I come here everyday, see my top picture of my five children and tell myself that Liam is a month old already and I do not have ONE picture of all SIX of my children. Hopefully this weekend!

So yes, Liam is a month old...hardly seems possible. He is the sweetest baby and we all just love him! He gave me his very first smile last night and, as if it were possible, he melted my heart even more. One person said you can't love the sixth child as much as the first.....that person never had six kids!!

Life continues on. There are 23 days of school left....dang it. But we plan to be busy this summer which I hope will help!!! For now, my sister is in town. She surprised us all with a visit with my new nephew! He is just darling and he and Liam have being getting acquainted....




Aren't they adorable??? So we are enjoying some time with her and my two aunts from New York are coming into town this weekend which should make for fun times! OK, going to hunt down my six kids and torture them with getting their picture taken, the joy of being a mom!!!

Time for an update! My blog has suffered, again, from my lack of computer time due to the fact that my arms are slightly busy holding my new little man! He is just as sweet as can be and we all adore him! The kids fight over who can hold him as often as possible, but I usually win. Gotta love the mom trump card! We had a few medical scares with him, some jaundice and a yucky cold. But he has recovered quickly and was such a trooper. It's been a little tough getting into the nightly feeding schedule, but we're working that too. He is so precious and I am enjoying every minute with him. We've had no jealousy issues with Thomas which we were a little worried about. Thomas loves Liam and is very helpful. So all in all, the last two and a half weeks have been really great! Here's some pics of our gorgeous boy!

Welcome to the world Liam Joshua Kurtz!!!! He was born at 11:41 AM on April 9th. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz and is 20 inches long! We had some trouble with his blood sugars (most likely due to mine!) so he has to be in the nursery with an IV which is hard being away from my brand new baby!!! But it's for his well being and I get to go down every three hours to nurse! Hoping we can be done with the IV by morning so I can hold him whenever I want!!!! More photos coming soon!!!

I am still here, I am still pregnant, I am still miserable......

My mom leaves tomorrow for California and I am very sad that she will miss Liam's big entrance....of course, at the rate we are going, I'll still be pregnant in three weeks when she gets back......

Just hopping on to say that I am still here, I come every day and check up on all of you. But I dare not post because I have vowed to not become one of THOSE people, you know the ones I mean. The ones who obsess over the end of their pregnancies and who whine and complain endlessly about how miserable they feel and how it will never end, blah blah, blah. So I choose to write nothing just in case my fingers get the best of me and it all comes spilling out!

By far, the best part of my week has been this:


This is my gorgeous new nephew, Benjamin Clancy Hoekstra. He was born on Tuesday, March 16 at 4:27 AM. He was 6 lbs. 15 oz. and is just darling. My sister is well and healing and loving being a new mommy. We are on the webcam as often as possible as he is in California and we won't get to see him in person till August. New life is so amazing and precious!!!

So I promise not to get into the habit of re-posting things I find, but this one made me laugh so hard today....and it's not even that funny! I'm just that hormonally unbalanced!!!





-The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

-There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

-I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

-Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

-MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

-Bad decisions make good stories

-I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing stinks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the HECK are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

-Was learning cursive really necessary?

-LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

-I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

-Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

-Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

-How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

-I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent one jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

-Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies?"

-While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

-Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

-I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least KIND of tired.

-Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

-If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible...

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

-"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

-I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

-I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

-I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

-As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

-Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still do not know what time it is.

-I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

-Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their glasses when they are safely on their head and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey, but I'd bet anything everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time.

-I wonder if cops ever get irritated at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay!

I was just re-reading my post from earlier this week. Oddly enough, I could have posted the EXACT same post for yesterday! Only yesterday I realized that it was time to do something drastic in my newly 6 year old daughter's life so that she would come to realize that her attitude and behavior HAD to change. So, as I pushed her out the door for school, crying and screaming, and as I watched the bus pull away from the driveway and my own hot tears started to spill, I knew what I had to do. I called Matt to get support in my decision which he readily gave. And then I waited. I waited for her to get home so I could inform her about her very near future.


