General New Jersey fun!

Ruby and the twins were able to spend some time with my cousins in New Jersey. We met Chip, my cousin Thomas' cat. Ruby spent a lot of time following Thomas around, wanting to do everything he did. Ruby also got to spend time with Julia and jump on her trampoline and play on her swing set. Ruby still talks about "Him" and "Her" (Thomas and Julia).

New Jersey trip (Ruby's birthday party!)

My family threw Ruby a wonderful birthday party while we were in New Jersey. It was an awesome Elmo party! My Aunt Susan got a great cake that was shaped like Elmo's head. And, I think my Aunt Ellen found just about every Elmo party piece there was (including really cute Elmo party hats!) Ruby had so much fun and really enjoyed her second birthday.

New Jersey trip (Zoo)

We took a trip to New Jersey to visit my grandparents and great grandmother. It just so happened that we planned to go up the weekend of Ruby's birthday. So, for her second birthday, my mom and I took Ruby and the twins to Turtle Back Zoo. It is a zoo that I went to as a kid, and while I didn't remember it, it was fun to take the kids there.

Aquarium

My friend Christy and I took the children to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies on May 19. We thought it would be a fun outing for Ruby and Lea Ann (Lea Ann is 3, and is one of Ruby's best friends). It was a lot of fun. The babies rode in the stroller well and Ruby and Lea Ann were able to see all sorts of animals. Ruby has decided she does not like sharks, but both girls thought the penguins were pretty neat.

General update

Ruby is definitely becoming a two-year-old in attitude. If you ask her a question, she responds with "no way." And, she can drop to the floor screaming and crying with the best of them. I think she knows which buttons to push to really get me aggravated! I'm just happy that she is still really good with the babies and loves them.

We have been pretty busy lately with birthday parties and just being outside. When the weather is nice enough we get out the pool or go play in the mud.

The twins are working on getting a nap schedule down, which makes me happy. And, James is working on becoming mobile. He is nowhere near crawling, but he can scoot himself all around the floor. And, he has become a pretty happy baby. Today, I put Hallie and James in the same crib for their nap. Hallie started screaming like she was hurt, so I went to check on her. James had unswaddled himself and was holding onto her, sucking on her face! When I pulled him away, he just started to laugh. So, I put him in his own crib for the remainder of the nap.

Hallie tends to be pretty serious, but as you can tell from last post's video, she is also a lot of fun. She is not a people-pleaser like James (he loves to smile and see you smile). She is focused and it takes a lot to make her smile!

We are getting ready to drive to New Jersey so that we can see family. We will also be there for Ruby's second birthday! The kids will get to see/meet their great grandparents and their great, great grandmother. Ruby is excited to go to New Jersey because she gets to sleep in her new car ... and she knows who she is going to go see, but if you ask her about it, her answer is: "No way!"

Oh, and one last final tidbit about Tennessee. We have a ton of scorpions! I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but we've found five of them now ... 3 in the garage, 2 in the house (and one of them in the house was alive). I would be much happier here without the scorpions!

Anyway, I'm sure there's more going on to post, but enjoy the pictures!

Hallie's sitting up in her seat, being serious.

One of the few smiles.

James and Puffin are hanging out. James is trying to eat the cat's fur.

Jason loves this time of the day.

One of our scorpion friends.

Video!

Totally haven't done one of these in a while. Ruby was asleep, James was cranky and getting his bottle. Hallie on the other hand had a few things to say before bedtime tonight. Thought you all would enjoy.

New Van, Photos of Everyone

So we're sure that many of you know by now but we traded our Trailblazer in for a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan last weekend. We promised to put up a photo or two, and now we're finally getting to that.

Woo Minivan.

Ruby is loving that her brother and sister are getting bigger and seem to be happier. Here are some photos of all the kids.

Ruby and Hallie. Big Sister, Little Sister.

James and Hallie on their playmat.

Hallie, Ruby, and James hanging out on the couch.

Bella's Ball

We recently attended a March of Dimes fundraiser that was very child-focused. It was a family costume party called "Bella's Ball" named after a little girl in Oak Ridge who is alive today because of research by March of Dimes. Ruby dressed up as a ballerina-princess-fairy. James and Hallie went as "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" from Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat."

Dancing with mommy.

Hugs with Lea Ann.

Not sure why they were crawling, but they were having fun!

Getting tired toward the end of the night.

Thing 2 (Hallie).

Thing 1 with Daddy.

Ruby's First Haircut

Grandma Anderson has been telling me for awhile that Ruby needed a haircut. I kept saying no, but when Grandma came to visit, I gave in and took Ruby for a trim. It was a great idea! She really enjoyed the "salon" in Wal Mart. There were no tears and she was fascinated by all of the hair cutting tools. The women working at Smart Style that day were great with Ruby (she even got a cookie when it was all over). The pictures are pretty self explanatory.