Visit to Gran Pawpaw

We finally made it over to Crockett to visit "Bisabuelito". He has been sick with Lung Cancer for 5 years and just went through another round of Chemo and is doing very well. We are so grateful for that.

Caleb always loves going to visit and seeing the cows. Pawpaw lives on 90 acres and has around 80 head of cattle. There is always lots to do around the place, whether it be fixing fences, haying the field or doctoring the cows. None of these things are really my cup of tea, I did plenty of this growing up on THE PLACE in Montana. Now, I would probably qualify myself as more of a city girl, but Caleb is a country boy tried and true. He loves everything about going to visit his Gran Pawpaw. He loves that "Bisabuelito" wears a cowboy hat, cows “merrr” all around, he gets to ride in Papa’s Big Truck and finally, he can ride his JOHN DEERE Tractor.




He and Sissy had great fun going around and around, until she got dumped out on her head. So sad! We put her back in to try to help her remember how fun it was, but she was done and only wanted to be cuddled and held after this traumatic experience.



PawPaw chased Caleb around on the lawn mower, which really concerned Caleb. At one point I think he started crying. I don't think he has quite figured out the whole teasing thing, yet.

Sleep is always lacking when you are in a house with thin walls and lots of snoring, but besides almost being poisoned by leaking gas fumes, we had lots of fun.

Thank you for making me smile

Cory and I try and set goals for each year for the new ways the Lord will gain ground in our lives. For '09 I really want to laugh more. I thought about the funny ways God makes me laugh and much of it involves my sweet kiddos.

Makaylee
Stinky Joy


Oh the way you strain, grunt and the precious face you make when you poo is always one of my daily laughs. Sometimes it even happens more than once a day. The humor this event brings far outweighs the present you leave for me to clean up.

Peek-a-Boo


She loves playing peek a boo and giggles til her belly shakes. It warms my heart.

Miss Beautiful
She always does a belly laugh when daddy comes home from work and says his normal greeting of, "what's up beautiful."



Caleb

Stall tactics
Before bed he frequently says:
Poo poo mommy and there is no poo to be found
Needed waddered momma
Needed kiss (I love this one)
Pray again
Tuck me in(for the 3rd time)

Such an Imagination
He will come up with a pretty tall tale to get me to stop the activity he doesn't want to occur. One time when he didn't like what i was singing he said, "shh momma dinosaurs sleeping, you wake em up."

Tough Bullrider
I a tuff cowbigbull Rider pbr bulls
I ride pr bull
my throw cowboy hat bull riden

Denying the Poo
I ask after a nasty stink has filled the room and every time without fail you say, "no no i did it poo poo." Then I say you did poo poo? And you respond, "nope."

I not ... I Ca Hub
Caleb asked to go downstairs watch dinosaurs. I said, sorry Charlie no dinosaurs. Caleb quickly replied, "I not Cha lee, I Ca Hub.

One evening we were sitting at the dinner table and Caleb was telling everyone shh, be quiet. I said, Caleb you are bossy. He responded, I no bossy I Ca Hub.

On Sunday morning before church Caleb was being pretty wild and Cory said, you are hyper and Caleb corrected him and said I not hyper I Ca Hub. There is nothing like being sharpened by a 2 year old. We are currently working on changing our language and instead of calling him ... saying you are being...

Words that seem the same
Caleb has been known a time or two to confuse his words.

I was getting a stick of gum out of my purse and caleb said, "octagun peas."

I want faffles momma I need chechup on faffles. Ketchup, I question? He replies, "shurup."

It broke I need a blue one. ?? A new one.

His newest one is great. He was getting a little envious of his sister and Daddy said, are you jealous and quickly he correct "I not jellyfish I Ca Hub". Now, when we say he is... he says no I jellyfish. Still working on changing our language.

