Waiting and keeping busy

We've had a couple of evenings of regular contractions this week that have given us false hope that Grant would make his appearance. A few hours of it, and then nothing. Bummer. So, this morning we walked around the farmer's market and then tackled one of the last items on our summer to-do list--bark dust. It was an all day family endeavor of shrub trimming, weeding, and bark spreading. After three pickup loads of bark dust, our yard looks much nicer. It had been a couple years since we'd done it, so it was time.

I did everything I could to make this baby come, but I petered out toward the end of the day, so Greg was left with just his three little helpers to finish the last part of the job. They worked hard and had fun.

Our yard is finished and our to-do list is all checked off, so anytime now, Grant!

12 days

That's how many more days (at the most) I will be pregnant, Lord willing! If you want a few more details, you can go to Baby Grant's blog, but there's not much news to report. Just waiting for him to decide to make his appearance.

It's finally here to stay

My 'endless summer' hydrangea is in full bloom, and the kids are playing in the water almost every day. We're drinking smoothies for snack and relaxing in the shade. Must be summer time.

Sunriver 2010

It's been a week since we got back from our family vacation, and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. We're having quite the summer around here. Since we got returned a week ago, we've had multiple dr. appointments, a family reunion, and kidney stone surgery for Greg. Craziness!

Now about our trip...Greg had one day to recover from jetlag after his trip before we packed the car up to the gills and headed to Sunriver. Our time there was fun-filled and jam-packed with activity, and the kids had an absolute blast. Kari had been talking about this trip for months and had it so built up in her head I was afraid she might be a little disappointed. But she wasn't! The most exciting part for her this year was that she was able to ride her bike without training wheels, and that's what you do in Sunriver--go on lots of bike rides. It'll be even more fun in years to come when her cousins can ride uninhibited, too. I felt like I hardly saw Joel, even though we were all together the whole time. He was always busy playing with someone. His laid-back personality makes it easy for him to get along with anyone and everyone. Grandma and Grandpa had all kinds of tricks up their sleeves and kept pulling things out of a big bin 'o fun for the kids to do in any down-time. With eight kids six and under, you have to be prepared and keep them busy, and boy, were they busy--bug catchers, nature walks, bike decorating, scholastic booklets, new books, play at the park, swimming, bike rides, movies, picnics, trip to the lava caves. At 8 months pregnant, I opted out of some of the activity, and some of the time Aubrey stayed with me because she was not feeling well and had a fever pretty much the whole time we were there. She did amazing for being so miserable. The days were ok, but we had rough nights. We got her in to the doctor as soon as we got back, and the poor thing had an ear infection and sinus infection. Aubrey being sick kind of put a damper on things for me, as I was worried about her, but overall, it was a really good vacation and a good time with family. So many memories that I'm sure will stick with the kids forever.

The Adventures of Andy the Monkey

Greg did something special for the kids while he was gone in Ireland. He took a little stuffed beanie baby-type monkey with him and had "Andy the Monkey" write emails with photos to go along with them. The kids looked forward to those "Andy Monkey" e-mails each day. They loved it, and so did I! Here's a sampling of the e-mails he sent and a smattering of the many photos:

Kari, Joel, and Aubrey:
This is Andy the monkey writing to you. I wanted to tell you about my adventure. You see, I 'snuck' into your Daddy's suitcase, and I am on the trip with him!!! At first he wasn't so sure, but since he couldn't leave me behind, he decided that he would bring me with him, and we could hang out together while on his trip.

I wanted you to see a few pictures of what we did today. The first one is of me at a restaurant in the airport this morning. I got hungry, so we shared a plate of biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and some OJ.


The second pic is of me riding the train from the airport as we headed into the city of Vancouver to look around for the day. We watched some soccer at a restaurant, and ate lunch outside near the waterfront. The 3rd photo is of me touring the city, and taking a break on a fire hydrant after all that walking! Finally, I headed towards the water to look at the ships, they were big. I am sure I will have more to share this next week, so stay tuned and I will try to write you again in a few days.


Bye,
Monkey Andy
P.S. From Daddy- I love you all VERY much, and I hope that you had a fun time at Miles' party.
.........................................................................................................................................................
Hey there kids, it's Andy. Your dad mentioned that he told you he thought I would write today, so I better.


Another longer day at the forklift building plant. This time, I asked your dad to get my picture on a forklift. And he did, sort of. After we had built up a transmission, he said he would take me over to a forklift and take my picture. He walked over and set me down on a forklift alright, a BARE forklift frame with no wheels!!!! I was not happy about it, but he laughed and laughed and thought it was SOOOOO funny.
Next, he took me over to a real forklift, and I got to drive it! Joel, it was a black and yellow one. The two pictures he took show my different forklift 'rides'.


Well, it's about 10 pm over here, and time for bed. Your Dad is going to read for a bit, while I sleep tight on my bed. He was excited to talk to you guys and hear your voices.


Oh yeah, I almost forgot. He wanted me to remind you to take care of your mommy and the Aubs. Can you keep doing that for him?


Alright, time to sleep.......
Andy the monkey

He's home!!!

After 12 days away on his business trip to Ireland, Greg came home late last night. It is SO good to have him back! We were all very ready for him to be home. I was so worried and scared about how we were going to survive with me being in my third trimester and all. I wouldn't have done very well if it hadn't been for the help of our family and friends. God has blessed us with amazing people in our lives. So many people helped and supported me in so many ways. A group of my girlfriends got together and gave me a "survival schedule" before Greg left. They had various fun activities planned for the kids and me throughout the time Greg was gone, and it was wonderful! I felt so loved, supported, and cared for. They spoiled me and even cleaned my house last night, getting down on their hands and knees to clean my floors. They were truly the hands and feet of Jesus to me and my family these last two weeks.

The lack of blog posting...

...is due to the fact that I'm just too tired trying to keep up with these cute munchkins. Approximately 5 weeks until we have four of them!

You've gotta love this

Joel, I pray that as you grow up, you will continue to strive to be "just like Daddy." He's a great example of how your Heavenly Father wants a man to live. If you keep walking in his footsteps, you'll be on the right path.

Backyard practice

Today we're back to cold, pouring down rain,and I'm wearing a sweater, BUT earlier this week on one of the three non-rainy days we've had in the last month (we went swimming on of those, too), Greg got in some soccer practice with the kids. They're already looking forward to soccer in the fall and have been waiting for the grass to be dry enough to go out and play. Turns out our 2-year-old has some mad soccer skills already. She was dribbling all around the yard! She's got another 2 years before she can be on the team, but we won't tell her that. Joel had to watch from the sidelines last year but will get to be part of the action this year. Greg's planning to coach again. We'll have some exciting times around here, as I believe the soccer season coincides with my due date. We're hoping for another early baby, for a number of reasons!
It was fun to watch them "practice" with Daddy. They LOVED it.

Soaking in the rays

After our record-setting rainfall this May/June, it's been very nice to finally see the sun come out this weekend! Aubrey and Joel went out and sat in the sun before church this morning.

Kari joined them after a few minutes. It was a little too bright, though. Their eyes are not used to that big bright thing in the sky. It's been too long.











After working in the yard and garden all morning we went over to Grandpa and Grandma's house in the afternoon and enjoyed some pool time--the first pool time of the season.
Kari didn't waste any time. She went down the slide within minutes of being there. We are reaping the benefits of swim lessons, as she no longer needs water wings to get around and be safe.






















Aubrey was a little unsure at first but ventured in with Grandma and had a good time. We're going to have to keep a close eye on her near the pool this year.

Joel was way more comfortable in the pool this year, too, thanks to another year under his belt and those swim lessons. Last year he pretty much camped out in the shallow end and on the steps. Yesterday he was all over the pool and very independent with his water wings.

No photos of big and pregnant me in the pool in my big and pregnant swim suit, but I have to say, the water felt great! We may be spending more time than usual at the pool this year. I'm sure the kids won't complain.

Baby Birds

 The nest on our back deck now has 4 baby robins in it! They grow so quickly. We found birds rather than eggs three weeks after we saw the eggs (second photo on the top), and now, a week later, the birds are bigger and don't look squished anymore. They even flew over the kids' heads. It's been so much fun to go out with the kids and check on our nest. The mama bird must have laid another egg at some point, because there are definitely four babies, not three.

A working vacation?

Well, it's official. Plane tickets have been bought, so now we know it's really happening. In a couple weeks Greg will be hopping on a plane and taking a 12 day trip to Ireland  (for work and hopefully, some play, too). It will be quite the experience, I think, for him over there, as well as for us back here at home. :)

Wedding kids

Over Memorial Day weekend we drove to Sisters, OR for a family wedding. There were 20-some kids in the wedding (brave bride and groom), and ours were able to be a part of it. They were so cute all dressed up and had a lot of fun. This was the only photo I took right when we got there (didn't want to have to tote our camera along with all the other snacks and kid items we had with us), but Uncle Brian kindly shared photos he took. The wedding was in an old theater and everything had a "vintage" feel. The girls' dresses were perfect. It was the first time Joel had ever worn a tie. He was such a handsome little guy.

Such a serious little man

Kari reminded me of a flapper here.

Cute kiddos all dressed and ready to blow bubbles and throw petals down the aisle.

Swim Lessons

Today the kids had their last swim lessons (enrolled them the first of May) , and once again, I'm so glad we did it. They were in different classes this time and both get to "graduate" to the next level. Kari has become quite the little swimmer, a fish in the water, and Joel didn't have ANY tears this time around (quite a different experience from last year) and actually had fun in his lessons. He doesn't love the water like Kari, so swim lessons are simply to get him ready for pool season and acclimated to the water. It was an added bonus that he actually learned how to float on his back and had a good time. :)

Hezekiah no more

We have a name. No turning back. We're committed. This is it.
Grant Robert Moffat

*Hezekiah, or Hezi, is what Grandpa M has been calling him, since we didn't have a name.