with resolve

so, i've never actually been serious about setting new year's resolutions for myself. but for some reason, this year i feel motivated to do so. and i want to be specific about my plan to carry out said resolutions because otherwise by january 10th i'll be eating cheesecake by the pound, wallowing in anxiety, and will have missed the deadline to sign up ruby for swimming lessons. (again)

so, here goes...

1. i would like to do a cardio workout 3 times a week and do some strength training 3 times a week. T bought me a kinect for the xbox & i have already tried out zumba and another fitness game he got me. so far, i really like them. it's convenient & fun. win and win. i have a super cool planner and want to schedule out my workout sessions in it.

2. menu plan. i want to cut out us eating out so much and buying convenience food at the end of the day bc i don't have a plan. this is another thing that i will use my planner for, as there's a handy dandy menu planning/grocery column.

3. get back to using the cash envelope system for anything other than bill paying basic things (like car loan, student loan, credit cards, cable & electric, etc). all other items in the budget, we will pay for in cash. we started this system last summer and it worked great. but after T's mom passed, i didn't keep on top of it and things got a little out of our normal routine. but i am going to get it back in order. we save a ton of money using that system.

4. worry less/blog more. i am putting these together because part of the problem that arises when i start worrying is that i don't DO anything with the worry and it just keeps eating away at my energy, my focus, and my hope. but blogging helps. it helps to get it out there and out of my head. i also plan on talking to people more about anxieties i'm having instead of thinking i'm bothering people or afraid to admit my fears. i plan on making a blog schedule in my planner (i know, my planner is legit!) in general, i'd like to blog at least three times a week. feel free to call me out on that if you don't see me around these parts for several days. ;)

5. DO more with ruby & T. more than just the usual brunch on sunday and trips to target. (not that those two activities will be going anywhere.) but i'd like to add in activities like going swimming, maybe camping (we have this kick ass tent that we have never even opened!), go see a drive-in movie, pick strawberries, take bike rides together. you get the idea. just DO.

6. get pregnant (maybe even actually have a baby!) i won't go into detail on my strategies for accomplishing this task. ;) you're welcome.

i think this covers the big ticket items that i want to focus on this year. don't wish me luck, instead wish me motivation, resolve, and stellar follow-through skills. (oh, and T, you can crack down on me if you see me slipping. thanks, amigo!)

happy 2013, folks! :)

christmas happiness

can't believe how quickly christmas came & went this year. i don't think it helps that it was on a tuesday, either. we had a few years when it was attached to weekends & that was good stuff. anyway, while we are trying to get back into the swing of things, we are happy to have some wonderful christmas memories from this year.

ruby & i made the trek up to minnesota by ourselves last weekend. overall, ruby did great & we even dodged a big snowstorm so that was a relief. we stayed at my oldest sister's home and i got to see ALL of my family, which is no small task. all six of my siblings, plus 8 nieces/nephews, plus all 3 of my parents were in one place at one time & i LOVED it. the only draw back was that T couldn't come with us. but when we came back christmas eve, we got to spend that evening & all of christmas day with him, which was a wonderful time.

here's a photo bomb of some good times, christmas style!

ruby found her cousin's "um- ella!!" 

view from my sister's front yard. she lives in the country, which made for a perfectly relaxing trip.

fun with grandma della

cousins hard at work (aka unwrapping presents)

"holy crap!! check out my new ride! it comes with a WAND!" 

someone loves their auntie lisa

i can't tell you the sheer joy ruby had when playing at Bounce World. homegirl was losing her ever- loving mind. and also, i think i had just as much fun as she did. 

there is little more wonderful than the friendship found in a cousin.

"cheese!!" having lunch with her cousin, teagan.

omg.yay.christmas.toms.

mama's day

happy (belated) mother's day, y'all! i hope you all had a beautiful day celebrating your moms (and being celebrated if you're a mama yourself). we had such great weather, got to spend some time with family, a good friend, and catch a ball game. mother's day ftw!

i didn't really take pictures at brunch in the morning. we went to 'firefly urban bar & grille' in wauwatosa, just outside of milwaukee. the brunch buffet was just okay, which was kinda a bummer b/c we kinda live for brunch. but the atmosphere was really nice, the sun was shining, and it was lovely to visit with T's family and celebrate the moms.

after brunch, we headed straight over to miller park to catch the brewers/cubs game, as was my request for mother's day. i was super excited because it was ruby's first ball game. we picked her up a brewers hat and she rocked it, i must say (of course). she really seemed to have so much fun - clapping when everyone clapped and yelling when everyone cheered. and of course, she entertained everyone around us, which was especially nice since the brewers lost. and to the cubs. which makes it even worse. but it was a perfect day for a ball game and i had a great time.

my very good friend, michelle, also met us at the game. it was so stinking great to have her there. we don't get to hang out anywhere near as much as we used to and haven't been to a game together in a couple years, so that made the day extra special. she is my closest friend and like family to me. ruby likes her, too. in the bottom right picture, ruby was dancing with michelle. some other fun moments: ruby was highly entertained by the birds and planes that flew over the stadium (the roof was open) and she got her own seat while T scored us some hot dogs and ice cream. such a big girl.  

catching up (again): easter dress

yeah, i know. easter was quite a while ago. but mid march to mid april was seriously rough for us. ruby was sick for over a month, and then we were on vacation, and then she was kind enough to pass along her sickness to us. so i'm still trying to catch up on all the fun that we did have in between that stuff. and one of those fun times was easter.

when i was a little girl, i remember my mom taking me to the store each easter to pick out a dress. and the dress had to have a bonnet, too. i love that i have a little girl now to continue that tradition. last year we picked out a little dress and bonnet for (then) 8-week-old ruby. it didn't even fit her. she was drowning in it. but it had to be done. i didn't start blogging until ruby was about 3 months old, so here's a never-before-seen pic of little ms. ruby and me celebrating her first easter together, with kisses.

