Distracted

Can you see why?

When you also factor into the mix THIS book

and a trip to the doctor following a gall bladder attack (ouch!), and all of the subsequent tests he wanted to run to eliminate any possibility that what I was dealing with was a lung clot, it's been a fairly fun (see above) and crazy week and a half.

I'm also preparing for a Stampin' Up party on Saturday...my first since Isaac was born..., have my 6 week postpartum check today and I have parent teacher conferences for all 5 school kids tomorrow and Friday.

No school for the older kids due to said conferences, so that makes it easier schedule wise. (No working to get all five children ready and out the door on time for 3 days!)

By Saturday night, I'll be ready for that Sunday "day of rest".

Rejoicing

Isaac is changing so quickly!
It's hard to believe a whole month has gone by since his arrival.

His hands are beautiful.
And the family loves him.
We are so blessed.

Transitions

I'm now into my second week with Bekah being gone all day.
It's amazing to see how much one child fills up so much of your day...especially when you feel their absence so acutely.
Bekah is a talker, and a rejoicer in life and little things.
She's very social, and enjoys people and DOING things.
There was rarely any down time with her home...although she did nap up until mid-summer.
Is it any wonder?
She lives life to the fullest, and therefore needs the rest more so than most other children I know.
It truly has been a transition for me.
Yesterday in fact, both Isaac and Sam napped at the same time for about an hour and a half.
I felt like I had snuck away from my mothering responsibilities, and actually had to convince myself that there was to be no guilt attached to such a nice occurance.
In fact, I made a mental note that now that I am not napping (of necessity due to a pregnancy-tired body), that I needed to work to get Isaac napping on a schedule.
It's heavenly to have a few minutes to myself...and actually get things I want to do done.
That part may help this not be too difficult of a transition to make.

Kindergarten Cutie

Bekah had homework even before school began.
She had to draw her family in a house...(I always feel a bit sorry for my kids trying to fit their *large* family into the space given)...and did a very nice job of it.

Here she is outside of her classroom. Her two brothers just older than her had the same teacher (*Hi Mrs. Door!!*), and so she was sooo excited to start school, with no nervousness at all.
She sat down within just a few minutes and got right to work on a puzzle...and then saw I was taking a picture of her...
...and struck this pose just for me.
I will miss my little girly girl. She is a ray of sunshine...and will brighten that classroom well.

Double Whammy

There are just over 12 years that separate my oldest boy from my youngest boy.
It made this last Sunday quite eventful in our home.
Stephen was ordained a deacon ( in our church, that's a priesthood office for boys....ahem, I mean young men, who are between the ages of 12 and 14).
As the eldest of our boys, he's the first of our children to reach this milestone.
Grandma and Grandpa John had made the suggestion that we bless little Isaac on the same day if at all possible...making it a more eventful day all the way around.
Really, as Sundays go, it was very low key, and went off without a hitch.
Nice to know that can happen every once in a while.

The only drama of the day was when we attempted to get a family picture...and we knew to try it BEFORE the 3 hours of church, but still, it didn't turn out quite the way we would have liked. This is the best of the 3 we got...and not that bad overall!

Growing

I thought you'd like an update on our Isaac.

He's growing well, not quite back up to birthweight...but working on it.

His jaundice is fading...slowly.

He eats, sleeps and fills his diaper well.
Really, what more could you ask for?

True Blue

This, once eaten...
...equalled this.
Quite the look, don't you think?

Pat did an amazing job on the horse (Stephen's middle school mascot), but we didn't factor in that the dye in the dark blue would color EVERYTHING a beautiful, bright blue!

Thank heavens it was water soluble.

Happy 12th birthday, Stephen!