Adding to the Team

We are having a baby!

Six little jerseys will give us enough kids to field our own basketball team.  That was never the goal, but it sounds fun.

I went for an ultrasound appointment at 9 weeks, 5 days, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to view that growing bundle.  Baby was moving around, and the heart was visibly beating.  The gift of new life!  What a blessing!

I look forward to being able to hold this precious baby in my arms.  If all goes well, Baby should greet us in July.

So far, the pregnancy is going very well.  I have all-day nausea, but have not actually hurled yet.  I consider that a positive.  It also makes me suspect this youngin' is a boy child.  With my girls, especially my first 2 girls, I had rough morning sickness that included tons of puking.  With my boys, I only had nausea.  Will this pattern continue?  Time will tell.

The kids can't agree if they want a baby brother or a baby sister.  They are all so excited.  I think it is neat that they refer to the baby as "our baby."  They will say things like, "When our baby is born...."  A sense of family belonging runs deep with them.

The Referee and I simply want a living, breathing baby.  Healthy would be nice too.  We joke with people that having a son would bring balance, with 3 girls and 3 boys....but having a daughter would mean we could divide easier, to put 2 kids in each bedroom.

I don't wait until the first trimester is complete to announce a pregnancy.  I prefer to celebrate the new life right away!  We know first hand that the time in the womb may be all the time we are given with our children.  There is no guarantee after the first trimester.  So, I prefer to bond to the maximum I can, with each day I am given.  Praise God for the gift of new life!   

Shopping!

As you are working through your list, and completing your Christmas shopping this year, please consider shopping at Mavuno Market.  Not only will you be purchasing amazing items, but you will be helping families out of poverty, one purchase at a time.

This quote was taken right from the Mavuno Market website, to explain their vision...

At Mavuno Market, we believe we can lift people out of poverty by supporting micro-enterprises, encouraging trade education, and creating job opportunities.

Here it is, Black Friday, the largest shopping day of the year.  What could be sweeter than shopping AND helping others!  Check out Mavuno Market today!

Cardiology Check-up

Jersey #2 had her annual Cardiology check-up.  I love that word:  annual.  Once a year.  In the Cardiology world, a once-a-year heart check-up is the ideal.  That means that her heart is in such good shape that the doctors do not expect anything to change much anytime soon.  Surgery is not around the corner.  A series of tests are not necessary right now.  Keep living your life and enjoy, for another year.  Whew!  Annual check-ups are awesome!

Jersey #2 did great.  She commented over the summer that she actually missed her heart doctors.  She has seen them so frequently in recent years, that it was an adjustment to suddenly go a full year without an appointment.  She missed the attention, for sure.  Jersey #2 was fully cooperative for her evaluation.

After her vitals were checked, and her growth was measured, Jersey #2 had an EKG (electrocardiogram), to check her heart's electrical activity...

Her Pediatric Cardiologist came in and chatted with us about lifestyle improvements since surgery, and any concerns.  She then examined Jersey #2's heart sounds, pulses, and abdomen.  

Next was the echocardiogram, an ultrasound of her heart.  The tech is a pro.  He has a movie playing to keep the kids entertained while he runs his magic wand and captures all the images and blood flow.  The Cardiologist can view the images from the room next door, in real time.  If anything is of concern, she will step into the echo room and ask for additional images from specific angles.

We return to the exam room, while the Cardiologist completes her review of the echocardiogram.  Then, she joins us and gives her report about the current status of Jersey #2's heart.

The report was excellent.  Any leaks, sounds, or enlargements are the same as they were a year ago.  That lends to the belief that there is no concern at this time.  Jersey #2 is free of medications and activity restrictions.  She was encouraged to keep playing, growing, and enjoying the life of an 8-year old.  She does not need to have another Cardiology check-up for 1 full year!  

School Days

When we went for family photos, I asked the photographer to also give me "school photos" of each of the kids.  I usually like individual photos with the number blocks, showing their ages.  This year, with more kids school-aged than not, our whole focus seems to have shift to more school-like themes.  I am quite pleased with the way these pictures turned out.  I love pictures of my kids anyway, but it is fun to see how they grow from grade to grade.

Jersey #1

5th Grade

9 years old

Jeresey #2
3rd Grade
8 years old

Jersey #3
1st Grade
6 years old

Jersey #4
Preschool
4 years old

Jersey #5
Preschool
3 years old

A handful of candy

Family Photos

I dragged the whole team out for family photos.  I love, love, love pictures!  I especially love pictures of my precious children.  So, going to a studio and getting pictures made is one of my absolute favorite gifts.

I like to go to portrait studios that will give me a disc with all of the digital photos taken.  It makes it nice to email them, and also to make my Christmas cards.  There is also digital scrapbooking....which is something I have just begun to dabble in.

This year, I knew exactly what photos I wanted.  I had an agenda.  I wanted the American flag background, with the family in red, white, and blue shirts.  I wanted photos of the kids together, dressed in their M&Ms t-shirts.  And, I also wanted a "school photo," where it is just the head and shoulders of the kid.  The photographer understood my request, and granted it and so much more!

For the most part, everyone cooperated really well.  The older three children were models.  Jersey #5 is not as well trained to look at the camera and smile.  He wanted to wander off and play with the props.  Jersey #4 had a few moments of imitating the photographer, by blowing raspberries with her lips.  The photographer was doing that to get Jersey #5's attention.  But, it intrigued Jersey #4 so much she imitated it, and often was making that face when the flash went off.

Trunk or Treat

Our Thundering Herd got all dressed up for an evening of candy collection.

I am so thankful that nearby churches organized safe, fun events in their parking lots.  We visited 2 different ones this year.  They go by the name "trunk-or-treat."  Replacing the previous "trick-or-treat" these events involve going to a church parking lot and trick-or-treating from parked vehicle to parked vehicle.  Folks decorate their cars, and hand out candy next to their trunk.  

From the standpoint of safety, this is a great alternative to dark neighborhood streets.  Also, churches tend to stay away from the dark, gruesome, death-focus that encompasses Halloween.  There is nothing Christian about Halloween, so it is nice that churches will step up and be a light on an otherwise dark night in the world.

From the standpoint of candy, this is a much faster way to fill a bag with candy, than can be accomplished going from house to house.  We only stayed an hour at the first location, and the kids ended up with heavy bags, filled with goodies.

The second church we visited had a carnival event going on in their parking lot.  The kids went from booth to booth and played games.  The prizes were candy.  There were also big bounce houses, hotdogs, and popcorn.  We had a blast.

The kids were pretty pleased with the events and activities we attended this year.  The weather was great  for an evening out.  Plus, they got their fill of candy...

*There is no way we are eating ALL of this candy.  We are fixing up a box to mail to my brother-in-law who is currently serving in the Army, in harm's way.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

We collected quite a few of pumpkins this year.

PawPaw grew a pumpkin in his garden, for each of his 10 grandbabies.  This year, he gave the largest to Jersey #5, and the smallest to Jersey #1.  Our eldest was not so thrilled with this plan.  She was certain that she deserved the largest pumpkin, being the first grandbaby and all.  She made up for it by picking the largest pumpkin at the Galloping Grace Youth Ranch Pumpkin patch.

I took the opportunity to take pictures of my Lil' Pumpkins, with our table full of pumpkins...

Pumpkin carving was a fun evening activity.

We had so many excess pumpkins, that I decided to carve my traditional upside-down pumpkin face.  I did this first when I was in middle school, I think.  I have carved my pumpkins that way ever since.  Still cracks me up to this day...

We lit candles in the carved pumpkins....

....then turned out the lights and watched a movie while munching roasted pumpkin seeds.  Good times!

McCall's Pumpkin Patch

I took the younger 4 kids on a field trip to McCall's Pumpkin Patch.

We enjoyed a hayride out to the pumpkin patch.  (Well, mostly enjoyed it.  Jersey #3 has terrible hay fever, so his poor little nose runs yellow the minute he goes near the hay.  He doesn't complain a bit, though).

Out in the field, each kid was able to pick the largest pumpkin they could carry back to the tractor....

We dropped our pumpkins off at the van, and enjoyed the other exhibits.

It didn't take us long to break the rules.  I had barely closed the gate to the bunny exhibit, when I noticed Jersey #2 had picked up a rabbit and was holding it.  PawPaw raises rabbits, so Jersey #2 didn't think a thing of scooping one up.  Oops!  Some of the other kids thought it was great that she did that, because they got to pet the rabbit.

There were plenty of live animals to enjoy.  Goats, cows, sheep, oh my!

Jersey #5 found the tractor to be the most fascinating thing on the farm.  He rode it 3 times.

The other children spent the bulk of their time on the big slide...

(In an attempt to *help* his little brother go down the slide, Jersey #3 came down on top of Jersey #5's head.  All I saw were his little lets sticking out.  Thankfully, he was not hurt.  Instead, he was laughing and couldn't wait to go again.....on his own).

It didn't take Jersey #2 long to go down head first.  She has been this way since she was a baby.  The road less traveled....head first.