His faithful pursuit

I tend to worry way too much about the opinions of others, so it is interesting to me to see how God has been growing me in this area. Probably, the biggest gift and tool He has used is the man I married. Cory is very rarely one who struggles with seeking the favor of man, so he sees this quality for the destructive behavior that it truly is and even though he is patient he thankfully has not enabled me to dwell. There are many other unique ways God has exposed this sin to me which I won't go into detail on right now. However currently, He's allowing me to deal with the consequences of putting my foot in my mouth. I recently did something to a friend that other loving friends pointed out was probably not the most sensitive way to treat someone. It crushed me. I felt terrible that I didn't see the hurt that my actions could cause before I made the decision, so that lead me to ask myself why was I so clueless? When I think about it I'll I can come up with is that I was trying to not worry about the opinion of others. Not over analize and worry about if they will be mad at me. It kind of seems silly to me now that I didn't just consider the scriptures and decide if it is something that I would want to be done to me and let that guide my decision, but people pleasing is so much a part of who I am that I'm never sure if the reason I am doing it is truly driven by compassion or more that I want to be liked. I will say that I sought the wisdom of my husband on the issue and he not being sensitive didn't see any harm, but I probably should have asked myself if it would hurt. I tend to be more sensitive. If, I was going to error it probably should have been on the side of compassion. Anyway, all that to say the foot in my mouth incident revealed to me how far I am from freedom in my people pleasing. Every time I think I've gained ground I see that in some ways I have, but I am still so far from being free and I am robbed of the joy I have in Christ. I know it seems extreme but this behavior is like a plague that attacks my whole being. It is a behavior that is destroying me and I hate it and yet I can't seem to change it. But God is so faithful, Tuesday night I was feeling very low and I cried out to the Lord why can't I over come this and why do You feel so far off. Wednesday morning he reminded me how much He loves me. He is right there with me, I just can't see Him because I am too focused on myself. I didn't want to go to Bible Study, because I was tired, it makes a long day for the kids and probably Satan was attacking me and didn't want me to go. Thankfully, I did and I was so encouraged. During our small group time one of the ladies in the group talked about wanting affirmation from others and what a hard struggle it was and as we discussed it, it was as if God was saying to me this is a difficult thing, but there is hope. Don't give up I care for you and if you spend time knowing Me you will find freedom. I needed to get the focus off myself and on Him. Then during big group time this point was hammered home. It really felt like the message was directed right at me. Get the mirror off yourself, off the world and on God. How do you do that? Spend time getting to know Me more intimately. How do you do that? Answer, spend time in HIS WORD. Ultimately, I walked away with seeing my eyes are so often focused on myself and what I am not getting or how I'm feeling that I don't see the bigger picture and what it is I am called to do, love God and make Him famous. I am sure not making Him famous when I am blinded by my self absorption. So today, there is a small step toward freedom. Thank you God for your constant loving pursuit.

Galations 1:10
For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

Psalm 32
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

Naked Cowboy

Normally Caleb doesn't like to be undressed. I don't know if he is modest or just likes how cute he looks in his clothes, but he rarely ever just hangs out naked. This day was an exception. Maybe because he had his two favorite items on, Cowboy hat and Crocs, he felt comfortable in his birthday suit.

We've been trying to get him to start potting on his Diego potty. His Aunt Rauline at Christmas even used a fun little trick, Feed the Alligators. He is real interested in feeding the Alligators, but he doesn't want to be the one providing the food. Today at school he did say he wanted to go potty to his teachers, but he really had no intention of going he just didn't want to miss out. Everyone else was going, so it must be fun.

His head is doing a lot better, but diaper changing time is posing a challenge. Today at school his teacher was so kind to change him and have another teacher hold his head. Thank you Leeann.

He loves riding bulls and just about anything he can mount and ride is a pretend bull. This looks like an accident waiting to happen. But, we figure if he learns young that riding bulls is painful, maybe by the time he can ride the real thing, he will be over it.

We tried to get some cute pics, but I don't think he wanted evidence that he wasn't wearing any clothes, so as soon as he realized the camera was snapping shots he was off and running or should I say streaking.

American Idol the first twelve

Okay what is the deal, they all stink. Tatiana is so strange. She was crazy during Hollywood week and now she might get through because everyone else pulled the big choke.

Finally, someone can perform. Danny Gokey you are amazing!!! Simon I agreed with you until your review of Danny, do you just want to be negative?

Why Do I Have To Sit in the Chair? Another Valuable Lesson Learned

A few months ago we started allowing Caleb to sit in a BIG boy chair. Since, that decision we battle getting him to sit on his bottom and stay in the middle of the chair. Well, today that battle left a casualty and the Ruizs had a less than lovely Valentine's Day. It is amazing how quickly a disaster can strike. Within seconds he went from healthy bouncing boy, to a boy with a split open scalp. I had another freak out mom moment and could not look, so Cory had to assess the damage. It was about a 1 inch gash almost to the bone. It actually didn't bleed as bad as one would expect with a head wound, but we knew the ER was a necessary trip. On Par, with the ER's usually speedy service we sat and waited for a few hours. It pretty much was a mom's nightmare situation, an open wound, crazy toddler ( I think he had almost forgot about it by the time we reached the ER) and bacteria infested kids everywhere. Doing his normal can't sit still routine wanting to climb on the chairs. One would think he would learn, but I guess maybe toddlers long term memory has not fully developed by 33 months. We finally got back to the room, met with the Doc and figured out the game plan. 4 staples and no anesthesia, because the anesthesia would take longer and be just as painful, they said. Hmm, I watched the most terrified kid look into my eyes panicked as Cory and an assistant held him down. They scrubbed the wound with iodine and then proceeded to staple his little head. Oh, that was so hard to watch. My poor little buddy sobbed and shook for probably 20 minutes in my arms. It hurt my heart. He did manage to bring smiles to his Mommy's face when he received a popsicle for his torture and he emphatically declined and throw it across the room.



