November is over?!? WHAT??!!??

Did I just blink and lose an entire month? Why yes, yes I did. Thanksgiving was a blast. I am now back up to my delivery weight. Yay.
School is going great and the kids are loving it more all the time. Tony still works like a madman, so it was so nice to have him home for a long weekend. (Is it just me, or is your house always messier when men are around? Hmm.) Krew has officially hit the three month mark. I wish he would slow down in the growing department. At his 2 month check up he was already 15 pounds. I'm sure he's added a few more since then. Little oinker. Luv him.
I, however, seemed to have wandered around in a daze for the last few weeks, dreaming of naps and hot baths. I did sneak in a book, or two: Dreamcatcher and Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox. Steph, Stephanie Meyer, my good pal recommended these on her website. They are bizarre. Skip them. I could barely wrap my head around the ending. Maybe it's the lack of sleep.
I put up our trees for Christmas! Now all I need is some cinnamon rolls and I'll be set!! Anyway, just wanted you to know I am still alive, but just barely. Merry Christmas and Happy Late-Thanksgiving!!

'Tis the season. . .

...for family pictures! How could a girl get so lucky? I just don't even know... My cute little man. Two photo shoots in his first 7 weeks. He's gonna be a pro. And pretty little Lauren:

Sugar

And mild spice.

Oh my Jossy. Her pictures are always hard to pick, because almost every one is usable. She is such a little shutter-bug. She'll smile and strike a pose and 9 out of 10 shots will be adorable.

This one is Tony's favorite:

When did my baby boy get so big?!?

Almost done... you can see the relief on Tony's face.

Thanks to Jen for her awesome skills!! Anybody in WA who needs a good photographer, call her- she is especially good with kids.

6 whole weeks...

Krew turned 6 weeks yesterday. I feel like we just got him, and also like he's always been here... Does that make sense? He is growing so fast! I would guess he weighs about 12 pounds now- even though he looks like he has doubled his birth weight. I'll have to get some pictures up- it's just one more thing on my list. He is still not really sleeping- he was up 4 times last night. He just wants to eat. I think I'll play along for a little while longer before I implement any Nazi scheduling that makes him cry it out.

I read one of the books Stephenie Meyer recommended: The girl who could fly by Victoria Forester. I thought it was kindof dumb. I wanted to know what happened to Piper while I was reading, but at the end I realized I would have rather had my 4 hours of sleep. Maybe I'm the one who is dumb...

Lauren is still struggling with the potty. It has officially been a year of peed pants. Why is she not catching the vision? She will poop in the potty just fine... I need suggestions.

Three weeks sure goes by fast when you can't remember it...

So. . . tired . . . must stay . . . awake.
Krew no like sleepy. Boo.
He's actually screaming right this very moment. Just like for the last 5 hours. Doesn't colic usually happen at night, not in the morning?

Still, I love him and am going to keep him. Heaven knows we're not putting him back!

His siblings adore him. It's like they don't really hear the crying until it escalates to the point where it drowns out their cartoons. He has already acquired quite the list of nicknames: Scooby Krewby, Krewser the Bruiser, Krewton (like crouton- thanks Kara), and Baby Koo (Lauren's).

He eats like a little piglet and is growing like a weed. His little double chin puts Dad's and Grandpa's to shame. Apparently it's a family trait. I had to laugh because when he was born, he had a double chin. Not enough fat to make a decent butt crack- but he had a double chin. Who knew...

Jace Leatham

Some friends of ours, the Leatham family, got some really scary news last week: their little boy Jace has leukemia. If any of you also know this wonderful family and want to help or read more about what's going on with his treatment, Amy has set up a blog for him at www.ironmanjace.blogspot.com

Pray for Jace. And his family.

Getting used to life with four...

Tony grew up in a family with seven kids. Seriously, how did his mom do it?!? The transition from 3 to 4 has been easier that 2 to 3, but still, yikes. I haven't done my hair and makeup on the same day since Krew was born. My house is also a disaster. Tony gets Gage ready for school in the morning (the bus comes at 7:30) and his hair is usually looks super.

