Sophia ran out of our room, where she was resting this afternoon, full of excitement, as she exclaimed that 6 plus 8 equals 14!!! I asked her how she knew that... "I counted." Oh, right. I guess I was so shocked because my sweet baby girl is no baby, she is a full-fledged preschooler with a hunger for knowledge and a thirst for learning - and I often forget this. What was the inspiration behind her newly discovered equation? Well, I think it had something to do with two handfuls of chocolate chips she'd received earlier, one containing 6 chips and the other containing 8. She never stops thinking, this one. Love her! So thankful for her.
______________________________________________
Another think I adore about my eldest child is her innate desire and ability to create. Anything and everything can become something if Sophia gets inspired. She was playing with her hair bows and clips last night. I was in the living room and I thought she was attaching a bunch of clips to two elastics that she'd been wearing on her wrists. She called out to have me come look at her creation. As is often the case in the evening, I was sitting on the couch - with no intention of moving - and so I asked her to come show me her creation. She informed me that she'd made "artwork" and she wasn't wearing it, she'd created it on the bathroom floor. So, I got up off my duff to check out what she'd made.
She described it first as all the homes Jesus lived in while on earth. She mentioned Nazareth. She then changed it up a bit and said it was the Garden of Eden. I know it doesn't appear to be anything fabulous, but to me, it is. She is a creator and I just love that about her. I pray that the Lord continues to develop her love of creating and that He guides her to use this special gift - of seeing anything and everything as something- to bless others and further His Kingdom.
__________________________________________________
Guess who is SIX MONTHS old today? Riley James, my sweet miracle boy. I continue to be totally in love with him. I look at him, I smell him, I hold him, I kiss him - I am amazed. God is so good. He was good when I miscarried baby after baby, and He was good when Riley entered this world, whole and healthy. I have to admit though, I enjoy the Riley kind of good over the loss kind of good. I can say this, because Jesus knows my heart, and I'm trying to always be honest with my feelings. I suppose the Christian thing to say would be that regardless of loss or gain, God is good and maybe the loss is even better... But, my heart would rather hold my babes than lose them, and so I'm extra thankful for my ability to hold Riley. Thank you Jesus.
Ruthie :)
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
You get what you pay for
Jamie has the day off. I got to take a 3 hour nap today and read a new book I got at the library in bed after I woke up!!! Oh, sweet rest and relaxation. Well, now I'm on the computer reading blogs and Jamie and Sophia are running around with blankets (as weapons), playing "David and Goliath." All I can catch is Sophia yelling something at Jamie (he's playing Goliath) about "pagan flesh." I think seeing her chop off his head with her old pink receiving blanket, well, that about takes the cake.
Gotta love the multiple views of her not exactly accurate, but ever-entertaining Bible story video ($2 at Walmart, what can one expect?).
Working on a second post about God's Transforming Love. Hopefully I'll get that up this weekend.
Ruthie :)
Gotta love the multiple views of her not exactly accurate, but ever-entertaining Bible story video ($2 at Walmart, what can one expect?).
Working on a second post about God's Transforming Love. Hopefully I'll get that up this weekend.
Ruthie :)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Chocolate Incident
Let's make some cute, rattle and safety pin shaped chocolate lollipops for my sister's baby shower!
What a great idea! Look how cute they are turning out...
Buy a special "Make 'n' Mold" bottle for easy chocolate melting and mold filling.(My favorite chocolate chips, that I use exclusively?? Click HERE, your world may never be the same!)
Oooo... only one sucker left in the mold, no more chocolate to melt... maybe if I shake the bottle really hard, I can get enough chocolate to go towards the tip to squeeze out to finish this one last sucker.... Make sure the cap is on nice and tight, and shake down with swinging arm motion, hard.
Um, cap didn't so much stay on...
Melted chocolate making cool designs on my kitchen floor. Why, oh why did the previous owner choose carpet for the kitchen floor?? Why oh why is it 1am, and I need to clean this up???Well, the suckers were a hit at the shower, and the chocolate on the floor is but a distant memory... :)
Ruthie :)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
God's Love Is Transforming
The Lord led me to speak His message to a group of college women over Valentine's Day weekend. The theme was, "I love you," - God; now, knowing this love, you should be transformed! In otherwords, for those who are loved by God, His love should transform them.
