my dear little

ruby,



you turned 4 nearly a week ago. every day since your birthday i have thought about taking some time to jot down my feelings...truth is, momma has been busy with so many different things...running here and there, doing this and that. it seems like every night i'm just too exhausted, and all i really want to do is cuddle up with you and drift off to sleep. finally last night i was able to sit down at the computer to write all about your birthday and your party, but you lay on the bed looking up at me with the biggest, saddest eyes. then you asked me if i could come and hold you until you fell asleep. well that was a request i couldn't pass up...i figured the blogging could wait one more day. i wrapped my arms around you and we stared into each others eyes. we were so close, our noses practically touched. i watched as your eyelids became heavy and within just a minute or two, you were sound asleep. i continued to hold you there in my arms for a long while. i thought about the past four years and how much my love for your has grown. i still remember so vividly the day you came into our lives. you didn't make a peep when you were born...in fact, in a way it kind of scared your daddy and me. nobody else in that room seemed to be concerned though, and then that sweet nurse laid your tiny little body on my chest. i wondered what you were thinking about as i watched you gaze around the room and then stare up into momma and daddy's eyes. i couldn't fathom how it was even possible to love this tiny little stranger the way that i did. and then last night all those same feelings came flooding back, as i once again, held you close to my heart. in fact, since our very first encounter on that beautiful sunday afternoon, over four years ago, we have had thousands of moments like these...moments i wish i could freeze and stay in forever. your dad and i used to keep you in our bed and take turns holding you and snuggling you at night. it wasn't until you were 8 months old that we finally decided it was time for you to be in your own bed. that was one of the hardest things for me to do, but i knew it would be better for all of us in the long run. that lasted about a year and a half...and then you were back in our bed every night...and still are to this day. i know you're a big girl, and that you should probably be in your own big girl bed; but it just breaks my heart to leave you in your room screaming and crying the way that you do. what is it that plagues you? what do you worry about? what are you afraid of? well, that big world out there is a scary enough place, i never want you to be afraid in the walls of your own home. i want it to be a safe place for you...a haven. and if being in mommy and daddy's bed makes you feel the very safest of all, then know that you are always welcome there. truth is, we kind of like it too. i just figure that soon enough the day will come that you won't want to sleep in our bed anymore; and then i think i'll be longing for the days when you did. i cherish every moment i can cuddle up to you and feel your warm little foot against my leg. i cherish you, my sweetheart, and i cherish the 4 years that you've been a part of my life. i love you more now than i did when i first laid eyes on you, and i never thought that would be possible. the love i feel for you in this moment is...well, it's so strong my feeble words can't even express it. hopefully one day you'll understand. happy birthday, my dear little ruby.

all my love,

your mom

little eskimo...

it's been so long since i've signed into my blogger account, i almost forgot how. i guess it goes without saying i have a lot of blogging to catch up on. sometimes i get so overwhelmed with everything i haven't blogged about, that i just stop blogging altogether. so tonight i convinced myself to just start with something...hopefully this will motivate me to keep on going, even if i sometimes get behind.

this past year has been an interesting one with miss ruby and her dance class. she has had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. in the beginning she loved it and was a total ham. she used to ask me every morning mom, do i have dance class today? after each class, she would come home and show me all of her dances...practicing her shuffle steps, arabesques, and somersaults multiple times a day. however, about mid-way through the year - during the first 5 minutes of one of her classes - she came running out to me from the studio, sobbing. i couldn't get her to tell me what had happened, and still to this day, it remains a mystery. she threw a fit about going to dance for several weeks following this puzzling incident. it wasn't until my friend, diana, came and picked her up one day, and took her to dance class with her daughter, ava (who happens to be ruby's best friend in the whole wide world), that ruby decided she liked dance again. it's been off and on like this throughout the year. some days she would be be completely thrilled to go, and other days it was like pulling teeth to convince her that she loved dance and needed to go to class. all in all, it turned out to be a good experience for her.



for several weeks they have been preparing for the big recital show; and just last week, we were privileged to see the fruits of their labor. i won't go into much detail in writing about how absolutely darling their numbers were, or about how my heart melted every time my little princess wiggled her hips - rather, i think i'll just post the videos here and let you judge for yourself...

*in both dances, ruby is on the far left