Valentine's Day 2012

Happy Valentine's Day! I am so excited to share these pictures from our mini-session with the talented Mrs. Shannon Morton. She called it the "Sugar Rush" session. Bryson was definitely enjoying the cookies!

 Adding a lipstick kiss to his sweet little cheek...

 The hubs surprised me this morning with flowers and chocolate covered strawberries from The Farm Patch. De. Lic. Ious!

 Valentine's for Bryson's friends--

{I found the idea on pinterest and you can see it here.}

 Tonight we are going to our homechurch. Looking forward to spending Valentine's Day with sweet friends!

"7"

I finished this book a few weeks ago. I flew through it, actually, soaking up almost every word. So many things applied to us, well to me, actually. I just love the idea behind this project, and have applied a lot of it to our lives. My husband is tired of me going through his drawers. The other night I overheard him tell a friend "Our junk drawer isn't even junky anymore!"

The bottom line is we don't need so much stuff. There is so much more to living simply, with family and friends being the main priority. I could go on and on, but I will spare you my ramblings. I would definitely say though, that this is a MUST read! {Did I mention the author Jen Hatmaker lives in my hometown of Buda, TX?!}

Here is a glimpse of what you will find buried in the pages of "7":

"So yes, eating is still a starting player, but being in each other's homes cooking and sharing food together is delightful. Eating a meal in a restaurant is one thing, but friends padding around barefoot in your kitchen and chopping carrots for your soup and sipping their coffee on your deck is another creature altogether. This exits the expediency of consumerism and enters the realm of hospitality.

There is something so nourishing about sharing your living space with people where they see your junk mail pile and pee wee football schedule on the fridge and pile of shoes by the front door. Opening your home says, "You are welcome into my real life." This square footage is where we laugh and hold family meetings and make homemade corn dogs and work through meltdowns. Here is the railing our kids pulled out of the wall. This is the toilet paper we prefer. These are the pictures we frame, the books we're reading, the projects we're undertaking- the raw material of our family. It's unsanitized and truthful. We invite you into this intimate place, saturated with our family character.

Maybe this is why hospitality was big to the early church. Living life together in the sacred spaces of our homes is so unifying. When our Christian forerunners were persecuted and misunderstood, when belief in Jesus was dangerous and isolating, they had one another. They had dinner around the table. They had Sabbath together. They had soft places to fall when they traveled. Safe in the home of a fellow Christ follower, they could breathe, pray, rest. What a gift."

And one more thing...

"Love God most. Love your neighbor as yourself. This is everything.

If we say we love God, then we will care about the poor.

This earth is God's and everything in it. We should live like we believe this.

What we treasure reveals what we love.

Money and stuff have the power to ruin us.

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God. This is what is required."

Happy Valentine's Day!

Team Caroline Update

Hello Everyone!

We are quickly approaching the Armadillo Dash on March 4th. We have had an amazing response so far, and just want to make sure that everyone gets to participate who wants to. So, here are the details (once again!):

If you want to participate in the Armadillo Dash and be a part of Team Caroline, go to their website and sign up for either the 5k or the half marathon. Then email me with your shirt size. If you want a regular t-shirt The Ground Crew, LLC is donating them (thanks, Scott!), and if you would like a technical shirt we need you to pay the difference of $10. So- head over to their website and sign up if you haven't already!

The other way to participate is to donate money. If you want to do this you can make your check payable to the Spina Bifida Association and mail it to me at 3912 Latinne Lane, College Station, TX 77845. You can also donate via credit card on our Spina Bifida Association web page.

We have already raised $1,260 and are well on our way to our goal of $2,500! We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated! Your donations will make a difference in the lives of those with Spina Bifida and we appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Now onto race weekend--- on Saturday night we will be at the Koppe Bridge restaurant on Hwy 30 from 6pm-9pm. This is a large, open, very casual restaurant (hamburgers) where you order your food and pay for it. The kids can run around. We were trying to think of a place where people can come and go. So, if you will be in town that night we would love to see you!

Sunday morning we would like to all meet before the race(s) to get a group picture. More details to come on that...

Whew! I think I covered everything! The main thing is to let me know by FRIDAY if you are going to participate in the race. I am turning in the shirt order on Monday morning.

Again, we are so thankful for each of you and for the support you have provided throughout the last several months. We are so blessed and are looking forward to spending the weekend with you, honoring our precious girl!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Have a blessed week!

Tubes {Round 2}

On January 16th Bryson woke up with blood all in the bed and in his right ear. A quick trip to the urgent care clinic revealed a busted ear drum and an ear infection. He was started on antibiotics and we were sent home. Later that week we followed up with our pediatrician. She said that ear was so full of blood and other gunk that she couldn't visualize the eardrum at all. She recommended that we wait a few weeks and then follow up with the ENT.

We went to see Dr. Simon at Scott and White about ten days later. He gave the same report that our pediatrician did. We were sent home and told to put peroxide drops in Bryson's ear twice daily for a week and then come back. The peroxide was supposed to break up all the blood so that the ENT could see the eardrum.

