tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72445864394516149652024-03-04T23:15:53.699-08:00Joe and December's WorldCassidy, Molly, Julia, and Sean welcome you to our world!!'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-90917753764888101202017-09-28T23:05:00.001-07:002017-10-04T20:28:13.195-07:00A year already<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Crazy, it's been a year already.<br />
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I guess first off is to introduce our newest family member, Rebekah Elisabeth Lotz. That's her own name, our joint commonest (probably) female family name, and our last name. She was Rebekah before she was born, she was the only one to have a name before she was born or even conceived. I had been waiting for her since I was pregnant with Zachary. And here she is. <br />
Labor was stressful, we ended up in the OR for over an hour as her heart rate would suddenly, and for no apparent reason, plummet to the 70's and stay there for 4-5 minutes. This is huge considering that a fetus' heart rate is usually in the 120's and 130's. It will often dip (though not that low) during contractions, but it wasn't during contractions when the decels (that's what they are called) were occurring. After the third time I was gowned up and taken to the OR. Her heart rate was back to normal when we got in there and so we waited to see if she would tolerate further contractions and allow my body to get to 7 cm and hopefully on to a vaginal delivery. The doctor gave us the choice to wait and see or do the c-section, but warned that if her heart rate dropped again, the choice was gone and it would be an immediate c-section. We were in there over an hour and it was not comfy. I was in a bad position for me but a good one for her, so I just dealt with it. When we got back to the room, because I did start progressing again it was a relief. But then I had a big contraction and her heart rate dropped to 46, I am not exaggerating. I squirmed and moved around to shift her and get it up. It did come up just as the nurse was coming in. I looked at the nurse, who was AMAZING the whole time, and said "She did not like that, did she?" The nurse agreed and I told her about the big contraction, she checked me and I was at a 10!!! Nurse hugged me and said get ready to push. Everyone rushed in and got the room set up and I started pushing as they set up. I pushed through about 10 contractions and out she came. She was face up and had the cord around her neck and leg, which probably accounted for the slow progression and the heart rate drops. She was perfect. But a little bluish. But she pinked right up and was great.<br />
She's an amazing sleeper and a super chill baby. It has been such a blessing to have such a tempered baby. She'll be up 1.5-2 hours at a time during the day and, now, takes 2-3 hour naps (they used to be 4 hours long, sigh). She sleeps for 10-12 hours at night and never woke more than once a night. I couldn't ask for a more incredible sleeper. Nursing didn't work as my milk, I now know, just didn't have enough calories, but being on a bottle and being able to control those calories meant I could let her sleep as long as she would go. It has been a life saver as it allows me to focus on the older kids during the day, and sleep at night. When she's awake she is almost always in a good mood, only when she is ready to sleep or eat does she really get cranky. Oh and she can get really mad if she is kept up too long, like at church. She is a dream. A sixth child needs to be that way.<br />
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We are still homeschooling, and now it's Cassidy, Molly, Julia, and Sean. It's a constant day, but I wouldn't change it for almost anything. I don't like when they start fighting, but I love that they are around and I get to see so much of the progress they are making. I love it. There is never enough time in the day to get everything done, but in 10 years I will look back and not wish I had spent more time cleaning the house, I will be glad for all the time we had together.<br />
I have discovered InstaCart. Oh boy. That an Amazon are my favorite websites currently. So Instacart will deliver groceries from my favorite store four times a month for, get this $149 a year.!!!!! Agh!!! No more having to drag everyone to and through the store. I can go online and it is brought to my door. Oh I love freeing up those hours for something I need more, like going to the gym two nights a week. That has also been huge. My body was so spent and drained after six births in eight years. I need to strengthen it and get it moving well again. Even in the past month I have seen a HUGE difference in how much I want to move (and what I eat which is a great side benefit) and how I feel about myself. I want to loose this baby weight that has not wanted to come off since the birth but it's so much more. It's about getting strong and healthier again. And not being tempted in the grocery store by all the yummy yummy stuff is another big bonus with delivered groceries. I HIGHLY recommend it. 149 divided by 48 deliveries a year = $3.10 a delivery. That is so worth the saving in gas, time, hassle, sanity, everything. Totally worth it. Check it out. They do a 2 week free trial. See if they have it in your area.<br />
Here is a referral link, you get $10, I get $10, win-win.<br />
https://inst.cr/t/7zM2hodTf<br />
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What else? Can't think anymore. I will write again and put up pictures next week.<br />
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Oh yeah, bell choir started up!!!! Gotta love bells.'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-19808701573848279032016-10-26T21:36:00.001-07:002016-10-26T21:36:24.286-07:00Half way there, hopefully more So maybe it's time to write this out in plain English. Not that I've been hiding it exactly but I kinda have been sometimes. We are expecting baby #6 in early March (I am hoping for mid to late February). It's a girl. I think it's the girl I thought was coming when I was pregnant with Zachary. I can still hide it if I'm wearing a jacket and I do sometimes. There are just times when I don't feel like talking about it with people I don't know super well. That's usually when I am taking multiple kids to the park for soccer or baseball or whatever. As we had general conference and then stake conference the following week and I think it was during those weeks when I really started showing as pregnant and not just putting on weight, there are still people at church who are learning I am pregnant, 21 weeks pregnant. I vacillate between being really excited to meet this little one and snuggle and hold and enjoy little baby and feeling like I am looking into the abyss. We all know what a newborn brings, sleepless nights, endless crying, nursing every two hours EVERY two hours, etc. As fun as newborns are, they aren't that fun at times and to have the other five, the oldest being eight, I am a little afraid. But it will all work out in the end. I heard this at Time Out For Women and it feels appropriate, "This too shall pass... like a kidney stone" Yup. That says it all.'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-33442733792072405062016-06-25T23:57:00.000-07:002016-06-25T23:57:48.631-07:00Trying new things I have five little kids, and even when I only have one or two, I only get a number of things done, even with a to-do list that gets longer and longer everyday it seems. There are just so many things to do, to make, to be, places to go, people to see, things to try. But I will never have time for all of them, it's Elder Oaks' talk about Good-Better-Best in real time. I am constantly having to choose what is gong to get done, and what is going to have to have till another day, or another life stage. There are pieces of material cut of just waiting to be sewn into a new dress for me, there are pages of notes about the different tasks needing attention for my music callings at church, the books and stacks of books that I want to read so badly, the coloring book I got for mother's day that hasn't seen a single mark, the 60 books on the shelf that we checked out from the library. But to any mother of children, this is just a different list comparable to her own. A lesson in picking those things that matter most.<br />
Well, we did pick one thing that will matter, we finally took the kids camping. Joe and I had camped a number of times together before we had kids, each of us had camped before we met, but have not done more with the kids than set up the tent in the backyard for the night (we didn't end up lasting the night though so it didn't really count). SO after the ward's father-son camping trip to which Joe took Sean, I decided that we needed a family camping trip, and invited a bunch of friends to join us. It was awesome. The site was about 30 minutes from home, but really only about 15 miles. Though I have lived here all my life almost, I had never been there, what a shame. I have already booked the same site for August. About 25 people from our ward came and it was amazing, so much fun. I did learn that June camping means an early wake up time and late bed time. That will be a nice thing about going in August, it will be at least as hot then, and there is about 90 minutes less sun light, mostly less morning sun, Yeah. The kids had a blast, Joe and I worked hard to get the tents set up and down and I spent lots of time cleaning up afterward, but the kids had so much fun with their friends, and want to go back. Yeah.<br />
A few months ago I was looking at our town recreation guide and saw the drama camps and noticed that there was a play that I could put all three girls in. The practices are only for three and four weeks, for Julia/Molly and for Cassidy respectively. We went to a orientation two weeks ago and got to see the people who work the various drama camps. Watching them be flamboyant and lively and silly and just be themselves, was great, and made me remember how much I want for them the be free and not worried about what others think of them. That is so different from how I grew up, I was always aware that others were thinking of me, whether they really were or not. I was too caught up in them and didn't let myself be free enough. I am slowly learning how to not care, but I am hoping that I can stop the girls from starting to care too much. Cassidy has begun but the other two not so much. They all love to say hi to so many of the people we meet on the street, in the store, at the fair, etc. I am excited for the girls to be off for 1.5 and 4 hours a day, learning how to follow another person and be free.<br />
oops i ran out of time... until the next time<br />
'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-34562623872052584992016-04-09T22:42:00.000-07:002016-04-09T22:42:41.516-07:00Has it really been almost five months? guess so Oh my, how boring is my blog when it is only updated once in almost five months. So what has been going on my you ask? A lot.<br />
In November, right before the last post we took a family trip to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. My mother-in-law had been talking for months about taking the kids to the aquarium so when I found out the aquarium offered free admission to home school families, with up to four adults, I was sold. So we planned on my in-laws going down to Monterrey where we would stay at a hotel Monday night and then go to the aquarium Tuesday. The weather was great. In fact it had been so great that the first outing in Monterrey, Pacific Grove, was a bust. We went to a grove where monarchs usually congregate during the winter months. So despite it being late November there were only a few trees with butterflies. The worst part came when child #not going to disclose decided to step on a butterfly on the ground for whatever reason. That is an offense punishable with up to a $1000 fine, besides being not okay on any level. And it was done in front of a docent. Oh the things kids do. Then we went to Asilomar State Beach. So awesome. The kids had so much fun running in the sand and the sun was just setting and it was gorgeous. The kids went back to the beach Tuesday morning while Zach should have been sleeping. Zach didn't sleep and the kids loved the beach. I think we should have just gone home from there. The Aquarium was a bust for sure. I thought the kids were going to be enthralled with the animals. They love going to the zoo near our house, but the aquarium just wasn't there thing. Thank goodness the tickets were free. Maybe when they are older it will be more interesting. But the 1 and 2 year old were just not that into it. Oh well. It was a good time overall.<br />
December was marked with the addition of two new baby chicks. We wanted to try and 'save' our lonely depressed Whitey hen, so we got her some playmates. They are named 'Sarah' and 'Valkyrie'. Both are Rhode Island Reds and we are hoping that there typically more assertive natures will shake up the pecking order of our flock and allow all seven to be in the same area together without any being dominated into submission which was happening with the Big Reds and Whitey. It is amazing to watch how quickly chicks develop and become able to take care of themselves, even if it is in a box only a square foot in size. Those same chicks are now almost 18 weeks old and are holding there own, on their own side of the fence albeit. Now it is only a month or so until they start laying eggs. Woohoo, more eggs. <br />
Christmas was Christmas and nothing stands out to vividly. Sad, but true. Molly turned six just before Christmas and I think we did a great job making sure that she had her day despite it being Christmas Eve. Six years since that fateful day in the mountains. Such a great memory.<br />
