Ruddick Family Records

Disneyland!

2012-02-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

We had the most amazing day at Disneyland during our vacation! It truly was a perfect Disney day!! I think mid-January is now my favorite/ideal time to go because the weather was just right (not too hot, not too cold), the lines were short (sometimes non-existent!), and it just didn't feel crowded! My parents were SO wonderfully kind to keep Tate & Cedar for the day in Glendora so that the Chases, Henrys, and us could make the most of our day at Disneyland with the bigger kids. We got to go on all the big rides and not have to worry about strollers, diapers, & nap times. I don't know if I said it enough, but THANK YOU again Mom & Papa for being willing to do that for us!

(In a few years we'll have to go back with the little ones, and Memaw & Papa, and Erik, too! And, we for sure want to do the same with Josh's side of the family, because it is just SO much fun watching the cousins experience Disneyland together!)

Now for the pictures, which were mainly taken with my phone and my annoying small camera. (Still great memories!) Feel free to look at Katrina's post to see all the great pictures she took! (;

Our family (minus Tate)

The Henry family (minus Cedar)

The whole Chase fam!

Sooo excited to be at Disneyland!!

Our first stop was Star Tours!

Ronan's tummy got a little upset during this ride, but it didn't stop him from enjoying the rest of the day.

We encountered some Storm Troopers outside the ride...

Space Mountain was a favorite for most of us!!

After Star Tours & Space Mountain we needed to go with some mellow rides to give Ronan's stomach a break!

Finn & Griffin were excited to get to drive!

The Finding Nemo submarine ride was pretty cool. (:

Lunch Time

The dad were good about carrying the Novemberists when their little legs needed a rest. (:

Sisters~ waiting in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
(Ronan's favorite ride)

Cohen had been sick most of the trip, but he was a trooper that day! I'm so glad he felt well enough to enjoy the rides!

Ro & Ty

Ronan & Griffin each brought souvenir money they had been saving in their piggy banks. Ronan bought a sword after the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. (:
Ronan and I held back while the rest of the group went on Splash Mountain! Griffin rode in the front of the boat with Josh--and loved it! His favorite ride was the Indiana Jones ride, even though afterward he said to us, "Why did they say I was tall enough to go on that? I was too scared!" (:

Posing with Alice & the Mad Hatter

Griffin & I went on the teacup ride together (: (Finn & Kenton did, too!)

We got Mickey Mouse ears for Tate, and Griffin tried 'em out to made sure they would fit him .

Small World was still decorated for Christmas

Toon Town

Goofy!

While the rest of the group went on Space Mountain for the second time, Josh and I took our boys and Sadie & Cohen to watch Captain Eo (:

Griffin spent his souvenir money on light-up Mickey Mouse ears. (:

Waiting for the parade to start...

There's Mickey!

Alladin

The Little Mermaid

Princess and the Frog

We did it!! And all the kids were still smiling on the shuttle ride back to the cars!

Beach Party

2012-02-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

We were so excited that our vacation coincided with Aunt Carol's 50th Birthday and that we could all celebrate together-in person!! Uncle Keith, Natasha, & Wyatt planned an awesome party for her at the beach. They were so creative with the decorations (and props (: for the birthday girl to wear) and even planned games for us all to play. I just thought it was so sweet of her family to do all that for her BIG birthday. (; (Warning: this post is over-loaded with pictures!! I couldn't help myself!)

Aunt Carol & Uncle Keith

Tate liked playing in the sand, and didn't try to eat much (if any) as opposed to our last visit to the beach.

Ronan & Griffin were super excited to get to spend the day at the beach. They even braved the water and played in the waves.

Griffin & Finley

Griffin, Finley, Cedar, & Ronan

Tate was interested in the water, but didn't get too close.

Future boogie boarder (:

My cousin Melissa came along with her two boys (Shaheen had to work that day). I thought this picture was cute of Kenton & Melissa walking Lincoln down to the water.

Ronan, Wyatt, U. Keith, A. Carol, Mom, Josh, & Papa
(It was a nice day, but it got windy & chilly in the afternoon/evening)

Melissa with her sweet boys, Dominic & Lincoln

The Hickman Fam

sisters

Josh got in the water and helped some of the kids with boogie boarding.

Tyler getting ready to brave the waves (:

Go Griffin!

If you look closely you can see a dolphin fin out in the water. We saw several dolphins swimming & playing around right in front of where we were sitting. It's like they were putting on a show for Aunt Carol's party. (:

Everyone lined up & ready for relay races.

