The Adventures of the Ruples

Jungle Jack

2009-05-05T21:08:00.014-05:00

Jack is growing like a weed and talking up a storm. We can't understand all that he says... but it doesn't matter - it's all cute. Some of his favorite words include:

1. Momma
2. Juice (said "Duce")
3. Shoes
4. Cheerio (said "Sheero")
5. Pee-pee (he's actually referring to his "pee-pee")
6. Pappy and Pop-Po (Brent's Dad and my Dad)
7. Go
8. Kelty, our dog (said "Telty")
9. Paci (said "passsseeeeeeeee!")
10. Puppy (his favorite blanket with a dog head... he has to have it when he sleeps and anytime his paci is in his mouth)
11. Pow (Any stick, hammer, or long object is a Pow-Pow)
12. Cow

Those are his favorites, but he's constantly saying something new and fun. Brent and I love to watch his every move, then we look at each other and laugh. He's also found interesting ways to reach anything he wants. It's kind of scary, so everything has moved from off the floor, to a table, to a high shelf.

Here's a few photos of him sort of recently:

These are from the Little Rock Zoo where we called him "Jungle Jack"

Sunnie and Pappy went with us too

Here is one from when Jack got sick while we were in Texas. It was so sad to see him not have any energy and run a high fever. It scared me sick. He was very cuddly though.

These last two are Jack eating all by himself. We've begun to let him have his bowls and shovel his own food out with a spoon. We've tried to let him have his plates as well, but if it doesn't need a spoon and he can get to it with is hands, he puts ALL of it in his mouth at one time.

Here he is eating oatmeal:

Here he is eating sweet potatoes:

I love this little boy!

2009-02-19T23:00:00.004-06:00

I don't have much to post except this really cute picture of Jack and me. He's getting so big... he climbed up paint cans today to look out the window in the studio. I didn't know he could do that!

15 months old

2009-01-27T19:27:00.005-06:00

I know I must be the worst blogger in the world. I didn't post photos of Christmas or New Years or anything. Our December was really busy with photos and then we went to Texas for a week at New Year's. When we got back home we took a long time to prepare for the Little Rock bridal fair, which I'll post about soon. So, needless to say, I'm behind. Here is my adorable son at 15 months old. He is finally walking! He started right at New Year's with some serious encouragement from his Aunt Tiffy.

He's riding a big toy cow that he got from his Bible Class teacher, Ms.Erin, at Silver City. It was her daughter's toy who has outgrown it now. He's a real "cowboy".

Too much sickness

2008-12-03T21:05:00.008-06:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving - Brent, Jack, and I spent the weekend with Brent's family fishing up around the Norfork dam. We had an awesome time, however the night before we left, Jack spent most of the night, throwing up everything he had in his little tummy until there was nothing left. I can't explain the fear I had. Jack has never thrown up before and I felt completely helpless. It was an awful feeling. I would've done anything to take his place and throw up for him. Well, I got my chance - three days later, Thanksgiving Day, Brent and I spent the whole day hugging a toilet instead of eating turkey and dressing. We thought we had food poisoning but after two more days 4 of my family members got sick as well and we found out we all had a stomach virus that started with my little Jack-Jack.

Now my sweet little boy is sick again and this time with RSV. We left Texas on Monday and went straight to the doctor in Conway. The doctor said then, that he had croup cough. Which I think he did, but he also had some kind of cold or virus that he didn't explain to us. So, we went in again today to a different doctor who was very good at checking him thoroughly and did a breathing treatment, nose swab, and chest x-ray. The nose swab told us that Jack was 100% positive for RSV (a respiratory virus) No wonder he's wheezing constantly and coughing so strongly. Off we go to the pharmacy once again and get him an inhaler so he can breathe better, some benadryl, and pedialyte because the poor dear keeps having diarrhea and a sore bottom.

I looked back at my sick little son in the back seat tonight with his severly chapped nose and mouth, rosy cheeks, and really snotty nose and thought - I don't know if I can have more kids. If this one child I have gets sick and throws me into a nervous wreck like I've been, I can't imagine having two. My heart aches beyond belief for my Jack. I'm praying that he sleeps better tonight than he did last night. Please pray for him too!

Jack's 1st Birthday

2008-10-29T23:42:00.017-05:00

Well, I must say Jack is one lucky boy because he got 2 birthday parties this year! One in Texas and one in Arkansas. Too bad he won't even remember the event. But I think I have enough photos that he could get a play by play.

We celebrated on October 18th in Texas for Jack and my niece, Katie. Katie was born 4 days before Jack (because Jack came a little early) We didn't expect them to be that close together but we're so excited they are. My sister-in-law, Tiffany, planned a party where everyone dressed up like a Disney movie. Each family had to be from the same movie. It was just an immediate family birthday party so my brothers, their wives, Katie, Jack, parents, and my grandmother (Nanny). Tiff is an awesome decorator and painted everything in an "Under the Sea" theme. (Free hand painted) Katie was Aerial from "The Little Mermaid" and Jack was Nemo from "Finding Nemo" I spent a long time making Jack's costume because the Disney Store costume is EXPENSIVE! And I must say, I am kind of proud of the way it turned out. However, I didn't spend hardly anytime on me and Brent and our costume was HORRIBLE! If you're wondering from the photo below who we're supposed to be.. it's Darla and the dentist from Finding Nemo. I know... pretty sad costumes. On the other hand, Tiffany made each costume in her family and they turned out great! '

Dad & Mom - The Incredibles (My Dad wore tights!)
Nanny - Fairy Godmother
Tiff, Josh, Katie - The Little Mermaid (Josh is King Triton and Tiff is Urcela)
Eli & Amy - Tinkerbell and Captain Jack Sparrow (His Peter Pan outfit didn't arrive in time)
Us - Darla, dentist, and the cutest Nemo you've ever seen

My Little Nemo

Jack was done with the party at cake time, can you tell?

