Rutenbar Central

Luke turned 6!

2011-10-02T15:12:00.001-07:00

Let me start with, August was a busy month and then Luke started school and I am err I mean he is still adjusting to the school routine. Anyway way back on August 4th our first born turned 6!! Jake and I can not believe how fast these 6 years have gone and this year was especially nostalgic since we knew that in a month he would be starting school. We could not wait to celebrate our Luke and Luke was more than happy to be celebrated. On his actual birthday he of course got to go to the donut shop with Dad and pick out some donuts. Then he was allowed to open a present from his sister because she was too excited to give it to him to wait.

After lunch we headed to the OC Fair. Thanks to a very generous Uncle, Luke and Harper both got to get wrist bands which allowed them to ride all the rides they wanted! They had a blast and were so cute and kind to one another all day. The rides rarely had a line and the kids rode rides for about 3 hours that day! Luke also got to get a funnel cake, which he loved. After the fair we headed back home for cake, ice cream and presents. Luke kept saying all day long that this was the best Birthday ever! We all had a fun and tiring day celebrating our Lukey!!

Luke open his present from Harper...pretty sure Harper is more excited.

Our big 6 year old!

Harper waving as she spotted Luke on a ride.

They LOVED going through the fun houses!

Happy girl.

They laughed the entire ride!

Sam was napping on the go.

Roller coaster.

All day long Luke helped Harper in and out of rides.

Last ride of the night.

He was so excited about his Leapster.

Enjoying his presents.

Blowing out candles.

And a Birthday treat for Mommy...he fell asleep as I was telling him the story of the day he was born.

No More Paci :(

2011-07-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

Let me start this post off by saying that all of my kids are blanket lovers! Luke and Harper each a have a special blanket that they call Mimi and have been attached to since they were super little. Luke sucks his middle 2 fingers when holding his Mimi and Harper sucks her thumb. I really have loved that my kids can self soothe themselves because it makes for great sleepers. However, Luke still sucks his fingers but not often and Harper's thumb sucking has definitely moved her teeth but word on the street is that if she stops by the time her permanent teeth come in, they will go back. Luke and Harper's blankets stay in their beds so really the only time they are sucking is at bedtime.

Sam through me for a loop, he never sucked any fingers but has always LOVED his pacis! He also has a few blankets that he sleeps with! The great thing about Paci's is you can take them away (its hard to take fingers away =)). I know a handful of people that have taken pacis away after age 2 and as a result naps stopped all together or at least became a battle. I like nap time and don't want that to happen. So I thought I would take his paci away the end of August, after our trip to youth camp, and our camping trip to June Lake.

However, plans changed on my Birthday. The night of my Birthday Kurtis (my brother) and Rose watched the kids and put them to bed for us. The next day when I went to find Sam's paci for nap I realized that there were none in his bed and the others had been packed in my purse and diaper bag. Hmmmm, so I texted Rose and asked if she had put Sam to bed with a paci, she said she didn't (totally not her fault, I hadn't left one for her). Kurtis and Rose had said that Sam had cried for about 10 minutes but that is pretty typical for someone else putting him to bed even with a paci. By the time I figured this out Sam was already napping with his paci. I now had to decide if I should just take it away today since he obviously slept fine (all night) with out or still wait until after our trips.

Bedtime rolled around and I decided I would see what Sam did if I put him down with out it. I tucked him in gave him a love and walked out. He cried loud for about 2 seconds but by the time I reached my room he had stopped. I figured he was getting a drink of water and I braced myself for the next loud cry......only it never came. About 15 minutes after putting him to bed I found myself sitting on my bed paci in hand, and a little bit sad that my "baby" didn't need his paci anymore. I know I should be ecstatic. And I realize there are some of you that have older kids that it was really a nightmare to get rid of the paci or even unimaginable, and your thinking I should be counting my blessings. And I am, and I am also realizing yet again how fast time goes with little ones.

I didn't ask Jake about taking the paci away and when he got home I could tell he was a bit sad, as was I. Sorry hunny, I really thought he was going to need it still. Its been 3 nap times and 3 nights with out his beloved paci and he hasn't cried going down at nap or bed. Yesterday he woke up from nap a bit early so I let him cry for 15 minutes and he slept for an hour more, same thing this morning (sorry neighbors). So, Sam is done with his Paci and our baby is not such a baby anymore.

I know a few first time Moms right now and have had some conversations with them about how long the sleepless nights are and how tired they are. And my heart goes out to them and I tell them, "Yes the days can be slow", but somewhere amidst the diaper changing, the laundry, the middle of the night feedings, the disciplining, the baby proofing , the sacrificing you blink and your last baby no longer needs a paci, and you find yourself sitting alone on your bed holding onto that item wondering when did the time go from slow to fast?

30!

2011-07-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I turned 30! My sweet husband for months has been asking me what I wanted to do for my big 3-0? And I never had a great answer for him, my main answer was that I really didn't want to do anything. In reality I think I really didn't want to turn 30. It kind of sounds old right? Be honest, think back to when you were little didn't you think 30 was so old? As he hounded me more asking if I wanted a party (no, I don't love to be the center of attention with a bunch of people), to go somewhere just me and him? (yes, and I think we are going to do that towards the end of summer), go out with my girlfriends? (no, again the center of attention thing, and on my bday I wanted to be with my family and my husband). I'm sounding kind of high maintenance right about now I totally realize. I wanted to feel special but didn't at the same time. So, we really had no plans until the week before my Birthday we headed over to my sister-in-law Caroline' s house for dinner only it wasn't dinner it was a surprise party/hang at the fair with my other brother in law and sister in law, my adorable niece and my Mother-in-law. It was super fun and so nice of them but I have don't have any pictures since it was a surprise. Jake still wanted to do something on my actual birthday and since I wasn't helping he planned the day himself.

On the morning of my Birthday I woke up to my whole family singing me "Happy Birthday" and bringing me cards. Then they all left to get Starbucks and flowers while I got to slowly wake up! We had some breakfast packed up and headed to the beach. I love going to the beach and Jake really doesn't so this truly was a gift to me. =) It was overcast and chilly but perfect and fun all at the same time. Jake took the older 2 in the water while Sam and I bundled up under the towels.

The crazies heading into the water.

My buddy and me!

And then it happened......Sam got over his strong dislike for sand and embraced it for all the fun it has to offer, and I can now say the kid loves sand!

especially throwing it...baby steps...

"See Mom my hands are in it and everything!"

Both Harper and Luke went out with Jake at separate times and learned how to duck under the waves. Then they came in and we taught the kids how to dig tunnels!

And then we buried them in the tunnels we had dug.

We asked Sam where his toes were? He was totally looking for them!

This picture is so accurate of my kiddos!

Silly!

We left after a little over an hour because Jakey had some meetings.

After naps, we headed to go on a duffy boat ride with my brother and his girlfriend in Newport harbor. It was such a beautiful afternoon. The kids were crazy excited which made them pretty crazy and all over the boat but that is my family and my life and I loved it!

Captain Lukey!

Samuel

Luke took this cute picture!

Uncle Kurtis and Rose occupying the kids so Jakey and I could snuggle for a minute.

Self Portrait

Boats are fun, even if I have to wear this purple life jacket. We didn't get a picture but at one point Harper wanted to Tweety Bird but she couldn't get it off him so she shoved him to the ground so she could pull harder. Of course Sam laughed the whole time and then we stepped in.
Coloring!

Family Picture!

Luke being what was the word I used earlier?, "crazy"!
This picture makes me see a little bit why strangers stop me and say, "oh you take them all shopping at the same time?" Which I still think is a funny comment.
Where there is a mirror, there is Luke!

Sam driving the boat, which apparently very relaxing for me.

My bug.

Our attempt at a family photo.....none of these are a Christmas card but they are entertaining! And Jake, Sam and I look cute...maybe we will just crop the other kids out. =)totally kidding

After getting back home Jake and I headed out to dinner while Kurtis and Rose watched our kids and put them to bed for us. Jake took me to Ruth's Chris for dinner!!!!

About to go to dinner!

I have never been there and it was delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everything was so classy and so good. It made me feel loved and special and was a great celebration! I ooohed and ahhhedd over my steak so much I almost embarrased myself, I just couldn't help it. It was sooooo good.

What wasn't classy was Jake and I taking pictures of us with our food, don't worry we mocked ourselves openly!

We came home from dinner with all the kids in bed and dishes done and some wonderful gifts from Kurtis and Rose. It was a great Birthday after all. And really I already have 3 kids, 1 of which is starting school so I'm pretty sure most people think I'm older than 30 anyway!

Weekend Fun!

2011-07-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got in some really fun family time!! On Friday night when Jake got home we decided to head to Huntington Beach for a take out dinner on the sand and a little play time before bed. The kids had soooooo much fun. They loved running and playing in the sand and at the end they ended up getting wet up to their waists but it was so fun!

I love this picture of Luke playing catch with Jake. If you look close you can see the ball.

Jake and Luke were running around so Harper and Sam and I built sand castles.

Sam is not a fan of the sand but at least he will sit in it now. And these next 3 pictures show off our little dudes silly side. He was making these faces for absolutely no reason...and that is our Sam!

Harp playing chase with the waves, so fun to watch her as the beautiful sun set!

If you know Harp at all this is her classic Harp march! On a mission!

Starting to get wet.

Love those boys!

Saturday:

For months and months Luke has been begging me to do a Lemonade Stand. The main problem is that he usually asks me on a weekday in the morning or around lunch time. I have explained to him that this would not be a good time to have a lemonade stand, not to mention we never have lemonade at our house. =) One day when I found him out front trying to sell bubble gum, stale tortilla chips and whole carrots I decided it was time to schedule a day for the lemonade stand!

So, we looked at the calendar and decided we would do it Saturday at 11:00. We went to Target on Friday and got the mix for lemonade, a sign for the stand, and mix to sell cookies too. First thing Saturday morning we were up painting the sign, and making the cookies and lemonade. We set up shop just outside our complex on the corner and loved every minute of the almost 2 hours we were out there. The kids loved waving at all the cars and serving their customers. And people were extremely generous with the "keep the change". It was all and all an extremely successful and fun day. Many of our friends that missed us keep asking Luke to do it again to which he replies, "My Mommy says this is like a 1 time a year thing." =)

Monday after church most of our staff went to the lagoon in Irvine for swimming, hot dogs, fruit, smores, brownies and hanging out!! Our kids had a blast and so did we. We are super blessed with a wonderful team to work with and hang with! Unfortunately I only took a few pictures.

They had just gotten their smores and would not smile or even look at the camera, and Sam is asking for another marshmallow already! Harper and Luke spent about 3 hours in the lagoon that afternoon!

Arizona Trip!

2011-07-30T18:12:00.001-07:00

The last week of June the kids and I (Erin) headed out to visit my parents and see my Nana. We hadn't been out since November and it had been 2 years since we had been in summer so the kids were excited about the prospect of summer activities. I however was a bit nervous to make the drive by myself with the kids. It is about an 8 hour drive with minimal stops. We took off on a Monday morning around 7am. Our kids seem to travel better in the morning and I really wanted to try and beat the heat through phoenix on the way there. The kids did Amazing on the trip! Luke was happy with his set up (an ipod), I let Harper have her blanket a lot of the time and watch movies, and Sam that dude didn't even fuss or cry once. We made it 3 hours without stopping, did I mention I was limiting Harper and Luke's fluid intake? Funny thing is though the rest stop that we stopped out was also the same exit as Arizona State Penitentiary (whoops). We then made it pretty far into Phoenix before heading up the highway to my parents place (2 hours outside of phoenix) for our last stop. We stopped for lunch and a bit of playtime at Chick-fil-a, it was 116 degrees and Luke complained of his shorts burning. =) With 2 stops and happy campers we made it in 7 hours and 45 minutes.

