We're Having a....

We had our ultrasound on Thursday and we are having a GIRL!!!!! Her name is Azalea-Mae Faith. Azalea was my grandma (my dad's mom) Mae is Chad's grandma's middle name and Faith was my Mom's Mom's maiden name. Faith is also a reminder of my Mom's faith in God during her unthinkable battle. She had unwavering faith that God would heal her...and he did! Also I wanted to let all of you who are praying for my sweet husband know that his appointment is October 15th. It is not for a cat scan but to see a neurologist who is a movement disorder specialist. The shaking in his hand has gotten better but it is still there. Please continue to pray, as much for our nerves as for his health!

Our Life These Days

Forewarning: I have tried to seperate paragraphs several times now but blogger keeps putting them all together. I don't have time to mess with it so it will have to stay this way. In just eight days we will have our 20 week ultrasound. We will find the gender of our baby. It is still undecided if we will share our news with anyone. We always have but we are thinking this time it might add an element of fun. We'll see. I am not very good at keeping secrets. At any rate I am anxious to find out, and to be sure all is well with baby. In other baby related news Greysen got his first tooth last week. He is the first of our babies to ever get a tooth that early. He was also the most miserable teether we have encountered. He is very spoiled and cries nearly every time he is put down. It is actually quite sad to see. Tristin and Bella are enjoying school. We had a lot of fun last week. Lots and lots of reading but as I've mentioned before we really enjoy that. He seems to enjoy the level of work he is doing now. Much more of a challenge for him. Bella is enjoying drawing along side of us, singing and listening to the stories. We had some scheduling issues the first couple of days but we rearranged our schedule and things have now fallen into place nicely. Hudsyn is doing some serious talking these days. She will be two on the 28th. She is just the most precious little person. Very fiesty and demanding but so loving and sweet. I absolutely adore her. Kait likes her new teacher. She seems wonderful. Last year that wasn't the case so this year we are very thankful. She has had a rough summer. Her Dad and his wife seperated and he and K are living at his parents house. K and her step-Mom had a hard time getting along. If you know K she is pretty easy to get along with and it hurt her very much. Even still K wants them all to be back together again. It is very sad, for all parties involved. She has a little girl who is two years younger than K and they were close. I am not sure what the outcome of their marriage will be but please keep them in prayer. Neither of them believe in God but from conversations K overheard her setp-Mom appears to be pretty angry with this person she doesn't belive in. Speaking of things to keep in prayer, Chad's tendonitis is better but now his arm shaking. It is called a resting tremor. He has to go to the University of Toledo to meet with a neurologist for a cat scan. I am not going to go into the details of what they are ruling out but it isn't pretty. There is a good chance it could be nothing. As of right now he is off work until at least mid October. We still don't have an appointment date because it is very hard to get into that neurologist. We would really appreciate it if you would please pray with us that all tests will come back normal. I will update you as soon as we find anything out.

I know I haven't posted in forever. We have been really, really busy! Chad is still off work so we have been trying to enjoy the summer as a family (squeezed around physical therapy, doctor and hand surgeon appointments). Our summer is winding down and school is about to start. K will be in fifth grade and T is doing K again. Last year went well but our curriculum was very light but just right for him. He was somewhere between pre-k and K. This year our curriculum is much more intense. T and I are both looking forward to an exciting year. We moved all three of the girls into one room, we moved into K's room and are using our room as a school room. It is nearly ready, it just needs a few finishing touches. I have spent several hours looking over my instructors guides and I am beginning to feel more confident with the materials. Our curriculum is very literature intense. I think it is going to suit our family very well. We got all of K's school clothes and supplies about a month ago so she is all set. I'm getting ready to pull out the totes with all the kids fall pants and pajamas and put them in their drawers. That is about all that is going on over here. I will post soon about the new school year Both K and T will be starting next week. I would post pictures but blogger will not let me for some reason. As soon as I figure it I will post some, I have some really good ones! Until then if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Pathetic Rambling

