Fall - Part 3

OK I know it is a little embarrassing that I am just putting these pictures on here now, but what can I say? These were taken at a pumpkin patch when our friends the Bostons came to visit for Owen's blessing. It was kind of a hokey little pumpkin patch, but it worked and the kids had a good time.

On a hay ride. It was like 85 degrees that day. Sounds lovely right now, as this morning it was 12 degrees (!!!)

Maralee and Jack.

On the hunt for the perfect pumpkin.

Found it!

And the picture I most wanted to include was Owen's blessing day :)

I think I'm ready for Christmas now - bring it on!!

Hooray for nice people!

This morning was frantic trying to get the boys out the door for school (pretty much like every morning.) Winter complicates things because we have to locate hats, gloves, etc in addition to shoes and backpacks. But anyway the bus pulled up and the boys weren't ready yet, so all the other kids lined up and got on, while we just watched through our front door. Argh!! I had to walk away for a minute to collect myself because I was just so frustrated. But anyway, when I came back I noticed that the bus was still stopped in front of our house - he was waiting for us!! I guess the bus driver could see us through the storm door. So I rushed the boys out and I ran out too to thank the bus driver for waiting an extra minute so they could catch the bus. He smiled and waved as the bus drove off.

I love nice people.

Fall - Part 2

HALLOWEEN! So I lucked out because the kids decided they wanted to use their same costumes as last year (!!!!) I of course had to complete the Star Wars theme so I picked up a Yoda costume for Owen.

OK Keith decided to be a cowboy for trick-or-treating, but everyone else is Star Wars at least...

Apparently Yoda is happier when he's asleep.

Princess Leia is also a repeat of last year. I know I didn't need to include pics again but I just LOVE THE BUNS.

Fall - Part 1

Some of the stuff we've been up to :)

Anyone know where this is? A replica of the greek Parthenon, I had no idea there was one in Nashville! Who woulda thought?

This is the part the boys enjoyed...

We checked out the Grand Ole Opry house. It was kind of crazy because the area is still recovering from the flooding this last spring. There is a mall and a supposedly amazing hotel there but it was all closed for remodeling.

We would have loved to have seen a show, but with 4 kids? No way.

We met up with Keith's sister Jen and her husband Ryan in Nashville. It was great to see them!

We stopped in Lousiville on our way to Tennesse and went to the Louisville Slugger museum. Really cool.

We also checked out Marengo cave in southern Indiana.

A day of tennis and hiking in Bloomington....

Yes we are still here

I can't believe it has been over a month since I have put anything on this blog. It just goes to show how busy I have been. It's a very odd busy too, because I feel like I am running around crazy all day long and then at night when I go to bed - thoroughly exhausted - I wonder what in the world did I do all day, because the house is still a mess and I didn't knock anything off of my to-do list. Very strange, but I guess that is life with a baby :)

I will do another post with pics from our recent activities, so this is it for now...

My cute happy boy!

Kate is such a good helper! I love the expression on Owen's face....

I don't believe Keith is actually looking at Owen here (ESPN was on.)

Must have fallen asleep playing Angry Birds on the Ipad....

Oh and somehow the picture of Kate's birthday cake got left off the last post, but I can't leave out Keith's handiwork so here it is!!

Hello Kitty girl

Kate is three! We had a whole weekend of celebrating, including a trip to Build-A-Bear and dinner at the Olive Garden (they were late with our food so we scored free desserts - yes!) Keith also put his artistic skills to use and produced a Hello Kitty cake. Kate has been telling everybody - including complete strangers - for months that she is having a Hello Kitty party so we couldn't let her down :) She loved being the center of attention and knowing it was HER day and HER party. What a cutie.

Yay! Flowers from daddy!

Posing for the camera with different expressions....I think this is her "mad" face. I laughed when she did this, because this is definitely NOT what her mad face looks like!

Who is she planning to kiss???

All her loot. This is one lucky kid!

Happy birthday Kate! We love you!

Hoosiers

Indiana. What do I say? The last month has been kind of a roller coaster, but I think I have decided that I can handle it here, and maybe even like it a little. Lately we have been doing this thing with the kids where they rate things on a scale of 1 to 10. So I think I'll do that with Indiana.

The weather: 8

Actually it's been kind of hot and sticky here, but the warmth just feels so NICE because it reminds me we are in a warmer climate, with a shorter winter and more tolerable temperatures as things cool off. At least that's what I'm anticipating. Indiana, don't let me down.

The people: 10+

I don't think I have ever lived anywhere where everyone from the mail man to the bagger at the grocery store is so stinking NICE. And it's completely genuine too. Sometimes they are almost too friendly, like do I really need to hear your entire life story? Cute accents too. I love it. Even the hillbillies/hicks/hoosiers are friendly and make me laugh. I can't believe these people actually exist, missing teeth and all!! A little bit of culture shock but I'm working through it.....

The roads: 3

Super narrow and windy, with no shoulder at all. And the same road will have 3 different names depending on which section of the road you are on. So driving is kind of unpleasant, which leads me to the next topic...

The radio stations: 2

All I can find are country stations, and 80's music that I haven't actually heard since the 80s. It's killing me. But's that's ok, I'll just focus on looking at what's around me (assuming I can stay on the road doing it!)

The scenery: 9

Rolling hills, trees, really it is just a beautiful part of the country.

Shopping: 4

Target: yes. H&M: no. Gap: no. Costco: no. So yeah the shopping could be better, but that is what the internet is for, right? Plus we could always go to Indy, which is only an hour or so away....

Food/restaurants: 6

We have Panera which is good, but no Culvers (Cameron is dying, he loves that place). There is a Chipotle.... I'll take it, although it is a lame substitute for Cafe Rio. The best part is that our favorite ice cream - Graeters - is sold at the local grocery store. How in the world am I going to lose the last 5 - ok 10 - alright closer to 20 pounds if I have Graeters around?????

So those are my first impressions of Bloomington Indiana. I am hoping to get over all the ups and downs of moving and start feeling at least the teensiest bit settled. I still really miss just about everything about WI. I guess it just takes time. sigh.

THE STORY

Warning: here is "the story" of Owen's birth - you should skip it if you aren't into hearing all the gory details......

Even though I had a scheduled induction date, I decided to try castor oil because I really wanted to go into labor on my own (an experience I've never had.) I know, pretty desperate. On the day before my scheduled induction I drank a tablespoon (mixed in Coke.) It was really gross to drink, but I eventually got it down, and sure enough I was running to the bathroom about 5 hours later. Yuck. But nothing else. So that afternoon I called Darcy, who is a pro at going into labor (sounds weird but it's true.) She encouraged me to try it just ONE MORE TIME. So that night I had another tbsp, this time mixed in Sprite. At 1:30am I woke up with contractions. They were really mild but consistently 3 minutes apart. I figured there's no way I could go to the hospital yet because the contractions were so mild, so I waited. Then I decided to lay down for a bit and they got stronger, but were spaced farther apart (5-7 minutes.)

Around this point I woke Keith up and had him start timing the contractions. I agonized about when we were supposed to head to the hospital (even though according to my doctor's instructions I should have gone in by then.) I only wanted to go if it was the real thing. So finally at a little before 4:30am I had a really painful contraction and I was like LET'S GO NOW!! Luckily Keith's mom had arrived earlier that evening from Idaho so we could just leave the kids with her. We got into the truck and I screamed through contractions the entire way to the hospital.

By 5am I had waddled into the hospital and gotten myself checked in. They told me I was 7 centimeters!! I asked if there was time for me to get an epidural and the nurse said maybe. Yikes. The rest is kind of a blur, but I just remember a lot of sceaming and pain. I got an epidural, and the anesthesiologist told me it would take 10 minutes to take effect (I don't remember that being the case before??) Well I had a contraction as he was finishing up and I started screaming that I needed to push. The nurse told me to breathe through it because THE DOCTOR HADN'T ARRIVED YET. Which is about the most horrible thing you can tell anyone I've decided. On the next contraction the doctor decided to show up and by then I was screaming and in kind of a semi-conscious state (I think that was how I coped with the pain.) I am pretty sure the entire state of Wisconsin heard me screaming - well at least the entire 2nd floor of the hospital anyway. And Keith said I was telling him "I can't do this. I can't do this" over and over. And I think I was thrashing around from side to side, I think I've blocked out a lot of what happened. Anyway, to sum it all up, two contractions later, after feeling like my body was literally going to split in half and wanting to die, Owen was born. And he was beautiful, but I'll be honest at that point I was just happy that the pain was over. And it really was over because 3 or 4 minutes later my epidural did kick in (just like the doctor said!) and my legs started to tingle, etc. Oh the irony.

To add insult to injury, and to make another long story short, the doctor messed up my epidural, which gave me spinal headaches. Which meant I had to lay flat for several days, and I had two procedures done to relieve the headaches, but they caused me to have intense lower back muscle spasms where it hurt to walk or move around. This lasted for a couple of WEEKS. So at this point I am terrified to EVER have an epidural again, and I am terrified to ever go through labor again without an epidural. But I guess that is ok because we are perfectly content with 4 kids :)

Another crazy thing that happened the day Owen was born was that Milwaukee had torrential rainfall (7 inches in just s few hours I think?) and we had a tornado alert - code black - at the hospital, which meant everyone had to leave their rooms and hang out in the hall. I am so glad Owen was already born by then, can you imagine giving birth in a hallway? And then we had some minor flooding in our basement. So yes it was a crazy day!!

Well to focus on the positive, Owen is a wonderful sweet baby and I love him so much. I am enjoying every moment with him at this age. He was 6 lb 11 oz at birth but has gotten so much bigger over this last month. I love the little faces he makes and the little sighs and squeaks. He is such a doll, and worth everything I went through the day his born. We love him!

Seriously how could he be any cuter???

He always poses his hands in the cutest ways....

Pouty lips!

Kate likes to sneak into every shot. She looks SO HUGE next to him.

Yes we like to get them started young....

He's here!

Hooray! Baby Owen was born Thursday July 22nd at 5:41 am. He is SO CUTE. He was 6lbs 11 oz at birth, 20 1/2 inches long, and has a lot of dark hair. We can't tell who he looks like, although I think his coloring reminds me of Cameron and his face looks like Connor's did as a newborn. And he has long long fingers and toes, just like Kate. So he's got a little bit of all his siblings :)

I have embarrassingly few pictures, due to the fact that I have spent 3 of the last 6 days lying flat from an epidural complication (an epidural that was given too late to take effect by the way, which makes the whole situaton even more aggravating....) I'm feeling much better now, thank goodness. Keith's mom has been a life saver - I really don't know how we'd be functioning without her right now.

When I get a minute I'll write more about everything, including the middle-of-the-night hospital run, the tornado alert at the hospital, the flooding in our basement (it wasn't too much thank goodness!), and all the other juicy details.

All the kids together....

Welcome home!

Cameron turns 7

Well I am a few weeks late on this but that's just been how my life is functioning lately. Cameron had his birthday a few weeks ago. We had a yummy ice cream cake from Dairy Queen that ended up being more for me than for him - he had one piece on his birthday then never wanted it after that, so I nibbled on it for days. Yum.

Cameron also wanted a Super Mario party (like Connor had), but for the older kids we decided it would be more of a water games party with less "themed" stuff. I always hold my breath for nice weather and luckily it worked out. Good thing because we had 12 boys at our party (including some extra boys I wasn't planning on!) Keith and I discovered that seven-year olds are easier to entertain and much lower maintenance than five-year olds. Cameron is at a great age!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMERON!!

As far as other news, things are finally starting to come together allowing us to plan ahead a little (which is always nice!) I have a scheduled induction date for July 22nd (oh my gosh that is SO SOON.) Unless I go into labor before then. Which is highly unlikely but you never know....

Anyway, the plan is for us to move the second week of August so the kids can start school on Aug 18th (I haven't broken the news to them yet that they are totally getting ripped off with a shortened summer vacation.) Now we just need to find a house in Indiana. And sell our house here. And get ready for the baby. Easy, right?

INDIANA

There. I said it. So I guess that makes it official. Honestly it just feels good to have a plan, since now we have something to work towards. It is going to be a CRAZY few months, but at least I can't say this summer will be dull :) Keith will head out to the Bechtel job in Indiana in a few weeks to work and find us a place to live (in Bloomington, for anyone who knows where that is.) My job is to try to not have the baby while he's gone. Then when he gets back my job is to have the baby AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so we can get things ready to move by mid-August. I guess it is more up to the baby than me, we'll see if he chooses to cooperate.....

I am having a lot of mixed feelings about everything that is going on, but overall I know things are good and that we are really blessed and very lucky for the exciting adventures we have ahead. Wish us luck!!

And we are moving to.......

I really really wish I could finish that sentence. The scenario changes every day, so even as I type this it is most likely going to be outdated. Maybe I'll put it as a timeline to show some of the ups and downs:


April: Keith flies out to Colorado Springs to interview at a Bechtel job in Pueblo. We are excited about living in Colorado, although I'm nervous about moving in May and having to find a new doctor at 7 months pregnant. Keith comes home and says he didn't like the job and doesn't want to do government work. So do we go JUST to be in a location we want to be in?


Mid-April: The project here says they really want him to stay until the fall, plus there will be some good advancement opportunities, etc. So we decide to stay. And I'm really happy about it, because there is a job in Las Vegas starting in the fall and it would be perfect timing to get into that job (a location we are excited about because we really want to be closer to family...)


1st week of May: While we are in New York, Keith is barraged with phone calls from his old boss, who is now at a job in Indiana. Apparently they REALLY want him there, and they want him now. It looks to be a really good career move, less hours (yay!) and an overall good opportunity. But they want him NOW. And it's in Indiana (the opposite direction of where we want to go.) Ugh.


2nd week of May: So we take a road trip to southern Indiana, and I realize the area isn't that bad, and after much consideration and me crying over the loss of my heading-out-west dream, Keith applies for the job.


3rd week of May: The Indiana job wants Keith by the middle of June (!!!) but I really don't want to move and find a new doctor at 8 months pregnant. Plus we need to get the house up for sale. There just isn't enough time. We sit tight and wait to see what is going to happen.


Today: I start packing up the extra toys and "stuff" in the boys room to get the house ready to sell. Keith talks to his boss here who says there is NO WAY he can leave this job until the fall, so Indiana most likely wont even be an option (where has this guy been for the last few weeks when all this negotiating was going on?!?) I am confused. I stop packing. And type this blog post (because I am not sure what I am supposed to be doing right now.)


Is this all crazy? Or is it just me?

Super Mario Madness

In all our trip craziness I never got around to posting anything about Connor's birthday. Yes he is now FIVE years old (and after he promised me he would stay 4 forever, how inconsiderate!) He wanted a Super Mario Brothers party, which didn't surprise me because he has been obsessed with the game for months now. Keith and I for some crazy reason love to plan these little kid parties, so we went all out - I pulled out my sewing machine after it sat for five years collecting dust and made Mario and Luigi hats, and Keith made three pinatas. Plus we dragged his parents into the craziness when they came into town and had them help us put together games, an obstacle course, etc. Ten little boys had a great time, and we were all EXHAUSTED by the end. I think it was a success :)


The boys with their hats and mustaches....


Pin the mustache on Mario!

Part of the obstacle course. The kids loved it and did it over and over (and over....)

Connor loved the obstacle course too.

With the Chain Chomp pinata. Cameron was an excellent helper at the party.

CUTE!

Cupcakes...yum!

Connor looking overwhelmed at all his presents...where to begin??

Ugh, now we have to plan Cameron's party.....maybe he'll be good with a couple of friends over to watch a movie? I can always hope!