and she always ends up coming into our room later telling us that she "has to ask [us] some questions." We ask her what her questions are? And as she climbs up in-between us she tells us that she "just has a lot of questions to talk about." What a little manipulator! Seriously... we are going on about night five in a row of her falling asleep after eleven. Which is extra hard because I have been extra tired lately. She wakes up around 8:30am... so she is still getting a good nine hours of sleep and honestly doesn't seem to need more... but I need her to need more.

She is such a sweetheart though. Sometimes if I come into the room that she is in, get what I need and start walking out... she will run towards me and say... "Hey Mom, I just want to give you a hug and a smooch. xo. Love ya." She is so good at showing her affection and it melts my heart.

I have been so proud of her with the whole potty training thing. She has been potty trained for a good nine months. It was a tough month or so getting her on board with the whole idea... but after that month... she has been 100% potty trained even during the night. And in the last nine months, she has maybe 2-3 accidents. Oh, and by the way... this is one of two nightgowns (she has more but these are her favorite) that she is ALWAYS wearing when we are home. Literally right when we step in the door... she strips down and finds one of these. I have to be really sneaky when I need to get them away from her to wash them!

Sometimes.... she dresses herself. If I tell her we are going somewhere that she is excited about... she will run in her room and come out in an outfit similar to this.

Things Ruby could not live without:

-First and foremost WARM MILK, in her sippy cup. I know, I know (gross)... and she is kind of spoiled.

-Her "softy" blanket & pillow pet whenever she is watching a movie or going to bed.

-noodles, strawberries, edemame, kit kat bars, chocolate

-Her daddy. She is such a "daddy's girl." Really loves him SO much. When he is around... 90% of the time, she wants nothing to do with me! Sometimes I am kind of ready for him to go back to work on Monday mornings, just so I can have my Ruby back!

Sorry to be so heavy on all of the Ruby details of our life... what can I say... she keeps us busy! Adam and I are both doing well. We just celebrated our 6th Anniversary! He works hard at a financial planning firm and is EQ President now, so he has a lot more meetings. He plays on two indoor soccer teams and is always thinking about golf. I am just keeping busy cooking this baby... which is not my favorite thing to do! Not to be a downer, but I do not understand those woman who LOVE being pregnant. I think I am just really bad at it! Somedays... it is all I can do to just take care of Ruby's basic needs and other days I am fine. But, I am grateful to have a healthy baby girl in there. I am also keeping busy with my many random jobs. My sister calls me the "queen of odd jobs!" Right now I currently running my small photography business, help with website/marketing/pretty much anything for a local retail lacrosse store, I just finished reffing high school and college lacrosse for the season (due to the baby bump), I write articles for this site, coach private lacrosse lessons, do occasional graphic work for a band, and I think that is about it. I like doing a little of a lot of different things... it keeps life interesting.

Here is the first photo of our baby girl.

Easter

2011-04-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

We have been talking about that "sneaky Easter Bunny" for a while at our house now. It has been great bribery/ammunition if we want Ruby to obey us. She perks right up at the thought of the Easter Bunny knowing that she is not going to bed when she is told, or anything we want her to do! Is that bad!? :) Anyways, we hit a few little Easter Egg Hunts this week, saw the Easter Bunny at the mall (sorry for the camera phone pic), and dyed eggs with Grandma Carlene and Papa Todd. My mom was even nice enough to make her a little Easter Dress at my request. Thanks Mom!

Ruby with some of her "goods."

Here is a little video of our Easter morning. It was pretty early and low key since we had 9am church. Ruby must have been excited because she went to bed around 7:30 last night (WAY early for her) and slept for 12 hours. We are not used to those quiet hours of alone time on a Saturday night and it was much appreciated. Seriously... this little night owl has been pushing 11pm on a regular basis! I am not sure exactly what to do about that... but her Dr. says as long as she seems happy and is getting "enough sleep for her"... not to worry about it. I am starting to think that she is not getting enough sleep for me though!

It was also great to go to church and hear the messages about the Savior and the resurrection.

☀ spring is in the air ☀

2011-03-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Looking at these photos... I can't believe how big this girl is getting. I picked up this little Easter outfit at DownEast the other day and Ruby was really excited to put it on. She wanted me to "do her hair in a long down Repunzel way." Um... so here you have it;) Sometimes I really cannot believe that this little princess is my child. She is all about everything princess, which I never was. And, I think she has already spent more time in a dress in her lifetime than I have!

baby bump.

2011-03-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while. I have not really been very good about blogging because honestly... nothing too eventful has been going on around here. I really really really dislike this time of year. For a few reasons January and February are just the worst... the weather, the inversion, re-runs on tv, wanting spring to just be here, feeling so cooped up with a 3 year old, my skin does not cooperate, I feel so pasty, I'm sick of it getting dark SO early, it is my slow time of year for work which makes me feel unproductive and poor. On top of all of that.... lately my will to live is almost non-existent! But starting to get a little better. For those of you who don't know... I am 14 weeks pregnant, and I have not been feeling too hot at all. All of you women out there who think pregnancy is a breeze... be grateful for those genes. Because this girl does not like it one bit. But, that does not mean that I am not extremely excited and grateful for this new news. Anyway, like I said... I am starting to feel a little better, and the warmer weather is helping to motivate me. Ruby on the other hand is doing great and is very excited for the new addition to our family. It took a while to convince her that there was only one baby in my tummy. Now, she has agreed to that but I think we are going to have a hard time breaking her from naming the baby "Repunzel." Wish us luck! She is going to be a great big sister and helper. At first I was a little apprehensive about the age difference between the two. It is not what I initially would have planned but I think it is going to be perfect and I am really grateful for the precious time that we have had with just Ruby. She is such a wonderful, fun, smart, loving, imaginative little girl and I am SO proud to be her mama. I am really excited for this next chapter in our lives.

