"OOOOhhhh I got a back pack!"
(pure excitement over a little backpack!)
"Caleb look INSIDE the backpack" (it's a nintendo DS)
And a Lionel game for the DS
His reactions this year to gifts was the best! Most of them he had that same look on his face or he jumped up & down!
Erika received some equally great gifts, but she seemed to contain herself just a little bit more.
Although she did continuously pet the bottom of this Hello Kitty skirt.
Simply because it was furry & soft.
Her new baby & sling:
Last but not least, Santa left them a McDonalds play drive thru!!!
We had a great Christmas! We went to four different celebrations & do you think I remembered my camera once? NO! Bummer!!! We had a busy Christmas weekend, but in comparison to last year when we were living in Texas with no family and nothing to do, this year was GREAT!
Someday I will have a super cute blog design. You know the kind that most people pay for. I am determined to give myself a blog makeover and figure out all the html codes & what not. I have done a couple layouts in the past but haven't been extremely satisfied with them.
For now I'll enjoy changing the look of my blog with the changing holidays & seasons with websites that make is simple (not to mention....free!)
It's been WAY too long since I blogged! I haven't taken the time to blog at all lately and I need to. I've had a few posts swimming around in my head for a few days but can't seem to sit down and get it all typed out! Tomorrow I'm planning on finally getting Christmas pictures off my camera and onto the computer so stay tuned!
I am not at all a scrooge this year, so I can't explain why I didn't want to do a Christmas letter! I just didn't. Normally by Thanksgiving I'm already printing out my envelopes, working on my letter and deciding on the perfect picture to print. Not this year. Maybe I wanted to save money, maybe there are things I wish I could have included in our Christmas letter that I couldn't or maybe I am a scrooge??? I don't know. But now I am sitting down and writing a Christmas letter and I don't even have to use any ink to share it!
This year was ANOTHER year of change for our little family. We got the opportunity to move home and we jumped on it. We weren't miserable in Texas, it just wasn't home, and we didn't feel like it would ever become home. Quite honestly, we are not warm climate people. We like the winter! We know we are crazy. We are settled back in quite nicely now and enjoying being home.
Caleb started Kindergarten this year and is loving it. It's exciting to have him come home and be reading things to us and showing us all the things he is learning. He is a little social butterfly too. For his 6th (!!!!) birthday I brought in cupcakes for his class and as we walked through the hall no less than 10 kids that are not in his class said hi and knew who he was. It was all kids he'd met on the bus, at lunch & recess. So it came as no surprise at conferences & on his report card that he's a little too chatty in class.
I am thuroughly enjoying my time with Erika while Caleb is in school. All too soon she will be in school too, so this time that I have with her is very special! She is my little girly girl and I love it! We paint our nails, go shopping and play beauty shop the most! She's a smart little 3 1/2 year old and loves to learn new things!
David and I celebrated our 7th anniversary in June! We joined a life group through our church recently, and we finally feel like we are connected. It's nice to have more friends! We look forward with anticipation to what this next year holds. Like most years I'm sure there will be change. There always is. And I'm starting to get used to it.
As we strive to teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas, our prayer is that you would know & celebrate the true meaning of Christmas as well.
It's FRIDAY! The kids are going to Grandma's. Hubby is getting home early. We are going out to eat ALONE. To a place that has steakhouse in its name and not Donalds in its name! And then we are heading to MckMama's for a fabulous Christmas party. Oh yeah AND it's payday. I don't think today could get any better!!!!
1. Which boygroup did you like most in your teens?
NKOTB all the way!!!!
2. Do you do Christmas cards, letters, photos, nuthin', all of the above?
Normally a photocard with a letter. This year? Well consider yourself blessed if you get anything! (especially if you get it BEFORE Christmas!)
3. If you could meet one celebrity who would it be and why?
Hmmmm, not sure. I'd be happy to meet any celebrity really, just because how cool would that be??
4. Favorite thing to cook with (i.e. stainless, non-stick, Dutch oven, microwave, debit card...or, perhaps, a cauldron, etc.)?
Waffle iron! We love waffles. In fact we love them so much that our 7 1/2 year old waffle maker must get replaced this year if we'd like to continue eating decent waffles!