Our time there was full of playing with Gramma and Papa, visiting Nana, going for walks, playing in the river, playing outside, finding wildlife, staying cool, the thrift store, Popsicles and ice cream, pizza, being spoiled (really just loved on) by Gramma and Papa and fun times with family!! We were there for a week and the time went too fast! The only thing we were really missing was Daddy who apparently was missing us terribly back home. =) I only have pictures from my phone but I will post them so you can see all the fun we had. We love going to Pine and visiting Gramma and Papa!! The trip on the way home was really great too! Sam protested a few times, I think he knew he was going to be in the car for a bit.

On our way out, we had to wake up Harper and Sam.

Napping in the car, he only took 2 25 minute naps but no big deal if he is happy.

View from my parents back porch.

Porch of fun!!

Sam's first popsicle. He loved the popsicle and sharing with Maggie.

Lukey!

Playdoh fun!

A night walk.

Sam loves guns.

Papa and Luke playing a hunting game at the Pizza place. The pizza was delicious!

Harper and Gramma watering a flower, Luke pretending to be an animal eating the corn. Funny thing is the animals came and ate the corn and the flower.

Harper and Nana. Harper affectionately called her "the old girl".

After naps trip to the river, the water was warm, it was shady but still in the 80s and the kids were in heaven! There favorite part that night was throwing the rocks.

Sam loved it and crawled all through the water. He has a diaper on but is so white you can't even tell.

Pure Joy!

So worn out that even Luke napped.

After dinner walk to the "store" for ice cream.

Last day visiting Nana.

Luke and his buddy Maggie

Luke and his new Pop Gun!

Sam an artist in the making.

Chalked up walkway.

Dirt and Trucks=a happy Sam, and yes he is wearing pajama shorts and no other clothes.

Last night....running to feed the horses and see the street where the donkeys live.

The horses.

The horses...were beautiful but they made me a bit nervous.

They got to stay up late watching a movie with Gramma and Papa on the last night.

Last stop in Cabazon before arriving at home, 7 hours and 45 minutes again!

Thank You You Tube....

2011-07-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

for saving me money! So, Sam needed a haircut but I really didn't want to pay to get it cut again. I have cut Sam's hair once before but only the top Mohawk part. I have been cutting Luke's hair for a while now but I use clippers and just blend 2 different lengths. Luke's hair is super thick and hard to mess up. Sam's hair is getting thicker but still is in the really baby fine hair stage. So, I decided to watch on You Tube how to cut kid's hair. After watching a video, I figured I could try it and if worse came to worse I would just take him to get it fixed. This morning Jake took the older 2 to the park, leaving me with the perfect opportunity to cut with out distractions. I put Sam on his high chair tray with a lollipop and an episode of Team Umizoomi on the t.v., took a deep breath and began to cut with confidence (haha not really). He really was pretty great, I just had to make sure I wasn't cutting while a song was playing on the show due to his head dancing. I almost cut my self a few times, but other than that I will count it as a success. I think next time I may go a little shorter simply because his hair grows so fast, but today I love it. After a shower, I took him outside for a walk and to take some pictures of my little guy.

Here he is being a goof ball.

The view of the side/back

I love those lips!

Having a grand ole time!

This is a silly picture, but you can kind of see his eye color which I love.

In this next picture he was saying over and over, "Hi Mama"

And then ..........his Daddy and brother and sister drove up......the love he has for them is evident in the rest of the photos.

4th of July!

2011-07-13T09:02:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July. The kids and I had just gotten back from AZ the day before and we were super ready to hang with Daddy! We had a slow relaxing morning and then headed to our community pool. I love that they we only live 5 houses away from the pool! We all swam for a few hours, had a snack and then headed home for lunch and naps. After naps we packed up and headed to our friends house. We have now been going to this house for 8 years!! It is such a fun tradition. Luke looks forward to it all year! They have a pool at this house with a big water slide built into the rocks. Luke and Harper probably swam for 3+ hours. All Harper did was go down the slide get out climb up, go down the slide....over and over again!! It was so fun to watch!! Luke liked the slide but he also loved jumping off the high rocks with his buddies! Sam swam for awhile and then hung out with Grammy. I didn't get as many pictures this year, simply because I was busy making sure all my little kids heads were above water. =) It was such a fun day and night! Happy 4th of July!

So right before we left I wanted to get a "cute" picture of all the kids. I think this day the kids were too excited to look at the camera or even in the direction of the camera and smile. However, the pictures I did get are pretty funny.

I think Harper is pretending to be a monkey here.

Pretty sure Luke said something like, "poo poo"

Jake was trying to get them to look at the camera by asking how many fingers he was holding up. Instead that just resulted in Luke and Harper holding up their fingers.

Luke

Harper twirling. I made this little tutu at nap time that day with some tulle we had been given at Christmas.

Sam

Grammy, Daddy, and Sammy

At like 10:00 at night, they were out of the pool and suddenly super hungry.

Sam is 15 months!!

2011-07-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Sam's 15 month well check. First off he is doing great!! Jake and I both felt like he had grown a ton and put on a lot of weight. He did grow a lot taller and jumped from the 15th percentile to the 65th. He did not gain as much weight as I thought he had though. He weighed 21 1/2 lbs and was tipping the percentile at 15%. And of course he has a gigantic head like all of my children and is in the 90th % haha. What is Sam up to these days? you ask. Well, Sam is still a super mellow, easily entertained go with the flow kid. On most days he will take 1 nap between 2 and 3 hours, he will occasionally still nap twice a day. Sam loves to be and do whatever his brother and sister are doing, however, they don't always feel the same way. Sam loves to play with balls, throw, dribble, play basketball in the backyard! Sam also loves cars and guns a lot. He loves to wear hats and glasses and make us laugh! Sam LOVES music, he will dance and bob his head to any beat. I'm talking ANY BEAT, such as the rhythm of the shopping cart going over bumps on the ground. Sam also really likes t.v., but much of the time is at the mercy of his brother and sister with what he watches. Sam loves his paci and 3 blankets but thankfully is happy with any 1 of them while we are out and about. Sam loves to eat!! He also loves his Daddy so much!! We love our Sam Sam (as Harper calls him), and love each day with him.

Sam and I on mother's day

Doing one of his favorite things...climbing up slides.

15 months and cute!!

I love this picture. and that isn't a pimple on his cheek but a hive from Jake kissing him too hard. =)

Harper's Princess Party!

2011-06-22T10:18:00.001-07:00

It was about a 2 weeks before Harper's Birthday when Jake and I realized she REALLY wanted a party, and not just any party she wanted a Princess Party. We had not planned on throwing her a party this year, we had just had Sam's birthday party and I was all partied out. But, Harper wanted a party and had definite ideas about it. =) So, I said if we do this we are going to do it small. We invited just a few friends her age and only girls, I know, I know but it was really a good way to keep the party small and easy. We sent out the invitations 10 days in advance and all but 1 little girl could come! It ended up being super fun! We also had the party activities planned to keep the girls busy and having fun. She loved her party and all the little girls weresoooooo cute! I just kept saying they are sooo cute!!!

I made each girl a Princess Wand

Harper's cake. It turned out cute but it was a bit of a nightmare to make.

Craft table.

When the girls got to the party they started on eating I mean making their fruit loop and pasta necklaces. =)

Then they made their castle paintings.

Prince Luke

After the crafts each girl got a tiara and their wand. We then took a picture of each Princess in front of this magnificent pink back drop. I won't show the pictures of all the girls but here is cute Rae.

Next was put the Princess in the Castle game. Most of the girls didn't want to be blind folded so lots of Princesses made it to the castle. ;)

Princess Sky doing great!

While I was getting dinner set up, we tried to get a picture of all the Princeses. Here they all are. It was very comical to watch the Moms trying to get them to all look and smile at the same time.

Dinner is served. Aren't they cute?

Harper enjoying her dinner. Heart shaped turkey and cheese, goldfish, carrots, grapes and apple juice.

Next was story time. Jake read the girls a Princess story. I think this was the only second they were actually listening, the rest of the time they were being cute and playing together.

Harper waiting for her cake.

Harper and her cake.

Harper is 3!

2011-06-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

On April 27th our little Harper Lane turned 3. What a wonderful time we had celebrating Harper and the gift she is to our family. Before I tell you about what we did for her Birthday I thought I would share what Harper is up to these days. Harper is such a joy! And really she is such a wonderful blessing for Jake and I. I know I am biased but she is also pretty cute. Harper is a happy girl. She LOVES people! She loves being around people in fact the more people she is around the more energetic she becomes. She is super affectionate. She gives me more hugs and kisses in a day than I can keep track of and frequently tells me how much she loves me. She has the gift of making those that come in contact with her feel special. Like I said she is affectionate and will hug everyone!!! I don't think there has ever been a time she has turned down a hug. She attracts friends, we will be at a park for like 10 minutes before I hear a small group of people calling her name out. Harper loves to play with her doll house, her princesses, color, read books, and watch movies while at home. She also loves to swim, play in the alley and go on any adventure. Harper is generous except when it comes to Sam. =) Harper has her moments of being stubborn or hard headed. I actually thought that I was going to have a harder time disciplining Harper than I have so far, I was trying to think the other day why I was so wrong, and what I realized is that she likes having fun way too much to take to much of a stand on anything. She is very sensitive to emotions and how others are feeling. One thing that I have loved experiencing with Harper is her independence. For the most part she could care less what other people are doing or playing with, she wants to do her own thing. She likes to play with people but does not have to have the toy the other person is playing with. However, she does get a bit perturbed when someone else keeps wanting to play with what she is playing with. =) Harper loves to sleep! Almost everyday she will ask to take a nap, she loves nap time! She also sleeps a solid 11 hours at night, pretty much regardless of the time you put her down. We love our Harper Lane!!!!

On her actual Birthday we took her to Zoomars. We had never been there before but heard it was fun and I had gotten a great deal on Groupon!! All the kids loved it there!! Harper held 1 guinea pig in her lap for over a half hour! She named it Owaah. About 15 minutes into her calling it her guinea pig I had Jake make sure she knew it wasn't hers to keep. Since it was her Birthday we let her ride the pony. To say she loved it would be an understatement. Remember when I said she makes friends?, well the man walking the pony seemed to really enjoy her and took her on a 2nd lap for free! Daddy got to spend the morning and lunch with us. After naps per Harper's request we went swimming and grilled cheeseburgers by the pool with some family. Harper had a wonderful Birthday! Later that week we had a party for her but that is for another post.

The Birthday Girl and Owaah

So sweet and gentle!

Luke was so sweet to Harper since it was her Birthday.

Watching Harper ride away curls bouncing in the wind made Jake cry. =)

Reloading to spray Luke!

Loving all the Birthday Attention!

All Worn Out!

Sam's Birthday Party and Dedication!

