neglected

sorry, blogging just hasn't had my attention like it used to.  my down time now usually consists of rocking everett to sleep instead of typing or crocheting (the state of my yarn basket is very sad).  he is a great kid and so much fun to rock in a big comfy chair.  he's a first class snuggler and I'm enjoying it while I can.our Halloween was fun, even though it was A LOT warmer than I had planned for.  Poor Lydia almost passed out at the school parade because I had over dressed the poor thing.
November has been nonstop eventful for our family.  Ian had his birthday and his baptism on the same day.  He had a friend party (Tintin themed scavenger hunt for Snowy cupcakes) the next week.  Lydia also celebrated her birthday with a very tall rainbow cake.  The funnest part was sorting all the jellybeans (and eating them).  OUr Thanksgiving was a lot of fun, too.  All the cousins enjoyed the nice weather and working up an appetite for all that tasty turkey.

our vaulting princesses

I love this picture before the showcase.  I had done their makeup and hair, they were feeling pretty sassy

The girls had their fall showcase today.  they did great and it is so much fun to watch.

baCk 2 sCHooL

Well, the boys actually started last week.  But yesterday was Fiona's first day in kindergarten.  I was so excited and nervous for her.  She reminds me a lot of me and I was really hoping she wouldn't be too nervous.  I think I ended up crying and not letting my mom leave me on my first day.  She did way better than I would have done.  She even got on the bus with her brothers without any fuss.  When she got home she even told me that she didn't want her brothers to sit by her anymore because she could sit on her own (I had been drilling it into Wes and Ian that they had to watch over her for me for weeks, I guess they did such a great job she doesn't need them anymore ;-)

don't you love the socks!  she's my girl.

walking to the bus stop, Ian is into being totally cool now. 

today our cousin carter met the kids on the way to the bus stop.  he just started kindergarten with fiona and they are even in the same class.  so fun!  here they are showing carter the ropes of waiting for the bus (they stand on the little hill to watch the bus come up the road) uncle trevor was there to supervise.  (can you believe the leaves are turning colors already!!!!)

lydia wanted to be a part of the all the action so she and Captain the feisty kitten joined me to take the pictures and watch for the bus.

I've been wanting to get a picture of all 5 kiddos together and this one came together last night spontaneously.  I thought it was so funny.

ev is just looking so different I had to get a pic of him.  he is such a pleasant little guy.  and those legs are just as much fun to squeeze as they look :-)

And thank you friends for not giving up on my blog and checking in on me every once in a while.  I love hearing from you and checking on your cute little families as well.  And Mel, I desperately want to get up that way again soon.   hopefully there will be a Washington trip in our future soon.  I will keep you posted so we can get together.

2 months, too many things to catch up on

With this 5th child I am finding myself more okay with leaving things unfinished.  I just don't feel that driving anxiety to get everything done or updated right now.  I just want to sit and rock the baby.  I'm so grateful that the other 4 are such good sports about all of it.  I've been trying to balance adventure time for them and an overwhelming desire to just sit at home.
We've had a lot of bumps along the way.  Poor little Ev has been to the doctor twice for fevers.  Being so little, they automatically have to check his urine and blood, the second time he even ended up getting a spinal tap.  I cried a lot, we cried together a lot.  It all turned out okay, just viral stuff going around.  In fact Fiona has had a horrible stomach thing for the last 3 days.  I'm just grateful that it's not RSV season on top of it all.  It's been a crazy summer.
The kids are way excited that school will be starting this coming week and so am I.  They are all very happy about their teachers (especially Fiona, she got Grandma for kindergarten).
We had a back to school party this past Thursday and it was a lot of fun.  We had neighbors come up for fun recess games and treats.  Pretty low key but a big hit.  I made 'wise old owl' cookies (that's what Wes called them) and they turned out so cute.  I found the recipe on FamilyFun.com, I highly recommend them.  They were easier than they seemed and very tasty.  That's where I found all the fun games to play, too.  I love that site.
Here are some pics of our last few adventures.  And as you will see, being sick hasn't kept Ev from growing like crazy.  He's already 13 lbs!  I love his fat rolls!

