Merry Christmas!

This year has been incredible, so much stress, so much joy.  We started the year off with the birth of beautiful Sara Pearl on February 8. She has been a delightful baby, and pretty tolerant of all of her different mothers.  (We have to keep reminding them that “Sara is a human, not a toy”).  She looks almost exactly like Eva, and makes us all laugh when she does her “snort face” which shows off all of her 6 teeth.
    Clark turned 5 on February 7th (we had to schedule Sara’s birth for the following day so they wouldn’t have to share birthdays.  We run a tight ship). He started Kindergarten and he loves it.  He loves reading and finding patterns and telling me which sense he is using at any given time (We are using our sense of smell AND touch while we eat these grapes!).   
    Four-year-old Eva started a half-day PreK this August at the same elementary school that Clark goes to. She loves it too.  She wears her white and pink cowboy boots to school every day and enjoys learning songs and rhymes.  She’s a good little runner too.  When she chooses to be, she is my best helper.
    Myra Jane is an irresistibly adorable two year old.  She speaks amazingly (when we can get the binkie out of her mouth) and she just mastered using the potty.  Hallelujah!!! Back to just one in diapers. She would like the world to know that she likes pancakes.
    Ben is enjoying his job more and more with each new rotation under his belt.  Some of his favorite procedures so far are carpal tunnel releases and doing cool things in the ER, like putting in traction pins right through a person’s bone.  If you ever get a chance to browse the photos on his phone, I would strongly advise against it.  Graphic stuff at the hospital.  He serves in the Young Men organization at church (of course).
    I (Jan) have found a lot of satisfaction in my job as a mom to these fun and clever kids.  I’ve also been completely converted this year to healthy eating and daily exercise and scripture reading.  I feel like a different person.  It’s honestly big enough news to include in the Christmas letter.  Ben bought me a piano at the beginning of the year and I’ve really loved teaching lessons to nine students. I am a counselor in the Primary presidency at church, too, which keeps me busy.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy 2013!

Halloween 2012

As you can see, it was quite a zoo.  Good thing the fairy was keeping everyone in order.

Baby Reference

Just an interesting comparison.  This is me at probably 6 months.

This is Sara.  I wondered where she got her mouth from.  It's just mine.

Biannual Blog update

Wow, it sure has been awhile.  Sorry.

We're all doing well.  I'll be glad when summer is over and the mosquitoes and heat depart.  Oh wait, that doesn't happen here.  Clark starts Kindergarten and Eva starts PreK so we are going to be a regular, school attending family in two short weeks.  We'll all be glad of the change.  

New Yard and Seriously Cute Eva

 Eva got to go with some friends for a photo shoot among the wildflowers.  She is seriously cute.

 Ben took his first week of vacation in March and spent the entire week out in the muddy, swampy yard.  He installed a very complicated 8-station sprinkler system, put in edging for flower beds and we had some fabulous help with sod on the last day of his break.  He honestly never came inside.  I brought his meals out to him (he got frustrated with me for making him sit down at the picnic table for a few minutes to eat his food), and there were several nights that went past 10:00.  He's an ox.

We love our yard.  We've almost been in the house for a year now!  At the end of the month. 

Seriously Cute Kids

We had a little photo shoot out in our weedy backyard.  Artistically weedy, I think.  Good thing we did it today, because Ben mowed the whole thing down to stubble when he got home tonight.

 Clark's new jaguar suit.  Actually, after begging for a jaguar suit for a long time, we got the fabric, made the suit, and then realized it was leopard fabric.  Man, what a disappointment.  Luckily, he has a good enough imagination that he can be both a jaguar and a leopard in the suit.  But if he is a cheetah, he has to take it off.

 The weeds were a little pokey on her feet.  I love this face.  She is so expressive.

 It was hard to catch baby Sara with her eyes open.  She enjoyed laying out in the sun so much, she just zonked out.

It's been 6 weeks and things are starting to feel normal now.  We love this sweet little girl.

Sara at one month

She's growing.  I can stare at her and see her adding cheeks and chins!

Sara Pearl Francisco

Wednesday morning at 8:37, Sara Pearl Francisco entered this world. She weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18 inches long.

She has Clark and Myra's facial features, but Eva's hair.  So finally Ben and I mixed our genes.  She is really sweet and mild. 

I had an uneventful c-section (the best kind) and am home now after about 55 hours.  It was a very pleasant experience. 

She even got to stay with me in my room the whole time--unless I sent her away so I could sleep.  Her jaundice wasn't bad enough for lights and she is otherwise totally healthy!!  I love the quiet soft time in the hospital.  Now that I'm home I feel like she's got to defend herself from all of her loving siblings' loving advances.  Maybe staying in the hospital for six months is a good plan.  Maybe they could teach a little baby kickboxing for self-defense.

Come to think of it, though, I think she was kickboxing in my belly for the last few months. 

Ben's incredibly nice team at the VA let him off early yesterday so we just hung out with the baby in the hospital for hours.  It was like it was our first one all over again.  One of the best days in my recent memory.

And thanks to that fantastic friend, Kim Paulos and her partner in charity, Sarah Allred, for dressing Sara up and taking pictures of her in the hospital.  They are wonderful friends.

We are so thrilled to have Sara in our family.