The three-legged race was awesome--so funny to watch! Even the littlest kids got involved.

Sadie & Ronan

Griffin & Finn

Aunt Carol & Josh

Kenton & Katrina

Becca & Tyler

Josh & Aunt Carol were the big winners of the three-legged race (:

Jaimi was able to come to the beach after work since she lives right there in Huntington Beach! I was so happy to get to see her, even if it was for just a few hours.

Besties Forever (:

Josh took these next several pictures of Ronan, Tyler, Finn, & Kenton playing on the sand "cliffs".

Another photo opp~ Sunset Pics (

Jaimi with her "nephews" (;

Our family

Hee hee, a picture of Becca taking a picture of herself (:

Becca, Cohen, & Aaron

Pretty Sunset!

At Sunset we had cake & ice cream, then sat around the bonfire while Aunt Carol opened her gifts.

Katrina, Cedar, Dominic, & Uncle Mike

Cousins

2012-02-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

Since Monday was a holiday (MLK Day) our Salisbury cousins were free to meet us at a park in Glendora! We were excited to get together...it had been a long time since we last got to hang out!
Oldest to youngest: Adrienne, Heather, Justin, Becca, Josh, me, Katrina, & Erik

My cousin, Josh, his wife, Tanya, and their sweet kids, Alyssa & newborn Joshua

Tate & Tyler

Sweet baby Joshua

Alyssa likes giving kisses (:

Tate is older by about 2 months

Heather's boys, Nico & Dante, with Adrienne's youngest, Luke

Memaw & Papa brought ice cream to the park!

Yumm, Tate liked his ice cream cone!

Heather's cuties: Dante, Chiara, and Nico

Papa's friend Mike came to the park, too, and he was happy to be our cameraman for the group shot.

The whole group: The Roger Hecht clan and the Connie (Hecht) Salisbury crew

The Second Cousins: Tate, Sadie, McKenzie, Pauline, Alyssa, Chiara, Cedar, Dante, Jake, Nico, Luke, Ronan, Griffin, Tyler, Finley, Jacob, & Cohen

Sadie & Pauline love being helpers with the baby cousins!

Papa with Aunt Connie, his big sister (:

Erik's Pics

2012-01-31T11:46:00.000-08:00

My brother, Erik Hecht, has an incredible way of capturing my boys' true personalities on camera. He has a gift! I can't take credit for any of these pictures-he took them all. (: But, the kids are mine (and Josh's), so I wanted to share these on my blog. We were so happy that Erik was able to be in California with us all! It was great getting to spend time with him, and I appreciated the moments he captured during the trip!

Ronan's acrobatics

I love Griffin's smiley eyes. (:

Oh, my son! This picture says so much about my goofy boy. He's only wearing socks (in wood chips) and he's in a baby swing--which I'm sure was Uncle Erik's idea!

"Nice kitty?"

I just love this one of Josh and our boys! He's such an awesome daddy!

And this one of Tate with Papa--buddy boys!

He has my elbows (;

Doing the robot?

scooter boys

This pose was for sure Uncle Erik's idea! (:

We start 'em young...

Another favorite of mine. I wonder where Ronan gets his craziness?? (;

Overjoyed with his balloons!

Mr. Cheerful

Thanks again, Erik!

The Photo Booth

2012-01-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

We happened to be seated right next to the photo booth at the reception, and our whole family had a blast with it! I love this idea for wedding receptions! The bride and groom get a photo book afterward of everyone's photo booth pictures. Emily and Ryan will sure remember that the Hecht clan was there. (:

From left to right: Our family, Tyler & Tate, the Chases, and my sisters & I with Aunt Carol & Natasha

The Henry Fam, Sadie, Cedar, & Cohen, another Henry family pic, and Finn going solo. (:

The pics got funnier as the night went on, and we were so surprised to see all the pictures at the end. We didn't realize that the kids had gone into the booth so many times (and by themselves--Griffin & Finn?!)!

Hannah, Elle, Kellie, & Steve, Melissa & Shaheen, Hannah & Elle, and the bride & groom (:

Like father like son (;, Uncle Mike & Aunt Nancy, the Neal family, and one of the funniest of the night, Grandpa Stoerman with the bride's Grandma Barrett (:

Such fun memories!!

The Reception

2012-01-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

Our kids took over the dance floor as soon as the reception started! They could hardly wait for the music to start!

