Some things do get better with age

Some things do get better with age

We just got back from our traditional family trip to the family cabin at Fish Lake.  We went every year when I was a kid; my mom went every year when she was a kid; and HER mother went every year when she was a kid.  Now we take our own kids every year, and we have a marvelous time with all my siblings and their kids hanging out at our cabin, playing games, hiking, going out on the boat, visiting the lodge, and even occasionally fishing (We are not that great of fishermen in our family, but Bryce does try hard to keep this tradition going.)  for an entire week.  This year sadly only three of my six children were able to come with us, and Kent was only with us for a few days.  However, now that my kids are the "old cousins,"  I realize how much of a vacation this has truly become for me.  Now it has always been fun to go to FishLake, but fun in an exhausting pack-all-the-food, pack- all-the-children's-needed-items, keep-track-of/entertain/respond to needs of-all-the-children-at-all- times sort of way.  This year, we traveled up with four of us rattling around in a 9-passenger Suburban. (Each kid got his/her own row.)  The kids all packed for themselves, and did a lot of the packing of the suburban.  The drive was pleasant.  Upon arriving, the kids all hauled their own stuff into the cabin and kept track of it.  I didn't have to (or at least I didn't) remind them to brush their teeth or take showers.  (Although I'm not sure Luke did either more than once during the entire week.)  And most of the time I had no idea where they were or what they were doing.  They were off with cousins, hiking, playing games, and having fun.  And I didn't have to worry.   I didn't tell anyone to go to bed; they just did it when they were tired.  (Some nights I'm not even sure where they slept.) I wasn't trying to squeeze naps/nursing between family activities, and I got to sleep all night every night.  (No cranky babies, not liking to sleep in an unfamiliar place.) I didn't have to (or at least I didn't) monitor anyone's eating habits or make sure that anyone got a plate of food.  I just got my own plate at each meal and ate.  I got to nap, read, and even scrapbook on my own schedule. I read this novel-300+pages in 3 days.  (Awesome-although I LOVE to read you would never know it, because my usual very-well-disciplined self melts into a puddle of unbridled reading any time I start a novel.  The house, the meals, and my sleep are all neglected until the novel is finished.  Thus I seldom, if ever, allow myself this luxury, and most of my reading is of magazine articles, blogs, facebook or other things that can be read in a relatively short amount of time.) I went for a run every morning in 50 degree weather.  I saw baby ducks and seagulls as I ran along the Lakeshore trail, and deer, squirrels, and even a family of bluejays as I ran along the road to the cabin.  FishLake was FINALLY a vacation.  So although I sometimes mourn the "loss of my babies" (kids just grow up too fast) Some things-vacations in particular-DO get better with age.

The Barlows 2001 (5 kids with #6 on the way)  Do you know how hard it was to keep track of everyone's shoes all week?!

If I thought 2001 was a bit exhausting keeping track of shoes, 2002 took the cake.  Luke cried the whole first year of his life.  And everytime I look at pics from our 2002 trip to FishLake (Luke age 6 months) all I can think is, "Oh yeah, I remember that trip; I was SO TIRED!"  (Here we are outside Rays' Roost-our cabin-ready for church at the lodge-try getting 6 kids ready for church in a small cabin-not to mention packing church clothes along with camping clothes-whew-I'm tired just looking at this pic.)

This year-2012 across the lake at a look out point.  Apparently some things do NOT get better with age.  (Family pictures for one.)  This is the ONLY family picture we got with everyone in it, and my daughter on her facebook page deemed it a "fail."  It was starting to rain.  The boys were less-than-cooperative, and I was falling off the fence.

Fish Lake 2012.  Me reading in bed-what a luxury!

Words of Wisdom from Thumper

Words of Wisdom from Thumper


Lately, I've been thinking about Thumper, the rabbit friend of Bambi in the Disney movie Bambi.  In the movie, Thumper watches with his mother, as Bambi is presented as the "young prince" to the creatures of the forest.  Thumper observes that Bambi is  "kinda wobbly" but is reproved by his mother who asks, "Thumper, what did your father tell you?" Thumper then obediently states, "IF YA CAN'T SAY NOTHIN' NICE, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL." This is one of my favorite movie quotes of ALL TIME.  These are truly words to live by.   I grew up with a mother, who never said anything unkind.  (or if she did I don't remember.)  I don't remember her ever being critical of me, and it was a glorious way to grow up.  Her parents were optimistic and happy.  My Grandpa Monson was once described as "the happiest man alive."  And my Grandma Monson was quiet, but kind.  If someone said something unkind about another, she just didn't comment.  In her own quiet way, she refused to judge others.  Unfortunately, I did not inherit these characteristics as natural traits, but I try to work on them every day.  I want my children to have happy childhoods. (Ok I know it is too late for a happy "childhood" for a few of my kids-but still) I want them to feel like their mother believes in them and thinks that they are the most wonderful people in the world (because I do and they are.)  Furthermore, I want to TRULY FEEL this way about all people and circumstances.  I want to become a "glass half-full" person.  I listened to a speaker once who challenged listeners to go an entire 24 hours without making a negative comment about ANYTHING (the weather, the government, traffic, etc.)  He acknowleged that it might not be reasonable to never say anything negative about anything/body ever again ever, but that this was a good exercise to see how negative we may have become without even noticing it.  If we "messed up" and said something negative, we had to start over.  It took me 8 days to get through 24 hours "negative free."  (But I later learned that that was actually pretty good-the average was 3 weeks.)  One of my favorite quotes is by Marvin J. Ashton.  This quote has been taped to my mirror, and is currently being carried around in my scriptures.  I read it and think about it often:

“Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself.  And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again…Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet.  Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped.  Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us.  Charity is expecting the best of each other.”

I want to be a charitable person, because "charity never faileth."

A few days after his initial encounter with Bambi, Thumper is out with his mother and meets up with Bambi again.  Thumper takes it upon himself to teach Bambi a few words including  "bird" and "flower."  Bambi then accidentally calls a young skunk "Flower."  Thumper tries to correct Bambi but the skunk says, "That's all right. He can call me Flower if he wants to. I don't mind".  The three become fast friends.  How would this world be is everyone followed the advice of Thumper's dad and if there was nothing nice to say, didn't say anthing at all, but instead gave everyone else the benefit of the doubt, and when a mistake was made, said, "That's all right" and overlooked the inconsequential molehills which are often made into mountains?   I think it would be a wonderful world to live in, and I for one want to be part of making that happen. 

Enough soap-boxing- THE END

Fabulous Fourth/Lovin' the Lake

Fabulous Fourth/Lovin' the Lake

So in an attempt to re-gain my blogging "mobility," I am posting pictures from the fourth and our recent lake outing.  (These were taken after the supposed demise of the external hard-drive storing my pics.  I STILL have not called to check on the status-too scared.)  So as therapy, here are some (ok a lot-but I took almost 200 so actually-not so many) of the pics taken.  Enjoy the record of these events via the pics.

Patriotic cookie bouquets made for my visiting teachers.

Close up of cookie bouquet-the "left-overs" were served via a vase at our Barlow-side afternoon swim/BBQ at GM and GP's/ Aunt Carolyn's.  The kids loved eating cookies on a stick-who knew?

At the fairgrounds with Hardy cousins-candy (LOTS of CANDY!) collected during the candy "run."  It used to be a candy "drop" from an airplane-much more exciting in my opinion-but now kids just retrieve candy scattered on the ground over a field.  (My kids have lots of experience with this-see my Easter post-gathering candy quickly from the ground in a competitive fashion has been part of their annual Easter tradition forever-their experience obviously paid off.)

Cant get away from the matching shirts.  The girls seem ok with the whole idea, but the boys seem a little less than excited.  They ARE wearing the shirts however.  (Kent had one too which he wore, but he was home recovering from a cracked rib sustained at scout camp.) Also FYI, my college kids had the same shirts (as well as some patriotic cookies and a few other patriotic items) sent to them via a 4th of July care package-so we were all matching just in different locations-(except Analise who is not allowed to wear a flag shirt in Jersalem-her shirt is waiting at home :)

Swimming at GM and GP's pool.  Lynae with cousins Rebecca (in goggles) and Emma

4th of July swimming at GM and GP/Aunt Carolyn's-Luke goes off the diving board

More swimming-Luke and Anthony in the tube.

Trent on the slide-4th of July swim and BBQ at GM & GP/Aunt Carolyn's. We did watch fireworks that night, and the weather was FABULOUS-overcast with a COOL breeze in JULY of all things, but sadly I didn't get any pics.

Lake trip-July 14th

Uncle Steven went with us to the lake and took his boat.  Wyatt and Emma on Uncle Steve's boat.

