Happy Holidays!

I thought I would start off the month with a quick post, because I know the month will get away from me quickly. Thanksgiving is now behind us, and I am so thankful for so much. I am so grateful for a loving family. I am grateful for those that are so willing to help even when I don't realize I need their help. I am grateful for the gospel and the sacrifices made so that we could all have eternal life. I am grateful for the trials and blessings that have come our way this year that have strengthened our family and increased our faith.
I love this time of year. I love the decorating, the music, the snow (sometimes), and the feeling in the air. I love the excitement and magic. I love the focus on Christ and family. Its somewhat of a struggle for me every year with the commercialism all around us, and every year I tell myself, "Next year will be different. Next year we will focus more on the true meaning of Christmas." So today, right now, I make that commitment- this year WILL be different. This year we will put put the Christ in Christmas.
Happy Holidays to all of you!

A Quiet Moment, Quick Update

The house is quiet, kids and hubby are asleep, so here is a quick update... May 1st we got to bring Sophie home. She has been such a fun addition to our family. She is such a good baby and so fun to cuddle! I try to enjoy every minute because I have learned from past experience that they dont stay little very long. It is a little sad knowing she will be the last baby in our family, but I am so glad that we have created "sisters." I think back to my own childhood, and I am so glad that I had a sister close in age to me. We were (and are) best friends, and I couldn't imagine how different life would have been without her!! And now I have 2 little sisters that I am raising, and I am so excited about that! Marleigh is so motherly, and wants to hold and cuddle Sophie all the time. Unfortunately she doesn't know her own strength and is a little too rough without meaning to. The boys all love having a baby in the house, too, and love to hold her and try to make her smile.

I am looking forward to summer and having the kids home, but it is also a little overwhelming, too. It is always fun to get out and do things as a family, and enjoy the warm summer months. It's just a little stressful keeping track of and taking care of all 5, all day every day. They are growing so fast, though, and before I know it, they will all be teenagers and I won't be able to see where they are at all times, and know what they are doing. I just hope I can raise them to be good people, and that when they aren't under my feet, they will be making good choices. What a task we have as mothers! In a lot of the talks in conference, they talked about the important role parents have today, and all the struggles we face and will be facing, and how important it is to raise our children with good values so that they will be strong enough to make good choices when they are faced with the challenges of the world. I know that the challenges I had as a teenager are so minimal compared to the challenges kids face now, and that my kids will be faced with in a few years. They are so much smarter than I was, though. I know that each generation is stronger than the last, and that my kids will be able to handle situations wisely, as long as I do my part as a parent. Anyway, I am rambling and getting sidetracked... but thats what has been happening here, and a few thoughts I have been pondering, and here are a few pictures of my cute little "babies"...

Welcome Baby Sophie!!

I guess I need to come up with a new blog title since we are now Marleigh, SOPHIE, and their brothers! I need to back way up though. We began our exciting spring break week with our kids back on April 3rd with a great conference/ Easter weekend. Unfortunately, the kids and Nate were sick all weekend. Nate had a burst eardrum, and the kids all had a random assortment of coughs, fevers and ear infections. We had a fun itinerary planned for every day of the kids spring break, and Nate even managed to get the week off of work. We woke up Monday morning to cold rainy weather, and decided to have a jammie day, order chinese food, and ended up staying home. Marleigh had a fever and slept literally all day, and was sounding really wheezy. I took her to the after hours clinic at 9:30 that night, and within 30 minutes they were giving her a breathing treatment, and had her hooked up to oxygen. Her oxygen levels were dropping, so the doctor said we were going to have to admit her to the hospital. The nurse and I traipsed out in the snow next door to the hospital, me in flip flops, 8 months pregnant, though 4 inches of snow, carrying a sick little Marleigh. They took chest x-rays and got her hooked up to an IV and oxygen, and determined she had RSV, pnemonia, and the beginning stages of asthma. Nate came and took over for me around midnight so that I could get a good nights rest. Tuesday and Wednesday showed little improvement. Nate took the boys out for the day on Wednesday, and I stayed with Marleigh, and slept Wednesday night with her at the hospital. 5 am Thursday morning, I started having contractions. They were close together, but not very strong, so I went back to sleep and tried to ignore them. By 11 am, they were pretty painful, but still not very regular, but not going away. I tried drinking lots of water, walking them off, nothing was working. I called Nate and he arranged a babysitter for the boys and came up to the hospital. I went down a floor to labor and delivery to have them check me, and I was completley dilalated with a baby sitting sidways. My midwife was stuck in Salt Lake, so they called in another doctor. He came in around 1:30, and told me they couldnt safely turn her, so they quickly wheeled me in for an emergency c-cection, and little Sophie Jane was born at 2:31 pm, 4 1/2 weeks early, weighing in at 4 lbs. 6 oz, and 18 inches long. Nate referes to that day as the biggest WTF day of our life. It was. Later that day, I was laying alone in a morphine fog, Nate upstairs with our sick little 18 month old, and our new little Sophie in the NICU hooked up to oxygen, and the boys at home with grandma, not realizing the extent of all that had happened that day. Wonderful neighbors stepped in and took care of the kids, cleaned our house, and began organizing meals. We were truely blessed through our trial. I will never be able to repay my friends, neighbors, family- especially my amazing mom!! She stepped in and helped so much, and stayed and helped me through my first (and last!!!) c-section recovery. At the moment, I am doing much better, Marleigh is healthy and strong, and suddenly so grown up and self-sufficient, and Sophie, still in the NICU is getting bigger and stronger every day. We are so excited for the day we will be able to bring her home. She needs to be able to drink from a bottle at every feeding, and retain her body temperature. Updates to come soon! Thanks to everyone for thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes!