Tate kept up with the big kids for quite awhile (:

Tate got a hold of one of the props for the photo booth.
(Pics from the photo booth will be in another post)

The Happy Couple

First Dance

Sweet father/daughter moment...

Tate loves balloons!

Mom admiring her niece's beautiful ring.

A quick picture of the couple as they made their rounds.

Uncle Keith & Aunt Carol (and Aunt Robin & Uncle Truls in the background) during the dance to honor married couples to see who had been married the longest.

my wonderful parents

Aunt Nancy & Uncle Mike--the parents of the bride

Then our kids were back on the dance floor!

little dancin' machines (:

My mom dancing with her sisters. (:

Aunt Becca danced Tate to sleep

Devin & Natasha

Eleanor & Hannah (they have grown up so much since being the flower girls in our wedding over 12 years ago!)

cutting the cake

Lincoln, Finn, & Griffin were right up front for the garter toss, but someone else caught it. (;

Tyler dancing with Memaw & Papa

All eleven Stoerman cousins together for a rare photo opportunity!
Youngest to Oldest, of course. (: Eleanor, Hannah, Wyatt, Natasha, Emily, Kellie, Erik, Melissa, Katrina, me, & Becca

Me with the beautiful bride. (: Congratulations, Emily and Ryan! We are so happy for you guys!

The Wedding

2012-01-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

January 15, 2012~ Emily & Ryan's big day had arrived and we were all so happy to be there to celebrate with them! While we waited for the ceremony to start we took pictures. (I went a little overboard..)

Wyatt & Erik, the only boy cousins on the Stoerman side (;

My guys all dressed up. (Tate was sleeping at the time)

Natasha and her boyfriend, Devin

The "stinkers"~ Ronan & Erik

Tate lookin' great in his wedding clothes.

Pretty Girl

Ronan was pretending to play the violin (;

Shaheen & Grandpa

Shaheen escorting the beautiful mother of the bride.

the vows

the kiss

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Lombardi

Melissa, Shaheen, & adorable ring bearer, Lincoln

the proud parents of the bride

The Bride's lovely family

The palm trees made for a great background for pictures:

The Chases

The Henrys

Just the ladies of the family.

My and my love (:

Cali Trip- day 1

2012-01-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

We made the long drive through the night down to southern California on January 13th (just four months after our last trip down) for my cousin Emily's wedding! Everything went as planned, Josh drove the whole time and the boys slept pretty much all night. (: The roads were clear and we made it in record time-- just 13 hours!

The boys were sooo excited to wake up in California!!

Since we arrived early in the morning on a Saturday we decided to stop for breakfast before calling my relatives. The boys got Mickey Mouse pancakes in honor of our upcoming day at Disneyland!

We got settled into our home for the week (cousin Melissa & Shaheen's trailer), and then met up with the rest of my family and the Hickman family for lunch at In-n-Out, of course. (:

Aunt Carol, Uncle Keith, Natasha, Wyatt, Mom & Cedar, me, Josh, & Tate
In the background: Kenton, Erik, Papa, & Mike Lynch (my dad's life-long best friend)

Ronan was all ready to soak up some California sun. (;

That afternoon, all the ladies of the family were invited to the Nail Spa for manicures and pedicures--ahh, it felt nice to be pampered !

Sadie's pretty nails

lovely toes

The Stoerman Sisters: Aunt Carol, Mom, Aunt Nancy, & Aunt Robin

That evening, my sisters and I went out with all of our girl cousins for Emily's bachelorette party! We started off with dinner at a nice Italian restaurant in Claremont, then went line dancing at a place called Montanas. It was quite an experience--a first for most of us!

Becca, me, & Natasha ready for our night out!

Emily in the middle surrounded by her sisters, friends, & cousins!

The Bride-to-Be!

Katrina & Becca at dinner

Natasha & me

The Group

Cheers to Emily!
(The pictures at Montana were taken with my phone, so there not the best quality. Fun memories though!)

Yee Haw! Who knew line dancing would end up being so much fun?? (;

We found a nice & helpful girl who talked us through the steps (: Most of the songs were pretty easy to pick up on, but there were some really fast ones with lots of turns and tricky steps. I was impressed with those who could keep up!

Go Melissa, Katrina, & Kellie!

Family Pictures

2012-01-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

Mom & Papa's one wish for Christmas was to get family pictures taken with all 17 of us! So, while Erik was here we made it happen--and we were lucky enough to have his lovely assistant there to help snap some of the photos. (;

The Whole Family

Papa & Memaw with their eight grandchildren.

