The promised updates...

I'm supposed to be getting ready for the garage sale I'm having on Saturday, but I wanted to update the photo site and blog a bit. So there!
I realized in uploading the pictures that I took almost no pictures in December. Slacker Mom!
I somewhat made up for it in January.

It's getting harder and harder to catch the good shots. Just when he's doing something super-cute, I grab the camera and capture this...
...and he's off!

My parents came up this weekend to spend time with the Fox (and us, purportedly!). After a day of trying to keep up, my mom looked at me and said "Is he like this all the time?" My answer? Of course!
It's funny, but I guess we're just used to him so we don't think anything of it. My nephew, Dylan, is a totally different type of monkey. He's funny, but he isn't as active and all over the place like Fox. No doubt some of that is his age, but I just don't see Fox changing his ways too much as he gets older.

Vance's mom is STILL plugging away at the Clean Sweep we started on 12/29! I am so proud of her - they have been in that house for 23 years (I think) and she's doing an amazing job of tossing the stuff she doesn't need and organizing the rest. While I was there, we did the living room and kitchen. Since I left, she has done the dining/craft room and her sitting room (that she calls her angel room), and started in Vance's old bedroom that will be a guest room. The only rooms left after that are their bedroom and the laundry room! I called her earlier to tell her what a fabulous job she was doing. It has been inspirational too...

I've organized my pantry...



...and my cabinet...


...and taken an inventory of the contents so I can cook all the food I've stockpiled!

See, the life of a stay at home mom is wayyyy too exciting, right?
Honestly, I have loved my time at home with Fox. I'm getting things done that I've wanted to do for almost 5 years (since we moved in) but never had the time to do.
I'm planning out our meals to use the food we've got, so we eat out less to save money.
I'm available to help people in need - when Robyn, the church secretary calls me, I can step in and do whatever it is that needs to be done.

Fox is the funniest kid. I love being with him and getting to watch him grow and help him learn. He is such a little man, and loves to be with people.


I love my job!

Fox is quite the talker too. He has actually said a few three-word sentences.
He will sometime put 'a' in front of the word he wants to say. Usually it makes sense.
A truck, a ball, a cracker, a help? Not so much on the help!
His latest funny word is 'bicycle'. Sounds like 'bi-kikle'.
He also says 'sit', but this is a family-friendly blog so I'm not telling you what that sounds like. ; )

Well, Vance just got home from the Men's group.
He told me Rebecca has been admitted to the hospital for overnight observation. The baby isn't due for another 2 months, so please be praying that everything stays put and the baby (and Rebecca and Michael) will be able to rest.

Got an extra kidney?

Have you been wondering how to reach out to others? Have you ever wondered if there is someone who needs your help; who the Lord might be leading you towards? opening doors in their direction?

Here is your opportunity to help a fellow blogger.

Spread the word about Kelli.

Many of you are probably familiar with her situation. (If not, you can catch up on it here.)

Kelli needs a kidney. She has been waiting and waiting and waiting... for a kidney. No one in her family is able to be a donor: her husband isn't a match and her children aren't old enough.

Obviously, this is something that you will want to spend time in prayer about before you jump into it. But perhaps you are the answer to this family's prayer.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
Esther 4:14


The reason I'm posting this is because I'm going to see if I'm eligible to give Kelli one of my kidneys. Will you pray for us as we figure this whole thing out?
Maybe it's not my kidney that will be the right one for Kelli. Is it yours?
Pray, read her story, pray some more. Let me know if you hear from God about it like Vance and I have.

What a start to 2008!

We enjoyed ringing in the New Year at a friend's house, playing a few rounds of Mafia and catching up on life.
The week to follow was pretty laid back, we enjoyed visiting with friends and settling in after way too much holiday travel. Fox had a little cough at night, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

Sunday, the nursery workers reported that Fox wasn't his usual fun self, he was kind of lethargic and didn't want to play, just wanted to snuggle on one person per service. We came home and all took a great nap. Fox's cough was worsening, so I called the on-call nurse for the pediatrician's office. She really wanted him to be seen Sunday for an RSV swab test and a chest x-ray. She also insisted that he not be given a decongestant because he's under 2.

