Let's Share...

Here are some of my New Year's Resolutions... what are yours???


1. Blog more
2. Facebook less
3. Master the art of keeping a clean house, a successful job, a happy girl, and a loving marriage
4. Lose at least 15 pounds
5. Finish a sewing project
6. Pray frequently
7. Keep my nails pretty
8. Hang more portraits on our walls - we've lived here for over a year, for crying out loud!
9. Revamp the living room
10. Finish revamping the basement
11. Travel to West Virginia and Missouri
12. Make a delicious cheese souffle
13. Get family portraits done (of us three AND then also including extended families)
14. Ensure that Casey continues getting breastmilk until she's at least 12 months old
15. Measure out the necessary 10 inches and donate most of my hair to Locks of Love


Tee Jay's is to "have more patience for people who don't walk on escalators when there's no reason not to." I'm not entirely sure what he's getting at there, but a man's entitled to his resolutions, right??

Ten Months Old...

This is the best shot I could get from this month's "photo shoot" in the glider. At ten months, Casey is growing by leaps and bounds, and she's demanding her independence loudly.

For instance, as these photos will show you, she does NOT like being told to sit still in Mommy's glider...






We went home to Rhode Island for nine days over Christmas (photos will be posted just as soon as nice family members send me some - I was so busy playing the Mama role that I forgot to take pictures! please send some!), and by the time Casey went back to Chesterbrook Academy, I had many updates for her teachers... Since we'd been gone, she'd cut three new teeth, had let go while standing, had briefly cruised while playing with her friend Zack, learned how to give lip kisses, and finally mastered the art of blowing kisses, too. WOW!

I cannot believe that in less than two months time, this girl will be celebrating her first birthday. These days have flown on by, eh??

You Win Some, You Lose Some...

Okay, so I've said it time and time again, it seems, that I'm sooooo sorry I'm not posting more frequently! Life has been super dee duper busy lately - that is, it's been even busier than just having a fast crawling 9-month-old on our hands.

Namely, during my lunch hours at work (before taking a 15-minute pumping break) and then at 8:30PM once Casey's gone to bed each night, I've been cramming for an insurance exam. It's been consuming, frustrating, mind-numbing, and nerve wracking. And on top of it, my brain has been drifting to the many tasks to complete for the holiday season.

~ I have to make six dozen cookies for a work cookie-exchange on Monday.

~ We're hosting our 4th Annual Ornament Painting Party at our house tomorrow, which means we need to have on hand: tons of wooden, glass, ceramic, and plastic sun catcher ornaments; paints and brushes; soda galore; three big crocks of delicious hot soup; and some small appetizers.

~ Casey's Christmas gift from Mommy and Daddy this year will be a homemade fabric crinkle book. (Everything else is from Santa.) Sewing has not yet begun!

~ A beloved nephew is going on 3 years old this year - which means that it's finally time he receives his own super hero cape. Also being sewn here at home; also not yet begun.

~ Christmas cards are ready (though a portion of the design got cut off, which greatly disturbs Tee Jay, the creator of said cards). We just need envelopes and some quick addressing/stamping skills.

~ There is still a list (ever-dwindling, thank goodness) of gifts to buy and wrap.

~ And on top of everything else, I've been convinced by one-who-will-not-be-named (but is a pretty smart person, I'll admit) that the best stocking for Casey -and all future Boudreau children, I s'pose- will be one which is hand-made out of her "going-home-from-the-hospital" outfit. Again, another project not yet begun... and one that may have to wait until her second Christmas.

I know that I'm probably preaching to the choir and not likely to get many sympathy votes from any of you harried, hurried, or worried Christmas-ites out there. We're all stressed, I'm sure. 'Tis the season!

But before I could focus much worry on the Christmas stuff, I first needed to get through the insurance exam - which I took today AND PASSED. (Thank God, thank God.)

However, my elation was a bit marred when later this afternoon, Alex from Four Seasons Roofing & Siding told me that we need a new roof (a whole new roof!), and no, this probably isn't going to be covered by insurance.

You win some, you lose some, right?

In the end, though, how can I really consider anything a loss when these two peanuts live in my home??

Promise...