The Hecht Siblings

The Original Hecht Family

The Chases

Our Family (:

The Henry Family

Mom & Papa

Tate's 1 year pic

Just the Guys

Erik & Julia

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve we threw together a party at our house and rang in the New Year with the Chases, Greens, Turanskis, and Erik & Julia. We spent most of the night playing Just Dance 3 & DJ Hero, and hanging out around the food. (; Josh even set up all of his black lights and fun party lights!

Alan & Kelly challenged us all to a "Couples Just Dance Competition"! It was pretty hilarious and a lot of fun. (:

Kelly & me

Erik & Julia

Uncle Erik made Ronan's hair look like Tin Tin's. (:
(We had watched that movie together the day before...)

Josh and I singing to the Michael Jackson game (:

Amy & Becca

Aaron & Ronan

When the kids started getting tired they gathered on our bed to watch a movie.

Trying to hold out til midnight...

Notice Aaron's shirt..."This is What Awesome Looks Like" (;

Ronan is a dancin' machine!

Tate slept from 8:00 until just before midnight, when he was woken by fireworks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Ruddick Family Christmas

2012-01-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

We spent the evening on Christmas Day with Josh's family. The cousins were super excited to be together, and we all had fun celebrating together. We opened gifts, ate a nice turkey dinner, and enjoyed way too many goodies. (; Here are some of the highlights of our time together:

Great Grandma Ruddick sent these adorable hats for all the kids! The boys got animal hats and the girls got cupcake hats. Each came with matching scarves and gloves.

Grandpa loves Angry Birds!! He got some figurines in his stocking (:

sweet cousins

Griffin got a cool Transformer from the Greens!

Macey liked the Barbie that we gave her.

Ronan the lion (:

Lydia looking adorable in her hat.

Audrey was so excited about the Paris stuff we got for her. It's her dream to go there someday. (:

Silly Aunt Amy put fake glasses on Tate--too funny!

our monkey boy

Ahh, the wonderful chaos of Christmas with nine kids & nine adults!

Tate liked his new book, and was just as amused sitting in a box. (:

Our annual "sisters" picture.

At the end of the night we surprised Grammie & Grandpa with a hand print Christmas tree! (We had to wait until that day to make it when all the cousins would be together, and I'm so glad we were able to pull it off. (: The kids cooperated so nicely!)

Emma wanted to help hold it also.

Merry Christmas!!

Hecht Family Christmas

2012-01-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

It was so nice having the whole family together for Christmas!

The kids tried to be patient as they waited for us adults to get ready for the gift opening!

Memaw read the Christmas story to all the grandkids.

Tate playing peek-a-boo with Memaw (;

The ladies in the kitchen--we all contributed to the brunch menu.

Tate, being the youngest, got to open the first present!

Aunt Katrina handmade a set of felt fruits & veggies and a felt grocery bag for Tate! Such a cute gift!
He calls them all "bapple" (for apple). (:

Finn getting ready to tear into his stack of gifts from us.

Tate's 1st drum! (from Papa & Memaw)

Legos!

Sadie's new Angry Birds shirt from us.

I had Becca in this year's gift exchange...

Kenton gave to Josh

Katrina had my name, and gave me some cute new clothes!

Josh gave to Katrina

Hooray for new games!

Erik gave Mom & Papa framed pictures of Seattle that he had captured on his commute to work.

Oh boy! Griffin & Ronan were SO very excited about their big gifts from M & P! Airsoft Rifles!!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and decided to try it out with all of the grandchildren. Tate's hand print is at the very top, and it goes youngest to oldest all the way down to Tyler's giant hands at the bottom (: Memaw & Papa really liked it!

We couldn't let Christmas pass without putting Tate in the Santa suit that Mom made when Tyler was a baby! We forgot on Christmas day, so the next day we made sure to do it and get pictures of course. (:

Christmas Morning

2012-01-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

I love seeing the excitement on our boys' faces when they come downstairs on Christmas morning! It's such a sweet moment!

We had a nice time as a family of five before heading off to celebrate with the extended family. We ate cinnamon rolls and bacon, (; then dove into the pile of gifts.

Ronan liked his Angry Birds shirt!

Ronan and Griffin got a few joint presents (video games) this year, since we recently got the PS3.

Griffin got Dagedar tracks from Santa (;

Paper Jamz microphone from Santa (;

New skateboards from Daddy!!

Ronan's big gift was a Whiplash scooter!

