Quiet days

We have settled in around here for a couple of weeks of what should be quiet days. We have meals taken care of, for the most part, meaning I'm not having to do any cooking. We also do not have any errands to run, so other than the Wintons concert, we are staying home!

Mr. R has been reading through "The Dangerous Book for Boys" and found a project to work on. A pressure alarm.

Miss E recently acquired an e-reader (a Kobo, on sale at Borders) with her birthday money. She has been spending quite a bit of time reading.

Mr. M ans Mr.S are enjoying as much time as possible outside or playing with legos.

I prepared some activities for the little kids that we've started getting into. Simple gluing and cutting pages that will keep them busy for a little while each day. Miss E helped me make the cutting pages up a couple of months ago, it is great to have big kids that like to help with these sorts of things!

I'm enjoying plenty of cuddle time with Mr.K, who is well loved and almost always has someone asking to hold him. If he is not being held someone is usually sitting by him talking to him. We're a family of baby hogs around here, there is a reason my kids were praying for twins this time.... oh well, we will share.

Great music, great fellowship, and a house guest!

We've been looking forward to some good fellowship with our friends the Wintons as well as their concert for quite some time. We truly enjoyed getting to have them join us for lunch and a nice visit before heading out to the ranch for the concert. Thats when things started getting interesting....

Their RV broke down on the way to the ranch. As we were trying to figure out how to get everyone and the equipment to the ranch for the concert and take care of the RV God sent along some help! A friend (also on her way to the ranch for the concert) drove by and was able to help with transportation. A man with the county road service stopped to see if he could be of assistance and was able to follow the RV as it coasted down the hill to the nearest gas station/shopping center where it would be safe for the night.

The concert was great, we enjoyed the fellowship with friends and as always the music and testimonies from the Wintons were so very encouraging. Miss J was absolutely thrilled to be in the front row listening and singing along with her favorite band. They even sang "Amazing Grace" at her request!

The next day the Wintons and Rob went about the job of seeing about getting the RV fixed with the hope of getting them on the road in their own RV that evening. In the mean time we got to host the Wintons for an extra afternoon! We enjoyed getting the chance to have some extra time of fellowship with them, our kids just loved having the whole family here too. Miss J even TALKED to them (she has been their biggest fan for over a year, but up until this week-end she would not actually talk to any of them when we were with them), not only that but she played with all of the Wintons and had a great time. It also seems that their girls have the same favorite movies as Miss J, so they enjoyed watching them together.

Unfortunatly by the end of the day the RV was not done by the time the shop was closing, so they decided to head on down to their next concert in a rental car. The car was packed full and there was little room left for their cat. Our kids are so excited when Rob offered to keep the cat for them until they came back to town for the RV. So, we have a little Winton house guest for the week!

We sure were blessed to have some extra time with this wonderful family. We hope we were a blessing to them, and we are keeping them in our prayers as they continue on with their concert tour!

My chunky monkey!

Mr. K has been filling out nicely. I've noticed his belly getting bigger and his sweet little fingers and toes are getting a bit plumper. Since we have a digital postal scale, we thought we should weigh him....

His birth weight was 9 pounds 1 ounce.

At 12 days he weighs 9 pounds 9 ounces! Thats 1/2 a pound over his birth weight! Yea, I make good milk, and he seems to like eating.

yea, we stuck him in a crockpot...its what was there

So very blessed

Over the last few months it would have been very easy for me to stress and worry about how things were going to work out once Mr. K came along and I would be in need of rest and recovery and my husband would most assuredly NEED to be working on finishing his Phd all while we prepared for our move. I realized early on that I needed to trust God in all of this, that only He could provide for us in this time and worry would only make things worse.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:32

I will confess that I did find myself slipping into worrying from time to time, but for the most part I was able to take those worries to God and trust Him. I also did what I knew I could do to prepare our family and home for this time.

I just have to Praise God for all of the blessings he has poured out on us through the body of Christ! He has provided above and beyond what I could have imagined, and it has all been OFFERED to us before we could even ask!

