Happy Birthday to J!

A week ago (last Sunday), J turned 7!  What a great kid he is.  I sure love him.  I have been so blessed to be his Mama.  I think he was sent to our family intentionally at the time he was to A) try and save our family and B) when our family ended up going through the divorce, he was sent to save me by giving me something to concentrate on beside my heartache.

J's birthday began on Friday.  Here he is singing with his teacher and his school class.  I got to bring in brownies and he was so excited about it.  He is a funny kid since he is so very crazy (even in front of a large crowd) and such a ham so much of the time, but sooooooo shy when he gets up in front of a group. It is one of the strangest things.

This meant that standing in front of his class was a little uncomfortable.

The next day was Saturday and the day before his birthday.  As part of his birthday celebration, J, CK, V, and I went to the zoo.  J loves, loves, loves animals (particularly penguins).  The only way we get him to read (although he is a great reader) is to get animal books and then he can read for hours.  Since he loves the animals, the zoo is the perfect place for him.  I wouldn't be surprised if he someday worked at a zoo, taking care of the animals and designing habitats.  I have dozens of pictures of animals that he took that day.  Here are some...usually ones I took with him (He is cuter to me than all those animals after all). 

 J got to choose where we went except Mom got to choose to go see the baby elephants.  I am glad we went.  They are so cute!

 Then, as we were leaving the elephants, an elderly one jumped in the water and started taking a bath?  It stayed under water for a very long time.  I don't know how long elephants can hold their breaths, but it was quite a while!

 Here is J feeding the birds.  He was nervous when they got close to him.  We actually ended up giving his food stick to a family coming in that hadn't purchased one.

 V just melts my heart.  She is so super cute and she was such a good sport about being pushed around in the stroller all morning in the hot, humid weather.  At least, it wasn't sunny!

 J loves V too!

 And, the penguins.  Our zoo has a very small penguin exhibit compared to many.  Perhaps it is because we live in such a warm climate.  But, nonetheless, J was sooooooooooooooo excited. 

 He took many more pictures of the penguins.  Maybe someday it will be him that makes the penguins a larger exhibit.

 If you look closely, behind J is a coyote, which is the mascot of our local middle school (where K went and where C currently attends).

And, as we were leaving the zoo, we took a Mommy-Son picture.  We had to document that I was there, right?

 This is what J wanted me to put on his cake.  I am glad he colored it for me.  That helps.  Down below, you will see how close I could come.

 84 months old!  Crazy!

 I do have other pictures of him opening presents, but this is the present from CK and I.  He hasn't really ever had a bike.  He is 7 and doesn't know how to ride.  A few years ago I bought him one at a yard sale, but it ended up not working well, so he really doesn't know how to ride.  I was super nervous about giving him this as our only gift....it was NOT something he asked for.  I didn't know if he would like it.

 But, he did.  He has been out almost every day practicing riding.  He loves it.  I am so glad.

Finally, a tradition that has come down from my side of the family from who knows how far back is allowing the birthday kid to cut and serve his cake to his family.  I don't think I have remembered every time to ask the kids if they want to serve, but most of the time they don't want to if I ask.  J wanted to serve and it was interesting indeed to watch him cut pieces right in the middle of his cake.  He did quite well on the sizes, though, although C felt he was gypped. 

And...even though he had a Sunday birthday, I think it was a great day for him.  He was worried that a Sunday birthday would be too busy, but it worked out.  He did get his crepes for breakfast and his steak, plantains, and black beans for his after church meal.  They sang to him in Primary.  He got to see his dad for a little bit in the evening.  A good day for sure.

Happy, Happy Birthday, J Dear!  I love you!

Happy Birthday, V!

 Good Morning, Birthday Girl!!!!

This was V when I went to get her this morning.  Of course, she has no idea what a birthday is or what the craziness is all about, but she loves music and so the singing of "Happy Birthday" made her so happy.  She just danced away.  :)

Here she was a year ago...she was so little!!!

 Look what tiny feet she has!!!

 And...at two months....

 Here's a little poster I made about her.  She is such a fun girl.  I really love her so much!

 And then, this afternoon, we went to have a party at the Hospital.  Since V was the first baby born at this hospital, they invited her to celebrate the hospital's birthday.  It was fun. 

 Joining her at the party was the first set of twins born at the hospital as well.  What cute boys!  Their birthday is the beginning of October...so they got to start their party early!

