The Days Just Flutter By . . .

These 2 stories are completely separate, but share a common theme, so here goes . . . In late Spring, Ella was excited to announce that she'd found a chrysalis (her words) in one of our trees. Todd is a big bug lover, so when he got home we showed it to him. He picked it up - it was really big and made out of what appeared to be rolled up leaves. We heard a bunch of scratching and there was a lot of movement coming from inside. So this part creeped me out because at this point it could have been any sort of creature pod, and whatever was in it was making audible noise, I was a bit disturbed. So, we tenderly placed it back in the plum tree and waited . . . In the meantime, the other coordinating story began. Dawson and Ella were playing in the front living room while I made lunch, and Ella kept saying a couple of different words that I didn't recognize and so I started listening more closely. "Schmuck" was one and "poopated" the other. Each was being said over and over and began to sound a bit dirty by this point. So I asked what "schmuck" meant, she explained "you know, like oh schmuck." I said "you mean shucks?" Yah. Okay, one mystery solved. So I get back to preparing lunch and continue to hear "poopate, poopate" and so now I'm convinced this is some sort of potty talk. So I called out to her "Ella, no potty talk, we don't talk about our poop" (well, this isn't exactly true, we all share in each other's pride at a really good poop). She immediately comes to me with this total teenager "duh Mom, you're so lame" look and says "no, pupate, like what a caterpillar does in it's chrysalis, it pupates." Yes, I got schooled by a 4 year old. So back to our little, actually large, cocoon of sorts. We frequently check this and one day we discover a very small hole at the top and on further investigation we see a huge, (literally, the biggest I've ever seen) gorgeous hummingbird moth sitting just above it's former home. It's wings were still wet, he was beautiful. It was so neat to be a part of something that happens in nature every day, something we take for granted. But seeing this whole process was really amazing, and we loved watching Ella light up with each new discovery we made. What was most likely a grotesque looking grub pupated and turned into the most vibrant winged creature I'd ever seen. And it gets better, that beautiful guy crawled up onto Todd's hand and just as I got the camera turned on, he took off for his first flight. It was a National Geographic moment indeed. If only I could've gotten a picture of our little friend before he flew away. The picture above actually resembles the very thing I thought Ella was talking about in the first place, but I assure you, it's just the chrysalis.

I Love You Too, My Child Wonder!

Ella asked Todd how to spell "I love you" so she could make me a card. My sweet girl. Look what a great job she did! I'm pretty impressed, she just barely hit the 4 1/2 year mark and she is writing really well if you ask me (perhaps I'm a tiny bit biased). I think we may have a little genius in the family (besides me of course) - on the other hand, she did just ask me to turn on the music so she didn't have to smell Dawson's poopy diaper. . . Maybe savant is a better word.

Snuggle Down

I just wanted to quickly share my complete and utter JOY and HAPPINESS that Dawson still takes a nap (called "snuggle down"). Our close friends and family know that Ella stopped napping at 13 months, so I am incredibly grateful to have at least one child that rests during the day. Don't get me wrong, of course I love being with my kids, but so many of Ella's friends still nap and I would be on cloud 9 if I could get an hour or so every day to get some stuff done without a weasel around. But I am focusing on the positive here and that is that Dawson does nap. Hallelujah! That's what they call looking at the bright side.

It's the Little Things

I just have to say how much I love Rosauer's. I never really shopped there that often (except when organic meat was on sale) until Ella started pre-school, which is right across the street, so it made for convenient last minute shopping on the way home. Some stores used to offer to take my bags to the car and honestly, I used to think it was a little weird to accept. I mean come on, how lazy can a person be? Well, along came 2 little Rufflings and I finally broke down and accepted the gracious offer to have my groceries taken out during one of our many snowy blizzards this winter. While the adorable bag boy put my groceries away I could get the kids in the car and they didn't have to freeze their hineys off waiting for me. I always keep the kids with me until I return the cart so they aren't in the car by themselves, which means they have to wait while I load up, and this is where the help really comes in handy, they take the cart back while we are all snug as a bug in the Suburban - yes, we had to get a Suburban, 4 car seats soon... I know it's not the most amazing discovery, but it's one of those little things that makes Mommy's life a little easier.