January was good. February was great. March was rainy. Really rainy which was amazing. March was Julia's birthday, she's now five, FIVE. Crazy. She's a pistol. So sharp, so aware, so determined to do what she wants when she wants to, even if that means sitting at the dinning table for THREE hours because she doesn't want to wash it. Really, that has happened, a couple of times.<br />
Speaking of chores. I OFTEN have to remind myself that there is importance in making sure that the kids are doing their assigned chores. We don't ask them to do hard things, or things that take a lot of time (except to clean up the messes they made). They do things like clear and clean the table, sweep the floor, empty the dishwasher, sort out their clean clothes and put them away, straighten their rooms. Some things they do a lot, like the table chores they do after every meal (or I try to have them do them after every meal) and others only happen a couple times a week. In all there is about 30 minutes of work a day, but some days the girls make it last for HOURS!!! It is frustrating, tiring, insane, and so necessary. Cassidy has finally figured out that I will have them do their work or they will sit. She knows to just do it and then she can play and do whatever. I need to tell myself that although it takes so much longer to have the kids do the work, they NEED to know how to be a productive member of a family and they NEED to know how to do these skills that will have to do for the rest of their lives. Hopefully they can learn that there are things that just need to be done and that it does no good to fight and stall and resist, it is much easier to just DO them. That is my work, to get them to learn how to do the things that will help them as people once they leave my house.<br />
What else? Oh yeah. In February I learned that there were more tickets available for the Provo City Center Temple open house. With the love I have of the temple, and with the old Provo temple I HAD to take my kids to that open house. I NEEDED to take them inside a temple open house. So we drove out 750 miles to Provo Tuesday morning, went to the open house Wedneday afternoon, saw some old friends Wednesday night, saw my mission president and wife Thursday afternoon, visited with Joe's last mission companion Thursday night (whose parents' are the current president of my mission) and then drove home Friday morning. A quick LONG drive trip. We loved being there except for the pollution which was awful (3 of the 5 worst cities in the country were in Utah that week). We took the kids to see the Jordan River Temple as well as the open house. Oh my goodness. The Provo City Center temple is GORGEOUS. It is absolutely spectacular. I will forever be glad that we took those days to show the girls just how much I love the temple. And we got to be in the temple together, which won't happen for the next 11 years. Coming down with the flu on our way home was a nice way to end the trip. Actually it was awful, but I wouldn't take back the trip to avoid that nasty bug. It was so worth it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our buddies, there are TEN kids between us, all under seven years old.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hobsons, the best mission president and wife, EVER</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will and Zach, pizza eating buddies for life</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The princesses in there favorite accessories</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOiquh_CyxMIzlpakSPyjPylEsfhVp5f6R60HTWPwMXuGfXkn0TpERbY2fd948eutZPIXiB4Uw2-g4yIEbE47-EPQoeQZjGBDTtk5O9hq3tXykgyw_xOlTYGWaqCDsuRfWquVCo7MGaSo/s320/IMG_3486.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let that smile fool you, the rest of the ride home was all crying and fighting and a couple of movies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCupMLGXe9JpaUrNKxZ34PRvnOhqK3dKgJIYfzcOLhlaexh6TB1OPBcIN74e-XdEJRQ0PKWe3Ff-rml-cFbkQZrfgt0vb3Z-eLvR-lo6nCRJ1rjADZAFz9u-HlvQ6PYA_i8_tz1sJ0FzU/s1600/IMG_3443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCupMLGXe9JpaUrNKxZ34PRvnOhqK3dKgJIYfzcOLhlaexh6TB1OPBcIN74e-XdEJRQ0PKWe3Ff-rml-cFbkQZrfgt0vb3Z-eLvR-lo6nCRJ1rjADZAFz9u-HlvQ6PYA_i8_tz1sJ0FzU/s320/IMG_3443.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow was probably their favorite part of the trip, except for Zachary, he HATED the snot</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcewo06CspCPcuArtOsMOcVZljAe4KduJhO2u6_AmpE6eKeQstJ7260L41bkN33ii1uWs6osPvywHD2WnTiGCkSieGNVxCYhYi1q4eKFl5gi-Oe_l4hk20Km-dbdC9CMO_sRr45Tm3RgQ/s1600/IMG_3449.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75x3Ri7bD2hGHEGlc4OYYzx1RKBcsYYkPtSZG1fbMVz5aoT4W3rZXfIXZJWaXJ9AUnIrlgdbJVD55dDHPK5fMJIF1B-ocOgCugG2pvFhfg34KdChuShhxevLwLSbVb-jTLRF7KLjCcSg/s1600/IMG_3457.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZLSr86ekE8k3mAQ4KFbHvKfw5Fg1S1yNjlj_q3DZc6g7kd4x5yh_f6oldWGBHXXQMVOy8q5-b5HYP48jzSDgxGE4lsLTK62nzyGC1yP7mQE5RZe_6q1TverNcqEBBnjLzrlfEoRdEXI/s1600/IMG_3460.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WM4eSnW8ERPBTNv9TOeug-J6oRlCXinWarvnl2Mnll_aTIoqvnlZk5pyIGGWg_t-JaM0y3mNYTFNJpNNUz2-0Ls5iQgMAgcspLyAGa84MYYfPWATBEauklAkZl27gBcRtTNWiL0Y6W8/s1600/IMG_3464.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjPbxci4pMqLxg9UFOpG4NFSNeIT6kp7AsQEMuWtdOjz9omrwyr_uaHZABGnAMdIQYUzVZ9rg8TEB4nMZ8Oy3p60K7aa1LWXpfdxJSOKpLhp5o3NhhCXyWy054Q1lCOubbmVTUZd4NkM/s1600/IMG_3471.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkc_nu-e4h2ZJV81A3dYZzAAI0YnzKbpvRKOE8pSz23nnmEf-m1HSBnXOSBgLf53juqpc8nxg3shF8KtXCvg9VReIH7vkQu-PJMWIDURPeSlY7yDqoVR3X4KOdM2PYNRueBw0Hm7g-1zE/s1600/IMG_3478.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyK1yCCBLQlFZ0AkaeCQkgjNULyOEuGlPtvb8xVzMnmY7eL4QxjMGbYqwb_Ys7D_mjunJfxgvAm6TzY3qyBR5-ymYv9VpjIFULj27h7Ud1W5HmpeefpfXZ2T3cuF877a1RvxU56igHGew/s1600/IMG_3480.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCf8dnpDW0uoTqNCp3BT34lDFTTLCli-oF8n_2r-2Usl8ScgH7vTGkhTj4k98XDFl9E67uX_HJ0DINyDrirVXstVFI6vEqfeAcUNEEj64hofuBHr-Iu8Kmd6CrF2sTl_5zo_Ocdye6QF0/s1600/IMG_3443.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a> <br />
<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-65904957626214105802015-11-25T22:43:00.000-08:002015-11-25T22:43:18.279-08:00A room with a view I love having our kitchen in the front of the house. I can look out at our court and be aware of who is getting a FedEx delivery, who is getting dry cleaning picked up, who is leaving and returning in five minutes flat. I like knowing what is going on in our neck of the woods. It makes me feel a little safer.<br />
A couple of days ago I watched as a couple of neighbors were clearing a lot of items out of their house. Lots of small pieces of furniture and such. With each load out I would see what it was and think, ooh that would be nice in so and so's room. Or ooh I like that.<br />
On my counter is, was, the big ten page black friday ad for Jo-Ann fabrics store. I have had it on the counter since it arrived Monday. I have perused those pages many, many times. I love that store. I have had to put down some strict rules about that store, and limiting my going into that store. Well for this week they are having 75% of sales for flannel and fleece. Fun fabric, soft fabric, there is always some project that can use flannel or fleece. There are a few other deals that piqued my interest but I had to remind myself that I am in the middle of TWO sewing projects, both of which have fabric already cut on the office table. There was another that I sewed last week that I had cut out at least six months ago. I need to get these done so that I can move on to the ten other patterns for which I have already bought fabric.<br />
So I mention these two experiences because they are so related for me. I love getting new things, even if those things aren't new. I won't pass up hand me downs, especially for the kids, and clothes for me. Most of our furniture are hand me downs or second hand, only the beds and mattresses are all new. And I am more than fine with that. It is so fun to get a new thing, but with seven people in the family, there are a LOT of "new" things coming into our house. And it is harder for me to get rid of things than to get things. I feel like if the item is usable than it shouldn't be tossed unless it's nice enough to put in the DI truck, and with five kids I also think that another of the kids will want it. That is especially true with clothing as their likes are so different and you never know what will be in good enough shape to be passed on to the next sibling. But I have learned that too much is too much, even if it is good clothes, good furniture, anything really. The last few months I have had to purge the kids drawers of extra clothing, anything they didn't like or wear had to be removed. It was overwhelming. There is a happy medium of enough that can quickly move to stifling fairly quickly. So it is with seeing the furniture leaving my neighbors' house, we have no NEED of any more furniture. So it is with the fabric store, there are a few things that I would LIKE a lot, but I don't really need. Too much stuff is awful. It takes time to organize, time to keep organized, money to acquire, energy to move and organize, and energy to remember what you have and where in the house it is. Oh that last one is a killer, the I-Know-I-Have-It-But-Where-Is-It brain teaser. <br />
The tail end of the having process involves a little thought about part of the whole picture. When I don't want, need or use this, or it breaks, now what do I do with it? We had to deal with that a cople weeks ago. Joe was given a Lay-Z-Boy chair 11 years ago from a lady who had had it at least that long. This chair was in good cosmetic condition but that back support was gone and the kids were destroying it slowly with all the rough housing. My M-I-L got us a new one as new baby gift and now we needed to get rid of the old one. You know how big they are, they don't fit in the garbage, you have to pay to get rid of it at the dumps. No thanks. So I spent a couple hours dismantling it down to the frame and was able to get it into about four garbage cans around our block. We even got the metal parts off to recycle. Man, it was work. Things are work. That chair was 27 years old!!! It was well used but the wood frame was in perfect condition. That chair was solid except for the comfort part. What a lot of resources went into making it and into getting rid of it.<br />
In reading the creation story God told Adam and Eve to take GOOD care of the earth. I do think we will be responsible for how we use the resources of the earth. I don't think we need to live in a shanty with no amenities like running water or luxuries like hanging christmas lights. But I do think that our overall impart will be part of our character. Am I extravagant? Am I oblivicous? Am I extreme in my non-impact dedication? Am I trying to be wise and prudent and use what I have to the fullest? I use the sun, I use our windows and blankets and jackets, I capture rain water, we turn gray water into black water in the bathrooms. I will not give up my disposable diapers so I try to offset it with being extra frugal in other places.<br />
We live in such a disposable society that it's easy to get caught up in it. But I have found that the simpler (to a point) things are the easier it is to function and enjoy them and life. Enjoy deep stuff...<br />
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'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-8691123498220913722015-09-15T22:23:00.001-07:002015-09-15T22:54:19.464-07:00a day Tonight was one of those nights that I need sometimes. Where I start a project and finish it, all in one fell swoop. A project that has an end and won't need to be done again, and again, and again, and probably again. I just needed it for me. To do something and be done. So I made a clothes pin holder. It is quite the sight. I wanted to make it pretty out of pretty fabric and then I got real. Where is it going to hang? Outside in the sun and heat so I went utilitarian. Duck clothe. Bright orange duck clothe mind you. The same orange duck clothe I used to make fishing pole lure covers (don't ask) for Joe. Oh and bean bags. So it should last. It may fade but it should last longer that the nifty pop up one I was given, whose strap frayed, no disintegrated from the harsh sun rays.I found a really cute hanger that has a metal hook and a cute little star and covered it with the newly made clothes pin bag and it's awesome. And it's done. I don't have to think about it anymore, except to bring it in from the rain, and use it. Maybe then my clothespins won't disappear and weather so badly, and stay in one place. Sometimes you just need to be able to check something off a list, somewhere. <br />
It really helped that the kids have been doing so much better at bedtime. I had a near breakdown a few weeks ago that coincided with the kids deciding that bedtime wasn't at 645 anymore, but more like 930. I was at wits end. I need, need, NEED those few hours at the end of the night to be kid free. When they are up at 615 every morning, and all five are at home all day, there needs to be an end to the chaos and loudness and the whys (which now will earn 5 push ups). I need to go shopping without kids at times, clean up the kitchen sometimes, sit down and read sometimes, go to the temple sometimes (okay more than sometimes, it's my therapist). It just needs to be me, sometimes with the chickens because they can be calming, sometimes with Joe, sometimes with other people, just without the kids.<br />
The last few nights that I have been out with the chickens I have felt and smelt the changing of the seasons and makes me so happy. I LOVE fall. I love the colors and the change in temperature. I love to wear sweaters and jackets and feel the cool air on my face. If we had one, I would want to curl up in front of the fireplace, with a cozy blanket and a good book. I just read one. The Unlikely Journey of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Except for the few swear words, I thought it was an amazing book. Made an impression on me. I hate having to qualify things, except for... aghh. If only I could push the edit button, they didn't add anything to the book. Swear words rarely do add anything anyway.<br />