So after naptime, Fox and I went off to Patients First. They said it was just a cold, didn't do an x-ray or RSV swab, and sent me off with a prescription cough syrup. I picked up the Rx and headed home. When I got home and read the info on the Rx, it turned out to be a combo - cough syrup/decongestant/antihistamine. So I called the nurse back b/c I was concerned about the decongestant. She was still insistent that he needed the x-ray and swab, and said that we needed to get him to the ER for those tests.
We tried TMH, but there were no seats in the waiting room, and they said it was probably an 8-9 hour wait. So off we went to Capital Regional. We were in and out in 5 hours with a negative RSV test and no x-ray.

Monday morning I woke up around 5 feeling yucky, but nothing big. 7 am, that all changed.
I started throwing up (among other issues) and would continue to throw up for the next 12 hours. I couldn't keep anything in my body. (I'm trying to state all of this gently, but it is always a feat when you manage to vomit every color of the rainbow!)

It got to where I couldn't open my hands all the way and I was so scared. I have never been that sick in my entire life. So Barb came over after Vance put Fox to bed, and we headed to TMH. The waiting room was much less crowded, and after nearly three hours, I was given a bed in a hallway. Not just any hallway, but the hallway on the way to the trauma area. Where our friend Cynthia is a nurse. She saw us come in and got my IV started right away.

This, my friends? This is how I spelled relief. They gave me a great anti-nausea drug, and a pain killer that is apparently better than morphine. Within 5 minutes of the fluids coming in, I told Vance I was starting to feel like me again. My hands unclenched, I was able to relax and rest for the first time since 7:00 that morning.
We filled my phenergan prescription at CVS on the way home (I am so glad there is a 24-hour pharmacy nearby!) and I made it to bed at 5. Vance followed shortly after he sent an email to his boss about taking another sick day.

Today (um, I guess now it's yesterday - Tuesday) I slept until 2:30 and then was up for a few hours. Slept a few more hours, then got up and ate a little bit of Chicken and Stars soup. Thanks to Rebecca for the groceries!
Was talking to Vance, trying to figure out why I still had so much pain in my abdomen. He suggested I take a hot bath. As I slipped into the tub (gracefully, not accidentally!) I realized that my tummy was sore from all of the puking yesterday! Duh!

Vance will be heading back to work and I have a sweet friend from church coming over in the morning to help out with Fox. I am still super-weak and sore, and standing for more than 5 minutes totally wears me out. Keeping up after a boisterous toddler is not on the list of how to recover from the stomach flu!

So, just to keep you from being bored to tears with the medical drama that unfolded at the Casa de Rutherford this week, I leave you with Bacon.

Quick Updates...

Much like Julie and Darcy have done recently, I will attempt to quickly summarize some things.

Of course, Fox just woke up from his nap while I typed that sentence. So I shall leave you with a fun picture of Ms. Adah Bennage and I, not feeding Fox her ice cream cone as he plays with his hair.

I WILL POST MORE SOON!
Hold me to that, y'all.

The Big Day...

Well, I finally gave in to all of the begging and pleading from Vance.


We went from this:


...to this:


All thanks to Mr. Tony.


Fox did great, and Mr. Tony was super-fast! We followed the advice of the Kagys and the Johnstons and visited Mr. Tony's Hairstyles. Mr. Tony was a pro and Fox didn't seem to mind all the fuss.
To help me get in the right mind-set, Vance had to take me to Sonny's for lunch. We are working on compiling a list of where and when kids eat free. (Sonny's on Saturday!) Mr. Fox was quite the flirt with the greeter.

It's been crazy around here with this toddler that has invaded our home.
He is into everything.
And now he is awake, so I can't finish this post!
More later, I promise!

Crazy Talk

Make sure you turn the volume way up to get the full effect. Vance and I were cracking up through dinner!

Finally...new pictures!

Here.
I went through and uploaded a bunch of pictures from May up to yesterday.
My kitchen is not clean, but the interweb is graced with tons of pictures of Fox.
Enjoy!

It's a Small World...and we are walking through it!

Fox's first LAN party!

So tonight Vance is in the office, watching online videos of churches similar to ours and how they do worship. I came in and watched a church for a little bit...they got to the announcements and this guy bounds onto the stage. It was my youth pastor from high school. I just sent him an email to say hi! Small world, that interweb.

We have a walking Fox now. He's been taking a few tentative steps here and there for a few weeks. Thursday he decided it was time to get on the walking train. I haven't taken a good picture of it yet. I'll work on that!

But, I have lots of other good pictures to (finally) share!

He's teething again...he's got 8 teeth now, and the drool is excessive.
We've been having lots of fun outside...I bought a bike trailer at a consignment sale, and Fox and Ethan have been loving it!


