more cutie photos...

Edited some more today, when I should have been editing photos I'm getting paid to take. shhhhh.....

Fall is here!

We were scheduled for a family photo session this past weekend, but I was sick and the kids both had a cold, so we decided to reschedule. Sadly, I think the rescheduled date will be after all the beautiful fall colors, so I decided to take the kids over to our lovely park for a mini photo shoot. With wipes in hand for crusty, slimy noses and the promise of playground time for good behavior, we were off.

Incidentally, Lyla's hair stood up on it's own for the entire following day after this barrette.

little pumpkin

My mom got Lyla this adorable outfit for Halloween and I'm determined we'll get her money's worth out of it. Before the cheerios came out for lunch, I snapped a couple of photos.

Bring the rain...

I keep forgetting to post this, but a month or so ago (really, it could have been three months, but I can't keep up with the pace time flies), a friend sent me a link to an amazing blog. I'm gonna post it below, but first I want to warn you - you WILL want to read each and every post on it, so give yourself a good ten hours to sit down with it. Change the baby's diaper and make a pile of food to get the toddlers through the day while you're glued to the screen.

The blog is called "Bring the Rain" and Angie perfectly explains it's title. It's the most powerful thing on the internet I've ever read. (Sidenote - I just had to stop typing because Owen came over and asked "do you want to squeeze my muscle mom?" - feeding the male ego starts so early). You will cry and laugh the most authentic tears and belly-gripping chuckles ever. I promise. Really. She ministers in the way I believe Jesus would if he were a girl. Very truthful, real, easy to connect with her heart accounts of daily life. And super pictures. And a great affection for Target and a good clearance rack.

Start from the beginning. She has a link on the side that says if you're new, you can click it to start from the first post.

Without further delay, go to wwww.audreycaroline.blogspot.com.

And if you're kids (or, GASP, your husbands) go hungry, don't say I didn't warn you.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

It's been a month of birthdays - and all favorite people of ours! Today we are celebrating Kevin's dad, aka Grandpa. Always ready with a smile and quirky remark, Owen and Lyla are especially fond of their Grandpa. I love that he has a special activity or nickname for all the grandkids. Since he was a little guy, Owen has always loved "marching" with Grandpa. He would put on some old music with a funny beat and they would march for hours it seems, often until Owen was asleep. More recently, Owen has learned the art of fishing from Grandpa. They love to compare all the lures and spinner thingys, and typically end up resorting to worms and a good old bobber to make the catch.

Lyla beams in delight as she hears Grandpa coming for his "Lyla Lou," to which Owen always reminds him that is, in fact, not her name. Still sounds fun.

Happy Birthday Grandpa! Hope you can blow out all those candles! And if not - I'm sure there's a lawyer or Democrat somewhere we can blame.

We love you!

Happy Birthday Grandma, Grandpa and Granddaddy!

Oh my goodness, I'm so behind here! Last week marked a significant birthday for Grandma (Kevin's mom), but I'm not telling which one! We spent it with her in Rhinelander and had a fantastic time! There are lots of things we love about Grandma - her kind spirit (I mean LITERALLY I've never heard her say a mean word about anyone), fabulous sense of style and decor, her love of a good bargain (remember Mom, it's only a bargain if you need it) and relentless coupon clipping (I have diaper coupons that expired before I met Kevin). Then there's the plethora of toys she has saved for 30 plus years, which her grandkids now treasure too. And her yummy cooking. Most of all, we love the way she cares so deeply and unapologetically for her family. Happy Birthday!