I know it's been forever since I last posted but we've been very busily unbusy. Chad has been off work since the 2nd of June because of tendonitis. He went to a hand surgeon who is sending him to a nerve specialist then back to the hand surgeon. As of right now he is off until at least August 10th. So we have been steadily busy doing nothing! There is very little he can do with one arm. This is the first summer we have not had a pool so that's pretty boring. So as I siad not much to write about. As I am writing this the little girls woke up and were on their way downstairs before they made it a baby doll head came rolling down and landed right by baby Grey who was laying on the floor. Making me crack up. Bell came down first wearing nothing but a diaper and about seven pairs of underwear and a pair of plastic panties for leakage. It was funny until I realized that she was hurting because of the elastic. Bless her heart. Then Hudsyn made it down and she was carrying a headless babydoll. Which really cracked me up. I begged Chad to immediately fix the doll between it's head laying next to baby Grey and her carring a headless doll it just seemed so wrong. That is about the extent of our life right now. Today we are going to the Automotive Hall of Fame. At the library you can get passes to go free to a whole bunch of museums and things of that nature. Kait will be missing out due to the fact that she is camping for two weeks with her Grandparents. I figured there is nothing around here to do , a girl should have some summer fun! So there you have it a whole lot of nothing going on around here. One thing I forgot to mention, I didn't realize I hadn't let you know, we will be welcoming another new baby in February! So that is it a whole month has went by and not much more to tell you than that!

Three

Last week was Bell's third birthday. She turned three. I can't grasp that still. Where did three years go? Watching her grow has been such a joy. She is so sweet, loving and gentle. She has such a precious spirit about her. She can soften the heart of anyone around her. She has a firey side but is very teachable and once she gains wisdom that fire will change into self control. She has a very special calling on her life. I am not sure what it is yet but in time God will reveal that to her.

Jax was Bella's birthday present (although he is everyones dog). He is also three. We adopted him from a local pound, he was going to be out down the morning we adopted him. He is housebroken and very gentle with the kids. He know how to sit, shake and roll over. He is a very nice addition to our family.

For her birthday we went to Heritage Park and the petting farm. Later that evening my dad and Carlyn and their family came over and brought her cake and gifts. The following day we had a party for her at Caesar Land. The pics above are the park and petting farm.

Meet Jax

Sandcastle

So it's 11:00 pm. I just got out of the shower and headed down to my room. Kait and Bell were in my bed. I turned on the light to get dressed. Not realizing they would be in there. Bell looked at me with complete concentration in her eyes and said "I'm making a sandcastle in my diaper." It cracked me up I usually get on her for her potty talk, she is obsessed with bathroom talk and has been testing it out since she was old enough to form a sentence. In fact when she is mad at a sibling she calls them pee. It is so disgusting, I hate potty talk. Someday this phase will pass, right?

Outside Work

I have decided I no longer loathe Michigan. I quite like our spring, summer and fall. I have posted little of substance lately because every waking minute the kids want to be outside and Chad and I have a TON of work to do out there. Here is our running list...seriously. Replacing all the landscaping bricks in the front yard. They are all squiggly and buried in the dirt. There must be 50-75 feet of them. Seriously. Unplanting pond plants and transplanting them so my Dad can have them. Taking all the dirt from where the pond was and bringing it to the front beds. I did five wagon loads last night and it looks as if I've barely scratched the surface. Replacing patio pavers where the pond was. But of course we will have to make it level and put down slagstone first. Relocating eating area to side of patio where pond and fire pit were. Searching for a canopy thingy for shade. Why are they so expensive? The only shade we have until early evening is in the shed. :) Tending to the new garden we planted. We have corn, potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, red peppers, hot banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, green beans, cucumbers, onions and lettuce. I have to get back to Blocks's to buy some pumpkin seeds. I think the kids will enjoy growing their own pumpkins. I also have a few herbs. Needing to put a fence around the garden. I just want a three foot tall picket one. Pulling up part of the patio pavers to make a playground area. Our patio is about 800 square feet. It worked well for my parents but we just don't need that big of an entertaining area. Mulching around the playscape. Hudsyn fell off right after we moved it (on to the patio bricks, no less) and busted open the area right over her eye. It was so bad that you could see through the skin to the inside of her head. She had to have seven stitches. Which brings me to our next project. Putting the same kind of fence as the garden around the playscape. There were four adults in the backyard when she fell. She is just really fast. I need to be able to keep her off unless I am with her. Scouring Cragislist for a pool. We have always had the metal Intex pools. I would like to get a good used one. Putting lighting in the back yard. Currently there is none. Chad ran electrical now we just need to buy and hang fixtures. Put fencing on side of house. We only need like four feet. Building a 8X12 sandbox with a canopy over it. This has to be done soon because it is going to be for Bell's birthday in about three weeks. She loves sand. Buy and plant flower and plants in the front yard. The beds and planter boxes are empty except for some hostas and rose bushes down the side. We have a large area of beds and five planter boxes around the porch plus hooks for six hanging baskets. Need to buy lots of flowers. Need to spray the house down. It's filthy. We live on a main road so lots of dust. Fix a baby gate to the porch. Again Hudsyn is fast. Stain the porch. It's looking sad. Paint the garage door. Fix the water line on the hot tub. Yes I realize this will take most of the summer to get done. So it's a good thing we have that long! That list wasn't really for you, it was for me. It looks much longer than it sounds. Yikes. Maybe two summers and it will all be done.