Fox is really getting into reading his books...


Sandra and Carey and I are doing a little co-op so we can all work a bit. Fox loves having the big boys over, but sometimes has a hard time understanding that ALL sippy cups in the world are not his! I actually managed to get all of them in the same area long enough for a few cute shots...



And the moment passes..One of the things about having three little guys in the house instead of just one, is that things get overlooked that would have normally been stopped right away...enter exhibit 'a', the tissue box...



Snack time!
Momma brought up Dylan's Halloween costume from last year...if it's cold enough and Fox cooperates, we may have the Monkey for MonkeyNinjaPirateRobot....
That's a big if...this is not a happy little monkey!
And now, for the monkey tantrum!

I have a feeling that soon enough he will be throwing King Kong sized tantrums...this child has apparently inherited my temper.


And now for a series of Fox in hats...he will actually consent to wearing them for a few fleeting moments...some of which we managed to capture on camera!




Fox's latest obsession is shoes. It's crazy how well he says 'shooooooes'. He was on cloud 9 earlier tonight...I sat him in the closet surrounded by all our shoes. Everywhere he turned, there were shoes. He finds them in every room...maybe we should keep them more confined!

My Jesus

Warning - this is a complete departure from my usual posts full of cute baby pictures and funny Fox stories.
I'll write one of those soon enough. I've just had a lot of heavy stuff on my heart lately and need to get it out in the open.

I'm writing this while looking at my sleeping son on our video baby monitor.
We are blessed, really, with so much material stuff. I might gripe about the price of cherries going up by $2/lb at Publix, but when it comes down to it, I could still buy them at $4.99/lb vs $2.99/lb and we wouldn't suffer from it.

There's a song that I've liked for awhile now, but recently I've been contemplating what it really means, and how it SHOULD affect my life.
Todd Agnew's "My Jesus" is a seriously hard song to listen to. This link may or may not work, give it a shot.

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Do I look like the world? I probably do. I was so thrilled with the new cute pants my mom bought me Saturday, and I wanted to make sure to wear them to church yesterday since I was singing on stage.

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

I do spend most of my time with believers. It was a total shell shock this summer when we spent a week with some family members who cuss. Vance and I were pretty uncomfortable with it, realizing we are quite insulated from the 'thieves and liars' that Jesus spent His time with.

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

How many prayers of ours are for the wealth of this land? I jokingly talk about when Daddy wins the lottery and we get out cut, but honestly, we could live without a lot that we have. My attempts at frugality are just that - attempts. I could be a lot more hardcore and survive without the cute cover-up for my bathing suit I picked up at 75% off Saturday at Dillards.

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Would I walk by? Is Jesus that guy on the corner who needs a shower, shave, meal and a bus ticket? I unconsciously reach over and check that my doors are locked - a sad commentary on how suspicious society has made us.

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

We do picture Jesus with a handsome face. I haven't watched The Passion of The Christ - Vance thinks it would be too hard for me to watch. He's right, but it was harder for Jesus to die, wasn't it?

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet

My toes are pretty, Momma came up this weekend and we got pedicures.
I like to think that Jesus would be accepted at my church. We're definitely very laid-back on the dress code. We can always spot a first-time guest - they're wearing ties and 'Sunday dresses'. But would a shabbily dressed, dirty man be welcomed? I hope so.

But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

The way Todd Agnew really cries out at this part is what hits me hardest. Does my desire to be like Jesus outweigh my desire to be comfortable? I didn't sign up to go to Nicaragua with the team from our church like so many others did. Is it because I'm afraid of getting dirty? Or am I afraid of being too saddened by what I'd see? The stories the team came back with had our entire congregation in tears.

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity

I've always said I wanted to be on Jeopardy! - what a better way to be successful and popular!
My priorities need to change - seriously.

I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like my Jesus

Okay, enough of that for now. I'm going to join my family, and enjoy listening to my son's new favorite word - SHOE!

More Milestones...

Fanged Fox is fanged no more. The front two teeth are nearly in. This kid talks ALL THE TIME, with crazy words like 'backpa' (backpack) 'acaca' (avocado) and 'gogoo' (yogurt).
Oh, and he took two steps tonight. HE TOOK TWO STEPS!

(I'm shaking my head...he's growing too fast)

I promise I will post pictures next week...maybe even a video if I'm feeling adventurous!

I am embarrassed to say I am from South Carolina...

...after seeing the "Miss Teen USA" South Carolina delegate...



