I am truly blessed among women!

Jesus loves me

What a Cheesy Kid

32 weeks

The Death of Binky

This child, from the very beginning had a special thing for his little pacifier. Last night marks his first binky-less night! I thought this day would never come. When KC asked him if he wanted to throw his pacifier in the garbage he said he did, got up, threw it away, and the rest is history. He's so excited that the garbage truck is going to come and take it away to the dump that it has already been a smooth transition. He's napping right now, no paci, with a lighting McQueen blanket completely covering his head. I just checked and he's snoring away under there. soo cute!

I have been shocked at what a little boy he already is. I know that when baby comes he's going to seem HUGE!

potty training update: going #1 is easy as pie.
We have yet to tackle #2. All I know is that his dirty diaper seems more and more like an injustice.

update in pics

The snow has not slowed down for us Northern Idahodians. Colson is enjoying the snowplow! This is the first winter for our Subaru. What a perfect car for winters like this. I don't quite remember there being this much snow last winter.
I love the snow! I think I love the spring more. (Maybe because Spring will also be bringing to us a very special package this year)! Spring always reminds me of new life; that's one reason I love it so much, but so does the snow: pure white, fresh, new every morning- kind of snow. It's beautiful. I'm still looking forward until Spring. I can't wait to get back on my bike. I'll be toting two this summer.

Big baby bump!

It's time. I've graduated to wearing KC's t-shirts when I'm lounging or sleeping. Whenever Colson notices my baby belly he says enthusiastically, "IT'S A BIIIIIG ONE!"

Politics make me sick.

While I don't believe the answer is to bury my head in the sand of ignorance, I can't escape the vile political taste in my mouth that accompanies the process.

I have been missing this:

I long to get lost in a hard run.
To know no time, to feel no bounds
to run and run and run...
to the rythm of my heart and drum of my feet.

Morning Post

This morning after coffee, egg and cheese burritos, and seeing Hub off to work, I'm sitting here in a warm and lovely home looking out on the fresh snow. These pictures of Colson and KC together were taken last night and really sum up what we do every night, especially since Christmas. We thought that with all the new Christmas presents, Colson, who has been very into his toys, would be distracted with them so obsessively that we'd have to pull him away. Well, the opposite has happened. He's become interested in one thing: playing WITH Mommy or Daddy. Be it toys or singing or reading or helping me put the wet clothes in the dryer, he just wants to be doing it with us...especially with KC. As soon as that door opens and in walks Daddy after a day's work, the first thing that is shouted from his mouth is, "PLAY WITH ME DADA?!? Dada want to play with me?"
These two have been having a ball together, more than ever before. It's a beautiful thing to watch Colson try and emulate KC. Sometimes when we're sitting on the sofa together, Colson will come over and prop himself up between us trying to copy KC's body language, whether putting his feet up a certain way or holding his hands resting on the top of his head. He'll copy KC's phrases and will sometimes call me "Ker" and then say what KC had just finished saying.
So we've been filling up our evening with wrestling contests, race car courses, airplane shows, football practice, telling stories, games, and lots of tickling.

Snow Day II

Another beautiful day of WHITE!

Too bad we trampled all over this unblemished snow!

"Mama, got my trucks, ready to go!"

Warming up with a bath! It's so hard to be a mommy to such a grumpy child! ha!

back in the snow

Time to warm up!

Ahhhhh, hot chocolate time.

Sooooo goooood.

All smiles!

I asked for it. He returns the favor by taking my picture.

Snow Day

Driving trucks in the snow.

Blazing a trail.

Feeling the chill.

"nothing can stop our tenderness"

I am wondering if this pregnancy would go faster if we had found out the sex of the baby. Would I not be dreaming and imagining what types of activities would be filling this child's days? The anticipation is constantly crossing my mind and is growing and growing and growing...Imagining a litte girl pulling on my pant leg, or a boy, wrestling with his older brother is almost too much for me to handle. I'm so thrilled either way that I can hardly contain my excitement, and hence, would I have this degree of excitement if I knew we were having a boy or a girl? I suppose this is arbitrary. Who could tell either way? Needless to say, thoughts of rough and tumble or ribbon and lace are floating through my mind. I still have 3 months to go. I'm thankful for this time, but I have a feeling it's going to take forever until we get to March.

I read this poem a little while back and often think of it while pondering the joys of having a girl. Please read it, it's beautiful.

I Stop Writing the Poem

Tess Gallagher

to fold the clothes. No matter who lives

or dies, I'm still a woman.

I'll always have plenty to do.