Our chickens are doing a little better, there is still a definite pecking order, but number 3 has joined the "Mean Girl Group" and can be the most aggressive, she just seems to want to bother Whitey. But in whole the 2 Big Reds (the original Mean Girl Group) have mellowed a bit towards Whitey. That allows us to let them all out for 60-90 minutes at night. For a while it seemed like they would boot her out of the coop at night but no longer. Also, we are up to four laying hens out of the six. I am really hoping that Scout and Whitey start laying in the next month. That would really help with the egg production. Have you seen the price of eggs lately? Safeway is charging $7.50 for 18 eggs!!! That is nuts. I would not spend that much for eggs. Free range eggs go for $6 a dozen and we have a friend selling their eggs for $9 a dozen. A dozen. That is unreal. I can't believe anyone would spend that much for chicken eggs. I never would. I balk at spending $3.50 a dozen.<br />
My calling in our ward is Music Chairman. So I get to arrange all the special musical numbers. It awesome!! I get to pick the music and the songs and it's the best calling ever. This Sunday I am leading, conducting sounds to formal but it's the right word, a large group in singing "Come Thou Fount". I am so excited. I love that hymn (and am sad it's not in the hymn book anymore). We are going to change a bunch of things while still keeping the original beauty of the words and music. Oh I am excited. You know what sounds awesome to me? Having the primary sing "When He Comes Again" the Sunday AFTER Christmas. What a beautiful thought, having just celebrating His birth to think about preparing for Him to come again. Therein lies the awesomeness of my calling. I get to make that decision. :)<br />
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Okay, I have a question for all you that read this post. Please give your response in a comment, please please please. I need feedback. This shows that I spend way too much time thinking up these special numbers, and well in advance. Do you think that the primary should sing on Mother's Day, or is it okay to have a group that sings to the role of mothers and women? My thought is that Adam calls Eve "the mother of all living" before she is the mother of all living, before they are even married in fact. So the role of mothering and the attributes it describes are in use by many who aren't in fact "mothers". There was an amazing song about womanhood presented in the Relief Society general session a few years back. So please tell me what you think. I asked someone in my ward, and the response was an emphatic no way, primary must sing. But I still wonder. What do you think??<br />
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<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-67993916221436790512015-08-07T21:03:00.000-07:002015-08-07T21:03:59.434-07:00IntroductionsHere are the six newest members of our family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCs1VUZOQnFUvDOoPfHvgWLpiDztUbt90p-aEgpWt7mx4vn598h7tvIux3MTsqPjI8jubAwMrbBzh4zF5A9mcyOgXSHZlfsd9j3qAtjCVJhBaWg6KfjOTZDQ4FPQKLuOuulzJXEEh3Ag/s1600/IMG_2995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKCs1VUZOQnFUvDOoPfHvgWLpiDztUbt90p-aEgpWt7mx4vn598h7tvIux3MTsqPjI8jubAwMrbBzh4zF5A9mcyOgXSHZlfsd9j3qAtjCVJhBaWg6KfjOTZDQ4FPQKLuOuulzJXEEh3Ag/s320/IMG_2995.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Whitey, she is Joe's hen. She is #6 in the peck order and is therefore the target of almost all of the harassing by # 1 and #2. She likes me, I'm her protector. She is separated from the others for her own sanity, until she gets bigger and can better ward of the bossy duo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSvobA1g_AhxeHfjW5T1LatnE-yeJjqcBaNHmlzXqtmSWNsdS-CuSgol45LXgShzhA69TXy0qEAt-udRJHfq6yPtdDyEp7FaKQ9WpvYo3oYD5nbE4fLjYxSJMZ9JggrSBtGw3AD4mIxI/s1600/IMG_2951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSvobA1g_AhxeHfjW5T1LatnE-yeJjqcBaNHmlzXqtmSWNsdS-CuSgol45LXgShzhA69TXy0qEAt-udRJHfq6yPtdDyEp7FaKQ9WpvYo3oYD5nbE4fLjYxSJMZ9JggrSBtGw3AD4mIxI/s320/IMG_2951.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Scout, she is Julia's hen. She is #5 in the peck order and is harassed at times, though less then Whitey. But put Whitey and Scout together and Scout will peck Whitey. Scout is a barred Plymouth Rock, about 5 months old.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoW9o5_Mi1uakd6XBQoGM-PBik1XqJNmtBA_aphLCReSIyHF7S6gxoSaVDY1sEaSoleX6M72zEBfdcslJu1CBOPCYwC_XDAd2AqOXrrA-W7LDa-V3QABSrjhmPI4JogSyUAqDjg-YIQiY/s1600/IMG_2990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoW9o5_Mi1uakd6XBQoGM-PBik1XqJNmtBA_aphLCReSIyHF7S6gxoSaVDY1sEaSoleX6M72zEBfdcslJu1CBOPCYwC_XDAd2AqOXrrA-W7LDa-V3QABSrjhmPI4JogSyUAqDjg-YIQiY/s400/IMG_2990.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the girls, plus one.These are the girls that rule the run. From left to right, they are (I think) Beezus, Rosie, and Izzy, and Marabelle. It is sometimes hard to tell the three on the left apart, I needed a couple of days to figure it out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByfdHr2FTCK1Nt7pVlkHbxL21a2P69_zg3NsM0rxG9oxC0bNiXfDeL3yhwdH_WkKxl67EjLePOUmGIZJTZcn3WF8932_7Ggtd2yvyxnbI0XZOAq3wdHtaFt8L8YG3pSOeTMOSFa4dkuo/s1600/IMG_2962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByfdHr2FTCK1Nt7pVlkHbxL21a2P69_zg3NsM0rxG9oxC0bNiXfDeL3yhwdH_WkKxl67EjLePOUmGIZJTZcn3WF8932_7Ggtd2yvyxnbI0XZOAq3wdHtaFt8L8YG3pSOeTMOSFa4dkuo/s320/IMG_2962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is #1 (mean) girl, Beezus. This is what she looks like from above, lots of white. She has beautifully colored feathers.She is a Red Sex Link hen, aka Red Star et al, about 6 months old. She will see Whitey or Scout off somewhere in the chicken run and chase them and peck them, without provocation and without reason. She is Sean's hen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRfQdimyzG4tfjp_L59GcCvjWAlEptCVqaNODjTzNq_dbCq_emf4R8vz8hIUaFZhUslu2K0wX3sP8uqi0eieN6bzQbAOF-rJSeb10z9T4GWLzamUv5zBxFnTntn2RZjQbppld1PK9zqQ/s1600/IMG_2960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRfQdimyzG4tfjp_L59GcCvjWAlEptCVqaNODjTzNq_dbCq_emf4R8vz8hIUaFZhUslu2K0wX3sP8uqi0eieN6bzQbAOF-rJSeb10z9T4GWLzamUv5zBxFnTntn2RZjQbppld1PK9zqQ/s320/IMG_2960.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is #2, Rosie. She is just like Beezus, down one notch on the ornery scale. She is graced with just a hint of white in her tail and back. She's the same age and breed as Beezus. She is Molly's hen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkQdY04M4wqz34_AdYhTGQe-A2xwUD5FRg_Euy8bEuVHWl2z31pcrCiPf40aSoq35USFZIuLcrMw_tbRkyNSWtSmoi5ThNvMnpkajqnLVW2_RgC9ntXaPhlP2e6nIU3dHhHT8N5t8zok/s1600/IMG_2961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkQdY04M4wqz34_AdYhTGQe-A2xwUD5FRg_Euy8bEuVHWl2z31pcrCiPf40aSoq35USFZIuLcrMw_tbRkyNSWtSmoi5ThNvMnpkajqnLVW2_RgC9ntXaPhlP2e6nIU3dHhHT8N5t8zok/s320/IMG_2961.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Izzy, #3, she is my hen. I think that she is just a little younger than Beezus and Rosie but the same breed. She doesn't get in on the mean action but she likes to hang out with the other two big reds. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_Vbg6kMdWNQBFQZ-I_WDFTY1Q2OWIiDDj_HKjigFXB3qP0cBZgAtWZ_iaCwJeqxnP5x1qrZkNKuEQVXGr9fys0TqS-p9_xvxwrAFPOp-9Omuy2ncPQVHiQUcss8CTOnUvIh_SRimkyI/s1600/IMG_2963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_Vbg6kMdWNQBFQZ-I_WDFTY1Q2OWIiDDj_HKjigFXB3qP0cBZgAtWZ_iaCwJeqxnP5x1qrZkNKuEQVXGr9fys0TqS-p9_xvxwrAFPOp-9Omuy2ncPQVHiQUcss8CTOnUvIh_SRimkyI/s320/IMG_2963.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Marabelle, #4 in the peck order. She is Cassidy's hen. She is like Switzerland, neutral, she bothers no one and no one bothers her, except us humans. She does not like us and will not let us pick her up or pet her. She is a Buff Orpington, about 5 or 6 months. </td></tr>
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It has been an interesting nine days, that's how long we've had them. They are up at 6 am every morning. They start to bawk until we let them out of their coop. It's not loud and its not as annoying as some dogs we know, but they let you know they are ready to rock and roll. I try to keep the poop picked up every other day at least. And hens poop, a lot. Seriously. It verges on gross, but you know? At least the poop is useful. It is great for garden soil, and our soil can use all the help it can get. And if it's free, even better. Well, not free, as we had to pay for the feed. But isn't it great to be able to use the waste of one project for the substance of another? They love to eat corn, zucchini, bugs, dandelion greens, watermelon, homegrown sunflower seeds, pumpkin, etc. We let them out of their run a few times during the day for a couple of hours in total. The hens only spend the night and laying egg time in their coop, which was quite the ordeal to make, but that's okay. In the evening the hens will make their way into the coop around nightfall. If I fail to get Whitey out of her run and into the main coop before it gets too dark she will refuse to move, I have to carry her. As did Scout. That must be a hen preservation thing, don't move at night when there are predators that might be out and about. Just hide.<br />
To go from no pets, to pets that require care throughout the day, everyday, is a big change. I didn't expect it in all honesty. I don't know why? I do need to get a few things sorted out because of the strength of the peck order, which I was not prepared for. I need to put out a second feeder in the main run, one in the small run for Whitey, and likewise waterers for the small run, one for the coop, and a small alternative one for the main run. Cheap me refuses to shell out $25 for a prefab waterer or feeder.<br />
(Almost) loving having chickens.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IxptlCv9nUE2KPDTa03981pfUq6DQ_WzM0520G7bXkUctcEQ1iK7-Av6QRFJqCxjbCOOSueHVhzTwnLgZiZypNR1aXgrq69jYymVzLIumGpFgtqblf8nTpgS7unm0UI24SjexIWbwnA/s1600/IMG_2948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IxptlCv9nUE2KPDTa03981pfUq6DQ_WzM0520G7bXkUctcEQ1iK7-Av6QRFJqCxjbCOOSueHVhzTwnLgZiZypNR1aXgrq69jYymVzLIumGpFgtqblf8nTpgS7unm0UI24SjexIWbwnA/s400/IMG_2948.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding our first two eggs, from our own chickens.</td></tr>
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<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-48945685652867222322015-07-17T21:58:00.004-07:002015-07-17T21:58:53.954-07:00Glorious Liquid GoldDespite our drought here in California and sever water cut backs. Despite the fact that both our hives swarmed because we let them get too crowded (the population got bigger than we had given them room for) and half our bees flew away. Despite the weeks that went by during which one hive had no queen laying eggs and a declining population. Despite all that, we just harvest 125 pounds of honey from our two bee hives, and there is a lot more still in their hives, and they are still bringing in the nectar. Maybe we'll still have more to harvest this year, maybe not. But wow. We have two nearly full 6-gallon buckets plus the quart jars we already bottled. I love our bees, they have been gentle and busy this year. We have enough to sell some this year and maybe recoup a little of the money we've put into those bees.<br />
Bees and now chickens. Clothes hung on the clothes line. Compost bin constantly being turned and filled. Hand me downs. I feel so pioneer-ish. Thank havens for indoor plumbing, toilets, hot showers, electricity, automobiles, air conditioning. I love modern conveniences. A give and take. Pick and choose. Oh and clothes- scratch that, disposable diapers. Those are my absolute must luxury item. I don't want to live without them. I'd give up the dishwasher before I give up my Luvs. :) Seriously. <br />
<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-57923461656483468972015-07-17T21:49:00.000-07:002015-07-17T21:49:03.683-07:00I am a perfectionist and I must be crazy I must have thought for a moment that my life isn't crazy enough when I fell for the idea of raising chickens. We don't want a dog, or a cat, or any pets for that matter, but for some reason we, or maybe I, wanted chickens. We have bees, why not chickens. After taking care of our friends' flock for a week and seeing that really there isn't a ton to do, we decided to go for it. What was I thinking?<br />
I don't know what I was thinking and we don't even have the birds yet. Our plan was to get the coop built in time for the county fair and buy some there. Well, it didn't get built in time. Three days before the fair ended I went bonkers and thought I could finish it all. Oh man, that was two weeks ago. I have spent HOURS working on this thing. I designed it, came up with a plan, a list, and multiple headaches. And it still isn't done. So often this last week I have told myself "its strong enough" (even though I didn't frame it the right way) "it's a chicken coop, it doesn't have to be perfect" (perfectionist me says that it's not good enough, not exactly right, done the right way, it's not totally plumb, the list goes on) but no matter how often I think that it doesn't really matter, it does to me. And to top it all off, I found last night the plans (with a few slight differences) for a coop just like mine. Had I found that 2 months ago, this coop would have been done so long ago. Oh the injustice of it all. This is one of my big struggles in life, my weakness rearing its ugly head. I have to be right, do it right, I can't be wrong, about anything. That's the one thing I remember my 5th grade teacher telling me "December you don't always have to be right." But I do, it's wired in me to be right and to churn and stew and worry and get in a tizzy if I am not right, or I did it wrong, even if it really doesn't matter.<br />