2011-04-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday April 9th we had a party and dedication for Sam. We have dedicated all our kids at their first Birthday Parties, something we stole from some friends of ours. The night before Sam's party it rained and hailed in Irvine!!!! I wasn't nervous as much as I was bummed. We had a place that we could move the party indoors if need be, but I really wanted it to be at the park. We had no rain on the day of the party but it was in the 50s. That is really cold for here. Just to put into perspective our crazy weather it was 90 here 1 week later.

The party was super fun and we were so thankful to have so many friends and family there to join in us celebrating Sam and dedicating him to our God. The party was a car theme because that Sam LOVES cars! We also had the theme of dessert and dedication. So, we had lots of delicious treats. I did not make any of the treats but Sam's cake and was so thankful for everyone that helped me. It really made planning the party much more enjoyable. There was a stretch of about 30 minutes where it was SUPER cold and windy but then the sun came back out and the wind stopped and it was rather nice.

Despite the chilly weather it was a great party for our little man!! We love that boy so much!

Delicious desserts by Lena!

Cupcakes made by Aunt Caroline!

Cupcake toppers!

Uncle Kurtis, Rose and Sam

Party Place!

Cake Pops and Awesome Car Display by the Meyers!!

Goody Bags.

Car Coloring table

Parents of Sam :)

Raegan and Harper in a tub.

Cousin Fun!

Kelsey and Sam

Dedication

He was being such a ham during the prayer.

Praying for our little guy.

It was too windy for a lit candle. :)

The party people watching Sam with his cake.

During the cake time was the coldest and poor Sam had goosebumps and was shaking so we wrapped a towel around him.

Watching Sam enjoy his cake.

Chase coloring...

Luke colored pictures for 3 days to give away as a gift for people to take home. Sweet Boy.

Brothers pushing their girls on the swings.

Daddy pushing his princess

Aunt Caroline and Sam

Harper, Rae and Sam

Mommy, Daddy, and Sam

The Whole Family

Sam is 1!

2011-04-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

On March 30th my baby boy turned 1 years old. I have put off and put off writing this post. I haven't written it for many reasons, but the main reason is I feel like I can't adequately put into words how much this little boy means to me. He is our last baby and with every milestone there is a bittersweet joy that comes with it. However more than ever I am just enjoying each stage for what it is, and loving my little guy for exactly where he is at.

Sam is my snuggle bug and love! He has really began to talk more and more over the last few weeks. He tries to repeat much of what you say but the things that he "says" (which for the most part only my family can interpret ;)), is ball, Mama, Dada, Harper, Cheetoh (our cat), Elmo, and a few others I'm not thinking of. He can not say Luke yet and of course Luke tries to teach him everyday. He usually naps 2 times a day but often his morning nap is on the go. He still has all his allergies but I have gotten creative with what to feed him and he is starting to like rice milk. I most often call Sam, just that, Sam. Although many other people call him Sammy, Sammer, Samurai, and bubbies. Sam is a speedy crawler!! Although just in the last week has begun to try and cruise along furniture more than crawl. He has been standing and walking along stuff for a long time but he is a much faster crawler, and he likes to keep up with his brother, sister, and cat.

Sam's personality, is sweet, easy going, compassionate, loving, a thrill seeker and a ham. He has shown his compassionate side a few times while watching t.v., if he sees someone getting hurt or being picked on he instantly burst out in tears. He loves to snuggle his Mommy and will let anyone hold him, he is a love. He wins many people over with his heart melting dimpled smile. He loves to wave hi and bye bye, blow kisses and give high fives. He rarely cries but now experiments with a fake cry here and there which I actually don't find annoying but cute. I think there is something magical about number 3. In light of the discipline issues I'm dealing with the older 2, Sam seems so minor. Not that we aren't starting on the discipline track. He loves to be thrown in the air, twirled around, and to have all eyes on him. If he sees that something got a laugh he will do it over and over. Sam loves to read books and sing songs. His favorite toys right now are cars and balls. When playing with anything that has wheels he will make engine noises and push it all around. Sam is a fantastic sleeper. He takes at least 3 hours total of naps a day and will sleep about 12 hours at night, pretty much from whatever time you put him down. He goes to bed often while we are brushing Harper and Luke's teeth and putting them to bed which is super loud and he does it without a peep every night. Sam loves the water and will do whatever he can to splash and play in it and yes that includes the toilet. I'm hoping he will have a bit of a fear of the water by summer. Sam adores his brother and sister and often just follows them around wanting to be part of their fun. In a nutshell Sam is an awesome creation from our awesome God and we are blessed to be his parents.

On his actual birthday the family went to Disneyland where we got annual passes. It was such a great day. Luke and Harper were so excited about it being Sam's birthday and were so sweet to him all day. They choose things that would be fun for him and enjoyed watching him have fun, as did Jake and I. After Disneyland we came home to a crock pot dinner ;)and Jake's parents came over for dinner and cake. It was such a wonderful day and night celebrating our bug. My parents were on skype while we sang Happy Birthday and Sam ate his cake. He liked the frosting on his cake but did not like the actual cake part. I think it mostly had to do with the fact that it was a different texture than he had ever had before. Sam stayed up late that night and we just enjoyed watching and celebrating our little man. Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Before heading to Disneyland we stopped to see Uncle Kurtis! He wanted to give the Birthday Boy a hug and a kiss!

In the parking structure at Disneyland!

Daddy giving kisses.

Carousal time at CA Adventure

While the big boys went on Indiana Jones, Harper, Sam and I enjoyed a Birthday Treat of a lollipop! Sam was a sticky mess but thoroughly enjoyed this treat!

In line for Winnie the Pooh

All 5 of us, not bad for 1 try.

The Birthday Boy

I'm 1 today, and I'm cute.

Rutenbar Kids

Enjoying his dinner...

Aunt Caroline stop by to give him Birthday Love. He was blessed to have so many family give him Birthday hugs and kisses, even via skype. ;)

He was excited about his presents from Grammy and Grandpa!

Hurry up Dada...

Taking a cruise in his "new" car (both presents from Jake and I were from craigslist but he loves them!)

We also got him a train table, however all kids LOVE it!!

Cake Time

This part was funny....Jake was holding the cake but also my phone which had my parents on skype, I was holding the flip and the camera, so when Sam went to reach for the fire there were a few people who shall remain nameless that yelled "NO!" and scared Sam to death. So he started crying and then Harper and Luke both started crying. All I could do was laugh. Luke and Harper were crying because they were so excited for him to get his cake and they he was so sad. It was too funny!!! The video is a crack up to.

Sam crying...

Recovered and trying his cake.

With Grammy

Grandpa and Sam

With Grammy and Grandpa

Mommy and Daddy and their 1 year old!

First Haircut!

2011-03-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

Sam got his 1st official haircut the other day. I had trimmed the top one time before but that doesn't really count. We took him to the mall on Sunday afternoon to of course First Cuts. Luke has been there a few times including his first time and we have always had a good experience. Sam did fantastic! He had a blast "driving" the rocket ship. Aren't I clever "blast"...anyway. He really did really well. He didn't love getting his haircut around his ears and it totally reminded me of Luke and his first haircut. Sam has double calics in the back of his head that cause his hair to naturally grow like a mohawk. So, the hair cutter just went with it. She styled it with gel but if it is wet at all with just water in the morning it will stay that way all day. It was a fun afternoon and he looks too cute with his big boy cut. Side note 1 week from today he will be 1. It is official I am in love with this little man. Also I kind of loved all the pictures so there are a lot.

Before Picture

He has some straight hair! A first in our family. =)

See what I mean? a little water and you already have a hawk.

So I loved all of his haircut except for this one part on his right side by his ear...it is a straight cut and looks boxy, and it happened right here. The little sucker ducked and she cut. I think you won't even be able to tell in a week.

Back to being still. =)

Beep Beep.

Haircuts are fun!

Just found the toys.

Big Boy!

Baseball Season

2011-03-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Luke has started playing baseball!! He is playing T-ball and his team is the Diamondbacks. He is LOVING it! Jake is his coach which he also really loves. Luke really enjoyed soccer but he is so into baseball. He loves all of it but of course he really likes to hit. T-ball is just plain cute and funny to watch but each game they understand more. I am sure I will post more pictures as the season continues but here are a few from opening day and his first game. I am planning on taking more pictures at a day game. It was getting dark and my camera was having trouble focusing.

Opening Day

1st game...he is pointing to where he is going to hit it.

He really took his time that first at bat. =) Seriously he stared at the ball for at least 15 seconds.

Making a "play" at third base.

Sneaking a peek at his fans after crossing home plate. =)

Christmas with my Family

2011-02-26T21:12:00.000-08:00

My parents came out from Arizona the first week in January so we did Christmas with them and my brother and his girlfriend when they came out. We all celebrated my brother's Birthday which is also on the 25th. It was a super fun night of hanging with family. I really enjoyed watching everyone play Just Dance on the Wii.

Gramma, Papa, and the kids.

Some serious business getting on shoes. =)

Just Dance fun!

Seaworld One Last Time

2011-02-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

Last year we got tickets to Seaworld that lasted through the calendar year. We went a handful of times and loved it each time we went!! As the year was coming to a close we wanted to squeeze in one more time to Seaworld so we went on December 3oth. It was such a fun day as a family. All the kids had a great time and we got to see and do so much. Of course there was one crazy moment. Harper wanted to go to the Pet show and Luke wanted to do something else and time was crunched so I said I would take Harper and Sam to the pet show. I needed to feed Sam and thought that it would be easy to do with the show going. What I wasn't planning on was it being packed! I mean packed to the point where I had both kids on my lap. At first Sam was okay watching everything but it was way past time for him to eat. And shortly after the show began he started to fuss. And then he began to cry. I was so squished I couldn't get his paci or anything and there was no way I could feed him. So, I got up and walked to the very back with Sam leaving Harper by herself in the seat. I stayed there for like 2 minutes but could see Harp looking for me (she actually was probably looking at all the animals) but I felt like I needed to go get her. At this point Sam was screaming so loud the animals were turning to look, no just kidding. I went down to get her and left 7 minutes after her favorite show had begun. And do you know what she did the whole time we took the screaming walk of shame? she just kept saying over and over, "Why Mommy? why can't I watch the doggies?" So sweet huh? Yeah well after we got out of the stadium and I explained why we would not be able to go back and watch the doggies ( it was the last show) she then proceeded to cry for a ridiculous amount of time. 45 minutes later after a snack for the littles we were back to having a great albeit very cold time. =) We miss Seaworld (me probably the most) but are so thankful for the times we got to go!

Jake and Lukey checking out sharks.

They loved watching the beluga whale.

My handsome husband and Sam just being awesome Sam.

Harper LOVED meeting Elmo!

Post Doggie show and snacks. =)

Quick little nap for the Harp

Sleepy Luke checking out turtles.

It was really cold!!

Touching star fish.

Hands down most easy going kid.

Harper watching the whales. (side note she points to everything with that finger.)

