Checking out our new turf...

Over the weekend Scott, Micah and I drove up to MI. The purpose was for a job interview Scott had on Monday, but it was also a good excuse to get a feel for what it's going to be like living up there (in just 2 weeks)! The pictures chronicle our trip...

Micah "helping" grandma cook.

Jacob enjoying his new-found toy (he did that all on his own, after Micah discarded it on the ground)!

Micah "helping" grandpa let the dogs out.

Scott assembling his steller portfolio, in preparation for his job interview the next day.

Scott, just before he left for his job interview - doesn't he look incredible? Who wouldn't want to hire that hunk as a web/graphic designer?

Entering Chicago again...what a familiar view to us, yet it may have been the last time!

Our first packed box!

Let the record show: Scott and Bekah packed their first box on Friday night, October 24th for their upcoming move to Michigan. Only about 100 more to go...

Farewell to MOPS - Lakeview

For the past couple months I've been attending a MOPS group on the North side of the city. I knew I would be leaving Chicago soon, but I didn't want to hold off completely from relationships and opportunities for Micah to play with other kids. Though I didn't get to know many of the moms that well, I enjoyed meetings with them in September and October. They also sent me away with such a warm good-bye (a card, gift and prayer). Below are a few shots of our morning.

A very distraught Micah on his way to our last MOPS-Lakeview meeting. :-(

A common scene in Chicago - construction workers on train tracks, graffiti and billboards.

Lucy (left) and Brenda (right), the two women who led MOPPETS (kids care) so well.

If any of you Chicago moms are available the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, I'd recommend attending this MOPS group. You can visit their blog for more info.

This post is dedicated to my mom...

Warning: this post may be graphic, not to be read by those with weak stomachs...

It was Tuesday afternoon and I was getting ready to pick up Scott from work so that we could meet up with some friends for dinner. I plopped Micah down in his crib for some contained playtime while I scurried around the house getting the diaper bag ready, speed cleaning, etc. As I approached Micah's room, a non-too-pleasant smell reached my nostrils. Oh wow, my son had an explosive diaper (I actually don't know if he's ever had one that bad before). Ew, it even crept up his back...After stripping him, stripping the crib, and giving him the world's fastest bath, we were on our merry way. I was just thankful this explosion hadn't happened while were out at dinner.

The next day was Wednesday, and Micah was dropping bomb diapers left and right. I cannot remember the last time I had to change his outfit 3 times in one day. Poor little guy's bum was SO red - who's wouldn't be when you're leaking acid-like nastiness all day long? (Sorry, this is one of those "graphic" parts).

After a full day of diaper change after diaper change, it was time for bed. After cleaning him up real good, and giving dad a good night hug, he fell asleep real quick. Before Scott and I went to bed (pretty late - around 11:30 p.m.), I wanted to give Micah a diaper change, just in case he'd had another diarrhea incident and wouldn't have to sleep on it all night long. I hadn't quite prepared myself for the next hour ahead...

I opened Micah's bedroom door and the stench was just awful. Poor little guy, I thought to myself, he's sleeping in poo...that's okay, he'll be clean soon. Yet it turned out that his diaper was dry, but the rest of him was soaked and stinky - he had barfed all over himself and his crib! And he hadn't even cried (he was sound asleep)! I don't know if any mother can "prepare" herself for a child's barf, but it's fascinating how quickly the motherly instincts kick in and you just start doing what needs to be done - no matter how fowl it may seem.

The next hour was spent tag-teaming with my incredible husband to get everything back in place (bath, new PJ's, new crib sheets, some fluids for Micah). It was almost all done when Micah threw up again (the fluids didn't set well with him). All right, last pair of clean PJ's on, now it's really time for bed. He went done very well, very late (past midnight).

After I ran down to the basement to start a load of wash with all the barf stuff, Scott and I collapsed in bed from exhaustion. Then...

Two hours later Scott ran out of bed to the bathroom. Uh-oh. Husband and son have the same virus. All night long, about every two hours, Scott ran out of bed, did his business in the bathroom and came and passed out in bed again. Poor guy! The last early a.m. run ended around 6:30, and as he and I were falling asleep I heard Micah, my alarm clock. Guess I would have to wait on catching up on that much desired shut-eye.

