CRUISE 2016

We were SO SO SO lucky to go on an amazing vacation with my family (Dad, Mom, Brooke, Clarke, Grandma & Grandpa Shields) in October. I was really nervous to travel with Ruby and unsure about how she would behave...but she was a rockstar! Travis and I were in total disbelief how well behaved and happy she was. She was probably better behaved than most of the adults on the trip! Clearly the trip had a pretty big impact on her because not a day goes by where she doesn't say one of the following phrases:
"Look! My airplane! Come to take me to holidays"
"I went on a biiiiiiig boat!"
"The bird ate the fish right out of my hand!" (more on this later)
"Let's get on the bus to Mexico"
"I slept on the top (bunk)!" 
"I ate sketti (spaghetti) on my big boat"
"I'll put on my cloud jammies so we can go on holidays"
She will gladly talk your leg off about this trip - even months later!! We had a blast! (I am finally getting around to blogging about it - I am the worst!) Hopefully I remember all of the important parts - I will spare you the embarrassing amount of food pictures I took!

Our trip started by getting on a PARTY BUS - because we travel in style! We Rode up to Calgary in the middle of the night to catch an early flight to LAX. I was hoping to sleep on the car ride & plane, but Ruby was way too excited to sit still! (Plus Finding Dory was on...so who could really blame her!) Once we got to LA we were off to the cruise terminal. We traveled on the RUBY PRINCESS ship. I am not even lying. The staff of the boat would come up and ask Ruby what her name was and the conversation would go as follows:
Staff: Hey cutie, what is your name??
Ruby: Ruby!
Staff: Like the boat??

This happened at least once a day. It never got old. There was also another little baby on the boat named Ruby! By the end of the trip she literally thought the boat was hers. She is Princess Ruby. 

Ruby's first airplane ride, Dory headphones, waiting in the cruise terminal & first dinner. Her hair was crazy, she was so loopy and then a waiter made her a kitty out of a napkin and kept meowing every time he went past our table. She was SO confused!! It was hilarious. 

Enjoying the view, ice cream all day every day and treats with auntie!

Eating & drinking all day...what more could a pregnant lady want?? 

 Our first stop was San Francisco. This was our first time going and I for sure want to go back one day! We weren't sure what to do, so we just got off the shipped and walked around. We ended up walking to find a mall, got a little bit lost and then hopped on a bus to Pier 49 where there are lots of cute shops & yummy seafood. We ate the most delicious clam chowder & fish tacos! This was Ruby's first time on a city bus - so much excitement!! We drove through Chinatown and it looked amazing! Something I would explore in the future. I would also like to do a tour of Alcatraz next time! A really cool city! (And yes, Ruby recognized Starbucks and we had to stop!)

San Fran!

Fun on the boat! Mini-golf and movies on the deck!!

 Our second stop was Santa Barbara. HOLY so beautiful. It was such a relaxing and picture perfect place - I would for sure go again!! We walked along the beach, found some shopping (luckily Grandma found a replacement George stuffed animal from Peppa Pig...Ruby's was left on the plane and hadn't noticed he was missing yet!!) and went to a cute aquarium right on the beach! It was a beautiful day. Ruby could not get enough of the sand and ocean! 21 weeks pregnant here! I was so lucky to be feeling fantastic on the trip. 

At the Aquarium - we touched a shark!

 Next stop: Sea World! I love Sea World!! We debated between doing the San Diego Zoo or Sea World and I am so glad we picked to go back to Sea World. (the fact that Ruby is obsessed with Finding Dory was a key factor) It was so fun watching her run from each exhibit and naming all of the animals ("Look mom! Hank! Look Mom! Gerald! Look mom! Bailey! Look Mom! Becky! - Find Dory characters for you sheltered people!) Plus there were rides! I was so sad I couldn't go on them - dang baby! The best part of the day was when we were just about done and we were waiting at the Sea Lions for everyone to come meet up. You could pay $5 for 4 little fish to feed the Sea Lions - so Ruby suckered my Dad in to buying an obscene amount of fishies. (Literally we spent more money on those fish than we did on food for ourselves that day!!) We were holding her over the glass to drop in the fish - the sea lions were going nuts, they were SO cute - when all of the sudden a bird swooped in and took the fish right out of Ruby's hand!! It was hilarious and Ruby was just like "hey!!" I'm just glad the bird left her fingers!! It was a long day but so much fun. We all slept very good that night!!

