Logan was baptized on Nov. 29th.  Janet's family and my Mom and Kevin came up for it.  Also in attendance were David's family, Carol, George, Grandma A. and Jim.  There were friends and teachers from church and then my friend Estee showed up with her kids and I was glad to see her.  The baptism went well and Dad was able to watch via Skype.  Logan kept saying he just felt "good" which we told him was the Spirit.  I've seen Logan spiritually mature a lot this last year and he was ready to be baptized.  Afterwards, all of the family went to Olive Garden but it was crazy with so many kids.  Janet's family came over for a short time afterwards and then left.

Thanksgiving was also good and we had a fun time seeing family.  Dad had been in and out of the hospital with kidney stones so my Mom, Kevin, and Janet's family stayed behind and had their own Thanksgiving to be with him.  I would have done the same thing if I had lived there.  Luckily, the weather was nice on Thanksgiving day and the kids were able to play outside while the adults talked.  George taught Cameron and Errolyn how to play some Shanghai game and they loved it and played it most of the day.

We just had our "Messiah" concerts this last weekend.  The Friday night performance was just ok, and many other things seemed to go wrong for me that night, including Allie's feeding schedule and her not wanting to be held by strangers.  But, the Saturday night performance was wonderful!  The choir and orchestra sounded amazing!  I have to admit that the dress rehearsal and performances were a bit stressful for me because I had a young nursing baby I was worrying about.  When the soloist on "He Shall Feed His Flock" sang "Take His yoke upon you... and ye shall find rest" I felt that to be true!  I prayed that Heavenly Father would make up the difference and asked to take his yoke upon me and when I did I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders.  I was crying through the end of the piece and was touched by many other choir pieces on and off throughout the rest of the concert.  "Worthy is the Lamb" is so powerful that you can't help feeling the Spirit during that piece as well as "Hallelujah." And I had fun conducting!  I generally just had a good time for the last performance and it was such a joy to conduct the Messiah for my 6th year in a row.  It was also fun to see Cameron playing the cello in the Messiah orchestra this year.  Errolyn and Cameron also played in the youth orchestra for prelude.  Logan and Errolyn sang in the Children's Choir and Cameron sang in the Youth Choir as well.  And then Mike did the sound, as usual.  It was the first time I felt that the "Messiah" was serving my family and helping them because of the unique opportunity it was affording them to use their talents and grow.  I also felt the prompting that because of the efforts they saw Mike and I making they were learning how to be future leaders and to be dedicated in service, which thought gave me comfort.

Every person in my family bore their testimonies today except Emma and Allie, of course.  Everyone had a different event in their life that made them feel the need to get up.  Logan, his baptism, Cameron his concussion and how he didn't realize how much of a difference seminary was making until he had to miss it for a week (oh yeah... Cameron had a concussion from playing soccer at church and had to miss school for a week... he's fine now), Errolyn bore a sweet testimony about watching me play violin for the Messiah prelude and watching me conduct and how she loved me and wanted to be just like me (I wish I'd recorded it... my jaw about dropped when she said that), and Mike about all of the blessings in our family's life recently, and me about some of the experiences I'd had with preparing for the Messiah. Many other people stood up and bore testimony about how they had felt the Spirit during the Messiah concert or how much they had enjoyed using their talents because of that.  Many people mentioned me by name, which was a little embarrassing, but I'm grateful that my efforts with the Messiah have touched so many lives. 

Allie has been nursing well!  It was a roller coaster of 2 months with pumping, cup feeding, frequent weigh-ins, etc. but she is now nursing well and gaining weight well.  Whew.  She's also been sleeping well and sometimes I'm able to get a 7-hour stretch of sleeping during the night.  Other than that, life is good.  I'm still getting ready for the Christmas season, but most of the busy work should be done this week.  :)

