Rampton Family Blog

2009-10-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, did I give up on blogging or what? I think Facebook is more my pace quite frankly. I can download a few pictures really quickly and say about two sentances! I know, wimpy. So anyhow, here are a few pictures. We have had a wild last few months!

The Cousins

2009-02-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

Well, we got back from Oregon, and boy did my kids have a great time with thier cousins! This is all the cousins on my side of the family. They ran around in the mountains behind my parents house for three weeks having the time of thier lives. They made fairy forts, crowns out of leaves, picked berries, waded through streams...brrrrr and loved every minute of it. I will post more pictures of our trip later.

Yet another Camera mishap

2009-01-06T05:20:00.001-08:00

Well, although our dear camera is back in our possesion I fear that too many chubby grimey fingers got to the shutter and lense of the poor thing and now it is completely out of commision. BUMMER. So, I feel like I have nothing fun to post since we have no pictures to share. We had a great christmas, we are playing as much as possible in the mild Texas weather (we went wakeboarding on Friday). We are happy to have Marcus home for a week, and we are getting a gazillion home projects done including finally finishing our crown molding, putting up a back splash in our kitchen, and resurfacing our bathroom cabinets. Our kids just kinda bumble around the mess and "help" as much as they can. Miss Eliza Jane turns 2 this month which I absolutely can not believe. She and Jack have races down our hall five or six times a day and Jack just figured out that beating his sister across the finish line is maybe not the hardest thing to do and has taken to being a gentleman and running at her pace beside her, which makes her feel like a million bucks. This whole scene of course makes thier sappy mother shed a little tear. Chivalry at it's finest.
Well, I guess I will have to just come up with some short little stories of our lives these days rather than my usual of slapping up a few photos with a five word explanation. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and that 2009 brings all the desires of your hearts.

TWILIGHT

2008-11-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

Well life is supposed to be fun right? You better believe it. Last friday night twenty five of my gal friends...that's right, twenty five all went out to dinner and then went to the opening night of Twilight. We had an absolute blast. We all had matching T-shirts made that said "Bite Me" which made us fit right in with the thousands of teenage girls screaming about thier beloved Edward. It was really hilarious. Here is a few pics to explain the craziness of it all.

Oh me oh my where do we begin?

2008-11-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Alright, as usual it has been way too long since I have written anything about our lives. My dear friend Michelle let me borrow her camera (and PS my mom found mine!!! It is en route to Texas) while mine was lost. So, we actually have a few pictures to describe our lives right now. the most exciting thing is that we found a gorgeous state park just an hour away called Lost Maples and low and behold there is such a thing as fall in Texas!

So we hiked around and felt like we were back on the east coast. The kids thought they were in heaven. We waded aroung in the streams, threw rocks in the lake and enjoyed the perfect 75 degree weather.

We have just been enjoyin life, Marcus has had a pretty good schedule at work, and so we have been exploring a little more. I really don't know how anyone has time to post more than a few pictures like this! I have about a million things I need to do! So, I wish I had time to write more, but I guess that will have to do for now.

What I want to be looking at right now...

2008-10-05T18:57:00.001-07:00

I am missing fall, and upstate New York, and picking crisp apples, and home made donuts and wearing sweaters, and pumpkin patches.

Lost Camera

2008-09-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

I know...it is tragic. I lost my camera somewhere between Black Butte Oregon and San Antonio TX. So, I have no pictures to post and therefore nothing really exciting to share. I will try and locate it soon, and keep you all updated. I love reading all of your blogs!

Family Night Boating Trip

2008-07-22T18:42:00.001-07:00

Well, our great friends Cassie and Todd invited us to go wakeboarding with them last monday, and I will tell you...What a blast we had!! I have never actually wakeboarded before, so I had to document it on the blog world that I got up and cruised around. It was' so fun. We also went on the tube with the kids, and as Jack yelled with joy as we were tubing, "Mom, this is the craziest thing we have ever done!!!" Thanks Cassie and Todd you made our month!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-22T18:41:00.001-07:00

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-09T17:10:00.001-07:00

Summer Fun

2008-07-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

We have had so much fun this summer! We have been lucky enough to have my cousin Nate and Emily and their little boy Henry, another cousin Kristen and her darling kids, and last but not least my big brother Tanner. What a blast we have had! Here are some pics to see what we have been up to.

My Beautiful Grandma Tillie

2008-06-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I know, as usual it has been a great while since I have posted. This last month was a great month. My beloved Grandma Tillie made the trek (by plane, but not easy when you are 87) from Utah to Texas to visit us. This last month was really special for all of us. Grandma is so fun and upbeat, she always keeps us laughing and was an absolute joy to have. I told her a million times that I wanted to keep her forever, but Provo is where her heart is. I will treasure the time my kids and I had to spend with her. Jack cried for three days after she left, and it goes without saying that I was a puddle of tears right along side him! Grandma played tireless games of peek-a-boo with Eliza. Something I just don't have the patience to do these days. She layed on the floor and played card games with Jack. She helped me fold laundry and do dishes, and kept my spirits high on the long days when Marcus stayed late at the hospital. She sat in the car with the kids while I ran in to do those annoying 1 minute errands that end up being 20 minutes when you have to drag both kids in every stop (I know all you moms know that is a huge favor!) She told me stories, she gave me advice, and she made me feel like a million dollars. I couldn't love her more. She is such a blessing in my life, and I am so glad and proud to call this beautiful lady my grandmother.

From Poteet to Port Aransas

2008-04-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

My goodness April has been a busy month, and now getting you all caught up is a task which is entirely too daunting. Why do I always do this? Now, I have a bazillion things I could tell you about what we have been doing, and a bazillion pictures I could post. I will try to keep it to the basics. Marcus had a week off, and we LOVED it.
To start off the week, we went to a little town called Poteet, TX (say it with a Texas accent, it's rather fun) for their annual strawberry harvest festival. Strawberries galore: strawberry pie, strawberry icecream, strawberry shortcake, you name it. We also got to see a rodeo in Poteet, (are you not surprised?) and had a blast. We went with our good friends the Joneses and finally reached home about 10:00pm with four sleeping kids and bellies full of yummy treats. Then, on Monday we had a few neighborhood friends over for Jack's fourth b-day. Jack could hardly contain himself he was so excited. He really wanted a superhero party, so yours truly sewed 10 superman capes, and we had a house full of little super heroes. I dressed Marcus up in a silly costume, took a picture and made a "Wanted" sign, telling the kids that I heard there was a "Cake stealer" in the area that wanted our cake. Then, while the kids were inside Marcus went and got his costume on and ran around in the backyard untill one of the kids spotted him. I gave each kid a bottle of silly string and they all sprayed the Cake Stealer for a good 15 minutes. It was hilarious and so much fun. Then on Wednesday we packed up the car with our bikes and headed off to the beach. We went to a little costal town called Port Aransas on Mustang island, right off the coast of Texas. It was only about 2 and a half hour drive, and we got to take a ferry to get onto the island (which Jack thought was awsome that our car got to go on a boat). We rode our bikes all around the town, and played on the beach for two days straight. Eliza thought she was in heaven strutting around the beach and getting as sandy as she could. We had a great trip, and will definately go back many times.

So that is what we have been up to lately. Sorry I am such a sporadic poster! I hope you all still peek at our blog every now and then to see what we have been up to. For some reason my whole blog roll got erased off of my blog!! It was so frustrating. I love looking at all of your blogs, even if I am not the best at leaving comments. Love you all!

Eliza Jane

2008-03-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

Little Sister Eliza

2008-03-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

This is Jack's portrait of his sister. Cute huh?

What's up with the Ramptons

2008-03-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

I have been putting off posting anything for lack of time or gumption. More gumption than time I guess. I don't have the brain power these days to write a long witty story about what is going on so here are a few pictures of life at the Texas Ramptons. We are having a great time and loving the warm Texas winter. We loved having Mark and Alice here for a visit! We had such a great time with them and we wish they would come stay with us once a month!

We have a little farm about 3 minutes from our house, the kids love. We get to feed all the animals and ride horses. It is a lot of fun.

Jack lives and breathes to play with his friends. This is him and his darling little friend Anja painting in the backyard. Life is good when you can be outside in your underwear in February!

Bike Riding on a Texas Winter Day

2008-01-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

OK, so I had posted this before, but for some reason it got erased off my blog...wierd. Well, Jack saved up his money by doing odd jobs around the house (yes it took him forever) and bought himself a new bike. He LOVES riding around on the "two wheel bike" as he calls it. And hey, it dosn't get much better than going for bike rides with Jack. We have such fun in life.

All sorts of fun

2008-01-14T20:24:00.000-08:00

Well, we love the Berenstein Bears around our house. There is an episode where Papa Bear and the kids strap scrub brushes to their feet to mop the kitchen floor. Jack has always thought that was a brilliant idea and begs me to try it. So we finally had our mopping party. And let me tell ya, it was a blast. I put soap all over the floor and turned the radio up really loud, and we had a ball with our scrub brush skates. We were laughing SO hard. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Peek-a-boo Eliza

2008-01-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

Curious George Frederic Handel

2007-12-19T04:39:00.000-08:00

So yesterday we were listening to Handel's Messiah in the car, as we do quite often when without any prompting from me Jack asks, "Mom, what's Handel's first name?" I had a little laugh about that, and then after a little thinking I answered, "It's George." Well, Jack laughed and laughed and then said, "No Mom, George is a monkey!"

2007-12-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

I know I said I cut all the curls off, but I guess her hair just grows fast or something. Her fro is back in full force!

2007-12-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

Eliza is on the go! Gotta love those curls eh?

Picture Explanation

2007-11-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

Well, Just quickly I wanted to explain a couple of these pictures...the first shows what a mean mommy I am because I cut all of Eliza's baby curls off! What was I thinking? Her hair was all uneven so I trimmed it all the same length, and had to cry about it after. Also the purple dragon costume had to surface due to the real costume not being quite done yet.
Jack wanted to be a Knight for Halloween and he wanted Eliza to be his princess. So we borrowed the breastplate and helmet and made him the cape, shield and sword. Not bad eh? The next couple are our neighborhood halloween party which was a lot of fun, but also strange that it was 80 degrees that day. The other pictures are of the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and the Botanical gardens here in San Antonio. So there is the quick explanation of the slide show!

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-11-05T20:48:00.001-08:00

Back in the Swing of Things...Almost

2007-11-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

Well, most of you probably thought that I fell off the face of the earth, and see no point in checking my blog anymore, since I havn't posted anything in over a month. I have had so many fun visitors at my house in the last month that I have not quite found the time to sit at my computer for more than 5 minutes at a time. And, even though my sister sara is still here, she is glued to a good book, and hence the new post.
Oh me Oh my, we have had all sorts of fun in the last month. My sister-in-law Melissa and her adorable three kids came to visit and we did everything you could possibly imagine in the 10 days they were here. Then my sister came a few days later, and we have been having a blast. she has also been helping me with all sorts of home projects that I would NEVER attempt to do with out her help. (painting for one!...no fun with two kids tracking paint all over the place)
I turned 29 a couple weeks ago, which seems utterly depresssing because that basically means that I am 30. What the heck happened to the last 10 years? I still feel like I should be 22 or something. But lets face it, 30 is the new 20 right? So I guess you could say (for all of the fellow "13 Going on 30" fans) that I am (almost) "thirty, flirty, and thriving." So I am embracing every new year, as my mother would say.
Here are a few pictures to show you what we have been up to.

A few Snipits of Life

2007-09-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this is going to be a smorgasbord of what has been going on in our lives lately. I will start by saying that we had the good fortune of having my cousin Nate, his wife Emily and their beautiful little 2 year old Henry come visit for a few days a couple weekends ago. What a blast we had! We sauntered around the riverwalk in downtown San Antonio (above), we played in the pool, we ate snacks, watched movies, and had great chats. It was SO great to have family around and just enjoy eachother's company. I kick myself for not taking a picture of us all while they were here, but we made some great memories. While Nate and Em were here I got an exciting phone call from one of my favorite people on earth: my Auntie Joan. She and my Uncle Udo were driving through from Florida to Phoenix, and stopped by for a few days to visit us in San Antonio. For those of you who don't know, I am a terrible wimp when it comes to being by myself at night, so having visitors (especially some of my favorite people in the world!!) come visit while Marcus is so busy was so wonderful. My Aunt Joan has always had a way of making me feel like one of her own. It was a breath of fresh motherly air that blew through San Antonio. We joked with Udo that he was our own "Cousin Eddie" in his RV. I will tell you though, he is one fun and classy, might I add cousin eddie. He let Jack climb up on top of the motor home...Jack thought he was the coolest guy around. Let's face it: Udo is!

When Udo first saw Eliza, he said in his serious sounding German accent, "What happened to her hair?" Well, I actually think Udo and Eliza have quite similar hair, other than the color. What do you think?

Well, onto the next topic. So, Jack is quite a kid these days. I think he is exploring new avenues of self expression shall we say. Here are a few funny Jack moments:

Here is Jack in the Van, ready to go to the pool, goggles and all!

Now this is what happens when Jack wants to help cook...I scooped the salt into a teaspoon, and told him to dump it int he pot. Does this target seem small to anyone? Because the entire teaspoon went right on the stove. Hmmmm, how can it be that hard?

Jack often tells me that he needs some quiet time, then I come in his room to find this scene. Pretty cute huh?

My sweet Sunday afternoon nappers. Jack is so in love with his Daddy.

Oooops, my brother thought that my arms were his canvas. Naughty little guy.

Eliza is just crawling all over the place now. It is easiest when you don't have clothes to trip you up!

Well, there are a bunch of random snipits of our lives. The weather is getting cool, and we are spending more time outside. We went for a hike on Saturday, and Jack hiked the full 3 miles (well almost, the last little bit he rode on Daddy's shoulders). So life is good, we are loving Texas more and more each day.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-08-20T12:52:00.001-07:00

just me on my soapbox

2007-07-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I know I mostly post about my kids, but I have a most important matter I would like to discuss. If you all can pardon me for being on a bit of a soapbox about this subject, just take it for what it is worth and go with it. So I say to all of my friends out there: STOP SLOUCHING!! I have seen the most slumpy shoulders, hunched backs, and droopy necks in the past few months and I just can't take it. Especially women with children tend to start slouching terribly, and it really looks awful. I know, I know, it is hard to stand up straight when you have a baby on your hip, or quite frankly when you have two half gallons of milk on the front of you at certain times!! However, there is nothing more beautiful than a woman with regal posture. I don't mean look snooty, but throw those shoulders back, stand up straight, tuck your bum in and hold your head high. By golly that looks so much better!! Stand tall, and look confidently radiant!

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-07-15T13:49:00.001-07:00

Big Blue Eyed Eliza

2007-07-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Oh, sweet eliza jane, how did you get so cute!

My Sweet Little Jack

2007-07-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

First of all, I added two posts today, so read on down the way and see some cute swimming pictures. I couldn't let the day go by however, without writing down how much I love Jack today. Since Marcus has been gone a lot over the past few years, Jack and I have really become best buddies. He is so much fun, and always keeps me smiling. Today I had an especially great day with him for simple reasons. First off, Marcus just started his residency program yesterday, so it was my first of many trips to church without my husband. I felt like I was really doing well however, and got out of the house at 10:00 for 10:30 church (I know, amazing right) untill...a really mean guy flipped me off for driving in the fast lane (even though there was someone ahead of me and I couldn't drive any faster!) Anyhow, that just made me feel so sad all of a sudden because my big tough husband wasn't in the car to... well I don't know what he would do, but I am sure it would have been intimidating to the big truck-driving Texan, right? OK back to my point. Hmmm, oh yes, how much I love Jack, and not feeling sorry for myself in Marcus' absence, OK: Tonight I fixed a great dinner: really yummy tacos on homemade soft taco shells, and I thought to myself, "Why am I even putting forth any effort especially when my husband is long from being home at dinner time, and the only other dining guest in my family comes to the table in a dragon suit!

