Ending January

Wow, is January almost over already? Crazy!

We still haven’t started school. We went for nine months without even a week off. A long Christmas break was needed! (I’ll be honest- it was mostly needed for MY sake!)

But now I’m feeling refreshed and morning sickness is gone and I’m eager to dive into school again. So I’m planning, planning, planning and we’ll start next Monday.

I am enjoying my second trimester- no more morning sickness, even though I still feel exhausted most of the time. I love the little round ball that I can feel in my abdomen. I love how the kids talk about this baby as if she is already here.

I still can’t feel her move. That worries me a little because I usually feel our babies early on, but I try to remind myself that I didn’t feel my Maddie until 20 weeks and her movements were very tiny from then on (placenta in front and lots of fluid) and obviously she was perfectly fine!

Above all, I try to trust the Lord. He loves us! This sweet baby girl is HIS and I must have faith in Him to keep her safe. Heavenly Father’s will is always best.

I’ve been thinking a lot about our family recently, knowing that with #8 on the way we will probably be “done” soon. Rick says- half teasing and half serious- that this sweet princess would be the perfect way to finish our family.

Personally, I could have another 10 more kids, but having babies isn’t about what I want. It’s about Rick and me coming together to seek the Lord’s guidance, whether that means 8 kids or 18 kids for our family. Rick says we should never say “done” or “not done.” Instead we should just follow the spirit and take it one baby at a time.

I agree completely, but I still find myself wondering what the future holds…

I’ve always said that we’d have another baby girl. I’ve known for seven years that Maddie wasn’t our last girl and I’ve always pictured one more. Now, she is finally on her way!

I’ve been seriously thinking about being “done,” but the more I think of it, the more I feel like there is another boy that needs to join us.

I was playing with three of the little boys; they were doing push ups together to show how strong they were and cheering each other on. I felt a sudden sad pang as I wondered if we’d ever have another boy.

I know my little guys are SO busy and they get into SO much. Raising them is honestly exhausting! But it’s also SO fun and SO worth it! I love these boys of mine, and I am so thankful to have the blessing of raising them.

I want another son. I can’t picture NOT having another son. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I do know three things… We will always follow the spirit when it comes to adding children to our family, we are probably “close” to being “done” and I DO think we’ll have another little boy before our family is complete.

This is all VERY sacred to me. I hesitate to write about it here (because I know people read my blog), but this is my journal and I want to record my thoughts and feelings here.

I don’t like being misunderstood, but we need to do what we feel is right even if others misunderstand why we are doing it.

The truth is, I will be sad when this season of life is over and we are done having babies. But I also think I will feel peace in our decision and joy in our next season of life.

I am thankful for this sweet new girl of ours, Sweet Baby #8. I am thankful for guidance from the Lord. I’m thankful that we’ve been blessed with such a beautiful season of having children here on earth. (And I do hope that this beautiful season isn’t over quite yet.)

The kids are all doing well. Brenna’s life revolves around friends and gymnastics. She is growing up far too quickly! She loves to sit down and play the piano.

Joshua is responsible and hard-working, but he doesn’t feel like a “tween” like Brenna does. He loves wrestling more than ever, reads anything he can get his hands on, and loves being a cub scout.

Sweet Maddie is so helpful these days. She absolutely amazes me with how much she wants to help with. She is full of desire to serve others. She is writing constantly- notes and stories all phonetically written- and reading a lot too. I love it! And my little flyer is doing amazing in cheer.

Braden is responsible and obedient. Wrestling seems to draw that out in him. It’s pushing him to overcome certain weaknesses and it’s building his confidence. It’s amazing to see those things! He adores his brothers and I love their closeness.

Crazy Asher is as crazy and hilarious as ever! He keeps me constantly laughing and he is so much fun! He wants to be two things: a real wrestler and a real cowboy.

Jacob is a big boy now. He’s partially potty trained now (he doesn’t wear undies everyday, but he always keeps them dry when he does wear them). He repeats everything that he hears and must mimic every single thing his older brothers do. He talks constantly and I love the funny way he puts words together (sentences like “is coming bread” and “is open door” crack me up!)

Sweet baby Drew is hardly a baby anymore because he’s gotten so big! He’s a very sturdy little boy, bigger than all of our other babies at this age. He has six teeth now and only a bit of white-blond hair with one cute curl in back. He took his very FIRST steps yesterday at church- first a step to Brenna in the foyer before church, two more to me during class and then four more in a row before we went home. What a big boy!

And little Baby Girl, of course! I already talked a bit about my pregnancy, but it would feel wrong to not include her in the kid line-up too. I am totally in love with her already and so eager to have her in my arms! Sometimes it’s hard to believe that we’re finally, finally having another baby girl! I feel so blessed! And June isn’t very far away!

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