Happy 7th Birthday, Emilee

To see her special letter, take a look. :)

http://loveyoux5.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-birthday-emilee.html

Happy 4th Birthday, Sweetheart

Four years ago, I was blessed with my fifth and final child. Although the journey was a long struggle, the months of uncertainty and fear were washed away the first time I was able to hold my precious son.

Jonathon Robert was born into the world seven weeks premature. Although he was not the only child born early, he was the only one born by a c section and the third who spent many long days in the RNICU.

Jonathon is now a thriving, intelligent, loving, typical four year old boy. It's amazing how far he has come.

I love you, Jonathon.

Love,
Mommy

BSM: A Beautiful Bunch!

As promised, here are photos of Miss Jersey's puppies.

She was acting like she was in labor for the week preceding the births. I would stay up most nights until well into the early morning as she snuggled up with me. Between her restlessness, panting and leaking, I thought for sure tonight was the night, each and every single night for a week!

Friday night, I stayed up with her until about 1:30 AM. I put her back outdoors in her dog house (just outside the slider doors) and went to bed. Imagine my surprise when I woke up at 5:00 AM to see not one but two little puppies nursing. Before I left at 7:00 AM, she had four pups. When I called home a few hours later, she was at six. By the time I came home, she had delivered nine! She was inside, resting in her whelping box when I came home from class. We spent Saturday night watching her care for her new babies.

This morning, I was sitting next to her box watching as the puppies nursed and wiggled all over. All of a sudden, she shifted her leg, lifted her tail and delivered her tenth puppy nearly 21 hours after she had delivered her ninth. This precious baby was born still and appeared to be the runt of the litter. We allowed her to clean and care for the pup before removing it from the whelping box. My heart broke! I happened to have a little white box that had a pretty bow attached to it. We let the kids sign the box and this evening, the sweet baby was buried. Some of the kids took it harder than others. My heart broke for them as well. It's such a difficult thing for them to go through and accept. Even though it's part of life, it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

The nine remaining pups are just adorable. They have the most unique markings that I've ever seen on a dog. Jersey is Great Dane and Black Lab. She mated with a Golden Retriever! The puppies are nearly 1/2 the size (at birth) as what our six week old beagles are. They are going to be very-big-dogs! If they have their Momma's disposition, they will be wonderful pets! I hate to admit it but I'm already attached to them. *sigh*

What do you think? Have you ever seen such interesting puppies before?
See our Flickr account for some close-up photos of the pups. I'll try to take more photos tomorrow too!

Have a great day!

We have babies!!

The puppies have arrived! They were born Saturday, November 15, between the hours of 3-4 AM and 1:00 PM. They are absolutely adorable too. I will try to get some photos uploaded this evening but no promises. Maybe I'll use them for BSM!

Momma is doing well and caring for nine precious little ones. She completed her litter with a tenth puppy today but it was unfortunately born still. This has been a bit difficult on some of the kids.

This weekend has been a busy one. Opening day wasn't successful for Tim and neither was day two. He's missed two bucks and is quite bummed about it.

This morning, we were greeted with a blanket of fresh beautiful snow covering the ground. The kids couldn't wait to go outdoors to play in it. We dug out the coats, boots, snowpants, hats and gloves and off they went to freeze play. They loved it! I, on the other hand, could do without the cold, wet, snow. I love the beauty of it but I hate the mess it creates.

I just wanted to check in and say HI. I'll start uploading some photos this evening so that maybe by tomorrow, we will have them to share with you.

G'night, friends.

Welcome to the World, Jack!

Please help me welcome Jack to the world! Jack is the first child of Amy and Chad. He is such a pure bundle of joy to look at. And if you take a look on over to their blog, you will see just how much of an over achiever Jack is already! Since I'm making something special for the family, I thought I'd share a very small version of my work in progress.











Congratulations to the three of you! May your healing process be quick and may you enjoy every single minute with sweet baby Jack.
Love,
Our crew

Happy Birthday, Jess!

Dear Jess,

Twenty six years old, amazing. You have so many more years of experiences wrapped up inside that beautiful person that you are. Years of joys and sorrows. Years of ups and downs. And years of memories!

My admiration grows stronger by the day for you. You've grown up to be an amazing woman, friend, mother and wife. I am blessed to have you in my life. Who would have known so many years ago that once one tie was severed, we would still be dear friends years later.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!
I love you!
-Bec

A gain of forty

Seven years ago, my first born daughter was welcomed into our loving arms weighing a mere 4lb 6oz. Today, she is seven years old and weighs 44.6 pounds!

Happy 7th Birthday, Miss Katelyn!
We love you!
Mom & Dad

Your birthday post will be posted here tomorrow due to a technical glitch!

Happy Birthday, Dora!!

Please stop on over and wish Dora a very happy 42nd birthday today! I know she'd love it!

-Becky

Chatter Box

So I realize I've done alot of "chattering" lately after a long string of no posts. :) I guess I was being lazy having writers block.

This weekend was a interesting weekend, to say the least.

Friday, our normal plans were a bust due to weather. Instead we decided we'd celebrate with our friends on their 10th anniversary! Double Digits. Woooo hoo! Congratulations to them...and may you experience many more.

Unfortunately, the weather moved in quickly and took out our power. We (women) came home and rescued the sitter before the kids could freak out. Then Tim ended up on fire calls for the next few hours. Finally about 9:30pm, we had moved the kids to the other couple's house and decided to head to Red Lobster to celebrate. All I can say is the husbands boys were not on their best behavior. The poor waitress (who was a good 20 years older than us) rolled with their hormonal, teenage boy talk chattering and even gave us a few good laughs too! It's a good thing they put us back in the far corner, alone. After a nice very large Strawberry Lobsterita, we headed home. We were still without power with a restoration of 4pm on Saturday.

Saturday, the power came back unexpectedly around 5:30am. We woke up and started getting ready for Jacob's birthday party. The kids had a great time. It was a day filled with ten children, four adults, many laughs, a cake fight, a hose fight (between two moms), burgers, hotdogs, chips, and lots of fluids. And of course, a few pretty bad sunburns even after applying lots of SPF 50 sunscreen. (Needless to say, I ended up buying SPF 70 for now on) The evening ended up bringing more storms but we kept our power. Unfortunately, one of Jacob's guests had to leave early since he wasn't feeling well. He arrived home only to vomit all over! Poor Guy. In the middle of the night, Emilee started throwing up too. I'm pretty sure it was from too much sun mixed with a bit of dehydration.

Sunday was filled with more playing and a few slow-moving adults who were tired from the weekend fun. Errands were run, kids filled the yard, and storms rolled in again in the afternoon causing us to lose power once again. *sigh* We had it back on in the early evening though, thank goodness!

Monday, Jacob was miserable. He had the worst burn I've ever seen on one of my kids. He wasn't blistered or peeling so we kept applying topical sprays and aloe. Nothing seemed to work, he said.

Tuesday, was a good friends 32 birthday! Happy Birthday, Damon! Hope it was a good one. It was also the day another Great-Nephew was born!

Jacob also called home from school again. This time, he said he wanted to come home. He said his skin was falling off. I told him I'd go down and look at it and then decide. Needless to say, he came home. He said some kids were poking at his burn and pushed skin right off. The school put two bandaids on it, which then ended up peeling a huge section of skin off his shoulder, leaving it very raw and sore. I tried several things to help him. Nothing was working. I read up on various treatments via the internet and found that a zinc oxide works well (found in desitin). I remembered when Jonathon was in the RNICU and had a horrible diaper rash that nothing would cure. They called down for this skin paste and I still had it. It had 20% zinc rather than the 11.4% of butt ointment. So, I used that on his shoulders last night along with a cool shower, cool compresses and motrin. This morning, he said it felt better but was still open, oozing and very sore. He had a field trip today so we put no-stick pads on the area and wrapped him up so his shirt wouldn't rub on it today. I hope he does well through the day! So far, no phone calls.

And here we are, Wednesday. The kids have a 1/2 day of school tomorrow and Friday and they are done for the summer.

I'll check in again later, I'm sure. I hope you are all enjoying your week.

A wave of emotions

Eleven years ago, I was a very pregnant twenty year old, first time Mother. My toes and fingers looked like sausages. My legs and ankles were double their normal size. My belly, stretched to the limit, as it safely cradled my first born child. Little did I know that I would soon be hooked up to monitors and medications as we forced our son out of the safely of my womb and into this, at times, harsh world. Jacob, born June 3, 1997, weighed 6lb 9oz. Eleven years later, he's about 80 pounds heavier.

To read about what led up to Jacob's birth and his birth story, please visit this page.

Tonight, I sit here remembering the ride of parenthood I've been on over the past 11 years, my emotions wash over me. Bittersweet is one word that pretty much sums it up. Knowing that my son is just seven years away from graduation, being an adult, and could quite possibly chose to move out from under our wings, has my heart feeling sad, honored, humble, and very scared. So tonight, I'll spend some time remembering some of the wonderful things we've experienced together the past eleven years.

My handsome Son,
Tonight, as I sit here thinking about the past eleven years, tears stream down my face. You have changed my life in so many ways. I know you can't remember much of your early years. I, however, do. I remember the fear of the unknown. The uncertainty of being a young married couple of just 19 months and adding the pressures of parenthood on top of it. The anxiety of what I was about to have to go through and how it would change my life. I remember the crowd of people who gathered to be with Daddy and I while I was in labor. The several family members that joined us for your birth and shortly thereafter. I remember your Uncle Mike being there waiting to meet you, biting down on his first finger as I labored through contractions. I remember the look in his eyes the first time he saw your face. Eleven years later, Uncle Mike still doesn't have children of his own. Maybe watching you come into the world was enough to scare him out of fatherhood. (I hope not!! Since he just got engaged, maybe he's warming up to the idea of a little "Mike" running around)

I remember your Daddy's Niece, Lorene, meeting you the first time (and breaking her ankle while she was off chasing your Uncle Mike up and down the hospital stairs while I was in labor). Here she is, expecting her second baby boy just three days after your birthday. Daddy's other Niece, Wendi, is in the hospital today having her first baby. So many little ones born around the same day you were.

I remember feeling so proud knowing that your Daddy and I created such a handsome, healthy baby boy. You were perfect. I remember being honored that the Lord chose us to be your parents. We were so overjoyed.

I think back through the years and remember all of the things we used to do together. One of the memories that stands out is taking you to Uncle Mike's baseball games. I remember packing every single thing I thought we might need over the next two hours, cramming it all into a tiny Winnie the Pooh bag. Well, it actually was quite a large bag, just overstuffed with unnecessary items. Your playpen, toys, food and even the little bottles of lotion and baby wash went with us. Looking back, I laugh at how much I over prepared for our outings. I realize now that I had so much to learn.

Through the years, you were our only pride and joy. Just two months before your third birthday, you became a big brother. You have been a fantastic big brother over the years as you've watched us bring home your four siblings. You amaze me at how loving and nurturing you can be to them. Of course, sibling rivalry rears it's ugly head at times too.

The first day you started school was another life changing event in our lives. It was the first time we had to learn to let you go. Bit by bit, you have pulled away a little further from us. This past year, we have watched you enter middle school. The transition was been rocky at times. You're learning your own way, making many of your own choices, and dealing with the consequences that result from those choices. You've talked about classmates having girlfriends, had your heart broken when those who you called friends turned their backs to you, and have suffered hurt feelings after you've been picked on by others. With each passing year, you have grown and we, as parents, have grown too.

As we all travel on this journey and approach your teenage years, we strive to raise you to be a respectable, self sufficient, honorable young man. It has become obvious that you have a strong will to speak your mind as well as express just how much you know, that we don't. We want to encourage you to continue with your strong will and voice your thoughts as long as you remember to be respectful and understanding. While we won't always see eye to eye, you can always rely on us to love you unconditionally, forever.

So tonight, Jacob, my hopes are that you may have another year filled with wonderful memories that last a lifetime. I pray that you will always feel our love pouring over you. May you always know that you can come to us with anything, about anything, anytime.

Thank you for being you. Thank you for teaching us even more new things over the past year. Thank you for doing all the things you do that make us laugh, smile and even cry. You continue to amaze us each and every day. We love you, Jacob.

Happy 11th Birthday, Buddy.

Love,
Mom & Dad


** I just found this in one of my older journals:
Wednesday, April 20, 2005: I love it!! I just heard the kids playing (the boys) and Jacob said, "This is the fire truck that takes people to the hos-ti-ble"

Four pounds Four ounces full of perfection

Five years ago, we welcomed into our loving arms our precious baby girl two months earlier than expected.



















And now, she's steps away from starting Kindergarten.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart! We love you!
Daddy & Momma

**For more on her birthstory go here: Emilee

Jonathon's 2nd Year...

Again, not complete...will finish soon!

I'm ONE!


February 2007:




My first Tooth! Feb 22, 2007:


March 2007:
More teeth (March 11) and home from my hospital stay:




March 13: Rockstar


Daddy n Me March 14:


My first haircut March 18:




March 26, 2007


April 4, 2007:
Love the eyes...


April 6, 2007 Singing in the tub:


April 29, 2007:


May 2007:

First Pickle:




First Race:

Jonathon's First Year

(This entry is not complete...I'll finish it hopefully by this weekend)...

It all began...



















Taken Feb. 20, 2006 (almost 1 month old)




















AUGUST 2006:



SEPTEMBER 2006:


OCTOBER 2006:






NOVEMBER 2006: