Parade

9:30am, waiting for the parade to start

We enjoyed the parade this morning. It wasn’t too hot, the candy was plentiful, and Allie slept through it all. Asher was a little candy vulture; he noticed the little stray pieces of candy that others overlooked and added them to his stash. Jacob and Drew both ate candy as it came to them. The older kids collected a lot more and came home with big bags of candy. Josh felt the candy payout was bigger than Halloween. The kids enjoyed the parade, but I do think that was mostly because of the candy!

We skipped the family fun day in the park. It was 11:30 by then, the day was warming up rapidly, and I was worried about our little Allie overheating. We stopped at Lowe’s for some new (very cheap) blinds and some sprinker pipes and elbows, and then we all went out for ice cream. You can’t beat giant soft serve cones for just 50 cents each!

The kids played in the fountains next. Joshua, Maddie, Braden, and Drew all ended up absolutely soaked. Brenna and Jacob were more conservative and didn’t end up nearly as wet. Jake loves the water, but hates having wet clothes on. He was smart enough to realize that he didn’t want his shirt wet and kept reminding me, “I don’t want this shirt wet, okay?” Asher spent most of his time trying to get other people wet.

At home, Rick fixed the sprinkler pipe (we’ve had a horrible year for sprinkers!) and moved a few car seats around in the van for me. The kids cleaned up and then played in the sprinklers and then took warm baths afterwards. Even in the summer heat, they all want a warm bath after they play in the sprinklers.

In the evening, Rick took Brenna and Maddie to a ward Daddy-Daughter activity. They enjoyed pizza, games, and an outdoor movie, and had a wonderful time. The boys and I (and Allie too, of course) took advantage of our Mommy-Son time and went to Wendy’s for dinner (drive thru only to avoid a germy restaurant) and then watched a movie ourselves.

It was an enjoyable day and it wasn’t nearly as busy as it sounded like it would be when we first made our plans. We got some projects done and had some fun too and that’s the best way to spend a Saturday!

…

We had the chance today, though two different circumstances with two different boys, to discuss lying, obedience, and setting a good example for younger siblings. I am thankful for guidance from the spirit when it comes to these things. Parenting can be so overwhelming, especially as kids get older. I hate being so imperfect as I parent my kids (it eats me up sometimes), but I am so thankful that I don’t have to be perfect. I need to rely on the Lord and do my best to parent these children in love and righteousness. I am so thankful for these eight little people and thankful for the chance we have to be their parents! I hope they always know much we LOVE them!

I love this picture of Maddie, my beautiful, sweet, innocent brown-eyed girl! It was taken today, as we waited for the parade to start.

My Cub Scout

Joshua is home from day camp. He had a blast, arriving home dusty from head to toe, with an armful of new treasures and full of stories to share. His brothers eagerly crowded around to see his new miniature catapult and his green pocket knife. Josh was only gone for eight hours, but I missed this kid like crazy.

When did my blonde boy stop being blonde? When did my long, skinny newborn get so big and so grown up? Nine seems so old sometimes.

I am so proud of my sweet Joshua. He is one of the most amazing kids I’ve ever known and it’s truly a privilege to be his mom!

Full Cart

I love how full this cart is- every seat occupied!

Brenna and Maddie are spending the afternoon with friends and Joshua is at cub scout camp for the day so I’m home with just my five youngest kids. It’s a little strange having three kids gone for the day. It makes the house feel a little too empty and a little too quiet, which is odd considering there are still five kids under six here…

I love this picture of Drew and Jake at the grocery store today. Drew has the cutest “cheeeeese” face these days!

And I love brother hugs! They wrestle a lot, but they love each other.

Fun Weekend Ahead

Joshua woke up early, dressed in his scout uniform, and went to cub scout day camp this morning. He has been anticipating this day for many months… or maybe even since day camp last year! He has been saving his money and doing household jobs for me to earn more money and he has $21 to spend at the camp trading post. He’ll be back late this afternoon, but I miss my boy already.

The girls have a playdate scheduled with friends this afternoon, a set of sisters who are close to their ages. They are going to the splash pad and they’re very excited. They’re on the hook for getting their jobs done before they can go so hopefully they’ll stay motivated.

Rick is working the fireworks booth again tonight. It’s a gymnastics fundraiser that is supposed to bring in some good profits for those who participate. The extra money will certainly help pay for Brenna’s team and competition fees. Rick has worked the last two nights, from 8pm until midnight, and will work the same shift tonight. I miss him a lot when he’s gone at night so I hope the payout is worth it.

Tomorrow morning we’re planning to go a local parade and family fun day in the park. We’ve been planning on this for a long time and I didn’t think it would be a problem. But now that the day is actually here, I’m not sure if I really want to have Allie out in the hot weather. We might change our plans and do something fun at home instead.

Tomorrow evening we have a ward Daddy-Daughter activity. Daddy will be taking two out of his three girls. (I love that we have THREE girls now!) I’m sure they’ll have a blast and I’m a tiny bit jealous.

In between everything else, we’re going to try and squeeze in some household projects. We need to go grocery shopping, replace some blinds (if we can get new ones cheap enough), return dishes, scour the house, and plow through more laundry.

On Sunday, I’m hoping for a restful day. I haven’t decided if I want to take Allie to church or not. I mostly worry about the germs with such a tiny newborn. Plus three hours to nap in a quiet house is sooo appealing. Right now I’m leaning towards taking her to just one hour of church and then coming home, but we’ll see.

Cute Baby and Her Cupcake Bow

I am absolutely loving the adorable bows my sister made. (Thanks, Michelle!!) It’s so fun to have a baby girl, especially because it’s been so long since we’ve had one around here! Here’s our cute baby wearing her bow of the day:

Oh, this girl! I’m in love with her! She is just the sweetest, tiniest, cutest little thing! I can’t believe how blessed we are to have her or how full and complete (for now anyway) she makes our family. It’s no wonder that we felt so strongly we should have her- she’s just the addition that we needed. I feel so blessed and so thankful.

Of course, I’m not the only one who adores our Allie…

I love that Allie has a whole houseful of people who absolutely adore her! Everyone constantly wants to hold her, kiss her, and love her. Even the littlest boys are head over heels in love with their baby sister. Being so, so loved is a nice way to come into the world.

Allie is still so tiny… our itty bitty girl. Maddie got one of her little dolls for a size comparison:

In just a few hours, Baby Sister will be ten days old. Its always strange how time passes both quickly and slowly with a newborn around. Ten days of Allie has been pure bliss. I’m so thankful that she’s ours. I’m also thankful that I didn’t have placenta accreta after all and for everything that I’ve learned over the last ten months, all because of Allie.

New Baby Bliss

It’s 10:30 in the morning, but I’m tired so it feels much earlier. Everyone is in pajamas still, the kids are watching cartoons, and I’m in bed with this adorable baby snuggled on my chest. It’s bliss. I just want to soak up this time because soon she won’t be so tiny and new.

Name Change

Asher thinks we should change baby Allie’s name to Princess Moroni.

Summer Days

It’s 8pm. Rick is working his first shift at the gymnastics fundraiser. I hope it pays as well as we’ve been told. Otherwise it might not be worth it. I miss him during the day and look forward to our evenings together. He won’t be home until midnight.

Brenna, Joshua, and Maddie are out front playing with friends. All the kids on our street play together, a giant, roaming pack of kids. It reminds me of my own childhood summers and makes me happy. Joshua met a new friend today and they have played for about eight hours straight.

My little guys are in pajamas and we’re watching a movie together now. I’m hoping they’ll fall asleep watching it. Drew is already in bed for the night and Allie is asleep in my arms. (I love that!)

It’s been a good day. I’ve gotten a lot of cleaning and laundry done. Asher gave himself a haircut so I finished the job. He looks cute. The kids have played non-stop today and eaten most of the Otter Pops (left over from my pregnancy… It’s strange not to crave them anymore…)

I love summer! I love kids running in and out with friends, dripping wet from the sprinklers and grabbing popsicles to share. I love a “loose” summer schedule- just enough routine to keep things running smoothly, but with lots of free, unscheduled hours each afternoon. I love long days and late nights and sleeping in the next day.

I’m so thankful that Allie’s here and I’m glad to not be pregnant anymore. Even totally sleep deprived I feel a hundred times better now than I did while pregnant.

Allie is the cutest, sweetest baby ever (though, of course, I say that about each of my babies!) I love this precious girl so much and can’t get over how blessed I am to have her!

Super Jake and Cheesy Asher

This is Super Jake. He loves his cape and he frequently reminds me, “Mom, I have super powers.”

After I snapped Jake’s picture, Asher wanted a picture too. Crazy kid, this was the face he made for his picture:

He did give me a cheesy smile when I asked for one:

I love my cute, crazy boys!

Sleepless

Allie is 8 days old. She’s done with bilirubin checks now and she’s doing great. She nurses well and sleeps like a rockstar during the day… Night time is another story though. She is usually very fussy from around midnight to around 5 or 6 in the morning. This means I get virtually no sleep. I’ve been trying to get 2-3 hours before midnight and another hour or two in the morning before the kids get up.

Other than feeling a little tired, I feel awesome. This has been a great recovery and I’m thankful for that.

Rick is back at work now. He usually doesn’t take time off after we have a baby, but it was really nice having him home! He helped with kids, meals, chores, and errands. Mostly I just loved being around him during the day. It felt like a vacation. I miss him now that he’s back at work.

Life is going smoothly. Everyone is busy and happy. The girls have a Daddy-Daughter activity at church this week, our family is helping with cleaning the church, Josh has cub scout day camp on Friday, gymnastics fundraisers start this week, Maddie is taking some trial gymnastics classes, we’re going to the big parade this weekend, and I think we’ll start school again next week.

Now if only would get the hang of night time sleeping… But she’s so cute that I don’t mind being up with her.

I love those sleep-smiles: