Queen B: January 2009

First of all, I must thank everyone who posted a comment on my previous post! There were several of you that I did not know were regulars, how fun! Thanks for indulging me!

Today was an amazing day for our country and I am grateful to be an American! Oh how I wish I could have been in Washington for the big event. My Dad, Josh (brother), Ben (brother-in-law), and Maddie (niece) were all there---in VIP seats no less---living the high life on the Capitol steps. I so regret not having even attempted to figure out a way to get to Washington and those great seats. Not only would it have been cool to rub elbows (literally...see Ben's photo of Elder Uchtdorf and Elder Ballard in the Deseret News tomorrow morning... I guess no one else brought a camera) with some pretty amazing people but it would have been an unforgettable experience to have witnessed the swearing-in of such a pivotal President.

I told my kids that I was sad to not be able to see the President and Abbie guffawed and said, "Hah! You're sad! You are sad that you didn't get to see the President? I didn't get to see HANNAH MONTANA!!!" She was, of course, referencing the fact that her cousin Maddie got primo seats to the kids pre-inaugural ball last night where she was just a few rows behind Michelle Obama and her girls, but more importantly within spitting distance of Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Queen Latifah, Jamie Fox, etc. Although I am certain she only cared about Miley Cyrus.

I can understand the priorities of a three-year-old girl.

It has been an interesting day at our house. As every mother knows it is impossible to just veg in front of the TV and watch history unfold when you have four little kids running around but I was determined to do my best. I woke up before the crack of dawn (and more importantly before the kids) and began watching the coverage of what was going on in Washington. We are an hour earlier here in Austin so there was more happening at 6AM my time than there would otherwise have been---all of the networks had begun their live coverage. However, soon I needed to be straightening up for the primary presidency meeting at my house (don't these ladies know it is a historic day?), make my kids lunches, get them dressed, get them to school, etc. But things never seem to go according to plan in my life. After emptying the dishwasher from the previous nights load I heard the older two scurry down the stairs to announce to me that the sun was now up and they were legally allowed to be out of their rooms, that is when I decided to head up and release the babies from their cribs. Surprisingly Tate was still asleep, which truly NEVER happens, but he's been sick so I shut his door again and headed across the hall to get Ruby. I opened her door (those with a weak stomach stop reading now) and I was nearly knocked out from the smell that came charging out at me.

Last night Justin and I were watching TV in the family room when we heard Ruby cry out. We were both surprised since usually once any of our kids is asleep that's it, no encores. So, Justin waited a few minutes and then decided to go peek in and see if everything was OK. Afterall, she's been getting her molars and we thought she may need some Motrin. After creeping into her room and seeing that she was soundly asleep--but smelling that she had done some business--he decided that sleeping with a dirty diaper was better than waking her up, changing her, and risking that she not fall back to sleep. I don't know that I would have made the same assessment.

When I opened the door, however, I was bowled over by much more than a dirty diaper. My poor baby had been sick all night long I'm sure. Our bedroom is on the main level of our house, as are all master bedrooms in Texas, so I didn't hear anything during the night but that doesn't mean there was nothing to be heard. From the doorway I saw Ruby sitting up in her crib with her hair all wild and crispy around her face, sticking out in every direction, crusted with throw-up. Her pajamas were soaked as was her bedding. Her nose was crusted shut (not with vomit) and it looked and smelled as though everywhere her body has an opening something had erupted out of it. I had to pivot on my heels back into the hallway, pull my shirt up over my nose, then run in and grab her before running to her bathroom and beginning the decontamination process.

Sick. Literally.

It was awful, though it did allow me to get out of my primary meeting and thus more time watching the inauguration.

At preschool pick-up Bracken's teacher told me that he was the only child in his class that knew what day it was today. Of course Bracken and Abbie knew that it was inauguration day!! What kind of children are people raising here in Texas? Oh wait, perhaps they are raising the G.H.W.Bush kind...

The kids have actually been pretty funny about all the pomp and circumstance. I was watching President Obama and Michelle walk a little along the parade route before it began and I was explaining to Bracken about the bullet-proof limousine and who the secret service agents were, explaining that the secret service men were there to help the President. I thought that Bracken may be interested in the secret service because one of his friends in Virginia has a Dad that is a secret service agent on the president's detail. I explained that Zach's dad, and men like him, protect the president. Bracken wanted to know what he needed to be protected from and I told him that sometimes there were crazy people who wanted to shoot the President. He seemed to accept that and then sat silently watching for a few minutes before saying, "Hey, I know who might want to shoot him! John McCain!! He's angry because he really wanted to be the president!" I was very impressed that Bracken remembered the name John McCain because I'm sure he hasn't been mentioned in this house since November. And though I am sure he is angry, I am quite confident that Senator McCain left his gun at home today.

I wish I had great pictures to post of inaugural events but I am sure those can be found on Allie's blog and Josh's Facebook account. I myself am waiting most anxiously for the kids concert photos that I am sure Josh took. After all, I got to watch the inauguration live but Abbie and I both missed seeing Maddie LIVE with her idols!

On a completely separate note, when I sat down to write this post I heard a little voice beside me begin to sing the following song:

"Little Miss Muffin sat on her Tuffin eating her curves away! Along came a spider, sat down beside her, scared Miss Muffin away!"

Abbie was singing some ultra-jazzy version of Little Miss Muffet. She must have learned it at school today because I have never heard her sing it before, and I especially liked her alterations to the lyrics. I got her to sing it over the phone to Jessie but I doubt I'll be able to get her to sing it for my camera so I could post it here, but I'll try.

I wish I could eat my curves away! Lucky Miss Muffin!!

God Bless America!

(I was able to get Abbie to sing her song, but a few other kids were interested in what was going on...also, Abbie is wearing her Halloween costume over her clothes...for some reason I can't get the second and best video to upload but I'm still working on it so check back later, i think the file is too big)

So...because this is all so old it isn't that fun to write about anymore. I have decided I will post these pics and some Christmas pics later---for the sake of having a record of them---but not a whole huge story about every detail of what is happening like I usually write. After these two posts I will feel "caught up" and able to write about the here and now.

Ruby Jane is one entire year old!!! I know it is hard to believe---hard for us to believe anyway because she is our baby, and by now I am usually at least 6 months pregnant, so this birthday sort of crept up on us. The above is a picture of her on her actual birthday--Saturday, December 6th--and she was meeting Santa for the first time at a charity event at our friends house. Ruby must not have gotten the memo that Santa is a jolly man with treats and presents because she surely wouldn't be crying if she had known what he had to offer. The pictures in this post are out of their true sequence but I thought I needed to lead with the terrified picture.

This was immediately after I placed her in Santa's lap. The fear hasn't fully set in.

This is before I even gave Ruby to Santa. Abbie is explaining that she would like a real Cinderella crown for Christmas and Ruby is giving Santa the stare down.

Tate desperately needed the "1" candle in his cupcake. We tried to give him the "2" so that Ruby could have the "1" but no dice.

This is her loot. We usually have a rule that the child with the birthday gets the same number of presents as the age they are turning but it looks really lame to only get one present so Jessie and I picked out a few extras. The favorite was definitely the "singing snail" as Abbie calls it. Ruby loves to squeeze that little glow worm and make her face light up as she plays lullaby's. I think that Ruby would also have loved the pink cell phone and keys if Abbie had ever given her a chance to play with them.

Jessie and I made the cute cupcake onesie for the birthday girl that day. The tutu was Abbie's from her second birthday.