New hair style

Trying out the high chair

She has sitting down pat

Loving my new ball toy

An Update ... At long last

I haven't really meant to let 6  1/2 weeks pass between updates.

Yes, a lot has happened.  Can I give the following excuses?
1.  LaRue just doesn't seem to be getting over her cold (and just as soon as we think we are over it all, Marriana comes down again and soon we all have it).
2.  My computer took over a month to get back (it was a LOT of work) - and I went from 176G of information and programs down to 80G.  That's a LOT missing - mostly programs - and most were things I wasn't using, but kept because I got them from Giveaway of the Day - just in case they ever became needed.  I really miss my Sticky Passwords.
3. I've been VERY tired.  I think most nights I get almost 6 hours of sleep.  Once in a while - it's uninterrupted.
4.  We've been very busy.... I just wish I could remember what we've been doing.  Even my dayplanner is remarkable empty.
5.  Dad's been working outside more, which makes nights a bit more hectic, especially if Rhoda needs help (sitting with the sleepers) while she runs to the store.  I sure wouldn't want to take all of them whining to the store with me either.
6.  We've really been trying to get back into a school routine.


So, I'm sure everyone is wondering how LaRue's appointment with the neurologist went.   First, she checked out at her age level (almost 4 months then).  The neurologist was very pleased.  Her EEG test results were normal.  To be scheduled/ or future agenda ... an MRI, a follow-up EEG, and a second visit with the neurologist.  We go back middle of May.

We have now caught (and disposed of) 13 mice.  YIKES.  Most were quite small, so we are figuring we had parents and newly mobile young ones.  Have we got them all?  I don't think so.  But we are gaining on them.  I keep cleaning and moving things ... though not nearly as quickly as I would like, some weekends - nothing happens.

Kendra is on and off with her school work.  I finally sat down the other day and wrote a list out of everything she HAD to finish for me to declare her graduated from high school.  I may publish it later.  If I remember or if somebody reminds me.  I'm going to let her help me choose her curriculum on the few subjects that require it. She is a fast learner and retains close to 90% of what she reads - so I'm going to turn her loose to do more reading and less paperwork.   Tim has agreed to this plan - we feel that if we make the goal hers, maybe she will work towards it more readily.  

Vannan had a bad asthma attack a couple of weeks ago.  She is now on yet another asthma medication.  I was not able to go with her and Tim.  I was pleased that she didn't go down any faster than she did and that she held her own until we got to the doctor to get new steroids.  ...  Her bunny, Stripes, had 7 baby bunnies - one didn't make it.  She is a super pleased little Momma.  She asked, and Uncle Tommy was able to make her a new set of bunny boxes - the ones we had in storage were in pretty bad shape, and too low.  The bunnies are almost 2 weeks old.  .... She's been doing a fair job of keeping up with her school work and chores.  She is becoming a fairly good sewing - still a lot to learn.  She's making Easter dresses for her, and LaRue, sewed the buttons on Joel's shirt that Aunt Cindy made last Saturday, and now has dresses for Marriana and Melinda cut out.  Kendra is also working on a matching dress, but has a LONG way to go on hers.  ..... Vannan has my old Palm Pilot m100 and is using it to keep up with her chores.

I can't remember anything special happening with Joel.  Everybody is his friend.  He loves everybody - except bad people.  And he loves playing with his friends.  Oh, and LaRue is HIS baby (but she belongs to all of us.) He loves Facebook.  He plays Petville pretty much by himself, plays with the animals on Farmville, and arranges the tanks and gives away fish in Fish World.  Recently he discovered Treasure Hunter - and likes to dig.

Some other big news.  Both of my best friends had their babies.  Karen had a boy and named him Stephen PAUL.  He was rushed to the ER because he wasn't gaining color enough - he had constricted vessels in his lungs.  And he has Downs Syndrome.  He only had to stay in the hospital 5 days.   He was born March 13.  .....  On March 23, my other best friend, (ironically that was Karen's due date) had a baby girl.

This morning, Rhoda came to my house - she rarely comes over early in the morning.  It was her day to go pick up Cassandra's kids, Audreyanna (3) and Lathan (10 months).  Kendra sleeps overnight there, and is there in the house if any of the kids wake up while Rhoda is gone (5:30 in the morning).  This morning, she was hit by a truck turning North, from the road that Rhoda was trying to turn onto to go West.  Full impact was to her driver side door.  Because she drives a big suburban and had side impact air bags, her injuries are minimal.  Dad drove it home.  Terry came home from work.  Cassandra brought the kids up and she went to work.  It was a hard day - but we managed pretty good.

Rhoda and I are trying to work more together with the little kids.  It seems to be working - though we've not yet ran a full day on schedule.  But we are excited about it.

And we had a massive hail storm 2 weeks ago on Wednesday.  And Sunday a freak snow storm.  I hear a storm rolling in again - lots of rain - I always pray that the roof holds.  So before the lightening hits, I'll say good night and publish this.

Thalia and LaRue

Thalia dropped by one night to pick up some things.

We were able to snap these sweet pictures.

Thalia has delivered so many of our family that we feel she kind of belongs to us.
Or we belong to her.

