A Final Farewell

After many months of stalling, I finally agreed to selling my old car. I was actually sad to see it go! Here is a little bit about our journey together... :)

When I turned 16, I got this white jeep cherokee. I loved that jeep and it was great for lugging around all of my stuff and friends. One weekend Jason and I were in San Antonio on our way to a wedding that we were both in. Picture us- Jason in a tuxedo and me in a bridesmaid dress- and my jeep broke down! It was about 105 degrees outside and we were stranded. Unfortunately, we had to call a friend to come get us, and my jeep had to be towed to Kyle. I was sure it would never run again. In the meantime I borrowed my Mom's car. She said she was looking for a new car (for me), and then told me I had to have my jeep back. I was SO disappointed! Jason and I met them in Bastrop to get my jeep back. I saw the jeep when we pulled into the parking lot and again felt a little bit sad that I wasn't getting a newer vehicle. While we were eating my brother went out to the car to "get my dad's cell phone." What he was really doing was moving my new (to me) car next to my jeep so I would see it when we walked outside! When we walked out, my dad said "Here's the keys" and pulled out Honda keys. I looked and saw the car, but couldn't believe it. It was the best surprise ever! Here are a few pictures from that day...

So, six years and 130,000 miles later, it was time to say good-bye (the odometer was at 201,000 miles!). We've taken a lot of trips and had a lot of good times in this car.

The good news is that I needed a new vehicle because I have precious cargo to protect!

It's just another life change that has made me stop and think about how blessed we are. :)

A Whole New World...

We have recently discovered that Bryson is now big enough and can hold his head up well enough to enjoy his exersauser! This has provided a whole new world for our little guy. He spent about thirty minutes in it while we cooked dinner tonight, spinning around and grabbing at all of the toys! What a fun new stage!!!

Pick of the Patch!

We visited the pumpkin patch on Saturday afternoon. I had so many visions of great pictures we were going to get- Bryson had other plans! He started screaming after only being there for about three minutes. Here are a few of the cute ones I did get. Maybe next year my visions will come true (or maybe he'll be running around so fast we won't be able to get him to sit still long enough for a picture!).

Baby Dedication Weekend

We had Bryson's baby dedication at church last weekend (on October 11th). During this special ceremony, we committed to raising Bryson in a Christ-centered home. John Free, the minister of adults at our church and a close friend of ours, performed the little ceremony. Bryson was then presented with a baby Bible. It was a really sweet time. We were so happy to have both sets of Grandparents come to stay with us so that they could be here for this special day. Matt and Shannon also came to church to be with us in honor of this special occasion.

Handsome Boy!

Three Generations of Ruple Men

Family Picture

Grandpa and Granny

Uncle Matt, Grandma, Grandpa

Laughing at Grandpa when we got to the restaurant for lunch!

Bryson was pooped by the end of lunch!

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Here are a few pictures from the rest of our weekend...

Kourtney and Jesse Fullilove were in town on Saturday for the Aggie football game and decided to come meet Bryson. We were so glad they called and came by! It was great to see them. As you can see, Bryson really loved Kourtney!

Granny and GrandpaBryson laughing at Granny

We had such a wonderful weekend. We are so thankful for Bryson and our friends and families who took time out of their busy lives to make this weekend special.

Three Months Old

Bryson celebrated his three month birthday yesterday! He has grown and changed so much (I know I keep saying that- but it's SO true!). We had our families in town this weekend for Bryson's baby dedication at church, so it was an extra special time of celebration. A few new things he is doing at three months old...

• Rubbing his eyes when he is sleepy
  
• Turning over from back to stomach and from stomach to back
  
• Occasionally holding his own bottle (this one makes me kind of sad- I like giving him his bottles!)
  
• Smiling and laughing out loud
  
• Holding his head up for LONG periods of time
  
• Eating about 7 ounces every four hours
  
• And last but not least... sleeping through the night! Last night Bryson slept from 10pm until 7:15am this morning! We are hoping this trend continues... :)

Here are a few pictures of our sweet three-month old:

Tummy-time Mat

This fun mat has fish floating in water. Bryson reaches for the fish and even pushes on them and laughs. So cute!

Laughing at Daddy!

Lying on the bed laughing at the fan

We are so grateful for the last three months and can't remember our lives without this precious little boy.

Neighborly Neighbors

Last week we asked our neighbors Daniel, Toni, Ali, and Layla to come over for dinner. We ended up picking up Pei Wei (and McDonalds for the girls), and enjoyed an evening together. Ali and Layla entertained themselves the whole time with Bryson's toys. Dinner was great and we really enjoyed the company.

