Boo Boo and the Beast

Update on Ady AKA "Boo Boo" as we call her (because she likes to play peekaboo all the time):

It's been a while since I posted an update on precious Adyson, so I thought you would all enjoy some fun pictures and fun facts about Ady lately. Ady is officially 21 months old, and she is as full of energy as ever.  It is fun to watch her in this stage of toddlerhood because she is starting to express independence and very strong opinions on things. She is very opinionated about what food she will or will not eat (even if she LOVED it the day before!). She likes to boss Izzy and Charlie both around by saying "no", "move", or "stay"; well, really she likes to boss everyone and everything. She does not want to have her teeth brushed anymore- even though she used to love it! She likes to sometimes pick out her clothes. Here is a picture of the lovely outfit she picked out the other day. You've gotta love the yellow hat with the red belt/scarf, not to mention her kitty-cat pajamas. I love it!

She has become incredibly ticklish, so of course we love tickling her as often as we can. Her and Daddy love to wrestle and rough house every evening before bed- in fact, I am pretty sure that is her favorite part of the day. Scott gets her laughing so hard sometimes that her little face turns red. Of course, then we all are laughing so hard at that point that I'm sure we all have red faces. Scott likes to "attack" or tickle Ady with her big sheep stuffed animal, and that usually gets Adyson really cracking up.

Now that the weather is nicer, I just started taking Ady to the park. She loves it! She'll go down the slide (with help from mommy or daddy, of course), swing, or climb around the equipment. It is a great activity for us to do together on warm days. She is such a social butterfly that she especially loves watching the other kids play and waving "hello" to everyone she sees. I think she has decided that it is her personal mission to make sure she waves at everyone, several times, before we leave anywhere. Here are some pictures of her first time swinging at the park!

I've decided that toddlers or 2 year olds really do have some very similar habits and attitudes as most teenagers. Here are 5 reasons why...

1. They sleep very hard and are not very happy to be woken up.

2. They like to act, dress, and think they are older than they really are.

3. When they decide they are hungry, they will eat everything in site.

4. They will often use technology to block out mom and dad

And...

5. It is their way or the highway, buster! "Talk to the hand, because I'm not listening!"

Hahaha! Toddlers are a wild breed of people, but I must say it is a fun stage. I am never bored. Ever. Ady really is a good little girl, and she is such a blessing to me and Scott. She has more words now than we can probably count, and just this weekend she started putting 2 words together- only sometimes, though. For example: "Mine Daddy" or "no! Stay!" It is exciting to think that she will be speaking in sentences one of these days! I can't even imagine all the things that she will come up with to say. 

Here are a couple more pictures of our favorite girl. Scott and I are so proud of her!

Check out those pigtails! ^

Mommy and Ady

Update on "The Beast" AKA Charlie:

Charlie is our other "baby", and I thought it appropriate to tell you about him. He just recently had his first experience at the puppy spa getting groomed. The poor dog was starting to look a little shaggy, so we decided it was time to get him a hair cut. I don't know what breed of dog they thought Charlie was, but they seemed to decide about halfway through that he was not a golden retriever and that instead he was more of a lab or poodle. Labropoodle Retriever? Hmm... Well, either way, they butchered all of his pretty "feathers" except for his mangy tail! Here are some before and after shots. He definitely looks quite better all things considered, but we miss his "fluffs" on his ears and ankles and chest. :*(

BEFORE:

(his belly fur was so long that when it was wet, it would almost touch the ground!)

AFTER: The Labropoodle Retriever

What a silly dog. In other Charlie news: He is still a HUGE fan again of digging in the back yard. We just got new sod put in last year, and he has already destroyed several sections. He just can't handle the sweet temptation of the fresh mud on his paws and on his nose. *sigh* He'll figure out that the trouble he gets in really isn't worth the bliss of digging... one of these days. Also, I now have proof that Izzy and Charlie are Best Friends Forever. 

They are now snuggle buddies and take naps together. So cute!

Well, as for the rest of us. We are doing pretty good. Scott is enjoying a slower season at work right now, and he is handsome as ever. He loves working out, playing with Ady and Charlie, and teasing me. Life is good! Izzy is still very chubby and very much so alive. Baby Jackson is growing right on schedule and is probably weighing about a pound and a half to 2 pounds now. We can't wait to meet him face to face! I am still struggling with depression, but I have really felt like I have turned a corner in the last week. My good days are starting to really outweigh my bad days. Praise the Lord for that!

