Our Forever Family

First time carving pumpkins the night before Halloween.  And yes, they did not get lit the night of Halloween…  See Jason’s Cub Scout shirt on?  In the rush of it all (Dad getting home, pack meeting starting in 2 minutes and kids begging to carve their pumpkins) we both looked at each other and said we can’t do it all, let’s carve pumpkins.  And that we did.  Dad brought out the paint mixer attachment to loosen the “goo” inside (another first). Another first I am afraid to admit and am super sad about- no Halloween Costume pictures!!!!  Cameron was a scary clown, Melanie a Goddess, Jason Darth Vader, Alyssa a Vampire, Jenna was a fairy and Olaf was an airplane with a dog sitting on top.  All the kids but Jenna went with their friends. First real bath!  We were glad to have the umbilical cord fall off.  Boston hasn’t decided if he likes baths yet though. First Winter Snow.  This was about all we got and it was melted 24 hours later but that didn’t stop the kids from digging out t

This is hard.  Really hard.  Being a Mom is hard, harder than I ever thought before.  And it is getting harder the older the kids get.  Some days I think “what am I doing?”  I am not getting better at this I am getting worse!  Where is my patience?  Mom’s are supposed to be soft, not hard.  Kind not abrasive.  Soft spoken, not yelling.  I am none of these, not now.  Yesterday I went to Walmart, leaving later than I had planned because of things I needed to get done at home then feeding and changing Boston and finally getting out the door.  So I left 15 minutes before Cameron was to get home and about 30 minutes before the others got home from school.  I got the things I needed at Walmart, got the car washed and vacuumed then got a call from the kids.  First from Alyssa, mad I wasn’t home to take her to her friends house.  Then a call from Cameron mad I wasn’t home to take him to play baseball.  Seriously I got the run down of why I wasn’t home and why did I have to leave, etc., etc.  T

Things have NOT slowed down since Boston has been born.  I knew that would happen but it has made these last 2 weeks go by so fast!  Here are some things we have been busy doing… Lots of snuggles Jason made french toast for breakfast when Boston was 5 days old.  He had had enough cereal! I organized the boys room so I could take a picture of David’s hard work!  I cannot express enough how much time and effort this took David to get it all done!!  Letter and $1 from Jenna’s pen pal Grandpa McGary. Finished painting the other curtain for Boston’s room. More snuggles. Alyssa’s last gymnastics meet, before State, in West Jordan. Her coach and team mates all competing at level 2.  Morgan (5), Sophie (5), Alyssa (7), Kate (5), Sarah (6), Claire (7) Jenna having fun pushing Boston at Jason’s football game.  Her favorite thing to do when we go out. Grandpa and Grandma Lee drove up from St. George to visit for a day and a half to see Boston! At Boston’s 2 week appointment

What a wonderful couple of days I have had to spend with our newest baby in the hospital!!  I am remembering the things I love about newborns. Their smell, soft soft skin, fuzzy soft hair, perfectly tiny person, trying to figure out who he looks like, the color of his eyes, the soft cries, and even changing that cute, little bum!  I went in to the doctor on Wednesday the 15th, 1 day after I was due, for a checkup. I was still dilated to a 3.5 like the week before. The doctor stripped my membranes. I really did not want to be induced as I was the last 3 pregnancies. I wanted to remember what it felt like to start labor on my own. I walked around the park that night while the kids played. I had light contractions all night. I packed my hospital bag and the girls were so excited!  They wanted to help me pack. I went to bed at a normal time that night and woke up in the middle of the night about 3 am to a painful contraction. I checked the time and fell back to sleep to be awakened again