But I do what I can, so I embrace my disasterness.

A sidenote: Krew had his 2 week check up this morning. He has gained over a pound and a half. I've been feeding him butter. And nothing else.

Another disclaimer: we are rockin' it old school. Tony sat on my camera and broke the little screen on the back that I used to cheat and see if I had a cute picture or not. I feel like I'm using one of those disposables or something. We can still take pictures, but I don't know how they're going to turn out till later so we have lots of strange pictures. Like this one:

Jossy and Lauren started dance lessons again and I thought this would be a mighty fine picture. Oops.

My birthday. Party by Mom. The first of many 29ths.

Krew was less than a week old = why I look so tired.

For Labor Day, we went up to Island Park. Even though we live really close, we hardly ever go up there. We took the kids on their first official wilderness hike, and I think they were mighty fond of the woods. I was on paranoia level 5 while on the lookout for bears. And now I should probably start worrying about wolves. There's plenty of them around now, too.

Our little hike through Box Canyon. I'm wearing shorts that do not have an elastic waist. To me, that makes the day a success.

The kids were loving it. Even Krew had a good time. I think you can see his feet. My sweet little family picking wildflowers.

Our sweet little boy, Krew

This is one of the sweetest, cuddliest little boys ever! I've never had a snuggler before, and I have to say I can't get enough of him. He is another mini-Tony, with slight variations.

Our sweet little boy

Um, don't take my picture yet, I look like hell. Click. Never mind... Krew looks a little scared.

The proud daddy, admiring his work. Or my work that looks just like him.

Jen took some really cute pictures of him last night, which I will post when we get them edited.

I totally should've done this post already...

This has been one busy summer! This is kindof a highlight reel, but still...

Lauren's 3rd birthday was last Thursday. I had been putting off her party, hoping that the baby would arrive, but when it was the Monday before and he was still quite some time from showing up, I threw together a little party and all her little friends. It was horsie/pony themed, which is her favorite, and I think she had a great time. We played "Pin the tail on the Pony" and had a "Pony Prize Pasture" which was totally a fishing pond but I had to make it go with the theme (of course) and always a pinata!

Lauren is such a fun little girl. She is spunky and energetic and mischievious and independent and we love her so much. She has a special way of doing something totally naughty, and then somehow making it so funny that I'm not really mad and have to laugh at her. She loves horses, cheese, olives, dressups, anything outside related, swimming and boating, yogurt, oatmeal, chocolate and strawberry milk, and her Daddy. I think Tony and Lauren share a special bond, they adore each other. He always calls her Polly, even now, because when she was born she was so teeny tiny we called her Polly Pocket. She'd be totally confused, but he's done it since she was born and I think she's used to it.

We also took the kids down to Lagoon one day, minus all the men/dads. My dad came for half the day, but it was just us girls and 8 little kids! Yikes! It went pretty well, considering, until we did Lagoon-a-Beach, where we had a near drowning and a couple wander-offs. We didn't stay there very long.

All the little kids waiting in line for a ride: Ben, Kinsey, Lauren, Jocelyn, Detton and Gage. It made a good arrangement for all their little rides.

This is what we've been doing most other days when we had a little spare time. There is a little reservoir about 25 minutes away where we go boating. We have this oldish (1974 ha ha) boat that we have fixed up and it has been really fun. The kids love riding on the tube and when we find an open dock, we pull up and let them swim and fish. It's something I would love to do every summer, as long as we can keep at it and the boat doesn't completely die.

He is finally here!!

Krew Greyson Jenks

7 lbs. 4 oz.

20.5 inches

Monday, August 24th 2009

10:45 a.m.

He is adorable and perfect. I will post pictures soon!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Ummm, maybe you've heard of a little book called Hunger Games? Yes? The next book in the series is called Catching Fire, and I procurred myself an advanced readers copy (and how I will not say) and I must admit it is every bit at good as the first one. It goes on sale September first. What?!? You haven't read Hunger Games yet?!? Go. Go now and get yourself a copy. Then you don't have to wait very long for the sequel. Instant gratification. Almost.

If only I could get book three.