I hope I love these darn chickens when we get them or all I will think is I spent how many hours and how much money for this disaster. I just want it all to be done and over and then enjoy those darn birds. I don't want to constantly be thinking about how much each of those little eggs is really costing. And how much cheaper it is just to buy those stinking eggs. Oh I hope ours don't stink.<br />
What did I get us into?? What if we want to go on vacation? Now we have pets, oh the joy of no longer being free. I am complaining, sorry. But then again we go on vacation one time a year. or at least for the last few years that has been the case. we don't go anywhere so why am I worried about it. It'll be good. The coop won't fall apart, it won't rot to the ground, it cost a little more than taking a woodworking class and I got a coop. And I don't have 20 years woodworking or construction experience, how can I think that I will do it perfectly? Especially when I find the perfect plans three weeks into building it. Even the color is wrong, too light, see... focusing on the negative. I've got to stop doing that.'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-80900700256105079492015-05-13T22:05:00.001-07:002015-05-14T20:33:35.937-07:00it's PT time again, oh joyThere is a stage in every child's development that requires parents to prepare for, prepare more for, and then some. Potty training. Aagghhh. It's the only thing I think that rivals the sleep deprovation for awfulness. And we are doing it for the fourth time. I am so grateful to my in-laws who had talked about taking the three older girls with them to their cabin. I so jumped on that, potty train a kid and not have the antics of three other kids. WONDERFUL idea. So today was day #1. Our resident potty training expert's advice in hands and we started after a nice 2 hour semi-nap. There were lots of accidents. But without the girls there were no freak outs. Not even when he pooped in his panties (yes, they are panties, with three older girls they just are) within the first TEN minutes of putting on the panties. AGGHH. Oh well. He did much better in the afternoon after having peed out most of the liquids from the morning. Oh the over share. Sorry.<br />
Tomorrow will be day #2, obviously. Here's to hoping that it is at least as good :) as today. Want to know his reward for peeing on the potty? Croutons!! Hilarious. Cheap, not much sugar, and he LOVES them.<br />
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I also started back at the gym. After Sean was born I started going but experienced knee pain which took months to resolve, and there went my resolve. But I am back. Twice last week, twice already this week, with the plan on twice more this week. It's great. When I was in college studying Athletic Training, students were required to take 10 phys ed classes. How awesome. No need to go to the gym and no excuse to not go to the gym because your grade is on the line. I got in the best shape of my life during my last year in school and that really helped leading into having five babies in six years. Now it is time to get strong again. As nice as it will be to lose the last 10 pounds of baby weight, I am most excited about getting strong and firm and energized again and regaining the desire to run around and roller blade and do physical things. I felt like a tightness was lifted once I started moving again. What a great way to spend 75 minutes in the evening. Doing something that will benefit me AND my family. It's great. It's also wonderful to get away from the house, seeing as we don't always leave this address everyday. Especially with potty training now in force.<br />
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So for mother's day, our ward did the See's chocolate thing, the decorated cookie thing (that is eaten by the child anyhow), the awesome cards with the B&W 5X7 of the child (thanks Carol, they are GORGEOUS), but the men in charge of primary added a super keeper. My kids, minus #2 Molly are at 40 seconds Julia, 49 seconds Cassidy (mini me), and 56 seconds Sean. Isn't it awesome??<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx6LMjyFpSs" target="_blank">Mother's Day video</a><br />
I had a tear or two in my eyes when I first saw it. Love it. Keep it.<br />
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<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-17393184598538248162015-02-19T22:12:00.003-08:002015-02-19T22:12:34.400-08:00A new year January and February have been good to us. I received a new calling. Oh how I dreaded hearing the "N" word, nursery, or the "P" word for that matter, primary. They are wonderful places to be, right now just would not be a good time for me to be there. And that is why I wasn't called there. I am now the music chairperson for the ward in charge of arranging for all the special musical numbers in Sacrament meeting at church. And that's a lot in our ward, the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Sundays. The 3rd Sunday is for the choir. I am liking it so far. It's one thing to be in charge of doing the music, it's another to be in charge of getting OTHERS to do music. There are enough people who usually do the music, but I'd like to get all the others who are willing to get in on the fun. So I am hopeful and optimistic that this will help our meetings. I am a firm believer in the power of music. And the power of beautifully presented hymn is unmatched.<br />
With all of our 70 degree weather, the kids have been outside a bunch. All three girls now ride without training wheels. Julia just decided to learn two weeks ago, she can't start unassisted but she's good to go once she gets the tiny push. Sean is just a matter of time. I tried putting on our training wheels on the little 12" bike but the back wheel didn't touch the ground once they were on. With training wheels on that little bike he'd be off to the races. You should see him on the little scooter he has, oh man, the boy has balance to spare. He coasts done the incline of the street on one leg and can turn the scooter all at the same time. It's really quite a sight to behold. Today he even started to ride his bike down the 5 steps of our front porch. That quickly was stopped. He's not ready for that yet though he thinks there's nothing wrong with it. Daredevil.<br />
Oh so it was supposed to be 79 degrees at Santa Cruz beach on Valentines Day so we thought, hey, lets go. Well so did tens of thousands of other car owners. The trip is 70 miles or 60, well, we got almost half way there and hit a wall... of cars. Oh my the radio said traffic was moving between 10 and 40. We hit 10 MPH once, it was more like 0-5. And it stayed like that for HOURS. Long after we got of the road and headed to the lake we saw off the highway in Los Gatos. We had been on the road an hour and a half and sick of the kids asking "how much longer". What were we thinking?? Who wouldn't want to spend valentines day on the beach with 79 degree weather? Next time we will go during the week.<br />
I think my personal favorite happening has been that Zachary is no longer getting up in the middle of the night. And it only took two nights, with only one wake up those two nights. Another benefit of the bottle feeding for us. A tender mercy. No more having to wake up in the night to a crying baby. Uninterrupted sleep, there isn't much better than that. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1-Hf9FoKnXZjbcbdYI-fvtk550JEEPBnow59bPaaEVqBJq0Tne3sqma6l6d5jJ5rIqFvKlRH4WmdQCns5-ONHqpEyYGglPnmsAihjh19T1ly-TA13-kF7DTLAwY9DaD76LYksVivckQ/s1600/IMG_2223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1-Hf9FoKnXZjbcbdYI-fvtk550JEEPBnow59bPaaEVqBJq0Tne3sqma6l6d5jJ5rIqFvKlRH4WmdQCns5-ONHqpEyYGglPnmsAihjh19T1ly-TA13-kF7DTLAwY9DaD76LYksVivckQ/s1600/IMG_2223.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, this little guy. He has lungs, and knows how to use them. Boy can he go from content to pissed in no time.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WSbU3mnSy5t6ZgunxZ4eR9OZEB72aGD75uNa5fRg6K7VyO2tYMgqE4RrY1W6I1KtHTRMAz-rpY7gys2wPmsnqIGYP8wfJNh5GJdlAl9Sgxq_XUQHm2tIWlgLq7erzESU3xjUAerXJnU/s1600/IMG_2227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WSbU3mnSy5t6ZgunxZ4eR9OZEB72aGD75uNa5fRg6K7VyO2tYMgqE4RrY1W6I1KtHTRMAz-rpY7gys2wPmsnqIGYP8wfJNh5GJdlAl9Sgxq_XUQHm2tIWlgLq7erzESU3xjUAerXJnU/s1600/IMG_2227.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting through her reading lessons. Some days are more of struggle than others, but isn't that true for everyone??</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoctLSlGT5c0CbUTqOSjMP2_YG0qwAbJahhMu8OqJLxgNC90evxaDgVjsFfhJ2P4AdSaXltEq5vIyelgtFc7I8IhHelqXUH3mQV3muRCwHVof6UGEV6Hwu8PyKfKi8tpzih-qvaZ0hzuA/s1600/IMG_2239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoctLSlGT5c0CbUTqOSjMP2_YG0qwAbJahhMu8OqJLxgNC90evxaDgVjsFfhJ2P4AdSaXltEq5vIyelgtFc7I8IhHelqXUH3mQV3muRCwHVof6UGEV6Hwu8PyKfKi8tpzih-qvaZ0hzuA/s1600/IMG_2239.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this little guy. Can't imagine life without him. He has so much spunk and life in him. Oh that smile, and giggle. Ask him to say "hamburger", and he says "Han-ga-bur" super cute.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eIhnd9weCbx3CwexSD5QMyTPrNh-THVP3HUHsBn9qkRV9fme_xpCYSwddCBJd6eJ-wUMUPspjeGwpy9l8O1LartegCNMkMdxAf-HIRTWYnB04UfPcrV5oEce1fzOM3B4yAGrjeEzFi0/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eIhnd9weCbx3CwexSD5QMyTPrNh-THVP3HUHsBn9qkRV9fme_xpCYSwddCBJd6eJ-wUMUPspjeGwpy9l8O1LartegCNMkMdxAf-HIRTWYnB04UfPcrV5oEce1fzOM3B4yAGrjeEzFi0/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As much as I struggled to be able to nurse him, bottles and formula have their benefits for us. It's so true, formula is not the devil's poison. I have enjoyed sitting in the rocking chair holding him super close while giving him a bottle. He used to look up at me while eating when he was younger. Now he's so into everything else.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbGe6DRoY16N6gCHja_M30siU1O5OQtA-86qV4Y9miTRo6KI1cUPSnJyZI2_jYmjAisnBe2HmA9cGZEFjPFx5qnFBtTZKe7KGu-Ta02b6bDs04qZUG_zJQJLqblQqOFvTFQjED24He3o/s1600/IMG_2255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbGe6DRoY16N6gCHja_M30siU1O5OQtA-86qV4Y9miTRo6KI1cUPSnJyZI2_jYmjAisnBe2HmA9cGZEFjPFx5qnFBtTZKe7KGu-Ta02b6bDs04qZUG_zJQJLqblQqOFvTFQjED24He3o/s1600/IMG_2255.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check it out, five car seats in an Odyssey. That's how we roll. no room for anyone outside the immediate family.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHggFS8e48oooX46dSeuTi2lBSWP5jyFCWbNmlrqfBRzacWa_JXWktQAAxCdlh4tOjYOjI8a6dFV9d_jHLl2zSiDIZSX9fHl-KIrwJPOPHRyx_BtNTMJxecDkjrxk2BhxSHOhaQgK5Ik/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHggFS8e48oooX46dSeuTi2lBSWP5jyFCWbNmlrqfBRzacWa_JXWktQAAxCdlh4tOjYOjI8a6dFV9d_jHLl2zSiDIZSX9fHl-KIrwJPOPHRyx_BtNTMJxecDkjrxk2BhxSHOhaQgK5Ik/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Factors X and Y. These two are dynamic. So much personality and they can talk the ears off anyone. For anyone who thinks a boy doesn't talk or that a fourth child doesn't talk much because the other siblings do it for them, meet Sean. He is a chatterbox.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7fuY72QYSbireiqPxUg5niWdCK3XxxLFtC82gEUVZn3A5TUhNeXHzxzbRwqwlGGBQwsyruFdkWZ00jbv_SeuZLpAdTEHHqDJ4yakHJurP8RF28Jl3RqWyqkpImluNXdJ5x_H6clbX0Q/s1600/IMG_2267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7fuY72QYSbireiqPxUg5niWdCK3XxxLFtC82gEUVZn3A5TUhNeXHzxzbRwqwlGGBQwsyruFdkWZ00jbv_SeuZLpAdTEHHqDJ4yakHJurP8RF28Jl3RqWyqkpImluNXdJ5x_H6clbX0Q/s1600/IMG_2267.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's a cutie. But man, she is growing up quickly all of a sudden.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doesn't it look like she's sleeping?? She decided to take a snooze while the others were looking at the bunnies.</td></tr>
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'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-16167126621243620782014-12-29T23:34:00.001-08:002014-12-29T23:34:32.564-08:00We survived!!!Quick notes-<br />
Joe and I celebrated 8 years of marriage and 10 years of togetherness this fall. I can't believe that it's been that long.<br />
I turned 34 by spending the evening in the federal women's prison. It was a wonderful experience. The bell choir from my ward performed and Christmas program and the spirit was wonderful. I even played well. :) Joe took a photo of my cake before the kids went to bed.<br />
Molly turned 5. Again, where have the years gone? She is such a funny girl. She likes to make her eyes go crazy, and I have finally found a way to break her when she's upset. Tell her not to smile, not to laugh, and she can't help but smile and giggle.<br />
Zachary turns 5 months in just a few days. Oh my. I can't believe it. He's such a wonderful addition to our family. He sleeps on a schedule that is so his own. I can almost set my watch to it, especially the 11 pm wake up. Though I am excited for that to end so that I can get enough sleep at night. He giggles so cute. He loves for me to hold him. And he's gained weight and is up to the 15 percentile. Woo hoo.<br />
The bell choir performance in the Christmas church program went well. We had one major mistake in not explaining to the congregation that that was an interlude in one song that they sang with us so they went right into the third verse of Silent Night and we all dropped out one by one as we realized that we weren't in the right spot. I made a lovely mistake to open The First Noel, one that I hadn't made before so I didn't even realize that the mistake was me and made it twice. Oops, really obvious because they were solo notes, oh well. At least we got the endings right. :) Quite an enjoyable experience overall.<br />