Wrapping up the night with Shamu's Christmas and a special popcorn treat.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

2011-02-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Eve we went of course attended the services at Saddleback Irvine. Both Luke and Harper were in little parts of the service. Harper was a lamb in the nativity scene and Luke was a shepherd. Upon arriving for rehearsal on Christmas Eve Harper said she wanted to sing with the choir up on stage. I thought there is no way she will stay there the whole practice but of course that kid proved me wrong and stood up there for 30 minutes "practicing". You must also know that she did not know any of the words but would make her mouth go like she was singing. She ended up "singing" in both services. Lukey did not want anything to do with singing and was a bit nervous in general about being on stage. I thought from the look and color of his face the first service he was going to pass out. Thankfully he didn't. After the second service I took all of the kids over to my Aunt and Uncles house for dinner. It was a fun crazy night. Wrangling all 3 by myself on Christmas Eve proved to be a bit more challenging than normal simply based on their excitement level! We always celebrate Christmas Eve with my Mom side of the family. I think they all laughed and enjoyed my truly joyful children that night. After dinner and presents I headed home with the kids. We were hoping to see Jake before bed and right after we pulled in he pulled in. The kids were so excited that he was home too!

Harper in her Lamb costume

The Nativity Scene

Christmas Eve Night

Jammies a tradition for Christmas eve

Aunt Caroline spent the night Christmas Eve and Jake's parents came over early Christmas morning for breakfast and festivities. It was a fun relaxing morning. After naps we headed over to Connie and Steve's for dinner and presents with them. It was a fun evening. For the 4th Christmas in a row someone was throwing up. Last year Harper had the stomach flu at night and this year she throw up all the way to Connie and Steve's but that was because she was coughing so hard and so much. She seemed much better after we got her some medicine. It was such a great day and fun time!

Before the Christmas Festivities

Harper and Raegan

Having a great day!

Christmas Time

2011-02-22T11:13:00.000-08:00

So I know it is February but I still wanted to post some pictures from Christmas to have on the blog. =) Christmas time is a family FAVORITE in the Rutenbar house. We love pretty much any and every activity that has to do with Christmas. We love driving around and looking at lights, decorating, going to Disneyland at Christmas time, and reading Christmas books and listening to Christmas music!! This year the month of December seemed to go even faster but it was still great. I think Jake gets just as sad if not sadder than everyone when Christmas is over. I love my sentimental husband he is the best! We also didn't take our decorations down until about January 7th!! Here are some of the fun events from Christmas time.

Harper didn't really want to stop and take a picture. =)

Disneyland

Sam 8 1/2 months

Waiting for Nemo

Daddy and his Princess

Decorating the tree

Luke's turn for the star

Making dough ornaments

Painting the ornaments

Visiting Santa

Outings with 3!

2011-02-18T11:07:00.001-08:00

A lot of people ask me how it is having 3 kids. I have to say for me it was not a huge change from 2. Although I think I might feel the same way having 5 kids. I love all the challenges and fun that multiple kids bring. I also don't mind staying around home. I have a bit of an introverted personality at times. I'm perfectly content to spend the whole day at home or in the alley with just my kids and me. That being said we also have plenty of play dates and outings. Some of these outings are smooth and fun and dare I say relaxing, and some are the exact opposite. But more than likely most outings are a combination of super fun moments and lets call them teaching moments. =)

So the other day I took the kids to the mall. We were originally supposed to have a play date at the mall but the other kid got sick so I took the kids anyways. It was one of those outings that was super fun and rather relaxing. We perused stores (ex: toy store, Disney store...), they got to ride on the carousel, we sat on a bench had lunch. They were having such a great time that I pushed them well past nap time. The last store we went to on our way out was Pottery Barn Kids (Luke loves to look at the Star Wars stuff). It was pretty crowded and as I was maneuvering the stroller through the tight store, I told Luke and Harper they could go look ahead. As I got towards the back of the store I could not see the kids anymore, there wasn't many places they could be so I wasn't hurrying or panicking just keeping my eyes peeled. And then I spotted it, a shoe of Harper's strewn across the floor and then a foot later another one. But, where was Harper? And then I saw her blond pigtails and cute grin snuggled tightly beneath purple butterfly covers IN THE POTTERY BARN BED! I thought it was super cute and funny and a bit embarrassing. I tucked my laughter and smile away in my head and quickly and quietly explained to Harper why we don't get in beds at stores. To which she responded, "Mama I was just so sleepy, I wanted to take a nap." At this time as I was smoothing the covers and putting her shoes back on I asked her, "Where is your brother?" To which she pointed to the adjacent bed. Sure enough Luke was in the other bed, but Luke wasn't under the covers of the other bed, otherwise I surely would have seen him. Nope he was hiding in the netting that was hanging over the bed. I quickly got him out and everything looking adorable again and we left. Did I mention the store was crowded? It was still a super successful fun day and on a positive note my kids learned that even though the beds look super comfy we don't crawl into beds at stores. =)

Thanksgiving!

2011-01-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving we went to Arizona to be with my family. It had been a year since we had been there. The kids were super excited. It also had been 7 months since they had seen their Papa and they missed him terribly!! We drove out the Sunday before Thanksgiving right after church. It was a long day but the kids did amazing in the car. I might mention that my parents live about 2 hours past Phoenix so it really is a long drive. This year Luke has more of a grasp on time but not enough to make him understand what 9 hours is, but enough to make him ask several times if we are almost there. :) He actually recognizes much of the drive now. Jake and I made a mental note next year not to mention when we actually cross into Arizona since it is still like 4 hours from there. He kept saying, "But I thought we were in Arizona and Gramma and Papa live in Arizona!" It actually was semi-cute. It was cloudy much of the time driving to and from Arizona, what I think is perfect road trip weather.

Our time there was super fun and our kids soaked in as much special loving from Gramma and Papa as possible. Sammy was super cute but a horrible sleeper on vacation. He was just about to cut his top 2 teeth. On a side note Sammy had 2 teeth at Thanksgiving and 8 at Christmas yep you read it right. 6 teeth in a month!!!! Luke and Harper shared a bed and did really great. It was really COLD this year! The high most days was in the 40s and dropped down to the teens at night. I volunteered to watch the children play outside from the inside the house. ;) This year we celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday just to make it easier for everyone coming up the mountain. The kids had so much fun playing with my cousins kids, their second cousins?. It was a fun day of seeing family that we don't see often. My brother and his girlfriend Rose got in town on Wednesday so it was also super fun hanging with them. My kids adore them as well.

Some of the highlights of the trip included, geo caching, wii, monopoly deal, hanging with Nana, walking to see the "horses", playing in the dirt, bowling, the deer doorbell, but mostly just being with family. Oh and Jake and I went to Walmart at midnight for some Black Friday deals. It was CRAZY but we got everything that we had on our list!!!

Here are some pictures:

Loaded into the Jeep for some Geo Caching FUN!

Harper didn't quite make it to Thanksgiving dinner. ;)

The kids with Nana (their Great Grandma)

At the Bowling Alley

It is always hard to say goodbye.

And it starting snowing the day after we left....

Another Blog

2011-01-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

So, I have been missing in action for quite some time. It has been a busy time of year with 3 littles, church, and all that goes with that. I have been trying to prioritize things in my life and the blog has fallen low on my priority list. Plus, I have another blog. What you say? Only problem with my other blog is that it is in my head. And before you go and get all weirded out my intention is to later when I'm not changing a diaper, cooking a meal, folding laundry, playing with my kids (you get the picture) to type out these amazingly witty blogs. I'm telling you the blogs I write in my head are hilarious! However, I never get to the typing out parts because of those things I have mentioned above. But I'm carving out time to do it. So, in the next wee bit you may see posts on things that have long since past but I want to still document them.

I will leave you today with 2 funny stories of Harper from yesterday.

Setting: Lunch Time

I was just finishing up washing dishes from lunch when Harper walks up to Sam who was happily eating a rice cake and rips it out of his hand. I then rip the rice cake out of her hand...ahem I mean I ever so patiently ask her to give the rice cake back and then ask her what she did wrong.

Harper: "Mom Jesus says it is not funny when you take things from Sammy and I say okay Jesus I will make better choices."

I thinking this was pretty cute but still want to make my point ask her, "Harper what could you have done differently?"

Harper: "Mom Jesus and I already talked about it." and with an exasperated sigh turns and walks away.

Setting 2: Harper sitting on the couch flipping through my Bible right before bed.

Me: "Harper what are you doing?"

Harper: "Reading your Bible. It says here (while pointing) Jesus Loves Me. (she flips the page) It says here, don't say stupid. (flips page again) It says here no screaming. (flips page again) It says here no laughing."

Me: "I like that Harper but Jesus does love to hear us laugh."

Harper:"Okay"

Now here is the thing when I discipline her I don't think I have ever said things like Jesus says not to say stupid. That girl cracks me up.

And since these were stories about Harper here are some classic Harper pictures.

Pumpkin Carving!!

2010-11-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

This year my brother and his girlfriend came over to our house for pumpkin carving. We had a delicious dinner that Rose brought us and then lots of fun and laughing while we carved our pumpkins. Ever since Luke was little he has not loved to get all the goop out of the inside of the pumpkins. This year he also did not disappoint us with his dramatic facial expressions and noises as he cleaned it out. I do have to say despite his vocal discuss he powered through and cleaned almost the whole pumpkin himself. Harper of course wanted to do it all by herself. Ever since she got her pumpkin at the pumpkin patch all pumpkins are now referred to as "pumpkin patch". It is so cute. So all night she would say things like, "I'm cleaning my pumpkin patch" and "You make the cat pumpkin patch Rose?". Here are some pictures from that fun night.

Serious preparation going on

Here is a face...

Uncle Kurtis is lauging so hard...

All finished

The Great Park Pumpkin Festival!

2010-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

One Saturday in October The Great Park was having a one day pumpkin festival and it was free, you just had to pay to park. So, we loaded up the family and headed on out. It was a warm day but with huge dark clouds which made it really fun. It was such a great community event. They had a lot of activities for the kids mostly put on by different organizations and companies from the city. Each kid under 12 got to pick a pumpkin. Our kids had a blast walking through a pumpkin patch and picking their own pumpkin. Harper wanted a pumpkin that she could carry on her own and Luke wanted a big round one. We also got Sammy a little baby one. They loved going to the different booths and getting free junk I mean free fun stuff. The best both was the OC Zoo because they gave out free tickets to the zoo. The kids also really liked planting radishes in a Disney mug that they got to take home. Harper really wanted to go into the petting zoo to pet the bunnies. I waited in line and it was worth every second because she was in heaven petting all the animals. We stayed until the costume parade and then headed home. It was a great Saturday.

Pumpkin hunting.

Harper loved the white pumpkins!

The Winners

Luke touching a snake!

Sammy and Food!

2010-11-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Right around when Sam turned 6 months we started him on rice cereal. I didn't want to miss posting pictures of his first taste of real food. He did really well and was totally ready for food. However on like the 4th time of having the rice cereal he developed hives while eating. We had him checked a couple weeks ago for allergies. I am so happy to now know what he is allergic to! He has not had a break out of hives since we found out the culprits. He was tested for 10 things and was allergic to 5: milk, soy, wheat, oats and peanuts. I have quit eating those things so that I can continue to nurse him. He was not allergic to rice so I did not know why he had reacted when I had given him the rice cereal but it turns out the rice cereal has soy in it. He has now successfully had squash without any allergic reactions and he loves it and is so happy to have food! Here is the little guy first trying food. Harp and Luke had a blast feeding him, don't miss Harper's open mouth while she feeds him.

Getting ready....he is was so excited not because he knew what food was or what he was going to eat but because everyone in the family was smiling and staring at him!