P.S. Obviously, we have no baby. Otherwise I would be posting about a hundred pictures of adorably tiny toes and I would have normal sized ankles. No such luck.

Don't get too excited...

We have no baby yet. I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything, even though so much has been going on I feel like I can't keep up!
I didn't want anyone thinking they were out of the loop on a delivery, because there has been no such joy. I am officially "at capacity" and there is not any more room, (and yet somehow I still gained two pounds this week) and I am ready to be done. I'm about the same size as when I delivered Jossy, but this time I started out 15 pounds lighter. What does that tell you about my healthy summer diet?
I haven't slept in weeks and I have about five things that I can still wear. Baby, please come soon.
But not tonight, I'm too tired.

So forgetful...

I thought of a few more names we had considered, but have been vetoed by Mr. Boss:

Kaitlyn
Georgia

Andrew (This is the name of the first member of my family to be baptized into the church about 200 years ago. I still like it alot, Tony not so much.)
Santa Clause. This was Gage's first pick. This one was also vetoed by Mrs. Boss.

The countdown is on!! I feel great: lots of energy, a little heartburn, lots of stretch marks. I'm having a little anxiety about Gage starting school the same day I'm due; I could not have timed it worse. Seriously?!? What if I miss it?!? I have this recurring nightmare of going into labor and leaving for the hospital. I lay out his clothes and leave him home alone with a note to get on the bus. YIKES!! Can you imagine?

I love when Tony forgets his laptop...

Then I can post during the day instead of the middle of the night! Yay!
Gage's T-ball ended last week, and I must say, he had a case of the saddies. He so enjoyed playing with all his little buddies, making new friends, and getting a treat after the game. Learning basic baseball skills was obviously secondary to playing in the dirt. His sweet coach made them all little treat bags and medals on their last day, and Gage wore it for the rest of the day and took it with us to Washington.But no worries, now soccer has started! Gage has no clue. I tried to explain to him about kicking the ball into the other teams goal, passing, out of bounds, not using his hands. I obviously got WAY too technical. He was running around asking for the ball, and no one would pass to him. Maybe I should say, no one could pass to him. The kids were thrilled if they kicked the ball in the right direction. But that's okay- I think that Gage will learn alot and it was only their first game.
"Hey Coach- can I be the goalie?" "What, we don't have goalies?" Seriously doubting whether or not his mother has a clue about soccer.

For the 4th we were in Washington. We had such a wonderful time. A special thank you goes out to Verdene, Vard, Jodi and Matt for all their effort in making the trip fun for us. Thanks to everyone else (ecspecially the cat) for putting up with all those extra little fingers and voices that made the place a veritable mad house. My kids already want to go back.

Joss and Lauren squished in a tube at the Moses Lake sand dunes beach. This might have been their favorite day. This was the afternoon of the fourth- the BBQ and fireworks later were a total blast, but my memory card filled up and so Jen has pics of that for me. (I had already deleted the non-adorable pictures. Shoot.)

The Basin City Parade the morning of the fourth was actually much better than we were expecting. Lauren had a good seat. She loves her Daddy.
There were so many treats we had to leave most of them in WA. Jossy loved the float with the dancing girls (junior miss or something) and Gage did not like being sprayed with ditch water. Lauren's favorite was anything horse related. I was reading other people's blogs and apparently this parade was a hot spot. How did I miss seeing all of you!?! We were parked in front of the Napa auto store- probably yards away from cousins and friends that we didn't get to see. I'm so sorry we missed you. Still, we had a fabulous fourth and the kids had a blast.

Funny story: the day we were supposed to leave, I was sitting in Verdene's kitchen chatting while the kids played outside with the new kitties. Gage comes tearing in the house yelling that Lauren had killed a kitten. I'm horrified. I run out there and sure enough, there is a little kitty lying on the step, totally unresponsive, lying in its poop. I'm sure that she has broken it neck, because she claims to have "hugga kitty SOOO tight." All the other kids instantly dub her the kitty killer. I'm asking myself if we should hit it with a shovel- it's obviously suffering (how horrific is that?!?) and decide instead to put it by its momma and check on it again later. (I secretly asked Vard to put it in the trash after we leave.) Anyway, after lunch I go out to finish loading the car and to check on the kitty, and wouldn't you know that little kitty traded in four of his nine lives and was just fine. Apparently she just put it in a killer headlock and knocked it out.