Micah was dry when I went into his room (thanks, God!). He downed a very bland, basic breakfast (bananas and cheerios). I was trying to get him to drink some fluids, but he wasn't feeling it. As you can see from the picture, I tried a variety of flavors and cups (Gatorade in the bottle, apple juice and two different kinds of Pedialyte in sippy cups, as well as water)...Scott was in and out of the lavatory (I felt so bad for him!), and actually took a sick day from work (I don't know if he's done that in all his 3 1/2 years at Breakthrough).

I had two sicko's all day long. My job was to try to keep them hydrated, keep them warm, and just take care of them (and try not to contract the same virus)! Wow, today actually wasn't that bad (aside from the barf and diarrhea). I have so much more respect for my mom who has seen more than her fair share of barf over the years (6 kids and a hubby, and she never complained while cleaning up the fowl-smelling stuff). I also got a little glimpse of the part of my vows that says "in sickness and in health..."

Scott ended up getting a good amount of rest today and is feeling better, and I tricked Micah into drinking Pedialyte through a fun straw. This is but one tale of the adventures of being a wife and mom! Now it's time to go to sleep.

We're moving to Michigan - in 2 weeks!

Hey blog readers (mom and Rachel). :-) It's time to make the "official" announcement - Scott, Bekah and Micah are moving to Michigan! Scott and I have been thinking about, praying for, and discussing a move since March, but Michigan was set as the potential destination of choice a couple months ago. We didn't feel we could "spread the word" until last Tuesday - when Scott's fellow employees heard the news (his supervisors have known for awhile).

Blah, blah, technical details, sorry. So yes, Scott and I are staying in Chicago through Breakthrough's Annual Benefit Dinner on Friday, November 7th (if you're in or near Chicago, feel free to come and register to sit at our table - it's going to be a GREAT evening). Then, sometime within the week after the Benefit, we're heading northeast to Michigan.

First, let me say that Scott and I are leaving Chicago and Breakthrough on "good terms" and have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. For both of us, Chicago will always hold a very special place in our hearts. It is where we both went off to college, became adults, met our future spouse (each other) :-), began married life, had our first full-time jobs, had a baby - just to name a few life changes! God has been so extremely good to us here. He has shown that He is such a generous and kind God. He has kept us safe in our neighborhood (Scott has walked to work everyday for nearly 2.5 of his 3.5 years at Breakthrough), He has allowed me to be a stay-at-home-mom with Micah (we didn't know how long we'd last on 1 income in expensive Chicago - but God provided!), and He has helped Scott and I grow together as husband and wife as well as mother and father to Micah. The list could go on and on (great friends, good landlords, a wonderful staff at Breakthrough, fun, adventures, etc)...

So, why the move? some of you may be asking. Good question. By no means was this an "easy" decision for Scott and I...but several of our reasons are these:
-Getting closer to family so Micah can know them! (Now we only have to travel to see one side of the family, instead of both, because we'll be living near the other).
-Moving to a place with lower cost of living, so I can continue to be a stay-at-home-mom (FYI, California is not cheaper than Chicago, so moving near the Sovilla family just didn't work out). :-(
-New direction in Scott's career. Scott is making the switch from the nonprofit sector to the for-profit sector, specifically in full-time graphic design.

If you're reading this from Chicago - know that you'll be missed by us! We love you and have loved getting to know you. If you're reading this from outside Chicago, we love you too, and hope that you're doing well. :-)

We'll keep you posted with how the move goes, but please forgive me if I'm MIA on this blog for the next two weeks...I have an almost 14 month old son to take care of, a house to pack up, and a Benefit dinner to help with (putting in hours from home to help with registration).

Well, that's it for now. Michigan, here we come!

Pat-a-Cake

Every now and then since Micah was about 6 months old I've taken his little hands, clapped them together and then guided them in a rolling and patting motion as we "make a cake" with Pat-a-Cake. The other day I started singing the familiar nursery rhyme, and to my surprise, Micah started clapping his hands all on his own! It was so precious, and it made this mom's heart proud (would you believe it, he actually did it again later for dad and the camera too). :-)

Divorce

Right now my heart just hurts.

Over the last week I've heard of several instances where people are either divorced or in the middle of getting one. This just grieves my heart, it really does. How did this relationship, which once was united, come to a bitter end? How did man and wife suddenly become "my ex"? What was the process that finally brought this marriage to an end? How many tears were shed, words were said, and silence was kept, before it was all said and done? When did it just become "too much" to handle, unbearable? How much pain was felt on each heart involved? How deep was the grief?