So, long story short... Allison Canella (Allie) was born on Sep. 7th.  I was watching a scary movie and right as King Kong was attacking I felt a giant pop.  I didn't know what it was but had to go to the bathroom instantly (I'm assuming my water broke but it wasn't obvious).  I sat back down and had the worst contraction ever and instantly knew I was in labor after that one single contraction.  I called Mike downstairs and two minutes later had another horrible contraction.  Yes, I went from nothing to instantly two minutes apart and painful contractions.  The hospital took way too long to give me the epidural but shortly after they gave it to me I had Allie.  She cried when she came out and then they laid her on my chest and she turned blue and stopped breathing.  They whisked her away, gave her Oxygen, cleaned out her lungs, and were rubbing her to warm her up.  30 seconds later she started breathing with the Oxygen and 2 minutes later she could breath on her own.  It was a SCARY two minutes!!  They thought something was wrong with her heartbeat, but after a few tests the doctor was luckily incorrect and Allie was fine.  Carol helped with the kids on Sunday while we were in the hospital which was nice. 

Allie is wonderful!  She is so cute and smiley!  The kids absolutely adore her and fight over who gets to look at her or hold her.  :)  We have been struggling with nursing though.  I got mastitis which led to thrush which led low milk supply.  She wasn't gaining weight and I've had to supplement a little in the evenings.  Now I'm pumping a lot to increase my milk supply and it's been a big pain. 

Life is a little crazy right now with little sleep, constant feedings, and the kids being in four different school, but we're surviving.  Things will calm down soon enough.  My parents came up for Allie's baby blessing which was nice and the kids performed "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" on the same Sunday. 

Tomorrow is Halloween and Allie looks so cute in her Super Girl costume.  Heidi has been super great and has been taking Emma on Wednesdays to a dance class with Halley and then over to her house so Emma can play with Halley.  It's been super nice.  Also, Halley and Emma are in the same class at school which is fun.

I'm sure there has been a lot more, but I need to go feed Allie again.  :) 

Sitting pretty at about 5cm and hardly any contractions.  The doctor honestly didn't expect me to make it to my appointment today because she thought I'd for sure have my baby this week.  She stripped my membranes today but said there was hardly anything to strip because my body is so ready have the baby and she doesn't know why I haven't yet.  That's just the way I roll I guess.  So, hopefully I'll have the baby within 24 hrs, but if not, I'll probably have to wait to be induced on Tuesday.

Logan had a homework question that asked him to explain how to solve a specific math problem.  He wrote, "Be smart."  Lol and rolling my eyes.  I made him change his answer but I thought it was pretty funny. 

The kids love dancing to Errolyn's "Just Dance 4" Wii game, but sometimes I felt the songs and dancing were a little too old for Logan and Emma.  So, I bought "Just Dance Disney" and they love it.  I think I'll try the "Just Dance Kids" ones next.  But, I love that they dance and get their energy out but also are having fun.  :)

The kids have been busy, busy with school stuff already.  Emma met her new Mother's Day Out teacher yesterday and found out that she and Halley will be in the same class.  Emma is so excited.

This is my last few days being pregnant... forever.  I'm SO relieved to almost be done with this pregnancy, but also a little sad and reminiscent of my past pregnancies and babies.  This baby will be the "last" of many things for us... last first steps, last first words, last everything baby wise.  But, we know and feel this last baby will complete our family so hopefully all of the lasts don't make me too sad but more grateful for the wonderful family I've been given the opportunity to raise. 

This will be short...

The kids love their teachers and classes!  School is going well.  Went to Carol's for George's birthday tonight.  As of Thursday I was dilated to 4cm and 75% effaced.  Contracted for 4 hours last night, getting worse and worse, and then the contractions stopped at 5:30am.  So hoping this baby comes soon!  Tired of this contraction/ waiting game.

So, my parents came out a couple of weeks ago and it was good to see them.  The kids all showed off on their instruments, played games, and hung-out with everyone.  Even though school hasn't started yet, Cameron and Errolyn have had their fair share of school events.  Cameron (and us) had tennis camp, orchestra camp, an orchestra parent meeting, a tennis parent meeting, and a prep day at school last week.  Errolyn had orchestra camp and a prep day.  Next week is much lighter, but there are still a lot of meet-the-teacher nights, meetings, and doctors visits for school.  I'm ready for school to start, but it will be very difficult having a brand new baby right in the first couple of weeks of school while I have kids at 4 different school.  We'll see how it goes... but I'm really worried about the timing of everything and hope my kids will still being able to do everything they need to do at school while I'm in the hospital or recovering.