And Griffin got a "motorcycle" bike!

When Tate woke up he was excited to tear into the wrapping paper. (: He liked his new puzzle!

New toys are fun!

Pretty necklaces from Josh (:

I got some Dub Step music for Josh (;

Josh did a great job picking out clothes for me. (:

Rock speakers for the backyard.

They couldn't stand to wait any longer! While Josh and I finished getting ready to go to my parent's house, Ronan tried out his new whiplash scooter, and Griffin tested out his new bike!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

Erik got into town on the 23rd, and came over to hang out with us during the day on Christmas Eve! Ronan & Griffin were SO ready for some play time with Uncle Erik! They worked on Legos together and played video games, while I finished wrapping presents. (: Thanks, Erik, for entertaining my boys!!

Later that evening, the Chases and my parents came over for dinner. (The Henrys were celebrating Christmas with Kenton's family.)

Aaron & Erik playing with one of Cohen's new toys.

Photo by Ronan (;

Our boys got to open one present on Christmas Eve--new jammies!

Tate walking around in his new doggy jammies (:

Tate got to open a present from Memaw & Papa, too!

A bath book (Mimi's Toes) and cute Christmas socks.

Baking Day

2011-12-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

December 22nd~ Becca and I got together at my house to try out Ann Schar's famous bread dough recipe! It was a first for us, even though we have seen Ann's demonstration twice. (: We decided to finally do it on our own! We made each made a Christmas tree, a batch of cinnamon rolls, and Becca made a batch of dinner rolls. Everything turned out wonderfully!! It was easier than we thought it would be, which is always nice! (Katrina was planning to join us, but she ended up not feeling well that day. We'll have to do it again next year!)

Sadie helped out, too!

Cinnamon rolls before going in the oven.

Making my Christmas tree...

Before

After

The next day, the boys and I made sugar cookies together.

I tried out a new recipe for Peppermint Whoopie Pies (: They were yummmy!!

Tate- 13 months!

2011-12-30T12:13:00.000-08:00

December 18th~ Tate started taking steps the week before Christmas! I heard rumors that he took a few steps in the church nursery, and then again after church that day, but I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. (: This video was the first time we all saw Tate take more than one or two little shuffle steps. As you can see we were all really shocked & excited! Feel free to turn down the volume and pay no attention to the over-the-top excited Mama voice! (;

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-24T21:35:00.000-08:00

...from our home to yours!

Wishing you Love, JOY, and Peace in the coming year!

Class Party

2011-12-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

I volunteered to help with Ronan's class party on Dec. 14th, and I could smell the sugar when I walked in the room! (: They got to make gingerbread houses using all kinds of fun candy!

Senor Ricardo comes once a week to sing Spanish songs with the 2nd graders.

Getting started...

It was a sticky project, but all the kids loved it!

The final product!

Sra. Long leading the kids in their goodbye song.

I knitted coffee cozies for the boys' teachers this year and gave them each gift cards to Dutch Bros.
When I asked Ronan if his teacher liked coffee, he said, "Well, she drinks something out of a green bottle. I think it's wine." (; I said, "Hmm, it might be sparkling water or something like that." and he said, "I don't know, but she likes wine." When I asked Griffin what his teacher would like for Christmas, he thought for a long time then said, "Lipstick". (:

Preschool Program

2011-12-22T11:38:00.000-08:00

Griffin & Finn waiting for their turn to perform on stage.

12/13/11~ Each class from Grace Community Preschool sang a handful of Christmas songs for the audience, and they all did a great job!

Griffin was excited!

Ethan

Macey

Tayden

Jingle Bells!

Since all the Hecht grandkids were in the same place at the same time, Memaw & Papa requested a group picture. (:

MOG Brunch

2011-12-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

This group of women is such a blessing in my life! I am always so thankful for the encouragement I receive from this group, and how each of them minister to each other. We have had such an amazing year so far--lots of newcomers, along with a strong core group that has been together for a few years. We all had a wonderful time at our annual Christmas brunch, with lots of great food, a fun gift exchange, and an extra-special service project!

Top Row: Ann, Becca, Katie, Sydney, Amy, Katie, Mom, Leah, Betsy, Susan, Debbie, Amy, Deena, & Malia
Middle: me, Catie, Christy, Stephanie, Kristen, Misty, & Katie
Bottom: Darci, Lindsey, Erin, Amy, Kelly, & Tiya

Malia's brother is in the army stationed in Afghanistan. We have "adopted" his platoon and at the brunch we assembled care packages to send to them.