The Baby of the Family, For Now

Well, about 6 months after Dawson was born we decided that this August we would try for another baby. I was ready to be pregnant again the day after I had him, but having another child is a different story. So, as August loomed closer and closer, I just wasn't feeling ready. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Dawson is still such a baby in a lot of ways. And I just want to be 100% excited and ready before we try again. So, we made our decision to wait a while and even though I'm relieved in some ways (maybe I can enjoy sleeping through the night for a while) I'm sad in others. I love tiny babies, I love their smell, their newness. I loved being pregnant, the round belly, labor, nursing. It's just all good stuff. But for now, Dawson is my baby. I know that he will grow so quickly and I want to enjoy every minute with him. And when the time is right we will, God willing, add another Ruffling to the family. Besides, whenever I hold other babies Dawson get really, really ticked off. So maybe holding off will ensure that our next child won't wind up with one eye and bald patches where his/her hair was ripped out. He's a precious boy unless you mess with his Mama.

Water you Doing?

I bought this fun water table with my little guy in mind, and the kids are having a blast with it. We have the big pool and the kiddie pool, but Dawson doesn't really like either, so this is our compromise. I had some returns at Babies R Us, and instead of taking the money and getting a pair of shorts I wanted at Gap that I felt guilty buying, I bought this. I mean seriously, like they need more toys. We Moms sure are suckers. Don't feel too bad for me though, I did buy a pair of $40 sandals this month, so I can't be too much of a martyr. Actually, now that I think about it go ahead and feel bad for me - I used money from a return to get those sandals so I didn't really buy them after all. So maybe I will go get those shorts . . .

Don't Be A Chicken

At bedtime, Todd creates the greatest stories for Ella. She decides what theme she would like the story to have, and also what characters will be in it. She often asks for stories about dinosaurs and Olivia, "nice dinosaurs though." Well, the other night she woke up from a bad dream and wanted us to tuck her back into bed. Todd asked what she dreamt about, and she said that she was showing Dawson a dinosaur, and then a bad dinosaur with teeth came. She went on to explain that there was also a frightening chicken in this dream. Todd and I tried to keep our composure and compassionately pryed for more information. "You mean like the animal, a chicken with feathers?" She said "no, it looked like the chicken you made for dinner last night!" So our composure went right out the window with a burst of laughter. I just can't imagine having a nightmare about a raw chicken. But as I was making one for dinner the other night, I began to see it in a different light - to be honest, they are kinda scary. Bald, white, sorta slimy - a headless chicken walking on it's drumsticks, hot wings flailing about. Man, now I'm going to have nightmares.

Humming Along

I am so proud of Dawson, at 17 months he's already figured out how to drive the Hummer! I honestly didn't think he had the leg strength or coordination to figure out the gas pedal, but he got so tired of being Ella's passenger that he finally passed driver's ed. I do love watching them ride in their car together though. Ella will be driving them around and all of the sudden Dawson will throw it into reverse, then immediately Ella will kick it back into forward, it is hilarious to watch. These kids sure have a rough life, they're driving my dream car! At least someone in this family knows what it's like to be behind the wheel of a black H2. And yes ladies, this body is 100% natural. I know, it's hard to believe someone can look that good naked isn't it.

S'more Fun!

I love s'mores, no really, I love them. I have a sophisticated system for producing the most scrumptious ones. One of the key factors is including 2 marshmallows per s'more. They're called "s'mores" for a reason, right? I have also perfected whittling the perfect roasting stick while on camping trips, which has two prongs not only to roast the aforementioned double-mallow, but to also provide a resting place for the graham cracker and Hershey bar to melt ever so slightly. So, needless to say, this tradition needed to be passed on to the Rufflings. We had a wiener roast on our fire pit, followed by an intensive s'more training program. We all wound up sticky, dizzy and very happy - success!

Better Late Than Never

I wanted to wish my 2 best girls a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm just now getting my act together because I hadn't downloaded the picture I wanted to post - since we're usually chasing after our little ankle biters, a picture with all 3 of us in it is rare indeed. Kelli and Diane's birthdays are just weeks apart, which meant Mom's Night Out 2 months in a row, can't beat that! Maybe for our 4oth birthdays we'll celebrate in Santorini, Greece . . .

Thank you for your friendship, love and support. You are both like sisters to me and I am so grateful to have you in my life. Here's to many, many more years of celebrating together!

P.S. As you can see, we know a lot of pretty ladies, but the birthday girls are in the second picture. D is the gorgeous blonde, Kel is the gorgeous brunette.

