Friday, December 26, 2008

Miranda Funny

It is not too often I get to report on something funny Miranda says. She cracked Jeremy and I up this morning. One thing about Miranda is that she is our pickiest eater. Textures bother her a lot and she has the mental capacity to make her self throw up just so she doesn't have to eat something. She is the one that will ask to go to the bathroom with a mouthful of food so she can spit it out in the toilet. She was caught now we do a mouth check before she can go potty during meal times. This morning we gave her some cereal, Lucky Charms. She will only eat a very small amount, like 1/8 cup with no milk. She was eating it then decided she didn't feel well. With the stomach flu going around we were a little hesitant but knowing her track record, we thought she could finish it. She got really pouty and sad. Everyone else finished and Jeremy asked who would eat Vienna Sausages. She brightened up and said she would. We looked at her and said but you are full and not feeling well.

"I was just saying that so I didn't have to finish"..short pause...smack herself on forehead "I just tattle-taled on myself!"

Jeremy and I started laughing and Miranda did too. Then Jeremy said that is a blog moment and I whole-heartedly agreed. That was when Miranda started crying and saying it wasn't funny. There were real tears, but I am too mean and it really was funny. So here it is in blog form, she may or may not ever know. **Hear wicked evil laugh here**

Thursday, December 25, 2008

An update on Jackson

He's still living the suite life in my womb. I went in and am dilated to 1.5cm, good news right? But my little cervix that should have the process down by now is uncooperative. It has not softened or shortened. He was willing to "stretch" things but due to the unsoftness (? is that how you say it?) he couldn't. He felt around and thought maybe Jackson was no longer head down, turns out he is still head down but not "locked and loaded." Which made the doctor nervous. I wasn't terribly surprised since Lauren was still moving up until she was bound head down 4 hours before she was born. So we will not be having a December 2008 baby. My next appointment is January 5th, two days after my due date. He is still very aware of the size of Lauren so he is trying to make sure I don't have that same experience again. I am measuring right on, so I am hoping he is not growing too rapidly. Here's hoping that he will be here soon, healthy and a normal birth weight.

A Christmas Dream

Up through Tuesday we had the ideal Christmas. Then our Christmas dream became a nightmare. At about 3:00am Christmas Eve it went down hill. Jeremy woke up with VIOLENT tummy troubles. "Both faucets on" is how he put it. That lasted for about four hours before it slowed down. I was able to go to my Doctor appointment (report to follow). We had babysitting planned and Jeremy was going to go but was more worried about how he was going to survive. Our good friends were willing to take on four of our kids so Miranda could go with me to visit the doctor. By the time I got home around 11:30 I was in the midst of the same illness, although not with the same violence as Jeremy. We spent the rest of the day among the land of the dead. The kids were absolutely fabulous. They got along well, watched movies and stayed pretty calm and not needy. They were amazing. We were unable to go to our family Christmas Eve dinner, but pity was taken on us and they went and got Happy Meals for our kiddos. Nothing like Christmas with McDonald's. The kids were just as pleased although they missed their cousins. Jeremy and I tried to make the most of it and read Luke 2 to the kids while they acted it out. Then thankfully parenthood was over for the night. We put them to bed after putting out cookies and milk for Santa, and Carrots and a bowl of water for the reindeer. Those were disposed of rather quickly in a nontradional way! It was a toss up as to who had the least amount of energy.

After the darlings were asleep we had required duties to take care of. I truly contemplated telling the kids Santa did not want to come because he couldn't afford to get sick when he had so many deliveries. Luckily we had just enough borrowed energy to get things in order. We didn't, however, get our presents out. On the way back to bed I knew I was going to loose it. Well I did, all over the bathroom floor. Luckily, if you can say that, it was all on the linoleum and all that I had was water so it looked like the kids got a little crazy with the sink. When we woke up this morning we were feeling considerably better and were able to get everything in order before the kids woke up.