The decorated corner

Jack's present from Granny & Pop

Uncle Eli makes a funny face

my parents... the Incredibles

Fairy Godmother with the cute little sea creatures

the beautiful Aerial

His second birthday party I planned for October 25th. It wasn't as decorated as the Disney party, but I thought it turned out really cute! It wouldn't have turned out looking so pretty if it wasn't for the help from Sunnie. She brought mums and punch bowl and all kinds of accessories. We had snacky foods, cake, cupcakes, ice cream, punch, and sodas. A special thanks also to Amy for helping cook and to Mason for videoing and to Mandy & Molly for taking pictures for me.

There was a table of Jack photos (which is a bunch of photos!), a table for food, a corner for presents, and little photo magnets as a party favor. We had many family and friends show up and I was so happy that almost everyone that got invitations came! Thank you all for coming and for the adorable presents you brought!

It was Jack's first time to eat cake and I think he loved it (especially the icing). Here are some photos from the event...

Jack eats cake!

and opens presents - check out the cute hat that Teague made!

The adult chocolate cakes

The tables decorated in Fall colors

Jack looks at his homemade book from Amber Mullins (she also made him an awesome blanket & onsie!)

Cousin Evan feeds Jack dinner

Everyone sings Happy Birthday to Jack

Sunnie holds Jack and Anna Claire

Jack's actual birthday is October 24th. I still can't believe that he is one year old! I remember so vividly the day I was sitting at Sunnie & Charles' house, stood up and my water broke. Boy, that was wierd... I knew I couldn't be peeing in my pants so much. So off we go to the hospital and my little boy was born at 2:05 in the morning.
It seems like only yesterday he was so tiny....

Food

2008-09-27T21:17:00.004-05:00

Jack is 11 months old now and, I have to say, I'm probably the most paranoid mother about him eating bigger foods. He has two teeth on bottom and I'm never sure if the food I'm feeding him is too big, too textured, too chewy, etc. I tried to give him a bananna the other day and actually let him bite it instead of me chopping it up in smaller pieces. Jack proceeded to put the whole bananna in his mouth so, I went to my old ways of chopping it up. I'm really scared of him choking so I would love to hear any feedback from my friends and family that have had children in this stage of life on what you gave your children to eat at this age.

He is the most adorable boy in the world to me and here are a few photos of him doing his most favorite thing.... eating.

Jack at 10.5 months old

2008-09-17T01:48:00.010-05:00

Jack is 10 and 1/2 months old now and doing lots of new stuff. Here is a list of things he can do:

• CRAWL! - He used to only be able to go backwards, now he does it all
• Pull up on everything (including the toilet)
• Play patty cake
• Eat almost anything mushed up (I'm still a little paranoid about big things)
• mimic Brent or myself with some sounds
• Scream, kick, roll over and do anything to not get a diaper on
• Watch Baby Einstein without blinking an eye
• Give hugs and kisses
• Eat leaves and grass
• Laughs when tickled
• Loves to pull on Kelty's ears, face, tail, etc.

Here is a couple we caught of Kelty giving Jack kisses...

Here is a few I took today in our field...

I love this little boy so much!

Meet John

2008-09-17T01:42:00.004-05:00

Well, for those of you who haven't heard... Hope has got a special friend (yes, that means boyfriend). His name is John. Hope and John came to Conway this past week and Brent, Jack, and I had the opportunity to meet John and eat out with Hope and him. I believe she met him through her brother, Jeb and also from the church she attends in Fayetteville. He is perfect for Hope and I completely approve! Here is a pic I took of them in the parking lot in Conway. Aren't they so cute together?

Audrey

2008-09-08T22:39:00.008-05:00

So, I'm a little behind on my blogging, as usual. Our summer has been really busy. In the winter, when photos slow down, I'll blog more often.
About a week after Brent and I saw Wyatt, we went to go see Audrey. Michelle is a friend of mine from college and Audrey is her second child. She was born the same night as Wyatt was. And what a beautiful baby she is! She came out of the womb with styled hair that has red highlights and lowlights in it. We had a good time visiting with Michelle and holding the baby. Here are a few photos from our visit...

Wyatt Lee Henson

2008-08-15T22:10:00.006-05:00

Wyatt was born on July 31st to Lee and Andrea. He weighed 8 lbs. 15.5 oz. - a pretty big boy! Andrea is one tough woman - she delivered him at their house with a midwife. She said it was wonderful to deliver at her own home. Her whole labor lasted about 6 hours, so it went pretty fast. Brent and I went to an 8 week class on natural childbirth with a midwife from Little Rock. I felt so confident about labor and then my stubborn (but adorable) child had to be breech. I've always wanted to try a home delivery myself but I doubt I will get the opportunity since Jack was born by c-section.

Brent and I went to see Lee, Andrea, Noah, and Wyatt a week after he was born. He is so cute!! I love his fat little cheeks. Andrea and Lee have two absolutely adorable children - here are a few photos from our visit....