I can't imagine one day saying of my now beloved husband, "Scott is my ex." I can't imagine the process of pain, mistrust and unforgiveness that would bring us even remotely close to that point. What couldn't be worked through together? We have committed to stay together as husband and wife "til death do us part," but we still need God's strength and grace to honor that commitment every day.

I am sad for those marriages that have ended, for whatever reason, in divorce. Sad for them - the two that were once in love, now separated. Sad for anyone involved around them - children, parents, friends, who grieve with and for them. Sad for the wickedness that came in to bring this separation about - adultery, lying, lack of communication, whatever it may have been.

What grieves my heart even more is that these several divorce cases I've heard of this week shows me that this is but a small taste of the reality of our whole society. Divorce is rampant - which means disloyalty, cheating, pain, desertion, neglect, unforgiveness, bitterness, misunderstanding and selfishness are alive and well throughout the globe.

Lord, forgive us. And help us heal.

I don't seek to condemn anyone. I'm sure that there are cases of divorce where both parties end up "moving on" and are nice, good people who honestly continue to serve and love others, and aren't running around being all mean to people. But this end of the marriage union, for whatever case, still makes my heart hurt.

"Obama’s Abortion Extremism" by Robert George

"If (my daughters) make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." - Barack Obama

I stumbled across Randy Birkey's blog, and saw this picture. I had to just stop for a minute. At first I was captivated by the beautiful little newborn cupped in his parents' hands. Then I read the caption underneath - which didn't seem to fit with the picture at all! Complete opposite messages. Now, I'm not saying I think Obama doesn't care for kids (on the contrary, he has two daughters), but his extreme stance on abortion is terribly sad.

Here's an excerpt from Robert George's article that made my heart so heavy. If you get a chance to read the whole article, please do, and pass this along as well.

He [Barack Obama] has promised that "the first thing I'd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act" (known as FOCA). This proposed legislation would create a federally guaranteed "fundamental right" to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, including, as Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia has noted in a statement condemning the proposed Act, "a right to abort a fully developed child in the final weeks for undefined 'health' reasons." In essence, FOCA would abolish virtually every existing state and federal limitation on abortion, including parental consent and notification laws for minors, state and federal funding restrictions on abortion, and conscience protections for pro-life citizens working in the health-care industry-protections against being forced to participate in the practice of abortion or else lose their jobs. The pro-abortion National Organization for Women has proclaimed with approval that FOCA would "sweep away hundreds of anti-abortion laws [and] policies."

Summer Snapshot 3: Arizona in June

After all the hard work put in for Breakthrough's Hunger Walk and Grand Opening Celebration, Scott needed a vacation (me too, for I helped with the events also...on a much smaller scale though)! So we packed our bags and took a plane to AZ (this trip was planned ahead of time, of course). :-)

I got to blog a little while I was there, but this post includes some photo documentation. As I mentioned in that earlier post, I had a great time with the Ruth's - I really do enjoy my in-laws. We had a wonderful time conversing, playing in their pool, seeing "WALL-E," eating, and just enjoying one another's presence. We hadn't all been together (Scott, Lisa, Scotty, Amanda, me and Micah) since May 2007 at Amanda's graduation (and Micah was in my womb then)!

A cake celebrating Scott's and my 2 year anniversary (July 1st) and Amanda's 24th birthday (July 12th). Notice that it says "2th" instead of "2nd." Ha - the baker made a mistake:
Micah LOVED his time in the pool!

Micah and I also enjoyed watching the others play pool volleyball.


After pool time, Grandpa had to help Micah stay warm until mom could change him into dry clothes. :-)

At the theater, just before "WALL-E" started (Micah took a nice nap on Auntie Amanda's lap).

Chilling out in our P.J.'s - hey, it's vacation!!

We had to get at least one family photo in before our trip was done!