See, as she was planning her 6th birthday weekend, she very much wanted a friend party. The thought of cleaning and cooking and enduring 6-7 six year old girls seemed completely overwhelming to me. So I suggested an alternative. I offered her the chance to have 1 friend come and spend the night and then the following day, we would all go to Chuck E Cheese. I despise that place, but it seems to make my children SO happy! She jumped at the chance and the friend was chosen, invited and had accepted. As I sat crying Friday morning, I knew that she must lose said sleepover and subsequent Chuck E Cheese adventure. I also knew that she would NOT handle the loss well, but there didn't seem to be a choice. She really needed something radical to show her that her actions and choices about behavior have consequences. I called the friend's mom and she was most understanding. Then I waited. I heard the bus pull up, thankfully Matt was already home and ready to back me up. She came in and was all excited about when we were leaving to pick up her friend. I took a deep breath, sat her down, and told her. The cries and yells began in earnest and kept up for quite some time. I had expected this so I wasn't too undone. She fell asleep early, exhausted from the crying and when she woke up this morning, she was fine. I reminded her this morning that we wouldn't be going to Chuck E Cheese and she hung her head and told me she knew and she knew why. So maybe, just maybe, we're turning a corner.

Plus the sun is shining and it's 45 degrees out....who can be sad or down on a day like that?!?!?!?

OK, I'm sitting here crying so I will blow my nose and start with the positive....

- the end of this pregnancy is near. Not near enough, but near. I am fairy miserable, finding it near impossible to complete even the simplest of tasks, not sleeping, and struggling between my constant craving of sugar and my blood sugar levels! I said to Matt last night, "I hate being pregnant, at the end!" He lowered his book and said, "Honey, then why have you done it six times???" Touche`.

Oh wait, this was supposed to be the positive stuff....

I have an ultrasound on Tuesday to take a peek and see how big our little man is. I haven't had one since our 18 week one so I am anxious to see him again! He's very active and the kids think it is hilarious to watch my belly shift and roll as he tries to take over yet another square inch of my abdomen :) My beautiful friends have decided to throw me a "Sixth baby party", I refused to let them call it a shower as it seems a bit silly to throw a shower for a SIXTH baby! But the thought was so sweet and I am looking forward to celebrating Liam with them on Sunday. And eat cake, of course!

Spring is near. I can feel it. This is the third morning in a row that I have awoken to sunshine. It's coming just in time!

So why am I crying? Well that would be my youngest daughter, Sydney. Tomorrow is her birthday, the big 6. There were times, honestly, that I wasn't sure she'd make it to 6. And lately, that feeling has been even stronger. We've slammed into quite a season with her of backtalk and disobedience and drama and it has been so tough. I'm not sure if it's because I am pregnant or what, but for some reason, she pushes a button in me and it undoes me. I tend to be somewhat patient with our children, but where Sydney is concerned, I lose it. I have zero tolerance for backtalk. well for all of it really, but I just snap. She makes me want to lash our irrationally. I know this is just a season, but boy, am I ready for the season to change!!! So as I pushed her out the back door screaming this morning, I sat down and just cried. I know there is a lesson here....just trying to find it :)

Ah, well I feel better now.....blogging can be so therapeutic and I really couldn't fit all this onto my Facebook status :) I'll leave you with a picture of what I found outside my bedroom door the other morning. Thomas is excited about Liam!

I was blog hopping this morning and usually my first stop is MckMama"s fantastic blog. She had a post on there about big families which was hilarious and oh so true. And as we are getting ready to embark on child #6, we are officially a big family :) This was written by Matthew Archibold.....





Why big families are easier:

Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.

Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.

Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.

Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent. (this is SOO true in the Kurtz house!!)

Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.

Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.

Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)

Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.

Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.

Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.

Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.

Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.

Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.

Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.

Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.


All of this rang so true for me this morning. It's hard to hear "Wow, you have your hands full!" or "Are they ALL yours??" all the time and not feel like I've done something wrong by having our big family. Then I read something like this and know that my kids will be ok, they'll always have each other and having a big family is one my proudest accomplishments!!!

