Our recent trip to DC

So Brad had a Conference in Baltimore on Halloween, and then there was this rally announced in DC for the day before, so we stayed with a friend in DC and went to both. AND Brad's mom came to Ann Arbor and stayed with the kids (except Harper, we took her), so it was just the 3 of us!!!

Us on the Orange Metro line. It was incredibly packed. People were in each other's 'personal space.' Every stop, when the doors would open to let more folks in, we would hold up Harper and shout, "There's a child. Don't push us! Next train!" She became the mascot of our Metro car for that 45 minute ride.

So before you look at the pics of the rally, this is them setting up for the rally the day before. Nice, wide open field...

THIS was as close as I could physically get to that same spot.

It was very well attended (duh, obviously)! And it wasn't at all contentious. At all! It was a nice respectful showing of all different viewpoints coming together showing that it is possible to be in the same space and get along. I mean, there were even Mormons there, I hear. There were tons of signs, some political, some hilarious, but I did not see one that was hateful or that cursed. It was refreshing. You never know in a crowd... I would've taken my other children there except that the crowd was just enormous. I was proud of our country that day. There was sanity and kindness in the air. It wasn't Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, etc. It was just people, not even sure all were American, and I don't really care. It was literally *awe*some. Enough of that. Some of my favorite signs... I apologize for the quality and angle of some of these shots, but it was kinda crowded and I was just holdin' the camera up and hittin' the button!

This one says "Anyone for Scrabble later?"



If you are a House fan (as we are):

If you are an Arrested Development fan (as we are also):

If you are a fan of Stephen Colbert (as, of course, we are), he's Eagle guy:

And this, *might* be considered a bit sac-religious, but a guy dressed as Jesus was there. (I can't say 'Jesus was there', 'cause that just feels weird, but I guess He was since we are supposed to treat everyone as if they are Jesus...)Btw, the sign says "Jesus 'hearts' Obama! Of course he does, Jesus loves everyone!

We all cheered this girl on as she climbed up the light!

I found him!! What do I get!?!?


So when all was said and done, this was as close as we got. And the sign there says, "I may not agree with what you say, but I'm not going to stomp on your head for saying it."

Oh, and the Conference went fine too. ;)

Ha! We only thought we'd find out about Samara's arm today. But no. More tests ordered. We'll know eventually.

Ha! We only thought we'd find out about Samara's arm today. But no. More tests ordered. We'll know eventually.

Harper is in the 1% for weight. Ha.

Wow.

This whole buying girly stuff is just so, um, different. I just put together a new pink princess scooter for Samara's birthday. It comes with a clutch bag to hang from the handlebars!!! I don't have a clutch bag, and I'm not complaining, but why, oh, why does my 3 year old need a clutch bag, and especially one that attaches to the handlebars of her scooter!?!? ¡Ay, caramba!

FHE Monday

For Family Home Evening, Isaac gave a lesson on talents. For his game we went around the room and said what everyone else's talents are. When it got to my family describing my talents, it got interesting. Here are 2 that stand out:
Isaac: "You hold Harper and you don't even drop her."
Asher: "You're nice to Grandma and stuff." (not sure which grandma or why this is so note-worthy...)
My kids really do crack me up sometimes.

A question I've been waiting for.

So this weekend was our Mormon General Conference. It's a time for all the members of our faith to hear the same message from the leaders of our church about things that they are concerned about and things they want to encourage us to do in the world today. There is only so much that scriptures can tell you about some of the things we go through in these times.

Anyway, one of the things that one of them talked about was addictions. The guy mentioned p0rn0graphy (written like that on purpose - so your internet filters will still let you read this.) Hyrum asked what p0rn0graphy is. It was a question that I was sure was going to be asked eventually during one of these Conferences because the topic is usually brought up. Plus, having 3 boys, it was a topic I wanted to bring up with them, but, there's not ONE great way to do this. When I thought about it before today, I had no idea what I would say or how I would handle it exactly. But today, when he asked, it wasn't awkward or anything, and this is what I told him:

P0rn0graphy is looking or watching naked people, mostly, but it's anything that makes you feel like you want to have sex besides your wife. The point of sex is to create life. P0rn0graphy makes fun of that power. It makes it seem like something you can do alone just to feel good. It eventually destroys your soul and your other relationships, especially with your wife. Then Brad and I told him it was something that he wouldn't really understand for a few more years, but that he can talk to us about it anytime. I finished the conversation being quite satisfied with my answer and wanted to share it with anyone else who may be thinking about how to handle that question.

Making about 80 cinnamon rolls for our traditional Conference brunch. Come over if you can get here in the next hour or so. Sorry everyone else. :(

Harper's All Done

We do the baby sign language that is so popular to use these days. Why? Because it works!

Locked out of my house. It's cold and rainy. We - Harper, Samara, and I - are sitting on our patio and I just started a fire in our grill.

Finish my sentence

Brad is an anthropologist. This semester I am taking Anth101. The material so far has been stuff that Brad and I have talked about for years. If I don't get an A...

Asher just said, 'My favorite grandma is both of them.'

So I can blog from my phone now - look out!

First Day of School

They were so happy to hop on the bus and get back to school. I try not to take it personally... ;) Samara isn't quite sure what to do with herself. And Harper keeps looking around for the boys. It's eerily quiet here.

How Samara Thinks

Samara exclaimed to me this morning, "Mom, I have hair on my arm. Now I can get a watch!"

She recently turned two and a half and is such a joy to have around and talk to. She quite often will study her body carefully and say things like, "I have great shoulders, look!" or "Look at my beautiful chins - [pointing] 1, 2." She also went through the stage recently of asking everyone she encountered if they had a bum. And they all did!! She is trying so hard to be big and go potty in the toilet. We also just passed the one year anniversary of her breaking her arm. She still claims to remember it, but she always points to the wrong arm. I'm glad she doesn't remember actually. She loves being a big sister and is almost always gentle. She usually is singing any song that she can kind of remember the words to, some are better then others. We love our Samara and we're glad she's around to brighten our lives.

With the depression lately, she has been trying to help more around the house.

Her loading the dishwasher! She was so proud!

Postpartum Depression

If you cry because there's cereal on the table after breakfast. If you cry with every diaper change whether poop is involved or not. If your kids are eating cereal for breakfast, toast for lunch and frozen pizza for dinner every day. If you become increasingly fond of the fetal position, you might have post postpartum depression.

So, I fit all these criteria and called my doctor and they put me on Zoloft. I had been on it once before after Asher was born and had done fine. But this time, oh, my friends, THIS time, it was not okay! First of all, I started taking it 2 days before a surprise trip to Salt Lake to visit Brad's mom for her birthday. We got to SL, all 7 of us, with all our luggage (nothing checked!) and successfully pulled off the surprise party for his mom. I was sleeping only 3-4 hours at night. Then the shaking started, trembling constantly. Then the rocking back and forth. Then the rubbing my palms together and on my pants and really anything. Then came the wailing. The kind of crying that I have NEVER experienced in my life! Combine all those and it equals a mental breakdown. I remember about 15 minutes of it. Brad says it lasted 5 hours! I called the doctor here in Michigan and explained what happened. The nice nurse told me that shaking, rocking and feeling more anxious is common and to keep taking the Zoloft. We came back to Michigan, all 7 of us, with all luggage, and I went to the doctor. She couldn't believe how I was!! So now I am on Klonopin, which knocks me out a good deal of the time which is why there has been such a hiatus from posting. They also changed me to Paxil. It seems to be working. I can see glimpses of myself coming back.

So the short version, I'm numb, feel very little in terms of love and connection to anyone. It's weird to feel so lonely in a house of 7 people. But I am getting better and can see light, but I can't tell how far away it is.

Harper lately

She has a new boyfriend only a few days older than her and they were found laying on the couch together snuggling.


BUSTED!

"I wasn't touching her, I swear!"

And she laughs!!

Our night tonight

So Asher ate the corner of a magnetic Bakugon card tonight. (why? I don't know, but he did.) Hyrum and Isaac being the big brothers that they are told him he was going to die because of it. He came down into the living room sobbing. I asked what was wrong and he said he didn't want to die. Isaac came around the corner and said, "But if you die and go to Heaven, Jesus will be there and He will protect you." Asher said, "I don't want Jesus. I want you guys," then gushed with more tears. He kept repeating over and over that he wants to stay in Michigan, he wants to be with us, he doesn't want Jesus. It was heartbreaking! We held each other for a long time. He finally calmed down. Gosh, I love that kid.



And for the record, he did not get any of the magnetic part of the card down, just the paper cover. Never got to the bottom of why...