What a good big brother...

This is me holding Wyatt....

I like this one because it looks like Wyatt is saying "Enough Pictures Already!" ...

April Fest 2008

2008-08-15T21:48:00.005-05:00

I turned 28 this year on July 23rd. Brent called that day - April Fest '08. He told me I could do whatever I wanted to do... I chose to go shopping! I had already taken the whole day off from photos because who works on their birthday???

Let me back up a bit - April Fest '08 may have been on one day but somehow I managed to make it spread through a whole week. The Sunday before my birthday we had a celebration at Brent's aunt's house for me and for Sunnie. Her birthday falls the day before mine so we always get to celebrate together. We ate some delicious burgers, baked beans, shrimp, and blackberry cobbler and got to do a little swimming in Netta's pool.

Here are a few photos of Jack and Brent from that party....

I don't have any photos of me from the birthday party - but Brent took some of Jack and me today that I'll post later on.

So anyways, April Fest continued to my actual birthday and I went shopping at 1/2 of 1/2. It's a clothing store in North Little Rock that carries lots of name brand clothes at 1/2 of 1/2 the price! Yes, some of the items have a missing button or a broken zipper or something wrong with it, but not all of them. Usually I find awesome deals there, but this particular trip I only came out with two items. I think my bad luck was because the place was PACKED that day and I couldn't get around the store very well. You may be asking - "Well, where is Jack this whole time?" The Subletts were very sweet to offer and keep him and they live conviently close to the store... in fact, they are the ones who introduced me to 1/2 of 1/2. Amber comes to church every Sunday sporting the cutest clothtes that she finds there for amazing prices.

After 1/2 of 1/2, Brent takes me to my next choice store - JoAnn's Fabrics! I love fabric stores but I always have such a hard time choosing which fabric I want for my projects. I have a ton of projects sitting in Jack's closet just waiting for me to finish one day. Who knows when I'll have time to do that.

After shopping in Little Rock, we got Jack and headed to Conway where we grabbed some Cracker Barrell to go and a Red Box Rental movie. For those of you who don't know - Red Box is a rental at McDonald's and WalMart that only cost $1!!! I think that's way better than the usual $4 Blockbuster rental.

You may think that's the end of April Fest '08 - but nope... my good friend Amber Mullins threw me a party the next weekend! She is always so wonderful about making everyone feel so special on their birthday. She brought dinner to our house and showered me with gifts! She made cupcakes and Jello Jigglers too!!! It was quite the celebration. Melissa, Drew, and JB also came over and we all got to sit and chat and adore Anna Claire (Drew and Melissa's new baby)

I think that was the end of April Fest '08. Thanks to my family who all called and serenaded me. Each rendition of "Happy Birthday" was unique and special in it's very own way :)

LivingStones Week 2008

2008-08-03T17:16:00.019-05:00

Camp was July 13-19. There is a lot to post about camp so we'll see how much I can get in one blog.

First of all - it was an awesome week of fun and praising God again at Camp Caudle. We always have good, well-behaved campers at our camp session. I would like to thank some very special people that helped to make the week all possible (yes, I'm sounding like the I just won an Oscar again). But here goes....

Cooks - The week would not even be close to possible without you. I LOVE being at camp for a week and not having to think about cooking one meal for my family. Not only that - but I get to eat 3 meals a day, be stuffed as full as I want AND I DON'T HAVE TO CLEAN UP! Now, I will say that, each team did have kp (kitchen patrol) duty everyday... but, thankfully, I'm not on a team :) To Ms.BettyLou .... your upside down pineapple cake was as delicious as always. I look forward to it every year.

Counselors - This year we were worried about not having enough counselors and we didn't end up with just a bunch... but the few we got were WONDERFUL! Thank you so much to each of you for sacraficing a week of your time (most of you your only vacation from work) to help lead these kids to Christ. I wish I could type about each of you on my blog - but I think I might lose some readers if I typed a novel on here. Seriously - we couldn't make it without all of you guys and I pray that you will come back next year.

Lee & Andrea - I want to thank Lee and Andrea for being, not only great friends, but great camp directors and servants. Andrea went to camp 9 months pregnant and watched Noah, their 2 year old son!!! Yes, she is amazing (more to come on another post of her delivery). I really appreciate those two for all the hard work they put into planning the activities and sermons.

Mom & Dad - Last year my parents started coming to Camp Caudle to help out. Mom was a counselor last year but this year she was named "full-time grandma". Dad is the official "Camp Photographer", which is awesome because I don't have to even think about the photos and I know that every photo is going to be GREAT. He also works very hard at putting a slideshow together for the kids by the end of the week. It's always a highlight to everyone. Thank you mom and dad for being so wonderful and selfless. I know that I would not have been able to be a part of camp if it wasn't for my mother watching Jack for me. She is the toughest Granny ever carrying around Jack in his little baby backpack everywhere. She made sure he was fed and napped well and brought him to me for every nursing. I don't think it was torture on Granny to watch Jack... I'm pretty sure she enjoyed every minute of it - but still I'm forever grateful.

The activities were "off the chain", as the kids would say. We had:
• a giant slip'n'slide
• mud pit games
• canoe races
• prayer walk
• marshmallow towers
• capture the flag
• cardboard boat races!
• scripture scavenger hunt
... and much more

Our classes were:
• health and fitness (taught by Katy)
• backpacking (taught by me, April)
• fly tying (taught by Brent)
• canoeing (taught by Lee)

and now for the pictures....