I've been getting up a bit more now that I'm not on bed rest.  I'm still taking it easy, but there's just too much to do to get ready for the baby and school.  I'm dilated to 2 cm, which really is nothing, but the doctor is having me come in every week for a stress test on the baby.  At my last appointment she didn't say I looked good like she normally does, but instead told me I needed to come in later this week for an ultrasound so she can check a couple of things.  So, we'll see how that goes.

Carol has helped out quite a bit with taking Errolyn school shopping.  I finished Cameron's on Saturday with him, but had to ride the cart around Target.  I feel so embarrassed using the cart, but it was too much walking and I didn't want to spur on my pre-labor contractions again.  In one more week I'll be full term and then I don't care if I walk a lot because the baby can come at that point.  I've never had problems at the end of pregnancy like this.  I'm usually go-go-go at the end; nesting big time.  Even though I'm not that old, the doctor said having a baby at my age is remarkably harder on the body and she's not surprised that I've had complications that I didn't have with my other four kids.  Oh well.

We got a new YW Presidency today and two new YM leaders... and I'm excited for the new leaders for my kids!  Mike and I were just discussing last week how we hoped Errolyn would have good, spiritual, and fun YW leaders.  We wanted two specific ladies... and they were called today!  Errolyn doesn't go into YW for 5 more months, but I'm so excited that these two ladies will be her leaders.  And Cameron's new Teacher's Quorum leader is a cello player... there are only two teachers in the ward, Cameron and Ammon, and they both play the cello too... neat coincidence.  :)

How one decision leads to another.

Dryer breaks and is old, we’ve fixed it too many times- lets buy a new dryer, our washer isn’t great either, let’s buy a new matching washer and dryer, to fit the new machines we have to remove the giant metal shelf we use for food storage in the laundry room, where will we put the giant shelf- it’s so big, we remove the old washing machine and the faucet is slightly leaking, we replace the faucet but in the process water ends up gushing all over the laundry room floor and flooding it, in the process of rushing to turn off the hot water heater (because scalding hot water is gushing out onto my husband and burning him) paint cans get thrown aside because they are blocking the door to the water heater, we soak up all of the water in the laundry room, we realize in frantically moving the paint cans an entire gallon of white paint spilt all over the garage, we have to hurry and clean the garage and clean up the paint, we decide the giant metal shelf will fit in the garage, we have to clean the entire garage and move EVERYTHING around because the shelf is so tall, while organizing things in the garage an entire jug of coolant begins leaking all over everything, we end up cleaning and wiping down several tools and bikes in addition to the coolant... BUT, now we have a new washer and dryer, our laundry room is mopped and spotless from the flood, the garage is clean and excellently organized, and now we just have to buy a new smaller shelf for the laundry room for our food storage (which we will have to take out of boxes since it was on the floor when it flooded and the boxes are ruined)… and we are exhausted yet somehow satisfied with all of our accomplishments! Lol.

Ahhh!  Disaster!  So, Mike was cleaning out the laundry room and getting the washing machine ready to be replaced.  We have a faucet in there that doesn't shut completely off.  Mike's replaced it before no problem and was replacing it again.  He didn't need to turn off the water the first time so he didn't this time.  All of the sudden I hear a gushing sound.  I figured it was water but he didn't call for help.  Then after about 20 seconds Mike starts yelling, "Help, help, help."  I grabbed a shoe bucket on the way and dumped it out and threw it to him to catch the water that was already all over the floor.  He started yelling that it was the hot water... yikes!  I yelled to Logan and Errolyn to grab empty bins and trash cans in the garage while I threw paint cans, bins, and junk off of the shelf in front of the water heater door.  The lever to turn the water off was all the way at the top of the closet... luckily Cameron came down right as I was about to climb up the water heater (I surely would have toppled with how pregnant I am and how little ledge there was to climb) and he climbed to the top and I told him which lever to push.  The water turned off, whew!  But, now there is an inch of water all over our laundry room floor and poor Mike was burned with extremely hot water for several minutes.  :(  I'm glad this happened today instead of ON his birthday... but it still stinks.  Poor Mike.  This washing machine better be worth it!