A friend came to help for a week before Mr.K was born, helping me both emotionally and physically through those rough last weeks of pregnancy. God had put us on her heart and she offered to do this for us a few months ago. Another young woman came for a few days to help with kids and meals! She had spent a day with us along with a couple of her siblings and it seems she had so much fun that she wanted to come help us after Mr. K was born! What a blessing these two young women are to our family!

Some dear friends of ours were due to move away at the end of July (after having their 5th baby!), but God had other plans for them. Their assignment here was extended by a whole year! They have been such a blessing to us. They offered to watch our kids during labor and delivery, and Mrs. F even made our traditional cupcakes for the kids to take to Mr.K in the hospital! As if that were not enough Mrs. F made us several meals and took the kids for a couple of days so I could rest and Rob could work! Wow! I don't know what other plans God has for their extra year here, but He sure did provide for us by keeping them here longer! We are going to be so sad to move away from these dear friends.

Out of the blue flowers were delivered one day.... From our family at CVP! We are so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church family and are going to miss them all dearly when we move!

Several other friends have brought or are planning to bring meals, some of them from quite a distance! Just knowing that these meals are taken care of makes the coming weeks look so much easier for me, what a blessing to have friends help me care for my family and allow my husband to work without worry of his wife getting enough rest and recovery time!

My mom came out for a few days too! She always comes when I have a baby to help out. This time the timing is just right to allow Rob to get some extra time at work and to help us out at a local church gathering that the kids were really wanting to go to. Nana's visit is very exciting for the kids too!

God has even provided a family on the other end of our move to help us out! We've never met this family (they are friends of friends), but they have already gone "above and beyond" to help us in our search for a home, and just assuring us of having some friendly faces in town when we get there!

What a blessing it has been to see God providing and protecting in these ways as we start this adventure. I'm looking forward to what he has in store for us in the coming weeks and months as we go through this transition time trusting in HIM!

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! " Matthew 7:11

A Wintons concert!

This Friday night the 26th of August some friends of ours are hosting a concert by The Wintons!

If you live in the general area and are interested in an evening of bluegrass music, hearing a great testimony, and a fun time of fellowship too, then send me an e-mail (if you don't have my e-mail address use the "contact me" button on the lower right side of my blog), and I can get you the details!

Buying a house too?

For the last couple of months we've been keeping an eye out for rental homes in the area we will be moving to. It was not looking good, there were not many homes available that would even come close to working for us and they were really all too small. It became obvious that buying a house was going to be our best option a few weeks ago.

We put an offer in on a house yesterday, got a counter offer today and accepted it! Yep, we are in the process of purchasing a house! We still have to have it inspected and all that, but we are excited.

We are fortunate to have friends there that have been our eyes and ears, checking out houses that were possibilities, allowing us to buy a home sight unseen in this very busy time.

Just two boys

A wonderful, dear, and brave friend has most of my kids today (she has five of her own ages 6yrs-2 months). She took most of them a couple of days ago too (I had a young woman here helping with the two little girls that day). I am so blessed to have such a friend who is able to help me when I'm in need of rest and recovery time and my husband NEEDS to be working.

Mr. R offered to stay at home with me and Mr. K to help out. It is nice to have some time with him, and I'm so blessed to have a son that has such a servants heart!

We're both enjoying some time quiet time with Mr. K too. That was the main reason Mr. R said he wanted to stay, so he could have more time with his baby brother.

Hospital day 2

Rob had the kids in to the hospital to visit Mr. K and I by about 9:45 in the morning. I loved hearing Miss C's not so quiet voice in the hall calling "Mommy! MOmmy! MOMMY! Baby! BAby! BABY!" all the way to our room. It was just too sweet and made me feel so loved (and happy that she was so excited so see her baby brother).

They brought in the traditional cupcakes (we do cup cakes for each new baby, its their first birthday party!) and everyone took turns holding Mr. K a couple of times.

I spent the day cuddling with Mr. K and enjoying some peace and quiet by reading a book I'd been wanting to get to for a while. Those last few hours were rough though, too much peace and quiet! I'm used to having at least some noise around, I was really starting to miss the whole clan. I was so happy to be going home that evening.

On our way out of the hospital the volunteer that was pushing my wheel chair thought it was fun that the kids wanted to check out the fish pond and was happy to take the short detour over there. She thought the kids were so sweet and well behaved and she seemed to enjoy visiting with all of them. Miss J even threw a quick tea party for her with the pitcher and cup from my hospital room!

Here is the most recent family picture taken as we were heading out of the hospital.

Happy Birthday Miss E- and a birth story!

Since we found out that my due date was right around Miss E's birthday she has been faithfully praying that this new baby would be sharing a birthday with her. It was no surprise then when I started having mild contractions while I was making her birthday breakfast! I could tell things were going to move slowly though, so we didn't rush around too much. I took Miss C out for a walk to help things move along a bit, then we started getting everyone ready to go to the sitter's house. Now Miss E is a very easy going young woman and she had some very simple requests for her birthday one was that she get to make her own cake, and some easy meal ideas and then.... That I have her new baby brother ON her birthday and that she be at the delivery. Yea, those last two were a bit harder to arrange, but we managed! LOL!

Before heading into the hospital we went to the mall and walked around a bit. Miss E was enjoying her time with just Mom and Dad then we headed into the hospital around noon after a light snack.

Things were obviously not moving quickly, though I was having regular contractions. Even when the doctor broke my water around 2:00 nothing really started happening. Miss E enjoyed some undivided attention with Rob learning to make a graph by graphing baby's heart beat. Then she played on Rob's iphone and watched the new Duggar DVD she got for her birthday. Rob worked on his PhD work. Then they headed out to get some dinner. It was a rather boring afternoon, but she seemed very pleased with it.

While this labor was a SLOW moving one, it was not uncomfortable. My contractions were barely noticeable until about 5:00, but even then not too bad (this is how many of my labors have gone, nothing much and then BAM! its time to have the baby!). By 5:45 though, Rob was needing to rub my back through the contractions. Miss E was sweet and helpful as well. Then the contractions really started to pick up and all of a sudden the doctor was there and it was time to have a baby!

That last little bit of labor is always the part where I remember why it is that women get epidurals, but I'm always comforted by the fact that I'm nearly done and I can handle 20 more minutes. This time was no different.

Mr. K was such a mellow guy right from the start. We could hardly get him to cry, not because anything was wrong with him, but he just didn't seem to think there was any reason to cry. He just snuggled in and enjoyed being with his mama on the outside now.

Miss E cut the cord and helped with his bath. She did a great job and after she left the nurse commented on how mature she seemed and that she had been surprised to find that she was only 11!

Miss E made it very clear that this was exactly how she had hoped she would be spending her birthday, and it was the best one so far. I'm so glad she enjoyed her day, and that she is so excited to be sharing her birthday with her baby brother. She also enjoyed getting to share the news with grandparents! Since she also shares her birthday with her Grandad she had fun calling him and singing "happy birthday dear Grandad, Miss E and Mr. K!" to tell him about the new baby.

Even though it was getting late into the evening and past their bedtimes we figured the other big brothers and sisters would really like to at least come say a quick hello to their new little brother. He had kisses waiting for them. Everyone was happy to meet him, and he seemed happy enough to meet the clan!

Welcome Mr.K!

Mr. K was born on his sister Miss E's birthday (making her birthday wish of a new baby brother come true). He was 9 pounds 1 ounce, 21 inches long. More details and pictures to follow in the next few days.....

For now I'm resting and enjoying cuddling with my sweet baby boy.

Turning!

I'm 39 weeks pregnant, at my appointment today my doctor noticed that Mr. K did not seem to be head down. He identified Mr. K's head somewhere near the top of my belly. An ultrasound was needed to determine his exact position, then we would be calling the hospital to find out when was the soonest I could get in to have him turned....