Lynae and friends on our boat-Lake Mead-July 14

Lynae and friend Tylee on the tube

Trent and Kaylee-double tubing

Trent skis

Lynae learned to slalom ski yesterday-AWESOME

Trent

Kaylee just happened to come home from  BYU for the weekend, so she got to be in on our lake trip

Favorite two-tube activity: tube hopping

More tube hopping-Lynae, Kaylee (the one hopping) and Trent

Talk about a beautiful day at the lake.  We woke at 5 a.m. to lightening, wind, and rain, but by the time we left for the lake at seven a.m., it was PERFECT.  The temperature was in the upper 70's (It did get warmer as the day went on, but not bad), and no wind.  I thought with the cooler weather, the water might be cold, but it was just perfect-not too cold or too warm.  (I think all the previous 120+ degree days had heated it up some.)  When I wasn't out with the kids on the boat, I sat on the beach and read or swam back and forth parallel to the beach.  The water was so refreshing. It was soo nice. 

Luke and Lynae tube

No this picture wasn't taken in 2012, it is Dallin skiing in 2007, but I still feel guilty that I didn't post anything for his b-day, and it was his b-day in 2006 when we purchased the boat.  (A surprise b-day party lake trip was the maiden voyage for the "Clark Kent" - The name of our "superman" boat named in honor of the owners-My brother Clark and my hubby Kent.) So Happy b-day Dallin-we missed you and Analise at the lake yesterday.

More of Dallin skiing circa 2007

 Trent and Kaylee tube hopping video-I've resorted to just up-loading to youtube and from there to this blog. And now I've just pre-viewed this (and the previous uploaded video of Kaylee's graduation speech), and I realize that AFTER you watch the videos, Youtube brings up several more "related" (not sure how) youtube videos to watch.  I don't want that to happen, but I can't seem to make it stop.  You don't have to (and probably shouldn't) watch them and they are not from me (mom). Grrrr.  Blogging is sometimes just frustrating.

My favorite lake-trip activity-capturing all the fun on film-yup, I'm my mother's daughter after all. And why I am posting a picture of me wind-blown at the lake in a swim suit is a  very good question.  Someday I will post more flattering pictures of myself, since I'm realizing that I have only posted unflattering ones, maybe that's because the flattering ones don't exist-that's a scary and unsettling thought.

Paralysis

Paralysis

I've been blog stalking and find that a lot of people start blogs and let them die.  I do NOT want to be one of those people, but I find that I'm in a blogging "funk."  It all started when trying to post Kaylee's graduation speech turned out to be a living nightmare.  (Ok maybe not THAT bad-but blogging was supposed to be something that I did for FUN when I felt like it.  I have a journal and scrapbooks to chronicle the "play by play" scenario of my life and the lives of my family and spending hours trying to upload the speech was NOT fun and NOT what I felt like doing.)  Furthermore, tragedy struck a little over a week ago when my external hard drive where I have ALL my digital photos stored when kaput.  I took it to a "computer guy", but he was less than hopeful at being able to save them. Now most of what I want as far as pics has been printed (since I do keep up scrapbooks), but I feel that I cannot properly service this blog without access to my digital pics.  I have not heard from said "computer guy" and I am afraid to call and ask, so I am paralyzed as far as blogging.  Tomorrow my oldest turns 22, but I feel unable to blog since I cannot add pics of him (unless I scan prints-too much work for a "fun" project.)  So happy birthday Dallin.  Someday, I will blog about you.  (But if it makes you feel better, Analise didn't get a post for her b-day either, even though we all know she is the favorite-gasp-did I say that out loud??? Ask Dallin how he knows this fact: it involves a "fun" ("fun" if you are NOT Dallin) story of  a run through the rain and  mud to catch the bus.)  Anyway, I hope to regain my blogging "mobility" soon, but for now, all you readers (mom) send "good vibes," prayers, or whatever else you think will work my way in hopes that the digital pics can be recovered.

PS I know, I know, I know.....you (I) should have back up storage of all digital pics, and IF they are recovered, I promise to do so immediately. 

Kaylee Commences

Ok I'm finally getting Kaylee's valedictorian speech posted.  I tried for WEEKS to upload it directly to the blog, and after much effort, finally went the youtube route, so yes, Kaylee your speech is now "out there" on you tube for all to see.  It's the price I had to pay to get it to upload to this blog.  But it IS an awesome speech.  Enjoy.  It was a bit windy, but still an awesome speech.  WAY TO GO KAYLEE-MVHS CLASS of 2012 VALEDICTORIAN!!!

