The Cheerio Chronicles

Welcome Baby Max!

2011-03-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

I know I am horrible about blogging. (But hey, I am good about Facebooking...does that count?)

Max is here. He's wonderful and beautiful and he's captured the children's hearts.

Max was born on Feb. 15th, at 8:55 pm. We spent much of the day before at the doctor's office, conferring with them about what to do. All of our babies have been born very large for their gestational ages. Garrett was the biggest at 10 lbs. 6 oz. at 39 weeks on the dot. There was no gestational diabetes involved, he was just good old-fashioned big. 24.5 inches, even. Being so big was a bit of a health hazard for him in the delivery, so we were determined to avoid that for Max.

We've found it is hard to explain why you want to do something that is not the norm, but Dr. Parker understood our concerns. We did an anmio (that took 4 pokes to get! OUCH!) and we determined his lungs were very ready, so it was decided that Max would be born the next day, since he was over term at 37.5 weeks, but hopefully smaller than 10 lbs.

Labor was, for the most part, uneventful. Things progressed slowly, and Rachel and Darwin walked and walked around the maternity ward, trying to see if things could get going faster. We had an amazing midwife who seemed to really understand the worries Rachel had about a large baby. Two of Rachel's friends were also there. Crystal, Rachel's business partner and friend, was taking pictures and Christie, Rachel's longtime friend and birth sounding board, was there as a doula. Both really helped keep the mood light. Christie was amazingly helpful, as she and Rachel have discussed their births over and over after each one, so she knew exactly what Rachel's labor patterns and such were. Getting to the end without Darwin, these amazing ladies and the wonderful midwife would simply not have been the same.

When the time came for Max to be born, the midwife was delivering another patient, and so the doctor ended up delivering Max. The nurses, who all seemed a little surprised at a baby being induced at 37.5 weeks for possible macrosomia were all shocked when he arrived at 8 lbs. 14 oz. A VERY good size for the dates.

Since day 1, Max has been calm and even-tempered. Once he was born, the nurses were trying to get him to cry, and he simply would not. They rushed him to the NICU to check his oxygen saturation, and he was fine. Just not interested in fussing.

All of the kids want their chance to hold this sweet little boy, and being a trooper, he tolerates it all. He's been the center of attention since he was born. He seems to be taking it all in stride.

Here is a video of Max's birth. I am so grateful I had Crystal there to help document it all.

And here are some pictures of Max.

Thought I would share

2010-11-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

Michael's awesome Christmas list: "I want a yo yo, a skateboard, a sauna, the Backyardigans Christmas movie, a pack of gum and 16 Wishes (a movie.)"

I thought I would alert everyone, in case they want to get a sauna too. I anticipate they might be a hard-to-find item. ;)

Well, isn't this convenient?

2010-11-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

I just start blogging again and already I have a small prayer request. Funny how it works like that, eh?

So I had to go back for a second ultrasound because of low fluid and the baby having enlarged kidneys and they were not able to see the heart entirely.

I went for that ultrasound on Monday and had an appointment on Tuesday. They lost the ultrasound and it took them until Wed. afternoon to call back.

The kidneys are still enlarged and dilated, though the fluid is not so low. So, they said the baby has Prenatal Hydronephrosis. It could totally end up being pretty much nothing. Or it could be something, but it sounds like it is not anything life-threatening or anything. In fact, it sounded like the most common abnormality found on ultrasound. It is really likely it will be something the baby grows out of either before or after birth and it SOUNDS like the worst case scenario is surgery needed to clear up a blockage in the kidney or in the output tract to the bladder. The WORST WORST case would be prenatal surgery, but that doesn't seem to be the case we are looking at.

The amount of enlargement has not changed in the last 2 weeks. So that is good and bad. Not getting worse, but not exactly getting better. They want me to go in and get more ultrasounds as the pregnancy progresses, so that they can keep an eye on how the baby is doing and how the kidneys are doing. I am ok with that to a point, but I sort of feel like sometimes poking around leads to more times that they find things--whether they are issues or not. So I am not totally wanting a BUNCH of extra ultrasounds. I think I would rather go with a couple towards the end to check if things have cleared up or not, but we'll see what they say.

They offered me the chance to get followed by a perinatologist, but I would rather not. Again, from the times I have had to go to a peri before, I found he was quite busy, didn't really have time to check the chart beforehand, and it was generally an unproductive thing. Maybe I'm wrong, but I am just not sure I feel the need to do this.

So, I feel, overall, pretty good that things will calm down and be ok. But I would also really appreciate any prayers anyone wanted to offer that the baby would be ok. It is always nicer to have fewer issues, right?

Tap. tap...is this thing on?

2010-11-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've been kind of busy lately. Blogging sort of took a backseat to getting all of the work done and still having enough time with the kids and to get done all that need to done.

So a small update and then some pictures. And then I will try to be better on top of blogging.

Our biggest update is that we are expecting our 6th baby at the very beginning of March (hopefully earlier, considering how big our kids get.) We know it is a boy and his name will be Maxwell Atticus Rehart. We'll just call him Max and the kids are super excited. McKay is especially sweet. I love seeing how sweet the kids are with each other. (Of course, this sibling sweetness does not extend into car rides. ;) )

I also got a fun new lens and have some pictures of Hannah, Ella and Michael. Hopefully Garrett and McKay will let me get a couple of them soon.

Happy Birthday Michael!

2010-06-06T19:56:00.001-07:00

My BABY!

Michael was the kiddo who made me a mommy for the first time. And he was so tiny. At a week old he was barely over 5 lbs. And now? I can wear his flip flops. *sniffle*

He's so big! So old!

For his birthday he had some school and neighborhood friends over and they did a scavenger hunt and broke codes. I was so impressed. They broke pig latin, Morse code, found the right Cardono grilles, figured out the invisible ink, etc. It was pretty cool. Smart kids.

Michael is such a great kid and I am glad to have him in our home. In fact, at school, Michael never lost even ONE star ALL year long. So that pretty much means he was always on task, always nice, always well-behaved. He is a great great great kid and we are so lucky to have him.

Happy birthday, awesome boy.

Happy Birthday McKay!

2010-06-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

Oops, a little late.

It's been crazy with the end of school and then the whole family getting so sick, but I really did want to post that McKay is 9 now.

Sheesh, I almost have 2 kids in double-digits.

It's been a good year for McKay. He's done so well with Michael in Mrs. Chirrick's class. He has been so good about learning and following more rules, so he gets to go out and play at friend's houses more. (He's never been naughty, mind you. Just prone to disappear.) In so many ways, he's growing up so quickly this year.

But in a lot of other ways, he's always the same. He loves to cuddle. He says the funniest, awesomest things ever. He's keenly observant. I think if people knew how much he was watching them, and really, how accurately he was assessing them, they would be shocked.

Having McKay in our family is one of the most sincere blessings I could imagine. He brings a sweetness and peace (most of the time...;) ) to our house. We also are in a unique situation. Seeing how people react to McKay is a very interesting filter for people. We have seen the best of people come out and we've been able to bond with people more deeply than I would have imagined over McKay, and on the flipside, we have seen some of the ugliest of human behaviors over McKay. But, it has been a blessing to our family to be able to learn and grow with McKay as a guide.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy.

A piece of my heart

2010-05-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

I shared this on Facebook, but I love this.

A day in the life of Michael and McKay at school.

I love their teachers, their friends, their school. It really makes life so much easier to know that they are in such loving and capable hands when they are away at school. I am so grateful I got the chance to go and document all of the kids and make a keepsake for my boys and their friends.

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

2010-05-30T19:33:00.001-07:00

Summer's here.

I just had to let out a little stress there.

Whew. Ok. I feel a little better.

It's not that I don't like summer. I actually generally prefer the slower pace of summer up until like Aug. 4th or so. Around then, I start feeling like my house needs a deep cleaning and I need a moment of silence. But until then, I love the slower pace of mornings. I love hearing the kids playing together. I love the splashing in the little pool outside. I love all the fresh fruits and veggie from the backyard. I love how the grill makes cleaning the kitchen SO much easier. I love the light in the longer evenings for photographs.

But, gaaah. I swear, every end-of-school time, the kids get sick! So this year was no exception. All of the kids have fallen prey to this nasty nausea/vomiting thing. It's been a pretty low-key end of school/Memorial Day weekend.

Still, the kids were able to participate in the dance festival, so that was fun. Hannah had to miss out on field day, and she was super sad. We told her there would be other years, but that's hard for a first grader to really grasp. Still, while it would have been memorable, a field day with vomiting would have been all kinds of bad. ;)

Michael's class danced to the Hoedown Throwdown. (He was also in the middle of a lot of tall boys. It was hard to get a good angle.) It was so cute to see him dancing so wholeheartedly.

Hannah's class danced to the Ice Cream Freeze (notice a Hannah Montana theme here?) and she was really into it. I giggled half of the time just enjoying her seriousness.

And McKay uh...danced? to Footloose, a Lehi favorite! He mostly just watched me and giggled. Which was probably fair, since I was giggling at Hannah, right?

We're party animals

2010-05-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

Sheesh, I'm all fun-ed out. (Yeah, I think there should be another n in fun-ed out, don't you? It is tough to make up words, I'm telling you.)

The kids think IHOP is all kinds of fun. Faces on pancakes, and all that jazz. And well, did you know that for every adult meal you get, a kid eats free? And the others are only $1.99? It's great when you have 5 kids. Plus, there is a balloon guy who strolls around making all sorts of balloon creations. McKay got a balloon motorcycle. I mean, really, that is talent. He was really nice and recognized right off that McKay has autism and was so kind and attentive to him. (You can check out his website. He's super nice.)