Keep her family in your prayers.
On Feb. 27, her grown son was hit by a car running a red light at an intersection.
He was riding a motorcycle. Yes, he had a helmet.

He is recovering slowly - and is now in rehab.
There is a FB page set up for updates and prayer requests for him.
His name is Philip.

Twin cousins

Avery and Joel - their birthday's are 6 weeks apart.

I've got to get all the batty shirts on all the owners of the batty shirts together to take a picture.

I found a little box in Marriana's closet shelf full of these!

Pattern blocks

Drain tunnel fun

Alex and his cat

Vannan Makes LaRue an Easter Dress

Vannan is taking sewing lessons.  She is making matching dresses for her and LaRue for Easter.  

It's looking pretty nice!

Kendra has more of this material and is making a dress for herself.

We've got a pattern for a shirt for Joel.

Looking around

Finally getting to hold Paul

Meet Stephen Paul

Stephen Paul C.

He will be called ... Paul.

born 8:30ish on March 13
(that's 10 days before his due date)
7 lb 14 oz
20 inches long
13inch head (maybe a fraction in that one)

Steve said he noticed that Karen was "acting strange" around midnight, but she didn't think she was in labor.
At 4am - he decided to time what he as sure was contractions - 3 minutes apart.

Called the midwives.

Somewhere around 8 - 8:15 am, she started pushing.

Somewhere around 8:30 - 8:40, he was born.

But in spite of breathing, he wasn't pinking up like he should, no matter what they did - so they sent him to the ER, where he was sent to the NICU.

They are running tests. A genetics test will be sent off on Monday.
His EKG came back with good results - but he does have a heart murmur.
He is breathing on his own, but the blood vessels are constricted, so he needs oxygen.
He's under a humidfier oxygen bonnet.
They decided that they can care for him here instead of transporting to a big hospital.

While we were up there, they began to ween him off of the oxygen.

He is a precious gift.

Pray for Karen - she wants so badly to hold him and nurse him.
Pray his oxygen levels hold and his lungs begin to work properly.

The tube in his mouth is to keep air from building up in his tummy.

Karen was going home tonight to try to sleep. Pray she can get some good rest.

Pray for Steve while he is taking time off from his job.

Pray for the older 4 children - I don't think the 3 little ones understand.

Only 2 are allowed in the NICU room at a time - and you have to be over 17 - and be on the "approved visitor" list.
So Tim and the kids peered through 2 windows to see him.
Tim was holding up LaRue who was more interested in Uncle Steve's head than the baby she couldn't see.

Steve was trying to get a picture of me with baby Paul.

New nursing position

When I nurse LaRue lately - she has begun to hold her hand just so.

Sometimes she ends up with a pinky in her mouth, and then can't figure out why she's no longer drinking milk.

I think it's so adorable.  Usually she drops her hand long before she is finished nursing, but she didn't today, so I was able to snap this cute little picture.

She is also doing a pretty good job of sitting up - still really wobbly, but get's better every day.

Plus, I'm pretty sure she is teething.

Peanut Butter Is NOT Safe with Joel in the House

Jan. 23, 2010

He'll climb any cabinet. (sing to the tune of ... Climb Every Mountain)

Open Every Jar.

Search for all the honey.

Until he's caught from afar.




Ok, inspirational moment over....

I've got a huge back log of pictures from my computer being repaired.
See my old computer there on the edge.
That's how far away I was from Joel.
And those cabinets?
They were my Christmas present way back with Vannan was about 16 months old - back in Colorado Springs.

Then my parents came and got them and put them in their house.
Finally I got them back 2 years ago.
I was excited because it meant I had more counter space to work on ...

not so...

it's more horizontal space to catch clutter!

It doesn't look like this right now -
Joel isn't sitting there.
My computer has changed.
And it's a completely different set of clutter.

Babysitting

Jan. 23, 2010

Joel loves to babysit his baby sister.

His job was to keep her from rolling off of the couch.

Tell her stories.

Give her lots of love.

She seems content.

Working Together - Red Team

On this particular day, the Red Team (led by Vannan) consisted of Joel and Alex.
Some days it is just Joel.
Other days, Anthony and Avery are on the team, and Alex is on the Blue Team.

We are working on a system.

Vannan taught Alex how to cut up lettuce.

Joel helped with the sweeping.

Vannan was happy to have help.


The system has kind of slipped with everyone sick with colds.
But I hope to get it going again soon.

Sitting Up

The camera was still set for "no flash" dark pictures.

But you can see that in the last week, LaRue has really gotten the "sitting" down.
If she is inside her boppy, she will fall over and then pull herself back up into a sitting position.

She'll be 5 months on Sunday.

Vannan Has Baby Bunnies

Momma and babies seem to be doing fine.
They were pretty newly born when Vannan found them - we had just about given up on them arriving.

Pray the Momma does a good job with her babies.
Pray Vannan finds them good homes.

She is selling them for $15 each.

HAIL STORM

I posted the full set of pictures on my Facebook page.

Legs up. No shoes

Our Trips – Compassion Bloggers

Our Trips – Compassion Bloggers: ""


Amazing stories - make sure you have a box of kleenex - it's happy and sad all at the same time.