Another Thursday, another post :) This time I'm watching the wind whip the snow at speeds of 30 mph while I sit sipping my latte. It's freezing this morning!!! Not that I can feel it in here!

We are back to cold world, Thomas and Sydney are sneezing and coughing their way through life. These seasons seem especially long these days, could be my pregnant self just being grumpy. Speaking of pregnant, I seem to have slipped unknowingly back into the first trimester. Gone are the days of energy and productivity. It seems to take all my energy to drag myself from bed in the morning and get the kids off to school. My housework is suffering horribly and I am just too tired to care. On an exciting note, my girlfriend stopped over yesterday and surprised me with the very baby swing that I had wanted and clothes for Liam. It totally made my day. Hard to believe that we are 85 days away from meeting our little man!!!

And I am totally and completely frustrated with Frito Lay as they are WEEKS late getting the W-2's in the mail. GRRRRRR!!! We are usually done and filed by now and waiting anxiously for our deposit. Yet we sit every day, watching for the mailman praying that this will be the day that he brings us the golden ticket. UGH. Remember how patient I am?!?!?!?!??

Well my precious time is up, time to collect Thomas and head home.....till next week!

I've decided that there is something therapeutic about taking my laptop to McDonald's once a week and drinking coffee and spending some alone time. I admit that I am one of those people who doesn't like to be alone, must be why I have so many children :) But these times are completely enjoyable. Whatever shall I do when our internet is restored at home? Perhaps I'll keep up the tradition and make Thursday mornings my blog time, since I can't seem to get to it any other time!

The end of January is in sight!! Which means one month closer to Liam being here! I will admit that this pregnancy has been full of worry for me. I don't know if it's because I have had 5 healthy, beautiful kids and I think I'm tempting fate or what. I think part of it is because there are women around me that are losing babies and having a hard time having them. I am trying to put Liam in God's hands and know that He loves him so much more than I ever could and therefore will take care of him. It's just been a wild ride emotionally for me. Matt commented on my belly last night saying, "Wow, Liam is BIG for 5 months!" I rolled my eyes and reminded him that I am SEVEN months pregnant, not FIVE! "Oh yeah," was his reply. Oh brother!

So maybe it's just winter or maybe it's a pregnant thing, but I have lost all energy or gumption to get anything done! It's so very frustrating after having a great window of being so productive. I'm praying for it's quick return!!

Hoping today is W-2 day today....come on Mr. Mailman!!!

Seeing as my last post was before Christmas, I guess it's high time for an update :) Not that there's much to update, believe it or not :)

Christmas was really great. The kids were SHOCKED and delighted with their gifts and even though there were MUCH less gifts, they didn't care which warmed my heart. They got some great things, including a trip for my three oldest to see Beauty and the Beast the musical with my parents. Their first real theater experience...ahhhh....there's no going back now! I'm seeing many trips to Chicago in our future. How I pray they inherit my (and my parents) love of theater!! We rounded off the holiday week with a trip to Highland and a visit with Grandma and Grandpa Kurtz. Much fun was had, much Wii was played and many laughs were laughed :)

Now into a new year!!! Our pastor called us to fast and pray this month....as I cannot fast from food due to my little Liam (shucks!) we decided as a family that we would fast from the internet and cable in our home. It has been rough (well the internet part for me anyway!!) Not having immediate access to NECESSARY things like Facebook has been a challenge, but I suppose that is the point! It has created much more family time and much easier transitions to getting ready for school and bed. The kids ask occasionally how much longer we have to wait for "channels" to return....but they are surviving as well. So how am I posting this now, you may ask? Well, I've taken Tuesday mornings as my own and, after I drop Thomas off at school, I head to McDonalds for some coffee and some alone time, with my laptop :) I don't consider this cheating, the challenge was for me to not have it in my home where it's too easy to lose hours on the computer. So live on Tuesday mornings!!