So, I commited to speak about 2 weeks prior to the retreat. I usually work enough ahead of time on a message or speach so that I have plenty of time to outline, research, read, meditate, pray, write it out, and practice it outloud a few times. In otherwords, if I've got a public speaking engagement, I like to be prepared! Well... day after day went by and I had nothing! Slowly I began to hear God whisper, "Wait on Me. I will give you the words to speak. Wait." So, I waited, I mean, I really had no choice. Eventually God started to reveal parts of His message to me. My mind began to form bits and pieces of an outline for the two messages I'd be delivering.
Just a few short days before the retreat God gave me a very clear part of the message, basically the part that would form the rest of what He wanted me to say. It was... "If my love is so transforming, why don't you live a transformed life?" So, I had the problem with which to develop the messages around. I remember telling Jamie, rather frantically, "Okay, God has clearly given me the problem, but He has yet to give me the answer! What if He doesn't give me the answer? I'll have no hope to give the women. I'll have no conclusion to the message. AHHHH!" :) Well, I should have been more trusting.
Just one day before the retreat, on a Thursday night, after the kids had gone to bed, I got my first opportunity to sit down at the computer to write out all the thoughts and words from the Lord he'd been putting in my mind, and placing on my heart, over the past two weeks. What occured was just short of miraculous. Words poured out and I typed and typed and typed. I was up until 1am, or was it 3?? I really can't remember now! And, the best part was, during all the typing, God totally revealed to me the answer to the problem. It was such a lightbulb moment for my spiritual life and I'll never forget it.
I left for the retreat on Friday afternoon. I'd never left both my kiddos, and my husband, for a weekend before. I was excited and nervous! God had given me the beginning and end to the message, but there were still two HUGE holes in the middle. I definitely had knowledge over the topics and could have written something down so that it could just be complete, but I kept hearing, "Wait, wait on me to deliver to you the words..." So, I kept waiting.
Friday night was great. Saturday rolled around. I spoke at 11am and again that evening at 7pm. Seriously, God didn't fill in the gaps until Saturday! It was nervewracking, but I know it was His Spirit guiding me to wait on Him and it felt so great to obey and See Him deliver, true to His promise.
I'd like to take the next week or so and share parts of the messages He spoke through me that weekend. These posts are not simple to write and they are time consuming, so I can't promise I'll get them all written over the next couple of days. But! I will be working on them over the next week or so as I have time and as God leads me to. I'll probably post pictures of my kiddos and some Soph-isms in between. So, stay tuned for the next post where I plan to share with you this...
How you can know God's love, even if you can't feel God's love.
Here's a pic to tide you over! :) We were dreaming of spring and dressing Riley up in his cute swimsuits and accessories. :)
So, I commited to speak about 2 weeks prior to the retreat. I usually work enough ahead of time on a message or speach so that I have plenty of time to outline, research, read, meditate, pray, write it out, and practice it outloud a few times. In otherwords, if I've got a public speaking engagement, I like to be prepared! Well... day after day went by and I had nothing! Slowly I began to hear God whisper, "Wait on Me. I will give you the words to speak. Wait." So, I waited, I mean, I really had no choice. Eventually God started to reveal parts of His message to me. My mind began to form bits and pieces of an outline for the two messages I'd be delivering.
Just a few short days before the retreat God gave me a very clear part of the message, basically the part that would form the rest of what He wanted me to say. It was... "If my love is so transforming, why don't you live a transformed life?" So, I had the problem with which to develop the messages around. I remember telling Jamie, rather frantically, "Okay, God has clearly given me the problem, but He has yet to give me the answer! What if He doesn't give me the answer? I'll have no hope to give the women. I'll have no conclusion to the message. AHHHH!" :) Well, I should have been more trusting.
Just one day before the retreat, on a Thursday night, after the kids had gone to bed, I got my first opportunity to sit down at the computer to write out all the thoughts and words from the Lord he'd been putting in my mind, and placing on my heart, over the past two weeks. What occured was just short of miraculous. Words poured out and I typed and typed and typed. I was up until 1am, or was it 3?? I really can't remember now! And, the best part was, during all the typing, God totally revealed to me the answer to the problem. It was such a lightbulb moment for my spiritual life and I'll never forget it.
I left for the retreat on Friday afternoon. I'd never left both my kiddos, and my husband, for a weekend before. I was excited and nervous! God had given me the beginning and end to the message, but there were still two HUGE holes in the middle. I definitely had knowledge over the topics and could have written something down so that it could just be complete, but I kept hearing, "Wait, wait on me to deliver to you the words..." So, I kept waiting.