Creation Museum

On our way home from vacation we went to the Creation Museum. It was an amazing place. It was so great to be able to show the kids what we have been teaching them. If you ever get the opportunity to go it is well worth your time and money. They focus on dinosaurs and the great flood as the "missing link". It's in Petersburg, Ky. I can't explain how cool it was so instead I leave you with pictures! I am only posting Adam and Eve tonight. Of course posted them backwards and am too tired to fix it so start at the bottom and work your way up, or not whatever works for you! The next post will be pics of Noah and the Ark.

I didn't realize it had been a month since I last posted. We have been busy, very busy. Spring broke and we have been working outside nearly everyday. The kids have been busy playing outside, enjoying God's creation. We had a wonderful vacation. We had lots of fun. We didn't get to everything on my list but we did do most of it. Today I am posting pictures our day mountain exploring. 1. John and Hudsyn, after a ride earlier in the day. Every time we went on the mule she fell asleep 2.Tristin and Bell playing by the cave 3. Kaitlynne driving the four wheeler 4. Trisitn driving the four wheeler, I don't think I would have looked as calm as John if I were on the back of a four wheeler with a five year old who was not even watching the road. 5.Kait on the back with John going through one of the many mud puddles on our adventure 6.Train trussel 7. Chad "hanging off" train tracks 8. T,B and K "hanging off" train tracks 9. Hudsyn "hanging off" train tracks 10. Bell and Hudsyn walking on tracks

Vacation!!!

I am so excited!!! We are leaving for Tennessee on Monday! Tennessee has been one of the only vacation spots I have ever know. My parents went there for their honeymoon and that then became our family vacation spot. I remember a few years in Florida visiting my grandparents, I am not sure but we may have went to Tennessee those years as well. I went on a cruise once to the Caribbean which turned out to be not at all for me. I much prefer the mountains. We always went to Gatlinburg and shopped 'till we dropped. Saw shows and swam. On the way we used to stop in Middlesboro, Ky. My grandparents lived in Middlesboro. I have the greatest memories of my grandma and I making mud pies out of red dirt. I remember her singing Rock a Bye Baby while we made them, I remember sampling a mud pie when she went in the house to get something. I remember their piano bench that I once fell off of and broke my collar bone. I remember my Grandpa drying my hair after a bath with a paper towel before he brushed it. I remember going to my Great Aunt's house, also in Middlesboro. She had a caboose out by the road in front of her tire shop (which was next to her house). When we went I always played in that caboose. One year My Grandpa and I were on our way back to Michigan and stopped by her house. My Aunt Maxine told me that she had a little porcelain dish set for me to play with in there if I wanted to. I played in there for our entire visit. That is one of my most precious memories. My Grandpa always referred to it as my caboose. I loved that caboose so much. (When I got a little older one of my teachers introduced me to The Boxcar Children book series. It is a mystery series about four kids who lost their parents and went on the run from their grandfather whom they believe to be awful. They find an old boxcar in the woods, fix it up and begin living in it. Their grandfather finds them and they discover he is a kind man. They move in with him and he transports their beloved boxcar to their new home. As a side note he is also very wealthy and can take them to wonderful spots all over the world where they always find a mystery waiting for them. My kids now LOVE the series. They found some of my old books we read them and added several to our collection. We have been known to read a book in a day. The whole family rallies in our bed or on the couch and begs every time we say we are going to stop reading and because Chad and I are so into it to we read on). Oddly enough Tennessee has also been one of my hubbies only vacation spots. He grew up going to Tazewell. His grandparents owned quite a bit of land on a mountain. They would go and play and explore. What an amazing vacation to be able to have as kids. The imaginative play is endless. The funny thing about that is that he passed "my" caboose every time on the way to his vacation spot. Middlesboro is only about fifteen minutes from Tazewell. We grew up living an hour away from each other and spent much of our childhood summers within a few minutes of each other but 10 hours away from our homes. We also honeymooned in Tennessee. First going to his parents mountain house (it wasn't a home then because they didn't live there yet) and then onto Gatlinburg. Fast forward to present time and his parents now own that land, have retired, moved from Michigan and live there. We now have the opportunity to vacation down on the same mountain that my sweet husband played on with his siblings as a boy. Our family loves that mountain more than any other place on this earth. We are constantly scheming up ways or reasons to go down there. Truth be told I would love, LOVE to move down there. Consequently we are always trying to figure out ways to find Chad a job down there that makes enough to feed us and has health insurance. As a homeschooling mom, I couldn't imagine any better classroom than that mountain. What a wonderful childhood one could have there (if it ever does happen to work out you can expect us to have more babies). On a seriously note Chad's parents have graciously offered to gift us land to put a home on if we would like to. This trip we are going to try to pick out our land. If we find a spot I will take pictures to post. When we vacation now we always stay at my in laws house and make a day trip to Gatlinburg. We try to blend our childhood vacations. This year is a pretty big vacation year for us. Our plan is to stop at the Creation Museum just inside Kentucky and get a hotel for the night then in the morning go to The Kentucky Horse Park (they have two horse museums and a hands on museum for kids). Then head to the mountain. From there we plan on dying Easter eggs, having an egg hunt on the mountain. Painting Nana bird houses. Going on a rock expedition to find smooth, round rocks to paint and make look like ladybugs. Chad parents have graciously offered to gift us land to put a home on if we would like, this trip we are going to try to pick out our land. The intention is that we will one day (in the near future???) put a home on it. I am very excited about We are going to Lincoln Memorial Museum. Then the Historical Society (Chad's mom, Debbie volunteers there) it isn't open yet but we get a sneak peek. We are going to lookout point where we can see where Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia meet. If weather permits we would like to go to the Knoxville Zoo( my kids love animals, they usually can be found crawling barking and most recently eating and drinking out of dishes on the floor, we also have to call them by their specific animal breed and name). Then we are going to Gatlinburg, once there we will go to the Aquarium (which we go to every time because the kids love it). To the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum (I know it sounds silly but it is cheap and we get to buy new salt and pepper shakers). The Old Mill restaurant (mine and Debbie's favorite). Then we are going to the place I am most excited about...The Miracle Theater, I have heard great things about it and can't wait to see it for myself. Depending on how the kids do at the hotel in Kentucky we may stay one night in Gatlinburg. If we do I would like to take them to Cade's Cove because it is nature and history rich (I am trying to make it an educational vacation). I was also considering the Space Needle. That one kind of depends on logistics with a stroller, five kids and four adults. Altogether I think we are going to be gone about 11 days! Please pray for traveling mercies for us. Hope you all have a great Easter! I may post pics of the kids on Easter if I get a chance.

Our Day!

1. Greysen in his Sleepy Wrap. He literally stays in there almost all day. I put him in his swing for a little while so he can stretch out and put him on his tummy for a little bit. I may have mentioned it before, in case I didn't he is very fussy. He cries the nearly the whole time he isn't wrapped. When I wrap him he is instantly content and most often falls right to sleep.

2. Crazy Kait, she is showing that she is embracing her tweenhood (I think I may have just made up a word).

3. Hudysn on top of a toy (she is always climbing). She doesn't have a shirt on because she just finished eating chocolate cake and got it all over her shirt.

4. Bell "reading" in their boxcar (from the boxcar children series)/ cage (because they always pretend they are dogs).

5. Trisitn lighting the way in the boxcar cage.

6. Their boxcar.

7 and 8 - Baby Grey in his bouncy seat, I took about 30 pics of him in the seat and those are the only two that he isn't making sour faces in.

The Color of God

Tristin: Mom, we need to have muffins soon. Me: You're right. I love blueberry muffins and we haven't had them in a long time. Tristin: Yeah, I used yellow candles. Me: Good (having no clue now what he is talking about because apparently the subject changed). Tristin: Yeah, because yellow is the color of God.

