Weighing in at 7lbs 8oz and measuring 19 ½ inches long, Savannah Brenée takes the cake for the record number of firsts for 2013. Our first girl took her first breath at 9:30 am on May 28. In the subsequent 6 months, some of her firsts include: sleeping through the night, 1st smile, 1stt laugh, rolled over, found her thumb, sat up by herself, 1st Race for the Cure, 1st haircut, and cut her 1st tooth. These stats do not capture the essence of our little darling though. We lovingly refer to her by many different names: Savannah, Vannie, Vannah, Vannah Banana, Princess Piggy, and Snorty McSnorterson are just a few of our favorites. If I could, I would bottle up the scent of her silky smooth hair and the memory of her squishy legs, soft skin, and toothy grin so I could break it out years from now to remember this precious time with her. She is sweet as pie and extremely laid back. She patiently blows raspberries to show discontent rather than crying, adores her family, intently studies adults’ faces when they are engaged in conversation, flaps her wings and kicks with delight when someone she loves walks into the room…. especially our cat Simba, who quite frankly could care less.
Just as we were getting used to being a family of 6, Brad met the call to go on his 4th deployment, the 1st to Afghanistan. The roar of freedom broke the silence of the crisp morning air well before dawn on September 5th, when he and 5 other jets pushed out for the 9 hour flight to Spain, then to Qatar, and finally landed in Afghanistan where they set up camp for the next 2 ½ months. During this tour, he set a personal record for the most sorties and most flying hours on a deployment to date. The sorties were the longest he’s ever flown (typically 6-7 hours each), so it didn’t leave much free time. We were able to text almost daily and Skype once a week, which made the miles between us seem a little closer. He landed back in Tulsa on Coleman’s birthday, and just in case you were wondering: Daddy’s return was indeed the best. birthday present. ever.
In the months of his absence, I (Stephanie) kept the Ruttman Family Circus up and running with the help of family, friends, and our new church family Trinity Presbyterian Church in Owasso. In my spare time (HA! By spare time, I mean the time that I let everything else go for the sake of working on this project), I was able to come very close to replicating my mom’s salsa with vegetables from my very 1st garden that Brad and the boys made me for Mother’s Day! I am giddy over the idea of teaching my daughter how to grow and harvest vegetables someday, just like my mom did for me. My two little tomato plants exploded and yielded more tomatoes than I could keep up with! I’m already looking forward to next season and more salsa…
JJ experienced his fair share of memorable firsts in 2013: Brad taught him how to use a riding lawn mower, so now the two of them knock out the mowing together in less time. He got his 1st pair of glasses, which he says is like seeing the world in High Definition. You can bet the younger boys got great satisfaction out of correcting their elder brother during his eye exam when he started getting the letters wrong on the eye chart. The year 2013 will go down in his own personal history as the year he met and fell in love with a girl for the 1st time: his baby sister. He came with us to the hospital when she was born, and they have been nearly inseparable ever since. It was also the year he accepted his 1st role in a community-wide, all-kid theater production: Jolly Roger and the Pirate Queen. God has given him such an intense passion and talent for entertaining on stage that we can only expect to see more of this in his future! Lastly, 2013 marks the year he shot his 1st deer, a well-respected rite of passage in our little family. He beamed with pride as Brad presented him with a knife of his own in the presence of other young men and bestowed on him the honor of participating in the newly formed Ruttman hunting traditions.
In 2013, Christian tried baseball for the 1st time, started Kindergarten, learned to read(!), and became obsessed with complicated Lego creations. From time to time I can hear the Legos scatter all over the dining room table as he empties a large Lego kit. Hours later he will come strutting in the living room with a meticulously built elaborate creation, using the step-by-step instructions from the box. He adores his baby sister, laughs wildly at everything she does, and eagerly carries the news of her milestones to anyone who will listen. He enjoys going to school and takes a lot of pride in his work. He is our child that understands the value in putting off something fun for greater enjoyment later: he saves candy for later, saves his dollars and coins for a bigger purchase, and of his own accord chose to delay his birthday party a month and a half so his daddy could be home for it.
In 2013, Coleman FINALLY got to abandon ship with his brothers in the drop-off line at Stone Canyon Elementary. He started Pre-K! He is very proud to be a member of the club that complains about having to go to school, but secretly looks forward to learning something new every day. Not to be shown up by his older brother, he taught himself how to write his name and has listened so attentively every time we review Christian’s sight words that he can now read as well! He and Christian also went hunting with Dad for the 1st time this year. Coleman fell asleep in the ground blind when the 3DS went out of power and Christian kept busy playing games quietly on Daddy’s phone while he kept watch for unsuspecting deer. Coleman gets a thrill out of unlocking new levels on Lego Batman 2 on the Wii, dressing up in superhero costumes with his friends, playing with Transformers, and doting on his baby sister.
The year 2013 was filled to the brim with memorable firsts for our family, but one in particular is not one we find joy in retelling… however it was such a pivotal event that it feels deceptive to leave it out. On May 20th, the 1st unwelcome guest ever barged through the front door of my childhood home and damaged it beyond repair. My mom took cover in the little toy closet under the stairs before the tornado ripped through her 35-year-old home. After it left, she walked out to find complete devastation all around her, but she herself was unharmed, praise the Lord. The shock and grief of losing my childhood home was offset by the utter joy and excitement of welcoming Savannah into our family just 8 days later. She gave us all something to celebrate in the midst of tragedy. Her birth was a symbol of new life sprouting up out of the ashes. We were reminded that stuff breaks, but life goes on. Even sturdy houses can be made to resemble a giant game of pick-up sticks… but our souls are indestructible! The hope we have in Jesus’ perfect life, his sacrificial death, his burial, and his glorious resurrection on our behalf has propelled us forward through the heartbreak of loss, and has given us peace and even excitement as we anticipate the day He comes back to make all things new!!
We wish you a Merry Merry Christmas and a Happy Happy Happy New Year!
With love,
The Ruttmans
