As if it weren't enough of a zoo around here already...we decided to make it a little more crazy....





Meet Nemo, the newsest member of our family. Larry never quite recovered from losing Bob so we thought we'd get him a new friend.




Larry still isn't sure what to make of the little fuzz ball, but he's been coming out of hiding more often, so we're taking that as a good sign. He's the cutest thing and apparantly has taken quite a liking to Matt....

Alright it's high time I wrote a real post :)

The last week has been spent in recovering from vacation, going through the mountain of mail, getting everyone back into the groove of a somewhat normal bedtime, Unloading the car and then dealing with the mountain of junk stacked in the living room, finding the garden and a million other little things.

The family is well. Jonah is back into the groove of little league. I'm not sure he really enjoys it although he plays well. He's thinking that he'd like to try soccer next year. He starts summer school two weeks from today which I still have mixed feelings about. I know it's the best thing for him academically. I just want him to have a fun summer too. Molli and Emma are counting down the days till school starts. Emma is becoming quite the swimmer, jumping off the side and going underwater. Doesn't sound too impressive but for a girl who would barely get her feet wet a few weeks ago, it's huge. And then there's Sydney....oh...my Sydney. She definitely keeps me on my toes. She is jumping in the pool as well, IN THE DEEP END! We had a few scary moments when she just ran and jumped into the pool and began to sink as she can't swim! Now she knows that she needs to put her tube on first. Then she's off to jump in! On Saturday night she hopped into Noah's power wheelchair and drove it into a brick wall, trapping her leg between the chair and the wall. She's so lucky that it didn't snap her leg in half! She's sporting a hefty bruise, but thank the Lord that's about it. It's never dull around here, that is for sure. As for little Thomas, he continues to get bigger (as do I!) The kids get so excited when they see my tummy move or feel his feet kicking. They've started asking when he's coming out....not soon enough I reply.

So that's how things are around this zoo....summer live on!

Here's just a taste of our vacation, more to come!!

Vacation, here we come! It's offcial, as of tonight, we are on vacation!! I have been looking forward to this since January! Tomorrow we head out and go to Matt's family's house for the weekend. And it worked out that I get to have lunch with two blogging buddies on Saturday! Woohoo! then at 4 AM on Monday morning, we head to New York. We're stopping for the day in Niagara Falls. I've been there too many times to count, but my fmaily has not. So we're going to do al lthe cool stuff there, including the Maid of Mist which my kids have nicknamed "The boat where you get wet". Then we head to my grandparents house way in the country. My Aunt and her family live right next door and my little cousins are just about Jonah's age. They have four wheelers and tractors and beebee guns....the kids are psyched. We're going to take day trips, hike up the Wiscoy falls to the dam, and other various things. My parents and siblings are going as well so it'll be a blast. Then we head home on Father's Day. I'm just looking so forward to a whole week, just away. Yee haw.

So I spent 4 hours cleaing our van today. Yuck. I even steam cleaned the carpets for pete sake. It's now sparkling clean, well not the outside yet. However, I am trying to analyze why exactly it took me that long. Well part of the problem was Sydney. Any time the car is open, she is in it. That makes cleaning it out a little more difficult. Add to this, that as I begin to clean out the van, a massive bulldozer pulls up right on my lawn!!!! Yes, today was the day they decided to re-run my gas lines. There were trenches and holes everywhere! I wanted to take a pic, but couldn't find the camera. Now you tell four children between the ages of 2 and 7 that they can't go near the bulldozer or the dirt or the 8 foot holes i nthe ground. Yeah right. Literally, they were working two feet from the porch. what a nightmare!! So eventually I had everyone come inside because I got tired of chasing Syd away from the scary bulldozer. Of course my entire house was shaking so it kind of felt like being in a washing machine.

Ok, can you tell I am tired? An entire paragraph of nothingness. Sorry! It's time for vacation!!!!

Alas, not much to report. The last few days have consisted of yet more laundry, constant cleaning, and counting the hours until we leave for vacation. Well I guess I could add that I've been pouring over the computer, getting maps and directions and deciding just what we should do. This is the first time ever that Matt has received paid vacation. He's almost giddy about it!

The family continues to enjoy summer. I am loving not having to get up and take anyone to school. Jonah is still loving baseball. They won their game last night with Jonah batting in the two winning runs! It's such a blast watching him play. Emma tells me every day that she needs to go to school, it's going to be a long summer for her! Molli and Jonah have started the summer routine of fighting and getting into trouble and therefore have written lots of sentences so far. However, this summer, the pool makes for a right proper punishment. When they are told they can't go to the pool, it's like you've sentenced them to Auschwitz!

Well there are clothes to be packed and a van to be cleaned out. Time waits for no man. 2 days till we leave!!

So I understand that my job title implies certain things. Laundry, dishes, cleaning, child care, etc. Some of those jobs I enjoy more than others. However throw four children and a pregnancy into the mix and things just get crazy.

I have been very motivated this past week to reclaim my home. I think you all remember the pile of laundry pic that was on here recently. Well that was nothing. I cleaned the upstairs (where the kid's rooms are) We got rid of so many toys and clothes. However, I found myself doing laundry. And doing some more....and yet doing some more....After the 18th load of laundry that I was folding and put away I realized that a)we have too many clothes b)I need a maid c) I cannot wait five months to do laundry. I remember right after I discovered I was pregnant and how for the first trimester I was struggling to find socks and underwear for the kids to wear to school. Well I am happy to say that Jonah now has 17 pairs of underwear and 15 pairs of socks in his drawers. All I can say is...ugh.

On an up note! FIVE DAYS TILL VACATION!!!!

Yesterday was our ultrasound. I was so worked up going over there! He flipped over though and Matt and the kids were able to really feel him which was cool. Molli sort of picked up the vibe that something may not be right and he was asking questions. We were trying to be as vague as possible with her until we had more specifics.

The ultrasound went great. We got some great shots of him flipping around. He's still a boy which was comforting. But the really great news is that whatever the first tech saw in my original ultrasound is no longer there! They even had those pics and were comparing them and seemed slightly confused that it wasn't still there. The doc's comment was "Well, it should still be here, and it just isn't." Thank you Lord! And thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Our little man has been touched by the One who knew him before the beginning of the world!

I wasn't going to post about this, but I know most of you are keeping track and will pray. At my last OB appointment, my doc noticed something on my ultrasound pics in Thomas's brain. So we did another quick ultrasound and it was still there. So on Wednesday morning we are going to a bigger hospital with more specialized euipment and to meet with a perinatologist (baby brain doc) to see if we can find out what's going on. It may be nothing, but the very idea of somehting being wrong has me all worked up. So please pray for us if you think about it. I'll update when I know more.

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Well Jonah played in his first ever baseball game last night. He hit the very first pitch that was thrown and made it to second! Sorry, can't help but be a little proud! Here are some highlights....


Here he is right after he hit the ball


On base, waiting for the signal to run from Coach


Playing second base



Drying off with his teamates after it downpoured!

All in all a fairly bland weekend....now isn't that an exciting way to begin a post? Aren't you inspired to keep reading?? :)

My leg is continuing to heal. I cannot WAIT to get the stitches out! They told me I couldn't get them wet...no first they said I couldn't shower for ten days. I looked at them and said, "Um yeah right!" So finally last night, I begged Matt to help me. Picture this.....Matt wraps a big black garbage bag around my leg up to my knee. Then he puts around the bag a towel to catch any water. Now I must balance my ever increasing pregnant body on my right foot while dangling the left one out the shower door while trying to wash myself. It was nearly comical. I was dying to just stand under the hot water. So suffice to say, when these suckers come out on Friday I am taking one heck of a shower!!! Now in re-reading the above story I am, in no way, trying to get you to picture me naked. That would just be wrong for so many reasons. But you have to admit that seeing a rather large pregnant woman balancing on one foot while the other leg is covered in trash bag and hanging out of the shower door could be rather comical. Right?

An update from "Crutchie" as my kids have lovingly nicknamed me....although I have ditched the crutches...too big of a pain!

I'm doing ok. It sure is frustrating to not be 100%. The baby (who was my biggest concern in all of this) seems to have handled the stress of surgery well. He's rolling and flopping to beat the band. My incision (which doesn't look so bad) hurts a little since taking off the bandages, but nothing I can't handle. I am struggling with a tension headache again, going on day 3. This makes my recovery even slower. I go back a week from today to get the stitches and staples out. I did have to go back to the hospital yesterday because my leg was cramping horribly and they were worried that I may have a blood clot. So back I went....I swear I don't want to see that place again till Thomas is crowning! All in all, God has been good in taking care of Thomas and I as well as the rest of my crew who have been farmed out the better part of the week. Thanks for all the kind thoughts and words of encouragement...I knew I could count on you guys for that!