I have not taken a lot of photos in the last little while... but here are some cute ones that I do have.
Looks like we both need a little sun!

a little weekend getaway.

2011-02-22T13:04:00.000-08:00

We (especially Adam) have been itching for a vacation (golf) for a while. I had a photo shoot scheduled down in St. George on President's Day weekend so we and some friends made a little trip out of it. We rented a sweet condo that worked out perfectly. The weather was not the greatest but the guys still got two rounds of golf in and we even escaped the weather to Vegas for a day. It was a good time with good company. My only regret is not getting more photos of Adam, Ruby, and I.

{Kate & Eli, Lynsie & Frank, Me & Ruby}

She was a huge fan of the sand dunes in Snow Canyon.

{L: Joey & Lynsie, R: Kate, Eli, & Zach}

These two are BEST buds.

Itty Bitty Lacrosse

2011-02-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Itty Bitty Lacrosse is back again but popular demand! I organized this little shindig last year, and decided that it needed to happen again if I was going to get through this winter with any sanity left. Not to be a downer but this winter is getting old... nasty air, frigid temperatures. Us toddler herding people need something for our kids to do! They need to release some of that excess energy. So... once a week, we all meet up for a LAXin' good time! It is so cute to see these little kids try to play lacrosse.

Ruby and her Aunt Laura... her favorite lacrosse coach!

Just doing a little stretching.

winter

2011-02-08T02:08:00.000-08:00

Besides the holidays.... one of the FEW things I like about winter is the skiing/snowboarding. My sister Laura and I hit up Snowbird a few weeks ago. It was a gorgeous day with fabulous company.

I might just have to buy this photo from powdershots.com. I love that we both made it in the photo.

skiing with "papa todd"

2011-01-22T15:11:00.000-08:00

I tagged along with my dad while he skied with the National Ability Center. It was a gorgeous day up in Park City. Here are a few photos:

Photos from his water skiing this summer HERE.

Kay Hale Claflin

2010-12-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

I mentioned a few months back that my Grandma Kay's health was not too great. We have known for a while that it would be her time to go soon.

Kay Hale Claflin

Claflin, Kay Hale (Nee Herrmann) Passed away peacefully into Eternal Life on Thursday, December 16, 2010, at the Congregational Home in Brookfield, WI. She was 77. Kay was a devout Latter-Day Saint and a staunch defender of the United States Constitution. She was preceded in death by her parents; Irving and Hazel Herrmann. She is survived by three sisters; Janice Letellier (Sun City West, AZ), Nancy Trettin (Elm Grove), Rita Wareham (Brookfield), three sons; Todd (Carlene) Salt Lake City, UT, Bruce (Christa) White Bear Lake, MN, Chuck Jr. (Beverly) Cypress, TX, nine grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Viewing will be Tuesday, December 28, at 10AM, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Brookfield Ward, corner of Woelfel Rd. and Wisconsin Ave., Brookfield. The viewing will be followed by a service for Kay at 11AM. All who knew Kay are invited to attend. Interment immediately following at Wisconsin Memorial Park. A special thank you to the Congregational Home for all their loving care. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Multiple Sclerosis Society or The Congregational Home would be appreciated.

I made the trip out to Milwaukee to Grandma's funeral along with my sisters and parents. It was really good to see family that I have not seen in years. The trip was obviously bitter-sweet. It made me feel really guitly for not making a bigger effort to keep in touch with my Grandma. She has been sick for so long and I definitely could have done a better job or making her a bigger part of my life. We stayed with her cute older (82 years old) sister Nancy. She was the sweetest and best host ever. She is 4 feet 8 inches and is adorable. She told us how she has to lie on her drivers license so she doesn't have to drive with a booster! Being with her totally reminded me of my Grandma and made me miss her. It was also very neat for me to see/learn more about my Grandma and how close she was with her four sisters. Having four sisters myself, it was hard for me not to fast forward 60 years... and see me and my sisters at one of our funerals. All of their husbands are gone, and they are still the closest of friends. I was honored to participate in the funeral and know that my Grandma would have loved to be there in person with us all.

Claflin cousins (sans Brian & Daniel).

Laura, Molly, Kate, Sarah

The family after the luncheon.

Sarah brought my newest adorable nephew Harrison. I miss him already.

The house my Grandma grew up in. "Grandma Hazel's." Even though they no longer own the house obviously, there is still and "H" on the other side of the chimney. It was a very charming house in a picture perfect neighborhood.

It was very fun to go exploring around Milwaukee/Wauwatosa/West Bend with my sisters.

We drove up to West Bend to see the house my dad grew up in. We checked out his high school, which happens to be two high schools sharing one building. Really weird. Anyway, we are such idiots and took all of these photos by West Bend East High School... and he actually went to West Bend West High School!

"The Ponderosa." Look at this little house he grew up in.

It was such a great little trip. Good to see my sisters/family. I wish we would have done it years ago when Grandma Kay could have been with us.

christmas 2010

2010-12-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

With my parents in Georgia for the holidays, our Christmas was a little different but still great this year. We have had a pretty quiet Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. We went to lunch at Red Iguana (delish) with the Jones family and then headed home for the afternoon to nap, hangout, make cookies, watch movies, sing a few Christmas songs, open Christmas pajama's, and wrap presents. Our Christmas Eve dinner consisted of gourmet turkey cranberry sandwiches on fresh french bread and that is pretty much it!

