Family Reunion

Here are a few pictures from the family reunion we attended in June!  Getting all of Jeff's family together is no small task considering the size of this family!  It was so good to be together.  The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins nonstop.  We are so blessed to have such a great family.  These kids/cousins are pretty special.  I am amazed at what great kids these are.  They are so much fun!  Jeff's parents left the day after the reunion to head to the MTC to prepare for their 18-month mission to Ghana!  We sure are going to miss them.  We were thankful that they got to stay with us for a few days after the MTC before their flight to Ghana.  Jeff got to take them to the airport early Monday morning.  We are so excited for their adventure and we know that they will touch many lives, but we sure are going to miss them.  Jeff and I won't change much in 18 months (well, hopefully I will in that I will lose all this darn baby weight--still got to lose Coleman's baby weight too), but the kids will change a lot in 18 months.  Our baby will be almost 1 1/2 (hard to believe seeming how she's not even born yet)!  Coleman will be almost 4 years old (also hard to believe since he's a crazy toddler now).  Tanner will be 6 and in kindergarten!  Carter will be 7 1/2 getting to close to the magic EIGHT number.  And, Braeden will be 9 1/2.  Agh!  When I think about it those terms, it kind of makes me freak out about how fast these kids are growing up! 

Here's the darling grandkids!  I'm sure you can understand why Grandma says the hardest part about going on a mission is leaving these cuties behind!  You can't see in this picture, but all the kids have a number on the back of their shirts indicating which grandchild they are.  The two newborns on the blanket are the twins' babies born only a week or two apart.  There are 35 grandkids (the quads didn't get to come) and our new baby will be the 36th grandchild.  We got a cute picture of all the grandkids standing in age order and facing backwards so we could see the backs of their shirts and their numbers--I opted not to post this as it has our last name on it!  Jeff and his brothers and sisters also have their number on the back of their shirts (Jeff is the 2nd child so he has a #2 on the back of his shirt--the spouses had the same number so I had a #2 on my shirt).  They also got a great picture of the 11 siblings in age order facing backwards with their #'s showing, but it also had the family name on it so I'm not posting it.  The kids had so much fun talking about which number they were.  It was pretty cute.  They all know their number now!  We thought it was funny when Braeden went up to Jeff and said "hey #2 the other #2 (meaning me) is looking for you". 

Here's Jeff's parents and his 10 siblings. 

See, Jeff's side of the famiy is HUGE!  This isn't even everyone.  Four of Shanda's kids aren't even in this picture. 

6 1/2 weeks to go!

You know you're getting pretty far along when you get asked a million times at church "how much longer to you have?".  Well, I am 33 1/2 weeks along.  So, we've got 6 1/2 weeks left!  Really this pregnancy has flown by.  I think it has defininatley gone by faster than any of my other pregnancies.  I guess having four kids and a lot going on keeps me so busy that time just flies.  I also get asked a lot if this pregnancy has been different because it's a girl.  The answer to that is no, it really hasn't been any different than the pregnancies with the boys.  Just like my other pregnancies, I lucked out with no morning sickness.  I almost hate to mention that because so many people get so sick and I know that I am so lucky!  I just get tired a lot and have the weird carpal tunel/arm issues that I always seem to have.  With the weather warming up, I am feeling the heat but not nearly as bad as I thought I would.  I had predicted that I would be feeling downright miserable by the point, but I'm really not.  I don't feel horrible, I think I felt much worse at this point with Coleman's pregnancy and much, much, much worse with Tanner's pregnancy at this same time (and Tanner was born at the end of November).  We are getting excited for this little babe!  I am getting a little bit worried about how I am going to juggle 4 crazy boys + an infant.  I think I feel that every time we have another one and somehow I get through it.  Since this is the grand finale to our  family, I just keep hoping that things go smoothly (as much as can be expected) so that I can really enjoy this baby rather than operating solely in survival mode and feeling like wishing the time away.  The baby is due August 11th and the kids don't start school until Sept. 4th.  Every year I've been complaining that school started so early (usually around the 3rd week in August).  I never could understand why school couldn't just start the day after Labor Day.  It seemed so pointless to go for a week and then have a holiday.  So, this year they changed the first day of school to the way I always thought it should be.  This is good overall, but I'm really worried about having all the kids at home to entertain and keep out of trouble with a brand new baby.  We are so darn curious about what the girl version will look like.  The boys all look so much alike that we could pretty much predict that she will have a similar look.  I have slowly been buying some clothes for her and it really is just so much fun.  I am really trying to stay in control and not buy too much though.  Knowing that she won't have a little sister to hand things down to and knowing how fast babies grow, I just don't want to overdo it.  So, I've put a little pressure on myself to limit how much I buy which actually ends up putting me in a position where I overthink things when it comes to buying her clothes.  I worry that I'll buy something and then regret it if I find something cuter!  Dumb, I know, but after having 4 boys, I'm a little excited for all the girly, cute stuff and really want to do it right!  Plus, I know that if this little girl is anything like her mama was, I won't have much time where I have full control as to what she wears and how her hair is done.  Apparently, I was a little paticular about what I would and would not wear at a very young age.  That is one thing that is going to be a huge change from boys.  With the boys, I just hand them their clothes every morning and they never complain about what they are told to wear.  It's never an issue.  That has been a really great thing about the boys.  I am fully expecting a girl to be completely different.  Well, I think I've rambled on enough about the baby stuff.  We'll keep you posted as things get closer.  Before we know it, we'll be heading to the hospital and checking into labor and delivery.  I am curious if I will go on my own (mostly) as I did with Coleman or have to be induced (like I did with the other three).  With Coleman my water broke, but he was majorly stressing out during labor and having big drops in his heartrate with contractions so they had to give me a shot to stop the contractions so he would be okay.  Then the contractions wouldn't start back up on their own, so they ended up getting me some help from my good buddy, pitocin.  With the other three, I had to be induced because my amniotic fluid was running low.  So, we'll see what happens this time.  A part of me hopes that I could go all on my own this time (and as long as I'm wishing, I'd love to have a quick labor too--something that I have never experienced).  It's always so crazy to me when I hear of women heading to the hospital and having a baby in the arms a few hours later!  All in all, as trite as it sounds, I really just hope for a safe delivery and a healthy baby!  That's all I can really ask for!

