To The Rescue!

A couple of weeks ago, as I laid in bed with Jane -- who was wide awake for a couple of hours in the middle of the night as she occasionally likes to do -- my mind was racing with trying to figure out all things baby.  Not having family nearby makes the particulars of childcare for the children at home slightly more problematic to arrange.  Thankfully, we have friends here in town who kindly offered to help out whenever the baby may come, but there's always the concern of what to do if I have to leave for the hospital in the middle of the night.  Yes.  People offered to be on call, but who really wants to take someone up on their willingness to be woken up in the middle of the night to come and watch over your kids??  I certainly didn't want to have to impose on anyone like that!

So, like I said.  I was laying there thinking over what our "game plan" should be based on different scenarios of when and what day the baby might come, when my brother's name popped into my head.  For the last two babies, I was lucky enough to have my youngest sister, Amy, come out and stay with us to help out when the baby came.  Alex and Jane were both August birthdays, and Amy was on a college schedule still, so I was super lucky to have her available and willing to come and help.  This time around, the situation is different.  It's the middle of a school year, and Amy is a full-time working woman.  But when FREDDIE'S name popped into my head, I quickly realized HE might be available and willing to help this time instead.  I quickly dismissed the idea -- he lives all the way in Utah, I didn't want to interrupt his job searching (he just finished up getting his MBA), and I felt bad about imposing on him for help.  But THEN, he called me up -- completely out of the blue -- later that afternoon and totally volunteered as tribute!  Hahaha. 

 Seriously, though.  It was so far past coincidental that I knew it was meant to be.  Hence the title, "to the rescue!" Freddie flew in last night and will be able to stay for over a week.  HOPEFULLY, the baby will cooperate and come before he leaves.  But even if not, Scott's parents will be coming to stay at his sister's house the week after that, and have offered to come over and help when needed as well.  Even though they'll be a couple of hours away, we still have our friends here who are willing to help out until they can drive over.  All in all, everything has fallen into place perfectly. My mantra of "Peace, Be Still" has really helped me out over the last few weeks, and it's been faith strengthening to see what has happened as I've put that mindset in place.  :)  

My lunch dates at Costco this afternoon.  :)

{9 days left and counting...}

Halloween-y Evening

The ward Halloween party has come and gone!  I wanted to try and get a post up last night with all the pictures from the festivities, but we got home late and it was taking FOREVER to upload everything from the camera.  Because, yes -- I actually whipped out the REAL camera for the occasion!  :)

This year {as in almost every year}, we had some last minute costume changes {*ahem* ALEX} and some last minute scrambling for costumes PERIOD.  Ethan opted NOT to dress up this year, and I swear that made it so difficult for me to keep track of everyone!  Hahaha.  I don't know why, but seeing only 4 of my kids in costume kept making me think someone was missing, even though I knew Ethan was there.  

Adding to the excitement this year, was Ethan's first stint helping to man the "Young Men" booth of a Haunted Maze.  Meanwhile, Grace and Sophie got to help out {along with the other Activity Day girls} with running the Primary's "Boo Bowling" booth once dinner had been served and eaten.  All in all, the night was a howling success for the kids.  Because I mean really.  Free candy, lots of games, and friends to play with equals one fun night. 

Dash!

Or is he Mr. Incredible?  I'm not sure.  He kept changing his tune.  He was supposed to be Ironman this year, but after finding this {slightly too tight and too small} costume at Goodwill, he had a quick change of mind.

Meanwhile, Grace wanted to be Spiderman from the get-go, and I was awfully happy when I found something in her size during the same Goodwill outing.  She was super stoked when I finally caved and gave her the go-ahead to "paint" her face for the night with marker and eyeliner.

I never managed to get a group shot of all my kids, but just to recap, we had a Spiderman (Grace), a Dorothy (Sophie), a Rainbow Dash (Jane), and an Incredible (Alex).  Sophie's was the only last minute scramble to find a costume, and that's mainly because I totally struck out trying to find her an Alice in Wonderland costume, which is what she REALLY wanted to be.  Any other year {you know -- where I didn't have a baby due in a week}, I probably would have sewed something up.  But this year, I sent her down to the basement to dig around and find something we already had.  Thankfully, she was a good sport about it, and ended up going as Dorothy -- which is what she was TWO Halloweens ago.  :)  We didn't have the ruby red slippers anymore to fit her, but that was no big deal!  "She actually has silver slippers in the book," is what Sophie informed me, while happily putting on her church shoes which fit the bill perfectly.  Hahaha. 