It was neat to see everyone getting involved in this project!

Our Moms of Grace Leadership Team: Kelly, Amy, me, Sydney, & Becca

Gingerbread Night

2011-12-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

Every year our church hosts a Family Gingerbread Decorating night, and this was our first year to attend. We invited the Whipple family (Ronan's best buddy from school) and we all had a great time working together on our gingerbread house! At first we didn't realize that it was a competition, including several categories, judges, prizes & all!

The Henrys and the Martins went right to work creating their gingerbread houses.

It took us awhile to decide on what to do...

The Martins

The Henry's gingerbread house...I think they got 2nd place (:

Tate was going crazy trying to get to the candy, so I found some raisins for him to eat. (:

Our finished product! We won 1st prize in the Traditional category!

These ones were made by kids 5 & under...

Some other cool ones...

This was my favorite! The Wuebbles family made it.

Zany Zoo

2011-12-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

12/5~ Griffin's preschool got a special visit from some interesting animals from Zany Zoo! They got to pet the animals and learn all about them. Griffin was really looking forward to holding a python, but it ended up being too cold outside to bring the python that day. ): There were plenty of other animals, so it wasn't too big of a deal. Griffin really liked the chinchilla and tortoise!

V-Ball

2011-12-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

On December 3rd we went to one of Sadie's volleyball games! It was pretty cute to watch--she did a great job! (:

The cheering section:

Christmastime is Here!

2011-12-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

As soon as the November birthdays were over and Thanksgiving had passed, it was time for us to kick into gear and decorate for Christmas! I was asked a few months ago if I would open my home for the Grace Holiday Tour of Homes, and although it sounded a little overwhelming, I decided to say yes. The tour was on December 2nd, which is much earlier than we normally have our Christmas tree & house decorated. But, it was fun to get everything ready so early--I really love decorating for Christmas! I didn't stress out too much...and the whole event ended up going really well! (;

The ladies who were coordinating the event asked Becca to be my personal assistant for the night. I'm SO glad she was there! She kept the food stocked and everything in the kitchen running smoothly...while I tried my best to be hostess. (: I think we had close to 80 women total, but they came in three separate groups so it wasn't too overwhelming. (;

Most of the food was prepared by women from church. I made some cookies and cider, but everything else was brought to me!

a self portrait of Kelly & me (;

Our moms group made these snowflakes at our holiday craft day. I painted mine red, and I really loved how it looked hanging in our dining room

I saw this idea on Pinterest and decided to do it with the boys.

above the front door

Another Pinterest idea--lights wrapped around tomato cages

Hecht Family Thanksgiving

2011-12-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

In the evening on November 25th we celebrated Thanksgiving with my whole family, including the Neals and Grandpa Stoerman.

Becca, Mom, me, & Katrina

the turkey!

Uncle Truls worked that day, then rode the train down to Eugene! ( Later that night Hannah would be cheering at the Grant vs Sheldon football playoff game...right there at Sheldon HS!)

The feast!

I didn't end up with many pictures that night, but we really enjoyed relaxing together and hanging out! We feel so thankful to have family close by to spend the holidays with!

Happy Birthday, Griffin!

2011-12-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

Josh and I had a lot of fun getting ready for Griffin's Angry Birds party! I worked on party favors---Angry Bird ornaments---while Josh designed & built an incredible Angry Birds game, complete with a working sling shot!

I really had no idea what Josh had planned, because he worked on it in stages and I only saw the smaller parts to it.

Josh painted all of the pieces of the structure, then assembled it all the night before the party.

Sooo, when I saw it all set up I was completely shocked!! We had the party at our church to accommodate a large group and also the giant game (: I wasn't expecting anything like this!

Griffin was amazed, and just sooo excited about the whole thing! He tried to be patient all month as he watched four of his cousins and his baby brother have their birthdays before him. Needless to say, he was VERY ready for his party day!!

We also rented a bouncy house off Craigslist, which turned out to be a big hit!

Alan, John, Eli, Griffin, & Marcus checking out the cake. (:

I decorated the cake with a little coaching from Becca on how to use DQ's air brush kit. (;

Happy Birthday, Griffin!! We are so glad you were born five years ago!! You are such a Joy !