We had promised Jossy and Gage kittens when we sell our house. I don't think our family can handle kittens. Or fish. Birds seem to not have great luck either. Do we dare try a dog?

Happy Birthday to Dave, Detton, Sawyer, and Mom Rees! Busy, busy July!

Wanna play the name game?

When my parents were expecting me, they were also playing this game. Their finalists were Allison or Brianne. Obviously, you know which one they picked. But how weird would it have been if they had picked Brianne?!? I have always kind of liked knowing the name that I almost had- Is that strange? Anyway, I wanted to remember all the names we have considered for this baby. Each has been the front runner (if even temporarily) but we do have one we're leaning heavily toward. This will be revealed at a later date...

If the baby is born a boy, like we are expecting, we will choose one from this list:
Nicholas
Will (William)
Eli (Elijah)
Charlie (Charlton)
Gavin
Zachary (soon to be taken but I still love)
Garrick
Emmett
Krew
Aiden

P.S. I have a thing with shortened names, apparently.

Girls names we considered before I peeked:
Alexa (This name has been runner-up three times now. I still love it, but it just didn't quite fit.)
Lily
Sophie
Leah (Tony's fave)
Tessa
Carly
Brooke
Eva (Recently taken)
Morgan (taken, sadly, but I still love it)
Kate (Soon to be taken. It's beautiful.)
Addison

I had planned on using the middle name Bell, or Belle, in honor of my mother (Debra Bell Rees) but we'll just have to wait and see if we ever make it to 5. Don't hold your breath.

American Goldfinch

"The American goldfinch is the state bird of Washington, New Jersey and Iowa. Females are more dull than males, but with identical conical bill shapes. Goldfinches of the same mating-pair will have virtually identical flight calls, and identify one another by these calls."

Our big back window is very reflective. Birds splat on it all the time, ecspecially in the afternoons. The bigger birds that we usually see, like robins and magpies, can take a hit and usually just sit there on the porch stunned until they fly away. (The loud window-thud scares me every time.)

This sweet little guy must have really hit hard. He didn't make it.

At first I thought he was just stunned, so I went out to check. He was obviously dead. Since he was kind of unusual, I called for the kids to come see and I wrapped him in an old rag. They were all fascinated...

and sad.

Lauren was particularly interested. She even waited for me to go inside for a minute before she unwrapped him and picked him up, patted his head and then rubbed him on her little cheek. I know- eww. We washed. Lots.

Gage made a sign for all birds to watch out. (I taped it to the window- you can see how reflective the glass looks.)
The next morning I had Gage bury him in the yard. Each of the kids got a rock and decorated it with markers for little headstones. They did a great job.

Today I caught him and his little buddy Nate trying to dig him up. Gage insisted that Nate wanted to see. More washing has ensued.

As a woman, I don't understand the fuss.

And Tony, as a man, can't understand why I need more than 3 pairs of shoes.
Apparently, this is a big deal. Who knew... Tony told me to add that if anyone wants to go fishing, let him know.

Summer Kick-Off!!

I'm pretty sure that the only way to tell it's summer in Idaho is that the kids stop going to school.

These are the cute little cupcakes we made for Gage's end-of-school party. I got the idea from my friend Kara, who made these for my kids last year on their first day of school. I loved them. Tony asked me why I was making Halloween cupcakes. (They are a Chalkboard with chalk and apple) I tried not to be offended and will try to remember this come Halloween time. Lauren has started taking gymnastics with Jossy. She was terrified the first week and hid under my skirt. I was completely surprised- she's usually the fearless one! After seeing all the other girls do fun things on the mats and bars, she joined in and did surprisingly well for her first week, ecspecially considering she's 2! Gage started T-ball! He is is super excited about this and takes it very seriously. He will seriously wrestle the other little boys on his team for the ball. We're probably going to have to talk about that.


