Names...

So Joe and I have not yet been able to agree on any baby names. It has become the one subject we really just avoid talking about, but something everyone else asks about.

The kids and I were hanging out in the toy room yesterday and Clay put in a Barbie movie for the kids (and himself) to watch. As the commercials were playing before the show, one came up about Barbie Mariposa. Clay commented that it was a really dumb name...we all agreed. This brought up the subject of what we should name the new baby.

I suggested we name the baby Mariposa, there was a resounding BOO from the kids. So, I said maybe we should just name the baby Barbie. The boys thought I was funny, Ali broke down into tears and cried, "But mom, then the baby will have a prettier name than me!"

I had to try really hard not to laugh out loud. I mean, seriously?!?! She actually brought it up later when I was combing her hair. She asked if I was really going to name the baby Barbie. I asked why not and she again started crying and told me that then everyone would have a prettier name than her.

I tried really hard to let her know her name was just as beautiful as mine and everyone elses, I just can't seem to comprehend the way the wheels turn in her little head. Apparently, however, Ali is very invested in this little girls name - and it must not outshine her own.

So, for those of you wondering what we are going to name this baby, I don't know. I do know, however, that we will not be naming her Barbie...it would begin a fued in this family that I think Joe and I would like to avoid.

P.S. Little girls are a lot of drama. It has occured to me that we are preparing to double the drama...oh boy.

So Done...

I am really done being pregnant. I hurt...everywhere. How is it possible to forget how uncomfortable being pregnant is? It's not like I'm getting into something I know nothing about...I've already done this to myself FIVE times, why exactly have I done it again? I have come to the realization that I simply CAN NOT do this again. This little girl must be the end...the last...the grand finale. Anyhow, it is to that end I am writing this post.

Self, you hate being pregnant. After the initial shock, joy and happiness you experience when you discover you are pregnant, you are overcome with the looming doom of what the following 9 months have in store for you. You are sick and can't eat for three months. The smell of food makes you want to vomit...and you do, frequently. Your once clean house, beautiful children and loving husband are neglected because you feel no desire to leave your bed or get off the couch. Cooking and cleaning are no longer important and you just feel gross. Once the nausea has abated, and you once again notice the needs of your home and family, you get so big your clothes no longer fit. People, very politely, call you fat. You look very similar to a potato on toothpicks. This upsets you only because you know that every pound you gain you will have to lose again once the baby comes. No one can do that for you, you will have to get up early, hit the pavement and do lots of situps (or attempt to do them because, lets face it, you have no stomach muscles left - they have been sacrificed for the opportunity to bring children in to this world...they will probably never come back) in a vain attempt to regain what you had, even though you know you will never quite look, or feel the same again. By seven months you are done being pregnant. This is rather unfortunate because you still have the two longest months ahead of you. You don't sleep because your back hurts and when you move your legs it feels like someone beat you with a bat. You can no longer touch your toes and when you attempt to shave your legs you miss large sections because you can't see over your stomach. Your youngest child still insists that you carry him around, even though his gurth rivals your own. Babies in utero do not appreciate having older, and much bigger, siblings jump on them. Your internal organs do not appreciate this either. Your bladder has now been squished so small you are required to visit the restroom every hour, even if you are not home and are required to use the most nasty public toilets - it will not wait. Your stomach has become someone's personal jungle gym and the constant poking and kicking, although reassuring, feels like someone stuck a popcorn popper in your stomach and turned it on 'high'. Walking up stairs makes you breathless and starts contractions (not the good ones, the ones that hurt but don't seem to do anything else), which you may want to keep in mind because you climb the stairs no less than 50 times a day. Your feet hurt really bad when you have to stand for more than five minutes, which is any time you cook a meal or clean or fold laundry, this causes the pain in your back to flare, just an FYI. Oh, and you may want to take a look at those super sexy stretch marks, those are all pregnancy related. After all of this, you still have the delivery to look forward to, which I may remind you is going to really hurt. Your kids have very large heads. You know what that means. Oh, and forget about getting the epidural, you know you don't HAVE to have it and it costs extra. Your deductible for the last kid was $7,500...just think of what it might have gone up to now. All of this is what you get if everything goes RIGHT and there is always a chance things won't go this well...

So, self, if you are even considering the prospect of procreating again, you may want to take this under advisement. You have been blessed with five beautiful children, and in a few short weeks you will have a sixth. That's more than the lion's share. Be grateful for each one of those blessings, and be even more grateful that you don't have to endure another pregnancy. You're done!

Kids...

If any of you follow facebook you'll already know that it's been a real party in the Ence household this week.

In spite of all that has been happening, I feel extremely blessed to be the mother of such great kids. They really do make it better, even when all under the weather.

Yesterday Max came up to me while I was stoking the fire and leaned up against my shoulder. He turned his head like he was going to give me a kiss and when I went in for it - [cough, cough] - right in my face. Yum. He then tried to give me the kiss I had been expecting, but I was laughing too hard to get it. Silly boy. At least it wasn't throw up. Clay did that once when he was Max's age. I'll take a cough in the face any day over throw up in the face (and mouth)...that was gross.

While we were at the pharmacy yesterday waiting for a RX refill on some coldsore meds (I love how you always get those when you want - and need - them least of all) and Clay turned to me and said he had always thought that Heavenly Father loved us less than Jesus because Jesus was the only one of His children that He referred to as His Beloved.
I was not exactly prepared for this remark, especially considering the circumstances. But before I even had a chance to form a reply he said that in Primary, his teacher had explained that Heavenly Father is the Father of our spirits but not the father of our bodies - that would be Joe, he pointed out. But Heavenly Father is both the Father of Jesus's spirit and His body, that is why He is Heavenly Father's Beloved. Not because He has more love for Him than for any of us.

To be entirely honest I don't think this entire conversation or question had ever, up to this point, crossed my mind. I never questioned God's love and I don't know that I would have been able to explain, so simply and yet so perfectly, what Clay's primary teacher did. Clay not only understood what the teacher said, but it seemed to put to rest any concerns he may have previously had about how much he was personally loved by his Father in Heaven.

I have to say I am so very, very grateful for the all those who work so diligently to magnify their callings. My children have so many people to look up to and have been influenced for the better by so many of our friends and neighbors...now if that isn't a blessed life, I don't know what is.

Two May Be Better...But Not Necessarily More Efficient.

You know the feeling of chaos on Sunday morning as you scramble to get everyone cleaned, fed, dressed and ready for church? Does your house always look like a bomb went off with clothes, food, and stuff EVERYWHERE? Does it seem as though you never eat a 'real' breakfast instead it's usually yogurt, bread, pop tarts, cold cereal, or whatever you can find that doesn't take more than 5 minutes to prepare and eat? And it never seems to matter what time church is, because you're never quite ready when it's actually time to head out the door, there's always one more thing you forgot to grab that you have to run back in for when you should be pulling out of the driveway. Well, if this isn't you - I am so very jealous - if it is, then I feel your pain.

I don't like to spend a lot of time cleaning up on Sunday because the weekends are my time to spend hanging out with Joe and the kids. So, by the time we get home from church on Sunday, my house looks like a disaster. Except, however, for this past Sunday.

Last Wednesday, Joe had to make plans to be in AZ for a conference over the weekend. His flight didn't come in until 2pm on Sunday. This meant I got the privilege of getting all five of the kids ready for church by 11am, which as I said before, is a daunting task for both Joe and I together most weeks...I was not very enthusiastic about the opportunity.

I got out of bed at 8:20am (which felt like sleeping in) because I had acquired three bunk mates and it was no longer a restful place to be. We made oatmeal with fruit and rolls for breakfast, it was a breakfast of champions! I had all 4 boys shower while I did Ali's hair. The kids were dressed, hair combed, their rooms cleaned up and were watching a movie in the toy room by 9:30am. That left me over an hour to shower, dress, do my own hair (which I even had time to curl), and I managed to run through two loads of laundry for good measure. The house was all picked up and we were out the door at ten minutes to 11.

Now, I hate to say that Joe is the weak link here, but Joe is the weak link. I know that isn't really true, but I also know that I will stay in my warm bed longer if Joe is next to me rather than three very squirmy, loud children. So, whether he means to be or not, it does seem that Joe's presence forces me to be lazy and try to sleep in and inevitably arrive late to church. Perhaps we should have him sleep in the spare bedroom on Saturday nights... ;)

I'm a Liar and a Thief...

Well, not consciously of course...

Saturday I decided it was time to clean out my diaper bags. I have four different diaper bags that I use. One is for church, two are for everyday use and the third has a zipper for when I travel and don't want things falling out. I keep most of the essentials in each bag so I only ever have to add my wallet, bottle, blanket, etc...and I'm good to go!

Well, it had been a while since I'd cleaned them out and washed them, so this was the task I undertook.

For the past ten years of our marriage, Joe has accused me of stealing his pens. He frequently complains of them 'just dissappearing' and is forced to purchase more. Unlike myself, Joe is very particular about his writing utensils. He has very specific tastes, whereas I'll use anything that is actually capable of writing. So, I have adamantly denied pilfering Joe's pen collection. I mean, why would I bother to steal his pens when anything will do, right?!

So imagine my surprise, embarrassment and regret when, after dumping each diaper bag out into a large pile in my living room, I find these:


Now remember, there were only FOUR diaper bags (I should also note that these are just Joe's pens...oh yes, there were several other pens, and pencils, tucked away in my diaper bags. I only had the courage to take a snapshot of those that actually belonged to my husband).

This begs the question, how on earth did I not notice I was packing around that many writing utensils???? Who needs 20+ pens? I have issues...

So, it became my most regretted responsibility to inform my husband of my transgression. Needless to say, it was not my proudest moment. Any guesses as to how my husband responded???!!???!!??

He instructed me to take a picture, and blog about it.
So there you go. I am, among other things, far from perfect.

Seriously???

This is what my back yard looked like this afternoon. Snow, snow GO AWAY!!! All of this had just melted and now it's back. WHY? WHY? WHY?

I have spring fever bad...very, very bad.

Because I had so much fun the 1st time...

Ali wore the skirt I made to church Sunday with a white shirt and red cardigan, it looked SUPER cute! I was very pleased and decided to give it a second try.
Ali picked out a yellow print this time (go figure, it's her favorite) and I paired it with an orange under skirt and green top. I think it's just as cute as the first.


Ali's preschool teacher (whom we loving refer to as Mary Poppins - because no one we've ever met has been more like her) announced that her daughter delivered a baby girl last Friday. So, Ali and I decided she would need a new skirt for Sundays.

Thus, we embarked on yet ANOTHER skirt. I really loved how this one turned out. It's a dark brown with pink. We made her a cute little hair bow to go with it and I'm going to go buy a pink onesie for her to wear under it. The instructions gave measurements for a 6-12mth pattern, but didn't include what size to cut the elastic. So, I used a pair of Maxo's pants to 'guesstimate'. I had to then try the finished product on my model, just to be sure. It was a bit tight and I think I may have popped a seem doing it, but I think the finished product was pretty darn good! (Pardon the clashing red shirt and gray socks, but it was insulting enough that I was putting him in a skirt and hair-bow, I didn't feel the need to completely undress the boy and further his humiliation. He sure is cute though!)

Project Complete...

I got this pattern a while ago and was pretty excited to try it out, but because of one thing or another...I only just got it done.

I have a few other fabric combination's I want to try out. The pattern is SUPER easy and made up rather quickly.

Ali refused to model the dress for me, but agreed to wear it to church tomorrow. So, my model shall remain nameless, and faceless, to preserve his fathers pride, until he's old enough to be equally embarrassed by the pictures that show his face!

Funny Ali...

This is Ali's most infamous face. I think she makes this face more than any other. Especially if she thinks you are making fun of her, is mad, is in a bad mood, feels wronged...like I said, more than any other.

I was just thinking about some of the funny things Ali has said/done the past few weeks, I thought it might bring a smile to your face too...

[FYI: We started doing a point system at our house for rewarding and disciplining the kids. When they accomplish certain jobs or responsibilities, they earn points. Points are taken away for bad behavior and points earned can be used to 'purchase' rewards. It is turning out to be a pretty good system.]

Last week Quin ate a clove of fresh garlic to earn 3,000 points (enough to buy a new xbox game). He didn’t even hesitate when Joe made the offer (for some insane reason Joe didn't think he would do it. I'm pretty sure the first thought in Quin's mind was...that is worth WEEKS of making my bed, taking out the trash...Boo Ya)! Go figure! So Joe was driving down the road with Quin and Ali looking for Game Stop so they could buy Quin's new game. Joe said, “I can’t find it. Can you guys see Game Stop?” Ali was sitting in the front straining her neck trying to look out the window and she yells, “I just can’t read!!!!!!!!!! I need to know how to read!!!!!” Joe and I have been laughing about it for days. She has obviously learned that reading is power, and she wants it!! Watch out world.

One morning, a few days before Ali's birthday, Ali and Clayton were discussing which friends they were going to invite to Ali’s Birthday party (we took the kids and let them each bring a friend to Chuck E Cheese instead of doing a party at the house – because we hate ourselves).
Anyhow, after debating for a while they came upstairs and Clay asked me which friend Ali was talking about (it took us nearly ten minutes to guess who she was referring to). She couldn’t remember her friend’s name, but this is what she told us:
“You know, she lives over the river and through the woods, down the winding road in the yellow house.” We were drawing blanks. “You know mom, she lives far away, over the woods and across the river, in the yellow house.” We still had nothing. “There are two of them mom, they are my friends.”
I was pretty sure Ali was just quoting lines of various songs and childrens stories, making up friends who didn’t really exist, but she was very adamant in her descriptions. After guessing nearly everyone we knew (yellow house or not) it finally dawned on me...Joe's brother lives in a yellow house. She was referring to her two cousins – her two 'friends'. Over the river, across the woods, down the winding lane in the yellow house...that describes the drive to their house almost perfectly (more simply stated, but very accurate)! Duh. I couldn't have said it better myself!

On the topic of children's songs and stories...a few days later we had gone as a family to do some shopping in SLC. We decided we should probably stop and pick up a quick lunch for the kids while we were out. As we were discussing possible lunch options, Ali pipes up from the back, "YA, lets go to Old McDonalds! I LOVE Old McDonalds!" Is everything a nursery rhyme when you're 5?

I was reading Fancy Nancy to Ali today. Ali points to Nancy's hair and says, "Look at her hair. It looks stupid."
Ummmm.....not what I was expecting her to say. I suppose fancy, curly hair isn't for everyone.

Advice for the day...

When dealing with extended family, avoid doing a good turn...it WILL bite you in the butt.

Ok, so I know that isn't always true, it sure feels like it sometimes. Ugghhh...

I got an ear infection over the weekend. It hurt SOOOO bad. I started antibiotics on Monday and it is still bugging me...bad. It isn't sharp pain anymore, but it is still ringing (which can I just say is SUPER annoying...it sounds like a bee got stuck in my ear). I feel like someone shoved cotton between my ears and my nose won't stop running. I have a really hard time hearing when people are talking to me, even on the phone. I keep having to ask people to repeat themselves. Blah. If this is what an ear infection does to little people, I feel like a bad mom. I will most definitely be more empathetic when my children suffer from ear infections...no fun.

I miss Joe. He is out of town again this week...ugh. Oh, and it snowed today. I had to shovel another 3 inches out of the driveway and it was the super wet, heavy stuff.

Crummy, crummy day...

Happy New Year!

It's going to be a great year folks! I say this now because I am determined to make it true (if lightning strikes me right now or Joe's plane crashes, I'll take it back).

So far we're off to a pretty decent start. I've made several new years goals and I've already made good progress on some and am already WAY behind on others (how is that possible when we're only a month into the year you ask? Just trust me, it's possible). If I can hit half of them, I'll consider the year a success (so sad, so true)!

Max is growing like a weed. He's over 19lbs now. He's 6mths and an absolute joy. He keeps me positive and reminds me how much I love each of my children, even when they talk back and throw tantrums or forget to flush the toilet. Max makes life good. No teeth yet, but he's eating fruits, veggies and rice cereal like a champ...which has only added to his increasing waist line. He's already wearing 9-12mth clothes. He's loves to smile and talk and has perfected rolling over. He sits up on his own a little, but doesn't have remarkable balance yet, it's a work in progress. Oh, and I need new pictures because he had his first haircut (a big thank you to uncle Phil for his help). He was getting a bit of a comb over going on so we cut it off. He's adorable and going blond. I'm anxious to see if it keeps getting lighter or if he'll be a brunette like Ali and Jack...time will tell.

Goal 1: Potty train an unruly nearly 3 year old. We did really good today, the poop went in the toilet and not the big boy pants, which is SUCH A BLESSING. However, if I didn't remind him to use the toilet, he didn't. Potty train fail. Tomorrow, we begin again.

Clay and Quin are back in school and doing really well. I am so impressed with Quin's progress with reading. He is making real strides. I took him to the ENT the other day and found out he's going to have to get tubes put back in early in Feb. He's had fluid on his ears since October (and possibly earlier) which has really effected his ability to hear. We were really worried he was going deaf. Apparently his hearing loss is just due to lots of excess fluid in his ear and the tubes should fix that. Clay is getting really good at cursive. His pen pal (who is a girl - he's the only kid in his class with a pen pal of the opposite sex) wrote to him this week and said he had 'beautiful handwriting'. I think he plans on typing the rest of his letters.

Ali is still my little princess. She is a smart little bugger and I just know I'm in over my head with her. She is a great help with her brothers and LOVES school. I can't believe she'll be in kindergarten this fall. She is really looking forward to her birthday next week, five yrs old. She wants to take the family to Chucky-Cheese for her birthday (I think I'm going to say yes because she has to get her kindergarten shots the day after her birthday and I'm hoping she will hate me a little less if I take her...REALLY hoping).

Not much else to report. I'm sick of the snow. I'm ready for spring. Life is good. I'm still not use to having Mag's so far away. I'll probably just be getting use to it by the time she gets back (in 18mths)...oh well, and life goes on!

I Admit it...I Suck...

I just haven't been able to bring myself to update my blog. I have been trying to stay on top of everything else, and sorry to say, the blog is very low on my current priority list.

So, here are the top ten reasons why I haven't updated my blog:

1. Catering Business. I haven't actually started a business, Joe's company work party is Saturday and rather than pay to have someone cook food I'm very capable of cooking myself, I volunteered (sort of - Joe helped) to do all the cooking. I have to make appetizers, dinner and dessert for about 17 people. I'm in WAY over my head on this one and am only now shooting myself in the foot over it.

2. CD's. Joe has been recording our neighbor, Nelia Hopkins, play her violin. We decided to make a really great CD for her and I got the job of creating the CD cover, insert and labels. This wouldn't typically be a big deal, except for the fact that she is an especially good friend of the family, use to teach Joe piano back in MA and she's incredibly talented - all of this means I feel INCREDIBLE pressure to do a bang up job, worthy of her skill...again, way out of my league.
3. The Holidays. The holidays in general make me a bit crazy. There is always so much to plan for, presents to wrap, food to cook, neighbor gifts, etc... I have a really bad habit of always planning BIG and then having to meet my lofty expectations. I hate letting myself down.

4. Christmas Cards. My little sister decided I should do homemade cards again. I gave this up the year Jack was born (for good reason) and started just doing Costco picture cards (affordable price, less work). Because I have absolutely no will power, I succumb and made a bazillion homemade cards to send out. I also included a family photo, which I do every year. This year I didn't have any good 'family' photos because I looked super fat in all of them, due to just having a baby. So instead I created the family photo collage in order to emphasis my adorable children and stay away from my excess baby fat. I also spent a great deal of time revising, and re-revising, Joe's Christmas letter. He has a tendency to include a lot of details that are better left unwritten, as any of you who receive our letter can attest.

5. Trip to CA. We drove to California for Thanksgiving this year. It was a really great trip, but I must admit, my butt didn't really appreciate the 12 hrs we spent sitting in the car. The kids did really well (thank goodness for DVD players) and Max was especially wonderful. The weather was perfect and we had a really great time at the beach, Knotts Berry Farm and hanging out with all our cousins. I neglected to bring my computer along for this trip, however, I figured it was my vacation and I wanted to RELAX (at least, as much as you can when you are 'vacationing' with your kiddos). So although I got TONS of really great pics, I haven't uploaded a single one...it's a work in progress.

6. Snow. I spend so much of my time shoveling snow these days I don't have time for anything else. We got back from spending a couple of days visiting my parents in Idaho this week and had so much snow in the driveway it took a few tries to get into the garage. I spent over an hour shoveling snow this morning and Joe even came out to help before he left for work. Darn snow...

7. Max. If he wasn't such a cuddly baby I would probably have a lot more time to spend on the computer. He's just so darn nice that all I want to do is hold him and smile at him and talk to him...he's just so darn cute! Oh, and I also spend a LOT of time feeding that boy. He was at 16.8 lbs at 4mths. He's adorably chunky and loves to eat and does a lot of it.

8. Christmas break. My kids are all out of school. I didn't realize how much 'entertaining' is required when all five kids are home 24 - 7. I will definitely do my best to truly appreciate those semi-quiet moments when my oldest three are back in school next week...I can hardly wait.

9. Weight Management. That's a polite way of saying I'm trying to get un-fat. I've been taking a Pilates class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a Cycle class every Saturday morning. They've been kicking my butt BIG time! I must say, they've been producing result though. I've already lost over three inches in my waist and the lbs are slowly, but surely, coming off. Both classes ended this month so I've signed up to start a cycle-fusion class in January. It's at 8am every Saturday for 6-8 weeks. The teacher is fantastic and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's been giving Pilates or Cycle any thought. They work really well together, it's 1/2 hour of each. The class is at a new studio, Body By Me, over on Main St in Bountiful. Check it out if you have a chance.

10. I'm Behind. I'm just so behind on so many projects. You know when you see a new project and you get really excited to start it and then realize you have 400 other 'really great projects' sitting in boxes that you haven't touched in days, weeks, months, years...that's me. I've decided to start 'unloading' old projects. It's slow going, but I'm working on it.

So, those are just some of the really lame reasons for avoiding my computer and not updating my blog. I will again promise to do better, but we all know that might not happen. I could be leading you all on. I probably am. I do WANT to try harder. We shall see...

Good Livin'

Max on the phone with Gma...networking is everything...

You know how you always tell yourself, "I'll have time to do _____ when things calm down." Ya, well things never calm down, slow down or get easier! I've come to the conclusion that things simply change. The dynamic in your family changes, the schedule changes, whatever - but life in general never really gets 'easier'.

I remember leaving for Idaho with my sister, her baby was just a couple weeks old and I was still pregnant with Max. We had the car loaded, I told the kids to get buckled in and I was ready to hit the road...unfortunately, Maggi still had to feed the baby one last time, make sure his bum was clean and get all of the bubbles out so he wouldn't puke in the car on the way there. I looked at her and said, "Oh no! That is going to be me in a few more months!" I had forgotten how much extra time a new baby takes. They always puke all over their clothes (and you) just as you're walking out the door or need to eat while you're at the grocery store. It takes at least 15 more minutes to get yourself and everyone loaded into the car, just by adding that one little person into the equation!