Lead Me

Tristin and Bell playing in the dirt. They look like this every time they play outside. There is a struggle that I face constantly. Every day from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed. It may not seem like that great of a struggle to everyone. It is no secret sin, nothing that I need to ask forgiveness for. I often do find myself crying out for help, guidance, direction and wisdom. The struggle I face daily is doing the absolute best job I can raising Godly kids. God has chosen to bless us with five lives to shape and mold. That is a huge responsibility. Adding to that is the responsibility of homeschooling them. It is one of the best gifts I can give them. But if I don't stay centered in Christ the overwhelming responsibility can consume me. I don't mean the work that I put into it or the time it takes each day. I mean the task of taking their education into my own hands and eventually sending them out into the world with the trust that we followed God's leading every step of the way. I don't live in fear that I am not doing a good enough job or that somehow we are wrecking our kids. I am doing my best and God covers everything else. My best means me actively seeking God's will and not mine. It means answering them with a pleasant tone when I want to snap back. It means showing them the unconditional love that my Heavenly Father shows me. It means extending them grace and then explaining to them the grace of God. It means showing love to my husband in front of them and not letting him "have it" when I want to loose my cool. It means teaching them to do their chores with a merry heart and not doing them for them because that is the easy way out. There is one facet that I continually struggle with though and that is discipline. Not the act of doing it but choosing the right discipline for the offense. As my children grow so do their offenses. When they were younger it was simple. I wholeheartedly believe in making each offense a learning lesson. To me that means that there is logic in my discipline. Some children in our house prove to be easier than others. They have reached an age at which they have started fighting. For weeks I have been praying for a consequence to hitting that makes sense. I am happy to report that God answers prayers. Last night my kids were playing and one of them got hurt. I was upstairs but clearly heard I hate you yelled out. I can not stand those words, especially when they are spoken over one of my kids. My first reaction was to put the offender to bed early while myself and the other child played the board game I had agreed to play with both of them. But again that is just a punishment not much teaching being done there. As I walked down the stairs ready to announce an early bedtime after an apology, the Holy Spirit reminded me that death and life are in the tongue. That talk is cheap (an apology) and powerful (I hate you). That while an apology is in order it takes more than that to restore a relationship. The Lord then gave me the answer to my prayer. It was simple, I don't know why it never occurred to me before. After a heart felt apology the offender will have to show their love for the sibling that they hurt. They have to actively look for ways to show their love and sacrifice their time to serve the other person when they need help. I am calling it serving and showing. The one on the receiving end is not allowed to hint that they need help, the offender must be looking for ways to help. God truly is faithful to help us when seek Him. I am so thankful that he can see through all the junk that I bring to Him each day and still love enough to care about the deepest desires of my heart.

Our Story

When Chad and I met we "just knew" we were made for each other. He and a friend called me over to play cards at night. That was the first time we spent any time together. I came over and we played go fish, because that is all I knew how to play (being raised in church I obviously knew cards were of the devil). That night he walked me out to my car. After talking at the car for a loooong time we got in, only because it was cold. We decided that if we were in we should at least drive around (a favorite past time even now). We drove and we talked the night away. I dropped him off and went home early that morning only because I had a U of M game to work at. After that we inseparable. We started dating in September and got married in January. We already had a family because I had Kaitlynne. She loved Chad and even before we were married she asked if she could call him Dad. That March I went to the hospital because I was having severe pain in my stomach. Chad came from work to meet me there. The doctor said it was gull stones. Most likely caused because I was pregnant. We were completely thrilled. We wanted to start a family as soon as possible because Kait was already three. In November Tristin arrived. While I was pregnant we decided I should stay home to raise our kids. We knew it would mean some financial sacrifice but that was something we wanted to give our kids. While I was pregnant we started discussing homeschooling. We began trying almost immediately for another baby. I found out on Fathers Day that I was pregnant. About ten weeks later we miscarried. We tried again, same thing. Once more, same result. After three miscarriages in one year we decided that we were done. We were thankful for the two children we had and didn't want to go through that pain ever again. Then one night the Spirit of the Lord spoke very clearly to us and told us both that we were going to conceive and this time we would not miscarry. That is how we got our sweet Bell. God convicted us for telling Him we didn't want anymore kids. We always prayed for God to lead our lives and be in the center of His will. We thought we meant that prayer but deep down in our hearts we wanted to protect ourselves from any more baby heartbreak. After that we decided to let God decide the size of our family. Two more sweet babies later here we are. We are not sure if our family will grow anymore. I have a peace that we could be done and be in the center of God's will. God has not spoken directly to either one of us. I used to think that letting God determine your family size could only could mean not using birth control. Now I believe that God can speak to your heart and let you know when your family is complete. For the time being my answer to the most commonly asked question is we think we are done. With that being said as surrendered children of the Most High that is not up to us. If he leads us in a different direction we will follow.