I'm actually not sure who had a better time...Ruby or Travis!!

 Our last stop was in Ensenada Mexico. I didn't take any pictures because I felt extremely sick that day - I almost didn't get off the boat! We went in and ended up taking an hour bus ride out to "the blow hole" - basically a geyser (not super exciting as we had been there on our last cruise) and a flea market. It is always fun to see all of the junk in the market. Plus they have a ton of fake stuff that claim to be Prada, Michael Kors and all of the fancy brands! The only thing I got suckered into buying was this silly little Mexican doll. Ruby saw it and was so excited, so we went up to look at it and then she says "mom, I need my money so I can buy that dolly and take it to my house". Are you kidding me?? How could I say no to that?? So I bought a silly over priced mexican doll. Which she named buoy (Boo-ee). This girl kills me.

During the 7 day cruise I only felt sick one day - so grateful!! We had such a blast! I thought it might be weird doing a cruise with stops in the USA, but it was awesome. I would 100% do this cruise again. Most of the passengers on the boat were actually from the LA area and a couple we met actually told us they take this cruise a few times a year. What a life!! But really, that would be like us going on a week to Banff. (I'll take the cruise please!) Plus it was very convenient to have normal shopping! For example - we had to make a diaper run at Walgreens! Ruby was basically potty trained before the trip, but once we were there - it was all out the window. uhhh. I had packed enough pull-ups & diapers for night time and a few spares, but it was easier to just forgo the underwear after so many accidents. (plus her food & drink intake was WAY up on the trip, so she was going 10 times more a day!!) 
One of my favorite memories from the trip is one night we were saying family prayer and Ruby insisted she said it and she said (without help): "Bless the food, thank you for corn dogs, thank you for dancers, thank you for nephi amen" I was in tears from the sweetness & hilarity. For the record, she had eaten one corn dog in her entire life - weeks before the trip! We also had taken her to one of the shows on the boat with the dancers and she sat in total awe the entire show - literally hands cradling her face, eyes wide and a big smile. It was the sweetest thing to see. Unfortunately the kids program on the boat was only for kids 3+ so they would only let her into play if I stayed with her. We only went the one day to make a craft because we were always on the go and didn't have time! Thankfully Ruby passed right out on the flight & drive back home. When we got back to Lethbridge she asked if she could get back on her boat. It was such an amazing experience and I cannot wait to make more memories with my kids on vacations! Truly unforgettable!! 

You know how they always take your picture on cruise ships? And then they charge $20 per picture?? How could I not buy that picture of her sweet face!! Sums up her feeling on the trip perfectly!! 

16-19 Weeks (September 2016)

I already have a feeling I will not remember to take a belly picture each week!!

There is our little wiggly baby!

It's a GIRL! I kept having this crazy feeling that I was having twin boys, so I was relieved when the ultrasound tech said there was only one baby! (I also had a pretty good idea because of how little my weight gain had been so far) Travis and I both thought boy! I had been really sick, which I never was with Ruby...but when we told the tech our guess he clearly showed us it is a GIRL!! We are so excited for Ruby to have a sister! She is going to be such a great helper. (Plus I pretty much already have everything! So that makes my life so much easier!)

Swimming lessons started up again! Ruby is a fish and loves the water! 

 On Labor Day we took advantage of having Travis at home and went swimming at the Holiday Inn and then went to the corn maze with some friends and had pizza after! It was such a fun day together! Ruby was so excited to hold our friends new little baby and frequently talks about baby Marcus! She will be an awesome sister!

My garden haul this year was not as good as I hoped (due to some early hail) but it was still great! It makes me excited to plant a garden next year! I got 20 Tomatoes, 16 Spaghetti Squash, a million Peas, 3 cups of raspberries, 10 beans and 1 cucumber. My squash took over my whole garden and my downstairs neighbors garden. A learning experience!!

Just Ruby being her adorable self & watching Finding Dory for the 4th time!

Ice cream at the Fall Family Fair and DQ cake with friends. (for the record we went to Ghostbusters and it was way better than expected!)

Travis is a huge Oilers fan and I scored $25 tickets on Groupon! It was such a fun night out!! (plus they won!)