Friday night was great. Saturday rolled around. I spoke at 11am and again that evening at 7pm. Seriously, God didn't fill in the gaps until Saturday! It was nervewracking, but I know it was His Spirit guiding me to wait on Him and it felt so great to obey and See Him deliver, true to His promise.
I'd like to take the next week or so and share parts of the messages He spoke through me that weekend. These posts are not simple to write and they are time consuming, so I can't promise I'll get them all written over the next couple of days. But! I will be working on them over the next week or so as I have time and as God leads me to. I'll probably post pictures of my kiddos and some Soph-isms in between. So, stay tuned for the next post where I plan to share with you this...
How you can know God's love, even if you can't feel God's love.
Here's a pic to tide you over! :) We were dreaming of spring and dressing Riley up in his cute swimsuits and accessories. :)
Pure Eye Candy
Future Soccer Star!
Siblings
Riley and Eli - Mommy's are best friends and 10 days apart in age... our boys are exactly 3 weeks apart. They were so cute interacting.
Love him!
So adorable!Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Let's reword that
Scene: Getting Sophia ready for bed Sunday evening, after a very long and tiring last few days... Sophia was emotional and starting to get out of control. She was, at the moment, frantic about the fact that Jamie was throwing away her "doctor's glove," (a latex glove she got to play doctor with) because she'd been chewing on it. I could tell she was about to get herself in trouble with her words...
Me: covering Soph's mouth, in an attempt to stop her from sassing Jamie... "Sophia, watch your mouth!"
Sophia: sobbing, totally distraught "But I can't see my mouth!"
Ruthie :)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Showers of Blessings
We had a very busy weekend! Thursday morning my Mom came and picked me and the kids up. We were hosting my sister's baby shower on Saturday (with the help of our dear aunts) and we had preparations to take care of Thursday and Friday. My sister and brother-in-law also arrived at my parent's house Thursday. Jamie joined us Friday night after he got off work. Saturday was the shower. Jeni and David got such great things and so many people came to bless them and their soon to be here baby girl. If you read my blog and were at the shower - thank you!
Jeni and Soph at the Shower
Jeni and my Mom
Look at that bump!
Yummy food!
Jeni and Soph at the Shower
Jeni and my Mom
Look at that bump!
Yummy food! Cinnomon roll lollipops... so easy! I just bought the refrigerated, already formed and ready to bake cinnomon rolls. I unrolled the dough a bit and removed some to make them about 1/2 their original size. Bake and glaze, let cool completely. Stick them on scewers. The shower was jungle babies themed, so I bought floral foam and glued green moss to it. This made a great place to stick the scewers into. Aren't they cute?
Yogurt Parfait served in a Trifle Bowl
Also, so good, so easy and so pretty. We eat this all the time at home as a yummy, but healthy, dessert (minus the trifle bowl). Simply buy vanilla yogurt, I like this kind, chocolate chips, granola, or make your own - find out how, here - and frozen, wild blueberries. Layer and enjoy!
Jamie, the kids and I were able to spend a couple nights and hang out some, with his parents too. We drove back home this morning, just in time to make it to church (and by "just in time," I do of course mean we were about 15 minutes late... what can I say? That's how we roll. :) ).
We had our Bible Study tonight with students, mostly international, from our local university. They all left around 10:30pm and I'm trying to catch up on computer "stuff" before I head to bed. Tomorrow evening/night, we'll be getting some company that will be staying through Thursday or Friday. Two of my dear friends and their six total children will be coming for a visit! I can't wait to hang out, fellowship, watch our kids play, etc... Their husbands can't join them, so poor Jamie will be the lone man. Our house is not exactly large, so we'll be nice and snug! :)
Have an amazing week. Ruthie :)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine
My Wonderful Husband
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? We don't subscribe to any "TV" service, but when we have occasion to catch it somewhere else he's a huge fan of the Food network; Iron Chef if it's on!
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Balsamic vinegrette, on the side.
3. What's one food he doesn't like? Mushrooms!
4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what’ll he have? A glass of fine red wine or a really good quality dark beer (these are what he'd like, but we don't currently drink alcohol due to a ministry covenant we made). Currently, if it's not water, he might get a raspberry iced tea.
5. Where did he go to high school? Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
6. What size shoe does he wear? 9.5
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Well, he used to collect rocks, baseball cards, and creepy wizard figurines (sorry Dad-in-law :) ), but none of those made it into our marriage, ahem. :) He loves books, so that may be his current, but unofficial collection.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? turkey, ham, cheese, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green pepper, banana peppers, on whole grain bread, with some Triple Treat (if available!).
