Roosters

We have been having a rooster problem. A few days ago a friend came to bring us a meal. She left her car door open while she brought some of the food to us. When she went back out to get the rest, she called out, "Uh, Emily...there's a chicken in my car." I came out quickly as she moved closer. "Oh my gosh!" I hear. "There's a bunch of chickens...and a cat!" Sure enough, all 4 of our guard roosters and a cat were in her van. "I am SO sorry," I said. "I should have warned you." I offerred to let her take them home. No such luck. The next morning, Mr. Mean (aptly named) flew at Sarah. She wasn't hurt, but was mildly traumatized. Now, I am most definately an animal lover, but something snapped in me when that rooster attacked my little girl. He was going down! I spent a good part of the day trying to catch the bugger...while calmly resting and recovering, of course. When Keith got home I offerred him $5 to catch the darn bird. Before long, all of us were chasing him with bins and laundry baskets. I won't include the final details of his demise as it would surely make us the laughing stock of the farming community and definately put us on bad terms with the Society for Prevention of Animal Cruelty. I will mention, however, that a BB gun, a hatchet, and a few failed attempts at the "neck wringing" trick, that is supposed to be so easy, were involved. I cried and seriously pondered becoming a vegetarian. Too bad Rebecca's birthday is coming up and she is desparately hoping for a pig.

Back to School

The kids started school again on Tuesday. They all seemed to enjoy their first day. Rebecca was anxious to see all of her friends and show them her new brother. Jason is taking Latin this year. Keith was a little surprised by the amount of homework on the first day. (This is his first year in middle school.) Ben is really excited about his class. David will be signing up for choir. Jason was up most of the night before with severe allergies. I really hate to see him suffer so much. They put him in a nasty cycle of being miserable and uncomfortable during the day and sleeping very little at night. It wears him down and makes it very hard for him to concentrate. I have enjoyed the extra time with Sarah and Jacob. They love to help with the baby. I love having a newborn, again. Kevin is such a good baby. He brings a sweet spirit into our home that makes all of us a little kinder and a little more grateful for the gift of life.

Pictures from St. Louis

Here's a few cute pictures of the kids when they were in St. Louis. David and Keith are competing to see who can fit the most grapes in their mouth. Sarah and Jacob are just being cute.

I love Ben!

On the Farm

It was a beautiful, clear day today. My mom suggested we take some pictures around the farm. It was alot of fun. I have to say, getting a family of ten to cooperate and pose for pictures is no small feat. Then, add a bunch of animals to the mix...we had some pretty funny moments. Unfortunately, our new puppy didn't make it in any of the pictures because the rooster, who thinks he's a guard dog, kept chasing him off. Above is our family and Jacob with the donkey.

Here's Ben, Sarah and Rebecca, and Keith and Jason with some of the animals. Notice how anxious the donkey was to be in almost every picture.

This was a cute picture of David walking through some tall grasses. Next is a picture of me with my sweetheart. Finally, a cute picture of Sarah and Jacob in an old wheelbarrow. Thanks for the pictures, Mom. You're amazing!

The Troops Return

With only slightly less magnitude than caused by a bomb or earthquake, our house erupted today with the arrival of the rest of our children from St. Louis with my mom. She was going to keep them until Monday, but agreed to come sooner because I have been missing them so terribly. This picture of Ben holding Kevin is a perfect illustration of the wave of enthusiasm that flooded our home tonight.

Everyone was anxious to see the baby and wanted to be the first to hold him. Here's Jacob, Sarah, and David with Kevin.

Keith and Rebecca were also anxious to have some time with their new baby brother.

While the kids were gone, LaMonte installed a spiral staircase going up to the new loft. This will be David and Ben's room. We have finally expanded from a 2-bedroom to a 4-bedroom house. I have to say, though, I truly enjoyed our first year in our cozy little farmhouse. Even still, it is nice to have the extra space. Now it is after 11 and I am exhausted! It has been a really big day. I am so happy to have all of our kids home! Our family feels complete, now.

Welcome Home, Kevin!

We finally made it home! It felt strange coming home to a quiet house. (The kids are still in St. Louis with my mom.) How good it feels to be home! There is something indescribably warm and wonderful about being home. Heaven feels so close with a precious new baby and a home filled with love and the "imprints" of our first year here on our farm. The welcoming party of Keith's roosters and the cats,the drawings on the fridge, the flooring we installed, the fingerprints on the table, the new loft-almost finished, the bassinet waiting beside our bed, even the bowl half full of soggy Fruity Pebbles and milk in the sink, all of these seemingly simple things filled my heart with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the life I have, for the family I've been blessed with, and for a God who has constantly and mercifully blessed my life. Welcome home, my little Kevin! I hope your new life with us will be filled with joy.

One More Day

We spent an extra day in the NICU so little Kevin could work on his tan. (ie. receive phototherapy for jaundice.)