5. What is the one thing you wear the most, besides your unmentionables?
Jeans! I love jeans. I love that someday I WILL have cute jeans and a cute pair of legs to put in those jeans too. For now...I'll love the jeans I have!
1. Does Santa wrap the presents he leaves at your house?
Yes. Although our kids have yet to ask which ones are from Santa & which are from us. And the funny thing is, we never use different wrapping paper.
2. When is your "big" Christmas celebration...Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Tell us about it...
For just our little family? It's Christmas day. Christmas Eve is spent with my mom's side of the family, Christmas Day is spent with just us in the morning and then in the afternoon David's family. Day after Christmas is with my dad's side of the family. Our goal this year was to only have one event per day, simply b/c it gets to be too much otherwise and it has all worked out perfect!
3. Are you big on keeping tradition every year?
Yes! Our kids always get jammies & a stuffed animal to open from us on Christmas Eve. We always drive around to see Christmas lights! And last year we did our first gingerbread house! We had so much fun, the kids can't wait to do this years!
4. Do colored lights or white lights tickle your fancy?
White mostly. Our pre-lit tree has white lights and then we add lights that have red & green on one bulb. I don't think we even own any of the regular colored lights!
5. Do you decorate outside your house for Christmas?
We did when we had a house. For the time being we are in an apartment, but we saved all our outside stuff and can't wait to use it again!!!
Call me crazy, but I decided to make homemade chocolate covered cherry cordials this year! I am always up for trying something new around Christmas time! (well anytime, really!)
The past couple of years I have made homemade candy! I may still make more this year too, haven't decided yet.
Back to the cherries though. They actually weren't all that hard.
A little time consuming? Yes. Difficult? No.
First I soaked them in Amaretto & Cherry juice overnight. They smelled DELICIOUS!!!!
Next they sat on a cookie sheet for a couple hours draining all the juices out.
Next I covered them in this dough/fondant type stuff.
Then came the fun of dipping them all in chocolate!
The final step is the one I am on. And let me tell you it is the most difficult step yet!!!
Once the chocolate has set, place cherries in an airtight container and don't touch them for at least a WEEK!!! They need time for the center to liquify. It's hard let me tell you.
It would have been much easier (& cheaper) to just go buy 60 chocolate covered cherry cordials....but where is the fun in that????
Saturday already? And it's almost Sunday! Why does December seem to go so quickly???
1. Favorite gift you are GIVING this year?
Oh goodness. Probably the one I am most excited about is for someone who reads my blog, so I can't say! :) And really it's not all that exciting of a gift, but I know she wants it and I got it so that makes me excited! For my kids though...nintendo ds for Caleb (with a Lionel game too!!! the kid is going to go CRAZY!) For Erika....a babydoll that comes with a baby sling! She'll love it! I'm always using scarves or little blankets to tie her babies to her, so this is a perfect gift!
2. How many parties are you attending between now and Christmas?
I just wrote them all down on the calendar tonight and couldn't believe how many we have! Not including family parties, we have 4! Add in all the family get togethers and we have 8! Yikes! Thankfully they are all spread out!
3. What is your favorite Christmas song?
ANY Christmas song is my favorite Christmas song! Haha. I can't just pick one, there are WAY too many! I think I need an iPod just for Christmas music!
4. Who was your favorite elementary school teacher and why?
My 5th grade teacher, Mr. Roots. I remember him reading books in class and he was so great at helping us feel connected with the book and helped us "get it". Also....everyone in his class was important. There were no favorites, no teachers pet. If you were in his class you were important.
5. If you had a choice to live in any other period of time (other than now) what era would you choose and why?
Hmmmm.....well I always wished I lived during the Anne of Green Gables time period. It would be nice to have such a simple life and not feel like you were missing out on anything because there really was nothing to be missing!
After writing my very emotional previous post, I just haven't had it in me to blog this past week! Dylan's birthday was harder for me than I ever expected it to be. I always get a little weepy around Thanksgiving simply b/c I am missing Dylan, but this year was worse. I was just not myself! I think it's b/c he's five now. Five is a big deal. I remember last year when Caleb turned five, I cried. I don't know why, but my babies turning five hits me hard! I will be back though. I am coming around. "See" you soon!