However, Jack and I sat up to the table, and Eliza in her highchair, and Jack started to say our prayer, He said, and I quote, "Heavenly Father, Thank you for Texas, and Thank you for Uncle Bobby...Amen" Pretty much so cute right? But then sweet Jack started to eat the meal I was questioning myself for putting any ounce of effort into, and chewed slowly and then said, "Mom....(long pause)...you are a really good maker." Who knew that taco would impress my three year old? And who knew he would actually tell me! What a cute little guy. Thanks for showing your appreciation Jack. I know now that a good meal is the way to even a mini-man's heart.

My Bathing Beauties

2007-07-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well it is not too incredibly hot here in Texas, it is usually in the 80s , but every chance we get we are at the pool. Eliza got her first swim suit (actually first two suits)

and every girl needs a cute cover up right?

We have a couple neighborhood pools which is a lot of fun, the one closest to us won't be completely done for a couple more weeks, but we made friends with a family just down the streeet who we go swimming with. It is a GREAT pool for the kids, Eliza just floats around in her floatie, and Jack plays to his hearts content. Here is a picture of Jack and his new friend Chase. And a couple more of the kids floating around.

Medical School Graduation

2007-06-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

So, I know that this is going back in time, but I wanted to share a cute story about Marcus' Medical school graduation, which was just over a month ago. Just to set the stage, no pun intended, I will begin by saying that the University of Rochester did a class act job of putting together a very lovely graduation ceremony. It was held in the Main Hall of the Eastman School of Music, which looks like something of an old European Opera house; red velvet seats, busts of Beethoven, Bach and others on the walls, an absolutely gorgeous ceiling with a huge and I mean huge crystal chandelier in the middle. This picture dosn't do it justice but you might get the idea.

So, back to the real story, the ceremony was very formal: there was a brass quintet playing as the professors and graduates walked in, and they all looked so great as they came in. They speaches were all wonderful, and then the time came to give each graduate a diploma. They asked that all the applause be held until after the last graduate. So, everybody was very quiet and serious as each graduate walked across the stage. Keep in mind that my children were two of only a handful of children in the entire theatre! Marcus walked up onto the stage, and they called, "MARCUS JAMES RAMPTON", and without any cues Jack screamed with pride in the middle of a very serious croud, "Good Job Daddy!!!" It was soooo cute. Everybody around us kind of turned and smiled. they thought it was pretty cute too. Indeed, we are all so proud of Marcus. He put in many hours at the hospital and in classrooms to learn the art of healing. We know the road was not easy for him all the time, but he made it!! I also love three year olds, who show their joy and pride no matter what kind of setting. They are so pure and true in thier display of emotion. So, here's to you Marcus. The three of us are your biggest fans. Nothing could stop your fan club from cheering you on.

BATH TIME!

2007-06-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

Look at this fluffy little girl! Five fat rolls on one thigh! We just love this splashing baby.

2007-06-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

We were driving home from Sea World today, and Jack was sitting his carseat next to his sis, and the whole way home he was doing silly goo goo ga ga noises at her, and she was absolutey belly laughing!! It was so funny! And Jack was so pleased with himself, he thought he was the best big brother in the whole world. Moments like that sure warm a mom's heart. These two little people are my world, and it is a very good world to be in.

