Prepping for baby...

We have been busy prepping for baby the past several weeks--my list of to-do's has gotten rather long and the more I cross off, the more I FIND to add to it. It never ends. But we have also been taking time to celebrate our sweet new baby! Some incredibly sweet friends threw a baby shower for me and it was SUCH a fun night! They had a panini station set up with all the meats and cheese and yummy spreads, vegetables, etc. and a couple panini presses hot and ready to go. They were AMAZING! Add to that the spinich salad and cupcakes and fresh ftruit, and strawberry shortcake (*which is my fave!) and it made for an amazing meal. :)




The invites said to bring a spool of ribbon and they would be making bows for baby. SO while we visited and ate and just enjoyed each other's company, people went to work and stocked me up with so many ADORABLE bows--many that match outfits they brought or that they knew I have. I am SO excited to be in the world of ribbons and bows again. :) Everyone was so generous and I was given some really cute things. But more than the gifts and the delicious food, it was the BEST evening just spending time with so many incredible people. I am going to miss being around such great women. They are truly amazing.


As a family, we also celebrated by making our tradition new baby trek to Build-a-Bear. The kids voted on which one to pick (we chose a bunny) and then everyone went to work rubbing the hearts with good wishes and lots of love--and then stuffing them all inside the bunny before the employee stitched up the back.


Everyone was ESPECIALLY excited to help "bathe" her--even Carter, who until this point hadn't had much interest in the situation. And being right before Easter, bunny ears were passed out and worn. :)










The Pawlette the bunny (who happened to be the same bunny we chose) made an appearance and the kids were excited to get a picture with her--except for Carter--who at this point was bathing and brushing every animal in the store and wouldn't stop for a photo op.



The kids gave her a name--Peanut--and she is adorable as can be. So soft and snuggly--and they all love to take turns holding her. A few have even had her sit on their beds at night when they had a really hard time getting to sleep. They keep her now in the baby's bouncer and go in to stroke her daily.


We are so excited to have this baby girl come to our family. She is mentioned daily in prayers of gratitude and the kids cannot wait till they get to hold her. As difficult as this pregnancy has been....as uncomfortable and stressed as I have felt...It has been a tremendous blessing to have this excitement buzzing around our house. I feel very blessed. And I can't wait to hold our sweet new spirit and watch how she will change our family forever.

5 more days!

Where are we now?

I have had so many people email or call lately and say, "I must have missed it, but I didn't hear where you are moving!"




Well, for those wondering....there was nothing missed. 
We still don't know.
True Story.

So I thought it was time to do a little rundown about where we are at with things... :)

Jenna...finishing up her 4th grade year. She finally hit 4 feet tall and passed the 50 pound mark and is ECSTATIC! She is OVER THE MOON excited for the new baby to be born. She talks often about how she wants to help and what she is going to do to take care of her. I have a feeling she will be a great helper! :) She turns 10 in 3 weeks and I can hardly believe that time has flown so quickly! And while she easily turns on the waterworks and it is sometimes scary to see the tween years and coming on strong, she is a beautiful girl with a desire to do right and good. And I feel pretty darn lucky she is mine. :)

KADEN...Oh, Kaden. He recently lost 3 teeth, and they were all in sporadic places--and quite honestly he looks a tad bit jagged in the mouth. Think Jack-o-lantern. Truly. It makes me laugh. But he is super proud of his tooth losing abilities and has planned that if he keeps going, he could have a pattern of missing teeth.I am hoping some grow in sooner than the next one is lost. :)
Kaden turns 8 in June. Seriously can't believe it! He is a great boy--loves to read and is really on top of things, except when it comes to putting away his socks (why is this so hard?!). In all his prayers, he says, "Thank you for our baby sister". It is so sweet. I think he will be a big helper too and try to do anything possible to make sure she doesn't cry. :)














Then there is Spencer. Spencer is an avid reader too--recently hooked on Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books. He likes to quiz me on random facts about planets and sea creatures, of which I know little about and have failed his oral exams numerous times, much to his surprise and dismay. He asked me the other day if I was an expert on ANYTHING? Reality: probably not. But my brain functions on a much more creative level than scholastic level. Just hard for a kiddo to understand when they are 6...and can remember completely random and unknown facts about everything, but can't remember the thing I asked him to do 5 minutes ago. :) Brandon says he takes after him here...I won't disagree. :)

OOOOH Carter. 3 years old...which for him is the "particular" stage. Despite our efforts to tell him he is 3, he insists he is 4. He is getting good at counting (with the exception of his age) and is seriously a puzzle master. I can't believe how quickly he puts puzzles together! He loves to play with Legos and Trio blocks and is a technology junkie. He is at the stage where he only wants to wear a shirt if it is green, has superman, or sharks. And he will only eat with a spoon, regardless of the meal--but it cannot be plastic. I cannot understand this at all. His latest obsession is flashlights. LOVES flashlights and sleeps with one every night. He is a hilarious little guy, who wants people to believe he is anti-social, but when his siblings are around he is a wild and crazy boy and a lot of fun to be around. 

