Reunions and Dan's 6 Month Pictures

We headed to Grace the weekend of April 24th. Kenny had a class reunion he wanted to go to so we drove down Saturday afternoon just in time for the reunion. Now, I know what you're thinking, a class reunion in April is kind of odd. The stranger thing is that they all graduated 17 years ago. Not necessarily the traditional time frame for class reunions, right. Except for the 5 year reunion, which no one attended, they haven't had any reunions and I guess they thought it was about time. There were only 9 graduates and their families there (remember this is from a class of 42 students) and of those 9 graduates, 3 didn't actually graduate in Grace, they moved away just prior to graduation. Kind of a funny class reunion, but it was nice to go. It was nice to see Kenny with some of the people he went to school with and watch them all interact together.

After the reunion we headed back to my in-laws to rescue them from our kids. The report was that the kids were good while we were gone and that we really enjoyed the lunch without them. Thanks Grandma for watching them for us. We spent the remainder of the day enjoying each others company. We had a delicious lasagna dinner and then let the kids take a dip in the hot tub. The hot tub is aways a highlight of the trip and they insist we let them swim every time we go. After the hot tub we got everyone in jammies and watched a little of "Up." After such a busy day the kids were ready for bed.

The next morning we went to church, came home and had another wonderful meal, let the kids play a little while the adults visited. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday. Right before leaving we decided to try and take Daniel's 6 month picture. We have a wall in our house with a 6 month picture of each kid and then a current picture of each kid. (I should make a note that the only picture taken at 6 months was Sarah Kate's. The rest were taken between 7 and 9 months.) Because our camera is having problems we haven't been able to take a picture of Daniel. We stuck him outside in the back yard and took a few pictures with Gary's camera. It was cold and we didn't have much time, but I'm hoping we got some good pictures. At least one that will work. It was a short visit to Grace, but a nice one. We haven't been able to go many places lately and it's nice to be doing some traveling again.

Serious little dude!

Dan's our most serious child, he's happy it's just that smiles can be rare. This is a great picture because it's closest to his everyday look.

Gracie helped Daddy with some test shots. I thought this pictures was so cute, I just had to include it.

Mud Pies

This girl was in heaven.

I'm a firm believer that every childhood should, if possible, involve certain things. Of these things, getting dirty is high on the list. As a mother I acknowledge that sometimes it's hard to let your children get dirty, but to a child dirt and mud can provide hours of entertainment. Sometimes you just have to give in and let the dirt and mud flow. It's one of the reasons I love camping so much. I love that my kids can spend hours playing in the dirt, being creative and having a blast with nature. When the day is over we wipe them clean with a warm wash cloth, get them in jammies and get ready to do it all over the next day. I'll admit when I get home I'm ready to have everyone clean again, but there's just something about letting kids enjoy the dirt that I love.

Hannah doing a little clean up while playing, OK she was really just making more of a mess, but I'll give her credit for it anyway.

Sarah Kate showing off her mud pie. I just love the Kool aid stained faces they all have. It goes so well with the mud.

The week following our Boise trip started out with wonderful weather here in Idaho Falls. The temperature was in the upper 70's, there was no wind, and the skies were sunny for miles around. It was a beautiful week and we spent as much time outside as we could. After dinner on the 19th we sent the kids out to play. They found all their buckets and shovels and had a blast in the dirt. While I was finishing the dishes Kenny took a peek at the kids to see what they were up to. It was definitely a camera moment.

Gracie and Hannah making mud pies. Ben was outside playing as well, but for some reason he wasn't in any of the pictures.

Half Dozen Newbry Kids

#6 Sucking His Fingers

This blog is a long time coming, but I have a feeling it's going to be a long one so I've been putting it off. Had I written it back when we found out we were having a baby it would have been a much different post. Even if I wrote it back in March when we announced, it would have been a different post, but I've waited until now so I guess it's going to be what it is.

Kenny and I have always wanted a big family. I wanted 5 (until we had Sarah, then I felt like there were 6 kids for us) and Kenny wanted 4 or 6, not 5 because he didn't want an odd number. After Gracie came we toyed with the idea of stopping, but then of course, Daniel came (see the blog all about expecting him if you like.) When we found out he was a boy we knew we were going to have another one. We didn't want our little guy on the end with no siblings he could be close to. Sarah and Ben have each other and Gracie and Hannah are the best sisters ever. Daniel was left with no one. So we knew we were going to have another one, we just didn't expect him to come as soon as he did.

The last week of December I started to get hints that something may be not normal in my body. On New Years Eve day I finally got brave enough to take a test and surprisingly it had a very faint positive line. Now, it's not that we weren't happy to be having another baby, but Daniel was only 6 months old at the time and I was SOOOOO not ready to be pregnant again. I was in shock, though inside I new it was true, and Kenny was in shock also. I didn't scream this time like I did when I found out about Daniel, I just cried. I was so enjoying not being pregnant, not having a newborn, and the fact that I had just stopped nursing a few weeks earlier. The last thing in the world I wanted at that moment was to start the entire process over again. It took awhile to come to terms with the news. I've always been excited about the baby, but the pregnancy took a while to get on board with (I'm still not all the way there.)

