Sleeping Beauty

I know he's a boy...but he is beautiful

My pregnancy with this little beauty was a bit of a surprise... we wanted more babies but the timing was not ideal.  I said if we get another boy after these four he will be our last...every time I am pregnant, especially towards the end of my pregnancies- I feel like it is my last, who doesn't?   I couldn't even imagine having FIVE boys! Now that I have five boys though, I am not so sure that he is our last...I keep thinking how can this be the last time we see first smiles, the last time we have a crib in the next room... maybe we should have SIX!!? 

  Our life has been pretty rocky for the past two years and because of that I am always thinking and hoping and trying to figure out where we go from here... I try to imagine our future and I am not sure I can ever imagine a future without anymore babies!  Most people I know seem to know when they are done having kids... Glen and I always hoped for a "big family" but we never decided on  a specific number of children we wanted.  Maybe if we would have done that it would be easier. You know, the goal is four so that's the end... I don't know... I guess it different for everyone and there are so many different circumstances that mold each family....  I am starting to think that no matter how many kids we have, I will always miss and long for these days of babies.

I want to bottle up Simon's little laugh so I can save it forever.  I want laundry loads full of burp clothes and swaddle blankets... (and I despise laundry!) I don't want to be done with this baby stuff.  These are my thoughts today... in a few months I might feel different! I know I probably sound like a crazy lady talking of more babies when I just had one- but I am in baby love right now- you see how cute he is! I don't have a lot of control over my life at the moment and with things so uncertain it does make me feel a bit crazy and my thoughts wander...things haven't been going how we planned so maybe we should just embrace it, be poor, have 10 kids, start a farm or something??  I think maybe then I REALLY would go crazy though!..Heaven knows I am overwhelmed with the five kids I have...how could I possibly handle more? But seriously... If my life circumstances allowed, I would take 3 more babies right now!...   I told you I am in baby love!  If you think my thoughts of baby planning are over the top just ask me how I feel about having NO girls!

I have always wanted a girl (or more!) I read books on how to conceive girls, I prayed and begged for girls but always my prayers ended with " if another boy is what we are supposed to have then another boy is what we will gladly take!" because really, I love boys!  Who knows what is to come concerning more of them??

  My thoughts have come full circle as I listen to my house full of boy noises, dinner nagging at me, needing to be fixed, and I think about all the un-done housework the un-done yard work and all the things that I am doing wrong- Those thoughts have me feeling pretty content with FIVE!  I will just continue enjoying being in baby love with this sleeping beauty for now...

Land that we LOVE

Our Fourth of July
talked of our freedoms, heritage and blessings
wore Red, White and Blue
saw American flags... hands over hearts
braved the heat at parade with cousins
Water slide, water balloons, water guns in the backyard
BBQ, bounce houses, fireworks with friends

Happy Independence Day to this Land that we Love!

  

Fireworks

 Logan City does their fireworks show at the USU stadium on July 3rd... we look forward to it every year!  This year Glen, Evan and Eli went out for a late night drive the night before the fireworks and they left a few chairs and blankets out on the lawn, saving us a spot with a view at the nearby agriculture building.  We usually meet up with my parents and all of our extended family for the fireworks show but this year my parents are in NY visiting Julie. (we miss you!)  Getting together with the rest of the family didn't really come together so we made plans to meet up with just my brother and his family!  We took our dinner and some snacks and went a bit early to our spot on the lawn.  The weather was perfect, with a little breeze, we sat in the shade and ate and played until dark and then we got ready for the firework show to begin...

Here are the 3 littlest just hanging out

cuties!

 I think we've found the PERFECT spot for the fireworks show... close to the stadium so the fireworks are huge! Up on a hill so its the best angle for laying on the lawn, trees for shade in the evening but none blocking the view of the fireworks at night!. It couldn't have been better!

silly Gabe sitting in Simon's bumbo chair... he's kind of skinny!

Evan and Eli taking a break from tossing the football...

We bought some gummy penguins (Eli stuck them to his face for the picture above!) that have a peach flavor... they were for the boys to eat during the fireworks but they didn't last that long... they were the hit of the night and were gone quickly!...BOYS!

 or maybe the hit of the night were the glow sticks.  We got the last of what was in stock at the local dollar store that morning, plus Edie brought some too... they had fun connecting them and building fun shapes with them, not to mention the awesome glow!

We all know the real hit of the night were the FIREWORKS of course!  Everyone loved them except Elsie... she tried to be brave but kept asking to go to the car, when that didn't work she decided she needed to go potty...such a smart little girl! They HAD to take her away for that!

Cute cousins... 8 boys, I girl.. she is the little queen!  They all have a blast together... we are so glad that we live so close to my brother and his family! We hang out together a lot and the kids are  the best of friends!  It was a perfect night!

five little gentlemen

all dressed up in their Sunday best...so handsome.

Lover Boy

Just wanted to show off this little doll...

Not only is he adorable but he is such a good baby... so happy and mellow.  He loves attention which is not hard to get around here.  He talks and squeals at us all day long. sometimes he even fake coughs and when we say"oh no, are you okay?"  he grins from ear to ear.  He loves to make noise, growling, gurgling and his favorite is to squeal really loudly.  He has surprised himself a few times and jumped or cried at the noise .His brothers are all so in love and interested in all the things that he does.  I love watching them admire and make a fuss over him.  They come running anytime he makes a peep.  the little ones love rubbing lotion on him and dangling toys in front of him.  the big ones like to dress him and rock him to sleep.  They all love to do silly things to make him smile or laugh at them. Little Simon is definitely the star around here!
 
He is getting good at holding toys and bringing them to his mouth, he is pretty shaky but I love to watch him focus and try so hard to get things!  He bats at toys with his little hands and loves to look at bright colors and patterns.  He very rarely cries, only if he is tired or hungry and it's just a little bit of complaining.  he is always so patient if I can't nurse him right away.  My other babies were all sleeping through the night by 3 months but not this one.  people tell me I should try to teach him to sleep all night but he is just such a little heart throb I can't stand the thought of him crying.  He does one 5 hour stretch during the night and that is good enough for me right now.  He likes to be swaddled and have his binkey in his mouth when he falls asleep and he loves to be snuggled and rocked to sleep.  I know I am probably doing all the wrong things when it comes to sleep habits but I just want to cuddle him for as long as I can.

 Babies at every age are my favorite, but the reason I love this age is because right now Simon has all the trust in the world for us, his big blue eyes sparkle because he knows who we are, He knows we love him and will take care of him and he loves us right back. I love the sound of his laugh, his chubby little legs, his hair- oh, speaking of hair, a few weeks ago some lady said " what a cute baby, he has red hair" I thought she was crazy but more and more people keep commenting on his "red hair."  The more I look at it- it does look kind of strawberry blondish/reddish  My sisters both have kids with red hair, my grandpa had a copper colored beard, Glen's grandma had red hair so the chances of having a red head are not completely impossible.  I wouldn't mind having a little red headed boy with freckles- I love freckles! Glen on the other hand gets kind of defensive when red hair is mentioned he has no problem saying that he hopes Simon's hair  fades to blond!  Glen said" if he has red hair we are going to have to dye it!"  "He won't even fit in with the rest of us!"  of course Glen was (half) kidding!  We love our little Simon, every little bit of him!- who wouldn't?  He is so squishy and kissable, so happy, warm and cuddly.

Simon just had his four month birthday.  He weighs 14 lbs 5 oz . He is 24 inches long.  His head circumference, height and weight are all in the 25th percentile- perfectly symmetrical! He is our little joy, the love of all our lives... he makes me so happy- just thinking of him my heart melts- I love how obvious it is that he loves me, he is always watching me with his big bright eyes- such a little lover boy- I really can't get enough of him!

The BEST Dad Ever!

 In honor of Father's Day the boys woke up early and prepared a big breakfast for their Dad... his favorite! 

 They made biscuits, eggs, bacon, sausage, orange juice and cinnamon rolls... all while he was sound asleep

 Then they all woke him up in their favorite way... dog pile!  Once the wrestling was over,  and they'd all wished him a Happy Father's day, Gabe and Oliver said "close your eyes" and they took him by the hands and led him out in the backyard to the patio

Where breakfast was served..

after everyone was stuffed, the boys brought out the gifts

  Eli made this wooden picture frame at scouts

 The boys all picked out some of their Dad's favorite treats for him and I helped them decorate a stylish T-shirt too!

 Since their Dad is their favorite playmate they got him a volleyball net for the backyard

He LOVED all of it!

I know everyone says that their husband is the best dad ever and that 's fine if you think that but SERIOUSLY... my boys have the best dad in all the world!  He adores these boys of his, he notices the little things they do and say and at the end of the day we talk and he says "did you hear when Oliver said this..." or he says "Did you see the look on Eli's face when that happened...." Sometimes we sigh when we talk about the naughty things they do but always without fail Glen says " I sure love them!" or he says "aren't they cute!" or "its a good thing we love them so much..."  He always sees the positive and loves each of them for who they are.

 I love it when we are spending time together as a family anywhere and Glen and I constantly exchange glances every time our boys do naughty things or nice things... we share the same thoughts about these boys of ours. No one loves these boys like I do- except for him!  I see love in his eyes every time he looks at all of  us.  He keeps us all on track doing all the right things.  He expects a lot of the boys and he teaches them about respect and he enforces manners.  He teaches them how to do things like change the brakes on the car and how to fix a flat  tire on their bike- it would be so much easier for him to do these jobs himself but he knows the importance of letting them learn just like he learned from his own dad. He teaches them how to work hard and reminds them that someday when they are on their own they will be the best roommate, mission companion and spouse because they know how to work and do a good job!

When the boys get hurt they usually run to their Dad- he pretends he is "Doctor Dad" and he talks in a very official voice as he examines their injury- this always turns their crying into giggles. (or eye rolling from Evan and Eli)  He has the best tricks for getting these picky eaters to try new foods.  When he is home for lunch he tells the boys it's time to eat at "Huberhut" or "McHubers" then he pretends to be a chef and waiter- where he takes their orders... and delivers it just how they asked. They love it!  He builds forts and sets up train tracks with the little boys.  He throws baseballs, frisbee's and football's over and over.  He plays basketball and soccer and he arranges ping pong tournaments in the basement, sometimes he even lets me or the boys beat him! :) when we go to the park I would love for him to sit and visit with me while the kids play but he loves to play tag with the boys on the playground instead. I love to hear  him laughing with our boys! He loves bike rides, going on hikes and going camping! He takes time often to tell each of our boys that he loves them, that they are smart and that they are special!. Everything they do is more fun because they do it with him- he is their playmate and friend.  He tucks them in every night...EVERY SINGLE night he sings to them, he runs his fingers through their hair as he kneels by the side of their bed. 

These are just a few of my favorite things about their Dad.  The best decision of my life was when I married him!  Me and the boys are his whole world and we know it because he TELLS us and he SHOWS us everyday!  I really LOVE their Dad- truly the best Dad ever!

Happy Father's Day

 Here are a few words that come to mind when I think of their Dad

kind  understand  guide  support  tease  provide  teach  inspire  sports  laugh  service  protect  strong  care  encourage  fix-it  brave  patient  fun communication devoted  hero  friend  Daddy  play  family   hugs  respect  love  

He is our everything!

Happy Father's Day! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Mack Park

We went to Mack Park last week.  It is one of our favorite parks because it has lots of big shade trees and hiking trails.  a little river even runs right though it that is perfect for wading on a hot summer day...

I don't know why boys like rocks so much

Evan and Eli pulled up big rocks and started building a dam but they had to keep taking breaks every so often because they could no longer feel their lower limbs... the water was just a bit cold!

I love these brown eyes!

After some coaxing from the boys I dipped a toe in the water but then quickly retreated back to the safety of our picnic blanket where this little dream boat awaited me

 We talked and laughed as the big boys splashed around, collected rocks of every shape and color, attempted to flood the entire park with their dam and  raced stick boats down stream. 

I told Simon he would have to stay my baby forever! I begged him to never go off and do those silly boy things... but with a twinkle in his eye he giggled at me and I know in no time he'll be off joining the bunch!