With this 5th child I am finding myself more okay with leaving things unfinished.  I just don't feel that driving anxiety to get everything done or updated right now.  I just want to sit and rock the baby.  I'm so grateful that the other 4 are such good sports about all of it.  I've been trying to balance adventure time for them and an overwhelming desire to just sit at home.
We've had a lot of bumps along the way.  Poor little Ev has been to the doctor twice for fevers.  Being so little, they automatically have to check his urine and blood, the second time he even ended up getting a spinal tap.  I cried a lot, we cried together a lot.  It all turned out okay, just viral stuff going around.  In fact Fiona has had a horrible stomach thing for the last 3 days.  I'm just grateful that it's not RSV season on top of it all.  It's been a crazy summer.
The kids are way excited that school will be starting this coming week and so am I.  They are all very happy about their teachers (especially Fiona, she got Grandma for kindergarten).
We had a back to school party this past Thursday and it was a lot of fun.  We had neighbors come up for fun recess games and treats.  Pretty low key but a big hit.  I made 'wise old owl' cookies (that's what Wes called them) and they turned out so cute.  I found the recipe on FamilyFun.com, I highly recommend them.  They were easier than they seemed and very tasty.  That's where I found all the fun games to play, too.  I love that site.
Here are some pics of our last few adventures.  And as you will see, being sick hasn't kept Ev from growing like crazy.  He's already 13 lbs!  I love his fat rolls!

 for the 24th of july we were going to try to go to lagoon, but it didn't work out so we stayed at home and played in the sprinklers with our cousins/neighbors.  it's so nice to have cousins to come up whenever we want to play.  austin made a slip and slide on our little hill, and the kids all loved jumping on the trampoline with a sprinkler.

later that evening we went to the park with the birches and enjoyed a fun bbq.  we even found a water snake in the river behind the park.  all the kids were fighting over who would get to catch it.  they take after their mom :-)

 we played at a friends house where they had kittens.  i just loved the pictures i got at their house, they are so perfect and filled with fun summer, carefree memories.

 for salem days we entered everett in the baby contest.  the theme was 'making life better'  they had little signs at all the businesses around town that said 'making life better, shop local'  so i made everett dress as a bunch of grapes from our local grocery store.  he was such a good sport.

 we finally made it to lagoon this past week.  it was the first time for all the kiddos.  they loved it.  our little lydia is quite the thrill seeker , she never found a ride that she didn't like and was upset that she was too small for some of them.  fiona takes after me, she's more of a chicken, but she & i still had a great time together.  Wes loved the haunted house and Ian thought the drops were the best thing ever.

 we also took the kids to bridal veil falls to play in the freezing water.  austin and I couldn't even keep our feet in the water it was so cold, but that didn't stop our little crazies from splashing up a storm.  I love lydia and fiona's new poses for pictures.

 thursday i took the kids to the kenecott copper mine.  i've been wanting to do it all summer.  i knew wesley would love it and it turned out to a hit with all four of them.  when we were driving up the mountain, wes spotted a track hoe with the cables and yelled out happily, "it's a snort!!"  those of you who have read the book will know what he was talking about.

 we blessed everett this past month.  it was wonderful and our families are so thoughtful and supportive.  we are blessed with so many good people in our lives and the lives of our children.  i am so grateful.  he was blessed in the outfit that austin (and later ian) was blessed in.  it almost didn't fit, I actually couldn't snap all the snaps at the bottom because his legs have gotten so fat.  i love the chub!

i hope that you are all having wonderful summers and making great memories with your loved ones, too.

a new face

Everett Austin arrived Thursday morning a little before 8 o'clock.  He was 8 lbs 3 oz, 21 inches long. 

This was his favorite past time inutero

his brothers and sisters are very excited to have him finally arrive.  Mom & Dad are so glad that he is healthy and seems to have a mild temperament (he is very patient with all the 'love' he gets from his siblings)

we haven't decided who he looks like exactly, though he definitely is one of our kids.  the nurses raved over his hair, he even has little sideburns.  and he was the only boy in the nursery for most of our hospital stay.

more pics to come as we get a little more settled.  thanks for everyone's love and prayers for our little family.

only 4 more days

yep, this Thursday we are expecting the arrival of the newest member of our family. 
Hope that all you Father's out there had a wonderful Father's Day.  and we promise to keep everyone updated on the baby's arrival (and of course include pics).  Have a great week!

good things are coming

just wanted to let you all know that in just 9 days our little Everett will be arriving.  I've been counting down since the first of June.  Okay, I've been counting down longer than that, but out loud since the first of June.  I've been getting a lot done to make sure that when he gets here I can have as much down time as possible.  The kids are very excited.  Lydia keeps saying, "babies take FOREVER to get here!"  Yeah, I totally share her sentiment.  We will keep you all posted as to when forever will finally end.

spring break

Fiona loves to pose for pictures now.

me looking very round

Since last Monday the boys and Fiona have been out of school for Spring Break.

