Birthday Love to my Favorite Girl

Dear, Sweet Munchkin,

I can't believe that today marks seven years since I first got to see you, hold you and hug you. These past seven years, God has taught me so much about His love for me through you. Your birth was a big turning point in mommys life. Just seeing your darling little face - that head full of soft, wavy baby hair - you made me realize what really matters in life.

My prayer for you today is the same as it was then. I want you to be happy. I don't care if you are successful. I don't care if you get married, have kids, a big house, lots of money - none of this will last. True happiness comes from knowing the Lord and obeying Him. This kind of happiness lasts for eternity, and that is what I pray for you!

Daddy and Mommy didn't know if you were going to be a baby boy or a girl. It was so exciting finding out that you were our sweet little girl! It was like getting the best gift EVER! Maybe that's why mommy and daddy always go overboard on your birthday. We want you to feel the same excitement that we felt when we first saw you! It's probably ridiculous that we got this for you....

....but we just can't help ourselves! We're crazy in love with you!

So happy birthday, Kaitlin. I know I tell you everyday, but every day it's more and more true...I love you as high as the sky and as deep as the ocean.

All my love,

Mom

Some Pictures Just Make Me Smile

She is such a Daddy's girl.  Makes my heart smile.

2009 Ruhlig Family Letter

Greetings from the Ruhlig family,

My theme verse for 2009 has been Romans 8:28 which promises us that, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose.” It hasn’t been a peaches and cream year for us, but we have so much to be thankful for. His many promises to us are just one of our many reasons to rejoice, even amidst the trials!

Doug lost his job after the end of September. We had suspected it was coming, but it’s still a little surreal when it actually happens. We are praying for wisdom to lead us to the job that God would have for him as well as if we will be able to stay in our house or not. There are a lot of unanswered possibilities and scary what-if’s right now, but it would just take too much energy to worry about all of them right now. So for now I’m just thankful that Doug is around more and thankful for the opportunity he has to discover a more enjoyable career path. He continues to enjoy playing sports and has played on both a softball team and a basketball team this year. Saturdays that he’s able to, he plays basketball at the church with friends. Unfortunately he has not been able to go hunting this year, but the pain is somewhat soothed by his one true love – his Jeep.

This year was my first full year of running the Just Between Friends of North Tampa events. This has been such a rewarding experience for me on so many levels. I am so thankful this opportunity was given to me and I look forward to many more years being part of the JBF family! I continue to dislike my transcription work, but isn’t that usually how it is with the job that pays the bills? I did, however, get to take a break from it to have my gallbladder removed, and for that I am thankful. If you ever feel run-down and need a few days to sleep it off, just have something surgically removed. Important life lesson.

Kaitlin is now 6 years old and in 1st grade. She is a genius and has looks to boot. She joined Girl Scouts this year as a daisy and we appear to have found something that she truly enjoys. Being a daddy’s girl, she rarely passes up an opportunity to snuggle with him. She makes us laugh every day and draws attention everywhere we go with her insanely lovely mane of hair. I’m pretty sure we could charge admission to see it. She is brilliantly artistic (I might be slightly biased, but one would expect that, me being her mother and all) and is constantly creating new “projects.” She loves school, but says that she doesn’t like reading. Sigh. I guess everyone has a flaw.

DJ is 2 and all boy. He climbs, jumps, wrestles, throws, prefers toys with wheels and, much to his father’s delight, can point out a Jeep from a mile away. He resembles his daddy both in looks and attitude. Please pray for me. He does, however, have a sweet streak and never a day passes that I’m not at some point smothered in little man kisses and hugs. I often make him promise to me that he’ll never stop being sweet to his mommy. So far, so good. Of course, he’s his big sister’s greatest fan and thinks everything she does is just the best. She has so much patience with him! I just love seeing them play together. We finally discovered part of DJ’s allergy problems this year, and as a result he cannot eat processed sugar. It’s made such a change for him for the good!

This year has certainly held many changes for our family. While some may not be as good of a change as others, we are thankful to know that God can work all things together for good. As a family, we continue to go to Christian Church in the Wildwood (no spot is so dear to our childhood…) and are continually blessed by the sincere love of the believers there. As a family we also took a trip to Oklahoma this summer to visit my family. It’s always a good visit and always passes too quickly. We look forward to the possibility of more family trips in the future.

We hope that 2009 has found you trusting His promises and able to have joy and peace, even during life’s tests and trials. May you have a wonderful holiday season and a heart ready to see the good in any situation for 2010!

Love,

The Ruhlig Family

Its Hard to Find Good Music These Days

We’ve been loving the Christmas music these days. Today, on the way to school, Kaitlin had some questions about the lyrics from “The Little Drummer Boy.” She wanted to know why they kept telling us to “rub-a-bum-bum.” So much for wholesome music.

Corporate America

Last week, Kaitlin drew this picture on the Magna-doodle:

K: Do you like my picture, Mommy?

Me: You did a very good job. He looks very angry.

K: Yes. He's a manager.

Kids in the Kitchen: Apple Cartwheels

We've been having fun finding healthy(er) alternatives for school snacks and thought we'd share this one with you today for Kids In The Kitchen. We found the original recipe somewhere on the internet and can't re-find it, so this is our "version from memory," which is slightly terrifying if you're familiar at all with my memory.

We're calling them "Apple Cartwheels" and all you need are:

Apples (we made 2)
Peanut Butter
Honey
Chocolate chips

First we mixed some peanut butter (about 1/4 cup), some honey (not measuring is the way to go!) and some chocolate chips (somehow we missed a picture of adding the handful of chocolate chips.)


After all of the "stuffing" is mixed, we cored out our apples. Mommy did this part and didn't do it very well.
Now it's time to stuff the apples with the filling.
I think next time we make these we'll use a piping bag to fill them!

Put the apples in the refrigerator for at least an hour so the peanut butter can harden a little.

Once the peanut butter mixture is good and set, slice the apples into rings (Mommy also did this part, also not very well.) I brushed the rings with a sugar syrup in hopes of keeping them from browning too much.

They looked yummy, but we're waiting for a final verdict from the munchkin when she gets home from school!

A Labor of Mud

Doug took the family out in Jeep number 4 (don't ask) on Labor day for some quality family bonding time. Nothing says family love like mud!

The majestic Jeep stands atop a hill, surveying its' muddy domain below. I couldn't figure out why Doug sat there for about two minutes until I realized that he couldn't see me at the bottom of the hill and was afraid he was going to run me over. See, he really does love me.

Doug didn't want to get the Jeep muddy. Hahahahhahahah. He shouldn't have told me that I could bring the camera.

Yep, this clean-up definitely looks like a job for Daddy.

We found a flat, mud-free spot for a family picnic. D.J. thoroughly enjoyed the peanut butter portion of his celery and peanut butter.

Mmmm...peaches for "dessert."

We couldn't have asked for better weather, but the sun was getting ready to start going down which means the invasion of the killer mosquitoes was about to begin. Time to pack up and head home.

We stopped at a car wash to let Daddy clean the car (I was serious when I said it looked like a job for Daddy!) and I got the chance to get this classic photo of D.J. riding in the Jeep. He loves it!

I just love family days!

Teaching the Truth...

My munchkin headed off to start another year of school this morning - 1st grade! That child amazes me: no fear, no apprehension - just pure excitement! I can't wait to have her get home so I can hear all about her day over a homemade cupcake (our first day of school tradition!)

I was nervous about having all three of the kids here this summer. Between working two jobs from home, plus trying to keep up with the house and kids I'm often left feeling tired and frazzled. But the summer went by so quickly and so much easier than I had imaged! Kaitlin was a great help to me. She learned some basic cleaning skills, played with the boys and helped get them drinks and snacks. Now I'm wondering what I'm going to do without her during the long mornings and afternoons! The boys are already missing her and asking when she'll be home. We're looking forward to your return, sweet girl!

I have been greatly encouraged the past few years by some Christian moms in whom I've confided my struggles about sending Kaitlin to public school. They have been such an encouragement to me, sharing with me their understanding that it's okay not to homeschool, and how they've used the experience of public school to further teach their kids Godly principles. The older Kaitlin gets and the greater her understanding grows, the more opportunities I am having to teach her the truth. Please pray for both of us this year as the Lord continues to teach both of us and brings opportunities for me to share His love to both Kaitlin, her classroom and school friends.

"Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness." - Psalm 143.10

Frozen Banana Treats

We've been busy looking for snacks for the kids since we've eliminated most sugary, pre-made snacks from our house. My kids are big fruit eaters, so these frozen banana treats seemed like the perfect choice (sorry about the bananas again, Sherry!)

You simply need:

Bananas
yogurt
nuts

Slice up the bananas. This is easy for the older kiddos to do with a butter knife, but mommy did it this time. No one ever takes pictures of me cooking. Hmmm.

