Meet JOEL...

Joel Matthew was born (finally!!!) on Monday, December 6 at 1:19 am. Much to the shock and awe of the Doctors and Nurses, he arrived without the c-section I had been prepped for. Several times he came down and tried to get through my pelvis and then ended up going back up, flipping between face down and face up. After hours and hours of hard labor and his inability to get through my pelvis the decision was made to prep me for a c-section. As we were waiting and the doctors were busy delivering 2 other babies, Joel made his appearance. I for the first time in my life am absolutely grateful for the hospital and doctors. Without them I would not have survived, nor would have Joel. His birth story is a miracle, made possible only by the hand of God.

The minute he was out, he was placed skin to skin on mom. A big boy....8 lbs 14 oz and 22 inches long. His head measured 15 inches around.
Amma....love at first sight with her 5th grand baby!

Daddy and Joel with their identical noses!

One day old.....

I love this outfit...we were finally going HOME!

I am well...I feel a bit like I was in a boxing match from the inside out. My back is a mess, as are my hips and pelvis. In an odd way I am thankful for the pain....It just reminds me that I am alive and can feel it. I'm am glad to be home with all my children under my roof.

Joel's birth story is very long but amazing. My one hope was that the glory of God could be seen in Joel's birth. I really feel like his life is a gift to truly be treasured.

Hi-Ho-Hi-HO......

It's off to the hospital we go. No sign of baby on his own. Doctor says time is up, he must come out...ready or not.

Did I Mention.........

That we are STILL WAITING!!!!


We watched and waved as my due date flew by several days ago. My midwife says enough is enough and scheduled me for an induction on Sunday. I really don't want to be induced....so for my sake this stubborn one had better come before then!!!!

Until then we will continue waiting, and twiddling our thumbs, and watching the paint peel off the walls, and any other activity that requires insane amounts of waiting!

The Waiting Game and a Post of Pictures........

We are just playing the baby waiting game this week. I am 39 weeks and waiting. Baby will come when he is ready.....I hope! :) To help pass the time I thought I would get caught up with some pictures. We have many more to share, but these are the ones from my cell phone. Sorry for the quality in some, but they still get the idea across.

In September we went to Wyoming for a week. In that week we also went to a Cow Sale. The kids and I have never been before....We are hooked!!!! Kaleb was clapping as the cows ran through, so his hands are blurry. Pens full of cows as far as the eye can see.....smelled like money to me!
One of Grandma's puppies wouldn't quit following Lindsy around.

When we got back home a friend of Wilfred's gave him a basket of apples. Kaleb ate several right away. When I say he ate them I mean he ate them completely leaves, stems, cores, all of it. We finally had to hide them so he would stay out of them.

What are you looking at???? (Aunt Judy Cronk this is the towel you sent for Kaleb, Thanks so much!!)

A watermelon harvest!

I got a new backpack carrier for Kaleb. We love the Ergo Baby Carrier! I also love my hubby who hauls my kids around through Walmart, while I waddle behind. I had many people stop me to comment how cute my husband and kids were....I totally agree!!!!!

Clayton is working on basic fractions already!

In October we had a Birthday Princess in the house. My mom bought her this dress with one to match her dolly.

Someone left the back door unlatched. Kaleb loves being outside and he took full advantage of the opportunity. I found the escapee out back wearing nothing but a diaper.

This is why we keep all pens put away up high. The little tattoo artist and his work. He was so proud of himself!

Like I said we had a Birthday Princess in October. Her crown (from my sis) says Birthday girl. She turned 4!

Showing off some of her loot....new Tinkerbell jammies with matching slippers and a princess scooter.

What????? I was hungry! You'll notice the empty bread bag under his feet.

Playing on the grass with Amma and her doggies.

Here Amma have a sniff.

This picture is so SWEET!!!

This girl LOVES Shopping. This is proof....2 different pairs of pink boots in one day! S.P.O.I.L.E.D. by Amma!

One evening this month we stopped to get gas at our local gas station. While Wilfred was out pumping I watched this swaggering cowboy come out with a few newly purchased bottles of Whiskey. As he packed them away in his saddle bags and lit a smoke, I couldn't help but get the giggles. He pulled a small mini bottle of whiskey out his jacket and chugged it. I couldn't take it any longer I had to take a picture. His horse is tied off at the vacuums.

He may be too drunk to drive....But apparently there is no such thing as too drunk to ride!!!

Boys in matching Jammies.....How CUTE!

Of course Lindsy felt a bit left out...she is wondering why they don't make equipment Jammie's in pink!

Who can resist a sleeping baby? Not me!

Wilfred's newest addition to his garage.....yes, he scoops the cat pan! But I will admit she is pretty sweet.

The quilt I made for our baby boy to come.

He is a shopper also! I love how he is holding Lindsy's Tinkerbell purse on his arm. He is just mimicking what his mommy does at Costco!

He can feed himself cereal with milk and not spill....now if only he could teach Clayton.

I'll have one of everything! Kaleb knows exactly what to do with a menu!

