Zoe at home, a photoshoot with all of my children

bringing Zoe home was both wonderful and terrible all wrapped into one. i would love to sugar coat it as much as possible, and gush about our new baby girl, but it was hard.  she was our hardest baby by a landslide.  the crying was constant, the sleeping was nil.  

since i am an experienced newborn photographer, i knew i needed to act fact to capture the images of my new complete family that i was looking for.  so, less than one week from bringing her home, i gathered my children in my bedroom for these shots.  Zoe screamed nearly the entire time.  but i will cherish these images for a lifetime.  (if i were to have another baby, i would for sure hire someone to photograph her for me.  but who am i kidding, i did it 3 times and didn't learn my lesson.)

these two were too cute for words.

 there were some limited times when the Zoe took a moment to catch her breathe, the screaming would subside and i would grab my shot, praying that the other 4 were cooperating.  

 these two.  they are such cute sisters.  the 3 older girls are in such a state of change these days, with Avery growing up and coming into to share their room, the dynamics of their relationships are always changing.  it's beautiful to see their friendships grow and develop. 

 Avery never got a non-screaming moment.  

 thankfully my mom and dad were here to help with logistics.  they keep these guys occupied with trips to the mall, the pool, and Uncle Jack's house!  clearly, the kids love it!

 the money shot!  it was a hard day, i couldn't possibly see how i got anything.  but this shot (and current blog header) is worth it all!  

 oh, and moments like these.  

we love our new sister!  here's to life with 5 kids!  

the surprise is: it's not a surprise!

so, we have never found out the gender of our babies.  but this has always been my choice, while Jason would have preferred to find out.  at some point in our negotiations for #5 i may or may not have suggested i would agree to find out this time if i could just have one more baby.   and though Jason laughed this off at the time, assuring me this was not a bargaining chip, he still through it down once baby #5 was a reality.  although i really prefer not knowing, i figured i got my way 4 times, so i gave him his way just this once! 

after a lengthy hour+ long ultrasound (designed for woman over 35, yikes) we finally discovered that our sweet new baby will be our 4th daughter!  Colin did not attend the ultrasound, but he was not surprised to discover he would be having another sister.  "brother" is not in his vocabulary!  

the girls were actually excited (Maddie was a little mad to lose the betting pool) but they could not muster up any enthusiasm for this photo after such a long time in the ultrasound room.  

we are thrilled to welcome another beautiful daughter to our family this summer.  we know she will be as sweet and lovely as her sisters (and brother).  

running = my sanity. literally

this is the story of how i came to love and appreciate running.  yes that's right, I, Britain Earl said, "i LOVE running."

running has been a part of my cardio routine on and off for the since  i started having a "cardio routine."  it started with Ali cajoling me into a run when the wait at the Rec Cen was too long.  these runs usually took the form of run/walks mostly due to my crying and begging to stop.  these were also the days of the "low fat/no fat diets" where as long as something was low in fat, it was totally healthy.  so, our "runs" were usually followed up with a non-fat frozen yogurt shake to drink whilst watching the latest episode of 90210, the Brenda and Dylan one!  

after college, i found myself running on the treadmill for 30 minutes if i had missed a class at the gym or all the elliptical machines were taken.  are you sensing a theme here?  in short, running was my cardio fall back position.  

fast forward to 2007, i'm living in Verrado, no 24 hour fitness within a reasonable distance, and just had my second baby.  i turned to running once more.  you may remember my first 5k.  i trained, i met my goals.  running helped me shed some of my unwanted baby weight.  during the summer, i mixed it up with my first triathlon.  this was primarily a way for me to temper the running with other exercises i didn't hate as much, namely swimming and biking.  

i spent 2008-2011 largely avoiding running.   but baby number 4 catapulted me into a whole new weight class.  i found myself 4 months postpartum and about 20 pounds heavier than with any of the girls.  i needed a goal, one that allowed me the flexibility of not going to the gym, since Colin was still too young.  

that's where Ragnar came in!  i set my sights on the race and started the training.  it was a slow, gentle, reintroduction to running.  just 15 minutes, 3 times a week.  i knew i could do that!  ever so slowly, the mileage increased and 7 months later I ran 3 legs totaling over 14 miles!  this was a major accomplishment, but i still had lingering feelings of hatred toward running.  

i didn't give up, i soldiered on, still cranking out 3-6 miles 3 or 4 times a week.  but i felt my running lacked purpose, so i committed to a training program and focused on improving my time.  goal setting helped a lot.  but the real kicker, the change of heart came by a very unexpected event.  