So, even though I am SUPER grateful Max is here, I do long for those seemingly more simple days when I could be out the door with 5 minutes notice. The funny thing is, what is difficult while they are two months, isn't much of an issue when they're two years. When they're two years you have to deal with tantrums at the grocery store and explosively, nasty smelling diapers that make you gag. When they're four diapers aren't usually a problem and most tantrums can be avoided, but in their place you get to deal with truckloads of attitude, back-talking and their absolute refusal to wear anything you pick out (which usually leaves you as the parent of 'that kid' who looks like they are perpetually dressed as a clown)...and on and on it goes...

So, when my kids are 18, 16, 14, 12 and 10, I will be dealing with an entirely different set of issues. Diapers will no longer be an issue, affording my monthly grocery bill will definitely be an issue.

Life is always about change and change doesn't have to always be a bad thing. My life is definitely different now that Max is here, it couldn't possibly have stayed the same. However, there are so many benefits that have come with him I can't say I'm very sad to say goodbye to the old way of things.

I am really enjoying all of the awesome snuggling I get to do with Max (all that boy does is eat and sleep and I LOVE it). Clay is turning out to be the BEST helper. He changes diapers (as long as they aren't big poopy ones - he does have limits), he comes and gets Max from me every morning (without asking) and cares for him while I get ready and NO ONE can put that baby to sleep better than Clay...he's got a magic touch. Quin has really taken Ali under his wing the last few weeks. He spends a lot more time playing games with her and entertaining her to keep her out from under foot. Quin has also become my number one helper with laundry and cooking. He's always very willing to help out in the kitchen and gets immense satisfaction helping me make food and fun treats. I'd like to say Ali and Jack were the best of friends, but for now they are more like Jekyll and Hyde - when one is Jekyll the other is Hyde...it's constant insanity. Ali is thriving in school though and I am convinced the social outlet has been very good for her. Jack is still turning on the charm. As long as that boy get himself a nap every day, he can be extremely delightful.

I suppose our biggest challenge in life is to find satisfaction and joy in whatever situation we find ourselves in. Tomorrow things will always be different.

New Camera

Joe authorized the purchase of my new camera! I have taken over 600 pics (not all good ones, but I'm practicing) in the past two days.

These are my favorites for a few reasons.

1. They are the FIRST flowers Joe has ever bought me in our Ten years of marriage...FIRST (7-9-09 is a day to remember people)!

2. They are pretty.

3. Who doesn't love pics of pretty flowers?





More to come...eventually...

It's Always Something...

My computer is back in my possession. This is good news.

My computer is missing...almost everything. This is bad news.

I am missing all pictures from 2008-2009, my entire outlook file (contacts, emails, tasks, calendar, etc...), all of my internet bookmarks, and every document I've ever created (with the exception of the 10 I kept on my desktop). It is such a disability. Joe still has all of my documents and pictures saved on another hard drive, they just need to be put on the computer (they didn't make it over the first couple of times he did it). At least I still have them though. The outlook info, however, is another story entirely. We're pretty sure that's lost. Joe says we can pay somebody to find it, but it would cost a few hundred and I'd have to give up my computer for another week or two while they found it...not a very appealing option.

Anyhow, my computer woes aside, life is pretty darn good.

I'm 35 weeks now and when I saw the Dr on Friday, she said the baby was measuring 36 weeks...no need to worry about whether or not he's growing! She'll check me when I come in on the 10th and we'll see if my body is doing anything to prepare for his grand entrance into this world or not. Hopefully I will be well on my way to an early delivery. None of my kids have been very small, and they all measured right on. If this guy is going to be bigger than his siblings, he better get his bottom out a bit early...8lbs is plenty big enough!

The kids and I have been hanging out with my parents in ID this weekend. It's been nice to see them, although I feel bad for not being more useful. I am so big, awkward and probably more of a hassle than a help (especially with all of my little 'helpers' getting into the mix). I appreciate that they put up with us so well and they seem to be happy to have us come, almost as relieved as they are to see us go!

We are looking forward to spending some time up in Rexburg with my older sister and her family for the next few days. After that it's back to the homestead to get things ready for mister man's big arrival (which, as mentioned before, had better be just weeks away).

I brought our cruddy camera to take pictures while we are on the road, and I haven't taken a single shot yet. Such a slacker. I just hate taking pictures when I know they are going to have big black specks in them...so darn annoying. I talked to a friend yesterday though and she has given me some excellent suggestions on a new camera and I plan on looking into it rather seriously before the baby comes...can't have new baby pictures with big ugly black specks on them now can we?!

I had my 11 year class reunion yesterday, ya that's right, 11 year. We sort of dropped the ball last year and had to make plans for the following year so that the word had time to spread and reach everyone. I'm still a bit disappointed in having to show up almost 9 mths pregnant instead of showing up looking skinny, tan and HOT! Ok, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but I was definitely sporting a slimmer waist line last August than I happen to be sporting now. I've gained 30lbs exactly as of my last Dr. visit. Only three more lbs before I go over my highest weight gain...I most certainly hope I don't go over. It would be especially depressing...oh well, the sacrifices we make for our children...they will never know!

Anyhow, the reunion was a really great time. They had a family picnic during the afternoon which was a lot of fun for the kids and a great chance to chat with people I haven't seen in FOREVER. I can't believe how many people I had just simply 'lost track of'. I thought I had done a decent job of staying in touch, but apparently failed rather miserably. That evening they did an adult only dinner, which was super enjoyable. They had some great games, which in hindsight, I really should have sat out during, but I am weak against peer pressure and played against my better judgment. It was a TON of fun, but I am experiencing intense pain in just about every part of my body...very bad idea. Pregnant women really should not jump around on one leg or play intense games of musical chairs, especially when prizes are involved, and even more especially when they are fiercely competitive.