2007-06-19T22:02:00.000-07:00

2007-06-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

a couple more cute pics of the kids

2007-06-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

jack playing when he is supposed to be sleeping!

look at me janene and wendy, i grew into the jammies you gave me!

le creuset: a culinary dream come to pass

2007-06-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

for those of you who know me, you know that i have been dreaming about the day that my kitchen will be home to a red le creuset pan...well my friends the day has come, and i am very excited. we have a le creuset outlet close by and i got a great deal (not to mention the added 20 percent off thanks to the military). so, i made creamy chicken risotto tonight that would knock your socks off. Also i found the perfect table cloth from the pottery barn outlet:pink paisley...dosn't get much better than that. So, even though it is silly, here are a couple pictures of my new treasures.

pics for kicks

2007-06-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

here are a couple of pics of the kids!

Eliza Jane: definately worth an extra 7 minutes

2007-06-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, last year I decided that I was going to start training for triathalons to keep in shape. With a little gleaning of knowledge from the Dougherty's (thanks guys you inspired me more than you know)...I did my first duathalon last spring. I was pleased with how I did, since quite honestly it was my first competative race since running in my highschool track uniform! I was completely pumped to do my next race a couple months later which was a triathalon, and would require me to add swimming to my excersize schedule. I was delighted to find out a few weeks later that I was pregnant with our second child Eliza. However, heavy training was put on hold, and I determined to resume training for races after the baby came. My goal was to get back in shape quick enough after Eliza was born to do the same duathalon a year later (which would be 3 months after she was born). I had been saving up for a bike, and a month before my race I got my first very own road bike. Here's what I don't love: running...Here's what I love love love:biking. So, back to the story, race day came, and I didn't feel ready at all. Eliza was still up nursing twice in the night, and I had really only been running for a month, but I decided that I would do it no matter what and finishing the race would be my goal. To make a long story short, I came up over the last hill, and I spotted Marcus and the kids cheering me on, and I had a beautiful, triumphant moment. Children are a sacrifice, but mostly a pure joy. I finished that race seven minutes slower than I had the year before, but I figured my progression in life is much more deep and real than seven minutes in a race. I had a beautiful healthy baby at the end waiting for me. And that is is the real deal. Not many peple in that race sat down on the grass and nursed a baby after just crossing the finish line. It was a happy day. So, I guess my take home lesson is that as a mother of two little people I may not finish life's race first, I may not finish it in perfect style, but my friends I will finish it, most likely with a giggling baby on my hip, a frog catching three year old at my side, and a husband cheering me on.

our last days in rochester...pardon the sap

2007-06-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

when i pulled into whipple park four years ago i started to cry...what was this place that looked like an army camp? the burnt looking siding was more than i could take; it looked old, toys were strewn in every direction and i told marcus we better start looking for a new place to live because I was not about to call this place home....four years later as katie drove me down murlin drive to catch my plane to texas i was overwhelmed by the love i felt for this beautiful tree lined street. the burnt siding actually grew on me, and more importantly, as i drove down that road i felt a deep richness. i left my beautiful rochester, ny with bits and pieces of so many cherished friends. you all enriched who i am, and who i will always strive to be. though i am terrible at goodbyes, and i am sure there are a good many of you who i failed to hug before i left (or flippantly said "see you tomorrow" knowing darn well that i wouldn't) i hope you all know that you are a part of me...i love you all. four years after the tears over burnt siding, i sat as the airplane taxied away, holding eliza and sobbing. tears again...

love to you all

I know you all are not in this picture, but at least i got a few of you!

2007-05-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

OK everybody...since we are moving away to texas, I am going to start really doing this blog thing to keep in touch with all of my beloved family and friends a little bit better!

Well, we are just enjoying the last few weeks of our stay here in Rochester. We have absolutely loved living here and will miss it dearly. We have made so many great friends, that we will be close with our whole lives. We feel very blessed to have been here for four years.

Well, Marcus graduates on the 18th of may! It dosn't seem like four years have passed.

Anyhow, I am going to try and keep this blog thing going, so I can let you know how we are all doing.

love to you all

Rebecca