Family Picture

So this was done like 2 months ago. How lame that it has taken me soooo long. I will post some others soon. We were totally happy with how our pics turned out. Tracy Leavitt does a great job and is very reasonably priced.

WHERE DO I START????

Okay, so it has been over 3 months since I last posted! TIME FLIES WAY TO FAST! I am so happy to be taking a few minutes to post and do some updates.

Kennedy is almost 4 years old and I can hardly believe it. Kennedy has really turned out to be surprisingly mellow and cooperative.  Not to say anything negative about my little sweet pea--but she was DRAMA GIRL and the TANTRUM QUEEN. There were many a day that I would be quite traumatized by all the drama and tantrums.  She has such an imagination, I love to listen to her play and play she does--she can play on her own for over an hour--It's amazing to me. She also loves to learn and 'read' and is very smart. 

Brecklin Ruby has taken at least a little bit of a break from being the 'Rubicator' but she still loves to scream and I am afraid the drama hasn't left her. But oh she is a doll!  She has the cutest voice and I could listen to her talk all day....oh wait, I do!  One of my favorite things about Brecklin is how thoughtful she is; whenever she is getting a snack or a drink, she always wants to make sure and get one for Kennedy too. 

Cleveland still remains the piece of heaven that I have needed and is a huge blessing to our family and home. He is almost 9 months, which I can't even believe. It tugs at my heartstrings to think about where the time goes.  He has been the best baby. He is a delight to have around. Today he officially started crawling forward--this will be a whole new phase for me to have to worry about but seeing him progress is exciting. He has the cutest toothless grin ever and his hair is showing some red to it. 

Kedrick quit his job at Weber State on April 30th, and is now officially on his own with: Kedrick Ridges Graphic Design.  We felt good about it and are excited for this new adventure in his career. He is so incredibly talented and works so fast, he will continue to do great things with his mad skills.  So if you know anyone who needs logo design, web design, business identity and branding, marketing material, print media, etc---send them our way!

I completed the Ogden Half Marathon on May 16th and I can honestly say that I loved every second of it. I was on cloud nine the whole time---it was the best 13.1 miles that I have ever ran. I worked hard in preparing for it, had some tough injuries and pains to overcome while training, but I was determined to do it. There have been to many things throughout my life that I have quit because they got to hard, or I was too nervous or scared, or doubted in myself--and so I told myself NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, NO MATTER IF YOU HAVE TO WALK THE WHOLE THING, YOU ARE DOING IT AND FINISHING IT. Once I made that decision, things worked out, I was able to find solutions to some of the struggle and pain, and I did it. I had to get real creative with the training, with 3 kids 3 and under, there just isn't a lot of free time. But it has always been my philosophy that you make time for the things that are important to you-no matter how busy your life is. And I (with the support of Kedrick) found time to train and I am a lot more confident in me and my abilities, and I am now a much stronger person inside and out! It was truly a personal victory, and for me--It was much more than just a half marathon. It was a life goal that I have always wanted to do, it was proof to me that I can do anything if I work hard and put my mind to it (and pray lots!)  I wanted to complete it in 2 hours, but my realistic time I thought I would do was 2 hours 10 minutes, and I finished it in 2 hours 5 minutes.  So now Kedrick and I are training for a 10k in July! I guess you could say I caught the runner's bug.  Happy running to all and to all a good night

The Zoo with Grandma

It was another great experience at the zoo. It was actually the perfect temperature and animals put on quite the show.  We of course loved the carousel and loved having Grandma Ridges with us!  It started raining as we were leaving and the girls loved getting to put their umbrellas to good use :)

Hardware Ranch

On Saturday we went to Hardware Ranch and had such a great time. In the words of Brecklin "That's a fun day to go see the horsies." It was a gorgeous day, and some good, inexpensive fun. If you ever go, eat at Pizza Plus after--THE best breadsticks ever.

Kennedy and Brecklin's 1st time bowling

The girls did better than I did. Yes that is right, I bowled a whoppin 55! Wahoo, I needed the bumpers more than they did. We had a great time, it was for their cousins birthday. We went to Souper Salad after and Brecklin just wanted to buckle herself into all of the highchairs. It was cute.