My in-laws brought us a Christmas tree back form the mountains before Thanksgiving so we've had it around for a while. So the day after Christmas it was undecorated, de-lighted, and chopped up by noon. I love all the Christmas decor but after a while it's nice to de-stuff the house.<br />
We really tried to concentrate on Christ this year for the Christmas season. We read scriptures and hung ornaments each morning having to do with the life of Christ. We left off from the tree most of our disney and secular ornaments from the tree and around the house. It's so amazing how quickly kids pick up on the santa and all the jazz so that aspect needs little encouragement from us. I think it was a wonderful 25 days of Christ. The girls got so excited to hold the picture or pull out the ornament, to read the scriptural account of the life of Jesus. I can't wait to do this every year. The learned so much. Next year I would like to make a felt nativity scene to go along with the three toy sets we have. I saw one on pinterest that looks so cute. <br />
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'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-2796977889845264722014-10-16T22:17:00.001-07:002014-10-16T22:17:58.555-07:00bells and whistles... well maybe just bellsThis last Sunday a lady in our ward asked me if I might be interested in being in the Christmas bell choir this year. Background, last year was the first year that I even LIKED the bell choir at Christmas, before that, it seemed to be the whole of the Christmas program and I just detested that. But last year I felt the Spirit as soon as the music started, it was the perfect balance of Christmas and bells and Christ. So I jumped at the chance to participate this year.<br />
Tonight was my first practice, the rest of the group has been practicing a few weeks already. I was a little nervous as I have never played handbells before, but I know music so... It was a BLAST!! Just what I need right now. Here Joe, here's the bay, here's a bottle, the other kids are in bed. I get to be me. I participated in band and orchestra every year but one from fourth grade until my senior year. I love music, I love playing music. I really feel like Heavenly Father gave me this as a chance to be December again, not just mom and wife, but also a person in my own right. I can't wait till next week's practice. 'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-50306418678496412372014-10-15T22:34:00.000-07:002014-10-15T22:34:27.864-07:00Packing on the ouncesWhen I get the full script I will ask how babies' birth weights and lengths are determined. As well as how mothers' milk supplies are, as well as breast milk fat content. For me, those few questions have been extensively thought about with every baby. <br />
Size is somewhat determined by mother's health but some part isn't. My babes are average, 6 pounds 6 ounces to 7 pounds 15 ounces. I am not huge, but neither am a small, but my babies are average. I had a friend whose last babe was 10 pounds 15 ounces. The mom is super healthy, and smaller than me. Just interesting. Plus all my kids had small heads, which get proportionate as they grow, but start small. Thank heavens.<br />
Milk supply is once again a challenge, more so than ever before. I don't know what I did or didn't do, if anything, that made this go around so much less adequate in this department. Little Zach started off 7#12oz. Perfect. But by 2 weeks was only 7#10oz and at 1 month was 7#12oz and at 2 months (and this was after a month of nursing EVERY 2 hours during the day) he was only 8#12oz. Each of the other kids also dropped to the bottom 5-10 percentiles at some point, but it was usually at 4 or 6 months, not 1 month, and Zach was down to the 0.3 percentile at 2 months. Talk about stress and feelings of failure and inadequacy and all those other negative emotions. I have done almost everything that sounds reasonable and somewhat proven to help, More Milk special blend tincture (the most awful thing ever, especially since it's not the alcohol free one, so it burns!), non-alcoholic beer (for the hops, also quite gross, why does anyone drink that stuff??), oatmeal, tons of pumping, wearing Zach when possible, having him in our room at night... It's helped but man o man. To be one of the women who don't have to worry about making enough milk to satisfy your baby. Most of the time we nurse, give a supplemental bottle (with extra formula powder for extra calories to catch up some of the missing ounces), and than I pump. At one point Zach wouldn't nurse at all, oh that was pleasant, incessant screaming when I tried to nurse him. So that is greatly improved, he'll nurse half the time I try to feed him, but he still screams at other times and refuses to nurse. If only he realized it would take less time now to nurse than make a bottle and in the long run he'd get the milk he wanted if he would nurse now. Good luck reasoning with a 12 week old, right? But I have to remind myself that it could be worse, he could not want to nurse at all, he could refuse to take a bottle at all, he could refuse to drink formula at all, any of which would impede our packing on the weight attempt. We have gotten him to 10 pounds 2 ounces as of Monday. We are hoping for a steady 1 ounce a day gain, which seems supper easy compared to the 2-2.5 ounces he's been putting on daily with all our interventions. At 1 oz/day he'll be well above Sean and Julia at 4 months. So he'd be going up the scale instead of down, and could end up the biggest one yet.<br />
And fat content, what is up with that. As a pumper I see my milk fat layer on top, it's pathetic. I make skim milk. How do others make cream?? What determines that the 10#15oz baby gets cream and the 7#12oz baby gets skim?? Is there anything to be done to inject fat into the milk?? Is it even possible??<br />
Part of me says this isn't my fault. I didn't try to starve my baby. But part of me recounts all the things that might have contributed... that darn pacifier, not wearing Zach all the time like I thought I would this time round, not pumping long enough initially, the birth control pills (I can do a bottle right now, but not another pregnancy, don't judge), my tired and depleted body, stress, four other kids at home... the list could go on.<br />
This has been rough and will continue to be work until he's eating food food, that's when all my kids started picking up weight. Renting a good pump, weekly support meetings, nasty tasting medicine, they will continue longer. Is it worth it? I hope so. I hope it's not so overwhelming that that's all I remember when I think about these months. You do what you can but man, sometimes it's a little too much, almost. 'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-32665939861202571882014-08-22T21:17:00.001-07:002014-08-22T21:17:44.008-07:00pictures.. yeah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-28924957644591537852014-08-04T20:19:00.001-07:002014-08-04T20:19:19.605-07:000 to baby in 2 I was so sure we were having a little girl. But again, I was wrong, we had a little boy. He still doesn't have a name yet but he's perfect otherwise. He sometimes gets called Sean and other times Buddy. We have one more night to figure out the name thing before we have to go through the whole ordeal of changing a blank birth certificate and doing the Social Security stuff ourselves so we really want to get it chosen; picking names is so hard for us, always has been. That's one reason a girl would have been easier, her name was set. But that wasn't the plan, I just didn't know it. I am thrilled for this little boy in our family. I knew that the Lord would send the right spirit into our family and I still know that and am so grateful for that assurance. I am also grateful that Sean will have a brother and Joe will have two little boys to do all those scouting things with. Three boys two girls, it's just the way it should be.<br />
So here is the story.<br />
Last Wednesday I had contractions all day but they were not too bad and far apart. I was bummed as I had hoped a little girl would be born that day. Thursday I woke with much stronger contractions closer together. I was thrilled. I was so ready to be done being pregnant. I wasn't 100% if it was really labor or not and I had an appointment at 1115 with my OB so I kept going back and forth whether to just wait for the appointment or go to the hospital. But the thought of not getting to the hospital in time for wonderful pain management won out and so we went at 9. Of course once we got there the contractions slowed down. But they took us up and hooked me up to the monitor. And then when the nurse checked to see where I was, she announced 0, well maybe 1/2. Seriously. I was so frustrated and a little embarrassed quite frankly. How could all those contractions do NOTHING!!! I was at this same point at my appointment the week before. She kept me hooked up to the monitor and over the course of an hour or so the contractions slowed and lessened even more. But the nurse noticed the baby's heart rate decelerated during a couple contractions so she left me hooked up and called my OB. My OB knows my crazy labor history and so wanted me to stay longer and also do a contraction stress test. A CST is where pitocin is administered just to produce three contractions in ten minutes so that the baby' reaction to the contractions can be better observed. The intent was NOT to induce labor. So onto an IV I went, which is always a struggle against rolly polly veins, and it was again. I have some nice bruising to show for it but at last I was on and the pit was going, only one unit mind you. Then it was a timing game. The baby monitor slipped out of place right away and didn't pick up the first few contractions unfortunately because I would have been done in maybe 15 minutes, but after those first 15 minutes I was at a rate of three in eleven minutes, AGGHHH. Then, as it always goes, it changed on a dime.<br />
So the CST started just about noon I think. The timing is still a bit fuzzy. And I was at 1/2 maybe. Well after an hour of the CST I finally got the three in ten, well it ended up being five or six in ten minutes at the end. So the pit was stopped. (The baby's heart rate would drop during many of the contractions.) The nurse checked to see if any progress was made towards labor, though that was NOT the goal. Well surprise surprise, not really when you factor in the pain of those later contractions, I was at 5+. Really. I thought Thank goodness. But that wasn't good because there was no standing order for an epidural and the nurse had to go call my doctor and then get the order then get the anesthisiologist, get the paper work signed and all that and I was almost at 6 which is not good for me. By this time I knew that the baby was coming, I have done labor sans epidural before and I was feeling all that pain again. I was hurting something fierce. I could barely stand the contractions. I know everyone feels them differently, I feel like my pelvis is being ripped apart and my hip joints stabbed with firey skewers. I could barely sit as I was prepped for the epidural. I could barely breathe and was getting a little tense with everyone and when the nurse pushed the baby monitor against me I wanted to scream at her because of the pain. After getting "numbed up" for the epidural and having to wait for a horrible contraction to pass I could feel it was too late for the epidural even though they continued to try and go through with it. But whether she didn't give me enough or if she didn't even try, I don't know, all I know was that there was no relief and I couldn't then relax enough to lie back on the bed.<br />
From trying to do the epidural till birth of baby was 15 minutes. It was awful. Way worse then with Molly. This baby was bigger and the pressure was worse and it was awful. I just was so not prepared for THIS labor and delivery. Thankfully there was a need for speed and I could hear that in the doctor's voice when she said "You have to get this baby out, push". And three pushes, which was actually a lot for me, and HE was out. That was quite a surprise.<br />
Fast forward to today, Monday. Baby boy finally has a name, Zachary Caleb. It took until today to pick it. We had a hard time picking it out. Even Sean can say Zach which is super cute. And speaking of Sean, he has been soooooo good. No problems no jealousy no issues whatsoever. I was so worried but everything has been good so far. The girls love the baby and Cassidy can't get enough touching him. Molly will come around but isn't obsessed (thankfully) and Julia is cute with him.<br />
We are now a family of 7!!! That is NUTS. <br />
...'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-79022303576890013872014-07-11T22:41:00.001-07:002014-07-11T22:47:09.653-07:00No deja vu For those who aren't familiar with Molly's birth story, here's the reader's digest version. Three and a half weeks before her due date we went up to the mountains for Christmas, with the plan to come home the day after Christmas. I hadn't progressed at all before we left Monday, but she decided to come on Thursday, which was Christmas Eve. I was at the "hospital" for 10 minutes before she made her debut. It was a great Christmas vacation, and if you are going to be born Christmas Eve you better have a good story to go with it.<br />
We decided to go back up to the mountains again for the July 4th weekend, despite my being 34-35 weeks along. My in-laws have a place in a little town that puts on a killer fireworks display and it's a tradition, usually, to go up there. So we woke up at 445am July 4th to make the 4 hour drive and not hit major traffic. With kids we average 4 1/2 to 5 hours to make the trip, but going so early we got up in less than 4 hours. Woohoo. We didn't have to stop, there was no crying, barely any talking at all actually (that would be because the two older girls went up with the grandparents a few days earlier), and such a great trip. Those with kids can appreciate the miraculous road trip that will forever be the platinum standard (though probably never to be repeated). <br />