I am feeling pretty well. I was surprised to be having some Braxton Hicks contractions already over the weekend. Guess everything speeds up a bit with your 6th pregnancy and old age :) Having a baby at 30 is so much different than at 22 :) Liam is getting bigger by the day it seems and the kids are loving feeling him kick and punch. Jonah is so excited to have another brother! We're all anxious for his arrival!

My favorite part about January I must admit is it's TAX RETURN TIME!! This is our favorite time of year, besides Christmas. This year holds no cruise, sadly enough :( But Matt and I are escaping to GR for a romantic overnight for Valentine's Day...well kind of. It's also when he'll be getting all his equipment for the Isle Royale Expedition. But I'll take the fancy hotel and the chance for us to get away alone before Liam joins the tribe, even if I have to endure Bill and Paul's!

Well time is up! Back to the land of no internet :)

4 days til Christmas...is it possible? Usually the Christmas season DRAGS for me...not so this year....we seem to have raced through Thanksgiving and are landing on Christmas while I am still trying to catch my breath! I'm excited about the holiday, I know it holds many memories and laughter. At the same time, there is a tinge of sadness as another year passes. I must admit that I am terribly excited for the new year, mostly, because each day that passes gets us one day closer to meeting Liam. I am the most impatient person ever and this 40 week pregnancy thing is overrated :) He moves more and more each day and I cannot wait to meet him! A few of my girlfriends have just found out that they are expecting as well and I think it's so much fun to go through pregnancy with others. Other people to moan and whine to :)

We had our first Christmas concert on our new church this past Sunday. Matt, Molli and Syd all had solo parts and Emma was in the choir. I was so proud watching Molli and Matt sing and Sydney say her long line as the Angel of the Lord. (Most of you I have as friends on Facebook, you can catch the videos there!) It was truly a blessed morning, made even more special by friends and family that came to watch!

I'm hoping the week hurries as now that I've written about Christmas, I really can't wait!

Well I hoped for a white Christmas...little did I know what would come! Oh boy! We've been stranded since yesterday morning. Matt barely got out and went to work and I was a wreck all day worrying about him out on the roads. West Michigan basically shut down! The good news is that my sister and her husband made it from California!!! I cannot wait to spend the week with her, trade lots of pregnancy advice, lots of pics and hugs to last us till next summer!

We are FINALLY done with a three week stint of pink eye. My brother infected the kids and then it morphed into this whole eye infection thing. Jonah and Sydney had it the worst and missed three days of school!!! UGH. Thankfully we have crossed over to the land of white eyes again! This has been a rough fall of sickness.....yuck! Hopefully we are over it now.

I am getting bigger every day. Liam's kicks are getting stronger although the kids haven't been able to feel him yet. I keep promising them that he is there! The medication I am on for my diabetes seems to be working very well, although I'm tired of poking my finger 4 times a day. But, if it means that Liam will be born healthy, then it's worth it! I've gotten some gorgeous outfits as gifts from my friends and we've chosen the one big purchase we are making for this baby....a travel system! I've never had one, always had younger kids that needed to be contained. But now that everyone is older, I'm thinking the stroller/car combo would be awesome! After the holidays, we'll begin buying diapers and stocking up :)

Christmas is right around the corner and I'm cautiously getting excited. This year will be very different and I don't usually do well when my traditions are messed with. But my dad has to work all day Christmas day so some changes are needed. One of the things I am excited about is that we are going to the nursing home my aunt works at and doing a Christmas program for the residents. Jonah and Matt are going to play their trombones, the girls are going to read scripture, and we're going to sing Christmas carols. I think it will be so great for the kids to realize that Christmas is about more than just our little family bubble!

Well it's time to turn up the heat again...brrr!!!

I thought for sure I'd have time to update my blog over Thanksgiving, but I guess not :) We weren't terribly busy or even traveling, but the time to sit and update sort of flew over my head.

So our big news is that we are having a BOY!!! We are just delighted, even though we would have bee equally delighted with a girl. It's just nice that now it will be even, three boys, three girls. Jonah was BEYOND excited...jumping up and down and yelling in the ultrasound room and everything! Priceless! The girls are excited too...I don't think they really cared much to begin with! Liam Joshua is the name we've chosen. My brother Josh is extremely happy with our choice of middle name, surprise, surprise. We've gotten our first batch of baby boy blue clothes (thanks Aunt Robin!!!) and are anxious to meet our little Liam.

Thanksgiving was good. My grandparents from New York were here which was fun, we haven't had a holiday with them for as long as I can remember! The table was packed with people and food. It was a blessed day! We got to spend some time with Matt's family as well a few days after Thanksgiving and that was great fun too. Christmas is quickly approaching and I'm in awe of our calendar as the days fill up with concerts, parties, and visits. I'm giddy with excitement over my sister's visit in a few weeks. I'll be posting prego pics of the two of us side by side!! I'm sure she'll be bigger than me.... :) Lots to look forward to this season. And I don't even mind that we don't have snow!!!

I won't bother apologizing for my lack of blogging. Life is moving on, some days faster than others, truth be told. It's hard to imagine that Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow and that in 6 days we'll know what we are having. Most people think we're having a boy, but we'll see next week. I'm anxious to put a gender to this baby and therefore, a name. We have names picked out but we'll reveal those next week when we know for sure who this is. I'm feeling pretty well, I'm starting to show in earnest now. I've felt the first small stirrings down there and Matt felt him moving for the first time last night. I'm starting to get excited about having a new little one!

This week is insanely busy here. Friday night I am going to see New Moon with my mom. Just writing that sentence makes me laugh out loud. She scoffed at Twilight for the longest time and is now obsessed with Edward (not too tough!) So we will join the throngs of women who will flock on opening night to see the next chapter. *happy sigh* Then I leave early Saturday morning for an all day shopping trip with my ladies group from church. We're headed to Grand Rapids to shop all day. I'm so excited about it! Then, Sunday afternoon, the Waltons are headed to Lansing to see The Christmas Carol in the IMAX. So a very full weekend. But exciting!

Other exciting news, my sister is coming home! We weren't sure that we would get to see her at all before she wasn't allowed to fly. But they found some time to come and that means we get to have a baby shower! I'm so thrilled to celebrate with her on the birth of her first baby. It's so cool when your siblings get to experience the thrill of pregnancy and becoming parents. I have big plans for the shower and can't wait to just sit and talk with her in the same room!! The only downside about this pregnancy is that I won't be able to travel to see her and the baby till much later. We are due only weeks apart from each other. :( But hopefully we'll be able to be together soon after that so I can meet my nephew!

Well I need to make shopping lists for Thanksgiving and get something productive done today :)

So it looks like weekly blogging will be the best I can do for now :) After all, my life just isn't that exciting!

Football is finally over. Jonah's team finished their season on Saturday with a big 19-0 win! It was a chilly day so I'm relieved to be done sitting outside for two hours every Saturday. Also, looking at this week with NO practices on three evenings is exciting! Family time is back. Of course, tomorrow night is my first night with my Daisy scouts. I'm excited to meet them and get our troop going. I'm hoping to be a good leader, I guess time will tell.

Pregnancy is plodding along. April seems like an eternity away. But I am relieved to be past 12 weeks and I have my energy back. Well, mostly. I am trying to catch up to life that was put on hold. I'm still looking for the girl's many pairs of socks...I think the mice have eaten them all!!

Events coming up in our household.....Thomas starts preschool in two weeks. I am nervous for this transition for him...I'm really praying it goes well. He seems excited about it, but I'm not really sure he knows that it means me leaving him there!!! Here's hoping it is awesome for him. A shopping day with a really great friend....our church is taking a group of ladies to Great Lakes Crossing for a Christmas shopping trip in November and my good friend is coming as well!!! A whole day with grownups! Of course we are in full swing for Halloween as well. We have some interesting choices this year....Jonah is going as a mobster, complete with a pin striped suit, red carnation and spats on his shoes! Molli is a ninja...don't ask, I have NO idea! Emma and Sydney are going as poodles. I am making these costumes..cross your fingers!! Thomas is a dragon, an adorable dragon at that. So quite the crew....I'm already cringing at the amount of candy that I know will come home that night....