We had our little family Christmas with no major incidents, then went to Mom J.'s house for presents. We got there at noon and the kids enjoyed opening presents and playing with their cousins. At about 2:30 the kids ate lunch. Jeremy and I were still on the "I won't eat if it's the last thing I do diet." About 15 minutes later Haylie experienced the same lovely illness as Jer and I. Again luckily, it was over the hard wood floors. Unfortunately, her Aunt's brand new, less than a month old, Genuine Ugg boots received some splatter, UGH! Can you clean those? So our Christmas celebration came to a quick close as we told everyone of our kids to hold their breath, not to pass on germs, and get in the car really quick. Everyone was very nice about it, I can only hope that this ends with our family and we didn't infect anyone.

This has been the most nontraditional Christmas. The kiddos have been so good and we have heard "This is the BEST Christmas ever" lots of times. Jeremy and I just look at each other and laugh. It at least goes to show our kids have low expectations. As of now I just can't help but dream of a healthy Christmas next year!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Jeremy thinks I'm Silly!

It is no secret that I am counting down the seconds until my due date that will inevitably pass before I have this little tyke. I keep hoping and planning what I will do if I were to spontaneously go into labor. I know it's a pipe dream. As labor and delivery loom near I start to panic. I know it is silly considering I panic every time and it has been a great experience, surrounded by pain of course. I have heard horror stories frequently in the last few weeks and I can't help but think "what if that was me?" A friend who is expecting in May said at her 20 week appointment her baby was measuring the size (at least length) of a 30 week fetus. She said she ripped in three directions with her small 7 pound baby and ended up with something like 175 stitches, HOLY COW! Another friend was pushing for over 2 hours, I DO NOT HAVE THE STAMINA for that! I have been lucky that in that sense too I have had a maximum of 15 minutes of pushing mostly less though. The twins were 10 minutes for both. More recently a friend had an 11lb 3oz baby boy! A few people were prepped for a c-section then able to have their child the "normal" exit way, only after having to freak out that the heart rates of their child had dropped.

In all these cases, while painful, scary, or exhausting, all babies and mamma's were healthy. Why do I fear? The birth process is a miracle and dangerous yet I have heard more good stories and happy endings than the other.

I have only had an epidural with the twins and it was mostly for their safety. It was a pretty simple delivery, no complications, no stitches and virtually pain free, and the actual labor was quick. I didn't like the swelling afterwards or being cold. With this being my last pregnancy I debate whether to get the epidural or not? It's not that I don't get an epidural to be a hero, I kind of feel that the doctors/nurses help to move things along or take me more seriously when I say I need to push. With the twins I couldn't feel anything. In fact the doctor came and checked and said "you're ready, there's a head" I had no idea! I couldn't feel contractions, but I could still control the pushing aspect. I guess that is good. I also don't like the feeling of not being in control of my body and being numb is certainly not being in control. On the other hand when I had Lauren with no pain relief, I almost lost control mentally, I started to freak out. I no longer wanted any part of the birth process, which unfortunately was kind of mandatory. I had made the commitment when we decided to have another baby. There were a few nurses who wouldn't let me give up (just a note Jeremy was on the fence) and within a few minutes my little linebacker GIRL was born.

So maybe I am silly for being worried but I am nonetheless and can't wait for it to be over. The aches and pains have been tolerable through pregnancy but they are getting more difficult, sometimes I think I might cry, but I keep plugging along hoping that the activities that cause the pain such as cleaning, and walking, will help with spontaneous labor. Then the next day I feel the uncomfortable results and wonder if I may not be silly just crazy!

After all is said and done, I just want to hold a healthy little boy really soon, kiss his little forehead, and let him wrap his fist around my finger. It won't be too long before I am wrapped around his little finger! I am sure I won't be alone at least four of his older siblings feel the same way as me. As for Lauren we will see. Then there is Dad, I don't think he can wait too much longer to have two sons to teach and embrace.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Happy Birthday, SON!

Yesterday was Logan's 6th Birthday. I can't believe he is growing up so fast. All he could talk about was his spider cake that he was getting for his birthday. For the record I couldn't fit 8 legs per spider just so you know I am not teaching him incorrect spider facts! He said it was his best birthday ever. We celebrated his birthday with extended family on Tuesday where he got spoiled. His cousin's birthday was that day so they got to celebrate together.

Here is the video link. I couldn't ask for a better example for Logan to look up to, but I couldn't be more proud that Logan wants to be like his Dad.
Happy Birthday Logan J!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Another Craft Project

I have been feeling very crafty, and it works especially well when I either have the supplies or can get them very cheap. I found this project here. I was inspired. So I got all the supplies and did it QUICKLY. It is a very simple project.
For some reason it won't rotate right but it is a close up of the M. Now I just need to figure out how to hang them on the wall. I may need to get a tiny shelf to put it on!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Want, Want, Want!

I use that word too often! I came across this website tha sells aprons and the patterns. They are adorable. http://www.epicureanstyle.com/. This is my favorite:
Isn't it adorable? I amnot a bird fan but I really like the style and pattern. Who wouldn't feel like a modern June Cleaver cooking with this apron? Here is a link to the post with pictures of various styles. You can also go to her store at the above website. You can buy either the already made apron or buy the pattern!

Monday, December 15, 2008

That's just gross!

We were sitting in church on Sunday and Hannah so gracefully and with perfect manners picks her nose. Yes folks, you know the chain of events, in her mouth it went. While trying to contain my gagging, pregnancy has led me to the toilet frequently in these kinds of situations, I had to think of how to tell her not to do this. So I whispered in her ear that boogers are made of germs and when she takes them out of her nose and puts them in her mouth she is putting yucky germs in her body. I am sure too deep for a three year old but whatever. She looks at me and says "But I like them!" Hurl, gag, giggle! At least she was honest!

Giveaway

Well it is not mine, but it can be found here.

She is giving away 4 place settings, you can choose one color or up to four colors. The values is $50/place setting. Way cute! She will be doing the drawing on Christmas eve. Here's to Santa giving me a gift of Fiestaware!

It's a miracle!

I have been very blessed to have an easy time conceiving, pregnancy has been a breeze (don't get me wrong it is not comfortable all the time and there are pains but no concerns or health problems), and delivery is almost perfectly story book. I have had this experience several times. As I am getting to the end of this pregnancy I have been reflecting on the miracle of life. It is still so unbelievable to me that there is this precious little life growing inside of me. It is incomprehensible in so many ways. It is amazing how the body can take care of a growing human life, and the human life can change and grow so drastically in such a short time. It also surprises me how often I can not remember I am pregnant. I will forget that this big belly can "squeeze" at all any more. So often I forget how far it is out there and I bump in to people. My favorite is when I am sitting down with Lauren standing in front of me. Normally I would have plenty of room to stand up but now I stand up and hit her with my belly and she falls down. OOPS!

I can't wait to meet baby Jackson. To see who he will be and how his personality will fit in with our family. I used to give Logan a bad time for his emotional outbursts, the twins had their mischievousness time two, Lauren is so much more strongly opinionated then any of our children. There is no secret when she doesn't want what you offer. She can't talk but she let's you know in an effective way, usually it involves swinging arms and a loud noise. Miranda was not perfect but I had nothing to compare her to so it is hard to see the little quirks she had. All of our kids are special and have so many fun qualities. They are like their dad in that they LOVE music. They love to play in a big group, small group and even by themselves. I think that is a benefit to a large family. They all have options. They love to do craft projects, I will claim that as coming from me. Miranda loves to read, while Logan has an amazing number sense. Before kindergarten he was using the clock to do math. he came up with that on his own. It will be fun to see Haylie and Hannah with their educational strengths. Time goes by so fast.

Parenthood is truly a miracle and a blessing. I am not the best parent and I have so many faults and fail at so many things, but I love my kids and by some miracle they love me too. Heavenly Father knows what he is doing when creating these strong bonds. I know what I feel towards my kids is only a fraction of what He feels towards each of us. It is hard to comprehend. I am grateful for that love too.

On the same note of parenthood I have been thinking a lot about the Savior's birth. I have been thinking about Mary too. Since both my boys will be born in the near vicinity of Christmas, it helps to understand the sacrifice Mary made. When I had the twins a weird thought came to me. They were child #3 and #4. The nurses will give the spiel about not giving your child to anyone without a certain name tag. I couldn't help but think some one would look at my "abundant load" of children, and think since I had two at a time they can take one, or even giving one up for adoption. It almost brought tears thinking of giving up one of them. It was a ridiculous thought I know but then I think of Mary. She gave birth to her son and knew from before conception that she would be giving up her son. She had a few years that he needed her, but He would be so much more. There would come a time in His young life that she couldn't teach him anything, He would be teaching her. It makes me appreciate my boys even more. While I am aware that Christmas is not really near Jesus' real birthday, it is a great reminder.

A Perfect Day

We are not a very involved family, no lessons, sports, etc. however, we do usually have social commitments or church, not to mention the regular trips to Targets and the things that just NEED to get done. It makes for very busy Saturdays. We wouldn't trade that for anything but it is nice when we have a good family day. This Saturday was one of those days. Jeremy had a couple things in the morning so I was with the kids. We got to finish up an art project. They each got to paint their own frame on Thursday then Saturday they got to stamp them and decorate them in their own way. It was fun and I got to help them all individually. Then Jeremy got home and I left to run an errand. He had things he wanted to do such as mow the lawn but he decided to play some games with the kids. One game was Pretty Pretty Princess. It is the funniest thing to see Jeremy with dangly earrings and sometimes a crown. This is one of the funny hazards of being dad to so many girls. These are the times when we know we are making good memories with the kids.

Friday, December 12, 2008

A Star is Born

It is no secret that Miranda loves to perform. Her strengths are a few of my many weaknesses. Back in September she got to sing with two older girls for our Primary program. She had no fear or at least it appeared that way. She did amazing. It doesn't take much talent to be in a required class play but it is still always a little nerve wracking getting up in front of people. She did it and she was fabulous. I love to see her in front of people and not be shy. Here she is in her class Thanksgiving play.
She also got to play Mary in a Nativity scene for our church (ward) Christmas party. I was "backstage" so I didn't get to see how it went. Thankfully Uncle Chris was there to represent with the camera. Thanks Chris for always being there to take pictures!
This is a post about Miranda but I had to add that Logan was one of the Wisemen, the green one!
His buddy Caden is the purple Wiseman. They are 6 weeks apart in age and happen to be in the same class in Kindergarten. Logan will be the next shining star. He will be in his class "Holiday" Performance on Monday, I will make sure to take pictures and post them soon.

Equal Representation

I love to listen to Haylie and Hannah talk. They have the cutest little voices. Although I can't understand a word they say some times...well maybe more often than that. So I got an opportunity to record the girls when they were in a particularly chatty mood. Actually Haylie was and I was able to get Hannah to talk a little too. Each video is about 2 minutes so this is for the family who haven't got to see the girls in a while!

This is Haylie, she also appears beside her sister in the second video. Note when she turns to the side she is looking how cute she is in the mirror, no she's not vain at all. I told her she was cute and she said yup!


Here's Hannah:

(If the videos don't appear click on their name and it will bring you to the video.)

Two for One

I will combine these next two posts. I realized that three posts of Lauren antics might be too much, but I wanted to post the pictures.

Last Saturday, Jeremy's work hosted a movie day as an appreciation to it's members (it's a credit union). For $2.00 you get to see a movie, a large hot dog, a bag of popcorn and a soda. We look forward to this event. We got to see Bolt. It was a cute movie. The kids seemed to enjoy it a lot. We, by we I mean Jeremy, had to take Lauren out for a brief period. He was able to come back quickly though and Lauren soon fell asleep. I took this picture at the end of the movie.
I just loved her cute pink cheeks and pouty lips. Thank you credit union!

Later that day Jeremy and I were getting clothes ready for Baby Jackson and Lauren kept getting kicked out of the room. She got real quite, which is a sign I don't pick up on too often. I decided to check on her and she was in her room doing what she loves best: "READ"

Lauren can be found most times with a book in her hand. All the other kids want to bring toys in the car to play with but she will usually have a book. It is funny. She could be following my footsteps and is a sign that I read too much, and the computer isn't as portable.

Sweet Lauren

The kiddos have been into playing games. It is nice since Miranda reads she can help the kids play games, which they all love. Today Haylie and Hannah wanted to play a game and introduce Lauren to the game closet which equals lots of little pieces. I looked down the hall and Lauren was looking in the closet. I told her no and then I looked up and she was gone. What an obedient child NOT! I walked down the hall and this is what I found:
She didn't walk away she walked into the closet and closed the door behind her. I was walking to check on her and the little imp was in there and proud of her sneakiness! I even walked back to get the camera and she stayed there and was ready to pose for a picture.
She had dumped out a game, luckily it is mostly cards and only one choking hazard, a large dice. We have been blessed with babies who are not extremely oral with the need to put things in their mouths! I am embarrassed to say even when she is devilish in her antics she is dang cute!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Blog Copying

Sometimes when surfing the blogging world you come across something that all should see. I came across this video from Natalie's Blog. I thought all would appreciate it so I copied it. Luckily it is on Youtube so I can do that! : ) It did make me smile. Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Funny sayings in my life

The kids crack me-up sometimes. Hannah is always saying things that are funny hopefully I can communicate them so you can chuckle too!

Yesterday she picked up a Christmas card and said "What does this say?" I said like I always do "what do you think it says?" I love setting them up for creativity. She looked at the card and pretended to read "Dear Christmas, I love you, Santa!" I am sure he does love Christmas.

I can't remember the situation but Hannah said in her little three almost four year old voice. "I absolutely don't want to!" What little girls uses that word?

When she is done eating and still has a little left she never tells us No she won't eat it, she says "I can't know how to finish it!"

When we asked Haylie if she wanted homemade cookies last night or ice cream she said "I will have one of each, that OK with you?"

Although this was a while ago it deserves a mention. Jeremy and Logan were talking philosophically and Logan asked Jeremy "Where do Legs come from?" Jeremy trying to buy some time to think of a good answer said "what do you think?" Logan said I know, "from your bottom" Why didn't Dad think of that?

At Thanksgiving I was prepping the turkey and Logan asked what we eat on Thanksgiving I told him turkey so he asked "well what do turkeys eat?" I honestly said they don't, so Logan said that's right because they are cooked.

And lastly we were at Costco and Logan decided he didn't want to eat turkey for Christmas. I asked what did he want instead. He said "Pig" I think we might be a little too honest about what animal meat comes from.

Lauren although she thinks she says a lot he favorite command is "Na!" when she says it it is said with undeniable authority. Which means give it to me NOW! She also says Ka for sock and Zsh for shoes.

A coupon Redeemed

Stampin' Up has a now retired stamp set called Create-A-Coupon. My friends and I have had fun making coupons for our husbands and a few husbands have made some in return, including Jeremy. This is about a coupon I made for Jeremy. One of our new found favorite date nights is to eat dinner together after the kids go to bed and watch a movie. So I made a coupon for him that said I would make him a dinner of his choice, and the movie of his choice was assumed, even though he considers my opinion in that category.

His Menu:
BBQ Tri-Tip (Costco has the best pre-Marinated Tri-Tip)
Potato Cakes like those served at Claim Jumper
California Mix Vegetables
Snickers Salad (Thanks Hayley!)
and for Dessert:
Vanilla Ice Cream with Magic Shell (What can I say he is a kid at heart!)

I did actually BBQ outside in the cold, if I wasn't pregnant I would have said no way but being that I am perpetually hot the crisp air felt fabulous. The kiddos were asleep at 8:00, by 8:30 dinner was ready.
The Snickers Salad didn't turn out in the picture but it is delicious, I think like most fruit salads some may call it dessert but we call it healthy fruit! Just in case you are curious we watched The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. I made it though dinner but had to lay down because of my back, needless to say I snored, in a nice feminine was of course, through at least half of the movie. The dinner was delicious though and worth the work, plus Jeremy loved it. As long as he knows how much I love him that's all that matters. I love you Jer!