June 13, while at Girls' Camp, i had a seizure, the third in my lifetime.  this 15 second event changed the way i feel about running!  i had to leave camp, i had to go to the hospital, i had to see a Neurology team, i had to go through a battery of tests i've had twice before.  the good news is, i'm totally healthy!  there is no reason for my seizures.  if there was, it would most likely be a brain tumor and it's not, so that's good.  

the bad news is i am now being treated for seizures.  i'm on a medication that makes me feel lethargic, tongue tied, and a little crazy.  i can't drive for the next 3 months.  at least.  it's the first time i've ever left a hospital feeling worse than when i walked in. 

what does this have to do with running?  the doctor said i was healthy, he said exercise was great for my brain.  when Jason said, "yeah, but she'll go out and run 8 miles!"  the doctor said, "great, that will help you feel better."

at first i couldn't imagine it.  Jason was witness to the drug making me so sleepy i couldn't even finish a sentence.  but 2 days after i was released from the hospital, we went to the gym.  i tested the doctors theory, and started running on the treadmill.  i felt great.  the clouds began to clear.  i had focus i hadn't felt in days.  i ran 6 miles, and the mental clarity lasted several hours.  it was amazingly simple, and simply amazing!

i now LOVE running.  i need it.  i crave it.  it gives me the energy nothing else can.  (ps: no caffine for me anymore either).  and also is the only time i get out of the house on my own now.  but seriously, i can now genuinely appreciate the benefit running is to me.  and i am profoundly grateful that i welcomed it back into my life 9 months ago!  

thanks running!

and thanks baby number four, for making me gain so much weight i thought my only solution was running!

meeting sweet Violet!

Colin and i took a little trip to Washington to meet the newest member of our family.  it was a funny experience flying with Colin.  i got lots of stares in the terminal with a baby strapped in a front carrier, a back pack, and a trolley with my bags on it.  lots of people asked if i was okay, and i was like, "this is my fourth baby, i'm on vacation!"  we originally planned on spending time in Seattle once we arrived, but i opted to rent a car and get to Olympia stat. 

we had these people to see, can you blame me?

Colin is a big fan of his cousins.  and Laine is a great cousin to climb all over.

 and as all grandchildren, Colin is a big fan of his Grandpa!

 baby Violet did not dissappoint!  she was a doll, and a total angel!

 we did get to spend a fun day in Seattle with Henry and Laine.  Grandma and Granpa took us to the Space Needle!  it was so fun seeing such a landmark.  Grandpa was all about getting this shot of the kids with the needle above them.

 here's the same shot with Colin and me this time!

 we were lucky to get a semi clear day for our trip to the city.  everything was so beautiful.  after some fun shopping and sight seeing, i headed to the Hanley's house (or should i say houses) to visit with my dear old pals.  i can't believe that after all this time we can still hang out 'til the wee hours of the morning and never run out of things to talk about.  another trip to Seattle is definitely in order!

 Colin served as my dutiful assistant during my newborn session with baby Violet.  still not quite able to crawl, but giving it the good ol' college try.

 such a helpful prop manager:

 the 4 days i was in Washington, the skies ranged from clear and blue, to the traditional overcast, to a complete white out. 

 after we finished up our portraits, it started to snow.

 it snowed all day and all night, we built a snow man, and played all day.

 though beautiful, it was a little touch and go for a while on whether or not we were going to be able to get out of there.  the flight was delayed almost 8 hours.  my parents were kind enough to follow us to the airport just to make sure everything went smoothly.  all in all, it was a wonderful trip!