Myrtle Beach Mini Vacay :)

Happy spring, friends!

Thanks to the Army's support and encouragement for united couples and families, every few months it provides funds for a weekend away to focus on couples and their families (on their dime to boot!). It is specifically intended to be a marriage retreat, but the couples with children are invited and there is plenty of time for play with your kids. Not every couple in the squadron takes advantage (their loss in our opinion), but we Ruffs have been given the opportunity three times now.

This time we went to Myrtle Beach, SC- a new trip location for us. Thankfully, the weather warmed up the days prior to our trip and we woke up to this view Saturday morning:

Our morning was spent in session while Aidan played with tons of kids. He had a blast, and duly impressed the workers with his cheery attitude, his friendliness, and his ever energetic spirit to throw, catch and follow a ball. As if need a reminder of that! But it brings such joy to us to know others see just how wonderful our little man is. And when picking him up after a few hours of sitting in session, his huge smile, giggle and immediate dropping of whatever he was doing in order to run to us just does our hearts good :)

Following our session, we all had lunch, which was super exciting for Aidan. Maybe it was the food, maybe it was the time to finally see Mama and Papa, maybe it was the view out the restaurant window, maybe it was the friend he was playing with (cough, cough, the GIRL playing with him)...

Naptime came for three very tired Ruffs after lunch, and it ended all too soon. But the beach was calling us! The day was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. There was a slight breeze, the humidity was low, the sun was high in the sky. We got in our swimsuits, gathered our towels and beachtoys, and looked for some friends to enjoy the opportunity to hit the sand. This was not Aidan's first time visiting the beach, but the first time, he was a bit young and ended up pretty scared. The second time was in the winter, meaning his time there was not long due to the cold temperature. This time, though, he was ready to go. The first few steps were an experience, bringing some confusion and dislike. Gradually, it became a fun time...especially once he had some friends (again, girls) and toys to play with...

After our family afternoon, Eric and I had a date night. In fact, a double date night with some good friends of ours. We traveled (quite speedily due to being late) to Medieval Times, where we cheered on the Yellow Knight for all we were worth. Correction: our husbands cheered and booed and caused enough noise for every other person in the arena while Ashley and I sat together and just laughed at them. And occasionally pretended that we were not with them. Thanks to our overgrown officers for a night full of laughter and fun. We traveled to the boardwalk following that entertainment and met up with a few other couples to people watch (ie- find the people partying St Patty's Day a bit much, the cheerleaders grouped together practicing their cheers for the competition the next day, the weird outfits that people tend to find attractive, etc), to laugh at the man eating fish, and to eat some bad custard. No joke- it was gross.

All in all, a fantastic weekend. It was full of so much fun and laughter and great memories. The Lord has blessed us with some great opportunities to learn and live with some awesome people here in Ft Bragg. This weekend gave Eric and I a renewed spirit of uniting our family with a purpose and goal while most importantly, making our marriage most important in life.

This past week and weekend showed us how fantastic the weather is right now. So while the calendar says happy spring, we Ruffs wish you a happy summer. We plan on taking advantage of it this time around: weekend trips here and there, outdoor games, walks with friends, and whatever we can do to enjoy our time together as a family here in Fayetteville.

My (Little) Big Helper

I have the joy of declaring that I officially have a great little helper.

I don't have to put dirty clothes on the floor into the basket; they are put away for me. Of course, they aren't organized the way I like or anything, but they are picked up.

When hanging up shirts, I don't have to reach for hangars as they are handed to me. Granted, I tend to hang shirts up a bit slower than my helper deems right.

Once dirty diapers are put into their trash bags, I don't have to get up and put them into the trash bag because my little helper does it for me.

Toys are regularly picked up from wherever they are lying around. Small problem- they are simply moved to lay in another location, not in its intended "put away" spot.

As soon as I begin to prepare us all to go out, Aidan's shoes and mine are gathered and given to me. Sadly, the shoes picked tend to be the shoes I was not planning on wearing because they just don't match :/

I don't have to bend to put clothes from the washer into the dryer. I need to simply gather the clothes from the washer and hand them to my helper, who then places them into the dryer and closes the door.

But, again, small problem: I simply want to dry my clothes, not my son. What happens when my little helper puts himself in the dryer along with the wet clothes???

Oh Lord, thank you for the many blessings that you have given me in this life.

Rainy Days are No Fun

...Thankfully those days are made a little bit better by pudding

:)

My Life in a Nutshell

Sleep? I've no idea what that is. Naps are the way to go.

Energy? Again, no clue as to what it is, as any I may have is long gone due to running after an ever energetic baby boy.

I call my son baby boy and instantly tell myself to stop. he's a big boy now. As if he will ever stop being my baby.

Son numbah two is mean. He doesn't believe in resting until Mama is sick. Seriously.

My refrigerator is full of chicken and veggies, my pantry full of beans. Husband's diet is yucky to a pregnant woman. And a toddler too, apparently. We all look forward to cheat day :)

Can someone come clean my house for me? Please? But let me know when you come so I'm not too embarrassed by its disgustingness. Thank you, Lord, for an understanding husband.

I desperately wish we were still having block leave. Why can't block leave be all year round with only two weeks of work? I like that idea a lot :)

That being said, my pity party is over and I give you the joy in my life.
My amazing, loving huzbhand.
My hilarious, sweet little big boy.
My son numbah two that just can't come soon enough for me so I can meet him.
My ever encouraging and fun friends. I never fail to laugh and be uplifted when with them.
My all emcompassing, merciful and faithful God.

Who says life is hard??

Confession Time

As I come up with the title, I don't know if I am necessarily really needing to confess or apologize for my lack of writing. I initially warned anyone reading this (does anyone in fact read this?) that I would not consistently write. However, I do enjoy having this opportunity to put thoughts to paper (blog).

This new year has brought about a new me...or one I'm trying to be. Eric and I spent much of Eric's block leave at home, spending time just relaxing or catching up on things ignored or (in my case, avoided) for months. We traveled with the little man to Brigantine, NJ for a much needed weekend away before getting back into the swing of things. Since then, I have recognized my choice of living has not been one I am most proud of.

My life consists of me, my husband and my son. Doesn't sound too bad, right? My focus, however, has not been as adequately been on my service to them or to God as it should be. I am shamed to admit it, and thankfully shamed enough to do something about it. This life is not mine, and I have selfishly made it all about me. Praise the Lord, times are changing, and so are my thoughts and actions and, well, life.

Getting involved with church has terrified me for years- ever since getting married and having to leave a place that i truly called home. I was finally convinced last fall to join a mothers group, and am now again stepping out and joining a women's Bible study. In the midst of all this, I always knew I would join things, but wouldn't worry so much about the getting involved and known thing. It's now changing, and I find myself excited, joyous, more at peace. I crave your prayers on this, because it is so hard for me to step out and reach rather than allow others to do the work for me. It was so easy for so long, but being in new and different places demands new and different actions. I never took that to heart, but now I am and I truly am seeing God working already.

Lord willing, my heart, my life and actions will still be focused on my family, but with the sole purpose of glorifying God through it all. Will all of you, what, 2,3 readers of mine take a moment and think through your actions of late and see who they were made for? Why they were made?

I am exhausted just writing these words. I also recognize my need for some more alone time without a computer and with my God. May my son continue to sleep :)

Oh, in other news, we're having a baby...but not just any baby, another boy. No, we don't have a name- Aidan wasn't Aidan until the week he was due. We'll be lucky if we can agree on a name sooner than that! Papa and big brother are very happy...Mama is just plain exhausted :) And craving kit kats. Anyone wants to send some love my way, make sure it includes those please!

I send my love to you, but most importantly, my renewed joy.

2012? Oh, we live there!!