Toni, Layla, and Bryson

Cute sisters!!!

It was National Neighbors Night Out, so we decided to walk down to the neighborhood park where they had food and drinks for everyone. There were several families there with their kids, and Ali and Layla had a good time running around. Bryson will be running around with them before we know it! It was a great evening.

Nancy

My Mom lost her best friend last night after a several-month long fight with malignant metastatic melanoma. Nancy was a true friend to my Mom and my family. She helped plan several details of my wedding, and even stayed at the reception hall during the ceremony to make sure everything was perfect when Jason and I arrived! She was selfless in giving to those she loved, raising children that were not her own. She and my mom were an odd pair, but the friendship between them was one of envy for many people. We are thankful that Nancy is no longer suffering but is singing in Heaven. Can't wait to see her again one day!!!

My mom has really proven a lot about her character during the last few months. She has taken Nancy to MD Anderson in Houston for scans, x-rays, treatments, and consultations. She has driven over an hour to take her dinner and just to sit with her. She has helped her daughter. Last night my Dad called to tell me the news. I asked to talk to my Mom but she was on the phone with Nancy's daughter. This makes me realize that the job of mom doesn't always end with our own children. Sometimes God has "special" jobs for us to do. I am thankful for a mom who is such a living example for me. My prayer at this time is for peace for my mom, Nancy's husband Vern, and Nancy's daughter Katie.

I will really miss Nancy's sense of humor. When we were trying to decide on Bryson's name, we told her that we were thinking of a name that started with a "B." She immediately guessed that we were going to name him Barack, and since that day has called him Baby Barack. I will never forget that. :)

Yeaaaa!

Liquid Gold???

I just found a website (thanks to my good friend Abby) and ordered a case (18 cans) of the special formula Bryson is on. I saved $5.34 PER CAN!!!!!! That's quite a bit considering we go through four cans a week. Thanks so much Abby for the good advice. Why didn't I think of this sooner?!?!

Heart Health

Well, Bryson went to daycare yesterday for the second time. And for the second time everything went great! He took two morning naps in his crib (I was worried about this being a problem since they cannot let him sleep on his stomach- I ended up taking the positioner and they propped him on his side- worked perfectly!), and was ready for an afternoon nap by the time we got home. I know that it will be hard to adjust to going back to work, but am actually kind of looking forward to getting on a more established schedule. Jason and I are both pretty social, so I think Bryson might really enjoy being with other kids for a few days during the week. Thank you Lord, for the peace I am feeling about this whole situation. Keep it coming! :)


This week my Mom to Mom study was focused on inside out living- more specifically parenting by heart. God is very interested in our "heart health."

"Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1Samuel 16:7b

This mom business is hard work. Moms make so many sacrifices every day, many times without any thanks or recognition. The thing we have to remember when we are tired or frustrated is that there is someone who sees everything we do. We should be passionate about our jobs as mothers and be fueled by the faith that the eyes of God see it all. We are doing God's work in raising these kids so that they will know Him and live for Him. What a big job!

God wants us to love Him with all our hearts, obey Him with all our hearts, and teach His Word from our hearts to our children's hearts. The Bible says:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Bind them on my forehead! God is clearly saying that these commandments he gives us are to be blatently obvious in our every day lives, so that our children will learn to love and obey Him as well.

The following verse REALLY stood out to me:

"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34b

I need to work on conditioning my heart so that love flows out of my mouth. I don't want negativity, cynisism, resentment, and/or my attitude issues pouring out onto my child(ren). The author of this study says that our heart condition makes all the difference in our parenting. And, more importantly, our children know us well enough to know our hearts. There is no hiding our truths from our kids- they are much smarter than we realize and catch onto more than we think.

The other thing I got out of this is the importance of keeping the MIT (most important thing) the MIT. I want my time with Bryson to be intentional. I want him to know that I am spending time with him because I love and value him. He is still very young, but I am now trying to limit my internet time to Bryson's nap time. I only have a few weeks left of maternity leave- and I want to use this time to focus on him. My heart needs to be with him- not elsewhere.

Linda Anderson closed with these verses:

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." Psalms 139:1-3

God cares about our heart health. If we are seeking Him, we will never cease to be amazed at the work God has done and is doing in our hearts!

