This is a cute video of Ruby's new favorite thing to do when we go outside. She would do this all day long if I let her.
Ruby is 11 months old now! She is standing on her own and it won't be long until she walks. She's already taken one small step. What a joy she is to us.
8.31.2009
8.22.2009
Love Rejoices in the Truth
"Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth."Today my husband had a good word about this verse from the Bible's "love chapter." It encouraged me, so I thought I'd share it.
- I Cor 13:6
To J.P. and I (and I would assume all parents), it is very important that our children always feel free to be honest with us. We've witnessed and experienced the sad situation where children grow up lying to their parents, living double lives, and ultimately being spiritually separated from them, all because they feared telling their parents the truth. We want to create an environment where our children can be honest without fear, because they trust us and our reactions.
The secret lies here in this verse: "Love...rejoices with the truth." It's easy to rejoice with the truth when the truth is positive. But what about when the truth is negative?
So often when Rae does something wrong, I can see the struggle on her little face as to whether she should tell me or not. If she tells me the truth, I'm going to be upset. If she lies, she suffers the guilt and separation that it brings. When she chooses the lie, I usually know shes lying anyhow and she gets a consequence. But when she chooses the truth, she sees my disappointment, plus she still gets a consequence. It's a tough choice for a two year old!
If I, as a parent, can train myself to REJOICE when Rae chooses the truth, and relay that joy to her for choosing the truth, she is going to learn that honesty brings relief, joy, and a bond between Rae and Mommy. She still has to face the consequences for her actions, but she doesn't have to face my disappointment with her, because it won't be there. I'll be rejoicing that my daughter chooses to be honest with me.
My heart would break if my children were so afraid of facing my disappointment that they built a wall of lies between us. From now on, no matter what they've done, I'm going to try to always rejoice when my children tell the truth. Couple that with prayer, and I have a fresh hope that this will foster an environment where they always feel free to be honest with us even well into their adult lives.
8.19.2009
4 Year Anniversary: Blooper Reel
In celebration of our 4-year anniversary, I'd like to share photos from the Charlebois Wedding Blooper Reel. Thanks for making our day fun and...er...interesting! ;)
P.S. I love my hubby!
Look at JP wishing he could be done with photos and play with Jono...
P.S. I love my hubby!
8.16.2009
Tie Dye and Party Hard
Today, we celebrated "Papa" Charlebois' 85th birthday with an all-family get together. Papa is one of the SWEETEST men I have ever known, and his love and pride for his family is evident every time you see him.It was wonderful to see everybody at the party. Papa's family includes one beautiful wife, 6 kids (plus 4 kids-in-law), 8 grandkids (plus 6 married-ins/significant others), and 14 great-grandkids. It gets crowded, but the more the merrier!
We love you, Papa, and we're so proud to be a part of your legacy!
As a fun weekend project, I picked up a tie dye kit at Michael's and we had a lot of fun creating tie dyed t-shirts with Rae and Ava. Everybody tried a different technique, and we came out with some really fun designs. Being the nerds we are, we all wore our "matching" tie dyed shirts to Papa's party. Now Papa wants one, too...so I guess we'll be heading back to Michael's this week!
I didn't get a picture of my shirts because I was behind the camera all day!
8.05.2009
X Games at Home
We've been watching a lot of X Games at our house this week, and now there is a new event to add to the list: Extreme Bed Diving.
We were all playing on our queen bed tonight, and Ruby kept on getting too close to the edge for comfort. We decided to put some pillows down and allow her to crawl off the edge, hoping it would put the "fear of the edge" in her and she'd keep away from them.
Only one problem: she LOVED it! She laughed and snorted and wanted right back up to do it over and over again. Now it is a new favorite game. I guess we'll be keeping an EXTRA close eye when we play on the bed these days.
We were all playing on our queen bed tonight, and Ruby kept on getting too close to the edge for comfort. We decided to put some pillows down and allow her to crawl off the edge, hoping it would put the "fear of the edge" in her and she'd keep away from them.
