Sleep

Any momma will tell you that there is just something about a picture of your babies sleeping that melts your heart. I have come to discover that pictures of your children sleeping lose their heart warming appeal after the child turns about 10’ish, then they become black mail. Luckily for me I still have lots of babies to take heart warming sleeping pictures of.

Kaden DOES NOT like sleeping by himself in his crib. Not surprising as no one else in the house (besides Seri) likes sleeping by themselves either. It got to the point where every night we would find him in a position like this. Having exhausted himself trying to convince us to let him out he gives up in surrender to sleep. Yes, that is a newspaper in his crib. No, I do not know why it is there.

Both his older siblings have been caught going into rescue him. Gotta love those kids. Next to the way you feel knowing your hubby loves his family is the way you feel knowing your children love each other.

Lately there has been some rearranging going on at our place. In order to make more efficient use of our space we kicked the younger kids out of their rooms and put them all in the den, dormitory style.  The boys now have bunk beds and the younger two are in a queen sized bed until we procure them a set of bunk beds.

When the youngers realized it was just the two of them in a bed they requested that Kaden join them so we thought “what the heck” and are attempting to migrate him to the “littles bed”. We’ll see how well that works out and keep you posted.

Pam

One of those people who touch your life forever and will probably never realize the impression they had on you.

Pam was the receptionist at Seattle Home Maternity where I have gotten prenatal care for the past three children.  She was so much more than a receptionist though, she was an integral part of the place as much as the rooms, scale, and hundreds of baby pics on the wall.  Guess I just took it for granted that she would always be there.

I usually tried to go to my appts. without my other children, but when they had to come she would watch them and play with them in the lobby.  When seri was 10 she wrote a report on Space and was so proud of it that she showed it to Pam and Pam taped it to the side of a filing cabinet near her desk.  I was totally surprised when four years later I was pregnant with #6 and saw that it was still there!

Matt loved going to all my apts. I think not just because he enjoyed them but also because it gave him a chance to talk to Pam.  Everyone loved chatting with her and she had this way of making you feel like you were the only client coming in that day.

Every once in awhile someone says something and you immediately know it is something you will remember for the rest of your life.  We were talking about big families and societies view of them currently and she said “In my opinion it is people like you and Matt that should have as many children as you can.  Our world needs more children like the ones you are raising”.  Man, I tear up now just thinking about it.  Such a profound thing to tell a mom who sometimes struggles with the question of whether she is doing right by her children or not, of whether she is worth anything.

Then there is the way she held your new born child…  Like saying, “well, there you are! I have been watching you grow and have been anxious to see what kind of little person you would be and you are just what I imagined.”  Not like they were new and fragile, but rather like it was a long lost friend that she was finally able to see again.

My heart broke a little when we got word that she would be moving to Belize. Having done the responsible thing of working and raising her family she was off to have fun.  How could you not love a  woman like that?  The thought however of her not being there when I get pregnant with our next is disheartening though.  We attended her farewell party to let her know we cared for her and were thankful for her friendship, but I can’t help but wonder if she will ever know the impact she had on me during my child bearing years.

Merry Christmas

Nope, I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth. Came close, but I am still here. I will hopefully update the blog sometime this week but in the meantime here's a cheesy shot for you :) Hope you had a great christmas!!!!

SALE

in case your Holiday shopping is not complete, please enjoy 25% off all items in my shop, etsy.com/shop/onceuponahippie Code is TISTHESEASON

Doin the Puyallup

With so many kids we allow them a birthday “party” every 4 years, the other years we typically went out for dinner as a family.  When I realized that I was a food addict and wouldn’t be able to enjoy this activity with my family I panicked and then I got to thinking. Typically we would spend right around $140 for a nice dinner with the whole family, imagine the things we could be doing with that money instead of eating for two hours and at the end of it not having anything to show for it?  We could be having tons of fun and make great memories if we refocused and used that money in other ways.

So, for Sariah’s birthday we asked her what she would like to do and she said she wanted to go on a roller coaster. Lucky for us the Puyallup Fair was in town and her wish was granted.

Here’s the princess dancing to the local band that was playing.  Love that goofy grin!

Although, I must say, this expression is interesting also.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, brings my heart more joy then seeing the pure joy in my children.

This is the point where I interject that I do believe I have the sexiest hubby and cutest baby ever…  Yep, I most definitely do.