30 things about me for my 30th birthday

1.I grew up in Arlington, Texas.
2.I am the 3rd of 4 kids.
3.My favorite color is ORANGE!!!
4.I love road trips.
5.I have never had a passport.
6.I have traveled by car, train, and plane, but not ship.
7.I have put almost 100,000 miles on our car in the last 5 years, and we don’t drive that much around the city.
8.I used to be a model – but trying to figure out that line of what I was and wasn’t OK with was not worth it to me.
9.I had a baby for every odd year of my 20s – 21, 23, 25, 27, and 29.
10.Cadbury eggs are magical to me.
11.I have come close to dying twice – once as a teenager and once after childbirth.
12.I have been to 37 of the 50 states and Mexico.
13.My husband truly is my best friend.
14.I have changed over 12,000 diapers.
15.I have been cliff jumping.
16.I sell Mary Kay mainly for the discount for myself (because I don’t like being pushy).
17.I am still working toward my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, slowly, but surely.
18.I have moved 9 times since being married (9 years ago).
19.I sang karaoke “Endless Love” with my husband.
20.I love throwing parties/ dinners/ brunches.
21.I have 2 clothes dryers – makes laundry days sooo much easier and faster.
22.I used to be a good listener, now I’m a better talker. Still trying to find that middle ground.
23.There’s not much I wouldn’t do for some Taco Bell.
24.I have been parasailing.
25.I am good with numbers and remembering things like birthdays and phone numbers.
26.I always wanted to be a mom and thoroughly love it – almost always :) .
27.I have worked 120 hours in one week before (there are only 168 hours IN a week).
28.I have more Halloween decorations than Christmas decorations (or any other holiday for that matter)
29.I have tasted poop...not my own...in the last year :(.
30.I am a freakishly good budgeter.

Wow, having 5 is busy, busy, busy!!

It wouldn't be so bad if we all weren't so sick and we didn't plan so much so quickly!!

Samara was diagnosed with impetigo the week after Harper was born. This picture was taken before it got really bad. She has infected spots on each side of her mouth and then she has red bumps all over the lower half of her face, especially her chin. So we quarantined her.

Then all the family members arrived for Hyrum's baptism and Harper's blessing. Luckily we were all freakishly healthy while family was here. Hy was baptized and it was really great! Hyrum realized how many people love and support him from all over. We had family and friends from near and far who came to see him baptized. Every seat was filled and there were many people standing. It was a perfect day for him.

We blessed Harper the next day. Once again, lots of people. The blessing gown is the same one we used for Samara. My mom made it with fabric left over from when she made my wedding dress. It's absolutely gorgeous!!


Right after Harper was born, we noticed that there was a part of our kitchen ceiling that had some water damage. (We were lucky enough to not have to leave the house for the repairs.) Then our fridge broke and we had to get a new one. Then our bathroom sink backed up. Then they came and checked our furnace. Now our kitchen light is out. Seriously, we have had more maintenance in our house in the last month than the 2.5 years before.

The day the last family member left, while Brad was taking her to the airport, I fell down the stairs and bruised my tailbone. It's been 4 days now and it still hurts, but it's improving. The day after that, Asher started throwing up and continued to vomit all through the night. We went through 3 sets of sheets, 2 quilts, 8 towels, and a sleeping bag. One of the quilts was Samara's and it was on her at the time... (He leaned over the side of the top bunk and threw up. It landed on her bed below him.) The next day, I was diagnosed with cellulitis. It's a skin infection deep in the skin and it's not contagious. Not sure where I got it, but the antibiotics seem to be working, but they have wiped me out! And today, Samara started throwing up.

Having 5 kids is busy, but so amazing at the same time. I love it! Harper is a great baby. She is happy and content. She lets her siblings hold her and is patient with them if she gets a bit bobbled or bumped. She is a pretty good sleeper and consistently goes 6 hours at night without needing anything.

At 5 days with Isaac holding her 'so gently.'

At 2 weeks, 2 days with Samara watching closely.

At 2 weeks, 3 days looking at her daddy-o!

At 3 weeks.

It's a GIRL!!

Many of you were right about gender, but none of you guessed the right day! She was born at 5:26am on the 23rd. 7 lbs. 2 oz. 18.5" Perfect!!

P.S. Her name is Harper Zoe. (Thanks Mama Bear!)

Vote for when the baby will be born (and what it is)

Vote and leave a comment with what you voted. If you are correct, you will be entered into a drawing and win something. Not sure what yet, but somethin'! (I'm due the 22nd) Isaac was our earliest at 6 days early and Hyrum was our latest - induced 6 days late.

The Heaping Belly

This was at 35 weeks.