10 Years ago today......

WOW.

It has been a decade since my first birth. I feel so OLD!!!!

10 Years ago today I was in labor with my sweet Ethan. And at this moment (1:23 p.m.) I had already been in labor for 33 hours and I still had another 11 hours to go.
Yeah, I know...crazy!!! But seeing as it was one of the best experiences of my life and that it was worth every single contraction...I have fond memories.
Ethan was born on the 17th (tomorrow) at 12:37 a.m. after 44 hours of back labor. He was born at my moms house in her kitchen...in a big pool of lovely warm water. And my little Ethan...was 10 pounds! That idiot doc that told me I was just "to small to have a baby over 7 lbs" was...well, WRONG. Thankfully the Lord had made other plans :)

Anyway, that is his birth in a small nutshell ("Help! I'm in a nutshell!") We will have a family party tomorrow night with the grandparents on both sides and great grandparents. Ethan chose to have a day at Six Flags with friends this year instead of a "friend party"....he had a blast on his first roller coasters!

Wow...a decade...

Let's not discuss what is ahead of us in the coming decade.....yikes.

Below is my Ethan as he is today...handsome devil :) And Pres had to get in on the action as well....

It's a Girl!!!!!!

I did something I swore I would never do.













Something I told others not to do.



















I got a dog!
(gee, what did you think?!)










Her name is Lily and she is a 14 month old Boxer puppy...a GIRL with a pink rhinestone collar. The boys are smitten, as is Josiah. She is a sweetheart! We got her from the Boxer rescue here and she is already house trained and crate trained...nice. :) Anyway, enjoy the pictures!!!!






Lily is coming outside to the backyard to meet all the neighbor kids....they were as excited as our kids about her!




All the kids were happy to meet her.








Playing....




























Daddy's girl....











Isn't she a cutie?!


















Attempting to get a shot with 9 kids and a dog...yeah. At least Kellen was posing :)









Time to rest.......

The Past Week

Last week we had the pleasure of seeing Sarah (Josiah's sister) and her boyfriend, Brad. They flew here from California for a long weekend...and we all had a blast!!!





This happened A LOT...Brad wrestled in school (and he is a policeman) and so the boys would tend to...well, attack him at will. He had a great attitude about it and played along!






We took 3 of the boys (Kell, Tarin and Pres) with us and went through the Rocky Mountain National Forrest. It was a long drive, but SO SO SO beautiful...and a lot of fun!





The kids, Sarah, Brad and Josiah rode the Alpine Side in Winter Park. Being preggers, I just watched :)


Elk!!!


Grand Lake


More Elk!!!




Sarah and Brad






Below are some picture of my dad with the boys on our front porch....the first picture is the "nice" picture...and the second is the "crazy" picture. I have to bribe the kids with "we can do a crazy picture ONLY after I get a nice picture!!!" Terrible, I know. But it works :)

Tarin is 6 :)

June the 8th is a special day in history...it is Tarin's birthday!!! And this year, Tarin turned 6 years old. Hard to imagine...he is my little baby :)

We do a "friend party" for the boys every other year. I know, terrible...but would YOU like to come to all 4 parties and bring a gift EVERY YEAR...and would YOU like to pay for the parties?! Yeah. So anyway, even on a "no friend party" year we all do something special. Tarin wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese, of course. So we loaded up the fam (which included my parents, Josiah's mom and our cousins, Maiza and Bella) and headed out to Chuck's.....along with the entire Littleton elementary school summer camp system. Next time I will call first :)








Spiderman!!!!!



Maiza and Bella



Everyone...



Moo-Ma (Josiah's mom) and Presley



Tarin getting his headlamp for camping



Excited about gifts!



We went to Gigs in the Garden at Hudson Gardens to hear "The Beatles"...it was SO fun! Tarin climbed up in this tree.....



....an then fell out of the tree, poor little guy. But isn't his little tear so cute and pitiful?



