The Full Story...

The other night, Andrew and I were discussing "honest blogging" with some friends of ours.  

And while my last post is completely honest in describing how I spend my days, after reading over it again, I decided it doesn't paint the full picture of what life has been like in our house over the past few weeks. 

So, in the spirit of full disclosure, here is a more complete description of what has been going on in our house since Lucy's arrival:

-On Monday of last week we ran out of bread.  I didn't make it to the store until Friday.

-One day, Abby's lunch consisted of left-over cheese pizza, Cheetos and a Capri Sun.  I am not proud of this fact.

-Every Tuesday and Thursday I pick Isaac up after school.  Last week, I forgot him -- TWICE.

-Unless you include cereal and leftovers, I haven't made dinner in over a month.

-One morning last week, Andrew felt it was necessary to coin a new family motto: "Big boys take off their wet diapers by 9:00 am."  (We won't mention how many of our boys were included in that motto.)

-On Friday, Peter never got out of his pajamas.  That doesn't mean he stayed home all day, it just means we took him everywhere in the same clothes he'd slept in.

-Andrew's birthday came and went without a present or a cake.  (He assures me that anyone born in May doesn't really need much for their birthday because they get sunshine and blue skies.  That may have been a gentle jab reminding me how dismal my January birthday is every year.  Or, it may have been his way of forgiving me for being such a slacker.)

-I am still procrastinating writing "thank you" notes.  So, if I owe you one, it is still coming sometime - hopefully sooner rather than later - but no promises.

Anyway, I am loving these days with my baby Lucy.  It's just too bad the rest of my kids have had to fend for themselves.  Someday, I'll be back to being a real mom to all five of my kids - but I wonder if that means I'll have to cook dinner again....

Life With Lucy

We are two weeks into life with Lucy and at this point I only have one question,

"What did I do all day before she was born?" 

Because since she has been here, I spend all day, everyday marveling at everything about her and everything she does and that is about all I have time for these days.

I spend my days drinking in her delicious newborn smell.

There is nothing more heavenly than that.

I spend hours watching her sleep cuddled on my chest or in my arms.

I routinely study her tiny baby feet and her dainty little hands.

I wait for her to open her little newborn eyes just so I can stare into them

and wonder who this girl will be and what she sees.

I listen for her tiny cry that sounds like a newborn kitten,

the signal that it's time to eat.

And then as I nurse her and I study her ears, her soft dark hair,

her furry shoulders, her delicate eyebrows and her tiny nose.

I study her sweet little rosebud mouth and smell her sweet baby breath.

I watch as my other kids get to know their new sister and am amazed at the bond

that already exists between them.

I feel an ache in my heart knowing that she is my last and already feeling like time is going by too quickly.  Someday, I'll have to do something more than sit and love my baby, but for today, there is nothing more important for me to do.

This is perfection.

Andrew's Birthday Celebration!

Last week was Andrew's birthday and he celebrated it in typical Andrew fashion.

First of all, he accompanied Abby's school class on their field trip to Thanksgiving Point's Dinosaur Museum.  He had planned on just driving his own car and meeting Abby's class there. However, the day before the field trip, Abby came home from school and with all the enthusiasm of a seven-year-old girl announced, "Dad, I told my teacher that tomorrow is your birthday and asked if it would be okay for you to ride the school bus - AND SHE SAID YOU COULD!!"  

Andrew responded with a half-hearted, "Hooray."

Abby then went to Andrew's closet and picked out which shirt he should wear on the field trip, his turquoise blue polo, and said, "It's YOUR birthday Dad.  You can do whatever you want!"

So, for his birthday he rode the school bus with Abby and all the other second-graders from her school, wearing his turquoise blue shirt.  He accompanied a group of 7 and 8-year-old girls through the dinosaur museum and ate lunch out of brown paper bag.  It was a birthday memory Abby will never forget.

After the field trip, Andrew celebrated further by going on a bike ride up to Neff's Canyon. 

