Snow angels and such...

Ruby and Hank enjoyed a little bit of time in the snow the day after Christmas. It only took 30 minutes of prep time for about 10 minutes of frolicking in the snow. Our attempt to make a snowman was futile, so Ruby took to making snow angels instead. She was quite pleased with her work. Hank was excited to be in the snow at first, but the novelty wore off quickly after his many tumbles into the snow...he had a hard time walking in those snow pants. It was pretty cute to watch him toddle around in the snow, not sure what to think. Our snow adventure ended with a little snowball fight. Thanks to my aunt Laurie for giving Ruby a snowball mold...she was more than pleased to put it use!

Merry Christmas from ours to yours.

{Newport Beach. November 2012}

In light of the recent events in Connecticut, and all the wars, struggles, sadness, and difficulties that continue to rage around the world, the last two verses of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day have really meant a lot to me this Christmas season.

And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

How grateful our family is for the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The only one that can and will heal all the wrongs, difficulties, and struggles this life brings. I know this.

Merry Christmas and all the best in 2013!

Santa Claus is coming to town...

...and Ruby hopes he brings a few things from her list.

Rub-a-dub-dub...

...cute boys in the tub.

Ruby turned 4 and wanted to celebrate in true Ruby fashion...Star Wars style. She had fun celebrating with all her cousins, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, and uncles. Ruby loves a good birthday party.

**Note: Ruby started the night in her Leia outfit (not pictured below) but once she started playing with Smee and Astrid, she quickly went through a number of outfit changes....also in true Ruby fashion. And a big thanks to Call and Cory for the Luke stand-up...it was a hit!

***

 Ruby eating her breakfast of choice on her actual birthday

She enjoyed a blueberry muffin and about six breakfast sausages!

***

Ruby ended her big day with a J-Dawg and a family movie night watching "The Adventures of Tin Tin" while devouring the ice cream and licorice from Aunt Mal. As I sat next to her on the couch, I was overcome with gratitude for this special little girl in my life. I loved how she narrated the entire movie for me and how content our little family of four felt snuggled up on our small couch together. Happy Birthday Ruby! You are one-of-a-kind and I hope you always know that you are loved.

Calling all Nintendo 64 junkies!

Could one of you please come and free Princess Peach from Bowser's castle? Ruby won't let us rest until she is found. Aunt Mal was our best bet...but so far, no results. Ruby is not interested in playing herself, just directing others past the boards that have already been passed. She is taking her interest in princesses to a whole new level....the thought of one trapped is unbearable!

...Luckily, this obsession with freeing Peach has come and gone. But I couldn't help but laugh when I came across these pictures and remember how concerned Ruby was with finding Princess Peach. I often heard, "Just keep trying, Meg. You can do it," which came after my persistent pleas of surrender. At one point, I do remember thinking, am I teaching my daughter to just give up when the going gets tough? I sure hope not. 

Don't let this sweet face fool you.

...actually, he is pretty darn sweet most of the time! Unless he is throwing his bowl of food from his highchair....time and time again. Gets me every time...one would think I'd catch on to his mealtime antics. Apparently, I'm the one being fooled by that sweet face.

Gotta love this little Hank of mine.

May the force be with you.

This whole Star Wars theme was Ruby's idea. Her heart had been set on being Princess Lei for months. She thought it was a good idea for her and I to be twinners...she makes a much better Princess Lei. And Hank makes a pretty cute R2D2.

 This cute boy...

...is getting so big and continues to steal my heart. 

I love the way he calls me, "mu-mu-mum"and the way he points his finger and grunts when he wants something. The best is at mealtime...he sits in his highchair like a king, ordering me around the kitchen with that finger of his until I serve him what he wants. 

This kid loves balls and books. He is always pushing/throwing a ball around the house and lately, he loves finding books. I especially enjoy when I see him with a book trying to read it...he jabbers to himself has he turns the pages. One morning he spent a good 5 minutes flipping the pages of one single board book....front to back, then back to front.

He is so close to walking full-time. He's been walking around the house, but in little spurts. After a few steps, then falling, and a few more wobbly steps, then falling...he decides crawling or walking on his knees is much more efficient. 

Unlike his sister....he LOVES his binky and blanket. He would drag his blanket around all day if I let him. Same thing with his binky....luckily, he functions just fine without these objects, but he if sees them he NEEDS them (remember the whole pointing and grunting thing?) It is actually pretty sweet...I call him my little Linus. His blue blanket was actually Hughie's, a gift from their grandmother Marilee. Makes me think of Hughie every time I see Hank toting that blanket around, a sweet reminder that Hank has a big brother in Heaven looking out for him. 

