2 Months Old

Nya is 2 months old and we love her more than ever!

Deck The Halls

My favorite season is winter and my favorite holiday is Christmas. Ever since I can remember I have been a Christmas fanatic. One of my most favorite things to do as a child and up until this day, is decorate the Christmas tree. I have to try and restrain myself until December 1st and I never make it. Every year we give each of our kids a new ornament for the tree as my grandparents and parents did before me. I love unwrapping each one and remembering where it came from. I love making it a family event and hopefully we are building memories, establishing traditions and instilling a love of Christmas in our children. Not that children need much help getting excited about Christmas. So even though I have to "fix" the tree after the they go to bed, as they love to put all matching ornaments on the same branch and only the bottom half of the tree gets decorated, it will remain my most favorite thing to do.

Snow

I love snow! I especially love the view from our house when it snows. I feel like I am in a ski chalet somewhere up in the mountains. The pictures don't do it justice. I love how everything seems to be quiet and people slow down. I love how beautiful everything looks covered in white. I love playing outside with the kids and then coming inside to warm up and drink some hot chocolate. And I loved being able to stay home all day yesterday in my warm cozy house, feeding my baby in the rocking chair and watching the snow fall outside my window. I am such an old lady and I love it! Somehow it just feels more like Christmas when there is snow.

Couches For Christmas

For Christmas dinner this year everyone is coming up to our house and we could not be more excited, with one exception. A few months ago Darren and I sold our sofas in order to get new ones. That was in September and we have yet to replace them with anything, for many reasons. For one thing we can't find exactly what we want, probably because we aren't sure what it is that we want and for another we are still saving for them. Enter dilemma. Where is everyone going to sit when they come for Christmas? I was looking on Used Victoria the other day I saw an ad with a sofa for sale in Victoria for $400. It was neutral and in decent shape so I showed Darren. I thought that we could purchase it and use it for Christmas and until we figured out what to get for the living room and even use it in another room after. Darren didn't really want to spend that much for something we didn't really love and that was only going to be temporary, so he looked around some more on Used Victoria and found the exact same sofa with a matching love seat for only $160 and it was located right here in Duncan. That's my guy! So even though they aren't what we really wanted, they look o.k. and work even better and when we are ready to buy something else we can always resell them and at the very least make our money back. I feel very blessed. Now what to do about the fact that they make my wall color look like something from a baby's diaper.

Your Dinner Is Served

Last Sunday Darren and I decided to give the kids the opportunity to make dinner for us. They were more than willing and they did such a fantastic job. We had fruit salad and yogurt. They even set the table without being asked. It was perfect and they were so very pleased with themselves. The first thing they did was ask if they could do it again tomorrow!

Memories

While looking back through some pictures the other day, I came across this one. Emma was painting at the kitchen table and I had to go upstairs for something. Soon after she came running up to inform me that Tate was painting himself. I quickly headed down, a little frustrated that I would have to, once again, clean up after another one of Tates adventures. When I reached the bottom of the stairs I saw him there in the middle of the table painting his tummy and every time he would stick the paint brush in his belly button he would giggle. I had to laugh and I no longer felt frustrated. I am thankful for little kids that help me lighten up a bit and enjoy life a little more.

The Perils Of The Ocean

Upon finding out that Darren was going surfing Emma said to me, "I don't think that is a very good idea, there's sharks.............................and seahorses!" Never mind that it is December and bitter cold and those sharks could pose a problem, but most of all look out for those seahorses! This from the only one of my children who WOULD hold the cockroach and let them place a gigantic centipede on her face while at the Bug Zoo.

10 Things I Love About Babies

There are so many things that I will miss about having a new baby around the house:

1. Meeting them for the first time after waiting so long, identifying which parts look like who and the memories it brings back of previous children.

2. The way they smell so good and feel so soft.

3. The way they arch their backs when you pick them.

4. When they start to smile and coo.

5. The funny faces they make while they sleep and the teeny tiny pout they have just before they start to cry that breaks your heart.