Last Sunday we were invited over for dessert with a new family that moved into the subdivision.  The kids got along well and then we came back and had our last game night with the Beans.  We had a good time seeing them all.  They left on Monday and then we began packing for our Houston trip.

On Tuesday, we went to the beach.  We didn't have a hotel on the beach like we wanted, but our hotel had a shuttle that took us to the beach which was nice.  I bid on a hotel on Priceline and so we got a super nice hotel for a really reasonable price.  The kids had fun, although I had wished it were a little warmer.  The kids all had fun boogie boarding, even little Emma.  Then we went swimming and took a shuttle back to the hotel and ordered pizza.

On Tuesday, we went to Nasa and bought City Passes so we could go to many of the attractions in Houston for almost half the price..  I enjoyed the tour of Mission Control, and the kids loved playing with all of the science gadgets in the main area.  We stayed there for about 7 hours and then we went to the Kemah boardwalk and the kids went on some amusement rides.  Emma went on some really scary rides that even Errolyn wouldn't go on, and she had a blast.  I was amazed.  I started hemorrhaging a little from all of the walking which worried me since my baby has dropped early.  Then we went to Mom and Dads and talked a little and put the kids to bed.

On Wednesday, we went to the Children's Museum and it is by far the best Children's Museum of the many we've taken the kids to.  There was so much to do!  It was also way crowded which was not fun.  Cameron and Errolyn mostly stuck together, Mike chased around Logan, and I was lucky to be with Emma.  She didn't run from toy to toy to toy like the other kids, but found something she really liked and stayed there for an hour playing.  She stayed in the play kitchen/ waitress area for over an hour serving parents fake food, making food, and washing fake dishes.  She loved it and she was so cute serving all of the parents.  She also stayed in the ambulance car for a while driving and trying to save the dummy with the medical gadgets in the ambulance.  I was glad she stayed in places fairly long so I could sit down for longer periods of time.  The three older kids got filmed and were on the Houston news that night for a new balloon toy which was cool.

I was getting more concerned by my hemorrhaging and called my doctor.  She told me I needed to stop walking around and monitor myself to see if the bleeding got worse so I'd know if I needed to go to the hospital.  So, when we went to the Museum of Natural Science Mike got a wheel chair for me so I wouldn't have to walk.  The museum brought back old memories for me since I had been there so many times when I was a youth and young adult.  I think the dinosaur and gem exhibits are better in Houston than the other museums I've been to.  We went to Mom and Dad's and Kevin was there again.  We mostly talked and Mom read the kids a lot of books which they loved.

On Friday, we went to the Aquarium.  It was smaller than expected but I loved seeing the white tiger since its my favorite animal.  It walked and moved a lot and I could have watched it all day.  Then we fed and touched the sting rays.  The girls were too afraid to touch the sting rays, but I touched them and the boys all touched and fed them.  Then I decided I had probably already had too much walking and sat down the rest of the time while the kids went on the amusement rides outside for a while.  While I was waiting I saw a really cool large green eel that I'm sure people would mistake for the Lockness Monster if it were a little larger.  Then we went to Janet's and wished Lizzy a happy birthday.  We met Mom and Dad at Los Tres for dinner.  We watched a neat wedding video that Mom had made for Mike and I and then the kids went down to the lake to run around and get their energy out.  Mike and Cameron also went to play Ultimate with Kevin and his friends.

On Saturday, we packed up and headed to Janet's church for James' baptism.  I led the music, Mike prayed and assisted in the confirmation, and the kids all sang a special musical number.  Afterwards, I asked Mike and my Dad for a blessing since I was worried about the baby.  I felt comforted during the blessing.  Then we went over to Janet's for some great barbeque and talking.  We stayed several hours and then started the drive back home.