Joe and I got home super late, it was almost like back in the good old days when we actually went on dates! All in all I had a really great time and I was especially happy that Joe was able to make it up here and be with me. He is a great husband and I always have a good time when he's around!

Stuff...

Joe is working on my laptop because I apparently got some sort of virus. He's got it up and running again, but hasn't uploaded any of my personal data and it doesn't recognize the wireless internet...back to the old plug in the wall!

Anyhow, I've got some really great pics to share, but don't have access to them yet, so this will have to be one of those pictureless posts...sad, I know.

Summer seems to be off to a bit of a late start. I can't say I'm too upset about the cooler weather, since I'm carrying an extra 30lbs around. Today was really nice though and I am looking forward to taking the kids to the zoo, water park, etc...this summer before the baby arrives. We've been spending a lot of extra time indoors because of the rain and I think it's getting to all of us!

Quin broke out in a SUPER rash yesterday. He had hives covering ALL of his lower back, it looked like he'd been thrashed...nasty stuff. He also had spots all over his neck, arms, legs and feet. Poor guy was itching up a storm. We called his Dr. and she had us start the Benedryl and some Pepcid complete. He cleared up during the day, but they were back that night. I gave him more Benedryl at 8pm and had him stay up late so I could give him more pepcid before he fell asleep. At 11:30pm his hives were WORSE than before! Joe decided to run him to Primaries, just to be safe. Of course, they got there and were told nothing our Dr. hadn't already told us. He was suffering from a severe allergic reaction and they had no idea what it was to. Helpful, huh?! They gave him even more meds and sent him home. Joe and Quin both got home and crawled in bed with me at 3am. I had to wake Joe up and take him to the airport at 6am...poor guy. He was toast. I decided when I got home at 7 that if I went back to bed, I'd never get out again, so I started cleaning and working on laundry. Long day.

So far we've been lucky and Quin hasn't broken out really bad today. He had a few spots show up on his torso this afternoon and I gave him another dose of Benedryl, but no new ones since then. I've scheduled an allergy test in a couple weeks so we can hopefully identify a possible cause. I hate to cut him off from anything if he really isn't allergic to it! We shall see...

We missed church on Father's Day because Ali and Clayton were up all Saturday night vomitting. Nice huh?! We just don't know how to spread things out, it's all or nothing with us I guess. Jack had been throwing up on Friday night, but none of them had any other symptoms, just the vomitting. It was just that night and then they seemed back to their usual self by the next morning. We were a bit worried about 'sharing' our little problem with the rest of the ward so we decided it would be best to hibernate for the day. It was nice to have Joe home and to just hang out for the day. It doesn't happen very often, so it turned out to be a pretty darn good father's day afterall!

Jacko seems to have hit a HUGE growth spurt these past few weeks. He is eating a ton more than usual and I had to upgrade his wardrobe (finally) into 2T, and sadly most of the clothes I pulled out don't look like they'll be fitting for very long! Go figure. I'm hoping we'll last until fall before I have to upgrade him again because it is such a pain to pull out the grow boxes and wash everything, etc... We'll see how much bigger he gets over the next few months.

The pregnancy is going well. I've only been gaining a lb every two weeks for the past several weeks, which is very refreshing. I feel like the goodyear blimp and I swear I can feel every extra lb I'm carting around. I don't know if it's just the fifth pregnancy, or the warmer weather, or what, but I definitely feel more like a beached whale with this pregnancy. I told Joe I'd better be delivering a 10lb baby with a very small head and shoulders...not terribly realistic, but the bigger the baby, the faster the weight comes off during delivery! Truthfully, I just can't wait to have him out and see him and hold him and not have him putting his little feet in my rib cage or punching my bladder at the most inopportune times. He's such an active little squirt I'm ready to manage him OUTSIDE the womb, rather than in it.

We went up to Albion Idaho for the Gardiner Family Reunion last week and had a really great time up there. The kids sure love getting together with all of my cousins (yes, most of them are my children's age, not mine). I love seeing the aunts and uncles and catching up on what everyone is up to. It seems everything changes so much because we see them so infrequently.

I'll be taking the kids up to Idaho this weekend to visit my parents and spend a few days up in Rexburg with my older sister and her kids. We had some really great times up there last summer and are hoping to cache in on a few more good memories before the baby arrives and ties us down for the summer.

Anyhow, that's our life in a nut-shell right now. Hopefully my computer is restored to good health quickly and I will be able to get lots of great pictures up to share with you. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacations!

Making Progress...

Today was an alright day. Jack went for 7 hrs last night without meds, definitely progress. The down side to that was I gave him his pain meds just before he ate and I'm pretty sure it hurt to swallow. By noon all I had gotten him to eat were two bites of pudding, three raisins and maybe ten noodles. He was even refusing juice and Popsicles. What?!

He refused lunch so I tricked him into going outside on the deck and eating two whole Popsicles while I ate my pb&j. He napped for a few hours and was pretty grumpy when he got up and again refused to eat. We had Clay's baseball game this evening and I let him bring a Popsicle to the game and he enjoyed that, as well as all of the Starbursts that where hidden in my diaper bag. Oh well, I'm just glad he finally found joy in eating something.

He did better at dinner and ate a few chicken nuggets and ate some ice cream. I even got him to drink a few glasses of apple juice. I know the majority of his diet today was CRAP, but I am desperate to just get enough liquid in him that he won't get dehydrated that I don't care if it's crap, so long as it's something!!! Once his throat has healed I am sure I will have a heck of a time getting him to eat real food. He is going to think he can demand Popsicles and ice cream all day long...I'm really shooting myself in the foot on this one aren't I?!

In other news, Clay did awesome at his baseball game tonight. He didn't strike out (a bit of practice on the pitching machines definitely helped) and I think that made him very happy because hitting has always been his strength. He played catcher and first baseman and did great at both posts. He even caught several of the balls as catcher and was really pleased. He was hit several times by the ball and although I know he wanted to, he never cried. He really sucked it up and did a great job. His team lost 8 to 4, but I know Clay felt like a winner because when he came up to bat during the second inning the bases were loaded and he hit the ball clear out to the fence. All the players made it home except him (even though he could have made it, but played it safe by staying at third). His buddy Colby was up to bat next and with only one more out I think he felt the pressure to get a hit, and he did! It was a good one to and he sent Clay home. So Clay felt good because he hit three of the players in and he came in for the fourth (and last) point his team scored tonight. I suppose if you have to lose, that's the way to do it. He was just happy to have done better than last week and I think his team will only improve over the coming weeks. They all try real hard and they work together, which is good skill building at this age I think.

Phillip, Quin and I went over to our old house and spent a few hours on the yard this afternoon. I drove by it earlier today and it looked like an overgrown jungle! Apparently the sprinklers have been turned on and soaking the yard every day for weeks (as if it needed it). With all of the extra rain we've had on top of the watering, the lawn was growing out of control! It did make it easier to weed the overgrown flowerbeds though, so I shouldn't complain. Poor Phil was mowing and I think he was worked over a lot harder than I was...he had to empty the bag three times before he even finished the front lawn (which is very sad because it's so small)! I was very grateful for his help though because I had forgotten how much it sucks to do jobs like that when you're pregnant. I'm pretty sure the whole neighborhood is glad we moved after looking at my backside all afternoon. I couldn't keep my pants up or my shirt down and it hurt like heck to keep bending over to pull up the weeds...definitely not a great pregnancy past time.

All in all I felt pretty good about what we were able to get done today. Didn't check much off my to-do list, but oh well. We lived through it and I think we all had a pretty good day.

Oh, I had Clay read one of Sherlock Holmes books, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'...he LOVED it! I had him start last night for his 20 minutes of reading, I finally sent him to bed after 70 minutes of reading and he was about half way through. This morning he read after breakfast, on his walk to school and on all his breaks at school. He finished it before he got home today. It made me really happy because Sherlock Holmes mysteries are some of my all time favorites! I am also super happy that he can turn on his imagination and really get into a book and love it so much he has to read on the way to school! I've got him reading 'The Last of the Mohicans' tonight, he's about and hour into it and I need to send him to bed. If there has been one benefit to not having TV, this would be it, and that's good enough for me!

In Recovery...

I think it would be accurate to say we are all going through a bit of 'recovery' time.

I woke up this morning at 5:30am (after going to bed shortly after midnight) to take my Father and Mother-in-Law to the airport. I noticed on my way home that the gas light was on so I stopped for gas. I didn't get home until almost 7am and decided it was to late to go back to bed so I ate breakfast and showered before getting the kids up for school.

After getting the kids off for school I took Ali for a play date at a friends house. Jacko woke up at 8:45am and I had to have him down some juice before his 9am cut off. We left the house at nine so he wouldn't be tempted to sneak food before his surgery. I took him to the dry cleaner, the bank and then we spent 30 minutes at the library just looking at board books and checked out a new video.

From there we went up to PCMC and checked in to same day surgery. We were scheduled to begin around noon, but an emergency surgery pushed everything back and we spent all morning in the waiting room and didn't get called back until after 2pm. I was surprised at how well Jack did. He never cried the whole time we were there, never whined about being hungry or made a fuss. He really did well. He was a great sport with all of the nurses poking and prodding and testing his vitals. I was really proud of him today.

Jack's surgery took all of 20 minutes and then I was able to go and sit with him in recovery. The Dr said his tonsils and adenoids were 'very large' and it was probably a good thing we removed them when we did. I am very hopeful that this will solve Jack's sleep issues and his snoring. He was pretty grumpy when he came out of the anesthesia, but once they got his pain under control, he was really great. He drank 4 slushies and ate a Jello and a chocolate pudding before we left. The Dr said if his vitals were good enough he could go home four hours after his surgery. So, much to our relief, we were able to check out just after 6:30pm and made it home in time for his next wave of meds!

If all goes well, Jack should be feeling better in a week or two. I think he did a great job and I am so pleased with how well things went. The kids were all glad we made it home and were all pretty worn out so they all hit the sack pretty hard...I'm thinking I'll have to set an alarm to wake up for midnight meds...there is no chance of me staying up that late. I am so tired.

I think we'll all be taking a nap tomorrow...yup, that definitely sounds like a good idea.

Good Times...

The past few weeks have been a bit crazy, but we sure have had lots of fun. We had Joe's sister's Meg & Liz, Ben, Karin, Maggi, Phil and Phil's sister (along with her husband and little boy) over for an Easter feast a few weeks ago. The food was delicious and we had a great time with all the games and egg hunting afterwards.

Here is Ali sorting her spoils. I don't remember what she was expressing, but whatever it was must have been wonderful!

Clay had a small mishap climbing the rocks looking for eggs (note to future egg hiders: do not place eggs in rock walls that require excessive climbing - accidents WILL happen, and the body WILL be sacrificed for the sake of the egg and basket). Joe and I were pretty sure, based on the wailing, Clay had broken a limb (you should have seen how nimbly I climbed down those rocks...it was impressive). When we arrived on the scene, however, he was just severely scratched and the wailing was because he'd dropped his basket and lost the egg, not due to the enormous scratches on his face, arms and leg. Egg gathering is VERY serious business.

Fortunately, for all our sakes, each of the kids very willingly gave Clay five of their own eggs to make up for the ones they were able to collect while he was being treated for injuries. It made me very happy to see how willingly they each parted with their plunder. In fact, I'm pretty sure that was one of the best moments I had that day! Yup, I'm that good a mom (in all truth I think I just got blessed with good kids, but I am willing to take credit for whatever I can).

Joe and I after the egg hunters had left to go back and empty their baskets. It was a beautiful Easter Sunday and we had a great time.

Here's our lovely family after Clay's baptism last weekend. I swear we will someday get a good picture of all of us (no one scowling, eating potato chips or making fake cheesy grimaces at the lens...it may take a lifetime, but I will get one eventually). This was the best we got, and I suppose it'll do!

I love this picture of Clay with his dad in their white clothes. Clay looks so happy, and he really was so excited to be baptized and to have all of his family there to support him. Joe and I started to wonder how many people showed up to Clay's baptism and I think our official count (to the best of our remembrance) was 87 people in attendance. Since Clay was the only baptism that day, they were all family and friends who came just for him. It was very touching and we feel extremely blessed to have so many people who love and support us, especially on these memorable days! I told Clay all those people were there for him and he said, "no, they are here for dad because he is the one who will be baptizing me." I know he didn't really want to be the spotlight, but I'm pretty sure he enjoyed every second of it.

We had tons of family and friends over to the house and they did a fabulous job helping with some yard work while they were here. It was great to have the day to feel the spirit together, eat together, work together and just be together. Joe got some good pictures on the camera, but downloaded them to his computer so I'll have to steal them back from him later.

Sunday, after Clay's baptism, we went to Spanish Fork for our nephew Jaxon's baby blessing. Joe's brother, Dan, blessed his son that day and it was another great day to be with family.

Tuesday we all went to the court house to support the Ferrin's, Llewellyn's and Will in the finalizing of Will's adoption. It was a pretty unnerving experience to not know if everything was going to be able to go through in time, but the Lord was watching over Will and we were all able to witness the miracle of Will's sealing to the Ferrin family that night. The lawyer delivered the adoption certificate to our home just after 5pm and the temple ceremony was at 7:20pm. It was a close shave, but one we were very happy to have been a part of. It never ceases to amaze me what a small portion of the bigger picture we see. It really does seem, in hindsight, that everything happens for a reason - no matter how frustrating or wrong things may seem at the moment. The Lord knows us and knows what we need and He is watching over us, supporting us as we journey through this life. We are indeed blessed when we allow our will to be turned over to Him and accept His guidance and counsel.

So, as Jacko and I prepare to go to PCMC to get Jack's tonsils out tomorrow, we go knowing that it might be hard, it may not go as smoothly as we'd like, but whatever happens - we'll get through it just fine! Hopefully we'll be back home on Wednesday and Jack's recovery will be speedy and he'll finally be able to sleep through the night without waking up because he can't breathe or snoring like a bear. I'm sure the endless supply of Popsicles will assist him tremendously in his recovery.

Here's the Scoop...

I apologize for not having any great pictures for your viewing entertainment, but my camera is broken and we're waiting for Joe's dad to fix it, in the meantime, I'm trying to convince Joe we should just upgrade! It's always more fun to post when you have pictures to share.

Anyhow, I took Jacko back to the ENT last week and we're headed for surgery folks. The ENT took a look at Jack's tonsils and concluded they haven't changed, even after taking the antibiotics (big surprise there). He said Jack's tonsils were a 3 (I think, that's not terrible on a scale from 1 to 10). He finished that thought by saying on a scale of 1 to 4 they aren't likely to get any smaller for the next four + years. A scale of 1 to 4!!! Those things are HUGE!!! Needless to say, surgery is our only viable option. He'll be kept overnight because his age makes him more susceptible to dehydration. We go in on the 28th of April, wish us luck! Oh, the best part was the Dr said he should avoid strenuous activity for ten days after the surgery. I almost hate to break it to him, but EVERYTHING a two year old does can be considered strenuous! It will be more difficult to keep him tied down after the surgery while he heals, I think, than going through the surgery itself.

At Quin's Well Child Check we discovered he is having trouble seeing. The Dr thinks he will probably need corrective lenses and she is pretty sure he has a lazy eye. Excellent. We have an appointment on the 20th of April to get his eyes checked by an ophthalmologist to examine his lazy eye and determine whether or not he will actually need glasses. (She specified that he see the ophthalmologist instead of the optometrist because she is especially concerned about his eye function.) Hopefully it's nothing worse than a lazy eye.

If this isn't enough excitement for all of you, Joe's dad has been feeling VERY under the weather the past couple of weeks. He finally went in to the Dr for a check up and they have ordered an MRI...not a good sign. They are extremely concerned that it may be cancer and (considering the family history and the fact that he HATES seeing the Dr, and hasn't been in quite a while) didn't seem overly optimistic. The MRI is scheduled for tomorrow.

Joe's cousin is still battling cancer, she's my age with three kids, the latest surgery was removing a tumor from her spine. They weren't able to get clear margins because of it's proximity to her spinal cord, but are hoping radiation will remove the rest of the cancer. She mentioned in her blog that she noticed a few more lumps she is hoping to have them look at...is it just me or WHAT THE HECK! I am constantly amazed at the fight she has made and the seemingly endless stream of surgeries and procedures she has endured during this battle. I am amazed at her determination and her strength. She is definitely someone to be admired and looked up to.

In spite of the seemingly chaotic medical issues we seem to be experiencing (family wide) there are a lot of really great things we have to look forward to as well. Clay is going to be baptized in just over a week, followed by his little cousins baby blessing and topped off with the sealing of Will to the Ferrin family! There are still loose ends to tie up before everything will be finalized, but we are so looking forward to the next few weeks were we can get together with family and celebrate the blessings of family!

I feel blessed to be part of such a big family, one that supports and loves each other and does so much to make life worth living! I am very excited to spend time with all of them and it makes the upcoming challenges seem very small when compared to those who have to experience the same, or worse, without such an extensive support system.