11.8.16 KId-tainment

As I have exhaustively noted here nursing has taken a lot of time this go round, or maybe always. Anyway because of the enforced sitting my active girls have gotten into the habit of using my phone to take pictures, watch starfall or text emoticons to grandparents. My phone is full and I mean full with hundreds of pictures like these. 

I was surprised to find they caught me in my most desired way of nursing. Unfortunately because I have needed to monitor both my production and his intake I mostly sit at the pumping machine on a folding chair watching outtake and intake. Reading a book is a RARE privilege this time. This may be why I am not loving the process. The act of relaxing and taking the time the baby requires goes nicely with a good story. 

And my most adamant baby holder Millie. She has an iron will and a spunky spirit. We do best when we work together when I can see and concede the higher ground. But she is quick to help and just wants to be big. Oh the challenge of waiting for that to happen!

11.7.16 Halloween

This halloween we broke the old traditions and tried some new activities. This year my parents hosted a hayride to the pumpkin patch in the garden my sister planted. it was a fun night. Still amazing how large our family has become. The kids had a great time riding, running, and driving the tractor on this night. We enjoyed a bonfire with hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner. So fun. 

We tried on costumes Sunday night. I am not a big Halloween fan but the kids of course loved dressing up and getting ready for the great candy haul.

John getting a turn driving the crew. They sure love this experience with Papa. I'm very thankful for his ideas and willingness to patiently teach so many kiddos how to drive. Old tractors are the best for learning to drive. Slow and a bit resistant to sudden movements they hold the course pretty well.

I was thinking last week how we just do the same things year after year. But this year we have missed back to school pictures and now pumpkin carving. So we are changing it up this year. Not necessarily for the better but because we are so busy and stretched among so many commitments. I think we will survive. the kids smiles are not so rare I have to capture them in pictures I'm not sure they missed that activity for the others that happened instead. Life is good and changing from one year to the next!

11.5.16 My guy

Things are improving here. We are settling into a routine. I'm pretty sure Bruce is growing and I'm finding ways to manage the mass of people that live here. This has been an epic battle. From feeling terrible about letting Bruce get so skinny to not meeting the needs of the other people in our home it has been a long haul. However from many conversations with the spirit I've come to know that I'm blessed because I have options. While this new baby thing has not been when I remember from the other kids it is a new deal with more than 10 kids thus new norms have been created and embraced.  

One of those norms is bottles. I've never used bottles before. In fact my sister had to explain how they worked. How to mix formula and how much at a time. I've finally got to the point where I can pump and nurse enough to keep him satisfied but thank goodness for formula and bottles that got my guy through the days I could not.

That was a hard thing to embrace and admit. I've always done just fine making fat happy babies. Bruce is an amazing baby in that he has not been unhappy through this whole deal. He is so peaceful even while being starved from his tongue tie. I took this picture last week. After admitting I had been too ashamed to take pictures for the weeks of him losing and then slowly gaining back to birth weight. I'm working on forgiving myself, and remembering I was trying everything I knew to help him grow. He  really is a patient kind spirit. I'm excited to see how this plays out as he grows. I think after the activity of his three older sisters I may really need his patience.

During this time of working to grow him, they have been amazing little busy bodies. The piles of broken dishes and jars, food stuffs -think wheat and flour and eggs and water- sometimes separately and sometimes together strewn about, the books, blankets, dolls, dress-up is staggering. Thank goodness for youtube- they watch Mr.Rogers, and the starfall.com app. Even better are the kind grandma visits that give them the attention they need and crave. And mostly thank goodness that we have learned and survived thus far. Survival is highly underrated!

Bruce has started smiling. He is so cute! He was flashing some great grins during sacrament meeting last week at the three oldest. It was so fun to watch them glow as he showed his love and appreciation for the older safer siblings he adores. I am loving the teenager-baby dynamic of love. Not so much the running and constant activity of teenagers and need for sleeping cuddling and sitting of newborns - that has been another reason to resort to the bottles in the car while we run hither and yon- but again options and new solutions are blessings.

This day Afton was just done. She has been a trooper as well. She's been bumped from baby to big sister and has mostly embraced the change. However too many bumps and tussles and too little sleep caused her to fall asleep in my lap over Bruce. He was pretty ok with it until he was ready to switch nursing sides. Such is the life of lots of littles. We are all sharing the same space and time, we are also learning to make the best of what we have to work with.

10.16.16 my lap

I spend most my days sitting. Often like this. A pile of kids jockey-ing for a spot and snuggle. 

Sometimes they do tricks or read me stories. Or show me new things they have found.

 I love my view. These little feet are so cute and time consuming! Soeyimes I feel like in going crazy. Sitting and sitting and anxiously watching for any signs of chub on this cutey. But then my entertainers come up with something new.

Playing ring around the rosey after I put pony tails in each of their hair. That is such a rare occasion we had to take pictures. Oh These long short days of motherhood. I do t remember the crisis of sitting or the strain of New baby care but I hope I remember all the love and energy of these little people in my home.

10.12.16 fiddlin' around

There is little music instruction in our schools. We were delighted to have a fiddle player come to town to instruct the children in the art of fiddling. The kids were blessed with several opportunities for learning. When we found he was just cooped up in a local hotel we decided to be brave and have him out for dinner. It was a delightful evening. We learned about living with the gators in the south and got to enjoy some for tappin good music. We all got to try out that ponderous instrument too! It was a memorable evening with a man who deserves sainthood for teaching and enduring so many budding fiddlers. Seriously he was so positive and patient giving each person an individual successful fiddle experience it was awesome.  

Even Afton got to try! She was quite happy to try. That was probably the best part of the evening just getting to try. It's harder than it looks many tongues were hanging out in concentration. But the lead fiddled didn't mind kids touching and trying to make music. He accompanied with guitar which helped set the rhythm and made the fiddle sawing musical. Brilliant and charitable teaching!

He was of course shocked at our large family but repeatedly remarked on the love and good people we had here. It's always a nerve wracking prospect to have people in our home but the positive feelings far outweighed the nervous preparations. Now all the kids want lessons and fiddles...

He ended the evening showing us a genuine gator tooth. I sure am glad we don't have to deal with those!

10.4.16 apple harvest

Fall harvest is upon us. This time of year is overwhelming and humbling. From the onions and potatoes to the apples and squash we are rounding out the year of produce. This past weekend we spent some time outdoors enjoying the peaceful quiet of a local orchard. We picked 1000's of pounds of apples and have been enjoying them ever since.

Mark harvesting red delicious apples. They are not my favorite in the store but man right off the tree they are pretty delicious and juicy.

Aliza cajoling Afton to smile or come to her for a picture. She is finally feeling better. We have had the respiratory flu here and it is not fun. Thankfully it passes slowly!! But this poor kiddo definitely got it the worst going on week 3 and she is still not 100%. Thank goodness no one else has got sick  that badly. I learned just how much of  a major contributor she is here with her being out of order. She pulls a major part of the load here. Because Bruce has been slow in getting going I have really needed the kids a lot and it was a really hard time to have her down. The others had to be more responsible which they managed but it has not been a smooth road. It was a nice morning spent outside our normal sphere enjoying visiting with some neighbors and working together to complete a large task. Good times.

10-4-16 didnt work

To follow up on the bone soup... We had chicken legs on monday. I really wanted the bones! I was so excited to share this wholesome goodness with Greg because he was getting the respiratory flu we've all endured. Perfect timing to make him well and a believer in this amazing drink.

 It was late after everyone got done eating and so after throwing the bones in a pot I turned it on medium to get it boiling and proceeded to bed. Yes thats correct I totally forgot and went to bed. Well about 1:30 am the sick husband woke from a strange dream about smoke and bad smells to find smoke and a stinking pot of burned bones about to ignite on the stove. So much for a good nights sleep... So our house smells worse than a campfire, my pot is ruined and I'm sure Greg will not be drinking stock in any form anytime soon. Thank goodness I didn't burn the house down and it's time for new batteries in the smoke alarm.