Welcome Baby Kevin!

Our little Kevin was born last Thursday, August 9, at 11:50 AM. He weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz and was 20 inches long. By all medical standards the delivery went well, though for me it was terrifying. For some reason I was overwhelmed by an irrational fear that something was going to go horribly wrong. The baby was born without incident, but he seemed unusually sleepy. The nurse noticed him grunting. When they got him back to the nursery his heartrate was around 270 beats per minute. They whisked him off to NICU. LaMonte tried to appear calm when he told me, but he was visibly shaking. "Don't worry," the nurses and doctor's said. "This is a fairly common problem, everything will be ok." But...I didn't believe them. They would say the same thing to every new parent until the official diagnosis revealed otherwise. My worst fears, it seemed, had been confirmed. I was convinced our little son would never be going home with us. It may sound strange, or heartless, but I wouldn't allow myself to feel any attachment to him. I wouldn't think of him by the name we had chosen. I didn't feel any hope...which left me feeling insanely guilty. I did pray for him, though-with all of my heart.

The official diagnosis came back. He has a condition called SVT. It stands for something long and scientific that means "rapid heartbeat." The condition is easily treated with medication and the doctors assurred us he would be just fine. Most cases resolve within the first year of life. Though still not entirely convinced, I allowed myself to open my heart to our little baby. I worked to feed him, to understand his condition, and to overcome the irrational fear and worry that plagued me. We have been at the hospital now for three days. Though at times so tired I have struggled to keep my eyes open, keep my thoughts clear, or even walk a straight line, I have stayed with him as much as possible. How is it that something so tiny and helpless can, so quickly, overtake your heart?

The kids came to visit on Friday, though they could only see him through the window. They are the ones who picked his name, Kevin, months before he was born. They wanted to name him "Kevin" after my brother who just returned from his mission. Also, when they first started school, friends and teachers both would mistakenly call Jason and Keith "Kevin" so they believed we were meant to have a Kevin in our family. LaMonte and I agreed to their name selection, believing that this would help little Kevin form an early bond with his older siblings. LaMonte picked his middle name, Thomas, after Thomas S. Monson-the prophet of our church. LaMonte has thoroughly cared for and spoiled both of us during this hospital stay. He is the best husband and father we could hope for.

The kids have gone to St. Louis to spend the week with my mom. She is amazing! Even for a grandma I would think it would be daunting to take on 7 kids last minute! Right after the long drive to get them, she took them to Grant's Farm and stood in a 1/2 mile line with all of them, hoping to see an elephant show. Anyone who wonders how I manage to have so many children can clearly see how much of this is made possible by the support of a loving husband, mom, and countless other family members and friends who are always reaching out to us with their love and support. We love are little Kevin and are so very grateful to have him as the newest member of our family.

The Final Hurrah

Tomorrow is the big day. We will be going into the hospital at 6 AM to have our baby induced. This afternoon I took the kids to a city pool/waterpark. I intentionally picked a pool that was a mile away from the hospital where we will deliver...just in case. It was alot of fun, and not as blazing hot as it has been all summer. Here is Sarah and Jacob, then Rebecca and Sarah, then Keith and David running across the lilly pads.

New Puppy

I've heard it said that in times of stress, it is best to slow down and simplify life as much as possible. Why, then, would a mom ready to pop with baby number 8 decide it was a good time to get a new puppy? I'll tell you...I don't know. It is true, though. We got a new puppy. "Scooby Doo" is the newest addition to our family farm. He is Ben's, and Ben is living on cloud 9. He is inseperable from his new little friend, a shitzu, poodle mix. Bedtime is the hardest because Scooby-Doo sleeps in his crate in the barn so we won't hear him barking. Ben sobbed when his beloved pet had to be locked up for the night. "It's just that he's been so good to me," sobbed Ben. "Please will you just put him in his crate for me?" he then begged Keith. "I just don't think I could handle leaving him in there."

Back in the modern world

We finally broke down and got high speed internet. I was determined to give our kids as much of a media free environment as I could while they adjusted to life on a farm. It has been a little difficult, but glorious also to enjoy life that is a little simpler. Hopefully, now, we can just try to keep things in balance. I am 37 weeks pregnant with our eighth baby. We are all getting anxious for him to make his appearance in the world and in our family. This is such an exciting season of life for us. We are nearly done remodling our little farmhouse. We added on a master bedroom, a loft, and have updated almost everything else. School will start again for the kids in about 3 weeks. The summer has gone by so quickly! The kids were on the Pittsburg, KS swim team this summer. It was a great program with a small team which was perfect for our family. My brother, Tim, is getting married today. My brother, Eric, and his wife Debbie just had their first baby last Tuesday. We are in the middle of terrible drought with temperatures in the low 100's everyday. Everyone is doing well and we are anxious to see what adventure

s the upcoming year holds for us.