ITS A BOY!

Well, we are having a boy. We are all really excited, especially the boys because that means 3 girls, 3 boys. Ridley was very excited to have a new brother.

It has been really rainy here. Our spring has not been very nice. About as nice as the winter. Which was really not very nice.

I had a day today to do nothing. But when I say that I would love to just sit on the couch and do nothing all day but my nothing means we just don't have to leave the house. I was very tired this morning. I helped our neighbor to let her dog out on Sunday night around 11:00 and Monday morning around 6:30 a.m. and then Monday night again and Tuesday morning. So those late nights get to me. Also we stayed up until Midnight on Monday night watching the Stanley cup playoff game and went to bed after the 2nd overtime. I was happy to see that Pittsburg had won the next day. Anyway, I got up around 5:00 a.m. this morning because Josie and Regan are kind of not feeling good and kept coughing. So when all the kids went to school I laid down and kind of fell asleep for an hour. Then I was being woken up to much so I just got up and got the kids what they wanted and then started cleaning and then laid them down for their nap and then cleaned, cleaned cleaned. It was really nice. I got the bathrooms all cleaned and our bedroom really cleaned up. It was really nice to look at after it was done. Things just seem to be piled up in a few places. It was all cleaned. ANyway, my children are running around and I am really wanting them in bed right now so I am going to run and do our bedtime routine. Good night all!

Something to talk about.

I always have great things to talk about on my blog and then I don't get to the computer and when I do I can't ever remember what it was I was going to say. It is really raining right now, which is okay. We laid some grass seed down and rain will be great for it. We lived in Victoria, British Columbia for a few years and so rain really does not bother me. We would just go on with our lives rain or no rain.

Last weekend we went to Fargo North Dakota. Neil ran a Marathon there. It was a lot of fun. The hotel was great and it had a great breakfast every morning, which is my favorite meal of the day. The kids had fun in the pool, and there was a GREAT king size bed that at times when I was laying in it surrounded by pillows it was a good as heaven or so I think. Anyway, it was great. Neil finished the race despite leg cramps at mile 5 but he did really well and we are very proud of him. He wants to do a couple next year. The Fargo Marathon and then there is another one in Minnesota sometime in June next year. He enjoys it. We went to the Red River Zoo in Fargo which was really cute and the kids had a lot of fun. We just made it a nice vacation.

Anyway, kids are doing well. I am watching the bus pick up Austyn and Madison right now. Ridley's already came. I am glad it is Friday and next week we have a 4 day week and then our last week after that with 4 1/2 days. YEAAHHHH!! I love it when summer comes!!! I am also equally excited when school starts again but I love everything to be done for the summer just to have a break and relax. I actually I always picture sleeping in a little longer in the summer and usually it never happens but I am always excited for it none the less.

I have started a jar of jobs that every day the kids will do one thing out of it per day. Some have FREE DAY written on them which Austyn was quite excited about and then I said you can't look through all of them and she was a little bummed. It will be fun and have them help out with something every day before we do something fun.

We are going up to Canada this summer. I booked Neil's flight. I will be going up July 20 - August 10 - 15th. Neil is flying up July 24th - August 5. The kids are very excited for it although after our drive to Fargo Austyn was a little not excited for the 22 hour drive. Fargo is only 7 hours away from us. But I have found as we go down to Georgia and Fargo and Canada, it really does not matter how far you go a trip is a trip. But I try and make it fun and enjoyable. We get to see a lot of things on the way. But I try not to stop very much for sight seeing. So anyway, we are all excited to come up and see everyone up there.

Well, I am signing off. I have my 2 year old wanting to go eat. He already got some waffles but I guess that did not do it for him. He has been really clingy lately and I just think I need to go away for a week and get him over that but it would probably kill me to be away from the kids.


See you later!

SPRING

Well, it is getting warmer here in Winterland Iowa. Actually the Snow is all gone for a while now and it has really been nice this week.

The kids are doing well. They amaze me so much all the time. I really enjoy them in my life. I love to take every minute with them and enjoy them and help them or do what I can to make life fun for them. There are times I like to just sit but I really like to do things for them.

Today is a cleaning day since we have not one thing to do. I do not have one thing on my calendar for today which amazes me. I am so excited just to do nothing but catch up and enjoy the night.

Well, I had more things to say but now I cannot remember anything because I waited to long to write it. I sure enjoy reading peoples blogs and how things are going with them. It is a lot of fun.

BACON

Well, the other night I think I totally could have eaten a whole package of bacon. I had fed the kids supper and I totally was craving bacon so I cooked it up. I did share some with the kids because I know they like it also but I really could have eaten it all. The unfortunate thing about being pregnant and eating bacon is you don't feel like it after and it is all you can smell for 2 days. Oh well.

Things are going well. I found my first varicose vein and I am really sad. I thought I was free and clear of them because I have not had them with any other pregnancy. Well, I had a pain on my leg and I just thought it was leg pregnancy pain and then I saw it last night. I was pretty sad. I called my sister because has dealt with them more than I have. Anyway, I guess we are starting that. Not fun.

We had a crazy week but luckily soccer has been cancelled most of the week. The only problem is they keep rescheduling it. Oh well, the kids love it.

I took them to the Coralville Mall last night because the children's museum was free and so was the merry-go-round. They had a lot of fun. We got home and got to bed by ten and I was hoping they would have a good sleep in. Most of them did which was nice. Right now everyone is bathed and ready for bed. Neil is reading Narnia with Ridley, Josie is watching a movie laying down. Austyn is reading Nancy Drew, Madison is cleaning the attic while she watches tv. (I hope anyway) and Regan is down here pushing a truck around. It is very quiet and we are winding down and going to get to bed early. Life is great!!!

Spring may be on its way.

Well, spring may be on its way. We are supposed to get warm this week. It was very nice and sunny today but still cold. We will see. We went down to Georgia for Spring break. It was nice. Very nice weather which was nice to see. The kids had fun playing with each other. The drive back was long. I have kind of felt lousy all week. Hopefully it starts getting better.

Josie asked me the other day "How the baby got in my tummy?" I was kind of stumped for a bit. Actually I still am. She is 4. Anyway, things have been going well.

It was Stake Conf. today. I went with Josie because some of the kids were not feeling good. The choir sang "All Glory Laud and Honor" It is very pretty and I love it. There is another song that we sing in the choir that is "Praise to the Man" A very neat arrangment of it. I love singing in the choir.

Anyway, I can't think of anything else that is going on.

My Van looks so Pretty!!!

For those of you who have not been in Iowa for this long, long, cold snowy winter it has been that. It was finally a day not around freezing and I went out after I laid down Josie and Regan and cleaned it. Inside and out. It looks so pretty and I am so happy. My poor Lilly (my van's name) has had a hard winter and there are lots of bumps and bruises on her. But I think she is okay. There is one little dent in the back that I just got the other day because I ran (for the 100th time) into our neighbors behind us Yardy (that is what we call the big green bins that hold yard waste and nothing else.) Anyway, I always run into it and end up with no dents but alas this last bonk was pretty good. I kept thinking they are made of plastic and they just bounce off the van anyway or at least that is what I have been thinking since I never kept getting a dent. But this last one must have got it just right. I love my Lilly. She is a great Van.

I am glad that winter is over. I think I can say that without another snow storm coming. We have had quite the winter and I am glad to have some warmth today. I just looked and it currently says that it is 53 degrees with the wind chill at 47 degrees. Let me tell you this is a nice day. My daughters had to wear capris to school and it felt quite nice this morning at 40 degrees so they wore them.

It is off to gymnastics tonight and I will take the 3 older kids to do their class and I will help them teach. Fun fun.

WHO I AM!

I am getting better at technology. I have finally put a picture on my blog. I am happy to know how to do that. Neil figured out how to get all my pictures off my camera and that was really nice. Now I need to get to know how so I can do it. I picked this picture because I have been thinking that we all have ideas of how we want to grow up. Maybe at this age to be princesses or other wonderful things. I am a Mother and I love being that. I don't know if you would have ever told me I could have 6 kids one day that I would have believed it. We are expecting our 6th Child in October. I am scared, only to have 3 kids home next year and keeping sane but mostly excited to be the mother of 6 great kids who amaze me and who I adore. We have so much fun together (most of the time). Sometimes I lose my cool but mostly I try to have fun with them. Anyway, I love friends and I could not survive without great friends who mean a lot to me.

We had a great enrichment tonight. We had a great meal which is one bonus but they also did a play on how Relief Society was started. It was so neat to see or picture how the sisters got together and helped each other. It still happens like that today at least in our wonderful ward. There are many great sisters who would do anything for each other. Well, it was really nice and I loved being with my friends. I would do anything for them.

Life is good and I hope everyone thinks of happy things they are thankful for and enjoy in life!