I am glad this boring week is over

This week has been a bunch of nothing.  Do you ever have those weeks?  Where life just goes along pretty boringly.

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It would be nice if the weather was warm and we could lounge around outside but it has been a bit cold and rainy.  A bit is an understatement.  We got 2 inches of rain yesterday alone.

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Today it is still raining but it is FRIDAY!!  And tomorrow is something we have been waiting for all year.  Icefest.  I love Icefest and their chili cook off competition.  Yum!  Usually it is so cold and snowing Icefest is a quick wonderful time.  Last night the events were canceled because of the rain.  Tonight is the grand ball, I hope to one day go to.  I sure hope tomorrow the weather is better so we can enjoy a warm dry Icefest.

With the weekend on me now and a to do list 3 miles long  I think I will change my boredom/ laziness into productivity.

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Or maybe I will put it off a little longer.  Have a great weekend

it's not Christmas

But Smiley thought it was.  When he woke up and saw snow on the ground.  He threw open the drapes and yelled "IT"S CHRISTMAS!!!!"  Burr... It has been so cold here.  Life is never fun when it is cold unless you are two.  We got our first snow of the year. The first snow in winter.  The first snow since Halloween.  That was a freak snow.  It snowed all night, the rained on top of it leaving a nice layer of ice.  A nice layer of ice for a two year old and his trusty cat to go crunching around on.



Smiley would "stomp the snow going crunch crunch" and Wyatt would just follow him around.  He thought it was great until he lost his glove.



And since Wyatt is a cat she did not go retrieve it, just inside along with him.  The glove is still out there as none of the rest of us want to go out in the cold.  The boys would rather...

go swimming.



Don't you just love it they are holding hands!  :)

They are still swimming twice a week.  You would think they would be pros by now after all they have been swimming since 2009.  But lets just say I am glad they are in a good school.



They are doing good though.  And I do not expect nor want them to be Olympic swimmers.



They are happily jumping into a cold pool when it is even colder outside.  I don't want to do that.  I am good taking them and watching there silly jumps and belly flop dives.

Me I am now 14 weeks pregnant.  Slightly gaining weight, to cold to care.  It still has not sank in yet except for I am always at the doctors.  At lest I get a ton of ultrasounds.  I have seen so much of this baby it has been a blessing.  We still do not know if baby is a boy or girl.  The kids guess what ever they want at the moment, Jay guess a boy, me a girl, but who knows.  I am still planning on not finding out but with all these ultrasounds we will see.  I have got pretty good at reading them.  No name choices have been thrown around either.  I have some I like but we will see. I have no strong pull right now to any of them.  With some of the other a name was chose right away.  With others like Gregory I was 8 or 9 months before we finally decided.  For now here is a picture.  A shameless self portrait in the bathroom mirror.

Sorry no skiing want to skate?

Disappointment comes at any age.  It frequently comes to us as adults but to children as well.  My oldest son who has been pleading all winter with us to take him skiing came home from school to find me on the phone and just having scribbled down a date.



But it was more than just a date.  It was a date for the upcoming Monday, a day he had no school, and scribbled on a ski magazine.  He was over hearing me on the phone agreeing to the time and saying we will be there, it works well for us.

His little face lit up were going SKIING!!!!  He was so happy I hated to break the truth to him.  No we are not.  It is for a doctors appointment that was the closest piece of paper I could find.  What disappointment.  I wish we could take him skiing.  All of us want to go but we have had such a warm winter the ski resorts close by only have a few trails open.  Everyone I know has been traveling to ski this year.  We will have to plan a  super ski trip where he wont be disappointed.

To recover the day we took the kids roller skating for the second time that weekend.  They were luck and went Saturday with a bunch of friends and even luckier that they went Monday again with 2 more friends.  Saturday I took all the kids, Monday dad and I took all the kids.  He said he had not been roller skating since the 70's!  Old man.  None the  less he still got up on the skates.



With all the kids.

Smiley did not skate.  The people there were trying to talk me into it saying we have skates for him, he skates for free, he is not to young.  But No.  They would not be the one trying to keep a 2 year old in a cast calm for the next to months.  Skating might be free but hospitals are not.



He found the arcade games, he played with his trains he brought and he enjoyed watching his brothers.  He was fine and happy and not broken.



The boys have not had to much skating experience.  This was Gregory's 3rd time and Evan's 2nd but they both think they are pros.



Gregory does not do to bad.  He got the hang of it quickly.  Before long he was flying around the track making faces all the while.



Evan never did really get it.  But it was so funny.







However the kid tried backwards skating too.  His poor little body was so banged up he said he could only eat soft food and needed to rest.  Even with all the falling down they joined in the limbo competition.





Believe it or not Evan one!  He was the last and lowest boy.  Not sure how that happened.  And his prize a free pass to come back again which he is more than ready to use.

As for  me I did not skate.  I took pictures.  I laughed.  I managed the two babies.  It was such a nice day.  We had a great time.  Not quite skiing but we were warm.  Hopefully we will be skiing sometime soon.

Oh Happy Day

We had such a good time even the ice cream was smiling!  Yes that is right.  We all went out to lunch to our favorite Chinese restaurant the kids always eat well there so they can have ice cream at the end.  Even Faith for the first time ate there, she gobbled up everything on her plate.  When Evan went to open his coffee ice cream he started cracking up.  The ice cream is smiling at me!



Sure enough it was.  imprinted on the inside of the lid and on the ice cream itself was a smiley face.  We checked over the packaging and there was no drawling on the outside.  No imprinting by a pen or other device on the outside.  We are not sure how it happened, a weird thing.  But just as the ice cream it made us all smile and laugh.



He went on eating the ice cream opening up a few others too but we never found another smiley face.  Then we got to the fortune cookie which explained it all.  What a great future for my smiling, wonderful boy!

The Car

Nothing makes you realize you need to clean your car more than picking up a friend who has legs that reach the floor.  The other day I was driving home and I saw a friend walking down along the highway with a gas can in his hand.  I pulled right over maybe 50 feet past him which gave me a second to through the items on my front seat into the back seat.  I threw them onto a pile of car seats and a bunch of other kid junk that had accumulated on the floorboard of that there feet can not reach.  Eyes opened and disgusted I looked to the floor bored of the passenger seat next.  It was just as bad.  It had my work books, purse, shopping bag, a plate, ect.  More stuff!  I was embarrassed but after all he does have 3 little kids of his own and HE was the one who ran out of gas, so my embarrassment subsided.  To end this part of the story I had pulled over nearly directly across from his work truck on the opposite side of the road and he was walking back with the gas.  So I was of no help but he also did not get in my messy car.

So back to what I started at the beginning of January the What I am going into 2012 with.  Blessings.  This is my car.



It is a 5 seater, paid for Ford 500, with now 70k miles.  It does not fit my whole family but it is paid for.  It does fit me and the kids.  So I use it to run around in and transport them, only, and it is paid for.  We do have a larger vehicle that fits the 6 of us, it is huge, has an even bigger engine V10, horrible on gas, and it too is paid for.  We pretty much just use it to go to church, out to eat, to the park, on trips, in winter, it is also 4 wheel drive, anywhere we want to go as a family.  And usually that is not to far, except trips.  But since both vehicles are paid for we just made it work.  Burt no with 5 kids coming my car will no longer work.  I could run around in the bigger car but even that one is now to small as it just fits 6 adults.

The easy answer is buy a van.  The harder reality is that is not in the budget.  I have been looking at vans and they are not cheap.  I have been looking at suv's and they too are not cheap.  My kids and community suggest I by a school bus. haha.

I have 6 more months to figure it out.  Till then I will clean my car and not make a car payment.

down sick

I have been knocked out sick for more than a while now.  The icky, yucky, I can't move kind of sick.  The am I sick or am I dying kind of sick.  It has sucked.  I have not felt up to much lately not even something as non strenuous as blogging.  Even reading blogs I found exhausting lately, I mean all computer stuff I still love all of your blogs and if I missed anything awesome fill me in.  Laying around yes, living not really.  The worst part I am not over it.  It is better yes! And Thankfully but still here, with more to come.  Is it baby sick?  Um no not really but I am sure that is not helping.  It is a virus, an infection and a kidney stone, and probably baby too.  Blah...