9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Varieties of spinach salads. Yes, I'm not kidding. :) Oh, and chocolate, except that's not a "if he could," that's more like a "he does."
10. What is his favorite cereal? He eats oatmeal with blueberries most every morning, but he's also a huge fan of all things Kashi.
11. What would he never wear? This is the guy who would join his college buddies in purposely dressing up in ridiculous outfits and run around campus just to get a reaction... I'm pretty sure he'd give anything a try! :)
12. What is his favorite sports team? OSU - Go Buckeyes!
13. What makes him sad? When he feels like he hasn't had quality time with me or the kids in awhile.
1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? We don't subscribe to any "TV" service, but when we have occasion to catch it somewhere else he's a huge fan of the Food network; Iron Chef if it's on!
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Balsamic vinegrette, on the side.
3. What's one food he doesn't like? Mushrooms!
4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what’ll he have? A glass of fine red wine or a really good quality dark beer (these are what he'd like, but we don't currently drink alcohol due to a ministry covenant we made). Currently, if it's not water, he might get a raspberry iced tea.
5. Where did he go to high school? Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
6. What size shoe does he wear? 9.5
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Well, he used to collect rocks, baseball cards, and creepy wizard figurines (sorry Dad-in-law :) ), but none of those made it into our marriage, ahem. :) He loves books, so that may be his current, but unofficial collection.
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? turkey, ham, cheese, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green pepper, banana peppers, on whole grain bread, with some Triple Treat (if available!).
9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Varieties of spinach salads. Yes, I'm not kidding. :) Oh, and chocolate, except that's not a "if he could," that's more like a "he does."
10. What is his favorite cereal? He eats oatmeal with blueberries most every morning, but he's also a huge fan of all things Kashi.
11. What would he never wear? This is the guy who would join his college buddies in purposely dressing up in ridiculous outfits and run around campus just to get a reaction... I'm pretty sure he'd give anything a try! :)
12. What is his favorite sports team? OSU - Go Buckeyes!
13. What makes him sad? When he feels like he hasn't had quality time with me or the kids in awhile.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Recent Soph-isms
"Mommy, I have a spantacular idea!"
"That most definitely hurt!" - after receiving a spanking.
the most gentle kiss to my lips - given to me after I told Soph I was not feeling well, again.
"But Mommy, I want to read about Jesus! I need to read about Jesus. I want to see Jesus!" - Last night, my throat hurt so bad I told Soph I couldn't read her bedtime Bible story. This quote was her literal cry. I couldn't resist. I read to her...
"I like snakes, because my mommy does not like snakes. And it is trick or treat and I like snakes because my mommy does not like snakes. My daddy does not like snakes, and my brother does not like snakes. So, I like snakes. I gave myself a smiley face." - Sophia was comentating about what she was 'writing' and drawing. In case you don't know, I HATE snakes, even pictures of snakes. I am unreasonably afraid of them. So, it would go to figure that my daughter would be obsessed with them.
Ruthie :)
"That most definitely hurt!" - after receiving a spanking.
the most gentle kiss to my lips - given to me after I told Soph I was not feeling well, again.
"But Mommy, I want to read about Jesus! I need to read about Jesus. I want to see Jesus!" - Last night, my throat hurt so bad I told Soph I couldn't read her bedtime Bible story. This quote was her literal cry. I couldn't resist. I read to her...
"I like snakes, because my mommy does not like snakes. And it is trick or treat and I like snakes because my mommy does not like snakes. My daddy does not like snakes, and my brother does not like snakes. So, I like snakes. I gave myself a smiley face." - Sophia was comentating about what she was 'writing' and drawing. In case you don't know, I HATE snakes, even pictures of snakes. I am unreasonably afraid of them. So, it would go to figure that my daughter would be obsessed with them.
Ruthie :)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
A Weekend Away
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! I love this day. Do you know the history behind this day? It's pretty neat and I love a day devoted to loving those around me. Our family has dubbed this day as a special family day. Jamie especially loves spoiling his girls on Valentine's Day and is excited to teach Riley how to join in!