Monday we were able to have my neices Chaicee and Paityn come up to play with us.  Katie, my sister, also came over with her children, Noa and Malachi.  We went to the park and had a picnic.  It was a lot of fun and a beautiful day.  The kids played at the park for almost 2 hours and then still didn’t want to leave.  Wes, Ian, Fiona and Lydia were so happy to have a day to play with their cousins.  Their favorite game was pretending that they had a ‘bacon’ shop where they could order bacon sandwiches and any kind of ice cream they could imagine.  Katie and I got quite a laugh out of their imagination.  I’m still not sure what ice cream had to do with a bacon shop, but I wouldn’t complain.

Tuesday was our zoo day.  First I took the kids to IKEA for lunch.  They have such yummy Swedish meatballs.  I love them with the lignon berry sauce.  Then we headed up to the zoo.  It was quite full of people, all taking advantage of the beautiful weather and having time off of school.  We spent a good 3 hours enjoying the animals, riding the carousel and playing at the park. 

Wednesday we spent at home mostly and got some yard work done.  The puppies are keeping us busy; they sure love to make a mess.  The kids helped Austin pick up rocks off the lawn and the garbage that the puppies have created and been dragging all over the yard.

Thursday brought a storm and cooler weather so we decided to take the kids to Jumpin’ Jack’s.  It’s an indoor playground of blowup slides, obstacle courses and jumping areas.  It’s a great place to take the children and wear them out.  After Jumpin’ Jack’s, Austin and I got a sitter and caught a matinee movie together.  We were able to get tickets for “The Hunger Games”.  We have both read and enjoyed the books.  The movie was very well done and followed the books closely.  We really enjoyed it and had a good time getting out just the two of us for a little bit (thanks Alli!).

Friday we all went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point.  I’ve wanted to see it for several years and always miss it.   It only lasts about 2 weeks each spring.  It was lovely in the gardens and very enjoyable to walk around with the children and Austin.  They had a koi pond where we could feed the fish.  Big groups would gather underneath us and follow us along the boardwalk with their mouths open wide.  There was also a special children’s area where they could float plastic boats down a little stream and into a small pond, a stage to dance on and metal bells to play music.  So fun, I would love to get some things like that in our own backyard.  After walking around for a little over an hour and enjoying the gardens we got rained out.  But we had such a good time together as a family.  For dinner we decided to get Chinese takeout, we don’t do that very often and it was a fun treat.

Saturday was a ‘stay at home and get chores done’ day.  I was able to finally finish the skirt I’ve been making for myself to wear at Alli's wedding this Friday.  It was really frustrating me, but it is finally done and I think it turned out pretty nice.  Austin has been working on his 20 page paper that is due Monday.  He is almost done and it has truly been a fun, busy week.  I have to admit that I’m glad the kids have school tomorrow so I can get back on schedule and get a little bit of the housework done.  I kind of let it go this week, but we had such a good vacation together.  I hope the kiddos remember it as fondly as I do.

I had to include this photo of the meerkats.  It makes me laugh every time I look at it.  That one sitting up with his little legs sticking out just reminds me of how I feel right now, 30 weeks pregnant. 

Easter

Happy Easter!  What a beautiful Sunday this turned out to be.  It was quite cold yesterday and Friday.  We even got about 6 inches of heavy, wet snow.  Saturday egg hunts were all done in the snow, but it made finding the brightly colored eggs even easier.

