A Cup of T

Emma Kate is 6 months old!!

2009-10-16T13:49:00.004-04:00

After you pick yourself up off the ground because I am actually updating my blog... I know you will be shocked... I'm a little late w/ my monthly updates!!

Emma is 6th months old!! I LOVE THIS AGE!!! It is the absolute best... although I keep saying that. I love watching my sweet girl become more and more independent and uniquely her own self. Her personality is shining through all the baby babble!! She is a sweet, laid back, loving girl who likes to laugh and have fun!! :) It is just going to be pure joy to watch her grow up!! Between her and her sister... I am one lucky Momma!! :)

This is what sweet Emma Kate(cake) accomplished during her fifth month:

* she does an incredible "super baby" boy is she strong. She has fantastic gross motor skills!!

* She eats avacado and apples w/ her baby cereal. She's not the best solid food eater and she really DOES NOT like apples. I hope that changes!!!

* She is scooting and rolling all over the place!! I can hardly keep her still!

* She is a little over 14lbs and 26" long!!

* She is laughing and taking up a storm!! She loves to hear herself... and I think it is pretty sweet too!!

* Loves to play with her toys. It's fun to watch her grab at things...

* Sitting up in the Bumbo... only a bit away from sitting on her own.

* Graduated out of the car seat in the stroller. Now is sitting up on her own.

Here are some pics for you to enjoy!! :

Ruthie's happenings...

2009-09-12T15:09:00.002-04:00

Ruthie has been talking up a storm... she's always talking (she gets that from her daddy!) But just recently she's really trying to communicate in sentences!! I love to watch her try out language, especially when she learns a new word's meaning.... She repeats it a bunch!!

She's been saying recently:

"oh, I didn't know that" (what gets me is that she uses it appropriately)
"spib" (spit- as we're working on spitting out fluoride toothpaste and not swallowing it!)
"Tony" "Teresa" "Babe" "Honey" (she's been using all our names... it's so funny. She tries them out and then looks at us to see if it's ok!! It's really hard not to laugh because she so stinking cute!)
"dad" "mom" (ditto above)

She's also graduated into a big girl bed. We have just a mattress and box springs on the floor for now. Didn't want her to fall out too far!! She's done great with it.. except for getting out of bed!! It is crazy. Some nights after we finish our night time routine (which has been the same since she was a little baby) she goes right to sleep... as if it were easy peasy. Then other nights, it takes both of us working in tandem two hours to get her to sleep. She just seems to FIGHT it. If we say do it this way, she does it that way. UGGG!! She's doing well sleeping in the bed, and doesn't fall out. But, some nights I'm tempted to install a safety system that includes duck tape... or at the very least velcro!! :)

Her first night in a big girl bed!

Emma Kate is 5 months old!!

2009-09-12T14:54:00.004-04:00

Well our little Emma Cake (as Ruthie calls her) is 5 months old... and yet again, I'm totally late in posting it!! :) She has done great during her fourth month and hit a lot of milestones!! :)

* she started eating cereal (rice) I didn't think she was quite ready for it, but after sleeping about 12 hours through the night, she began to wake up to eat every 2 hours. The doc said that she was hungry. So we started w/ cereal and that seems to have done the trick. She's back to sleeping well again each night!

* She has rolled over both ways now (tummy to back, and back to tummy!) She will be a rolly-polly soon!

* She continues to suck her fingers and love on the lovie... she particularly likes this one, but has a second favorite that she loves too!

* she started taking her baths w/ Sissy...She really likes that and it makes bath time oh-so-much easier!

* She graduated out of her bassinet and went into her crib!! (Means that Ruthie moved from her crib to a big girl bed... )

* She is a little smiler and loves to laugh. She is ticklish and it is soooo much fun to hear her belly laugh. What a sweet little girl who is very easy and laid back. She just wants to be with you... enjoying life!

Going night-night in my big, roomy crib!!

"What? you want me to roll over? Well, I'm sucking on my fingers... I guess I can do both at the same time!" Part 1

Rolling over part 2

Rolling over part 3

Ruthie and Emma

Ruthie goes to DANCE!!

2009-08-24T16:37:00.010-04:00

Ruthie had a wonderful morning at her first dance class. Her teacher, Ms. Jane, is fantastic. She's the right combo of encouraging and clear with her expectations!! Ruthie was SO excited to go. She loves to "dance" around the house! My sweet little girl did a great job... although she made me chuckle at her spunk, individuality, and her love of "RUNNING"!! I know she will love this even more as the year goes on.

She goes once a week, and is in a Combo class, Tap, Ballet, and Acro!!

At home before we head out:

Super Excited!!

Her w/ her teacher, Ms. Jane, and her other classmate!

Walking into class, on her own... what a big girl!

Ruthie doing a summersault w/ Ms. Jane's help!

All done!! She had sooo much fun and worked so hard!! I'm proud of my little dancer!

Emma Kate is 4 months old!!

2009-08-14T15:41:00.003-04:00

oh, my sweet Emma... you are 4 months old and you've been for at least 2 weeks. How is it that time flies so fast? Emma turned 4 months old on the day we left for the beach... So we were with out our computer for a week and then, well, life just starts running!!

But, I want to update you on what she's accomplished during her 3rd month...

* She rolled over!! From tummy to back!! I can't get it on picture because she always does it when we're not looking... the little stinker!!

* She is talking up a storm!! She uses different vocal sounds, levels, and totally holds a baby cooing conversation.

* She is 12.2lbs and 23 3/4 inches long!!

* She is supper strong at holding up her head... crazy!

* Loves her fingers. No more binkie for Emma!!

* Loves her lovie. She has to have the blanket!!

* Loves to be with people. She doesn't have to be held but doesn't want to be left alone in a room!

* She is such a sweet natured, good baby who makes it a joy to be her mom! It's crazy how much I love this little girl!! :)

Here are some pics:

Build A Bear- Birthday Weekend!

2009-07-24T23:40:00.005-04:00

Ruthie's birthday fun continued the next day! After church we went to Cheesecake Factory to eat lunch... I love that place! And then on to Build A Bear to use the gift cards Aunt Mardi and Uncle Jack and Aunt Judy gave her. She's been eying this horse there for weeks. Every time we go in she goes RIGHT for the Horsey! She just loves it. And, each time we walk out without the horsey and say, "bye bye horsey" and she does so well with out throwing the littlest of fits.

So- finally for her birthday- we walked in and she got to make her own horsey and take it home. Ya' all she is in love. When we got to the area to pick a name we gave her several choices. Buttercup was top of my list. But, my daughter has a much better sense of naming stuffed animals and so her animal will forever be named, "Horsey Pony". I thought it was very original!! :)

She picked out some clothes complete with panties... we're in the potty training mode... and some accessories for the beach. I mean- what is a horse supposed to do w/ out a towel and sunscreen at the beach? :)

As tired as she was (no nap) she had so much fun and completely soaked in the experience. She loved making her Horsey Pony. And now, we have a third child, named Horsey Pony. She takes her everywhere!! :)

In the mall on our way to Build A Bear

Finally able to pick out the horsey!!

Kissing the heart before she put it in!

Stuffing Horsey Pony

Bathing Horsey Pony

Dressed, named, and paid for... now it is hers... and she's not letting go!!

Completely worn out and ready for BED... Mommy even gave in and gave her the binkie....

Totally happy after a wonderful, full, fun birthday weekend. Ruthie and Mommy with ALL 3 Ming Mings and her Horsey Pony!!

Ruthie's birthday party!!

2009-07-24T14:47:00.008-04:00

Ruthie's party was held on her actual birthday because it fell on a Saturday!! The thing Ruthie most loves is WONDER PETS!!! SO, we had a Wonder Pet pool party!! We planned it down to the very last detail... it started at 2 perfect timing for Ruthie to take a nap PRE party. Of course, she had other ideas... I guess she could tell that there was a lot going on and so she didn't sleep!

We started out on Friday night at my mom's house preparing for the big day. Uncle Matt and Aunt Rachel came for the party and were there Friday night to help! After Ruthie went to sleep, we started working on the capes. You know, all wonder pets have to wear their capes. We (Rachel) made them out of plastic table cloths... and they turned out perfect! Uncle Matt was put to work blowing up all the pool toys... and he got a little dizzy from the lack of air (although he usually never lacks in the hot air department!!) Tony was put to work getting art work off of the internet for various projects and for preping the PHONE!!! (as in The Phone, The phone is ringing!!) That was going to be our art project- making the phone out of cans and string! Mom and I were helping everyone and also working on the food. We didn't get home until about 2 am... we were a little tired to say the least!

What I forgot to tell you was that BEFORE all of that hard work started- Ruthie decided we would take a trip to Pediactric after hours emergency. She was running in my Mom's house and fell... and hit her forehead on the corner of the wall. A HUGE bump immediately formed and protruded from her forehead about 2-3 inches. It was so scary. Tony had to hold her down so that I could put ice on it. We decided to play it safe and get her looked at to make sure she was ok. By the time we got there and the doctor came in she was as bubbly as normal and it was as if nothing happened. But the evidence of her little accident is ALL over her b-day pics!! (Anyone remember what happened last year?)

The morning of her birthday we woke up to Thunder... not a good sign for a day at the pool. But the Lord was gracious to us and the rain and thunder held off until after the party. We got to my mom's at 10 am. I made the frosting and decorated the cake. We put Ruthie down for a nap (a.k.a. playtime in the pack-n-play) around 11 and Tony and Matt set up the tables and covers outside.

Once the guest started to arrive they went right to the craft. The kids chose a cape color (Ruthie wore green for Ming Ming, of course) and then they sat down to make the PHONE!

First group of kids making their "phone"

Ruthie and Patrick, her cousin

Abby and Bell (cousins)

The birthday girl

With Luke and Bailey (cousins)

Me with my sis in law, Rachel

Rachel and Bryan (Tony's bro and his wife)

Aunt Holly

Grandma and Paw-Paw Z and Aunt Judy and Sandy! Smile!

Family pic minus the birthday girl who is already in the Pool w/ aunt Rachel!!

We had tons of great food (hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, mac and cheese, watermelon, chips, drinks, and of course, birthday cake)!!!

Uncle Matt bringing some yummy food off the grill!! (Matt and Tony were manning the hot grill!)

Once they were done with that they headed to the pool!!

All the kids swimming!! By the end of the party the Big Kids (aka ADULTS) were taking over the pool and the fun!! Good thing we had beach balls to play with for the adults!! :) I'm so glad everyone had fun!
Pictured here are many of her friends from church: Gracie, Abby, Kylie, Adian, Victoria, Alex, not pictured is Patrick and Lucy!!

Singing Happy Birthday

Ruthie swiping the icing!! :) She took, "it's your cake" literally!

At the very end, when all our guests except family had gone home, a huge storm cloud rolled in. In about 5 minutes flat we had to tear everything down, clean up the pool area, get it all to my mom's house and try to keep all the non-wet things dry. We almost made it. When we came racing in.. this is what we found:

My mom hadn't made the other pictures because she was so busy working behind the scenes. But, with out her it would not have been a successful party. She volunteered to take my kiddos in for naps around 4:30-5:00 when Ruthie had fallen asleep on the pool deck!! I guess grandma was tired too!

Sweet Emma

Daddy and Ruthie going through all of her gifts... she got a lot of things to use in her new kitchen, build a bear gift cards, and MING MINGS!!! :)

Ruthie LOVES Ming Ming

After her nap she got up and opened her present from Mommy and Daddy! A Kitchen!! (She says, "Chicken")

We put the girls to sleep again and then the adults played the game PIT!! It had us laughing so hard our tummies hurt and we were literally YELLING across the table to be heard!! :) IT was so much fun!

Happy Birthday my sweet girl. I hope you loved your Wonder Pet Party. You are a joy to be with and Mommy and Daddy love you very much!! We pray this year is even better than last!! (It will be hard to beat!!)

Happy Birthday, Ruthie!!!

2009-07-18T08:14:00.003-04:00

My sweet Ruthie,

Happy birthday, my love. I am so blessed and honored to be your Mommy. There are so many things that I love about you. I love your giggle. You abandon yourself to fun and LOVE life. Your giggle makes my day a good day no matter what has happened! Your sweet, "I wuv you, much" makes my heart melt. That started when I started saying, "I love you very much". I love how silly you are... how you love to twirl, which you call "whee" and then you get "busy" (dizzy). I love how much you love others. You are so tenderhearted and loving. You especially love your sister. You hold her, kiss her, hold her hand, and burp her with mommy. And she makes your day when she is "smi-in" (smiling) at your!! You also love your dogs. Bissy- Grandma's dog is your favorite!

You love to talk and repeat everything we say. Which means we should watch what we say a little closer... you now say, "shut your mouth" when your playing with your baby doll and "I mean it" which is your daddy's line when he's disciplining you. You do need quite a bit of direction these days, but you take it well and put yourself in time out sometimes!!

When we are driving, you consider it a very good drive if you see a "diggo" (digger- excavator) and as always you love planes. When you see one in the air you blow kisses to it. You also are super smart!! You know your way around town. There is no tricking you. You know if we are driving to a friends house by the roads we are taking!! And you get very upset if we don't stop!! You also know where we get lunch... we can't pass a McDonalds or Chik fil A without you asking for "unch".

You are almost potty trained. Mommy wouldn't have started this early, but you decided it was time when you sat on your potty and went pee pee before your bath about 3 weeks ago!! Since then you haven't been in diapers except for when you sleep. You pretty much go without any accidents if Mommy gets you to the potty in time. You haven't begun to tell mommy that you have to go pee pee... won't that be a blessed day!!

