Oh boy!

I had my 20 week ultrasound today and we found out baby 5 will be a boy! Pretty exciting. Because we waited until birth to find out what the last 3 were it was kind of strange to find out today, but fun. And boy names are so hard for me so we might need the extra time. We let the kids stay home from school with a neighbor until we got back because Brian is really busy writing a grant and won't be home until late and I knew the kids would be dying to know! Brian and I bought some mini cupcakes that had 6 pink ones and 6 blue ones and we let them eat the blue ones. They were excited. The girls were kind of hoping for a little sister but they are happy. Miles was really hoping for a boy and Wesley was hoping for a boy until this morning when he changed his mind and wanted a sister. When Nora woke up she put on a blue shirt and pink pants so when we came home and told her she could switch her shirt to a pink one if it was a girl or switch her pants to blue ones if it was a boy! Cutie. 

 I didn't have any strong feeling either way about what this baby is, but since I'd miscarried a boy last February I thought it was most likely going to be a boy. I can't stop crying happy tears because I feel like the Lord has given me that little boy I lost. I admit I do want another girl, but I'm not sure 6 kids is in our future so I might have to be content with the two I already have - which shouldn't be too hard. Everything looked normal and healthy on baby boy, no sign of the small hematoma that was there at my 11 week ultrasound and growth and everything was right on track. The ultrasound tech was very pleased with how agreeable and compliant the baby was at letting her get the pictures she needed. What a happy day!

Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day! I think it's silly when people are anti-Valentine's day. It's not like I expect a lot -  we don't do gifts and rarely go out, but it's nice to have a day to celebrate the people you love a little more than usual. And besides, February needs a holiday! Our Valentine celebrations consisted of;

 a Valentine playgroup at my house

 pink play-doh

store bought Valentine's for class parties (I had other ideas but this is what the kids wanted)

  heart braided hair for Nora

 heart shaped pancakes and strawberries 

cards for Brian and I & pink roses for me

I told Brian I was going to buy some flowers when I went to Costco on Thursday because I needed a bit of color and lovely-ness to get me through this cold, white, looong winter. But when it came down to it I didn't buy any. I was already spending all our grocery $ for the week and couldn't make myself spend any more on flowers! Brian stopped and bought some on his way home from work on Friday so that was a fun surprise. Every day I close my eyes and smell them and pretend I'm somewhere nice and warm. If I was rich I think having fresh flowers in my home from December to March would be something I could splurge on (but probably still wouldn't)!

Girls Room.

The girls room looks so much better after taking out that closet! I'm calling this the "during" picture because there are still a few things I want to do before I can call it an "after" picture. 

1. Add more pictures to the walls behind their beds 

2. Get Nora's headboard up (it wouldn't fit so I'm going to saw off the legs and just screw it into the wall behind her bed) 

3. Get a rug or paint that floor (I really don't like that floor)

 4. Curtains (preferably room darkening ones!) 

5. Make their chandelier cuter 

6. Get a lamp for Nora's nightstand

7. Paint their dresser

8. Get a shelf of some kind for the shoes in their closet

When we were looking for houses I fell in love with every house we saw that had a 1/2 story. I think they are so charming and cute with the slanted ceilings.  Sometime before next winter we'll be doing the same thing to the boys room that is across from the girls' room. Wesley is still in a toddler bed so they have enough room still.

Birthday Boy.

 Miles turned 6 this week! On Saturday we took him and 2 of his friends to a fun place called "Legacy Academy" that has all kinds of toys and mats and swings, etc. They had a great time but soon after we got home he said he didn't feel good and fell asleep on the couch. When he woke up he threw up and had a 102 fever. So he was sick on his actual birthday (Sunday). Sunday morning after he had some Motrin he felt good enough to open his present - a remote control car! He was excited! And to be honest, staying home from church to play with Wesley, watch movies and play the Wii wasn't too shabby (we usually don't do Wii/movies on Sundays). So even though he was sick I think he had a pretty good day!

 He doesn't care for cake so he wanted brownies and Blue Moon ice cream.

 He got a new Wii game and some Ninjago legos. Wesley was just as excited about these!

 This boy makes us happy. People act surprised when I say that overall he has been our easiest kid, but it is true! We had a rough spot when he was 2ish and he was pushing everyone all the time, but overall he's been fairly easy. He is generally easygoing, happy, a good listener, kind and fun to have around.  Of course he can be a pest to his sisters and doesn't like to do his chores, but we're working on those! :) We feel pretty blessed to have this boy in our family. He loves hotwheel cars, superheroes, ninjago, legos, going to school, playing with friends and playing the Wii. Happy Birthday sweet Miles.

The derby, Nora and demolition

 Our ward had a Pinewood Derby and invited everyone to participate. Of course this thrilled Sophie to no end since she is always wanting to join the Cub Scouts. So we built this little beauty and entered it in the competition. Our little car wasn't quite as fast as we'd hoped, but we all had fun anyway!