I was nervous about the altitude and the feeling of being winded all the time like I was while pregnant with Molly. But oh what a blessing not to feel any of that, at all. I didn't push myself much but still it was so nice to have oxygen. My dad also came up with us, so despite the fact that vacation is still living and still a lot of work, it was nice to be able to say, "Hey Sean, go to Grandpa" or "Dad can you carry Sean?" There were more adults than kids for the first time in so long and what a great blessing that was that I really used.<br />
I wasn't prepared for the AWFUL sleep we got throughout the entire vacation. The first night was the worst and I ended up, after battling Julia and Sean from 1-3am, sleeping on a thin futon mat on the laundry room floor with Julia, while Joe tried to get Sean back to sleep in the bedroom. Who knew that a nightlight could be so vital/detrimental to everyone in the room. The other nights weren't quite as bad but still not fun. Night two was a little better, Sean woke at 4 am and was up until nap time. AGHHHH, at least I was successful in keeping Molly asleep until 6, miraculous. Again, blessings each day kept us awake and energized to play.<br />
We spent time at one of the lakes nearby, in the creek behind the cabin, swinging in the hammock (not so easy to exit being so pregnant), going on hikes to gorgeous waterfalls, eating, playing, laughing, and enjoying family. Oh and I learned why it's not a good idea to throw rocks around other people. I was sitting on a rock near the creek and decided to skip a rock. I chose one, kinda too big to skip but... I thought that it might be a bad angle even though the creek was clear in front of me and threw it. Well my fingers held on a little too long, and whoosh through the air. It flew right towards my mother-in-law and hit her, right on the cheek bone. Yup, less than an inch from her eye. She's a professional artist, her eyes are everything. She was black and blue instantly. It's still a HUGE nasty yellow bruise. That wasn't what I wanted to do. So be careful when you throw rocks.<br />
Back to the beginning, we did not come home with Lotz #5. <br />
Here's so photos.<br />
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<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-37336711934011897712014-07-01T21:16:00.003-07:002014-07-01T21:18:33.701-07:00Say cheese<br />
I love photographs, but it seems as the kids have gotten
older (and more numerous) I have taken fewer and fewer photos. I just
forget to get out the camera most days and even on some kind of special
days. But when there is so much going on, something has to give right? I
am going to try to take more photos, I just have to figure out where to
put the camera so that it is convenient for me to get and remember and
not so easy for little fingers to get. They are great at taking random
shots of whatever but it has already cost me one camera and I don't need
to add that to the list of things to buy/replace. Here are some fun
ones of our adventures recently.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2FvVaP4y0HYLE93wIMlcgWcNRMXsoCl4GsAABarKffL-etRDTDLjrKCP8pM36lPdiZqA0BXwEhyJiHI2fI4RU_LdLdqvOzk8dZRbSWMnrX_Fotah8rQO29Nry9-TVxc55xdn1BuDaak/s1600/IMG_1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2FvVaP4y0HYLE93wIMlcgWcNRMXsoCl4GsAABarKffL-etRDTDLjrKCP8pM36lPdiZqA0BXwEhyJiHI2fI4RU_LdLdqvOzk8dZRbSWMnrX_Fotah8rQO29Nry9-TVxc55xdn1BuDaak/s1600/IMG_1488.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat captain Julia, just lounging around.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcy2n-9DELiyU2vBPjO_IRR_Aq3RLo-GC3niqbqyyP-IUgs9y1bYtvSF5kKigNk2mwjU49ghQP6WqxOUzmaqUQP2ScAvLw9pBEZjCn9ttowjAYusiALwoEi1RdX4KOMwBjfpL_-wAxVo/s1600/IMG_1494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcy2n-9DELiyU2vBPjO_IRR_Aq3RLo-GC3niqbqyyP-IUgs9y1bYtvSF5kKigNk2mwjU49ghQP6WqxOUzmaqUQP2ScAvLw9pBEZjCn9ttowjAYusiALwoEi1RdX4KOMwBjfpL_-wAxVo/s1600/IMG_1494.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our three "cutest show" actresses. Molly was there early and got one of the two mermaid costumes. The others were super jealous. Cassidy had a hard time being convinced that there weren't more mermaid costumes and settled on waving a wand and being a pink mermaid. I love the nemo on Julia's head. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVhwPA8p8JaBQWbZbVNrbFC_CkQmo0nzbxNZc7BjAP4xpsPSlYEqbHoDpF1mUR71WRxLV0mtYpGBX96IVEj7QzRRTgEdbPrNbUyjCJOdCzF8PRi8oVgorFcKmnhFcbB4er93KBH8UlTw/s1600/IMG_1469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVhwPA8p8JaBQWbZbVNrbFC_CkQmo0nzbxNZc7BjAP4xpsPSlYEqbHoDpF1mUR71WRxLV0mtYpGBX96IVEj7QzRRTgEdbPrNbUyjCJOdCzF8PRi8oVgorFcKmnhFcbB4er93KBH8UlTw/s1600/IMG_1469.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We recently went to the fair with the parents and before we started off I made sure to take a photo of the girls, just in case. I remember going to the zoo and coming across a mom looking for her child. I asked her what the child was wearing and she had a hard time remembering, that stuck with me, to try and avoid the inevitable fog when panicking over a missing child. So now we do photos as we embark. I made the girls wear their matching shirts and with the parents also in pastel they looked so cute. We had a blast and almost bought some chickens on the spot. :) Coming soon. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAe1vfgDF2VzlmZlgfclPPr6t9Ef28OxESFh4Pnoc7xbsVsTa5Th7npJRXtvbDVCoW5yewimlvf86yDfQGRl5aX5F4Jg105QZfyE3VFb_YS_YMkZOe5gTgdyaPCP2RRbWHoVieWUr_5s/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLAe1vfgDF2VzlmZlgfclPPr6t9Ef28OxESFh4Pnoc7xbsVsTa5Th7npJRXtvbDVCoW5yewimlvf86yDfQGRl5aX5F4Jg105QZfyE3VFb_YS_YMkZOe5gTgdyaPCP2RRbWHoVieWUr_5s/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally a photo of Julia's hair cut. The bangs have finally evened out and the bob is so cute, and easy. She is still such a sweet heart except when she gets her attitude going. I love her hugs and she's still little so I can hold her pretty easily still and she's just like a koala. She is the first of the kids to get freckles. Just a handful across her checks and nose. I love it. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhratQzLHi4zCnnYqoIYgFbEMCNEkoRmcFyaDFyAHt9vCyO6rKLAW_oaB-v0_Q96UiP6TlWwjDgwSlKsjx0sTP2A7J9PHR9cDWDhtkR9z7R8qRJW_5B7bcpnrG2-XtikdgH-uXFsqtOBS4/s1600/IMG_1487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhratQzLHi4zCnnYqoIYgFbEMCNEkoRmcFyaDFyAHt9vCyO6rKLAW_oaB-v0_Q96UiP6TlWwjDgwSlKsjx0sTP2A7J9PHR9cDWDhtkR9z7R8qRJW_5B7bcpnrG2-XtikdgH-uXFsqtOBS4/s1600/IMG_1487.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Sean's recent haircut. I think it makes him look so much older. He is such a fun little guy. Recently he has been kicking around the soccer ball a bunch. It is so fun to watch him always set up behind the ball, facing the direction he's going to kick it to, and then watch him throw himself into the kick. It's way to young to say he is gifted in soccer but he sure does like it and is pretty consistent in his motion for a 22 month old. Wow, 22 months, crazy. It's been such a treat to be able to see this age 18-22 months without the presence of an infant. I can't do all that I'd like to being 34 weeks pregnant right now but it's more time than I had with any of the girls. He is into giving kisses lately and will make an "uh uh" noise when he feels so inclined as to bestow a kiss or if he needs a kiss on a hurt. He is so much FUN!!!!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUW9Z-4fMrnfyekZ7Fu1iHCrGnJjC7vmdmr91Yne7bXka3z6Zf7ga7HJGVuak-tYlb_7KQzCbToERIpCqc0hiUFdsFKNjh-NwTlzMh5tJ_4maeCDPbldWzluq4u1rw_BRiGdDcvnPeFmk/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUW9Z-4fMrnfyekZ7Fu1iHCrGnJjC7vmdmr91Yne7bXka3z6Zf7ga7HJGVuak-tYlb_7KQzCbToERIpCqc0hiUFdsFKNjh-NwTlzMh5tJ_4maeCDPbldWzluq4u1rw_BRiGdDcvnPeFmk/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So this mom baboon is protecting her month old baby from the other under one year olds who like to come and try and rip it off the mom. They tried it in front of us. I felt the mom's annoyance and knew her response, "Get off the baby!!" While all that was going on, the dominant male in the group decided he had enough audience around to have a live demonstration of mating in the zoo 101. Thankfully the girls were oblivious to it so we didn't have to have the monkeys and birds and bees conversation just yet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GauP2WFXRWlnfBxBesDZZk74DOKWgiRq_gFtGpCdtcv8JCCkjINo_AmIdCUiiNe2iykEhXi-hr4OsossDCpEew2aOCmmKGri79PMx63EEBccOCmFp0Rv7u2T6VT9k22AqVWdfrWpbqQ/s1600/IMG_1424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GauP2WFXRWlnfBxBesDZZk74DOKWgiRq_gFtGpCdtcv8JCCkjINo_AmIdCUiiNe2iykEhXi-hr4OsossDCpEew2aOCmmKGri79PMx63EEBccOCmFp0Rv7u2T6VT9k22AqVWdfrWpbqQ/s1600/IMG_1424.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids waiting to see the elephants get fed. It wasn't much of a show. But the docent taught the kids that the baby elephants eat poop to help them stay healthy (I forget the full reason). Thanks.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATb34vceFQPQXf4wCyMtEMkYfV5ieHA9XshT4TBtCBnMoLtZLmjvzSu3O69unIO3EzCtQYNeMeViLw2MWsH2DM0flF80OegdTcNGham-yAjhi8C4HU-IL6LEfhwOASgJ6PknzyaZ3LqU/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATb34vceFQPQXf4wCyMtEMkYfV5ieHA9XshT4TBtCBnMoLtZLmjvzSu3O69unIO3EzCtQYNeMeViLw2MWsH2DM0flF80OegdTcNGham-yAjhi8C4HU-IL6LEfhwOASgJ6PknzyaZ3LqU/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We drove out to Pro Bass Shops a few weekends ago to do their free indoor catch-and-release fishing thing. There was about a 45 minute wait just to get up to the pond, then another 20 minutes of trying to coax those not-so-dumb catfish to bite a worm on a hook for the 15th time. After a 'guide' caught one we had all the girls take a photo instead of waiting for the other two to catch something. Julia freaked a little and in the end it was fun. The girls did remarkable considering the wait in line and the drive out and then all. So we rewarded them with half a can of soda on the ride home. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr882z4b5MEGXSmWj0o9tR3IBI178aWGKe5ghZc5oHTzseIJ2nSql9yje0AEB9W1npQ6tCBDbQF3iwrEcG_3qGVAXFjhFr6Lenk9X40lXp7KtINp5fzYyv4aXRQxtiv5q2KaPfGCxqyO4/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr882z4b5MEGXSmWj0o9tR3IBI178aWGKe5ghZc5oHTzseIJ2nSql9yje0AEB9W1npQ6tCBDbQF3iwrEcG_3qGVAXFjhFr6Lenk9X40lXp7KtINp5fzYyv4aXRQxtiv5q2KaPfGCxqyO4/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the girls and Joe waited in line I took Sean around the store and found the recliners. Ooh, and this lovely camouflage one has various message settings. We hunkered down for about 20 minutes. It was nice to just relax while the others waited. Oh yeah, this is definitely pre-haircut. He looks a lot like his cousin in this photo. I just noticed that.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7X_sg6vGXGiw5Wj_YEQwDJ1rEMVo7naEZowI1rLwBDSlqPAsB1jSm4oei2XWIBcakozcbIb10WdxRwDTSPleBMFCR0Eq3iho6SUIE1TOVDBwH7lxz5HpKEUgfEyalZCZxoWG7lZpFuU/s1600/IMG_1395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7X_sg6vGXGiw5Wj_YEQwDJ1rEMVo7naEZowI1rLwBDSlqPAsB1jSm4oei2XWIBcakozcbIb10WdxRwDTSPleBMFCR0Eq3iho6SUIE1TOVDBwH7lxz5HpKEUgfEyalZCZxoWG7lZpFuU/s1600/IMG_1395.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So right before we moved our bees, sniff sniff, we harvested much of the honey. It was an awesome harvest considering it was the first week of May. The honey was lighter in color and flavor then last year's harvest. It is DELICIOUS. We are enjoying it. We have missed our bees but it has been so much easier working in the confines of our garden without them. But it has been so much harder to make the trek to the property where they are with four kids and work them out there. But the bees are surviving, though not thriving quite like they did here, but they are alive. I fear that with so many of our neighbors employing pest companies (and seeing how much chemicals those companies spray everywhere) it was only a matter of time before all the chemicals started to affect our girls. Those sprays can wipe out a colony in no time. Super sad. So maybe disaster was averted by moving them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDcYZI3tx96KrIKZOSWV3Xpz7L0QYu8SmaLMSnvQh9_IFra8rUJaCy8WEWdT8T__uXjJw29t-HG3GN8ZpA6RwmHhmdoprg1mPCP7AbAiX2yuBghyXgcr2cORgPV6Bz1pAhGfpdw_7H7g/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDcYZI3tx96KrIKZOSWV3Xpz7L0QYu8SmaLMSnvQh9_IFra8rUJaCy8WEWdT8T__uXjJw29t-HG3GN8ZpA6RwmHhmdoprg1mPCP7AbAiX2yuBghyXgcr2cORgPV6Bz1pAhGfpdw_7H7g/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls love story time. I only wish it didn't put me to sleep. I have to remember, instead of counting sheep I just need to read out loud and I am out in no time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95eFNUBQ7vefpI0qtjqYh2r6UDNcLpTZ18B6bfeBt_L6ia3WWhJRxEWIqWpfaWPR3yAb6SzbILuJXbI6QzP3kqvS2zpxZJwJQbrQnZXWdoVUSv7tqlJhCtWM0rC00sdYacVVdrfk8Z2M/s1600/IMG_1409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95eFNUBQ7vefpI0qtjqYh2r6UDNcLpTZ18B6bfeBt_L6ia3WWhJRxEWIqWpfaWPR3yAb6SzbILuJXbI6QzP3kqvS2zpxZJwJQbrQnZXWdoVUSv7tqlJhCtWM0rC00sdYacVVdrfk8Z2M/s1600/IMG_1409.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly in her last day of swim class. She didn't learn how to swim strokes but she is now able to stay afloat without her vest. We make her practice a little bit almost every time we go in the parents' pool. The kids love having that pool around. Just large enough to play but small enough to feel like you are only an arms length away.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLiTAmpokvKktthcrnQTdxuOSiFjP70Jv04GYgqFSEstLG6rh8Rhm6Ctwj1ft1Hk68FHUKJ89Jcu_h_42P7cXGwHaItdsitZqXIWqA_j8CfkKBgXvf-AlNc8hCdDAtp22xrNV8glQHc_c/s1600/IMG_1384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLiTAmpokvKktthcrnQTdxuOSiFjP70Jv04GYgqFSEstLG6rh8Rhm6Ctwj1ft1Hk68FHUKJ89Jcu_h_42P7cXGwHaItdsitZqXIWqA_j8CfkKBgXvf-AlNc8hCdDAtp22xrNV8glQHc_c/s1600/IMG_1384.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dads can be such funny guys. Smart phones make them even more interesting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7H9c1OKuKvlpCfVppY8BS3_bE7vsok3SKu6zewrBHLd-FM3CXj4iZlm9sEIzlsmQSMHiB2kc3lQaabBGxHfuMyI33Xs5BerZBGCnUlckczXSs2d4YdXoQbMJT1D6MhJESh85LCVbLII/s1600/IMG_1391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7H9c1OKuKvlpCfVppY8BS3_bE7vsok3SKu6zewrBHLd-FM3CXj4iZlm9sEIzlsmQSMHiB2kc3lQaabBGxHfuMyI33Xs5BerZBGCnUlckczXSs2d4YdXoQbMJT1D6MhJESh85LCVbLII/s1600/IMG_1391.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took the kids out to Mormon Helping Hand again this year. It was great. We got to play in the dirt at a local library and the kids made a good friend with one of the young women in our ward. I love that they are learning service as a family and ward. Aren't those the cutest little helpers?? </td></tr>