This video cracks me up. I am sure most of you won't care to even watch it... but, this is our little Christmas morning. Well... part of it. Ruby was SO excited and is at such a fun age for the whole Santa thing. I was kind of out of the loop on half of these gifts. In my opinion... kids this age really only need 2 maybe 3 gifts and they are good to go. Adam on the other hand was a little overzealous and did 95% of the Ruby shopping this year. And now we have even more plastic (not my favorite) toys in our home. Oh well. She LOVED everything. He also got her two more Harry Potter movies! Um, those are kinda scary.. aren't they? I guess she doesn't think so, she loves them. Note the "Tom Riddle" part of the video! After another Christmas morning at Adam's parents... we headed back home and napped, vegged, played with new toys, and watched movies (I read Hunger Games) all afternoon & evening. I wasn't in the mood to cook... so Adam went on the hunt for an open restaurant and found that one of our favorites Joy Luck was open. Perfect. As I put Ruby to bed last night.... she said "I love you Mom. Merry Christmas."

Jones Family (except for Tom who is taking the picture)

Georgia, Olivia, Ruby

holiday parties...

2010-12-20T23:30:00.000-08:00

Lynsie, Kate, Molly, Camilla, Erika

Mortensen's

"This makes me feel old" - Adam (as we were taking these pictures)

•Little Owen, Little Mortensen, Little Jones, & Little Whitchurch•

Ruby is my little photographer. It is so cute to see her lift my big camera to her face. I don't know why but this photo just makes me smile. It is not really the image that makes me smile... it is the memory of watching her take this photo and crack up as she was looking at it on the screen.

Another fun little get together.

Chelsea Timothy, Camilla Owen, Erika Reber, Me, Aimee Wetzel, Melissa Fox, Caitlin Soffe, Caitlin Creer

watch out, winter olympics 2026

2010-12-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

Ruby's comin' atcha! We headed up to Snowbird this afternoon to prepare for our Olympic debut. Things are lookin' good for this future star. She proclaimed her love for skiing while we were on the chair lift. And, also told me that "these funny boots are heavy." I am beat from our little outting. Taking a toddler skiing might be the best workout ever!

christmas came early.

2010-12-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Since my parents are skipping town and headed to Georgia to spend Christmas with my sister Sarah and her family, we had our Christmas with them early this year. It was a little different having less than half of our family there, but it was still fun. Instead of our usual soup and bread bowls... we randomly decided on gyoza, chinese chicken salad, and this really good shrimp that my mom made. We went with a little asian theme... in honor of my little brother Daniel who will be spending this Christmas and next in Korea. Miss you Dan. That fire was not the same without you.

Preparing the shrimp

And the gyoza... mmmmm.

Brian, Me, and Laura

My mom made me take about a thousand pictures of her and my dad... neither of them could make a straight/normal face at the same time... it was priceless.

zoo lights

2010-12-12T01:59:00.000-08:00

We hit "Zoo Lights" the other night with most of the Jones crew. I was pretty impressed. We had driven through the lights at Thanksgiving Point the night before and these lights were WAY better... not to mention the fun of watching the animals too. The tigers we SO active... walking around and growling! It was actually a bit frightening. I thought they might jump right through their net. Poor things. Anyways, "Zoo Lights" were great. We will definitely make it a tradition.

Checking out "Santa's Reindeer."

Stephen, Sydney, Georgia, Olivia, & Ruby

She was SO excited to be riding "Aslan!" Narnia is one of her favorite movies these days. We pretend and play "Narnia" all the time. I am usually "Susan" and Ruby is always "Lucy." We have snowball fights and talk about eating "Turkish Delight." Her little imagination and memory amazes me.

ruby's dance recital

2010-12-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

Kind of weird to think that we went to our child's' first performance/event/recital this morning. I can't believe that Ruby is old enough to be be having something like this... but she is, and is was really cute. She has been loving Ms. Julie's dance classes all fall and today was the Christmas Recital. She is a little younger than most everyone in her class but has found some cute little friends and really enjoys it. We forgot her little christmas tutu (dang it)... and I botched the recording of her first tap dance number (kind of heartbroken about it), but here is her ballet number. She is the one with the red leotard and white tights... the one who stops to pick her nose half-way through:) I was so glad that she was paired with her cute little friend Roxie.

❄ happy holidays ❄

2010-12-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

"SANTA!! ... I KNOW HIM!"

2010-12-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

WE had "Breakfast with Santa" this morning! According to their conversation.... Ruby wants "presents." That is pretty easy. I think we can handle that;) Oh, and she also mentioned that she wants "everything in the magazine." Not sure we can handle that! She was also very concerned about where his reindeer were.

Love this little gal.

festival of trees

2010-12-03T17:11:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite holiday traditions is going to the Festival of Trees. We visited the festival with some friends this morning. I wish we would have taken a photo of our little group, but the truth is, we were all over the place! I love perusing the aisle, looking at all of the trees, but there is much, much more there to look at. Ruby had a good time at the little "kids zone," where she got her face painted, crafted, and stood in the middle of a big bubble!

Here is Winston & Ruby making Reindeer.... Ruby & Molly in awe over some life size Santa mannequin. Below, Ruby and little Molly LOVED the BarbieLand "Tree," as well as the Toy Story themed tree.

o' christmas tree

2010-12-01T21:13:00.000-08:00

'Twas a fun festive night at our house. I have been SO excited to go to a tree farm and pick out our tree. We have been really busy with Thanksgiving and friends/family in town and it was nice to just relax at home with our little family. I made some amazing (I do say so myself) beef stew, and we decorated the tree while jamming to the traditional Ray Conniff Christmas tunes. Enjoyed hot wassail & scones and watched a little "Arry Potta" (the last part is not festive, but was Ruby's choice!)

Not fully decorated/tweaked... but here is what we came up with before we ran out of steam. Not sure what to do about that gimp bough on the bottom though!?

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-26T14:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was wonderful and busy. It was really fun to have my sister Kate and her family in town. I wish I could have spent more time with her... it is always really fun to just hang out with her and her cute family. It was so nice that Ruby and Hazel... for the first time, got along SO well.