Jane's got that pose down!

Hahahaha.

Oh Grace.

It's a good thing the dress still fit!  

Dorothy's silver slippers.

Decorations for the Primary booth.  Courtesy of the Activity Day girls.  :)

"Boo Bowling" -- where you roll a pumpkin to knock down paper towel rolls decorated with googly eyes to look like ghosts.

The kids with some of their friends.  I kind of loved snapping this candid shot of them just hanging around chatting.  Hahahaha.

Perhaps he should just embrace being "Under Armour" man for a costume?  Hahaha.

An awesome Buddy the Elf costume.

I went as "The Super J Lady" -- a fictitious character I've created for my superhero obsessed Lover Boy.  In a series of bedtime stories, I've told him all about the adventures of the Super J Lady and her little boy, Captain Xander Man.  Hahaha.  "No one knows who you are," is what my darling children informed me.  Hahaha.  That's okay.  Alex does, and that's all that matters.  :)

Chili Time!

 

Once enough chili, cornbread, and homemade root beer was consumed, the kids quickly scattered to get to the different booths.  For the next hour or so, I did my best to keep track of where they were, while helping Alex make his way around, and helping out a bit with the Primary booth.  By the end of the night, I was MORE than ready to head home and go to bed.  :)  The end of this pregnancy is starting to take it's toll on me!  Thank goodness there are only 10 more days until D Day!

The cake walk is a perennial favorite with my kids.  And who doesn't love a cake walk all to themselves???  Hahahaha.  GUARANTEED win!  :)

Grace and a friend manning the Boo Bowling.

Jane giving it a whirl.

And Sophie waiting patiently in line. 

And that's all folks!  It literally took me all day to finally get these pictures uploaded to Blogger, so I'm going to call it a night!  Now if only this baby would come tomorrow...

Odds and Ends -- An Update

While scrolling through pictures on my phone this weekend, I realized there were tons of little updates on the kids that weren't huge enough on their own to make up a blog post, but when combined all together give a little sampling of all they've been up to.  So let's take it from the top...

ETHAN:

Ethan finished out his Cross Country season strong, with a PR of 14:02.  He requested that we all come to cheer him on at the last meet, and we all obliged.  Minus Grace.  Who couldn't be persuaded to come and join in the fun.

{I found this gem while cleaning my room this weekend -- it's from the Mother Son Mustache Bash that we went to two years ago.  Hahaha.}

On the school front, Ethan is rocking the 7th grade.  Although -- to be fair -- there were a few weeks there, where I was concerned that 7th grade Honors English was going to be the death of me.  And the source of an ulcer for Ethan.  Thankfully, I think he's finally gotten the hang of things and is no longer stressing about EVERY SINGLE WRITING ASSIGNMENT. 

Here he is working on a project for one of the books they read in class.

It's basically a book report in a "fun way"

He created 6 different functions on an iPhone to represent one of the characters in the story.  I don't even know what that means.  I'm going to be honest.  Hahaha.

On the home front, Ethan is prepared to hold down the fort for whenever the baby comes!  He took it upon himself to create a poster to hang in his room, with the schedule of who will be helping out with the kids based on what day of the week the baby comes.  {PLEASE NOTE that Ethan will not really be in charge here!  Hahaha.  He just likes having a plan and knowing what to expect.  Scott's sister Kristin is also "on call" to drive over this week, AND my brother Freddie has offered to fly out to help us as well, and he gets in this Thursday!  Between that and Scott's parents coming to town in a couple of weeks for my nephew's mission homecoming, we've got everything baby-wise covered.  :) }

GRACE:

Grace, Grace, Grace.  That kid.  I had to snap a picture of her this morning, running laps around the house in the dark, wearing a head lamp, to "get rid of some energy."  Hahahaha.  She has such a loyal following.  