The same day marked my Granddaddy's 89th birthday. Somewhere along the way, it becomes okay again - and almost a pride point - to share your age. Of course, Grandad thinks he's 30 still, working like a madman in the yard and garden. I swear if his tomatoes and corn aren't in Heaven, I may have to reconsider Jesus. And speaking of Jesus, my grandad is by far the closest comparison I have ever encountered. NEVER a mean word has come from his mouth. He shares well beyond measure of all he has with all he meets. I have SO many memories growing up with him where we would take dinner or groceries to someone in need, visiting churches and nursing homes, and even handing out government cheese and milk to those who could not afford to feed their families. His garden has fed hundreds of people over the years. And somehow it never runs out. I could go on and on, but really you just need to meet him just once in your life. Love you Grandad! (and YES, he does read the blog occassionally)

And finally, this weekend marked my own Dad's birthday as well! Must be a good week to be born. Growing up, I have so many fun memories of Dad working on the farm - teaching me to grow Kentucky's cash crop (the legal one - tobacco), drive a tractor, then moving on to "Big Green" and "Sweet Betsy," an old farm truck and two-ton truck respectively. Somehow I feel I learned more working with him on the farm in the summers than I ever did in an office or retail shop. He also had a healthy love of Marlena Evans on "Days of Our Lives," which ensured a 12:00 sharp lunch break every day. More recently, I've enjoyed watching him spend time with my kids as they look on adoringly. I hope Owen looks to him for golf lessons, considering I can't even hit the ball. And perhaps he and Lyla will enjoy some court time playing "HORSE" with him - sorry Dad, they're still gonna root for the Illini though. Happy Birthday!

And I'd be a stinky wife if I failed to mention the man of my dreams also celebrated his birthday in the last couple of weeks! Kevin is completely modest when it comes to celebrations revolving around him, so we spent the evening with friends at a reception for a retreat he recently attended. Then we made s'mores in Rhinelander instead of a cake. An amazing friend, husband and father, I am incredibly blessed to be Mrs. Kevin Ruff! Happy Birthday Honey!

Rhinelander '08

It was almost exactly one year ago that we spent a few days in Rhinelander with Kevin's parents in their newly renovated cottage on the lake. Last year, I was shopping for long sleeved maternity clothes because the weather was 40 degrees. This year Mother Nature was kinder - it was sunny and 75 every day.

Owen started the trip off with an 11 inch wide mouthed bass - needless to say, he was "hooked" on fishing. He spent the better part of the weekend standing on the pier casting his pole (which Grandpa found at a garage sale for a steal). Lyla soaked up the sun and waves at Hodag Beach - she was in Heaven!

Kevin and his dad definitely enjoyed several hours a day of fishing - but neither could beat my biggest fish catch - a 14 inch bass! Just goes to show girls really are better - and more efficient. I keep reminding Kevin it only took me 30 minutes and one beer to catch the big one.

The north woods of Wisconsin are a stunning display of God's creative nature. I could not have asked for a more beautiful sunset anywhere. And so glad I had a camera to capture it.









I love these at sunset with Kevin and the kids...















And the best for last...

that was easy...

Monday morning, 8am conversation at the Ruff house...

Owen: "Mom have we ever been to Disneyland?"

Mom: "Disneyworld, but not Disneyland. That's in California."

Owen: "Can we go to California to see Disneyland?"

Mom: "Probably not honey. It's very expensive and we'd have to save lots of money."

Owen: (hands out to the side, with a quick witty thinking face) "Well, we could just get the easy button. It saves you LOTS of money."

Thank you Staples. Perhaps I could bill them for the tickets.

paint job #4...

This is my fourth - and hopefully final - paint job on Lyla's band.

For all those faithful, observant fans out there - you may be saying to yourself "did I miss something? I only remember the pink dots and purple band..." Don't rush for the Ginko Biloba just yet. You're right - sort of. For you see friends, I could not possibly post paint job #3. I am too much a perfectionist and worry what others think to allow you to see the ugly grass green paint I subjected her cuteness to. Sorry sweet girl.

Here is a much cuter creation...

I am your Father...

Owen had not so suddenly developed an obsession with Darth Vader. He's always been intrigued by "the dark side," in the form of Halloween Costumes and the Halloween house on our block. Think of the creepiest, bloodiest, strangest decorations you can - then multiply it by ten and voila! The Halloween House. So really it should come as no surprise to me that He would love Darth.

