Watch me prove you wrong.

"Most single moms are very poor, uneducated, can’t get a job and if it weren’t for government assistance, their kids would be starving to death and never have health care."

This is just one of many quotes regarding single mothers that have come out in the media lately. This particular one is from the politician, Mike Huckabee. I'm not offended because I'm not naive - I do understand and am fully aware that there are single mothers in this world that fit that discription. But there are also single fathers that fall into that category, as well as married couples.

Stereotypes are always frustrating - but they are, and will continue to be, a part of life. The only thing that I can do that is within my control is to be the exception. Everyone can sit back and watch me prove them wrong.

I'm not going to post my resume up here and brag about my professional accomplishments. I'm not going to talk about my education, my salary, or my career.

Instead, I'll show you this.

See that on her little face? That's pride. This was after we finished eating a healthy, homemade dinner together. Ruby had just finished planting her little basil plant. She did it all by herself. She picked out the seeds, watered the soil very carefully, showed me where to set her pot on the window sill, and then explained to me that if she watered it and loved it enough it would grow up to be big and tall like Ruby.

I'm a working single mom. I'm nowhere near perfect. But Ruby gives me the motivation every day to try to get there.

If you know someone who is a single parent, drop them a word of encouragement every now and then. It gets tough and lonely and overwhelming sometimes, and it can be encouraging to know that the entire world isn't just sitting around waiting for you to fail.

But don't EVER suggest that we can't do something. Because then you'll have to sit back and wait while we prove you wrong.

One of my favorite nights

I'm back! Save your lectures, I know that I've been a terrible blogger. I've been trying to get into the swing of things with my new job where I'm actually in an office all day long, five days a week. This "single-working-mother" thing is hard, y'all.


So I don't really have too terribly much to update. Other than the fact that my daughter could not possibly be any cuter. I realize that there may be a fair amount of bias on my opinion, but I submit the following evidence. You go ahead and tell me you don't agree. Go ahead and try.

Last night was one of the very best nights that Ruby and I have ever had. She was still napping when I got home from work, so I quickly got dinner in the oven and paid some bills before she woke up (in other breaking news, I have not yet won the lottery). When Ruby typically wakes up from her nap, her mood will either go towards one extreme or the other. She will either wake up with her little halo and angel wings on, or she will have sprouted horns and a forked tail - she's lucky she's cute.... Yesterday was definitely the halo and angel wings.


So after about 30-minutes of Ruby announcing that she would give me the "best hug EVER" followed by the best hug ever, and the "best kiss EVER" followed by the best kiss ever, we ate dinner. She can sometimes be a bit of a drama queen when eating - if she doesn't want to eat a bite of something, she'll put the back of her hand on her forehead and turn away. This little one can be stubborn. No idea where she got that....... Anyway, last night she used her manners and said "No, thank you" when she didn't want a bite. Manners! From a 2-year old! :)


After dinner we walked up to the ice cream shop on the corner since she had definitely earned this treat from her good behavior. We played in their courtyard and Ruby enjoyed her lemon frozen custard. It was a beautiful evening and we were both so happy.


The rest of the night was uneventful, but was still just as fun. Bathtime, followed by books, snuggles, and finally bedtime. How did I get so lucky?

Happy Second Birthday, Ruby!

We had Ruby's Second Birthday party last weekend at our house! I do realize that it was a couple of weeks after her actual birthday, but just like last year it worked out better logistically to have her celebration the second weekend of January. In fact, I'm thinking that this might become a regular thing (until Ruby decides she has an issue with it), so if you're on her invite list pencil in next year's date!

The day was pretty much perfect. One of Ruby's very favorite things right now is to have tea parties with me, Nana, Grandpa, Dora, Ethel (her favorite doll), teddy bears, Elmo, etc. - really anyone or anything that happens to be around. So what better way to celebrate her turning two years old than to throw her a tea party!

We served proper tea sandwiches (and a selection of PB&J sandwiches for the kids with a slightly less refined palate), a fruit and cheese tray, a breakfast strata, and pink cupcakes, almond tea and pink raspberry lemonade. We displayed all of Ruby's tea sets and had the kid-friendly ones easily accessible.

Ruby had over 30 friends come to her party! My little house was filled to the brim with kids and smiles. It was so wonderful to have so many of my dear friends there, and a lot of them came with their darling kids. Ruby was extremely excited to play with Addie, Jack, and Carter (the triplets), Hazel, Ella, Caroline, Elizabeth, Vivienne, Braden, Trevor, and to meet little Tinsley. Ruby seemed to be a very gratious hostess and was running from room to room to check on everyone and make sure that they were playing well together.

Nana, Mommy, and the Birthday Girl

She didn't seem to eager to smile for Grandpa's camera that day, but rest assured that she was beside herself with happiness!

Mommy and Bee.

Birthday cupcake

(my tradition for Ruby is to get her a cupcake from the Cupcake Cottage down the street. It was strawberry, and she loved it!)

SOOOOO Excited about the dress she picked out for herself! She had been carrying it around with her for the entire week prior to her party.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl. I love you more than rainbows! I'm so excited to see what Year 2 has in store for us, and what exciting things that we can teach each other.

XOXO-

Mommy

Nutcracker Party

This year I was lucky enough to be able to take Ruby to Texas Ballet Theater's Children's Nutcracker Party. "Magical" doesn't even begin to describe the day!!!

The luncheon was complete with tables overflowing with candy, characters from the Nutcracker talking and dancing with the kids, a fabulous lunch (with a kid-friendly version of it for Ruby), and live music. She made some great new friends and got to have her picture taken with the Sugar Plum Fairy!

After the party, we went over to Bass Hall for the performance of the Nutcracker. I was a bit nervous about Ruby attending her first ballet performance, so I made sure that we were seated near a door and on the aisle. We had fabulous seats in a box on the orchestra level and it was the perfect location in case I had to rush a talkative toddler out the door. Much to my delight, Ruby slept in my arms through the first act. During intermission she woke up and made friends with all of the ushers in the area. I was keeping my fingers crossed for an uneventful second act as well. I couldn't have been more proud of her! She stayed awake through the whole act, snuggled up in my arms, and would occasionally point to the dancers and gasp, exclaim "wow!" or whisper "bow-a-weena". After the performance she got a lot of compliments on what a good little ballet patron she was!

Today was absolutely perfect. :)

Tis the Season!

We are really getting into the Christmas mood! It seems like we're going to Christmas parties left and right, and are having SO much fun! Ruby is at such a fun age - she gets so excited when she sees Santa, or if there is a potential to see Santa somewhere. She's catching on to the Christmas songs and will start singing occasionally. She is really verbal - talks my ear off all day long and I love every second of it! I've made the majority of my Christmas presents this year, so I've been pretty busy the past couple of months. I never really thought of myself as "crafty", so we'll have to see how well they are recieved!

Here are a few pictures from a Christmas party benefiting SafeHaven charities at University Park Village. Ruby had a great time mingling and dancing, until the Santa Cow from Chick-fil-a showed up. She really doesn't like people in costumes, much like her mother.

(Santa Cow is directly behind us here, hence her terror)

I've also been volunteering as much as possible with Texas Ballet Theater - either with the Special Events director or with the box office. I enjoy my time so much when I'm helping them out. Here is a picture of the fabulous box office (me, Kayleb, & Lee Anne) from the Nutcracker performance the other evening.

Strength

I've been really strengthened by two things lately, at a time in my life when strength is really needed.

The first thing that has given me strength and has blessed me in more ways than I can explain is my amazing Bible Study group. I have grown in my faith so much over the past few months and am so thankful of each of the amazing ladies in my group. One Bible verse in particular has really caught my attention and has impacted me tremendously.