You love to play. And hate it when mommy interrupts that play. You often run away and say, "I hiding". And then you giggle and say, "I funny". As much as it aggravates me if we're in a hurry, it is so stinking cute. I have to smile.

Wonder Pets is still your favorite show and you start your day out with at least one episode each morning with your milk. You love dinosaurs and know we're going to pass them on the interstate when we go a certain way. You love to sing. You sing "shine" (this little light of mine) and Jesus Loves Me. You like to sing If Your Happy and You Know it. You love clapping your hands. You also sing The B-I-B-L-E and shout Bible and Happy at the end of the verses. You've started to make up your own songs and put your pointer figner and your thumb together at your mouth to make a microphone or you use your juice cup. You get this look on your face when your making up a song. It is a look of total concentration and seriousness and it makes my heart melt and my face smile.

Ruthie Grace Zeller. I love you so much words just don't do it justice. I am so proud of you. This year has been a big year full of fun discovery and growing up. Your my little girl now. I am so excited to share the next year with you. I can't wait to see what we get into while you are two. Most of all, I pray that Jesus will fill your heart with His love and a desire to always search after Him. I love you, my special girl. I hope your day is very very happy!! :) I love you, MUCH!!

Love,
Mommy

Blog Hop Pics!!

2009-07-07T08:59:00.002-04:00

Hello! Welcome to my Cup of T!! This week's MCKlinky blog hop is all about pics... so I'm sharing a great one with you! Actually, I have to share two because my two girls under two are hard to photograph together!! :)

Father's Day 2009

2009-06-29T16:07:00.005-04:00

We had so much fun on Father's Day...

First- when we woke up Ruthie brought Tony his surprise (or "pa-prise" according to Ruthie) which was a picture thing that I made... will post a pic later...

Then we headed to church and managed to get there relatively on time!!! An accomplishment for our group!

Then we met Mardi, Jack and family at the airport- we did the ultimate staycation- we ate at the airport and watched the planes. One of Ruthie's favorite things!!

After the airport we headed over to the mall and the boys plus Bailey did some indoor surfing!! :) They had a blast!!

Here are some pics from our day!
Emma awake with her fingers in her mouth...

Tony and his girls... walking around the airport!!

Emma asleep with her fingers in her mouth...

Looking at the model of the planes...

more models!

Daddy and Ruthie on the top of the parking garage watching the planes land and take off!! (Emma was asleep so we didn't want to wake her to take this pic!!)

Daddy surfing

Bailey Surfing

Luke surfing

Waiting in line for their turn!!

Jack surfing

Emma Kate is 3 months old!!

2009-06-29T15:27:00.004-04:00

Emma is- can you believe it?- 3 months old. She is so full of life and personality!!! She just loves people- especially her sister- and smiles SO big when any one pays attention to her!!!

* she is loving her fingers. It is great because she will suck them instead of the binkie!! We still use a binkie to settle her down- and she takes it- but once she's settled she flings the binkie out of her mouth and puts her fingers in instead!! It is SOOOO cute!

* She's smiling socially all the time and even beginning to laugh!! It is the sweetest thing. I just LOVE hearing my baby girl laugh!!

* She's lifting her head so well... she does super baby when she's on her tummy. However, she doesn't really like her tummy- so she doesn't stay that way for long!!

* She's also developed a love for her blankets. She has two lovies- one that her Aunt Holly made for her and one that sweet Alana sent as a gift. She loves them both and we don't leave the house with out one of them!! She loves to hold onto fabric. In fact, if I haven't given her one of the lovies- then she holds onto her clothes instead! Gotta love the resourcefulness!!

* sleeping 11-12 hours at night!!

* Relfux doing well... as long as we keep up with the medicine. If we miss a dose, she will have a bad time (usually takes a day or two before the pain comes) and we have to give her something else... but for the most part she is doing great!! Don't know how much she weighs... but she is my chubby girl- as you can see in the pics- she has sweet baby roll thighs and cute cheeks to kiss!!

We are so in awe that God would bless us again with a wonderfully sweet and loving baby. It tickles me to no end that my girls love each other and get along so well (I know there will be fights when they're older...). It's amazing to watch this sweet little girl develop and grow. Emma- we love you bunches!!!

How cute is that? I love this pic!! You can see she's taken out her binkie and replaced it with her two fingers!! (the lovie from Aunt Holly is not too far away!!) :)

Sleeping at the splash park...

Holding on to her lovie (from Alana!!) and her binkie!! (What great fine motor skills... or luck?)

Tummy time- lifting her head...

styling at Uncle Matt & Aunt Rachel's pool!!

Ruthie is 23 months old!!

2009-06-21T20:37:00.007-04:00

It looks like all I can keep up with these days is the monthly posts about the girls... So much goes on in one day that I have a hard time posting anything else!!

BUT, Ruthie is in her last month as a one year old... next month she'll be TWO!!! Can you believe it? I can't. She is getting to be such a big girl. She is so a toddler, not a baby, anymore!! :)

* She went pee-pee in the potty!!! She always sits on the potty before her bath each night... it's something she likes to do. One night I said, can you let me hear you go pee-pee? And to my big surprise- a few seconds later I heard her little tinkle... We will be starting true potty training sometime in the next week.. I had to have time to get all my "supplies" together!!

* She's stepping up small steps without holding on. A big accomplishment!!!

* Conversations-
Ruthie: "Hi Mama"
Me: "Hi Lovey (one of her many nicknames) how are you?"
Ruthie: "good"

* When someone sneezes she says, "Bless you"

* Calls her favorite show "Wonder Pets" now- not "far side"

* Loves to play and hide under her bed!! She likes to be "under" things- blankets, tables, beds to play!!

* Wants to sleep with the door open a little bit now- not shut all the way as she has the last 2 years!!

* Won't go into her room in the dark. This is a new thing too

* Likes to play with the potatoes from the kitchen. She calls them, "tatoes" :)

Here are some pics to enjoy!!
Aunt Rachel and Ruthie at Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matt's pool in Orlando!

Uncle Matt and Ruthie

Ruthie loving the splash zone at the pool!

Ruthie's bed head!!

Ruthie reading to Emma!

Monkey see, Monkey do... Ruthie's baby in Emma's bouncy seat!!

Ruthie playing under her bed!!

Ruthie at the splash park

Ruthie and cousins at the splash park!!

Ruthie loves to watch TV. She is limited on the amount she can watch... but when I turned on the music (which I do regularaly) she thought it was the TV... funny!! :)

Video that I promised

2009-06-03T16:49:00.003-04:00

I promised you a video in that last post... but forgot to add it. So here it is...

This was us late one night after Ruthie had gone to bed...

Emma Kate is 2 months old!!

2009-05-29T09:59:00.007-04:00

Yes, my dear readers, all 2 of you, she IS two months old. She is doing well. We've gotten the gas/reflux to a controllable level and I think that we're about to move her back into her room in her bassinet. She's been sleeping in the bouncy seat in our room because she has to sit up to be comfortable.

* She is however, sleeping at least 6 hours each night and I'm hoping to increase that with increased control of the reflux.

* She is cooing up a storm- it's so cute. She works her mouth so hard to get out the sound. But once it is out she loves it and gets such a proud look on her face.

* She's smiling socially. I LOVE when her binkie falls out because she is smiling so big!! It is so cute. Even at 6 in the morning!! We have had a rather hard time capturing that on film though. Darn illusive smile!! :)

* She is 10 pounds and 12 ounces!!!

* She is already growing out of many of her 0-3 month clothes... and I'm starting to think it's time to get out the 3-6 mo box.

* She's such a good sport w/ Ruthie... who is in LOVE with her little sister. Sometimes, she loves her too much!!! Emma looks for Ruthie and just watches...

* she is holding her head up great and although we haven't been able to get the full head up on film... she is gaining muscle control

* she is batting at toys that hang in front of her and pushes up on her feet in the bouncy seat to make herself move.

* According to Ruthie her name is "Emma CAKE" :) I love that... and now call her that as a pet name sometimes!!

Here are a few pics and a video to share:

Holding up my head!!

The next several pics are the "many different faces of Emma Kate!!!"

This is one of my favs!! I'm sure she's thinking, "I just love my mommy!"

This is my sweet Ruthie Grace who has so cleverly put on a sock... only it is Emma's sock and only comes just over Ruthie's toes!! I think it's cute!! :)

Ruthie is 22 Months old!!

2009-05-26T08:28:00.004-04:00

This month Ruthie has spent it growing like a weed and talking up a storm. She is talking like a little girl... not much baby talk anymore.

Some of the things she has said:
* I do it
* I sit right there
* See-a-der (see ya later)
* I re re back (I'll be right back)

She is even recounting the Wonder Pet episodes- Here's an example of a conversation:

R: Mommy
T: what do you want love?
R: Ming Ming and Dinosaur
T: what happened with Ming Ming and the Dinosaur?
R: Stuck Rock
T: Yes, you're right. Good job. What happened next?
R: Ug, ug (making pulling and straining noises)
T: Yes, Ruthie they did try to pull him out. What happened next?
R: Slippery
T: Yes, the Mud is slippery and it got the dinosaur out didn't it!!

TO me that is amazing for a little girl who isn't even 2 yet!!

Here's some pics of my beautiful girl to enjoy!

Out of the mouth of Babes... or toddlers

2009-05-17T20:39:00.002-04:00

When putting Ruthie to sleep Tony and I always pray with her. So far her input has always been a loud "amen" at the end. Tonight, I prayed first. Then she said, "daddy pray". So Tony prayed too. Then she said, "more prayer". So I said, "what would you like to say to Jesus?"

Then Ruthie said:

"I love you much Jesus."

The tears welled up immediately. I love her tender heart. Please Lord, guide us and give us wisdom to cultivate a heart that loves YOU in our girls. Amen!

An Ode to Ms. Tracey

2009-05-15T17:33:00.004-04:00

Ms. Tracey is our fantastic Physical Therapist who was a total answer to prayer! She is first of all a Christian- which did this mommy's heart good! She is loving, kind, knowledgeable, and talented! And, and major plus she is a good runner- which is helpful because she spends most of the time running after Ruthie who has seen another fun and exciting thing to get into...

I swear, that Pedi Rehab is like a kiddie playland on steroids. There is something fun to get into around every corner. When Ruthie started out she wasn't walking, she was about 16 months old and she was just cruising while holding on to furniture. Tracey determined that she has low muscle tone and needed PT two times a week until her muscles stregthened enough to allow her to walk. Meanwhile, we were visiting the neurologist and he ordered an EEG and an MRI- both which came back normal! Praise Jesus!

Today, I am proud to say, was our last evaluation!! Ruthie has graduated and is no longer in PT on Ms. Tracey's case load. While I am super proud of Ruthie and very excited that she's made this progress... she's now running and kicking, and right on track. I will miss our PT appt. because God used them to teach me. He put a wonderful friend in my path that encouraged me, loved my child, and gave my child the gift of being able to walk. And, a major plus- Tracey is hysterical. She had me in stitches with her stories most of the time! It was like a coffee play-date minus the coffee!!

Here are a few pics of Ruthie last offical PT session- right after Emma was born.
These are called "ker-plops" Ruthie has to "ker-plop" on her back and then sit up. She has to use her abdominal muscles to do this and those core muscles are what helps her keep her balance and be able to stand up w/ out holding on. She started every session out w/ a bunch of these!

This is the next step... up on the knees. She didn't start doing this until later

Going up the ramp... at the end is a slide!! At first she started out pushing a kids grocery cart filled with weight balls up the ramp. Actually she wasn't able to push it more than 3 steps the first several times. But, as she grew stronger she'd push it farther and Tracey would add more weight. Then she would take her up the ramp! Now she can run/walk up and DOWN the ramp w/ out any help!! :)

Going up the stairs also builds those muscles and allows her to practice an important skill! She would have to take puzzle pieces up the stairs and complete the puzzle. One piece at a time... that would give her a purpose for going up and down other than just "working out"!!

Ms. Tracey w/ Ruthie and Emma. We love you Ms. Tracey, and we will be eternally grateful that God placed you in our life!!

Sisters

2009-05-06T17:30:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics of the sweetest sisters in the world... I'm tearing up.

Ruthie was watching Wonder Pets on TV and I put Emma on the play mate for some Tummy Time. As I am facebooking I hear Ruthie get off the chair and start talking to Emma. When I checked on them this is what I found. HOW SWEET is that? Ruthie wanted to be next to Emma and then reached out, unprompted, to hold Emma's hand. I think Ruthie is the best big sister ever... Emma is a LUCKY GIRL!! :) I love my two girls!! :)

She Color's My Day

2009-05-06T17:10:00.002-04:00

Remember High School... in the eighties? Remember Amy Grant? Well she has an awesome new EP out on itunes... go listen to it!! :) Love Her Voice!!

click here

Emma Kate is 1 month old!!

2009-05-05T14:34:00.005-04:00

As usual I am a bit late with this post!! Boy- it is hard to keep up... I am going to have to do a much better job in the future...

But, My little Emma is the sweetest thing. She is doing well, eating good, and growing!! She is LOVED by all of us, but my heart swells with pride/love/something that words can't describe when Ruthie shows how much she loves her. Ruthie is so sweet with Emma. She pats her back when I'm burping her, she rubs her leg and says, "it's ok Emma" and she gives Emma her binkie when she is crying. (She also likes to try out the binkie before she gives it to her... it's kind of cute!)

