Ruthie's Party

We had a wonderful time celebrating Ruthie's birthday last weekend. We had more than 40 friends and family to help with the fun. For a few hours, our house did indeed become "The Happiest Place on Earth."

Here is our family - Ian, if you can't tell, is the Mad Hatter and Ruthie, Jonah and I are sporting our Disneyland shirts.

Ian's grandparents from Colorado were in town already for Christmas so they were able to make it as well. Ruthie had four grandparents and two great-grandparents at her party. That's pretty amazing! We're so thankful for the great family we have, both near and far. Here's Great-Grandmother, meeting Jonah for the first time. 

The main thing that made this party Disneyland themed was the food - we had a popcorn machine, giant pickles, churros, corn dogs, pizza from the Pizza Port, bread bowls with soup from the Terrace Veranda and of course, cotton candy. Here's my dad, by the cotton candy "stand," enjoying a corn dog.

Enjoying the "Pizza Port" is Ryan and Cari Noble (Cari is a co-teacher of Ian's) and my sister Sarah, who was manning the station.

Aforementioned corn dog "cart."

We also made special maps (I took a bunch from Disneyland then typed up my own map of "Ruthie's Magic Kingdom" and taped them inside the maps), which featured our own World Famous Autopia. You can see the track and cars in this photo below. 

Naturally, we had a parade down Main Street, led by the Mad Hatter. Each of the kids had musical instruments and we played the sound track to the parade on our cd player.

And of course, we had cake. I tried to make it look like a castle and surrounding village. It came out okay. =)

I should clarify - it looked okay; it tasted great. Ruthie really enjoyed it. Not sure why she didn't want to use her hands; she actually ate her whole piece just by putting her face in the cake. 

We ended with gifts - Ruthie received really great gifts and she's been enjoying them all tremendously. New books, Duplos, a Playmobile doll house, coloring books, a Princess tent, puzzles, cooking toys, and more. We are so grateful for such generous friends and family!

It was a very fun time and we know our girl enjoyed herself. We're already working on Jonah's 1st birthday theme. In the running are "Baseball" and "Trains." Touch choice! 

Slow Sunday Morning

As part of our Advent theme of rest, our church has moved the service to the evening for the next two Sundays. So, this quiet Sunday morning, we are enjoying pancakes and Duplos.

Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season!

What Do You Do When It's 79 on Dec. 27th?

You throw on your tank top, grab the babies and bikes and head for the Aquarium!

We live about 4 miles from the Aquarium and there is an awesome bike path that takes you straight there, all along the river and right into the ocean. As we were riding there today, in the 79 degree weather*, I felt so thankful for sunshine and Christmas break and my family. And I worked on my tan!

Don't my men look amazing? Have you ever seen anything as wonderful as Jonah in a muscle shirt? Be still my heart!!

Ruthie loves "petting" the sharks. I don't think her hand ever makes it far enough down in the water to touch one, but that's not for lack of trying. It's tough to be short - I feel her pain.

*I will admit that 79 is actually too warm for the end of the year. But if you're going to have a hot Christmas, you might as well enjoy it, right? =)

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Love This Girl

I’m sitting at my desk, working on my list of things that need to get done for her birthday party tomorrow and I hear Ruthie say, “I’m naked!” I look up and see that indeed, she is naked. She's taken off all her clothes, including her diaper and even her hair clip – she's nothing if not thorough. 

And now, she's busily putting on her salt water sandals. That’s a good look, I tell ya. Nothing on but sandals.

Ah, I love this girl.

Ruthie's Birthday

Yesterday was Ruthie's 2nd Birthday. We didn't do too much to celebrate since we have a big shin-dig planned for tomorrow, but we still enjoyed the day. During the day, it rained and rained (hooray!), so Ruthie and I (Jonah was napping most of the morning) hunkered down. I made granola, which Ruthie calls "O-A" and it turned out delicious. It's a new recipe from my sister Sarah and I think I've finally landed on a keeper. Thanks, Sarah!

And we drank hot chocolate made with real milk - what a treat! 

And we watched Little Mermaid, Ruthie's favorite movie (she's only seen about 3 movies, but she does really love it.) She'll sing along with many of Ariel's songs and listening to her is one of my favorite things in the whole world.

Ian left work right when school got out so we headed to Disneyland in the afternoon/evening for a birthday trip. Ruthie wore her Minnie Mouse shirt, which she asks to wear everyday, and an awesome hat we got last year for her birthday from my friend Sarah. So cute! It was a great trip - we rode Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Dumbo, Small World, Mr. Toad's and Casey, Jr., and ate popcorn and a churro! Mary and Mike's family joined us there and Ruthie was so excited to have cousins with her.

Much more to come soon, from the Magic Kingdom at the McCurry home. Yes, Ruthie's birthday theme this year is Disneyland. I know, I know, we're a family of many interests. =) 

Dancing with Cousins

Matching jammies, Christmas music, cousins, dancing - what's not to love?

That's Ruthie, Sam (5), Clare (21 months) and Abbie (3 /1/2) - those are Mary and Mike's cuties! 