Of note: if you don't turn the volume up too high it is easier to hear.  (When the volume is loud the wind is VERY audible, and it is hard to hear the speech-During the actual speech this didn't seem to be a problem, but the camera recording picked up the wind remarkably well :)  Also, since this speech is being posted mostly for the benefit of Grandma and Grandpa Barlow who anticipated sitting in the "special valedictorian-guest graduation seats" for several years prior to Kaylee's graduation, but are currently serving a mission at Heber Valley Camp and had to miss being present in person, I am posting the script of the speech below so they (or anyone else) can follow along while watching.
 

Class of 2012.  It’s hard to believe we’re really graduating.  It seems like just yesterday we were starting kindergarten together, and now here we are as seniors, ready to graduate and go out into the world.  We can probably all remember elementary school, having morning muster, buying Big Sticks and Cheddar Fries on the playground playing on the monkey bars, and participating in Bowlerville Idol.  And who can forget the awkward middle school years we all went through, stealing Ms. Burnettes altoids, being forced to run in P.E., and getting smarties banned from school.  And of course high school where everything is just better.  Football games, homecoming, prom, dances, and parties, and just a little bit of schoolwork.  Through the years we have experienced so much as a class, so I’d like to take a moment to reminisce about some of the things we’ve done, by giving you all a quiz.  If you answer yes to one or more of these questions you know you are from the Moapa Valley High School class of 2012.   If you were the last class to ever have an 8^th grade graduation dance you might be from the Moapa Valley High School class of 2012.  If you were the only class to travel to L.A. freshmen year, and get kicked out of the museum, you know you are from the Moapa Valley High School class of 2012.    If you can’t remember a single one of Coop’s jokes, you are from the Moapa Valley High School class of 2012.  And if Mr. Jensen was your English teacher for 3 or more years you may be from the Moapa Valley High School class of 2012.  Most of you should be able to answer yes to most if not all of those questions, and hopefully taking this quiz reminds you of some of the good times we have shared as a class. 

We are all so blessed to have grown up in Moapa Valley, and I hope as we go out into the world that we will all remember where we come from and who we are.  As Mark Twain said, and as I’m sure half of your Pirate hoodies and t-shirts quote, “Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be Pirates.”  We HAVE been permitted to be Pirates. And we have been GOOD.   In the words of Grant Bowler, we have had the experience of attending the best high school, in the best community, in the best state in the best country in the world.  During our time here we have taken state championships in sports, dance, cheer, and forensics, received superior ratings in music competitions, produced outstanding dramatic productions, and excelled in the academic realm.  Most recently our high school had the distinction of being one of only three comprehensive high schools in Clark County to receive a 5 star rating.  Yes, we HAVE been PIRATES for the last four years and we have been GOOD ones.  Our challenge now is to carry this goodness, this pirate tradition, with us throughout our lives and spread “pirate goodness” throughout the world.  So whether you choose to become a doctor, a teacher, an accountant, a mother, a welder, a policeman,  an engineer, a mechanic- be a GOOD one.  Many from this high school have gone on to accomplish amazingly “good” things, and my challenge to you this evening is to carry on this tradition and do the same. 

I would just like to end by thanking all of you.  Thank you especially to my parents; I know I would not be up here right now if it weren’t for them.  And thank you to all my classmates that made this year so meaningful.  I will truly treasure the friendships I have made throughout the last four years.  Thank you all and congratulations Moapa Valley High School Class of 2012!

           

THREE- a lot or a little?

THREE-a lot or a little?

I haven’t posted for a while, and I missed posting the wonderful thoughts composed in my head about Kaylee’s graduation (Although I still intend to post her graduation speech, which I recorded, IF I can figure out how to save it in a format that my computer and this blog will recognize and play), Kent’s birthday, Father’s Day, and Analise’s 20^th birthday.  (Oh well, there will be other Father’s Days and birthdays, and although Kaylee will not graduate again, IF I can get her speech posted, that will have to “count” as a graduation post.)  But as my mother says, “Sometimes you are too busy LIVING the events to WRITE about them.” 

