Halloween

Well, James wants to be a fireman for Halloween this year... again. So to spice things up a bit I'm thinking about making this little firetruck and maybe make it so the top opens up and candy can be stored in there. What do you think? Have any of you tried something like this and how did it turn out? Was it hard to walk in when actually trick-or-treating?
By the way, I love the look on this kid's face. He looks so thrilled.

Changes

The past few weeks have brought some changes to our home and daily routine. First, James started kindergarten and he is thriving. I have already seen a lot of positive results socially and academically from this new adventure. I have to admit that I was a little nervous because he can be a little shy and sometimes he chooses to be a bit of a loner. Kindergarten seems to have turned that around and he is excited to tell me every day about all of the fun stuff he gets to do and all of the new friends he is making.
James also started playing in a soccer league. He is one of the least-skilled on his team but he is having tons of fun and he has enjoyed making new friends. His confidence has gone up as well as he has learned new skills and tasted of success. It's fun to watch him play and I've been surprised that he has never been frustrated or upset when he loses the ball or whatever. He's so laid back that winning doesn't really seem to matter to him which is great with me. I'm just happy to see him enjoying himself and making new friends.
The other two pictures were taken before church a few weeks ago. We call James' outfit his 'door-to-door salesman suit.' I gave him my old miniature antique suitcase and he uses it as his scripture case. It's pretty sweet and he gets a lot of comments about it at church.
As for the rest of us, nothing has really changed other than my massively-pregnant stomach. It hurts to sleep, bend over, hold Ruby on my lap, pretty much anything really. And I still have about 8 weeks to go. My doc will probably induce me around Nov 18ish.
Adam has been in a deep state of depression for a long time now. I try to stay positive so as to maintain a balance in the home. Maybe things will turn around for us someday or maybe this is just how our life will be forever... constantly struggling. It's a difficult thing to watch a spouse battle feelings of worthlessness and failure and to express those feelings every.single.night for a year. Here's hoping something good will come our way. Soon.

Ruby is 3!

I can't believe my baby turned 3 last Sunday. She still seems so little to me. She really wanted a princess party (of course). We had two parties-- one with Adam's family and another right after with my family. All of her little cousins are gathered around in the last picture watching her open presents. Just about every present was either a princess doll or had princesses on them. She has been asking for the Rapunzel doll for months now and I kept telling her she had to wait for her birthday. Needless to say, she was pretty excited to finally open her 'Tangled' doll.
Ruby is our sweet little girl. She is sooooo excited about the baby. She comes up to my stomach about ten times a day to hug my tummy and to tell me that she loves the baby. She says multiple times a day that she is excited to help take care of the baby and teach him how to talk and to be a good big sister. It's fascinating to me how much she thinks about the baby. She laughs hysterically when I tell her the baby is kicking or stretching. She asks me all the time what the baby is doing, "Is he waking up or is he just floating around in there?" Not to mention when he is actually going to be here and how I am going to push him out. Let's just say that I don't go into details on the second half of the question. It proves to me that women are born with a nurturing instinct. James is interested in the baby and will ask questions but nothing compared to Ruby's interest and desire to take care of the baby. I just hope she feels the same way after he is here and more of my attention will be given to him.

First Day of School!

James started kindergarten nearly two weeks ago. He loves it, he loves his teacher, and he is doing really well. He was really super cranky every day after school for the first week (I think it was stress) but he was fine by the second week. As you can see, his new favorite show is Spongebob. He had two years of preschool which really helped prepare him for the transition into kindergarten. I can't believe I have a 5 year old in school. I feel like he kind of grew up over night.

He also started soccer this past week. It was fun to watch him run around with a bunch of other little kids. He's not aggressive and won't really go after the ball but he still chases after it and gets some exercise. I'm sure he will catch on-- he's only been to one practice so far. He had lots of fun and that's the only thing I care about.

Ruby starts preschool tomorrow. I think she may have a bit of a struggle adjusting since she is such a homebody and a mama's girl. I'm guessing I will have to stay with her for the first few days.