We started the day off early with our annual bowling game with the Jones Family. I am a really bad bowler. Ruby beat me. We then had dinner and games at the Joneses (I wish I would have taken some pictures), and then ANOTHER dinner and games at my parents! It was all amazing cooking/food (my personal favorites were Marilyn's sweet potatoes, and my mom's/Kate's turkey & stuffing) with very good company. We are blessed to have such great families, and we love them very much.

Two very cute people.

This was our Claflin Thanksgiving crew this year. A little smaller than normal, but still very fun. My mom invited some exchange students (from Mali-Africa, Busan-Korea, Columbia, and Dominican Republic... I think) over and they LOVED everything. They had me taking pictures of them in the snow, they were photographing their plates full of food, and loved every minute of our games.

memory lane.

2010-11-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

My cute Grandma Kay (dad's mom) is not doing so well right now. We will probably be making the trek to Milwaukee any day to say our goodbyes and pay our respects to her. My parents just got back from visiting her and brought back a ton of awesome photos that we have been going through.

See was such a hottie! With the cutest style.

Her senior portrait.

I cannot get over how much Daniel looks like my dad when he was little.

Not sure if this is from when my dad dove in h.s. or at BYU? It was in some newspaper though.

Please notice the striking resemblance in my earlier post about Daniel on his mission.

I love this little touristy looking photo of my dad.

Last night my little sister informed me that in this photo I look "down syndrome." Yes.. that is me with the glasses. Thanks Laura! I do have to say though... 90% (maybe more) of my childhood photos are pretty bad. There was a small... ok actually my entire childhood that I was always for some reason or another really strange/awkward/different. What can I say... I am one of a kind:) Also, I love that Brian is wearing a pair of "chums" like a necklace.

And here I am with my cute little siblings and daddy (in my Grandma Kay's backyard)... me obviously slightly left out from this cute bunch. Please note... that I appear to be playing with a toilet plunger. What the...?

With Grandma Hazel. Kate looks exactly like Hazel right here with that haircut!

I thought this photo of Sarah, Brian, and Kate with our great Grandma Hazel was cute. Not sure if I was born yet in this photo... I probably was... I bet they just couldn't find me playing in the gutter outside or something equally disgusting. I love how her couch is covered in plastic.

I love Sarah & Daniel's rugby shirts and braided belt. This photo makes me miss our dog Baxter. He looks exceptionally clean here.. we must have had him groomed for my grandma's visit. She has always been a neat freak.

It is so fun and weird to see my cute/young parents.

halloween

2010-10-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun October and a very fun Halloween this year. We topped the season off with our annual Foothill Village trick-or-treating, an impressive little shindig at a friends house, visiting family and friends, and eating a lot of treats.

Ruby and some of her cousins: Olivia, Georgia, and Sydney

We stopped by to visit a few of our favorite people.

Costume's were welcome at Ruby's gymnastics class.

Pumpkin Carving

elder claflin

2010-10-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

cute dan. seriously so proud of him out there in korea... learning such a tough language and serving.

i don' feel so good...

2010-10-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

since my sleep is all thrown off by staying up all night at the hospital and then sleeping all day... i will write. at least until my percocet kicks in:) so, i guess i am not invincible. and i definitely take my health for granted. actually i knew that i was not invincible. i feel crappy a lot of the time... but i keep going and going... and usually crash on sundays. the annoying thing... is that every time i finally think it is something big... i drag my feet to the doctor... seeing dollar signs flush down the toilet in my head. last july for example... i went into the urgent care center having chest pain... ekg was normal... doc said i must have "strained my chest wall"... STRAINED MY CHEST WALL, how dorky is that! AND... a few hundred dollars later! yes i have health insurance, but the $ still bothers me. so... when i started feeling really crummy last night, i tried to not be dramatic. everything was going fine at lacrosse practice. in fact, i felt great, i was so excited to have a little break from my day, up at our first practice after we selected the team from try-outs. i was really psyched to be on our new/incredible field despite the weather. i felt fine. about an hour into practice i started feeling SO unbelievably crummy and nauseous, with alotta lower abdominal pain on the side. i thought it was strange that i had the lower abdominal pain with the need to throw up... and so suddenly!? was my subway sandwich for lunch rancid or something? ohhh, it felt like i was in labor. that wonderful contraction like pain. or for some of you that get occasional gas pains... sort of like that, but worse. what!? i have no shame:) anyways... i got through practice and headed to a board meeting that i needed to attend. it was at a nice house where dinner was served. i was having none of it. i asked to use the bathroom and totally threw up in their toilet. ew, throwing up in a strangers toilet is just so much more disgusting that your own. i am so dramatic when i throw up. my whole face turns red, my eyes get all red and teary. i was a mess. i pulled myself together and finished the meeting. i drove home and painfully made my way up the stairs to our bedroom. tried to get ready for bed, walking like quasimodo. talked with adam and decided to wake ruby up and head to the emergency room. part of me thought/knew that there would be no signs, no diagnosis, and it would just be a big waste of time and money. another part of me just thought it might be gas or something.... which would have been really embarrassing... but i knew i had never had this pain before. i was also worried it might be my appendix or something... so we went. waiting rooms and emergency rooms bite. we waited forever and some of the characters we saw there were impressive. saw a little, scratch that, WAY too much of some old/homeless looking man sitting in his gown spread eagle as they showed me to my room. ruby was a champ and slept the whole time. they ran a ton of tests... bloodwork, urine sample, pelvic exam (my least favorite thing to do in the entire world), ct scans, and pregnancy test (which was negative AGAIN). they hooked me up to a few different meds... morphine was the weirdest. it made me feel so loopy and heavy. i think the doc was getting a kick out of my questions and slow/slurred speech! after a while blood-work came back and my white blood count was 17,000... which should normally be 5000-10,000. indicating that i did indeed have some sort of bad infection/inflammation... something. hallelujah! not that i wanted to be sick at all... but some physical evidence/validation for me being at the hospital made me feel much less like a hypochondriac. also... my ct scan indicated fluid in my abdomen and a few ovarian cysts, which can be very painful... but are different for everyone. so... the doctor didn't know definitively what was causing my white count to be so high, or my pain... but she sent me packing with some meds to make me feel better and hopefully take care of the infection. now i am just layin low, and sleeping a lot (except for now... when i should sleep but can't! go figure), and following up with my doc. hopefully it will all be gone within a week and i will start to feel a little better. boo to being sick. and boo to having way too much stuff to do while being sick. on a good note... i have an awesome husband that is taking great care of me and the rubes. and... his elmo pumpkin carving skills are award winning:)