This past January weekend we were blessed with the most beautiful warm 60's degree weather.  It was amazing!  Wish I could have enjoyed it.  Last January my children never even made it to school a full week because of the snow.  This year that is anything but true.  Some people complain about global warming I love it!  Let's hope for February in the 70's!

I have watched a lot of tv in my state of excruciating.  Thanks to showtime on demand I was able to catch a movie I had always wanted to see from the comfort of my floor in the fetal position in front of the warm  fireplace.  (And remember I just said it was 60's outside, but I was freezing)



The movie was better than being sick but very disappointing.  More to come about this later because I figured out something kinda interesting.  Especially for all you twilight fans.

I also caught a long morning of bad renovation shows, travel shows to places I could never afford to go, and a stand by favorite of one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies as well.  These all from the comforts of my hospital bed.  Which I enjoyed for the quite escape from home, the continuous morphine, and nurses catering to me, opposed to the cold floor of my living room where I only moved to serve the children.

Yes I was truly sick.





Not the kind of sick day I wanted.  I hate being sick.  I hate wasting sick days.  If I have to take a sick day I want to enjoy it.

The kids

As we are going in to 2012 I thought I would do a quick series of what I am going into it with.  The kids ask me all the time about this or that or when and half the time if not more I can't remember.  Pictures do help.  I figured I would start with my little in age big in abundance blessings, the children.  They have enriched my life so greatly and impacted me deeply.  I would not every want to be without them.  I hope they marry well, stay close by, and remain faithful in our religion.  However that is a while off and in the meantime I hope they are happy, learning lots, can stay at their school, behaving well, stay out of trouble and be better than the best.

Gregory
He is my 8 year old wonder.  He is amazing at so many things.  He is a fantastic soccer player.  Fearless and takes on other boys 5 grades ahead.  His favorite position is goalie and he is good at it.  He would also be good at more offense positions because he is so fast.  Along with his speed come endurance which he showed us in May by running 5 miles in less than an hour.

He is also a homebody that loves to drawl stories, create video game ideas but mostly play them.  He is a good game player.  He is also a fan of many worthless tv shows but he like the ones that teach him science and have mysteries.

He loves school.  He loves to see his friends and play with them.  He enjoys studying so many different subjects but hates writing out spelling words.  He get very excited about lessons that click with him like geography,  math, rocks and loves to read Magic Tree House books.  He has learned so many bible verse and done well in AWANAS.  he puts god first and tells me he loves Him most and then Faith.

He is not a helper around the house.  His selective listening comes in when I ask him to pick up.  But he is a big helper with the babies.  He gets along well with all his siblings and they all adore him.  Evan and him are the closet.  They are best friends for life.  Smiley looks up to him and thinks he is the greatest.  He is so sweet with his little brother.  He tries to include him and make him happy.  And he is just as enamored with his sister as she is with him.  He loves Faith.  He believes she is here and a girl because he prayed for her to come ever night.  Every time he is gone it is always Faith he misses and Faith he runs too.  He smothers her all the time with in your face tickles and kisses.  When he found out our new baby was coming in July, his birthday month, he was excited and cheered yes finally.  With a house full of March birthdays he wanted one to share July with.





Evan
Is my 6 year old that is the sweetest child.  He is such a cuddler.  He loves to give hugs and kisses.  He loves to help at school.  And so very much enjoys going out one on one with you if you need to run errands.  He was even my black friday partner this year where he picked out some very nice and generous gifts for his brothers that fit them perfect.  He get along well with his siblings.  He prefers Gregory to all of them he loves to hang out with him and tries to give him kisses at school which Gregory then runs from and Evan's feeling are hurt.  His feeling get hurt easily.  When he and Gregory were separated for two nights this year he cried and moped around lost without his brother.  He often whines and fights with Smiley.  I am hoping that does change in the future.