We went home and watched a movie and then played Play-doh. He actually sat pretty still in his chair during Play-doh time. Maybe, he learned a very valuable toddler lesson. It was a slight challenge to get him down for bed. Lying on his bo bo was not working very well. But after a few lullabies and lying on Mommy’s hand he fell fast asleep.

Getting so Big

Makaylee is almost 10 months old and just thinking of that brings tears to my eyes. The time with her has flown by. Until the other day, when we went and visited a friend of mine who just had twins and I saw how massive she looked next to them, I really still thought of her as my newborn. She had her 9 month appointment a few weeks ago and weighed 16.8 lbs putting her in the 10% for weight and was 27 inches long putting her between 25-50% for height. She is getting all four teeth on top and already has her 2 bottom teeth. Her smile always warms my heart, but right now with her little snaggle tooth it especially makes me smile. Development wise she was doing many of the same things as a 12 month old, which surprised me because she really doesn't do a traditional crawl. Dr. Katz said crawling is not something they look at to see how a child is developing. I was a little confused, because I've always heard crawling is so important. She said her first real word I guess, after looking at Zoie and me pointing and saying dog she said da. I really think she is going to be a great communicator, she has such an interest in interacting verbally. Tonight was alittle emotional already with the ER visit and then my sweet little girl decided she would rather have a bottle than nurse. I am not sure what that means. She is so little, so I do wonder if I am producing enough milk. I tried nursing and she wasn't too interested, so I thought I would give her a bottle just in case and she downed 6 oz.


I might have to call the doctor and get some counsel on the situation. She is such a big girl holding the bottle and feeding herself. She is also drinking out of a sippy cup, and loves to steal Caleb's juice. That never goes over real well with Big Bro. She is scrappy though, I think soon she will be able to hold her own against him. They really do love each other so much. I have such sweet kiddos.

Why Do I Have to Share??

A question my almost 3 year old truly has not understood the answer to until, perhaps today. Today the answer had a little twist.
You should share, because if you don't you might get your nose bit off.
Toys always seem to be the source of contention among our little guys from playgroup. The Valentine party was no exception.




Caleb arrived slightly overwhelmed with the number of kiddos I think, which was confusing to me. Courtney (aka: my mommy idol) suggested maybe the reason sometimes he is excited and can't wait to see his friends and other times he acts very timid could have something to do with our arrival time. Whether or not, he has a chance to get acclimated before too many kids arrive. I'm interested to watch how that plays out, but now back to the story. He had a slight run in with one little guy over a big tonka tractor that ended in Caleb getting hit and crying. We thought he took the tractor, so in an effort to try and stop the behavior, I see it, I want it, so I take it, he got to enjoy a little time in timeout. At home, with Makaylee, she never gives any push back when he takes toys, so I guess he thought it would work here. After his release from timeout against my better judgement we stayed and ate lunch. He seemed really cranky, which is most often caused by either hunger or exhaustion. I thought eating might help, but he had a few bits and quickly lost interest and wanted to play. Again, against my better judgement I let him go. I remember thinking he doesn't seem himself we should leave, but I was still feeding Makaylee so I needed a few minutes. Well, not 2 minutes later I heard a terrible scream coming from the living room. He is at times dramatic, but the sound of his cry scared me. I walk into Stacy holding him in her arms and she passed him to me informing me he got into it with one of his friends and his nose got bit. I was really scared. I guess you could say I had a freak out mommy moment, I couldn't look. As if not looking would change the result. I envisioned his little nose being a mangled mess. One of the other mommies looked for me and reassured me all was okay. There was a little blood, but he was fine. I don't think Caleb will be taking toys from his friends anytime soon.





I realized I am going to have to be more diligent at home when he takes from Sissy. I called Cory on the way home from the party and relayed the course of events from the day. On Par, with a typical dad response he asked, "did he deck him." Hmm, what do I say to that. A little diddy straight from God's word comes to mind.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Of course, Cory totally agreed, but I do battle if it is okay for our children to stick up for themselves or the respond should always be kindness.

Makaylee looked so cute in her heart outfit. She loved cookie decorating time, because she got to munch on some cookie.




The party was a blast except for the above instance. The kids had tons of fun decorating valentine bags and cookies. Passing out there valentines was chaos, but neat to watch them enjoying giving to their friends. What an amazing playgroup we have been blessed with. Caring and Creative.