Anyway…back to the subject at hand…. THREE a lot or a little? We just dropped Kaylee off at BYU, and we are down to THREE kids living at home.  Our home seems empty.  Not a single kid living in the basement.  The basement bedrooms are all neatly in order and the beds are made -(Something that was a rarity-in fact, not sure it ever happened simultaneously-when kids were living in the bedrooms.)  I remember my mom telling me that when she only had two kids left at home, she found herself lamenting to another mother that it hardly seemed worth making dinner, only to realize that this other mother only had two children total.  So then I started thinking about when I only had  THREE children.  It seemed like a lot then.  THREE children and the oldest was 3.  THREE carseats across the backseat of our Honda Accord was a lot.  THREE kids in the tub was a lot.  THREE kids crawling into bed with me was a lot.  THREE kids who all wanted to sit on my lap during story time was a lot.  THREE kids to bathe, dress, feed, read to, play with, and love was a lot.  I even remember lying on the couch, pregnant with number four and having a melt-down thinking, “What am I doing?  I don’t know how to be a mom.  I should still be having my mom take care of me.”  THREE was a lot.  So why does THREE seem like so few now?  When is THREE a lot and when is THREE just a few?  THREE kids ages 3 and under home all-day, every day, 24/7  is a lot.  THREE big kids that are gone to camps, practices, work, or friends’ houses all day in the summer is a few.  THREE hours trying to keep small children quiet in church is a lot.  THREE hours of sleep due to a cranky baby or a teen-aged midnight movie-goer is a few.  THREE days of being stuck in a house with sick kids is a lot.  THREE days of a vacation is a few.  The THREE hours between after-nap-time and daddy-comes-home time is a lot.  THREE hours of  reading a good book (like I EVER have time to do this-ha-but I can fantasize) is a few.  THREE minutes of waiting for the results of a home-pregnancy test is a lot.  THREE minutes between contractions is a few.  THREE young, eager, yet semi-incapable, dinner-making and/or chore-doing helpers is a lot.  THREE more mature, capable (but sadly no longer as eager) dinner-making and/or chore- doing helpers is a few.  (We’ve only been a 3-kid family for three days and we are already finding this out.) THREE kids in a 5-passenger Honda Accord is a lot.  THREE kids in a 9-passenger Suburban is a few.  THREE dates in 3-days is a lot.  (Way to go Kaylee-hope you are studying some.)  THREE dates in 3-months is a few.  (No comment on how I know this.)  THREE days of “eating healthy” is a lot.  THREE Hershey’s chocolate kisses is a few.  THREE minutes of trying to ignore an annoying, attention-seeking child is a lot.  THREE minutes of a meaningful conversation (often with the same child-different day) is a few.  THREE dollars given to a child to spend at Wallys (note: one dollar is my limit-but the kids have a cool, generous father and grandparents) is a lot.  THREE dollars to spend at Costco or Wal-mart (Is it even humanly possible to spend only three dollars at either store?!) is a few.  THREE miles run alone in the heat of the day is a lot.  THREE miles walked (or jogged) at a leisurely pace in the cool morning hours with a good friend for company is a few.  THREE minutes going through junk mail is a lot.  THREE minutes composing a blog post is a few- and those three minutes are long gone.  What is your definition(s) of  THREE-a lot or a few? 

Kaylee- new room in the dorms at BYU-child number THREE to leave the nest.

Never Say Never

Never Say Never

So that last post got me thinking (ironically as I was running this morning) about all those things I said I would NEVER do (and now do or did-like running) or things that I thought I WOULD do and didn’t or don’t, and just for the fun of it, I thought I’d make a list.  So here it is in no particular order.

·         I don’t know if I ever SAID it, but I certainly THOUGHT that I would NEVER have to visit a principal’s/dean’s office or get a failing notice in the mail, and although I didn’t have to do this personally, my first child obligingly provided me with these experiences.  (Someday I’ll blog about Dallin-but for now just know that he is an awesome kid who is brilliant, but somehow didn’t see the need to “prove” his brilliance through school work, and sometimes was mischievous-not bad-just mischievous-like his dad who I did marry, but didn’t want to raise.)

·         After my 6 years of girls’ camp as a  youth, I thought I would NEVER have to camp again-I see no point in sleeping on the ground, cooking over a fire, and being dirty, when I have a perfectly good bed, stove/microwave, and shower- However,  since being married, I have been the camp director twice, YW’s president, and in the YW’s organization numerous times, and as the wife of the bishop and a bishopric member have been to camp more times as an adult than I was a youth.  (Another disclaimer-I do admit that girls’ camp is AWESOME-if we could just get rid of the camping part J)

·         I was going to marry someone with dark hair and eyes cause I thought dark haired/eyed children are so cute.  I married a blond blue-eyed hunk, and my children are all blond (except one), and they are the most beautiful/handsome children in the world.  (And I’m not biased at ALL!)