But really, between pancake faces, balloon creations, all the kids that come with restaurants that offer free kids' meals, and just taking 5 kids out to eat...I think I might need a nap. IHOP is not for the faint of heart.

Quality time

2010-05-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

I am still not sleeping well.

So I'm all caught up on Lost. I also have seen all of the House episodes. Now I watch Castle at 3:30 am. A year ago I did over 65 hours of online Photoshop training at 3:30 am.

But, in the last few weeks, I've decided to just be still.

Usually Ella or Garrett have climbed into our bed by this time of the night. So, rather than getting up and trying to find something to do to keep my mind off of the quickly advancing hours that I'm not sleeping, I've decided to just be still and listen to their breathing and watch them sleep.

I still don't fall asleep again, but there is something so beautiful about watching my kids when they sleep. It feels like bottling a little bit of time. They're getting so unbearable big and while I adore each new stage and discovery, it is hard to give up their precious baby years.

I guess I can count insomnia as a blessing in the end.

Michael!

2010-05-03T18:46:00.001-07:00

I am just so excited! I never get to get pictures of Michael. He gives me about 2 seconds of looking at the camera before he is just 100% over it. But today, he sat for about 5 minutes. Yay! Isn't he handsome?
He's perpetually right up in the camera, but hey, I'll take it!

Aaaaaand, that's a wrap. No more pictures, please. Talk to my publicist.

Hannah was a little miffed that it was not her turn, but when I told her it was her turn...she just wanted to make funny grumpy faces. Love her! What a ham!

Maybe it really is spring?

2010-05-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

This has been a flat out weird spring. (I actually accidentally typed winter, which would not be such an off-thought.)

The amount of snow we've gotten has been surprising. May 2nd, we woke up to a white lawn. That just ain't right.

But finally it looks like the weather is turning the corner. For the next five days, there is no snow in the forecast. So, with that meteorological blessing, I went ahead and planted my garden today. It's mostly just a bunch of tomatoes, peppers, and spaghetti squash, but we do have a few sunflowers, tomatillos, beans, and peas. We also had to replace one of the blueberry bushes, as one didn't take very well a couple of years ago. The fruit trees are doing really really well this year. I just hope the blossoms didn't freeze. The strawberries, raspberries and blackberries look promising too. Our grapes never look good. ;) I keep hoping one year, they will perk up, but it's never happened. I think I chose a bad location.

It was so much fun to sit outside and plant away while Garrett and Ella played and jumped and ran. The weather was so nice that it was really an afterthought. Not too hot, nor too cold. I love days like this. Nothing really remarkable happens, but life is just productive and good. I want to hang on to these days, because before long Garrett and Ella will be too old to be my partners in crime everyday, and I'll be so sad when that day comes.

Spring Beauty

2010-04-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Because Spring is beautiful...

It's been so long since I've posted

2010-04-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I always feel like I need something really amazing to post about. When I read blogs, especially of people I know, I usually just like to know what's up in their lives. What are their little triumphs and what are their daily concerns.

I need to get better about doing that again.

For the most part, things are great. The kids are loving the warm weather. They go outside and play and bring half of the front yard in on their clothes. ;) Yay! Spring is here! I will gladly take the extra laundry if it means that the days of warm weather, outdoor fun, and social times are back.

McKay has done wonderfully this year. He asks before he leaves now. He loves to go visit our amazing and wonderful neighbors, the Farleys. If I call and ask if he can come over, Amazing Eve lets him come over and play. If he shows up and I have not called, she knows he's left without permission and sends him along home. I cannot tell you how this has changed our lives. Suddenly Spring is amazing and fun and wonderful. Not a constant running headache. Love Eve.

Ella loves playing outside. She's discovered riding tricycles, and playing with little neighborhood friends. She seems almost unbearably old! She also has such an expressive demeanor. With all of the warm weather has come pollen. Her little nose was running, so she came to me and said, "Ewwww mom! Icky water in Ella's nose!" Ha! I love how 2-year-olds think. And I love hearing all about it.

Life's been busy. We've been booking weddings and families and babies for photographing. Darwin's always busy with work or with being the most supportive husband ever. That IS a rough job, but he does it so well. We're still on the homework train. There's always laundry to do. But life feels so beautiful in the spring, doesn't it?

WPPI Rocks!

2010-03-22T07:29:00.001-07:00

We had a most excellent time.

We decided in the summer of last year that we were going to go to WPPI 2010 in Las Vegas. WPPI is Wedding and Portrait Photographers International. So we joined this awesome organization and started planning.

Now, a quick trip to Vegas from Utah seems like no big deal, but to me, it was! I have 5 kids at home, ages 10 to just-turned-two. I never leave them for very long. A shoot is about the length of time I leave them, and usually it is with my ever-patient husband, Darwin. I even brought two of my kids (McKay, who was then 6 and autistic and Garrett, who was then 2) to the hospital to stay the night when my youngest daughter was born. So leaving for 5 days...big deal.

Still, we got the tickets in December. We booked a hotel. Crystal and I also called two other photographer friends, Leah and Eve, and before we knew it, the day had arrived and it was time to go. I was a little nervous, I admit. But before long, we were giggling and reading photography magazines in the car and counting the miles to Vegas. We were riding in Crystal's brand new Eddie Bauer Ford Expedition, enjoying the comfort of the space and the peace of no "road trip bickering" that every parent knows too-well. But we still called home every few hours. :)

Things were going pretty smoothly. And then suddenly...bam!

A loose bit of gravel cracked the windshield. Eek. Crystal's brand new car. Crystal broke the news to her husband, and he took it pretty well. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful.

We went to check into our hotel, tired and hungry. We stayed at the Stratosphere, since it was a lot cheaper than the MGM and we had a car and parking is free. (Hey, we're a new photography studio...we're frugal!)

The next morning, we got up and headed down to the MGM to register and attend some classes. It was still early in the conference, so there were not many classes and not everyone had really arrived. We saw a presentation on album design and then we got to hear the amazing children's photographer, Audrey Woulard, speak. She was fun and funny, open and honest, and completely charming. It was worth it, arriving early to hear her speak. We were also so grateful we were able to get in, as it was a full class.

The next day, we got up to get to classes at 5:30 AM! The classes started at 8 am and we wanted good seats. What can we say? We are THAT dedicated. We saw greats like Kirk Voclain (LOVED his presentation on photographing seniors, and can't wait to incorporate some of his stuff. WISH we could do the underwater photography that he does. One day...one day), Doug Gordon (crazy guy, great posing and lighting ideas), Marcus Bell (W.O.W.) and JB and DeEtte Sallee (genius wedding photographers and business people.) I even caught a free t-shirt in the Sallee's class that says "I Shoot People." Anyone who knows me and my tendency to say non-sequiters like "I just shot a newborn today!!" thought it was the perfect shirt for me.

But the speaker we were HOPING and waiting to see was Jasmine Star. Man...it was close. We almost missed out. The line was HUGE and thousands were turned away. But we got in. She was amazing. SO inspirational and so funny. So real and so giving. No wonder she is one of the top photographers in the industry. Her spirit and personality are larger-than-life to say the least. She held the packed room's attention for the full two hours. Amazing.

We also went to the tradeshow and were tempted beyond what any mortal photographer should be expected to withstand, but most of us came away financially-unscathed. (One of us...that might be debatable.)

One of the super cool things about the tradeshow was that there were tons of nifty speakers there. So we got the hear from Doug Gordon again, Baby as Art (Crystal was in heaven) and I was amazed and inspired by Louis Pang. He's a wedding photographer from Malaysia who is one of the best and most sought-after in the world. His lighting is first class. I soaked up his presentation and was humbled and inspired. I have lots of plans now for adding more lights to our OCF set ups. Woo! So, the tradeshow was also very very educational. (Not just shopping!)

Overall, we spent over 26 hours in classes, presentations, etc. at WPPI this year. We have so many plans and ideas and we feel recharged and ready to go. We are absolutely heading back next year.

Wait--isn't she already two?

2010-03-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

Yep!

Two years old today.

We usually are about to have another baby when our youngest reaches two years old. So, the fact she is still firmly in the "I'm-the-baby" category sort of makes her feel younger. She still gets toted around and cooed at by the older siblings and everyone calls her baby Ella.

But make no mistake. She is much more little girl than infant.

She will tell you exactly what she wants using a fairly complete phrase. She stays dry all night and all day. She dresses herself, even down to picking out shoes and socks. She is pretty darn fast once she hears the "Clean up" song. She can get her own carseat straps on and she waits patiently to be buckled up. (She also sings the "Buckle Up" song when she does this.) She LOVES nursery at church. She's just so big.

She's also pretty funny, because she is also not a girly-girl. Giving her a choice of birthday presents, the pack of Nerf balls--football, basketball, soccer ball--won out over dollies or dress-ups. She also can correctly name the different types of balls. When she picks out her clothes, she chooses Garrett's soccer ball shirt, or his Buzz Lightyear sweatshirt. It'll be interesting to see if these preferences stick, or if they are a passing thing.

Gosh, my littles are growing up.

A revision on an old classic

2010-03-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

So, once upon a time there was an old lady who lived in a shoe--or rather, a house in Lehi. She had so many children she didn't know what to do. Actually, she didn't know what to do alone anymore. She was ok with what to do with the kids. ;)

She also taught primary and nursery for years. Lots of kids came over to the shoe to play, so it was always full of busy kids.

In fact, when this little old lady had her youngest baby, she even had a few of the shoe-dwelling children come sleep at the hospital with her.

But then, this little old shoe lady decided to do photography. And then she started a studio with an awesome photographer. And she started hanging out with some really fun photographers. And they decided to go to the decidedly non-shoe-like Las Vegas to a big conference. WPPI.

The old lady was very excited...but she also wondered how would she do without her shoe and all of the inhabitants? Would the shoe still be standing when she returned? Luckily the little old man who lived in the shoe would be working from the shoe for a few days while the old lady was attending classes, going to shoots, and networking. Such a nice little old man.

So the little old lady is off to the crazy city for a lot of fun...but it is going to be a bit of a stretch to leave the shoe.

Big Four-Year-Old

2010-03-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

*sniffle*

He's FOUR!

Three is still *kind of* a baby. But there is an inescapable fact staring me in the face now. Garrett is NOT a baby. He's a little boy.

Of course I knew this, because he doesn't act like a little baby, but gosh, time has gone by so fast. This birthday has made me want to cuddle him more often. Because he's getting so old, so quickly.

It's been a big year for Garrett. He started preschool. He is getting pretty good on his trike, the trampoline, riding the scooter, etc. He started Sunbeams. He rocks at the Wii. (He is a backseat Wii-er though.

Also, he and Ella are becoming the Dynamic Duo. They spend the mornings devising all sorts of games. They color, they play with the Little People and superheros in the dollhouse, Garrett plays the Wii and Ella flails the inactive remote about as she impersonates Garrett. It's hilarious and touching.

While a tiny part of me is nostalgic for baby Garrett, I am excited to see what this year brings. And I am lucky that he's such an eager cuddlebug.

Happy Birthday, bud.

More funny stuff--Overheard

2010-03-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

I have to tag all the funny stuff that my kids say as Overheard, so that when I search for it, I can find them all quickly. Ya know, for when I write my book. ;)

First, Michael came DASHING downstairs in a bit of panic. "I have GUM DISEASE!" he informed me, urgently. I looked up, alarmed, trying to figure out what he meant. He continued in his frightened tone. "I swallowed some gum!!"

Then we took the family and a few friends to play in the McDonald's playland for Garrett's birthday. While there, McKay ran behind the counter and said, "May I help you?"

Oh and McKay (referring to his robe pulled over his head): It's a Jedi Master thing. Then McKay says, pretending to talk to C-3PO, "Oh hi there, 3PO, what is that you're wearing?" Then, pretending to be C-3PO he said, "Oh, it's nothing but a pile of junk."

And finally, not so comical, but extremely poignant, McKay said, "I forgive people. That's my job." Which, when you deal with autism and how people react to you...it kind of is.

Shocking

2010-02-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

Ella is not going to be 2 until March.

But she likes to wear the other kids clothes a lot. I assumed it was random. She's been doing it forever. Especially in the mornings. But then, today, she was dressing in her motley assortment of clothes, and I was astounded.

She put on a shirt and said, "Michael", and it was his.

And then she put on some shorts and said, "Garrett"

Then a button up shirt and said "McKay"

A light jacket and said, "Hannah"

Finally, a little purse and said, "Ella."

And the more I think about it, she DOES seem to pick more than one person's clothes, all the time. She seems, for whatever reason, to want to pick one article of clothing from each child.

Somehow that seems just insanely intricate for a not-even-two-year-old to come up with.

Overheard a la Ella

2010-01-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

Every morning Ella wakes up just before Michael, McKay and Hannah go off to school. Today, Ella was seeing them off with, "Michael...school!", "McKay...school!", "Hannah...school!"

Then Darwin was leaving and she said, "Daddy....hide!"

Uh oh...what does she think he's hiding from??

The Science Fair

2010-01-28T02:06:00.001-08:00

D'oh, again with the backwards pictures. I always forget how Blogger uploads. Oh well.

Michael did the Science Fair last week. I was so proud, because he REALLY wanted to do it, even though he got the information really late. He only had a week and a couple days to do his stuff, but he worked so hard every night.

Michael and Darwin did an experiement on energy efficency and asked the question, "Does it hotter water cool faster than warm water?"

They designed an experiement to test their hypothesis and ran it 6 times. They recorded the data and put it into Excel and made some graphs and they proved that yes, hotter water cools faster, so it takes more energy to keep hot water hot than to keep warm water warm.

I was really proud of how scientific Michael was about the whole thing. And with Darwin on the case, you can bet they followed the scientific method to a T.

I can't wait to see what they come up with next year! Give the boy three weeks and he'll blow them all away!

Overheard and other awesomeness

2010-01-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was "Dads and Donuts" at the school, where the dads come and read a story with the kids and have a donut and just spend about a half an hour having some quality time together. In the morning, as we were getting ready for school, we told McKay that was what was going on today. McKay was so happy he did the "Dads and Donuts" dance. Once he finished performing his masterpiece, he asked if dancers ate donuts. I said I wasn't sure if they did. He said, "Well, they do now!"

Also, I am excited because I got to get another lens from my "reaaaaaallllllly want" list. A super cool macro lens. (Mmmm, for those photographers who read the blog, it is the Canon 100mm 2.8 L IS. Nice.) I am super excited.

Another bit of random awesomeness (as that is the theme of this post), Hannah and Darwin had a daddy-daughter date a couple of days ago and McKay and I did last night. (Well, not daddy-daughter, with McKay...substitute the appropriate nouns, if you will.) We'll rotate through all of the kids shortly. It is always easier to do these little evenings with the kids in the winter, because in the summer they seem much busier, much later in the evening.

Michael and McKay also started their third session of rock climbing with 'Splore this month too. They love it and it is a great sport for them. We shall see if I love McKay's newfound mad rock climbing skillz in the spring though. Hopefully he won't try to use them illicitly on the back fence. ;)

In some non-awesome news, poor Michael is so sick. He might be a super picky eater and I might worry about his nutrition, but he is one of my kids who is least likely to get ill, so when he does, it is always a bit of a shock to him. So, he was quite unamused this morning when he woke up, feeling violently ill. (Which is why I am posting this at 5:30 am. He is finally resting comfortably in a warm bath, and I am sitting here on the side, watching him--so he doesn't fall asleep in the water. Poor guy has been up since about 2:30.) So, a little prayer for Michael would be great. I think he'll be good to go in a few hours, but these first hours are always so uncomfortable and unfun.

Ok, I am gonna toot my own horn for a second

2010-01-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

So, I revamped my Rachel Rehart Photography blog, because, honestly, it was getting TONS of Google hits and was leading people to the R+C Photography blog, so we figured we'd make it more accessible and easier to navigate and book from there, if people were interested.

So, I fancied it up with a new template and I designed my own logo! By MYSELF! (Well, I have to be honest, Melissa totally did help me figure out where the line tool was...because uh...yeah, I admit, I didn't know where it was. *blushing* I don't design much.) It is fun though, because it has galleries and all sorts of cool stuff.

Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think.

Rachel Rehart Photography

Diary of a Worm

2010-01-03T05:50:00.001-08:00

Have you read this book? Hee, it is so funny. The pictures are hilarious and the wry comments are sidesplittingly awesome. But the best part?? McKay quoting it at random times.

Imagine if you will, McKay saying (in a fairly serious tone), "April 15th: I snuck up on some kids in the park today. They didn't hear me coming. I wriggled right up between them. They screamed when they saw me. I love it when they do that."

Oh the hilarity.

Or, as McKay informed me last night, "I am such a joker." Truer words were never spoken.

Overheard

2009-12-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

Darwin was bathing McKay for church, and McKay was quite resistant to the idea of his hair being washed.

Darwin: You need to get your hair washed for church.

McKay: I'm not going to church! I am going to the opposite of church!

That sounds fairly bad...but never fear! Once his hair was washed, McKay was back to saying, "Jesus says, 'It's almost partytime!'"

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-20T17:06:00.001-08:00

Awwwww, my angels.

The Christmas Party of Joy!!

2009-12-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

Woo! It IS Christmas!!

The kids LOVE Harris' Christmas party. It really marks the final countdown to Christmas. We have the best time and love a night where the kids can really just be comfortable and have fun!

We were a little late due to a snow plow issue (it blocked us in our driveway...), but we caught the tail end of the singing.

Mmmmm, treats.

x2!!

The old gang is back together!! (Seriously, Michael LOVES this time--in fact, he didn't even rush off to get in line for Santa immediately. He hung back and played with his buds. LOVE that!)

Harris!! He fits right in, no?

McKay loved seeing old friends.

This is McKay's best buddy. She also does a great job of getting him where he needs to be. Before Sarah found him, he was in and out of the Santa line about 25 times. But she got him all straightened out.

Wooo! Santa!! I know him! I KNOW him!!

Hannah thought this was pretty much awesome.

Awwwwwwww. I love all of the friends they have.

Hannah visits Santa. (I am not sure why I only resized the black and white...but I am too lazy to go back and change it. Santa's wearing red, if that helps you visualize it.)

Michael shares his deepest wish...Clue Secrets and Spies.

Garrett was a little star-struck over Santa.

Ella was quite unsure.

Yeah...not gonna sit on his lap. She was not sure about the present he gave her, but she totally wanted his beard...if he was gonna share...

McKay left towards the end and took a little tour of his old stomping grounds in Harris' room.

He knew were everything was!

Christmas can officially come now. We've been to THE party!

Overheard

2009-12-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

While we were at the Ward Christmas party, McKay was drawn to the stage. Well, specifically opening and closing the curtain of the stage. He has ALWAYS been intriqued by this.

We were trying to keep him at the table, eating dinner. Our sweet neighbor, Jenny, was also there, assisting us. She kept McKay very entertained, asking him about his beloved alphabet ball, but occationally, McKay would make a dart for the stage, only to be restrained.

On one of these attempts, McKay turned to Jenny and said very sweetly, "Money is no object...."

Heee.

Rock ON!

2009-12-12T12:08:00.001-08:00

So the boys have been participating in an awesome program sponsored by 'Splore. They organize activities for children with special needs. We signed up for two of their rock climbing classes. The kids have learned rapelling, bouldering, etc. I love watching them do so well, and they both REALLY do well.

It is also a little surprising to see one's children hanging from 40+ feet...;)

Overheard

2009-12-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

While we ate dinner, Garrett opined that "Bad guys don't get to eat ham or turkey. They can only eat goo. And they turn into goo. And fall into traps."

Wow, that is certainly a persuasive argument against being a bad guy.

Uh...oops?

2009-12-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

So I have totally neglected my blog.

Oops.

But let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

1) Late October-most of November was the time of the plague in the abode of Rehart. It was one thing after another. Sore throats. Fluishness. Vomiting. High fevers of unexplained origins. So, we stayed home. A lot. I think I bought one tank of gas for the minivan in about a month. The house was not destroyed utterly in the end, so I count that time as a success in our family history.

2) Ella was potty trained. She pretty much rocks. I didn't really do anything to teach her, she just saw all the praise Garrett got when he used the potty (he's been trained awhile, but he still likes to proclaim about his successes), and she decided that she could totally do it. She was right.

3) I have been a maniac. Preschool shoots, a wedding, and a meeeellllllion family shoots later...I am ready for a break. But I will smile as I receive Christmas cards, as many of them will feature photos that I took. ;) I still have a couple family shoots and 2 weddings on the books. I think a few weeks off would be good though. I am starting to feel burned out from literally shooting at least twice a week (and 5 times over Thanksgiving week.) I've been editing an average of 100 pics a day for a bit. I'm getting darn fast though.

4) The house is decorated for Christmas and pictures will be forthcoming. It is hilariously cute to see Ella in amazement at the tree full of little "toys." Garrett also has lots of ideas about Santa Claus. Oh and Michael and McKay came up with the 13th and 14th verses of the 12 Days of Christmas. Michael thinks 13 should be 13 Chocolate Turkeys. And McKay thinks 14 needs to be 14 Disney Videos. Works for me.

5) I also have a bunch of photos of the boys rock climbing at the climbing wall in SLC. They are doing a cool class for kids with autism. It's been great. I will post them in a bit. (I am on the wrong computer, my external hard drive is hooked up to my other computer.)

I think that is it for the moment. I also have trouble sleeping (I have for about 6 months), so I am now totally caught up on the TV show House. Any input on what show I ought to catch up on next in my extra night time hours while I edit? I like the background noise.

Whitewashed

2009-10-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

First off, I don't have pictures of this. But let me explain.

McKay often loves to go down into the unfinished basement and lie on a spare mattress we have down there and read or play with his puppets and just enjoy some alone time. I am ok with this habit, as I prefer it to him running.

Last night there was a lot of commotion as all the kids were coloring and generally being noisy in the family room, so I saw McKay slip downstairs.

I thought nothing of it until I heard McKay calling at the basement door, saying he could not open it. Odd, I thought, since there is no lock and it is not a sticky door.

Well, he could not open it because he had found a gallon can of white latex paint and a brush on a top shelf and had gotten it down and removed his clothing, and painted himself white from head to toe. A nice thick two or three coat job too. His hands were far too slick with wet paint to effectively turn the doorknob. ;)

Luckily the basement is unfinished and most of the paint was on the cement floor and a little on a Rubbermaid tote. Nothing of much importance was ruined, luckily and we were able to scrub most of the paint off of even the tote and the floor, but scrubbing McKay was a lengthy process. He is quite a thorough painter. I am still wondering how he covered his back so completely.

Overheard

2009-09-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

McKay: When I get home from school, I want to watch Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Mayonnaise.

Mmm, phantom mayonnaise. (I think I have some of that in the back of my fridge....)

Hey Family!

2009-09-24T20:28:00.001-07:00

Check out Alison's family pics on our blog! R+C Photography blog.

I just thought they were super cute. I'm lucky to have such a cute family to take pictures of. :D

Hannah and the 84 inch umbrella...

2009-09-21T13:26:00.001-07:00

She was such a good sport about us trying out our new toys on her.

Harry Potter mania!

2009-09-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

My English major heart is so proud and full. Hannah and I have been reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone together each night and she has been loving it. We ran down to our wall of bookshelves in the basement tonight and grabbed my copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to start tomorrow night.

It't so much fun passing on a love of reading (and a love of Harry Potter) to my daughter. She amazes me with her quick understanding of the nuances and with the insightful questions she asks. It's been a really fun and special time each evening. I'm loving it. I'm already planning for what other books we'll share when Harry Potter is over.

Overheard

2009-09-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

Garrett: And Tuna Republic, and Tuna Republic, and Tuna Republic...Mom? What's Tuna Republic?

Yep, he's learing the Pledge of Allegiance.

Overheard

2009-09-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

McKay: I just had the Phonics dream.

Hannah: No fair! I've been waiting my whole life for the Phonics dream!

Update on McKay

2009-09-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

He is doing REALLY well.

Once he started the Prednisone the blisters that were forming on his hand started to receede. As the days went by, the blisters never burst or opened into lesions. Instead it just became a kind of shrively bit of blister.

His hand has started to go down with swelling, and it was rather bruised-looking for awhile, but now it is looking good.

I have to think with the quick treatment (usually they don't start treatment until after the blisters have burst and caused lesions, since people generally don't worry a lot until then--and they don't figure it out until then), we've been really lucky.

Thank you all for the prayers and kind thoughts.

Lehi Folks, a word of caution

2009-09-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

In the very late evening of Tuesday, McKay woke up in a lot of pain, with his hand rapidly and inexplicably swelling. Since we were unable to tell if it was affecting his breathing we called the paramedics. They were mystified. We took him to the ER, they too were unsure what it could be. There was really no mark, other than the huge swelling.

In the morning, we saw the small beginnings of a blister and we took McKay to the dr. for follow-up. The dr. felt fairly sure it was a spider bite, but was unsure if it was a black widow or brown recluse. Neither scenario fit perfectly, but it was more satisfactory than other answers, so we began treatment for that (oral prednisone.)

A friend who saw that this was the diagnosis on Facebook suggested looking at Hobo spider bites, as they were often improperly labeled as Brown Recluse bites. After a bit of Googling and identification, I was quickly and sickeningly aware that I have seen this spider MANY times around our yard. I have boldly cleaned up many a web, especially where the siding meets the foundation of the house. I have seen the funnel shaped webs in my rose bushes, at the base where the main branches make a V. I have seen them along the fence as I have watered my garden and picked vegetables. I thought nothing of it, as I am usually fine with the natural cycle of life.

However, I am now planning to be extra vigilant. I have set up hobo traps and we have (while wearing long pants, long shirts and gloves) sprayed all the funnel webs we could find--and there were many. I will be inspecting the children's playhouse and swingset, trampoline, climbers, the hammock and garden area, etc. MUCH more carefully and much more often now.

Hobo Spider

This is a link to a picture of a Hobo spider. I would feel pretty confident that you've probably seen them about.

Funnel Web

This is a link to a "funnel web" picture. Again, I am sure you've seen them around.

I was shocked (and kind of bizarrely facinated) when I was walking by a rose bush early this year to catch a show of a spider--that I know know was a hobo--jumping from it's web and attacking a wasp in mid-flight. They don't use sticky webs, so they are more agressive, as they are required to be to obtain food.

Anyway, please be aware of these spiders. I have seen them and I have honestly thought they were just a garden spider, and as such I was leaving them entirely alone to maintain the balance of the ecosphere of my yard, etc. No more. I will leave garden spiders alone, but war has been declared on hobos. My yard has entirely too many children playing in it to have these spiders out there. It has been scary and painful, to say the least.I just wanted to make all of my friends and neighbors in the same area aware that these spiders are out there and what the symptoms and signs of the bites are. Fast treatement is very important to a good, and less painful outcome. We're still in the midst of it, but I hope our fast actions and treatment will make healing much quicker and less painful/scarring, etc.

Random, random, random

2009-08-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I've been bad about blogging. Probably because I've just been so busy doing stuff. Which seems kind of ironic. I mean, now I have stuff to blog, but not the time, and before I had the time, but not as much to blog.

But here is a vain attempt to catch up on everything.

1) The kids are back in school! Yay! *sniffle*

I love having them home...until they fight and make messes. Then I MOSTLY love them home. By the end of the summer, it was a lot of fighting and messes, so school seems like a good option. They are all excited to go back.

Michael and McKay have the same teacher this year. Mrs. Chirrick. She is truly a rockstar. I just love her. I foresee a great year this year. Yeah, we still miss Harris, but the boys are in awesome hands.

Hannah started first grade with Mrs. Templeton. I really am impressed with what I see. I think she will be super for Hannah. I just can't believe Hannah is old enough to be in school all day. I spent most of Thursday as a nervous wreck. I worried she would not figure out the cafeteria. I worried she would not find her class. I worried she would not get back on the bus for home. She proved me wrong in all of these areas and came home cool as a cucumber. Silly mommy.

Garrett is going to start preschool on Tuesday. He is beyond thrilled. He's actually just miffed he had to wait until next week. He's such a good boy, he'll do great. He wakes me up each morning with, "Wake up mom! You can't sleep! It's a wonder day!" Awwww.

Ella is going to be kind of bored on the days Garrett is gone especially. Just me and her. But I think it will be good for her. I think the hospital was one of the few times it was JUST her. She is usually part of the crowd.

2) Business is good. Busy, but winding down from the breakneck speed of the summer. We have jobs a few times a week, but it is just not the impossible schedule we were keeping before. Still, we're getting a really full website. So that's good.

3) Ella is doing a lot better. She's gaining back some of the weight she lost and is full of energy again. I am so glad. She was just not herself. She's back to smiles and giggles and happiness. Thank heavens.

I have a couple pictures, but I need to resize them. I'll make a post specifically for pictures in a bit.

Sugar and spice and all things nice

2009-08-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

Pink, frills, dolls, accessories, hair ribbons, and dresses. Six years ago, I got to indulge in these for the first time.

Hannah was our first girl after two sweet boys and we were SO excited. I put bows in her hair, dresses on her everyday, painted her toenails and made bracelets for her. She was certainly a good sport about this.

She's always been such a fun girl. On one hand, she loves to brush hair and play dolls, on the other hand she can tell you all about Power Rangers and fight with a lightsaber with amazing grace.

She is an interesting combination of sensitivity but strength. She knows what she wants and knows what she should do and doesn't back down, but on the other hand, she is careful and gentle and kind. She is wonderful friends with her siblings and we love her so much.

Today is six years since she joined our family and we have been very blessed to have her. Happy birthday baby girl!

Awww, poor Ella

2009-08-14T21:46:00.001-07:00

Poor Ella got sick.

She was throwing up and throwing up all night Sunday, into Monday. When it was light enough to tell what was going on, we saw that there was blood in her vomit. That was fairly alarming, so Darwin took her to the pediatrician. He was concerned she might have an ulcer and that it was bleeding. So, he sent us off to Primary Children's.

But he also warned us if she started vomiting bright red, we needed to get to ANY hospital along the way. So, I left with Ella, feeling a little scared after all of that.

She turned out to actually have rotavirus and probably a small tear in her esophogeus due to all of the violent vomiting. She was quite a trooper about it all. The first few days she was completely lethargic and slept most of the time, but by the time she got feeling a little better, she wanted to go home.

She put on her little dress, my shoes, packed her diapers in a bag, wiped down the hospital room with a wipe, and threw out all the papers she could find on the floor and started knocking on the door.

She's still not 100% yet. Still a little vomiting, but at least she's able to be home and is not completely listless.

Poor little monkey.

Lucky, lucky me!

2009-07-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Ella is, aparantly, a neat freak.

When she gets her diaper changed, she wants to throw the old one away herself and wash her hands.

When I am picking up toys (and BEGGING the older kids to get in there and help!) Ella is right alongside me, tossing toys into their bins.

When I deep cleaned my carpets, Ella worked for all of those 2+ hours right next to me with her little toy vacuum cleaner.

She helps me water the garden and pick the veggies. (She also eats ALL of the veggies. This girl is gonna be HEALTHY! She loves zucchini and tomatoes better than candy!)

I have to keep a close eye on her, or I find her upstairs cleaning the toilets, scouring power, toilet brush and all.

She's something else! A little cleaning machine.

Mmmmmm, the fruits of our labors

2009-07-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Our garden is in full-swing now. I just made the kids and I some omlettes for lunch with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and zucchini straight from the garden. We've had about 5 zucchinis and a few squash already.

We've been able to eat loads of cherries, strawberries and raspberries, as well as sweet peas, this year.

I know I should have some pictures of it, but the food never lasts long between harvesting and devouring it.

It is soooooo tasty. Veggies are always good, but right fresh from the garden? Mmmmm, heaven.

The 4th of July

2009-07-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, since I am a dork and can't properly upload pictures, we'll go backwards.
So we went to Alison's house for the second half of the day. They had a fun waterslide up and the kids loved it. McKay looked like a lizard, sitting at the top, basking in the sun. (I know it is tilted crazily, but I had to get the sun in, because that was half of McKay's enjoyment.)

We had an awesome dinner, fun fireworks, and a great time with family.

We also had our annual ward breakfast and waterslide. Michael was REALLY into it this year.

Ella and Garrett were more about watching the goings on.

Hannah also went down the waterslide more times than I can count.

McKay liked it, but only went down a couple times.

Michael grabbed Garrett and took him down against Garrett's will, and Garrett was VERY displeased.

{content}

2009-07-03T22:21:00.000-07:00

I just had to show off my cute sister in law and her family

2009-06-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

I got to go take pictures of Darwin's sister Cynthia and her family on Friday. It was so fun. My nieces and nephew are really cute and they were really fun and cooperative. I have more on my photoblog and I just love how they turned out. Man, I think she really ought to move closer so I can do that more often. :D

P.S. Meh. I don't want to upload them with blogger, but I forgot I had the wrong format on my family blog. Oh well. Check out how they are supposed to look on the www.rachelrehartphotography.com blog. ;)

Twelve years!

2009-06-29T11:02:00.001-07:00

Seriously, I know I have been a blogging slacker. I've just been weirdly busy all summer. I also had a serious external hard drive mishap that sort of sucked the wind out of my sails for awhile, but I have a nifty new photo storage system. (It takes forever, but between DVDs, CDs, external, etc., if I ever lose another picture, I will throw up my hands and walk away in resignation.) Oh and um, people I've taken pics of, could I borrow the CDs I gave you and reburn them to my back up? ;) I'd love you all forever. :D

But on to why I am shaking the dust off my feet and posting!

Twelve years ago yesterday Darwin and I got married. We had a very low-key celebration, since Garrett had been sick a couple days earlier. We didn't want to leave him with a babysitter and possibly spread germs or have another kid fall ill and start throwing up.

Instead, I went and did a photo session and then we came home and got take-away from Applebees and the kids watched a movie and had pizza in the family room.

In a lot of ways, it was perfect. It was just life, but with a *little* bit of polish. I honestly am happy to be home with the kids and Darwin and just enjoy their company. Often with the kids we're so busy we only get to talk in little snippets, but now that the kids are getting older, we told them we were celebrating our anniversary and eating our tasty Applebees and Michael and Hannah went out of their way to make sure everyone let us just eat and talk in peace. I thought that was adorable.

I've also been reflecting on what a lucky girl I am. Darwin is such a great husband. He's supportive, calm, funny, smart, a hard worker, and he's super cute too. I could rattle off the Boy Scout motto and that would be Darwin. (Plus the cute. Don't forget the cute.) Even when I get all wound up into a ball of stress, he's there and calm.

Everytime we've had a baby, the nurses at the hospital and the midwives just goggle over how he is so attentive, involved, and supportive. One nurse that we had seen one night, and was then back the next night told us that she had gone home and told her teenaged son about Darwin and told him that if he (her son) could act like Darwin had, he'd have a happy marriage. That has always stuck with me. This woman has seen MANY husbands and wives in the same situation, but she could see what a gem Darwin is.

Anyway, woo! Twelve years!

I don't really need a duck.

2009-06-24T17:56:00.000-07:00

Said McKay to Garrett (while watching Meet the Robinsons),

McKay: I know! I'll turn him into a duck! Oh...wait. I don't know how to do that. And I don't really need a duck.

Yeah, well, it is probably just as well. I imagine our cats would not be kind to a duck.

Noooo, not THAT kind of announcement.

2009-06-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Sillies. ;)

Actually my friend Crystal and I have been working together for a bit and we've decided to go into business together. So we made a website and a blog and all that fun stuff. Just like the big kids. We're so cool. :P

So, check it out. RCPhotography. Granted it is just in it's infant stages and will grow and change, but it's a start anyway.

George Washington

2009-06-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Oops, I have neglected the blog for a bit. I've been fairly busy and I will have an announcement fairly soon, and things ought to slow down a bit (maybe) and I'll be back to blogging lots of randomness. So never fear. (I know you were.)

But I just had to share this. Mr. Harris brought McKay this sweet teddy bear for his baptism. It explains the promises we make at baptism in simple, kid-friendly language. Love it.

To paraphrase, it says we promise to 1) Bear the name of Jesus Christ. (Doing what we think He would want us to do. 2) Bear others burdens. (Being kind and loving to all.) 3) Bear testimony. (Sharing what we believe with others through what we say and what we do.)

Isn't that SO sweet?

Well, McKay loves it too. He carries it all around and sleeps with it each night. I asked what his name was and McKay said his name was George Washington, but that we should call him George for short.

So here's McKay's beloved George Washington.

Thank you, thank you...we'll be here all week!

2009-06-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

We were at Costco last night, providing laughs for all. We also might have helped some people consider family planning as well.

First off, as we were walking through the aisles, Garrett kept wiggling in the seat of the cart. I kept telling him to sit and he would for a moment, and then the wiggles would overtake him again. I finally grabbed his arms and looked at him and said, "You need to stay in your seat, do you understand me?"

He looked at me, just as seriously, and replied, "Yes Master."

Yes, I could hear giggles all around me from my fellow shoppers.

Then on the way out we decided that we would get some berry smoothies for the kids. It was really a nice idea. Everyone was happy. Smiles abounded. Until...Ella dropped her smoothie on the floor on the way out. Oops. We went and found someone to alert them to the need for a mop, while I tried to get the worst of it up with some napkins. As the employee was approaching, Michael dropped his smoothie. Yeah, that is a lot of smoothie for a small area of Costco. The employee was so kind and laughed and laughed at it. She also told us to go get a replacement smoothie. (I thought that was really brave of her.)

By the time we left, I think the employees were both chuckling and breathing a sigh of relief.

Overheard

2009-06-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Garrett: Everyone loves a good jazz square. It's a crowd favorite.

Can you guess what we've been watching lately?

How about now?

Garrett: Get your head in the game, mommy.

Any guesses?

McKay's baptism day

2009-06-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday McKay was baptized. It was so wonderful. We had lots of friends and family come and show their love and support and McKay was very excited.

He sat and listened rather well to the talks and he was excited to go into the font when it was his turn. He said an impromptu prayer before he was baptized and another one when he was confirmed.

It was a very spiritual and emotional day for everyone.

After the baptism service, we came home with friends and family and had a luncheon of nachos and cake. McKay usually is not a big fan of a lot of people at his house, but all night long he kept telling me about how he was going to have another party with "teachers and friends and family" and how we would have cake and cotton candy and how everyone loved him. He was SO happy. He went to bed last night talking to me and making up a story about how his teachers and family and friends would come over and what he would do for the party. When he woke up this morning he wondered where everyone was.

I love how happy and supported and loved McKay felt yesterday. We LOVE all our friends and family.

A decade ago today

2009-06-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

I became a mom, for the first time.

I had been on bedrest with Michael for a little while, because my blood pressure had gotten rather high. But they had me go in and get checked on the evening of the 4th of June, and it was high enough that they felt like Michael would do better being out than in. That meant he would be born 5 weeks early.

They started some pitocin at 7 pm that evening. In hindsight, I should have asked them to wait until the morning, since I was tired and had not eaten during the hours I had been at the hospital, which was not a good way to go into labor. I have to admit, I cried a bit. I had spent my whole pregnancy studying natural birth. I picked the hospital I did because they had tubs for laboring in. I had midwives. I knew all the issues with a pitocin-induced birth. And...the midwife on-call that day was not my favorite one. ;) I had it all planned in my head how it was SUPPOSED to go and it was a far-cry from what I wanted to happen.

I went without medication for eleven hours and finally, exhausted at 6 am (and super hungry and out of energy, since I had not eaten for nearly a day at this point), I got the epidural. Again, I cried, because it was not in my "plan." It didn't work very well, but it was enough to relax a little.

I started pushing at about 9:30 am and I was so excited! Yay! I was going to meet my son! But...10:30 came and went. 11:00 came and went...11:30 came and went...finally, at 11:55 Michael was born. He was a scrappy little guy, weighing in at 6 lbs. 5 oz. and he was 19.5 inches long.

I could hardly believe how beautiful he was. He was so tiny, but he had a really strong cry. The next couple days were a blur (probably due mostly to the fact I was still on a high dose of magnesium sulfate for the blood pressure, it made everything fuzzy and strange.)

Michael got home, and we quickly discovered he was getting VERY jaundiced and was not eating. (Why he left the hospital in the first place, I am not sure.) We spent nearly a week trying to get Michael rehydrated and his jaundice down. He was early enough that his sucking reflex was not totally there. He would not even take a bottle. So we fed him with a syringe. By a week old though, he was only 5 lbs. 5 oz. It was a really trying time.

At a week old, he stopped breathing and we called the ambulance. We went back to the hospital where he was born and after another apenic episode in the ER, he was admitted for a week. After a lot of tests, they figure it was reflux, but he was small enough that he couldn't spit the fluid all the way out and was choking on it. So we went home again with a bunch of monitors and some reflux medicines.

Poor Michael! I should have realized then that all of that was probably Heavenly Father trying to say, "Rachel, I know you like to have everything planned out in advance and be prepared, but really...just stop that now. Parenting is not like that." Michael has always been the strong one to pave the way for all of the other kids in the family. He's the one who has gone through the most "drama" as Darwin and I figure out how to deal with the unexpected things that kids do and as autism has become a part of our family. He's a resiliant kid, that's for sure.

I can remember the time that I could not find 18 month old Michael anywhere. I looked all over the apartment and finally discovered him on the highest bunkbed, with a pack of markers and he was coloring on the ceiling. Leave it to Michael to skip coloring on the walls and go right to ceiling-coloring.

Michael is such a good kid. His teachers and aides just cannot say enough good about him. He works hard, he is a great friend and he wants people to be happy. He's like a ray of sunshine.

What a decade it's been! The best one of my life, for sure. I am so grateful to have my Michael. We are so incredibly lucky to be his parents and to have him in our family. His curious mind and contagious excitement keep things interesting, for sure.

Happy 10th birthday Michael!

Oh what do you do in the summertime...

2009-06-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

I would reccomend trying this when you DON'T have 3 kids on the table...but, eh, if you never have a second like that, then it's as good a time as any. ;) They were interested in my jerry-rigged (jur-rigged?) boom stand and baby bottle. So it was a good way to entertain the littles for a few minutes.

Weekend Round-Up

2009-06-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

So, how I could have neglected to post this, I'll never know. But...Garrett is totally potty-trained. YAY! He's been that way for awhile. Since I'd had such a long go of it with other children, I took a much more laisse faire approach with Garrett. I'd gently suggest it, try for a bit, and back off when he would not take the bait. I would suggest different tactics and see which ones seemed to pique his interest.

(Hmmm, I am debating if I should post the hilarious one that DID take. Seeing as it is about potty-training it might be gross. But then maybe it would help some other potty-trainer out there. See my dilemma? Maybe I'll post it below, and you can turn away if you don't want to read about it. ;) )

The other funny weekend thing was I got my laptop back! Finally! Oh, I was so happy. Usually they send it via Overnight Express, but for some reason, the first leg of the trip of me shipping it in, it went by Ground and took over a week to GET to Dell. Then they shipped it back quickly, but I was not expecting it and I missed the Fed Ex guy. D'oh. Anyway, the stars aligned and the Fed Ex man and I exchanged my signature for the laptop, and all was right with the world....until...(duh, duh, dunnnnn....) the new a/c adapter they decided to send along with my laptop turned out to be a dud and would not charge my laptop. So, until next Wed., my laptop is without power. It is ALMOST funny. But I did add new memory to my desktop, so all is well there too.

*****The Potty-Training Method (turn away now, if you don't want to read about it******

So, Garrett has really been into parties lately. I told him his poopies (yeah, see, are you regretting reading it now?) wanted to go visit their other friends down the toilet at the Poopy Party, but they were sad, because they were trapped in the diaper and thrown in the trash and would never make it to the Poopy Party.

That was all it took. Ha ha ha.

As promised...

2009-05-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Dance Festival pictures!

It was so cute. They did a sort of Around the World theme. Michael's grade did the dance where they jump in the pipes (it seemed tropical in theme), Hannah did the Huki Lau and McKay did a penguin dance.

McKay also graduated from Harris' class. Sniff.

I plan to post more in the next few days. My computer is still having issues (they sent back a faulty charger for my laptop) and I have been insanely busy, not like summer will cure that, but I think things ought to calm down a little soon.

I've also been doing lots of photography lately. If you want to see my non-family pics, you can check them out at rachelrehartphotography.com. ;)

The end of an era

2009-05-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

I am still on the rather slow desktop (I am pondering getting more memory for it, since aparantly I will be on it another week), so I am a bit behind in converting the pictures from the dance festival. Those will be uploaded shortly.

But gosh, it's hitting me so hard today that McKay is almost graduated from Mr. Harris' class. Which means, for the first time in 4 years, we won't have a kid in his class. I knew this day was coming. In fact, I was aware of it throughout the year that this was our last year. But today as we went to the last Singing Time for Parents and they did a little graduation ceremony...I just couldn't block it from my mind anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited about Mrs. Chirrick. She is a fabulous teacher and a rockstar as well. She is a quiet powerhouse. I've seen great strides in Michael this year and I am excited for McKay and what the future hold.

But gosh, it's hard to say goodbye (not forever, for sure) to someone who has been such a powerful advocate for my kids. His aides have won my hearts and hold a very special place. McKay sees Mrs. Jones as a second mom and a great friend. They all have felt like family. I always knew I could turn to this second family for advice, support, and if nothing else, a shoulder to cry on. One who would understand exactly what I was going though and feeling.

So, while it is joyous that we have had such a wonderful, positive year of learning and growing, the growing pains are hitting me this afternoon and I feel a little teary. But we certainly are richer for having had such a wonderful advocate for our sons.

Thank you Harris and gang! We certainly are blessed to have had our sons in your class.

{simple}

2009-05-23T21:56:00.001-07:00

McKay's Birthday! (And a bit of business)

2009-05-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

Yay! McKay is eight today! He woke up early this morning and said promptly, "It is my birthday today!" How fun that he is so excited.

My laptop has been being repaired for a week and I am on a deadly slow computer, otherwise there would be a slideshow. But I do plan to do one once I get my fast computer back. ;)

I cannot believe McKay is eight. He's grown such a lot this year. He's been such a good minder and really likes to help. Ella and he are little buddies, and that growing friendship has been so fun to see. He's such a good boy and he really wants to be with his family and he loves to make us happy. It is so sweet to see how hard he has been trying. I have high hopes that this summer will be easier than the last.

He's also so smart. He loves to read and write and he does most of his homework on his own. It's great.

We're so lucky to have McKay. He just makes me smile everyday.

ALSO

His baptism will now be at ELEVEN O'CLOCK on Saturday the 6th. So, if you're planning to attend, please note that change. :D

McKay's Baptism

2009-05-16T19:18:00.001-07:00

Please come, if you can.

Ear Tubes: A picture essay ;)

2009-05-08T21:56:00.001-07:00

Ella got her tubes on Thursday and she did really well. She already seems more responsive to sounds and is more eagerly mimicking more words. She also has MUCH better balance and has started to walk! Just in the last day. So I think ear tubes were a good way to go for her.

But I was so nervous on the actual day. I knew it was a simple thing, but it still seemed a little scary. So I brought my camera along and we documented the whole day. Getting ready to go. Ella had an ear infection, so you can see her pulling her ear as we put her in the carseat to go. Yes, she is still rear-facing.

Ella waits patiently in the waiting room, after we got signed in.

And then she decides...eh, enough sitting.

We're called back and she changes into a little t-shirt they gave her for the surgery.

She's starting to get a little sleepy and she plays with her hair. She is also hungry, since she has not eaten since 5 am.

Darwin walks her around as we wait.

All the stuff we brought (minus the camera...which I was using...)

More waiting. More walking.

And the anesthesiologist comes in and talks with us for a bit and then takes Ella. She snuggled right up to him. He was quite taken with her sweetness.

And there they go...

And we wait.

But within 15 minutes, they come and tell us to come wait in the recovery room. She's not awake yet, but she should be soon and they will bring her right to us.

She wakes up and immediately tries to remove the cotton.

Darwin holds her right after she's eaten a little and we wait for the nurse to come clean out her ears and give us instructions so that we can start home.

She puts saline in Ella's ears.

And then wicks them out. Ella is not pleased.

But we got to leave and pick up her prescriptions and get some lunch and then drive to the doctor's office to have her ears checked. On the way...Ella fell asleep.

So the final check was very peaceful and she slept through it.

It was a very easy day and everyone was wonderful. Mostly a lot of waiting. Ella is doing super already. I'm glad we went with this route. My only regret is that I didn't get more vocal earlier and have this done months ago.

Oh my gosh....

2009-05-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

So, it has been SUCH a winter.

We are almost never sick usually! I swear.

But we went to the doctor and Hannah and Ella have pink eye and Ella has ear infection #9. Thursday and those tubes cannot come soon enough.

Sheesh.

But hey, it could be worse. Pink eye is easily cured and the tubes are coming! Yay! If I had any second thoughts about the tubes, they were totally eliminated today.

Fun afternoon

2009-05-03T22:34:00.000-07:00

After church, we went out to the park and the kids wandered around (of course I had the camera) and we just played around.

Suddenly, it was POURING rain. We ran under a tree for a moment (no lightning) and then dashed for the car. It all felt so fun and silly and memorable.

A fun, lazy way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Overheard

2009-04-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

It is Teacher Appreciation Week and we sent along the first part of our present to the teachers along on Monday. Michael had his own ideas last night for his teacher.

Michael: I want to get Mrs. C a box of chocolate.

Hannah: She can't have chocolate. It's not good for us. Hey, how about a box of cheese?

Michael: A box of cheese? That would be embarassing!

Ella is getting tubes

2009-04-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

May 7th.

Finally.

The JOY of Spring!

2009-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

It is finally warm! We went out and played and of course I took pictures. Hannah was the most willing to hang out with me and play. The others ran and ran and ran. It is supposed to get cold again this weekend, so I am glad we got to play in the sun for a bit.

Yeah, this is why there aren't lots of pictures of these two together. They are each other's best friends, but they also pick on each other mercilessly.

If only this perfect weather could hang around awhile longer....

Possibly helpful tip

2009-04-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm just gonna pass this along, in case any of you ever need it.

One of the kids got my point and shoot and was playing with it. (I really don't know which.) They took it into the bathroom. By the time I found it, it had aparantly been dropped in the tub and retrieved and put on the counter. Most of the water had drained out, but the lens did have some water sitting in the bottom.

When I picked it up, it kept slowly leaking water.

So I took out the battery and the memory card and put everything into a bucket of rice (we have a bucket the kids play in) and left it there for over a week.

When I pulled it back out and put it back together, it worked like a charm.

So, just passing that along, but hope you never need it.

Made me smile yesterday

2009-04-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

On the Fourth Day of Spring Break

2009-04-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

SNOW!

Snow?!?

Yep.

Snow.

That is also my bush cherry. It is usually taller than I am, but with the blossoms and wet snow, it was squished about 18 inches high. Don't worry, it's rebounded as the snow has melted off of it.

Overheard

2009-04-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Scene: Hannah and Garrett playing.

Hannah: Garrett, you're such a nice boy. One day I'll have a son your age, and I'll let him play with you.

Awwwww. Such a sweet sentiment. The math is a little fuzzy, but the thought's there.

On the third day of Spring Break

2009-04-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

We went to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum with the kids. We spent about 5 hours inside playing. Mom and Dad were absolutely exhausted by the end of the day.

Michael ran from exhibit to exhibit. At first we tried to keep him in the sightline the entire time, but that became absolutely impossible and we gave him a little leeway to do his own thing, checking in on him every 20 minutes or so, and he did really well. I was VERY impressed with his ability to be deferential and sharing with others. He certainly did me proud. It was not the order of the day with lots of the kids, so I was very impressed that he kept his head and manners, even when others around him were not.

Hannah also ran off and played with little friends she met along the way. We also kept an eye on her, but it was pretty easy. She stayed in the little playhouse, grocery store, farm, and water area almost exclusively. She was extremely social and made so many little new friends all day long.

Garrett and McKay proved to be a little more tricky to contain. They were the ones we followed and kept close tabs on. (McKay kept wanting to go into the gift shop to play. He was having a hard time drawing a line with what toys were there to be played with and which were there to be purchased.) This will also explain why most of the pictures are of those two and Ella. Ella was content to be carried around and then play with whatever the others were playing with.

Overall, it was a very fun afternoon and the kids did a great job of playing nicely within boundries with a little bit of independence.

McKay LOVED this ball area. Especially this little lift system. He always came back here. He would venture to visit the other exhibits, but he would check back over and over.

Ella just happily played with whatever the other kids were interested in, and didn't complain when it was time to move on.

Garrett loved making BIG sounds on the HUGE xylophone.

Hannah socializing. This pretty much sums up Hannah's whole day.

Michael and McKay sending messages across the atrium.

Cartooning.

So, if we divide X by the square root of pi....

In the doghouse...

This is one reason we don't let Garrett drive the car.

He's a grocery pro.

Amazing Spiderman

Peek-a-boo!

On the Second Day of Spring Break...

2009-04-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

We went to visit the Cabella's aquarium. McKay had been dying to go visit "the cave," as he calls it. Grandma Rehart came with us and we spent a good couple hours looking around. The kids really enjoyed it all. McKay was just entralled with the fish.

It was so much fun. On the way home, Garrett declared, "Our grandma is a good grandma." I wholeheartedly agree.

It's hard to tell in the above pic, but if you look closely you can see Mckay looking at the fish eagerly, and the fish looking back at McKay just as interestedly. There was always a whole bunch of fish regarding McKay with interest.

Bibbity-Bobbity-Shoe!

2009-04-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

Ella has this little problem. Her feet and ankles are rather skinny, so all of she shoes slip off except the Robeez shoes. Even the Robeez shoes can be pulled off pretty easily, which is no mean feat.

As a result, Ella constantly is missing one shoe. Sometimes we find it again, sometimes we don't. We frequent Target's infant shoe aisle quite often.

But then I stopped and pondered on the "one shoe" antics of my littlest sweetie, and really...I should have seen this coming. The only way it would have been more obvious that she would have this proclivity would have been if her MIDDLE name was Ella and her first name was Cinder. ;)

An impressive report

2009-04-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a bit.

In Michael's class they have 5 stars that they get at the beginning of the day. They lose a star if the don't listen, wander off, or disobey any other class rules. If they have a star at the end of the day, they get to participate in the Super Surprise--which is a fun motivator and reward for good behavior.

Well, for the 3rd term, Michael kept every. single. star. ALL TERM LONG. He never even lost one.

I just thought that was pretty impressive. He's such a good boy.

Perhaps a long zoom lens would be a good idea?

2009-04-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

It might be easier.

But it was fun to sit outside with the kids today. It ALMOST looks like spring. Just a *little* more sun, and we'll be set.

Overheard

2009-04-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's a laugh-a-minute around here.

Poor Garrett's been having allergies for the last month or so and has had a constant runny nose. So today...

Garrett (trying to sniff): Hey! I smell something. It smells like....boogers.

Overheard and another sickness

2009-04-07T04:37:00.000-07:00

Last night Ella and Garrett were playing with their Little People sets and being kind of wild about it, and McKay walked past them on the way upstairs and intoned the following.

McKay: Caution, rogue robots. Caution, rogue robots. Caution, rogue robots.

And poor Hannah got sick over the weekend and then Ella got sick on Sunday and Monday. I really hope this darn winter is done and we can all go back to being healthy. I think Ella has been sick enough. She catches everything the kids bring home, and with 4 siblings bringing stuff home, she's had a lot to catch. (Plus she makes every cold more dramatic by turning it into an ear infection.)

Just in case you forgot how many brothers Ella has...

2009-04-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Her newest word is Ei-ya! (Um, yeah, you know...that karate chop word?)

She does it really well with a pirate sword in one hand. Yes, I shall try to get it on video soon.

Just my new camera HAS a video camera, but the files are frighteningly large and I have not charged the battery on my point and shoot in awhile.

But yes, Ei-ya!

Overheard

2009-04-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

McKay, upon walking down the stairs and seeing the snow alllllll over the ground outside.

McKay: This is not spring! Spring is green and has leaves all over it!

