Ruby is 18 months old!

Ruby absolutely loves art. Markers, paint, crayons, playdough... if it's artsy she loves it.
She loves animals, babies, purses, and shoes... seriously such a girl!
Ruby likes to get us ready to go. Here she is dragging her coat around. Its actually funny how pushy she is when it's time to go bye-bye.
This Lady loves to play with the big kids, and she can totally keep up!
Honestly I am amazed by this Sassy lady everyday. I am not sure where she came from or how we ever lived without her. She is too smart for us and knows it! Ruby can say a few words, knows a few signs, and knows all of her important body parts.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! I got an e-mail from blogger saying that it had been too long since my last post... so here we are.

The 2010 Veal Family newsletter.

Ruby turned 1 in September, she is quite the little pixie! Ruby was another early walker and loves to climb as high as she can get... Ruby loves to play with purses and almost always has one around her neck. She is very fashion forward and knows EXACTLY what she wants to wear and what she doesn't. We are still waiting for her hair to come in... We love our little Ruby so much, she has such a sweet spirit and is such an amiable lady. My nickname for her says everything about her, she is truly my "sassy lady"

Ty turned 3 in May. He is such a character, which any of you who follow me on facebook can attest to! The things that come out of his mouth truly astonish me everyday. Ty is such a boy, he loves anything "superhero". His favorite thing to do is play dress-up, and got quite a few "man" costumes for Christmas. I love this little man more than I can even say. He brightens my life everyday...

Aaron turned 33 in September. He is still working at FedEx, celebrated 10 years in July. He is taken a well deserved break from school right now. His big project was building a chicken coop. Aaron and I designed and built it together. It took about 2 weeks (because neither of us are terribly handy) and we now have 3 chickens in our backyard. I am so very thankful for this man. we celebrated 7 years of marriage in October. The time has truly flown, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Aaron is such a great father and both kids love him so much.

I turned 27 in August. I am back in school, taking online classes when I can. I think I have finally decided on a career path, but we will see how it works out. I re-injured my eye and I am desperately trying to avoid a procedure called "corneal scraping", yes it is as painful as it sounds. In March I decided to switch Ruby to cloth diapers and am LOVING it!

All in all 2010 was a good year for us. We went to the beach a few times and went to La Grande to visit family, Aaron and I even got away by ourselves for our anniversary. I am looking forward to the future and can't wait to see what 2011 brings. I hope the new year is good to all of you as well.

Fun Photos...

This photo is of Ty bunjee jumping at a birthday party 2 weeks ago, he went higher than all of the other kids, he was also the youngest! We also took a new family photo in the foam pit. That thing is like quicksand, it was so hard to get out of that pit! And the last photo? Well that one just cracks me up!

RUBY!

Seriously, how can you not smile when you see this face?!? Ruby is such a breath of fresh air in our home! She just turned 1 and that makes me so sad :(


Ruby started walking about a month ago and is having so much fun being a "big lady" This girl is ALL GIRL! She loves babies and animals and says "oh" when she sees something cute. She knows how to use a phone appropriately and loves accessories.

She is adventurous, to a point. Ruby is very much a momma's girl and likes people more from my arms than from the floor, on her own.

She has this way of smiling so big that you can feel her soul reaching out that makes everyone love her.

TY

I feel AWFUL!!! I have not updated this blog in WAY TOO LONG! Not that I have anything important to say but still... This little boy is truly a joy in our family. Watching the world through his eyes is a magical experience. The way that his thoughts come out of his mouth is HILARIOUS!


His favorite color is still orange and he loves to let everyone know that.

He is such a CRACK UP! I love his silly faces and "jokes"

Ty took swimming lessons this summer and he was AWESOME... of course. Swimming really helped Ty to come out of his shell, he is so much more adventurous now!

I love this little man so much.

On my mind... Mother's day...

This year I have been thinking a lot about the evolution of Mother's Day in my own life. Please bear with me, I just need to get these thoughts written down and sent into the great cosmic void that is the internet.

When I was little Mother's day was a day where my siblings and I got to make something special for our mom, as well as breakfast and dinner. It wasn't until I was 8 that it began to mean something more. I don't know when my Mom got sick, but she did. What I do remember is hugging her in her mint green bathroom, in front of the sink, as she was packing. I still have flashbacks of that very moment. She knelt down, looked me straight in the eye, and told me that she was going to get better. I remember wondering if we would have another Mother's day of celebrating her and not remembering her. She of course pulled through, but that was a defining moment in my childhood. My Mom became an important person in my life, that sounds funny, but she became more than just my Mom.

Fast forward a few years, I am 22 and struggling to overcome infertility. Wondering if I will ever become a mom myself. Looking at friends that have children and becoming angry with myself for causing this. The worst part was knowing that because of my insecurities and fears as a teenager and the poor choices I made, I might never get to experience Mother's day. I might have robbed my husband of experiencing Father's day as well. I was so angry with myself, but I found help and I got 2 beautiful babies. After complications I am again facing infertility and may never bring another baby into my family, but I am at peace with that.

As a mother of both a son and a daughter I wonder... Can I raise my son to be a gentle but hard working honest man? Can I help to get him through tough teenaged years? Can I protect my sweet baby girl from the evils of the world? Can I raise her to be a confident woman when I myself am not one? Will my children ever have to face the possibility of losing a parent early in life? How can I protect them? All I can do is teach them right from wrong and that they are safe at home, that I love them more than my own life.

At the end of each day I pause and ask myself "Did I love them enough today?" Most days I can honestly say yes, the others I need to work on. I am truly thankful for the opportunity I have of being a mother. I still get teary eyed when Ty calls me "Mom" and when Ruby looks at me with that I-know-you-and-I-trust-you face. I love my husband and all that he does to support me as a wife and mother. I love my Heavenly Father for trusting me enough to care for these sweet spirits. I'm thankful for my Mom for being my friend and for keeping her promise of getting better.

Ty Marshall aka Brother Bear

Ruby Ray aka Sassy

My Babies!

I realized that I haven't posted in quite awhile so I thought I'd post some new pics as well. Ruby is now 7 months old! She is just over 18 lbs, not quite as big as Ty was but still chunky! She is in the 90th percentile for weight and the 25th for height, short+fat=no modeling career for my little beauty ;) We discovered that she is tongue-tied, so now we have 2 minor surgeries to put this baby through, bummer.
Ruby is still a dedicated thumber, usually the right thumb but will switch to the left if the occasion calls for it. Ruby is truly an "Angel Baby", she is just so good and sweet. We get stopped ALL THE TIME by complete strangers complimenting her. The last time we were at the Zoo I actually kept track... 47 "she's so adorable"s etc. in just under 3 hours! I love it!!!
And my Ty is almost 3! How can I have an almost 3 year old?!? These pictures were taken at Ty's second favorite place in the world, the small park directly behind our house. I think we go everyday and there is never anyone else there, its great! His number 1 favorite place to go is my Mom's house, in case you were wondering.
This boy constantly amazes me with the things that come out of his mouth. I wish I could be in his head so badly, to see what goes on in there! He carries around latex gloves and a mask because he wants to be a doctor when he grows up. Today we are going to plant our garden, and he is very good at digging the holes.
Sometimes having 2 kids, and a husband who is always at work or school, is difficult but they love eachother SO MUCH! I love watching Ruby's face light up when Ty comes into the room. Or seeing Ty sit next to Ruby on the floor, just so he can be close.