Now I'm in bed rest mode until my hemorrhaging stops completely.  But, I'm glad we had a fun family vacation and that the kids have some good memories.

Our friends the Beans have been staying with us this week.  Its been so fun to catch up and hang out together.  We've talked, played games, gone to movies, and gone out to eat.  It's been fun!  The kids have been enjoying having friends here to play with too and they have all been getting along pretty well.  On the other side of things, I am exhausted!  I've done more than I should, so I'm spent.  But, its still been fun.  It has been much appreciated that they all help out cleaning up after every meal.  Also, I think the baby has dropped early which has made things super uncomfortable and very difficult to walk.  I have an appointment on Monday to check things out.

Logan and Errolyn had their Championship Swim Meet yesterday and they both did well.  Altogether they earned 23 points for the team.  Errolyn took 4th in Breaststroke and Logan 5th in Backstroke... which sounds just ok, but when there are 30+ kids competing (many who are year round and school swimmers), I think they did pretty well.

Well, a big water pipe burst in the street near our church so we only had Sacrament meeting today since the city shut off the water.  Consequently, we finally have time for us all to write in our journals.  :)

I spent most of the week in Utah and had a wonderful time visiting with family and cousins.  David and I were flying out together and our flight was delayed by 4 1/2 hours, but luckily we were able to re-book on a different flight that left later and still got in at the same time.  I rented a car in Salt Lake; worth every penny; it was nice to have freedom to go where I wanted when I wanted.  David and I stayed at Cheryl's and it was nice to just talk and hang out on Tuesday morning.  Later we went over to Grandma's to have a birthday barbeque for Dad.  It was fun to hang out with everyone and eat the good food.  Afterwards, Mom and I went to go practice for the musical number for the funeral the next day.  I played the violin with three of my cousins, Shannon, Laura, and Tenille, while Jake sang "O My Father."  For only one practice I thought it went well and brought the Spirit.

The next morning, we woke up early and went to the group Family Prayer.  It was difficult to be sad because I was so excited to see and visit with so many of my cousins.  The funeral went well.  Even though the last speaker was super long, I was glad because it gave me a chance to (tune him out... oops) and reflect on my own feelings about Grandpa.  I cried for about half the talk, but not because of anything the speaker was saying... I just missed my Grandpa.  I was wishing I had brought Cameron since he was really close to Grandpa, but it was too late and Grandpa would have been glad he was at Scout Camp.  Then we played our musical number and afterwards went in for the family luncheon.  It was so nice to talk to so many cousins and just catch up on things.  I stayed for quite a while.

After, David and I drove up to Salt Lake for the graveside service.  It was short and sweet, some tears, and a lot of family pictures and talking again.  I feel like Grandma never had a chance to mourn because she was so busy entertaining this week.  I hope she gets the chance to grieve but also feel comforted. 

After the funeral, I went and saw Linda's new house.  Then we all ate at Brick Oven.  :)  We talked and then went back to Linda's.  Then we went to Katie Tengelsen's home to play games with some of our cousins.  We played a fun game called Psychiatrist.  Then Janet, Linda, Cheryl, and I went to see Divergent... again, lol. 

I slept in the next morning and then packed up my stuff and headed to Grandma's for the morning.  I hung out with family members there for several hours and then went to Linda's for a little bit to say goodbye to my sisters.  Then I headed to Layton and stayed with my good friend Selena.  We talked until 1:30am and had a great time talking and catching up.  We talked a lot about women's roles in the church and other spiritual insights.  She had the thought that women were primarily responsible for bring Heavenly Father's children to Earth and men were primarily responsible for making sure we returned back to Heavenly Father.  We talked about the different Earthly responsibilities and natures that mirrored those two tasks and she said maybe even the two trees in the garden of Eden mirrored those two different tasks.  When I came home and told Mike about our discussions, he said it made him wonder if perhaps women didn't have a large role in the pre-mortal life too with preparing us to be sent to Earth from that side as well.  I had never thought about what preparations might be needed before hand and women's role in that but it was an interesting thought.

I had to wake up at 3:30am (only 2 hours of sleep!) to return my rental car and catch my flight.  I set two different alarms because I knew I'd be really tired and I slept through both alarms for about 10 minutes.  I am a super light sleeper so I was surprised, but I did have ear plugs in so I'm sure they were muted somewhat.  I slept the first leg of the plane ride and had my own row.  Then I had a 4 hour lay-over in San Francisco and put in my ear plugs and slept for 3 more hours.  Mike picked me up at the airport and it was good to see him.  The kids had missed me, especially Errolyn who was afraid I would die in a plane crash and called me several times a day to say she loved me.  (I think she loves me more when I'm gone than when I'm here, lol.) 

We went home for a short time and then drove to a fireworks show.  The kids had a fun time playing until it started raining and then there was mass panic to get everyone to the car.  We waited the rain out and the fireworks were really great.  When we got home, Cameron was back from Scout Camp and glad to be home too.

Yesterday was filled with errands and catching up on life.  Carol and George came over for a few hours and played games with us and the kids.  Mike and I also bought a new dishwasher and Mike installed it last night.  It works SO much better and looks much nicer too which is always a bonus.  The kids are playing games right now and Emma is begging me to write in her journal so we shall see what she says.  :)

Linda came and visited this week.  It was good to see her and her family again.  The kids enjoyed seeing there cousins a lot.  Carol took Logan and Emma to Fiesta Farms along with the in-town cousins and they had a good time.  Half way through Linda's visit we found out Grandpa Felsch had passed away.  Linda and I cried a lot.  Cameron had a wonderful time at EFY and told Mike all about it in the car ride home.  I was excited to hear all about it but Cameron wanted to accept some Facebook requests first.  We were waiting to tell him about Grandpa's passing until after we'd heard about his week away.  But, he saw on Facebook about Grandpa and cried most of the day.  He's still really somber about it.  He was close to Grandpa and loved working on Scouting projects with him when we would visit.

Last night we had our United Voices for Christ multi-faith concert.  This whole concert has been a struggle because its summer and so many people are out of town.  So, although everything was done on a much smaller scale than Messiah (we only had 70 in the choir, 30 in the orchestra, and 10 in the children's choir last night) it still was a good concert.  We had a good mix of Christian and Patriotic pieces and the audience especially liked the Patriotic sing-a-long and many of the other pieces we performed.  It was a good concert and we built some good relationships with some of the other churches.  The pot luck dinner between the dress rehearsal and performance was neat because that's when people actually mingled and got to know each other.  I conducted three pieces, played the violin on two, and sang on one.  Cameron played the cello on all of the orchestra pieces, Mike ran the sound equipment, and Errolyn and Logan sang in the Children's Choir.  It was a good experience.

Baseball and volleyball are over now.  Errolyn won the award for getting more serves over than anyone on the team.  She went from being the most consistent underhand serve to being the most consistent overhand server in just one game.  But she'd been practicing her overhand serve everyday for 20-30 minutes so I'm glad her practice paid off.  Logan continued to do awesome with baseball but he thinks its a boring game.  He wants to try a competitive team next year to see if that will be more fun.  Logan and Errolyn are now doing Swim Team everyday and enjoying that.  Also, I'm taking Errolyn occasionally to some volleyball clinics across town.

Cameron and Errolyn both won one of the Presidential Awards in school for good grades and character.  Errolyn had a 5th grade graduation and she was so serious the whole time, it was funny.  The first weekend in June we went camping with another family in our ward.  The kids had a blast playing tag and Ghost in the Graveyard and other outdoor games.  There were signs in the bathrooms about what to do if you spot a mountain lion so the kids were pretty good about staying near the campsites and not wandering off.  Emma loved sleeping in a tent and thought it was the coolest thing ever.  Cameron cooked us breakfast the next morning because he needed to for a Merit Badge.  Then we packed up camp and went on a 3 mile hike. 