However there was another patient already waiting for an ultrasound, so I would have to wait a bit. While waiting I sent off a few texts and said some prayers. I could feel Mr. K moving and wiggling around while we (I had the three girls with me, the boys were home with Rob) waited. By the time the doctor got to doing my ultrasound Mr. K was back to head down, leaving the doctor a bit embarrassed thinking maybe he had made a mistake. I assured him that no, this little boy was just being a little stinker!

Speaking of little stinkers.... Mr. K is in good company. Two of his big brothers did just about the same thing to me in the last weeks of their pregnancies. His other brother saved the tricks for delivery! These three boys keep us on our toes, and my guess is that Mr. K will be no different. Life is never dull around here!

An encouraging week!

I've been so blessed this past week to have a friend staying here with me (Miss K). She is a young woman from a church we attend (a couple of hours away). She offered to come help some time around my due date, this was the week that worked for both of us!

*Doesn't she just look like she belongs in our family?

Miss K helped so much with the children, around the house, and in the kitchen. She blessed me so much by helping in these ways, but the fellowship has been just as much of a blessing.

We made several batches of koolaid play-dough one day (the older boys made GAK), which was something I really wanted to get to, but just did not have the energy for.

I had been wanting to make more soap, but just could not see myself taking the two hours needed to make it and then being able to make dinner etc. The only chance I had at making the soap was if Miss K was interested in making soap with me. As it happened, she was hoping that I would be interested in making soap while she was here! We made two batches, one lavender and the other orange!

At the end of the week we took a field trip down to the water. First we went to see the sea lions and got to see pelicans, jelly fish, and plenty of other birds. Then we headed to Fisherman's wharf to try out the clam chowder.

I was able to run some errands on my own a couple of times. The big kids got to go to the park with Miss K during nap time and have more play time outside too. Rob and I even got to go out on a date for our Anniversary!

I had been praying that God would provide the help we would need during this very busy time, trying not to worry and just trust in him. I can't tell you what a blessing it has been to have Miss K here! I was really getting tired and worn down the week before and just ready to have this baby, but knew it just was not likely I would be having him that early. Having Miss K here gave me the physical help I needed, as well as the encouragement and distraction to keep going! She was truly a blessing from God and an answer to my prayers!

*We even went to the Scottish games with her, but thats for another post!

Scottish Games, again!

Last year we went to the Scottish games here in town and had such a wonderful time! We figured that if we were not having a baby that day that would be a great distraction for all of us. Once again we had a wonderful time! We enjoyed having Miss K along with us this time!

We started off by checking out the row of clan booths. It is always interesting to hear the histories of the various clans, and how they fit into the history that we may have already learned. Of course the booths with swords on display are very popular with our guys!

This year we managed to get to the kid's games and let ours participate. It was fun to watch them do the caber toss. Mr. R did the best out of any of the kids that were there at the time!

Last year our favorite part of the whole thing was visiting St. Andrew's guild that had Mary Queen of Scott's court all set up. This year was the same! We were surprised when we walked up that several of them remembered us from last year, not only that but that they had thought of us and were hoping we would be back to visit them! What a warm welcome, and it made the experience all the more fun this time!

We were all presented to the Queen and a little birdie told the queen that Miss E was celebrating her "Natal Day" soon. The entire guild gathered to sing "Happy Natal Day unto thee" which was very special for Miss E.

Then on the the apothecary where we had a science lesson on gun powder and detecting poison as well as testing metals.

Then we went on to the stocks....

We headed down to watch some of the games, but at that point I was getting tired so I ended up taking the girls to find a bit of shade and a place to sit.

We hung around to be able to participate in the dancing lessons that St. Andrew's Guild were doing. The oldest four kids all participated and had a great time.

We were glad that we were able to go to the Scottish Games again and it was a wonderful distraction while we were waiting for Mr. K.