Friday, December 05, 2008

Baby Update number 5,872

OK I haven't really posted that many updates it's just that I have been pretty much pregnant for the last 8 years so it seems like a lot...We have good news folks. Jackson has a better sense of direction than Lauren did, he is head down. We got to see him with the ultrasound machine today. He has a visually strong heartbeat and is breathing well. The right amount of amniotic fluid too. The doctor said a good living environment for our little man. He said next time (38 weeks) he would see how my cervix is looking than if things were looking good he would do a little "stretching" at 39 weeks. I got my next appointment for 12/24. So that puts me at 38 weeks and 4 days. We will see what happens then. I am thinking after Christmas the "stretching" may happen. It is interesting not knowing anything. I thought for sure this stubborn little man, I can say that as it is a dominant trait in our family, was laying sideways so to see him head down was a relief and surprise.

By the way tomorrow is officially 36 weeks. I can't say time is going fast for the pregnancy since I am practically counting every minute, but life is flying by quickly. We have lots going on, lots of plans, shopping, cooking, eating, movies, friends, family....you know all the wonderful things that go along with this time of year. I am sure after it is all said and done it will feel like it flew by. This due date makes me feel like I have been pregnant for the whole year of 2008!

This cartoon is particularly funny since I always say that my children get eviction notices in the form of pitocin.

pregnancy cartoon

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

We have a new mode of transportation...

Not we, actually just Lauren, she is officially walking and doing it well. In fact someone even used the word fast, as her mom I wouldn't go that far. She is, however, choosing to walk and not crawl. So...YEAH for no more dirty knees!



Video Link (for some reason the video is not working so if you click on the link it will take you to the video.

My favorite thing she does so far is walk AND talk on the phone. I am a little scared for her teenage years in more ways than I can count! I had the cutest video but when I went to watch it I noticed Hannah in the background showing a little more than a modest girl should.

This post was started a month ago it just took me this long to get the video up. So for those of you clocking milestones. She was walking at the record age of 17 months just like her twin sisters.

friends from the beginning...

When Lauren was born there were three of us in our ward all expecting girls. They were born one month apart starting in March of '07, then April, and Lauren bringing up the rear in May. I get the opportunity to watch the girls once a week for about an hour and I realized that we haven't taken a picture of them together in a while, well since they were all barely one. Now they are all over 18 months (Lauren being 18 months). So I took the picture today. Here are the little cuties:

Welcoming Christmas

On Friday Jeremy woke up at 4:45 and did a little Black Friday Madness Shopping. He came home about 8:00am and brought edible gifts of donuts. That started our day. We then went out as a family and did a little more shopping. We came home and then went to get a beauty of a crooked tree! We have had a little tradition that Jeremy has had nightmares about since the day we were going to buy our tree. The tradition is one we want to get rid of and thus far have avoided. Our Christmas tree falls over. Usually after it has been decorated. Although battle damage has occured we have had no complete casualties. I have learned two things that, although they bug me, they don't bother me for any length of time. These two things bother Jeremy to no end, like he can barely think of anything else it bugs him so bad. Are you curious? 1) Ants and 2) The Christmas tree falling over. It is so bad he woke me up at 4:00am to tell me his solution to not having our tree fall over. Solution one which is reasonable. He said put the heavier ornaments towards the bottom. I agree although the most fragile are usually the heaviest and need the strongest branches wich are located where? That's right, towards the top. And the second which I think is unreasonable and he still believes it is a good idea, to anchor it to the wall! The second is slighlty in jest but i am sure if I agreed he would be all over it! It is enough to almost convince him to buy a fake tree, that is saying alot if you know him.
On Saturday night we finally decorated the tree. We made the kids sit on the step and wait until they could put the ornaments on. We had to get lights, tinsel (I always called it garland but Jer's family calls it tinsel) and of course the star on top.
I think I saw it on a movie once, Jingle All the Way, where the dad always did the star on top so I insist Jeremy do it too. It helps that he doesn't need to stand on anything to do it either.
So we bit the bullet, bought a smaller tree than last year and only used half our ornaments!
This is our tree before the ornaments. It stands a little crooked and the star wobbles like a bobble head on top but it is our perfect tree, it fits right in. We love it.

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