Independence Day - Welcome Zoe Olivia Earl

i'll have to check, but i'm pretty sure that for each of the other 4 kids I stood proudly for a picture on our way to the hospital.  you'd think that with 3 trips for number 5 that we would have had the time to snap a quick shot.  but, that wasn't the case.  i think between the panic of labor (we have both been terrified of having the baby at home), and the annoying-ness of being sent home twice, i just wasn't in the mood.  

it all started on Anna's birthday, July 1st.  she really wanted this sister to be born on her actual birthday, but it didn't seem immenant.  but then contraction started and didnn't let up all through dinner and bedtime.  they weren't very strong, so i went to bed.  at 3am they became consitent and stronger, so i woke up and  timed them.  once they were 2 minutes apart, we headed out the the hospital.  i was shocked to be having a due date baby.  (ha, said fate)  once i was hooked up to the monitors, everything slowed way down.  an hour later we were headed home.  not exactly what you're hoping for when you go in to deliver your 5th baby.  i'm not sure why i felt so defeated, but i did.  Jason and i headed to the mall to walk laps with the over 70 crowd and things picked back up, but stopped once we hit the car.  i knew we weren't going back to the hospital that day.  

fast forward (no wait, more like slow forward) to July 3rd.  deja vu all over again.  went to bed with mild contractions, woke up at 3 with strong painful ones.  got to the hospital at 6am, only to be sent on our way by 8. (thank goodness my parents were here for all the kid juggling!)  i think i may have shed a tear, and if you know me, that means i was seriously disappointed!  Jason took me out for a little pick-me-up breakfast at the Coffee Shop.  i ate away my sorrows, and we headed home to celebrate the 4th with our kiddos.  i napped and swam, ate and played, and complained quite a bit about the endless contractions.  i was not wanting to get sent home again, so very reluctant to go back to the hospital.  finally, after seeing me grimace in the pool with the kids Jason appoached me like this, "how about we just go in to check on the baby?  maybe it's not going to be today, but let's just see how things are going."  it seemed reasonable, so i agreed.  

on the way there i was a little teary again.  after nearly 48 hours of labor, i was ready to abandon my plan of natural childbirth and go for an epidural and induction, just get the show on the road!!!  we checked in (for the 3rd time) and went back, again, to triage.  no sooner did they get me hooked up to the monitors and check me out, did they unhook me and start wheeling me to delivery. (6cm, -1 station) the nurse was asking if i wanted an epidural.  bewildered, i looked at Jason, "so for 9 months, she's been saying no, but for the last 10 minutes she's been saying yes."  i was tired, frustrated and confused.  the nurse just said, "well, you'll do great either way, but you need to decide fast!"  the decision was no, and away we went.  i realized that i was less stressed, panicked, and in less pain once i knew this was happening.  the zero progress over the past 2 days had worn me down, but now that we were a go, i had my resolve back.  

35 short minutes later, at 6:41pm, this little sweetie was placed in my arms:

 everyone gasped when she was born.  "have your other babies been big?" yes, yes they have.  but this "little" girl broke even an extended family record, weighing in at a whopping 10lbs 7oz!!  they checked 3 times to be sure.  they kept saying 10/7, and i asked "9 pounds 10, or 7?" the doctor laughed, "no 10 pounds, 7."  what the what?  i could have sworn she felt smaller than Colin!

the girls were so excited to meet their newest sister.  Colin was super excited to see me, and the feeling was mutual.

many people theorized that since we finally chose to find out what we were having, that naming her would be easy.  i submit that it was at least as difficult, if not more.  i mean how do you name 4 daughters???  almost every night at dinner, i would poll the family on name ideas.  we made a list.  it was something similar to: Aurora, Jasmine, Ariel, Giselle, etc.   Jason and i like Sarah.  and then i told the story of the first name Jason and i ever liked together.  