"I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world." John 16:33

Seriously, how amazing is that?

The second thing that gives me more strength than I could've ever imagined is this little munchkin. She is so much fun to be with and I am so thankful that I'm getting to spend quality time with her right now. When she snuggles up to me or reaches for my hand, my heart almost bursts with love.

I know that things have been challenging in my life, but I honestly feel like the luckiest person in the world.

My Little Bee

Up until recently, Ruby hasn't said her own name yet. I wasn't worried - she's been able to spell her name for a few months now so I knew it was only a matter of time until she picked it up. One night Ruby was admiring herself in the mirror, so I asked who that was. She pointed to me and said "Mama", so I pointed to her and said, "But who is that?" Her response....... "Bee". I was stumped for a moment until I figured it out. "Oooohhhhh, Ru-bee!" I thought it was adorable that she called herself Bee. It's a nickname that just might stick.

I've been debating what to dress Ruby as for Halloween (I'm enjoying one last year of getting to pick her costume myself). It just made sense - what better way to remember where she was developmentally at this time than to dress her as a bumble bee! I'll always remember the first name she gave herself when I look at these pictures. :)

Nana and Grandpa came with us to the pumpkin patch at the church down the street from my house to take pictures today. My dad, the amazing photographer, got some really cute ones! I'm sure that he'd kill me for posting his "non-post-processed" photos, but they were too cute and I just couldn't wait! I'll post his edited photos once he's finished with them. Ruby had such a blast at the pumpkin patch playing with the "punkins".

Here are a few of my favorites! Thanks Dad! You're the best Grandpa ever!

This one makes me laugh every time I see it!

I think that she was trying to flap her wings here.

Me, Bee, and beautiful Nana

Summer days drifting away...

We've had such a fun summer! Every single day has been a new adventure with little Miss Ruby. I will admit though, I am SO excited that fall is finally here! This is my absolute favorite time of the year and I plan to enjoy as much of the wonderful weather outside with Ruby as possible.

I took Ruby to "A Day in the District" here in Ft. Worth - if you're not familiar with this, a lot of museums in the Cultural District offer free admission and several performing arts groups give free performances. We braved the torrential rain and started at the Modern. There, we saw a short performance by the Fort Worth Opera of Billy Goats Gruff - it was about a 30-minute opera that was geared towards kids. And I have news, Ruby loves the opera! She was enthralled the entire time watching the people sing and dance and also trying to imitate the pianist. After the opera performance, we headed over to the Fort Worth Science & History Museum (our second time to visit). Ruby had such a big time in the Children's Museum section. She spent over an hour in there, running around like crazy.

That afternoon, she and I snuggled up on my bed (while college football was on in the background) and took a two-hour nap. It. Was. Glorious. There's really nothing better than having Ruby snuggle up to me and hearing her sweet sigh. Loved it! That evening, Kayleb and I took Ruby on a walk to Curly's for ice cream. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

I'm sure I've mentioned this a million times before, but I have the best friends ever! I was invited to the opening of Blue Sushi (it just opened up near Eddie V's) for a complementary multi-course dinner. It was soooooo yummy! I can't say enough great things about that restaurant. Delicious food, cool atmosphere, friendly staff, and it's just right down the street! It's very reasonably priced too, so I'll definitely be back! Here are a few pics with Kayleb, me, LeeAnne, and Tom.

Last night we took dinner over to Lindsay & Paul's. I told Ruby earlier in the day that we were going to have dinner with the triplets - to say that she was excited would be a drastic understatement. When she woke up from her nap, I heard her on the baby monitor jumping up and down in her crib saying "Addddddiiiieeee, Tartarrrrr, Dack! Yay! Fun! Yay!" (Addie, Carter, and Jack). She had a fun night playing with the babies - but they're almost not babies any more! Their 1-year birthday is coming up soon!!! They are doing so great and have the funniest little personalities. Ruby really enjoyed getting to share her food with the babies. She also had an absolute blast dancing with Linds - she's a pro at marching, clapping, and doing this funny little twist move.
Check out this hair!!!!

It's been a great week - looking forward to yet another one!

Fantastic Fort Worth!

Ruby and I have been having such a great time together lately! She's getting to the point where she can communicate pretty well, so it's really fun to have a "conversation" about what she wants for a snack, which bow she wants to wear (and then promptly rip out of her hair), or why she prefers one blanket over another. She is the most affectionate child - always ready with a big hug or a kiss. I honestly love her more than I can explain!

We have been so lucky lately to get the opportunity to do some fun Fort Worth activites for free/very cheap. Ruby took her first trip to the zoo a few weekends ago! The Fort Worth Zoo is consistently rated as one of the best in the nation, and there's a really good reason for that - it is AMAZING! We lucked out and happened to go on the one day in August that it wasn't a zillion degrees. We got there right as the zoo opened and didn't have to fight any crowds. The monkeys, elephants, turtles, penguins, and kudu were a big hit with Ruby. She spent some of the time in her stroller and the rest of the time running around with her backpack on. Don't judge me when you see that her backpack is kind of just a glorified leash. You try being a single mom to an incredibly mobile (and fast) toddler who usually refuses to hold hands. I'd rather get a few sideways glances then have her running in to give the lion a hug.... :) Our visit lasted about 3 hours, but Ruby tuckered out right before we got to the MOLA (Museum of Living Art) exhibit. I happened to get a few cute pictures of our trip. It was such a fun morning to spend with my best friend. I'm definitely getting a membership next year and we're going to go all the time!

That evening I was invited to go to the Casa Manana's Annual Gala with one of my best friends, Kayleb. It was such a great evening with great friends complete with tons of laughter, fun cocktails, and lots of dancing. It was so fun to get an opportunity to get out of my pajamas for an evening and act like a civilized lady!

I took Ruby to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History for the first time on Labor Day - it was the last day to see the DaVinci exhibit that was there and I haven't gotten an opportunity to go since they renovated the museum. WOW!!! It is such a fantastic museum that has such great exhibits for all ages! Ruby had a great time in the Children's Museum part (she looooooooved the bubble tubes), and my friend LeeAnne and I enjoyed literally every second from when we walked in the door. My inner nerd was entirely too excited!

Ruby would walk in front of the bubble tubes and touch each one and count (spelled the way she says them) "One, toooo, free, fou, five, stix!" and then on the way back would count "Uno, dauuus, taes, baa-bro, tin-to, steees!" As she was doing this, another little boy who was about a year older than her was repeatedly banging a wooden toy on his head - his father was looking back and forth between Ruby and his progeny with the most defeated look on his face. LeeAnne had perfect comedic timing, as always, and started to whisper in a sing-song voice "Our kid is smarter than your kid! Our kid is smarter than your kid!" Trying not to laugh out loud was pretty difficult. In all honesty, Ruby is pretty remarkable. She can count to 10 in English and Spanish (although she can't say "7" in either language), she can spell her name, and she knows all the colors of the rainbow and can say them in order without any prompting. Also, in the bathtub the other night, she said the majority of the alphabet without any help. She is SO stinking smart! I'm not trying to brag, I'm just absolutely amazed with this little girl.

My dad took some pretty amazing pictures of Ruby the other day. He is such a talented photographer! If you happen to go to the Texas Ballet Theater's production of Cinderella this year (which you definitely should - it will be phenominal!), you might see a familiar face on some of their marketing material!

Ruby has blessed me in so many ways. I am the luckiest person in the world to be her mommy. I love her with every fiber of my body and enjoy every single second that I get with her!

Much love-

Jaedeanne and Ruby

Slight resemblance?

One of these pictures is from dinner at my parent's house last night. The other picture is from dinner at my parent's house in 1981. Hmmm.....