Halloween!

2010-11-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

This years Halloween was so fun! Our church had a huge event called Blocktober! It was an amazing event! There were so many people but still so many fun things to do! The kids LOVED it, and they asked if the church was going to do it next year too! After Halloween we asked each of the kids their favorite thing from the night. Luke's favorite thing was getting candy =) and the bounce houses! Their were just normal bounce houses and then their were bounce houses with slides, obstacle courses, climbing walls and lots of fun! I loved all the bounce house stuff because the lines were short so the kids could do them over and over! Harper's favorite thing was riding the pony! She also really liked the petting zoo and getting her face painted! We got their shortly after the event started and stayed pretty much up until it closed (4 hours!) The kids did not want to go home. It was a super fun night and hopefully a tradition from now on! Now for the cute pictures.....

An Army Man

A Ballerina

A Monkey

Sammy at 5 months!

2010-10-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Sammy is almost 7 months but I need to back track and more for my records than anything record some of my little guys milestones. I think really I have been putting off blogging about Sam for the last couple months because in my mind I want him to stay a baby for a little longer than it seems to be going.

At 5 months Sam was 14 lbs 6 oz. That sounded so heavy to me when the Dr. said it and then I came to find out that he was still only in the 25% for weight. He was about the 50% for height and his head grew and was in the 75%. Four days after Sam turned 5 months he cut his first tooth. It was one of the front bottom two but I am not sure which one. He also began to sleep for about 10 hours at night which was lovely! Right after he turned 5 months is also when he had his first allergic reaction. Our poor little dude gets hives on his face and it turns bright red. It has happened several times since then, and we will find out next Friday what he is allergic to. That has been a new and interesting journey, but we are learning how to protect our Sammy.

This is what it looks like what he looks like. So like Jake and I like to joke about please do need feed our bear. =)

At about 5 1/2 months Sam began to sit up very well on his own and cut his 2nd tooth right next to the first. =)

Sitting up and if you look REALLY close you may be able to see a tooth.

This month was a great month of really bonding more and more with his brother and sister. They can make him laugh so hard and so fast.

This is him in the middle of an all out belly laugh.

Harper really has taken to playing with him and loving on him the bigger he gets. We also took him swimming more in this month. Normally when I would take the other two swimming I would have Sam in the stroller because it was a little crazy for me to have all 3 in the pool at the same time. But by this month Luke was a rather skilled swimmer and Sammy could hold him self up in my arms so that I could deal with wild swimmer Harper.

I would like to say these are pictures from Sam's first swim but they aren't. I just happen to have an extra set of hands with me this day so we grabbed a few pictures.

Yes Sam is holding his breath and no I didn't let Luke hold him for long. =)

Some other pictures of Sam at 5 months!

In case I failed to mention at the beginning of the post Sam is possibly one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. He rarely cries and usually before he even will start to fuss he starts to laugh. It is as if he is warning me with a laugh before he fusses. He has made having 3 kids really easy and fun to do outings and everything. I love this bug so much! He is such a blessing to Jake and I!

Blue Lasers!!!

2010-09-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

This was the year I had been waiting for since Luke was born. The year that Luke was old enough to play AYSO soccer!!! With our move to Irvine we were late in signing Luke up for soccer and were placed on a waiting list. I put on a brave face for Luke, telling him it was no big deal if he didn't get on a team and we could do it next year. The truth is that every time I told Luke those words I was also telling myself the same thing. Well, he got on a team, and as you may have already guessed their name is the BLUE LASERS!

Luke has had a couple of games and practices so far, and has loved every second of it so far. It has been so fun to watch his first interaction with a team sport, or really a sport of any kind. He is learning about drills and how to play soccer! His favorite things so far have been the teams cheer, snack, and his uniform! Speaking of his uniform the first practice I let him choose his uniform number. I read off all the different numbers and he choose, wait for it.....the number 12!!!!!!! I was so excited but played it very cool. My number was 12 in soccer all through high school and college for those of you who were wondering why I was so excited.

The games have been so fun and cute to watch. Luke really enjoys it but I think we enjoy watching him play just as much!!

Here are some fun pictures from his first game!

This is what Luke does after his team scores a goal.

This is his favorite picture he thinks he looks AWESOME!

Harp was so proud of her Lukey

Water Break

Going for goal....

Blue Laser Cheer Leader

SNACK!

Camping in June Lake!!!

2010-09-22T11:55:00.001-07:00

In August we took our first ever family camping trip!!! We went with a bunch of other families to June Lake, CA. Thankfully we were camping with experts (they have been going for 20+ years). It was so great camping in a large group. Not only does camping with others make for prime hang out and social time, but we also all shared the cooking! Not having to cook may have been my favorite part. Our family was in charge of 1 meal for the week, and even then Jake did it so I didn't have to think about it! The kids LOVED camping! Both of them loved playing in the dirt! Luke and Harper each only had 1 shower the whole time.

Each day we did something different. One day we went to the beach at the lake, another day on an awesome hike, and another day to another BEAUTIFUL lake that was about 30 minutes away. Each night after dinner Jake took Luke with the other Dads to go fishing. Luke did not catch a fish until the 3rd night, that naturally came with the opportunity of teaching some of life's great lessons. =) When Luke finally did catch a fish he did not want to touch it! Which surprises me none. That is our Lukey!! While the boys fished every night I got Harper and Sam ready for bed and to sleep. Sam was really good the whole time but was also teething and was probably the fussiest he has been in his whole life (which is still nothing to even talk about =)). He cut his 1st tooth 2 days after we got back.

We did have a bear come through camp on the 2nd to last night. Jake saw it sitting about 5 feet from our tent! I could hear it breathing and crunching something! Oh I forgot to mention the horrendous sound of Raccoons fighting and screaming to their death right before the bear! We think that is what drew the bear! I can't even do that night justice with my writing, so if you want to hear the story we can tell you in person. It is fair to say that I was scared for my babies lives and was hovering over them in the tent! After the bear left we ended up moving to the van to "sleep" for the rest of the night.

The whole trip was wonderful bear and all. It is a lot of work camping with 2 kids and an infant but it was worth it! The kids have amazing memories as do Jakey and I. We hope to make it an annual family vacation.

Lukey at the beach

Warming up on the Rocks

Sam hanging out in the back pack.

Harper hanging out with her buddy Jonathan!

On our hike...Sam was asleep in the back pack.

Our TENT!

The kids making ice cream by kicking a can.

Harp dig, dig, digging!

Luke's first fish!!

Hanging at a lake.

Working hard.....ummm.

Jake turned 30!

2010-09-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Jake turned 30 year this year! We wanted to celebrate such a momentous milestone with a party. It was pretty low key but super fun. We had friends over to our new house for food and hanging out. He had a great time being surrounded by all the people that he loves. I love my husband so much and it was so fun to celebrate him! We got a few pictures of the festivities but I for the most part was busy running around making sure there was enough food and everything. Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us! Here are a few of the pictures I grabbed and in them you can see a little of our new house.

Nacho Bar which later was a sundae bar

Lego Table

Luke turned 5!!

2010-09-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Luke turned 5 on the 4th of August, I am obviously WAY behind on blogging but oh well, better late than never. =) For about 3 nights leading up to Luke's birthday after we put Luke to bed Jake and I would sit on the couch trying not to cry not believing that our little baby was going to be 5 years old!!!! Five just seems so old and so big to me. We gave Luke the option of having a birthday party this year or taking a friend to some kind of amusement park. He had been wanting to go to Wild Rivers for some time now so he decided he wanted to take a friend to Wild Rivers on his birthday. This years birthday was different than his previous in the aspect that Luke had very specific requests for what he wanted to do and eat on his birthday. About a week before his birthday he sat down with me and had me write out a birthday wish list. He even knew the stores where the things he wanted were, it was very cute.

So, the morning of the big day came and he was SOOOOO cute and big. He walked into our room all smiley and Jake and I immediately told him "Happy Birthday Buddy" to which he responded, "Thank You" with a big 5 year old smile. Then per his request went to go get donuts with Dad and bring them back to the house. We got everything all packed up for Wild Rivers including the lunch that Luke wanted, "peanut butter and honey sandwiches, strawberries and blueberries, lemonade, and nacho cheese doritos". We then headed out for a fun filled day at the water park. He got a disposable waterproof camera to take pictures there but I haven't developed them yet so I will have to upload them another day.

Wild Rivers was SO much fun! Jake' s Mom watched Sam for us so we could be baby free. It was so fun going on rides and playing in the water with our big guy! He had a blast all day and was really living up the fact that it was his birthday!

We came back from Wild Rivers around 5:00ish. Luke then got to pick what he wanted for dinner before all of our family came over for cupcakes, ice cream and presents. He of course wanted a happy meal from Mc Donalds for dinner.

Lukey had a blast opening his presents and much to his delight got everything he wanted and then some! What a lucky little 5 year old. =) We are so thankful to have so much family around him. Since it was his birthday we let him stay up late to play with his new toys. At about 10:30 Jake and I found him falling asleep playing with his new skateboard toy. We had such a wonderful day celebrating our little boy.

Being Silly with Dad in the Morning!

Decorating his cupcakes!

He couldn't blow them out and he was laughing SO hard!

Sam 4 months!

2010-08-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

On the 30th of last month Sammy turned 4 months. What can I say about Sam....he is at such a sweet age right now and I could argue one of the easiest babies ever! He is such a love. He is super smiley, easy going, and content. It is so easy to make Sam giggle and laugh and it brightens my day. I often find myself in the busyness of my days glancing towards where ever he may be at the time only to find that he is watching me and smiling at me. I love having face time with him! Sam rolled from his tummy to back starting at a little over 3 months but now has rolled a few times from his back to his tummy but has not truly mastered the skill yet. He just started in the exesaucer and loves it. Still one of his favorite places is his mat where he now can grab and chew on his toys. Sam you are loved so much by everyone in the family! Lukey has been one of your favorites to watch but the older you get the more attention you get from your sister and you love it when she "plays" with you. You take all the beatings I mean love you get from your siblings in stride. I love you so much my sweet Sammer! Now no baby is perfect and would have to say my one complaint is that you are still not the greatest sleeper at night. I know I could push to make it happen but at this point I am still okay with our night time rendezvous's!

My Birthday!

2010-08-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a busy couple of weeks filled with birthdays, potty training, and everyday life. I have lots to catch up on so I will just start at the first birthday which was mine. I turned 29 this year and I have to admit I feel like this seems older than 30 will next year. Something about it being my last year in my 20s is just crazy. Although looking back I have done quite a lot in my 20s, I graduated from college, got married, moved 4 times, had 3 kids....and lots of other really great stuff. On my birthday my sweet husband and kids woke me up with my favorite flowers, a card and donuts singing Happy Birthday to me. It was a great start to my Birthday. The rest of the day was just like any other day doing what I love to do being a Mommy. In the evening my wonderful sister-in-law came over and made me and the family dinner, and then after dinner she and her cousin did the dishes. What a great gift not having to make dinner or do the dishes! The evening was super fun hanging out with family and eating a delicious and super cute cake that my mother-in-law made for me. It was a great birthday!

Sums it Up!

2010-07-31T14:14:00.001-07:00

I have LOTS to blog about but not so much time. So, I thought I would put up a recent picture of the kids. It is a rather accurate representation of my 3 little ones personalities.

