Things that make me smile.

Some days I hit the end of the day, and realize I didn't smile much.
I'm trying to notice the funny things my children say and do and SMILE more.  Enjoy it!  We had the best lesson on Sunday during relief society.  The woman teaching shared how her dad would always tell their family, "Whatever you do, for goodness sakes, enjoy it!!!"   I'm trying.  Here's some things that have made me smile lately.

A while ago I was singing the "Do, Rey, Mi" song from "The Sound if Music."  Millaker loved it, but not knowing all the words nor the title of the song would request the "doe a deer song."  The other day when I decided to introduce the kids to the actual movie, Eddie ran to get Millaker saying, "Hurry!  Then we can watch the female deer movie!"
Sorry Julie Andrews.

The Kid is a clown.  Literally.  He loves to laugh and to make people laugh.  So much so that he's developed a loud, fake, but amusing laugh he forces out to try and make others laugh.  The other night he was wide awake when I put him down for bed.  He spent the next HOUR laughing loudly at... Nothing.  I'm sure Guy was amused.  I listened by the stairs and by his door for a few moments.  This kid...
Undeterred.
We also laugh when he looks around, sees his sister's hair all done, or with a headband, and then high-tails it to my bathroom, pulls out a headband, and puts it on himself.  He's so proud of himself and struts around the house the rest of the day with... a headband.  I need to take a picture.  He'll either love it, or despise the picture one day.
UPDATE:  here's the proof.

Just to keep it real:
Last night I texted my sister, cousin, and King that I HATED TOYS!
I was all proud of how reasonable and calm I'd been all day.  Despite the fights over toys, the hitting ("but I said sorry!" ... not understanding that hitting, just because you PLAN to say sorry after- is not ok), the mess etc.  When it came time to clean up, NO ONE would clean.  Over an hour later, as I was feeding the baby, Eddie brought me up a broken pair of blinds Millaker had pulled down from the wall.  Last straw.  It literally broke the camel's back.  I hollered, had them clean up, and put 1/2 the toys AWAY in an in-accessable place threatening to throw them out permanently if they took them out of their place before I got them out (next week!).  In a not-to-pleasant voice I sat the older kids down and explained how their behavior that day had broken just about every. single. family. rule (peace, respect, order, asking, obedience!).  Thankfully, we pulled it back together and ended the day on a somewhat cheerful note.  Some days... I'm glad they go to sleep.  We start again the next day.

Baby Girl

The little Elder is here! 
I'm only four weeks behind on announcing this...
I don't have a great nick-name yet for her on the blog, we'll call her Lil' (short for little- which is ironic, because she was my biggest baby, but at the moment, she's the littlest in the family).

I should specialize in run-on sentances chalk full of dashes and parenthesies.

 

This darling made her debut four weeks ago weighing a whoppin 7 lbs 4 oz.
She was 20 inches long and had a full head of straight hair.  Our second child to have more than the classic "old man fringe around the edges."

I was induced four days early.  Everyone do a heel click with me!  I was ready to be done!  But really, what pregnant woman isn't ready to be done after 39 weeks!
I'd been measuring small- which is very typical for me.  After weeks of twice-a-week visits complete with NST's (non-stress-tests) and ultrasounds, they decided to just get her here.  For a while they thought there was a growth discrepancy between the rate her head was growing and her abdomen, but that was no longer a concern.  She was a pro at going HOURS with no movement until I had to poke and prod to even feel her.  Eventually the Dr said, lets just get her here safely. No more waiting. Hallelujah! 

 

Her labor wasn't my favorite (read: the worst yet) and I was THRILLED to have her here!  It only took eight hours, instead of the typical twelve three of mine have taken, but it felt FAR longer.  I'm sure there are big, red, bolded letters on my chart that read, "Never let this woman have more children.  If she does, give her an epidural!"  I'm equally sure that neither King nor my Dr ever wants to relive those eight hours.  I sure don't.  Here is my public apology to anyone I may have yelled at or complained to.  I promise I'm not normally so vocal or so rude.

She came out purple- and I didn't hear a sound.  The dr insisted she was ok, but I watched as he unwrapped the cord THREE TIMES from around her neck and it took a moment before her color looked safe to me.  I've never quite experienced a feeling like that- watching, waiting, and hoping a little life was here to stay.  Her middle name references the goodness and generosity of God.  That is EXACTLY how I felt after she was here safely.  

 Pretend I rotated this picture- because once its uploaded... sadly there is no rotating.... and its ten o'clock at night. 

Can you tell he's excited?

 Her oldest brother was her first visitor.  Grandma and Grandpa picked him up from his aunt and uncle's and brought him along.  The rest of the siblings were with a different set up grandparents recovering from the croup (lovely timing, I know). Though he was initially disappointed to hear we were expecting a girl, and not another brother for him, he quickly got over that and since has been one of the BEST helpers with her.   I don't remember much of his visit.  I sadly had to go have a proceedure done, and was LOOPY and quite out of it for the next hour or so.  (REALLY!  I made it all the way through labor without an epidural only to be put under immediately after.  I was NOT very happy!)  I may or may not have cried every time I thought about missing the first hour of her birth for a few days.  That hour is so sacred, so special to me.  Thankfully, King was able to stay with her and watch her first bath, and hold her.  That means a LOT to me.  I'm glad he was there.

This isn't a great picture, but it shows her dark, straight hair and I love it!

 A month out, I can honestly say this girl is L.O.V.E.D.    The kid might kill her with his over-abundance of tough love.  The first time he saw her he walked up and poked her in the eye and said "BABY!"  He STILL wants to poke her eyes every time he sees her.  He is so sensitive to her needs and can't stand it if she cries.  He is a man of few words (literally) but will yell, "BABY SAD!" every time she even whimpers.  All the kids bicker over who's turn it is to hold her.  Now that we are all well (remind me to tell you about how the Kid got RSV the week she was born and we stayed quarantined in my room for a week... and how happy King was to go back to work after the whole ordeal...), they ALL want multiple turns a day. 

I think she is one of our calmer babies, though King isn't so convinced.  If only he didn't see her primarily in the evening hours when she's not at her best... we'd have a better chance of convincing him.  Welcome, 'Lil!  you are loved!