this&that {UPDATED}

2010-10-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a few random photos (mostly taken with a phone camera)... to give you an idea of some of the fun things we have been up to...

It is been so fun hitting up different festive hot spots. Our neighborhood Trunk-or-Treat was one of them...

Adam hitting the links up at Jeremy Ranch. He has been getting out at least once a week.

Another little golf trip to St. George.

Football season is SO fun. Check out Ruby's battle wound.

Porch Swing = 1 Ruby = 0

Our teams' first scrimmage against Westminster College (we won 18-14). I was apparently not that happy with what was going on:) Check out how cute Ruby and her little posse is. She always manages to find friends. She comes with me to practice every now and then and loves it. She yells at the team to "push it" when they are running sprints... it is pretty funny.

Here is our first day after we selected the team. Practicing on our sweet new field! These two are a blast to coach with and it is even more fun having my little sis Laura on the team. I can't believe how short I am compared to Troy & Emily!

We have taken a few trips with family and friends to festive Gardener Village to check out all of the witches.

And we visited this cute pumpkin patch again...

Adam and I have been able to get away a few nights in the last few weeks (thanks to our WONDERFUL babysitting mothers) to go to a few shows. The Lion King on Broadway at Capitol Theater, THRILLER at Kingsbury, and my favorite... The Weepies at The State Room.

Oh and I LOVE this photo taken at Eli's (Kate & Zach's baby) blessing a few weeks back. These girls are so wonderful. I don't have very many memories from high school (and after) that they are not in.

she's 3!

2010-10-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

We had to hit up a photobooth again to keep our birthday tradition alive. Well, not exactly... I searched far and wide for an old school bw photobooth... no such luck. K-Mart used to be the ticket but I called to find out that they "pulled" the booths from all of their stores :( waa waa. So... let me know if you spot one anywhere. Anyways, I set up our own little "booth" in our living room and this is what I came up with. Hopefully we can find one in the future, and last year will not be the last. I just love the excitement of sitting in the booth, inserting your dollar, and having the flash go off without notice... then waiting outside in anticipation as they develop. Good times. I love this little gal. She is my best little bud, and we have a blast together. These last 3 years have been the best years of my life.

Birthday Bash.

2010-10-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome birthday bash on Saturday afternoon. Ruby has been so excited and talking about it for the last few weeks. I am not sure she really knew what to expect though... I think she just thought that her birthday party WAS her cake. It was really fun to see friends and family and to have them there to celebrate her special day. And a big thanks to my awesome sister Laura for all of her help.

My friend Amy made this stellar cake. Ruby was in awe... watching her make the final touches. She was really excited to blow out the candles... and blew them out about half-way through the song! I wish I would have recorded it.

She could not resist opening this "Belle, it's not a nightgown, dress" without putting it right on.

Cute Peacock Molly definitely wins for "Cutest Costume."

{2nd Birthday, 1st Birthday, ACTUAL BIRTH Day}

i ♥ october

2010-10-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

We found THE cutest pumpkin patch today after gymnastics (hence Ruby's outfit). I LOVE this time of year.

my little gymnast

2010-10-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

From the title of this post... you might think that I am bragging about my amazing athlete of a child. Think again!

Since I still don't know a ton of people down in our hood... and can't find anyone to do Joy School with, I just had to find some activities to keep Ruby busy and to get her some exercise. She just started up in Ms. Gloria's class at Bailie's Gymnastics. It is an awesome gym and really close to our house. It is really funny watching these classes from up above the gym in the bleachers. Ruby is the youngest one in the class and has THE shortest attention span. And although she is getting better, I will just leave it at that!

The end of class cheer might be her favorite part... "We LOVE Gymnastics."

miss julie's dance

2010-09-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

I signed Ruby up for THE cutest class ever. It is a little dance studio taught by Ms. Julie and it is SO great. It is in Sugarhouse in this cute ladies backyard studio. Ruby loves it. Parents were allowed to come on this first day and I could not resist taking this secret little video. Ruby was mesmerized by her. Ms. Julie makes these little girls feel so special. This last week when I picked Ruby up... she got in the car and while we were driving home she sighed..."Ms. Julie loves me." It was priceless.

Here is my secret video:) It was just part of their little introduction day. Ms. Julie knew that princesses are the way to Ruby's heart.

This is just a random photo from after dance. For some reason it reminds me of one of those pages in People Magazine.. "Stars are Just Like Us"...... they drink smoothies:)

"The Little Red Hen"

2010-09-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Sometimes... I let Ruby read to me for a change. This is one of our favorite books.

utah state fair

2010-09-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love the state fair. We went twice this year. Once with our good friends Laura and Alice, and then with my mother-in-law Marilyn "Mimi", sister-in-law Katie, and Ruby's little cousin Georgia. It was much warmer than I expected but we had a great time. We loved perusing all of the animals, agriculture, and other entered items wanting to win that coveted Blue Ribbon. The Big Yellow Slide is always a highlight, as well as this cute little "Hands of Farm" place for the little ones. Another highlight is the extremely unhealthy food that can be found at the fair! No, I cannot say I tried the fried pickle. But I did enjoy a tasty Brat and some funnel cake. Good enough for me.

