Summer

Wet swim towels strewn across the floor, sticky watermelon fingers and cheeks, grilled chicken, homemade lemonade, swim diapers and suits, and kids that smell like sunscreen. Thats what our house was like this evening, and boy, am I loving it!

Sterling really wants a grill. Really. But I couldn't quite give in because who knows where we'll be living for medical school, and I don't want to fork out the money for something we have to move and that we might not have room for. So we compromised and got a George Foreman, a nice, big one. Sterling made dinner for us tonight on the George Foreman, and I am ever so happy about our compromise! It was delicious!

In other summertime news: It took Ruth's full-body of strength to squeeze the handle of the hose and spray water, but she got it figured out and we had a grand afternoon in the water with a nice, little bucket. This morning while Sterling was at work we also went on a hike and ended with splashing around in the stream for a really long time.

I was talking to my sister Kami tonight, and realized how many new things Ruth can do lately. She can say 'I'm sorry' but she uses it for everything, including when she should say 'excuse me'. Like when we were at a garage sale and she was scooting behind two ladies, she said "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Too funny. Ruth also has learned how to open doors. Uh-oh. Not used to that, and have already caught her walking outside twice because she decided she wanted to go play. We'll have to keep our doors locked!

Ruth loves to sing. She can sing a few words or a chorus of almost every song on our disney cd's, and since Sterling is the primary chorister (and they send him in to nursery for ten minutes) she knows all the actions to the songs he teaches there. She really loves E-I-E-I-O and tonight she was going to town with Row, Row, Row, Melly, Melly, Melly, Melly, a DREAM! (Row, Row, Row your boat)Yeah, she makes up her own versions of songs. I like it.

The last few days I have been reading the books Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras. I LOVED the first three books and pretty much devoured them. The fourth was good, but not as good. Anyway, Ruth got sick of my nose being stuck in a book and decided to join the party. Usually she gets the big ol' book Sterling is reading right now, says "Heavy!!!" and lugs it onto her lap and reads with me. So adorable.

She is obsessed with her cousin Devaney and the other morning woke up and babbled away for quite some time and then, as if coming to some solid conclusion looked at me, bobbed her head up and down and said "See Devaney." Hahaa. Also today at Sam's Club there was a little girl in a different cart and she said "Natalie!" to her. She loves her cousins!

Ruth LOVES my shoes. My Sunday heels. She gathers them from my closet and walks around with them, wears them, carries them to wherever I am in the house. Funny girl. She is also a little OCD about things lately. She has to eat her food a certain way, she has to have her socks on first thing in the morning, she can't stand it when her hair falls in her eyes, and lots of other funny little Ruthisms.

It bothers Ruth when I let Will cry for any length of time. I made bread the other morning and was trying to finish the dishes when Will started to cry (I would have been finished already but Ruth had decided to dump my container of yeast on the ground. Awesome.) and I just let him cry while I finished up my last two pans. Ruth at first came to me and said "baby, baby!" and then when I just said I was almost ready, she crawled up onto the table and pointed at Will and said "Sdop!Sdop!" and when that didn't work, she left and went downstairs, which she never does! I was surprised at how much it bothered her.

Communicating with Ruth is MUCH easier lately, and I just can't believe how much she can say and do and understand! I love it. I love her.

In other news, did I tell you I had two cavities??? AHH! So I got them filled. One of the fillings has REALLY been bothering me. I think I might just need to go in and have them polish it down a little bit because maybe I'm biting on it too hard. But I also kinda think I might've cracked it the other night and it might need to be re-done. Either way, I am none too excited to have to go back. It was kinda fun the first time, it is always interesting to be at the other end of your routine work experiences, but not fun enough to want to do it again. The dentist was laughing at me the entire time though, he kept saying I was such a hygienist! I wanted the littlest things fixed that he just laughed about, but really, I don't want any little thing to ever become a big thing! Anyway.

Will is perfect, as always. His bottom two teeth are almost through. I could feel the actual tooth this morning with my finger, but you still can't really see the teeth poking through yet. He has been pretty miserable teething, and has discovered he can scream/yell at the top of his lungs which is no fun. But for the most part he is still smiley and happy and cuddly and perfect. I just love 4-month olds!

I'd post pictures but my camera is in the car, and Sterling drove it to work. Have a fabulous night!