Cousins!

2010-07-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of watching my niece Raegan a week or so ago and took some pictures of the kids playing together. The girls are getting to an age where they play together more often. Here are some pictures from that day...

Cooking!

Funny Faces!

Sometimes when the girls are getting extra attention Luke gets a little jealous. Here he is putting on a dance show for himself in the fireplace reflection.

Bed Head

2010-07-13T13:49:00.001-07:00

Harper's hair is long and curly and when she sleeps it gets WILD! Here are some pictures of the crazy hair and one of her rocking out after nap time.

4th of July!

2010-07-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Since the 4th was on Sunday this year we spent the morning at church came home for nap time. As soon as everyone was up from their nap we piled in to the car and headed to the Fields house for swimming, barbecuing, and fireworks! Jake and I realized that we have been going their now for around 8 years! It is so fun and we love the tradition. Luke now remembers past holidays and is always so excited about what we do on the 4th. This year was super fun. Luke is doing so well swimming now that we could just watch him jump off the rocks and swim to the side and go down the slide and swim to the side. He was in the pool ALL night. Harper swam in the beginning and then played with a couple of older girls (around 10) and loved every second of it. They taught Harper how to do a somersault and she just danced around with them. It was super cute. Sam slept most of the time away in Grammy's arms. It was a great 4th!

Photo shoot on the stairs. It is kind of hard to get a good picture of all 3.

Lukey swimming!

Harp with her dancing buddy.

We Moved and Changed Jobs....

2010-07-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone. Life has been crazy at the Rutenbar house but things are starting to get back to normal. Well a new normal. =) We are not in the same house, or city, and Jake has a new job! About a month or so ago Jake was asked to consider a job change within Saddleback. Rick asked him if we would consider praying about taking over as the new Irvine Campus Pastor for Saddleback. The previous pastor was a wonderful guy but he and his family felt God was calling them to plant a church of their own thus Saddleback needed someone to fill that position. Jake and I prayed a lot about it. Jake was loving his job on the High School Ministry team at the Lake Forest campus so we wanted to make sure that this is where God was calling us. God made it very clear over the next couple of weeks that Jake was supposed to take this job and that we were supposed to move to Irvine. God's timing has been amazing through this whole process. There were so many really cool times when things came together that we knew this is where God wanted us. 3 weekends ago Rick commissioned Jake as the new pastor. The next day we heard back that our first choice in a house for rent was accepted! We were so thrilled and excited. Last Friday we moved into our new place in Irvine. We are LOVING it and the city. The kids love their new home and are transitioning super well. Sammy loves having a quiet room to himself where he can sleep in his comfy crib (and Mommy loves that she has no children in her room =)). I will post more later and some pictures from the last little bit. I just wanted you all to know where I had been. =)

Today

2010-06-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

This morning the kids and I went to Chick-fil-a. They were having a special where whatever you order for breakfast if you save your receipt you can come back in the month of June and get the same order for free. So....since the kids love to eat and play at Chik-fil-A we went this morning. It actually was super relaxing and fun. I put Sammy in the car seat on the booth with Luke, and he was as happy as can be. He was probably happy since Luke is one of Sam's favorite things to watch. After we were done eating the kids went in to play.

Side note...Luke is our quieter more reserved kid in new situations and around new people. Jake and I have been working on getting him to say hello to kids at church, at the park, pretty much anywhere. We have been working on him saying hi and asking them there name and then remembering it.

So, today at Chick-fil-a a little boy came in and Harper said hi to him right away. Luke was coming down the slide and I said loud enough for him to hear, "Harper want to tell your new friend your name?" She did and then Luke comes over and stands by the kid. Now at about this point he looks like he has to pee and like someone is poking him in the back at the same time. He awkwardly says, "Whats your name?" The boy answers but so quiet and fast that it was unintelligible. So, Luke than says, "Oh Evreyo?" to Luke's credit that is what it sounded like but of course was not the kids name but the boy answers, "uh-huh". Then with blushed cheeks and a slight stutter my sweet boy says, "My name is called Luke, uh lets play". It was incredibly painfully awkward but I was so proud of him for pushing past his comfort zone. I think his cheeks were red for a few minutes but I was so proud of him.

I didn't not want to post again without pictures so here are a few from yesterday. The kids had swim lessons in the morning and on those days they are extra tired so they nap really well. I let them sleep on my bed because it is the coolest room in our house. While they napped Sam was awake so I took advantage of face time with my babe. I took lots of pictures and played with him. He is pretty much all better from his cold and as a result he has been sooooo smiley and content and sleeping better. Last night he slept from 9:00 until 5:30 and then went back to sleep until 7:45! Woohoo.

This one was from the other night right before I swaddled Sam for bed.

Sound asleep after swimming!

Nap time photo shoot with the Sammer!

All tuckered out on tummy time

LOST PARTY!

2010-06-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

This whole last season of Lost we have had people come over on Tuesday nights to watch the show. So, it was only natural that we would have a series finale party at our house. We started the festivities at 5:00. There were two requirements for coming to the party, 1)You had to wear a Lost inspired t-shirt 2) You had to write a Lost inspired poem. For the first part of the evening we just hung out and talked nerdy talk about Lost and ate some food. Then around 7:00 is when the real fun began. First we had everyone take a Lost quiz that Jake and I found on the Internet. There were about 25 easy questions and then 25 hard questions. We wanted it to be fair so everyone spread out around our house (I found it very humorous), and there was no talking and no cell phone usage.

Bonni

Oleg (I offered him a chair)

Josh

Jon

My LOST boys

Ryanne

Phil

Bethany

The winner of the quiz was....

Bethany!

Side note: There was a prize in the envelope. We didn't just give her an envelope that said quiz winner.

After the quiz each person got up and presented their t-shirt and any details or information that had to go with it. This part was super fun and all the shirts were really creative as you can see. After the shirt presentations each person got up and presented their poem. However, not everyone wrote a poem but some people wrote more than one. The poems were super well written and got many laughs. We then had everyone vote on their favorite shirt and their favorite poem.

Jonathan's shirt had holes in it and was his "island attire"

Jared's shirt was representative of Hurley's Chicken Company

Amber's shirt was the black smoke monster and all the people it had eaten (which if you look close were little lego men)

Jon shirt was the names that were written in chalk in the cave.

Oleg's shirt was pinned on pictures of all the people that died in the show.

Bethany's shirt had this awesome flesh like substance on it (which was supposed to be pieces of Arnzt)

Alanna's shirt was a band shirt for Drive Shaft

Bonni's shirt was the logo of the biscuits that were fed to the polar bears

Ryanne created a new Dharma station...The Rutenbar Station

The right half of Phil's shirt was representing his life on the island and the left half was his life off the island.

Jake created a Lost Love Log

The winner for the best shirt was......

Phil!

The winner for the best poem was.....

AMBER!

We then of course watched the show. It was super fun to watch it with so many of our friends. Thank you everyone for coming and squishing into our house for this momentous night. I didn't get a complete group shot but here is one from earlier in the evening. =)

2 months old!

2010-06-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sam was actually 2 months a couple of weeks ago but I haven't had the chance to blog. Right before he turned 2 months he got his first cold. Luckily all it has been is a snotty and congested nose, however, he is still congested! I am hoping it will start to clear up soon. He is doing great! He now is getting up only once during the night usually around 4:00 so that has helped me feel more human. He is a really good nurser! We had his 2 month check and he was 11 lbs exactly! He is about where Harp was at this point except taller. Sam however has a small head and they had to remeasure because he was measuring too small! Harp who is our little petite one has a head that is the 92%, and Luke also has a large head so this one is surprising to Jake and I. His favorite place to be when he is awake and not being held is in his swing. He is starting to like his bouncy seat more and really is pretty good in the car seat. He still loves taking his paci and also likes to have a blanket up by his face. He has giggled for me a few times and it seriously melts my heart. I love his dimples and his smile. We sure do love our little Samurai.

Keeping It Real

2010-06-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have seen on a few other blogs where the bloggers do a post usually titled "Keeping it Real" that is all about real stuff that happens to us Moms that we don't always blog about. So, this blog is about a trip to Walmart that was lets just say not a walk in the park.

It all started Saturday afternoon...I had to wake-up Harper and Sam from their naps in order to take something to Jake at church that he needed right then. And if you are a mom you know that waking kids up from their naps should be avoided whenever possible. =) But, in this case it had to be done so I armed the diaper bag with snacks and water and let Harper bring her Mimi (blanket) with her. We arrived at Walmart a little after 5:00, I got Sam strapped into the Bjorn and Harper into the shopping cart and I was ready. We then had a pleasant surprise when Grandpa pulled in and parked right in front of us!

So, we headed into Walmart with Grandpa where Grandpa took Luke to do some shopping with him. It was nice having 1 less little person to walk with but Harper then of course was sad that she couldn't be with her brother. Good thing for me she is easily distracted by any Dora or Princess thing she sees. However today she was on edge so everything she saw she wanted and when I told her no we are just looking she of course would cry. I of course did not give into her loud attempt to get me to purchase her an item but it did not make for a pleasant shopping experience. I forgot to mention that we had dropped off a prescription for Harper that would be ready in 25 min. So, I had now accumulated all the items on my list that I needed and I still had 20 min. left to wait for the prescription. Luke was back with us and I decided that there needed to be a new rule in place for the rest of this shopping experience. Since Harper was being so whiny I mean voicing her opinion on everything we passed I decided to change one of my rules. I usually allow my kids to touch whatever just with 1 finger. It allows them to explore but not break. So, I told Luke that today we would just look with our eyes. We headed to the toy section to kill some time waiting for the prescription. Thankfully this went relatively smoothly and the time went fast.

I was in the prescription line exactly when it was time for Harps prescriptions to be ready. I thought it was perfect, Sam was supposed to eat in 10 min. I figured I could get the Rx head to the car and be home in time to feed him. Ummmmm, not so much. There was a problem with the insurance and Rx so she said it would be a few more minutes. Fast forward 25 min. I had sung every song in my repertoire with Harper and Luke, they had eaten all the snacks and of course were still hungry since now it was dinner time. And what about Sam you ask, well he was still asleep pacified by none other than his pacifier. =) I kept thinking it would be any minute so I didn't feed Sam. Who knows how much later Harper was rolling on the ground (keep in mind we were at Walmart =( ) and Sam was waking up. I was about to just leave but the pharmacist had turned away people because she was trying to get our situation worked out so I felt guilty leaving. I got Harp back in the cart and brilliantly found some chap stick in the diaper bag for her to "play" with. The pharmacy is about to close so about 5 people are waiting in line for their Rx. And then I hear the sweet lady call my name, they had it all figured out! I got about 5 dirty looks as I went to the front of the line. The lady tried to explain how we had been waiting so long but it fell on deaf ears. Sam was a little fussy but I knew he could at least make it to the car. So, I am waiting to meet with the pharmacist. Luke who has been great the whole time is bored, hungry, tired you name it so naturally he is pestering his sister. I ask him to stand right next to me and not touch or go near the cart while I talk with the pharmacist. I turn around to hear what she has to tell me, Harper screams once, I ignore it, the 1 scream was followed by 4 more. I say excuse me to the lady turn around to see Luke trying to take the chap stick from Harper. I grab him by the shirt and put him next to me apologize to the lady. By this time Sam is starting to cry so I am bouncing shoving the paci in his mouth, trying to tune out Luke who is mad and sad, and pretend like I am hearing what the pharmacist is actually saying. I was so frustrated with Luke by this point for being so disobedient, oh and I forgot to mention yelling at me at one point. I calmly asked him to put his hand on the cart and we went in the next aisle to talk. I had to stop and realize that every kid misbehaves and most of my frustration/anger is stemming from embarrassment and exhaustion. So, I tell him we will discuss this more at home.