Of course, I wasn't educated in South Carolina, just born there. Man, that is scary!

No pinch.

Reason # 756 Why I Love My Husband

Most of you know about my obsession with finding the most efficient way to do, well, anything really. While on the way to Monday Night at the Mitchell's house tonight, I was excitedly sharing with Vance that I had discovered the most efficient way to navigate the contact list in our new cell phones. See, I had to call Carey and let her know we were running a little bit late, and "Mitchell" falls smack dab in the middle of the "M"s, so I didn't want to start at the beginning of the "M"s or the "N"s and then have to scroll all the way through them to get to "Mitchell".

Wow, this story is so dull. I'll get to the point, the reason that God made Vance just for me and me just for Vance. After sharing my phone hack with him and telling him how excited I was to be sooo efficient, he looked at me and said "Babe, you're a real "efficianado". Ba dum bum.

Y'know, he just gets me.




He's going to have a fit when he sees this pictures I found from his Hummingbird days!

Fanged Fox

More pictures and a real post soon - just couldn't resist posting Fox and his fangs...yes, he is hanging upside down in this picture - it was the best way to get the full effect!

It's Done...

I've finished the book. Maybe now I can get to sleep. Or maybe I should get something done around this house - I've been slacking since Friday night.

My review? Without spoiling, I will say that it was a fitting, satisfactory end. Thanks for the ride, Ms. Rowling.

Pics and stuff

I love my little man.




I love his Daddy too.

Fox is cutting teeth #3 & 4 (oh so fun). He stands for up to 10 seconds, and waves at everyone he sees.
I was totally in denial about this earlier, but now I'll admit it.
He is (sort of) talking.
He says "Dada" when we talk about Vance, "Tss Tss" when we go out and visit Tanji, and today at lunch when Vance asked him if he wanted more, he said "Mmmm".
Notice the significant lack of the word "Momma".

This morning I think he signed "fan". We've been doing baby signs for a few months now, mostly at meal times. I recently started signing 'fan' when he would point at the fan, and then I would help him sign it. Today he signed it on his own, and was so proud of himself.

We went to the TMH Music Therapy Playgroup today. He was quite a hit. All the other babies were sitting in their mom's laps, smiling and enjoying the music. Fox, on the other hand, wanted to stand up on me the whole time and talk - loudly. I truly believe this child was put on this earth to make people laugh. He really enjoyed himself, and we will certainly be going back!

Here is a real conversation Vance and I had earlier this week. I swear, we can't make this stuff up.
"Oh, you can't eat my Oreo McFlurry, it's got chocolate in it."
"No, it's okay, I'm starting to introduce little bits of chocolate into my diet to gauge his reaction."
"Oh good. With your PMS back, I'm afraid you'd kill me without chocolate"

That's all for tonight folks.
Stay tuned for more updates.
If yer lucky.

A few updates...

Fox is way too mobile!
He climbs up and furniture walks all along whatever he can.
No more inchworm, the boy is seriously crawling now.
He does the funniest wave - he just sticks his hand up in the air like he's issuing a proclamation.
I think it's "Yes, I am here, and I am the cutest, funniest baby ever. You may giggle."

Okay, time for bed.

Just a quickie...

One of the silly things I like to do is dress Fox to match Vance.

Here's an example...


Yeah, I need to get out more!

Happy, Danielle? ; )

Danielle has been getting on to me about my lack of posting. I know, I compose them in my head, but y'all don't know that unless I actually get things on the blogosphere. What a weird word that is.

I'm thinking I psyched myself out trying to do big meaningful posts once a month. Yeah, that's the excuse I'll use for not posting. ; )

I'll have to get Vance to show me how to get to our pictures. He's rebuilt his machine (with all the pictures) with some crazy Linux thing called Ubuntu. Every time he says Ubuntu I feel compelled to respond with "God bless you".

Quick Updates:

• I started a part time job as a Research Assistant with FCRR. I only go in to the office one day a week for 5 hours!
  
• Fox has two teeth, and the next few are imminent.
• He has also started crawling - sort of this modified belly flop that reminds me of an inchworm.
• Both sets of his grandparents came for the Mother's Day weekend. A good time was had by all.
  

And now he's awake. Time to get ready and head to church!

Really?

I noticed this while handing Vance a roll of TP tonight...
Um, duh?

Hmm...Maybe I should start posting all the little things like this that just make me shake my head. Nah, then y'all would know how REALLY crazy things get around here.