so, the tradition continued this year. but there was a sweet little twist on it. the dress and bonnet in the picture (s) below are actually hand-me-downs from ruby's older cousins, teagan and maren. my sister, lisa (their mama), handed down some (and by some i mean, 4 rubbermaid containers full) of clothes for ruby. it was so generous of them to share with us and it's great to see ruby toddling around in her cousins duds.

the morning of easter, i dressed ruby up, gave her her basket of easter eggs and plopped her in the front yard to play. i took a lot of pictures. little girl in a bonnet (plus those shoes!) = super photo ops. ultimately, we ended up with a wardrobe change because ruby couldn't crawl around in this dress and she was getting mighty frustrated about it. so i put her in another dress from her cousins, put a sweater over the dress, left the bonnet on, and we headed off for a walk to the coffee shop for some breakfast. a lovely morning, indeed.

i introduced ruby to dandelions. in usual ruby-fashion, she tried to eat it.

wardrobe change! conveniently enough, the bonnet matched the new
dress so ruby demanded she keep it on. sheesh, diva.

"oh, hi mom. i got an egg."

flirting with people at the coffee shop. those shoes just kill me. super cute.

wordless-ish wednesday: christmas edition

merry christmas from ruby harper

we are thankful!

we had a lovely thanksgiving and i got a slew of fun pictures that i wanted to share. we had a very busy, but exciting, few days in both WI and MN (for ruby & i). it was soo good to see so much of our families. we don't get to see our sickels' side nearly enough and although T wasn't able to go up with ruby & i, i was still grateful to be able to visit for the holiday. here are some (okay, many) snapshots of the holiday festivities.

we spent thanksgiving day with T's family at his parent's house. we ate a ton and had great company. it was a good day. :)

yay! it's thanksgiving! let's eat!

some QT with grandpa sun

 funny! ruby and her auntie rhonda

just chillin' with grandpa sun. no big deal.

ruby was not all that interested in the packer game.

max, however, captured her interest. ruby loves pets. she always laughs at them and gets very excited when they come by her. it's pretty sweet.

cuddle time with dad :)

our favorite! it's time to eat!

 friday morning, ruby and i got ready for ruby's first airplane ride. it was pretty exciting. i was a little nervous about traveling alone with ruby and how it would all go, but seeing as how the flight to MN would only be 45 minutes, i knew it would work out fine. and it did! i managed to pack all of our stuff for the entire weekend into one backpack, which was super convenient. ruby played with her toys while we waited to take off. i fed her before we took off for both flights and she fell fast to sleep. and i was out-of-my-mind with happiness that we didn't have to drive 5 1/2 hours to get there. score!

ruby's favorite thing to do - read books! she was very interested in this one while we sat and waited to board the plane.

hanging out with her catepiller in the terminal (and check out her mad sippy cup skills!)

watching the planes come and go

more reading! and this time with cousin hannah. this is too sweet. :)

oh more sweetness! quality time with cousin hannah. ruby, as always, loves to be with her cousins. she watches their every move and laughs at them when they play. she's such a social little lady. i love it.

ruby has started feeding herself her food. she concentrates really hard and is pretty impressed with herself when the food actually gets in her mouth. and even more entertaining is when the food doesn't get in her mouth, ends up on the floor, and she looks around down at her hands as if to say "where'd it go??" and as with every new milestone she reaches, i'm so proud of her.

the night before we came back home, we helped lisa and her family decorate their christmas tree.
 ruby likes the lights, although mostly she just wants to eat them. :) we stayed up way too late helping with the tree and (as you can see here) ruby was pretty much zoned-out by the end of it and in much need of some sleep!

best. halloween. ever

okay, i'm a little late with this one. but i have been swamped in every area of my life. i manage to take pictures of everything that i want to blog. it's the actual blogging that takes more time and energy than i can usually muster up after i get ruby to bed and everything situated in the house each night. but tomorrow, i'm home with rubinski b/c T has to work and we can't put her in daycare the extra day. so that means, among many things, that i get to nap (!!!) tomorrow when ruby does. holla! what up?! yeah, you know you're jealous.

so, i must must must recap our halloween celebration. waaay back in august, i found this post at www.pinksuedeshoe.com and was immediately inspired. i knew immediately that i had to make this happen for ruby's first halloween costume. i, too, was obsessed with rainbow brite, as a child. one of my co-worker's wife is quite a talented seamstress, he showed her the link, and she said she'd be happy to make it for ruby. and i'm serious when i say she's very talented - she made the costume, without seeing/measuring/even peeking at ruby, and it fit like a glove. i lost myself in giggles the first time i put her in it (and every time after for that matter). she was a huge hit! everyone has said she was adorable and that it was one of the best costumes they'd ever seen for a little baby girl. i couldn't agree more. it was a great day, great memories, and as you'll now see, some great pictures!

i just love her little leggings. and the star antennas. and her fluff. :)

rainbow brite and her sidekick, twink

handing out candy to the masses!

this was during a quick costume run-through the day before halloween. we had to make sure everything fit just right. she doesn't look at all excited, does she?? :)

behold, the final painted pumpkin product!

and making ruby into a kung fu baby
(you know, the rainbow kung fu baby version)
:)

other halloween festivities - painting her pumpkin. ruby loves to paint and she did a lovely job, if i do say so myself.

other halloween shenanigans included playing in a pile of rainbow

we had an absolutely awesome halloween. next year, ruby will be old enough to have some input into what she wants to dress up as, so i think i did a great job of taking full advantage of being able to put her in something ridiculously over the top when i had the chance. mission accomplished, eh?