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<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-61922458761967274822014-06-09T12:05:00.000-07:002014-07-01T20:08:17.006-07:00it's beginning to feel a lot like summer107, it was 107 degrees yesterday. blah. 30+ weeks pregnant and it's 107 degrees. yuck. at least it was sunday and we had afternoon church and dinner at the in-laws so we avoided the hot house for most of the day. but when it's 89 degrees at 10 pm it's just too hot. today is only supposed to be 97 I think, but it was 70 at 7 am this morning. so... we shall see.<br />
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cassidy lost another tooth, probably a month ago. again the lower central incisor so it's not super noticeable and the other is almost all the way in so only a small gap. she self-taught herself how to do block lettering. she saw some that I had done (poorly) and immediately was off and doing it, pretty adeptly for a first go at it. She's like that, see it a few times and then does it, pretty well. <br />
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molly took a running leap into the pool Saturday, totally unplanned, totally Molly. She was pushing a toy around in the yard and walked right off the edge of the pool and in she went. Thankfully she had her suit on already and Joe was in the pool so he was there to lend a hand. She just finished "swim lessons" so she actually did a really good job of keeping her head above the water but the whole thing being unintentional she was a little freaked. It made for a good laugh for the rest of us though.<br />
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julia got a haircut a few weeks ago. I thought I would have photos up already but obviously I haven't. Maybe later, hehehe, again, we shall see. It's cut, a little bob right above her chin. It's so Julia. She is learning how to give attitude very well. Her newest thing is to almost yell "you get out" as she points her finger and dramatically gestures toward the door. It would be hilarious if it wasn't done to me when she really is in need of discipline (like when she's hitting :[ )<br />
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sean is talking up a storm. he picked up "cool" and even uses it at the right moment, like the first time when I received a book in the mail I had been waiting for for weeks and he said "coo-ool" as I pulled it out of the packaging. He is also finally saying Cassidy's name, "cashie". it's fun to hear him talk. he's such a physically oriented child. a lot like molly was/is. he's always bouncing and jumping and such. yesterday he took a flying leap off the couch, towards the chair I was in and landed just close enough to hit his head on the corner of the leg of my chair. something the girls never would have and never did at his age.<br />
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joe and i are tackling our long long list of projects.<br />
I finished a kimono for a friend who went to the temple for the first time last week. it turned out really cool. i forgot to get a picture of it before i gave it to her, I modified the sleeves so they weren't so long, only 8 inch drape as opposed to the 24 inch drape in the original. i also made the obi a little (lot) more narrow and only one drape in back instead of two, and no pillow or back support. It's definetely still a kimono (she's full Japanesse) but much more temple appropriate. I love that it just screams family history.<br />
our long list of family names is getting done quicker than I thought possible. I think there were 180 names going back to November of last year and now all but about 20 are done. our ward has been so helpful in getting the work done. and with the temple being closed for 7 weeks starting next week and not opening until the week before baby is due (but hopefully the baby will already be here by then), i will have lots of time to find more names before I am back going. too bad the next closest temple is almost 2 hours away otherwise I could go to another one (that is one of the aspects of Utah that I am truly envious about, so many temples within short distances from each other. <br />
I finished about a month ago a blessing dress for our little one. Any guess as to what gender I am 95% certain the baby is?? It is satin and lace and turned out great. I wanted some practice with sewing lace prior to sewing a dress for me with lace so it was great practice. And now I don't have to worry about doing it once the baby is born.<br />
We are lagging in our raised beds in the garden, but with the severe draught and major water restrictions we will not need them this year so we are doing other projects while looking at the undone one.<br />
joe made my wheat grinder rolling cart a couple weeks ago. it's great because our grinder is from the early 80s I think and must weigh 30 or 40 pounds and is so difficult to pick up off the floor, especially when pregnant. Now it has a cart which I can just roll out of the pantry and then roll it back. <br />
I started a countertop to go over our washer and dryer in the garage. Joe cut the wood Saturday and now I just need to stain and seal the wood, then assemble. I am SO excited to get it made. I so want a more useable top to the machines as it is the only flat work surface in the garage and is always crowded with stuff.<br />
then it's on to the tool shed. and the potting bench. and the raised beds. and the touch up painting in all the rooms. it just never ends. but it's always fun.<br />
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we are done with joy school for the year. it was fun. we had a small group, with only one other family, but it was good. I am glad to be doing it and look forward to doing it again in september. i hope to find another couple of families to do it but either way.<br />
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so two weeks ago, my dad, sister and i brought my grandma a new bed and couch. she said it was her first new bed since she was married. that's a shame, a new bed is AWESOME. that was ordered over the phone and delivered so that easy peasy lemon squeezy. the couch, now that was another story. as soon as I saw it in the consignment store I knew she would love it. It was goldish with gorgeous carved wood trim. That is the part I knew she would love. and she did. I picked it up from the store and the boys put it in the truck and I tied it down and drove it to her place. there is a gorgeous canyon road I love to take to her house but I was nervous about the couch so I took the longer freeway way.I got there just after the delivery guys had left. so after determining that the couch would not fit through the front door, in any direction, nor would it go through her gate, the only way was to go over the fence and in through her sliding door. So there was a 68 year old man, 29 week pregnant woman, and my little (ie short) sister trying to lift this gorgeous couch over her fence. it must have been a sight. but it worked, barely. it barely fit through her sliding door. but she loved it. truly loved it. and she loved the quilt my mother-in-law had given me. Again I knew my grandmother would love it, way more than any of my girls so with a new smaller bed she needed knew bedding. She gushed over the quilt and insisted it go on top of the other new bedding my dad brought her. what fun to deliver and then leave with everything wonderful and my grandma so happy.<br />
I must say that she has the greatest son-in-law (my dad). My mom passed over 10 years ago, but my dad still goes out every week now and does her shopping and takes her to appointments as needed. he really has shown himself to be a widow's best friend. he's building a HUGE mansion in heaven. what a great example of selfless charity.<br />
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on a sad note, we had to move our bees last month. super sad in most ways. joe and i miss being able to just stand there and watch them fly. plus we had to move them to a place that just isn't as good for them in terms of nectar sources. but we had no choice and are having to learn how to make a weekly trip with kids to someone else's home and not enjoy the luxury of letting the kids out during nap time and checking the bees at our house. oh well. it wasn't our choice and we didn't have any other option. but it's worth it to not start issues. we are still waiting on a couple of queens to mate and start laying but our laying queen in a champ. she's great and i kind of wish we had gotten two. but oh well. we are learning a ton and loving it nonetheless. we did harvest honey already this season and that might be all we get for the year unless we get some rain in the summer or fall. please please please, we need rain. and it was might good honey.'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-85013870832660157492014-04-15T19:28:00.001-07:002014-04-15T19:28:26.372-07:00A whole lot of newSo a few weeks ago, I can't remember the exact date at the moment, Cassidy entered the big girl stage. She lost her first tooth. Bottom left central incisor. It's not so obvious when she smile as it is on the bottom, but boy was she excited to show all her friends the night it happened. After she finished crying because of the small amount of blood.<br />
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Sean got whacked good Sunday morning with a wooden train track thrown by Molly. He instantly got a nice bruise and now has a scab. Right in the middle of his forehead. Oh well. It's bound to happen ... again.<br />
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I got some inner Bob-Villa channeled this last week. I finished two projects that we have had in the works for years. Yes, years. The first was the appliance built in. It was an open space accessible in the dinning room that was built under the stair landing to accomidate kitchen appliances, to free up pantry space. Well, that was dry walled and painted with the remodel in 2011. Now it's 2014 and it's done. We had the drawers built and I "stained" them. That's not the right word, maybe finished is. Three coats of clear polycrylic, with two sandings. Those were done a couple of months ago. Then it was time to wait, more waiting, for the doors. Those were a complete surprise last Tuesday. I had until Friday to do four coats and sand between each coat. That's when the handy man was coming back to install. He came, installed, and left. Somehow in the chaos they weren't opened and the slide out drawers pulled out, so when I did that very thing about an hour after he left, I found, the doors blocked the drawers. Talk about frustrating. Here I've waited years and just when everything is perfect, it isn't. So after a few rants and hours at HD and on the internet I found the hinges I thought were the right ones and ordered them. (I hate ordering unknown things on the internet because you can never be quite sure they are the right thing I would much rather go to a store and see the item before buying.) They arrived today and I quickly changed out the old bad for the new good and now.... perfection. Man, I LOVE how the doors turned out. I love how the whole thing turned out. The doors are so smooth and gorgeous. They match the newel posts on the stair case in terms of style and the color is just slightly different. I love working with wood. If I had more free time...<br />
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Just when we found out we were pregnant with Sean I completely revamped my closet with Elfa components from The Container Store. Now I can fit EVERYTHING in my closet, I don't need any drawers in our lone dresser. So I thought Joe's closet should be "fixed" too. Well, I bought the components during their 30% off sale in January and they have sat in the closet waiting to be used ever since. I had our handyman who built the cabinet/built in cut the grooves to accomidate the supports and then spent two hours installing and voila!! All done and so much nicer looking then before. Somehow I had miscalculated when I purchased the items and was short two shelf supports so it's not 100% done, but it's 95% done and 100% useable.<br />
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A number of years ago Joe's mother bought him a heavy duty 24 volt cordless impact driver. It's got lots of power, but weighs a TON and is pretty bulky. We have gotten a lot of use out of it, but I hate having to use it because it really does weigh about 10 pounds, and when you are trying to hold the screw, the item to be screwed, in a tight space, and that behemoth it's just a pain. Plus you have to charge the battery before you use it, every time. What a pain. So when my dad asked what we wanted for Christmas the answer was super simple. He's a machinist, journeyman, handyman, tool guy and so I knew he'd pick out just the right replacement to our monstrosity. Enter the bright green Ryobi impact driver. I love it. What a difference it has made in these little projects. We have charged only one of the two batteries and it still is on that first charge. Thanks Dad.<br />