New PJs

Grandma couldn't stand it any longer- she called and said she was coming to see us on Sunday! She needed to get away and needed to see Bryson. Of course this was perfectly fine with us! On Sunday evening she kept Bryson while Jason and I went out to eat alone (only the second time we've gotten to do this since Bryson's arrival!) and ran to Home Depot. On Monday we went shopping at the mall and then ate lunch at Red Lobster. We got to relax and enjoy eachother's company. Grandma brought Bryson some new pajamas. These are our favorite pajamas that can only be bough at Babies R Us. He has outgrown all of the ones he has! Thanks for coming to see us and for the sweet pajamas Grandma!

Nap Time

This is what Bryson now does for about the first fifteen minutes of nap time! He loves his mobile. I try to put him far enough under it that he can't see it (he is on his stomach)- but now he will just roll over to look at it! He smiles and laughs at it! This is definitely not helping him relax and fall asleep! What to do?!?!? He's not fussing, so I just let him enjoy it until he gets sleepy. What a sweet time!!!

So True!!!

I recently received this cute sign in the mail as a gift from one of my favorite elementary school teachers. I thought it was so cute and just wanted to share it! I needed one more thing to hang on Bryson's wall in a spot that was bare- this fit perfectly!

Growing in God's Grace

My Mom to Mom study went great yesterday! Bryson went to his daycare for the first time. He did really well and I couldn't have asked for a better first day! It seems like things are falling into place just as they are supposed to.

Mom to Mom was packed full of good information. Almost too much information to process just in the two short hours while we meet. I am definitely still chewing over this information, trying to decide how it all applies to me and what God is trying to teach me.

I'm thinking it may not be a good thing if after you answer a discussion question your entire group is silent, and the leader looks at you and says "Wow. That was really honest." What is going on here!?!?! I thought we were supposed to be honest and really share openly. More on this later...

The main focus of this lesson was on the great expectations of mothers. Our culture, our families, and our own inner voices (this is especially true for me) tell us that we have to be the everything mom- all the time! How can we do this? We are only human. The answer is that God does not put these expectations on us, and we need to focus on remembering that.

We need to step away from the "WWPT Syndrome" (what will people think) and realize that we answer only to our Lord. I have really been hit over the head lately with a few different things:

• All children are different, so parenting will look different for different people. We are given certain guidelines in the Bible for raising children, but other than that, there is no instruction manual. What works for one mom and one child probably will not work for another mom and child. I think we are so worried about what other people are thinking of us as moms because we know what we are thinking of them as moms (this is the part where I got the reaction mentioned above :). I don't try to be judgemental, I don't try to be mean-spirited, yet I catch myself talking to my husband about other parents. There are many issues with this- but the main issue is that a lot of these girls are my FRIENDS. What am I doing? I have to take control of my thoughts and words and realize that God has given us the grace to parent the children he has given us- not anyone else's kids. What makes us think we would be experts on other peoples' children?
• Now that I am a mom I have really noticed a division within the church women on parenting. It seems like everyone is talking about staying at home versus daycare versus in-home care, public school versus private school, spanking versus not spanking, etc... Again, we all have different kids and what works for one probably won't work for another. We are supposed to be lifting each other up!!! I think parenting is a really tough job; too tough to have our friends and people in our church passing judgement. I am really working on this. :)
• We need be real with each other. We need to take off the masks that we wear, and really open up our hearts so that we can experience true fellowship and the blessings that God gives us in the form of friends. Can you imagine how differently things would look if we all really did this???

Another good thing I picked up is that we can't parent by comparison. If I compare the kind of mom I am to the kind of mom my good friend is I get a skewed view. This is because I am comparing my inside to their outside-- this never works!

So.... God calls us to always remember the most important things. We are called to provide, protect, prepare, and pass it on! Of these four areas, the "protect" really stood out to me yesterday. God makes it very clear that we are to discipline our children. Linda Anderson (the author of this study) said that "an undisciplined child is an unprotected child." Wow! I've never thought of it that way. It obviously is not/will not be fun to discipline our children, but we are told to do it- by God!

"Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 22:15

Obviously I don't think this is saying we have to go out and pick a rod to use to drive foolish behavior from our children (there are books written about this!). I do think it means that we need to use whatever discipline method is working for our particular child at that time to teach them life lessons and to prepare them for adulthood. Linda went on to say that if we spare discipline in the home, we are going to have children who have difficulty coping with life's disappointments and have a distorted sense of self-entitlement. I am obviously not to this stage with my 11 week old, but this has sparked some serious conversations about our future as a family. These are conversations that need to be had now so that Jason and I will be on the same page when this time comes.

And last but not least- I am not my mom, I am not Jason's mom, I am not a perfect mom, I am not a mom like my best friend. I am a mom called to be Bryson's mom- what a wonderfully freeing realization!

I am a "Growing in God's Grace Mom." How amazing that grace is!!!