Only one problem: she LOVED it! She laughed and snorted and wanted right back up to do it over and over again. Now it is a new favorite game. I guess we'll be keeping an EXTRA close eye when we play on the bed these days.
Fruits of our Labor
We have been harvesting cucumbers, lettuce and sugar snap peas from our makeshift garden. Israel loves going out to check for the fruits of our labor every day. No tomatoes yet, and the corn is looking a little weak, but we haven't given up hope yet!
Cousin Week
We have been enjoying a fabulous week of time spent with cousins. Micah, Missy & co. arrived in MN for Missy's brother's wedding on Wednesday. We were at my parents' house waiting for them when they pulled in, and the fun hasn't stopped since.
So great to see this face again!
The next day, my side of the family (minus Amber, Pete & kids) came out to our place for burgers and a bonfire.
I was thankful that the boys haven't changed too much!
Anna is a tiny little peanut! So sweet!
JP & Micah "chop" the firewood...
...and Malachi & Zach haul it to the fire pit.
JP brought some old cabinets from a job site to burn, but it turns out they make a better fort when you add a cardboard roof.
Micah & Missy
Cousin week continued with a play date at my sister's house on Monday morning, followed by an impromptu dinner at JP's sister's house that night. Hats off to Lisa for preparing a delicious dinner for 10 on only 1/2 day's notice (those of you who know Lisa know she doesn't normally cook, much less for 10).
They came bearing gifts, including these jewels which Rae so dramatically displays
So great to see this face again!
The next day, my side of the family (minus Amber, Pete & kids) came out to our place for burgers and a bonfire.
I was thankful that the boys haven't changed too much!
Anna is a tiny little peanut! So sweet!
JP & Micah "chop" the firewood...
...and Malachi & Zach haul it to the fire pit.
JP brought some old cabinets from a job site to burn, but it turns out they make a better fort when you add a cardboard roof.
Micah & Missy
We had only limited time to spend with Micah as he had to report back to the base on Monday morning. We were able to see him again for a brunch on Sunday before he had to catch his flight. Missy and the kids stayed in MN, though, and will be here through the 11th.
On Friday we had some more friends come out to our place for a bonfire. The fire was short-lived, however, when we came up with the brilliant idea to play a game of guys vs. girls kickball. The women had a 8-month pregnant teammate, and the men had a teammate recovering from knee surgery 3 days before. Once the sun set, JP brought out the flood lights. When the rain started, we kept playing. When the 3-year-old got smacked in the head with a kickball, the pregnant lady's body gave out, and the rain really started coming down...we finally called it a game. :)
On Friday we had some more friends come out to our place for a bonfire. The fire was short-lived, however, when we came up with the brilliant idea to play a game of guys vs. girls kickball. The women had a 8-month pregnant teammate, and the men had a teammate recovering from knee surgery 3 days before. Once the sun set, JP brought out the flood lights. When the rain started, we kept playing. When the 3-year-old got smacked in the head with a kickball, the pregnant lady's body gave out, and the rain really started coming down...we finally called it a game. :)
Cousin week continued with a play date at my sister's house on Monday morning, followed by an impromptu dinner at JP's sister's house that night. Hats off to Lisa for preparing a delicious dinner for 10 on only 1/2 day's notice (those of you who know Lisa know she doesn't normally cook, much less for 10).
Handsome Vincent
These girls are so precious
Florie and Ruby are proving to be partners in crime. They will be the ones to keep us on our toes as the years go by! 
And finally, we had one more play date at my parent's house today, just for good measure. If you think it sounds exhausting...well, it is! But we're willing to do it in order to squeeze every minutes of fun we can out of Malachi, Zach and Anna.
Florie and Ruby are proving to be partners in crime. They will be the ones to keep us on our toes as the years go by! 