Well time to hobble down and do some laundry, I've been informed that my sick days are used up! lol.

Yesterday was fairly boring so I decided to spice it up a bit.

The kids had broken a frame a few days ago. Well I started picking up the house and I put all the glass into a garbage bag. I was going to take it right out to the curb as the garbage men were coming up the street, but I ran to do something else first. I came around the corner and slammed my leg into the bag, totally forgetting that it had glass in it. Well there was a rather large piece that had broken through the bag. It was this piece that went right into my leg. I gasped and quick sat down, thinking I had just sliced my leg open. Then it started to bleed. And holy cow did it bleed. Emma was horrified, standing there watching it. "Emma, get mommy the phone....Emma, get the phone!" I quickly called my dad who, thank the Lord, works at the church which is right behind my house. He ran over, called my mom for backup and whisked me to the ER. I did x-rays and the whole nine yards to find out there was a rather large piece of glass embedded in my leg. So they numbed me and the ER doc tried to get it out. No luck. So, to my horror, she casually says, "Ok, well we're going to send you to the surgeons." Ok, back up! SURGERY?!?!?!?!? Suffice to say, I had surgery on my leg last night. I've never had surgery. It was horrifying. They had to do a pain block on my leg which is one of the most painful things I've ever had done. I'd rather give birth! So in they went and found it, it was right next to my bone! SO the doc dug it out stitched me up, gave me crutches and sent me home. I arrived at the ER at 1:30 PM and got home at 10:30 last night. Ugh. I slept, well tried to sleep, in the recliner last night. The pain block wore off at about 5 AM and man, does it hurt! I guess I never thought about it hurting like that. Although they gave me a tetanus shot which hurts almost as much as my foot! Here's what my foot looks like currently....






And here's the piece of glass they dug out of my leg.....ugh. So note to self: DO NOT PUT GLASS IN A PLASTIC BAG!

I sat here this morning and railed against the fact that many blogs have not been updated. What is wrong with these people, I said to myself. Then I went back to my blog and realized that the last time I had updated it was last Wednesday. So forgive my frustration....like you all don't have lives of your own.

So yesterday was Mother's Day. May I just say for the record that I hate Mother's Day. I think something that absolutely should be done, ie. honoring our moms, has been turned into this huge "obligation" that we "have to honor mom because the calendar says we should." Ick. So I have decided that I will gather my siblings and choose one random day this summer and make it our tribute to Mom day. Moms need honoring and recognition.....but it should be genuine and not forced. Ugh.

Ok off the soap box, in honor of Mother's Day here are some pics from our recent Mother/Daughter banquet...


Me and two of my three girls




Four generations of women, my grandma, my mom, me, and my girls

OK some of you have been asking, I'll never know why, but ok. Here it is a picture of my belly, YES WITH MY SHIRT ON. Do you really think I would post my bare stomach on here, not for a million dollars. I am five months pregnant today. Yes, five months. I know it looks like 9 months, but some of us are more wonderfully endowed :)






Moving on, nothing much else to report....Saturday, Matt's sister is coming for the day to watch kids and Matt and I get to spend almost the whole day together. we haven't been out alone together in.....oh my word...ages. We're going to a wedding as well which will be fun.

And in other big news, we are house hunting. We've decided to see if we are ready to take the huge step and be home owners. This is HUGE for us. It all started when a house across the street from my parents went up for sale. How fun would that be???? Anyway, keep us in your thoughts as we pray and try and figure out what to do :)

Alright, this is my blog right? And there have been times in the past when controversy has begun here. But I must write about something that is just fascinating to me. Indulge my pregnant emotions for a bit....

I just finished reading The DaVinci Code. Now, this book is not new and I've been intending to read it forever. But with the movie due out next week and all the debate about it, I decided it was time. I read it in 4 hours. Then our church decided to spend the next four Sunday nights discussing the truth about the book and how we can speak to unbelievers about it. Ok, I LOVED this book. Now hear me, I loved it AS A WORK OF FICTION. I am NOT saying that I agree with the suppositions he makes or any of that. But it is one of the best books I have read in a LONG time. It is masterfully written and full of the stuff that I LOVE in a book; twists, turns, shockingness (my own word) and a happy ending. But more than that, I just cannot get over the fact that it presents such a clear opportunity to share my faith. The book calls some very real beliefs into question. Could Jesus have been married? Does his bloodline still exist, etc. I think the movie will be a blockbuster which every preson and their brother will see it.....again, what an opportunity. What an opening to share what I believe about Jesus.