The Heart of the Matter

Todd and I were talking last night about the kids and how scary it is to know that they have their whole life ahead of them, and that they may or may not make good decisions. Aaron is helping the equation since we are 1:1 for our adult children turning out great. Being a parent is a huge responsibility, and we put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears trying to do a good job at it, yet there are no guarantees. But we were both saying that we think Ella is really close to truly understanding that she can have a personal relationship with God, that He can be just a part of her. So . . . this morning as I was getting dressed she started asking some questions, nothing really new, just things like "where does God live?" and "is He in the sky?" So we talked about it and then she said "Mom, can I ask Jesus into my heart?" It was such a sweet moment and my sentimentality got the best of me because I asked her if she wanted to wait until Daddy got home so he could pray with us. She said "I want to do it right now!" So who am I to argue with that? If the girl wants to pray, let her pray! She said "I don't know how to pray good, will you help me?" So we talked a little bit about that too - that praying is just talking to God, there isn't a wrong way or a right way to do it. So Dawson, Ella and I climbed up onto our bed, and she asked Jesus to come into her heart. I will remember that moment as long as I live. The bible says that the angels rejoice every time someone acknowledges and accepts God's gift of forgiveness and comes into a relationship with him. So our little Ella Grace had the angels of heaven rejoicing today. I know that as the years pass her understanding will grow, and her relationship with the Lord will solidify and deepen. That's all that really matters in this life, that one decision. When all is said and done, the stuff we have, the things we accomplish, the goals we achieve won't matter, and they certainly won't make a difference in light of eternity. Thank goodness for that, because if God worked on the merit system, I'd be in big trouble for sure.

Summer Schedule

It may sound strange that not having preschool two days a week for two and a half hours feels like summer break, but it does. Our weeks definitely revolved around Ella's days as a "Little Crusader" at NW Christian. So, the only thing we have scheduled on a daily basis is our 3 o'clock ice cream cone. This has quickly become our little ritual, and it is the perfect little treat to keep all of us content until Todd gets home an hour and a half or two later. The Tillamook farm could stay in business solely by our purchases I'm sure. Yesterday we floated around in our pool, then bbq'd and ate dinner on the patio, followed by dessert of course. The sun wakes us up early and keeps us up late, I just love summer-time . . .

Sugar Daddy & Papa Don't Preach

It's Father's Day, and I have 2 very important people on my mind . . . So I'll start with my main squeeze. I think one of the things I love most about Todd is watching him be a Dad. I never have to ask him to play with our kids or to make up silly bedtime stories that produce giggles to be heard all the way down stairs. He does it effortlessly. When he mows the lawn, there is always someone on his lap, if he snatches a cookie he always sneaks one to the kids no matter how many they've had during the day. He's loving, smart, gentle, kind, athletic, has great pecks - okay, maybe I'm taking this a step too far, this blog is family friendly, I promise. The simple truth is that our kids are lucky to have him. Now this is also the guy that got through 2 kids and never a sleepless night, but he makes up for it in other ways. Thanks for sharing this journey with me Hon, I love you.

Now about my Dad. Where to start . . . He is just everything a girl needs a Dad to be, and he has never stopped being that for me. He used to take me to Mc Donald's at 6 am on Saturday to give me lectures, he never let me get away with anything and I appreciate how much he challenged me. He taught me how to fish, how to rough-house like a cage fighter and how important it is to be good at making cookies (I used this as leverage many times in high school so I could go out with friends). He showed me what it means to work hard and to love God by loving people. And now I get to share him with our kids, Papa is just good stuff. I love you Dad.

Music and Lyrics

Todd and I get a little parenting magazine every couple of months through the agency we used for Ella's adoption. A while ago they had an article about Steven Curtis Chapman (a Christian musician, he and his wife have adopted children from China) and they had the lyrics to a song he wrote in the article. And even though I've never heard it, the words were so touching and it really spoke to my heart, so I hung it up in my craft room. It's late, I just spent the last hour and a half talking to Todd about how inadequate I sometimes feel as a wife and Mom. It seems like I so often fail at the things that matter to me most, so reading this again was good for me tonight. Plus, looking at the photocopy I made of the article made me smile. Dawson snacked on it a while ago and I think it's fitting that an article about the incredibly tough work of motherhood is half chewed by my son. Proof positive that this is no ordinary job.

- One Heartbeat at a Time -

You're up all night with a screaming baby

You run all day at the speed of life

And every day you feel a little bit less

Like the beautiful woman you are (okay, this line is kinda corny, maybe "amazing" or "simply fabulous" would be better :-))

So you fall into bed when you run out of hours

And you wonder if anything worth doing got done

Or maybe you've forgotten

That you are changing the world

One little heartbeat at a time

Making history with every touch and every smile

You may not see it now

But I believe that time will tell

How you are changing the world

One heartbeat at at ime

With every "I know you can do it"

And every tear that you kiss away

So many little things that seem to go unnoticed

They're just like the drops of rain

Over time, they become a river

You are changing the world

One little heartbeat at a time

Making history with touch and every smile

You may not see it now

But I believe that time will tell

How you are changing the world

One heartbeat at a time

Come On Summer!

Dawson needed a winter hat today when I took the kids out to push them on the swing, and I had to dig out their winter jammies - the ones I was all too happy to say goodbye to. So I thought I'd post some pictures that would cheer us up. These are some of the flowers Ella and I planted for the patio. I'm bummed we are going to be without a vegetable garden again this year. I guess my herbs and tomato plants will have to do until we can find the time to add another zone to our sprinkler system and put up a Bailey-proof fence. What am I saying, who needs a sprinkler system when it's winter year round? I seriously think I'm going to have to invest in one of those baseball caps with the UV lights in them for people with depression. Either that or a beach house in Maui.

Sunscreen Phobia Solved

I know I mentioned in "my favorite things" that I just love aerosal sunscreen. Well I love it, but the kids hate it. I think it's the cold mist that startles them. And Ella is horrified of it, almost as much as automatic toilets. I began investigating why this causes her so much alarm, and I could only come up with the fact that she's freaked I'll get it in her eyes. So. . . that's where the goggles come in. It's great, they put on the goggles, I spray them down and voila, ultraviolet ray protection for hours of sunny fun. And since the goggles cover just their eyes, the sunscreen gets onto every little bit of their cute little mugs. So Mom wins again, the kids are melanoma and trauma free.

Crazy Cousins

Two of Ella's cousins, Gabe and Torre (and Aunt Zuzanne as Ella says), came out today for a little play date. Gabe and Ella play so well together and other than a little mischief - which is expected and encouraged, they were stellar. No tattling, no fighting over toys, just goofing off in Bailey's water bowl, eating popsicles (it was 50 degrees and rainy today so they needed a little refreshment) and running around in their undies. Thanks for coming to play! We love you!

Where The Wild Things Are

We got cabin fever and decided to go away on a VERY spur of the moment little trip over Memorial. The weather was supposed to be icky here, huge surprise I know, so we headed for the coast trying to chase down some sunshine. It was gorgeous there and we were able to take the kids to the zoo and the aquarium, and Ninny and Papa met us there so we made some great memories. We swam in the heated pool, ate seafood, went on the carousel, walked on the pier under the sun - it was a little piece of heaven. My favorite memory of the trip is something Ella said at the zoo. We were looking at the orangutan exhibit, and on a side note, I think they are one of the most disturbing looking creatures God ever made. We were trying to point them out to Ella, which was difficult because they had covered themselves in hay. All of the sudden she says excitedly "oh look, that one's reading a book!!!!" It was actually one of the staff members taking notes on a clip board. Todd and I haven't laughed that hard since. . . well, since the last time Ella talked. I just hope that poor lady didn't hear her, if there were one animal I wouldn't want to be mistaken for, it's an orangutan.

CALM DOWN!

My friend Kelli made me a CD of mellow music months ago, in fact I think it was shortly after Dawson was born - she must have known I needed some soothing music at that point. Little did she know that the first song on that CD, which is just an instrumental of a classical piece, would save me from the threshold of hell. Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but at the very least it has saved me from the path that leads to the thresh hold of hell. Dawson is not a good traveler, at all. More than once, especially when he was younger, I've actually pulled the car over, gotten him out of his car seat and inspected him for pinch marks, acid burns, biting ants in his diaper . . . something to explain the blood curdling screams. But for some reason my little guy loves that song and he can be completely flipping out in the car, and when I hit CD #3, song #1 the heavens part and the screaming subsides. It's pure magic. In some supernatural way it looks like Auntie Kel had Big D figured out before he was even born and made that CD to save us all from having to take prescription meds before road trips. If only that song could calm me down when I'm screaming . . .

By the way, I love what Shane wrote on the CD, these simple yet profound words in large print, "RELAX." Isn't that the truth? Sometimes I feel like shouting that at the top of my lungs, "JUST RELAX!!!"

Ode to a Fettish

This is pretty much what Dawson is all about these days - things with wheels and/or motors, his kid sized water bottle and toothbrushes. If he were holding all of these things while sitting on my hip, that would sum up this little guy's world. Mom, trucks, and clean teeth.

By the way, these are the toothbrushes that are in the house alone. This does not include ones from the car, the diaper bag, my purse . . .