We kept the news mostly to ourselves. With our life not being in the best place at the time, with this being our 6th child, and with Dan and this baby so close we knew some of the judgments we were up against. The few people we told were close to us and were people we knew would support us in this stressful time. Don't worry, just because we didn't tell you doesn't mean you're not one of those people. :) Things moved along slowly the first few months. I started to show earlier than normal, but I was able to pass it off as unlost baby weight and for the most part people didn't know. Then March 1st came and things started to happen.

I woke up a little before my alarm the morning of March 1st, went to the bathroom and discovered I was bleeding. The cramping started shortly after that and so did my freaking out. In all 5 of my other pregnancies I had never experienced anything like this and I didn't know what to think. I woke up Kenny, he called the hospital and they told us it would be best to come in. So, not wanting me to have to go alone, we called our wonderful friend Sara Hix at 6:30 in the morning, told her we had to take me to the hospital and asked her if we would watch our kids for us (she didn't know at the time I was pregnant.) We got the big kids ready for school, put them on the bus at 7:15, and headed over to Sara's house. It's so nice to have wonderful friends willing to do things for you at such odd hours.

Once in the hospital I had a bunch of tests done. They took my blood, listened for a heartbeat (which they couldn't find, this totally freaked me out) and finally ordered an ultrasound. I have never been so relieved to see a little heart beat on a computer screen as I was that morning. Whatever fear I had about this baby joining our family was washed away in that moment. I knew that no matter what we would make things work and that the most important thing was this little baby growing inside of me. I just laid there and cried, so grateful to still have a baby. The nurse informed us I was 14 weeks along and that though it was to early to determine, her guess was that it was a boy. I started to improve and after a few hours they sent me home, putting me on partial bed rest for a week at which time I was suppose to see the doctor. Yeah right! With 5 kids at home bed rest wasn't all that possible, but I did the best I could.

Since then things have been better. They never did find anything wrong with me, I guess it was just a fluke thing. I'm happy to have a healthy baby growing inside me even if I'm miserable. This has been by far my hardest pregnancy. I don't know if it's because of my age, or maybe because it's my 6th child, or maybe because he and Dan are so close, it's probably all three and then some, but I do know it's been rather hard on me. I have days where I can't really do anything other than just lay around because of the pain and contractions. Kenny and the kids have been really good to me and I keep telling myself it'll all end someday and it'll be worth it.

We officially announced the new baby in late March, which was a good time considering how big I've gotten lately. On the 21st of April we went in for an ultrasound and found out he is definitely a boy. We are so happy to be evening out our family, 3 girls and 3 boys, and that Daniel will have a brother so close. Our little guy is due August 28th which will make him and Daniel 14 months apart. This means I will have 6 kids 8 and under. It's quite a lot of kids in a short amount of time, but if you only count the youngest 3 I'll have 3 kids 2 and under. I'll admit I'm a little nervous for the first few months of this little guys life. That's a lot of little kids. I really hope he's a good sleeper and is kind to Mommy. It'll be a challenge, but it'll be worth it.

Boise Day 2

Daniel with Grandma and Grandpa Holderness

We returned to Emmett on Saturday night and put the kids right to bed so they could get some rest for church the next day. Kenny's Grandparents wanted to have us over for dinner at 2:00 so instead of going to Zane's 1:00 church we decided to go to the same building, but go to 11:00 church instead. For some reason it took me FOREVER to get everyone ready that morning. They were all so dirty from playing outside the day before that I had to give them all baths. Then there was hair, changing clothes, feeding breakfast, and everything else that's involved with getting the family ready for the day. It took at least 3 hours to get everyone ready and I didn't think we'd ever get done. It must have taken so long because we weren't in our own house. Whatever the reason we were about 10 minutes late for church. We arrived just before they blessed the sacrament and after observing the extremely full chapel we decided it wasn't worth opening the overflow after the sacrament was passed, just for our visiting family. We stayed in the foyer and took the sacrament and then headed back to Zane's house. It was our shortest church visit ever, but we got to partake of the sacrament and that's the important part.

I love this picture of Grandpa reading a book to Hannah. How cute.

We napped the kids for a short time while Kenny and I packed up to leave. When everyone woke up we headed to Boise to have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. It was so nice to see them and to visit with them. They are very neat people who I'm grateful I've been fortunate to know. We had a wonderful lasagna dinner and thankfully the kids were very well behaved. Zane went to his sacrament meeting and then headed over to Boise to join us. After dinner the kids went outside to blow bubbles in the back yard and have ice cream for dessert. I went outside with the kids and Grandpa Holderness, while Kenny stayed inside to visit with Grandma Holderness and Zane. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Blowing bubbles.

My kids LOVED Zane. They wanted to tell him everything and they just about did. They probably drove him crazy. Hannah especially loved him. She was so cute when she would walk up to him, tilt her head to one side, and just smile sweetly at him. It was adorable. Thanks Zane for being a good host and a good sport when it came to our kids.

