the past 2 weeks

here are a few pictures from the past two weeks....

my baby is 7 months old.

SEVEN MONTHS OLD!!!

he rolls, crawls, waves, says "mama" (or at least what i translate to be mama), reaches for me  :), has two bottom teeth and one new top tooth.

i am so in LOVE  :)

our most beautiful, precious baby boy!!! the slobber all over his face is a small indicator of the teeth that cut through the next night. yeah, NIGHT. he now has a tiny top tooth peaking through!

celebrating Jon's 30th birthday!!! this was just a few night's before they headed home  :(

the birthday dinner....Italian wedding soup. YUM-O

the birthday boy...er, old man  :)

my handsome birthday boy...with his "cool" smile, of course

ethan is 11 years old...however, i forgot the rest of the candles (bad mommy!). he did not mind, though...he is such a sweetheart!

mr presley solomon

kell and brennah

on a date with the hot hubby

walking out into the mall parking lot to the car....seeing the sunset. 

hey, SOMEONE has got to live in Paradise!

my tall tarin  :)

my friend christy and i took our oldest kids to see Shakespeare's "As You Like It."

the kids LOVED it and ethan cannot wait to go see another play again! 

tarin using his brain to swim around the pool with little effort.

Laughter

While at a friends home last weekend we were introduced to a comedian named Tim Hawkins.

This guy is HYSTERICAL.

He sings some really funny songs as well ripped straight from today top 20 (like that?!) So go to his site and watch the Homeschool song and the Cletus Take the Wheel song (yes, sung to the Carried Underwood song). You can also get on Youtube and see a bunch more of his stuff.

One of my favs:

I Don't Drink Beer

Sung to the Steven Curtis Chapman song from years ago.

And don't miss Kid's Rock.

Just funny, clean stuff. My kids enjoyed it...especially the Cletus song. Yes, considered sacrilege to some to make fun of Carrie Underwood...but considered comedy by others (me).

Well, I am off to bleach some more stuff.....if I die of cancer you know who to blame.

 THE MICE.

I'm Outta Commission...

....I have no internet. Well, basically none to speak of.

I am not living in my house anymore.

I cannot handle it.

"It"....being the mice that are now running amuck in our household.

So all the kids and I (and Josiah when he is off work) are staying at his mother's house down the road. She is not living there at the moment and has graciously offered to let us stay there until the "problem" is Taken. Care. Of.  (that is code for KILLED)

I seriously have no idea where this "issue" came from. I cannot live with rodents. Sorry!

So now I am in a two bedroom condo...within walking distance to the library and our favorite park...and is completely mice-free.

11 years ago....

...I was snuggling with my brand new son!  :)

Ethan was born on July 17th at 12:30 a.m.

I had a waterbirth at home, which saved me from a c-section. I doubt any doc would have "let" me labor for 44 hours! I LOVED my birth and wanted the freedom to labor and birth as needed. I had that freedom and the result was a very strong, confident 19 year old who became a staunch advocate of a moms right to labor and birth as she wishes. Within that first year I became a childbirth educator, labor doula and a midwife's apprentice/assistant and was well on my way to becoming a midwife.

Ethan Chandler weighed 10 pounds...a hefty size considering the doctor told me I was "to small" to give birth vaginally to any baby over 7ish pounds. (how did he know that at 6 weeks of pregnancy?) 

My "little" baby was 22 3/4 inches long!!! Poor little guy never even fit into newborn clothes or diapers. He was a chunky monkey. Years later my dear hubby admitted to me that he was worried that we would have to send Ethan to "fat kids camp" because he was so big. Naturally, this made me SO mad since Ethan was fully breastfed till about 9-10 months old and all that fat was normal. Josiah knows better now...believe me  :)

So today we will be celebrate my baby being 11. Bittersweet, letmetellya. 

Ethan is a fantastic kid. He is kind, helpful, sensitive, smart, a wonderful big brother, gentle, obedient and a JOY to have in our home. He brings us laughter with his dry humor...he always has a soft answer...he cries with those who are hurt and he laughs with those who are merry...he is a true friend to his family and beyond. I love him with every fiber of my being and I count myself blessed by the Lord to have him as a son...to be entrusted with his upbringing, his education and his manhood. I pray that the Lord will give me the strength, courage, patience and wisdom to bring him up in the teaching of the Lord and to prepare him to someday have his own family. 

11 years.

What will the next 11 years hold???

11 years ago....

...still laboring. 

Ethan was posterior so labor took far longer than normal. I also had back labor until about hour 40 so that was not to fun...but I prayed that the Lord would have mercy on us and turn the baby into the right position...and a few moments later, while walking through the living room, I felt him turn...and from that moment labor took off like a runaway train and he was born in the perfect position!

But right now -9:55 p.m.- I am still in labor....in the warm birthpool (in the kitchen!)...about an hour away from starting to push......we are at hour 42 1/2 now.

11 years ago....

....you guessed it! S-T-I-L-L in labor! Oh, but was he worth it!!!  :)

We are around hour #34 right now....only about 10 more hours to go! Yippee!!!

11 years ago....

....I was STILL in labor!!! Hour #28.

11 years ago....

....at 7:28 p.m.....I was still in labor with Ethan.....hour #15.

11 years ago...

11 years ago today (Tuesday, July 15th) I was in labor with my dear, sweet Ethan. I began labor at around 4 a.m....and was getting ready to go to Cracker Barrel at about this time (10 a.m.)....

Birthdays and Pampering

For Noelle's 34th birthday we all (by "all" I mean just the adults! No kids!) went to Texas De Brazil for dinner. (you must check them out-for birthdays an anniversaries you get 50% off dinner!)

The meal was FABULOUS. Seriously some of the best food we have ever had!

Just ask Noelle what her favorite part of the evening was...????  :) The delicious coconut/mint drink. It was delicamondo.

Tiff and the Hot Hubby

The love birds

It was a wonderful meal with wonderful company celebrating a wonderful person.

Happy Birthday Noelle!

Noelle and I had an appointment at the local Origins store to attend their "Wellness in the Park" event.

Yeah baby.

When we arrived we were given a facial. Then an arm and hand massage. Then a back massage. Then they did a full make-up to make us beautiful.

It was fabuloso.

Prior to the make-up.     Noelle and I completely facially nude.


Noelle getting beautified.

After!!!!!   :)  Yeah, we are hot. Who knew we had 8 kids between us?

On Friday I took the kids over the where Jon and Noelle are staying to swin in that pool.

Typically there is never anyone there.

Not today! We were there with all 8 kids and everyone was having a good ole time. 

A couple arrives to swim...a young, childless couple.

A young, single guy moseys on in as well.

Things are still going okay, despite the kids splashing the lady with the perfect up-do and large earrings (AT THE POOL.)

Suddenly Maggie runs up yelling that she has to go potty NOW. Noelle picks her up and asks the question heard round the world.

"Does anyone else need to go to the restroom?"

As I heard these words escape her lips I realize what is about to happen. And with the next moment my fears were confirmed.

Presley sings a song.

It went like this:

"Iiiiiiiiiiii already went ppppeeeeeeeeeeee....in the pooooooooollllllllllllll"

Yes. 

He did.

And I think this is why the couple got out of the pool...the single guy left...and I swear that the lady said to her beloved, "This is why I got my tubes tied, honey."

Ethan and Brennah

Laz enjoying the day at the pool  :)

The kids played more in the hot tub (that was not hot at all) than the big pool!

Laz L-O-V-E-D the water. This was his first time actually IN a pool (besides the day he was born!) Yes, that is mommy hiding behind the float. 6 months post baby=still 10 pounds overweight.

My child that is lacking in nutrients. Perhaps I should give him some supplement formula to fatten him up? After all, I cannot measure just how much milk he is getting.