Today Dylan is five. Five in heaven. Not here with us like we had hoped and prayed he would be. He is safe in the arms of Jesus
and there is no better place for him to be. That doesn't make it any easier though. Ultimately, our children are a gift from God.
It's just that giving one back so soon is painful & heartbreaking.
I am typing this entire post with blurry eyes
& tears streaming down my face. I miss Dylan. This mommy's heart is still broken, missing him. A piece of our family will forever be missing. We will forever grieve the absense of Dylan in our family. I think we will forever wonder what he would be like,
The role he would play in our family. And I think that's normal. The days of feeling like your heart has been ripped out
and you are at the depths of despair have passed long ago. But we still miss Dylan. He's a part of our family. That is something we have always said was very important to us. He may not be physically here for people to see,
but he is most definitely a part of our family. The only time we saw Dylan alive was when we had our 20 week ultrasound.
I will forever cherish those pictures.
He was perfect. The placenta was perfect.
How things can change in just 10 short weeks. Even though we didn't get to know Dylan, he knew us.
Oh, how comforting that is. He knew my voice and probably his daddy's voice too. And his foot knew my ribs all to well. :) While there are so many unknowns,
why's and what could have been's,
there is one thing we are certain of. We WILL see Dylan again.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I came across a song by Mandisa recently, and I just love it.
It's one of those songs that I feel like I could have written.
The emotions portrayed by the words are just amazing to me.
Reading the words and thinking back to shortly after we had Dylan,
it describes exactly how we felt. We knew we served a faithful God (and still do).
We never stopped praising Him,
even when we were hurting so deeply.
With my love and my sadness I come before You Lord My heart’s in a thousand pieces Maybe even more
Yet I trust in this moment You’re with me somehow And You’ve always been faithful So Lord even now
When all that I can sing Is a broken hallelujah When my only offering Is shattered praise Still a song of adoration Will rise up from these ruins I will worship You and give You thanks Even when my only praise Is a broken hallelujah
Oh Father, You have given Much more than I deserve And I have felt Your hand of blessing
On me at every turn How could I doubt Your goodness Your wisdom, Your grace So Lord hear my heart In this painful place
Chorus
Hallelujah I lift my voice Your Spirit moves I raise my hands I reach for You
1. Are you a Black Friday shopper? TOTALLY!!!! Can't wait for next Friday! Me, my sister in law, her twin and now my sister, go! It's so much fun! We scout out the ads and make our lists! Always bring your ads with you b/c some stores will match prices! (Walmart for sure does....and usually they aren't sold out of the stuff that TRU or Tarjay has for cheap!) The best defense when you go....a smile & a good attitude! Seriously....people look at you like you are crazy and some even ask "how can you be in such a good mood this early in the morning?"
2. What was your favorite childhood toy? That's a tie between my Barbies and my Cabbage Patch Kids. I had so much of both! I even saved a few of my CPK's and have handed them down to Erika.
3. Favorite Christmas movie? Seriously...do I have to pick just one? Probably my all time favorite is Prancer. But I really love any Christmas movie....especially if it's a Disney or ABC Family one. I'm a sucker for a good cheesy Christmas movie!
4. What is the "must have" item on your Christmas list this year? I'll be happy with anything really. I'd really LOVE to get out of the 1990's and get an iPod.
5. Do you go all out with decorations or do you keep it simple and classy? We go all out baby!!! In fact come January when we put everything away our place will look completely bare & boring!!
We are the Ruchs. We appear as a family of 5 to the naked eye, but we are truly a family of 6. David and I have been married for 9 1/2 years. We have four kids, three we get to hold now, one we'll hold again in heaven. Caleb (8) is a lego & star wars fanatic, and he still loves trains! He's in 2nd grade and excels at science and math. Dylan (7) is our angel. After 30 wks in my tummy he went home to be with the Lord. While we'll never fully understand why he couldn't stay here with us, we press on with the hope of seeing him in heaven! Erika (5) is a bubbly little princess. She loves to wrestle with her brother all while wearing a princess dress! She started Kindergarten this year and is loving it! Jenna (1) is the newest princess in our house! She is a busy little girl who will make sure she does not get lost in the crowd. She wants to be a part of everything! She's the perfect addition to our family!
