Rain, Finally!

We woke up to the sound of rain this morning. Real, steady, serious rain. It has been a long time since we had a serious soaking. It didn't stop George from riding his bike, and towing Miles to school, and it didn't stop me from taking Ruby out for a stroll. I had planned to lead a fitness walk in the cemetery for the Mom's club. We do this about once a week but I've never had anyone show up before on a rainy day. So I was very excited to see Ann there with her 10-week-old girl. I hadn't met here before so we had plenty to talk about--especially because she's from Shepherdstown, West Virgina. Our wedding cakes came from the same little bakery! We had a nice walk and the rain let up pretty quickly.

It's been a busy week for me, work-wise, and we're getting ready for a little party tomorrow, and going to see Wicked tonight. 

Ruby is walking, walking, walking. I'll put some video up soon.

Go Speed Racer?

September is here but it still feels like summer. We're enjoying some hot weather--perfect pool days, except that the pool is closed. (Check out the video below from our last day at the pool.)  Miles and I spent some time outside this afternoon baking in the sun while he practiced bike-riding and roller-blading. Thank goodness for training wheels, because he's about as coordinated as I am when it comes to these things. Any athletic ability he may have is obscured by his timidity. Like his hero Lightening McQueen he loves to talk about how fast he can go and how he "likes speed," but when it's time to put foot to pedal he's overcome with concerns. He doesn't like to ride on "soft surfaces" or go downhill. He has trouble with the cracks and bumps in the sidewalk and (surprise, surprise) going uphill. Maybe it's all a plea for extra attention, but even when he's riding with friends on a flat paved surface his actual time spent moving while seated on the bike is pretty unimpressive. The rollerblades are new (thanks Rob and Erika) and the novelty has not worn off yet. He especially enjoys putting on his elbow and knee pads and helmet. Getting suited up for the great adventure. So far he's kept a pretty slow pace, more like walking than actual blading, but he says he likes "being on wheels" and being "off the ground." He caught a little speed coming down the driveway today and seemed to like the feeling. Boys, wheels, and speed are a natural combination I suppose. So far though, I don't think we have much to worry about with our little racer.

He has no worries about the water!

 

Ruby's 1st

Ruby turned one yesterday and we had a fun day celebrating. We made cupcakes in the morning, and pizza for lunch. Later we went out with the stroller to get balloons and visited the library. Miles and our babysitter Bridget decorated the cupcakes in the afternoon, and we had a small party after dinner with our friends Kim and Scott. Ruby enjoyed her mini-cupcake and smeared the frosting over her face and hair, just like one-year-olds are supposed to do. Miles enjoyed her gifts--we'll have to remind him to share the Disney princess mega blocks (thanks Aunt Lisa, Uncle Jay, and Ella) and Leap Frog guitar (thanks Kim and Scott) with his sister. I reminisced about her birth one year ago--all the time we waited for her, and then how she came so quickly that she was nearly born in the hospital corridor. I was glad to have a relaxing and fun day yesterday, compared to August 21, 2007!

Ruby two-step

If you're reading this you've been very patient waiting for a new blog entry! I've been busy but I caught some good video today and I wanted to share it. Ruby is trying out new behaviors to celebrate her 1st birthday on Thursday.

 As you can see, she is proud of herself. We're all looking forward to celebrating her big day.

Trail Miles, Ruby Too

Ruby and I joined George and Miles for their semi-regular Sunday morning bike ride today. It was her first time in the trailer and she seemed to enjoy it. I towed Miles in the old trailer and George towed Ruby in the fancy new one, which supported her very well.  We were also biking with our friend Chris and his 2 boys, in one trailer. They usually do a city loop but today we took the bikes, trailers, and kids' bikes to a rail-to-trail path. The kids rode around a bit while we got bikes and trailers set up, then we loaded them in and hit the trail. It was a nice wide flat crushed stone surface, along the river. Pretty easy riding, even with the trailer. We only did about 8 miles total, as the kids got a bit bored and antsy. Shifting the boys around for the return trip helped. I towed Miles and his friend Ethan and got to listen in as they discussed the weighty matters of reading, bike-racing, movies, hotels, and siblings. As they looked at the map Ethan asked Miles if he could read books. Miles, very matter-of-factly, said, "How I read is, I get my mom and dad to read to me, and that's how I gets lots of information." And of course he gets lots of information from his constant questions--it was fun for me to listen in as Miles queried his friend on various topics. Ethan tolerated it very well and gave some good answers too.

