Updates and Thoughts…

The sixth grade dance is a big deal apparently.  Since January all three sixth grade classes have met once a week to practice, with boys, the swing, two step, Sid shuffle, electric slide, and the hustle to name a few.  There were meatballs and cake pops to refresh. 

Proof I’m returning to normal.  A KSL kitchen table that was meant to be with the ladder backs.  Eating is wonderfully pleasant on a pretty table that can seat all of us and the best part, the seller was in Centerville; 5 minutes away, $70!  p.s. I live in a small town!!!  I ran into the seller at Wal-Mart and showed her this picture on my phone.  She was so happy for me. 

Visitors.  My BFF (Back Fence Friend) from West Jordan, Stephanie, came with a full car of adorers.  Sure do miss that easy cup of cheese or rice from the Browns now that we’ve moved.  And for the record, Guenda was have a good time,  however she’d brought her mechanical baby from a tech class that had woken up 3 xs the night before.  She’d already had enough baby.   

 

Bev came to snuggle Mckay too.  The sleeping sweaty newborn head has been documented.  His newborn locks remind me of baby orangutan hair.  His lashes are white, he’s going to lighten up. 

  Paige sang in an Earth Day celebration and then took the show on the road in the form a field trip for some care centers in Bountiful.  She was the VIP in her class which means printing pictures for the poster and buying treats.  We were at the store with the Little Debbies in the cart, and we passed the Easter clearance where we found chocolate bunnies for .10!  Cheaper to buy the whole class, their own Topper, Flopper, Sunny, or Honey and so we put the Zebra Cakes back.   The picture above came with lots of out takes.   

I posted on projects connect about Mckay’s delivery.  I elaborated a bit at the end about why we decided to have a sixth child, sharing this: 

We talked about having another one.  "Why?" James asked, "Do you feel there's a spirit there that's supposed to be in our family?"  I answered no, only because I've never felt that.  I felt like we could "do" one more and still keep up, handle it, maintain the chaos, enjoy that new life...In a joking sense, if asked, “why six?” I could say:  well I made it to 5 and I still had my health, sanity (debatable), and the support of my husband. The reality would be I made a choice.

So after I posted that, I felt conflicted with it’s temporal, self empowered theme.  Only because getting a child here, healthy and them keeping them alive is nothing less than a miracle.  So much happens.  For example: 

Mckay was two weeks old and I had put him down for the night in the co sleeper, an in-arm’s-reach-port-a-crib attached to my bed.  When he woke up around 3am to eat, I found my Euro size down pillow with a velvet case, that I had absentmindedly shoved off my bed, on top of him.  I lifted it up and found him perfectly fine and ready to eat.  That feeding was a long one only because my mind wouldn’t shut off the what ifs, the how-in-the-worlds? and ultimately the acceptance of the divine intervention.  Down and velvet aren’t breathable, Euro size compared to 8 pound infant size, blech --and yet Mckay was fine.

See my conflict?  I can decide to bring or not bring children into the world but after that it’s been a faithful prayer—or more like a demanding beg of help for the last thirteen years.  I feel decisive about my numbers but humbled at the miracle of my numbers.  Have you felt this?  This conflict or competition between choice and faith?  It debates in my head, chattering away and I feed it with management tasks during the week and spiritual enlightenment on the weekends.   

Easter and Two Weeks Old

I wrote this awhile ago.  Before I hit publish I accidently deleted some of the pictures and it deflated me, so much so that I didn’t even try to fix it for more than a month!  I opened the writings on Saturday and had the pictures retrieved in like two minutes. So here’s six weeks ago.  More posts soon. 

  Building a house and moving three times in a year? tough.  Finding a new doctor before I had McKay?  Impossible.  Only  because Dr. Bosworth from South Point Pediatrics is going to be hard to replace.  Between the life size Darth Vader vinyl on the wall and Dr. Bosworth’s relaxed Columbia khakis, Keens and opened plaid button up shirts, everyone (especially the kids) are at ease.

The safari photos Dr. Bosworth took himself while doing LDS humanitarian work in Africa.  Every year he goes to teach neonatal resuscitation to increase the birth mortality rate there, all while speaking Portuguese!