Brent wrestling the kids on the gigantic trampoline...

Images from my backpacking class...

Images from Brent's fly tying class...

Canoe Games...

Fun in the mud pit...

Health and Fitness class - looks like Antonio is getting a good workout...

I loved the prayer walk this year...

And now some photos of the cutest boy on earth...

This will make you smile...

The End

Aunt Lou

2008-08-03T16:50:00.006-05:00

Well, I'm a month behind on blogging. I'm very sorry for those of you who check my blog daily expecting adorable photos of Jack to appear. We've had an unbelievably busy summer and I will try and catch you up on everything that has been happening. I will start with the visit from Aunt Louisa. I'll do each post separately instead of doing one super long post.

Aunt Lou came in from Africa this month to see her nephew be born (she actually had two nephews born this month). Thankfully she got to stay long enough for us all to see her. It's always a happy day when Lou-Lou comes over to visit. Jack really enjoyed Aunt Lou and I very much enjoyed catching up and talking about the good old days. I know she is doing wonderful things for the Lord in Zambia - but I'll be excited when she moves back home. Louisa is not really my sister - but she is as close to one as I'll ever have so I will always consider her Jack's aunt. We love you Lou-Lou!

July 4th

2008-07-04T22:16:00.013-05:00

This is a photo of Jack's hairdo that his Aunt Amy gave him this morning...

Most people grill out or shoot fireworks for July the 4th. Not so much in this family. The whole Ruple family was hard at work today.... all day... and all last night. Our trusses for the new studio arrived yesterday and today they are all up on the building. Yesterday our cousin, Evan, came over and volunteered his time after he got off work to help Brent get the trusses in the building. That got them to the position of hanging upside down off of the studio walls. Then last night, Keith, Charles, Spencer, and Brent got a great start by getting a few of the trusses up before the rain came in. Then this morning we were blessed to have the whole crew over again to finish the job. THANK YOU Charles, Keith, Spencer, Seth, Evan, Amy, and Sunnie! Amy helped me with a senior photo shoot we had last night so Brent could work on the studio and she was "roof supervisor" today on the worksite. Sunnie helped me with Jack all day so I got to get a lot of work done in the house today! It was quite nice to do some projects that have been staring me in the face for a while now... one of those being laundry.

Here are some photos of Jack and Sunnie from this morning.

and here is one of Jack with Amy ...

This is Seth with his creation of the Arkansas River he made in the sand...

The family did end up grilling out for dinner. Unfortunately Jack and I had to miss out because he went to bed a little early tonight. Brent did bring me home some of the steak they had and it was delicious! Of course, it had some incredible potato salad and baked beans to go with it!

Here is the studio! Doesn't it look fantastic! Everyone did such a good job today. I feel very blessed to have a family that is willing to give up their holiday to help us out. There is more about the studio on our other blog (link to that blog is located on the right side)

Annual Boy Camping Trip 2008

2008-06-29T22:33:00.015-05:00

Here are some photos of Jack with Uncle Eli ...

This past weekend Brent went with Eli (my youngest brother) and Derek (his best friend from college) on a float trip on Crooked Creek in Yellville, AR. I title this "annual trip" because Eli started this "only boys float trip weekend" a few years ago. The week before he married Amy he wanted to have a last "guy weekend" with his groomsmen. Well, I guess it really wasn't the "last" boy trip because now he does it every year. Last year they went on the Buffalo River with their good friend John (also from college) And this year Brent joined the crew and they floated Crooked Creek. I have a feeling the tradition will continue.

They had a good time on Friday heading out and fishing along the creek. They camped that night on a gravel bar and at 5:00 am on Saturday morning a huge storm blew through Yellville and surrounding areas. It was so loud it woke all of us up at the Henson house and most definitely woke the boys up in their tents. From what I hear, Brent was the only one of the three who had their rain fly on their tent so, as the story goes, Eli and Derek had to jump out in their unders!, in the pouring rain to get their tents covered. I'm sure that was a sight to see. Unfortunately it didn't stop raining all morning and it was predicting bad weather all day so they had to cut their trip short and take out the canoes at the next access point. I was very relieved because I was slightly worried about them with all the lightning around.

Jack and I stayed with Lee, Andrea, and Noah. It's always a treat to stay with our good friends, the Hensons. They took good care of us and treated me to a movie rental after a delicious meal of steak, potatoes, squash, and homemade biscuits! Noah was as funny as always. Here are a few photos of Noah, Jack, and Brent at the coffee shop. Brent asked Noah if he wanted to smell Jack's feet and everytime he did he would say "Shooooeeee!"

This is the only photo I have of the three boys together. Brent saw this sign as we were driving home from Yellville to Vilonia and almost immediately his cell phone rang and Eli and Derek said we had to turn around to get a photo of this church sign. I have to admit, it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I mean really - who makes these sayings up?

This next photo Eli took while I was feeding Jack at the coffee shop! What a great photo little Bro! I guess the photographer genes run through all of the Clems.

Derek is a friend of Eli's from Harding that all of the Clem family decided to make into an honorary family member. We found out after Eli first met him that he didn't live too far from our house in Texas! He's like another brother to me. He married a girl he met at Harding, Rachel, and they live in south Texas while Derek goes through med school. Here's Derek relaxing in the coffee shop after the trip was over...