Ruby & Alice

This was so cute. Some child had apparently made his/her own awards for the fair, and went around and judged the animals! We were lucky enough to spot this gem.

The best photo we could get with Little Miss Uncooperative Ruby. Me, Katie, Marilyn, Ruby, & Georgia.

You wouldn't know by her face here... but Ruby LOVES this big slide!

P.S. The people watching is prime:)

bye bye summer

2010-09-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

I cannot complain one bit about this summer. It was perfect. I think it just may have been the best summer of my life. It had the perfect combination of family, friends, vacations, swimming, lacrosse, exercising, beach, sun, work, procrastinating work, parties, bbq's...etc. Ruby is at such a fun age. Everything is so much more fun with her. This summer was just fabulous and I am sad that it is ending. I am not too heartbroken though because I LOVE what the next few months has in store for us. I am so excited for the weather to start changing, Ruby's gymnastics and dance classes, her 3rd birthday, Halloween, pumpkin patches, lacrosse fall ball, caramel apples, Thanksgiving, and the rest of the holidays. I.can't.wait! Here is a little sequence of photos from Ruby's cousin Stephen's birthday party. This girl loves to party!!

3rd Annual Fairy Festival

2010-09-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

More info here.

birthday boy.

2010-09-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated a big happy birthday to this cute guy. Poor guy had to work all day while Ruby and I went boating and then swimming:( But, we made up for it with a yummy sushi dinner, his favorite homemade carrot cake, and a BIG win by the UTES!! I love you Adam. You better LOVE that Droid X!

Cecret Lake

2010-09-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

We took a little hike up to Cecret Lake with my sisters Laura, Kate, and her little family. It was gorgeous up in Albion Basin. I was so impressed that Ruby and Hazel made it up to the lake. They both had to be carried down though!

We saw this little family grazing on the way down!

it's like riding a bicycle...

2010-08-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

This guy is a champ. This is my dad, Todd. Or, some call him "Papa Todd." Some of you may wonder why he uses a wheelchair. He has had Multiple Sclerosis for almost 20 years now. Over the years, he has slowly lost his mobility. He basically has no feeling on the left side of his body. He can walk very short distances with some assistance, but most the time, it is easier for him to use his trusty wheelchair... the "Permobile," as I call it. He is an accomplished skier, water skier, collegiate diver, marathon runner, and scuba diver among other things. It has been tough for him this last decade sitting on the sidelines watching the rest of us have all of the fun as he has slowly had to cut these activities out of his life due to different symptoms of M.S.. But today... we (my mom, sis Laura, Ruby, and I), with the help of the National Ability Center, took him water skiing. We had a blast! He was a little anxious about it but I have no idea why because he popped right up out of the water on his first try and skiied for a good twenty minutes. Awesome job Dad! Love you.

Oh, and a happy 34 years of marriage to my parents tomorrow!

I love his face here.

Here is a little video of part of his pull.

Ruby loves boating and loved cheering for Papa Todd.

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[UPDATED] We had another opportunity to take my dad waterskiing. This time we drove out to the middle of NOWHERE. There was this little manmade lake out way way west of the mountains west of Utah Lake called Last Chance Lakes. The National Ability Center met us out there. My dad did a great job and it was much more fun for him this time without the rain pelting him during his pull. He gets better and better every time. There were a bunch of us there cheering him on. It was fun to have my sister Kate and her family there. I am so grateful for my dad to have this opportunity and to be able to get out there and be a rockstar on that ski.

newport 2010

2010-08-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a perfect trip to Newport Beach, California. We went with the entire Jones bunch and stayed right on the boardwalk (the only way to do it, in my opinion). It was the perfect combination of beach, shopping, good food, Disneyland, golf, morning & evening walks, aquarium, more good food, ferris wheels, and family. Adam golfed 54 holes total. And, Ruby's life is now complete after her visit to Disneyland... but more on that here! We really had SO much fun on this trip and are SO excited to do it again asap!

As you can see... Ruby loves being chased by waves.

Sadly, this is the closest we got to getting an entire family shot. Thanks for taking it Richard.

This little guy is SO adorable. He is always smiling.

This daddy's girl is SO happy to be out on a walk in her princess pajamas and not in bed.

So... at one point during this vacay... I legitimately thought I was going to die! For some reason... I kind of dared myself (I guess) to swim out to this buoy that was a few hundred yards from the shore. Now... for my fellow "Shark Week" viewers... you can imagine my fear, as reality hit as I was almost to the buoy and in open water. We had already seen a whale and multiple dolphins swimming nearby during the week, so I was well aware that there was wildlife out there in the water. I just kept imagining a huge shark snagging me from below in a split second, and I would be a goner. I don't know why I was freaking out so bad, but you could say it was a borderline anxiety attack! Now... you can hardly see me in the video... I am basically in the middle swimming towards the buoy in the beginning and I round it and head back to the shore... just as I notice the more than normal people waving and looking towards me from the beach. So I looked around, and to my horror I saw three (what I thought were) SHARKS just 20 or so feet from me! I was SO terrified. I tried to swim as fast and as splash free as possible. After a second... I realized they were dolphins. But the damage was done... I wanted out of that ocean. I think I will stay in the more shallow/boogie boarding water for a while! I faced my fear later at the aquarium and actually touched a shark. But... you don't really need to know that it was a sleeping baby shark! Still counts, right!?