Josiah's parents were in town so we loaded up and went riding on the Platte River Trail. We all had a wonderful time and we rode about 7-8 miles. The kids did great!

As we were lining up for the above picture, this snake slithered across the path right behind us!

The "little guys" enjoying the ride  :) Laz was fast asleep the whole time.

The weekend....

For the holiday weekend we loaded up the kiddies and went to Winter Park for 3 days...it was lovely!

I had all sorts of family fly in from Ohio, Florida and Texas and we all hung out in the mountains. 

On Sunday we met up with Jon and Noelle (who had been camping) and we spent the day in the Rocky Mountain National Forrest. It was fab! We only had 3 of our kids (the older 2 went home with my parents) so it was SO easy!!!

(This blog is completely out of order. It is backwards from how it should be...I usually try very hard to chronologically place the pictures, but I have no time for such frivolity today.)

SORRY.

On a little hike....

...to get to some old snow! Obviously these folks are from Georgia...they PLAYED in it!  :)

At about 12,000 feet...it was pretty cool up there and the kids were mad at me for taking their picture.

Maggie was sweet enough to share her jacket with her future hubby...er, I mean Presley!

Best buds

Tarin and Bren.

My scrumptious baby!

Ummm....can I get one of these for my house? The kids LOVED washing the clothes!

Poor Findlay!!! He was so tired!

 

Ever wonder what Grand Lake looks like going 60 MPH?

Here ya go.

Maggie....10 feet tall and bulletproof.

Picnic at the park in Grand Lake...about to start off through the Rocky Mountain National Forrest.

But first we had to pay $4.39 per gallon for gas.

YEAH.

A moose!

Mama and baby elk...frolicking...

...with daddy close by.

All these pictures below are from the days spent with all my Aunts, Uncles cousins and their kids. We all enjoyed seeing everyone and the kids had a BLAST!


Cannot get enough of chess!

All the cousins (except Hannah)...oh, wait! One is missing! Where is Maiza????

Silly pictures to pass the time....still trying to find Maiza....(she was downstairs playing pool and did not want to come up...who can blame her?)

AH....Here is everyone!!!!!

My 5 boys, my cousins Melissa's kids (Deacon, Madie and Sophia) and my cousin Noy's kids (Maiza, Bella and Julian).

Bella and Sophia

Cutest kid E-V-E-R.

Showing off his two teeth!

Let me take a moment to say that my baby is 6 months old already!!!

AAAHHH!!!

He scoots all around, rolls everywhere, sits up on his own and has two teeth. It is terrible.

Relaxing in the hot tub...

...eating Skittles. Some MAY or may NOT have ended up at the bottom of the hot tub.

Everyone -except Dawn and Julian- waiting for fireworks. Yes, we are all wearing coats. it is the Colorado mountains!!! 

Melissa, Jim and their 3 kids...

Noy and 2 of his girls...

Mark and his wife Dana...

Josiah and I with the 5 boys.

Madie and Bella

Presley, Bella and Madie are all only a few weeks apart in age. Sweet cousins!

Mark and his bride, Dana

Madie hangin with Laz

MORE CHESS.

We banished the kids to the deck for meals  :)

G-G Mom and Laz

Josiah, Kell and Presley on the ski lift going up to ride the Alpine Slide.

Handsome Man.

Prior to Winter Park we ran by the Garden of the Gods for a while with Noelle, her kids and her mom-in-law...

Notice the Stealth Bomber??? I found it to be quite awesome...never seen one flying before.

6 kids in a stone slivvvver.....

6 kids in a stoooone sliver...

(if y'all do not get it...it is the tune from SNL, "Fat guy in a little coat....")

CLASSIC.

This was taken moments before Maggie decided to turn around and climb OVER THE RAIL. Noelle caught her just in time...seriously. it was scary.

I love this one of Bren!

My feeble attempt at bouldering. But you can still see my sweet bruise from mountain biking  :)