This is his first hit- He made it to first, stood there, and then fielded the ball for the little boy hitting after him. Luckily they don't keep score.

We've also had some little visitors above our front door. The poor mama bird sat there for so long, I thought her eggs had frozen or something. I never heard a peep. I climbed up there to rip the nest down, thinking it was empty and this is what we found!

I climbed up again one week later and look how much they had changed!!

Their little roost was a happy one, but they didn't stay very long. When I checked again the next week, they were gone. And I thought my kids grew up fast!

This last picture is from yesterday while I tried to clean the garage. It has been raining and there was a big puddle out back. It was just too tempting. Once Lauren started in, no one else could help themselves.


I tried really hard, but I just couldn't work up a good mad. They were having too much fun and I was a little jealous of how good of a time they were having. Oh, to be that free.

Their clothes are pretty much ruined. If you have any tips on removing deep set mud stains, I would be much obliged.

A little of this and that...

Sorry about my last post- now it seems like such an embarrassing rant! Forgive me. Anyway, Memorial day was a blast- the kids had so much fun visiting all the Utah Rees cousins and if you want to see some killer pics, check Jen and Brandon's blog, because she did a better post than I would even try to do.
I also have read a new book series that deserves a recommendation: Mortal Instruments. It's a trilogy- City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass. The first one was okay. The second and third one were pretty dang good. I'm not talking Twilight here, but still better than sitting with my eyes glazed over pretending to watch late night Sports Center with Tony.
Baby update: I'm huge. I didn't even look pregnant until about 22 weeks, at which point I ballooned and am convinced I am either having spontaneous twins or a 15 pound baby. My ribs are killing me and I still have over 2 months left. In truth, I think my ab muscles have just given up completely. But I'm getting really excited, and I can't wait till the day when we can bring this little bundle home and the rest of my family can start to love a baby that I have loved for about 7 months.
Coming soon: Lauren at Gymnastics! And Gage starts T-ball! Seriously, both were a laugh a minute. I'll post pics soon!

Teeny Tiny update. Just a little one.

So the family came back again on Tuesday. Four times. So I'm thinking, seriously- what is going on?!? So I call their real estate agent and ask her to level with me. She calls me back the next day and says they have decided not to buy AT ALL and that "they're going to rent for awhile and then buy your house next year." Do they seriously think that we'll still be on the market in A YEAR!?! I feel like they wasted my entire week (at least 2 hours prep plus 2 hours for showing = my day is shot times four) and I am totally disappointed. What a bummer...

Could you just write us a check already?!?

So, the family came back again today. Third tour. This time with her dad. He was seduced by the roomy shop with its industrial heater and the shop door big enough for his dump trucks and semi-trailers (he owns a trucking company). I have to say, my hopes are getting higher. I'll let you know when we know.

Tulle and Smores

Last weekend was Jocelyn's dance recital. This picture sums it up. She is ALL about focus. Strength under pressure.

She really did enjoy dance lessons and it makes me smile thinking about how hard she tries. She still hasn't mastered the one footed hop. She told me that she knows all the other dancers can do it and she can't. That tugs at my heart strings a little, but she is so cute that I think she is one of the best. (She is also one of the youngest, so that's got to count for something.) She did pretty well at remembering the steps during dress rehearsal.

Too bad it didn't last for the real performance. She is second from the left, second row. There was another number but I'll spare you. $350 well spent. Sorry the video is grainy and wobbly. I am totally to blame for that little gem. And yes, that's Michael in the background.

On Saturday night, we took the kids out for a "campfire" minus the camping.

They thought it was the best thing ever. Gage ate about 12 marshmallows.

Daddy showing them how a master does it.

Dinner was preceded by a nature walk...

and jousting.

We also found a big dead pelican. Sorry I didn't get a picture. Next time.

We showed our house again today. Twice. Same people. That's usually a good sign, but we'll see. This can't last much longer, right? I mean, I know we've got a pretty limited number of serious buyers, but living like someone could call anytime to stop by and look in your cupboards, fridge and closets is not fun. I'm hoping that we'll be able to get this house sold, closed and move into another place before the baby is born. We have about 90 days.