13 years ago when we were dating, but marriage was imminent.  Jason caught me doodling my would be signature in my school notebook. (yes, i did this in Law School, i am such a girl.)  and remember, we had discussed marriage, so it wasn't utterly humiliating.  this lead to a discussion of names we liked.  Jason liked non, I had always loved Zoe and Olivia.  when we put the two names together with Earl, we noticed that a child with this moniker would have initial that spelled her name.  we thought that was cute, and both assumed our first daughter would have this name.  fast forward 5 years to when our first daughter was actually born, and we both decided she just wasn't a Zoe.  i felt a little bewildered, but confident that she was Anna.  2 more daughters born, neither was Zoe.  i kind of thought i just didn't like the name anymore.  Colin would most likely been Daphne, if he were a girl, so that made the list.  but when she was born, one of the first things i thought was, she looks like Zoe.  Jason and i both agreed that she did NOT look like a Sarah.  so when the girls came and all proclaimed, "Mom, she looks like a Zoe." we felt she had claimed the name.  welcome, Zoe Olivia Earl.  13 years in the making.  

after our initial cuddle time, and once everyone had snuggled the new baby, Colin decided it was, "Colu's turn."

i know my day nurse thought my room was too crazy, she practically said as much.  but i loved the beautiful chaos of my family.  

our first whole family portrait.  

we came home the morning of the 6th, and started settling into our new routine.  the kids are wonderful with Zoe, and the only problems we've had are arguments over who has held her longer.  i now set a timer so everyone can be sure it's even.  one girl even remarked, "mom, you got to hold her the most, it's not fair, i even heard you up with her in the middle of the night."  i gladly offered to wake the girls for middle of the night feedings, but they declined.  

welcome Zoe, we're happy you joined our family!

happy, happy birthday Anna dear! - 8 is Great!

birthdays are special.  so we like to give each child a chance to plan their special day.  since we already partied it up with friends back in May.  Anna chose a to spend her day taking a break from swim team, eating german pancakes for breakfast, lunch with Grandma Colleen, and french toast for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Beardsley at home.  

she wished for a baby sister born on her birthday, and contractions were making it seem like she might get her wish.  but alas, she had to settle for a mani-pedi from Aunt Tara, loads of spoiling from the grandparents, and some sweet treats from sisters and brother.

Dear Anna,

you are just as sweet as pie.  dad and i could not have dreamed up a more perfect first born.  you are eager to learn at home, school, sports and church.  you love to know the rules so you can be sure to follow them.  you love your siblings with your whole heart, and show it through kindness and sharing. when conflicts do arise, i can count on you to try and be a peacemaker.  we are so proud of the decisions that you make and look forward to sharing your special decision to be baptized.  it seems like just yesterday you were a babe in my arms, and though sometimes a yearn to hold you like that again, i am so excited to continue watching you grow into a beautiful and sweet young lady.  thank you for all that you are.

love,
mom and dad

goodnight sweet 7 year old!

we have a birthday tradition in our little family of taking a "last day as __" photo.  these are always so precious to me as we reminisce about the year that has past and all the fun we've had and growing that has happened.  to me 8 is a big birthday, it's a milestone and a transition from little kid to big kid.  and this sweet seven year old just cannot wait until the morning.  

goodnight sweet seven year old Anna.  this year has been filled with achievements (finishing 1st grade, student of the year, starting piano, 1st season of tennis, swim team) and the continuation of your reputation as an awesome big sister and helper.  thank you so much for being such a great example of sweetness and light in our home.  we love you and look forward to celebrating with you tomorrow!

week 2 of summer art camp!

this weeks project came from this post over at Deep Space Sparkle.  (really all of our projects will most likely come from this site because it is awesome.  

i wanted to explore the color wheel because i am fascinated by the process of mixing color, and feel like learning about primary and secondary colors is the real basis of art.  (color art anyway)

since we did black and white line drawing last week, the girls were itching to paint.  

 we started with the color wheel, and i had them paint the primary colors first, then mix up each secondary color and paint it in the appropriate spot on the wheel.  no matter how many times we do a color mixing project, the girls act like it's magic as orange, green and purple appear.  

 it really is fun though, to see what mix they come up with.  Avery's orange was spot on pure orange, orange.  but she kept wanting her purple to be more grape and less violet.  

 Anna was surprisingly the messiest with this project due to over mixing. 