Here are some other things that have occured in the last two weeks:
* Emma has been diagnosed w/ GERD and is on medicine. This is great because she wasn't sleeping after I nursed her at night. When I would lay her back down she would cry. So Tony and I decided to sleep her in her bouncy seat and that was like a miracle. She began sleeping through the night again. She also spits up quite a bit. So- we're hoping w/ the medicine that she will feel better soon.

* She has slept for 7 hours at night for the last 3 nights- however tonight I'm sure she won't sleep that long because I just published it for the world to read!

* She weighs 9lbs and 12 ounces. CRAZY. This girl is solid. She eats well (obviously) and is gaining faster than Ruthie did!

* She has started to smile. They aren't full on smiles yet, and they aren't in response to anything in particular that I can tell, but she has given us a glimpse of the beautiful smile that we will see often in the future!

* She is doing well picking her head up and holding it. We are amazed at her mad neck strength!!

* Still having some gas issues and makes sounds like a baby elephant when she has gas pain. She does however, usually sleep through the pain.. PTL. After a while of hearing those sounds I take her little legs and roll them up into her tummy to relieve the gas... and people, I tell you she has longer and louder, uh hem farts, than her daddy!! That girl can rip a good one!! Poor little belly w/ all that gas built up. She doesn't really like it when I roll her up like that, but she does get a very relieved look on her face when she's done. I can only imagine how much better it feels afterwards!!

* She is such an easy baby. She RARELY cries unless something is wrong (ie diaper, hunger, gas...) and sleeps very well. And has the most adorable face and eyes. I love when she's awake and just looks at me. I can't wait for her to start cooing on a regular basis and for her to respond back and forth with us!! I just love being a mommy.

* she is using a pacifier. I gave in after 3 weeks. She just wouldn't keep her thumb in at night and I was SO TIRED. However, looking back I think if I had moved her to the bouncy seat instead of giving her the paci I would have gotten a sleeping baby who sucks her thumb. Oh- well, maybe the next one will be a thumb sucker!!

* She lost her umbilical chord - well actually it was pulled off during a middle of the night diaper change... Boy did I feel bad. But, she really didn't cry- I guess it was ready!!

* He had her first real bath... pictures to follow!

* I haven't put her on the floor in the gym as much as I did w/ Ruthie because I have Ruthie running around and the dog... and I'm afraid she'll just get trampled on... our house is a little small... but I'm beginning to move in that direction!!

* Doesn't tuck her feet/legs/knees up under her when she is on her belly as much as Ruthie did. But, then she was in a breech position for much of my pregnancy. Perhaps there was more leg room that way? :)

* She knows our voices... and has for quite a while. Turns towards the voice.

* Loves to be held tummy down on something- that helps w/ the GERD!

* Definitely gets mad like her sister and daddy!

Here are some adorable pics for you to enjoy!
All bundled up after her bath... we have a similar pic of Ruthie in a post here if you want to check it out!

Her first real bath

My beautiful & sweet little girl!!

When looking back at posts from Ruthie's first month it is amazing at how fast Emma's first month has flown by. I thought Ruthie grew up quickly- this is crazy!! So, dear Emma, if you don't have as many posts or pictures it is not becuase you are loved less- but because I am busy loving you both in action. I am chasing your sister to tickle her, we are reading books together- all three of us, I am feeding you, we are watching Wonder Pets, we are at the store or mall - learning to love shopping- But no matter what we are doing we are enjoying and loving every minute of being together. I pray that the Lord blesses us with many YEARS of girl time together. I love you so much my sweet little girl.

Ruthie is 21 months old!!! (about 2 weeks ago!)

2009-04-27T14:16:00.005-04:00

This post is a long time coming.... I need to post about Emma being 1 MONTH OLD TODAY, but I will not allow myself that post until I write about Ruthie's 20th month!! So much has happened this month... my little baby grew up and it is amazing. She is talking up a storm... sentences with 5-7 words in them, using pronouns CORRECTLY, and is such a sweet loving older sister!!

She said the other day, when Emma was under the nursing cover, "Where did Emma go? Peek-boo, I see you" Isn't that cute!

Here are some other things that she's been up to:

* She has a monkey puppet at my mom's house and she LOVES monkey (original name, huh?) That is her second favorite.. right after "Cucky" (Ducky).

* Salad is her new favorite food. She LOVES it. She wants to eat it before ANYTHING else, and if you have some and you don't share... oh my does she get upset!!

* She started to tickle us... it's so cute she wiggles her fingers and says, "Kee-kle, Kee-kle" She has such a fun personality that is emerging. She is funny- what a sense of humor- and she love to laugh- what a beautiful laugh she has- and she is a stinker- she'll get you just for the fun of it and have a twinkle in her eye the whole time!!

* She became a BIG SISTER!!! She loves Emma so much and had done an excellent job adjusting. This month has been hard- not only did she become a big sister but also Tony's brother and family moved back into town from Washington state. And we are thrilled they are here. The hard part is they have a daughter 2 months older than Ruthie- so she's gone from not having to share anything (toys/mommy/daddy/aunts/uncles/cousins/grandma/pawpaw)- to having to share EVERY ONE AND EVERYTHING in her life all at the same time. She's done remarkable well for being so young and having so much expected of her. I am SO proud of how she has handled it all. What a trooper.

* She loves to give Emma kisses, to hold her, and she even offered Emma her blankie one night!!

* She has always loved it when I (or anyone) sings. Music is something that makes her happy and soothes her. So it was no surprise to me that she has started singing all the time. Her songs are so cute. It is mostly her baby talk in a sing/song voice. PRECIOUS!! However, she does sing Itsy Bitsy Spider pretty well... it goes like this

Mommy- "The itsy bitsy spider when up the water spout" (Ruthie doing the hand motions)
Mommy and Ruthie- "Down"
Mommy- "came the rain and" (Ruthie doing the hand motions
Mommy and Ruthie- "Wash"
Mommy - "the spider out"
Mommy and Ruthie "up came -the- Sun"
Mommy- "and dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again"
Ruthie- clapping and says "yeah!"

* She loves to blow bubbles and to pop them. She's even started to pretend to blow bubbles by putting her index finger to her lips and blowing, then she points her finger into the air and says "POP" say it with me now, "It's SO cute!"

* She started calling butterflies "flowers" but by the end of the month they are "fowr-flies"

*She thinks grapes are "mummy" (yummy) and calls them "Wwww-eeks" because I always say "grrrrrr-apes" trying to emphasize the beginning blend of 'gr'!!

* Said to me "mommy I sit here" and sat on a pillow on the floor like it was her throne. Has been telling us where she wants to sit ever since!!

* She often gets her leg stuck between the bars of her crib... I guess it's fun to do when you're waiting for mommy to come get you in the morning... fun until you get stuck. So when I hear the cry- the one that means come now- I know that she is stuck. I get to her room asap and she says to me, "Mommy, I'm stuck"

* "I know" has been her favorite answer when we tell her she's doing something that she shouldn't. It's all we can do not to laugh.

* "mommy, I keen the floor" has also been said a few times. She loves the swifter duster and so I've been known to give her one to "play" with!

* She has a plastic travel mug that I allow her to play with. The other day she comes out of her room w/ the mug and says, "my coffee". I guess all the girls in her life have been drinking a little too much of that stuff. That mug is officially her "coffee"

* She has been saying for quite some time now, I love you which comes out more like this, "I wa wa you" but she recently added this to the end, "I wa wa you much" because I often say, "I love you very much" Melts my mommy heart... big time!

* She graduated out of Physical Therapy. I'll do a whole post on that, but wanted to document the occasion. We go back for a check up in a few weeks and then maybe again in 6 months. But, she's worked so hard and her PT is so good that she's mastered the skills needed for her age!! :) YEAH!!

Here are some pics for you to enjoy!
John Deer Tracker shirt - courtesy of Mr. Bill!!

Playing "side" with Daddy!

Technically this isn't from her 20th month.. but this is mommy and Ruthie at the farm!

Ruthie dusting her bike

I don't know what she was trying to do... I think she was trying to sit on the edge of the baby bed, but she ended up falling in. I though it was so cute that I didn't get her out, I got my camera instead. Although, after the pic I DID get her out.

Ruthie as Tinkerbell- She's beginning to love dressing up!!

After one of her favorite things (taking off all her clothes and her diaper) to pass the time until mommy gets her up and out of her bed!!

2 Weeks!!!

2009-04-15T15:07:00.006-04:00

I can't believe Emma is two weeks old... actually she's almost 3 weeks old. TIME FLIES!!! She's already growing bigger. I just want it to SLOW DOWN!! I knew that having two children would totally increase the work load at home... I was waiting and ready for that. But, I didn't realize what an emotional time these two weeks would be. From being elated that we have a new baby in our family, to loving and bonding w/ the new baby, to worrying about Ruthie and how she is handling all the changes, to feeling like Ruthie is so big she doesn't even need her mommy any more... WOW! It's been quite an emotional ride. Thankfully, I have a loving and patient husband who listens to all my emotions and with a loving voice of reason helps me to see that all is well.

That is where we are now... all is well. We've had a lot of company, and I've had a lot of help... which I wouldn't have made it without that help!! But, this was our first week of doing life on our own. Daddy's back at work- my mom is back to work after spring break- so it is just me and my two girls all day long. And you know what? We've made it... and we're doing WELL...

It is amazing to me how immediately your heart fills with this amazing love for a new baby and it does that without diminishing the love you have for your other children. God is so good! In fact, if anything, it make me love Ruthie even more to watch her with her sister. She is so loving and kind and wants to be with Emma so much. In fact, the other night while watching Wonder Pets, Ruthie got off of the chair and sat on the floor right next to the bouncy seat that Emma was in. She wanted to sit with her sissy. ugg! It almost killed me as my heart swelled with pride and love and happiness all at the same time.

Here are some pictures from our first two weeks!!
Ruthie after a bath loving on Emma...

Tony's mom and sister took Ruthie to the mall one morning the first week. Here they are before they left. Emma was a little jaundice the first few days at home. She's all better now!

After being inside for nearly a week - I had to get out of the house. So we went to the mall and to DQ for lunch. We were such a site. Emma was 4 days old (got to start that love of shopping early) and Tony made me go in a wheel chair (I was still in some pain)... so here we were the big double stroller and me in a wheel chair. My sweet sister in law met us for lunch and then came to the mall to help push our family!! Here are the girls in their first official ride in our new stroller!!

Emma looking pretty during some wakey-wakey time!!

Ruthie holding Emma w/ some help from Daddy!

Blue is a good color on her!

After Emma's first bath (which we have video'ed but do not have any still pics) we encouraged Ruthie to give her baby a bath. So here she is with her own wash cloth, a pretend bowl of water and she is giving baby a bath. This is too precious for words!

Grandma doing double duty!! and loving it!

Emma loves her thumb!! I don't think we'll need any binkies for Emma!

Sweet Lovin'

Can you believe the size difference? I thought my Ruthie was so petite until I brought Emma home. I know Ruthie is small still- but I can't believe how big she's gotten. It seems like yesterday she was wearing this size diapers!!

Some things I don't want to forget:
* Emma is sleeping well. She usually has one 5 hour stretch at night!!! PTL!

* Eating well too! She weighed 7lbs and 1 oz at birth, dropped to 6lbs 11 oz at her 3 day check up and was 8lbs even at her 2 week check up!! What an eater!!

* She stretches so cutely and makes these cute little grunting noises. They almost sound like an elephant.. but coming from the sweet little girl it is so cute.

* She can poop like a mad dog (that is a lot) but often waits until the new clean diaper is on until she finishes her job. We've gone through as many as 4 diapers at one changing because she begins to christen the new one before it is even on!! :)

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T13:55:00.007-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter celebrating the resurrection of Christ as a family of four!! It started off a week early with our church's annual Easter picnic and egg hunt... Tony took Ruthie to the picnic and Emma and I stayed home (because she was only one week old at the time!)

They left right after the food- because Ruthie was so tired. She had so much fun playing outside "side" with the other kids and finding eggs that she was asleep before they were out of the driveway.

Then we had fun dying Easter eggs for the first time...

Easter Sunday was a busy day- but a good day. It started off seeing what the Easter Bunny brought Ruthie... a nice basket full of goodies and eggs that were "hidden". It was so much fun to watch her find the eggs. Each time she saw one she'd say, "oh wow an egg" and then she'd pick it up and shake it. The smile that beamed was just beautiful! The Easter Bunny is a smart bunny because he/she (?) put M & M's in Ruthie's eggs... and M&M's are her favorite candy!

The Bunny stash!

Ruthie's Basket

After quickly getting ready, we joined my mom, brother and his wife, and grandma at my mom's church! They were celebrating Easter as their first Sunday in their new building! It was wonderful to be a part of that special day.

Aunt Holly and Alan

Our family of four

The bigger Family!!

After church we went back to my mom's for a yummy lunch and then over to Tony's mom for another egg hunt and a yummy dinner. We were so excited that his youngest brother and his family are back in town. They're moving to Orlando from Washington state.

What a wonderful day of celebration. Celebrating the glorious resurrection of our Lord, the promise of the cross, and the hope of resurrection Sunday. Celebrating new life. Celebrating family. All the blessings the Lord has graciously given our little family. Sometimes it is just too much to take in. Words don't do justice! Happy Easter!

Hospitals, Family, Friends, & Sisters

2009-04-03T15:28:00.008-04:00

We had a good stay at the hospital... I was blessed with great nurses who took good care of me. We were only there for 2 full days- got to come home on Sunday morning. But, while we were there we had lots of visitors and the sisters met. It was so sweet- not a dry eye in the room.

We didn't want Ruthie to come to the hospital until I was feeling well enough to be "mommy" and not be sick or in pain. I didn't want Ruthie to be scared. So we had my mom wait until after Ruthie's nap to bring her to meet Emma. Meanwhile, our pastor and his wife (who are also good friends) came to visit us and Aunt Holly - who was working- came down w/ another friend Jen to visit. So the room was full when Ruthie came in. At first she was a little taken back by all the people- even though she knew them all well. She was quiet and climbed into the bed with me. Then- when Tony brought Emma over we asked Ruthie "who is this" and she said "baby" and we said- "Yes, that is your baby sister Emma." She got a big smile on her face and kissed Emma over and over. It was so sweet. After some family pics Ruthie opened her gift from Emma and then EVERYONE had brought gifts for Ruthie- so it was almost like Christmas. Ruthie opened gifts for a long time!!

I will always remember that sweet moment when my two girls first met. We've been praying since we found out we were expecting that the Lord would develop a true love and friendship between the siblings and that moment the Lord was showing us that He indeed heard our prayer and answered with a yes!! I know they will bicker and fight and get on each other's nerves. But for now- Emma is the best thing that ever happened to Ruthie. I am so thankful!

Ruthie and Emma

Our Family of Four!

Ruthie had to name all of Emma's body parts. Here she is pictured looking for her hands!

Grandma w/ Emma

Papa B and Mama D (our pastor and his wife) with Emma

Paw-Paw and Grandma with Ruthie and Emma (and Bitty Baby)

Not the most flattering picture of me, but a cutie of my two girls!!

Another of our family

Aunt Mardi and Uncle Jack, Luke and Bailey w/ Emma

Mommy and Emma getting ready to go home

Daddy, Mommy and Emma (self portrait) before we left the hospital

Emma DID NOT like her car seat!

One of our sweet nurses. I actually remembered her from when I was in the hospital having Ruthie!

Emma Kate

2009-04-03T09:55:00.006-04:00

Emma Kate is here!! She has graced our family and we all are in love!! :) Here's a photo gallery of our day- ONE week ago!!

The night before we went to the hospital my mom came to stay with us so she could watch Ruthie. We went to Outback to celebrate the new member of our family- which is becoming tradition since that's where we went before Ruthie was born!

We came home and still had to pack- all our laundry was done thanks to my great mother in law who did it ALL for me the day before!! And then we went to bed... not before having a snack at 11:56 (couldn't eat after midnight!) We woke up at 4:00 so we could get ready and pack the car as we had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am!!

This is me 39 weeks pregnant and the last preggo pic w/ Emma...

Tony and I before we left!

Once we got to the hospital they give you a cell phone- weird huh- and when it rings you go back to pre-op. I got my IV and answered all sorts of questions and waited a little. Once that was done they let Tony come back with me until the doctor was ready.

Once we left Pre-op, Tony went to the "dressing room" and put on the scrubs and I went to the operating room. The worst part of the whole experience was the darn spinal block. It hurts - really bad- and I'm not that much of a wimp with pain. I would do almost anything to avoid another one... although the end result is totally worth it! Once I was getting numb Tony was allowed back in the room and they started to scrub and prepare my belly...That's a lovely feeling everything hanging out for all to see... and there is like a million people in the room. We even had a student watching... It took quite a while for the doctors (Dr. Dill delivered Emma and Dr. Brown assisted) to get through the old scar tissue and get to Emma. Before they were even getting to Emma I started to feel tingly again. This meant that I was coming out of the spinal block. That was a little scary. Tony told the nurse and she gave me more meds. But, I was able to wiggle my toes during surgery... I kept thinking, HELLO!! THIS IS NOT GOOD!! But, the Lord was there and they worked fast and I felt NO PAIN!! Praise God! Soon we heard a little cry and then it got louder. That is such a big moment in life- from no children to being parents in one split second. From one child to two- in one split second. Soon we saw this:

Dr. Dill holding Emma Kate for us to see. Isn't she beautiful! It is immediate LOVE washing over my heart.

Here's a closer look w/ the baby nurse...

Emma getting weighed... she weighed 7 pounds and 1 ounce and was 20 inches long. She was born at 8:09 am on March 27, 2009.

Finally Mommy gets to hold and love her!!

After a while they took Tony and Emma to the recovery room- finished cleaning me up and stuff (whatever it is that they do...) and soon I was headed to Recovery myself. Meanwhile- Tony was holding a SCREAMING baby- I guess she wanted to eat.. and calling our parents, siblings, and pastor to tell them that we were doing well. Everyone said- Is that Emma? All Tony could do was chuckle and say- yep- she's here!!

Once I got to recovery the nurses asked if I could wiggle my toes... and I said yep- and proceded to BEND MY KNEES AND LIFT MY LEGS!! I think they were a little surprised by that!! I also remember telling Tony that I felt more pain at that moment than I did through out the entire labor and delivery of Ruthie. The nurse who was standing at my head kept telling the one at my feet... "We need to get her some more pain meds". I remember feeling like I was totally beat up- every muscle in my abdomen hurt- badly. But soon I was a happy camper with my meds and I started to nurse Emma. That is such a magical time too. She was quite- the first time since she was born!! I was only in recovery for about 30 minutes they wheeled me up to the room and I got to hold Emma the whole time. Once we got to the room the nurse took Emma to give her a bath...

When all that was done we finally got to rest... this is Emma so sweetly resting after a very traumatic morning (at least for her).

Ruthie's New Room

2009-03-20T14:08:00.005-04:00

I don't know how she got to be this lucky... but Ruthie gets the NEW ROOM AGAIN!! It seems like we've been working more on things for Ruthie than for the new baby... just to get ready for the new baby. BUT, my little girl- soon to turn BIG girl LOVES her new room!

This is how it started out!! Actually, it started out as our junk storage room.... but then we cleaned it out and started working on the molding and trim... My brother came to help Tony get it all done in ONE WEEKEND!! Way to go, guys!!

Now it looks like this:
Ruthie's dress-up center and baby dolls...

We still have to work on that window. The other window in her room (not pictured) has the pink curtain made into more of a valence using some fun polk-a-dot ribbon. I ran out of ribbon and still haven't gotten to the store to buy more... so that is on my list this week!!

We still have more to put up on the walls... but the writing you see is from Uppercase Living. I created a custom expression and it says, "you are fearfully and wonderfully made Ps. 139" Above that we are going to put a couple pictures of Ruthie- but we haven't hung them yet!! :)

We're still waiting on the pink gliding chair (chenille) to go in the corner under the not pictured window next to the bed and the little white table/chairs to be finished that will go under the chandelier!! I am so glad she likes it as much as I do!!

I will post pics of the nursery when I get that set up... right now it's a mess. But hey- I have 6 whole days before I have the baby... why do today what I can put off until tomorrow!! :)

Baby Showered!

2009-03-19T17:02:00.005-04:00

A Few weeks ago I was completely surrounded by love... during my baby shower for our newest little girl!! It was such a beautiful day and my friends worked SO hard and made it such a wonderful afternoon. They totally made the multi-purpose room look like a beautiful baby girl world (thank you Mardi!!)!! The theme was polk-a-dots!! Gotta love that!!

My friend, Tara, made stuffed shells- absolutely delish!! We also had a beautiful salad and yummy bread!! Then our pastor's wife and my friend led us in a devotional where she talked about being able to do "all things through Christ" and having JOY while doing them. She tied that into going from a one child house to a two children house- and the big adjustment that it usually is!

After that we opened presents!! And, boy were there a lot of presents!! And we ate cake!! It was so much fun to just be with my friends and family focusing on our new baby and Ruthie did GREAT!! She had fun playing w/ all the little girls that came and even had a few surprise presents to open herself!!

Here are some pics of our day:
My best friend Holly and me!

The beautiful and delish cake - thank you Lacie for all your hard work!! I loved it!!

Four Generations together... My grandma came into town for the special occasion!

Mommy and Ruthie

Posing w/ the cake!

The pile of loot!! I was totally BLESSED by everyone's generosity!! God provided for all our needs and ALL my WANTS!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!

The quilt Aunt Holly made!!

My sis-in-law Mardi, niece Bailey, and my mother-in-law!!

Ruthie is pooped!! She crashed right at the end!!

Just a note- The sweet friends who put this on were unavailable for a photo because they were so busy WORKING!! I didn't realize until just now that we didn't get a pic of them. They are the best group of sisters a girl can have!! I am truly blessed (and bummed I didn't get a pic)!

Ruthie is 20 months old!!

2009-03-18T17:12:00.004-04:00

And another month goes by... Ruthie is growing like a weed... She's still small comparatively, but she's getting taller and we marvel everyday at our little girl that developed out of no where... where did our baby go?

This month she:

* moved into her big-girl room (minus a big-girl bed... that will come in a few months) She absolutely loves it and plays so happily there (even though she's more than welcome to bring her toys out to the living room). She runs around on the carpet and throws herself down... it's so cute!! (Pictures to come in it's own post!!)

* Is actually counting to 10... with a little help- but mostly on her own... We'd love to get this on camera- hopefully she'll cooperate!

* Still loves to play "Where is she" by hiding her face using any method possible and peek out behind things! It makes her belly laugh when we do it to her!

* Love to rowd around w/ us... and loves to be tickled.

* Has had a very sick couple of months... about every 3 weeks or so she comes down w/ something else... I'm ready for her to be VERY healthy... especially since the baby is going to be here in 10 days!!

* New words:
"cheep"- Chip (SHE LOVES CHIPS AND PRETZELS!!)
"pe pe borrer"= Peanut Butter
"bu burry" = Blue Berry
"burry" = any other kind of berry- especially strawberry
"apple bos" = apple sauce
"all-oh" = Hello
"happy birth-day" = Happy Birthday (she worked all day on this for my mom's birthday and got it great by the time we met her for dinner!! Ruthie says it so cute... kinda slow and deliberate!)

* learned to take off her clothes. Started w/ just her shirt after she woke up from nap and moved to her pants too, and then YEP- her diaper!! The first time the diaper came off we found her in a puddle of pee-pee!! The second time, and thank the Lord I was out of the house when this happened, Tony found her in piles of YOU KNOW WHAT!!! I actually have a picture of that- I made him take one so I could see what she did- BUT I will spare you all from the beauty of my daughter covered in her own stuff!! :)

Here are some blog worthy pictures of my sweet girl:

Eating cake at the baby shower

Wearing the birthday hat from my mom's birthday dinner at Kobe Steak House

Looking cute before the dinner

Putting on make-up...er... finger painting a birthday picture!

36 almost 37 weeks!!

2009-03-12T15:35:00.003-04:00

Two weeks from tomorrow- BABY #2 will be in my arms!! :)

Ruthie's room is finally done (full blog about that coming). And, now we're working on the nursery... there is a lot less to do there since it was once occupied by a beautiful little girl!! :)

Here's what Baby Center says about 36 weeks:
Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position, but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

By the way- Our precious baby is HEADS UP!! She turned heads down for a couple of weeks and must like being heads up because she's back there!! :)

Baby #2- 34 weeks!

2009-02-20T19:27:00.003-05:00

Five weeks to go... and we've done NOTHING!!! We started TODAY getting Ruthie's new room ready- so our nursery will be free for Baby #2!!! My brother came over to help us and they are working away!! Pictures to come!!

Baby #2 was breach until yesterday- when she turned the right way. It really doesn't matter because we will be having a c-section anyway. That is scheduled for March 27th!!! I can't believe that in about a month my little girl number 2 will be in my arms!! My baby shower is next weekend- and I can't wait- I think it will be a lot of fun! :)

This is what Baby Center says about 34 weeks!

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Ruthie is 19 months old!!

2009-02-18T21:32:00.003-05:00

And there goes another month... they fly by SO fast!!

Here's what she's been up to:

* She WALKING!!!!
* She loves citrus fruit- especially tangerines - which is convenient because we have a plethora of citrus growing in our yard- two tangerine trees, an orange tree, and a grapefruit tree!! Every time we go outside (side) she has to pick a tangerine and eat it on the spot! It is so cute. She just gobbles them up. Sometimes I think she doesn't even chew them. And you can just forget about getting a bite for yourself!! :)

* She's WALKING!!!

* She does this adorable thing when she's cold. She balls her hands into fists and holds them up and shakes them and says "coooolllld" in a really cute voice. It's so sweet!! :) I gotta get that on camera!

* She's WALKING!!!

* She has some new words:
"Daddy" - actually saying both syllables
"All-ni" = all done
"Cucky"= Ducky

We are so proud of her hard work in Physical Therapy. She started walking on Superbowl Sunday and has made excellent progress!!! Her PT is very impressed!! :) We are so happy for her and proud of her.

Here are some pics:
Reading a book in a box... she had so much fun!!

The three of us on Super Bowl sunday before we left for the party... Tony dressed her up like a football player. She left those stickers on ALL night. I had to take them off before she went to bed!

This is her crazy hair after she had her EEG. That gunk they put in there is like GLUE!! Too bad I didn't take my camera w/ me to the dr's because she looked like the cutest little thing with her head wrapped in gauze and wires sticking out. She was so pathetic it was cute.

Eating chocolate pudding and getting it EVERYWHERE!!!

Baking w/ mommy!! She LOVES to help!! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T18:28:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Valentine's day... we started by going to breakfast. Then when we got home Ruthie "opened" her gifts (ums- m&m's- and bubbles!!) Then Tony and I cleaned the house... together!! :) (How romantic!) We didn't do to much "date" stuff because our anniversary is this Wednesday... so close together. We'll make up for it though!! :)

Here's our valentine w/ her goodies!

Praise the Lord!!

2009-02-03T16:05:00.002-05:00

For your viewing pleasure... Ruthie walking during the super bowl!! We were at my sil's house and we spent the whole game watching Ruthie out of the corner of our eye to see if she'd walk some more. Later- when we were ready to leave she really heated it up and that's when I finally thought to grab my camera... DUH!! Thank you for praying for her!!!

Meet Baby #2- Before She is Born!!

2009-01-29T18:23:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the 4-D technology we have already seen what our sweet little girl looks like!!! And, we are smitten with her already!!

See for yourself:
In Color:

In black and white:

Gasparilla Kid's Parade!!

2009-01-27T15:37:00.007-05:00

Saturday we had SO much fun at the Gasparilla Kids Parade!! We went early to get a good seat (and we really did get a good seat!) We brought food and blankets and had so much fun before it started!! We can't wait to do it again next year- but we want to do it bigger and better!! We have already made our plans for our new and improved plan for enjoying the kids parade!! :)

Here are some cute pics from our day!

Week 30!!

2009-01-24T23:56:00.002-05:00

Can you believe that we're already 30 weeks preggo w/ baby #2!! Only about 9 more weeks (we'll be having a c-section about a week early) to go!! BOY, do we have A LOT of work to do. What is it about baby #2 that makes you procrastinate until the last minute? Anyway, we're doing well... we have another sono this wed- to check her size- but other than that she is kicking up a bigger storm!

Here's what baby center says about week 30:
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Conversations with a Cutie!

2009-01-21T15:12:00.002-05:00

Enjoy!

Ruthie is 18 months old!!

2009-01-20T16:38:00.006-05:00

A Year and 1/2- Can you believe it? I can't. It seams just like yesterday we were in the hospital gasing with amazement at our new little girl... and here she is one and 1/2 years old. CRAZY!!! Someone told me when I was lamenting her first birthday that it "just gets better" and I couldn't understand what they meant. BUT, it is totally true. Sadly, the days of just holding her and cuddling her are gone. She wants to be down, and go "side" (outside) and she wants to "pay" (play)- but she also says, "I wa wa wu nigh-nigh" (I love you, Night-Night) on her own as we are putting her to bed.

Sorry- had to take a quick break to rescue my cell phone from her hot little hands... before she called China or texted Aunt Holly a message that looked like this: al;sdkfoaweirnaalsdkf :)

Anyway, just wanted to document how our love just continues to grow for this sweet little girl who is now officially a toddler-not my little baby anymore. One day I woke up and she was a toddler- hair had grown, face had changed, independence had emerged (she says "no" while pushing my hand away as I try to help her...)

Here's some things she's accomplished this past month:

* She took TWO steps!! She's been really working on the walking thing. She goes to Physical Therapy twice a week to work on her muscles (the reason why she's got a gross motor delay) and our PT is a GOD SEND!!!

* She is eating on her own w/ a spoon or fork... which is sometimes very comical. Especially when she gets more on her tray than in her mouth. But, when it's all said and done, she does VERY well!!

* Counts- Sometimes is just with sound like uh, uh, uh, uh- but most of the time she says "three, four" in the correct order and place! She's been doing this a while, but I forgot to post this last month. She learned this (I think) when we were putting in her ear drops (for her infection) I counted them as they dropped in. Since then, we've been counting up a storm... everything we can think of to count and she LOVES it!

* driving her car/bike all around the house!!

* She continues to talk up a storm and add new words. Her favorite activity is to list all the people she knows and to ask what they are doing for example:

"a-ma" (grandma) "nigh-nigh" (night-night), "Bis-see" (biscuit- my mom's dog) "nigh-nigh" and so on... here are some of her favorite people:

"a-ma" : Grandma
"Bis-see" : Biscuit
"u-ma" : Uncle Matt
"Sa-chel" : Aunt Rachel
"Sa-sie" : Sadie (Matt and Rachel's dog)
"a-mauri" : Aunt Mardi
"u-ja": Uncle Jack
"Bay" : Bailey
"ook" : Luke
"pa-pa" : Paw-Paw
"aw-we" : Aunt Holly
"Eh" : Ed (friends from Church)
"Na-Na" : Donna (Ed's wife)
"Bull" : Bill (friend from church- she hasn't quite figured out how to say his wife's name- Stephanie)
"mama-see" : Mama D (Our pastor's wife and our friend)
"Pop-B" : Papa B (Our pastor and our friend)
" Te-Te Tar-ra" : Tia Tara
"Ky-lie" : Kylie (Tara's daughter and Ruthie's friend)
"Aye" : Aiden (Tara's Son and Ruthie's friend)

As you can see that's a long list... Just think how long it takes to go through it!! We do that SEVERAL times a day!

* New words:
"sis borrer" : It's better
"Bis-tick" : Lipstick (chap stick)
"Ah-choo" : sound of a sneeze
"Choo-Choo": sound of a train
"air pane or air main" : Air Plane
"see" : sing (she love to sing and has started singing on her own - which I'm desprately trying to get on video...- but often asks "mommy see" when she wants us to sing.
"Aum" : M & M (which she's addicted to... we only give her one every once an a while but she KNOWS where we stash them and anytime that location catches her eye she asks for an "Aum"
"whor is she" : Where is she? (said when she's playing peek a boo or hiding behind a blanket or the curtains
"tree-sa" : Teresa
"ming ming" : Ming Ming (Wonder Pets)
"A-Me" : Amen (a much closer rendition than last month!)
"bise" : Bite or Bike
"side" : outside

Here's a video of her reading- something she loves to do. She love for you to read to her- but she also loves to read to herself!! It's SO cute!

.

Reading with "Bull" (Bill) - A major accomplishment... she LOVES to get Bill's attention and then hides her face as she turns immediately shy with him. It's so cute. But recently by the time Bible Study is over with, she has warmed up to him and is ready to play!

Reading to her Baby in her room! So cute!

Playing "side" (outside) with her bike...

Christmas 2008

2009-01-14T16:04:00.005-05:00

Ok- I've SO been procrastinating... I even joined Face book in an effort to feel "updated" but have yet to post on the blog about Christmas... almost a MONTH ago!! :) So- I'll spare you every little detail- and hope that the pics tell the story!! :)

Ruthie's favorite pre-Christmas toy- Reindeer antlers!! She loved to wear them on her eyes-like sunglasses- and then crawl all around the house. Amazingly enough- she never bumped into any furniture!! :) It was really cute!!

Our family after Christmas Eve candle light service. One of my favorite traditions!! After the service we went to Carrabbas to eat- it was YUMMY!!!

Santa's gifts Christmas morning!! She loved her play food and tea set!! (I loved her cute Christmas PJ's!!)

After seeing what Santa brought, opening stockings, and eating homemade cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs for breakfast- we ripped into the presents under the tree! This magna-doodle was a gift from Mommy and Daddy!

She loves to draw!

And this stroller was is so much fun!! Her baby loves to go for walks and eat in this stroller. Ruthie is such a good little mommy!

After a wonderful morning at home, we went to Grandma and Paw-Paw's house for dinner (around 3 pm). She thought the musical decorations were so much FUN!! I don't have many pictures of this part of our day- I must have been pooped by then!! :) But, my mom was with us as was Tony's sister Mardi and her family! We had a lot of fun and eat wonderful yummy food- again!

The next day Uncle Matt and Aunt Rachel (Sa-chel as Ruthie says) came from Orlando to have "Christmas" again! On Sat. morning we eat monkey bread (do you see a theme with our Christmas... eat-eat-eat!) and opened presents!!

Ruthie playing peek-a-boo with Uncle Matt while the girls were helping to get dinner on the table!!

We forgot to get a full family pic before Matt and Rachel went back to Orlando- so here is half the family- next to the Christmas tree!! :)

Back to Christmas- Progressive Dinner

2009-01-06T15:38:00.006-05:00

Just when everyone's put away their Christmas decorations, taken down the tree, and moved on to the New Year... I'm bringing ya' all back like an old 1980's song... to Christmas!!

Our Couple's Bible study that meets at our house got together for Christmas for a progressive dinner. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! We invited a few "invaders" to join us and we all had a blast. What's a progressive dinner? you ask... it is where each course of the meal is eaten at someone else's house. So... it's about 4 - 5 hours of eating, talking, oohing, and ahhing over each other's beautifully decorated homes!!

We started off at Bill and Stephanie's house for appetizers... yummo!

Then we progressed to Ed and Donna's for Soup and Salad (it was supposed to be OR but she did both... and two of each... I'm telling you- you have to work up to being able to eat this much. But, I was eating for 2 so it was easy!!)

Next we came to our house for the main course- lasagna and garlic bread. Each place setting had a Christmas themed hat to wear... don't they look cute?

And finally we ended up at Josh and Kristy's for dessert. If you thought you were going to pop before... after her Chocolate turtle cheesecake you knew you would pop!!

We had so much fun and ended up starting a new tradition. We all can't wait until next year!! :)

Ruthie is 17 months old!!

2008-12-23T15:07:00.006-05:00

This month has been exciting... full of doctor appointments, new skills, and lots of talking!! :) Our sweet laid back angel is developing quite a stubborn streak. We're working on "being gentle" before the baby comes!

Here's what she's been up to:

* She LOVES buttons (this has been going on for quite a while) anything with buttons is her favorite...tv remotes, dvr, phone, etc..
* She will repeat everything we say. Most of the time it actually sounds like what we said!
* She battled her first ear infection :( She felt HORRIBLE for about 2 weeks
* First trip to Disney World
* She LOVES airplanes. Every time she spots one in the air she points and loudly says, "Mommy, What's that?" to which I respond, "Ruthie, that is an airplane. Can you say 'airplane'?" She then tries to say it and repeatedly blows kisses to the airplane. Then as it flies out of her view she says, "bye, bye" and we repeat with each plane spotted!! It's so cute! And, it warms my plane lovin' husband's heart!!

* She also loves to BURP! She thinks it's the funniest thing when she lets one rip. So, once she's burped on accident, she always tries to burp more on purpose. It's kind of funny, but we don't laugh. We have been really working on saying, "excuse me!"

* Her newest food is small bites of skinless apples. She eats them up. Of course she is still LOVING cheese. I think she's going to become one giant cheese cube!
* When you ask her to give baby a kiss... she leans down to kiss my belly. I just love it.
* Tooth count: 11 (4 front top and bottom and 3 molars... another on the way!)

* She loves to dip foods in ANYTHING. It started when Tony and I were eating chips and dip and has moved on to chicken nuggets and ketchup or Sweet and Sour/Polynesian sauce... etc... It's so cute to watch her take her food and dip it in the sauce and then eat it. She is so serious when she's dipping. It's obviously an important event in her day! :)

* Her new words:
"bye"= bye
"ba" = ball
"buh" = book
"peek boo" = peek-a-boo
"morah"= more (been saying this for a while but says it A LOT now!)
"ba ba" = A Men (weird, I know, but she is consistent with her interpretation?)
"ight" = light
"pees" = Please
"dat" = that- used for everything!
"cuhkee" = cookie

* She's even putting 2 and 3 words together to form sentences...
"tear yo go" = There you go
"ear yo go" = Here you go
(Never knew we said that so much until she picked right up on those phrases... now I hear myself saying it ALL the time!)
"I say dadee" = I say daddy
"I ha bo" = I have bow (meaning she's taken her bow out of her hair and is giving it to me... )
"Whats sis" = What's this?
"guh grul" = good girl

Here's some pictures for you to enjoy from last month:

Helping daddy with the lights on the Christmas tree!

Eating a bagel breakfast (one of her favorites) at the hotel in Disney World

With Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matt ("Ma") on Thanksgiving... not feeling well due to an ear infection... hence the paci in her mouth. We've only had the paci to sleep for quite a while (maybe a 4-6 wks) but she felt SO BAD that I wanted to give her a little comfort. We're glad to report she's back to only using it during sleep!

Working with daddy on the computer - remember her love of buttons? Well, to give her some non-destructive buttons we give her the little calculator while daddy uses his big mac computer to do art work!

Reading with Great Grandma before Thanksgiving!

Can you tell who takes the pictures in our house? That would be me, and that would be why I NOT in any of them!! :)

25 weeks!

2008-12-20T22:46:00.004-05:00

Well folks- we're on week 25!! They just keep flying by!! We had our level 2 ultra sound this week (actually a follow up) and we're very glad to report that our littlest baby's heart is a-ok!! PRAISE THE LORD!! Her heart is all normal!! She is growing and kicking- more than Ruthie ever did- and we can't wait to meet her. We have the cutest little foot print from the ultra sound... so stinking cute.

Here's what Baby Center says about week 25:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

This is what she's supposed to look like... except she's breech!! Her head is up and her feet (at the time of the sono) were up by her ears!! But, her position doesn't really matter because we will be having a scheduled c-section regardless!!

Away in the Manger

2008-12-17T15:42:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas... can you believe it is only about a week away? CRAZY!!

Things are getting very busy, but we are loving every minute!! Sunday, Ruthie was in our church's Christmas Play/Contata... she stared as the Cow- at the manger scene. Very important part. However, if you remember her role in last year's Christmas play you'll think she may have been demoted!! :)

However she was the absolute cutest cow on earth!! :) Tony "released" her at the end of the aisle and said, "go find mommy". I was sitting at the front of the church in the aisle saying, "Ruthie, come see mommy" and she was going in a zig-zag fashion asking, "mommy?' "mommy?" and then when she saw me at the front she excitedly and exuberantly said, "MOMMY!!" And quickly took off for me. She turned the corner and crawled up the stairs to worship the baby Jesus!

They (the nativity people/animals) were supposed to sit there for an HOUR!! However, our little cow sat for exactly 30 seconds before she crawled down the steps and we took her off the stage!

The reaction from the audience was priceless! They all laughed and cooed as she crawled up the aisle. Which was good, because that meant no-one heard Tony and I coaxing her to go the right way!

I do have to say, that I wanted to eat her up in that costume!! She actually really liked having it on. I think we are developing a little drama diva!

Ruthie and the others worshiping Baby Jesus- amazingly captured during one of her very serious 30 seconds of on-stage appearance!

Ruthie practicing to crawl up the aisle on Sat.

What a lovely Cow!!

Tip of the Day!

2008-12-11T22:00:00.001-05:00

Keep the toilet seat down. Especially if you have a curious 16 month old daughter who loves to play in water... GROSS!!

M-I-C -K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!

2008-12-11T16:00:00.008-05:00

This past weekend we took our first family (with Ruthie) trip to Disney World!! We had a wonderful blessing of a FREE trip. My mom was at a conference in the Coronado Springs resort (a Disney resort) so she invited us to share her room. And, my brother's wife's family works at Disney and they got us into the park for free. Our entire trip (minus the gas) cost us about $5!! Talk about a blessing!!

We were supposed to leave on Thursday night when Tony got home from work. However, Ruthie's 2nd and 3rd trip to the pediatrician for an ear infection(s) that wouldn't go away got in our way. Poor Ruthie. She was SO pathetic. She DIDN'T feel well at ALL. She just sat around, and cried. Of course, she didn't sleep at night or eat much at all! We actually took her on Monday the first time and by Thursday when she was still running a fever and crying her head off at night, I took her back. That was Thursday. I thought he'd just change antibiotics and we'd be off. (Yes, I just admitted that I was taking my sick girl to Disney...but it was FREE) That's actually what he did, but he said come back tomorrow morning I want to check it out again. Which we did, and he then changed her medicine again because he could finally see that she had a STAFF infection in her middle ear and an outer ear infection. CRAZY. So, again we changed the medicine and went on our merry way. PRAISE THE LORD!! The third times the charm... she started feeling better after one day of the new meds!

ANYWAY

We were intending to take Ruthie to the Magic Kingdom where kids reign supreme, but once we got there we found out that because of an unscheduled "Regis and Kelly" taping that the Magic Kingdom was closed to cast members and their guests!

So, we quickly decided on another park and ended up at Hollywood Studios. We had a SUPER day. God blessed us with seeing Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck right as we entered the Park!! She did so well with those cute characters... She kissed Minnie's nose and Daisy's bill.

The best stunt show I've ever seen is their stunt show with cars. It's like the driving they do on the movie "drifting" I spent the entire show going... "oh"... "oh-no".... "woah" Because I thought they were going to hit each other. They were driving SO fast and close together. Ruthie, by the way, slept through the entire LOUD thing!! :)

At the end of the day, when it had gotten dark, we were able to see the "Osborne Family Festival of Lights". It's like 5 million lights or some crazy number. They had originally belonged to ONE family, and after some disputes with his neighbors he donated them to Disney to display at Christmas time. They played REAL Christmas music and it was just beautiful. When Ruthie saw the lights she used both hands to point and said, "Oh, WOW" over and over. It was totally cute. To top it all off, they at certain times during the light festival they had SNOW machines at the tops of the buildings.... and it SNOWED in FL!! (Except without the cold, and the bad driving, and the snow days!)

Anyway, after a week and a half of no sleep (due to Ruthie's ear infections....yes plural) over Thanksgiving, we were really excited to share this special weekend!! :) Enjoy the pictures below.

Friday afternoon at the resort's gift shop. We had fun looking at all the cool things. She liked these ears the best! Please don't mind the ketchup ALL over her face. She's just recently gotten into "dipping" and ketchup is one of her favorites. To put it mildly, she isn't the neatest dipper!

Saturday Morning- Ready to see Mickey!! We're on the boat to get to Magic Kingdom...

Tony and I on the same boat... it's almost empty because we're actually going BACK to the parking lot to get a different disney bus to take us to the Hollywood Studio's Park.

The only part of the Magic Kingdom we'd see that day... (boo hoo) The castle from afar!

Us with Minnie and Daisy... if you enlarge it you can see the PRECIOUS look on Ruthie's face. She's going in to kiss Minnie's nose!!

By this time in the day, she was needing another dose of medicine and Mr. Incredible scared her just a bit. She didn't want me to stand by him!

Uncle Matt and Aunt Rachel on the San Francisco street!

Daddy, Uncle Matt, and Ruthie waiting for the car stunt show

The amazing stunt show in action (remember, Ruthie is sleeping!)

Our fam with our special glasses!

With both pointer fingers point and say, "OH WOW!"

Ruthie reaching for the snow... which you can't see in the picture! Also note, that by this time of the day/night, one of her pig tails was completely OUT!!

Humpty Dumpty...

2008-12-02T16:06:00.007-05:00

This year for my birthday present the hubs did some remolding for me!! It was all very exciting. We planned it for months. We spend many a date night at the Home Depot and Lowes planning and figuring. We even drew up the plans on a napkin from a date night dinner. What is the project you ask?

I wanted to rearrange the kitchen so the space plan was more usable and flowed better, and I wanted to take down the wall between the kitchen and the family room. The idea came when I was thinking, "I wish I could see what Ruthie was doing while I'm in here cooking." And then I thought, "What in the world am I going to do when I have two little munchins running around?" From that the plan was born.

Don't ask me what the title of this post has to do with kitchen reno- but it does have to do with a wall. Although it was Humpty Dumpty who sat on the wall, and then took the fall. Whereas with this project the wall itself took a fall... Anyway, I digress!

Well, a week before thanksgiving my birthday present became a reality. I really didn't believe that it would really happen... as it took A LOT of coordination. My brother came in from another city, two friends from Church took off of work (one an electrician and one a carpenter) and my father in law saved the date. My mom and I provide the nourishment for the hard working guys. I had cooked for a couple of weeks before getting ready for meals to serve (heated up in a crock pot or microwave- my only two working appliances all weekend!)

The really amazing thing was that I didn't just want all this work done, but I wanted it all done in one weekend. My only (ok, well not the ONLY) stipulation was that I could cook breakfast for Ruthie come Monday morning!! Tony kept reminding me of how long everything would take. And I, being the forman of the project would refer him to my time management plan for the execution of this project. If all went as planned... we'd have plenty of time.

Let me tell you those guys really put it into high gear. On Sunday night, we had a very near finished product. Want to see?

Before:

During:
These cabinets are getting taken apart and the refrigerator will come in the place of one of these cabinets...

After:
The cabinets that were above the stove and fridge before are now in my laundry room...so I didn't loose any storage. I actually gained USABLE storage where I needed it!

From the kitchen side (we added the one cabinet and another small new cabinet next to the stove and the pendent lights) scroll up to see the before pic of the stove and fridge. WHAT a difference!

From the family room side-

Ruthie helping daddy build the small new cabinet

This is were the 2 cabinets used to be- now it's the new spot for our fridge!

Me- the Foreman

Uncle Matt and Ruthie the night before the demo took place!

Week 21!!!

2008-11-24T18:08:00.002-05:00

Our littlest addition is 21 weeks old!!! SHE is kicking and moving all around. SHE is getting much bigger (and so is mommy!). We've just had our 20 week ultrasound and our level 2 ultrasound (to make sure everything is ok w/ HER heart- due to my gestational diabetes). All that they saw was normal (Praise the Lord) but SHE was being difficult and did not cooperate. So, I have to go back next month for another one to finish. Hopefully, SHE will be in a better position so that they can get pictures of everything they need.

In case you haven't picked up on my hints.... we also found out we're having another little GIRL!! :) We are super happy! We'd have loved a boy, and hopefully God will bless us with one, but we're already in love with our littlest girl!!

Here's what Baby center has to say about 21 weeks:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Ruthie is 16 Months old!!

2008-11-24T15:35:00.004-05:00

Wow, does time fly!! She is a BIG 16 months old. I can't believe how much she's changed into a little toddler and not a baby! She is talking up a storm and is cute as a button. At each stage I think, "How can I love her any more" and it seems like the next day, I think, "Man, I love her more and more each day" I'm so blessed to be a mommy and have such a wonderful and loving family. It's my dream come true!

Here are some things she accomplished while she's 15 months old:

* Climbing everywhere... even the back of the sofa into the window sill!
* LOVES playing under the dining room table... her own little fort (this has been her favorite playing area for a while, it just hasn't made it to the blog yet!)
* Wonder Pets on Noggin is her favorite tv show!
*She is now riding her princess bike and bouncing on her zebra
*She holds her purse just like a little lady! It's too cute!
* Many new words:
"puppy"= puppy
"oh-wow"= Oh, WOW! (said whenever she sees something she likes!! (Makes mommy smile)
"Ru-ree" = Ruthie
"I wa wa" = I love you
"Dah" = Down
"Cra-ga" = Cracker
"go" = go
"coo-ee" = Cookie
"baby" = baby
* points to pictures of people (mostly mommy and daddy) and says their name!
* She has her "cheesy" smile that she uses when mommy has the camera!

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:

Ruthie at the park

Cheesy smile on her bouncing zebra!

Out back playing with her water and sand table!! :)

Ruthie helping mommy w/ the laundry!!

Trick or Treat

2008-11-03T16:33:00.005-05:00

This is a little late, but I wanted to share with you all the cutest little bumble bee EVER!!! :)

We started out our day, as is our tradition, going to Trinity's (the school I used to teach at and that my niece and nephew go to) Storybook Parade. All the little kids dress up in their best book characters and parade around for the older students and parents to see. We've enjoyed it so much!!

Gotta Love that smile!

Cousin Bailey and Ruthie in her classroom!

Then after lunch and a nap, we carved our pumpkin and got ready for Trick or Treating.

Luke and Bailey- Joker and Bat girl

Ruthie the Bumble Bee and our pumpkin!

The Fam- mommy's belly doesn't really show up in this picture... although it's getting bigger!

The cousins

Waiting to go!

We went to dinner here. They gave free kids meals to all who were dressed up! Mommy and Daddy thought that was a yummy idea!! We went with Grandma (my mom) and Tony's sister and her family!! After that we went to their church for "Trunk or Treat" - That is where church members open their trunk and have candy and the kids go up and down the parking lot to "trick or treat". It was a lot of fun!!

Grandma

(Crazy) Uncle Jack!

Our tired little trick-or-treater!!

Sea World!

2008-11-03T16:27:00.005-05:00

On Thursday, Aunt Holly, Ruthie and I enjoyed some time at Sea World!! We got to watch "Mu" which is Ruthie's way of saying Shamu! We got a little bit of a late start, and Preggo girl got tuckered out quickly, but while we were there we had a blast!!

Aunt Holly and Ruthie on our way in... Check out the parking lot... it's pretty empty!! :)

Mommy and Ruthie!

Ruthie playing "peek-a-boo" with the map as we wait for Shamu!

Just When You Turn Your Head!

2008-10-27T16:06:00.003-04:00

You see this:

And this:

And This:

In case you can't tell, that's Ruthie AFTER she climbed up the back of our couch and sat in our window sill. I guess she likes a seat with a view!! :)

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-22T15:52:00.004-04:00

We got Ruthie a big pumpkin and a baby pumpkin, just her size!! However, while we were taking pictures, she was more interested in the hay behind her!! :)

Fall Make-N-Take

2008-10-21T12:05:00.003-04:00

Saturday I hosted my first Make-N-Take, and I do have to say, It was a HUGE success. Many of you know that I started my home buisness, Uppercase Living, around March of this year. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and have really begun to take off.

I decided to start hosting Make-N-Takes- this is where I create a project (projects) and invite my customers into my home for a fun morning of food, fellowship, and crafting. I provide all materials, set up, and clean up! My customers only have to show up and have fun. Well, we had 16 ladies in my home on Saturday and everyone had a lot of fun! In fact, most have already signed up for my Christmas Make-N-Take. If you're in my area... please consider yourself invited to our Christmas Make-N-Take on November 22nd at 10:30!

Here are some pictures of the fun:

Ruthie is 15 Months old!!

2008-10-21T11:24:00.003-04:00

Ruthie is 15 months old and she is growing like a weed!! I don't have updated stats for you because our 15 month checkup isn't until Thursday! But she's growing out of all her clothes!! :)

She's accomplished a lot this past month...

* She's saying "mommy" all the time and to get my attention!! :) Warms my little mommy heart!

* She holds our hands during prayers. So sweet.

* BEAR CRAWLS!! Up on her feet and hands. Like a triangle... and then walks around like that. I've been trying to get a picture of this ALL month... and I only have one not very good pic. Every time I'd get the camera out she'd stop... like she knew what I wanted and was being difficult!

* She CLIMBED into the DISHWASHER!! Imagine my surprise as I turned around from putting the silver-ware away... and saw Ruthie sitting square on top of the door of the dishwasher. If I'd had my faculties about me I'd have grabbed the camera... but all I could think of was her breaking the door off!

* Climbed the stairs at Aunt Mardi and Uncle Jack's house. Got three stairs up and then fell... to a thud. Mommy's and Daddy's heart almost beat out of our chest as we raced to see if she was ok and what happened. We get parent of the year award!!! But, she was fine. Praise the Lord!!

* She will say "no" and shake her head as she heads for a "no no" (like the dvr or mommy's pretties) but she usually goes ahead and touches them anyway!

* Says "yes" and shakes her head up and down!

* Has more words"
"owee"= Water (and is said when she gets a boo-boo)
"Ma"= milk
"jees" = juice
"shees" = shoes
"ongry" = hungry

* Tooth count: 4 on the bottom and 3 on top. Currently trying to cut 2 molars (on bottom) and one tooth on top!

* She is CRUISING around our furniture. It's slow but sure.

Here are some pictures to enlighten your day!

She loves her magnets... but she HATES them to be on the refrigerator! Her mission in life is to rid all refrigerators of magnets. She firmly believes they belong strewn across your kitchen floor! :)

Showing off for the camera!

Cruising around the coffee table!

Our only pic of her bear crawling!

"What Mommy, I'm reading!"

How 'bout them RAYS!!!

2008-10-21T11:21:00.002-04:00

We're going to the world series!! Our first game against the Phillies is Wednesday!! :) Wish us luck!

God is so GOOD!

2008-10-09T17:46:00.004-04:00

This may seem insignificant to some, but to me it was a direct answer to prayer. Like a lot of families (especially one income families) we're tightening our belts and spending money only on what is most important. Our needs. Not wants. And even then, things are tight. So, it's time to buy Ruthie some new shoes... she only has one pair that fit and they're getting very close to not fitting.

And, Ruthie is a DIFFICULT little girl to buy shoes for... She has the tiniest ankles and heels and a very narrow foot. So, all of the super cute and realitivey inexpensive shoes that you may find at say... Target... NEVER fit her feet. They just fall right off. It's not even close enough to be "good enough"...

So, to put shoes on Ruthie's feet that actually fit right and won't trip her when she walks... assuming she actually learns to walk sometime soon... we must go to Stride Rite. Any parents out there who have ever bought their child shoes know that this is an expensive endeavor. I mean, the kids shoes there are more than I spend on my own shoes...

But, It's to the point where we can't put it off any longer and with the next paycheck we're going to take a trip to Stride Rite and mortgage some shoes. I've been praying about our budget asking God what I can do to help alleviate it (it seems that 1/2 of the budget is going to gas and if those prices ever drop we'll be in good shape!) when in the mail... email... came a coveted coupon from Stride Rite. 15% off!!! I can't believe it. Just in time for our purchase.

God so knows the exact timing of all our needs, and just like the Bible says in Matthew 6:25-27, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

Palin Power!

2008-10-06T12:28:00.007-04:00

Ruthie, Aunt Holly, and I went to a Palin Rally today and had a blast!! :) We were up by 4:45 and out the door at 5:30AM- and if you know me slightly in real life then you know that is a small feat accomplished.

Let me pause here to interject... This post will have political views and opinions expressed...and while I don't want to intentionally offend someone, this is my blog and if you disagree you don't have to keep reading!! :) If you agree or want to know more about the issues I raise then please contact me so we can have a healthy conversation of fact! :)

Ok, now on to the fun stuff... details!! It was early, completely dark, and Ruthie woke up (my plan was to put a sleeping child in her pj's in her car-seat so she could SLEEP all the way across the bay to the city just west of me- that didn't happen!) As I was saying, she woke up and stayed up for a very long time! She was pleasant, even enjoyable, such a good girl! We arrived at the location of the rally, right on the water- beautiful- at about 6:10 (doors opened at 6:00am) But didn't find a LEGAL parking spot until about 7:00!!!

Once we got through security- they even patted down Ruthie's "Baby"- we found our perfect seats. We brought a blanket to this outdoor rally and sat it on the wet - it rained last night- ground!! And waited. We fed Ruthie breakfast, changed her out of her PJ's, and played a while (I was supposed to be grading papers... I'm so behind!)

There were several really important people who were there to help us all get excited! They passed out red and blue pom-poms and McCain*Palin signs and really pumped up the crowd. Once Sarah Palin was introduced by Sen. Joe Liberman (!?) she talked for about 30-40 minutes. She was personable, down to earth, well spoken, and RIGHT ON all the issues!! :)

She even read the sign that Tony made last night and liked it! She nodded and smiled. The sign said:
P-arents
A-agains
L-iberal
I-diotic
N-onsence

The other sign Tony made... "Wailin' for Palin"

Mommy and Ruthie

Aunt Holly and Ruthie playing peek-a-boo w/ the signs

The stands behind the stage... the people were dressed in Red, White, and Blue and arranged like the flag!

This is Gus Billarakus... a conservative in Washington!

Gov. Charlie Crist

Mel Martinez

Sen. Joe Lieberman

Gov. Palin

Ruthie finally went to sleep about 15 minutes before Gov. Palin spoke!

Gov. Palin talked about energy independence, lower taxes, support of the Military. She even talked about keeping the SNL comedians busy and giving them job security! Most importantly, she talked about the type of people her opponent thinks is "good people" one of which is a convicted domestic terrorist, who blew up many buildings and threatened to blow up the pentagon- a man who Obama says- "just lives in the same neighborhood"- but in truth is the same man who hosted Obama first campaign meeting... in HIS LIVING ROOM. Is that National Security? Today is the last day to sign up to vote in the Nov. elections- which I plead with you to do... that is our right/privilege that many have fought to give us. I also plead with you to look beyond what smooth words are said to the real facts that tell about a person and his beliefs. That tells alot about character.

I like Sarah Palin. She's beautiful. She's a mom, wife, and the only person w/ real executive experience!!!

Ruthie's new favorite

2008-10-03T17:15:00.005-04:00

Ruthie is enjoying all of her toys, but she has found a new love for her "baby" given to her by my cousin from CA. She wants to take "baby" with her wherever she goes. It is totally TOO CUTE!! She also has started to LOVE her fisher price story seat. When you sit on the seat it plays music and reads a story. She's loving it! That was a b-day gift from two very sweet families from church! Here are some pics to enjoy!

Sitting on her new chair w/ her favorite Baby

She even sleeps w/ Baby!

Baby #2- 14 weeks!

2008-10-03T17:10:00.002-04:00

Baby #2 is growing well and heart beat continues to sound great!!! What a blessing it is to hear that little beat. I have to take insulin now at night before I go to bed for my gestational diabetes. It has really helped my sugars. Let me tell you, I've done all I humanly can to get my sugars to be good w/ out insulin. I never eat healthier than when I'm preggo. Continue praying for the baby and for my blood sugar issues, Since I am now considered "high risk".

Here's what baby center has to say about 14 weeks:
Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

Baby #2- 12 Weeks! Our little Lime!

2008-09-22T15:03:00.004-04:00

Last Thursday I had another check up and was pleased to hear the very strong heart beat of our little baby who is growing well in my tummy. I swear, I can feel the baby move every once and a while. It's the unmistakable flicker and thump of a baby who is wiggling inside of you. It's not strong enough to feel from the outside yet. I also found out that I have gestational diabetes AGAIN!!!! UGGG! I'm not looking forward to the finger pricking. Please pray that I don't have to use insulin as I did last time. Here is what Baby Center has to say about our little 12 week baby ...

The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Here's a picture of a 12 week baby...

Ruthie is 14 month old!!

2008-09-22T14:21:00.007-04:00

Once again, I'm a little late in posting... I went away this weekend to the Woman's Retreat hosted by my church. It was a wonderful weekend... but it was full of tears- because I missed my baby girl! :) Even though it was hard to leave, I'm super glad I went!

Ruthie has been VERY busy this month!! :) Here are some things she's accomplished.

* she's found her belly button.. and mommy's and daddy's!!

* she had her 4th (top left) tooth and her 5th (bottom right) tooth cut through. We're still busy cutting more...

* She's been introduced to some new food. Among her favorites are: hot dogs, cheese toast, and peanut butter toast.

* Her absolutely FAVORITE book is Barnyard Dance. Aunt Holly gave her this book for her birthday. She LOVES it, but she calls it "cluck cluck". She'll say "cluck-cluck" and look all over for it and hand it to you to read. Then she sits on the edge of her seat as you read it. Some days I have to read it 10-15 times IN A ROW!!!

* She still says that Horses say Cluck Cluck (from that book). She'll also argue with you if you correct her... her cluck cluck gets louder and louder!

* Says moooo for cows

* Loves to play peek-a-boo with my curtains!

* Hates carrots. She spits them out of her mouth as soon as they go in.

* Was totally weaned as of Aug. 30th

* feeds herself w/ finger food

*Love to look in the refrigerator. Which is ok until you want to close it. So I say, "back, back back" and she says, "ba-ba-ba" but doesn't usually move!

* Has a list of new words she's saying...
nigh-nigh= night night (says that when she's getting tired)
oh= cherrios
papa= paw-paw (Tony's dad)
hah-ee= Aunt Holly (she's been working on that w/ Ruthie when she babysits for me!!)
ga-ma= Grandma (both my mom and Tony's mom- sometimes, if she's being lazy she just says ma-ma for grandma)
da-to-bo= Beethoven (our dog!)
ta-tu= Thank you (the other night Tony was praying for our food, and he must have said "thank you for this food" or something similar because right in the middle of the pray Ruthie belts out the best "ta-tu" she's said yet. It was so sweet... Her first prayer!)

She's working on Ruthie and other family names. She also said "na-na" for Donna and "da" for Ed- a couple in our couple's Bible study.

* She's pulling up on her own. I walked in her room last wednesday and found her standing in her crib after her nap! She's been pulling up ever since. Maybe one day, she'll even walk!

Here are some pictures of her this month!

She loves balloons

Don't you love the food face?

Diva Ruthie & Daddy (at her friend Abby's birthday party!)

Reading in her bed while mommy and daddy get ready for church...

Standing... after pulling up for the first time! (and chewing on her bed rails... beaver style!)

William Wayne Kleinjan, 1912-2008

2008-09-11T17:49:00.007-04:00

A month ago today, my grandpa, William Kleinjan- Bill to most- went to be with his Lord. He passed into heaven peacefully with his wife of 72 years and 2 of his 3 daughters by his side. We miss Grandpa, but we know that he is enjoying every moment praising the Lord on High with the heavenly Host and he is probably dancing. Dancing is something that he enjoyed and did well until his ol' knees wouldn't let him.

Grandpa was a very strong man. He was strong in business and strong in family, and strong in the Lord. He was the rock of our family. He was funny. Always wanting a good laugh, he was up to no good. Sometimes it meant stealing your dessert or pulling a prank on his brothers. He was loving and kind. He was giving and forgiving. He was handsome. He enjoyed fishing and golf and smoking cigars (much to my Grandma's chagrin).

He left a legacy through his family. He left a legacy through his life. He lived to show others an example of Christ's love. And, he was loved very much. His wife, three daughters, five grandchildren and their spouses, and 12 great grandchildren (13 with the one on the way) all benefited from his loving, caring spirit and will strive to pass that same fun, love, and faith on to future generations. All for the Glory of God.

Here are some pictures of him...

And BABY makes FOUR!!!

2008-08-27T17:27:00.004-04:00

Yep, you guessed it!! The other thing I didn't mention about Ruthie turning 13 months is that she is going to be a big sister!!! Here's a picture to prove it!

Sorry for the bad lighting, but if you've ever seen an ultrasound at 8 weeks, you know they all pretty much look like the same little blob!! But, the baby's heartbeat is strong and steady at 174 beats per minute! I've waited a little while to put this up on the blog (my family and church family has known for several weeks) because we've been going through a little. To make a long story short... at about 5 weeks they thought I might be having problems with the pregnancy. So they did some extra ultrasounds and some blood work and found out that my numbers were sky high. A few more ultrasounds later and they told us we were having twins. However, it was still early and there were no heartbeats yet. We were told to wait 2 weeks and come back to see if both babies were healthy.

Sadly, when we went back, there was only one heartbeat. So, little baby B went to be with Jesus. We know that God's plan is perfect and He is soverign. The Lord is to be praised when He gives and when He takes away. For us, it happened that He did both at the same time. I wasn't going to blog about the twin thing but I decided to for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to celebrate the little life that went to be with Jesus. Two, I wanted to bring Glory to God for what He is doing in our lives and our hearts. Together, trusting the Lord and His perfect plan, Tony and I want to always Praise the name of our Lord.

So we are SUPER EXCITED about our new addition and have already started to make plans about our little bundle and the changes that will be made in our house to accommodate another one! We are due April 3 but will have a planned C-section so I'll let you know what date that is when I know!! And for now, please pray for the little life growing inside of me. Stay tuned for more updates on the Little Bitty.

Ruthie is 13 months old!!

2008-08-25T12:13:00.004-04:00

*** Edited to add something I forgot...***

We are late in blogging as Ruthie has been 13 months old for a week now!! But, better late than never!!!

Here's a list of what she accomplished while she was 12 months old:

*** She says "uh-oh" when anything drops. She loves saying that so much that she often "drops" thins on purpose just to have a reason to say it!! ***

* She now signs the word "please"

* She Loves fruit... but Blueberries and Strawberries are her absolute favorite. She gobbles them up!