*deep breath* alright, let's hear it....what do y'all think?

Ode to Bob

Bob the Cat Kurtz 2005-2006

Bob passed away Friday, May 5, 2006 with his family surrounding him. At least Me and molli. I was hysterical all day and not sure I could handle taking him to the vet, but I made it. We brought him home in a box and buried him in the backyard. Emma and Molli covered his little grave with flowers. I've decided there is something different about losing a pet as opposed to a human. I mean, I miss always miss my grandpa and I will grieve for him at different random times. While today was excruciating, tomorrow I know the pain will have eased and we'll go on. I wish it could be like that with people we love, but I guess the difference is that we spend a lifetime with people. But I'll miss Bob, he was my cuddle friend. Larry has been wandering around all afternoon, meowing, looking for Bob. Breaks my heart. But this is part of life I suppose. Thanks for all the thoughts and advice.

Moving on....not that I'm not still entirely stoked about the baby being a boy..but life does continue :)

Jonah had his first baseball practice last night. I was riddled with anxiety all afternoon about it. "What if the other kids have been playing since they were in diapers??" "will he catch on?" "Will he be able to hit the ball with the bat??" All those motherly things that you worry about. But he did great. He is very evenly matched with the other kids on his team, thank the Lord! I wasn't too impressed with the coach who showed up 20 minutes late, but one of the dads stepped in to help and he really took to helping Jonah. It was great. He had a blast and can't wait to go back.

An now for a Bob the cat update.....I really don't know what to do. The vet said he "thinks" that Bob has some nerve damage and that's why his back legs aren't working. Unfortunately, it means that he cannot empty his bladder either. So I have been hiking it to the vet TWICE a day for the last week so the vet can squeeze his bladder. I am so tired of it. And the vet cannot give me any real answers. He says things like, "He may recover, or maybe not." So I am so lost. I cannot keep going to the vet twice a day. Yet I love this cat, and I don't want him to die. But now he's pooping and spraying pee all over the house.....I just don't know what to do. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

I woke up this morning, early. I could hear the rain outside and I just laid there. I began to mentally pray....."Lord, first of all, I just want this baby to be healthy....and Lord, you know my heart's desire. But I will be so glad with whatever you decide."

I was a wreck for the rest of the morning....then I had to drink a quart of water and sit there for AN HOUR!!!!!! Torture, plain and simple. My heart started pounding as I climbed onto the table....





Then I saw this face and I fell in love and I knew, no matter what the sex..I was happy. I exhaled as she ticked off everything that was normal...and then...





Introducing Thomas Michael Kurtz......our baby boy!!!

Needless to say, we are ecstatic. Jonah was speechless, except for four words, "I have a brother." Enough said.

Whew, have to stop and catch my breath. What a weekend....

First things first, Jonah starts baseball this week. SO all weekend we lived, breathed, slept, and ate baseball. He was so excited about his baseball stuff, I had to ground him to get him to take off his batting helmet for bed! He is so excited. His first practice is this Thursday. I hope I survive till then.

On a sadder note, our kitty is not doing very well. On Friday I noticed that he was not playing with his brother, which was odd. Every time Larry tried to wrestle, Bob would make this awful sound. Then, come nightfall, we couldn't find Bob. Matt was convinced that he had jumped out the hole in the window, I however, knowing that Bob is terrified of the outside, felt differently. We searched the house and the outside calling and calling and shaking the bag of treats. We went to bed resigned to the fact that he would come back in the morning. As we were laying in bed, Matt wonders out loud, 'I wonder if bob is in the bed". Now there is a corner of our boxspring where the fabric is ripped. Bob had climbed up in there. There he was, but we couldn't get him to come out. Even shaking the bag of treats which usually brings them running from any corner of the house wasn't enticing him. WE went to bed thinking that he might be deceased in the morning. Well he wasn't. We immediately noticed however that he has no use of his back legs. He uses his front feet and drags his others behind him. It's just awful to watch. I have a hunch that the girls did something to his hips. I feel just wretched and like a parent who is raising animal abusers! We've kept a close eye on him and he seems to be rallying a bit. More updates as they happen.

A day and a half till the ultrasound.....