Promoted to shepherd

Our church had their Children's Christmas Program on Sunday. It was Micah's first one to be involved in, so I was all ready with the camera. Prior to the big event, Micah and I went to the practice on Saturday morning. When it came time to do the "dress rehearsal" part, Micah was supposed to be a part of the flock. When he got the sheep hat on, he started crying...he was not feeling it. Our pastor's wife was super nice and said there was an extra shepherd's outfit if Micah wanted to try it. He tried it and liked it; now he matched the other boys who are slightly older than him.

On Sunday morning Micah just stood there...though I know he knows all the lyrics for the songs the kids sang (because he sings them at home!!), he didn't say a word, nor did he do one hand motion. He just stood there shepherd-like, and watched the other kids perform. :-)

Hanging out in the back with some friends before the program:

Micah sportin' his shepherd costume:

Our Christmas helper

Micah has been quite the helper as we all prepare for Jesus' birthday next week...

He helped daddy set-up and "fluff" the Christmas tree:

He helped get gifts wrapped and shipped out to family:

He helped me get the family update letter labeled, stamped and sealed:

I'm pretty sure he's also helped me with some baking (or soon will), but I don't have picture documentation of that...

Per Auntie Rachel's Request

11:00 a.m. - prep apples

12:00 p.m. - cook apples

2:30 p.m. - can apples

Apple Butter is cooked, canned and now cooling!

Approximately 90...

Curbside pick-up for our city's leaf bags is bright and early tomorrow morning. That means we'll be able to enjoy some space in our garage again! Approximately 90 bags are outside our house waiting to be taken away and never seen again...

Our new spaceship, bringing visitors from afar

With lil baby Ruth #2 on the way, we've been shopping around for a Honda Odyssey mini-van for the past several months. Long story short, God is SO good and is in the DETAILS, and we purchased THE Odyssey that fits us this week. Thank you, Lord! We traded in our faithful Mr. Car (Scotty's first vehicle, fresh out of college - 2005 Civic), for Mr. Van (also 2005). Scotty says he thinks the Odyssey looks like a spaceship, and little did I know it would soon be bringing home some very special guests from a distant land.

On Thursday night I thought Scotty was getting together with a new iPhone Developer buddy at Starbucks, but he was actually picking up my parents from the airport! When he got home he asked me to help him get something out of the car because he had ran a couple errands. I knew something was up. My thought was that he had purchased a sit-n-stand stroller I've had my eye on, but it was a gazillion times better than that. The spaceship door slide open and there I saw my parents. I was completely baffled!! This pregnant lady couldn't hold back the tears and bear hugs as my mom and dad climbed out of the van.

This weekend has been more than GREAT. What a blessing to have my parents here. This is the first time that they've been able to make it to Michigan since we moved here, and it has been so much fun to show them around our neck of the woods, give them the grand tour of our house, and to see Micah have a blast with Papa and Mama Sovilla. Thanks for making the trip out, you two! God is good!

P.S.  Did I mention that God is in the DETAILS?  I still can't believe that after having an unfinished downstairs bathroom for over a year, God gave me the energy and determination to complete it last week while Scotty was in Texas to surprise my husband.  I just have to laugh!  God knew my parents were coming into town to surprise me and He gave me the motivation to get things in order for our first B&B guests this week, unbeknownst to me. :-)

Ruth Family B&B - now open!

As I mentioned in the previous post, Scotty was out of town last week. I got this idea in my head that I could finish the downstairs bathroom as a surprise for Scotty. I've had this desire in the past, but this time around I actually sat down to map out each day carefully from the shopping, prep and work that needed to get done in order to stay on track to complete the project in 5 days.  This may've looked all well and good written down, but I knew I would need God's help to stay motivated!  A verse that came to my mind was Psalm 37:5, "Commit your way to the Lord." I have to say that it is only God who gave me the determination and wakefulness each night to stick with it! He gave me the able body to complete it, and the people to help me on the last day (Lisa watched Micah on Thursday as I decorated and cleaned, and our handyman came in to finish up electrical, plumbing and some misc).  Thank you, Lord!

Here's a snapshot of the bathroom Sunday night after spackle and tape.

Here's the finished project on Thursday night just before Scotty got home.

This little bathroom is just down the hallway from our bonus/guest room, so if you come and visit, we'll aim to take really good care of you! Ruth Family Bed and Breakfast has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Papa's iPad

This past week Scotty was able to attend a conference in Austin, TX. He won a drawing for the conference ticket last month at his CocoaHead's meeting. He had a GREAT time, but Micah and I are definitely glad to have him back home again.

Towards the end of the week, Micah asked me, "Is dad working?" I explained to him that he was in Texas learning about things for the iPhone and iPad. Without skipping a beat, Micah said, "Papa has an iPad." That's true, but his statement made me laugh. It's not everyday that he sees this electronic device, nor do we frequently talk about. But this kiddo has an amazing memory and had to state what he knew to be fact.