And finally, we had one more play date at my parent's house today, just for good measure. If you think it sounds exhausting...well, it is! But we're willing to do it in order to squeeze every minutes of fun we can out of Malachi, Zach and Anna.Me & Anna
All 8 Harpel grandkids (Ruthie is thrilled)...lol.
All 8 Harpel grandkids (Ruthie is thrilled)...lol.
7.27.2009
Some of my Favorites
Sorry it's been a while. Not much new to report here. We're just enjoying summer and each other. We are looking forward to a visit from Micah, Missy and the kids this weekend, and I'm sure we'll have pictures and stories from that visit soon.
Here are some of my favorite pictures as of late. Enjoy!
Watermelon!
Rae built this "bridge" with only limited help from Mommy
Bubble machine bliss
Sweet corn is a summer favorite in our house
Sadie the snuggler
Ruby helps daddy diagnose the dishwasher
We're at Target and from behind me I hear, "Mommy! I'm inside!" I turn around to find this:
Here are some of my favorite pictures as of late. Enjoy!
Watermelon!
Rae built this "bridge" with only limited help from Mommy
Bubble machine bliss
Sweet corn is a summer favorite in our house
Sadie the snuggler
Ruby helps daddy diagnose the dishwasher
We're at Target and from behind me I hear, "Mommy! I'm inside!" I turn around to find this:
7.14.2009
Ruby -- 9 month checkup
Ruby had her 9-month checkup today. She is healthy and wonderful, as always! She now weighs 18 pounds, which puts her in the 45th percentile for weight, but at 30 3/4 inches tall, she is OFF THE CHARTS for height! Where she gets it, we'll never know.
I can't overstate enough what a sweet blessing she is to our family, especially now that she leans in to hand out sloppy, open-mouthed kisses! Love 'em!
I can't overstate enough what a sweet blessing she is to our family, especially now that she leans in to hand out sloppy, open-mouthed kisses! Love 'em!
7.04.2009
More Updates
Happy 4th, everyone!
Here are a few recent photos and tidbits from the Charlebois home.
Our little Ruby Ann is changing so quickly! She turned 9 months old on the 29th, and if you look away for one instant, she's changed or developed in at least some small way. Besides being a master crawler now, she has also started pulling herself up to her feet AND climbing stairs. You would have never imagined my shock when I ran upstairs for just a moment and upon returning found her up three steps. Time to break out the gates, I guess.
Ruby finally sprouted two bottom teeth and has been gracefully struggling her way through the teething process. She is our little snuggle bunny, and also our little rough-and-tumbler. She loves to get dirty and climb into tight spots or over obstacles. She brings us so much joy!
Israel is equally as amazing. She wows us every day with just how smart and attentive she is. She can count in English and in Spanish and can recite her ABC's perfectly. She's a little comedian, and loves doing funny things to make mommy & daddy smile. She loves to sing, and her current favorite tunes are "Old MacDonald" and "The Farmer in the Dell." We'll also spy her sitting in a corner making up songs for her dolls, or singing to herself about how much she loves various people in her family (usually Ava). She loves to swim and to take naps in mommy & daddy's bed.
Right now we are struggling through our third try at potty training. Some days she's great, other days are frustrating for both of us. I know she'll get the hang of it -- I just wish it were sooner rather than later!
Remember my post about the garden we started in our window sill? Remember how excited I was that they were all growing? Well, they all died. They died because I didn't transplant them quickly enough. But we are trying again. We started our seedlings in the window sill again and then moved them out into 5 gallon buckets on the deck (We decided we didn't want to invest the time and money into tilling up a garden at a property we don't own). We have lettuce, corn, green beans, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, bell peppers and cucumbers. And SO FAR, so good.
Today we took the girls strawberry picking. There is a little berry farm not more than five minutes from our house -- all you can pick for $1.70/lb. Rae loved the adventure, but probably ate more strawberries than she put in our box. It only took us about 7 minutes to pick more than six pounds of strawberries. Maybe that's a good thing when you have two small kids, but it was also sort of anti-climactic. Rae was covered in strawberry juice, as was her WHITE shirt. What was I thinking?