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My cousin stopped by yesterday with an Easter gift that is one of my all time favorite things in the world... Easter lilies. I love how they can fill the whole room with their beautiful scent. I have it on my kitchen counter so I can see it's elegant blooms and smell it's heavenly fragrance.<br />
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<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-15948660162950174802014-03-04T12:07:00.001-08:002014-03-04T12:07:24.068-08:00Mom's time outI just did it!!!!!!!! I just booked a hotel room for the upcoming Time out for Women event out here. Last night I bought my ticket to the event. I am super excited. This will be my first night away alone from the family, since we've had kids, the only time I've been away has been when I've been in the hospital following a birth. I am so looking forward to going. Sheri Dew is a speaker, as is Chris Williams, who has been featured in some mormon media (I love his example). The date is about a month after Lotz baby #5 is due so it'll be PERFECT timing to get away for a Friday and Saturday. Thanks Joe for doing super dad duty.<br />
<br />'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-55693702722172741862014-02-28T21:35:00.001-08:002014-02-28T21:37:36.988-08:00A basketball team Or maybe two pairs of doubles volleyball teams, with an alternate. Or what else??? Enough bodies to completely fill our Odyssey (it holds seven). That's what we are about to have, come August. Five more months and we will be the proud family of a new little blessing from heaven.<br />
I don't know why I've put off shouting it out but it may have to do with the "I think your crazy" comments or the look of shock we keep getting from so many people, but we are excited about this next family member. I always feel the need to add that I am pretty sure that this will complete our family, but one never knows, as if that will take away some of the shock others feel and express. We always thought that we would have between four and six kids, and five is right the middle. But that is a lot out here. I was looking around and noting that there are only a few, maybe four or five families in our ward with five kids, none with more who are young. And outside church there are even smaller families and so five seems huge in comparison to two. Joe and I both come from families of two and two is just as consuming, just different. I firmly believe that having children is hard, no matter how many and how old. The challenges are just different in each family, but there are no shortages of challenges. But more blessings than can be counted.<br />
This new baby is due middle of August, and with a sister and brother both with birthdays within three weeks, we are prepared for either sex (seasonal clothing wise) and so are leaning towards leaving that a mystery to be revealed in the labor room. We did that with Julia and it was such a fun thing. It made those moments following a quick, painful, unexpected delivery so much memorable. I was so focused on knowing if it was a boy (I thought boy the whole pregnancy) that I didn't think about anything else immediately. It was just a fun thing. So was finding our the sex at the 20 week ultrasound. It's been fun every time. Just different and unique to each pregnancy and child. A different story. It helps me remember each one because my brain is quickly turning to mush, that must be why I am getting so many gray hairs. No more brain. The best thing I've bought in the last two or three years was a watch with date, timer, stopwatch functions. If it weren't for the date I would be lost whenever anyone asks, how old is..., or when does ______ blah blah blah...<br />
You know what is also fun??? There are three other ladies (that sounds weird) in my ward who are due within a five or six week period, with me number two of the four. It will be a blast going through all of this with them, we can help remind each other how far along we are. It was like that with Sean, three babies within six weeks. Who, by the way, goes to nursery SUNDAY. WOOHOOOO!!!!! Good thing because Joe and I both teach Sunday during the third hour. I'll have to find a back up for diaper duty if needs be. 'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-44191332086829776542014-02-28T21:13:00.001-08:002014-03-03T14:21:01.470-08:00Busy as a bee Last year we had a family from our ward over for dinner a few times
and got to talking while the kids played. This family is not like most
of the families in our ward. They raise cows and chickens, the wife
makes cheeses and ice cream, and they sell their beef and milk at local
farmers' markets. They are cool people. Well, we found out that they
keep bees as well. Joe and I were instantly interested. I read a book
they had on beginning beekeeping, we went to their home and helped with a
few hive inspections, and then we accepted one of their hives and put
it in our backyard. Beekeeping has become our thing. It is so
fascinating to read about the amazing honey bee. We can watch the hive
from our master bedroom and get sucked into just watching the bees come
and go for minutes at a time. We had already put up a small fence and
gate in our yard to separate the main yard from the garden area. So we
had a great spot already set up, in our garden, that would keep the kids
and guests away from the hive. We also already had tons of bees in our
yard prior to the bee arrival and haven't noticed any more since. Which
makes since if you know that flowers have limited pollen and nectar
producing capabilities and so only so many bees can forage any given
plant in a time span. Plus when you watch you see that they leave the
yard and fly over the neighbors home, and ours, and are on their way to
more flowers.<br />
I know someone will ask, in the 5 months that we've
had the bees only one person, me, has been stung and that was because I
was brain dead and was in the hive without any protective gear (face
mask, gloves) and one got me in the ear. (Which describes well how it
felt, like I just got my ear pierced, not fun but nothing fatal) Plus we
had just harvested the honey and I think they weren't happy with us. My
father-in-law walked two feet in front of the entrance to our hive
while Joe and I were working in the hive and he wasn't bothered at all.
It's too bad we all grow up being told that bees will sting you because
though it is true, they will, they won't if you are slow, gentle, and
nowhere near their hive. I took one off a shirt recently and it, she,
just walked on my finger (bare finger mind you) until she flew away. I
was no threat to her and she had nothing to protect, so why would she
kill herself just to sting me, a none threat? <br />
Bees are amazing,
the more I learn of them the more I love having them in my yard. I feel a
little closer to the earth knowing that we are aiding in a small way
the production of so much. Bees are HUGE contributors to our food supply
through pollination, without them we all are in trouble food wise. I
love it. They take some work, more monitoring than anything else, but
are so worth the little bit of time. An hour every seven to ten days in
the spring and summer and even less in the winter. Oh have they loved
this weather. And they fly in the rain. Tinkerbell did something to me
and I was a little shocked when I first saw that, but then again, bees
aren't fairies. <br />
We are looking forward to this being a family
industry, a few hives at a satellite location (in a few years) and one
or two in our yard. The honey is amazing and so much healthier for you
than what is sold as honey in the store. Oh and if we ever sold any
(we've only given it away to some friends so far) you can make a little
change to pay back the investment of equipment.<br />
I will post pictures of our hive this week. It's just such a cool experience. I love it.<br />
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'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-61181873866730653062014-02-28T20:53:00.002-08:002014-02-28T21:36:39.724-08:00Blessings from heaven I am sure that most have heard about the drought in California. It was kind of weird how it just "happened" while we were playing outside enjoying the gorgeous weather. We never had horribly hot weather just so many unbelievably beautiful warm days to play with all the now 14 kids within four houses of ours. But so many dry days mean, ta da, so many days without rain, the driest calendar year on record. Well, the First Presidency asked all members to fast in February for rain, and guess what. It was rainy before we even left for church. It's been such a blessing the way that Heavenly Father has blessed us with rain. A few days of moderate rain (1/2-3/4 of an inch) then days of sun then some more rain, than sun. To see that Heavenly Father is taking care of us in giving us a bit at a time so that we don't have mud slides and floods is faith building. How nice to be able to say after just a few days on intense rain, "ohh yeah, drought is done." But to do so quickly would cause even more problems. We just have to be patient and remember to keep asking for rain and he will give it to us.<br />
On my mission, every single day that there was a marriage scheduled between investigators there was rain. While the 20 or so members were in Spain, being sealed in the temple, there was a tropical storm that rained for a week. Rain had huge meaning for me on my mission. This drought in Cali is nothing compared to the normal conditions in Cabo Verde. Though our farmers (as of now) will get NO water for their crops this year (so just get ready for produce sticker shock come summer) it doesn't compare with the absolute lack of moisture that I saw there. Therefore, the rain was a blessing from heaven. Heaven showed it's approval for those couples and blessed a whole island.<br />
We took the girls our in the rain today, too bad it was pouring, and they enjoyed every minute of splashing in the puddles and carrying umbrellas and making paste out of chalk. And we saved a number of worms from drowning and helped a few lawns in the process. Such fun. I will say that I no longer enjoy getting wet in the puddles, but I do like sweeping the water around in the gutters. It's kind of fun to watch it push forward then retreat, carrying dirt and rocks, and then finally falling through the storm drains. 'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244586439451614965.post-90450807696088103312014-02-20T19:42:00.000-08:002014-03-03T14:18:06.746-08:00What was I thinking??<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyq8XNHzd8HXsb-TbKMNP0HYUgE6LTnlaTaKFAoTBqVFjWaO_3-ETQJNOUq29jVzj2FCfFRDCtPxfG6IkXKqJU1x9b_ilvXN60k7ZytmNNEYR0HwMWFbetWcPT_5N7cconins3f03d_s/s1600/IMG_1160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgyq8XNHzd8HXsb-TbKMNP0HYUgE6LTnlaTaKFAoTBqVFjWaO_3-ETQJNOUq29jVzj2FCfFRDCtPxfG6IkXKqJU1x9b_ilvXN60k7ZytmNNEYR0HwMWFbetWcPT_5N7cconins3f03d_s/s1600/IMG_1160.JPG" height="213" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6naTkIwAEG055Trtk3hxRBjatNB9CakM9a0CHVgkx6GK9dAq79gh1-krDRH201m6MI1fxxer771pibMIYtovH5nXK0Y0fIQQu7CzvM17l61BOIln5E5aUXj3I11pUcYp4qNf93ocJP20/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6naTkIwAEG055Trtk3hxRBjatNB9CakM9a0CHVgkx6GK9dAq79gh1-krDRH201m6MI1fxxer771pibMIYtovH5nXK0Y0fIQQu7CzvM17l61BOIln5E5aUXj3I11pUcYp4qNf93ocJP20/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; 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margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6naTkIwAEG055Trtk3hxRBjatNB9CakM9a0CHVgkx6GK9dAq79gh1-krDRH201m6MI1fxxer771pibMIYtovH5nXK0Y0fIQQu7CzvM17l61BOIln5E5aUXj3I11pUcYp4qNf93ocJP20/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6naTkIwAEG055Trtk3hxRBjatNB9CakM9a0CHVgkx6GK9dAq79gh1-krDRH201m6MI1fxxer771pibMIYtovH5nXK0Y0fIQQu7CzvM17l61BOIln5E5aUXj3I11pUcYp4qNf93ocJP20/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6naTkIwAEG055Trtk3hxRBjatNB9CakM9a0CHVgkx6GK9dAq79gh1-krDRH201m6MI1fxxer771pibMIYtovH5nXK0Y0fIQQu7CzvM17l61BOIln5E5aUXj3I11pUcYp4qNf93ocJP20/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6naTkIwAEG055Trtk3hxRBjatNB9CakM9a0CHVgkx6GK9dAq79gh1-krDRH201m6MI1fxxer771pibMIYtovH5nXK0Y0fIQQu7CzvM17l61BOIln5E5aUXj3I11pUcYp4qNf93ocJP20/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; 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float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6naTkIwAEG055Trtk3hxRBjatNB9CakM9a0CHVgkx6GK9dAq79gh1-krDRH201m6MI1fxxer771pibMIYtovH5nXK0Y0fIQQu7CzvM17l61BOIln5E5aUXj3I11pUcYp4qNf93ocJP20/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6naTkIwAEG055Trtk3hxRBjatNB9CakM9a0CHVgkx6GK9dAq79gh1-krDRH201m6MI1fxxer771pibMIYtovH5nXK0Y0fIQQu7CzvM17l61BOIln5E5aUXj3I11pUcYp4qNf93ocJP20/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a> Six months ago Cassidy and Molly had their dentist appointments and Joe took them and set their next appointments. Back then my dad was coming over every Wednesday and so the appointments were for a Wednesday so that he could watch the other two kids at home. Well, a few months ago he switched to coming on Thursdays. Fast forward to yesterday, Wednesday. Two dentist appointments, four kids, and no babysitter lined up. What to do? Take all four kids. Oh I prayed that it would go well.<br />
And I am so grateful that the worst thing was a leaky pee diaper from Seany that couldn't get changed till we were all done. The girls did remarkable. Instead of Cassidy and Molly having their teeth cleaned, Cassidy, Julia, AND Molly all had their teeth cleaned and all received great reports. While Molly was a hard sale until a new toothbrush was on the line, Julia was all ready to hop up and open wide. Too keep the non-patients occupied we brought books, etch-a-sketches, sippees, and even a balloon for Sean. Too bad I didn't bring an extra diaper in from the car. :) 'Cembers Thoughtshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17083440624134440230noreply@blogger.com0