Turnpike Miles, Ruby Too

We recently returned from yet another trip across the state. From June 1st through July 20th we've logged quite a lot of miles in PA. 

Here's the recap: June 1, Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle/Nemacolin (for George's work retreat).

June 3, Nemacolin to York, and Cabin (visited family and George worked in Biglerville).

June 7, Cabin to Pittsburgh. 

June 11, Pittsburgh to York (to visit Kris and family and celebrate Father's Day)

June 14, York to Pittsburgh (with Kris and family)

June 17, Pittsburgh to MD (George alone, for work)

June 18, MD to Pittsburgh 

July 7, Pittsburgh to Cabin (George working, we visited with Kris and family and Oma and Opa)

July 9, Cabin to Pittsburgh

July 17, both cars from Pittsburgh to Cabin (George left early to work in Biglerville, then we spent the weekend with friends)

July 20, Cabin to Pittsburgh.

This last trip (if you're still reading) was by far the longest. Maybe we pushed our luck with all those miles. We got stuck in stopped traffic after a tractor-trailer crashed and closed both east and west-bound lanes of the turnpike. We were in a long line of cars for about 2 hours. Luckily we had food, drink, entertainment, and a spacious and comfortable vehicle. Miles watched videos, we listened to the ipod, and Ruby crawled around the van. It could have been much worse. The delay did set us back quite a bit, because once traffic got moving again we (and just about every other car) stopped for a bathroom break, and we let Miles have mac-n-cheese at the rest stop. They were quite busy with the rush and it took a while to get the food. So we didn't get home until almost 11:00 on Sunday night. The kids fell asleep for the last hour of the trip and we transferred them to their beds, unloaded the car, and were quickly snoozing ourselves. We're all still catching up on sleep from our fun weekend with good friends.

Overall, those miles were well spent. We enjoyed the company of friends and family, walks in the cool woods, and refreshing dips in the lake. I am glad that we're going to be staying put for a while though!

Happy Baby Climbs Stairs

"What a happy girl!" I hear this over and over from Ruby's adoring public. Whether she's riding high in the grocery cart seat, snuggled up to mama in her carrier, or sitting low in the stroller, she's equally charmed by and charming to the friends and strangers who approach. She smiles, observes, and just seems to really enjoy life. 

What she is really finding joy in lately is sneaking off to climb the stairs. Then she really gets going when someone catches on and follows her.

 

Miles is serious by comparison, though he does find joy in many things. George has been working on a project in the 3rd floor bathroom, and declared it a "Miles-free zone" until the floor is replaced. Last night he asked Miles if he wanted to help with the project, and got a very enthusiastic response. "That's a wonderful plan," Miles said, since he assumed that the zone was no longer Miles-free. Well, it wasn't exactly what he hoped for, but he did get to help Daddy and was very happy about that. 

His language skills continue to impress us and others. We were playing with the futon pillows the other day and he kept calling them "pillas." When I asked him about it he said that he learned that word from his Oma. I guess he liked it!

He's also great at expressing his creativity. Yesterday he knocked the baby monitor off the counter but didn't realize it. When I asked him how it got on the floor he said that "Ruby must have woke up and was crying so hard that the monitor shook and fell."  I don't think he was making up a story to remove himself from blame (he hasn't done this yet that I know of) but when he starts we'll be in for a treat!