Ronan & Ethan

Lindsey, Becca, Sydney & Jumi, me, & Kelly

Tate knew who to go to for a bite of cake (:

My cousin Eleanor, Aunt Robin, Becca, Grandpa Stoerman, Tate, Memaw, me, Erik, Katrina, & Papa
It was really special to have Erik here from Seattle and the Neals & Grandpa down from Portland! (That's one perk to having a birthday around Thanksgiving...we tend to have extra family in town!) Thanks, Amy, for thinking to take this picture! Such a special memory (:

Uncle Aaron was working that day, but got to come over on his lunch break!

Time for Presents!

This was the first party that Griffin got to invite friends in addition to his eleven cousins! (:

Griffin got lots of fun thing...Legos, Hot Wheels tracks, cool clothes, & Power Rangers!

Erik, Josh, & Amy

Dylan's turn!

Marcus was really into the game!

Elle & Tate

Grandpa even took a turn!

Amy did a little photo shoot for us:

Tate was getting a little angry (;

The big 5 year old!

Back at home...(:

Ruddick Family Thanksgiving

2011-12-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

It's a tradition to do a craft on Thanksgiving, and this year Josh's mom & Amy brought materials to make cute tree ornaments.

Ethan's tree

Auntie Erin & Tate

These sweet cousins love to help out with Tate. (:
(Our beautiful nieces!)

Tate got to try out the special high chair/table--I can't remember the story behind it, but I think it's been around awhile (;

Now that the cousins are getting older we often find them off in another room playing quietly...or reading, drawing, & writing. (;

Our family
(Photo taken by Amy)

Time to Eat!

My contribution: Apple & Sweet Potato (& yam) Gratin

Tate really liked the yams!

Auntie Erin helped the kids make these yummy turkeys (:

Grammie's helper

Happy Birthday, Ethan & Macey!

2011-12-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ethan and Macey celebrated their 5th Birthdays at Chuck E Cheese on November 13th, their actual Birthday! It was a fun party--our boys LOVE going to Chuck E Cheese, and since we don't go there very often it's a pretty special treat! Ethan and Macey were surrounded by lots of cousins, family, & friends...what a blessing!

Happy Birthday, Ethan & Macey! We love you BOTH very much--you are each so sweet, creative, and fun to be around. (:

(Disclaimer: I forgot to bring my camera to the party, so these pictures came from Josh's phone...)

Amy made a princess castle cake for Macey, and superhero cupcakes for Ethan. (: Good job, Amy!!

Cedar & Finn

Happy Birthday, Ethan and Macey!!

Sweet Birthday Boy (:

Ethan was very excited about his presents!

Poor Macey. ): As the party went on, Macey started feeling sick. She didn't feel like eating a piece of her castle cake.

She got lots of cuddle time with Gramma Green while Jon helped open her presents.

We got Ethan an Iron Man transformer toy.

Dylan checking out one of Ethan's new toys.

Griffin & Grandpa playing a racing game together.

The BIG #1

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Our baby boy is a year old!! I can hardly believe it! What a joy he is--we couldn't be more thankful for the gift of Tate in our family!

We had a lot of fun decorating for Tate's party. Lots of colors, balloons!!!, & bubbles!

I made the cake and the cake pops (;

Josh put together this incredible balloon hoop, which hung from the ceiling. Tate was VERY excited about all the balloons!

View from the balcony

Tate gets lots of lovin' from his cousins (:

Lydia helping Tate show that he is ONE!

The gifts!

The Bros

Discovering the bubble machine with cousin Sadie.

Cuddles for Great Grandpa

Present time--with big brother Griffin as his special helper.

Getting sleepy...

Ready for cake!

Tate loved his first taste of cake (;

More, please!

How many cousins can you fit around a table??

More balloon pics--

Happy 1st Birthday, Tate!! We love you so very much!

Happy Birthday, Finn & Cohen!!

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The Henrys and Chases planned an awesome gymnastics party for Finley's 5th Birthday and Cohen's 6th Birthday!

It was the perfect place for a bunch of active kids! They all had a blast!

The littlest ones at the party.

Sadie is such a good little babysitter! (:

The parachute games were a lot of fun!

Tyler & Cohen

Finn & Cohen got an extra special treat because it was their party:

Flying high & trying to touch feet!

Cohen got the hang of doing flips!

Becca did a great job decorating the cake (:

Make a wish!

Present time!

I just love Finn's expressions when he was opening our gift!

Soooo excited (:

Happy Birthday, Finn & Cohen! You are both such sweet & silly boys, and we love you very much!

Vegas, baby!