By this point you are noticing that there are hardly any pics of my older two children.  Best I can figure is they are to the point where hanging out with the parents and fam isn’t as fun as running around together or with friends. Thus, they are rarely in the same place as the rest of us, but they are still alive and well I assure you.

Kaden is so dang smart and funny.  He spent the whole night perched on daddy’s back but eventually realized that the other children were having fun without him.  The other three got on a ride and he began frantically pointing and yelling Wyah!! (Riah)  and I-ick (isaac).  It was so incredibly cute. He was desperate to join his siblings.

Seri’s long time friend joined us and it was a good thing she did, we put them to work as pack mules.

The Princess turned 5

One whole hand, such a big event. My husband usually tell sthe children it is a big event and cause for celebration because they survived that long.

We found these cool sparkling candles thinking she would really enjoy them, not the case… I think she was a tad scared of it.

She is turning into more of a princess everyday.

Sariah is definitely practicing to be a mommy. She adores her younger siblings and is always trying to be helpful for them.  T.J. at times is annoyed by her help and she is desperately trying to convince me that she is old enough to babysit him all by herself.

Kaden has rebelled against her always in his face and trying to pick him up constantly by biting her nose. I have to admit it is really funny.  One of those moments when I know I need to comfort her and discipline him, but I have to stop laughing first.  Poor girl has teeth marks on the bridge of her nose more often than not. I have tried to convince her to leave him alone, but she thinks the consequence is worth the action apparently.

After two years of begging we finally put her ballet and she is ecstatic. I must admit, she does make a beautiful ballerina.

So dang cute. Kaden is helping his sister blow out the candles.

Hey, that was some really good cake! We should do this more often!!!

hats!!!

K. like most families these days we are finding that our dollars are not as powerful or lasting as they used to be.  Indeed it seems like I hardly ever see them anymore…

I have always loved to crochet and knit (well crochet more, but if I find a knit pattern that I love I will do it) and luckily I am married to a man whose wonderful mother taught him those skills also.  Our favorite activity is to sit and crochet or knit at night while watching movies. Man, sounds like we are an old retired couple doesn’t it?  So, what better way to put our talents to use than to offer hand made items for sale?  We are working on an etsy page, but for now have things on facebook and are putting pics of them on here.

It wouldn’t be fall without a pumpkin hat for the little one. So adorable!!!  When TJ was born a lady at matt’s office knit him one and I was so in love with it. I was ecstatic to come across this pattern and even more excited when it turned out just as cute as I imagined it would.

$12.00

These eye ball hats I have been making for the last four years. I must have made a few hundred by now.  I used to sell them at the farmers markets and bazaars when mom was up here doing her circuit.  Funny enough I always sold more adult sized ones than I did the children’s size.  Tons of fun, we let our imaginations run and came out with all different colors. We have Elmo, the Frog, cookie monster, pig, bee.. you name it. One time I even did a request for a cow with splotches on it.  Very popular with the teen set.  Seems each year a teenager on a sports team will buy one and then I end up taking orders for a majority of the team.  I never complain though, having a lot of orders is a good problem to have :) These also sell for $12.00.  If you would like I could do a matching scarf for another $8.00.

Watch for more items in the next coming days and when I get the etsy page up I will be sure to let you all know.

I like to think of this as our schools fundraiser. If schools can hold fund raisers so can home schools, right?

crafting

K. So my new obsession is pinterest.com.  Oh…. so very, very addicting.

The first board I came to was a bunch of wreaths and while browsing through it with Matt I made the comment that I wasn’t really a wreath person. I may have to renig on that.. Turns out, I really love wreaths. Only certain ones though.

Here are pics of my “learning wreath” after I finally wrote on the chalkboard. Still just as much in love with it as the day I made it.

And now for pics of the new wreath that graces my door.

candy corn wreath tutorial

Really easy. Take a wreath form and  wrap it in black duct tape, cover with candy corns using hot glue, yeah… simple.  As long as you can prevent the evil minions running around from eating all the candy corn. Good luck with that.

bow tutorial

Running, or not running

 

I have always had an interest and a desire to run. I once tried track in high school, but I was already so heavy that it didn’t work out very well. 

Two years ago I picked up running and fell in love. I ran the same trail nearly every day bringing my distance from an eighth of a mile to six miles.  I watched the blackberries ripen, the leaves fall. I jumped over puddles and fallen trees when the wind storm came.  I ran in 17 degree weather with snot frozen to my face…..  I ran. 

