A Little Preoccupied

So we've gotten quite a bit of flack for dropping off the face of the blogging world. I do very much apologize, but come on, we've been a bit busy around here....
That's right, I've been dang busy growing teeny tiny eyebrows and toe nails and ear lobes and bunzies, not to mention all those vital organs! And while I was busy doing all this growing (on the couch and in bed...) Byron was busy taking care of the house and kids and crazy life in general with a family of four kids, oh yeah, and working full time at his new job, which he loves by the way. I think he has had the harder job, but mine still seems to make me more tired.

BUT, now that I am 17 weeks along and feeling much more like a normal, regular tired busy mom, life is seeming more managable and the prospect of a new baby is getting very exciting. I have been a bit freaked out by the thought of FIVE kids, FIVE KIDS!, especially with a three year old and a two year old thrown in the mix. Woah! One night a number of weeks ago, when I was feeling lousy and the day had been particularly hectic and kids had been exceptional nightmares, I was scared. I said to Byron, "Who are we kidding throwing a newborn into the mix of this life??? It's going to be insane!!!" Byron, being the typical Byron, came to my rescue without really meaning to. He said simply, but with complete sincerity, "It's going to be perfect." I so needed him to have this attitude. Yes it is going to be absolutely insane, but it is what we WANT. There is no better insanity, no better true joy that will come from having another baby to love and care for and teach and cherish. Yes, I am terrified, but I am learning to adopt Byron's attitude. I am a slow learner.....

We get to find out the gender in a few weeks. We are trying to THINK PINK!!!

By the way, I am too lazy to scan the real ultrasound pictures we got at 12 weeks, this one was stolen from the internet. Our baby was WAY cuter....

Pretty Cute If You Ask Me

Here are a couple of recent pictures of Lucy and Sam.

They're Growing Up Fast!!

Well, two months since the last post and we have now been in AZ for about 6 weeks. More on that another time. We just needed a new post and first day of school pictures are a good excuse.

Jack is now 10-years-old and started 5th grade this week.

Max is 7 and started second grade.

Lucy will be in preschool. She turns 3 in a couple of weeks.

Sam is just a spoiled little boy who will get Mommy all to himself.

This is the us at Aspen Grove earlier this summer.

This is the entire Garn Family (-1 grandchild) at Aspen Grove.

MI Fave #6 Lake Michigan Beaches

We've been to Lake Michigan to play at the beach four times now. We love it! The sand is wonderfully fine and soft. We love that we feel like we are at the ocean, just with smaller waves and no saltwater that the kids think is icky. We knew we couldn't leave Michigan without one last trip this summer, and we couldn't have asked for a better day. The kids played and played in the sand, we climbed the sand dunes and ran down getting nice and hot, then swam in the refreshing cold (freezing) water. The little ones were even happy to play without naps, amazing! It was so relaxing and great to make more Michigan memories.

MI Fave #5

Fireflies!!

MI Fave #4 BERRY PICKING

Each year we have thoroughly enjoyed our berry picking excursions. There are strawberries, blueberries and our favorite RASPBERRIES! The farms are all within a half hour from our house. Strawberries are not my funnest thing to pick. The plants are low to the ground and the berries are hidden under the leaves, and the first time we went it was 100+ degrees, 100% humidity and I was 10 months pregnant with Lucy. I never exaggerate... But, oh, the taste of those sweet candy like berries is so worth the back pain! We went with some friends just a few days ago and this time the kids were the perfect height for picking (and stepping on them) and the weather was beautiful! Blueberries are awesome because the bushes are tall, no bending there! And you can get 4 or 5 off the bush in one pull. We eat them fresh for a while then freeze the rest and enjoy yummy blueberries all year in oatmeal or pancakes or just because. The raspberries are the best because we LOVE how they taste combined with pounds of sugar and gelatin. Every fall we make tons of raspberry jam and each year we go through it faster and faster. Oink, oink. Our big boys have become jam snobs and refuse to eat store bought jam. I honestly don't blame them, but come on, we've been out of jam since February and they've got to be sick of Peanut Butter and Honey sandwiches by now! But no, they think it's better than sicko jam... The best berry picking we have every year, however, is right in our famous Abbot Elementary's backyard. The Abbot Woods has hundreds of wild berry bushes growing in there and it seems no one else knows or cares. And since we didn't die the first year eating them, we kept doing it and loving it more each year. It is so fun to walk up to the school and go have a snack of handfuls of berries. We are sure going to miss these this summer and fall. The dream of Arizona oranges come this winter might make it a little more bearable...

MI Fave #3 ABBOT ELEMENTARY

Tomorrow is the last day of school. A good time to give props to the best school in AA. (Which, by the way is the best. I am always joking (fighting) with my friends about OUR school being the best in AA, which is dumb because they are ALL excellent. It was confirmed, however, when one of the BEST teachers from highly acclaimed Dicken Elementary moved to Abbot and said that the Abbot community of parent involvement is AMAZING, way better than Dicken... or something like that...)

And thank goodness for those amazing parents who rally the amazing teachers here, so slacker moms like me who have 2 babies in 15 months can be literally nonexistant at school and still know that INCREDIBLE things are going on at school. It really has been a wonderful, supportive, growing place for our boys to be everyday.
First grade was a hard transition for Jack to be gone to school all day, but Mrs. Rutz read him wonderfully, not only challenged him the way he needed, but also gave him his quiet alone time he wanted sometimes during recess. Second grade was wonderful with Ms. Gause again challenging him and letting him be himself. Third grade would be a dream for Jack as Ms. Gause moved up with her class, he loved it and had a great year. He was disappointed when he found out about his fourth grade teacher, he heard she was strict and not much fun. After the first week it was a complete turn around for Jack. Mrs. Publiski won his heart and their entire class. They have worked really hard, but have had more fun than they can measure. She is straight forward and expects responsible students, it is a parent's dream!
Max was lucky enough to have the famous Mrs. Bradley who came from Dicken. She was the perfect transition for Max who was used to VERY playbased preschool and had never held a pencil or crayon for more than 5 minutes at a time. His already active social skills blossomed and she reigned those in for him. She even let him bring in Lucy for his shown and tell one day. What a teacher!
Max was lucky enought to get Jack's old teacher Mrs. Rutz, who again has been amazing but for all different reasons. Max has excelled in math, he gets it and he doesn't even have to think about it. But his reading has been slow going, and she has patiently pushed him and has given him the support and confidence he has needed. She even met with me early this morning to give me a good picture of what he needs for the summer to keep him going strong. She is amazing, she has taught at Abbot for 22 years and is now retiring. We feel so lucky our two boys have been able to benefit from her experience and no nonsense but fun learning classroom.
A shout out to Abbot would be incomplete without mentioning "Mr. T", the beloved PE teacher. We knew we were at a great place when the PE teacher's name is Mr. Tennis. No joke! He is Mr. Tennis and he too has taught at Abbot for 22 years. From the opening social, to the run a thon, the book fairs, and ice cream socials, we have loved our Abbot community. AND, it is down the street and around the corner so the boys have walked everyday, even in 12 inches of snow. It is the best! Go Abbot All Stars!