This has been quite the week.   Monday night we did our special Easter family home evening about the Savior’s last days and the reason we celebrate the holiday.  We made resurrection rolls, which were so much fun.  We baked jumbo marshmallows dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar inside biscuits.  The marshmallow melted and left the little ‘tombs’ empty.  The kids had a lot of fun making them.  We got a laugh when we found some of the unmelted marshmallow inside a couple and Lydia said, “We melted Jesus!”  I also bought some white carnations and put them in water with red food coloring.  I read the kids a scripture in the Book of Mormon, Alma 7:11, that says, “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.”  Then we talked about how the Jesus Christ took all our sins, our suffering and pains on Him so that we could receive mercy and exaltation to be with our Heavenly Father and him again.  Fiona has really enjoyed watching the flowers turn from pure white to a pinkish color from the food coloring.  It was a really simple and fun lesson that I think we’ll start as a new tradition each year.

Wednesday I went with Wesley and his 2^nd grade class to Harward Farms on a field trip.  We learned about all sorts of farming from vegetables, minks, even bees.  We saw them shear a sheep.  I am always amazed how the sheep just lays there complacently while the farmer tosses her to and fro to get off all the wool.  We saw a lot of baby animals: a calf, several lambs, a kid and two piglets.  Wesley kept talking about the piglets and the tractors.  I think those were his favorite.

Thursday was the 2^nd grade school program.  So Wes was able to perform with his class lots of the songs they have been learning all year.  He did so much better than in past years.  It’s so hard for him to pay attention and stay on task.  This year he got his part right on and only spaced out on the songs once or twice.  He’s really maturing and he got to sit next to his cousin Emmalee, who really helps him a lot. 

Friday we were hit by the snow storm that took us all by surprise.  Fiona barely got to preschool, because we don’t have 4 wheel drive.  She had a fun Easter party with her little class and her teachers gave her a cute bucket and shovel.  They do so much for those children.  I also had another doctor’s appointment that morning to check on little Everett.  He’s seems to be growing well (today in church one of the older sisters told me I look ‘really’ pregnant.  I feel really pregnant right now.)  The projected day for the c-section will be around the 20^th of June, unless there are unforeseen obstacles.

Yesterday we took the children to the city egg hunt and an egg hunt at one of our neighbor’s farm.  They were both really fun and fortunately, we remembered to bundle every one up.  The kids came home with plenty of candy and small toys.  After the egg hunts I spent the rest of the afternoon at the church helping with a funeral.  A dear brother had passed away last Sunday.  He was almost 90 and really ready to go.  He has battled cancer twice.  The great sadness was that his dear wife was left alone until she can join him.  Their family all came in town and since I’m in the Relief Society presidency I helped set up, serve and clean up the luncheon.  The funeral ran long, but it wasn’t a surprise.  This brother was known for his stories and love for visiting and he passed that on to his children.  His one son spoke for a little over an hour during the funeral.  The Stake president and Bishop both spoke, but they kept their remarks short and sweet.  They spoke about the plan of salvation and that this life is truly not the end.  I am so grateful for the knowledge and testimony that I have of our Savior, his Atonement and his Resurrection.  I know that we can be with our families forever, that this life is only just a small part of eternity.

This morning we had a little grumpiness from Wesley because the Easter Bunny hadn’t come while they were asleep.  We explained that the Easter Bunny likes to surprise them and this year he decided to come during quiet time later in the afternoon.  He was still quite grumpy about it, but we told him that his attitude will affect what the Easter Bunny will bring just like at Christmas.  It’s amazing how that affected his attitude.  We had some wonderful lessons in church today about the immortality of the soul and being a disciple of Jesus.  I felt like I really learned so much, the spirit was truly speaking to me during the lessons. 

enjoying lunch at the kidman's annual easter egg hunt, katie and mick were able to make it, too.  so good to see them!

i love new easter clothes

puppies and fairies

the nice thing about puppies, it just draws the children outdoors and the weather has been so wonderful.  The weather has even persuaded a fairy or two to visit us.  hope that spring is finding you and warming you up a bit, too.

this is ginger, she has the coolest eyes and I love that her belly is freckled.  She is very patient with the children and allows them all to tote her all over the yard.  I don't think her paws touch ground more than a few seconds when they are outside with her.

ruthie seems very smart and alert and will probably look a lot like Zero when she grows up but with a slightly different coloring.  She's not as fond of being held, but loves to run and chase.

Is winter over yet?

checking her fairy schedule...

I am CRAVING spring weather!