Sup

Dear Blog,


I have neglected the living crap out of you - and I am very sorry. For some reason, having 2 kids, a resident husband and a couple of jobs have made it tough to keep up. I miss you. And you are important to me. I'm going to try to do better, but I'm not promising anything - somehow that lessens the guilt. Here is what we are up to on 10.17.12 at 11:07 p.m.

The girls

Lucy is turning five in a couple of weeks and I am in complete denial  HOW exactly is it - that I have been a mother for almost 5 years??? Where did the time go? Where did my baby go? Lucy is 5 going on 40 and is simultaneously the sweetest/most frustrating girl ever. She will literally SAVE her treats all through primary and bring them home to give half to Ruby. I never ask her to do that. At her soccer games she brings Trent, Ruby and I an orange slice at halftime - and always shares her after game snack with Ruby. Blows my mind. She hates hurting anyone's feelings, and is always so concerned with everyone around her. She has to do everything HER way or the highway. She is way too smart for her own good and is already reading like a fiend. I am trying to get her to relax a little and realize that not everything has to be perfect all the time (wonder where she gets that from). She is enjoying preschool and dance, and kind of likes soccer... I think I maybe pushed that one too early :) She loves singing, drawing, any craft, playing with friends, princesses and dolls. Her latest thing is to put a sign on our front door when we are home or not home.. When we are home - the sign says - open - so our house is apparently open for business, when we are not home - it say CALOSED. So hopefully no one is scoping our house cause we are making it a little too easy. You are the ultimate negotiator, here is a great example. When you want to play my Ipad you say... Mom, can I use your Ipad, I want to LEARN. If I say no, you say - Mom why don't you want me to learn? And then, Dad - Mom doesn't want me to learn!!!!!!!!! Ah! Scary smart. Manipulated by my 4 year old.

Parenting an almost 5 year old is hard, I never know if I'm doing the right thing. Lucy had a difficult time adjusting to our 2 move in 2 years, and I didn't even consider how all the change would affect her. I think I'm starting to realize that losing control of being able to fix your kid's problems just might be the WORST THING EVER. A girl said something mean to her at school and I wanted to punch her. But that is illegal and not the best choice of action. Lucy is the greatest and just radiates happiness and kindness.

Moving on..

Ruby Jane - where do I even start? Your nickname is Ruby Jane Hurricane for a reason. You are a bundle of excitement. I don't think I have ever seen anyone get more worked up over anything and everything. However - that switch can flip over to extreme anger in 1 second! ahahahah! You are literally hysterical and your sister Lucy, your dad and I just laugh at you constantly. You LOVE your Elmo pajamas, if you wear them, you make me let you wear them all day long, and when I take them off because they are literally disgusting. You LOSE YOUR MIND! FOR AN HOUR! Can't be consoled. You love your dad and sister so much. When your dad gets home you go insane, screaming and yelling Dad until you are hoarse. It is his favorite thing, and makes it so fun to come home. You just recently left a stage where you would NOT take off your purple crocs. Not for baths, (thank goodness those things have holes) not for naps, or even at night. You honestly spent the nights this summer - in your diaper and your  crocs. I am SO glad we are over that. You cried harder at the doctor, when I took off your crocs to get weighed, than when you got 4 shots.  You are LOUD. You have since moved on to your Elmo slippers. You have one volume, and make church a literal challenge. We love you so much it hurts. It is so fun to hear what words you are learning daily and to start to be able to have hilarious conversations with you. Your words come out half chinese and half german, so deciphering what you want is a challenge, but usually cracks me up. Your cheese face is the best thing of all time. You eat like a horse. Love you our little Mini.

Trent is working hard and I try to keep up. His residency is going well and I don't really know how he deals with all the pressure. He really is such a hard worker, he never stops. It takes everything I have to try and keep up, and I don't do that great of a job. When he has a spare bit of time, he is so great about playing with the girls, and loves being up in the mountains riding his bike.

Oh boy - this is turning into our Christmas Card letter.. ahahaha - I don't even think anyone will read this, but  anyway. I am doing ok, taking on too many responsibilities and having a hard time deciding which ones to give up. Story of my life - too many plans! I am still working for Mirabella and doing some interior design on the side.  We moved into a darling new house, and we love our neighborhood and our home so much. I spent the summer weekends training for my 2nd marathon with my two sisters and ran that with them a couple of weeks ago. It was a cool thing to do together, but it will definitely be my last for awhile - too much pain and too much time commitment! There it is people. The Richards in a nutshell. Literally living the dream :)

Until next time blog. Hopefully soon.

Jamie Lynn