The Daddy-Daughter sock hop

2009-04-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

So I planned to get more pictures. These were just as we were getting Hannah ready and waiting for Darwin to come home. But, sadly, things just went crazy around this time. Garrett's been a little sick and was very whiny and sad around this time. Ella was fussy and crying and McKay kept wanting to run away to "the cave" (we've yet to find out what that is) and so soon extra time for pictures dissolved into just rushing Darwin and Hannah out the door to the dance at the school a couple minutes late.

Hannah really has been looking forward to the dance. She's been asking for weeks.

She loved dressing up.

She always loves posing for pictures.

Quite the cutie, no?

Waiting for dad...

Where could he be?

Never fear, he came along shortly after this. They had a great time and Hannah enjoyed herself quite a lot.

Mea Culpa

2009-04-02T07:56:00.001-07:00

Ok, so it was totally not McKay's teachers who taught him.

I didn't think they would teach him to say a weird name, per se. They are totally humorous, but they really would not teach him something WRONG just to be funny. But since it was April Fools' Day I thought perhaps they were supplying him with a cute April Fools' joke.

Still...the mystery remains. Where, oh where did McKay learn who Englebert Humperdink is?

Where does he GET this stuff??

2009-04-01T17:29:00.001-07:00

So McKay was lying up in bed after school (he said he was taking a beauty nap) and he said to me, clear as a bell:

"Hi, I'm Englebert Humperdink."

Ummmm. Huh?

Where does he GET this stuff? Where did he hear about Englebert Humperdink?

My only conclusion is his teachers maybe taught him this as an April Fools' joke?? (They ARE funny like that.)

A couple funny things

2009-03-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

The first one is about the Wacom tablet again. (Yeah, I must be obsessed.)

Once I found the box--and got to look at it for more than 15 seconds--I realized what lead McKay to take it.

I got a Wacom Bamboo Fun. So smart Rachel left a bright green box labelled FUN out on the kitchen counter (while I put Ella and Garrett down for a nap) and asked the kids not to touch it. Hmmm.

Not so smart Rachel.

Now, to counteract the above, I just wanted to share Garrett's latest cute thing. We were discussing the story "The Frog Prince" and Garrett turned to me and said, "Mom, you're a genius!"

So, despite my leaving a box labelled FUN on the counter and expecting it to be there when I got back...I AM a genius.

Update

2009-03-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Yay!

I offered a reward if the kids would help me find the Wacom. Hannah was motivated and found it!

It was wedged between the top of the TV and the top of the entertainment center. It slopes back, so it was quite hidden (and that is one random spot, no?), but it has been found! Yay.

Now, to learn to not be so awkward with it.

Oh and my monitor is calibrated. Cool.

Sometimes being the mom is hard

2009-03-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

I finally ordered a Wacom tablet for doing editing on my pictures. I was SO excited. It arrived about the time the kids got home from school. I opened it and got ready to set it up (but it was still in the box) and I got out my calibration software...when Ella and Garrett got very grumpy.

I spent the next hour or so getting them down for a nap. Aparantly during this time, McKay took the Wacom tablet box and put it....somewhere. I've looked high and low. When he gets back from piano, I'll ask, but I don't have high hopes.

Sigh. So I HAD a Wacom tablet...in a box...for about an hour.

Overheard

2009-03-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

McKay was playing Candyland with his speech tutor. He loves Candyland, especially when he wins--which he did during the story I am relaying.

McKay, upon winning, begins to do a funky little dance.

Kendra (the speech tutor): What are you doing McKay?

McKay: I'm doing the McKay Shuffle. It's a special dance only for winners.

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

2009-03-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Hannah just informed me she kissed a boy at school. A boy that she talks about all the time.

She's 5! My life is flashing before my eyes. *hyperventilates into a bag....*

Overheard

2009-03-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

I was having a moment of snarky frusteration. (I am blushing.)

Michael was struggling with tying his shoes. We work on it, but it is pretty fine-motor, which can be a struggle. Plus, it was early in the morning and he was not very motivated.

So I asked, "Michael, am I going to have to come by your apartment when you're older and tie your shoes each day?"

And he replied, "Oh no. I'll live in a manor."

Can someone explain this to me?

2009-03-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

I do between 4-6 loads of laundry everyday. And yet...my laundry pile looks like this? Hmmm. (There's even a load in the washer AND dryer.)

S.O.S!

My cute toys...

2009-03-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, ok. I'll share. But honestly, I just think these toys are SO cute. I rarely get all silly and emotional over toys, but these just take me back to my childhood. My kids have all loved the Little People toys, and I just thought it was too fun of an opportunity to pass up to introduce my kids to the toys I grew up with.
They're just reproductions (with some changes, they're not exact replicas), but they are really fun.

The little peg people are a lot bigger, so they're not choking hazards.

Which is good, since Ella likes to hug and kiss them.

And she's really adept at putting the little peg people into the chairs.

They are little carrying cases, rather than the bigger versions where the doors opened, etc.

Aren't they sooo cute?

Frog and Toad

2009-03-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, McKay's class went to see the play Frog and Toad at the Jr. High School. (I don't know which school, exactly.)

Since then, McKay has been completely mesmerized by the idea of school plays. He wants to be in a play. He wants to go see plays. He wants to wear his costume (a Superman cape and a jester hat) to school and everywhere.

McKay has, aparantly, been bitten by the theater bug.

It's official

2009-03-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ella is my itty-bittiest baby.

Garrett and Ella had their well-child check-ups today and both are doing well.

Garrett is 35 lbs. and 40 inches. So he's 97th percentile for height and 90th for weight. He on-track for development and doing great.

Ella is 19 lbs. and 29 inches. So she's in the 50th percentile for height, but the 25th for weight. Although her head fits the profile of our other kids. 70th percentile. ;) She is the size Garrett and Hannah were at 5 months. Michael and McKay were about 6ish months when they hit 20 lbs.

I'm not worried over her. She eats well and is incredibly active, so I don't think there is anything up. Each child does their own growth thing. But I just never thought I'd see the day when I could have a baby of mine in their infant carrier past 1 year.

Overheard

2009-03-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

I had been finishing an assignment for a photography class I am taking and I put my camera on the piano, where my 2 SLRs were along with my smaller point and shoot. Garrett stood on the piano bench and surveyed the scene.

"This one is mommy's camera." (He pointed at one of my SLRs.)

"This one is mommy's camera." (He pointed at the other.)

"This one is....daddy's!" (He pointed at the smaller point and shoot.)

"Mommies have big cameras."

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

Pictures will be coming soon. I'm just sayin'.

We got the little wooden playhouse at Costco this afternoon for the kids. Darwin has been assembling it and there has been an air of barely contained euphoria amongst the kids today.

Lots and lots of, "I love you SOOOO much mom!" or "Dad's the best builder ever!" or "We have a playhouse! We have a playhouse!"

Kinda fun.

They also have been big helpers, assisting in the construction when allowed, and backing off and finding something else to play with when asked. We just need to move it to the other side of the backyard and put the roof on.

Michael's been asking for a clubhouse since he was about 3, so we're long overdue. Lucky for us, he seems about as excited at 9.5 as he did about the idea at 3.

Ella's 1st Birthday Slideshow

2009-03-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

(McKay kind of picked this song for Ella. And really, I like it. It works.)

This song is called Le Festin (The Feast).

It is from Ratatouille and the basic premise of the song is the singer is not content to do what everyone expects or to do the ordinary (like Remy didn't want to just be a food thief), but she longs to be extraordinary and soar above everyone's expectations.

That's my girl. :D

Happy Birthday, big girl!

2009-03-05T07:58:00.000-08:00

(Look how tidy she is...she HAD to have a spoon.)

Ella is one-year-old today.

She's seemed so big for awhile though. She's been a quick crawler and very curious. She loves to get right in there with the big kids and play, so it's been hard to think of her as a little baby for at least a few months now.

I think it's safe to say she's pretty much the apple of the family's eye. I think sometimes that title can be a little daunting for her though. Imagine 7 people vying for the chance to dote on you and carry you around?

Still, she has such a funny, easygoing demeanor. In fact, poor monkey has another ear infection today. But she's generally happy and giggly still. She knows she needs this attitude to live in this house, I guess.

Actually, McKay had JUST started his running when we found out we were *surprise* expecting her. We'd even had the police bring McKay home once, a couple days earlier, so it seemed like impossibly bad timing to be expecting another baby.

And then all of the fear and drama that had popped up during Garrett's birth resurfaced. (He was 10 lbs 6 oz, born at 39 weeks gestation and no one realized that until after he was born...after having gotten VERY stuck. It was quite the dramatic few moments and he was born not breathing and needed to be recussitated. Needless to say, the thought of that kind of dangerous situation happening again scared me to death.) So I spent most of the pregnancy trying to figure out how to make sure that didn't happen again.

When I was about 36 weeks by blood pressure started to go up and the doctor's figured it would be a good time to induce anyway, since size might be an issue (all of our kids have been big for their gestational ages) so we did an amnio and induced the next day. I felt so much worry over things I had no control over that I started to cry in the middle of labor...mostly reliving Garrett's birth.

Even with all of my fear, things went pretty smoothly, with the exception that Ella kind of hung out and stalled all day and I barely progressed all day and then once my midwife decided it would be safe to go in and help out with a c-section, she decided she was coming at THAT moment. The midwife barely had her gloves on before Ella was born.

But once she was here safely, all of MY stress and fear was gone. She was such a peaceful baby. She slept well, but even when she was awake, she just looked around and took everything in peacefully. Certainly, life kept being busy, but Ella just added a much-needed peaceful feeling.

She's such a fun kid.

Happy Birthday baby!