I hope you've enjoyed the pictures....check back soon....maybe our waiting game will finally be over!

Kids and the Things They Say....

Yesterday as I was getting dressed I had 4 extra hands and eyes. They claimed that they were helping me out, but mostly I felt like a fish in a fish bowl.
As they watched my every move Clayton pipes up with a very innocent question. "Mommy why is your belly button so big? It's ugly."

What do I say to that??? As my self confidence quickly evaporated I replied, "Uh, well, uh, I am kinda pregnant! This sweet boy is so big he his making my belly get big, which is stretching out my belly button. "

Clayton "Well, it's still ugly."
Lindsy "Look guys I can stick my belly out too, See my belly buttons all stretched out. Ewww"
Clayton "Oh Yeah? Look I can stretch out my belly more"
Lindsy "EWWW! Your belly button is gross. Mine is still stretched more."
Clayton "No, yours is grosser. Mine stretches more cuz I am bigger."

And so the competition was born. I quietly slunk away and left them to compare while I tried to go repair my self esteem.

Whoa! Look At THAT Belly....

These are a bit blurry because they were taken by my mom with her cell phone. It is very rare for me to post pictures of myself but I couldn't help posting these.

Here is a rare "family" photo. I think this shows what we are really like. Forget those posed portraits. We were having some snuggle time before bed. Clayton was climbing on my back and pulling my hair up, so I was making a goofy face to go with it. Wilfred is playing his harmonica on the couch. Kaleb was up to mischief behind me, while Lindsy was trying to snuggle in as close as possible. Even our unnamed 4th child made himself known. Notice the bulge in my belly up against Lindsy? That is his butt pressing out. Yep, My belly is huge! That is no understatement. I have scooted my seat in the car back as far as it will go, this week I am once again rubbing up against the steering wheel. That makes it a bit hard to make turns. My maternity shirts are no longer long enough....thank goodness for that bright blue maternity panel on all my jeans....maybe I will start a new fashion trend!
We are a goofy family, this is proof. I may regret posting these...so enjoy them before my sanity returns!

BTW, I still have 5 weeks to go...should we start taking bets on how much bigger my aching belly can get? It is pretty much stretched, maybe it will just explode! :)

No, Mr. President: John Piper's Response to President Obama on Abortion

This is pretty good. I never wept for Joy over this president, but I do think this message is right.

Pumpkin Ideas....

Fellow Bloggers I need your help! We have an abundance of Sugar Pumpkins....I am not complaining, but I am out of ideas. I have canned up 15 quarts of pumpkin which will make 30 pies. I still have a wagon full of pumpkins sitting in my dining room. I love pumpkin cream cheese muffins, pumpkin bread, pie, and just baking and eating pumpkin. Can you give me any other ideas for using pumpkin? I would love a pumpkin coffee cake recipe or anything else you can come up with. In fact lets make this a pumpkin recipe exchange.... Leave your recipe in the comments below!

Baked Pumpkin

Cut the top off a pumpkin and scrape out the seeds. Fill cavity with quartered apples, a bit of butter, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Replace top. Place filled pumpkin in baking dish and bake at 375 for an hour. Your house will smell great and there will be arm wrestling competitions for every last bit of it!

Are Parental Rights About to Be Taken?

http://www.oneplace.com/player-custom/family-talk/parental-rights-at-risk-in-america-138426.html

This begs the question;

Are parental rights at risk in America? You really should listen at the link and find out for yourself. I will just say I am appalled....I think you may be too. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Little Baby Dumpling.....

Let the countdown begin....9 more weeks to go!
I had an ultrasound yesterday just to check the baby's growth.....he is already head down and has dropped. He will drop more...but this is the earliest any of the kids have dropped. He is big and has a big head.....OH JOY! I thought Kaleb's was big, this one is bigger!

He is face first into the placenta, since the placenta has attached itself to the front. That makes it hard to get a good look at the cutie, but we did see a partial of the face. The blob under his chin is his fist. And no...the boy parts didn't disappear, they are still there more than ever. There is no doubt that this is a boy, now if only we could come up with a name.

The Man I Married....

This is the Handsome Man that I married 7 years ago today! It was the first day of Fall then too! He doesn't like fall but he was happy to indulge me, since it is my favorite season. 7 years and 3 (almost 4) kids later, I love him more than ever!!!!! Thanks for putting up with me!

Happy Anniversary Wilfred!

Clayton Turns 6!!!!...

Exactly 1 week after Kaleb's Birthday Bash we were partying again! Clayton turned 6!!! It was hard for me to have my oldest baby and my youngest baby marking milestones at nearly the same time. I really felt like my kids were just growing up way too fast and getting away from me. Wilfred spent his weekends building Clayton's birthday gift this year.

Yep, that is one bright yellow custom made digger.....My husband is AMAZING!

I tried to make Clayton a Lego cake. Others said this looked like a lego, but I didn't think so.

Playing a safe distance away from the bigger boy party.

Clayton with some of his buddies that came to help him party the night away. Who knew 6 could be so fun!