Life With A Punky...Priceless

2010-11-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture I had Mark snap the morning of our c-section. If you can't tell, I was a little excited. As I'm writing this Mathis is already 8 months old. I have no idea how time passes so quickly.

Put me back in...PLEASE, put me back in!

One of the best moments of our life. Thank you Lord for a healthy, beautiful baby.

This girl is the most incredible big sister to our little Bubba. So proud, so sweet, such a great helper, and so smitten by her brother.

2010-05-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks before my litte guy's arrival my best friend Hannah and my sister threw me a baby shower. It was so great to see all my friends and family that were able to come. Thanks everyone for all the wonderful gifts. Desert was rasberry cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory...my favorite desert. Presley really enjoyed it too.

Presley's Birthday Weekend

2010-03-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Presley's birthday this year involved doing three of our favorite things in Orange County over the course of three days, which was fitting due to the fact that on March 19th she became a big 3 year old. I just can't believe I am already the mother of a three year old and about to be a mother of two!

Friday: breakfast consisting of chocolate chip pancakes and lots of whip cream at The Original Pancake House Restaurant (our favorite place for breakfast)

Saturday: laguna beach for coffee, chocolate milka (no I didn't spell milk wrong, Presley prefers to call it milka) and a stroll on the beach with family

Sunday: birthday party at the park with all our favorite people, a pinata full of candy, presents, and lots of chocolate cake

The Home Stretch

2010-02-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

Two more months to go before our little Mathis arrives. We are very excited, but life is still far from normal for the Ruttan's. We just moved again, this time from Palm Springs to Arizona. We are living with my parents for a while and although we are sick to death of moving, we are thankful that we have a place to call home. I am really missing Orange County and all our friends and family there, but we will continue to believe that God has a very specific purpose for this season in our life.

Presley seems to be adjusting pretty well, hopefully that will continue when her little brother arrives. Ever since mommy's tummy started growing, our little Presley has been convinced she has a little baby in her tummy too. Mine is a boy and her's is apparently a girl. She tells us she will be born this week, but she tells us that every week :)

"Daddy! Whose belly is bigger?"

Giv'n baby Bubba kisses

Has It Really Been Four Years?

2010-01-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

We have been on one wild and crazy roller coaster, have we not? We started off our relationship in search of our next adventure, our next race, or next trip. This lasted for a time before reality hit and we were suddenly newlyweds struggling to make a life for ourselves in Orange County. Along the way we've had many incredible moments and more then our share of challenges. We've laughed a lot, cried a lot (well, I have, at least), brought one amazing little girl into the world and because of her awesomeness, decided to repeat the process. We've experienced the loss of two that God must have decided to keep for himself, I can't say I blame Him. We've moved a lot, made amazing friends, been blessed in big ways, learned to appreciate simple things, and lost all hope only to see God restore it. We don't always bring out the best in each other and there is no one I have more fun ignoring. But now, after 4 years, I have a pretty good feeling we're gonna make it. I love you so much and am looking forward to this next year together and every year to follow.

A Two Years Old's Christmas

2010-01-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

... A Kiss from mommy

... Christmas stories with Papa

... A birthday cake for baby Jesus

... Cookies for Santa

... And one excited little girl on Christmas morning

We're Having A Boy!

2009-12-12T16:20:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right...soon this little family of three will welcome a little handsome boy into this unpredictable and ever-changing world of ours. And we are supper excited!

When asked, about the baby and what his name is going to be, Presley's reply is always:

"his name is Bubba, and I have a baby in my tummy too!"

Not sure why she decided to call him Bubba, but I guess we'll let it go for now until we have a real name picked out.

Potty Training

2009-12-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Well, our little girl is officially a big girl. She is potty trained!

How did we do it you may be wondering... well, one day walking through Costco Presley spotted a collection of My Littlest Pet Shop figures that she thought were the neatest thing her little two-year old eyes had ever seen. So after trying everything from treats to stickers, I had the idea of going back to Costco and buying the pet shop things and letting her pick one every time she used the potty. Sure enough, by the time we were out of toys she was fully trained and accident free.

She has said a lot of funny things throughout this growing up process, but I think the funniest this she's done was a couple weeks ago when Mark and I were finishing up dinner, when all of a sudden we heard her yelling from the bathroom...

"Daddy Jaymes Ruttan, you come here!"

Apparently she needed a little help and has learned from us that using the middle name means serious business. We love it that she thinks "Jaymes" is everyone's middle name and not just hers.

P.S. for more on our potty training adventure check out our other website healthofmyfamily.com

Big Girl Bed

2009-09-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Presley never ceases to amaze me! She has been through so many changes over the last couple of months so I figured that when we moved we would keep her in her crib for a while longer so that she could have something familiar in her life. Well, on move in day we quickly realized that her crib would not fit down the hallway unless we took the whole thing apart and then put it back together once in her room. We didn't like that idea much, especially since we knew we would only be living here for a few months, so we decided to throw her in the big bed and see how she liked it. The first couple of nights she cried a little and asked for her bed, but in no time at all she was telling everyone what a "big gril" she is. I am so proud of her and thankful that God gave us such a resilient little girl. Considering we are living the life of modern day gypsies, her easy-going personality is a blessing.

Next comes potty training... Yikes

Change happens whether you're ready for it or not

2009-09-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

As for my family, change has become our new norm. Nothing is as it was just a few short months ago. Just days after returning from Washington and our annual 4th of July beach vacation we were surprised to find out that I was pregnant and Mark, for reasons completely out of his control, was once again out of a job. To add insult to serious injury, within a weeks time we were faced with a second pregnancy ending in a miscarriage. God obviously had something very different in mind for our immediate future than we did. Thankfully we know we can trust Him even when nothing in our life makes any sense.

Anyhow, fast forward through the rest of July and into August and what you will find is my precious family, still together, but living in the God-forsaken heat of Palm Springs. (Thanks Kath, for the use of your house, we love you, but seriously, why couldn't you have a place somewhere cooler?) Also, during the whole move, Mark and I were completely blown away to find out that I'm pregnant once again...REALLY, right now!? This was not a part of the plan. Well it turns out that the third time may be a charm. We got to see the baby last week and so far everything looks good, heartbeat and all. Today I'm about 9 weeks along and can barely get out of bed because of the progesterone pills they've got me on in hopes of maintaining the pregnancy. My poor little Presley, not only has everything about her life changed, but now mommy is sick all the time and no fun at all! She keeps telling me that she wants to go home and it just breaks my heart. I know that in time she will adapt and be just fine, probably about the time we are ready to move again. As for right now we've been telling her that "we're on a new adventure." So now whenever we're in the car she asks, "we going on a new benture, mommy?"

Home Sweet Long Beach

2009-07-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Long Beach was really a lot of fun for us this year. Presley had her first experience camping and I think it was a lot of fun for her. I grew up camping here with my family every year over the 4th of July, so it was awesome to see Presley experience it. Now that we're back home in Cali, Presley is still talking about the beach and when we can go back to the beach where we built the big, giant sand castle. The weather was beautiful, our whole family was there and we even got to see some good friends that we haven't seen in a long time. Dana and Andrea...so glad you two were able to come out for the day, it was awesome to see you!

Summer In Washington

2009-07-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ah Kravitz Port... it just wouldn't be a trip to Wa without sending a day or two at our best friend's house on the bay. You just can't beat getting dirty, huntin' for crabs, goin' fishin' and pealing that fresh corn on the cobb. I love vacations that give the kids a chance to just be kids.

Father's Day

2009-07-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Let Me Tell You Something!

So, here we are on Father's Day doing a little indoor climbing. This is something we would do every weekend if there was a gym closer to where we live. Maybe we'll just have to open one of our own. Presley had the best time and loved to see us reach the top of each climb and ring the bell. She even did a little climbing of her own. Who knows, maybe someday she'll go pro.

Our Little Swimmer

2009-07-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

This is the day Presley became a little fish. It was so amazing to see her level of confidence in the water at the beginning of the day compared to the end of the day. All she needs is to see other kids having fun and she wants to be right there in the action. We swim a lot these days now that its getting warmer out. I think this week we'll head over to Yuma and spend some time with my parents swimming and soaking up the sun.

I'm Gonna Get You Little Goats!

2009-07-11T05:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite some time since I've made any entries, so here we go. Time to play catch-up, time to jump back on that blogger band wagon.
Here we are with Pres a few months back at one of our local petting zoos. Now, when I say my girl is crazy about animals, I aint foolin! This girl is not scared of a thing when it comes to furry creatures no matter what their size. Seeing her put those two goats in a headlock hug was just about the funniest thing I've ever seen. Grandma went with us too, which made for a very special day out. Presley has not stopped talking about the goats and riding on the big horsey.

Not our best week

2009-04-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

So...this week has been a painful one for the Ruttans. The loss of our second little blessing, that we already lovingly referred to as "tick-tack," has really rocked our world. Unfortunately, when you get pregnant so easily the first time around, you naively expect that to be the case when you finally decide you're ready for number two. And when it happens almost as quickly the second time, the thought never crosses your mind that you could lose it. Well, we did, and I figured I should probably write about it considering it's my new reality and I need to deal with it at some point and accept that I will never understand this side of Heaven.

So Mark and I had only been trying for 2 months when I found out at the beginning of February that we were going to have another baby. Now, aside from loving my husband more than life itself, I believe that being a mom is what I was put on this earth to do, so the minute I knew I was pregnant, my heart was already in love. And of course, me being me, I could not keep it a secret from anybody. When Monday finally rolled around I could not have been more excited to get to the doctor and find out about when the baby was due, how much weight I had already gained (luckily only about 2-3 pounds), how big he or she was at this point, whether I would have a c-section again or try a v-bac, and when I could schedule for my first ultrasound. Little did I know, my first ultrasound would be that very day and give me the worst news I could possibly have heard...the baby is smaller than we would expect at this stage and there doesn't seem to be a heartbeat. After hearing those words, the rest of my time at the doctors was a blur, but I did catch the part about scheduling a DNC for the following day to remove the baby since my body was not taking care of that part on it's own. Well, it is now Thursday and I feel like I am slowly coming back to life. I have found myself hugging Presley a little tighter and a little longer these past few days, which is driving her crazy but I don't care because she is so precious to me. Mark has been amazing. He had been right by my side, hurting with me, praying for me, encouraging me, looking for little ways to make me laugh, and just trying his best to be in the middle of my pain. I also know our loving Father is with us too and even though I am still a bit mad at Him, I will always trust in His plan and be thankful for the countless blessings He has given me. He just better be taking good care of my "tick-tack."

Our little baby is growin' up

2009-04-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

"I'm gonna eat you - my little pile of squish"

Ready - Set --Silly Smile

"What are you looking at? - It's not my fault.
I don't know how to clean myself yet"

"I gonna be 2" - (we'll have to work on the correct fingers)

Apparently mama is gonna be 2 too...

On March 19th we celebrated Presley's second birthday. She was so excited to have a birthday and for weeks before hand told everyone we saw, "I be two." The morning of her birthday the three of us got up and drove over to the pancake house for chocolate chip pancakes with lots of whip cream. It has become our birthday tradition and is so much fun. On Saturday we had the whole family over and some friends too for a Elmo party. She loved her Elmo ice cream cake and got more sticker books then we even knew existed. Thanks to all our family and friends that help make Punky's second birthday so much fun.

2009-03-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

"say cheezy"

2009-02-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

"Don't you wish you knew what I was thinking?"

"I'm not looking down my nose at you. I just noticed
that when I look at you like this you look Asian."

yep, that's my girl! One more month and she'll be two years old. I can hardly believe it. This girl loves being outside like you wouldn't believe. Just one word about going for a walk or going to get the mail or just the word outside sends her bolting towards the front door in search of her favorite shoes, which of course are her white crocks that she refers to as her "crock, crocks." Like every other kid, she puts them on the wrong feet, which of course looks hilarious and makes me laugh every single time she does it. Then she comes running after me as fast as her little legs can carry her and pushes me towards the door saying, "go mommy, go." I just can't tell you how much I love this little peewee sprout. Way...way...way too much. I'm in serious trouble!

Three nights in Mammoth with just my husband...what?

2009-01-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

That's a mountain

That's my man.

And this is happiness.

So, me and my incredible guy just celebrated our third year of marriage. Some people say it's your first year that's so tough, well...for us it was our third and I think I can safely say that we are both glad to have it behind us. We were so glad to have it behind us, in fact, that we had to celebrate by leaving our little Presley with grandma and venturing out on our own for a few days of mountain solitude. Little did we know just how hard it would be to leave our little monkey behind. I think mom was ready to smash her phone after four days of us calling a half a dozen times a day just to hear Presley say things like, "I, me, doogie" or "punkie hold it" which of course means she wants to hold the phone so that she can hang up on us, or my personal favorite and something she no doubt learned from her little cousins, "I, me tooted!" Ya, I know the things that amuse you when your a parent. Anyhow, our trip was great, the snow sucked, I came home sore, but Mark and I finally got to do something, just the two of us, that we'd been wanting to do for a really long time. And we came home with a goal: someday, somehow live closer to the mountains and forget this Southern California nonsense!

2008-12-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

Presley got an early Christmas present from her aunti Rita. She loves putting her care bear in it and pushing it all over the house.

Here we are at a Christmas parade. Needless to say, Presley wasn't too impressed with Santa. But she really liked walking in the parade.

2008-11-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Yep it's fall

2008-11-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

So, here we are trying to experience fall in spite of the horribly hot days we have been having. It was so hot the day we went to the pumpkin patch that we only stayed for about 15 minutes to take a few pictures before heading home to our cool air conditioned home. I really don't know how much longer I can handle living in SoCal. What I wouldn't do for some rain and cold weather! On a more positive note...we did have a great time carving pumpkins with our good friends Hannah and Mark. However, we learned that carving them up a week before Halloween is just too soon. By Halloween they were mush.

Dress-up Time

2008-09-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Last week we were at home playing and Presley went into her room and pointed up at her fairy costume. It was the first time she has ever tried to pick out her own clothes. She usually runs from me when I try to get her dressed. She wore it all evening and was very proud of herself. I had to take pictures.

We love the beach!

2008-09-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

Living 5 miles from the beach definitely has its benefits. We spent a lot of time there this summer. Presley is at such a fun age for it. Her favorite thing to do is catch sand crabs or as she calls them "crabbies."

Wanna Weed Stoweys?

2008-08-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

Presley absolutely loves story time, especially with her daddy because he makes the bestest sound effects and brings every story to life. She helps him too with her animated noises and enthusiasm. We love playing around on her big girl bed...wrestling, jumping, and practicing her somersaults. We may have a future gymnast on our hands.

Fun With Daddy

2008-08-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent an evening down at salt creek beach with some friends. It was a beautiful evening, but not quite warm enough for Mark and Caleb to attach the waves and show all those surfers who rule the beach. Truthfully I think Mark would rather play with his little girl any day.

John Mayer in Concert...Amazing!

2008-08-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last week I drove down to San Diego to catch a John Mayer concert with my buddy Kristen. It was beyond amazing. He is so great live and arguably the best guitar play on the planet. Thanks, Kris for the tickets and the bottle of wine you were able to sneak in. You sure know how to show a girl a good time. We'll have to do it again next year.

Enjoying my new SLR digital camera

2008-07-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

On July 18th I turned 29 and for my birthday I finally got my SLR Digital camera that I have been wanting for so long. Thanks to all my family that helped make it possible (especially my husband who did endless hours of research to help me find the perfect one). I love it, I'm learning so much and I can't stop taking pictures of my beautiful girl.

Adventures in Long Beach

2008-07-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the beach this year even though there were only a few of us that made it. She didn't want to leave the beach once we got down there and really enjoyed her first smore.

Our sweet girl turns one

2008-04-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

2008-04-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

On March 29th we celebrated Presley's first birthday. What a special day! She was precious in her tutu and fairy wings. Thank you so much to everyone who was able to come.

This video was taken on Friday the 28th. She was really laughing about something and of course got distracted as soon as I started recording.