6.Their little feet and little hands and little everything.

7. When they fall asleep on your chest.

8. Looking down at their beautiful face as you rock them.

9.They way they suck on nothing at all in their sleep.

10. Being amazed each and every day at the wonderment of a perfect being so fresh from heaven and the humility it brings.

For all of these reasons and many more I wish that I could go on having new babies forever. Of course this is not a reality and no matter how many I had, they would keep on growing, despite my desperate plea for them to stop. I wish I could pause this time for even just a little longer. But some how knowing this time passes so quickly helps me appreciate it more. It is too easy to take something for granted that you think will always be there.

An Unexpected Treasure

As is the case with most people, I don't usually like pictures of myself, especially while pregnant. Therefore I didn't have any pictures taken of me while pregnant, with any of our children. I always think other women look so beautiful while they are expecting, but that is the last thing I feel. As most of you will already know, I do not enjoy being pregnant and yet, when I no longer am, I miss it. I know, it is crazy! I am pretty sure that Nya is our last baby and the thought that I won't ever be pregnant again is both fantastic and sad at the same time. Now, in hindsight, I wish I had taken some pictures. I would love, years later, to see myself that way again and remember. And as a daughter I would loved to have seen pictures of my mom while she was expecting. The other day I was downloading the pictures from Noelle's camera onto the computer and I found one! Normally I erase all pictures of me that she takes, as they are pretty candid, but thanks to Noelle and her love of photography, I have one not so bad picture of myself while expecting my baby. Thank you Noelle!

Going Private

We are going private. I have never been one to really worry about privacy. But the other day as I googled our family blog another website came up along with the usual results. I recognized my words, so I clicked on the link. Someone has taken one of my entries and posted it on this other website under their identity, but with a link to my blog. Very strange. Since I do write about personal things and post a lot of pictures of our family I thought that it would be best to keep our blog private from now on. I hope that this does not discourage friends and family from reading. I love blogging and seeing what others are up to through their blogs.

1 Month Old

Nya is 1 month old today and I can't believe how fast it has gone. Darren and I both feel like we have just breezed through this last month. We have had much help from family and friends and I have been able to take it easy and just enjoy my baby. We all love Nya so much and are enjoying having her here with us. She is such a good natured baby. She makes it very easy to enjoy the newborn stage. She eats every 4 hours. At night she eats at 8 p.m., goes to sleep around 10:30 p.m., wakes around 3 a.m., eats, goes back to bed and doesn't eat again until 8 a.m, since the very first day she was born. She is so sweet and so mild. She is just the greatest baby and we feel so blessed to have her!

Halloween 2008

Halloween was very low key this year as we just had our new baby. My mom helped out with getting the costumes together. Darren and Grandpa McCullough took the kids out trick or treating. I stayed home and rested . Darren even purchased a few fireworks to set off afterwards. Noelle wanted to dress up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, but I left it too late and by the time my mom took her out shopping the Dorothy costumes were all gone, so she happily settled for being a ladybug. Bergen was given a snake costume from a friend at school, which he was more than happy to be. Emma was a butterfly. When I asked Tate what he wanted to be for Halloween, suggesting maybe a dog, I thought that would be something easy for my mom to find as she shopped, he said that he wanted to be an elephant. Why, out of everything that he could be did he think of an elephant, I don't know. Since he had thought of that all by himself though, I wanted to do my best to make that happen. And my mom did it, the night before Halloween she found an elephant costume and I must say I think that Tate turned out to be quite a cute elephant. The kids thought that Nya should be able to dress up was well, even though she was staying home. So we wrapped her up in her pink blanket and put some pipe cleaners through her hat and she was a little pink caterpillar. Everyone had a fun evening and I am grateful for all the help from loved ones who made it happen.

Pumpkin Carving

The kids went on a field trip with school to Providence farm on Monday. They got to go for a tractor hay ride and pick a pumpkin from the patch. Today at school they got to carve that pumpkin and bring it home. Since our beloved pumpkin carving friends, the Zecks, have moved away, I am glad that they got to do this at school. I didn't have to think about it or deal with the mess. Except for Tate. He and dad got to carve one at home this afternoon. I think they all turned out pretty fantastically!

This Much Loved Baby!

Nya could not be more loved and it is heart warming to witness. I use to feel bad for the children following the first, because they simply just do not get the same kind of attention from us, the parents, as first borns do. It took me quite some time to realize that as much as that is true, they get something in exchange, something maybe even better. They get the love of everyone who has come before them. So for Nya my time is limited and divided between 5 children, but she has 6 people who love and adore her, who constantly ask to hold her, who will stop as they run by and give her a hug and a kiss or sing her a song. So although I am trying to spend as much time as I can with her, it is wonderful to see that she could never feel neglected as she has so many people who love her so completely.

Where Daddy Buy It?

The other day Tate was admiring his new sister as she slept in the carrier. He turned to me and said," Where daddy buy it?" I asked him, "You mean the carseat?" "No, where daddy but it?", he asked again. Still thinking he meant her carrier but since she has been sleeping in there more than she has been driving I thought that maybe he thought it was her bed. So I asked, "You mean her bed?" Again he answered , "No where daddy but it?" I really didn't clue in as we had watched my tummy grow and talked about her being inside me for a very long time. "You mean the baby?", I asked. "Yah, where daddy buy it?" he said. Darren is the one who does the grocery shopping in our house and I love him for it as I do not like doing it at all. Shopping yes, grocery shopping no. So naturally he assumed that daddy went to the store and bought our new baby, as she wasn't here one day and the next she was. You have to love the incredible innocence of kids and the funny things they say.

Nya's 1st Trip To Maple Bay

I haven't ventured far from home since having Nya. It has been very nice to just stay home and rest. But Sunday afternoon we headed for the beach, Jackson where were you? It was nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air. It was a beautiful day and everyone enjoyed themselves and even a few jellyfish were saved from being beached. Nya slept the whole time through missing her first trip to the beach all together.

Nya Emery McCullough

She is here and early too! Nya, born October 16th, 2008 at 4:40 p.m., weighing 6 pounds and 15 ounces. I never thought that I would experience having a baby before my due date. She came very fast but she is here safe and healthy and we could not be more in love with her.

Baby Names?

Darren and I need help. We are completely stuck on a name for our new daughter. Actually we aren't really stuck, because we have no idea's at all. We have never before been this close to having a baby and not had a name for them. So if you have heard any names that you like or have any suggestions let us know!

A Thanksgiving To Remember

I haven't posted much the past little while, I think in the hopes that the next post would contain some exciting news about a new addition to our family. Guess what! I am still pregnant. I was so looking forward to this thanksgiving weekend, at least if I didn't have my baby, I had 2 yummy dinners to look forward to and take my mind off things. Friday I got the flu for the 3rd time this pregnancy. Saturday I was feeling a little better. By Saturday night it was much worse. I was up all night. Sunday Darren took the kids to church and I actually got some sleep. Feeling better yet again, I was able to eat dinner. Sunday night it got bad again and I didn't sleep much. Monday was horrible by the time dinner rolled around I was so sick and my temperature so high that I had to go to the hospital and there we stayed for the next 6 hours. I know that I will someday get better. I know that this pregnancy will end at some point and I know that I need to stay focused on the most amazing little baby that I get at the end of this all, but for now I am miserable.

Therapy

First of all I should say that this post is more for me than anyone else. It always helps me clear my head to write. Why, I wonder do I let the unimportant things clutter my time, my thoughts and my life. In the heat of the moment I feel so justified in getting upset at the kids for any number of things that they do through out the day, over looking all the most amazing things that they do right and good. I stress about all the unfinished projects and chores, instead of looking at the things I did accomplish that day. I spend alot of time and energy trying to keep the house clean and the kids in order, telling myself that I will sit and relax, enjoy or just play as soon as.......... That time never comes. There is always one more dish to wash, one more load of laundry to start, one more bill to pay, one more phone call to return. My mind is filled with all the appointments that need to be remembered or the shirt that I need to return to one of the kids friends or the lesson that I need to plan for Sunday. All of these things are important and need to be done. I don't need to be told how to plan better or that I just need to relax. I need to find balance from within myself. I want to focus on the great things in my life. I have the most incredilble husband, four of the BEST kids in the world, not perfect, but so great and amazing. I have a new baby coming very soon. I have everything that I could possibly want in life, a nice safe house, food, friends, a belief in something bigger and better than myself. For this in paticular I will be forever grateful to my parents. If nothing else, they gave me a firm religious foundation from which I have built this beautiful life that I have. I wish to care less about what other people think about me and more about what my family thinks of me. I wish to find a balance in housekeeping and child raising. These two do not seem to want to go togther very gracefully. I want to remember that I will not wish that my house had been cleaner, when my kids are grown and gone. I want to absorb every minute I am going to have with this last most precious baby girl I am having and just let the world pass me by, realizing that I won't be missing much, but remember what I would be missing if I don't slow down. I wish I could maintain an eternal perspective. All the things I want, all the things I care about and worry about, 90% percent of these things have no bearing on where I want to go when my life is over. I hope that I will be able to say that I enjoyed something everyday, that my kids, family and friends knew, without a shadow of a doubt that I loved them, that I will have done some good in the sight of God. Life is so precious to just let pass me by. When Iremember the best memories I have, they never invole the new couch I wanted, the sparkling clean bathroom, money, or the way I looked in front of other people. They are the walk Darren and I took in the snow as newly weds, talking about our lives, how many children we wanted, how great life was going to be. I remember the trip we took to Disneyland and the best day of that trip was the day we spent running in the waves at the beach with the kids and writing in the sand with sticks. I remember the birth of each baby and how absolutely in love I was with them. The point of all of this is simply for me to realize how grately I have been blessed in my life, to stop looking for and wanting more, when everything I could possibly ever want is right here in front of me. To stop caring about how I look to everyone else around me. That is not to say that it doesn't hurt sometimes, just that I will not let what others think define who I am. I wish that I could always be as in love with my husband as I am right after we have a new baby, the closest I ever feel to him. I wish to love my children as much as I do when I go in at night to check on them when they are sleeping. I wish to treat others for who they are in the sight of God. I wish to serve those around me without feeling burdened. There are those moments in life when all these things I wish for seem easy enough, but it is in the hussle of everyday life that it is the hardest to find balance. Balance, that is what I wish for most. That is my true test in life.

The Fair

We went to the fair last weekend and had a great night, well most of the time. Tate loved seeing the animals until we got to the sheep. They were surprisingly loud and way to noisy for him. He was also not to sure about the cotton candy either. His first experience with it. He didn't quite know what he was suppose to do with it. Of course as soon as he got a taste, he didn't object to more. The kids each picked a ride to go on, the girls went on the carosel and the boys on a motorbike ride. As Darren buckled the boys in for their turn Tate had a huge smile on his face, that quickly faded as he realized that dad was not staying to ride with then. My dad has '3 gikes' as Tate calls then, which he liked to sit on whenever we would go over to my parents house. He loved it until the day my dad started one up with Tate in the drivers seat. He still talks about papas bikes, but it is now followed by "no hop on it". Needless to say, I think he thought that these bikes were going to be very loud as well. The first turn around the track he looked very concerned, but as soon as he realized that it wasn't loud at all he had a great time. I think everyones favorite part of the fair was the new baby piglets. We spent more time there than anywhere else. They were very entertaining to watch, especially at feeding time. The term 'eating like a pig' makes perfect sense now after watching them push and pull and shove, squel and grunt and snort. It made me feel bad for the mother pig, but as soon as she had had enough, she stood up and shoke them. Makes me glad I'm not a pig! It was a great way to spend a Friday evening as a family