Well, it was a special treat on Sunday after church because Papa let Micah play with his iPad for a bit. Micah was glued.

Indoor and Outdoor Play

This little Ruth family has been keeping busy, but we're never too busy to have a good time together. The other day Scotty and Micah enjoyed some t-ball time:

And mommy and Micah (plus an occasional stuffed animal or two) have been enjoying indoor "picnics" this week:

My princess nieces

One of my sisters recently posted an album on Facebook of her daughter and another of my sister's daughter. My two precious princess nieces...growing up so fast out there in the western part of the USA. Micah always has a blast with them when we travel out to see family. I miss you all! Love you!! Keep the pictures coming. :-)

Is IHOP hiring?

On Saturday I asked Micah if he wanted to help me make pancakes. Of course he said, "yes." It's become kind of a tradition to cook pancakes together at least 1 or 2 Saturdays a month. Usually we make circles, ovals, snowmen and Mickey Mouse shapes. However, Micah wanted to get a bit more creative this past time around. He requested a number of different animals and people. I tried my best, and here's what we ended up with:

A bee:

John (Jesus's disciple):

A dog:

I couldn't fulfill his request to make a moose or grass-hopper, and he kindly understand that it was too hard for mommy. I don't think I should put my resume into IHOP anytime soon, but it was fun to dabble in culinary arts with my imaginative 3 year old son.

Leaf Raking Season!!

The first layer of leaves have fallen from our oaks, but there are still plenty of stubborn leaves hanging on. So today I stepped into my backyard with a couple rakes, a stack of lawn bags, a trash can, some other misc. yard tools, and determination. Micah joined me with his Jeep and willingness to help.

Last year I was surprised when I discovered just how many leaves our oaks shed each year. I hadn't realized the magnitude of the job of raking leaves in our yards! So this year I feel better prepared for the task at hand, and am not kidding myself that I can get this job done in a jiffy. Micah and I were able to begin chiseling away at this fall-time chore (which really wasn't too bad), and it ended up being kind of fun for both of us.

Micah "drove" the full leaf bags through the backyard...

...around to the front yard and to the garage for me.

This is only the beginning (we had approximately 50 last year).

1/5 of one layer down...

...many, many more to come...

Micah's Circles

It's been a while since I've busted out Micah's hand-me-down computer to work on "projects."  But last week I took the time to get situated at the dining room table with my old lap-top for Micah to practice his computing skills.  I opened up a Paint file, selected the circle tool for him, put the first shape on, and he went to town!!  He successfully maneuvered the mouse to make each of the shapes thereafter, as well as switching colors occasionally.  Here was the first stage:

And then a bit later when his project was complete:

I was super impressed, and so was daddy.  This little art piece I simply had to print and stick on the fridge.  Just ask Micah about it and he'll tell you there's a pot on there somewhere, cookies, ovals, circles, a man...

Entering the world of pink and purple...

On Friday afternoon Scotty, Micah and I got to witness an incredible sight - the upcoming addition to the Ruth family alive and well in my womb.  We also found out the gender - a GIRL!!  I have to admit, I was shocked; I've been in boy world for 3 years now, I'll have some adjusting to do.  But wow, we are SO excited.

Seeing our little girl (that sounds so nice) :-) was a blessing.  She's growing and developing well.  We got to see the four chambers of her heart functioning beautifully and watched the ultrasound technician measure her skull, abdomen, femur bone, etc.  Her movements were adorable (with an occasional jab or kick that I felt and saw at the same time - so cool)! Here's a picture of her profile and belly (head on right, belly on left):

After the ultrasound, we spent the rest of the afternoon as a family, soaking in the news and just enjoying one another's company.  We picked up Micah a "big brother" book, as well as a little nameplate for our daughter (that matches Micah's), along with her first dress:

God is SO good.  We see His hand at work in our family now through joys and challenges, and we are excited to see Him continue that as little baby Ruth joins us in February.  Only He can continue to unite Scott and I in parenting and supply the wisdom, love and grace we need to raise children in His amazing ways.  Only He can work in the heart of our children to understand their need for a Savior and place faith in Jesus who loves them so much and died for their sins.

Thanks for rejoicing with us!      

20 weeks in utero!

Baby and I are halfway through pregnancy. We find out the gender (if baby cooperates) on Friday and we're so excited!

Talking to Mr. Elephant

One day last week I put Micah down for a nap. A little while later, I heard him being a little chatterbox upstairs. Usually I would tell him he needs to be quiet, because its "rest" time (even if he doesn't sleep). But his chattering sounded conversational, so out of curiosity I simply sat on the stairs and listened to what he was saying.

