Back to school

It was back to school for Filippo, Spencer and Bridgete today. Jenny and Evan have one more week and then they will be back to the grind as well. I was sad to see them go. I really do love having them home with me. (but obviously not enough to home school :)

Last night, they each had a father's blessing. That is definitely one of my most favorite things before school starts. The kids can't wait to get their blessing. Dave gives me one, too. I need all the guidance I can get. It was such a special evening....and my mascara was everywhere.....of course!

Filippo is a Big Sixth Grader! I cannot believe it.

Spencer is a First Grader! Holy moly!

And my Bridgete is in a pre-K class.

I love them. Bridgete kisses my belly everyday and says, "Mom, our baby is really cute in there, huh?" She cannot wait to be a big sister. And I just love how she always refers to the baby as "our" baby. Is that cute or what?

What is that thing they call Energy?

Typical me: stay up till 11:30-12:00....wake up at 6:30-7:00 to excercise and get a jump on the day before everyone wakes up. No naps....just busy busy busy.

The new me: struggle to stay up till 10:30...crawl in bed, wake up two to three times a night to go to the bathroom (yeah; and I am only 8 weeks) wake up at 7:30-8:00 realizing the little ones are down stairs trying hard to be quiet be failing miserably. Then I eat breakfast in hopes for some energy to work out. Work out...then feel so exhausted from it for an hour or two. Yawn pathetically all day long. Go through the day in a fog and then it is finally time to go to bed.

Do I sound like an awesome person to be around right now? Nope...Dave is wondering when this will end because he can't handle it anymore. I don't remember being this bad before...oh well. I just wanted to document this because it is definitely a pathetic stage I am going through right now...Sorry for exhausting everyone around me!

Visit to So Cal

We went down to see my family this past weekend. It is a six hour drive, but Dave was extrememly proud that we made it in 5 1/2 hours with a stop to gas up and use the restroom. He was very impressed with his time:o)

Anyway, we went to see my sweet Grandma, aka G.G. She loved it and the kids had a good time running around her yard. (that is what we always did when we went there as kids :o) She looked great as always. She is 91 and going strong!

Dave went and sat next to her for most of our visit...it was cute.

After our visit, we met the rest of the family down at the beach for some fun, food and ... a high tide:)

Yep...all of these people in this picture are in our group... that is a lot of people. (and there are quite a few people not in the picture.)

Sorry, I don't have the energy to label every picture, but I do know that it is all family and this last one is me and my hubby.

I know this post is getting long...sorry. Just wanted to throw in a picture of all the sisters and sisters-in-laws. I was not thrilled to be photographed at all because I just look chubby, not pregnant (it is driving me crazy!). But Aimee insisted (notice she is the one with the cute shirt and necklace. And Amanda was on her way to her 10 year reunion so this picture was in favor of them all the way. Next picture...watch out...as long as I am not pregnant :)

On our way home, we stopped be Pepper and Dick's. We had a scrumptious breakfast with them and a very nice visit with them.

Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay with you. We love you and it was so great to see all of you. The kids had a great time. They are already asking when we are going down to see you guys again :)

Trust me,This Post Speaks For Itself!!!!!

Something has been a little different around here lately...

Interesting...let's just see about that...

Ok, ummmmmmmmmm...

The third time is a charm...

So, I guess that means...

I am pregnant.

And now for the reactions...

"Ummmmm.....I guess I am going to have the six kids I always wanted."

Surprised....not nearly as surprised as we are. But, I guess there is one more spirit up there that is just meant to come to our family.

And I just want to give a shout out to Aimee for keeping such a big secret...I know she had a similar experience, so she was my confidante.

A little bit of this & that

See this picture.....that is my Blackberry Cobbler, and it was the best one I have ever had. Oops...sorry if that sounds snooty, but it is the truth:o) We have wild blackberry bushes growing all along the greenbelt by our house, so we went berry picking. I have already shared the recipe with a few of my friends and they agree...it is delicious! I doubled the cobbler part and I think that was deal maker. Unfortunately, I am way to lazy to write down the whole recipe, but I have it if you want it. As a matter of fact, Dave is taking the kids right now to pick some more so I can make another one. Allright....this has nothing to do with food, but I wanted to post a couple pictures for my sweet niece, Averi. Averi, our animals miss you! Tucker misses you petting him and Whitty misses you, too! Adam and Stacey, please get that girl a pet....she is too cute around animals!

She is coming to town!

ATTENTION FAMILY....Jenny is coming to town!

Ok, we have purchased the airline ticket and she will be on her way the last week of July. I wanted to let you know that she is a fabulous babysitter. And she does a great job painting little girl's fingernails :o) Just thought I'd give you all the heads up...so plan your date nights now! She is so excited. She will be 16 by then, but please keep the boys away. OTBC, are you in need of a hard worker...this is your gal. My one request is that you take good care of her. Thanks family!

Fourth of July Extravaganza!

THE FIRST FOURTH OF JULY EXRAVAGANZA!

This past weekend we had 27 people in our home. My family came up to spend the Fourth of July with us. We had bodies sleeping everywhere...laundry room and all. It was so much fun. My kids are already asking about next year. As the official hostess, I thought I'd share a few photos of what the dining room looked like when everyone was here....

It turned into the bread and soda overflow, dressing/changing room, and storage room. Pretty, huh?

Averi's hair was brushed that morning by Aunt Jenni....I promise! And now a glimpse of what the room looked like before everyone came. Notice anything different?

And now for the front room....it turned into a bedroom, nursery, bathroom, changing room, wrestling room. Notice the intense look on Jenni's face while she is doing Abbie's hair....we assigned her all the girl's hair for that day. Nice face, Adam.

Abbie, Kylee, Averi and Bridgete getting a little crazy.

And this is what the room looked like when everyone left....I had forgotton what kind of floors we had in that room.

Now that everyone is gone, our house is so quiet. It makes five kids seem like a breeze. I absolutely LOVED having everyone here. It was a blast to just hang out with my family and laugh until we cried. We hope this can become an annual event.

OK, now on to the action packed weekend. Seven of us decided to start the Fourth of July with a little exercise. How 'bout a 5K run? Yip, that is what Adam, Stacey, Aimee, Mike, Austin, Tyler and I decided to do. It was a lot of fun and a good accomplishment. I am proud of everyone!

After that, Aimee couldn't walk, but she managed. The kids went swimming, played on the waterslide, ate, danced and did fireworks. It was a 12 hour party. Wait...make that a 48 hour party. We went strong all Saturday,too.

Family is such a blessing. We miss having family close to us, so this was extra special to me and my family. Thanks for coming up here and roughing it. You all mean so much to me and the Lord has been very good to our family. We cherish each one of you! Next year we are going to have to get Jared and Brian up here, too. We love you all!