Yesterday

I was just a mom.
A mom of 5.
A mom of 5 kids, with one that was 5 days old.
A mom that was recovering from the past few weeks.
And with bouts of lice (ew), car repairs, a non-cooperative uterus, extended birthing process, plenty of physical ailments that I'll spare you the details of...I naively thought things couldn't get worse.


Actually, my mom and I were looking forward to the upcoming week.  Grandma Jane was flying in that afternoon and more family to come later in the week.  It would be nice to put a close to the chapter on these last few weeks.  Together we were up early cleaning bathrooms, floors, stairs, etc...with many warnings from my mom to take it easy.  But I'm a strong women.  I rarely take a break.  Plus, I love a clean house.  In my head I reminded myself it was just a few chores, a quick trip to walmart for milk and a easy afternoon to recoup.

So naive.


Today, I'm still a mom.
A mom of 5 kids.
A mom of a 6 day old and one with stitches.


After those brief errands and chores, Grandma treated us to Chick-fil-A.  One of our favorite hang outs.

Although now, I'd have to put it on the bottom of my list.

Assuming that most restaurants try their best to protect their playgrounds, wrap every inch in foam, place squishy cushioning on the ground you would think they wouldn't leave places that are obviously dangerous exposed to the children.

At ground level, along the wall was a whole.  A whole that was made through a piece of tile, leaving a jagged edge.  An edge that sliced open my daughters toe.  At an angle, close to bones and tendons.  So close to important pieces a trip to a "Children's Emergency Room" was necessary.


And sadly, even an hour after the incident, accident forms filled out, pictures taken, witnesses information taken the "death trap" was still there.  Still open.  Still dangerous.

I thought bad things came "in 3's".

Not 10's.

Bundle of Joy

2 Days old...

...and still trying to get

the hang of things.

Anxiously Waiting!

After spending the day with many

different friends and being distracted

for many hours,

the kids couldn't wait for

Daniel to come home.

(minus Keira, who was already asleep)

First one out the garage door

for a peek at her new baby brother!

Can't keep their hands off!
He's just too cute!!

Ben shows Dan his new Dino.

(a present from Daddy)

It is as if they have to touch him,

just to make sure he's REAL.

It wasn't just some big watermelon in

 Mommy's tummy...

it was baby Dan.

Curiosity about all of those little

body parts.

Kisses!!!

(no newborns were harmed or
suffocated in the making of this photo)

Ben got first dibs on holding

his newest BFF!!

As you can see, Dan is starting to

"freak out" a little.

We quickly had to whisk him away from

Emma and do some MAJOR patting on

his back and clearing away of bubbles.

We spend about 5 mins helping him to 

clear away some gunk that was stuck

in his tummy.

It was a little scary at first and

through the night but Dan pulled

through and was able to do it all himself!!

Unfortunately Sydney didn't get to have

her alone time with Dan that night,

but was rewarded with an extra long

smooooch session the next morning.

All is peaceful in the arms of Gran Nan.

WELCOME HOME DANIEL

Daniel Laker Roberts

After waiting, waiting and more waiting...

on July 21st we finally got our wish!

We could wait some more while

Daniel took his own sweet time

to join our family.

8 hours of labor was NOT what I 

had expected.

But a miracle from God was worth it!

What a handsome man.

Sporting blond hair, blue eyes,

the classic Gurvine nose

he's a great mix of Larry and I!!

Gran Nan gladly takes her 16th grandchild

for a close up!

He weighted 8 lbs 4oz and

is 20 inches long!!

Is he content or what?

Daddy was there to clean Dan off

for his first bath.

There is absolutely NO mistaken

that this little guy is all MAN.

Such a strong profile!

Who wouldn't be all cozy and warm

in a basketball blanket?

All ready to go home with Gran Nan's

Laker-inspired blanket!!

Ben's Turn

Thankfully Grandma Nancy came to play with us!

And when we say "play", we mean...

chase us around, play hide n' seek,

make us lunch, play board games,

read us stories and take us to BUILD-A-BEAR!!

Since Ben is finally of proper teddy bear

appropriate age it was his turn for his

first Build-a-Bear.

He picked out a perfect brown bear with

eye brows that gave him character!

Choose a suitable Darth Vader costume

and named him "Hot Dog".

Grandma was soo impressed at how

Sydney and Emma had taken

care of their bears she offered to 

purchase them some new clothes!

The girls graciously accepted!

Thanks Gran Nan!!

Update

"Up at midnight with contractions for 4 hours?"

YES!

"Did they hurt?"

YES!

"Did they wrap around your back?"

YES!

"Did you go into labor?"

YES!!

 nope.

Confessions of a "Desperate Housewife"

Some people might label me as "desperate".

Some may say "she's at the end of her rope".

But any way you explain it, I'm a pregnant women who didn't expect to still be pregnant.

This is a bad, very bad combination.

Almost like dynamite ready to explode at any moment.  (just ask Larry)

You'd think I would have taken my own advice.  Words of wisdom I have said many times over the years.  To many new mom's asking for advice from someone who has "been there, done that" I've explained ... kids come when they want, don't have any expectations, just when you think you have a schedule or a plan ...things change.  Being a parent means learning to be flexible.

Why, OH why didn't I take my own advice?

After having my 4th baby, I thought for sure my body was getting into the groove of this whole

labor and delivery thing.  Thus planning on baby #5 to be just as early, just as progressive in the laboring process.

But at 2wks ahead of the due date I found myself slipping backward.  Things were closing that shouldn't be closing, strangling muscle pains were diminishing instead of intensifying.  And now I'm a force to be reckoned with.  Truly someone that no one wants to live with.  (I send my apologies)

And now I've become one of "THEM".