Jonah Man

This guy is awesome. He is so chubby and fleshy and delicious. For the most part, he's a very happy baby. He drools a lot, and spits up a TON, but he smiles with the slightest provocation and plays cheerfully, even with his sister sitting on top of him.

The only time he fusses is when he's trying really hard to crawl and can't quite figure it out. As you can see in the photo below, he's very close. He does lots of rocking back and forth, lots of getting up to his hands and knees and lots of scooting. As soon as he can combine all those things into the forward crawling motion, he'll be set. It's clear he can tell there's more to it than he's able to do and it frustrates him. But my guess is he'll be crawling by the end of the year, so it should be a short phase of crankiness.

He loves bath time - he has from day one. And since he's so fleshy and delicious, as noted above, we all love bath time, too. Such a delightful display of all that chub.

Since Ian is the sole bath-giver in our family, I don't get as many opportunities to revile in Jonah's nakedness. Sometimes I'll try to be the one to get him ready for bath, just to get a peak. Check out those buns!

We are so thankful for our Jonah-man. I can't believe he's already 6 months - today! It seems like he's always been part of our family and we're so grateful that he is. 

A Phone Story

Earlier today, I got out of the car at the station to fill it up with gas. Fifteen minutes later, I got back in the car and burst into tears. It is strange how things happen...

Our car is in the shop, so we're borrowing Eric's car (thank you!!) for a few days. I am hopeful that our car will be ready tomorrow, so I went to the gas station today so I could return the car full. Just as I was finished setting up the automatic pumping, I heard a woman yell, "Does anyone have a cell phone? Call 911!"

Now it's strange, because on the way to the gas station I had dialed #646 so I could get a text message from Verizon about how many minutes I have left. I've been getting messages from them telling me I've used 75%, now 90%, and I've been worried about going over. We just had to buy a new washer, our car is in the body shop (Ian got into a little accident on the way to his parents over Thanksgiving), we have to trim our tree because it's a hazard to our neighbors garage, we're still paying on Jonah's physical therapy, PLUS it's December, which on top of having Christmas in the month also has my birthday and Ruthie's. Needless to say, it was already going to be an expensive month and I didn't want to add to that with a phone bill through the roof. But 13 minutes? My allotment doesn't start over until Friday, which is still four days away! How was I going to make it? So I'm fretting about this as I'm putting the gas pump in the car and I hear the woman cry out. Naturally, I rush over to my purse and pull out my phone and dial 911. Then I rush over to her car to see what the situation is, since 911 is asking me what kind of help I need.

In the car, I could see her son, a 4 year old boy, seizing. While I was on the phone explaining our location and what was happening, he stopped seizing but he also started having a hard time breathing. I watched in panic as the mother's fears escalated as she kept checking him for breath. She grabbed the phone from me and started asking what she should do. I can hear her explain they had just been released from the hospital that morning; he'd had a seizure last night and another one earlier that morning.

I stood by, helpless, as she kept saying into the phone, "He's usually responsive but I'm not getting anything from him." And then she would stroke her boy's face and try to rouse him. They told her to lay him down, so I helped her take him out of his car seat and lay him down. But this time, we could hear sirens coming, as the fire engine pulled into the gas station. They immediately started treating him and put him in an ambulance to drive away. Still shaking, I asked the woman if she had anyone else she needed to call. She called out some numbers to me and had me call what turned out to be her sister. I explained the situation to her sister and then she talked to her for a while. The she gave the phone back to the fireman, and jumped in her car to follow the ambulance. (Don't worry, he returned it to me.)

I got back into my car, and promptly burst into tears (which then meant that everyone in the car was crying since my kids couldn't figure out why we were staying so long at the gas station). I cried for a good five minutes, praying for that boy and his mother.

I sit here now, thinking about why this situation has so profoundly affected me. For one, I am a mama, and I can only imagine the terror of seeing your child seize and struggle for breath. As that mama grew more and more frantic, my own emotions followed along with her. Secondly, we've had a sad, sad loss in our own family in recent weeks and my grief stricken heart is still tender with the pain of seeing people I love mourn. And finally, I am awakened in my soul to the absolute ridiculousness of my worry about cell phone minutes and all the other minuscule things I worry about as other mamas follow ambulances to hospitals. In moments like this, and the many from last week, when I see so clearly that the world is broken and people are hurting that I cry out, "Come, Lord Jesus. Come."

Ruthie Cooking in the "Kitchen"

Ruthie (and every other kid who comes over to our house) gets lots of great use out of the little playhouse that sits on the back slab in our yard. As you can see in this video, she's very busy cooking. =)

More to come - and it will include a Jonah update, I promise!

What We've Been Up To

It's been far too long since I've done a proper post. That's due to a combination of factors - mostly, I've had a few consulting events this fall that have kept me busy during afternoon nap. Also, Ruthie has gone down to one nap now which means during Jonah's morning nap, I still have a very active almost 2 year old who tells me "All done, puter, Mommy" any time I sit down here.

But, November and December promise to be less filled with work and more filled with family, time to write and think, and HOLIDAYS! As you know, I love celebrating, and this season is like my Mecca. I can't wait for next week and all the fun that the weeks ahead hold. Bring it on, baby!