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Josh's department at EWEB does a performance every year at the Halloween party, and this year they went all-out with a Vegas theme!

the show girls

The Rat Pack

The dancers:

(Josh was a "High Roller")

Guys from "The Hangover"

Siegfried & Roy

the tiger

Elvis!

Viva Las Vegas kick line

Josh pulled Ronan & Griffin in to dance during the last song (:

The boys with their High Rollin' daddy (:

cute little rooster

Here's the link if you would like to watch the performance. It's a long one this year...12 minutes!

Trick-or-Treat!

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We started off on Halloween with trick-or-treating at Great Grammie & Grandpa Lermo's house with the Greens, then we met up with my sisters & their families at Memaw and Papa's house. We ate a quick hot dog & corn on the cob dinner there and then went trick-or-treating in a fun neighborhood to finish off the night.

The Greens

Tate got to wear the rooster costume that had been worn by Griffin & Cedar when they were babies. (:

Getting treats from Great Grandpa

Another picture of Griffin. He was definitely in character!

Becca as a Punk Rocker!

Aaron is a crow (:

Tate peeking in Tyler's costume

A fall project I did with the kids this year

Preschool Performance, etc.

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On Oct. 25th, Grace Community Preschool put on a fall concert. It was very sweet and always fun to see our boy on stage (and his cousins, too)! We can tell that Griffin has grown in his confidence since being in preschool. We loved seeing him smiling, singing, and doing the motions to the songs--it really looked like he was having fun!

It was nice that Macey, Ethan, Griffin, & Finn got to stand next to each other! It makes picture-taking a little easier (:

Griffin & Miss Janelle

The whole family with our star performer (;

Here are some random pictures from life at home lately:

Griffin's school work

Griffin is writing his name so well now!

Ronan's artwork

Griffin's artwork

Sweet cuddles with Daddy

Mama's little helper (;

Tate hanging out with Ronan
(Ronan is zoned-out and Tate is sleepy--I didn't let this go on much longer, but it was a cute photo opp)

Barn Party

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October 22nd~ We got all dressed up and ready to go to the annual barn party at the Schar's house, which is always a highlight of Halloween-time for our boys!

Josh helped transform Griffin into a vampire!

scary face

sweet face (:

Vampire Griffin, Ronan as a samurai, and Tate as a dragon.

Serious Samurai

The boys convinced me to wear this How To Train Your Dragon costume that was too big for Ronan (but sort of fit me) (;

James Bond

We stopped by Grammie & Grandpa's house to show them our costumes and trick-or-treat a little early, because they were going to be on a cruise during Halloween!

It's always fun to ride the bus from the church to the barn! We got there at the same time as the Henry family!

*Photo borrowed from Katrina's blog

Finley-a knight, Katrina & Kenton are rockers, and Cedar is Superman!

Macey is a kitty, Ethan is Spider-man, and Emma is a princess!

Smurfette Sadie (:

Tyler was dressed as a character from his favorite video game. (:

Griffin & Cohen are vampire buddies

Tate's first hay ride!!

Cute cousin interaction (;

Aaron in his swimwear (:

Happy Birthday, Papa!

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Mom & Papa on his 59th Birthday!!

We celebrated Papa's birthday on October 21st, a few day after his actual birthday. We had yummy desserts and just enjoyed hanging out together. (: Tate got to show off his newest trick:

"Where's Tate?" (I love that he doesn't quite hide his eyes yet.) (:

"Peek-a-Boo!"

Mom gave Papa a soccer ball, so he could play with the grandkids in the field across the street. We're so blessed to have such an active Papa!!

Tate was very interested in listening to Papa playing harmonica.

Make a wish!
(Surrounded by his little helpers!)

Happy Birthday, Papa! We love you so much!

Pumpkin Patch

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Tate- 11 months old!
We went to Lone Pine Farms with all of Josh's family on October 15th. It was a freezing cold morning, but we didn't let that ruin our fun! The cousins had a blast exploring the farm together...feeding the goats, going on the hay ride, and picking out the perfect pumpkins!

The Hay Ride:

Dylan, Ronan, & Griffin inspecting the pumpkins.

Macey & Ethan

The Crew

Giant Sunflowers!

Dylan found a funny-shaped gourd (:

Silly Emma (;

The "big" kids

All nine cousins:
Tate, Ronan, Ethan, Griffin, Dylan, Lydia, Audrey, Emma, & Macey

Hee Hee (:

Before leaving the farm, Ronan, Dylan, & Griffin got to ride the cow train!