Tarin being silly at Noodles and Co.

A camping they will go....

This past weekend, Josiah took the three oldest boys camping in Basalt, Colorado (near Aspen). Our neighbors (and sweet friends) across the street joined them with their three kids as well.
Yes. You read correctly. Two dads took a total of 6 kids into the mountains camping for 3 days. With no moms. And no TV. That's right folks! We got ourselves some keepers!!!! :)

They went hiking, fishing (and they cleaned and ate the fish they caught...wow!), shot bows and arrows, roasted marsh mellows, saw a bear print (and a deer, but that is not as exciting as a bear), learned to use a compass in the woods and find their way back to camp....and they got REALLY dirty.

Oh.

And my little baby Tarin FELL IN THE RAGING RIVER OF DEATH and Ethan rescued him....saved his life!!!! No kidding. Tarin fell in the river and was being swept downstream towards the waterfall when he grabbed a hold of a stick (that was actually a part of a beaver dam) and Ethan ran down and grabbed Tarin's arm and pulled him on shore. Thankfully I did not hear this part of the adventure until they had all come home safe and sound.








All 6 kids on the hike.



Part of the raging river of death. Okay, so it could be a bit smaller than portrayed....but STILL, that is scary for a 6 year old! He told me that it "was like 1 degree"



Part of the campsite.



Tarin on the trail down to the reservoir.



Going down to the reservoir to fish.



Miss Olivia!!!!



Isn't this beautiful???? Maybe next time I will join them.
Yeah.
My kind of camping is at the Ritz Carlton. With a spa.

12 weeks, and all is....well.....

I know it has been a while since I have posted. I really wanted to post all kinds of pictures and stories...fun things have been happening around here. The boys went camping at the Sand Dunes with Josiah...there have been several races...etc. But honestly, I have been SO SO SO sick that I have not had the energy to post. I have been really pregnant sick along with some terrible migraines...yeah, fun. Hopefully those are history now! My midwife gave me some flax oil and I have not had any more since then. I am a full 12 weeks along now....about to begin my 2nd trimester! AH! I just cannot wait to hold this baby...kiss his little head and fat cheeks...nurse him to sleep...awaken with him tucked in next to me.....aaahhh....heaven :)


Josiah also got hurt pretty bad....he has been training for the first triathlon for months now, and one week before that race he had a bad bike wreck. He got taken to the ER and ends up he tore the muscle is his rotator cuff (shoulder). Thank the Lord he was wearing a helmet or his head would have been cracked as well. He is feeling better now....we are trying alternative options before we g to a surgeon...I know you are shocked :)

Josiah's first home is almost done as well....finally! After 8 + week of delay this winter from weather, and permit issues, things are looking close to being finished. I LOVE the house and wish we could afford to live in it :)


Friday is Tarin's 6th birthday!!!!!!! He wanted to go camping for his birthday gift so Josiah and the 3 oldest boys are going Friday-Sunday to Glenwood Springs to camp next to the Colorado River. They are going with the boys best friends and their dad, so I know everyone will have a blast. I would say I am glad for the rest, but after being in bed sick for basically the last 10 weeks I am hoping to get up and do stuff!!!!!!

Well, I will post more pictures soon....when I feel like it :)

Today, Before 10 a.m.

Tarin cut his finger with scissors.


Ethan fell down the stairs.


Kellen got his foot smashed.


Presley was hit in the face (by Tarin).


My Dad was almost taken out (by me) for cooking an "everything" bagel within nose shot.


Josiah was a "first responder" for a mom whose daughter was having a seizure (while he was driving to work).


My oldest 3 sons set a piece of paper on fire in the backyard with a magnifying glass.



Yes, still looking forward to #5 :) Hey, I am never bored!