Then came the news that I was pregnant and that put a stop to the running.  After Kaden’s birth in Oct I tried to do the Thanksgiving day turkey trot and was sooo frustrated that I couldn’t run the whole thing.  Since that day it has been hard for me to get back into the love of running.

So when I was invited to run the Seafair Torchlight parade with a bunch of friends, I jumped on the opportunity.  At the beginning of the race, there it was. The adrenaline, the excitement, the rush… The love of running and feeling my body and it’s power.

This race in particular was awesome in that it goes along the parade route just before the parade and so you have an audience.  At first it made me really nervous, but as you run by all the kids and some adults stand at the side cheering you on and sticking out their hands for you to smack as you run by. It’s a lot like having your own fan club.

So, I am running again. Or maybe not. Just like Murphy’s law to knock you out of the race just when you begin to enjoy it.

Here is my lovely left foot. All prepped for surgery.  The knot on the isde under my big toe? That would be then end of the far right bone sticking out because it is severely misaligned.  A bunion, been there all my life but has gotten worse over the past few years.  Mine is not painful, but when added to the fact that I wear a size 12 shoe, it does make it hard to find shoes that fit properly.  So, when our deductible was reached thanks to our darling children, we decided to go ahead and have it taken care of while we only had to pay 15 %.

The photo on the left is a tad blurry, but you can see how misaligned that bone is. There is not supposed to be a gap or an angle there.  It is also a good pic of what a bunion formation actually is.  I have discovered there is a lot of misinformation surrounding bunions and what it takes to treat them.

And here is a pic of my new hardware.  He put a steel plate over that joint and screwed it with two screws in top, two in the bottom and one running parallel to the plate. Looks painful you say?  Yep, can’t disagree with you there.  More annoying than the pain is the slow, so very slow,,, recovery process.  Six weeks of non-weight bearing.  Yeah, it’s one thing to say six weeks, an entirely different matter to live through those six weeks.  There were times I literally thought I was going crazy.  My mom came for four weeks and Matt and the kids really stepped it up.  The kids got some great meals from friends at church and I spent the best part of a month in bed.  Frustrating!!

I am thankful to have had it done and to have the insurance to cover it but I still have fears that I wont be able to run again or do hot yoga, my other beloved activity.

So, here is my nice new straight and very swollen still foot compared with my right which was identical to my left before surgery.  See how the toe on my right is almost overlapping the next toe over? Yeah, not necessarily a good thing.

At my five week check up doc said everything was ahead of schedule and he was really impressed with how the healing was coming. At that time  I traded in my knee scooter for this air cast and I can now walk with it for three weeks and then I can go into a normal shoe.

Just in time to let that one recover a bit before having the right one done in December.  Got to get them both in this year in order to enjoy the discount right?

Here we go a’campin, again

Our last camp out of the year due to my foot surgery. we have had a good run at it this summer and the ward campout was a good way to seal the adventure.

I think the part I love most about camping is the free range kids.  Wait, no, it’s the lazy days without electronics and tons of housecleaning.  Or… is it the fire?  Nope, definitely the best part is the free range kids. It brings my heart such joy to see their bare footed, dirt covered selves running through the forest laughing and yelling. Something resonates in my spirit that says this is what child hood is supposed to be like.  The freedom to explore, learn and use your imagination and body.  To laugh and yell without being told you need to be quite.

Doesn’t this picture kind of remind you of the book “Lord of the flies”, in a good way that is.

Someone forgot to tell the brainiack that this was a “no school work” zone. I didn’t have the heart to break it to her.

Nana joined us and all the kids got a ton of cuddle time.  Baby K was attached to this stick, wouldn’t let anyone dream of taking it away from him.

My destructive duo trying to look innoncent

At the fire bowl= skit night.  we were plotting our fantastic display of talent (charades and we drew the snake).

Sariah’s most amazing primary teacher. Oh how this girl loves her teacher.  It takes a special kind of lady to deal with and love this dramatic and overwhelming child of mine.  Rest assured this lady can do no wrong and will always be perfect in my daughters eyes. So glad to have people in my children’s lives who truly adore them and let them know it.

The adventure was amazing, as always.  So long summer, so long camping. We had a blast, hope it was mutual.