We head to the self-check out and I am feeling like I am in the clear. Sam is screaming by this point but I knew I would feed him when we got into the car so I am moving as fast as I can to get out of Walmart. In my speediness I accidentally hit Luke in the head with one of our items to which he interprets as his punishment. I say sorry but not in a loving tone, well because 2 out of 3 of my children are crying and it is now 7:00 and I am an imperfect person! I got Luke settled and Sam took his paci, I am waiting for my receipt breathing a sigh of relief when I look down to see that Harp has the entire inside of the chap stick in her mouth, and she is chewing it! AHHHHHHH!! No problem I think I will get her to spit it out while walking to the car. While pushing the cart I put my hand out asking her to spit it out. She starts to spit it out and then gags and wait for it, throws up! So, what did I do you ask? I ducked my head and exited the store as quickly as possible! We got to the car I got her cleaned up, and in her seat, Luke got in his seat, the AC is cranking, a movie is on for the kids and Sam is happily enjoying his meal and I am just chuckling thinking about the sight we must have been. Nothing like a trip to Walmart to keep you humble. =)

Cute Girl

2010-05-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Just now I was putting away some clothes in my room and Harper was sitting on our bed. She found a note pad and a pen where I had been doodling some shirt design ideas for our Lost party (there will be another post about that =)). Anyway, Harper says, "Mommy, me color?" I told her it was okay. She starts to color and then says with the cutest little voice, "Mommy shirt! Good Job!" I love how she is such an encourager. I said, "Thank you Harpy". And then if possible in an even cuter voice she says, "Oh Mommy Your Welcome". I didn't think this conversation could get any cuter until after coloring for a few minutes she came to me with her "picture" and said, "Mommy bumble bee Harper draw. Love it?" To which I responded, "Yes Harper I love it!". What a little snuggle bug!

Cute

2010-05-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

Just now Lukey walked up to me and said, "Mommy can I have an e-f-f-e-e?" Not wanting to put a damper on his attempt to spell and just incase I missed a letter the first time I asked him to spell it again. The same thing was repeated. I had to fess up that I did not know what he was spelling. He whispered to me, "Mommy I was spelling cookie." Of course how did I not get that. =) I then told him how to spell cookie and his response was, "It sounds the same to me". He then told me he was spelling so he wouldn't make Harper sad since she had yet to finish her lunch. Which was sweet but totally negated 2 minutes later when he walked into the room with the box of cookies. I love my kids. =)

Everyday Life

2010-05-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

First off Harper has been making more good choices than bad these last few days which makes my job as Mommy easier. I have really been working on the tone that Luke talks to his sister in, which in return automatically forces me to work on the tone that I talk to my kids in. It kills me when I hear a negative tone or even wording coming out of their mouths that sounds like me. I have been really working on staying calm no matter what the circumstance is and to keep an even tone. I am not a yeller but I can say things rude or sarcastic or even just snappy. So, I am working on it.

I love Mondays...they are our family day so I just love them. Yesterday we went to Disneyland with the kids and met up with some friends and then just hung out in the evening at home. It was a great day. I also am beginning to love Tuesdays, a day that I used to not like b/c it is the beginning of the work week. I am starting to like Tuesdays because it is my productive day. I tend to do several loads of laundry and do any shopping that needs to be done for the week. That way I have everyday stuff do the rest of the week but I am also more free for play dates and such.

Luke has had me smiling and giggling with his cuteness the last few days. Yesterday while at Disneyland we were waiting to go on Peter Pan with our friends when Luke comes and stands by me. At the time I had Sam in the Bjorn so it is hard to look down and see his face. But, he starts pulling on my sweatshirt so I lean down and he puts a cupped hand to his mouth and whispers in my ear....well I'm not going to actually tell you what he said because it is our secret word for "I love you" but, he whispered our secret word. Oh man, he got me right then. I love that in the midst of fun and Disneyland he just wanted to let me know that he loved me. It was the best.

Luke is my helper. Most of the time I appreciate and love his help. At Target today I was in the juice aisle pricing out all of the different juices, you know seeing how much per ounce all the different juices cost. While doing this I was crouched down looking at the bottom shelf talking under my breath trying to concentrate. Luke crouches down right next to me and says, "Mommy why are we whispering?" I just had to squeeze him right then and tell him how thankful I am that I have him to go to Target with me.

And I will leave you with this, Sam and I on Buzz yesterday at Disneyland!

That is just a little of our everyday life. Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

Caught

2010-05-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

I was getting everyone ready to go to the store this morning when Harper decided to make a little mischief. I had everyone dressed, Sam was happy in the swing so I quickly went to get myself dressed. I heard water and saw that Luke wasn't in the bathroom so I went to see what was going on. And this is what I found...

And he Smiles...

2010-05-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I feel like all I did this week was discipline Harper by really trying to be consistent in my expectations and discipline with her. This makes for some tiring days, I definitely think it would be easier to let my kids do whatever they wanted. =) Harper needed it though. She has been pushing every boundary she can possibly think of. During all of my "training" of Harper, Luke has also found that he can push her buttons to make her misbehave. I finally realized one day he would try to get her to misbehave so that she would have to go on timeout. Siblings. He also constantly tries to tell her what to do, which of course drives Harper nuts. Just this morning he says to me, "Mom do you think we should do the same thing today that we did yesterday when Harper screams." I had to gently remind him that he is not part of disciplining Harper. =) Needless to say Harper has had her best day today of the whole week! I feel like my kids go through weeks where they really need me to be on them about the rules and then they just need reminders here and there through out the rest of the time.

During this crazy week Sam the Man really started to break out his smiles and give them out more and more frequently! He is a cutey putey and melts my heart when he smiles. He also gave me a stretch of almost 6 hours one night which promptly put him as the front runner for my favorite child. Only kidding, you know I don't actually have a favorite. Although Sam is smiling a lot it is hard to catch on camera but here are a few I caught the other day.

Sam 1 Month!

2010-05-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sam turned 1 month last week. He is actually now almost 6 weeks old. I think I have been waiting these last 6 weeks for Sam to become a really hard baby or at least a baby that has a fussy/crying period during the day. So far Sam has not become more difficult or even had a time where he couldn't be easily consoled. He has periods of crying but those have been in the car only and when he is hungry. He is so easy he had me wondering if I wanted another kid. My only complaint right now is that he is not giving me longer stretches at night. I know it will come but man I am not the largest fan of waking up in the middle of the night. He loves his pacifier but lately has been wanting to suck on his hands but can't seem to be completely satisfied by that. Both of my other kids started with pacis and eventually then became finger and thumb suckers. At his 1 month check he was 9 lbs 6 oz. and 22 1/12 inches long. Sam I do want to say thank you for going to bed around the same time as Harper and Luke. Going to bed at that time has given your Daddy and I time together in the evenings and we appreciate it.

She is 2!

2010-05-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

Harper turned 2 on April 27th. I seriously can't believe that she is already 2. However, she feels more like 3 to me with her independence and spunk. She has been sleeping in a big girl bed for a few months now and has no problem with naps or sleeping all night. She totally got that it was her Birthday and was so excited about everything that we did on her birthday. The morning of her birthday we were in Big Bear for a couple of night get away with my parents. When she woke up she knew right away that it was her birthday and was so excited. Jake took her out to get donuts first thing. We then were all going to go to the Big Bear zoo for her birthday but Luke woke up with a stomach bug. So, we had her open her presents. She loved opening them and as soon as she would have it open she would say "More". My favorite was when she was opening her presents she we would tell her this is from so and so. She then would look at us with a stern expression and say, "Iss Harpers!" She was so excited to get gifts that were all hers if that is not indicative of a 2 year old I don't know what is.

After opening and playing with her new gifts Luke wasn't doing much better so Jake and I decided we would just take Harper to the zoo and my parents would stay with the boys. It worked out great since Sam was already down for a nap in his bed. It ended up being so much fun. Harper LOVED the zoo and Jake and I loved the time with just her. I am not sure if both of us together have ever just had Harper somewhere other than home. It was so fun to get lavish extra attention and love on her. I love having time with just Harper she has the BEST facial expressions and is so affectionate.

We then headed down the hill in the afternoon. That evening we had cake and ice cream at our house with all of Harper's family. She loved again being the center of attention. She had only had a 40 minute nap that day so she at times was a little sassy but we forgave her since it was her birthday and all. =)

Now to my dearest Harper. You are truly a joy. Your Daddy and I can't believe how much personality you already have. You are very outgoing and love meeting new people and going on new adventures. You are super affectionate to all who cross your path. Even at 2 you have a way of making those in your life feel loved and extra special. For as independent as you are you still love for Mommy to snuggle and hold you. My favorite is when you come up to me with your big eyes and say, "Hold you?". You still are an AMAZING sleeper. You can put together anywhere between 4 and 5 words. You actually speak rather clearly and even strangers can often understand what you are saying. One of your favorite things to do daily is puzzles. You are still our little monkey and quite the climber/daredevil. We love you so much Harper and are so thankful God choose us to be your Mommy and Daddy.

Easter!

2010-04-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

We had a relatively mellow Easter considering we had a 4 day old. We went to church the night before as a family. On the morning of Easter once the whole family was up we talked through the Easter story and then read it the kids Bible. A little later my parents who are out for a month visiting from Arizona came over to the house. My Mom dyed eggs with Luke and Harper. After nap time we went over to Jake's parents house for some dinner and an egg hunt with cousin Rae. It was a little different Easter this year but still good to have so much family close by.

Luke didn't like the smell of the vinegar.

Gramma and Sam

Swing time with Cousins!

Hunting

Enjoying their candy.

He is here!

2010-04-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

I have been horrible about blogging since Sam was born so sorry. He is now 2 weeks old and doing great but I thought I would write about the day he was born and post some pictures. For those of you that don't want to read about the birth story (it is pretty long I just wanted to record it all) I will give you the stats and you can just peruse the pictures. Samuel Jacob Rutenbar was born at 11:57 pm on March 30, 2010. He weighed 8 lbs exactly (which the Dr. guessed) and was 20 inches long.

So, here is the story of the day our little Sam entered the world. I was scheduled to be induced the 31st of March if I did not go into labor before then. Well I woke up the morning of the 30th having some contractions. I didn't think much of it since I had been having contractions off and on the last week. I just went about getting the kids breakfast and the usual morning stuff. By the time Jake went to work I was having some stronger contractions but nothing really consistent. I actually had an appointment that day at the hospital to prepare me for the induction the next day. So, I ran errands with the kids grabbed them some lunch and dropped them to Jake at work while I headed to the hospital for my appointment. By this time I was having more contractions but still not at regular intervals. My appointment was quick and I even joked that I might be back that night if these contractions progressed.

