Lessons in Life

My children have been learning a very hard life lesson. Since Breck was born we have lost 3 animals, all of which resided inside our home. I have already blogged about Maddie but we also lost 2 gerbils. Lexy and Kalley had both bought themselves a gerbil just over two years ago. Jasmin died 6 days after Breck was born and then Flower died on Saturday. It wasn't a surprise when the first gerbil died because she had seemed like it was coming for sometime. But Flower was a surprise. We think she may have chewed up some of a pom pom string and choked on it. She wasn't doing to good in the morning and by the night time we found her dead. So both Gerbils are now together in heaven with Maddie. The kids have had to learn that animals, as well as people, all have to die. They have taken it pretty well. Now we just have 10 chickens - I am thinking summer vacations are going to be a little smoother!

Breck's Blessing

We blessed Breck on May 3rd. Because the flu had visited some family members on both sides we seemed to not have as many there. But I also think that we just aren't used to more of Patrick's family leaving us for Utah, since we blessed Cassidy. We miss all of you! It is great to have such wonderful families!

The McConaghie's

The Allen's

Maddie

Maddie joined our family on June 3, 2003, she was Lexy's 3rd birthday present. She has been a typical dog - most of the time annoying but always excited to see us and willing to make us feel loved. On Saturday we had to put her to sleep after I accidentally ran over her. She couldn't handle us leaving her and if we ever left her inside she would bark and drool till we came home. She just thought that she was one of us. Saturday was no different! I didn't know that the boards that kept her behind the fence had blown down and never saw her as I was backing up. It wasn't until on got on the street that she must have really panicked that we would leave her. That is when my back wheel rolled over her. The worst part of it is that all the kids were in the car. She got one last car ride to Petsmart, to Banfield Pet Hospital ,where they looked at her and knew in a short time that she wasn't going to be O.K. The closing words from "Marley and Me" have really hit home. It says, "A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if you're rich of poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give'em your heart and he'll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?" Just like the movie, Maddie loved us everyday no matter what.

Easter 2009

Here are the girls in their Easter Dress, ready to go to 8:30 church!

And here is our little guy in his Easter get up!

This is after the Easter egg hunt at my parents. All of the grandkids were there including my older brother's friend and long time neighbor of ours from Utah - Chirs Trapnell's kids.

This is what Breck and I did while the kids hunted for eggs.
Here is Cassidy doing one of her seductive poses. We can't get her not to pose in a picture.

Here is Lexy in the tree. They always end up climbing the tree after pictures. So next is Kalley in the tree.

Baby Breck

Breck joined our family on April 1st. He came in at 7 lbs. 4 oz. We were afraid that he would April Fool's us and come out as a girl. But he didn't - in fact there were no April Fool's day jokes that day.

Here are the proud sisters!

Here is the little guy with bags under his eyes. When they showed him to me I noticed he had big lips and wrinkles. The wrinkles have since gone away so it must have been his lack of sleep. Ha, Ha is that possible?

Here is the proud dad before we left. Yes, those are bags under his eyes and those are deserved. It had been a couple long nights.

Book Recommendation

I had to let everyone know about a really great parenting book. In all of the parenting books that I have bought I think that this one is the first one that I have finished. Usually I get bored or don't really agree with what the people are saying. This book is different. I saw it on one of my long walks through Target. I was hoping my feeling sick would end and was tired of feeling totally exhausted and boy, those hormones. I needed something to help me seem more sane (or at least so my kids and Patrick could think I was). Not to say it has led to never screaming, but it has help tremendously. For those of you who are familiar with the "Love and Logic" technique, this follows it really closely. And even for those people who don't scream or can't, (ha, ha, Cadi - is this getting old yet?) it is really about just keeping your cool when your kids are driving you crazy. Hope you enjoy it and learn as much as I did. My next book that is coming in the mail is "How to talk so your kids will listen and listen so your kids will talk". I will let you know what I think of that one.

Snips & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails

Yes - we did it! We are having a boy! We went to my Drs. appiontment yesterday and had the ultrasound. Everyone wanting to be there so Patrick and all 3 girls watched on waiting for the big news,and he had everything he needed to be a boy (a puppy dog tail-that must be where it comes from). From the beginning Lexy, Kalley and I had voted on a boy. Cassidy and Patrick were on the girl side until about 2 weeks ago when Cassidy decided that it was a boy. So Patrick was the lone duck waiting out the girl. You would think that there were all kinds of cheers from Patrick, but no-it was shock. He commented later that if it had been a girl he would have had an easier time loving it already because he could relate it to how much he loves his girls now. But this is a new thing! This is the first child that I really felt I knew what it was going to be. But I really didn't want to get myself to set up so that I wouldn't still be happy for a girl. So I went in there really OK with whatever this baby chose to be. So for all of you wondering how we managed it - I could give credit to the book How to Chose the Sex of Your Baby? (Very helpful if anyone is interested.) Yes we resorted to the book and from there I left it up to Heavenly Father what it would be in the end. I just figured that we would do the "work as if everything depends on you" and then "trust as if everything depends on Heavenly Father". So now everyone may ask if we are done - and the answer is most likely not. He needs a brother! It is amazing how all of a sudden he takes on life when you can see that little baby moving around in there will all the body parts necessary to be a real baby. About last week I had decided that I was going to write up all the awful things about pregnancy. Patrick keeps telling me that I need to write it all down so that I could look back and remeber when I started feeling like having another. I told him that it really wouldn't matter. But I thought that it would be funny to look back on. I knew though that if I didn't do it before the ultrasound that I would lose that hatered real quick. And I did. All of a sudden all of the bad things don't matter as much because I have seen my little baby who looks to be all healthy and I can now feel him moving. So once again all of us CRAZY MOM'S will understand why we forget so easily (and the father's don't)!