Month: June 2009

Our new pets

Aubrey has been telling us for days about the “huge” spider she saw in the garage. This morning while Mom and Emma were out shopping, her and Alyssa went out to play by Daddy’s workbench in the garage. They came back in shouting a few minutes later, and said they saw the spider again. When Dad went to check, he found these two (male and female, perhaps?) hanging out close to eachother. The largest is easily two inches across, from the tip of each leg.

After a little effort, Dad managed to catch them both in a plastic food container. Of course, he couldn’t just smash them on the spot, he had to save them for Mom and Emma to see. It got the appropriate reaction!! Mom posted the above picture right away, to share with the rest of the world. The kids even found a cricket and threw it in the container to see if the spiders would eat it (no, they all left each other alone). Alyssa is all girl and will scream as loud as any about a spider, but she was fascinated by them, and kept wanting to get down and look closely, even if everyone was freaking out that they might jump out on her.

All of the girls can sleep without nightmares though…we left them out on a table on the back patio, forgetting that as the day progressed the sun’s shadow shifts from back to front. Apparently most bugs don’t last too long in 90 degree heat in full sunlight Anyone hungry for sun-roasted spider and cricket?

One Month

One month old chubby cheeks

OK, so this last pregnancy seemed to last at least 9 years, but this last month was more like minutes. How is that fair at all? With this being our last little baby I would like to enjoy it, but it is already going so fast.
Hallie is still getting up every couple of hours to eat, but must be nearing 8 pounds because the last two nights she did a 4 hour stretch. The more sleep I get the more I crave, I could really use 8 hours. I find I’m a little short with my older kids, and I so badly don’t want to be. Things will only get better though.
The doctor has us coming in for a weight check on Tuesday. At her two week check up she wasn’t back to her birth weight yet, I’m pleased though that the doctor didn’t freak out and make us come back every couple of days for weight checks.
This has been a busy week. Tanner has been away during the days for cub scout camp. He’s having a good time but I think he’s exhausted.
Aubrey has mastered her bike without training wheels this week. She’s been able to balance for a long time now, but had a hard time starting and stopping, Danny finally just got out there with her and she has it down. Now she is off on bike rides with the older kids, and feeling so proud of herself. Alyssa of course didn’t want to be left out and demanded that she ride a bike too. She is now pedaling like a pro, which is great, but has its down side. Danny had to chase her down yesterday as she headed out of the circle and refused to stop.

Good Friends, Good Times

Pictures taken by my friend, you can see more at www.bluelakephotography.typepad.com

Hallie is doing great. She isn’t sleeping as well as I would like, she’s up about every hour to eat, or suck, but then seems to have a tummy ache (maybe it’s that chocolate I can’t seem to stop eating). Anyway, Danny thinks I need to try a pacifier but I’ve been trying to avoid that if I could, all of my kids have had such a need for sucking, but then I have to break her from it eventually. Alyssa STILL sucks her fingers, and it drives me nuts but I guess a pacifier is better then fingers, which she might eventually find on her own. You’d think with this being my 5th I wouldn’t be wringing my hands over such simple silly issues. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep. She’s not fussy and a joy most of the time.
A week after I had Hallie some friends from the ward had a baby shower for me. I was very reluctant because this is my 5th baby, but I was very touched, and it was just what I needed. I’ve been kind of a social recluse lately, and it was nice to get out and socialize. I don’t have pictures from the shower, but if you look on the right and go to Creswell blog you can find some on her blog.
My friend Shana is back, and I just couldn’t resist getting out and playing this week. We went swimming yesterday and to Lake Tahoe today. Hallie and I didn’t go swimming, but the kids did with Dad, and Emma brought her friend along. It’s nice having Emma get a little older. It’s even fun to bring her friends places. Emma went off the high dive, which personality wise isn’t like my safe Emma, her friend was very patient with her and talked her into going off. It was good to see her go outside of her comfort zone a little and do something “kid” like. Tanner went off the high dive lots of times.
I didn’t think my kids would want to swim in Tahoe today, I figured it was too cold and it would be a day playing on the beach. So I only packed beach toys, but did throw in one life jacket. This was my first time to the beach with 5 kids, and I only wanted to bring what we could carry to the beach in one trip, I have too many little ones to leave them on the beach while I make multiple trips to the car, and my older kids are too young to make those trips on their own, and I can’t leave kids in charge of kids around water. But of course all the kids got in the water, and I was a nervous wreck trying to keep my eyes on all of them. Emma and Tanner are pretty good swimmers so I was able to focus my attention on Aubrey and Alyssa but it was making me crazy so we only stayed for 4 hours, and then I packed up and we headed home. But now I know that I can do it and it will only get easier as Hallie gets older. It was a beautiful day at Tahoe and it was fun to be with friends.

Tanner and Dane
Tanner helping Alyssa get a lady bug


More end of school year fun

It’s been a hard time to have a new baby with all of the end of school year events. I really just want to stay home and enjoy, but I have the dilemma of wanting to be there for my older children also.

Yesterday was Emma’s promotion from elementary school to middle school! Aaack! Can I really have a newborn and a middle schooler? Emma’s had a great year and great teachers the last two years, I’m just bursting with pride. Today Emma’s teacher from last year wrote her a cute letter and gave her a gift card to Border’s it’s been so nice having teachers who care and love my children.



Emma with Ms. Musselman and Ms. Horn

As for Hallie, she had a doctors appointment today. She is 10 days old, and doing great. She is not up to her birth weight yet, but the doctor doesn’t seem too worried as this is my 5th kid and she doesn’t doubt my abilities. That is more then I can say for her assistant. She is training a very young girl today and she sent her in to do the exam first and then come and tell her what she finds. This poor girl found a baby with black eyes and blood filled whites of her eyes. She was under birth weight and she went into a panic. She must not have much experience with newborns because she ran out of the exam room to tell the doctor that this baby was in trouble. The doctor laughed and then brought her in to explain about what happens when a baby comes out sunnyside up and with a vacuum. She also explained that my milk is slow to come in and that I’m not a new mom and that the baby is looking great.


Hallie 10 days old


With all the school stuff now over with I’m looking forward to a nice couple of days at home, and a long summer.

End of the school year

Hallie is officially off of the jaundice lights. I have been unable to dress her except for our daily trips to the hospital for blood work so it felt good to get her dressed today and actually have her be a part of the family instead of isolated in the bedroom. She’s looking really good though and not so yellow.
Today was the school talent show. Emma played the piano, a song she has been working on for a while. She did very well. While we were there they also did a celebration for the students who entered the photo contest at the school. They had the kids take pictures of Lyon County and then they framed the winning entries. Emma won so she now has a framed picture in the hall of the school. They also honored Tanner for getting 100% on the State Testing, it was a good day for us.