 Madeline was surprisingly meticulous about her mixing and painting "in the lines" not wanting to spread one color over the other.  

once we were finished with the color wheels, we painted a face and body, and had a color wheel clown!  

clearly this was a fun project, but it was also good and long.  it took us close to 2 hours to complete, perfect for a hot summer day!

Madeline's Loses her First Tooth!

every kid looks forward to losing their first tooth, but i think little siblings are even more anxious.  after watching Anna lose 9 teeth, Madeline has been anxiously awaiting her moment.  she felt the first wigglings weeks ago.  then the tooth became really loose.  then she showed us how different she is from her sister, by treating the tooth VERY gingerly over the last several days, almost never wiggling it, or playing with it at all.  she refused every offer to help it along, even the dentist couldn't convince her to tug it out.  then, while brushing her teeth, Colin tried to grab her toothbrush causing it to bump that tooth just the right way. finally, she lost that first tooth!

 it's amazing how small it is compared to Anna's.  she has Jason's teeth and Anna mine. 

 i found these toys in their room last week and had Avery put them in the toy room where they belong. tonight I was chastised because Madeline had placed them there in preparation for the loss of her tooth.  my bad.  so, the girls went to work creating a luxurious oasis for the tooth fairy.  there's a spa to relax in,some treats to enjoy, a bed if she needs a nap, and to top it off princesses and ponies hold up a "Welcome Tooth Fairy" sign.  

the pixie dust Madeline discovered the next morning confirmed the fairy did indeed take a break in the hot tub but probably didn't have time for a nap.  she also apparently loved the sign, because there was pixie dust all over it.  i know Avery is dying to lose a tooth, i'm not sure the pageantry is appreciated by Colin.  

art camp!

the kids love art, and art projects, and we are always coloring in our coloring books, etc.  but i wanted to offer them more of a "curriculum" this summer to look at art and creativity differently.  so while were are still constantly coloring each day, on Friday while Colin is napping, we're trying something new and calling it: Art Camp.  

this week's project comes from this wonderful resource.  

it's a simple project to work on line drawing and pattern play.  at first, the girls couldn't believe there was no "color" involved.  but when they were pasting their creations onto their chosen color construction paper, they caught the vision!  

i'm not gonna lie, i got into this too!

1) i demonstrated how to make a big upside down U for the shell, and then a series of other U's for the underbelly, feet, tail and head.  

2) then i showed them how to cover the shell in a bunch of free form lines

3) and showed them how to draw a pattern in each free form area

after that, i thought i'd take a little (well deserved at 8 months pregnant) break on the comfy couch, and check back in when the patterns were done.  but, i was having so much fun, i just stayed and did the whole project with my girlies.  

here is our gallery:

(once Colin woke up, the gallery quickly traveled to higher ground) 

 Anna's turtle"

 Avery's turtle:

 Maddie's turtle:

 i love how each of their turtles turned out so unique.  Anna's is pretty bold, with large black spaces, and most of her patterns are stripes and polka dots.  Avery's is so delicate, small, with sweet swirls and a decidedly vertical orientation.  Maddie's is plump and covered in hearts, she said there's a heart for every person that she loves.  

i think Art Camp is already a success!

California weekend!

 can you believe i traveled to California with my 4 kids at 8 months pregnant to celebrate my sister's graduation from her Master's program, and I didn't take a picture with my sister?  (sorry Ash, we really did come to see you.)  

but the star of this blog post is the beach.  we love our beach time, and the two days we were able to spend were glorious.  the weather was awesome, the kids entertained, the company wonderful (thanks mom, dad, Austin and Holly), and we even saw dolphins.  in a word, our weekend was perfection!

Daddy was jealous of our beach time.  he would be so proud of his little groms. 

the weekend was full of celebrations.  Friday was dedicated to Ashy's graduation  the kids are so excited that she is a teacher, they gave her a whole bag of Smarties!  

Saturday was a birthday party for this guy.

his Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles spoiled him with cars, trucks, and superheros.  and we even got a sneak peek at the new Aquabats season!  thanks for a great weekend California!