Balboa Ferris Wheel

Hathaway Family

"Livi" & Ruby

THE happiest place on earth.

2010-08-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

Her life is complete.

THESE were Adam's fave.

Giving our scariest faces while waiting for Captain EO!

What can I say... THIS little girl could not have been happier. "Disneyland" has been our ammunition for good behavior for the last few weeks. We hung it over her head whenever needed and she has been an angel lately:) She really, really, REALLY had the time of her life and it was SO fun to watch and share with her. She was SO star struck at every character we met and LOVED every ride and attraction. She particularly loved the "spooky snow white ride," Tarzan's Treehouse, and the "Pirates of the Caribbean." She has not stopped talking about it since. We cannot wait to go again... well maybe Adam can! :)

SPUDMAN

2010-08-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

1 mile swim • 25 mile bike ride • 6.2 mile run

Well... I survived the much anticipated SPUDMAN Triathlon this last weekend. We put in for the lottery in January, and I have been thinking about it ever since. Besides running a few times a week, I can't say that I trained much at all! Went on one 10ish mile bike ride, and swam laps once for about 15 minutes. Needless to say, I survived. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, I am so proud of myself, and happy with my time (3:00:57). In hindsight... I could have pushed a little harder on the swim, and my transition times could have been better... but I had no idea what to expect. I also could have maybe pushed a little harder during the first 3 miles of the run. It was so hard to get my legs to work after riding for 25 miles.... using different leg muscles and pushing them to their limit. I went up there with my good friend Erika, my sister Laura, and her husband Ben. We camped on a golf course and were up at the crack of dawn to start the race. It was so much fun (after we were done)... and I just might do it again!

We got potatoes in our "goody bags"... Burley, Idaho is famous for their potatoes!

Setting up our bikes the night before... This is the river we swam down. The rainbow was a good omen!

{about 22 miles into the ride)

a morning conversation

2010-08-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

I love talking with this little girl and hearing some of the funny things that come out of her mouth. Sometimes she honestly does not stop talking. It is funny to listen to her conversations with me or with herself evolve, and to listen to how one (out loud) thought makes her think of something else completely random and she shifts the conversation. This is our conversation this morning conversation. She is almost 3 years old. It is not as great as some of the things I hear her say... but it is a cute little sample.

Seattle

2010-07-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

"Mommy.... we never saw Attle?"

Ruby was a little confused as to what Seattle was. I think she was looking for "him" and waiting to meet "Attle" the whole time! We took a great little trip up to hang with my sister and Kate and her family, and to run a relay with Kate. Kate and Brian are the best hosts ever. We adventured to the coolest places, the yummiest restaurants, and also had some awesome home cooked meals. Ruby and Hazel were "frienemies" the entire time, so that was a little exhausting. We hit Gas Works Park, Snowqualmie Falls, U Village Mall, Pine Lake, Pike's Place Market, Golden Garden's Beach, and ran the race ALL over the Northwest of Seattle seeing the most charming little towns and farms.

Gas Works Park. An awesome view of the water and the city

Ruby attempting one of her many escapes! Apparently this place was in the paintball scene from "10 Things I Hate About You," but I can't remember it?

Isn't Max ADORABLE?

Lounging/exploring at Golden Garden's Beach.

Kim, Kate and I hitting up Pike's Place Market for some shopping and some piroshky's that are to die for.

Pine Lake

Snowqualmie Falls

Brian was SO nice to play Mr. Mom while we were running the Ragnar Relay. He is the best. Thanks Bri!

ragnar schmagnar

2010-07-27T14:54:00.001-07:00

The main purpose for my little trip up to Seattle was to run the Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay with my sister Kate and some of our friends. We had a team of 12 people in two vans. Between the 12 people, we ran 188 miles in 28 hours. Each person ran 3 legs between 3 and 8 miles. I myself ran 16 miles. This race was so scenic and beautiful. I loved every second of this race. We were so tired, but really had such a great time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. That part of the country is truly gorgeous. A HUGE thanks to my brother-in-law Brian for watching all the kids (Hazel, Max, & Ruby) while us ladies were gone.

On the Ferry on our way back to Seattle after the race. L to R: Kim Frost, Kate Baker, Jodi Sorenson, Molly Jones, Denise Oh.

Acting like a fool while Kim was waiting for me at the exchange!

My 5:00am run was SO gorgeous.

Doing a little sight seeing at Deception Pass during our down time.

We also stopped a U PICK farm during our down time and picked fresh raspberries.

Our "Ragnar Schmagnar" team.

DIY family portraits

2010-07-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

Everyone keeps telling me that WE need family pictures done. I am always the one behind the camera. We didn't really have much going on the other night so we decided to take a little drive out to the Great Salt Lake and take some pictures. These could definitely be a little better, but hey... not too shabby for self timer right!

bear lake twenty ten

2010-07-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a fabulous little Claflin Family vacay to good ol' Bear Lake. It was really fun to have Sarah's family in town from Georgia and Kate and her family in from Seattle. I love hanging with my family. We have so much fun together and can talk and laugh for hours. We rented out this sweet house from some family friends... it was perfect. We passed the time, on the beach, boating, playing/lounging on the water trampoline, hiking through the Minnetonka caves, talking, laughing, eating, parenting, watching movies, playing games, diffusing toddler fights, and making runs for the infamous fresh raspberry shakes. Thanks for the good time Mom and Dad.

Papa Todd & Grandma Carlene

Claflin grandchildren

Mom, Me, Laura, Abby, Perry, Sarah, & Kate hangin' out on the water trampoline.

THE best way to tire this little runner out...

Adam & Ruby

Perry & Abby

Me and Kate

Kate on her way down...

Me..... down.

My cute mom right before Laura pounced on her!!

Sarah and Laura

Awesome Kate... 3 days after her marathon!