That's it for now. Our doctor has been on vacation, so Ruby will have her 9-month checkup sometime in the next week or so. I'll post that update soon.
Here are a few recent photos and tidbits from the Charlebois home.
Our little Ruby Ann is changing so quickly! She turned 9 months old on the 29th, and if you look away for one instant, she's changed or developed in at least some small way. Besides being a master crawler now, she has also started pulling herself up to her feet AND climbing stairs. You would have never imagined my shock when I ran upstairs for just a moment and upon returning found her up three steps. Time to break out the gates, I guess.
Ruby finally sprouted two bottom teeth and has been gracefully struggling her way through the teething process. She is our little snuggle bunny, and also our little rough-and-tumbler. She loves to get dirty and climb into tight spots or over obstacles. She brings us so much joy!
Israel is equally as amazing. She wows us every day with just how smart and attentive she is. She can count in English and in Spanish and can recite her ABC's perfectly. She's a little comedian, and loves doing funny things to make mommy & daddy smile. She loves to sing, and her current favorite tunes are "Old MacDonald" and "The Farmer in the Dell." We'll also spy her sitting in a corner making up songs for her dolls, or singing to herself about how much she loves various people in her family (usually Ava). She loves to swim and to take naps in mommy & daddy's bed.
Right now we are struggling through our third try at potty training. Some days she's great, other days are frustrating for both of us. I know she'll get the hang of it -- I just wish it were sooner rather than later!Remember my post about the garden we started in our window sill? Remember how excited I was that they were all growing? Well, they all died. They died because I didn't transplant them quickly enough. But we are trying again. We started our seedlings in the window sill again and then moved them out into 5 gallon buckets on the deck (We decided we didn't want to invest the time and money into tilling up a garden at a property we don't own). We have lettuce, corn, green beans, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, bell peppers and cucumbers. And SO FAR, so good.
Today we took the girls strawberry picking. There is a little berry farm not more than five minutes from our house -- all you can pick for $1.70/lb. Rae loved the adventure, but probably ate more strawberries than she put in our box. It only took us about 7 minutes to pick more than six pounds of strawberries. Maybe that's a good thing when you have two small kids, but it was also sort of anti-climactic. Rae was covered in strawberry juice, as was her WHITE shirt. What was I thinking?
That's it for now. Our doctor has been on vacation, so Ruby will have her 9-month checkup sometime in the next week or so. I'll post that update soon.
6.21.2009
Camping 2009
We had a wonderful camping trip this past weekend! Despite discouraging weather forecasts and a rough start, we ended up with beautiful weather pretty much the whole time, and the girls did great. This was Ruby's first camping trip, and she was amazing.
Ruby quickly adjusted to camping...and eating grass...and dirt.
I am in LOVE with this picture.
JP ended up driving home to get the poles, and I stayed with the girls at the campsite with only a few items that had gotten pulled out of the van: one box of food, a kiddie pool, a screen gazibo, some blankets, and the pack-n-play. I set up the gazibo and tried to get the girls to nap in it (Ruby in the pack-n-play, and Rae on the ground), but that just wasn't happening. Neither of them could sleep, so I got them up and we played in the pool until daddy got back. We had no bug spray, and both Rae and I got eaten alive by mosquitoes. Ruby escaped with only one bite. After setting up camp we roasted hot dogs and headed to the beach to cool off before bed time.
Friday was filled with more swimming, nature walks, and time around the camp site. We also let Israel stay up with us past her bed time and roast marshmallows. But after two nights of sitting around the fire by ourselves, JP and I were both missing the company of our family we're used to having on camping trips. We were excited when my brother Joe and his girlfried Becky joined us on Saturday. After setting up their tents, we headed down to the St. Croix River to let the dogs swim, then we hiked to the "sliding rock," a large, sloped rock we used to love to play on as children. It was fun for me to see Rae having so much fun in the very spot I used to play as a little girl.
Becky's black lab (Jake) and Joe's bulldog (Beau) were there, too.
Ruby thought it was hilarious when Jake would lick her all over her face.
Rae on the sliding rock
Our friend Eric also joined us for a few hours on Saturday. It was so great to see him, and he and Ruby really hit it off!
On Sunday, the rest of my family showed up for a Father's Day picnic. The day was a little cooler and more overcast than the other days. My mom brought a huge lunch for everyone, and we hid under the trees as we ate our bar-b-que sandwiches. The kids had a blast running around in their rain coats, too.
After lunch we went back to the beach for more swimming. By 2:15, all of the kids were so tired from playing that they kind of started to fall apart. We had to quickly get them loaded into the car and head home before chaos erupted. My girls were both asleep by the time we pulled out of the park, and after transferring her to her bed at home, Rae slept until 5:30 pm.
It feels great to be home and I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in the air conditioning last night. I think JP has all but decided that we need to keep our camping trips to earlier spring and in the fall to avoid the hot weather. Now I just have to tackle the unpacking and laundry...
Rae & Daddy try out the new camping chairs
Ruby quickly adjusted to camping...and eating grass...and dirt.
I am in LOVE with this picture.
The adventures began as soon as we arrived. It didn't take us long to notice that after driving all the way to William O'Brien State Park, we had forgotten our tent poles at home! It was very frustrating at first, but we quickly realized how blessed we were that the campground was only about 45 minutes away. There was no better place for us to make a mistake we'll never make again!
JP ended up driving home to get the poles, and I stayed with the girls at the campsite with only a few items that had gotten pulled out of the van: one box of food, a kiddie pool, a screen gazibo, some blankets, and the pack-n-play. I set up the gazibo and tried to get the girls to nap in it (Ruby in the pack-n-play, and Rae on the ground), but that just wasn't happening. Neither of them could sleep, so I got them up and we played in the pool until daddy got back. We had no bug spray, and both Rae and I got eaten alive by mosquitoes. Ruby escaped with only one bite. After setting up camp we roasted hot dogs and headed to the beach to cool off before bed time.
Friday was filled with more swimming, nature walks, and time around the camp site. We also let Israel stay up with us past her bed time and roast marshmallows. But after two nights of sitting around the fire by ourselves, JP and I were both missing the company of our family we're used to having on camping trips. We were excited when my brother Joe and his girlfried Becky joined us on Saturday. After setting up their tents, we headed down to the St. Croix River to let the dogs swim, then we hiked to the "sliding rock," a large, sloped rock we used to love to play on as children. It was fun for me to see Rae having so much fun in the very spot I used to play as a little girl.
Pay no attention to the rear end in the background
Becky's black lab (Jake) and Joe's bulldog (Beau) were there, too.
Ruby thought it was hilarious when Jake would lick her all over her face.
Rae on the sliding rock
Our friend Eric also joined us for a few hours on Saturday. It was so great to see him, and he and Ruby really hit it off!
On Sunday, the rest of my family showed up for a Father's Day picnic. The day was a little cooler and more overcast than the other days. My mom brought a huge lunch for everyone, and we hid under the trees as we ate our bar-b-que sandwiches. The kids had a blast running around in their rain coats, too.
After lunch we went back to the beach for more swimming. By 2:15, all of the kids were so tired from playing that they kind of started to fall apart. We had to quickly get them loaded into the car and head home before chaos erupted. My girls were both asleep by the time we pulled out of the park, and after transferring her to her bed at home, Rae slept until 5:30 pm.
It feels great to be home and I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in the air conditioning last night. I think JP has all but decided that we need to keep our camping trips to earlier spring and in the fall to avoid the hot weather. Now I just have to tackle the unpacking and laundry...
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