  

McKay weighed in at 9lbs. 1oz and had grown a 1/2 inch!  Dr. Bosworth was thorough just like he was with Isaac,  all while mentoring a rotation student becoming a nurse practitioner.  

We’ve been letting Adelaide wait on most things digital; she turned 12 and no iPod touch. Sarah from Clover Lane posted her house rules on technology.  Read it here Her arguments reminded me of things I thought of before I became a smart phone user.   It’s making me think about what it will be like when we’re all wired in the family.

We had a great visit from Grandpa Mair and Grandma Audrey.  They brought both boys a present and two tomato plants to boot!  And something else earth shattering, besides Mckay of course, is Grandpa Mair wearing jeans!

 

Donna planned an incredible Easter picnic at my house and I didn’t have to do any work except buy paper products. Everyone came to eat ham sandwiches and hunt eggs on a warm day where the chocolate was melty after being found. 

   There were lots of holding arms willing to admire the Prince.  A relaxing day with some of my favorite people!    

Later we dyed eggs using these instructions and were awed by colors!  Next year two dozen please because I forgot how much I love egg salad sandwiches on squishy white bread!     Easter loot from the bunny: bubble guns, squirt guns, and a kite.    Off to church they all went leaving me in Easter peace where I fed and burped baby Mckay for. the. whole. time. We are out of practice taking family group shots--here are 2 of 6 shots!    

Adelaide is 12, and she and Baby Mac are gorgeous!

Adelaide turn 12 last week…a real humdinger and this number is so fitting for how much she’s grown-- I mean like grown a foot or two--changed--transitioned—transformed a metamorphasis that has dominated the last year, leaving beauty and maturity (and angst) in the wake! Impressive gal this one!    A super bonus is being able to outsource the burping, changing, swaddling and rocking to her and Paige!  The presents were 12 year old awesomeness, a doll’s hair brush, an S curl crimping iron, a maxi skirt, and a Ripstick.  After presents Benjamin exclaimed,  “Oh, I thought this was going to be exciting?! I’m out of here!”

Friends, Corinne and Elise joined Adelaide for an Arctic Circle lunch and Air Trampoline blue wristband bouncing. 

Ice Cream sundaes rounded out the 5 hour long party!The young women decorated the front door to welcome her.  Yep, she’s a Beehive!      

So what makes a darling daughter seem all grown up? Makeup and a maxi, those thrown together and BAM, she’s not a kid anymore!  E.L.F from Wal-Mart is the Wet and Wild of this generation.  Economical with youthful colors.    I was such a skeptic of the Ripstick, $$ for something that would probably sit in the garage?  Wrong, she’s all over it, ‘carving’ just like the you tube videos.  After the skinny deacons came to collect fast offerings, James exclaimed, “They’re are not ready for the Adelaide!”     

And BABY Mac!  Here he’s hollering but it’s the proportions that kill me! Now that you’re done having kids, let me show you an awesome trick for changing the diaper of a newborn who is wearing a gown.  Snap that elastic bottom over their arms during the changing and they’ll relax like they’re laying out on a beach!Can you spy the baby? {FYI, the real adjustment has been switching to James’ side of the bed to co-sleep next to the co-sleeper.  Awk my game is all off!}The babe has just finished up a three day feeding frenzy.  As one who has oodles of milk it’s such a relief to empty!  Now he’s sleeping through feedings, and we’re back to the walnut vs. the watermelon attachment battle/dilemma.  Latching, tons of milk, gulping, clicking, re-latching; and then repeating.  He was a champ managing the Alaska and the Texas but now all he needs are a couple of upstate New Yorks (state reference chosen for dairy cow association;).

Everyone is ready for me to be back to where I was (present and ticking things of lists) before he came—everyone but me.  I feel like I’m now doing two people’s jobs and I’m okay with some house management slipping.  I’m relaxing around 4 hours a day feeding a hungry grunter and this cake is subsidizing the milk nicely.  

When my sister told me about this cake, I had to make it, and I’ve been making it for three years now.  It’s the one with the most (booty) added items possible: coconut, pineapple, nuts, carrots—however I did leave out the raisins this year and it was still perfection!  This post is brought to you by Pagie’s slefies, that when all counted, are more than the rest of the photos on any given devise.  And next up, Easter and a two week growth update but first make sure you watch this This from Studio C about facebook!   I’m a liker…