Cute Laura

Me... sporting a very pretty face!

{hunting for the perfect rock for our little craft. L to R: andrew, avery, abby, hazel, & ruby}

{the crew sans "papa todd" who stayed back on this little spelunking adventure to the minnetonka caves}

adventures of ruby

2010-06-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

It is days like today that make me feel not so guilty about days like yesterday. Yesterday we literally did not leave the house until I had a shoot at 7:00! Ruby played inside and watched movies all day while I edited and worked all day. So today... we were determined to have some f.u.n.! We started it off with an annual trip the the foothill fire station, where our visit was cut short by an actual emergency! It was alright though... we got to see pretty much everything before those firemen zoomed off. Here are some pics from our trip there last summer. After our tour... we hopped over to Sunnyside Park for a little picnic.

"over & out"

Then.... we headed back down south to Lindon, to the Annual Princess Festival with my sister Sarah and her two princesses Abby & Avery. This festival was actually quite magical for Ruby. All of her favorite princesses and characters were there. Ruby especially enjoyed having tea with Alice, The Mad Hatter, and The Red Queen. She kept interrupting asking where "the hole" was. This home/property was incredible. Complete with huge playgrounds, playhouses, a castle, and many, many more fairytale details to complete the experience. Every little girl in attendance is in full princess attire.

{Ruby, Lydia/"Jasmine" (my sister Sarah's niece), and Avery}

This will definitely be on our "to do" list for the next few years. For those of you who want to give your little gals a "Disneyland" like experience meeting ALL of the characters.... this is a cheaper, no lines involved option. What a day. We are beat.

Ski-Town Shootout Lacrosse Tournament 2010

2010-06-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

I had such an awesome weekend at the Ski-Town Shootout in Park City. Our "Face Off Lax" women did AWESOME. We went undefeated!! Beat Tribal West 11-3, BYU 7-5, Mamaci 10-7, and Westminster 12-3 yeeeeeaaaaahhhh!!! It was so fun and it is going to take a few days for me to recover. My poor ankle needs a little rest before next months races.

Face Off Lax Ladies

{Back row, L to R: Molly Jones, Amy Erickson, Laura Fallis, Megan Beus, Emily Ballard, Stephanie Palmer, Laura Hunter, Tracy Souvall, Tiegan Hatch. Front row, L to R: Lyndsey Calton, Ali Garcia, Lindsay Meintel, Aleisha Matsuura, Jessie Middaugh, Alison Livingston. not pictures due to a small incident with the police... Emily Edmonston!!}

Me and my little sis Laura

We are just too cute... I had to post another! I LOVE playing lacrosse with this lady. She is awesome.

In the meantime... these two party animals hung out all weekend doing this and that. Cowabunga Bay was the highlight. Aren't they adorable. They are best buds. I love them.

happiness

2010-06-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

this is what IT is all about. have a wonderful week.

national tournament

2010-06-01T22:04:00.001-07:00

Memorial Day weekend this year and like many in the last ten years of my life was spent at the Women's Division National Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland. I coordinated and coached Team Utah/Idaho. I LOVE coaching. I love getting to know and teaching these awesome girls about lacrosse. We had an absolute BLAST. I am so beat from the trip. We had six games and did really well in the tournament. One of our games was at 7:00am... which translated to us being up and ready to go at 3:30am "our time!" It was fun but rough. This tourney was in conjunction with the Division 1 NCAA Woman's Lacrosse Semi-Finals and Finals. We attended all three of those games and LOVED every second of it. It is so much more fun to be at those games in person. And, it is awesome for these girls to see the sport played at the highest level. The final game was a huge upset... Maryland beating Northwestern by two points. At one point, Northwestern (the 6-time defending champions) were leading 8-2!! And Maryland came back to win it! I was in heaven:) All in all... we had a fabulous time... with not nearly enough sleep and way too much sun! The speakers in our 12 passenger van were officially blown out. My voice is so hammered.
I missed my little family though. Adam is honestly the best husband ever. He.is.superdad. He took Friday off and had Ruby for the entire long four day weekend... and managed to surprise me with a new "big girl bed" for Ruby... it is from Ikea and I am in love with it. AND... he painted my entire office green and my desk white! It ws such a nice little surprise.

{some "action" shots of me coaching!!}
@ NCAA FINALS

{me and my coaching/chaperon posse}

{me and the harding sista's}
A little fun @ Inner Harbor in Baltimore right before heading home.

Wow... these mirrors at the World Trade Center make me look extra short & squatty:)

farm country

2010-05-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

Today we took a little break from playing catch up with work and everything I do in my life. I was feeling a little guilty Ruby was cooped up at home watching movies all morning. I needed to get out, and she needed some exercise. So, we took advantage of our membership at Thanksgiving Point again and hit up the awesome Farm Country. Ruby loves the pony rides.

mother's day

2010-05-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day this year was wonderful but exhausting. We ususally alternate whose family we have Sunday dinner with... but on occasions like Mother's Day, we want to see everyone. So, we had both of our parents and my siblings over for dinner. We went all out and made the yummiest dinner for everyone. Grilled Flank Steak (with amazing marinade), "Brian's Red Potatoes," salad, fresh rolls, fresh fruit, and homemade strawberry shortcake with fresh bisquits for dessert. It was DELicious, if I do say so myself!

I am so honored to be the mama of this amazing little person. She is soooo much fun to hang out with everyday. I cannot put into words how much I love her & love being a mommy. She makes me want to be a better person. Love you Ruby.
Arrangement by La Fleur.

what i love about summer.

2010-05-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

i love the long days of summer. when adam gets home from work, we still have hours to hang as a family and do fun active things outside like this. we are loving these awesome trails right by our house. they go forever and have horses all along the way.
not really sure what i am doing here:)