 There ended up being a huge crowd and V was very concerned and overwhelmed.  It took them a moment to have a speech, then to sing, then to give the three babies cake.  She stayed concerned and not crying for quite a while, but did eventually lose it.  Even Mama being close didn't console her.  Holding her, though, she was okay.

 Luckily, after the crowd dispersed, she was happy and interested and even spent some time "visiting" with the Hospital President.

 My sister and her kids then dropped by for a quick dinner, present opening, and cake.  I am so grateful that we have family close.  What a blessing!!!

 It was fun to sing to her and see her explore the cake.

She doesn't like having dirty hands and she eventually was ready to get down.

We didn't have many presents for her.  Thank goodness!!  I think the couple she got were also overwhelming....we'd give her one toy, take it away so that she could open another present.  It was a little stressful.  None of those pictures were great.

But, just like this afternoon, when the crowd (also known as her siblings) dispersed, she loved playing with her new kitchen and dishes and food. 

I am so glad that she loves it.  I wanted to give her something that would grow with her.  This does, I think.  Obviously, she cannot yet pretend, but she sure loves to put things in and take things out.  The kitchen does that and it will also be there for her when she is ready to pretend.  :)

So... a few of the things about her:
She is 27" tall, 18 pounds with 2 teeth.
She walks very well.
She can say most clearly:  "Please," "Princess," "Jesus," "Cat," "Amen"
She loves music and dancing, putting everything in her mouth, playing with her siblings.
She does not like cuddling AT ALL.  :(

There are more things on her board if that picture is visible.

I am so grateful that she is my baby girl.  I love her so very much.  She brings such joy to our family. 

Happy Birthday, V!!!

PS...In other news, we were not expecting to find out the gender of our new baby yesterday, but we did!!!  It is a little BOY!  V will have a brother.  :)

And....we have a walker!!!

It is official.  She is walking.  :)

V has been walking between 8-15 steps for a couple of weeks.  She has been just taking off and walking towards anywhere she wants for the last week.  But, then she always takes 3-15 steps and plops down, sometimes out of nervousness, sometimes she just loses her balance.

But, tonight, she rounded a corner.  She took off walking and didn't fall.  She just is walking everywhere and she is sooooooooooooooo proud of herself.  I love watching my children learn and grow.  This is so much fun.  :)  She still falls on occasion, of course, but she is just walking pretty much where ever she wants and I could watch her all day!  :)

Hopefully soon I can add a picture to this post.  -sigh- We will see about that one!  Life is quite crazy these days.  I am so grateful that we already had prayed and planned on this next baby.  I am glad that I am 15 weeks pregnant.  With all this craziness, I might've said, "I can't do it." and I would never have the joy of this coming infant in our home.  Isn't God great?  He works in the best ways for us!  I am so blessed!

Another First Day!

 And...we have another first day of school.  Hard to believe they are back already.  It is even more difficult to believe just how old they are!!

 C started 7th grade today.  He was definitely the least nervous...hardly at all.  He is such a talented kid.  I am proud of him.  This year brings Honor Band (way to go!...He had to try out to get in) and football.  He begins practices tomorrow early (6:30 or 7:00).

 Here is my little J, only he isn't so little any more.  Perhaps you can guess which grade he is entering?  Yep 1st.  He is so much more capable than he was in Kindergarten.  He was nervous, but not upset.  School is a routine for him now. 

 As he sits at his desk, he is trying to convince us of how sad he is! 

Then, of course, there is my K.  She began high school (9th grade) this year.  Oh my!  She is so ready, but she was very nervous.  As I dropped her off, it felt a little like taking her to Kindergarten - leaving my baby in a strange, new, and big school and trusting she would make it. 

I know she will be fine.  In a day or two, after the kinks are worked out, she will be more than fine, she will thrive.  But, for now, I am just praying for a good day for her.

I don't feel like it really has been 14 years since I became a mom, but she is the evidence.  I guess I am getting older.  I don't feel "old," just I know that having a child in high school makes me seem ancient to many.

V is such a happy baby.  She is just playing around, mostly by herself.  She is walking 8-12 steps at a time (although occasionally she still falls after two) and she is just letting go and taking off walking with no destination in mind.  It won't be long until that is all she does!  I am grateful today especially for her good nature.  I have severe leg pain that may or may not be pregnancy related (it doesn't seem to be, but you never know) and the pain woke me up around two this morning, never to go back to sleep.  Needless to say, between lack of sleep and continuing pain, I am dragging.  Thank goodness V is so good at entertaining herself.  In so many ways, she is a blessing to me. 

And, I miss A.  It has been nearly a month already since we saw her.  I wish we lived closer.  I am also ready for this new baby....not ready for it to be born, but just excited that I get to be a Mom again. 

Stuck Under the Ottoman

 So, yes that happened today.  V crawled under the ottoman after a block and got all the way under and stuck, except for just her little toesies on one foot.  I would have loved a picture, but I couldn't leave her stuck.

This wasn't true yesterday, however.  All of a sudden, I hear her complaining from across the room.  When I went to see what was the matter, I found that she was stuck in her toy basket.  She had walked in, sat down, and couldn't get out.  My camera was right there, so I did take her picture before rescuing her.  

 This is another fun face of V:

 All the kids are exceptional with her.  C is one of them.  He loves to carry her on his shoulders and they both have so much fun.  I am so blessed with such amazing children.  So very blessed indeed.

Finally, two days ago, V turned 11 months old.  It is hard to capture a very mobile 11-month-old with her "number day."  Here are some of the many faces of V:

 V is such a joy to have in our home.  She is very happy and well-mannered.  She is into everything, but that is expected for her age.  She will take 3-5 steps at a time, between objects or people, but when she isn't walking solo, she has a "walker" toy that she pushes all around and walks behind and loves it!  She has figured out how to walk around it and push from the front if she runs into something.  She has also discovered how to turn the corners to go around the island in the kitchen.

She loves to do "Soooo big" and "Peek a Boo."  She will say "Amen" at the end of a prayer and "peeeessseee" if she wants more food.  She also says "Jesus" and loves to look at His picture.   She also knows how to shake her head "no" and nod her head "yes," although I don't think she is quite to using them to respond to us.  She will, however, if we tell her "no," shake her head as if to acknowledge what we said.

In other news, we got to see our new baby via ultrasound today.  I am so relieved.  I am always nervous about losing a baby after the one that we lost almost two years ago.  He/She was waving at us on ultrasound, is measuring big, and has a steady and perfect heartbeat.  I am so grateful.  He/She also has two arms, two legs, a little bum, and a large head.  We could see the profile and watched him/her move.  I am so grateful.  Life is such a miracle.  It really is.  I am blessed to be part of it by getting to carry these babies of mine.  (Oh, and much to the consternation of K, C, and A, there is only one baby and not twins.  Thank goodness!!)

I am soooo exhausted all the time.  I have little energy on a daily basis.  Maybe now that I am 14.5 weeks and in the second trimester, it will begin to come back.  Ha!!!  Even if I wasn't pregnant, we have K starting early morning seminary at 6:00, then C goes to football practice around 6:30, then we go get K from seminary, then J goes to school about 7:10, then, finally, K goes to school (leaving on the bus) about 8:10.  Yikes!!  What a crazy life we lead!!  I really don't know how I will function, but I will just put one foot in front of the other and one day in front of the next and we will make it.  CK is so supportive.  I know we can do this. 

So, I may not blog very often....tomorrow we begin early morning practice schedule.  It happens for real on Monday.  We have been practicing at night for the entire week, but it is now time to wake up early.  -sigh-  Hardest on Mommy this year, I am sure.

Amazing!

Just the fact that I am taking the time to post, even briefly is amazing!  I have so much to share and so much that I want to remember, but......I cannot run faster than I have strength and this pregnancy is really taking it out of me.  I am unable to do many things that I have to just put on a "someday" list and try my hardest to forget about them.  Not easy for my personality, but I am doing better (of necessity).

Today, though, I had a great time.  V and I drove over to visit my dear, dear friend that moved just over a year ago.  I am lucky in that we get to talk frequently and that we still see each other a few times each year.  Iit is always a treat to be able to be together.  I love her and respect her and just getting to visit was such a blessing to me.  Her kids adored V and just loved her so much.  It was wonderful to watch.  I cannot express enough how grateful I am that I went.  I am grateful that CK is always supportive and encouraging.  Such a blessing.  He helps me want to do things like this.  I am grateful.

