Halloween 2010

Here are a few pics of the cuties this Halloween. Kedrick, as you can see, was a chicken. We went trick or treating in our old neighborhood, and everyone got a good laugh. Especially those who were giving us a hard time for leaving the neighborhood and moving to a home where we can raise chickens (which we will be doing next year)!

Eli William

So now that it has been almost a year since my last post (gese, time flies!) We finally have something to brag, I mean blog about.
ELI WILLIAM is finally here! He was born on April 28th at 5:56pm, weighing 8lbs 14oz, 21 1/2 inches long. And he is just as sweet as can be. The other three are adjusting pretty good. Mom (me) is in shock at just how tired one can be at the end of the day, or at the beginning for that matter :)
So while I've got you on our blog, I guess I should update on the other goings on in our life!
We sold our home and are living with Kedrick's parents while we build a house--kind of fun, kind of crazy, but it will be great once it is done. We moved in 2 weeks before Eli arrived, so we had just enough time to get settled and 'adjusted'. I miss my friends from my neighborhood dearly, I miss going outside and automatically having something to do and someone to talk to and someone for my kids to play with! Oh how I miss that.
Kennedy and Brecklin are about to finish up a fabulous year of preschool, and I am wondering what I am supposed to do with them all day, everyday! Ideas, suggestions, for a smooth sailing summer would be much appreciated. They think it is pretty cool to live at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and have had a great time in their beautiful yard.
Cleveland is as fun and as cute as ever, and he is still my piece of heaven. I just love that kid and the joy he brings me. His smile and personality are contagious and he just brightens everyone's day.
Kedrick is doing great with his business and has been blessed with a nice and steady stream of work, and we are enjoying the flexibility and versatility. (Though I sure do miss paid vacation and paid holidays, I was in for a shock when he had to go back to work when Eli was only 5 days old--I have been so spoiled in the past to have him home for 2 weeks, yeah I know, I was super spoiled and it probably serves me right to experience what most new mom's do--but I still want to have a small pity party for myself. Okay, there, I am done)
As for me, just trying to keep everyone happy. I look forward to running again! That makes for a happier more well rounded me.

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.