This Valentine's is going to be a little different. A few weeks ago I was asked to pray about being the speaker at a young women's retreat, sponsored by the Religious Life Department here at our local university. When I found out it was on Valentine's Day I figured Jamie wouldn't want me to except. As I pondered this, I started to actually feel relieved. You see, speaking to young women is a passion of mine, but I had this sneaky feeling that God was going to use this as a way to teach me and grow me. That freaks me out, to be frank, so I was starting to be thankful that my husband wouldn't dare let me ruin our family day to spend the weekend at some campground ministering to young college women. I was even starting to imagine how lovingly he'd look at me when I joyfully submitted to his will!
Well... little did I know. My friend, who happens to be the retreat coordinator, called a couple weeks ago to ask if I'd made my decision. I told her I needed to talk to Jamie and I'd call her right back. Expecting Jamie to say no, I told him more about the retreat and asked his opinion. My mouth was already forming the words, "It's okay honey, I didn't really want to do it anyways. I would never want to miss out on our family day. Maybe next time," - when what do my ears hear??? "Ruthie, I think you should do this, in fact, I think you must do this. Also, I want you to go for the whole weekend, and I want you to leave Riley home. I'll be fine with both kids and you can have the whole weekend to yourself." "Uh, okay... um, that's great. Thanks honey..." :)
So, I'm facing my fears and I'm doing it. Pray for me. I'm giving two messages today and I feel so burdened that the Lord uses me to impact these young girls.
I'm feeling so loved by my husband today and praying I can impart some love to these special girls this weekend. I'll be back to post on Monday.
Happy Lovin' Day!
Ruthie :)
This Valentine's is going to be a little different. A few weeks ago I was asked to pray about being the speaker at a young women's retreat, sponsored by the Religious Life Department here at our local university. When I found out it was on Valentine's Day I figured Jamie wouldn't want me to except. As I pondered this, I started to actually feel relieved. You see, speaking to young women is a passion of mine, but I had this sneaky feeling that God was going to use this as a way to teach me and grow me. That freaks me out, to be frank, so I was starting to be thankful that my husband wouldn't dare let me ruin our family day to spend the weekend at some campground ministering to young college women. I was even starting to imagine how lovingly he'd look at me when I joyfully submitted to his will!
Well... little did I know. My friend, who happens to be the retreat coordinator, called a couple weeks ago to ask if I'd made my decision. I told her I needed to talk to Jamie and I'd call her right back. Expecting Jamie to say no, I told him more about the retreat and asked his opinion. My mouth was already forming the words, "It's okay honey, I didn't really want to do it anyways. I would never want to miss out on our family day. Maybe next time," - when what do my ears hear??? "Ruthie, I think you should do this, in fact, I think you must do this. Also, I want you to go for the whole weekend, and I want you to leave Riley home. I'll be fine with both kids and you can have the whole weekend to yourself." "Uh, okay... um, that's great. Thanks honey..." :)
So, I'm facing my fears and I'm doing it. Pray for me. I'm giving two messages today and I feel so burdened that the Lord uses me to impact these young girls.
I'm feeling so loved by my husband today and praying I can impart some love to these special girls this weekend. I'll be back to post on Monday.
Happy Lovin' Day!
Ruthie :)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Splish, Splash, I need a bath!
See this cute, toe-chewing baby? Well, today, while eating his sweet potato for lunch, he got a little messy...
Mommy decided a bath might be in order and took the opportunity to chronicle the following events with her camera. Really, this post is simply all about the cuteness of one sweet boy! :)
Enjoy. :)
Mommy decided a bath might be in order and took the opportunity to chronicle the following events with her camera. Really, this post is simply all about the cuteness of one sweet boy! :)
Enjoy. :)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Baby it's cold outside
If you live in the Northeast, you'll remember the huge snowfall we had about 2 weeks ago. When it snowed, we already had about a foot on the ground, so the accumulation was quite deep!
Here is one stay-at-home mom so desperate for some alone and quiet time, she volunteered to shovel!!! :)
Okay, enough of the peace and quiet, let's play!
"What are you doing to me?"
Sitting in his "snow seat."
"Brrrr..." -don't worry, we only kept him outside for about 3 minutes, but isn't he cute?
Here is one stay-at-home mom so desperate for some alone and quiet time, she volunteered to shovel!!! :)
Okay, enough of the peace and quiet, let's play!
"What are you doing to me?"
Sitting in his "snow seat."