I soon pieced together that he was talking to one of his toys, Mr. Elephant, about the Bible (yes, the same elephant he previously pulled stuffing out of). Totally blessed my heart. Here are the little bits I picked up:

"Peter was not kind and then he was kind. The Spirit helped him tell the truth about Jesus." (In his kid's Bible that we've read and re-read this summer we've learned about Peter lying about not knowing Jesus, and then how once the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Peter truthfully declared Jesus as God's Son).

"Mary obeyed...and Moses obeyed...and Peter...and Jesus. And daddy obeys...and mommy obeys...and Micah and baby and elephant and big ball puppy and flopsy puppy [other stuffed animals]." (He's really on this talking about obedience kick, which is a good thing!)

Then he mumbled a little about shepherds, Peter and Jesus walking water...then it seems Micah felt the need to acquaint Mr. Elephant with his bedroom. He spoke of his curtains, light, floor, carpet on the floor, etc (throwing in "oh yeah" 's which made it sound like he was actually discussing things with his toy - too funny).

Sunday Afternoon Family Adventure!

Yesterday afternoon we all got in the car and just started driving...what lay before us was open road and mini family adventures waiting to be discovered! After driving for about 40 minutes, we pulled off the highway and stumbled upon beachfront access to Lake Michigan. The wind whipped at our faces, we got to hear the unique sound of waves crashing on the beach, and see the beauty of God's creation.

After enjoying the great outdoors, we emptied our shoes of sand and headed out on the road again. This time we stumbled across a HUGE orchard/bakery/restaurant/cider mill that was THE happenin' place in this little Michigan city. We stopped in to grab some fresh blueberry muffins and apple-cider doughnuts, but decided against the 1 1/2 wait to eat at the restaurant...

To fill our appetite, we found ourselves in Holland, MI, which is a quaint little town we have come to enjoy. After eating a hearty sub, and grabbing some chocolate at a shop down the street, we finally turned our car towards home. I really love living in MI! Thank you, Lord, for placing us here, and for a precious afternoon with my two men. :-)

Living in Beatrix Potter's World of Critters

Years ago I bought Beatrix Potter's storytime collection. This 350+ page book is filled with 14 different tales of little critters - Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin and Tom Kitten, just to name a few. Some of these "short stories" are rather long and wordy, so I haven't really read any to Micah...until this week. Him and I have been engrossed in it, and read each tale in the last few days! I think I was just as fascinated and captivated as he was.

It seems that this week we have not only been reading about little critters, but seeing quite a few of them too! Squirrels are super common in our yard, as are robins and sparrows. I've even spotted a cute little chipmunk or a rabbit. On rare occasions a beautiful blue jay or cardinal has made an appearance as well. However, just this week saw some racoons up in our tree:

In addition to the birds, squirrels and racoons, we've had our own ongoing tale of another little critter in our backyard - a woodchuck that we spotted earlier this spring. He's been burrowing under the backside of our garage and feasting off the acorns, grubs and shrubs in our backyard for months now (and maybe before we even lived here?).

He's cute, but he's also gotta go. So, we borrowed a live animal trap from some friends, and have tried various bait this week, but to no avail...until today! We finally caught him, and Scotty, Micah and I had quite the adventure of transporting and depositing our furry friend the groundhog into a new home (a nature preserve not far from our house).

The Komen Walk!

Micah and I (and baby, 18 weeks in utero), :-) woke up a little earlier than we normally would on a Saturday to participate in the Komen Race for the Cure. We threw on an extra layer of clothing for the walk as it was a slightly windy and chilly morning, and enjoyed our PB&J breakfast sandwiches in the car. Upon arrival, we were nearly swallowed up in a crowd of 5,000+ people. Unfortunately we couldn't locate our team, but that's all right, Micah and I found our own little niche of visiting booths, doing some of the group aerobic warm-up (that was a unique experience to see thousands of people in a mall parking lot doing lunges and squats), :-) and made our own slow-poke pace at the back of the 1 mile "community walk."  Thank you SO much for those of you who sponsored me - you helped me meet and exceeded my goal! Here's a little look at what the morning was like...

An incredible bag-pipe group played "Amazing Grace" and another tune to walk people to the starting line.

What a beautiful display of flowers that lined the stage. Some read "In Memory of," "In Honor of" and "In Celebration of." In addition to flowers, walkers/runners could also pin pink signs on their back with names of women they've known with breast cancer in memory/celebration of. Reading these names and seeing some survivors was joyful (for the "in celebration of") and sobering (for the "in memory of").

Micah and I were super lollygaggers, but that's okay!

Quite a limo!

Quite a Home Depot Mascot!

Quite a cow!

Quite a porta-potty!

Good little tid-bit to know where the donations go:
-A minimum of 25% of the net income from each domestic Affiliate Race supports the Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grant Programs, which fund groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and educational and scientific conferences around the world.
-Up to 75% of the net income from each domestic Affiliate Race stays in the local community to fund breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment projects.