HBAC3 slideshow

Alrighty, EVERYONE must watch this slideshow!
Quick rundown...a mom who has had 3 c-sections gives birth at home....but there is more to the story...so watch!!!!!
This is a Christian family and I must say that the song that goes with the show is SO fitting. Listen to THE voice of truth :)
Okay for kids to see...no graphic anything.


http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=2a4e81fbf0f66accb8afce

The OB Song

I cannot resist :) This is hysterical!!!!!!! And I do not want any nasty comments about the truth of this song!!!!! HA!

www.compleatmother.com/audio/The-Obstetrician-Song.mp3

As you know, I got a new camera a few weeks ago!!! So far I LOVE it. I have been meaning to post the first picture I took with it...see below.....















:D





Yepper, we are having #5! The whole family is so excited...and although I feel pretty icky, I am so happy. This poor kid will be born right around Christmas!!!!!! Oh well....what a beautiful gift we will get!!!

Let me quote a paragraph from a book I just read called ""Stepping Heavenward". It is a fantastic book that I devoured in a day.......

A sister-in-law is speaking to a woman that just found out she is expecting another baby...told from the woman's standpoint:


"She says I shall now have one mouth the more to fill, and two feet the more to shoe; more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure for visiting, reading, music and drawing.

Well! This is one side of the story, but I look at the other. Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost, since it is in the abode of a Kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ’s name, I make willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other darlings have left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome in your mothers heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her life-long prayers! Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!!!!!"

This is a picture of how I feel in my heart...the joy this baby will be. What an honor and a privilege the Lord has given our family to allow us to be rewarded with this child. :)

Josiah's 10K and Presley being cute :)

I gave Pres and apple and left the room...and when I came back, he was eating it on a fork. I thought it was cute :)











Josiah had another race today! This one was a trail run and a 10K. He did very well....1st in his age group!!!!!



Here he is at the starting line...he is on the far right...getting ready and setting his watch.




Here he is just about to cross the finish line!!! Yeah!!!

Marks' Wedding

My dear cousin Mark got married a few weeks ago in Florida....I was SO upset at not being able to attend, however, my sweet cousin Dawn was able to attend and she took the most amazing pictures!!!! Below is the slideshow for the wedding. It was very small and held outside in the vast yard of the happy couples new home.

Enjoy!!!


http://www.bellaphotographyco.com/MarkDana/showit.swf

the camera

Things could be worse, I admit.
But I am still bummed!!!!
Not only am I sick (flu? bronchitis?) but also one of my most fond possessions is broken.


My camera.


I take it EVERYWHERE. I am known as a picture freak...and yes, I admit that I am. I do not want to miss a moment of the boy’s life!


So now, it is gone. The first digital camera I ever owned....the one Josiah bought for me years ago on Mothers Day....the one that has photographed every major event in our life....is gone.

Well, not really "gone".......broken. Cracked. Unrepairable.

How???? Well, I will tell ya!

About a week ago I decided that I needed to document the strange things that I find all over the place. You know, odd things that the kids do and I find, thinking, "what in the heckfire is that?"

I had just found the ice/windshield scraper in the toilet.
So I took a picture. (you will see this strange compilation of photos on the blog in a few weeks)

As I was turning to walk out of the bathroom, the momentum apparently flung the camera from my grip...and across the room against the wall and subsequent wooden floor.
It cracked the case around the lens and bent the lens inside of itself.

I was very attached to my little camera, so this has been difficult for me. However, not one to dauttle, I have been researching cameras for days now. AND I AM SO CONFUSED!!! This is insane. There are far to many choices and far to many opinions and far to many reviews for one to make a wise decision.

So here is the question: Does anyone have any camera wisdom to pass along????????? I just want a very small, 7x optical zoom (or more), IS, cute (style over substance??? NO!), 7mp camera. Is that too much to ask? I have kinda narrowed it down to a Canon or a Panasonic.
Any ideas?
Do you have a camera that you LOVE?

Let me know ASAP!!! We are going skiing in Beaver Creek on Thursday and Friday and I need it before then!!!!!!! :)