"Brrrr..." -don't worry, we only kept him outside for about 3 minutes, but isn't he cute?Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Mommy Time
Last night a friend of mine, who happens to be a more seasoned Mom than me (her oldest is about 20 and her youngest is 10ish), invited some of her Mommy-friends over for what she said was coffee. Well, when I arrived at her house last night, after the kids were in bed and hubby was holding down the fort, I was welcomed to a beautiful table, with a CLOTH table cloth, candles, real china tea cups and dessert plates, coffee, tea, a yummy cake and some homemade chocolates! She can have me for "coffee" anytime! :)
In addition to spending the evening with our hostess, one of my dear, "local," friends was there, and I got to meet 3 new moms. It was such a wonderful evening of fellowship, encouragement and laughter. We're planning on doing it again in March.
I feel so blessed to have been invited and ministered to in such a special way. Being a stay-at-home mom with small children brings with it so many challanges, one of which is the feeling of lonliness for adult company and the feeling of isolation. Last night fed my soul! It was totally out of the blue and unexpected, but when she invited me yesterday morning, I couldn't pass it up! I'm so glad I went and looking forward to gathering with these ladies again.
It was an unexpected blessing initiated and carried out by a woman of God, following His lead.
When's the last time you were blessed by someone, unexpectedly, because they responded to God's lead?
When's the last time you blessed someone else because you responded to God's leading??
Ruthie :)
In addition to spending the evening with our hostess, one of my dear, "local," friends was there, and I got to meet 3 new moms. It was such a wonderful evening of fellowship, encouragement and laughter. We're planning on doing it again in March.
I feel so blessed to have been invited and ministered to in such a special way. Being a stay-at-home mom with small children brings with it so many challanges, one of which is the feeling of lonliness for adult company and the feeling of isolation. Last night fed my soul! It was totally out of the blue and unexpected, but when she invited me yesterday morning, I couldn't pass it up! I'm so glad I went and looking forward to gathering with these ladies again.
It was an unexpected blessing initiated and carried out by a woman of God, following His lead.
When's the last time you were blessed by someone, unexpectedly, because they responded to God's lead?
When's the last time you blessed someone else because you responded to God's leading??
Ruthie :)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Just call her Laura
Sophia has been a fan of Little House on the Prairie (LH), via the tv show and a few revised, shorter for younger kids, LH books, for a couple years now. I recently bought her "Little House in the Big Woods," on CD for her. This is the first book in the LH series. We listened to the whole thing in the car this past week on our way to my sister's house. Well... I wasn't sure if she was really listening to it or not, but soon found out she was!
The whole time we were at my sister's, she was playing LH. She was Laura, I was Mary, Jamie was Pa, Riley was baby Carrie, Jeni was Ma and David was Mr. Edwards - Oh! and Molly was Jack, the bulldog. It was so hilarious. She pretended that their closed in porch was the Little House and Jeni's actual house was "outside." She stayed in character, and expected us to as well, all weekend! She would correct me if I called Riley a he, "No, Mom, baby Carrie is a girl." She would correct us if we called Molly Molly, "No, that's Jack." I've been called Mary now for 4 days straight. It's so fun to see her imagine and play, even if she pulls us into it, whether we like it or not! :)
Well, last night at her ballet class I encouraged her to ask the other little girl's names and introduce herself. She did and all was well. When we got home Jamie was asking her about class. She was telling him all the names of the little girls, "Lauren, Riley, Clara, ... Laura."
Me: "Uh, Soph, there was no little girl named Laura in your class."
Sophia: "Uh-huh! Me!"
Oh dear. I have no idea if she actually told people that was her name or not. We then had a little conversation about not playing LH outside in public... :)
Ruthie :)
The whole time we were at my sister's, she was playing LH. She was Laura, I was Mary, Jamie was Pa, Riley was baby Carrie, Jeni was Ma and David was Mr. Edwards - Oh! and Molly was Jack, the bulldog. It was so hilarious. She pretended that their closed in porch was the Little House and Jeni's actual house was "outside." She stayed in character, and expected us to as well, all weekend! She would correct me if I called Riley a he, "No, Mom, baby Carrie is a girl." She would correct us if we called Molly Molly, "No, that's Jack." I've been called Mary now for 4 days straight. It's so fun to see her imagine and play, even if she pulls us into it, whether we like it or not! :)
Well, last night at her ballet class I encouraged her to ask the other little girl's names and introduce herself. She did and all was well. When we got home Jamie was asking her about class. She was telling him all the names of the little girls, "Lauren, Riley, Clara, ... Laura."
Me: "Uh, Soph, there was no little girl named Laura in your class."