Here's a few more photos of my adorable son...

These are a couple of pics I took at the house a few days ago. I put him in this diaper box so I could wash my hands or something and he ended up loving it! So, I added a few toys and now I use the box all the time.

Granny & Pop Visit

2008-06-26T00:02:00.008-05:00

Last week my mom and dad came to visit us in Vilonia. They came to help us with the new studio construction and to help take care of Jack so I could get caught up on work. Speaking of work - we are booking up fast for the summer - high school senior photos are pouring in! This is a great problem to have, but it makes my blog suffer. When I finally finish editing photos at midnight, I can only think about falling into bed and sleeping. That is why I'm so far behind on my blog.

We had a great time with my parents and I know they enjoyed every minute they spent with Jack. On Thursday evening they watched him so we could go out on a date! I don't remember the last time that happened. And on Saturday, we had wedding photos, so my mom took care of Jack ALL day long and my Dad helped us at the wedding. I must say, we got pretty spoiled this past week. The day after they left I felt lost because I was used to my mom getting up with me at 6:00 and taking care of Jack after I fed him so I could get a little more sleep. I'm excited to see them again this July at camp.

Also this past week, our friends Drew and Melissa Dallas had their baby girl. We went to the hospital to see Ms. Anna Claire Dallas on the same night as our date night. She is absolutely beautiful and has a full head of hair! I don't have photos to show of her yet, but I think we'll be going to their house to take some soon.

Our studio is going very well. If you want to hear about the construction and see photos of everything - check out our other blog - ruplephotography.blogspot.com... Brent keeps it updated. We're now waiting on the roof trusses to get here so we can start on it. Brent has done an amazing job with everything - I'm always impressed with my husband and his abilities. Lately, we've had so much help with the studio from Brent's family, my parents, and Lee Henson. We have felt very blessed. Thank you Pappy, Sunnie, Spencer, Mason, Mom, Dad, and Lee!

Jack has been loving riding the four wheeler lately - here are some photos that my Dad took of Brent and Jack last week ...

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T10:10:00.019-05:00

Today I celebrate two people. My own father, Buster Clem, and my husband, Brent. Let's start with my hubby....

He is an absolute amazing father to Jack. He's not scared of diaper changings (well, unless it's an explosion diaper, then we're all scared) and he's so good about taking the second shift in the mornings to get up with Jack. He was by my side through delivery (or rather, surgery) and slept by my side every night in the hospital helping me get up to do everything (even pee) and to help with the baby. You can see in his eyes, everytime he holds Jack, how much he adores him. You can also see the adoration in Jack's eyes as well because if there is one person that Jack is going to smile at - it's Brent. Brent mentions everytime he goes to do anything of how he can't wait until Jack can come with him (especially fishing trips).

Happy Father's Day Sweetheart! I love you!

Here is the card that Jack and I made Brent...

I took this picture two days ago. It was so cute that everytime Brent shook his Sonic ice, Jack would shake his sippy cup of juice. And everytime Brent would drink, Jack would take a drink.

Here they are on the tractor ....

And this is just adorable ...

Now about my Pop...

My Dad is one in a million. You can search everywhere and you won't find another Dad like him. I am always so proud to show Dad off to friends because he is so funny! I look up to him for his humor, because I've always wanted to be able to make people laugh like he does.

My Dad was everywhere I was in high school. He was at every sporting event, every awards ceremony, every prom, and even my senior trip to San Antonio. He didn't miss a moment of my life and I love that about him. He taught me everything I know about basketball. If I wanted to go to the gym, he made sure it was open. He drove me EVERY year to Austin to watch the girl's state basketball tournament. It was a special trip that I always looked forward to.

I remember calling Dad from Crowley's Ridge College (in Paragould, AR) and telling him I didn't think I could stay any longer - I was having a tough semester. He told me "you just say the word and I'll be up there to get you tonight". I didn't end up going, but it was so comforting to know that my Dad was there for me.

He also taught me everything I know about photography. He's like my "on-call" photography doctor. Anytime I have a question, I call him and he'll stop everything to help me. He's supplied us with every camera we own and helped us get going on our business. I am forever thankful to him for sharing all his wisdom on taking pictures!

I love my Dad so much. Thank you Poppy! I am so blessed to be your daughter! Happy Father's Day!

It's hard to catch Dad in a photo because he is the one always taking them, so here is a photo of a fun family trip we took to the Buffalo in the winter a few years ago. We're all being silly in this picture...

Servant Week - Camp Caudle

2008-06-10T20:27:00.016-05:00

This is Jack relaxing in his personal swimming pool at Camp Caudle

Brent, Jack, and I have been gone for a week to Camp Caudle, a Christian camp north of Russellville. This camp means alot to us, especially Brent. He grew up going there since he was 16 and has always said it's one of the reasons he's the Christian he is today. Brent, Lee, Andrea, and myself direct a session of camp every year - LivingStones week (aka Adventure Week) but this year we decided to take on two sessions of camp which included Servant Week. This week was designed to prepare camp for the upcoming summer. Kids from Silver City Church and other surrounding areas come up to work all week long cleaning cabins, or fixing things, or whatever needs to be done. We had an AMAZING group this year and all of the kids worked VERY hard.

