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!

thanksgiving in Sedona

it's been years since i've been to Sedona, and it had been way too long.  it is really just the most beautiful place.  it is so fun to visit the different areas of this great state.  it's easy to just associate Arizona with the desert, there is just so much to see and Sedona is definitely a must-see!

 we got here on Thanksgiving day and got right to cooking and eating.  after the deliciousness, we headed out for a self-guided jeep tour of Sedona!

 each vista and view was greater then the last.  and the girls had so much fun on the little hikes/walks we took here and there.  (i forgot my camera on our jaunt and thought i'd make up for it the rest of the weekend, thank goodness Tara snapped these pics.)

this should have been a sign of things to come, Colin was not a happy camper, but i chalked it up to the bumpy ride and lack of nap:

 

but later that night, and ALL night long, this poor boy threw up.  and there should really be another name for the sick he was, it was poltergeist.  we had to call the front desk and request a clean up in the morning.  and so, as the exhausted, sick and oh yeah, exhausted mom, i made the executive decision for us to spend the rest of the weekend at home in our home beds.  

so sadly, we called it quits on our Sedona weekend and headed home.  here is my one picture.  the girls call these trees the "fire trees" as the yellow crops up in the middle of the of these little valleys, they think it looks like fire in the distance.  

it is really beautiful.  goodbye Sedona!

did you know that the tallest Christmas tree in the country is here in Arizona.  

the girls and i heard on the radio a few weeks ago that the tree was coming to the outlets in Anthem, and i thought, "i think we can go there on the way to Sedona at Thanksgiving."

sure enough, that's just what we did.  early Thanksgiving morning, we made our way to Sedona and saw this tree in the distance and the kids got so excited.  it was kind of cool to see the tree almost all by our selves.  

 

 we had fun walking around it, looking up at it, walking around it again, looking up at it again.  it was really amazing.  

see, look how big the tree is even compared to Daddy!

i'm glad we made the stop.  it was a fun adventure seeing the biggest Christmas tree in America.  

God be with you 'til we meet again

so, it wasn't for a fun reason.  but Bubba and i took a little trip up to Monterrey, California.  it was a really quick trip, but we got a few hours of down time, so Barrett and I took our kids for a scenic drive through Pebble beach.  Colin was so happy seeing all the golfers, and about came out of his skin when he saw about a million sea lions.  

 and hanging out with these guys was the icing on the cake.  

 so, the reason for our trip was a sad one.  my Uncle Ralph passed away, and we went to the funeral.  it is never easy saying goodbye to the people we love.  nor is it easy to see the grief and pain of your family who lost their husband, father, grandfather, brother.  but there is a silver lining to moments like these.  the family reunion we had this weekend was a celebration of generations of love.  we feel blessed to know that our time to be separated from lost loved ones is brief.  we are so thankful for the Lord's plan of happiness that allows us to be sealed to our families through generations, and for eternity.  

Colin was able to meet is doppelganger finally.  everyone says he is the spitting image of my cousin Matt.  seriously, Colin, this is a good thing.  lots of people would love to look like that when they're 40(ish).  incidentally, growing up everyone though i looked like Matt and strangers mistook us for siblings often.  

 remember in September when i took a family picture that included 2 of my cousins.  well, here are a few more.  (we were still missing, Collier and Jane.)  and some of our kids are pictured, though by my count 35 are missing!  yeah, i have a big and also awesome family.  and also, sometimes when i talk about my many cousins i feel like people assume it's so big i don't really know everyone or something.  well, this is not the case.  we were raised very close, (some geographically) but mostly close in that we got together often, and made time to attend each others special events (baptisms, graduations, etc.) each of my cousins is also my friend, and those in my age group are among my very best friends.  so looking at this photo i see nothing but a huge group of dearly beloved people.  it's a great blessing and a privilege to have friends like these that you get to call family. 

 my mom and her siblings, including my sweet aunt Nita who lost her husband of 60 years!  what a great example!

 and our little Beardsley contingent.  so fun being with my siblings, even if i was a little whacked out from lack of sleep, and our reunion lasted all of 30 hours.  we definitely made the most of it.  

(dear family  i have barely begun to go through these images, but i will send disks out soon)

back to the beach

so, we thought our last trip to the beach was going to be in August, but i had some photo sessions scheduled in Los Angeles, and they coincided with my dad's 60's birthday, so we made a trip out of it.  all of my siblings, came into town.  (except Collier of course) and my parents rented a beach house.  i really wished i wasn't working!  but, we made the most of our time for sure!  the kids got right to work digging, digging, digging in their weekend backyard.  

 while i was at the beach, i definitely snapped some pics of these cuties.  

 i love these shots, my generation of 3 sisters:

 my mom's generation of 3 sisters:

 and the next generation of 3 sisters:

 here's all nine of us!  not a bad looking group!

 we even got to see Sawyer before we left.  

so, i feel like a schmuck, i don't even have a picture with the birthday boy.  but in my defense, he was golfing and hanging with the boys a lot.  but seriously, i need  a picture with my dad, i think the last one i have is from my wedding!  

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!

camping, our favorite family activity

so, our favorite camping spot is covered in wild flowers and cows.  now, i've always had a thing for cows, so i always take a million pictures of them hanging around.  who could resist that face?

 the kids are so cute setting up the tent and their beds.  these two little cuddle bugs. 

and look at these  big girls gathering firewood and helping dad get the fire ring all set up.

 Bubba!  he is just too cute for words. 

 the girls brought notebooks, or as Anna called hers a "nacher journal."  they wrote down everything they saw.  Anna (because she is the only one who really has a good handle on writing) broke her notebook down into categories, "land, air, and water."  she wrote down all the animals and foliage she found in those places, with pictures.    

 potato lake is one of the most beautiful places.  of course the first time we were there the water was a lot higher and bluer.  but even since the water turned green and lowered, the little meadow has stayed to intriguing to us.  

 my little sweet maddie wanted a picture with me by the fire.  

 then i snapped one of all my loves!

super dad. 

 we were with our cousins, so we got a shot of our whole family.  

 Anna took here "nacher journal" very seriously.  

 here we are on top of the Mogollon rim.  the views are amazing.  we've considered camping here a few times, but the wind can really pick up, and sleeping in a tent with 4 kids can be hard enough.  

 look at these girls checking out the views.  

 i die, how amazing are these girls.  

 this is one of my favorite places in the world.  i have a fantasy wedding all planned out in this glen.  guests can stay in Strawberry and then take hummers up to the ceremony reception site.  seriously, call me if your interested.  in the meantime, we enjoyed the balance beam act these kids put on.  

 i love the passing of the flower!  so cute.  

 so, i totally brought adorable clothes to make portraits of the kids while we were up here.  that's for another post.  the portraits are so cute, but these snapshots say a thousand words too!

 now can you see why we call this guy Mr. Handsome?

 i think i could stay up here forever, sometimes we joke about living "off the grid".  buying a trailer and living off the land.  obviously, not going to happen, but it's fun to dream.  and speaking of dreams, here's my dreamy two men:

Colin loves his daddy time.  oh and his oreos, see the oreo crumbs on his mouth?  love these lover boys!