The towel

I feel like a lot of my friends have heard this story, but I feel like I need to post it so hopefully no one will steal the baby name haha! (Just kidding, I do not own a name)
When Ruby was born, a lady in our ward in Medicine Hat gave us a nice fluffy towel with her name embroidered on it...unfortunately it did not say Ruby. We were moving in a few weeks & we didn't have the heart to tell her. So we always joked if we had another girl her name would have to be Lucy! Thanks Carmen for making our lives easier and deciding on a name for us!! 

August 2016 & Baby #2

I blinked and August was here, then I blinked again and it was over!! This summer flew by! I feel like Travis spent most of July & August working. He would work Monday-Friday at his construction job and then he would work his EMS job  Saturdays & Sundays...and then work Monday-Friday and repeat! He is so awesome. He always works so hard!! He makes me feels lazy. I am lucky to have such a hardworking guy! We decided to go to Waterton on the holiday Monday...big mistake. It was crazy busy!! It was the perfect day and we still had fun, even though I was on the verge of vomiting the whole time. (more on that later) We stopped at the temple on the way and walked around with Ruby. She kept saying "this is so special!" "Jesus lives here". Then we took her to the bathroom and to get a drink of water in the visitors center. She then spent the whole day asking if we could get a drink at the temple...so we had to stop on the way home! 

I feel like someone needs to make a Waterton bingo card. Get ice cream, go to Cameron falls, get a hot dog, see an old asian lady taking pictures on her ipad, see a bear, see people trying to touch the deer. Just the usual Waterton stuff!! It was such a fun day!

Helen Schuler nature center put on these fun little classes for kids - I wish we could have went to more! The first week we went was butterfly themed. We sang songs, made a craft and went on a nature walk. Plus it was free! Ruby still talks about the butterflies!!

The next week was about trees! We went with some of our cousins and had so much fun! Camilla & Ruby also had a fun morning watching Paddington Bear and eating froyo...and being silly. They are so cute together!!

Playing "pompoms" (best $2 I have ever spent) & being adorable.

Canoeing from Barnwell to Taber! Such a fun day (even though we were in the tippy canoe!)

 My sister Brooke and I bought tickets to Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas last November...and the concert was the last saturday in August! We had great floor seats!! Before the concert we walked downtown Calgary to a place called Re:grub where we had the craziest milkshakes & burger!! It was pure diabetes. Then we walked back to the Saddledome (in the rain) and the concert began! Mike Posner opened...and he was the worst. I don't love any of his songs, but after playing his most popular song, he put his hood up, sat down and went on a rant about how his dad was sick, and how he was doing drugs. It was really awkward. After his rant, he just walked off stage and that was it! The weirdest thing I've ever seen at a concert. Then Nick Jonas came on and he is SO cute. 100% more so in person. He played his set fast and then it was time for Demi. She looked amazing! She was wearing this leather/corset type top with no pants. She opened with her song Confident, and then to everyone's surprise, turned around during the song and she was wearing a thong! It was hilarious. I wouldn't be able to get up on stage in front of all of those people, let alone sing/dance/gyrate...in a thong! Unfortunately Nick & Demi were never on stage together during the concert - apparently after his set Nick had to catch a plane to the VMAs.

-Blizzard runs in our PJs on Miracle Treat Day - gotta help those kids!
-The joke at my parent's house is that the freezer door has been left open by Clarke and Travis and then they had to throw out a bunch of food that had gone bad...well this time it was my turn and  I apparently didn't close the fridge the whole way and replaced some essentials haha.
-I feel like I have been trying to potty train forever, she knows, but is just stubborn. I thought by upping the rewards and offering peppa pig presents would help encourage her...nope. I have now resorted to using money. Send help.
-Crafts with Great Grandma!

 And now for what you really wanted...

Every picture we took was priceless.

 Baby Johnson #2 is expected to arrive in February! We are all so excited! The plan was to keep it a secret for as long as possible (for our own selfish reasons and the fact that I miscarried earlier this year, we wanted to be sure we were in the clear before sharing our news. See March blog post for more details on that)...that lasted until 14 weeks, then I decided I was tired of pretending I wasn't sick, exhausted, hungry 24/7 and trying to hide my extra chubby belly. Also, my family booked a cruise in October, and pregnant people have to provide a doctors note and cannot be past 23 weeks to sail. (I'll be about 21 when we go) So we knew it was time to share the news. We went over to my parents house first and my mom was the only one home, so when my dad got home we changed Ruby into a shirt that said "best big sister". They weren't taking the hint so we had to say "GRANDMA LOOK AT RUBYS NEW SHIRT!" Then it all clicked! When we told Travis's family the next day we were sure to tell them to read her shirt right away. 
I have been feeling awful - the exact opposite of when I was pregnant with Ruby. I was feeling nauseous more often than not and couldn't make it through a day without a nap. Raw vegetables made me gag, but I could down a flat of V8 no problem. Pregnancy is weird. I thought I was dying! Thankfully my dear sister in law gave me some of her Diclectin - what a lifesaver!! Even now as I am almost half way I cannot go a day without it...or I will feel like I am going to die. MY ultrasound is scheduled for the end of September - where hopefully we will find out the gender and confirm that it isn't twins. (I am so paranoid!! One thing giving me peace of mind is the fact that I haven't gained any weight yet!)

 Stay tuned for more updates! (I will try not to be annoying!) 

May 2016

Way too much fun at gymnastics!!

        

Crazy hair everyday

At the last minute I got my hands on a Time Out For Women ticket. I was a little unsure...it's a long day of speakers, but I am so glad I got the chance to go! Plus I got a super cute tote bag & David Archuleta performed! (He is so cute & his voice is so smooth. Everyone was swooning!!)

Ruby and I decided to check out Wear m Out, a new indoor playground in town and it was awesome...until Ruby went down the slide and landed in a pool of another kids pee. Barf. The worker told me not to worry, because she "cleans up pee all the time here" EW. Anyways, kind of a strange experience, so I let the owner know and she was so apologetic and gave us a free pass.  I understand things like this happen, so I wasn't offended - plus we have a free pass to check it out again! 

My sister Brooke went through the temple for her first time! It was really special having our whole family in the temple. The spirit was really strong and I could feel the presence of family members on the other side there with us. It was such a special night! (Even though we almost missed the session because we were getting Arby's hah!!)

Travis thought it would be a good idea to take Ruby camping. Not wanting to miss out on a potentially hilarious experience, I  (very reluctantly) tagged along. We went to Park Lake and set up our little camp site. Ruby was having a blast...until she realized she had to sleep in the tent. She would grab our faces (while crying) and plead with us to take her home. We were dying laughing. We felt so bad, so we threw everything in the back of the truck and went home about 10pm. I'm still laughing about it!

We have 2 ugly stumps in our front yard. One is cut really low and is falling apart, but there was an ugly one sticking out of the ground, so my dear husband took a chainsaw and hacked it to bits! Now we just need a piece of sod to cover this ugly spot. If only we knew someone with a sod farm...

In May I got to see my bestie of forever get married! I am so happy for Ben & Karina! They are so awesome. 

Such a nice day. There were also milk shots & my mom agreed to take a picture of me pretending to be a bridesmaid. No big deal. 

At Karina's bridal shower! We matched & it wasn't on purpose

We had a little too much fun at our table at the wedding. Poor Sandy. 

First day at the new EMT job!! 

"If you jump in muddy puddles, you must wear your boots"

Fun with grandma! (and having the most delicious meal ever!!)

April 2016

April started off on a great note when we got new family pictures! My Mom always wants pictures of us...so we figured it was time to get some legit ones from a photographer. (I guess she doesn't appreciate our selfies??) Jillan Russel was AMAZING. She was so chill and easy to work with PLUS she made us look good...so she was worth every penny. Check her out! 

And now some completely random pictures & memories. This is mostly for me because I am terrible at writing in my journal.

Just generally being cute & "sharing" a slurpee with me.

BBQ fun! Look at all these cuties in a hammock!!

I guess she likes cheese...

New bedding from Bed Bath & Beyond (which I returned a few months later because it started falling apart!! BOO)

Bike rides and stopping for every. single. flower.

 Travis got an EMT job! YAY! IT is a casual thing with a company based out of Calgary, but it is a foot in the door and we are excited!

We celebrated with ice cream (obviously)

Ruby and Georgia having a playdate

Bucket hats and crocs are cool right? 

Strep Throat. Yuck. She was so close to being potty trained before this hit. Poor thing!! 

She now asks to go to the zoo at least once a week!