It is kind of an odd week.  We had to say goodbye to A on Saturday, as she went back to her other home.  We also had to say goodbye to K, C, and J as they are on vacation with their dad for an entire week!  It is just V and CK and I.  Very quiet and very different than having all five kids running around.  I miss all four of them.  XDH has never taken his three for this long.  I am grateful that he is choosing to take time off work and make these memories with them.  I will be sooooooooooooooo ready to have them home and ready for them to be back, but, for now, I am grateful they can bond with Dad.

I just barely downloaded all 350-ish pictures from our Colorado, Utah, and Idaho summer trip, as well as all the rest of our summer activities.  -sigh-  I have a lot to catch up on.  One day at a time.  One day at a time.

What I am doing at this moment...I think it is a "sweet spot" moment

I am resting on the couch trying to fight the near-constant nausea that I am blessed with these days.

I am watching V play happily by herself with her toys and walking around.

I am listening to K, A, and J play a game of cards happily together in the piano room.

C is gone on his first home teaching assignment with CK as his partner.

Life is good. 

We just got home from a 15 day trip that was absolutely exhausting and, honestly, probably shouldn't have happened.  But, we got to see so many, many family members and reconnect with those we love.  What a blessing.  And, we did it in an air-conditioned, yet very crammed, mini-van.  How blessed.

I am also pondering on all that has happened and not been written about....I am just not up to blogging these days.  -sigh-  Just when I get in the habit again...... -sigh-

I took down a form today to register K for high school freshman orientation today and I spent time looking at all THREE different schools and their different registrations and making sure I can put it all together.  Crazy.  My life is perfectly crazy.  Five kids:  14, 12, 9, 6, and 10 months.  Perfect.  And crazy.

Yesterday marked two years since CK and I were married in the Idaho Falls, ID temple.  What a great man I married.  I could never have imagined how great my life could be.  I am so blessed beyond measure.  The heavens have truly opened and poured me out blessings greater than I deserve.  

Also, yesterday, we did a photo shoot at the hospital for an article in a magazine about V...since she was the first baby born in that hospital.  It was fun and the kids enjoyed it.

What a great life I have!  I am so very very blessed.  I have a life that I love and cherish.  I am feeling the weight of sadness as A goes back to her other home on Saturday.  She will be so missed, so very, very missed and my Mommy heart aches that we will not have the opportunity to have all five kids together again until Christmas.  How sad!  Divorces really impact the children.  We are super blessed with how well our family has blended, but it is still difficult.  Luckily, CK and V and I will travel to see her each month, but that still doesn't bring all the kids together.  :(

What a great moment in time.  I had to capture it, for it will never be July 31, 2013 ever again.  I have to cherish it now, just as it is.  :)

Happy birthday, C

C is twelve! Holy cow! Where did the time go?

I am so proud of him. He has a multitude of talents. He is such a good friend. He is such a good big brother. He is great at the trumpet, loves sports, and so far gets straight A's.

He is a scriptorian and always astounds us with his knowledge and insight. He has been preparing for and excited to receive the Priesthood on Sunday.

It has been a great day. Right now he and four friends are swimming and playing in the pool- absolutely having a blast! We already ate Crepes for breakfast, opened present and ate pizza for lunch. Tonight he goes with XDH for dinner. My mom flew in yesterday and it has been great to have her here to celebrate too. We don't see her often and this opportunity is a blessing.

I love C. He is pretty amazing. Happy birthday!!!

It was the best of Fourths...it was the worst of Fourths.

First, I have to say, "Happy Birthday, United States of America!". I love my country. I am thankful for each man and woman that is currently fighting to provide me and mine the freedoms we enjoy. I am grateful for the thousands upon thousands throughout the centuries that have given their lives to allow me these freedoms. God bless America!!

Now, it is the best of fourths and the worst of fourths....for the same reason! Our four older kids are with their other parents and it is just V, CK, and I.

I need a break. It has been a busy summer and I am tired and worn out. Five kids during one summer-never had that before and I am exhausted. This laid back Fourth is probably just what I need.

At the same time, the 4th of July is my FAVORITE holiday. I love barbecue-ing with friends and family. I love ward breakfasts and parades - big and small. I love crowds and live music while the huge firework display goes off, and believe me...in Texas they know how to do fireworks!!!

So, it is with much needed relief coupled with a little sadness that we enjoy our Fourth differently this year. I am still so grateful I have the freedom to choose- to relax or party. Either way, my heart is full of gratitude for this great country in which I live! :)