Being a Mom

So I realize I am not a very good blogger, but I do like to pop in and check on everyone else's every once in a while. I think I am not good at keeping up on my own blog because I have adult ADD. I can't seem to start one thing and finish it, I get bored watching commercials, I forget what I am saying mid-sentence, and as I am typing this, I have to keep going back to the "facebook" tab. My brain is a jumbled mess, but I am going to blame that on my children, merely because I know I wasn't this forgetful and scatterbrained before children. Maybe I was, I can't really remember my life without them! I am so grateful for all of them. Each one adds a special touch to our family, and and I couldn't imagine life without them. They give me a sense of purpose and meaning, and make my life more enjoyable. Hopefully my brain can function well enough to remember the experience! Its amazing how much you give up for your kids- your body, your time, your job, sleep, sanity, brain, sex life, freedom. But, really, its all worth it. To bring a child into this world, and look at their tiny little face, and hold their tiny little hand, and realize that two people created this amazing little person, and it is up to you to raise this child, teach this child, and love this child unconditionally. What a wonderful gift Heavenly Father has given to us!! What a huge responsibility, but worth every single second! So yes, my brain may be mush, my body misshapen, I wouldn't have it any other way. The joy of being a mom is absolutely amazing!! Here's to all you wonderful moms out there! Way to go!!

Thankful Thursday

This is my very first attempt at a Thankful Thursday, but I just have a lot on my mind that I am thankful for this morning.
1. I am thankful for the invention of deodorant and brushes. I now brush my hair and put on deodorant and call that getting ready for the day. Its amazing how things change when you have little ones at your feet!
2. I am thankful for the elementary school behind my back fence. I love being in my kitchen and seeing all the kids running around at recess.
3. I am thankful for teachers that care about my kids future. We had a bad year last year, so this year, having 2 teachers that are honestly concerned and try to help if they are struggling really means a lot to me.
4. I am grateful for deals! I love the after Christmas sales and finding a good deal. I think I will be heading over to Old Navy later to check out their clearance- I heard it was 50% off clearance prices- can't beat that! And also, for any of you that shop at kid to kid, the 28th - 31st they are having their big clearance sale- at least the Bountiful and Layton locations are, don't know about the rest, but they have some amazing deals, and have a lot of things marked down to $1.00!! And the more you spend, the more you save- they give you an extra 25% off when you spend $30 or more, and 10% off everything that's not clearance- I think I might be getting my double stroller during this sale! okay, okay, sorry, back on track....
5. I am thankful for individuality. I am so amazed how 4 kids all from the same genes are so different, and add their own special touch to our family. I love being a mom, and watching them grow.
6. I am grateful to have the chance to stay home and be a mom. I am definitely underpaid and often underappreciated, but I wouldn't change it for anything.
7. I am also thankful for TV. I know, I really shouldn't be thankful for it, but it helps me to be able to take a shower in peace, throw in a load of laundry, or clean the kitchen without worrying about what the kids are doing.
8. I am thankful for church. I don't love having to get the kids dressed up every Sunday and racing to get out the door on time, but I love the lessons learned there. There are the scripture stories and learning about Jesus, and also the life skills- sitting still, working as a group and getting along with others, and listening skills. I also love our ward and all the fabulous teachers, and the lifelong friendships that have started to develop.
9. I am grateful to have a roof over our head! This is the longest we have ever stayed in one place, and I love the stability, and how much this feels like home. It may be a mess most of the time, but I love having somewhere to call home that we know we won't be leaving in a few months.
10. I am also grateful for friends and family! I am totally a homebody, and am a little on the anti-social side, but it is nice to have people that care about me, and to be able to have people there to listen to me when I need them, and also to be a friend to, in return. And thanks to all of you that made it though my rambling blog post- thanks for listening and being a great friend!!

Goodbye 2009, HELLO 2010!

Yes, I can hear the shocked gasps from all of you... Emily is actually blogging. Believe me, it took a lot to yank myself away from Facebook, but I did do it!
I have been reflecting on all that has happened in 2009, and I can honestly say I am glad its over. There were a lot of good memories, a lot of struggles, a lot of growth, but I am looking forward to the coming year. I am not big on goal setting, but, here are a few loose goals for myself:
1. I am planning on gaining AND loosing weight this year, since in May we will be welcoming baby #5. Although we thought we were done having babies, I guess telling everyone that you are done having babies is not very effective birth control! We are so excited to be having another girl!
2. Plant a garden and have it produce more than peas and zucchini. Last year was our first attempt, and we didn't do so well. Apparently peas and zucchini are no fail plants though! I would also like to actually do something with all the apples from the 2 huge apple trees in our backyard- maybe this year I will learn to can. Or maybe next year...
3. Be more patient. I am not good at being patient, never have been. I hate to wait for people, hate not knowing what will happen next. I also need to be more patient with the kids and my hubby- remember that the messes are temporary, just enjoy the little things in life- laugh more, listen more.
4. Less late nights, less caffeine. This one is pretty self explanatory.
5. Be a better meal planner, and be better budgeter. Again, self explanatory... and finally,
6. Blog more? Well, we'll see.