Ugh!  I cringe even now, admitting the things I have attempted to alleviate myself from this present situation.

Trampoline Jumping...check

Raspberry Tea...check

Midnight Primrose Oil...check

Walking...check

Relaxing...check

Personal Approaches...check, check

I think all I have left is to either make an appointment with an acupuncturist or try a really long crocheting needle.

Yes, I'm that desperate.  (don't judge)

Beat The Summer HEAT

The summer heat can be sweltering

around here sometimes.

With a mix of the humidity from the

gulf of mexico it's like

swimming in a bowl of soup

when you're outside.

We still like to stretch our limbs by

playing outside, so we improvise

with a little dribble of water from

the hose to keep us cool.

Ben cleans the chalk off the bottom

of his shoes.

Keira curiously sticks her finger

in the hose to register if this water is

a mirage or not.

Taste test.

Why have a sip when you can fill

up a cup full?

And take a BIG GULP!!

Then spill it down your front!

Sydney teaches Keira about 

"bike" washing.

And experiments with

water pressure.

Emma wants her free "bike" wash too!

Here's to keeping our feet cool!

Preperations!

Thankfully Larry has been home these 

last few days 

and boy have we kept him busy.

He got my van in the shop

for some quick repairs,

shampooed all the carpets in the house,

cleaned out his AWFUL car,

pruned, replanted half the yard,
cleared out drains,
re-caulked half the house

and made a wooden castle

for Ben in his spare time!

But as we wait with

fingers crossed for 

Little Dan to join our family,

this picture will have to do.

A request from my mom for weeks.

This is as much light, focus, and 

as close up as a 9 month prego

mom will let you!

Focus On The Baby

Today I'm baffled.  

Completely puzzled...

...as to how we are supposed to focus on the new gift from God that will be entering into our family in 8 days when there are so many "fires" to put out.

The LIST seems ever growing.

The van's transmission has decided that now would be the perfect time to start shuttering and slipping it's gears.

And also to leak some coolant from a hose that only leaks when Larry is not around.

Or how about the car not passing inspection this morning.  Why am I not surprised?

(dear dad, please move closer to teach us about car repair.  I'll even sit and hand you the tools like old times!)

And my favorite, the payflex account that is supposed to be "Oh so convenient" sends us emails telling us they won't honor some payments necessary for the kids dental appointments.  WHAT? It's our money.  And we want you to pay it.  Why do I have to show them proof of how expensive teeth are?  I thought everyone knew that!!

(dear cousin Leeland please move from your present base in MS and come to TX to fix my kids teeth.)

And apparently NOW, is the time for all the bath tubs in the house to clog up enough to drain at the speed of a tortoise.  

This was such an appealing option that a sink wants to join in too.

So no matter how soon or how glorious of a gift from God this special baby is, the focus has not been on him.  I have a feeling that on the day we drive to the Birthing Center the car's transmission will cease, a police car will come to help, give us a ticket for an expired inspection sticker, then I'll give birth on the side of I-30 which will result in medical bills that my payflex account won't pay.  Lovely.

Yours Truly, Debbie Downer

"3rd of July" Party

To keep our Sunday focused on our religion

we moved our traditional celebration to

the 3rd of July this year.

Both Larry and I were surprised to

recall that it was our 3rd year in a row.

Time is just flying by!

Although a rain storm showed up 15 mins

into the BBQ we moved everyone into

the cleaned out garage and ate dinner

together while we waited it out.

Eventually we sent the kids into the

rain to run off their energy.

But this sour start ended up being the best

gift of the evening.

It brought cool temperatures, removed the

sweltering humidity and blew a cool breeze.

Even sent away most of those pesty flies.

We couldn't have asked for better

weather in JULY!!

I gladly stood back and relinquished my

duty of sparkler mom.

It's a smoky job with shooting sparks

that can burn a few toes.

The kids couldn't contain themselves.

They were DYING to get the

festivities started.

It was even a blessing to have

really saturated grass and a large

puddle of water in front of the house

to keep the fire hazard down.

At first Ben was a little hesitant to

hold on to this fire spitter.

Emma couldn't get enough!

Eventually Ben got over his fears and

joined Sydney in the sparkler-stance...

"hold as far away from your body,

but smile with joy all at once"!!

On the other hand, we had Keira.

At the wrong age for a large, up close,

fireworks show.

With Daddy preoccupied at lighting up

the entertainment and Mom's lap 

completely insufficient and overly crowded,

she wandered the driveway whining and crying

completely scared.

Then she took refuge in any "mothers"

lap that would cuddle her.

Thankfully I have wonderful friends

and we promptly laid her down

for the night to avoid any more

Party Pooping!

(maybe next year she'll be ready)

We were so pleased with the turn out of

friends and the wonderful side dishes they

brought.  I couldn't get enough of the delicious

homemade salsas, pasta salads, strawberry pie,

7layer dip, etc!!

The kids (& Larry) were swarming over the 

large bucket of Cheez Balls, too!!

They were gone in the first 2 hours.

I was a tinge jealous of Larry being able to

set all of those crazy fireworks off,

but he does such a good job at entertaining

the kids and spreading out the show

so it would last the whole night.

He even had them chasing him up and

down the street begging for more!!

Even though families with babies

trickled out as the night progressed

it was still a blast with plenty of us

left to oooohhhh and aaaahhhh

at the light show.

(note to self: remove all children and

anything flammable when the

"wheel of fire" comes out)

With the night growing darker,

and kids covered in glow sticks

to keep track of them,

Daddy finally let off the larger fireworks.

They are amazing!

I think until ALL of our kids are old enough

to stay up late and really enjoy the

celebration of our country's birth,

this little light show on my driveway is 

worth every convenience!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!