I don't know what I would do without him

I don't know what I would do without him. I felt this way after baby *1 but now that we are at baby #5, I feel it even more so. Things have been a little rough lately. Between being 9 months pregnant, giving birth, developing Mastitis (and feeling like death) and then having a severe allergic reaction to the medicine I was taking, I haven't exactly been at the top of my game lately.

And that is where this guy comes in. He has stepped up, taken over, cared for me and the kids, and the house, all without complaining. They say marriage is supposed to be 50/50. Lately around here I feel like it has been more 80/20. I am trying, I really am, but this time it seems like it is taking me longer to get back on my feet. Every time I start thinking okay, I can do this, another major setback comes along. And Keni just takes it all in stride and takes over. He is calm and he never makes me feel bad or like I am falling short, even when he comes home to a house in shambles, kids bouncing off the roof and a wife laying on the couch moaning with a crying baby in her arms.

I love him for that, and for a million other reasons.

Addie at one week You scrunch up your forehead just like Gordon did. You looked like Jace when you were first born. It takes you a few minutes to latch on but once you do you are a champion nurser. You are not afraid of the older kids or the loud noises around our house. You are my first girl to take a binky. You love to suck. You didn't have to go get checked for jaundice. My first baby to not have to. You don't fuss much but you go from fine to mad very quickly.

You have really hairy ears. You are darker than your sisters were at this age.

Your face is already getting chubby. You are perfect. We love you so.

First Day of School

Well, we survived the first week of school. It was hard to go back because we have had such great summer, but it does feel good to get back on a regular schedule. This year Gordon and Ella started a brand new school, which is exciting and a little scary at the same time. The good thing is everyone at the school is new, not just them and there are some kids that they know. Jace had to wait until Thursday to start preschool and that was tough. He was so excited and ready to go.

My 4th Grader

My 2nd grader

My preschooler

Things she does right now that I don't want to ever forget

It melts my heart every time she says, "I wanna hold ja", I mean who could resist that? I certainly can't, even when she says it at the most inopportune times.

When someone is holding her and she wants to be put down she says, "put down me" or "get down me".

The other day she and Ella were taking a bath and Keni and I could hear her chanting, "oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah" over and over again.

If she is annoyed with me, or wants me to move or something she says, "cuse me mom, cuse me."

The other day we were jumping on the tramp. She and Jace were doing tricks for me and she said, "I ninja mom, I ninja!"

She is very bossy, she loves to boss her brothers, her parents, her cousin Taio, really anyone she can. We often hear, "come here right now, sssssh quiet, no talking and don't touch."

When she is on the swing or going on a ride on the Ranger she will often say, "hold on tight".

She started talking much earlier than any of our other kids and we are often amazed at how well she speaks. She is also a total mimic. You better watch what you say in front of her because you often hear it repeated right back to you.

Another thing that she just started saying is, "I said no!!!" in a very authoritative voice.

The other day she heard her cousins say, "oh snap!" and she said it back.

Unfortunately she has learned a few inappropriate words from her older siblings. One such word is stupid. I was trying to teach that stupid is a bad word and that we don't say it at our house. I haven't had much luck though. Now when anyone hurts her feelings or does something she doesn't like she says, "he bad word me," often they didn't say anything at all to her. So, she doesn't understand what bad word means even though she knows how to use the word stupid perfectly.

One night we put her in her bed and she started crying as she often does. I was shocked though a few minutes later when I heard her say clear as can be, "Dad I want to talk to you."

I know that I have already forgotten some of the other adorable things she says, but at least I got these ones recorded.

She is such a happy, fun, spunky little girl. She makes everyday more fun.

Thankful

I am thankful it is finally possible to purchase Beatles songs from iTunes! Yay!
I have always loved the Beatles and have acquired quite a collection of their songs over the years. However, there were a few gems missing, but not anymore!

I just bought:

1. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
2. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
3. Here Comes the Sun
4. Golden Slummbers
5. With a little help from my friends
6. In my life

Halloween 2010

Well another successful Halloween has come to an end. Halloween is not my favorite holiday but I love seeing how much my kids enjoy it. They had a great time this year.


Gordon and Ella after their parade at school.


Owl cupcakes the kids and I made.


My four cuties.


The stash


Ella really loved trick-or-treating this year. This is the first year the kids went to the doors without me. I waited in the car with Kalia and Jace who was too tired to trick-or-treat (he fell asleep).


On Sunday, just to have one more Halloweenish activity, we carved our pumpkin. Here Gordon is showing his design for the pumpkin and you can see the final product which his dad executed.

Lake Powell

One of my family's favorite vacations is to go to Lake Powell. It is still a place where you can really get away from it all, no cell phones, computers, etc. Its all about water, sun, sand and beautiful red rocks. We haven't been for a few years and it was so nice to go back.



The kids pretty much wore their life-jackets 24/7.




The fishing was really great this year. This is one Keni caught.



Lake Powell is a uniquely beautiful place to me.



The kids really got into all things fishing this year. They loved catching fish, eating fish, feeding fish, etc.



Uncle Jared jumping off the big slide.


Kalia loved playing in the sand on the beach.


Jared, Gordon and Jace pulled the girls behind them on the tube.



Hold on!!



Kids watching a movie while we made dinner.


Redneck Sam



The girls loved holding hands and jumping off the back of the boat.



We spent tons of time swimming. The water was so refreshing.





Here are some of the waterfalls we saw coming off of the rocks after a micro-burst of rain.



The kids loved jumping off of this little ledge into the water.



I just love this pic of Lia and her Dad.



Reading is another favorite past time at the Lake.

A perfect summer vacation. It is always hard to leave.