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Caleb's Four Letter Words

I would say most people who know me well would categorize me as a perfectionist. Therefore, it has been a challenge for me since Caleb started hitting the milestones to not wonder in areas that he is slow, is this something I am failing to do or normal and he is progressing just fine. At 2 his vocabulary was very limited and I felt like I was doing everything humanly possible to help him, so I called the child development people to come out and do an evaluation. All my friends thought I was crazy, but I just felt like as a mommy if I wasn't doing everything I could to help my child I was falling short. When the ladies came out they were very kind and communicated they understood my concerns, but Caleb was doing amazingly well and was right at his age in communication development. I remember thinking I am going to have to be really prayerful as he develops. I must seek the Lord, so I don't revert to my strong tendency to overachieve. I was reminded in this parenting thing I need to always be checking my heart. My job is to teach them who Christ is, not to behave better, so I look good. Anyway, it was a growing experience and his vocabulary brought much humor to the Ruiz household. Below are some 4 letter words that Caleb would say when trying to communicate a different word entirely.

We were at the science museum outside playing in the water and Caleb holding a stick said, "throw dick".

Caleb loved the fireworks during the 4Th of July and in his little gibberish he would ask to go see the "farts" (fireworks).

Caleb absolutely loves doing crafts and daily asks to do arts and craps.

Fork-well you can imagine. F_ _ _

Sheep watch the video and find out.

Ruiz's Top Tunes

We love to sing throughout our day. I wouldn't say we necessarily are making music as much as noise, but it really blesses my heart to hear Caleb memorizing the words to the songs I have been singing to him the past 2 1/2 years. His top picks currently are:

1. Shame by Counting Crows.


I know, terrible mommy letting her son be exposed to such a message. I'm not exactly sure why he loves it so much, but he does. Its disc 5 song 11 in the car and every time we get in he ask for “Chain, Chain”. The music starts and not long after he requests my phone to use as a microphone and before you know, we are rockin away driving down the road. I with a tube of toothpaste and Caleb with the cell phone. He actually knows the words and the tune.

2. Makaylee Isabella (Akelly Bella) I frequently make up random words to songs and when Sister was just a few weeks old we started singing this to her.

Makay Lee,
Makay Lee,
Makaylee Isabella
I love you, yes I do
Makaylee Isabella.
You’re so sweet
you are our sweet Makaylee Isabella
We love you, yes we do
Makaylee Isabella.

Caleb absolutely loves to sing this to his sweet sister and anytime she is fussy he calms her with her song.

3. Twinkle Twinkle (Tinkle Tinkle) I was so sick of the original we added a twist. I’m also trying, to no avail, to get my little guy to potty train.

Tinkle, Tinkle
little pee
please come out, come out of me.

4. Thomas the train theme song

5. My Friends Tigger and Pooh and Darby, too.

6. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E (the 1950’s Mickey Mouse Club theme song)

7. Hot Dog (hot diggidy dog)

8. Oh You Can't Get To Heaven(On Rollerskates)

9. This Train

10. Itsy Bitsy Spider

And here is the list of songs that more often than not get “no sing song mommy”

1. Steve Green’s Hide Them in Your Heart CD usually gets x’d but more specifically
a. Honor Your Father and Your Mother
b. Children Obey your Parents in the Lord
I really can’t figure out why this is :).

2. The Caleb Song

C-A-L-E-B
C-A-L-E-B
Caleb that’s me.

I thought this would be a creative way to help him learn to spell his name, but I think he has figured out I’m trying to teach him something, and it is not just a fun sing along. Woe is me, this is just yet another instance of their natural inclination to rebel.

Goin Do Hockey

This is the second time we have been ice skating as a family, so there was much improvement from our previous outing. However, I don't think the Ruiz family will be winning any golds at the 2010 Olympics. We had a really good time and Caleb absolutely loved it. He really wanted to just stand on the ice. I think the feeling was fascinating to him. After he risked skating a few feet on his own and fell down he determined he thoroughly enjoyed crashing and wanted to do it again and again.
Thankfully, the cold wet hands deterred him.



Grandma and PaPa were there and held Makaylee and she watched intently as we skated several laps around the rink.



"Faster Dadda faster," was frequently chanted.

Every so often, Cory and I would take turns going around on our own and towards the end we really started trying to show off our stuff until I tried doing a turn and almost crashed into the oncoming traffic. I highly recommend "Goin do hockey" as Caleb would say, if you are looking for a fun outing as a family.
The only thing that was difficult was prying a 2 year old who didn't want to leave off the rink.



I bribed him with throwing money in the water which is always one of Caleb’s favorite things to do.





Then Cory and Grandma taught him to duck walk and it was all smiles again.