And my favorite thing of all, is watching Ruby and Hank interact and play together. Just the other night they were both in the bathtub splashing each other and giggling to their hearts' content. It was one of those fulfilling mom moments where you want to freeze time. They were so happy being together...make me think how lucky they are to have each other, and how lucky I am that they are mine....forever. 

So proud of himself.

One day I was busy cleaning and getting some things done around the house. I was lost in my tasks when I suddenly realized that quietness had overcome the basement...never a good thing, right? I rushed into the playroom to make sure Hank wasn't getting into some sort of trouble. These pictures are what I found. Cute Hank just sitting in the lion chair...pleased he had climbed onto it all. by. himself. When I walked in, a huge smile spread across his face and he started clapping. He still claps for himself whenever he climbs onto any chair. I hope he always finds confidence in his accomplishments.

Exciting times.

{Park City. Alpine Slide. June 2012}

Hugh starts his new job today...city planner for Lindon City. Thinking about him today and hope it goes well. Here's to a new adventure for the Van Wagenen's! So proud of you, Hugh, and all your hard work. We love you! 

More scenes from our trips to Provo....because we love them so.

I wasn't kidding about my kids LOVING hot dogs.

Hank just wants to be left alone during the game, so he can crawl up and down the bleacher stairs.

Nothing better than fall nights spent at BYU South Field. 

Baby steps.

 Our trips to Provo.

I'm not going to lie. I love Provo. My favorite part about Hugh coaching BYU soccer, is packing the kids up and heading down to games. Nostalgia stirs like crazy when I'm in Provo, and I can't help but think about all the growth I went through as a college co-ed and then a married student at BYU. Provo has been good to me...and for that, it will always have a special place in my heart.

When we go to games we drop Hugh off early to attend to his coaching duties, then the kids and I find things to do to kill time. Our favorites: devouring a j-dawg (yes, both my kids can throw down a hot dog like no one's business...definitely my kids), feeding the ducks at the pond, and coloring in the car while Hank sleeps. These BYU games have become a family tradition....Ruby loves it! Her favorite part is running across the field to find Hugh at the end of the game (and for some reason going to the bathroom in the indoor practice facility, before heading home).

This particular day while we waited for the game to start, I remember how content Ruby was just sitting next to me in the car, coloring away. When I looked over at her, I realized how grown-up she is becoming. I had a distinct feeling of not wanting to forget this moment....Ruby with her big girl pigtails, the bows she had to pick out herself, and the outfit she also picked out, and working on her workbook reciting all her letters and numbers. In that moment I felt pure joy and happiness. 

Hanging with dad and some ducks.

Ruby yelling "Go fetch" to the ducks as she tosses them bread....too funny!

Love these faces. 

Strike a pose.

I think she's got it down.

Ruby is becoming quite the ham these days. She has a cute little sense of humor and is very intuitive with her facial expressions and dance moves when she sings. Just tonight she found a stick outside and told Hugh she was an old lady with a walking stick. She then began walking around hunching her back and talking with a feeble voice. Where do kids get this stuff?! I keep thinking about dance and gymnastics for her...but maybe we should scratch that and try theater!

Ruby is such a gem in my life....fitting for her name, right? She keeps me smiling throughout the day with her quick wit and enthusiasm for life. Most mornings she wakes up and asks, "What do you have planned for today, Meg?) (yes, she still calls us Meg and Hugh...with an occasional mom and dad thrown in.) And I am always amazed at how quickly she goes from one pretend game to another. Reminds me of my youth, always living in a pretend world with my sis, Mal. Too bad I'm not as good as I was then at playing pretend...my attention span for these games is not even close to where Ruby would like it. Sometimes I leave the room and end up on the computer, only for Ruby to find me and say, "Did you get distracted, Meg?"

Lately, Ruby gets distracted by crafting. She will cut, paste, glue, color, and paper clip for hours on end. I am constantly finding paper scraps on the floors and supplies strewn in all different spots of the house. As much as the mess drives me crazy, I can't help but smile at her budding imagination. She also loves cooking when I'm cooking. She gets out the bowl and measuring cups she got for Christmas and then rummages through the pantry and fridge for things to use in her creations. She always makes it clear that whatever she is cooking is not for her to consume, but just for the rest of the family. Once again she  makes a big mess in the kitchen, which she usually counters with, "It's okay, cooking is messy, right Meg?" Too bad she doesn't have the same enthusiasm for cleaning up!

I wish I could just bottle 3-and-a-half-year-old Ruby up, and preserve her awesomeness. I often randomly say to her, "Ruby, have I told you that I love you today?" Just the other day when I walked into the room where she was playing on the computer, she turned around and said, "Mom, have I told you that I love you?" Doesn't get much better than that!