I've always been a big dreamer.

Cross your fingers for us.

Easter!

One of the things about blogging as opposed to scrapbooking, is that everyone knows when you've fallen behind...
So anyway, Easter was much anticipated again this year, mostly by me. I always think it marks the beginning of spring, but here that is much too presumptive. It didn't snow this year on the actual day of Easter, which I'm counting as a victory. However, it has snowed twice in the last week. Boo.

This is a hurried picture of the kids on Easter morning before Church. Tony was the photographer because I was still doing my hair. I had a cute Easter banner on the mirror behind them, and I told him to take a picture on the sofa in front of it, and that's exactly what he did. Men.

The Hunt

Jossy a hunting;

Lauren was sneaking and stealing;
Gage was not completely satisfied with his full bucket of eggs.

Things are still progressing with baby 4- I get fatter every day. I'm to the point now where I've started counting down instead of counting up- this usually happens for me after the half-way point. It seems like it's going too fast, like I'm not ready, and I'm nervous about going through labor again. My labors are always at least 12 hours long and slow to progress. Misery. However, I always have time for the epidurral! ;) I get super jealous of women who can walk around for two weeks at a 3 and are almost halfway there! Maybe this time I'll get lucky...

X-Men- I made Tony take me to see the new installment. Love the series. Liked this one. Loved Hugh Jackman. A little gory, but it had enough humor that I think even Tony enjoyed it. (He is anti-fantasy anything. I had to beg him to go.) We hurried into a matinee showing with Dave and Ashley- thanks guys- and it was super nice to sneak a two hour break from reality.

We also showed our house again a few days ago. I really had my hopes up because they were here so long, but they are going to pass. The family has 10 children, and the house only has 6 bedrooms. They would have had to double or triple up every bedroom. Bummer. Maybe next time.

Dangle that carrot!!

We had our ultrasound yesterday- everything looks healthy and there's still only one ;) I know I was a big talker and said we weren't going to peek, but I have to admit, we know what we're having. The ultrasound tech was doing all her little measurements and showing me all the bits and peices, and said "Well it looks like we've got all her measurements... oh, did you want to know what you're having?" I looked at her and think that she had totally just spilled the beans, so I said "Isn't it a girl." She smiles. Tony, of course, wants to know because I think all the estrogen in the house is a little smothering. Anyway she was teasing me, and went on to show us a few more bits and peices- we're having another boy! We're all thrilled, even though I peeked on my own surprise... Jossy acted like she has known all along and why am I surprised. Gage is excited about his brother and wants to name him Santa. We'll see.

April showers, bring more snow...

Spring please come. Please. Seriously.

Anyway, for fun this April Fool's Day, I thought the kids might enjoy a little silly dinner. We had meatloaf sundays with mashed potatoes and rolls, and brownie roast with ice cream and caramel gravy with candy corn. (I wanted green Jelly Bellies for lima beans, but I didn't have time to go to our local candy shop.) I had fun making it and I think we'll do this again every year, just with different menu ideas.
Sawyer with his "dinner":

Jossy and her "dessert":

Lauren was actually crying in this picture:

My sweet little man. He only ate the roll.
Strangely, the kids didn't love it like I had hoped. Nobody felt very good that night and they all have gotten progressively sicker since then. Maybe next year I'll make sushi out of coconut and green fruit roll ups... and I could totally cut shapes out of sandwiches. If I ever see a fish shaped cookie cutter, I'm grabbing it!

We also gave Jossy's hair a trim. I didn't realize how stringy and uneven it was starting to look. Thankfully, I know someone who is good with hair...

Before:

After!! I think it's much improved...

I really think she looks so grown up! And a special thanks to her stylist- Ashley! I had to pay her extra to pose silly afterwards... and please don't be mad I posted this. It really is too cute.

Everyone enjoy Conference this weekend! And read the article in the April Ensign by Guy Hollingsworth. He is the last boss I had before I started working for free. Also, Neil L. Anderson, who is the newest addition to the Quorum of the Twelve, was the sealer at our wedding. I bet he remembers us...