time for celebration.

i was sitting on pins and needles most of yesterday. how did i cope? i cleaned. my house is maybe the cleanest it has ever been. why was i nervous, you ask?

john was taking his final written examination to complete graduate school yesterday and i was nervous enough for the both of us. he did great (of course!) and now we have to wait for the results.

this road to a master's degree began back in the summer of 2005. burrito was 3 and noodle was not quite 1. we were living far away from the university so john had about an hour drive both ways tacked onto an already long school day. i was a newish mom of two very young boys. it was tough, to say the least.

when we moved to our new home, the commute to the university became just 20 minutes and this is when john began taking 2 classes a semester at night. another adjustment. it was tough (and sometimes a little scary) to be home alone without him at night. in a new house. with two little boys.

but we survived, and when john completed his coursework back in may, we celebrated. and when he finished his test yesterday, we celebrated.

it began with a little golf.

i love how noodle has his tongue hanging out....i do the same thing when concentrating on something!

and then with dinner at one of our favorite mexican restaurants that we don't get to frequent very often. in fact, this was the first time for the boys to eat there. and after eating the ice cream push up pop, burrito asked when we could eat there again!

congratulations john for reaching yet another milestone in your quest for a master's degree. we are so proud to call you our hubby/daddy!

praying for good test results!!!

equations

my degree is in accounting so i thought i would indulge myself with a few equations to share how i feel today...

two days of teaching 4 year old preschool + one day of teaching 3/4/5 year old bible study + being a mom to two young kids of my own = one tired mama

a day full of errands that were not accomplished earlier in the week + a messy house that is crying out for some attention = leftovers tonight for dinner

two boys who had a busy day without a nap + a mom and dad who have had busy weeks = early to bed for all 4 of us tonight

one tired mama + one tired dad + kids to bed early = couch potato night

TGIF!!!

signs of fall

chrysanthemums on the front porch

our annual scarecrows sammy and sebastian

football in long sleeves with dad in the yard

cooking chili, corn bread muffins, pot roast with veggies and this yummy brown sugar cake

we *love* the fall!

craziness

so i feel like the past few days have been full of craziness.

with the whole life without the internet thing, i feel so behind in blogging.

so this post is littered with randomness.

first up....remember noodle is taking a sports class at our local rec center. well he is loving it! he's had soccer and football, and this past week was volleyball. really? volleyball for 3-5 year olds? when i saw the regular volleyball net i was curious to see how this teacher was going to teach these kids to play volleyball. then i see her coming down the hall carrying the largest volleyball i've ever seen.

see?

it was a huge volleyball beach ball and the kids loved it! i thought it was so hysterical i had to take a picture of noodle with it. he was not agreeable to my request, thus the sheepish grin you see here.

second up....my mom and dad watched the boys while john and i went out for dinner for his birthday. i sent their pajamas so they could be ready for bed when we picked them up, and they thought it would be funny to dress like a grandpa with their shorts pulled up really high. so goofy!

and third....today i returned to the preschool i once taught at to serve as a sub for a teacher who was out. it was crazy busy but fun, and noodle absolutely loved it! it was so sweet to see him so happy and jump right into the class. he was so excited to be able to go to school like his big brother. we are set to go again this thursday...just praying for protection from germs and the evil flu that is going around!

whew! lots of craziness. but lots of fun!

life without the internet

we experienced a bit of that the past several days and it was not pretty.

the internet is just so useful.

we had a telephone line go bad in the walls of our house, but with my dad's knowledge and john's brawn, they were able to run new line saturday morning. john looked a little like the abominable snowman after crawling through insulation in the attic.

why didn't i get a picture of that? ha!

it was a good weekend, despite the phone line snafu, because we were able to celebrate john's birthday.

he opened up some presents, with a little (okay, a lot!) help from noodle and burrito.

he ate some caramel brownie cake the boys and i made and decorated. it looks a little sad but it is his favorite!

but the real star of the show was the present that only cost $8.63.


the nerf gun.

after burrito and noodle each received one of these from my mom earlier in the week, multiple darts have whizzed past my ear. there is just something about boys and weapons that i will never understand. and when i noticed john hogging one of the boys' guns a little too often, i knew what my mom should get john for his birthday. and so she did. along with 16 extra whistling darts. oh joy!

so there have been numerous wars, along with building of forts and mass chaos breaking out in our home.

happy birthday john (and thanks mom!)!

an ode to john

today is my husband's birthday.

i love that man.

i posted a similar ode last year on his birthday. that post shares how we came to know each other. i think it's a rather interesting story, but then, i am a little biased i suppose. nonetheless, it's a good read. you should check it out here.

these are just some of the many reasons i am still totally in love with him.

john you are the funniest guy i know. only you can make me laugh until i cry. you are not ashamed to do whatever it takes to get a laugh out of me. i had no idea before we were married that there was this side of you.

john you are scrappy and determined. from the basketball court to the grad school classroom, you never back down from a challenge. i love you for that.

john you are the most sacrificial server i have ever met. you do not hesitate to make me a yummy cup of coffee and a tasty snack and deliver it to my lazy bum on the couch. i rarely ever hear you grumble or complain about anything (well, except for maybe commercials and red lights!).

john you love our boys as much as i do. you are not afraid to parent them. you make a conscious effort to know them and what goes on in their little hearts. you are their best wrestling buddy, and they think you are amazing.

john you are a hard worker. you consider your job a calling and ministry. you love your students and want to see them succeed, not just in grades, but more importantly in life. you put in long hours both day and night. you never hesitate to take on extra jobs. you've done exceptionally well in grad school, while working a full time job and always placing family first.

john you love the Lord. you love His Word. you love to worship. you gently and compassionately lead me. you love me as Christ loved the Church.

i am so thankful to be mrs. john rutherford. it is still incredulous to think that no one snagged you before i did. seriously. the only reason i can fathom is that you were made by God for me.

and for that i am so thankful.

happy birthday love.

living vicariously

everyone (i think) does this at one time or another.

what does living vicariously mean?

feeling or enjoying through imagined participation the experience of others

because i would love to have another baby, but my husband does not share this same sentiment, i am living vicariously through my sister.

she is due to have a baby boy on october 23, which just happens to also be noodle's birthday. how fun is that!

i had the joy of hosting a baby shower for her (and baby sutton) in our home this past saturday and it was so fun. i am getting so excited for his impending arrival. it will be fun to have a sweet baby to love on without the late night interruptions in sleep!

the table. my mom is so gifted at this. me, not so much! i was thankful for her help.

i love monogrammed petits fours!

another creation by my mom....a cute little present tree.

this was our gift to sutton. this truck was burrito's and noodle's but we bought new decals and parts, bought stickers to spell out sutton's name on the side, and then filled the truck bed with diapers, wipes, a baby blanket and a toy for sutton. i think it turned out really cute.

now sutton, if you would just hurry up and get here so i can really start living vicariously.

quack quack.

we have this great park between our home and school. noodle and i discovered it one morning after dropping burrito off at school. i love it there in the morning when it is still cool outside, dew is still on the grass, and the early morning sun filters in through the trees.

"hmmm...do i feed this to the ducks or do i eat this myself???"

noodle and i went there yesterday morning to feed the ducks. and it was so nice, we met some friends after school too!

noodle really enjoyed launching the bread into the water.

burrito had to get in on the bread launching action.

isn't that fountain just beautiful?

and the park wouldn't be complete without a fun playground too!

if it weren't for the 2000% humidity and 95 degree heat, it would have been a perfect afternoon! ha! thanks friends for meeting us at the park!

dinner table discussion

so at dinner every night we like to ask each other about their day.

sometimes the boys cooperate and talk a lot, other nights they refuse defiantly to participate, and then there are nights when you just can't even fathom what will come out of their mouths.

case in point.

burrito in sharing about his day at school today:

me: so burrito, tell me about your day today.

burrito: we had music, and p.e. and played in centers.

john: really? what center did you play in?

burrito: home living. i was playing with weston and grayson. weston was the baby. grayson and i were the mom and dad. no, we weren't the mom and dad. we pretended the mom and dad were dead. they were in heaven with jesus.

me: really? that is using your imagination! (trying to put a positive spin on the fact that the mom and dad were dead!) so you and grayson were like the older brothers, then?

burrito: yes, we were the older brothers. and we had to take care of the baby and feed him and stuff.

me: what did you feed the baby?

burrito: soda! (in a tone like "duh mom! don't you know babies drink soda?" and we don't even use the word soda in our house. we don't even drink soda in our house! where does he come up with this stuff?!?!?)

and john and i burst out in uncontrollable laughter! i promise that this is exactly what was said at our dinner table tonight by our 5 year old. insane!

cooking up a birthday

sunday night we had the joy of celebrating our friend, e's first birthday. it is hard for me to believe that it has been a year since we went to visit her in the hospital when she was born last year. it was such a sweet moment for me to see our boys sit in the floor and play with her. we've been friends with her parents since before we had kids and we've shared a lot of memories with them.

happy 1st birthday e! we love you!

and today is also our neighbor k's 12th birthday. since today was noodle's cooking with mom day, we made her a chocolate birthday cake. noodle really thought it was awesome that i let him use the beater to mix up the cake. it was sweet for the boys to have an opportunity to literally love our neighbor. they hand delivered the cake this afternoon and k was so excited.

and i was able to talk to my sweet friend julie today who just gave birth to her fourth child, her first son, on sunday. you might remember that julie is the one who introduced john to me and is a dear sweet friend to both of us. congratulations julie, mark and girls on the new baby BOY!

all these babies and birthdays had me thinking a lot today about babies. and then i hear this on family life today on the radio. if you are still wondering if your family is complete, should you have more kids, should you have kids at all, please take 25 minutes to listen to this broadcast. it still has me thinking and in fact, i have it playing on the computer right now for john to listen to as he grades papers.

take a listen and let me know what you think. in the meantime, i am meditating on these words:

Psalm 127

A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF SOLOMON. Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 128

A SONG OF ASCENTS. Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
6 May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!

it's never too early to DIY...

my many thanks go to home depot for the fun opportunities they afford my boys to practice their DIY skills. every first saturday of the month HD provides a wood project for kids to complete alongside their parents. we've built birdhouses, boats and other things i've since forgotten.

the boys really love to bang the nails in with the hammer!

this month they built a bean bag toss toy to celebrate the kickoff of college football season. a project that just keeps on giving. love it. just like we love college football season!

happy labor day!

a week of firsts...

this week has had its fair share of firsts....

first time for burrito to ride in a booster seat. just looking at this picture makes me want to puke. seriously, where has the time gone? we bought the booster for john's car and to use for field trips at school this year. i love my britax marathon carseat but i cannot subject myself to moving that thing anymore. it's beastly!

burrito had donuts with dad at school on tuesday so john took him to school (another first for the year), and i think burrito was more excited about the booster seat than the donuts, and that's saying a lot!

first time to ever paint sun catchers. and the first time to ever make a thanksgiving craft 2 months before thanksgiving!

we actually did these last week when burrito was home from school sick. noodle and i had seen these at hobby lobby, and i knew this would buy me some momentary happiness while we were stuck at home. the boys LOVE doing crafts, and this was no exception. i think they turned out rather cute. don't you?

first time for noodle to go to a sports class. he is registered at our rec center for this and today was his first day. they learned about soccer today, and he came out beaming! i have a feeling he's going to be our little sports guy!

first time to buy a vacuum cleaner since we were married over 6 years ago! and can i say that i am in love??? it arrived in the mail today and i've already vacuumed and dusted the whole house. nothing like a new vacuum for some cleaning motivation. now seeing as how i am the proud owner of this vacuum for only one day, i don't guess it makes me much of an authority on the subject when i say this is the BEST vacuum ever!

seriously, i like to do research before buying anything more than $20 (ha!) and the reviews just couldn't have been any better. now for all you dyson lovers out there, i've never used a dyson (though i've admired them from a distance) so i can't honestly compare them, but for half the price of a dyson, i think this one stacks up to its competition.  and to tell you the best secret of all....i got my brand new hoover off ebay for $222.50 and that is including shipping! this thing retails for $299 plus tax in the stores. i love a good deal!!!

a night out

i know i am not the only one who needs a night out every now and then. tonight was one of those nights. this week has been busy and it's the kind of busy that you can't even name but it still feels so busy!

so when john called to say he was on his way home i suggested we go out for dinner. so we did. to one of my most favorite places.

and it was great. no one was there so it was quiet and relaxed. the food was yummy. there were no incompetent waiters/waitresses to frustrate me. and i had my three favorite boyfriends with me.


thank you LORD for a night out!

anticipation

is it weird to be in love with a vacuum cleaner? if it is, then i guess it has been confirmed, i am weird.

the hoover platinum bagged lightweight upright vacuum. i love this vacuum, and i don't even have it in my possession yet. but oh it is coming. unfortunately its whereabouts is only known by the usps.

while i wait for its anticipated arrival, i am going on a vacuum cleaning strike. the old vacuum sits in the garage, and that is where it shall remain. until the new one comes. i can't wait.

i am weird.