He is doing great in school.  He is trying so hard to lean to read and it is coming along.  His teachers always rave about him and say how he is so well liked by everyone.  His favorite part of school is his hamster.  He loves small pets, cutie pie- hamster, Sammy- rabbit, and Wyatt- cat.  He says his favorite part of the day is coming to school and going to say good morning to the headmaster every day.  She greats him and the other children each with a smile a handshake or hug every morning as they walk in.  He is still in therapy 5 times a week.  I have seen much improvement and am so proud for as far as he has come.  He is a good speller.

Evan has a heart for ministry.  Prayer is his answer to most everything.  If he doesn't understand he prays, if he is scared he prays, if he is happy he prays, if he knows others need help he prays.  He often comes up with revelations that make adults stop and think.  He wants to go out and tell others about Jesus.  He feels Jesus is the answer to most problems.

He plays a lot of sports and has a strong body for his age.  But sports are not his thing he just does not have the interest yet.  He consumes him self with art and legos.  He is always drawling something, making crafts and building projects.  He likes to create.  He makes such a big mess in which he too is not good at picking up.  I have never seen a child clean up slower than he.





Brendan
He is still my Smiley.  He puts the picture on cute.  What he says and does it is a cuteness overload.  Dark brown eyes, wispy blond hair and a smile that stretches ear to ear he is something else.  But he is also 2 and in being 2 we do have the tantrums, the loud shouting, and trying to be 6 and 8 but your just 2.  He is a big boy and thinks he can do what ever his brothers do so it is easy to forget he is just a baby still only 2, not even close to 3.

He is obsessed with trains, loves cars (the movies), and LOVES his baby friends.  He lights up when you say what to see your baby friends?  He cheers.  He knows the directions of how to get to them and will tell you before we even get in the car.  Today as he walked into Sunday school his baby friends even said as he came in "it;s Brendan!"

He loves his brothers.  He watches them, copies them and repeats what they say.  He calls Gregory YaYa which we all do now too.  He so much wants to be included and be just like them.  He has took to his sister in a way I did not expect.  Not jealous there is another baby in the house but proud and loving of her and says all the time "my baby sister"  He brings her things, feed her, plays with her, rolls on her, cuddles her, he loves her.  He is happy to see her all the time they have grown so close and it is so cute.  He makes her laugh and smile much bigger than the rest of us.

He loves balls and playing outside.  Loves bike rides to the park.  He loves his mamum.  He cuddles up with me any chance he gets.  If he is on the coach he says come sit with me.  He gives kisses and wants to be held.  He does happy dances when you pick him up from the nursery.  We go in rounds of I love you exchanges everyday.  He is awesome.





Faith
She is 9 months old and our princess.  Each and everyone of us is wrapped around her cute little fingers.  She is beautiful.  I dress her in pink and girly clothes everyday topped off with bows.  She always looks like a girly girl but doesn't always act like it.  She like to push around cars just like her brothers.  She does the funniest growling noise.  She sounds like a little gremlin.  She is crawling and into everything.  She can so quickly go from area to area pulling things down or out and banging them togeter or sticking them in her mouth.  Everything goes in her mouth.  She has 3 teeth now with one coming in and it is hard to keep things out of her mouth.  She primarily takes bottles but seems to love any food you give her.  She love to eat and eats all the time.  She has many stomachs I guess.

She is so special to us our little girl.  We have waited so long for her.  She is often under foot wanting to be picked help.  She wants to be WALKED around and held constantly.  More than any of the boys ever did.  She needs contact almost all the time.  She sleeps with me every night.  She will turn and toss in the night to find me and then settle back down.  I will probably regret this soon but for now there is nothing better than being with my baby.  I love to kiss her, rub noses, blow on her belly, make her laugh and be with her.  She is the biggest blessing and the best baby.

She thinks the world of her brothers.  She crawls on them and to them.  They make her laugh.  And she has the happiest baby laugh.  She like music.  She plays with her musical toys the most.  But her favorite toy is still her family.






Baby number 5
Is due at the end of July.  I am 10 weeks pregnant.  We do not know whether this baby is a boy or girl and I am going to try to not find out till the end.  With the other children we found out early but having both I think I would like to keep this one a surprise.  I don't know if I will be able to.  I have no name picked out either way.  I have been a bit nauseas and very sore.  But I am very excited even if it does not feel quite real yet.