Just to get you sort of caught up, here's what we've been up to:

Ruthie and Jonah, learning how to play together. 

They are beyond cute together and I LOVE watching them interact. Jonah has started noticing Ruthie and smiles every time she comes into sight. He is also starting to reach for her toys, which promises to be an interesting new twist in our day. Ruthie has adored him since day one and now says that everything is "Nonah's turn" after she has done it.

Ruthie, being the weirdo that she is.

This girl is awesome. She makes everything fun.

Homemade salsa from tomatoes from our garden. 

I think we might be the only state where the tomato vines are still producing. Our plants have a few final juicy red tomatoes on them and they are amazing with some cilantro, garlic, onions and jalapenos. Delish! Our avocado tree is also in a bearing season so last week we ate some yummy guacamole. Here's to homemade dips you can eat with chips!

Disneyland and Aquarium trips, still big favorites.

Ian's been sick this week but last night I took the kids and met up with my parents and Mike & Mary's family for a Friday night at the Magic Kingdom. Ruthie LOVES Disneyland. She asks to wear her Minnie Mouse shirt everyday and if I agree, she then asks if we're going to Disneyland. I love it when I can answer with an excited "Yes!" When we go over the bridge and down toward the parking structure, she starts to shout with glee. I think it's so awesome. She especially loves going if cousins will be there.

Here she is with Abbie, and then Sam and Clare are below.

And we love the Aquarium, too. On days where we don't quite feel up to a whole Disneyland adventure but still want an outing, it's the perfect place. Here she's enjoying the Parakeet Pavilion. Ruthie and Ian go every other week on Tuesday afternoons when I meet with my discipleship group from church. It's a great new tradition for them and they both really enjoy it.

More to come. I have an awesome new video of Ruthie's talking. Watching her language progress has truly been one of the most exciting things in my life.

Happy Saturday!

Guess She Doesn't Know

About the hands free law. :)

Happy Halloween!

It's Come to This

Mostly, Ruthie is doing a really good job at being gentle with Jonah. But some days, I need back up.

Working on Vacation

I am doing some work this afternoon, but it's okay, because this is my view while I do it:

A Few Funny Stories from Mary's Kids

I don't do too much babysitting anymore, with our two kids keeping me pretty busy. But I was able to help out a tiny bit one day last week while Mary and Mike had to work. While I was at their house, I had a conversation with each of their two oldest kids which cracked me up. 

Here's the one from Sam -

Sam - "Aunt Esther, remember last year at family vacation, when we played games on the grass and you told everyone what to do?"

Me - "Yeah, bud, I do."

Sam - "Let's do that again."

I agree, man. A scenario where I'm telling everyone what to do? I'm in. =)

And here's one from Abbie -

Me - "Did you have fun this weekend with your Uncle Ben and Aunt Rebecca in town?"

Abbie - "Yes! Rebecca is my favorite uncle."

Me - "You mean your favorite aunt?"

Abbie - "Oh, yeah, my favorite aunt."

Me - "Hey, what about me?"

Abbie - "Well, you're my favorite Esther."

Wow, thanks. I'll try not to let the fact that I'm the only Esther she knows lessen the impact of that compliment. 

Love those kids!

Our Week in Huntington Beach

A few weeks ago, our little family of four got to spend a week at our extended family's place in Huntington. If you know me or you've hung around this blog for a while, you know this place is one of my favorite on earth. Even though it's not far from where we live (and we do love where we live), it feels so special and different. As soon as we pull up and park our car, my soul is refreshed, at rest and happy.

We were a tad worried about going with a newborn and a very busy 19 month old, since the place is super small, but we had a GREAT time. We even extended our stay by one day. It was wonderful.

And here are the pictures to prove it.

We did a lot of this - relaxing, holding Jonah.

And we did a lot of this - playing with Ruthie on the sand.

Jonah hung out (read slept) on the sand quite happily in this sun shade Mary and Mike loaned us. It was so helpful! 

I felt a little like a circus show, getting to the sand with all our gear. Our stroller is so huge, then we stacked a blanket, beach chair, sunshade and beach towels on top of it - as you can see, I could barely see over the top. But it made it possible for us to stay at the sand for 2 hours, which is more than I had hoped for. We went to the sand each day we were there and it was so much fun.

We also did a lot of walking - at least two walks on the pier each day. And we came every day to the little grassy area just off the sand, so Ruthie could have some extra run around time. Our family really enjoyed all the exercise and time outside!

And we left at just the right time. You can't really tell from this photo, but the pier is PACKED out with folks watching the US Open. We left the day it began and were really grateful for our timing. 

It was a great trip and we hope to get to go at least one more time before the cabins sell!

Calculator

For some reason, Ruthie is crazy about my calculator. She spent at least 30 minutes today, carrying it around and punching the buttons. She also holds it up to her ear and says hi. It's pretty funny. Enjoy the pictures of her antics!

                                             

Guess Who Gained Two Pounds in Three Weeks?

Not me, thankfully. That's a welcome change. ;) Jonah weighed in at an impressive 9 lbs 12 oz at the doctor yesterday. This guy is serous about his milk!