I bring the arms of his shirt

together. Nothing can stop

our tenderness. I'll get back

to the poem. I'll get back to being

a woman. But for now

there's a shirt, a giant shirt

in my hands, and somewhere a small girl

standing next to her mother

watching to see how it's done.

Holiday Update

No posts for awhile....sorry about that. We've spent the last 2 weeks partying it up, eating, celebrating, opening gifts, eating, laughing, eating, visiting, traveling, and here we are tonight, on New Years Day getting ready to feast with friends once again. The day after Christmas we drove to Oregon to see our families for a short, but wonderful time. Colson has never experienced anything like Christmas to his knowledge, and what a joy it was to have a 2 and a half year old's perspective during this season. We were all bombarded with abundance. Abundance around the tree, abundance around the table, and abundance in laughter and love. We truly are thankful. Now that the gift giving and Christmas tunes are behind us, we Rumrey's have much to look forward to in 2008. Moscow has proven to be a wonderful and fruitful place to spend this portion of our lives and we are thankful for the community that makes it so rich.
Of course, this spring, we'll be celebrating once again, as we anticipate the birth of our little babe, and now that I think of it, we can start looking forward to Easter as well. For now, we are sitting back, reflecting on where we've been and looking forward to where we're going.

Let the potty training resume.

Lovely Quote

"As unto the bow the cord is,
So unto the man is woman;
Though she bends him, she obeys him,
Though she draws him, yet she follows;
Useless each without the other."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

*This an old pic of us...but I like it.

Snow Belly

Here baby is: 25 weeks. In two more weeks we'll be entering the 3rd trimester! amazing. This picture was taken today. I hope my neighbors didn't notice that I ran out in the snow, set the camera up on our awesome turtle bbq'er, and posed for a pic. (Sam and Chrissy, I'm talking particularly about you). I read that my uterus is about the size of a soccer ball at this point. I think that seems just about right as rolling over and bending is starting to be more of a strain. Baby is working on his boxing skills right now, and my hands are usually occupied in feeling those right hooks and jabs. I'm already in love and obsessed with the baby. I can't wait until March.

I have to say though, that I'm also enjoying this time in my life very very much. If I want, I can sleep in until about 8:00 (that's when Colson gets up). Although I usually get up with Hub as he's getting ready for work, so I can enjoy a cup of coffee with him and see him out the door.

I've been craving all things fruit: grapefruit, pears, and Honey Crisp apples in particular. Sorbet is also hitting the spot.

And how about this snow??? Isn't it beautiful? 'Tis the season!

Random Daily Happening: I picked out the worst shopping cart at Winco today! This thing was extremely difficult to maneuver...especially while picking up occasional falling toddler hat and shoes, and holding my shopping list. The heavier the cart became, the more difficult it became to steer. I was having to put my entire body into turning this thing.

With all this said the moral of the story is to check and make sure that your cart is workable before you proceed to fill it up with groceries. It could be a health risk. I may have strained my right arm.

Colson + Ridley = Serious Silliness

These boys have a hoot together. Mischievous is the very word. They've been caught in action on a number of occasions. One particular occurrence involved an open baby powder bottle in a room all by themselves. Colson's room smelled for days and his bed and toys were dusted in a light snow of powder. Just last Friday I heard uncontrollable, almost hyena giggling coming from the back of my apartment. They were pulling every article of clothing out of Colson's dresser, throwing them all in a heap on the floor or up in the air to rain down on their heads. After church today, I saw three toddler boys pushing their way into the women's restroom: Colson and Ridley added the master-mind of Simeon on that endeavor. I'm afraid that this is only the beginning. What Joy!

Sugar and Nut Glazed Brie

Just ask my husband:

This recipe is worth it.

Shining in Christmas Glory -or- Partying '80's Style

Friday night. The Fam ventured out for a Christmas shin-dig....wow, now this is class!

25 going on 45.

The Christmas outfit of a lifetime.

Humble Beginnings

Here is my first Jesse Tree Ornament. I'm just drawing them for right now, and hopefully in the years to come we'll be able to get them on fabric. So, this is a rough draft, but a good start for the future. The Dove represents Creation, whole and pure, untainted by the fall.

The second ornament represents Adam and Eve and the Fall. Here, in the drawing, is Adam eating of the fruit. I tried to replicate Adam from a wonderful book by an author by the name of N.D. Wilson. It's a children's book entitled, The Garden and the Dragon. It's highly recommended if you have youngsters. Colson loves it, and it's a great start getting him aquainted with the beginning of God's story.

We have been using this as an inspiration during our Family Worship. It's been wonderful so far.