Our sweet Ruby

It is so hard to believe that we have only had Ruby with us for 2 months. I can't imagine life without her. Having her home has been so wonderful. She is growing so much and changing all the time. She brings so much joy to all of us. After our trip to Ethiopia and learning that her Ethiopian name, Sifan, was given to her by her birth mom and it means 'for your sake' we knew that we needed to keep it as one of her middle names. So, her full name is Ruby Katheryn Sifan Arnold. We are completely committed to teaching her about her birth country, which we feel forever connected to. The Ethiopian people were so kind and showed us so much love. Part of my heart will always be in Ethiopia and I will always be praying for that country. They need our prayers so badly. At almost 7 months old Ruby loves baby food, is sitting up, smiles all the time, sleeps wonderfully, and loves her family very much. We are so blessed to have this little miracle in our lives!

Indiana Jones lives at our house

Indiana Jones makes his appearance at the Arnold house daily. Hunter can hardly wait to get home from school to get on this getup and head outside to find an adventure. Let me point out that he hasn't ever seen any of the Indiana Jones movies but got the whip with his birthday money and hasn't been the same since! I absolutely love his imagination. He spends hours a day 'looking for lost treasures'.

Ninety years of life, love and wonderful memories

Today we said our final goodbye to my grandma who passed away last Saturday morning. She was 90 years old and ready to go to Heaven. Last week we all knew her time here on earth was coming to an end and we had the opportunity to hold her hand and tell her one last time how much we love her and what a blessing she has been in our lives. She was a small, petite woman who gave birth to nine children and worked hard her whole life. Unfortunately her health began to fail her a few years back and she lived the rest of her life in a nursing home, unable to do many of the things she so enjoyed. We are so thankful that today she is bustling around in heaven tending to everyone's needs...what she did best. We know that her new body works perfectly and she is once again in grandpa's arms. Today her 8 living children, all 26 grandchildren and spouses, and many of the 34 great-grandchildren were all in one place. This NEVER happens, so we had Jodi, our wonderful photographer, come and capture the moment. It was amazing to all be together. We will all cherish the photos. We had a wonderful day of catching up, sharing our favorite stories of grandma, laughing and crying together. Grandma leaves behind quite a legacy.

S'mores with the Weelborgs!

Last Sunday the Weelborg family joined us for some S'mores. It was a little chilly outside for Ruby and Destiny so Jodi and I stayed inside with them. The kids did deliver some roasted marshmallows to us though. :) It was good times with good friends!!

Favorite Photo Friday

Destiny and Ruby just love each other and it is the cutest thing when they get together. They smile at each other and grab at each other and of course I always have the camera handy to capture these great moments! :)

State Fair

We took the kids to the SD state fair over Labor day weekend. The weather was miserable, hot and super windy, but the kids had a blast. Mom and dad were worn out! :)

Favorite Ruby Photos of the Week

As you can tell, she really loves her new Bumbo seat. Thanks so much Kim B. for letting us borrow it!

What a blessing these women are!

The top picture is my mom, Pat, my sister Tonia is in the middle, and Robb's mom Corinne is holding Ruby in the bottom picture. These 3 women took care of our children when we went to Ethiopia. It was such a blessing to have them caring for Hunter, Brylie and Gage. We dreaded having to leave them and I shed some tears, but they were in good hands and they had a great time. Because of Hunter's diabetes we have never left him overnight so he was so pumped about getting to spend 3 whole days at his cousin Caleb's house. I know that my mom and Tonia did not get a lot of sleep while caring for Hunter just because they made sure that his blood sugars were in the right range at all times. It can be a constant worry but they did a perfect job. Tonia emailed me daily with a report on the kids and that gave me great peace of mind. Brylie and Gage had a wonderful time at Grandma Corinne's while Hunter spent a few days at Aunt Tonia's. My mom kept the kids here at home the rest of the time. Robb's brother-in-law Wesley also helped with some of Hunter's diabetes needs. We are so thankful for these wonderful people in our lives.

My grandpa turns 92

Last weekend we celebrated my grandpa's 92nd birthday. I was so happy to get this picture of him with all 4 kids. I grew up 1/2 mile from my grandparent's and spent many hours at their house. I have so many wonderful memories of spending time with grandpa and grandma. My grandma passed away a year and a half ago. Grandpa continues to live on his own and take care of most of his own needs. He has always been in good health and we are all so thankful for that. It is such a blessing to watch him interact with my kids. He likes to play with them when we go to visit. I don't know how many more birthdays we will get to celebrate with grandpa, but I am just so thankful for each visit we have. He is a true blessing in our lives!

School Picture Day

Today is picture day for Hunter and Brylie. They looked cute before they left but you just never know what they will look like by the time they get their picture taken. I have no expectations for good school pictures. I hope they smile nice and their hair isn't sticking up and their shirts aren't all wrinkled, but I really don't expect all of that for school pictures. In reality it is a long assembly line of kids who get approximately 30 seconds each to sit on a stool, smile and move on. We'll see. :)

First day of school

Today is the first day of school for Hunter and Brylie. This day always gets me choked up. I love having all of my kids at home and miss them terribly while they are at school. This is such an exciting day for them though and I know that they will come home with all kinds of things to share with me.

Here is my Kindergartener and 1st grader.

New backpacks are always so fun!

A squeeze from mom.Brylie's teacher Mrs. Zens. Notice the terrified look on Brylie's face. She's not so sure that she will like all day Kindergarten.

Brylie found her best friends Hannah and McKenna and everything seemed better then. :) (they all look a little scared)

Hunter with his 1st grade teacher Mrs. Peterson. She taught Robb in Kindergarten.

Hunter has his cousin Booker in his class this year and they were thrilled to see that they both wore Star Wars shirts today! :)

Hunter asked if they could take a 'Jedi picture' too. I love it!

Favorite Ruby Photos of the Week

Pictures of Ruby

Jodi took some really great pictures of Ruby a few weeks ago. She posted a few on her blog here: JJW Photography Blog: Ruby. We used the first picture for her announcements. It turned out great! Thanks for the great pictures Jodi!!

Sisters

Ever since Brylie could talk she has been asking for a sister. I am so excited that she finally has her sister and a lifelong best friend. Ruby just lights up when Brylie walks into the room and Brylie can hardly wait for Ruby to wake up from her naps so she can play with her again. I love the bond they are forming and I pray that they will always be close.