Take the banana pieces one at a time and dip them in the yogurt. Any flavor would work, but we used raspberry yogurt. If your kiddos like getting messy, they will LOVE this. Kaitlin, on the other hand, asked to wash her hands in between each slice.

After dipping in yogurt, dip the banana in the nuts. The original recipe we found called for cheerios, but I wasn't sure how I felt about frozen cheerios. I think mini-chocolate chips or coconut flakes would also be a yummy option!

We place our yogurt dipped banana slices on a wax-paper covered baking sheet and then placed the baking sheet in the freezer for about an hour. Here's what the finished product looked like!

Kaitlin thought they were super yummy, but D.J. wasn't a big fan. I had made a few without the nuts and he LOVED those, so next time I'll have to choose a different topping for him. We probably put too many nuts on them. Just sprinkling the top with nuts would have been sufficient. They kind of tasted like little bites of raspberry banana ice cream. Yum! I actually ate some for breakfast today!

Don't forget to visit Me and Lu for some great school snack ideas for the kiddos!

Kids in the Kitchen Breakfast Sundaes

In honor of our attempts to eat a little better and cut out the artificial sugars for D.J., our Kids in the Kitchen post for today is Breakfast Sundaes (although they're good enough to eat anytime!)

You only need the following:

Bananas

Yogurt

Cut fruit

Cereal or granola topping

First order of business is to cut the bananas...

...then add the yogurt!

Next, add the fruit toppings...

**Please excuse the poorly cloned in cluster of blueberries at my daughter's bosom. The child kept losing her nightgown, and I wanted to insure that this picture would not come back to haunt her if she ever chooses to run for Miss America or the President.

...and a little bit of cereal for a nutty crunch (we used Grape Nuts).

What a yummy breakfast...

...and fun to eat, too!

Kids in the Kitchen - Pita Pizzas

The whole family got in on our Kids In The Kitchen project this week - even daddy! Pizza has become my 2-year-olds favorite food, and I love the healthier option that Pita Pizzas give us. As an added bonus, they're fun for the kids to make!

**I apologize for my consistently crummy pictures for my KITK posts. Remind me to never again purchase a house with only north and south facing windows in the main living areas. Grrr.**

All you need for Pita Pizzas is:

Pitas
Tomato sauce or Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Favorite pizza toppings

First the kids spread the tomato sauce on their pitas. We added some italian seasonings on top since we weren't using pizza sauce.

Next you pile on the cheese. You have to give extra cheese because, inevitably, little people will sneak it to eat when they think you're not looking.

All that's left is to add the toppings and the prep work is done. We were using tomatoes, bell pepper and pepperoni, but anything will work! This is also a sneaky way to get the kiddos to eat some extra veggies. Kaitlin VOLUNTARILY ate bell peppers - and then asked for more!

All of our pizzas are ready to go into the oven. See the pizzas all decorated with pepperoni in a circle? Yeah, those are Doug's. Told you he got into it!

We placed the pizzas in a 350 degree oven for about five minutes. Voila!

The kids like me to cut their little tiny pizzas just like a real pizza. Perfect size for little fingers!

Added bonus? This entire meal cost about $6 and we have enough left over ingredients to go another round at lunch with the kids some time this week!

Kids in the Kitchen Quesadillas

My kiddos love these super simple quesadillas - and from start to finish it's about a three minute process. Talk about a quick meal!

All you need is:

Tortillas
Refried bean

Shredded cheese

First step is to spread the beans on half of the tortilla. This is an opportune time to teach your children the "Magical Fruit" song.

Next, place the tortilla onto a hot skillet and sprinkle it generously with cheese. Trust me, it's much easier to put the cheese on AFTER it's already in the skillet. I'm an expert at cheese.

After the cheese is on, fold the tortilla in half and fry it up! We love our saturated fats here (hahahah) so we put a little butter on the outside of our tortillas to fry them up, but you can also just spray your pay with a little cooking spray.

Don't worry, I fried it up for the kids. I demonstrated to Kaitlin how dangerous it could be by scalding my pinky on the edge of the skillet. Ouch. I refrained for posting a picture of the blister. You're welcome.

Kaitlin and D.J. like their quesadillas cut pizza style. When they were younger, I used to cut them in strips. Much easier for little fingers to pick up!

Kaitlin likes to dip hers in sour cream. Yum.

We like to make this a more filling family meal by sauteing up bell peppers, onions and mushrooms and putting them in before putting the cheese in!