Fast forward another ten days and the blood had not budged.

We were taken into a procedure room where three of us held Bryson down while the doctor tried to pull the blood out. He could not get it and my poor baby screamed so hard that he busted little blood vessels in his little face. It was horrible! The little dots in this picture are not freckles! They are bruises! :(

 

 Since he couldn't get it out and still couldn't see what was going on with the eardrum, he recommended surgery.

So, we had an appointment with the operating room today. It was probably great timing because Bryson started running a temperature of 101.5 degrees last night! The ear infections were continuing so we definitely feel like we made the right decision with surgery. The doctor said that the blood was coming from inside of his eardrum and slowly building up. The clot was huge! The doctor seemed to be in shock at the size of it, and so were we. Poor baby- I can't imagine having that stuck in my ear all this time!

Anyways, the doctor gave us the blood clot and the tubes {he replaced them both}. Sort of a weird keepsake but I definitely wanted to take a picture of one of the tubes before chunking them in the trash {the container that they came home in does not. smell. good.}.

  Bryson was a trooper! He woke up happy after surgery and took a nap at his regular nap time. We have been giving him Motrin regularly but he has not had any fever.

 Grandma's glasses...

We are so thankful to have this surgery behind us! Looking forward to having a happy, healthy boy!

Words to Remember

Last night when I was getting Bryson out of the bathtub he pretended to bite me. Here is how the conversation went:
Bryson: "I don't bite."
Me: "That's right, we don't bite. That's not nice."
Bryson: "I don't hit Daddy, either." {shaking his head from side to side}
Me: "That's right. What happens when you hit Daddy?"
Bryson: {with a really straight face} "He cries really hard."

Bryson to Spider Man {also in the tub}:
"Now you sit right there like a big boy. Don't move and I'll be right back. Okay?"

When I was tucking Bryson into bed I told him that I loved him and that Daddy loved him. Then I threw in "Jesus loves you." He promptly replied in his best singing voice "This I know. For the Bible tells me so..." And I sat there while he sang. The. Whole. Song. Melted my heart!

Jason just left to go running. He is trying to get in shape to run in the 5k for Team Caroline. He has been sick and hasn't run in a while. Last words out the door: "If I'm not back in 30 minutes call EMS." And the clock is ticking...

Clearing the Clutter

Confession #1,243:  Today I went into my neighbor's backyard, took his trashcan, filled it with our trash, set it out to be dumped by Mr. Trashman, then hauled it back into his yard.

I did put a nice note on his front door, explaining that we were extra trashy this week as I have been cleaning my entire house, and thanked him for letting me use his {completely EMPTY} trashcan. Who has an EMPTY trashcan {that is a whole other blog post, though}??? Anyways, the trash was dumped with the trashcan back in his backyard and note removed from said front door before he even got home. I feel like some sort of top secret ninja who completed a very special assignment today. At least I accomplished something. :)  {We will see what the therapist says about that!}

Anyways, the whole point of me outing myself is to document what has been going on in the Ruple house for the past few weeks. I have had the incredible urge to get. rid. of. things. Things that have been in closets for the past four years without being touched. Things that are never used. Things that we simply do. not. need.

I have been purging and it has felt good. One of my best friends {who also happens to be a Licensed Counselor} says that after going through something like we have been through I should wait at least 6 months to actually get rid of any of the "things" that are now piled to the ceiling in my garage. Ain't happening here! {Sorry, Jen!} I am organizing and getting rid of the excess. I mean really- who really NEEDS nine 9"x13" casserole dishes? I guess I have been holding out in case everyone we know decides to come over for dinner at the same time. And blankets? We have WAY too many that are trying desperately to escape the hall closet. It is a miracle that door closes at all.

So, it is all going. Need versus want. Use verses sitting in a space for way too long.

This has been good for me in so many ways. It has given me something to do with my hands while my mind tries to start the journey of dealing with everything that just unfolded in our lives. It has given my house a fresh and clean feeling. It has really made me realize how much we have, and how we NEED nothing. It will hopefully bless others as we give items specifically where we know they are needed, and it will earn us a little bit of extra cash if we can sell the rest in a garage sale.

Perspective is a beautiful thing. A thing I need reminding of so often.

By chance I have run across this book several times in the last few weeks.

I purchased it at Sam's and almost can't put it down. It is an extreme experiment with some amazing life applications. It seems so unrelated to my circumstances, but God is using it to teach me so much.

Last night I read this:

"Our stories affect one another whether we know it or not. Sometimes obedience isn't for us at all, but for another. We don't know how God holds the kingdom in balance or why He moves a chess piece at a crucial time; we might never see the results of his sovereignty. But we can trust Him when He says press on, cling to hope, stay the course. He is always at work, even if the entire thread is hidden. I might just be one shade of one color of one strand, but I'm part of an elaborate tapestry that goes beyond my perception."

Then this:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Hebrews 12:1-3

Pretty powerful stuff. I am amazed over and over again to see God working through all of this ugliness. But more than amazed, I am humbled and so thankful.