Isn't my family cute!?

Imagination Station

Anyone that knows Kennedy knows that this girl loves to READ and has quite the imagination.  This is her reading a book to her little toys--oh to be a child.

Tubby time and pull-ups

It was the cutest thing ever, the girls were getting ready for bed and they came downstairs and said: "Here is a hat for you, daddy. And here is a hat for you, mommy." So we played along, it was hilarious and so cute--of course we had to take a picture. 

Also, Cleveland took a bubble tubby time with Brecklin and loved it as you can see--what a cute little guy.

A Day from you know where....

So yesterday was a day!  It started off good, but then went bad---rapidly.  Just to name a few things.....buying diapers at Target, I am at the checkout and Brecklin is gone, can't find her. I look and she is running clear to the opposite side of the store.

Go to the grocery store with all three kids (yeah, that's always FUN!), and it is not to just buy a few things--I needed to do a major shop.  Me being the great mom that I am, want to involve my children in the whole shopping experience. Needless to say, Brecklin gets the green pepper that I had her hold and chucks it and of course it breaks, she also did the same thing  with an apple, but it didn't break, just bruised. There were many more dramas at the grocery store, but I want you to know that I kept smiling (sort of, maybe in a looney sort of way.) So by the time I get home I just want to get inside and take a breather. I am carrying the milk in and I dropped an entire gallon of milk and of course it splattered EVERYWHERE! Luckily I was still in the garage. So I get the shop vac out to clean it up and I think to myself "okay, it is a pretty day, the girls can play outside while I clean this huge mess up" So I go to open the garage, forgetting that the back hood of our Durango is still open. YES, the hood gets jammed into the garage door..up and down, up and down. Can't get it unstuck. Finally did. Clean up the mess, come inside. Get groceries put away, try to feed the kids, stories, naps. Ah, take a deep breath. Then try to get dinner made to feed the missionaries. Get the recipe box out, and bam, falls onto a little plant that Kedrick and the girls have been trying to grow since Christmas. Clean that up. Hurry and make dinner. Needless to say by the time the Elders got to our house, dinner wasn't ready and neither was I. But COME WHAT MAY AND LOVE IT.   I give myself a 'B+' on my trying day. I kept a pretty optimistic attitude...I like it when I do that, it's pretty rare :)

My Long Time Friend

Nicky and I have been friends since we were 4 years old! Can you believe it-how great it is to have a friend like her.  Her and her husband have lived in like 8 different states since they have been married, but we have still kept in contact and it has been so much fun to watch our families grow.  She and her girls spent the day with me and my girls last week and we had a blast.  The girls dressed up and had a delicious 'tea' party. It is so much fun to look at our girls play together and think that we were their age when we started being friends. I have so many fun and fond memories with Nicky growing up. When she was over we were talking about how much we both like to clean, and I was reminded that when we were 10 or 11 we would clean my mom's house in hopes that when she got home from work she would treat us to a huge ice cream treat from the local Dixie Grill....it usually worked! Yum, I wish I lived closer so I could go get one right now.  Anyway, thanks for letting me take a walk down memory lane.

Krispy Kreme is the coolest

Aside from Krispy Kreme giving you free donuts when their "HOT" light is on, they make a great destination for field trips! Kennedy is in a neighborhood playgroup and we try to go on occasional field trips and this one was pretty cool...they gave the kids balloons, hats, donuts, explained how the whole donut making process works, etc. It was a fun and free little outing.

The Treehouse on New Year's Eve

We went to the Treehouse Children's Museum for New Year's Eve Day. We wanted to do something fun with the kids and they love it, as always. But it was extra fun because they got to make Party hats, they thought that was pretty cool...until we tried to put them on. Funny how that works.  If you've never had the chance to go to the Treehouse, it is so great for kids and adults. I love seeing my girls be so engaged in activities that were created just for them, it is like mommy self esteem boost. 

The first SNOWMAN of the season. Isn't he cute?

A Few photos from our Christmas Eve festivities. It sure is fun and quite magical with kids!