Only, he didn't go by himself.  He took three kids with him - on a bicycle built for four.

In this picture there are actually four children, but Peter was only in the trailer for the photo-op.  

(Don't think an ER doctor would ever let his kids go for a ride without a helmet.)

After his birthday bike ride, Andrew went to Isaac's t-ball game and cheered him on.  He then took Abby and Isaac and went to his own softball game where he hit a home-run for his two adoring fans by hitting the ball over not one, but two fences.  Small price to pay just to make sure he's still got it.

So that was Andrew's birthday.  Not a lot of time to himself.  Not a lot of pampering or spoiling. Just a pretty fun day spent with his kids.  He's an amazing dad and an wonderful husband. We love him and I don't know what any of us would do without Andrew.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!  We love you!

finally...

This week Peter finally started calling me Mama.

Prior to now, he has called me Dada, Aaagh, and Uh, but this week, at long last, I have become "Mama".

I can't help but wonder, if the arrival of a new baby made him realize he better step up his game.  

Maybe a little sibling rivalry isn't such a bad thing.

We joyfully announce our daughter

Lucy Ann

The name Lucy means "light" and she certainly has been 

a light and a joy to our family in the few short days she has been here.  

We are all in love with our Lucy.

"Truly the light is sweet..."

Ecclesiastes 11:7

Welcome to the World Baby Girl (part 2)

Sunday, May 10, Mothers Day.

Monday, May 11,  Mother's Day

FIVE.

I'm your sister.  (at last)

Resting Sweeties

7 pounds 7 ounces (tiny for us)

18.5 inches

May 11, 2009

naming in progress

Henry's Birthday!

The day after we got home from California, we celebrated Henry's FOURTH birthday.  Again, I'm a little late, but I wanted to write a few of the reasons we love having Henry in our family.

From the day he was born weighing 10 lbs 6 oz, Henry has been a BIG part of our family.  He was my only baby born in Minnesota and he was the easiest baby I have had.  When he was just six weeks old, we drove from Minnesota to Utah and we drove back again when he was three months old.  During both drives, he did not cry once.  He spent the entire time looking out the window, enjoying the scenery this great country has to offer.  

Maybe he realized that if he didn't make his presence known, he would be overlooked as the third child, because ever since he turned three, he has reminded us regularly what he is capable of.  We call Henry our "idea man" because he always comes up with amazing ways to keep himself entertained.  This blog is full of things Henry has done to keep us all on our toes.  

However, Henry isn't all mischief.  Henry is so sweet.  He is my child who always tells me I look pretty or I smell good.  If I am wearing my hair differently, Henry is the first to notice.   He thanks me for every meal I prepare.  He loves to curl up on my lap and give me loves.  He really is the sweetest boy and I love him!

Henry loves to sing.  He only has to hear a song once or twice before he knows it by heart.  He currently loves the HSM soundtracks, "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz and "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys  (What? - good music never gets old.)  The thing that really melts my heart though, is when Henry sings "Come Thou Fount" another one of his favorites.  Henry loves preschool and knows all his letters and their sounds and he has a great imagination.  He really is the perfect four-year-old.

Henry is an amazing big brother to Peter and those two have a blast together sharing a room. It takes them a long time to settle down when they should be going to bed at night.  The other night I could hear them talking and went in to check on them.  When I went in the room Henry asked me if I could hear what he and Peter had been talking about.  I told him that I couldn't hear what they had been saying so he said, "We were talking about gill-friends."  (I would love to know what Peter contributed to that conversation.)

Henry is such a sweet boy.  Whenever anyone leaves the house, Henry makes sure to give them a hug and a kiss and says "I love you" before they head out the door.   And when someone comes home, he is the first to run to the door to greet them with a big hug. 

Anyway we love Henry.  Although Henry has only just barely tripled his birth weight - weighing just over 30 pounds at the age of four, he is still a BIG part of our family and we are so glad he's ours!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HENRY!!