I guess that is about all I have for you now. Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Karen Ruth

Oh my goodness, I almost forgot! Check out my adorable NEW Nephew named David Paul Sapp. He was born on May 6th (just 5 days ago!) at 10AM weighing 7lbs6oz. He is just a doll, and I can't wait to see him hopefully next week.

The last one ^ is of big brother Daniel meeting David while Grandma helps.

Light and Dark... Great Purpose in Both

     The other night, I was sitting in our dark living room looking out at the dark street, and I was praying for the Lord to somehow encourage me and get me through my depression. I had had a pretty rough day, and I was feeling overwhelmed with sadness. The street was completely dark except for some dim porch lights on our neighbor’s house across the street. My eyes were so drawn to those dim lights. I just couldn't help but stare at them. It was getting late, and my eyes were getting so tired that I found it to be easier to just close them and not focus on any of the lights. The darkness is so lonely, and as soon as I closed my eyes I could feel a huge wave of sadness rush over me. I forced myself to open my eyes and look at the welcoming dim lights as tired as I was. As I silently sat there, I had an interesting thought. The darkness is the best comparison I can think of for explaining how depression feels to me. It is like being in a thick darkness that is often overwhelming. I can’t see through it, and it feels so lonely. It is a darkness that I don’t just see, but one that I feel all around me and cutting through me. However, I have found that there are little dim lights of hope that burn through the darkness and offer something to distract me and to focus me in. The lights are like little windows to see out of this prison of darkness and into the hope and promise of a life without the dark veil. Sometimes it seems like it would be so much easier to just collapse into the dark days and close my eyes  and stop trying to focus on the dim lights of hope. But that would be an overwhelmingly lonely and bitter road to take, and I know that those glimmers of hope are worth focusing on instead. They're a lot prettier,too; that's for sure.

     The dim lights of hope that are piercing through my darkness and distracting me from this dark season are the encouraging words from Scripture and from friends that have come along to offer their support and hope. The darkness isn’t so lonely when there are a few little lights along the path to keep me focused and hopeful. Thank you to all of you who have offered such incredible words of encouragement and hope to me during this rough time. Your help isn't just something that I see tangibly, but something I feel as well.

       I think depression makes me more reflective since I have been so much more isolated and quiet. As I've been going to my counselor and working through my negative thinking patterns, I have found myself purposely trying to think about positive word pictures and examples to remind me of God's faithfulness, His power, and His caring heart towards His people. This is just another thought I was pondering this afternoon in my quiet time, and it encouraged me some. I thought I would share.

       I remember going to a star party with one of my lovely friends from high school and my dad to see a huge meteor shower. We drove for a couple of hours to get to the cactus flatlands of Colorado where it is dark and sheltered from the blinding city lights. The skies are always so dark out there, and it is a great place to look through telescopes or in our case, see a meteor shower. As the sun set for the evening and the first stars of the night began their dance, so did the meteor shower. Because the sky was so dark, we could see actual colors in the meteors as they streaked across the sky illuminating the prairie around us for just a few short seconds. Some of the tails from the meteors were so bright that they left an actual trail of light in the sky for several minutes. It was breathtaking. We stayed out there for hours just looking up into the sky watching the beautiful light show unable to really move for fear of missing the next meteor. We were even scared to say more than "wow! " or "Did you see that?!"  because we all really did feel speechless at the sight of such marvelous beauty.  The Bible tells us in Psalms 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Looking back to my memory of that incredible meteor shower, I can’t help but sing the praise of His incredible work. I decided that I think that it is in moments when the sky is darkest, God’s greatest glory and work can be displayed even more clearly and brilliantly. It is as if God uses the dark sky as a canvas to showcase His incredible works of beauty. All who see it can’t help but be drawn to Him in some way. I mean, even now if you were to go out into your backyard at nighttime and stare up at into the dark sky, your eyes would probably naturally be drawn to the stars or else to the house lights around you. Try to find a black spot and just stare at that spot for a while. Don't your eyes long for the stars instead? Don't they naturally seek a light- even just a faint glimmer? My prayer and my hope as I struggle through this dark season is that not only will I continue to focus on the little glimmers of hope that shine through but that I also can be used like a dark night sky to showcase His glory. No one seems to notice the dark sky as much when the streaks of light are glowing through. The dark fades and the light takes over. Wouldn't it be awesome if my depression has a purpose like the dark sky? What if somehow, by God's grace, my time of darkness can be used to showcase God's glory? What if this time of sickness could be used for God's ultimate glory and purpose? Hmm... Just pondering out loud.

"Therefore, we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of His calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

"Therefore the sisters sent to Him saying, 'Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.' And when Jesus heard that, He said, ' This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it'." John 11: 3-4