So we wanted one of those cute pictures with all the kids heads together, but trying to accomplish that with seven kids under seven is just silly. Hazel kept grabbing everyone’s hair. Here are the best ones.

When is the last time you’ve been bowling. It is SO much fun! However, the picture is true… Jonah beat Jenn and I at bowling. At least we both beat Calvin – although it was neck and neck for awhile. Jonah’s bowling dance must have directly lead to his victory. No other explanation. Yesterday we had a babysitter come over to watch the kids while Jenn and I got tattoos! Hooray! Jenn’s turned out SOOO good, but her touch up was a little painful. Jenn got “Do not be afraid; Let it be” on her right wrist and I got “Ephesians 2:8; and so it is” on my chest. Jenn will love it but needs some encouragement so comment how much you all adore her tattoo!

Here are some Jonah quotes from yesterday…
“Girls wear panties and boys wear underwear.”
“What do planets do when they don’t have any people on them?”
“I remembered it by using my brain.”
Answer to what he would do if he won the lottery (after explaining what the lottery is)
“Well, I would buy my own cactus. Then I would buy all the cups in the world. And I want to buy my own phone. Then, I would get tattoos for everyone in my family, including Ellie. They would all be anchors. After I ran out of money I would make more by being the fastest car in a race and buy a hamburger. Then, when I’m an old man I think… I think I would die and then I’d have my story at the end. Auntsie can you please sing me my story now?”
Here is video of the Calvin snack since he hasn’t received much web time.

(Auntsie here) Sunday night we had family movie night and Jonah and Calvin watched Homeward Bound for the first time. I had no idea what an emotional movie it would be – both boys were so concerned. I have a badly lit clip that isn’t very clear, but I was trying to get Jonah’s reactions (Homeward Bound reaction 2) to parts of the movie (the camera died just before he saw Shadow make it home as well, so it ends with Jonah very worried – no worries there was a happy ending). They were so genuine and precious. Yesterday we went to the park (park moment) with Calvin and Hazel to meet some friends and then Jonah came home from school (after school) and we had dinner and skyped with Chris. We shall return later with more pictures…

(Auntsie Here) I have some videos that I will get up tomorrow, but hopefully this suffice for now. The other night Jonah asked me to sing the Star Wars song and I wasn’t sure what he was talking about and then he sang it for me (that boy’s memory is incredible). I had him sing it again to share with all of you. jonah song

Here’s some pictures of Hazel. Because she’s cute. And I found my camera cord. And Caitlin has shamed me with her prompt posting.

I put this tigger in front of her and she just stared at it. I felt like they were having a chat.

She fell asleep after playing on her mat. She looked so cute. Then Jonah tripped on her and woke her up. Ah, well, the life of a third child.

I think this is the sweetest picture I have of them.

Ellie wanted to sit with her. I just had trouble keeping Ellie from rolling onto her!

I took these laying next to her and tickling her.

Auntsie here. Unlike Jenn and Chris I plan to post every other day if not daily over the next week during my stay. I will do my best to get some precious pictures and priceless moments on video. Already I have a super great Jonah quote to share from today while we were shopping at Costco. He was sitting in the cart with Calvin holding a bunch of roses talking to himself and I walked up and he said louder,

“When I die  I’m going to give it to God,”

To which I replied, “Give what, Jonah?”

“Give  everything, cause he gave it to me. Like these roses.”

Sometimes his preciousness is too much to handle.

Alright, so about the title – yesterday we went to one of Jonah’s friend’s birthday parties and it was ridiculous. The neighborhood was fancy (well as fancy as you can get in Albuquerque) and when we walked in there was a magician setting up for a show. But before I include a couple snippets  of the party, let me go back to our initial arrival. They picked me up from the airport and we left from there to the party. Jonah’s pants had quite the tear in them and when he lifted his knee the tear doubled in size. Not wanting to look like complete white trash, Jenn’s alternative was to just cut the legs off  (Jonah Party 1) and turn them into shorts. What would we do without quick Mom thinking. Keep in mind this is arriving at a house that has a Zebra skin carpet in their bedroom. Anyways, believe it or not we were able to blend in fairly well and overall had a lovely time. Jonah certainly did once they surprised the birthday boy with ponies and minature horse ridesJonah Party 2 Jonah Party 4. The magician was a little weird but most of the children seemed entertained, and of course all was well once we got to cake and ice cream time Jonah Party 3Today we chatted with Chris online, went to Costco and are about to make some homemade pizzas and watch a movie. Once we have some more clips I will return! P.S. This clip of Jonah in bed was him alone in his bedroom and I overheard him making up a song for himself Jonah Video 1 .

BASE jumping? No big deal.  Alligator wrestling?  Soooo last year.  In 2010 the new adventure for true thrill seekers has got to be sub-four-year-old slumber parties.  Plus, in addition to the adrenaline rush you also get the good feeling of knowing that, while it may not ever be you, somewhere there are two parents who are having a quite evening including uninterrupted conversation, restaurant dining that doesn’t include a free toy, and (assuming the night goes well) no diapers.

Thus, it was our birthday gift to our friend Jason to take their two kids Caleb and Sammy (Jonah and Calvin’s ages respectively) starting Friday night at six with plans to return them the next day around noon.   However, I’m happy to report that the evening went surprising well and without major incident.   (more…)

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9:00 AM Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Everybody is healthy and happy. Hazel Joy entered the world at 1:46 am weighing 8lbs 21″, just shy of 21″ long. Now, enough about Hazel, let’s talk about everyone that made this possible. First and foremost we must recognize the hero of the day, Jenn. Although they went into the hospital to induce, at no point did the doctor need to follow through with the induction, Jenn took it from there. Not only did she begin labor naturally, be she endured then ENTIRE labor with NO DRUGS. Chris says that he has never witnessed such an incredible feat. Watching someone face increasingly worse pain without so much as a tylenol makes skydiving look like a walk around the block. Both Jenn and Chris want to take a moment to thank Dani, the unforgettable doula of the day! She stayed at their side, massaging feet, rubbing Jenn’s back and talking them through every step, making sure they had what they needed. She remained on shift through the night to share her birthday (25th) with Hazel. Chris and Jenn left the honors of cutting the umbilical cord to her. Thanks for being there for all of us Dani! With this birth, Jenn finally had the opportunity to experience immediate cuddling. Before nurses rushed Hazel off to clean, cut and swaddle, Hazel layed on Jenn’s chest struggling to open her eyes and stare up at her mama. After enough snuggles and some cleaning up, Chris finally had his moment to hold his baby girl. He said she is beautiful! Hazel gave Chris a death grip right away! Her skin is a healthy color and her full head of hair is quite dark!  Jenn says Chris was the best husband and handled everything perfectly! Everyone is now moved to a recovery room where Jenn and baby will be monitored until tomorrow morning, then they can share a wonderful Thanksgiving all together as a family!