As a little girl, my family had an Advent wreath every December, and we read and sang from a book called "We Light the Candles" by Catharine Brandt. It was a beautiful way to come together as a family, even as we grew into teenage and adulthood and were often busy with friends, jobs, and school responsibilities, and remember that this season is about so much more than Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays.

We Ruegg gals love our Advent book and traditions so much that just a few years back, our parents found and purchased us each our own copy of "We Light the Candles" (which still has the same little drawings in it that our original 1976 version did!).

I am so glad to continue the tradition for Casey.


From "We Light the Candles"

We call the first candle promise to remind us that God promised to send his Son Jesus.

Long ago the prophet Isaiah spoke these words of promise about Jesus to God's people.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6)

Long before Jesus was born, God promised it would be so. People joyfully celebrate Christmas because God gave the world his own Son, the very first Christmas gift.

Nine Months Old...

I've got a headache as big as Texas (and that's big!) and am just soooo lazy and such a slacker lately that Tee Jay had to say, "The nine month photo isn't posted!" for me to get this up here. Sorry it's so late!

Leaps and Bounds and Crawls...

It's been way too long since we've posted good news on here, so I promise photos soon.

Life just seems so busy lately, and Casey is 99% of that busy-ness. Particularly, she's CRAWLING!

Casey and I ventured to New Hampshire last Sunday (Casey's very first plane ride!) to visit with my sister and her family (of one husband and four kids). It was on Tuesday, after watching her older cousins zip, zoom, and crawl (or Violet's version of crawling, that is) around her, that Casey, alone in the living room, began crawling. And it's true, perfect crawling. One knee in front of the other, and hands moving forward to match. She was tentative that morning, but gained a lot of confidence by the time we flew back to Philadelphia late Wednesday. (Tee Jay had quite the show in store for him when I set her down on our living room floor!)

Ever since, Casey's been unstoppable. And we learned, after a mere couple of hours, that our house... well, it ain't ours anymore. Baby-proofing, MAJOR baby-proofing, is in order. (I guess I hadn't noticed the need as much at my sister's home, where after having four kids, she and my brother-in-law have set their rooms up so that everything is open and available to children of all ages.)

We've also learned that Casey's noggin is going to have to get very used to bumps along the way. Man, she's a brute, and she's constantly knocking her poor little head on things now.

In more news, Casey came home from New Hampshire with another tooth - or maybe got it the day after we arrived back in Philly. (It's hard to tell, since she guards her gums like Fort Knox. Even Mama and Daddy aren't usually granted viewing privileges.) This one is on the bottom, and I thankfully haven't been bitten yet, though I am afraid it may be in my future.

And since her growth seems to be happening in leaps and bounds, I guess it's finally time for Casey's first "cold" (or whatever it is) to manifest itself. We noticed last night that instead of a peacefully sleeping baby girl, her bedroom was housing a barking seal. Ahhhhh, the horrible (and most uneasy, to new parents) sound of croup. While I nursed Casey, Tee grabbed Dr. Sears' The Baby Book, and in the dim light of our bedroom, we discovered that there's really not much a doctor could do at this point. We ramped up the warm mist vaporizing, let Casey sleep in our bed (even though we've been warned by seasoned parents that this should be a "no no"), and gave her the almighty pacifier (a.k.a. Mom's breasts) throughout the night. She did TOTALLY fine (whew!) and she is her happy, adorable self during the daytime, but we know that croup can often sound its worse during the second and third nights... here we go! (We started this evening with a steamy nap in the bathroom while a hot shower ran - and we'll follow up with plenty of vaporizing and will check in on Casey periodically throughout the night.)

Casey is also becoming cognitive of the word "NO." And boy, she doesn't like it! Just a few minutes ago, she was going towards the cord of our laptop, and both Tee Jay and I sternly, slowly expressed our displeasure. We didn't raise our voices, but clearly looked at her and said, "Noooooo. No, Casey. NO." She sat very still, stared at us, and let her sweet smile slowly turn downwards into a definite frown. The crying followed quickly after, and I couldn't help but laugh while I scooped her up in my arms. I was so proud that Casey understands us... yahoo to having a genius-child! (Don't mock me - I'm sure she's a genius, okay????)

A Prayer of Peace...

Casey's Great-Grandpa Dick passed away peacefully last night, and I ask you to pray for his family, that a spirit of peace envelop them while they remember his full life.