After our dinner and visit with Kenny's grandparents we headed over to his Uncle Kevin's house. Kevin and Pam are working in China for a few years and while they're gone their daughter Becky is staying in their house with her family. While there we were able to see them along with Becky's siblings Trenton and his family and Christine and her family. The last time I saw any of them was on the cruise almost 2 years ago. It was so nice to see them and to visit with them. I really enjoy seeing my kids play with cousins they don't know. It's amazing to me how kids just become friends at once. It's a beautiful thing so see. We stayed until almost 7:00 and then decided it was time to make the 4+ hours drive home.

Grandpa wanted a picture with the little girls under the cherry tree. I think it turned out cute even if you can't really see the cherry blossoms.

Ben and Sarah in the tree with Grandpa standing nearby.

The drive was very peaceful, the kids slept most of the way. We took the back roads, it's actually shorter and uses less gas, and while driving we were able to see some deer and elk on the side of the road. I'm used to seeing deer as I drive at dusk, but the elk were a little scary. Seeing a huge elk standing just feet from your car as you drive past it going 55 to 60 mph is a little intimidating. Cool, but I definitely wouldn't want to hit one. We had a nice visit while in Boise and I think we'll have to take another trip up there sometime. We're definitely not waiting 5 years again.

Boise Day 1

The weekend of April 17th we took a long overdue trip to Boise. Kenny has a lot of family in the Boise area and the last time we were up there was for his Grandpa's 80th birthday which also happened to be Sarah Kate's 3rd birthday. We figured 5+ years was a long enough lapse and that it was probably time we returned. We chose a wonderful weekend to go. The weather was in the upper 70's, near 80, and we were able to brake out the shorts and enjoy the time in the warm sun. Funny story about that. When I got Gracie dressed on Saturday morning I put her in shorts. It's the first time she's been in shorts since last summer. As soon as she put them on she started twisting her hips. She looked at me and said, "Ooooh, I like these." She's become really fond of shorts lately.

Hanging out with family in Emmett.

We arrived late Friday night and stopped for a quick visit with Kenny's Grandma and Grandpa Holderness before we continued our drive a little ways to Emmett where his Aunt Janet's house is. Janet happens to be one of my favorite people in the entire world and though I've been in this family for almost 11 years I've never made it to her house. It's kind of ironic that the first time I make it out there happens to been when Janet and Jim are on a mission in Massachusetts. It was still nice to see beautiful Emmett even if Janet and Jim weren't there. Their son Zane is living in their house while they are gone and he was an excellent host for our large family.

Gracie loved throwing the Frisbee for the dogs. It did get a little slimy sometimes though.

Gracie and Hannah having fun on the tramp together.

We put the kids to bed right away and then Zane gave us a tour of the house. After that he and Kenny stayed up until 2:30 talking and catching up, I went to bed. In the morning I got up with the kids while Kenny slept in a little. When I was almost done getting them ready Kenny got up and we all went to the grocery store for a few breakfast and lunch items. On the way back to Zane's house we stopped at the open house they were having at the fire station. I was so bummed I didn't have my camera with me. The kids had a blast climbing on the fire trucks (all except Hannah who was terrified of how big and loud they were) and then they got to go try on fire fighter clothes. They had a fun game set up for the kids while they had the jacket and hat on. With a hose they had to shoot water into a hole that filled up a bucket. When the bucket filled up it would drop from where it was hanging. There were 4 hoses which was perfect for our 4 big kids. They loved filling their buckets with water and it was so cute to watch and help them. Again I wish I hadn't taken the camera out of the car. After that we saw the large dalmatian dog/guy and then they got to see an old fashion fire truck. It was definitely a highlight of the trip and we didn't even know about until we drove by.

The three big kids jumping on the tramp.

At one point Gracie got the tramp to herself. She loved it.

After the fire house we went back to Zane's house were we were shortly joined by his sister Shannon, her 5 month old daughter Ava, and Zane's brother Lance. The guys drug out the tramp and cleaned it off for the kids and Zane got the 2 dogs out so the kids could play with them. We had a wonderful time in the back yard playing on the tramp, throwing the Frisbee to the dogs, and visiting in the warm sunshine. After awhile I made lunch for the kids and then put them in bed. This gave the adults a chance to visit without kid interruptions. It was a nice way to spend an early afternoon.

I took a bunch of pictures of the babies. After the big kids went down for a nap the babies enjoyed laying on the floor just looking at each other.

They're about 4 months apart and they seemed to be real interested in each other.

I like this picture. I can just see Daniel saying, "Come on Ava, follow me."

After our visit with Janet's kids we decided to head into Boise and see Uncle Darin (this is another place I wish I would have remembered to bring my camera.) Lucky for us Darin's daughter and her family were in town from Utah and we were able to see them as well, including their 1 month old baby Bailey. It was so nice to visit with them and the pancake dinner they made us was delicious. All in all we had a great Saturday in Boise and were so happy to be able to see so many people. The kids had a blast and now they think Boise is so cool.