We spent yesterday on the Llano River with some friends who own property there. There is nothing more quintessential "Texas Summer" to me than floating on the river, drinking Lonestar beer and iced tea, and hanging out with friends. We had an absolutely fabulous time- so fabulous that we forgot to take more than a handful of pictures.
My favorite part of our day was when we got to canoe down the river and Stella swam next to the boat. After going down a tiny rapid, Stella literally swam against the current waiting for us to turn our boat around and join her. She is the perfect salmon dog and an awesome swimmer (we love you too, Stan, but you do not play well with others).
Thanks, Jason and Lisa, for inviting us out this weekend. We are insanely jealous of your little piece of heaven on the Llano.
1. I've never done a Ten on Tuesday before, but I have lots of little bits about our life to share that don't warrant their own post. I'm actually starting it on Monday so I can be sure I have time to think of ten interesting stories/facts to share. One down, only nine to go....
2. Ruby is really into practicing her letters right now. She has the foam letters in the bathtub and cloth ones in the playroom so we play with letters at least five times a day. She also points to letters on signs, the keyboard, and books to name them. I'm amazed that she already knows ten letters consistently. My favorite part is when she points to the D and says "D, Dada, Dada, D."
3. David has started playing soccer on Monday nights with a rec league. He looks hot in his shin guards and cleats.
4. We've started the very early stages of potty training with Rubina. She is fascinated with all things poop, so I figured we might as well take advantage of it. Ruby has two potties that she practices on. She has also decided that one of her toy trucks makes a good potty spot. Whenever she plays with it, she sits on top of the truck, saying "poop, poop, poop." We have deemed it the dump truck.
5. I went with a friend to see Babies this weekend. The movie was absolutely beautiful. I already want to see it again.
6. In very important Emilia news, I think the mojito might be replacing the margarita as my drink of choice. I love margaritas, but don't always like how sweet they are; it makes it hard to drink more than one. I'm meeting my friend, Valentina, for drinks at Roaring Fork tonight where I will conduct my taste test. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on my final decision.
7. Like many babies, Ruby likes to play rough with Dad and cuddle with Mom. David and I enjoy the roles we have been given, but both venture into the other's territory sometimes. The last few days, Ruby has started walking on my back if I lay on my belly. She loves to practice balancing and it feels oh so good on my back. When she falls down each time, it cracks me up because she immediately laughs and says "ooooh, Dada."
8. Another sign that Ruby is officially a toddler: "Whasthat? Whasthat?" has become a common phrase in our house.
9. Today is Ruby's boyfriend's birthday. Jack is three years old now and one of the cutest boys we know. We did an excellent job in choosing Ruby's future spouse: he's a little older and more mature, has eyelashes to die for, and has a great sense of humor. Happy Birthday, Jack!
Emilia was never shy about wanting to be a mom. While we were dating and she was still in undergrad at UT, she was getting frustrated with a particular class - calculus, I think. I'll never forget her complaint: "I don't need to know this to be a mom."
Emilia's personal qualities are the perfect combination for motherhood: warm, caring, patient, dedicated, and empathetic. This past week exemplifies this. Ruby was sick with a viral infection (or two) that resulted in a fever of 106, vomiting, and general blahness. Emilia was able to take care of Ruby, host my grandparents who were visiting from out of town, and survive on next to no sleep. Ruby doesn't know how lucky she is to have Emilia as a mom, but I know she'll come to understand. I'm just as lucky to have her as a wife.
Happy Mother's Day, Emilia. Thank you for giving me both Ruby and your love.
Ruby is starting up a lawn service this summer because she wants to save up some money for her first set of wheels. Please contact her mom or dad if you are interested in hiring her. She's a hard worker, but will need to take several milk breaks an hour.
There are new things that I love about Rubina everyday... her power-walking arms when she runs, her hair in little pigtails, the way she nods her head up and down in agreement, how she clicks her teeth together and points to her neck with two full hands. She can even name numbers, letters and colors. She doesn't always get the specifics correct, but she knows which words are numbers, which are letters, and which are colors. She's learning at such an amazing rate, it's hard to keep up with all the new words she knows and milestones she has reached.
While all of these new skills are impressive, my favorite thing about Ruby these days is her budding sense of humor. I fell in love with her daddy because he has the ability to always make me laugh, and it seems as though she will be following in his footsteps. To give you a good example of her ability to make us laugh, here is our conversation in the car the other night.
Me: Ruby, how many dogs do you have?
Ruby: THREE!
Me: You have TWO dogs, TWO. Can you say "two?"
Ruby: (hunching her shoulders and smiling) Five.
Me: Rubes, can you say "three?"
Ruby: (giggling) Two.
Me: Can you say "five?"
Ruby: Three.
The best part of her "joke" was the giggling and hunching of her shoulders. She knew what she was saying was funny and she loved that we were playing along in her little game. As Tio Chuy would say, she's a cheeky little monkey.
Meet Coco. Isn't she gorgeous? It makes total sense that Coco is so beautiful. Her mom and dad are H.O.T. Model hot.
After months of anticipation, Coco and Ruby finally got to hang out a few weeks ago. Coco and her momma, Cindy, came to visit Austin in April. Cindy is our friend who fell in love with a handsome man, married him in San Francisco, and then moved all the way to Dubai to make babies.
I forgive Cindy for moving so far away, but only because her baby is the second cutest baby I have ever seen.
Here's Rubina, checking out Coco while she sleeps.
Moving in a little closer to get a better look at that rockin' faux hawk.
When Coco woke up, she got to help me chase Ruby by the water. Ruby was obsessed with the ducks. Obsessed.
When it was time to go home, I explained to Ruby that we did not know when we would see Coco again. Clearly, this made her very sad.
To make herself feel better and to have a souvenir from their first encounter, Ruby tried to steal Coco's fancy pacifier. I made her give it back though.
It was a pleasure to meet you, Coco. Come hang out with us in Austin anytime. We think you're fabulous.
Our bluebonnet shoot didn't go so great this year, but we headed back to the wildflower field near our house last week for another attempt at pictures. The black-eyed susans were in full bloom with just a few tiny patches of bluebonnets. I kinda like the bright yellow flowers better than the bluebonnets, but have to admit that I think Ruby looks gorgeous in any color flower.
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