 Nora takes holidays and any type of "theme" day very seriously. At school they had Color day and the 3rd graders were all assigned to wear....white. White? Isn't white the absence of color? And what parent in their right mind has a white wardrobe for their 3rd grader? Not me. And of course Nora couldn't be content with just wearing a white shirt. She had to go all out in typical Nora fashion. Since I wasn't going to go buy something just for this day we talked about bleaching some pants or something but she finally decided on this outfit. It is a swimsuit cover up. Later that day I looked back at the picture on my camera and spent about 10 minutes laughing because I sent my daughter to school in a swimsuit cover up and tights - in January no less. She didn't even have a shirt on underneath! What was I thinking? (Oh yes, I was thinking that she was happy and there was no drama or tears over not having the right thing to wear.) She also spent a lot of time making her white bracelet, earrings, headband and necklace to go with her outfit. She also made a white puff ball bunny and a little home for him that she took to school as well.  I love this girl. She is quirky and delightful.

The girls had fun demolishing this wall with a hammer. 

In my last post I mentioned how I wanted to take out a wall in the girls room (technically it was a closet.) Well, Brian did it for me on Saturday. He must really love me because on Wednesday of that week he stayed up at work all night long (without sleeping) working on a grant and then worked and taught 2 classes on Thursday and didn't come home until 6. Then Friday he stayed up until 2 grading papers and Saturday morning took 3 of the kids to a birthday party while I had a primary meeting. When he got home he started this project for me because he knew how much I wanted it done, but I needed his help to do it. Such a nice husband! So I've been working on finishing the girls room all week and can't wait to have it done.  Fun!

Good-bye January.

Scooter didn't like January much...

 

I'm happy to say good-bye (good riddance?) to January. Not that it was a horrible month. We definitely had some good times in January, but moving into February means we are that much closer to Spring. And I'm a big lover of Spring. I will enjoy February, I promise I will. Valentine's Day and my Miles' 6 year old birthday will at least get me half way through. After that there's my list of "winter projects" I can turn to. Or a tall stack of books. Or ripping out that wall in the girls bedroom that is calling my name. And then the last week we get to find out what kind of baby we are having! So yes, February will be great! It will be awesome! So will March! {But my heart is aching for April}

Sophie

Sophie doesn't like me to take pictures of her very often, unless she is sticking out her tongue or doing something equally silly. And that's okay sometimes.... jut not always! She miraculously let me snap a few pictures after she'd gotten ready for church this Sunday. Sophie is looking too grown up lately, and seriously this girl is a gem! Not only is she lovely on the outside, she is just as sweet on the inside. Ten can be a hard age, caught between childhood and not-quite-as-grown-up-as-you-think-you-are. Since I posted something we are working on with Nora I thought I'd also post something about Sophie that we are dealing with. I am not focusing on the negative here, I just like to have a record of our real life... and real life isn't always just perfect (and really, who wants perfect anyway?)  Besides, I think it will be fun for my girls to look back and read about things like this when they grow up..... or at least so I can read them and laugh when I'm old!

Sophie is a feminist. I don't mean that necessarily in a bad way, but she's only ten. And she's already just so passionate about the unfairness of being a girl/woman. She has shed many, many tears because she feels the world favors men and boys. She hates when a girl has to be "saved" by a boy in any book or movie. She hates that women couldn't vote until 1920 and that they had to wear dresses and not have a career. I think this has all come about because she's a tomboy and loves all things outdoors, sports, nature, etc. and many of her friends are more girly then she is. Last week for Activity days they were doing manicures and Sophie was literally in tears over it. I told her she couldn't go if she was going to be rude about it and make her leaders feel bad for planning an activity that most of the girls would enjoy. She wants to join the Boy Scouts and go camping with them and tie knots, etc. A few months ago she wanted to wear pants to church. I told her no and she argued and pushed and asked why not. I told her because we wear dresses to show respect to Heavenly Father and to remind us to act like ladies. She said she can do that just as well in pants. Knowing her as well as I do I said this, "Sophie. Today there is no time for you to change, so next week if you feel this strongly about it you may wear pants. But today while we are at church I want you to look around and think about how you would feel if you were wearing pants today." She said okay and we went to church. After about 10 minutes in Sacrament meeting she leaned over to me and said, "Yeah... I guess I would feel pretty weird in pants." Now, there are a number of ladies in my ward who wear pants to church at times. This doesn't bother me. But I grew up always wearing skirts/dresses to church so that is how I plan to raise my daughters.  I have no problem wearing dresses and it doesn't make me feel any less of a person or like I "have" to do it. I like dresses! And though I don't mind women wearing pants to church I think it's silly to wear pants to church just to make a statement.

Anyway, after much thought and prayer I decided that Sophie needed to learn more about the Relief Society organization of our church. She is focusing on all the things she can't do, and not on all the wonderful things we are blessed with as women. So I've had her start reading the new Relief Society book Daughters in my Kingdom and she is really enjoying it. I hope she'll feel proud and happy to be a girl/woman after she finishes it.

Parenting is hard.
And the best thing ever.