Our projects included the following:
• A new deck by the baptistry waterfall
• Fixing the baptistry waterfall
• Rock steps down to the swimming hole
• Fixing the dock (which was almost swept away with the high rains)
• Putting up the huge water trampoline
• Rebuilding the zipline over the swimming hole
• Cleaning Cabins and hanging curtains in each one
• Organizing the old chapel, the shed, the mess hall, the kitchen
• Weedeating ALOT
• Killing wasp

and really, there was probably more, but that is all I can remember right now. Let's just say it was an incredibly tough week, full of work and our teens were AMAZING!

I'd like to say a special thanks to all the ladies who made curtains to go in the cabins - especially Amber Mullins who tackled all the old chapel curtains and made them look so cool! It really adds something to those cabins to have REAL curtains and not paper hanging on the windows.

I'd also like to say thank you to Mandy Sublett for helping me this week with photos beyond doing all her servanthood duties. By the way, Mandy got injured twice while working and didn't complain once about it, but kept looking for work to do. One time she smashed her finger in between some huge rocks while working on the waterfall (something that would've made me cry) She quietly slipped away to take care of her finger and then goes about to find a new job to do. I asked her "Mandy you just smashed your finger! - What are you doing working?!?!" And she said "Well, I still have one good hand" Let me tell you - she's an awesome girl.

I know it sounds like I just won an Oscar but I have a few other people I want to say thank you to... the cooks! Betty Lou Henson, Debbie Shipman, and Andrea Henson did an absolutely fantastic job cooking for everyone this past week. Andrea is one tough woman. Not only did she cook her homemade yeast rolls and cinnamon rolls (amongst other things), but she is also 8 months pregnant, and watches her two year old son! Thank you, thank you, thank you for keeping my belly full!

Jack had an incredible week! I was slightly worried about how he would sleep at camp - but I think Brent, Jack, and I all slept better than we do at home. I LOVED having 30 kids that would help me watch Jack. All of them are wonderful babysitters and were so sweet to help me out by holding him, feeding him, or whatever I needed.

Okay, so enough of the typing - here are a few photos from this past week.

Marreo playing with Jack on the Camp Caudle golf cart.....

Molly and Amanda entertaining Jack ....

Brent working hard on the deck - he was exhausted by the end of the week....

Brent, Lee, Greg, and Scott playing the guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica one evening on the porch.

Here are a few different views of the deck by the baptistry waterfall. It's not finished in these photos, but it is done. Brent stayed the last day till late in the evening to finish off the handrails and a few details. Lee worked with a group on this all week long. It was probably our biggest project of the week.

Here is one of the crews who worked on the baptistry moving rocks to make the waterfall flow right...

another photo of Marreo and Antonio hanging out with Jack ...

Bathtime

2008-05-28T21:38:00.005-05:00

Here are some photos from bathtime today and I can't tell you how much I love how these turned out. Isn't he the most adorable boy you've ever seen?

Brent has started a blog that keeps up with the progression of our studio. He's also using it as a journal that reminds him of how he's going about building everything. So, check it out if you want. I don't think it has pictures yet, but it will. We're also going to use it as a site to show off portraits from our photo shoots.

http://www.ruplephotography.blogspot.com - there is also a link to it under my favorite blogs

Memorial Day and the Laundry Fairy

2008-05-27T18:30:00.018-05:00

For this year's Memorial Day, Brent and I hung out with his family at his parent's house. The Ruple's are a family that love to to grill out, eat some cobbler or cake, play some ping pong and pool, ride 4 wheelers, and relax a little. We celebrate everyone's birthday individually - except for me and Sunnie (Brent's mom), we always share because our birthday is one day apart.

Yesterday's Memorial party was just as delicious as the all the other parties. We had grilled flank stank, salad, new potatoes, rolls, peach tea, and peach cobbler. Jack is the only baby in the family right now - his cousins are a bit older, but he still is captivated by each of them.

Here is Seth (our nephew) holding Jack...

He loves his Aunt Amy (Yep, Jack has two Aunt Amy's!) because she plays "This little pig went to the market" on his toes
Here is Jack with Aunt Amy ...

Here are Jack's other two cousins that were there (Spencer & Mason) acting like themselves...

And here are a few of Jack being absolutely adorable...

Brent and I also had to do a bridal photo shoot in Little Rock yesterday evening. Our evening shoots seem to always fall at Jack's bedtime, so we are so very blessed to have Sunnie who always offers to watch Jack for us. Yesterday, watching him consisted of putting him to bed and sitting in our "no t.v." house... so, as you can imagine, it's pretty boring.

When we came home last night I also noticed that the "Laundry Fairy" had been to visit. Anytime something gets done at our house by someone else we always say the "such and such fairy" came to visit. Well, we have lots of fairies visit us... the lawnmowing fairy - which seems to visit us alot when we go on long trips, the dishwashing fairy, the plant watering fairy, the dog watching fairy, and the list could go on and on. Basically Sunnie is our special fairy - she is so sweet to watch Jack, the dog, AND help with the house when we're away.

Here is a photo of Sunnie and Pappy from back in March. Pap is playing him a song on the guitar.

7 months old

2008-05-24T11:23:00.019-05:00

As always, I'm playing catch up with my blog - so here goes another long one.....

Brent and I made a trip to Texas this past week to celebrate my brother, Josh's, 30th birthday with a surprise party that Tiffany planned for him. (He was going to be out of town on his actual birthday - June 1st) Here is a photo of Josh with Katie, both trying to eat their feet....

and here is Josh's cake that Tiff made for him...