Sophia: "Uh-huh! Me!"
Oh dear. I have no idea if she actually told people that was her name or not. We then had a little conversation about not playing LH outside in public... :)
Ruthie :)
Monday, February 09, 2009
10
10 Days of Rest
9 beds slept in
8 (about) hours of travel
7 - average wake-up time each day
6 special people visited
5 days of antibiotics for mommy and the kids (10 days for daddy)
4 Abruscis having fun as a WHOLE family
3 beagles played with
2 special friends met with at Paneras
1 whole night just for Mommy and Daddy!
We returned last night from our 10 day trip. We intended to meet with a lot of friends to share our Navigators ministry and do some fund-raising, but due to all four of us coming down with pretty significant sinus infections right at the start of our trip we were only able to meet with two of our friends. We were able to spend 3 nights with Jamie's parents, 3 nights with my parents and 3 nights with my sister and brother-in-law. Of course Jamie and I got to spend one wonderful kid-free night together too!
Overall, though we had to drive from place to place and unpack and repack and do laundry at each destination, we had such a fabulous time. We love spending time with our families and feel very relaxed and rejuvenated. We have not had a vacation or time off, save for a weekend here or there, for well over a year. It was a much needed break and we are thankful for it!
Back to real life... I was proud of myself for getting all of our suitcases unpacked and put away today! I even got some laundry done, did dishes, showered (ha!), made supper, took Soph to ballet and now I'm punching my time clock! :) Jamie is home, the kids are about to be in bed and I'm ready to cuddle with my honey on the couch for a bit.
Goodnight.
Ruthie :)
9 beds slept in
8 (about) hours of travel
7 - average wake-up time each day
6 special people visited
5 days of antibiotics for mommy and the kids (10 days for daddy)
4 Abruscis having fun as a WHOLE family
3 beagles played with
2 special friends met with at Paneras
1 whole night just for Mommy and Daddy!
We returned last night from our 10 day trip. We intended to meet with a lot of friends to share our Navigators ministry and do some fund-raising, but due to all four of us coming down with pretty significant sinus infections right at the start of our trip we were only able to meet with two of our friends. We were able to spend 3 nights with Jamie's parents, 3 nights with my parents and 3 nights with my sister and brother-in-law. Of course Jamie and I got to spend one wonderful kid-free night together too!
Overall, though we had to drive from place to place and unpack and repack and do laundry at each destination, we had such a fabulous time. We love spending time with our families and feel very relaxed and rejuvenated. We have not had a vacation or time off, save for a weekend here or there, for well over a year. It was a much needed break and we are thankful for it!
Back to real life... I was proud of myself for getting all of our suitcases unpacked and put away today! I even got some laundry done, did dishes, showered (ha!), made supper, took Soph to ballet and now I'm punching my time clock! :) Jamie is home, the kids are about to be in bed and I'm ready to cuddle with my honey on the couch for a bit.
Goodnight.
Ruthie :)
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Harper's goin' home!
Praise Jesus! Check out Kelly's latest update here. Please keep praying for baby Harper, and her mom and dad, Kelly and Scott. Kelly's explained that though they are going home, they will have to be very careful to not let Harper get sick, so this means no visitors and no outings. Pray also, that Harper and Kelly can get into the groove of nursing. I'm so happy that the Lord has performed this miracle!
Ruthie :)
Ruthie :)
She says Vetranarian, I say Lawyer
Sophia's one smart cookie, you don't have to spend too much time with her to figure this out. She was a delightful baby, an adorable one year old, an inquistive and increasingly ornery two year old, a, hmmm, how to describe the year of three... ??? Let's just say, amidst all the fun we had and all the learning and playing she did, we had a challange or a million. :) Well, we're now into her fourth year and our biggest challange is that pesky little tongue of hers. She has somehow perfected the art of bartering and arguing at her tender age of four, and while it does make most moments of most days kind of difficult, it also makes for some smiles and giggles on us grown-up's part.
The other night, after speaking to me in a way we like to call "dirty," and taking sweet girl to the bathroom to wash out her dirty mouth, she proceeded to suggest that instead of washing her mouth out now, "Let's just wait and see if I make another bad choice, than if I do, you can wash out my mouth." Ahem, of course, being the fabulous mother that I am, I did not take her up on her offer, because I most certainly was not tired, sick and really not wanting to fight with her right before bed.