Life

Hudsyn and Chad playing under our desk. She crawled up under there with him while he was running some electrical. She's more than a bit of a Daddy's girl!!!

I know it's been a long time since I posted. I have been so busy that I have only got on the computer to check my bank account and the weather. I have been running on very little sleep and when I have a free minute I try to get a little rest.

Baby Greysen has been having a bit of a rough time. Many days he is very fussy. He throws up quite a bit, not just as in often but also amount. He didn't start that until he got sick a little less than two weeks ago. He caught what was originally a cold. It went from being a cold to RSV. He was almost gasping for air and although I didn't realize it at the time he was almost blue. We took him into the hospital two days after he was after he had seen his doctor. My dad's wife, Carlyn and I took him in. Since we went to the hospital that she works at (and once gave me a job at) I stayed and registered him and she took him back to see the doctor. I think by the time I got back there the doctor had already decided to admit him. He wanted to send him to Children's by ambulance which concerned me, that turned into fear when I found out that five nurses were coming to pick him up in case he needed to be intibated (not sure how you spell that). He did pretty well. Literally every medical care person that came to see him after he started getting better said that they were glad to see his color back and that he had really scared them. So now he is doing a lot better just a lot of throwing up and very hard and forceful coughing. Then the night we brought him back home Bell crawled in bed with us and was moaning and crying in pain. Chad gave her motrin and put her back to bed, she slept for a couple of hours and then got up crying again. He got up with her again and she was just inconsolable. I took her into the doctor and she had an upper respiratory infection, two ear infections, her asthma was acting up and she had tonsillitis. She got an antibiotic and is feeling much better. Did I forget to mention that somewhere in there my van broke down. We took it in but couldn't pick it up before our trip to Children's. It all worked out fine, just a hassle. By the way I wanted to say a huge thank you to Carlyn and her Mom. Carlyn took off work to help with baby Grey and the kids so that Chad could come down to the hospital with me and baby Grey. Her Mom, Sandy came in the mornings and watched all four kids still at home, did my dishes and straightened up. She stayed until Carlyn got home from work and took over. I can't thank them enough.

Adjusting to life with five kids is been a bit of a challenge. I think it is more the closeness in age of the last three than the amount of kids. There is 15 months between the girls and 16 between Hudsyn and Greysen. I didn't have a difficult time with Bell when we brought Hudsyn home. She was so laid back and always waited while I fed and diapered Hudsyn. Hudsyn has a very different personality than Bell. Bell is very emotional and temperamental but sweet and easy going. Hudsyn is temperamental and sweet but not even slightly close to easy going. She reminds me of Tristin when he was that age. You couldn't possibly have enough hands to handle her. It takes me and someone else to watch her in our childproofed living room. She climbs on everything tries to climb over the couch and onto the swing with baby Grey in it before she gets caught. We have been successful so far in keeping her away from him. She no longer tries to hit him in the head after she so sweetly rubs his head and smiles at me. As spastic as she is I would never change anything about her if I could. I know people say that but I really wouldn't, I adore her. She has the most amazing spirit and piercing blue eyes and a smile that makes you smile too. Now Bell has hit her terrible two's and she is either having some sort of emotional melt down or hitting someone over the head with a blunt object. I wouldn't change anything about her either. I have the greatest kids, truly I do. I am blessed beyond anything I ever dreamed of. I love my kids and staying home with them. Life is very busy but I love it.

I am going to try really hard to post at least once a week. I want to be able to look back through my posts and remember what life was like for us right now. So if I don't post you'll know that I am spending my nights walking across the floor trying to soothe a fussy baby. Whom by the way is also absolutely perfect!

He's Here!!!!!

Baby Greysen arrived on Tuesday at 4:17 pm!! He was 6 lbs. 14 oz. (after all the worry). Labor and delivery were great. I got my epidural in time that I felt very little if any of the contractions. I only had to push once and he came out. It was a great day. It couldn't have went any better. His brother and sisters are completely in love (with the exception of Hudsyn).

