Kisses!

Ruby Hits California

Happy birthday, Stella

Or, happy birthday, Ta, as Ruby calls her.

Our first little girl is five today.  We picked her up before we even got home from our honeymoon (we bought her from a family in Hutto on our drive from Houston).  She's been a constant, loving companion, and our home would not be the same without her wiggling ways.  We love her, despite her affinity for post-dinner snacks of, well, poop.

Thank you for your love, Stella.  I hope that we treat you as well as you have treated us.

Ten on Tuesday

1. We're teaching Ruby how to make silly faces:

2. With David as her mentor, she's going to be really good at it in no time.

3. Here she is, practicing a few of her new faces:

4. I was also able to get a few non-silly face shots of Ruby this weekend in her Fourth of July dress. She has an even more formal red, white and blue ensemble, but it was too fancy for an activity like horseback riding.

5. Ruby and I were also in Houston the week before last. We stayed at Gigi and Baba's house so that our good friends Jon and MC could easily commute back and forth for his appointments at MD Anderson. One year after his treatment and surgery, Jon got a clean bill of health. Congrats Jon and the whole Urban family! We are so happy for you guys.

6. Ruby fell in love with Tommy while we were in Houston. She loves his little brown curls and how he walks like a crab to impress her. Since we've been home, she talks about "Toppy" at least three times a day. Jack had better watch out that the younger Urban boy doesn't steal his girlfriend away.

7. We celebrated Toppy's first birthday with a cupcake and song. At first he wasn't too sure about the cake....

8. But he caught on pretty quickly.

9. I've started running. Yes, you read that correctly. I'm not going to say that I've committed to training for an event yet, but I have been enjoying the meet ups with two other mommas for some early morning exercise. I hope that talking about it a little bit on Ruby's blog will add just the tiniest bit of pressure for me to stick with it.

10. I just can't help myself.

Nineteen months

Caps for Sale

Lunch Date

Gigi and Baba were here last weekend to celebrate Father's Day and love on their granddaughter. We ate lunch on Saturday at Mandola's, then Rubina took a dip in the sprinklers after lunch. Gigi and Baba loooove their sweet Ruby Albina, and clearly, she loves them too.

Ruby and I head out to Houston tomorrow for even more GiGi and Baba time. We'll be hanging by the pool with the handsome Urban boys (and their mom and dad). Be prepared for some super cute pictures when we get back.