Still Thankful...

Even though the "official" Thanksgiving Holiday has come and gone, we are still thankful over here at the Ruley household.

Here are some highlights from our Thanksgiving Festivities:

Owen's Pre-school *POW WOW* Buddies

Wagging their lil' turkey tails
Gobble, Gobble

He loved every minute of their performance...it was so fun for me to finally have a turkey! My older three were all Pilgrims. :-)

Right after O's big moment came Ella's 1st Grade Class Feast

Her next door desk neighbor

who drew a picture about how much she & Ella loved each other

Ella's drawing...a few more friends & a touch of royalty!

This snuggly hug shows just how much Ella cherishes her friends...it melts my heart to see how much she adores others

Just for fun - a pic of the CUTEST turkey cookie ever!

A beautiful sight

Momma and her lil' helper finishing up the final touches to our Thanksgiving meal

Uh oh...my little man is sneaking around the buffet of desserts

Ahhh! He's definitely on the prowl!

Good thing the Ruley gang start arriving...Mimi with her 3 babies

Next thing we know Owen comes down in the OSU jersey Uncle Brad gave him...he seriously can't go without a jersey on for more than a couple of hours!

Time to eat!

Been waiting months to eat Uncle Bob's famous stuffing...yumo!

Before we knew it, we were summoned up to Abby's room for a Girls' Concert!

Some serious singin' went on....

along with some serious dancin'!

"YMCA" drew a crowd...Aunt Gayle was summoned to the dance floor!

The night would not have been the same without my dear friend Stephanie (& her hubby John). They have joined us for Thanksgiving for the past 6 years or so. We adore them!!

The next day one of my best friends from H.S. stopped by with her youngest of 4 boys...couldn't you just eat him up?! He was like a walking Gap ad!

Time for the King Thanksgiving! And that means, the annual Dog Pile!!

and Human Sandwich!

Baby Tanner was initiated into the boys' club - how sweet is it that my 11 yr old wants to hold him?! Now that is an attribute that makes a Momma smile. :-)

And...it's time to eat again!

One of our little furry friends figured out a way to get in on some of the fixin's too!

Following dinner, my newphew Mason gifted my O with a bag stock full of awesome pro sport jerseys! Nothing speaks Owen's love language like a jersey!!

The 9 year age gap does nothing to separate these two...

They love sports...and they love each other

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving weekend without a movie ~ Oma took my girls & cousin Emma to see *Tangled...they loved it!

Thanking God for blessing us with a Terrific Thanksgiving with family and friends...and praying that we can stay in that "place" of love, joy & peace as we move into December!

65 and Still Running...

My Dynamite Dad turned 65 on October 24th, 2010

It was an honor to get the family together to celebrate his special day.
For, without him, none of us would even be here.

(Fun aside: His cake was decorated to look like a Hostess cupcake...he has eaten one in a brown bag lunch at work every single day for 40+ years! I love that he has been humble enough to take his lunch to work for all those years...that must be how he afforded to send his 5 kids to college! ha!!)
My Dad and I have a ton in common with one another...here are just a few:

We are passionate about all things health - from food to vitamins to exercise

We both enjoy learning and love to write

We get up early and spend time in God's Word daily
We are extremely determined and almost never give up

We love a challenge
My beautiful 16 yr old neice Lauren with Owen
(I must add a note that her Tulsa Soccer Team is currently #1 in the Nation!! We are sooooooo proud of her & my brother Kevin who helps coach her team.)

Here are my boys singing *Happy B'day* to Grandpa
My Dad's number one passion next to God & Family...RUNNING

He has been running for decades, & doesn't just do it for fun...due to the above mentioned love for a challenge, he runs races. And I must brag on his latest accomplishment ~ he placed #1 in his age group at this year's Tulsa Run. GO DAD!! :-)
My Dad's Love of 45+ years cuddling on my Ella Bella...
Dad with his 5 children: Kim (far left), Kerri, Kevin, Kendall & moi

(Yes, we all 5 have "K" names :) And yes, my brothers are 6.5 and 6.3 - always been such a funny trait since my dad's 5.7 on a good day!)
My Dad's 12 Grandkids

(16 yrs down to 2 months)
The Whole Gang (23 total)

My Dad has fearlessly led our family & has been an awesome example for each of us!

He coached many a sport, fed many a mouth, but most importantly, led us to the most significant truth of all...to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind & strength.
Proverbs 20:7

The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him.

From a Turkey Angel to Wonder Water

A little of what's been going on at the Ruley Casa over the past 8 days or so...

Tom the Turkey disguised as "Bella the Angel"

Found Ella curled up in a ball sleeping under her table one morning...
Abby's JEE 4th Grade Veteran's Concert
Always such a wonderful reminder to appreciate the amazing country we live in!

Owen zoomin' around on his new Hot Wheels 3-Wheeler

and showing Big Muscles in his new Under Armour his Aunt Gayle got him

Then, this little stinker, as he was getting out of his carseat in the Target parking lot, leaped own onto his Momma's fragile little pinky

and broke it :( Ouchers!

But, then he does stuff like this that is just so darn cute! Put a line up of hot wheels on my new cake plate and had them race around...vroom, vroom!! (just thankful nothing else got broken!)

Miss Ella was home for 4 straight days with a low grade fever & sore throat. I had forgotten how much more high maintenance having 2 kids home could be...the bickering, the competition, the snack requests, etc. I have to admit, me lovey having the older three in school!

Speaking of school, Abby Lou had to come up with an invention this week.

*Wonder Water* it was - you wear it on your hip and can push the the little rhinestone buttons to have it taste like other flavors such as Sprite or Pink Lemonade. And even though it goes in tasting like a sugary treat, it turns into straight up, filtered H2O once it enters your tummy. Now, that is COOL!! Sure wish this was the case with my four lil' monkeys who I have worked my tail off with for years trying to get them to drink (and enjoy) more water!