More updates- late April through early May

 The kittens were growing and into everything, but they were so cute.

 All 4.  2 looked just like the mom and 2 looked just like the dad.

 Sam played tee ball and loved it.

 Courtney's bridal shower our church threw for her.

Anna made the beautiful, delicious cake.

 CC end of year program.  Ben was reciting with his class.

 Mousselini....

 He sang and recited quite vigorously.

 Sam and his class reciting the definition of an appositive.  Do YOU know the definition of an appositive?  (I didn't either till this year)

 Paul and his 8th grade class

Ellie with her 9th grade class.

Updating....

 It has been so long since I've blogged on a regular basis.  Our family enjoys reading back through this blog, so I thought I'd just give a quick recap of events that happened, starting back in March.

Ellie's cat Rose gave birth to 4 kittens.  The night they were born will go down as one of the most chaotic nights in our house.  We. Could. Not. Find. the. Kittens.  Poor Ben kept telling us he was hearing "little meows" under his bed and we kept sending him back to bed, certain he just wanted to be up in all the excitement. Dad was sure the kittens were under Ellie's bed, even after everything was removed from under the bed and the kittens weren't there.  Ellie then thought maybe she imagined the whole thing and the cat wasn't even ever pregnant.  Now imagine this all happening at once at a high volume. Finally we listened to Ben and sure enough, the kittens were under his bed, just as he said they were. Their poor mother had a prolasped uterus, and we were sure she would not make it through the night.  Long story short, she survived, had surgery and was the best little cat mother ever.  (After all the excitement died down that night, Ben came into the living room and said, "This family owes me an apology. "  And he was right so we apologized. :)

 Easter eggs

 Easter Sunday morning

 Awww.  They make such an attractive couple.

 The littles.

 This girl loves handing out flowers.

 Dad and littles.

 Mom and littles.

 Jackson was starting to make his presence known.

 A picnic at Aunt Sherry and Uncle Jere's after church.  It was a perfect day.

 Hunting Easter eggs.

 Playing baseball.

Ben-isms

• This morning before church Ben looked at me with a sad face and said, "Mom,  I just wish we had a normal family."  I wondered what had happened or who had made him upset. I asked him what he meant. "You know mom, a normal family where nobody opens the door while you are getting dressed."  I had a hard time keeping a straight face!
• Anna and Joseph announced their pregnancy this morning in church. On the way home, the kids and I were talking about it. "MOM!" He said excitedly. "I am going to be a Grandpa!" Haha

He's a winner!

Sunday morning 9/28

Jackson looked so cute and was so smiley this morning. He will be 2 months old tomorrow.

I have plans to resurrect this blog, so stay tuned.

Cherry Blossom

 The cherry blossoms are blooming right now in the city where we live.  They are beautiful this year.  Today was a spectacular day, with a bright blue sky with no clouds, so I grabbed my camera and headed out to snap a few pictures of the blossoms.

 This is one of the few years that we didn't make it to any of the cherry blossom festivities.  The season of life that we find ourselves in is so busy and we just couldn't find the time to go.  But that's ok.  It will be back around next year.

 Ellie's little cat, who is hardly more than a kitten herself, gave birth to 4 kittens on Friday night.  Oh my.  We really had no idea what to expect- and we did not get anything we expected.  I had noticed that Rose (the cat) had been hiding all afternoon and evening.  I assumed she was in Ellie's room, which is usually where she spends her time.  Paul looked under the bed at one point for her, and he didn't think she was under there.  A few hours later, as Paul and I were headed to bed, she appeared and it was obvious that she had the kittens  and it was obvious that something was wrong.  First we called the girls to come home and then tried to find the kittens which we all assumed were under Ellie's bed.  We were so wrong.

 We looked around in a panic and freenzy.  Ben kept getting out of his bed to "tell us something".  We assumed he just wanted to be in on the excitement.  He was insistent, but everytime he got out of bed, we quickly shooed him back to his room.  Ellie, on a whim, went into the kids room, and heard the mewing of the kittens, where else but under Ben's bed.  And, come to find out, Ben heard the kittens and was trying to tell us!  He later informed us that this "famwy owed him an apowolgy".  Ha ha.  He got one.

 The kittens are doing well.  (Who knew such a little creature could make such a loud sound??)  We are not sure the mother is going to make it.  We are headed to the vet in the morning to see if she will make it or if we need to put her down.  She has been such a good little mother, even though she has had complications.

 Sometimes it seems nothing is ever easy in our house!

 Jackson is growing.  I can tell in my belly and I can tell by the increasing forcefulness of his kicks and movements.  I cannot wait to meet this baby!  I am feeling well, just tired, especially after 6 or 7 in the evening.

Goodnight!

Pregnancy Update

I went back to the doctor on Tuesday for a blood pressure check.  My bp was very high a few weeks ago, so the doc put me back on bp meds.  I did not want to take them, but I was afraid not to.  And, actually, they turned out to not be so bad.  The meds caused a severe headache for 2 days, a bit of dizziness, and then nothing.  I'm not tired out (well, no more than usual) and I'm not lightheaded or dizzy.  Those were my biggest concerns as that caused me to not be able to function the whole pregnancy with Emma.

My bp was much improved!  I was thrilled that I did not have to go on higher doses of the medicine.  I'd say it was a great visit.  And, I was in and out of there in about 45 minutes.  That is wonderful.  I have spent hours at the doc before so it was refreshing to be in and out.

I am feeling pretty good.  My back aches on and off and of course, I'm tired.  But, the difference between this pregnancy and Emma's pregnancy is amazing!  I am so thankful to be able to function and be able to exercise on a regular basis and keep up with the laundry and housework.  (Well, at least try and keep up!)

Jackson is growing and moving.  I love feeling his little kicks and jabs and wonder what he is going to look like.  Will he have hair?  Emma had an abundance; Ben, not so much.  Emma's was very dark; Sam and Ben's were much lighter.  Emma was very big; Ben was one of my smallest.

So, I guess I will just have to wait and see!

Happy 15th birthday Ellie!

 Ellie turns 15 today. It hardly seems possible.  She was talking about getting her permit the other day and couldn't quite understand why I was almost chuckling.

 I tried to tell her it was because I was having a hard time believing she was old enough to be considering that.  I don't think she understood.

 She has the distinction of being the "baby" the longest in our family.  She held that position for nearly 6 years, and enjoyed every minute of it.

 Ellie can be such a fun big sister, and the little ones all love it when she plays with them,  I think she is destined to be a veterinarian.  She can do about anything with her cats and dog without a problem.

 Our family life is going to change quite a bit in the next few months.  Ellie will be the only big kid left at home and I am sure that will be quite a challenge at times for her.

 But I am certain she will rise to the occasion.

 Happy birthday Ellie.  You have been a great addition to our family and your mom and dad and siblings love you very much.

 I pray you have a great 15th year and that you are able to get your permit soon.

I love you very much.