Some Not So Shocking News ;)

We're excited to announce our newest adventure for 2019--baby #6 is due this August! This past Tuesday, we finally got to hear the sweet sound of life from this new soul God has blessed us with. The kids sat quietly on the bed with me, (the quietest they have ever been in their whole life!), and listened intently while the midwife searched for a heartbeat. 

Penelope brags daily about being a "big sista". Adaleine asks me every single day "has the baby kicked yet?". Before that though, her question was, "are you sure you're 'preganant'?" Lillianna and Gabriella are hoping for twins. A boy and a girl, because "we've never had a baby brother before and we want another girl to play barbies with us". Nathaniel is happy with either one. I don't think he's holding his breath for a baby brother though. 😉 

Our plan this time, God-willing, is to have a home birth. Yes, that's right. This baby will be a TEXAN! Nathaniel and Gabriella were both born in Arkansas because we still lived there. And then Lillianna came in April, a month after Justin graduated from Spartan. Awaiting her arrival was the only thing keeping us in Oklahoma, so we decided to just stay at my parents house in Arkansas until she arrived, because we knew Oklahoma was not where we'd be living. At the time, Justin had two job offers, one in Texas and one in Colorado, and we hadn't yet decided which one to take but knew the best thing was to wait for Lillie to be born before moving away. She came a day early and Justin left for Colorado to start his new job and find us a house, just a week after she was born. We followed him three weeks later after he found us a beautiful house. (Still miss it!) In 2014, Adaleine joined us and it was during my pregnancy with her that I began researching home births, and falling in love with the idea. We met with two midwives, but ended up deciding to do something crazy... we planned on having her in Arkansas instead. So a few weeks before my due date, Justin drove the kids and me to Arkansas, and turned right back around to Colorado so he wouldn't waste time off before her birth. The plan was for Justin to come back a couple days before my due date; all my babies came the day before they were due, after all. What could go wrong? Miss Adaleine decided to arrive four days early. The second labor began, I called Justin and told him to leave NOW! He made the 12 hour drive in record time (with one potty break on the side of the road, one gas refill, and without any tickets), we went to the hospital and Addie came an hour later. And then it was Penelope's turn. We decided on the same plan we made with Addie, except this time we lived in Texas and it was only a 9 hour drive. Pennie came ten days early but with another twist--my water ruptured early that morning, but thankfully not enough to rush to the hospital, which allowed Justin enough time to get to Arkansas. Contractions didn't even start until after we got to the hospital, and she was born shortly after. 

I can't wait to find out what this sweet baby's birth story will be. Hopefully it will be the intimate, peaceful experience I've been dreaming about for five years. It will be an adventure either way. 

Happy Heart Day

Our homeschool co-op celebrates Valentine's Day at the skating rink every year. The kids had a wonderful time, loved making boxes and valentines for their friends (in true Grace fashion, we threw boxes together the day before. Glitter glue for the win!), and we came home with at least 150 cards with candy attached. Nathaniel skipped the box and valentines, but wasn't too cool to whip out his blades. (Or to help Addie around the rink several times. He's a keeper.) And yes, it was really actually warm enough for shorts. 82 degrees in February.

Kid Cuteness-January Edition

Normally I would document cute things my kids say or do in a Facebook status, but since I'm trying to limit Facebook time this year, I had to come up with a new way to remember those funny things they say. It meant saving it in a memo on my phone, and unfortunately that was harder to do than a quick FB post, but I'm going to get better. The reality of it is I'd almost have to record our entire day, because honestly, they say and do many hilarious things... but then I'd also have to remember the many feuds, attitudes, and bad behavior we encounter daily. The stuff that isn't supposed to happen between sweet, happy siblings. Like the current fight over a coloring book that I'm trying to drown out with the help of Alexa and The Lumineers.

Back to the cute stuff...

1. One night this month, Justin brought up our need for an escape plan in case we ever encounter a house fire. We discussed the basics with the kids before bed and tried to prepare them a little for what it could be like if they woke up to the house on fire. Of course there was concern for the cats; how would they get out?! I told them we'd try our best but it was most important to get the people out. Just after we finished discussing, said our good-nights, and prayed over everyone's night, Addie exclaimed, in all seriousness, "Daddy! What if there's a fire under your blanket??" Insert obligatory toot joke. Exploding laughter. I no longer recall who made the toot joke, probably the boy, but it could go either way. 

2. We just finished our Friday co-op and Justin was home early and off for the weekend, so we decided on a spontaneous trip to Dallas. I do all the packing for our trips and instruct the older kids what to bring to me so I can arrange it in the suitcase. It's a big job and even though wherever we go probably has a Wal-Mart, I tend to get a little stressed. I strive (and mostly fail) to be an organized person, and forgetting things we need is not organized! Lillie is a little shy, but don't be fooled: she comes to life at home and can be quite the comedian. And if you can imagine her serious little voice saying it, it's even cuter. "Lillie, did you get three pairs of socks?" "Oh, I got more than three. Now that's what I call -- BEING. PREPARED." We hit the road a couple hours later, and embarked on what felt like the longest drive of our life. Obviously it wasn't but we severely miscalculated just how far Dallas is from Midland. Justin doesn't like to make too many stops, especially since our destination was so close...we arrived at our hotel after 8, none of us had eaten dinner yet, and we were a little "testy". The next day was record cold temps (I'm guessing. All I know is it was freezing). Definitely not Zoo weather, huh Justin? So we opted for something indoors, the Dallas World Aquarium, along with 500 other guests that morning. Above the trail inside, there is all sorts of jungle-y vegetation; Pennie looked up and thought the vines were snakes. I told her, "no, those are just branches." Later, Justin tried to scare her by saying, "Pennie, look at all the snakes up there!" to which she frantically replied, "No, Daddy! Those are just 'ranches'!"

3. A couple Sundays ago was serious business for football fans around the nation. We watched both games, almost back to back. Don't tell Ma I actually somewhat enjoyed watching it this year. (The boys have corrupted me, Ma. It's not my fault!) I have to be the annoying girl watching though, and root against whoever Nathaniel is rooting for and ask him to explain the rules to me. Justin to Nathaniel: "Give up, Dude. I've tried explaining it to her for years." Anyway, miraculously both teams Nathaniel was cheering for won. He swore at the beginning that he was having really good luck that day, (I think it started earlier that morning when he found out the Oilers won the night before.) and that his teams would make a comeback and compete at the Superbowl and WHEN that happens, "Daddy has to take me to buy a lottery ticket, because I'm lucky today!!!!" That night they went to the convenience store and bought two tickets. The drawing was held a few days later, and Nathaniel Googled the results. He came to me with a slump in his shoulders, "Well, I didn't win the Powerball. BUT, I did learn that if you stack 1 billion, $100 bills on top of each other, it would be as tall as TWO Willis Towers in Chicago!" His disappointment turned so quickly into enthusiasm over that little fact.

4. Gabriella is very into pranks lately. She has gotten "stuck" in two trees, "not cleaned her room" at least a dozen times, and has plans of countless more, I am certain. The prank-er, might soon become the prank-ee.