She's also SUPER into playing around with make-up these days, and created a "scary doll" look this weekend for a potential Halloween costume for Sophie.  {Sophie has declined the offer, in case you were wondering.  Hahahaha.}

{Another bedroom-cleaning-find -- a note that Grace left me a LONG time ago.  She sure knows how to "tie a bow." :)  "You're the fabulist girl I know.  Your the best cook.  Your the funnyist.  Your the smartist.  Your the sweetist.  Your good at takeing care of babys.  Your the quickist reader.  You are lovely.  Your very nice.  Your good at picking out movies for us on movie night.  Your good at art.  Your good at singing.  Thats all I can think of.  To: mom.  Love, Grace"}

Her spelling {and writing skills} have improved in recent times, evidenced by this Veterans Day artwork piece she created for a contest at school:

{"To this day we look upon you.  So many died in the troops.  The bombs fell the bullets flew.  On this day I think of you.  Long live the veterans big and bright.  They let light flow through the night.  The United States thanks you with all of our might.  And all I think on this day is I am proud to be an American."}

SOPHIE:

Sophie survived the next tightening of her braces this past week, and thankfully they didn't seem to bother her this time around!  She chose purple-ish rubber bands this time, and was excited to show them off to her friends.  :)

In school news, we had parent teacher conferences this past week, and in the least surprising news of all time, Sophie still has a bit of a "chatting" problem in class.  Hahahaha.  Seriously, though.  Since her very first Kindergarten conference, this "issue" has been a constant refrain.  She's super bright, gets all her work done, and isn't a troublemaker, but she CAN'T STOP TALKING.   Hahaha.  {Scott says, once again, that she gets this problem from HIM.  :) }

{"Other than very talkative -- she's doing great.  :)  }

For their end of quarter school assembly, Sophie's teacher nominated her for an "Initiative" award.  Apparently, Sophie's voracious reading habits having been racking up hours and hours on her reading log each week -- and earning lots of "3rd Grade money" as well.  

JANE:

Jane, Jane, Jane.  Hahaha.  I love that she still loves to "match" with mom.  And that she has such an artsy craftsy soul.  A couple of Saturdays ago, her day was made when first, we both wore a navy cardigan, and then she got to spend the afternoon at her Primary teacher's house, decorating a "Halloween Cake."  She opted for a "Candy Corn" design, and totally nailed it.  :)

Totally twinning, right?  Hahaha.

She continues to leave me love notes all the time, and I have to say -- they never get old!  Especially when she writes them of her own volition to apologize for being super naughty.  {Even if I can't even remember what she had been doing.  :) }

{Her "best friend" and next door neighbor had a birthday party this weekend, with a REAL face paint artist in attendance.  Jane was SOOOOOOOO sad when she had to take a bath and wash off all the paint.}

ALEX:

This kid.  I tell you what.  Half the time he is a happy-go-lucky, adorable little 4-year-old, and the other half of the time, he's a grumpy, old man.  Hahaha.  Seriously.  It's true.  One of his happy times, was the "Fall Festival" at Preschool a couple of weeks ago.  Not only did they get to go for a "hay ride," but they also got to pick out a pumpkin and have yummy treats.

{My Costco lunch date last week.  :)  }

One other thing to note about Alex these days, is his supreme motivation by charts.  I had both Jane and Alex start a Chore "Sticker Chart" a couple of months ago, with the idea that once they filled it out, they could pick out a toy or go on a "date" to somewhere of their choice.  Alex is HIGHLY motivated by charts.  Jane -- not so much.  Hahaha.  Alex has already filled a couple of charts out, meanwhile Jane is still only halfway through her original one.  Here's a shot of Alex unloading the dishwasher one morning for his chores, with elephant lending a helping hand.  ;)

ISAAC:

And finally, we get to the baby update.  I made cleaning our room a top priority this weekend, mostly in order to get the baby's crib and glider set up before his arrival.  We have an extra room for a guest room/baby room, but for the first couple of months, I always find it easier to have them right in the same room with me.  At this point in time, the only real concern I have with keeping the baby in our room, is the fact that Alex and/or Jane are still unpredictably predictable in crashing our room at all hours of the night, and I'm concerned that they'll wake HIM up along with us.  :(

The last little bit of baby prep that I wanted to have done before Isaac arrives, was his baby quilt, and I have now checked that off the list!  I spent the morning finishing up the quilting, and then the afternoon was spent working on the binding.  It is now washed, dried, crinkly, and totally finished!  :)  Now he can come at any time.  Hahaha.

Mid-quilting

And post-quilting.

The finished product.

And that's all folks!  To close, I'll leave you with a parting shot of me at 38 weeks on Sunday.  I'm REALLY hoping that this is the last Sunday selfie I'll have documenting this pregnancy, but I'm starting to resign myself to having a November baby after all...  :)