Poor Soph has infected eyes and doesn't like the eye drops so much. On the second day of getting drops she actually let me do it without a fight and I rewarded her with some chocolate. She quickly declared that she liked eye drops now! Well... later that night, before bed, I went to give her some more drops. She started fighting me and I reminded her that she liked eye drops now. She explained (silly Mom) that she only likes them in the day! You can guess how it went the next morning. I thought we'd have instant success, since she likes them in the day. Oh wait! Now she only likes them in the night, how convenient. :)
Today, I stood up to get a warm, wet washcloth to put on her red, raw eyes. I did intend to do eye drops afterwards, but did not say a word about any of this to Sophia. Somehow her eye drop radar was on though and alerted her. She jumped up and said, "Mom! Why don't we take a break from eye drops today!"
Ruthie :)
The other night, after speaking to me in a way we like to call "dirty," and taking sweet girl to the bathroom to wash out her dirty mouth, she proceeded to suggest that instead of washing her mouth out now, "Let's just wait and see if I make another bad choice, than if I do, you can wash out my mouth." Ahem, of course, being the fabulous mother that I am, I did not take her up on her offer, because I most certainly was not tired, sick and really not wanting to fight with her right before bed.
Poor Soph has infected eyes and doesn't like the eye drops so much. On the second day of getting drops she actually let me do it without a fight and I rewarded her with some chocolate. She quickly declared that she liked eye drops now! Well... later that night, before bed, I went to give her some more drops. She started fighting me and I reminded her that she liked eye drops now. She explained (silly Mom) that she only likes them in the day! You can guess how it went the next morning. I thought we'd have instant success, since she likes them in the day. Oh wait! Now she only likes them in the night, how convenient. :)
Today, I stood up to get a warm, wet washcloth to put on her red, raw eyes. I did intend to do eye drops afterwards, but did not say a word about any of this to Sophia. Somehow her eye drop radar was on though and alerted her. She jumped up and said, "Mom! Why don't we take a break from eye drops today!"
Ruthie :)
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Sinus Infection x four
Jamie started getting sick last week at this time. We had a big trip up north to meet with friends and do some fundraising. We'd also get to stay a few nights with each set of parents and were going to end our 10 day "vacation" with a trip to visit my sister and BIL. Well, as I've already written about, Jamie and I had a glorious, kid-free night/day on Friday and Saturday. By Saturday night, once reunited with our dear children, all four of us were sick. I mean, icky, eye seeping, coughing, sore throat, achy, runny nose... sick. We skipped church Sunday - which was a huge dissapointment because we were really looking forward to going to our "old" church, where we met, grew up (teen years anyways) and where we still have many dear friends. Jamie and I went to see a doc. on Monday and the kids ped. called in some antibiotics for the kiddos.
So, we've all been on meds since Monday night, but are all still far from 100%. Our big fund-raising efforts were pretty much a bust because of us all being so sick, tired, and most likely contagious. So, trusting the Lord with that detail... We were able to meet with some dear friends, M and J, last night and share the details of our ministry. It was so wonderful to see them and share our evening together.
We leave tomorrow to visit my siser and brother-in-law for a few days, then back to real life by Monday... It's been good to just rest and not do much of anything but hang out with our families. Maybe God knew that's what we needed. Pray that we're still able to connect with friends for fund-raising in the near future. Our goal of being fully funded by summer's end is approaching quicker than we know - yikes!
Looking forward to warmer temperatures and sunshine. Definitely sick of being sick. Thankful beyond belief for God's goodness even though we've battled one sickness after another all winter. None of it has been super serious and the Lord has always given complete healing.
Have a great night!
So, we've all been on meds since Monday night, but are all still far from 100%. Our big fund-raising efforts were pretty much a bust because of us all being so sick, tired, and most likely contagious. So, trusting the Lord with that detail... We were able to meet with some dear friends, M and J, last night and share the details of our ministry. It was so wonderful to see them and share our evening together.
We leave tomorrow to visit my siser and brother-in-law for a few days, then back to real life by Monday... It's been good to just rest and not do much of anything but hang out with our families. Maybe God knew that's what we needed. Pray that we're still able to connect with friends for fund-raising in the near future. Our goal of being fully funded by summer's end is approaching quicker than we know - yikes!
Looking forward to warmer temperatures and sunshine. Definitely sick of being sick. Thankful beyond belief for God's goodness even though we've battled one sickness after another all winter. None of it has been super serious and the Lord has always given complete healing.
Have a great night!
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