Back to Work!

On October 20th I went back to work for the first time since Bryson was born. To say that it was a hard week doesn't even begin to describe what we went through. My sweet husband brough flowers home to show his support. I know that I had a much harder time with it than Bryson did. We have had a few rough days at the daycare, but for the most part he is doing great with it! He has three other babies in his classroom, one other boy and two girls. He gets to play all day and seems to be doing great with the adjustment. As hard as it is, I am actually enjoying being back at work (am I allowed to say that?? :) and doing what I love- taking care of people. I think that these 2-3 days a week of work/daycare will be good for our family. Time will tell!

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.