the flammily

Thanksgiving 2009 Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Our whole family went to Texas for Thanksgiving and then Georgia for almost 2 more weeks for a little vacation. We loved seeing all our friends and family!!!
My sweet friend Casey (from WAY back in the day...we met when were were 14!) hung out with us in Ft. Worth one day and brought her camera along. She captured some AWESOME shots of the kids and I! So sad Josiah couldn't be there...he was tiling the bathroom for my grandparents. Such a great guy :)

Birthday!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:21:00 +0000

On the 5th we celebrated Josiah's 32nd birthday! I made a special dinner and we had cheesecake and gifts with the fam. I actually put 32 candles on his cake, which was a minor mistake. Sorry honey!!!

The next night I planned a surprise "guys night" for him and his men. Yes. I AM the best wife ever! :)

Happy birthday!!!

Those darn trick candles kept lighting back up again and again! In fact, the fire alarm went off THREE TIMES!

Cheesecake with strawberry topping. YUMMMMMM

I did have to scrape off the top layer because of all the wax, charcoal and....ummm, spit. :)

He needs some "help" opening his gifts :)

Kell closed out the evening by serenading us! He played AND sang the "Revelation Song" ....and did a great job! The guitar is as big as he is :)

Mama and Laz

Snow day!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:50:00 +0000

It began snowing Tuesday night. It is now Thursday evening and it is STILL. SNOWING. Usually, here in Paradise, we get a good snow for a day and then it melts the next.

The boys have had a BLAST playing in all the powder. Sledding, sledding, sledding all the days long. Insert some rounds of shoveling as well, of course.

The first day we got about 8 inches of snow. Then overnight and day 2 we got another 17ish inches! WOW! We have only seen this much snow twice since we moved out here!

All boys on day 1.

His first real snowfall.

Laz LOVED eating the snow!!!

Shoveling on day 2. Hard workout!

The infamous basketball goal!

My Presley! He was barely tall enough to walk through the snow! I did not even allow Laz outside on day 2. He is not tall enough!

Check it!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:37:00 +0000

Check out my other blog for a beautiful birth story from last week! Click HERE.

This is Megan with her brand new daughter, Stella Claire.....born technically 18 days over her "due date" safely at home. :)

October...so far!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:39:00 +0000

I LOVE the fall in Colorado. It can be 80 degrees one day and snowing the next. As a fickle female I adore that kind of change in the weather.

October has been a very fun month so far! We are well into our school year and things are going well on that front (other than having an almost 2 year old climbing me during every lesson!).
I attended the birth of Beckett Daniel on September 19th...the 4th child of my sweet friend Christy! I have officially confiscated him and hold him whenever humanly possible!!!
On October 14th I was blessed to attend another birth...Stella Claire was born at officially 18 days post-dates! At home! In the water! I will be posting some beautiful pictures from these births soon.

So let's delve into October in Paradise.....

Presley

Presley. I have a LOT of photos of this little man! He loves to ham it up for the camera :) I have NO idea where he gets it.
He looks just like my Uncle Noy here!!! :)

I got the BEST deal at the store the other day!!!

The Boyz and I went to a super cool reinactment of the 1770's called "Living History Day" put on by Visions Heirs.
We had such a good time!!!
Not only is it twice a year; but it is FREE! And the Boyz got to participate in all kinda of period activities.

The Redcoats are being challenged by the ragtag United States Army. My young sons are in the line on the right, about to attack the Redcoats!!! AH!

Presley putting all his strength into carving a piece of wood for his house!!!

Tarin and Kellen using a REAL saw to cut wood chunks. HARD WORK. I now remind them of this chore every time they complain about their chores around here!

Laz. Just enjoying the food :)

This past weekend our sweet friends took us to the Ritz Carlton again!!!! It was their "thank you" for me being a part of their birth. The birth was a blessing to attend but I do feel quite honored to receive such a thank you!
I did not take a ton of pictures this time simply because I was so busy RELAXING :)
We only brought up the two oldest Boyz and basically that was like being kid-less for the weekend! We walked around Beaver Creek village, we ate at a lovely resturant and the men took the kids hiking.....but for the most part, Christy and I relaxed by the pool and at the spa. For hours on end. It was truly exotic.

Christy and Beckett Daniel

The kidlets at the Ritz.

Ethan and Maddie

Christy introduced me and the kids to Gelato. WOW. Now they are circling like ravenous wolves for even a small bite!!!

Ethan reading to a friend in Beaver Creek Village.

SWIMMING! In October! In the mountains! At the Ritz Carlton! Life is good. REAL gooood :)

John and Josiah took ALL the kids for a hike while the mamas went to the Spa. NICE. Here John has Beckett in the "Sleepy Wrap" sling...great for hiking with Daddy! Ummmm, I'm thinking he gets Dad of the year after this trip!

We got home on Sunday evening from the mountains...and early Monday morning I took Laz to the doctor because he BROKE his clavicle!!! (collar bone) Poor little guy! They gave him a "vest" to wear for a few weeks, which he thinks is SO cool...since the Boyz told him it was. :) It has taken 12 years and 5 boys to get to our first broken bone...kinda sad there is no cast to write on!!!
The following pictures are from Wednesday morning....we awoke to SNOW! It is simply beautiful outside right now.

Boyzzzzz

SNOW!!! The first real snow of the season!!!

More Boyzzzz....

...and yet, MORE Boyz :)

Blogging for Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:56:00 +0000

As you may know, there is little I will not do for a high quality, gourmet chocolate.

*Ahem*

So when I saw THIS offer, I could not refuse! Free chocolate in exchange for blogging about the chocolate and the company. I have officially registered and will see what delicious chocolaty items arrive at my door in the next few days...and I will be sure to let you all know about it!

Until then every knock at my door will be met with eager anticipation...

Thank you chocolate.com!

Yes. I am shameless *sometimes* :)

Why?

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Why won't hospitals allow a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)?

Why will hospitals not allow a breech birth that does NOT included a cesarean

HERE is an OBGYN who is under fire in California for allowing his clients to VBAC and push out their breech babies. His hospital is mad and threatening to deny him privileges there. WHY? Read his interview to see through a little window into the heart of the ACOG and hospitals in America. If you dare.

My 31st Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:29:00 +0000

*sigh*

I am SO OLD!!! Oh well...nothing I can do but enjoy it!

Our sweet friends kept the Boyz and Josiah and I went to eat at Indulge, a new little place near us. YUMMMM-O!!!!!
Here we are enjoying our meal!

13 Years of Wedded Bliss!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Josiah and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary August 3!!! We praise the Lord for His goodness towards us and his mercy. Without Him we certainly would never have seen this anniversary. Selfishness creeps in and if left unchecked ruins the best of relationships. I am glad to say that Josiah and I are still BEST friends and we love each other so much!

Here is a stroll down memory lane. These are scanned pictures because they were taken back in the day before digital cameras! AH!

Josiah and I about 2 months before our wedding...going to Prom and graduating from High School!!!

Lunch during our honeymoon.

The wedding....with my folks and his folks.

The Luvbirds

My friend Aran is standing on front of our first house in Travelers Rest, SC. It was a beautiful 200 year old farmhouse on about 41 acres. We loved living here...well, except the $200 per month electricity bill (which was a FORTUNE to us back then!)

Riding the light rail in downtown Denver for our weekend trip. MAN we look OLD!!!!

Winter Park

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:45:00 +0000

Last week my sweet grandparents came in town from Texas! We took a day and went to Winter Park to play...and boy did we! It was a blast!

We ALWAYS stop at Burthoud Pass for pictures when going up to Winter Park. We have literally hundreds of them from the past 30+ years!

Mommy with Tarin and Laz.

The Boyz overlooking Burthoud Pass

The Boyz with my mom (Grammy) and my grandparents, their great grandparents (GGmom and GGdad).

Pres is enjoying the serene pond.

Presley on the ski lift!!!

About to ride down the mountain on the Alpine Slide. SO FUN! We have pictures of the kids standing here from many years past...including me and my brother when we were kids!

Tarin flipping OUT

Laz enjoying the wide open spaces.

GGmom and her Pres. He LOVES to sit on her lap and play with her hair!

GGmom and the Boyz

Tarin about to embark on that horrific spinning thing. He loved it. So obviously his father's son!

My wonderful Granddad!!!

My cousin Dawn, playing with her Julian, her youngest.

Presley on the bungee jump!!!

SO TIRED. Starbucks will give them the energy they need! Ha!

Playing music near the pond.

Climbing wall fiends!

Kell-O

Laz and Jules

Ethan is 12 years old. AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:50:00 +0000

My baby is 12.
I cannot believe it!
After 44 hours of labor, my sweetest was born at home in the water. (After the idiot doc told me I was to small to squeeze out a kid. Thank the Lord for wonderful midwives!!!!!

AND NOW HE IS 12!!!!!!!!!
Isn't he handsome? And he is just as sweet on the inside as he looks on the outside. He is such a pleasure to have around the house...such a great big brother and loving son.
Now, let's hope I can still say that on his next birthday!
AH! :)

4th of July Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:31:00 +0000

Our friends, the Hsin family (pronounced "Sheen"), invited us to go with them to the Ritz Carlton Club in Beaver Creek/Bachelor Gulch for the holiday weekend.

WOW.

We had a spectacular time! I have never been to any place so luxurious where they spoil you so very rotten!!! We arrived on Friday and were immediately made to feel at home. Anything we needed they provided within minutes. My favorite part? They come clean your suite and do all the dishes twice a day. YEAH. BABY. We did not have to wash one dish, even after feeding 12 people 3 times per day!!! So we would eat and head out to the pool or spa and come back later to find everything pristine. It was fabulous.

About to head out!!!!!!!

You can even get married at the Ritz!

Not only do all the adults have fresh robs, but they have them for the kids as well!!!!!

So sweet!!!!!

First day at the pool. It was heated to the perfect temperature so one can swim at any time of the day or night.

At the spa they have "the Grotto" where adults (no kids allowed!) can go relax....and relax we did!!! The waterfalls feel like a massage on your back/shoulders, so Christy gave her pregnant back a small break.

My boys LOVED the bathtub!!!!!! All the bedrooms have private bathrooms with heated tile floors. SA-WEET.

The beds were all so soft and comfortable that little Laz slept and slept! It was after 9 am here!

7 of the 8 kiddies.

Pres wall climbing on the rocks in the lobby :) That's my boy!

On the 4th we were shuttled to Vail to watch the parade from the private balcony of the Ritz sales center. They also fed us tons of food and gave free face painting to the kids!

The beginning of the parade!!!

Watching from the balcony. Typical Presley here!

Face and hand painting :)

Sam and Tarin sword fighting on the streets of Vail.

Silly picture.....

Nice picture!!!!
Sam, Kell, Olivia, Laz, Maddie, Ethan, Tarin and Presley

Fascinated by the 'mime' sitting SO STILL.

Enthralled!

Christy is more woman than I. At 7 1/2 months of pregnancy she walked around Vail all day long in the hot sun! Thankfully we hit the spa as soon as we got back to Beaver Creek!

Josiah and Laz

Tarin :)

Waiting for the Ritz shuttle to take us back to Beaver Creek.

MMMMMM....dinner!!!

Playing games out on the lawn.

The building behind us is where our suite was.

Every evening the Ritz people would light these 'camp fires' and provide materials for Smores!!!

Getting ready to roast marshmallows.

Olivia and Laz. She was a GREAT babysitter and will SO enjoy her new little brother or sister!!!

Me watching the kids roast.

Me and my Hubbalicious :)

Sam and Ethan loving the Smores :)

Mom, Dad and Lazzers

Making the *perfect* marshmallow.

The view from our balcony. The tiny people on the trail would be our husbands and kids going on a hike. Christy and I decided to lay at the pool :)

Ethan....just days before he is to turn 12! AAAHHH!!!!

John, Josiah, Sam and Laz.

Presley Solomon

Laz LOVES the water!

The kids playing games while the Ritz people loaded the cars. SO COOL. They do everything for you!!!!

Christy and Tiff ready (?) to head home.
*sigh*

We loaded up both families, all the kiddies and said goodbye to the Ritz. That was around 2 p.m. We drove about 15 minutes before we were engulfed in dead stopped traffic on I-70. Seems everyone in Denver decided to head on home at the same time!!! After about 4 hours in traffic we stopped to eat...so the 2 hour trip turned into about 6 hours!!!

This was the traffic just trying to get into the Eisenhower tunnel!!! I think we sat here for about 1 1/2 hours.

Texting while dtriving is okay when you are sitting still!!!

More. Traffic.

At least the scenery is beautiful in our traffic!

We stopped at Beau Jo's for some famous pizza!!!! It was delicious!

The waterfall at Idaho Springs looked a little...dirty. I think it was from all the people stopping by the side of the road to pee after sitting for numerous hours in traffic (after drinking a Grande' Java Chip Frappachino).

Almost home as the moon makes it's appearance.

Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:07:00 +0000

I really do have a plausable excuse for taking so long to update. REALLY!

We moved in late May to a wonderful home on almost 3 acres...and that home also has a hot tub and in-ground swimming pool! So not only did I have to move but every spare moment has been spent swimming all the days long :)

So you see....I could NOT update before now!

Oh-and I still have not found the battery charger for my camera battery so the pictures you are about to see were taken from my iPhone.

Our first day in the pool...early June.

Tarin just lost his front teeth!!!! He is simply adorable!

My Laz

Best Friends!
Celebrating Tarin's 8th birthday.

Laz and Granddad

Tarin on his 8th birthday!

Laz at the playground

Ethan with one of the MANY snakes that live in our yard. YIKES!

The deer that lives in our yard...which I like far better than the snakes.

Laz and Hubbalicious

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Just had to share!!!

Repeat cesarean consent form for an OB to sign

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:15:00 +0000

This is a FABULOUS consent form for an OB to sign if he/she is forcing a mom to undergo major abdominal surgery (cesarean) and not allowing mom to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). FINALLY someone can confront a doc with the risks of such a procedure.
I did not write it. A brilliant lady wrote it and is so generous to share!

A Different Kind of Consent Form
I am so irate at the lack of patient choice and the asinine mentality of doctors here. I am very, very frustrated. So, I thought I would vent some of that frustration by doing something semi-constructive. To that end, I wrote my own consent form. After all, if the doctor wants me to sign theirs, they should sign mine first.

Here 'tis.

I, the undersigned physician, have, in violation of the Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, the Patient Self Determination Act, the ethical guidelines of the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Constitutional Law (the right to privacy and self determination protected by the 1st and 14th amendments), international tort law, and case law (of particular interest "In re A.C.", 1987, "In re Fetus Brown, 689 N.E.2d 397, 400 (Ill. App. Ct. 1997)", and "In re Baby Boy Doe, 632 N.E.2d 326 (Ill. App. Ct. 1994)") and the Patient Rights as determined by this institution, deprived my client,________________, of her right to self determination and her right to bodily integrity by ignoring her repeated refusal for delivery by repeat cesarean section. I acknowledge that by refusing to honor my client's denial of consent, I have not only violated the above laws, but I also affirm that I have used unwarranted and unethical pressure including emotional threats to my client's and her unborn child's life and safety, in my attempts to obtain such consent. I further affirm that I have stressed the risks of vaginal birth after cesarean, but neglected to inform my patient of the risks of delivery by repeat cesarean section. I further affirm that I understand, that should I resort to physical force, including but not limited to physical or chemical restraints to compel my client's cooperation, I will be guilty of criminal battery, which is defined as "any form of non-consensual touching or treatment that occurs in a medical setting".

In compensation for the above violations of my client's rights, I hereby guarantee the following:

a healthy baby, born in perfect condition, with no physical, mental or developmental defecits whatsoever, whether arising from surgery or any other cause

no complications for the infant, including but not limited to: persistent pulmonary hypertension, transient tachypnea of the newborn, respiratory distress syndrome, iatrogenic prematurity, lacerations, or hematoma

a speedy, uncomplicated post-operative recovery for my client. Specifically, I guarantee that my client shall not experience nerve damage, organ damage, hemorrhage (whether sufficient to require transfusion or not), disability or disfigurement, intraoperative or postoperative infection of the wound or surrounding skin and tissues, post partum depression and post partum post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other conditions not listed here.

Signed,

Families share their birth stories...SO GOOD!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Laz Pazazzz

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:39:00 +0000

Laz likes to stick his head through the "doggy door" to the basement...here he is being SO adorable!

And hey....don't judge me. He is kid #5 and if he likes the doggy door and the doggy door makes him happy, by all means, he can play with the doggy door :)

Presley

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:45:00 +0000

We had a big moment last week.

Presley got his hair cut. Short.

He had been asking me for a while for short hair, but the final straw was hearing him playing with Kell and asking, "Kell, do I look like Princess Leia?"

Yeah. Guilt enter HERE.

So we went down to the local barber shop and he asked for a "short haircut with a faux hawk" and that is what he got.

BEFORE

AFTER

the Birth

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:29:00 +0000

There is always something the Lord wants to teach us. He ordains events in our lives to build character and trust in Him. So many times we cannot see what He is doing, but we learn to trust Him completely and fully...and when we are past our trial we can look back and see how every little event led up to His plan being revealed and His trustworthiness being so evident!

Courtney and Nate hired the best midwife in Georgia to attend the birth of their first child, Hannah. They loved her so much that they hired her again for their second child's birth. (Claudia also attended the births of our first 4 sons). She is a wonderful midwife who is full of love for her clients. This is not her job...it is her calling.

During Courtney's prenatal visit on the Monday after her due date (she was 3 days "late" at that point) Claudia said that she had some news...she would be leaving to go out of town due to her daughter having surgery. She would not be leaving till the following Monday, but she wanted Court to know.

The freak out ensues. Isn't this a big reason we hire homebirth midwives??? So we KNOW who will be at the birth? Why is this happening? The planning was so careful and deliberate.

Odds are that Court will have her baby before Claudia leaves. At that point she would be 9 days "late" with her 2nd baby. We try and calm down, all the while thinking WHY. Claudia can not help the timing and is devastated even at the thought of missing this birth. She is totally committed to her clients and to miss out on a birth is not a small matter. However, her family is paramount and she must go to her daughter.

Court and Nate go through a lot of soul searching during the next few (laborless) days. What is God doing? Why? Do we really trust HIS plan instead of our own?

Courtney prays and decides not to try and 'induce' labor. God is in control and He already has the future written...and that includes this baby's birthday! (I personally found this to be very cool. Seeing that kind of trust in the Lord coming from my brother and his dear wife strengthened my own trust in Him)

A week comes and goes. Ups and downs occur when thinking of a Claudia-less birth. The back up plan is for her midwifery partner, Debbie, to attend the birth. Debbie is a wonderful midwife and Nate and Court know her very well. At least there would not be a stranger there! (I personally had Debbie at two of my own births and really liked her a lot)

On Sunday night I get a call from Courtney...her waters have broken! It is 2:15 a.m. She describes it feeling like someone with a 2-liter Coke bottle pouring water everywhere! Ha! She is planning to just go back to bed and sleep for as long as she can. After her first birth lasting 3 days, she now knows the importance of sleeping when you can sleep!

I fitfully sleep as well...praying for Courtney, the baby, and the fact that Claudia doesn't leave till mid-morning the next day. Court gets some sleep on and off...her brain is going as well!

She calls later that morning to say that she has started having some sporadic contractions and they are cleaning the house, hanging out with Hannah, etc. It is apparent now that Claudia will not be attending the birth and Courtney seems very fine with that fact. She is confident that the Lord is in control and she is trusting Him.

All through the day her contractions continue. 15 minutes apart, 10 minutes apart. By that afternoon they are getting a bit stronger and she has to think about them. Her and Nate go to the bookstore and the library...enjoying the day they have together with the fun anticipation of their new child!

That evening they settle at home again. Court's mom makes a delicious pot of chicken soup for dinner...yumm-o! Contractions are getting closer but not to bad yet.

My mom has gotten my kids and left, knowing that I will soon be going to be with Nate and Courtney. I decide to grab a salad from Zaxby's (yummmm!) and read a book there. While sitting and eating, Court calls and says things are getting more serious...could I come over now?

I hop in the car, grab a Starbucks and head on over to their home. It s 8 p.m. when I arrive.

When I get there Debbie (the midwife) is there as well. Courtney is contracting about every 7 minutes and they are lasting about 55 seconds.....right on the verge of active labor! I try and help her body jump over the cliff...so I have her walk stairs (she loves me for this) and suck her thumb (way better than pitocin!). Wow. This does it! Within an hour or so we have contractions that are over 1 minute and about 4 minutes apart.

Nate and I alternate between helping courtney and Facebooking to keep everyone in the loop :)

Courtney would alternate between walking, stair climbing, the birth ball and the birth stool. She was quite determined to keep the labor going and NOT to end up with a 3 day birth again. She was worried that things were just not progressing, so around 10:30 p.m. Court asked Debbie to check her cervix. This was the ONE and only exam during the entire birth and it was such good news...Court was 5 cm and the baby was at a +1 station!!! Things were happening perfectly. I think that this info helped Courtney to just relax and have her baby.

Around midnight things became pretty intense. Courtney really wanted to get in the birthpool so we began to fill it with nice warm/hot water. She laid on the bed, bundled in her favorite quilt and continued to labor beautifully. Nate was right there with her, rubbing her back and supporting her. The music in the background was Psalms set to music...beautiful.

We were also excited once midnight arrived because we knew this baby would be born on our (mine and Nathan's) dad's birthday! What a cool thing :)

The tub is finally ready and Courtney jump in. Well 'jumps' may be pushing it a bit :)

We had discussed her contractions slowing down for a bit once she gets in and that if that happens it is normal and they will pick right back up. Well, no slowing this kid! They continue to come every 2-3 minutes. Courtney is in "labor land" and sleeps in between contractions. She awakens to work at relaxing during the contraction and then falls back asleep in between. A great way to labor.

Transition: the hardest part of labor but the shortest! Courtney is doing awesome! She is relaxed and allows her body to work.

At one point she turns her head towards me and says, "Tiff, I do not think I can do this anymore..." and a contraction begins...and she relaxes...and continues to labor. I am, of course, happy to hear this because it means labor is almost over!

Pushing begins slowly. Court is feeling 'pushy' and just goes with what her body is saying. No one is counting, no one is telling her what to do...she is just allowing her body to do it. (less pain, more progress!)

Towards the end she begins to push will all her might! Nathan is holding her up as she is floating in the pool. I am on the side of the pool with 3 digital cameras and a video camera! Ha!

The baby's head emerges perfectly. A small rest and then the body follows...Debbie guides the baby out of the water and into Courtney's waiting arms. She takes a second to evaluate things and announces that it is a boy! Nate is so excited, he keeps saying, "A son! We have a son!!!!"

Rylee Chandler was born on April 7, 2009 at 3:42 a.m. on his Grandfather's birthday. Chandler is our dad's name and is a family name we have traced back to the 1500's!!! The name has been used in every generation since. My first son is Ethan Chandler.

Looking for Mama. Little Rylee did not cry at all...he just looked around at mom and dad. So peaceful. So perfect.

Nathan holding his son for the first time.

So sweet!

Let's weigh this baby! 9 pounds and 3 ounces!!! 22 inches long...WHEW. Where did she keep this kid?

The baby exam is done on the bed, next to mom, gently and with everything explained. Rylee did not even fuss once!

The midwives dated him at being 40 weeks gestation, NOT 11 days "over due". Had Courtney been under the care of a doctor or hospital based midwife she would have been induced...the baby forced to be born on the date the doctor decided...and he would have been early. This can cause many problems, one of which is an NICU stay due to his lungs not being ready, a common risk of induction. Nor did he have the jaundice that usually accompanies a pitocin induced birth. Thankfully the midwives know the best outcomes come to babies who are born when they are ready to be born!

My Boyz were very excited to meet their newest cousin!!!

Aunt Tiffy sure does love her new nephew :)

All in all, the birth went VERY well. All of our prayers were answered...shorter labor (it was a total of 25 1/2 hours from water breaking, 8 hours of actual labor, less than an hour of pushing), no bleeding (she hemorrhaged last time) and a safe birth for her and the baby. The Lord had this planned prior to the foundation of the world and was brought glory and honor through Nathan and Courtney trusting HIM during difficult circumstances and decisions. Having Debbie at the birth was wonderful. She was absolutely fabulous and Courtney really bonded with her during the whole labor/birth. Praise the Lord for TWO awesome midwives serving families in Georgia and Tennessee!!!

Update!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:44:00 +0000

So sorry these updates are so few and far between. I have no access to a computer so I must bum internet in order to post!

Courtney and Nathan welcomed their son, Rylee Chandler, into this world on April 7 at 3:42 a.m.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rylee was born at home, in the water, after about 8 hours of active labor, 18 hours of early labor, 26 hours of broken waters and 11 days past the "due date".
Court did AWESOME...and did I mention...Rylee weighed in at 9 pounds 3 ounces?!?!!!!! And 22 inches long. Yeah. Have you SEEN Courtney? The kid is bigger than she is! :)

Rylee got his name from the Bishop R.C. Ryle and they added the "e" to make it Rylee. Chandler is a family name that we have traced back to the 1500's...every male in the family line has a Chandler in their name, so it is a pretty cool tradition.