·         I always thought it was a little “unstylish” that my mom wore a watch with a stretchy band.  Guess what’s on my arm right now? -that’s right-a stretchy band watch.  But do you know how CONVENIENT those things are?!   You can just push them up out of the way (rather than take them off) when you are doing dishes or bathing a child, and they are really FAST to slip on and off, no trying to do/undo a buckle with one hand.

·         Ok so that last one got me thinking about my mom some more.  And I don’t know if I ever thought I would NEVER do this, but my running shoes often (usually) have holes in the toes.  I remember that my mom always wore “Keds,” and more often than not there were holes in the toes of her Keds.  So I think I must have feet built like hers or walk like she does or something because literally within a few weeks of having a brand new pair of running shoes, my toes come “poking through” (and all my running socks have holes in the toes too-sometimes after the FIRST time I wear them.)  Of interest (or not): I tried buying a brand of running shoes that has leather across most the of the toe, but I didn’t like the way they felt, so I’m back to my Asics with holes in the toes.  Sigh.  And ….I really don’t know what this item has to do with my list of “never say never” items but I was thinking about it, and I certainly don’t think I PLANNED to (although I’m not sure I said I would never) wear holey shoes.

·         Back to the subject at hand:  I always said that I would NEVER home-school any of my children.  How could I give them as much time and attention and have as much access to resources and supplies as someone who was being paid to do the job full-time with training, supplies, and no interruptions (like other children, phone calls, laundry, etc.)? And don’t even get me started on the social pitfalls of pulling kids out of public schools. But guess what?  I ended up home-schooling three of my 6 kids when they were each in 7^th grade, and it was AWESOME.  (Someday I’ll blog about how the decision to do this came about.)  I took all three of them through an entire 9^th grade Algebra course, and when they went back to public school, math was sooo easy for them. One of my 7^th graders read the entire Work and the Glory Series as well as all the Jules Verne and Jane Austin books.  In 7^th grade folks!  Also how great was it to have built in babysitters for the younger kids if I needed to run someplace during the day and to have help with projects (We repainted the entire house-me and my home-schooled 7^th grader- one year.) And I got to use scripture reading and journal writing as part of the curriculum.  This was PERFECT for me-who LOVES school work and is somewhat of a control freak.  I got to teach and have COMPLETE CONTROL over the curriculum. (Although my 3^rd child to be home-schooled often teases me that homeschooled kids are “weird.”  When I remind her that she was home-schooled, she replies, “Yes, and I’m just now recovering.”  She is 18 and graduating on Friday-As Valedictorian I might add.)

·         Well, this post is long enough.  There are more things to add, and there may be a “Never Say Never” part II, but for now I’ll end with something I really though I would NEVER do!  I would NEVER have a baby at home.  (In fact the thought was so ludicrous to me that I don’t think I ever even SAID it-it was just a given.) I live too far from medical help.  There are too many things that could go wrong.  And well, it is just too scary.  But…baby # 6 was born at home, with Dad as the “delivery man.”  (His birth WAS a “planned” home birth, but the mid-wife didn’t make it in time.)  He is now ten with no ill-effects suffered from having Dad “catch” him as opposed to a doctor/mid-wife, and I count his birth as one of the coolest experiences of my life.  (Again, at some future day, I may blog his birth story, and how someone as adamantly opposed to home-births as me, decided to deliver at home.)  But for now, this post is long enough.

However, since I haven’t mentioned Corinne (my BFF and this inspiration for this blog) for a long time, and since she commented once that she was “taking a beating” in my blog, I will close with a “Never Say Never” example from her life.  Corinne, who only has one sister, always told me that she was going to marry someone with LOTS of brothers and sisters so her kids could have plenty of cousins.   And…..She married an only child.  But he is awesome.  He is a great dad and good provider and is currently serving as the stake president of our stake.  (I hope that doesn’t sound like another “blog beating” Corinne-it was meant as a compliment. Someday soon, I’ll blog some really GOOD stuff about you and me-there is lots and lots.) 

So the moral of the story-be careful what you say!

Some pictures from the above:

Lynae and Kay at girls' camp-my 2nd go-around as camp director

Home-schooled Kaylee-helps re-paint the living room and has some graffiti fun in the process

Baby Luke with "Doctor Dad" a few hours after his birth