Thanks to the McMarketing geniuses of the world, our kids can be obsessed with characters way beyond their viewing age. Think Spiderman, Hulk, Star Wars, Batman - movies no four year old should possibly be able to view, lest we never get our beds to ourselves again. But somehow McDonald's still has a toy for them. ick.

Anyway, we were in the Gap last week because I had a coupon begging to be used and my husband was at a baseball game for the night (read - I wasn't up for four more hours in my home alone with two kids). Owen spotted the new Junk Food t-shirts - you know, the cool old school ones pre-washed so many times that if you sneezed on them a hole would surely appear? There he was - Darth - in all his glory. On a cream colored tee.

For those who have yet to spend a day with Owen - let's just say he's akin to an F4 tornado when it comes to a mess. A cream colored $22 Darth tee would be multiple shades of brown and blue by the end of the hour. Wasn't happening. Oh but he wanted it so. Still not happening.

Then came last Tuesday. We enrolled in a Food Allergy study with Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Apparently, Children's is hoping to become the national research center for food allergies. They are taking 1,000 families and testing them yearly via a scratch and blood test to see if there are genetic markers for allergies. And some other stuff too that I'm too tired to remember right now. Owen's peanut allergy is such a severe one that it is caused with even tiny inhaled amounts, so they were not able to skin/scratch test him because he would be "exposed" and therefore potentially have a bad reaction. In retrospect, this was more than good - sitting still for 15 minutes - well, remember the F4 thing.

I am a woman who believes that being up front and truthful is the best way to handle most any situation. Perhaps I should just reconsider the timing of my disclosures. Owen knew way too soon he was getting a shot. For two days he cried at the thought of them sticking him. So in an effort to bribe him for bravery, I promised the Darth Vader shirt for a good visit to the study. I knew this would still not calm his fears, but would at least give him a pleasant outcome to look forward to (and something nice for us to talk about instead of the shots).

Fast forward to the study (which technically is rewind now for you). Tiny room, lots of people, a million questions, the New York Post (doing a story on the family ahead of us), hungry baby, thirsty kid, blah blah blah. You surely get the picture. I guess if you're gonna do something unpleasant, may as well go all out, huh? The nurses allowed us to at least keep Owen and Lyla in separate rooms for the blood draw. Kevin went with Owen and I with Lyla. Really, there was no good choice bad choice here, because both were equally terrible. I'll spare the details, but let's just say that finding a vein in a chubby armed eight month old is a challenge for even a world class children's hospital. I can only imagine what moms with very ill children go through on a daily basis there. My heart sinks for and with them.

For Owen, the physical pain was very minimal. It was the fear and anticipation that was overwhelming for his little spirit. And as I watch and listen - knowing the outcome will be relatively painless, I can't help but think God must somehow feel this way about me too. I kick and scream about so much, when really the pain is so minimal in the end. Well, at least most of the time.

I've been working on this post for three days now and still feel I have ten more chapters to go, but I'm going to stop for now and perhaps post more later today. As for the title of the post, I had grand intentions of tying in Darth's words with those God so often reminds me of Himself, but well....sorry. I have a million things swirling in my head and sometimes this blog becomes more of a spot to think outloud for me. It doesn't always make sense on the screen. Read what you want. Just don't avoid me in the grocery store because my kids look dirty in scary cream colored shirts.

fun times on the Fox....

Our neighbors recently invited us to take a ride on the jet skis with them along the Fox River. Owen had a blast!

let's put it to a vote...

Okay, so Cranial Technologies has an annual calendar for their banded babies and I want Lyla to make the cut. Problem is, I can't seem to decide on a photo. I can only submit one. So I thought we could take a vote. Look over the photos below and tell me which you like best - or scroll down and look at previous ones and tell me if you like another one better. I'll number them to make it easier. To vote, just click on "comments" at the end of the post and let me know your choice. Thanks!

number 1


number 2


number 3


number 4


number 5


number 6


number 7


I had to add this one. This is an Owen look if I've ever seen one! Don't vote for it though. =)

last photos of the old paint...

Before I repainted Lyla's band, I took a few more photos of her in the pink dots.





Only four more weeks to go!