Well, my computer is still not fixed. This is primarily because I have not taken it in to get fixed. I should really do that soon. So borrowing Dad's again. I went to the doctor today for my 39 week check up. I am still dilated to 2, not much excitement there. I have an induction scheduled for next Thursday at 6:00 am. Our doctor that is our friend was hoping to induce me on Tuesday but there are no openings. So as for now they are waiting for someone on the induction list to deliver and I will be next in line to be moved up. If we don't get a sooner date as of tomorrow they said they are almost positive that come Monday morning they will be calling with one. They say someone on the induction list will deliver over the weekend for sure. If I am having regular contractions on Saturday the doctor I saw today said to come in Saturday and they will break my water. So basically I know no more than I did before I went to my appointment today. Everything will most likely change. That will give us some time to get things done before I deliver. Like putting our kitchen back together! We tore it completely apart. No floor or cabinets or anything like that. It is all in our dining room addition that is basically a subfloor and studs! What were we thinking??? We decided this was a good plan last week and on a whim ripped it apart! Seriously though it was 20 years old and had country blue ceramic tiled floor and mauve, blue and cream ceramic counter tops. All I could think about was breeding ground that that counter must have been for germs and bacteria. So apparently I decided no counter top was much better! It is going well though. I should have a new floor tomorrow or the next day and my kitchen finished soon! I will blog again when I know what our definite date is.

So I had every intention of keeping you posted a little better. My laptop broke, the part that the cord plugs into got stuck inside the computer. I called my Dad and he brought his over for me to use tonight. We have been very busy getting ready for Greysen. We finally bought his crib and put it up. It looks so sweet. I had my doctor appointment yesterday. She said I am dilated to two and ready to go. If I don't go into labor by next Friday they are going to induce me. I love being induced because you can plan so much better. The only problem this time is that baby Grey is getting too big. They are pretty sure he is over eight and a half pounds. She thinks if I go to next Friday he could be around ten pounds. Yikes!!! Our biggest baby yet was Bell and she was 7lbs. 15oz. That is a far cry from ten. My doctor swears walking will help. So today we went to the YMCA and walked over two miles, rode the stationary bike for four miles then went swimming. Nothing. Some contractions but nothing consistent. We will be going again in the morning for more fun at the Y! I was fine with keeping him in my belly until induction day but I am afraid I can't squeeze out a ten pound baby. One of the doctors at our practice is a friend of ours and he is the resident for L&D at our hospital this weekend. Hopefully this weekend will be it and he will be able to deliver this sweet (extra big) baby. Hope this all makes sense, I am to tired to read over it! I will post again as soon as I get my computer back!

Bedroom Makeovers

I mentioned in my last post that I love Kait's new room. I love it but she hasn't seen it yet. She has been at her Dad's. We thought it would be less chaotic for her if we did it while she was gone. She comes home today after school. I can't wait for her to see it, she's going to love it. This is her third room change since we moved in mid November. This will be her last. It is the smallest room in the house, maybe even in the world. She is the only person in the whole house that doesn't have a rooming buddy. So by default she gets the small room. Chad and I moved to her old room, it is much bigger as well as hot pink. Today it is getting a paint job. Thank God. The pink is bright enough to light a cave. Tristin and Greysen's room is done as well. It may be my very favorite room in the house. It is so cute, when we buy Greysen's crib I will post pics of that room. We haven't bought the crib yet because I can't find the right cherry to match T's bed and if I order it from the same people we got the other kids beds from we may have to use our entire tax return! For the first couple of months he will sleep in his bassinet in our room. I really do need to start looking for one to match though. Anyhow that is our bedroom update situation. I know you were all just dying to know.

I went to my appointment yesterday and surprisingly everything was good still. No sign of him coming in the next few days. I will be 37 weeks on Friday. I don't expect to see any action before that. I am still not dilated and he seems to be happy in there now. The longer he cooks the happier he will be. In the beginning of my pregnancy they said they were going to induce me at 39 weeks. I am not sure if that still is the case or not but I know that God knows what baby Grey's birthday will be and that is all I need to know. I will try to keep you updated but as for now don't expect much change!!!

A Few of my Favorite Things

1. The way Hudsyn backs up to me and sits in my lap.

2. Bell's imaginative play.

3. Kaitlynne's new room!!!

4. Reading to Tristin

5. The way my husband knows me well enough to grab the kids and get out of the way when I go into a cleaning frenzy.

6. Baby wearing.

7. Greysen, can't wait to meet him.

8. My huge van.

9. Spending quality time with my kids.

10. Homeschooling