Me--Well, I took the plunge and asked someone to take my picture, which is something I completely dislike having done, especially at this stage in the game. I am incredibly self conscious about the 60 whopping pounds I have put on this pregnancy--and am very anxious to get it off. I am incredibly ready for this baby to come. I have been marking off a list of to-do's and even though there is no nursery to prepare, I still have lots to take care of ahead of time--bills to schedule, weeds to pull, phone calls to make, letters to send...the lists go on.and on. I am anxious for my mom to come and excited to spend time with her here. I am DYING to know what this baby will look like. The doctor says she will be small--but I am curious what that will really mean...and if she will have hair, blonde or brunette, etc. We have a name chosen...we have the clothes washed and folded and car seat ready. The bouncer is put together and oh, so cozy.
And luckily, even if she doesn't come on her own, I have an induction date for May 2.
 So the countdown is on.
10 MORE DAYS! 

As for the JOB situation...
Well, there are things in the works--nothing set in stone. Several opportunities that were all a hurry up and wait situation. We have been all over the map in this process--Illinois, Idaho, California, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Montana...the list goes on. The opportunities pop up, we move forward and most of the time, the door has shut. I am learning a lot through this process. Patience. And acknowledging the Lord's timing. In many ways, our house sale and how miraculous and FAST that was, was a defining moment for me--it was the piece I needed to be able to let go and to say, "I have seen God's hand--as miraculous as though He had healed someone in front of me or raised someone from the dead. And he will work these same miracles again. He will not abandon us, nor leave us alone."

I feel this has also taken us from a place of, "here is what we would like" to "Lord, please just tell us what your will is so we can do it!" It is definitely humbling to have door after door shut in your face when you think you are on the right track. We want now more than anything to be in a place where He needs us to be--whether for our own learning or for us to help others around us.

There are some promising things on the horizon...but the baby timing is difficult to work around when you're trying to get out for an interview right away. ;) This morning I prayed and did my go-to routine of opening the scriptures and searching for reassurance and answers. And then it hit me--I didn't need those things today. I didn't need more promise or backup. I just simply felt peace. Period.

I still don't know what will happen. I don't know how things will work out. There are many uncertainties on that lay ahead--knowing that we have to pack up our moving truck on June 14, and moving to a currently unknown location while leaving Brandon behind to find somewhere else to stay and to finish his last 2 weeks of residency--wondering how this will all work out in the next 6-7 weeks to secure a job, pack our house, travel to find housing, move essentially alone with 5 kids--one being a newborn, etc. And even with all those things up in the air, I still feel a peace. I have seen God fulfill His promise and I know He will do it again.

I am grateful for this little family of mine. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for promises and blessings and peace that come as we do our part and allow His timing to take place.
And I look forward to the day we can have these answers and look back from the top of the mountain to see how these valleys of darkness have helped us climb where we needed to be.

Just a spoonful of sugar...

Life has felt pretty darn heavy lately. So much stress. So many decisions. So much to do.

But after our Family Home Evening lesson on Monday night, Kaden had the treat and chose ice cream cones. All the kids headed out into the beautiful evening with their sugar cones and laughed and talked on the back porch. It was so warm, so beautiful. The grass is getting greener, the sunshine was setting and illuminating magic across our yard, and the laughter was absolute music to my ears. 

Brandon jumped on the trampoline and the kids joined in. I laid back on the swingset slide and peered over my big belly at my beautiful family chasing each other around and attempting to "break the egg".

 It was a moment where all I could  feel is blessed. 

They say it takes a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. This was our sugar. 

This was such a breath of fresh air in life. This made everything just feel lighter and refreshing and enjoyable again. Even if just for those few moments.

Brandon has yet another job interview coming up. It is hard to know how to feel about interviews anymore. I am cautiously optimistic--hoping that perhaps the right door will open, never knowing when we will turn the corner and have that one thing fall into place that would make the future clear. 

But I have reflected  a lot this week about the miracle our house sale was. Literally, every single thing that happened was in the exact right timing and was in the exact way that we needed. Forget being a spoonful of sugar--our house sale was a 5 pound BAG of sugar! It was a tender mercy that the Lord knew we needed to be able to pull our heads above water and not feel like we were completely drowning.

In a month we will have a new baby in our home--and despite being nervous about replaying my mom role in the infant scene, I also look forward to the beautiful spirit that comes with a new little one. The kids pray daily to thank Heavenly Father for their little sister and I know she will not only be incredibly loved, but will bring a new dynamic to our family.

I feel grateful for the miracles we have seen--the little breaths of fresh air that have carried us through to be able to face the next trial. I know they are there. I know things are unfolding. Slowly. But they are.

And until they make sense, I cherish these moments little miracles, of laughter and reprieve.
Because truly, I feel blessed.