Who knew we would ever reach the year two thousand and twelve? It's hard enough to believe this little family survived 2011...maybe we'll just sleep the entire next year to make up for everything that's happened.

Things like Papa being gone for three freaking months to Ranger School, kicking butt as always.

Things like having a little boy running around trying to taste and tear apart and throw everything not nailed into the ground.

Things like taking command of a troop and FRG with no prior training.

Things like...the list can go on and on.

Seriously, though, this past year has been terrifyingly awesome. (I think I can add the word awesome into that phrase because I am now looking back on all that's happened.) It has been a year that has thrown us for more loops than we could have imagined, given us more hurdles and mountains that seemed way too high, and caused us quite a few opportunities to cry and wish this all on someone else- ok, that may have just been me.

I must say that looking back, I have learned more things I wish I had done differently but do not regret one minute of it. As a family and as individuals we were tested and grew as a result. I praise God that it is over, and (not so) anxiously wait to see what he has in store for us next year.

Eric, Aidan and I have been doing splendidly this past month. Since our change of command (out of leadership) mid December, we have taken the opportunity to relish not fearing a phone call demanding Papa to go into work as well as just relax and rest with one another. That time has been sorely missed these past three months of command. Christmas was wonderful; we've had two already, and a third to celebrate this coming weekend. Gosh do I love December. Birthdays and many Christmas celebrations!! Aidan is our official present unwrapper; he also attempts to be the official wrapping paper dispenser as well. Yuck. I look forward to the day when "no" literally means "no" to him.

Attached is our Christmas letter that we mailed out amidst the chaos of life. It's an extremely brief summary of our year- if I was to tell you all about it, we'd be here till 2013. At least.

2011 was a year that had many ups and downs, highs and lows. I look forward to seeing what more 2012 has to offer.

Happy New Year everyone! Oh, and rather than just looking forward to next year, I recommend looking back on this past year. Have you grown? Did you learn something? Are you thankful for something or better yet someone? What changed? Every year brings about some kind of change or difference. Don't forget where you were so as not to forget who you truly have become.




On a serious note, though, does anyone know how to convince your child not to eat or pull apart or throw anything and everything??

Grumpypants to Gratefulpants

The past few weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving weekend was quite a trial for me.

I had chosen to be closed minded and place my focus solely on the negative aspects in life. On top of that, I got so down and frustrated with the world's choice to mostly ignore and forget about Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas. The only positive thing about Thanksgiving seemed to be the extra days off of work, the fantastic food, the great shopping deals. The meaning of the holiday seemed forgotten. Obscure.

Eric and I have followed a tradition begun by his parents; prior to Thanksgiving breakfast, each of us at the table present five items we are thankful for. Normally I spend the days before the meal thinking of what I am thankful for- sure, I was thankful for the children the Lord has blessed us with, an amazing and supportive husband- but what else? Why can't I see what else the Lord has blessed me with?

By the time family arrived and I had begun preparing breakfast for the next day, I finally started to recognize what my heart refused to see. I allowed everything seemingly going wrong in my world- being so sick with this pregnancy, struggling to handle Aidan's sudden surge of energy and stubbornness, depression at Thanksgiving being demoted, wishing for more time with my ever busy husband, etc. Once I recognized and submitted my failure to see God rather than the world, I suddenly saw just how much my family and I have been blessed.

Praise the Lord for his goodness and mercy; praise the Lord for loving someone as misguided and unfocused as me.


To sum everything up, the food was quite yummy, the family time unforgettable, the shopping good, and the time to be reminded of just how good my God is was priceless.

Oh, and of course a few pictures. Of course, I was too busy, sick or exhausted to do much as this growing baby is taking up just about all of my energy and health, so my mom was good enough to take some pictures. Here are just a few:

A tasty view of a Thanksgiving dinner plate at the Southern Ruff house

Our sleepy, full and quite content little family

What woman couldn't be thankful for what she has so clearly been blessed with?

Smileytimes!!

Yep, I've definitely got my thankful pants on.