The Girl who cries birth, or Five boys to kiss and that is just scandalous, or Baby Enoch makes his debut!

So the title says it all!
Enoch John was born at 2:14 this morning.
He weighs 8 pounds and 1 ounce
He is 20.6 inches long
He is so peaceful and sweet
We are in love!

The New Arrival!

When Tom and I got married, My Grandma gave us a King sized bed that was about 10 years old, and in good shape, but the previous owner had died in it. Slightly unromantic :) I don't mean to complain at all. We loved having so much room for the kids to jump in bed with us, and it had a faux brass bed frame, which was cute. When we moved to Minnesota I wasn't sure how much room we would have in the moving van, so we decided to give it away. This was under the impression that we would be absolutely filthy rich when we got here, and the first thing we would by was a new and incredible absolutely wonderful bed. Then, life hit. After hospital trips and Idaho trips and a mortgage and a new car and student loans and paying off a credit card, we kept saying maybe next month. For the last 5 months Tom and I have been sharing this twin size mattress.

This usually either meant that I woke up at 3 am to go sleep on the couch, or if I started out the night with a back ache, I would just start on the couch and Tom would bring the mattress out to sleep next to me. Every night when we would lay down on the mattress, I would either fall off, or Tom would huddle next to the wall and give me the most possible room. Most nights I would wake up with about 6 inches of my pregnant belly over the edge of the bed.
So needless to say, Tom and I were anxiously awaiting our new bed. We finally decided that it had come to the top of our priority list. We wanted to have it before Enoch arrived, because my babies usually end up in bed with me and there just wouldn't have been room. Plus Hyrum was on the crib mattress, because we were on his mattress, so it had to be done.
Last night we went to Costco and bought this 12 inch memory foam mattress.

I am positive I have never slept so good in my entire life! I fell asleep and woke up to the alarm in the exact same position. I felt completely rested with no aches and pains. The hardest part about the bed was getting up this morning. Tom even joked about calling in sick, because we were so comfortable! I honestly feel like I could remain pregnant and comfortable forever with this bed. ahhh, lifes little luxuries!

Just back from the hospital

Here are the results!
The Tetanus shot
The weapon
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Standing just 4 feet off the ground, one rusty metallic hazard!
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The wound
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The Boy!
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We aren't quite sure what the motive was, but Gabriel hit Hyrum in the head with the broom. It just happened to cut him. One tetanus shot and four hours in the emergency room later, we are tired and glad to be home!

The FOCA Bill

My dear friend just made a movie about the FOCA bill. It is extremely informative and gives you all of the information at your fingertips. Please go to this link to find out more. http://www.youtube.com/fightingFOCA
I don't think I could add to the information presented here.
A couple things about this bill stand out to me as wrong, and I just want to present them again.
-If this bill passes, Doctors can be sued for not giving an abortion. Yuck-what will the good men and women doctors do? Tom and I were talking about it. Really, they would just have to quite to keep from facing a moral dilema or law suite- and then we as women would be left without good and moral healthcare.
-next, if this bill passes, any woman, at any age, for any reason, at any time in their pregnancy can choose to end their pregnancy.
-and last they want to make abortion one of the fundametal rights. Do we really want the freedom of abortion to sit next to our sacred constitutional rights of religion, speach, voting, and the other freedoms we take for granted.
- as a sub thought, this bill if passed would take all of these rights away from so many unborn children.

If you do nothing else, at least educate yourself. I pray with that education you will be motivated to do more!

Why I love Minnesota!

Something Tom and I have said from the very first week we moved here, is the people here are so friendly! We love it. Everyone is very neighborly. They just seeem to care for eachother, whether they know each other or not. Just to prove my point, this morning, all before 8:00 I personally recieved 2 acts of kindness from strangers.
Every morning I bundle up the boys, so we can take Seth to the school bus. It is 1/4 mile walk and we are usually gone for 10 minutes. The boys get their hats, gloves, snow boots and snow pants on. After all of this dressing, I grab a jacket and we make a mad rush in the stroller to the bus. Today, when I got to the bus stop, and made sure that the boys were all warm enough for the wait, I realized my ears were burning. I pulled my hands out of my sleaves and warmed them up. Just as I did this, a man stopped his car in the middle of the intersection and asked me if I wanted his hat. I had never met or seen this man, and he really only had about five seconds, to decided to be so sweet and kind! How thoughtful! I declined and prayed that I would be able to show that kind of compassion to someone soon, and not easily forget his. Then just seconds later, the other family who meets at the bus stop asked if Seth could sit in the car with them to keep warm and wait for the bus, and we could just head home. Again, very thoughtful and very helpful. I ran home and on the way thought how much I love the people of Minnesota!
Just for reference, I jumped on the internet to check the temperature it is negative 16 before the windchill is factured in, and you can get a brain freeze from cold weather, not just ice cream!

Hurrumph! or Enoch please come soon!

Well,
Try as I might I can not induce labor. Yesterday after church, I tried to walk down the steps, and instead I most gracefully slid down the steps and landed on my back with my skirt over my head and my feet sticking up in the air. I instantly had rescuers at my side gathering me and all my papers up, and helping me to my car. You think that such a fall would induce labor at 39 weeks. Nope, just got a skinned knee and a sprained ankle. Then last night, I determinedly dressed my boys for a winter evening walk. Tom and I pushed them around in the stroller for about 40 minutes- 1 mile, through 3 inch snow, with ice underneath. Did that put me into labor? No! I was just frozen from the waste down. Then in the middle of the night I woke up to the gut wrenching flu. I have heaved every half hour for the last 12 hours. Did that put me into labor? Nope, now I just have two black eyes from all the pressure it apparently takes to empty your stomach all over the bathroom.
Each week, I have people ask me when I am due. And each week, I add two weeks to my true due date. This week for some reason, saying I had 3 weeks left, left me wanting to cry! Oh how I hope I get to hold a little baby boy soon!

Relentless

So this is me at 38 weeks and 3 days, do I really look like I need to be the target of such abuse :) Maybe you shouldn't answer that :)

I went to my 38 week appointment today. Got some good news from the midwife, and I was feeling pretty good. Then I picked up the kids from the babysitter. I stopped at Subway and I am telling you the lady that helped me was relentless! I walked in and she stopped in her tracks looking at me she said, "you look like your ready to pop." I tried to keep her from saying anything else. I said, "Thanks thats just what every pregnant woman wants to hear." dripping with sarcasim. I am getting better at sarcasim, the more pregnant I get! She said, "sorry, but you have to be due any minute!!"-I just want to order a sandwich. "Are you having more than one. Your carrying it all right up front. You know, my daughter in law carried just like that- she ran into everything. She couldn't even reach around her stomache. Yep she looked just like you!" "You must be so uncomfortable! Well what are you having?" I say, "a boy- and I just want a chicken sandwich" "Oh a boy, what a bummer, A boy what a drag. Well you know what they say, if at first you don't succeed, try try again. That is if you can handle more than one. Not me, one was enough for me. So, do you have any other kids?" "Yes, three boys, can I get all the vegetables" "Three boys oh my gosh! Three boys, you should stop trying, and don't touch me, I don't want any of you to rubb off on me. Do you want chips or a cookie?" "No, thanks have a nice day!" When I got in the van I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry! The only word that came to mind was relentless!

...will be boys...

OK, I posted earlier today, so don't miss that one, but we can call this part 2. Today, I was looking forward to Seths return from school. At about 3:20-his normal arrival time, we went and waited by the door. Then at 3:25 he still wasn't home. I started to worry a little, and decided to walk down the street to see if I saw him. I didn't so I went to the neighbors who give him a ride home from the bus, to see if he was chillin' there. He wasn't and they didn't send their little girl to school today, because she was sick, so they didn't know anything about him. So mild panick started to set in. I went to my next door neighbors house and asked if she could watch my little boys while I searched for him, on foot. Then I decided to walk to the end of the road and look for him at the bus stop just in case he might be there playing. As I was on my way to the bus stop, Kumba, the lady who usually gives him a ride called me. She asked if I had found him yet, and I said no. Then she said she had called one of the other parents at the bus stop, and they had not seen him either. In fact, their kids didn't remember seeing him on the bus. Now, I was out of ideas. I tried to call the school, but couldn't get through their automated system to talk to a real person. I decided I needed to find a ride to the school. Just then one of our neighbors drove by and pulled into her drive way. I ran over to her car and asked her if she could give me a ride to the school. She said she would so I jumped in. Just as we were backing out of her drive way, She noticed Seth running up the road towards home. I thanked her for her kindness, and jumped out of the car to get Seth. This is at 3:52 32 minutes of shear panick!
This is his story.
He was riding the bus home, and he sat in the back by his friend. The bus driver didn't see him on the bus and he forgot to get off at the stop. So, when Seth told the bus driver what had happened, the bus driver said that he would make the usual rounds, and when everyone else was off the bus, he would take Seth back to his stop. How can you be mad at the poor little guy. Now, I was a little upset with the bus driver. I wished that he would have radioed in to the school and had them call me or something. I sent his teacher an email letting her know, and asking her to help me come up with a back up plan, in case this happens again. I don't think I can handle this kind of helpless panick again!
So, I came home and thanked my neighbor and took her home-She is 85. Then on the way home the flood gates opened and I couldn't help but shed some tears. Thank you Heavenly Father for watching my boy and sending so many helping hands! Thank you that Seth wasn't kidnapped or lost or hurt or scared! And thank you that it is over! These were the thoughts going through my head as my little Setherdoo skipped up the drive way. Another day in the life of this crazy mother in Zion :)

Well!!