It was a great trip! I love being with my family. I get to missing them when I'm miles away in Arkansas. I'm kind of like Sandy the Squirrel for you guys out there that watch SpongeBob. Have you ever seen the episode where she sings about missing Texas? Brent says I sing just like her.

Also on the trip, Brent got to play golf with my brothers and Dad. Eli was on the team too, but he's not in this photo. I'm sure my Dad would want me to mention that his team came in second in the tournament. It was a golf tournament to benefit Boles Children's Home....

.... and I got spoiled by mom, as always. She watched Jack for me while I got to go shopping, get a haircut, and hang out with Tiff. One early morning she woke up at 6:00 with me to watch him so I could get some more sleep! I love my momma!

We also got to spend time with Uncle Eli and Aunt Amy. Tiff and I love it when Aunt Amy comes to visit because she is great with the kids! Oddly enough, I don't have a picture of them two from the trip.

Jack got to get to know his sweet cousin, Katie a little more. I love watching them interact. They're only 4 days apart and it's so sweet to watch them finally notice each other now that they're 7 months old.

Speaking of - Jack turns 7 months old today! He's sitting up quite well now and more fun than ever. He says MaMa pretty good (especially when he's hungry) and Baba, though we don't know what that one means. Brent is hoping that DaDa is next.

Here is a photo of the finished foundation of the studio! Brent has done a GREAT job getting everything perfectly square! I can't wait for it to be finished. We'll keep you posted on the progress...

On a sad note, Brent and I came back sick from Texas. Here is my pitiful face so maybe I can get a little sympathy. :)
Please pray that Jack doesn't catch this mess!

Weekend Fun and a really long post

2008-05-14T23:00:00.010-05:00

This past weekend Brent and I drove up to Yellville, AR. For those of you who aren't familiar with Yellville, it is very close to the Buffalo River and south of Harrison. Brent had a youth group he was leading down the Kings River on Friday and Saturday so Jack and I stayed with our very good friends, Lee & Andrea Henson and their son, Noah. It was so much fun getting to relax a little and not have photos to touch up or a computer with work on it just staring me in the face. I took my sewing machine and got some curtains made and I drank coffee everyday at the best coffee shop in the world - Homestead Grounds. (They also have the best logo in the world) :)

Homestead Grounds is Lee & Andrea's coffee shop that they started this past October. Everything in it is HOMEMADE goodness. From "made from scratch" bakery items to crocheted hats, scarves, handmade soap, baskets, you name it - they got it! And every Saturday night - there is a band that plays in the downtown square right outside their shop. This past Saturday I was blessed to hear some lovely bluegrass music.

Here is the store front to Homestead Grounds Coffee and Handmade Goods....

some of their handmade goodies....

Their adorable son, Noah was very entertaining for Jack and me. I'm not around a bunch of 2 year olds all the time (well, he's almost two) but I'm learning they have a BUNCH of energy! He is one of my most favorite people to photograph, right behind my own son... Here are a few pics I got of him while I was there.

Here is one of Andrea holding Jack in the coffee shop.. and yes, she is pregnant with their next son (who isn't named yet) due August 4th!

This is Lee handing me my coffee - he's kind of blurry because we took this photo more for the artistic value of it....

Brent's trip went really well. He took a youth group from Fayetteville (where his brother, Nick, is youth minister) up to the Kings River for a fishing/ float trip. He had a good time being out in God's beautiful creation. Before he left we also got a bunch of planning done for our LivingStones week at Camp Caudle with Lee and Andrea. Camp is July 13-19th for all those kids out there who want to come. (Age 14 and up) This week's theme is "Surrender".

So, I don't have a photo of Brent on the float trip, but I do have this photo of him working on the studio foundation. He's so handsome...

We've got the whole foundation done... time to start framing walls!

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T10:37:00.012-05:00

I had my first mother's day yesterday and everyone made me feel very appreciated. I think it will be even more special when Jack brings me a scribbled up piece of paper, that reads, in red crayon, "i luv u momma"... I know my heart will melt. I already feel special enough everytime I look at him and he smiles back with his gummy grin. I think God for my little bundle of joy He sent me 6 1/2 months ago.

Here is a photo of my little darlin' -

I also want to say a very special thank you to my mother. I know now what she went through to raise me and my brothers. It couldn't be easy raising a whiny little girl and two hardheaded boys... but she did it so well and made us feel like we were the apple of her eye and her most important priority. She has taught me so much and among her many qualities I would have to say her most oustanding one is how completely unselfish she is. She has the uncanny ability to fix dinner, entertain her new grandchildren, and give each of her children her complete attention (which usually comes with a head rub and back scratchin'!). Yes, we're spoiled rotten. She gives and gives her time, love, and energy, and never asks for anything in return. I love you Mom!

Fun morning

2008-05-06T08:33:00.007-05:00

These pics are from the morning of April 29th. I've been behind on my blogging and I didn't want to leave these photos out. Brent found a harmonica lying around and played us a few tunes on it. He also called sis-in-law, Tiffany, and played "Happy Birthday" on it (while I sang a perfectly pitched rendition of it with him) :)

Jack, playing with his toys....

This is Kelty, our dog. She was our first baby. She has had a tough time getting used to Jack but I think once he's playing on the floor and pulling her ears - she'll love him.

