Miss Brooklyn

Brooklyn was born March 5, 2010 at 1:05a.m. at The Baby Place in Meridian. Brooklyn was my second delivery with a midwife and no meds. This last pregnancy was the hardest out of the 6. I was very sick my first tri and it didn't really seem to get better as time went on. Despite feeling sick, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being pregnant. It is so amazing to know that there is a tiny person growing inside of your body. The little kicks, hiccups, and turning around are just fascinating. The evening I went into labor we were finishing dinner, my sister and her family were getting ready for their long drive back to Texas and Joe had just gotten home from work. Contractions started to get pretty strong, but I just kept doing my usual thinking this would just be another false alarm. I finally couldn't take it anymore and called my midwife and she asked me to come in. Teresa and Jason lovingly postponed their departure and stayed to watch our kids. Joe and I left and I kept thinking "as soon as we get there they're going to say it was false labor and send me home". To my surprise the midwife said I was at an 8! She told Joe to go ahead and bring the bags in. My friend, Summer, came to video the birth. Joe took at nap while Summer looked after me. Now for me having no meds is a huge mental game. I had to constantly tell myself that I was strong and to not be a whiner. I did really great until it was time to push. I no longer wanted anything to do with natural childbirth, but it was too late and Brooklyn was crowning. The birth was so amazing! I was able to cut the cord and finally hold her tiny body in my arms. Our bodies can accomplish amazing miracles. I'm so blessed to have been able to have 6 healthy children. I'm thankful for the opportunity of Motherhood and the chance I had at having 2 natural childbirths.

HOLY COW!

It's been forever since my last entry. The short of the long story is.......we moved from Meridian to Boise. So that meant new ward, new school, bigger house, and being on the crap list with our kids again. I went to AZ to watch one of my little sisters, Lety compete in the IronMan competition and she rocked at it, so now my goal is to finish the Half Ironman in Boise next year. Thanksgiving and Christmas were lonely and crazy, cuz our dog Jetta had her 1st litter of pups. Joe did the unthinkable and let me get an ultrasound so right before Christmas we found out we were having a sweet baby girl. Then later on i was put on bedrest for 3 wks, that sucked and i gained a crap load of weight. Little Brooklyn was born on Mar. 5 and now we are a week from blessing her. Whew!!!

1st day of School!!!!

Hooray for school!! I love teachers!!! Today was the first day of school and I was sooooooooo excited and ready for it. I was going to homeschool Cheyenne and then the week before I got a huge anxiety attack about having to have her at home so Joe and I talked and decided if she had a strict teacher and none of the same girls in her class from last year we would leave her in school. My prayer was totally answered and Cheyenne was happy to go. (except for 3 girls but she didn't have problems with them) The kids were kind of nervous but we all made it through the morning without crying or throwing up! Sam and I took a morning walk after we dropped off the kids and then I got to cleaning. Then for lunch we picked up Joe for lunch and then chilled at home for a bit before we met the kids after school. It was a great day with no stress, which I totally needed. I even started dinner early so it was ready by 6!
On a low note, I forgot my camera. Super Sorry! I'll take it tomorrow:)

Baby Hall #6

So a few weeks ago, i started getting some very familiar signs, so I decided to take a pregnancy test. Of course it was positive, so I left it there on the bathroom counter for Joe to see. He was in complete denial and asked me to take another one. So I waited a few days and took it and again it was positive. He then asked me to go buy another brand, by this point I was getting a bit frustrated. But before I could make it to the store he called his parents, so that gave me the go ahead to call mine.
These things are never planned with us, but we couldn't be happier. We love our children so much even when they get hard to handle. They bring great joy and happiness to our lives. I know they will all have a great roles in the future. We can't wait to hold our newest addition and see how he/she will change our lives for the good.
So i'm 8 wks and due on March 10th!! Whoo Hoo!

Ken's Baptism

Kenny was baptized on July 4th. Joe's mom and dad and my mom and sister Teresa and her kids were able to make the drive to Idaho to join us. We all really enjoyed the company we had.
As I sat in the chapel I realized that the time I have with my kids at home gets shorter and shorter. My boys are 10 years from going on missions and Cheyenne is 8 years from college. I'm so thankful for all of my kids and the wonderful people they are becoming. Then watching Kenny as he was baptized was so wonderful, he truly is a wonderful boy and child of God. He is filled with love and compassion. Joe said in kenny's blessing that when he went on his mission he would be able to have great compassion for the people he serves. Ken already talks about his mission and how excited he is to go. He believes he will be going to China, he's very fascinated with their culture.
I love my little man so much!

Happy Birthday Kenny!

Kenny turned 8 on June 26th which was also the last day of school! We had his bday party at one of the city parks and they have a water area for the kids to play in. He invited friends from school and church and had so much fun with them. Kenny's gramps and grandma were there too and that made his day.

Recess!

The kids love to go to recess at school. They get to play outside 3 times during school. It helps the kids release their energy and gives the teachers a small break. They really have a great playground, there are basketball hoops and other bars to play on as well and then the kids have a huge field to play ball in. I took these pictures while we were waiting for Cheyenne to finish the wax museum. Sam had so much fun running around and going down the slide. Abby is great at the monkey bars and kept showing me how she could go forward and backward.

Wax Museum

Cheyenne's 4th grade class along with one other 4th grade class, did a Idaho History Wax Museum to raise money for their end of year party. They had to learn about their person and write a 2 min summary that needed to be memorized. So the night of the showing every student arrived early in costume and with background and set up. The parents were let in at 5:30 and we entered into a wonderful history lesson. The kids did a wonderful job of being perfectly still until you dropped change into their cup and then they would tell you about themselves. We had a great time and learned alot.

Memorial Day

For memorial Day we went to our friends home for a bbq and swimming. Joe was out training Jetta but the rest of us had a ball! My kids love to be in the water and Sam was really brave too.

Doug is 9

Doug had a fun bday party with his buddies from school and the neighborhood. I can hardly believe my little guy is getting older. 10 years until his mission, I better use it wisely!!!