Boys will be boys!
First, Last week Tom got home and said hey, its like 38 degrees outside, the snow is melting and wet enough to make a snow man. Lets go. So we bundled all of the boys up and they made two snow men and a few snow angels in the dark at about 8pm. I love my husband, he is such a fun Dad!





Secondly, We have family movie night every Friday night. This consists of re-arranging the furniture, so the couch sits right next to the computer desk, making popcorn and hot-chocolate. Bringing every blanket in the house to the couch, and settling in for a long cartoon. The boys really look forward to it. Last friday, just before we started the movie Gabe was doing flying supermans off of the couch, and when he got up one time he stood right up into the piano. He has this to show for it.

Then, today the boys were eating oranges in the kitchen. I heard Gabe ask Hyrum to grab a knife, so they could open a new orange. I was using the facilities :) and ask them to wait and I would help them. Moments later I saw a flash of bright light. I quickly finished and ran into the kitchen to find a smoking butter knife on the floor next to the outlet. Apparently Hyrum was trying to be like Grandpa Larry. These are the results, the camera really doesn't do it justice.


The corner of the butter knife is melted, and the wall will have to be touched up with paint. As far as I can tell, he was putting the knife between the wall plate and the wall. But, he wasn't crying. I asked him if it hurt, and he said no. So I think Angels must have been watching over him! I don't know how he didn't get shocked. Its a miracle!
So...Boys will be boys, and I am pretty sure Heavenly Father laughed when he decided to send me another one!

Wahoo!

First, I want to thank my kids completely inspired primary and nursery leaders. When we first moved here, Seth and Gabriel had a pretty rough time at church. Bringing both of the teachers to ask me what they should do. Tom and I talked to the boys, but were unsure of what else to do. Then Seths teacher had a break through. I wasn't sure exactly what she was doing, but I could tell he was so happy in primary, and really excited to share all he was learning with me after church. I talked to her at an Enrichment night, and told her how glad I was that she was his teacher and how much Seth loved her. I asked her what changed. She said after a lot of fasting and prayer and late nights, she was inspired with a method of teaching that worked great for Seth. Since then, she had no problems with him, and he was such a joy to have in her class. This is a single woman with no prior teaching experience-just fulfilling the calling the Lord gave her to do. In October the nursery leaders were changed. By the 3rd week in October the same thing had happened with Gabriel. He loved nursery, he was happy to go, and he was getting great reports from the teachers. Just a few weeks ago the boys all missed church because they had colds. The next day Gabriel and Hyrums nursery leader stopped by to see how they were. She brought a couple books for me as well. They were "how to" books on raising kids. At first, my ego took over, and I was slightly embarassed to admit that I didn't know it all. Then I sat down and read the books. She was completely inspired to bring them, and I am so grateful for her!
One of the books is called "Raising your high spirited child" the other is called "Love and Logic". I had been recieving emails from the "love and logic" website, but I had never fully understood the concepts until I read the book. So my plugs are for inspired primary/nursery teachers and "love and logic".
On that note, we took the kids to a restaraunt tonight, to "practice" their restuaraunt manners. One of the things that "love and logic" teaches is that we need to give our kids opportunities to mess up, where the consequences are still small. Better to have them wreck their tricycle than the parents car. So, after having good results with all the other things we have tried in the book, successful trips to the grocery store, good eating and manners at the table, positive experiences with "time out", etc. we decided to take it to the next level and go to IHOP. This is the first time we have ever taken our kids out to a sit down restaurant. They did soooo good! We stayed for 1 and 1/2 hours without any problems. Then Hyrum got bored and spit his milk out of his straw. I was prepared for this, and told him because he chose to spit his milk, he chose to wait in the car. I had Tom take care of paying the bill, wrapping up my dinner, etc. I took Hyrum to the car put him in the carseat. Then I got in and we waited in the car with the heater on until Tom and the boys joined us. The entire night was so pleasant, that Tom and I have decided to do it again. Seth and Gabriel were perfect! So Thank you "Love and Logic" and Thank you inspired nursery leader!!!

Minnesota Weather

Apparently the weather is not as cold as it has been. When I went to get Tom from work on Christmas Eve-@ 2:00, people were walking all over town in t-shirts and snow boots-in down town St. Paul. I looked at the temperature and it was 15 degrees.
When we first moved here last April, Seth sayed "uh-oh, now you've done it, we moved to the cold country." Tom and I laugh about it every once in a while when we have to go out, and the temperature is below zero. Tom sent me an email the yesterday saying that we had received snow 25 of the last 30 days. I can gaurentee that no one here understands the meaning of the word drought. It sure is a different world here!
Lots of love from the cold country!
Erika