Studio Update

2008-05-06T08:21:00.005-05:00

We finally poured the concrete footer! It's taken forever because of all the rain we had last month, but on April 30th - Brent and I got the concrete in.

He also finished the frame for our new highway sign. I'm designing it and I wanted to get everyone's opinion on it. I'm attaching below, what I think, may be the final proof. What do you think?

6 months old

2008-04-25T10:32:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was Jack's 6 month birthday! Unfortunately, we celebrated by getting shots at the doctor Never a fun experience. But I would like to comment on how fortunate I am to have a husband that will go with me everytime and help hold him down during the shots. I am the weak one of the two of us and I always turn around and sing a happy tune in my head. It's so sad to see them stick needles in his chubby little legs and see him go to an immediate "mad" cry while his face turns bright red.

His new stats are:
Weight - 17 lbs. 10 oz. - 50%
Height - 27 3/4" - 90%

I couldn't believe that he was in the 90% of his height. My chubby son is slimming up!

We didn't take any great 6 month old pics yesterday (I know - that's unlike us) so I'm hoping to get some today. Here are some we took the day before that are pretty cute....

Hopey

2008-04-23T21:49:00.005-05:00

Today I had a suprise visit from my old roomie, Hope! Hope and I were roomies our last year of college with 4 other girls and then we also lived in Little Rock together right after college. I was a graphic designer at a small advertising agency and she was a teacher at CAC (Central Arkansas Christian). We had some fun times together. I love how Hope is so worry free and can be anything she wants to be. Notice I said she "was" a teacher. Well, one day Hope decided to be a midwife - so, she ups and does it. Now she just graduated from midwife school and got a job being a midwife at a hospital in Rogers! She decides to do something and she does it -- something I always wished I could do. Some fun memories with Hope would be how she could fall alseep in 1 second or less.... How her family taught me to speak in "ners" (hopener, lovener, hiner) .... the time I tried to tell her that Brent and I were "just friends" but somehow she saw right through that... going to my first Hogs game and teaching me the ins and outs of Hog football! Now I'm a fan for good. People think it's because I married a UA graduate - but really it's the Huckeba family that showed me the Hog life. :)

Here is a photo of Aunt Hope and Jack together ....

Here are a few photos of Jack being absolutely adorable while watching Brent work outside....

Game Night

2008-04-21T21:25:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday night we had a game night with our friends from Silver City at our house ... the Meyers, Martinezes, and Davises. We played Cranium and Scene It and the girls won each time! We had so much fun hanging out with friends.

The whole group posing for a photo

What we really look like ....

Breakfast

2008-04-18T12:59:00.006-05:00

For breakfast this morning we had sausage biscuits with homemade strawberry jelly. I love it when spring rolls around and I can make jelly with fresh fruit! These are some photos from breakfast this mornng. Jack was being extra cute!

New Lens

2008-04-17T19:53:00.005-05:00

Today we recieved our new Nikon lens and Brent tried it out on Jack. It's a 50 mm lens that stops the aperture down to 1.4... which means we can take a photo of someone and the background be way out of focus - but they look SHARP! Or in the case of these photos of Jack - if you get his eyes in focus, his ear and nose are out... that's how detailed it is. We're excited about it. I went to Little Rock today and bought some fun things for Jack at Babies 'R' Us while Brent and Sunnie (Brent's mom) watched Jack all day.

Photography Studio

2008-04-16T21:55:00.006-05:00

As most of you know, we have been shooting photos out of our house for the last three years. Finally, we have begun the construction on our new studio!!! I can't tell you how excited I am to have my house just as a "house". It's getting hard to keep it clean everyday for photo shoots and proofings. My brilliant husband is building the studio completely by himself (or with someone if they want to offer to help) :) Here is the first picture to note the beginning of the construction. I've got to admit my hubby looks pretty good!

Backtrack - Texas Trip

2008-04-15T18:05:00.016-05:00

Jack & Katie - Cousins

I thought I would post a few photos from our trip to Texas that we took last month. Brent went to Mexico with our church - Silver City - to build a house for a family there while I stayed in Texas with my family for a week. I had so much fun hanging out with my new little niece, Katie - born 4 days before Jack - and seeing her and Jack interact. It was also wonderful to be with my mom & dad and sis-in-law, Tiffany. Mom & Dad spoiled me, of course.... and Tiff and I had a blast hanging out all week. I also got to go out with Tiff and my other great sis-in-law, Amy, to IKEA (a HUGE furniture store outside of Dallas). It was so nice to be "kid-free" for a fun girl outing.

Jack getting a kiss from Granny!

The Silver City group on their way home from Mexico

Brent's trip was very productive and a blessing to two families in Mexico. Every year our church has gone to Juarez to build a house. I have gone for the past 5 years and this was my first year to not be able to go. I was so happy that Brent was able to make the trip because he headed up a site team this year. Usually we just build one house, but this year the group built two houses! Praise God for the work they did there! I'm sure I'll write more on Silver City in the future - our church family truly is "family" to us ... I'm so thankful for everyone there.

First Post

2008-04-15T16:09:00.008-05:00

This is Jackson Brent Ruple - our son. We take photos of him daily. He is our gift from God that came (a little early) on October 24th of last year. He is 5 1/2 months old now. We've never blogged before - so we're going to do our best to keep up with this site and show you photos of Jack and our new family adventures. I was hoping this would be a good way to keep in touch with our family and friends. So, please comment on anything - I love hearing feedback! God Bless!