I have a ton of pictures but no way to transfer them from my camera. I will be home in Colorado next Tuesday night and will post pictures shortly thereafter. This baby is SO adorable and you MUST see him!

The trip so far.....

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:00:00 +0000

The trip so far has been good. The driving to Dallas (18 hours) and the drive to Atlanta (18 hours in 1 day) was harrowing, to say the least.

The older boys did wonderful...Laz...not so good. Poor little guy is no traveler. Ick. I have no idea how we are getting home cause there is just no way I can survive that long in the car with him again!

The oldest 4 Boyz are at Disney World with Josiah's parents fr a whole week. Great for them...bad for Mama. I miss them! So Laz and I have remained busy spending time with Courtney and Hannah, Karen and her 3 kiddies and Noelle and Fin.

Laz had his very first icecream cone!!! I figured that Brewster's was the only place to indruce him to icecream :) He loved it!

Laz is also LOVING playing with cousin Hannah!!! She mommy's him very well and he plays along. They are SO CUTE together.

My little bity Courtney looks adorable with her baby belly!!!

We took Hannah and Laz to see the baby chicks and ducks...and this is a picture of Laz petting one MOMENTS prior to him hitting the poor thing. Yeah. My violent little man. Who knew.

My little Red Neck child in his John Deer hat! (okay, it is not his....don't worry!)

C-L-A-S-S-I-C Courtney.

Court at her prenatal visit with Claudia, world's best midwife.

Hannah and Laz Pazzzzazzzzzz

A synopsis of the trip so far :)

My brother and his Family

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:14:00 +0000

My dear 'little' brother, Nathan, and his beautiful wife courtney are expecting their 2nd baby in March!!! Here they are with the sweetest niece ON EARTH, Hannah. Hannah just turned 2 last week and is very excited about having a baby brother or sister.

The kids and I will be leaving for Georgia in 1 week and 2 days. WHOO-HOO!!!!!!! We will stop in Dallas to see my grandparents for 2 days and then on to Ga to get ready for the birth. Court is using my midwife (i.e. the world's best!) again like she did for Hannah. Courtney had a 3 day labor with Hannah and eventually gave birth in her home, as planned. Lord willing she will have another beautiful homebirth...but for her sake, a faster one!!! Believe me, I will keep everyone posted on the events surrounding this blessed occasion.

Hubbalicious

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:29:00 +0000

I must brag for a moment.

Josiah loves me!

Even through his stress...losing his job, finding another, having to move (again), etc...he finds time to show me he loves me.

Yesterday he came home to chaos, which around here, is business as usual. I cooked dinner, we ate, the boyz cleaned up. I mentioned how exhausted I was from the day (school, grocery shopping, detailed the Yukon, Library, etc) and that a nice hot bath sounded so refreshing.

The problem? Our bathtub is filled with clippings of hair from giving the boyz haircuts. I did not have the energy to clean the tub to take a bath.

Oh-and our hot water heater does not even fill up the tub with enough hot water to make it even a warm bath.

So I was downstairs, going about the evenings business, when Josiah called me upstairs. I went into our dark room and he led me into the bathroom.....

...and there was a candle lit room with a *clean* bathtub filled to the brim with bubbles and HOT WATER. He had boiled 3 pots of water and filled the tub for me :) My book was laying on the side, ready for me to devour.

Ahhhh. The bliss.

As I soaked, Josiah put the kids to bed...another stress he took on alone just to help me.

All this to remind he that after 12 1/2 years of marriage, 5 kids, 3 states, countless jobs, many houses, stress and tears....he still loves me. :)

Kellen Micah

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:12:00 +0000

Kellen Micah is 9 years old today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These are all very typical pictures of Kell. Never a serious one, Kell loves to laugh and joke ALL the time. He keeps our entire house in stitches most of the time and really makes life fun :)

He has been wanting this bike for almost a year now....and was STOKED when we brought it out!!!!!!!!!

We had a wonderful little party with just the family...he wanted to go skiing with friends for his birthday instead of a 'real' party...so much easier on mom as well :)

And I had to add my little Laz :)

So sleepy....

It was so cute watching him try and pick up his Cheerios with the Hulk hands on!!! Okay, it was a tad mean so I took them off :)

And the difference is......

noreply@blogger.com (Tiffany) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Check THIS out :)

Ha! I found it quite amusing.