After my appointment I went to pick up the kids to take them home for a nap. I did a few things around the house since I knew at the latest I would have Sam the next day. The contractions were still there so I decided to try and rest. I got in bed and actually slept for almost a half hour until a strong contraction woke me up. It was about 3:30 the kids were still napping so I watched a little t.v. and rested on the couch. By 4:15 I was calling Jake wondering when he was coming home. My contractions were now at regular intervals but not lasting very long. I then called back 15 minutes later and asked him if he could come home now and we could walk. When Jake got home we drove to the Spectrum and walked around. The contractions were now every 10-12 minutes and getting stronger. We left the Spectrum about an hour later when I was embarrassed about having to stop walking for a contraction and feeling like everyone around me knew I was in labor. We headed home got dinner for the kids and made sure everything was ready to go (by this point I knew Sam was going to come before the morning).

Aunt Caroline was already on her way over to hang out which ended up being perfect since my contractions were now 5 minutes apart. We called Rachel to come over to our house to watch the kiddos and relieve Caroline so she could come to the hospital. We got to the hospital shortly after 8:00. They checked me and talked to the Dr. and then checked me into the hospital. I was around 3cm at that time. After getting settled into my room the Dr. came in to see me. My Dr. is part of a group and my Dr. wasn't on call so I had a Dr. I had never met. He ended up being absolutely amazing and I loved having him as my Dr. Soon after the anaesthesiologist came in and gave me an epidural. By this point it was after 10:00 and after receiving those lovely drugs I was so tired that all I wanted to do was take a nap. I got irritated at Jake for listening to music (sorry honey), I just wanted it dark and quiet. For the first time in a couple of weeks my back didn't hurt and it was so nice to relax. I had my water broken a while later and was at about 6 cm. A little later I could feel my contractions and I was at 7cm but the nurse wanted to try and switch my position to get the baby possibly to turn over and move down (they thought he was sunny side up). She moved my legs in a different position and 6 minutes later I told her I could feel my contractions strong and there was no break in between. She confirmed to me that is what she was watching on the monitor and checked me again, I was at a 10 and ready to go.

The Dr. came in I gave a test push and it was go time. While prepping me for pushing and while the Dr. and baby nurse got ready I believe Jake began to not feel so well. I of course was oblivious since I had a baby waiting to come out. I heard him say, "I need to lay down I think I am going to pass out." To which I responded with this face, captured by my best friend Kimee

The next thing I hear is "He passed out". I wasn't as concerned with him at the moment since all I wanted to do was push this baby out of me. The nurse and Dr. kept working on me but then I heard, "He is not waking up." Quickly followed by Courtney telling me he was fine. The nurse called for some nurses to come tend to Jake. At this point I was starting to feel faint but then the Dr. was ready and it was time to push. I did a few pushes and he was already part way out. When his head was out they had to cut the cord from around his neck. It was wrapped around it twice. Again during this the Dr. was VERY calm and talked to me in such a soothing way. Once they had the cord off he came out with a few other pushes. He was born 3 minutes before midnight. We had thought 30 minutes before that there was no way he would be born that day. Well, he proved us wrong. It took a few moments for him to cry and move around like my other kids. I never was so relieved to hear one of my kids cry. Jake and I both thought he was dead at first or something was wrong with him. He is just fine!

Anyway, that is the story of Sam's birth. I know it was really long but it is more for me and Sam then for the blog anyway. =) Jake and I recovered that night and the next morning. It takes Jake awhile to feel better after passing out. He did make it back up into a chair to see Sam's birth. We are all doing well. So far the kid is super mellow. Has barely cried at all. I keep waiting for him to wake up one day and be a handful. Luke and Harper love their new brother. I am going to post just a few pictures and then will post more later. We are so thankful for our Sammy!

Family of Five!

2010-03-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed or didn't know Luke and Jake look a ton a like. There was someone the other day that had never met Luke but saw him walk into a birthday party and she said to her husband, "That has to be Jake Rutenbar's kid." Here I will prove it to you. See? Yep they look a like.

But, the similarities don't stop there. I know that Luke has just as much of my DNA as Jakes but he has so many similarities to his Daddy. One of the ones that we just found out about is that Luke may have inherited his Dad's passing out tendencies. Jake has passed out for many different things in many different places but we could save those for another blog post or heck even a series of blog posts. I had a first hand near passing out experiencing the other day with Luke.

I was busy "nesting" in the kids room, cleaning out drawers and closets, raising the crib, hanging drapes when Luke came in to me with a bloody lip. He had peeled off some chapped skin and his lip was bleeding. He wasn't crying or anything so I told him to go get a wipe and hold it on it until it stopped bleeding and to stop frantically wiping it on his shirt. Before you judge me for being insensitive I need to reiterate that I was on a mission AND he wasn't crying. The idea of the wipe kind of freaked Luke out because he was afraid it was going to hurt it even more. He wanted toilet paper so I told him to get some and go sit on the couch and I would be out in a few minutes.

Well, about 5 minutes later Luke staggers into his room and grabs me. I turn around and see that he is white as can be with no color in his lips and he is sweating. I at the moment had forgotten about his lip and asked, "are you going to throw up?" He looked like he was going to. He wasn't talking but kind of moaning so I carried him into the bathroom and sat him on the stool in front of the toilet which he promptly fell off of onto the ground. It was at that moment that I realized he was about to pass out. I let him lay on the floor and tried to urge him to throw up in the toilet if he felt the need. After awhile I put him on the couch with a bucket. After about a half hour his color was back and he seemed fine. I still had thought that maybe he was getting the stomach flu. I then asked him when he started to feel yucky and he told me it was after sitting on the couch with his hurt lip. OH, so it was from his bloody lip. Only time will tell if this will be something we deal with more than once. Jake gave me the low down that night on what I could do differently next time and urged me next time not to put him on a stool in front of the hard toilet. =)

Life Lesson

2010-03-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Luke tends to be our ruler follower/enforcer. He has his definite moments of not following the rules but for the most part those take place at home. When out and about in public situations he knows what is right and wrong and most of the time chooses the simpler path of right. However, he has been going through shall we say a little bit of a rough patch and learning a lot of lessons these last few weeks.

We were out running some errands one day and we went into Michaels, I was looking at some craft supply stuff for Bible Study and Luke was close by looking at some other stuff. Now, like I said Luke is usually an easy peasy gem in stores (although before running any errands I remind him of the way one is to behave in a store). So, as I am perusing an aisle I glance over and see that Luke is further away than usual and I am about to call him back and remind him that he needs to stay close to me when I see him wind his leg up and kick a display at the front of the store. I actually stood there for a minute because I was a bit shocked that he had just done that. I then proceeded to call Luke over, I think that he could tell by the steady tone of my voice and probably something in my eyes that I had seen him do it. The closer he got to me he started to cry. To the point where he was hysterical by the time he reached the aisle I was calmly standing in. I had yet to say anything but, "Luke come here please." I then bent down (I feel like the Lord gave me some wisdom and calm here) and said, "Luke did you just kick that?" He said, "YESSS", followed by arms flailing and sobs as if I just beat him. I then proceeded to tell him that, the display is not our property and we do not treat other peoples property or our property that way and since it wasn't our property he was going to need apologize to the lady at the front. If I thought he was hysterical before he then started in on sobbing and clinging followed every 10 seconds by a sound that sounded like he was about to vomit. I decided so as not to traumatize the store clerk that I should try and calm him down before he apologizes. So, for about another 5 minutes I talked about how we all make mistakes even Mommy and part of making a mistake is owning up to it and saying sorry. We then walked over to the front (I had let the line die down), where my son (by the way my heart was breaking for him at this point and I just wanted to give in but I knew it was important I didn't) in between hiccups with a very splotchy red face said he was sorry. The sweet lady at the store reached over cupped his cheeks in her hands and said, "thank you for saying sorry" and that it was okay. I then through a little bit of shaky voice explained that nothing was broken but I thought he needed to apologize. I am very pregnant and emotional so to see this lady give him grace and accept his apology and to see how embarrassed Luke was I almost lost it right there. We then quickly left the store where I held my son who cried for another 5 minutes. On the way home I asked why it was so hard to say he was sorry. He told me he was embarrassed for what he had done. We talked about how it made him a bigger boy to admit that he was wrong and say he was sorry. And then he said, "Sometimes it is hard being a bigger boy." I answered, "Yes buddy sometimes it is."

Life update.

2010-03-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

So, I have been gone from the blogging scene the last few weeks. For one of the weeks Jake was gone and I was just too tired at the end of the day or nap time to blog. Then like anything when you don't do something for awhile you fall out of the habit. So, a quick catch up.

I am in the final weeks of this pregnancy, and feeling okay. A couple of weeks ago I had a regular ultrasound and the baby, oh let me back up, we HAVE A NAME, at least I am pretty sure, it is, drum roll please, Samuel James Rutenbar. We will call him Sam or Sammy. So, I had an ultrasound and Sam was measuring great in all areas but around his waist where he was measuring small so for the rest of the pregnancy I go in twice a week for Non-Stress Test and measuring of my fluid. So far so good. I have another ultrasound on Thursday and we will see if he has grown and then we will know more after that. Everything else on him looks super healthy so that is good. We are pretty much ready for Sam now but I am also enjoying my days with my 2 little monkeys at home. I was telling Jake last night that during the day I am perfectly content waiting a few more weeks for our newest little one to come along. It is at night time when my back hurts and I can't sleep that I am ready to not be pregnant anymore. =)

The kids are doing great. Harper has had a cold it feels like off and on for a month but she still is just as busy as ever. Luke however, has been relatively healthy this winter, which has been encouraging. They really have become best buddies in the last month and it is so fun for me to listen to them play together. Right now Luke is teaching Harper how to do his hot wheel tracks. At the moment he is talking in a loving voice and being super patient with her. Watching them grow to be friends is one of my favorite things. Harper has learned the art of pouting. I actually find it rather humorous and she usually will stop after about 5 minutes of no one paying attention to her. Oh and I have 2 or 3 good Lukey stories to post about. I will do that soon. Let me just tell you that 1 of them has to do with almost passing out.

Jake and I have been busying downsizing all things at the house. When you are adding a 3rd kid to a 2 bedroom condo (with no garage =)) you have to learn to let a few things go. Thankfully Jake's parents also store some of our things at their house. Watching Hoarders weekly gives me all the nudge I need to simplify our lives.

I will leave you now with a few pictures from the last couple weeks.

The kids playing nap time in a hamper.

One of my roommates from college Ali was out visiting from Indiana and we got to spend an evening with her.

Harper loves to rock with Cheetoh in the kitties chair.

You can't see them too well but at a garage sale Harper got some 25 cent Princess dress up shoes that she LOVES!

While reorganizing my closet I came across my Papa's cowboy hat. It is now one of Luke's dress up things. He walks around the house saying Haw-Yee (and no I don't correct him).

Daily the kids pretend to be Jedi's and have light saber fights. Notice Harper has hers clipped on her shorts.

Who needs the stairs when you can take the hill?

My cuties!

Pictures

2010-02-21T15:42:00.001-08:00

Here are some random pictures from the last week or so.

Waiting to open a Valentine's Day Package from Gramma and Papa

CANDY!

She was sick, and I put her on the couch with a snack and two minutes later found her like this.

The 3 best wrestlers around taking a break.

After a little spa time with Mommy.

Snuggles

Right after getting up from naptime.

We seriously have the nicest cat. I wish at times she was more mean to Harper.