Summer Snapshot 2: Breakthrough in June

Breakthrough had two huge summer events that required a lot of prep work and prayers, but they ended up being GREAT! First came the Hunger Walk on June 14th. Breakthrough had walkers who had raised money that will go towards Breakthrough's account at the Greater Chicago Food Depository(GCFD). GCFD is where we get much of the food for the guests who are currently living at Breakthrough - only $0.07 per lb of food! We had a great turn out, and a lot of fun too! Even Micah did the whole 2.5 miles - being pushed in a stroller by daddy. :-)

Then on June 21st, Breakthrough had a huge block party celebrating the grand opening of the Breakthrough Ministry Center (see previous post). There was a ton of food, live entertainment, a couple bounce houses, neighbors, volunteers, awards, games, balloons, a ribbon cutting ceremony (Alderman Burnett himself came out for that part). It was such a great celebration, reminding us of God's goodness in having this building to provide services to people in the community, as well as the 30 male guests that live there. God brought together so many donors, volunteers, construction workers and prayers over the past 4 years to bring this about.

Summer Snapshot 1: CA in May/June

All right folks, I've promised more than once to write some posts recapping the summer adventures of the Ruth family. Whether or not you're interested in reading about our many travels, I want to get it out in journal format so I can look back on it years down the road and remember all the wonderful things in Micah's first summer!

After a nice trip from G'pa and G'ma Ruth (Scotty's parents) in May, Micah and I caught a plane to CA to go to Auntie Diana's high school graduation. Wow, my "baby sister" is well on her way to adulthood.

I hadn't been out to CA since our Christmas trip, so it was nice to be on west coast soil again. I saw familiar sites, and was able to meet with some dearly missed friends and family (a bridal shower, a walk to the grocery store with Micah's great grandma, a get together here and there, Diana's graduation)...God was so very good to allow me this trip out to my hometown. Here are some snapshots of just a few people I love!

Good friend Heather Whelan (wrote secret admirer notes to my crush in Jr. High, went to Romania together in High School, good memories):
Beth and Jennifer (homeschooled together, we were "The 3 Musketeers," love these girls):
Diana got her license (I was glad to be one of the first to know):
Greg and Biz (ate a delicious meal made by my one and only brother-in-law, incredible strawberry syrup):
Marianne Dudley, now Cota (went to WHBC youth group together, so glad to celebrate her upcoming marriage with her):
Diana (playing piano at her graduation):
Mike and Lynda Gunderson (dear to my heart - they are so loving and such servants):
Grandma Lois, mom, me, Micah (4 generations photo):
Megan Dods (good college friend of Scott's and mine from Moody Bible Institute):
Lena Hernandez (a dear friend to me from WHBC, like another grandma):
Amber Cummings (a good friend of mine from Moody):
The cousins Anne and Micah (who had a GREAT time together all week long):

Auntie 'Manda

Scott's sister, Amanda, was in town this past week, and it was so great to see her. She just made a huge transition moving from Vermont to Michigan, so needless to say, there was a lot to catch up on. Amanda and I enjoyed playing cards when we could, chatting, crying, laughing, eating apples (see previous two posts)...and she was kind enough to baby-sit Micah on more than one occasion so Scott and I could get a date! Here's Micah with his one and only Midwest auntie.

Apple this and apple that...

After yesterday's family adventure at the Apple Holler in WI, Scott and I had our work cut out for us trying to cook/use all these apples in something! After much recipe finding, apple washing and peeling, ingredient buying, we began cooking...


The end product? Apple Butter, Apple Pie and Apple Crisp. Scott honestly did most of it - and he did an incredible job. He peeled nearly all the apples we used, and made the Apple Pie and Apple Butter all on his own. As for me? I took pictures to document, whipped up the easiest recipe (Apple Crisp), and enjoyed the wonderful aroma that filled our home! After using up nearly 30 apples, we still have about 50 more...1/2 a bushel is a lot...anybody want some?

Apple Holler

Yesterday Scott, Micah and I loaded up in our 4-door sedan to go to an apple orchard. But first, Scott had to fix a loose wheel on Micah's stroller.

Yes, that is Micah on the left side of the car.

Micah had his morning nap in the car as we drove north to Wisconsin.

We arrived at a very busy Apple Holler 1 hour and 20 minutes later, and began to pick apples in the orchard!



Along the way, we had to sample the apples before we picked a ton of 'em, so we knew whether or not we liked them. Micah really enjoyed that part.



After apple pickin' and apple tastin' to our hearts content, we hit a Cracker Barrel on the way home and had a tasty meal. Micah enjoyed sitting on a little rocking chair on their porch.

We hit the road again, heading home to Chicago. Micah had his afternoon nap on the way.

After I guided Scott to take a wrong fork on the highway, we drove through O'Hare Airport, and then made it safely home - Scott, Micah, me and 1/2 a bushel of apples!