* She says "cluck-cluck" for a chicken and "Quack-quack" (which sounds like cluck-cluck) for a duck.

* She used to say neigh-neigh for a horse, but apparently now the horses in her world say "cluck-cluck" :)

* She cut her 3rd tooth (the top left one... and the other top tooth is starting to cut through)

* She is now throwing fits. When she doesn't get her way or when you're not meeting her needs fast enough she lets you know. of course, we're doing our best job of squelching this new move. But, it's really hard to reason w/ a one year old. "I'm coming w/ your lunch" just doesn't go very far for a hungry Ruthie. Any ideas? I thought I had a least another year before this started!!

* She met her cousins once removed from CA and loved playing w/ them... especially Kate who was closest to her age.

* When she eats something that is tasty she says nice and loud, "mmmmm" it's so cute. On the other hand, when she eats something she doesn't like, she spits it out. Not very cute at all!

* she has a baby sign language book and there is a picture of cherrios. Every time she reads that book and gets to that page she always says, "mmmmm" gotta love a girl who knows what she likes!

* She said to me one day at the beginning of the month "no kisses" much to mommy's chagrin. I let her know that mommy ALWAYS get kisses!!

* As the month has gone on, she turned a new leaf and is now VERY kissy. In fact, all you have to do is ask and she'll plant a nice wet one on your mouth. With the added sound affects of "Mu-wa" She even gets into these really affectionate moods where she'll kiss anything that she can get to... your arm, leg, face. It's so cute. She just kisses over and over. She's even been known to kiss her favorite books and the dog!

* She's crawling on her hands and knees now, along w/ her own style of army crawl. That's how she gets around. She does it fast! But, she's not the least bit interested in walking. She does pull up to her knees regularly now.

* She's been doing this for a while, but she holds her books up with her foot behind the book and her two hands holding the sides so she can see it better. It's so cute.

* Said goodbye to Great Grandpa and went to his funeral.

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:

Crawling w/ piggy tails

Our family in Ft. Laud in the pool

reading her book

W/ Uncle Matt!

Grandma's 90th

2008-08-23T14:04:00.007-04:00

Well, it's been a while... this month has been a whirlwind.. we've experienced many things... some good, some bad... all will be blogged about in the next few days... so check back often so that you can keep up!! This is a long one... don't say you weren't warned!!

At the end of July all my family (from CA and NC) met in Ft. Lauderdale to celebrate my Grandma's 90th birthday. This is the Grandma that Ruthie is named after!! We were all so excited to be together as it was the first time my extended family was able to meet her!! We all stayed at a beautiful hotel on the beach (can we say NICE!!) for an entire week!!! I'll walk you through w/ pictures!

This is our view!! Our hotel is a beautiful suite! We have a full kitchen (w/ granite counter tops) a king size bed, and a whirlpool tub!! Plus, the living room w/ a flat screen TV!!! Talk about luxury!

Meeting cousins for the first time (from L to R) Chloe, Ruthie, Kate, and Claire

Ruthie and Great Grandpa- Who stayed in the hotel all the time we were there. We would all meet in their room to eat and to hang our at night!

Grandma ready for the Beach (her favorite thing)

The cousins (really all the cousin's kids) ready for the beach (from L to R) Amanda, Chloe, Ruthie, Lauren and Claire (Kate is napping in the hotel & Colin already at the beach)

Daddy and Ruthie playing in the sand

Uncle Matt and Aunt Rachel

Ruthie HATES the sand! But LOVES the water!! She didn't mind the salt water or the waves at all!!

Under the umbrella away from the sun!

Napping on the beach!!

Amanda the sand monster and the culprits all around

All of us in front of the church on Sunday morning - except Grandpa who stayed at the hotel w/ a nurse.

Grandma and Grandpa

All of our immediate family w/ Grandma and Grandpa

Gotta love the Piggy Tails!!

Grandma and Ruthie at Grandma's Big Birthday dinner. We went to the Sea Watch- a lovely seafood restaurant right on the ocean!! It was beautiful and delicious!

Grandma and Her birthday dinner!

Grandma putting Ruthie to sleep

Me, Melissa (my cousin) and Rachel (my sis in law)

Cousin Shelley reading to Ruthie!

We all had a wonderful time together. We were able to spend quality time loving on each other- and loving on Grandma. Although it was Grandma's birthday, Grandpa got a lot of attention as we all knew that he was very sick and we wouldn't have much time with him on earth. He ended up falling the last morning we were there, going to the er, and coming home w/ fused vertebrae. (That is very painful) At home, they had everything he needed including a hospital type of bed and he ended up staying in that bed until his last day on earth. This was the last time our family was w/ him. Such a sweet time that the Lord gave our family.

Ruthie's First Birthday, Part 3

2008-07-21T12:30:00.006-04:00

We didn't open presents while everyone was here for the party because Ruthie started to get tired and needed another nap. So, we held off and opened them later that night with just our families present for the presents...

Here are SOME MORE PICTURES so our loving and gracious and generous friends who brought her wonderful gifts can be a part of the "presents!!"

We tried to get a picture of everything but we inevitably missed a few. We're so sorry if your present isn't on this post. Know that we appreciate all you did and gave to our sweet little girl and that we will be thinking of you every time she uses it or wears it!! You all can be looking in the mail for your thank you... they'll be on their way in a couple of days!! :)

Ruthie's First Birthday, Part 2

2008-07-21T11:46:00.010-04:00

Saturday morning bright and early started my day making 30 "uncrustable" style PB & J for her party later. The theme was "Ruthie's Backyard Birthday Bash!" and we invited about 50 of our closest friends and family! We had about 20 kids from church and a few cousins that were helping us celebrate along with their parents! We had baby pools filled with water and a 16 foot slip n slide for the kids pleasure (believe me when I say 16 feet sound much longer when reading on the box then when stretched outside... but they enjoyed it none the less!) We also had "the game" for the big kids (aka adults!) That is a horse-shoe style game played with these PVC stands and two golf balls attached by twine. I'll show you some pictures below.

It went off with out a hitch. All my planning and praying paid off. No Rain. That is a miracle. It's summer in Florida. It rains in the afternoon EVERYDAY. You can set your watch by the rain. But, no rain on Ruthie's party day!! Also, she napped at the exact PERFECT time. Just enough before that she would be a ray of sunshine at her party! I don't know what everyone else is talking about.. this party thing is EASY! Or at least that is what I was thinking until 15 minutes before the party!

I had the food made ahead of time. BBQ pork sandwiches and PB & J. My mom made a fruit salad, and Aunt Holly made her prize winning potato salad. My mom-in-law brought the veggies, chips, and dip! I had been collecting soda and water every time it went on sale. And I made the cookies that go in the treat bags a few days before. Everything was running smoothly.

Tony and my brother set up the outside. The pools, the slip n slide, the pop-up pavilion. Decorated with streamers and balloons... it's all set. Ruthie woke up, I dressed her in her fancy party dress, and sat her on the couch with 4 adults and a cup of juice while I ran around doing last minute things....

This is Ruthie BEFORE she took a dive OFF THE COUCH 15 minutes before the party!! Yes, she did. Yes, all the adults felt so bad. They said it was in a blink of an eye and they couldn't even react fast enough to catch her...even though they tried.

I don't have a good picture of AFTER because we were too busy trying to get her to stop crying, putting frozen peas on her forehead where this BIG red goose egg appeared, and generally trying to calm down from the traumatic experience. Although it was scary then, because she is alright now, I can kinda laugh at the thought that I had it all together... Just another reminder that the LORD has everything in His control. And, without him we are nothing...

But, other than that... everything was PERFECT. Such a wonderful day, as you'll see from the pictures below!

The food table

The party scene - along the back fence were pictures of Ruthie through out her first year. The guest had to guess how old she was in each picture!

The cookie treats!

The hubs playing "the game"

My bro playing "the game"

cooling off w/ cold water!!

Her beautiful cake!!

She picked off all the pink polk-a-dots before diving in... deja vu!

Her friend Kylie found her own private spa during the party... the juice bucket!!

Winding down...

Almost out!

We had a wonderful day. I hope you were able to enjoy it with us through this picture fest!!! (sorry about all the pictures, but I took over 200...so think of all the pictures I spared you from!! :))

Ruthie's First Birthday, Part 1

2008-07-21T11:38:00.005-04:00

We spent Ruthie's actual birthday together as a family. After we had prepared for her big party the next day, we spent some time at the splash park at the YMCA. I don't have any pictures because I wanted to enjoy every minute, not worrying about getting the perfect shot...

Then later that night we went to my mom's house where our extended families came together for a wonderful dinner and Ruthie's first cake!

Ruthie is such a dainty eater that she picked off all the candy flowers FIRST then started tasting the cake!

After cake we opened a few presents from family and although she got some really good stuff, she was most happy with this little scrap of paper that kept her busy all night!! Oh, the money that we waste...But, the "birthday fairy" (aka my mom) left this sweet choo choo for Ruthie to keep at my mom's house! I can't wait until she's a little taller and can reach the floor!!

Ruthie is ONE YEAR OLD!!!

2008-07-18T00:21:00.006-04:00

In a blink of an eye, this year has flown by. Tony and I have spent the day reminiscing on "last year at this time" as in "last year at this time we were..." I can't believe my little girl is a year old. She is such a happy, joyful, and easy going child. We love nothing more than to spend our time watching the delight in her eyes as she plays. Or hearing the sweetest giggle as we chase her and she crawls away. Or watching as the world around her becomes bigger and bigger. She is the light of our life. She is such a joy. And we can't even remember life before Ruthie... Through a few shed tears (because my baby is one year old) I plan on soaking as much as I can today and this weekend as we celebrate the most wonderful gift from God, our baby girl. We are truly blessed. I'll update everyone on the festivities after this weekend, but for now, here is a sampling of what she accomplished while she was 11 months old!

* First airplane ride

* Enjoyed new foods such as organic animal crackers, pizza, & grilled cheese

* Last week started on cows milk. We're beginning to wean her. At first she hated milk. She would get this really funny look on her face as though she'd tasted something awful. She'd push away her sippy cup and refuse to drink. After a while, and a very persistent mommy, I'm happy to report that she drank a full 4 oz today at lunch!

* Ruthie is very content to stay in the family room and play with her toys. She doesn't give much attention to the other things around her. Until recently. The last couple of months she has really started noticing the things around her and has really started to get her hands into things. (although most of the time if she knows it's not for her she doesn't touch it.. once we've convinced her of it!) But this month she crawled out of the family room and discovered the rest of the house!

* She blows kisses

* When you ask her how big she is she throws her arms up and waits for you to say "so big"!

* She LOVES to turn circles while she's sitting on her bottom. She's done this for a couple of months too.

* She does patty cake now. It's so cute to watch her "roll it and roll it" then she waits for the big finish and throws her arms up again for "throw it in the oven for Ruthie and me"

* Says "Hi Daddy" I was so amazed when Tony walked in the room and she put two words together!!

* Drinks from a cup (not a sippy, a regular cup!) But no without spilling! LOVE water bottles. If she sees you with one she won't stop until she has it!!

* Did her first art project... finger painting. She painted a picture for a friend of ours from church who is in the hospital after a very serious car accident. Please keep Jim Lancaster in your prayers. We are praying for a miracle and a full healing of his body.

Finger painting

Her Masterpiece

Playing with Uncle Matt

Mommy and her sweet girl

Ruthie and Carson at HIS first birthday!

This clip is Ruthie showing off "so big!" She also puts her pointer finger up when we ask how old she is. But, She only does that when she wants to, and apparently, she didn't want to for this video!

This clip is Ruthie showing off her "peek-a-boo" Don't mind the towel around her neck (I forgot to take a bib to my in laws house that day, or the pizza on her face. As I said, that girl can really get into some pizza...

In honor of my little CUPCAKE!!

2008-07-15T14:16:00.003-04:00

My little cupcake is turning ONE this FRIDAY!!! So, in honor of her birthday, I've given my blog a birthday makeover!! Isn't it fun?

The great Matt Hires

2008-07-14T13:52:00.003-04:00

Out friend, Matt Hires, is now in LA working on his first album!! He is a terrific and talented music songwriter/singer with a wonderfully distinctive acoustic sound! Not only is his music just awesome, he's really cool too. He is our Pastor's son and sang at our wedding!! Check him out here at the You Tube Screening Room Lounge!!

Oh, yeah, he just got done opening for The David Matthew's Band!!! Talk about awesome!!

Peaches or Biscuit... Adventures in naming a dog!

2008-07-07T15:26:00.003-04:00

My mom got a new puppy... and she is absolutely adorable!! We were able to keep her for 2 days when my mom was at a teaching convention. (Actually, we got to pick her up from the airport for my mom. It was so much fun!!) Here are some pictures of Peaches. No, wait correction. The dog's name is now Biscuit! After we called her Peaches for 2 days (the name my mom originally thought of after only seeing a picture of her) my mom didn't think it suited her once she met her... so the name was changed to Biscuit. If this dog has an Identity problem later in life, we'll know why!

Biscuit and Ruthie!

Happy 4th of July!!

2008-07-07T15:20:00.003-04:00

Running a little behind on the blogging....

Hoping your 4th was full of family and friends... and fireworks!

We enjoyed some time at Tony's sister's house with her family... bbq chicken and all the fixin's. It was yummy. And, since we live in Florida, you can't have a summer holiday with out some water...

Here's some pics!!