Braeden's Baptism

It's hard to believe our first has just gotten baptized.  Braeden was baptized on May 12th--the day after his birthday.  It was a wonderful day for our family.  My favorite part was seeing Braeden's huge smile and the obvious happiness he felt.  We were so proud of him for preparing himself for this day and making this choice.  I know it could seem like an 8 year old is too young to make this decision or that they are just doing it because it is what is expected of them, but Braeden has been waiting and waiting for his chance to be baptized.  He really wanted to be baptized!  We are so proud of him not only for choosing to be baptized and conducting himself so appropriately, but just for the great kid that he is!  We are lucky to have him in our family.  It was an added bonus for him (and us) that he was able to be baptized the same day as one of his best friends.  It was great to share the day with their wonderful family.  Thanks to our wonderful family and friends who were able to help make it such a special day for us. 

Carter's Birthday

Carter wanted a Superhero party for his 6th birthday.  From my perspective, it was a pretty easy party to pull off.  The kids all came wearing a superhero costume.  At this age, they think it's pretty fun to dress up.  The kids got to make their own little pizza.  We did a Spiderman pinata and had a silly string war.  Carter seemed really happy and felt special and that's all that matters to me.  I can't believe he's 6 already.  Carter is a pure joy to have in our family.  He is such an easy-going kid.  He has such a sweet, fun personality.  We love him so much and wish he'd stop growing up. 

Pregnancy Update

Once again I am apologizing for the lack of updates.  I have had several people ask me if my 20-week ultrasound confirmed that it is a girl.  Sorry for the lack of follow up.  But, YES the ultrasound showed that it is a girl for sure.  I am now 28+ weeks and overall I'm doing pretty good.  It is starting to feel real HOT though.  It's going to be a long, hot summer.  We're getting excited though.  I feel like I have so much to do before this little one makes her apprearance.  Most importantly, we've got to figure out a name.  I thought that this would be a piece of cake with it being our first girl.  But, it is proving to be more difficult than I thought.  We'll figure it out though. 

Exciting Announcement

Just a quick update to share our exciting news with everyone.  Come August 11th (or thereabouts), we will grow from a family of 6 to a family of 7!  We just got an ultrasound and were shocked to see that it looks like a baby girl.  That is something I never thought I'd see.  I figured we were just destined to be an all-boy family!  An all-boy family would have been great, but I have to admit I'm pretty excited to have a daughter.  Jeffrey is waiting a few weeks for our 20 week ultrasound to really feel confident that it's a girl.  I can't imagine what it would be like for the little girl to have four big brothers!

Merry Christmas

This put a smile on my face--thought it might put a smile on your face too.  Merry Christmas from Coleman and Mr. Snuggles!

More pictures

Here are a few more pictures.  It's quite a production/stress to get family pictures done but I'm always glad we did it. 

Update Anyone?????

So I spent nearly 20 minutes this morning finally updating my blog just to accidentally bump some key on they keyboard--not sure which one--and delete everything.  I mean do you realize how long it's taken me to finally get to this blog?  Oh well, here I go again.  I thought since it's been sooooo long, I'd give a little update on how we're all doing.  As a family, we're alive and well!  I feel like it's kind of the same old same old--nothing new.  But, things are good though.  We are happy and enjoying the holiday season.  The boys are of course excited for Christmas and so am I!  Here's the low down on the boys:

Braeden--he's one busy, fun 7 year old.  He loves 2nd grade and school--even though sometimes he says he doesn't.  He is a very social young man that sometimes seems like a mini teenager!  Yikes!  He is taking piano lessons now and is doing pretty good.  It is just hard getting him to practice.  Typical, I know!  It's so good for him though.  A few months ago he decided that he needed to get a job.  He has these totally mean parents that won't buy him all the things he want and would tell him he had to use his own money.  The problem with that was that he didn't have much money at all.  So, he told us he wanted a job and asked to see the help wanted ads.  He had a hard time finding people looking to hire 7 year olds.  So, we discovered that the little local county newspaper (which does a once weekly delivery) would hire him.  So, he works hard every Thursday to get those papers delivered.  After a few months, he has learned his route pretty good.  This has been a good learning experience for him.  He enjoys trying to manage his money and even wanted to open up his first savings account. He is learning how to write out the deposit slips and send his deposit in the tube at the drive thu all by himself.  He is anxiously awaiting his first statement to see how much interest the bank is "just giving him".  We are hoping that he is learning some good work/money principles through all of this because sometimes the paper route is a pain in the neck for us.  He is reading up a storm.  He usually reads one chapter book every night.  He especially loves the Junie B., Magic Tree House, and Flat Stanley series.  He is such a smart, fun kid!  He is so full of live and enthusiam.  He just tried out for the school play--he got up and sang a solo (Jingle Bells) in front of a ton of people.  He is now waiting to see what part he gets. 

Carter is a fun little kindergartener!  He's 5 1/2 now and loves playing video games on the computer quite a bit, but his favorite activity of all time is playing with his buddies.  Two of his best friends are in his school class.  He has adjusted very well to school.  He says his favorite things about school are recess and centers.  He is learning to read and loves numbers.  He loves riding to school everyday in dad's green car.  Braeden and Carter get so excited when they see each other at school.  Carter had to get his tonsils out in the fall.  Overall he did great with things.  Nights were really, really hard for him though.  He got used to lots of special attention and being waited on hand and foot.  He had kind of a hard time adjusting back to reality when he healed!  His brothers got a little bit jealous of all his special treatment.  They thought that a life full of laying around all day watching t.v. while eating ice cream and popsicles seemed pretty attractive.  Carter learned to ride with no training wheels in the summer; however, he still prefers to ride his batmobile big wheels over a two-wheel bike.  He played his first season of soccer in the fall and surprised us with an aggressive, competitive spirit! 

Tanner started pre-school this fall.  He loves his teachers and his little classmates.  It is so cute!  He is learning so much and doing great.  He just turned 4 and had his first little friend party.  He just wanted to go to McDonald's with all his little friends and play at the playland and have happy meals.  It made for a very easy party.  Tanner still loves tractors and now is starting to get into computer games (ugh!).  He loves rhyming things all the time.  He can't hardly say anything normal.  He has to call "underwear" something silly like "thunderthere" or "hunder hare".  He does this with lots of words and does it all the time.   It's quite endearing.  Tanner got a little Strider bike (pedaless bike) over the summer and learned how to balance after a few days of riding it.  We put him on a regular two-wheeler and he took off.  He still prefers the Strider bike though.  He could ride that thing for hours.  Unfortunately due all the construction in our neighborhood this summer, he wasn't able to ride outside as much as he would have liked.  We are hoping next summer will be much better as far as that goes. 

Coleman is a busy, busy, busy little 21 month old.  He keeps us on our toes.  He is soooo fun and cute though.  He has such a sweet, cute personality I must say.  He is a total little love bug.  He loves his big brothers and they love him.  He is adored.  He is becoming less and less a baby and more and more a toddler.  He loves to give "knucks" (fist bumps) and high fives.  He loves to try and wrestle with the big boys.  He loves to go places and get out of the house.  Bathtime is his favorite.  We have lots of fun, silly nicknames for him--our favorites are "Coley Guacomole", "Cole Cole", and "Mani" which is short for MANIAC! 

Anyways, sorry that might have been long for some people's liking.  But, hopefully that kind of catches everyone up.  I don't think it's even possible to try and "catch up".  We'll hope for more bloggins in 2012.  It really is a great way to keep in touch.  It just seems to be the last priority on my list.  I love reading all of your blogs and keeping up with our friends and family though.  So, I'll try and do better.  We wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  We feel so blessed!