More of June

Austin smiles!

Boating as a family.  All of us except Austin.  He got to hang out with Aunt Marci and give her a run for her money.... he decided he had an insatiable hunger!

Eliza + wind = "fro-hawk".  All that wind in her hair made for quite the hairstyle.

Maggie looks like a drown rat during her bath.  She doesn't care for baths, but does pretty well.

Rachel begged me to make Maggie a dress for the Pleasant Grove Pet Show.  So I did.  Rachel is really proud of her little dog.  She's doing a great job taking responsibility for her.

Things were going so well and then.... dun, dun, dun.... Maggie ended up with an abcess on her cheek.  A couple hundred dollars later and a couple weeks of healing and all is well again.  I hate forking out money on a pet.  Not that I don't care for her, but come on, I've got six other critters to take care of!

I love the little surprises I find on my phone.  This is probably a third of the pictures that were there.  Thanks Haley bug!

And then there are ones like these....

Some children have a choice (see above).  Some children have no say in the matter (see below).

Rachel is a good big sister.  I'm not sure what was really going on here, but I love that my kids (for the most part) get along and help each other.  It's such a blessing.

Lawn mower rides.

My husband DOES think of me when he's away on business.  I got this picture one evening while I was scraping dog poop off of a child's shoe!  Sometimes I am so jealous of Nate's job.  I know he's working hard, but he has some down time now and then and gets to have a bit of fun .... and I'm usually dealing with poop!

Haley enjoying some friend time.  She's my little social butterfly.  Always asking for a friend to play with.

Love me some summer sunsets.

Nate's parents have a little pool in their backyard that we've been to a few times.  It's cheap for me and much more convenient than lugging all the kids to a public pool.

Can't forget Strawberry Days.  We all went to the carnival one evening, Rachel and Nate went to the pet show and Nate took all the kids to the parade while I took Austin in to the doctor with a fever and cough. Luckily it was just a virus and he got over it pretty quickly, but he was just too little to be so sick.  I keep thinking we are missing out on a lot of fun things, but then I realize we are in a very time intensive time of life and it won't last forever.

Just trying to soak it all in.

I {heart} Austin! 

Crane Reunion

Ah, the Crane Reunion.  One of my favorite summer festivities.  We rented a trailer this year in hopes that we could survive the 3 days/2 nights in Bennington, Idaho without barging in on the relatives or using a motel.  We mostly succeeded.  Since our family of eight doesn't quite fit in a pick-up, my parents had to take two of our children with them.  Rachel and Kaden rode with them on the way up and Haley and Tye on the way home.  I think they will have some fun memories of traveling with grandma and grandpa.  It doesn't happen very often.  We set up "camp" at Camp Baretoes (my uncle's property) and the kids explored a little, but the next day we had to almost force them to explore.  They didn't want to play in the creek.... or is it crick?? ;)  They were just higher maintenance this time for some reason.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself, though.  Everyone should be able to have the experience of getting out of the city and be able to soak in the country life... not that we really experienced the everyday life of my aunts, uncles and cousins (we didn't have to move pipes, heard cattle, shear sheep or bale hay), but we at least get to breathe the air they breathe.  I have a great heritage and to return to this place year after year is almost therapeutic to me.  I know I say this every year, but it is just a little piece of heaven to me.  I miss my grandparents and other relatives who have passed on and this is the place where I feel connected to them.

Now when I say we "mostly succeeded" in staying out of our relatives hair, I mean in order to have an actual warm shower I had to use my grandparents old home that was filled with guests, which was what I was trying to avoid.  My dear husband didn't feel like taking the time to get everything up and running was worth it.  I on the other hand did feel it was worth it, but had to bite my tongue and roll with the punches.  In the end some got cold showers others got warm ones and it was fine.  We all ended up clean in the end.  Sometimes I need to just roll with the punches instead of being the one creating them.  It's good for me.

We took a few hours out of our day Saturday to spend some time at Bear Lake with my sister Debbie and her family.  I forgot to take pictures, but we had fun.  The kids made fun shapes with glow in the dark sticks at night.  Kaden stepped in "quick mud" as the kids called it and his white sneaks ended up black and soggy!  He had to survive on flip flops the rest of the time, but the flip flops didn't survive him.  I'm sure Old Navy didn't make them to hike up mountain sides.  Tye was the only one who ended up covered in burs after a hike somehow.  No ticks were detected.... Yay!  There were crafts, games, pinatas, soda (very key to my children and this reunion), sunshine, good food and good company.  We returned home to smoke filled skies from the many wildfires in Utah and I wished we could just turn around and go back!

No Bears Are Out Tonight

We went camping.  I think that about sums it up.  But I will elaborate a bit just so the kids when they read this in 20 years will know that we did it all for them. :)  I don't mind camping in small doses.  With a newborn... not ideal, but actually Austin did really well.  No one got eaten by a bear.  (I was seriously freaking out about that happening... I didn't sleep very well, but lucky for me I'm used to sleep deprivation.)  A neighboring camp must have left a cooler or something out because a medium sized creature was trying to get into it ALL night..... scratch, scratch, scratch....  Rachel and Kaden slept in a two man tent close to our tent.  That gave me extra anxiety just knowing they weren't right there by me then thinking that the scratching creature was possibly a hungry bear who might decide that my children smell really yummy!  Kaden had cut his finger at dinner time pretty bad and I was sure a bear would smell his fresh wound!  Fortunately, we woke up at the crack of dawn and were all still alive.  Yay!  When all was said and done I would say it was a success.  We had fun just being together enjoying the beautiful mountains that surround us.. and our lives!

Dinosaur National Monument

School got out for summer vacation and we decided to get right to work!  We packed up and headed to Vernal, Utah.  Wahoo!  It makes me laugh.  Most people go to Disneyland or Lake Powell.  We go to Redneckville! (No offense to anyone from Vernal or that area.  I really have nothing against it and actually quite like going to smaller towns.)  It was a quick trip, just overnight, but with a newborn we were kind of testing the waters of actual freedom from our house. The kids only asked if we were there a gazillion times and we had one diaper explosion, but other than that it was fairly uneventful and fun. In all actuality, the kids probably liked swimming at the hotel better than anything else. Figures!  But in addition to swimming and seeing fossils we stopped by to see the Vernal Temple and the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum to kill some time before we could check into our hotel, played a little baseball and Nate, Kaden and Tye went to see Avengers.  The dinosaur fossils at Dinosaur National Monument were interesting to see still stuck in the mountainside.  Nate and I hadn't been there in over 20 years so we thought why not go see the new and improved monument.... I can't remember a lot of details from 20 years ago so to me it seemed the same-ish.  The ranger lady didn't seem to like us much since Haley started to climb on the rock face and I didn't notice and stop her promptly enough.  I think our children decided once you see one fossil you've seen them all (I kind of agree).  They were ready to move on.  We decided to hike about a mile back to the visitor center from the quarry instead of waiting for the shuttle to take us back.  Nate in all his wisdom decided at the car to not use the hiking backpack to carry a small child and brought the stroller instead.  So we hiked (mostly down hill) with Eliza in the stroller.  I think everyone thought we were the strangest family... or they were wondering to their dismay why stupid people like us (because we didn't bring the right equipment) could be allowed to have six kids!  We made it back with minimal whining. We saw lizards and petroglyphs on the way so it was worth it.  I also had a lady ask me to take her family's picture as I was rushing Haley to the potty.  When I told her I couldn't right then or we'd have an "accident", but I could come back in a few minutes she acted like I was the rudest person on earth.  Haley making it to the potty was definitely more important than taking a picture for strangers.  We weren't very well received at the dinosaur monument but we were glad we went.  We can wait another 20 years to go again, though.  Well, at least 10 years so we don't have to worry about emergency potty breaks, children going rogue on the rock face and strollers!

May

 Eliza and her cousin, Boden.  They are such good little buddies.

 We ventured out for a walk one day and Haley wanted to push a stroller too.  Eliza knows how to roll in style!

Looks like we went for another walk, but this time it was the whole crew (minus Nate).  I think I felt like I was herding a flock.  Half a dozen kids can feel that way!  And if you say "half a dozen" it just sounds like so many.  I know because when someone said it to me I thought "holy crap"!

There was a slight powdered sugar explosion!

 Tye and Kaden were fighting so badly on the way to piano lessons that I had to pull over and make them sit on a random sidewalk somewhere across town. Oh joy!

 Nate and I saw Haley "feeding" her doll at family dinner at my parents house.  Like mother, like daughter.... only I don't usually wear my tiara while I nurse.

 The boys (not Austin) were at my dad's fathers and sons campout so Rachel and I had a sleep over and in the morning the little girls joined us for a lazy morning in bed.

 When mom and dad are trying to get some much needed yard work done what do the kids do?  Do they help?  Probably a little.  Do they choose the right when they are done helping?  Probably not.  We found 4 bags of chocolate chips open and devoured!  Add that to the sugar cereal on the counter and that's a recipe for happy, bouncing children!

I thought it was cute that a bunch of our nieces and nephews (and some of our own children) swarmed Nate when he pulled out his iPad to do something.  There's just something about those electronics that intrigue even the littlest of people... and the big ones too.

Austin's First Month

How do those wee morning hours turn into days, then weeks, then months?  Time flies when you're snuggling a sweet little newborn.... at 3 a.m..

Graduation Day. . . Hooray!

Haley graduated from preschool. She absolutely loved her teacher, Miss Camalee and would always talk about a boy named Mason. I asked Haley once if she liked him and her reply was, "I like his face." Too cute. Now it's on to kindergarten (gasp!!). What??

Kaden, Rachel and Tye on the last day of school. Ready to party!

Kaden's 9th Birthday

Happy Birthday to Kaden!  He is getting so grown up.  He asked for an apple pie instead of birthday cake!  My dad does that, but a little boy??  I was happy to oblige.  He is creative.  He loves to draw and build things.  He's a morning person just like his dad.  He is sweet and mild.... just like his mom.... ha ha just kidding.  Kaden is a great kid!  We love you, Kaden!

Then and Now

I thought I'd document my growing belly since I hardly ever did in previous posts.  Glad to have that baby out, but it's funny how looking at these pictures now I have already forgotten some of the discomforts.... or at least how awful they were.  Although, I'm still trying to decide if sleepless nights are really any better than not being able to physically roll over in bed or bend over to put shoes on or crunching Tums all night long.  I read in a witty book recently that "women were created with a delete button* in the brain.  The umbilical cord winds through the placenta and up through all the organs, finds the secret compartment containing the button, and attaches itself.  That would also explain why it takes so long for the placenta to dislodge after childbirth.  It takes time to tear away from that button and pop it into delete mode before making its journey back through the body... It makes sense, if you think about it.  The tummy swells, the ankles swell, so why couldn't there be an area in the brain that swells until the little button is pushed to release a vacuum that sucks out all memory cells involving labor pain and childbirth?" (Mother's daze by Jane Still) AND I would add that it deletes the whole 9 months in general!  I guess that's how baby #2, 3... 6 actually make it here in the first place. 
*Please note there is no scientific proof of that button. ;)

Austin - 3 weeks

As for life now 3+ weeks later.  We are surviving.  Some days more gracefully than others. I'm always behind, but I did get most of my garden planted, went to the school to watch Rachel in her music class, got the dishes done and even ventured out to Walmart with the baby and Eliza (not all in the same day unfortunately).  I have lost a couple children a couple different times and sometimes feel like all I do is feed a baby... sometimes I say moo.  BUT we are happy (most of the time) and taking it a moment at a time.  Austin is a good baby.  He has his moments, then I have mine!  He has even smiled at me already.  Not just the "I have gas" smile, it was the real deal.  Can't wait to get it on camera.  I've been blessed with such great family and friends who have kept us fed, my house clean, and my kids entertained.  Give me a couple more months year, at least, to get this under my belt...