Matt is home on vacation this week and I'm finding it very hard to get things done when he is here....I just want to hang out. But alas, there is work to be done. (I'm even trying to convince him to do a small painting project this week!!)

What a crazy, fun-filled weekend we had! Friday morning, the only thing that got me out of bed to get the kids to school was knowing that I could sleep in on Saturday morning. NOT! I had to be up, dressed nicely and driving to Kalamazoo by 8 AM. UGH. Why,you ask? Well.....I went to a meeting at the girl's school to sign Emma up for Brownies. There were 6 little kindergarten girls there who all wanted to be Daisies, but alas there was no leader for a Daisy troop. I couldn't' stand the looks on their little faces when their parents were telling them that they would have to wait to be girl scouts. So I stepped up to the plate and volunteered to be the troop leader. I naively thought it would just be this simple little thing, NOT!!! Tons of paperwork, reference forms, training sessions...oh my. But, as of noon on Saturday, I am a certified Daisy troop leader! Now all the fun stuff starts, calling parents, setting up our meeting times and planning meetings. I think I get off pretty easy though, because at age 5, pretty much anything you do, they think is awesome! I'll keep you posted on that!

So that was Saturday morning. I rushed back from Kalamazoo to make it in time for Jonah's football game which they won!!! Go Tigercats! It was a gorgeous day to sit and watch football. And Jonah is so handsome in his uniform!!



After the game, we came home and packed up a few things and took off for an impromptu overnight in Howell. Sunday was Matt's grandma's 90th birthday party so we went a little early for some family fun. My kids think there is NOTHING cooler than sleeping in a hotel. So we swam and laughed and ate and swam. It was so fun.

Then, Sunday afternoon we headed to celebrate with Great Grandma. Besides being ungodly hot in the nursing home, we had a great time! The kids caught up with cousins and second cousins and we got to have cake. Doesn't get any better than that.




Getting everyone up and moving this morning was a bit of a challenge, but the big kids are gone and Thomas just asked if we could stay in our pajamas today. Of course we can :)

I've been a VERY bad blogger. But there is a reason...one that I am now able to share :)




Yes, indeed we are having a baby. Yes, this is number 6. Yes, we are excited. Yes, the kids are beyond excited. No, we are not crazy. Well....yet anyway :)

I had a miscarriage in May and, after that happened, Matt and I decided that we were done. He made phone calls to the "man doctor" and everything. And then, lo and behold, this little one appeared. Ok, he didn't just appear, and yes, Grandma, we DO know how this works :) I have been beyond exhausted which is one reason for my failure to blog. And we wanted to keep it to ourselves, selfishly, for a little while. But we decided that we would like to share the news with you all. We are 12.5 weeks along...and as you can see in the ultrasound pic, this little one is a gymnast! The kids are excited, the girls are praying for a girl, while Jonah has informed us that, if it is a girl, he is putting himself up for adoption. :) I'm starting to pull out of the "too tired to even get dressed" phase so there will be more updates and news. But, just writing this has left me needing a nap...zzzzzzz......

My blog has been silent for a few weeks. I didn't blog for fear that my awfulness would come out. I have been awful these last few weeks. It has been a tough time for us as a family as well. Despite our best efforts, we were driving each other mad. And I found myself losing my patience so quickly and just being a yucky mom. So that is why there have been no words here.

But today, a fresh wind blew and not a moment too soon, the big bus came and the kids are off to school. My four oldest are in school all day this year. It will be odd, I must admit, to have just one home. It's been a LONG time since I was home with just one child all year! The kids were EXCITED about school, even Jonah which confirms the disastrous-ness of the last few weeks! So here they are, on their first morning....







Doesn't Sydney look happy??? She was so excited to go to school with the big kids, in the morning. And,even though I have been praying for this day, I got misty eyed as they left, knowing that another year of their young lives has come.