Baby is gone:(

We had an ultrasound today that showed a 7w5d baby with no heartbeat. This is the 3rd m/c for me, but doesn't make it any easier. I would appreciate prayers for an easy time with no severe bleeding as I am prone to do. I told the kids that God chose to take this little one home to heaven with Him and it is a wonderful thing for this special child. He/she will not have to ever endure pain, cold, fatigue,sin. We will miss our precious one, but he/she now rests in God's arms.

Thomas

4 years ago on a hot, smokey* day in Central Florida, Thomas Levi, was ushered into the world. What an angelic little boy...such chubby cheeks (my biggest baby at 8lbs 4 oz) and adorable little toes. We were instantly in love. He is all-boy, full of energy and deathly afraid of storms. We are so blessed by his presence in our family.

*Central Florida was ravaged by Wildfires at that time making it hard for me to get to my doctor's appts due to road closures.

Today...

The kids are off to VBS. It is a mad rush in the mornings and I can't say that I contribute much lately. I do try to make sure Garrett has his clothes ready the night before or that would be a disaster. I am sad that I am missing the action this year, but thankful for the reason. I am praying that this little one will grow, grow. The church family has been so lovely, bringing us food. I can't eat any of it, but my family is being blessed.

Yucky...

Today I am trying my Sea Bands. Hoping for some relief. I know this time of sickness is only temporary, but it is difficult. Can't wait for the end result of it all. Thomas has brainstormed some great names for Nine.....Diego, Humungo and Tony Stark being his top 3 choices.

Some Graduation pictures...

Contraception...Why Not?

I found this link on Life in a Shoe. It is a long read, but worth it.

My ticker..

I see that at least one reader has noticed my cute little ticker off to the side. We are so thrilled to be expecting #9 sometime in late January. Right now I am desperately ill, as I am apt to get in the first trimester. I would appreciate prayers for myself and my family as we patiently endure this stressful time and also prayers for little Nine, as he/she grows and develops.

Clutter

I was reading a good quote in a parenting magazine recently that went something like this..."Every thing in your house from the biggest appliance to the smallest "kids meal" toy from McDonalds takes a piece of your time". Wow, that hit home to me. How often do I find myself just rearranging the chaos. We live in a smaller home with 10 people, a dog and 3 cats. There is just no place for junk. I am constantly working on refining the stuff, but it is a chore. I have to ask myself...What do I want to be doing with my time? Moving stuff around or focusing on what is really important? I guess we know the answer to that.

Speaking of focusing on the important...here is a good article on Two of a Kind Working on a Full House.

Colton's graduation party..

What started out to be an extremely dreary day with clouds and a misty rain...continued to be one. Fortunately, we had Mom and Terry's wonderful double garage. We also benefited from the wonderfully cool weather and no bugs! Mom and Terry were such a blessing...providing the location, some food and lots of labor. Jesse's sister, Lori, made the cakes, which were beautiful and very tasty. We very much enjoyed celebrating Colton's accomplishments with family and friends. Pictures to come....

June 1

We've waited so long for summer and it's finally here. I was joking with Julia today, saying only 7 more months until Christmas! It sure does seem like time flies that fast, though. Blink and the season is gone. I am going to try to enjoy every bit of summer....squeeze it until I get the last drop. The kids are already sporting sunburns and working their way to a nice tan. I am loving watermelon and sweet corn (from way down south, of course)...no local stuff yet. Oh! Except for Mom and Terry's delicious lettuce. We've consumed 5 boxes of it, so far. Tasty! Also, Happy Birthday to my sweet nephew, Laken! He turned 4 today. Back in November of 2005 when I flew out to Oregon to see Cherrie, we were both in the early stages of pregnancy and suffering from nausea. We drove poor Dan(Cherrie's dh)crazy...sending him out for food and refusing to eat it:) See Cherrie's blog here for a picture of the cute little guy! He is an adorable combination of both his mommy and daddy.