Little Emma was such a trooper and walked the whole way!  The last mile we took some breaks so she could rest (and me... it was farther than I'd walked in a while since being pregnant).  Mike and Cameron went back the long way (5 mile hike for them) and Errolyn, Emma, and I took the shorter way back and they picked us up in the car and the end of our trail.  We saw a really long snake just before we reached the meeting point where we were meeting the boys.  The girls were scared to cross where we'd seen a snake but new we needed cross so the boys could pick us up.  For how drained Emma was of energy, she sure ran fast right along Errolyn when we reached the snake spot.  We ran the rest of the trail and waited for a few minutes for the boys.  Logan actually went hiking with the other family to see some dinosaur tracks, but we had to go on a different hike because Cameron had to find some Geocaches for another Merit Badge.

We've been having fun meeting different friends at the pool.  Cameron's been going to a Region cello camp once a week.  We went to a wedding last weekend that was really nice.  Cameron also went to his first youth dance.  He did NOT want to dance with girls, but I told him it was not only fun but also a service to the young women who may feel left out.  I didn't have to worry because a member of the Stake Presidency told him and his friend Ben (who also went for the first time) that to have fun they should dance with a different girl every single slow song.  And if they didn't, he would introduce them to a new girl each slow song for them to dance with.  Lol.  Cameron danced every slow song, although he only asked one girl to dance because the other girls all asked him.  He had a fun time... I think.  He goes to EFY next week; I hope he has fun!  And then he goes the following week to Scout Camp.

I've been in the midst of planning and rehearsing for the United Voices for Christ multi-faith concert.  It's been very difficult coordinating everything since people have summer vacation plans, but when you do a patriotic concert, you have to have it during the summer.  One rehearsal was well attended, one was scaring me because there were so few, but we had our first rehearsal with the other Christian churches and that went well.  It won't be as big and grand as I'd first envisioned, but the other church singers really belted out their parts so the choir sounds much bigger than it is.  We'll still have a big choir, just not Messiah size.  Everyone seemed to get along really well and hopefully this will help the other churches know that we too believe in Christ and that Mormons are normal people just like everyone else.  Half of the concert is Christian music and half is Patriotic music.  One of the pastors selected a Gospel/ Spiritual upbeat piece and the choir loves singing it... it's fun to do.  It's been fun to collaborate with the other music Pastors.

And then last but not least, our friends from Germany, the Beans, came down!  We only saw them for a day because they have to go to some family reunions up north but it was so fun to talk and hang out with them.  All of the kids got along really well.  They'll come back in a couple of weeks and stay with us which will be a ton of fun... and also crowded with 9 kids in one house!

Mike is speaking in another Ward today (1 1/2 hours away... yuck) and Cameron is speaking in our ward today as well as teaching his Teacher's Quorum lesson.  Other than all of that, the baby is doing well.  I'm measuring big so the doctor thinks I'll deliver earlier than my due date, but we'll see.  I can't wait to get back on Eat to Live!  I've been eating for convenience while I've been pregnant and I just feel so gross all of the time.  But, the green smoothies and salads don't taste good while I'm pregnant... I can't wait to get my normal taste buds back again.  Still no names for this baby girl.

So, Logan is my collector.  He loves bugs and animals.  He has 2 fish and a frog that Santa brought him... he wanted a rabbit or hamster, but we thought we'd try him out on something smaller.  And for a while he has had a giant container of snails and he regularly changes out the dirt and gives them things to eat.  He had a beetle collection he was starting, but we made him keep them outside because they got loose.

So, today I'm on the computer and Logan comes in with something in his hand and brings it right next to my face and says, "Can I keep this?"  I look up and he's caught a baby bird inside a clear container!  I screamed because I was startled to have a live bird in the house so close to my face with only a paper plate and a 7 yr. old hand keeping it from getting out.  Lol.  I made him dump it outside but he either damaged the bird's wing or it hasn't learned to fly yet because it's just walking slowly everywhere.  Shaking my head... Logan, Logan, Logan.  Lol.  I'm glad he's not afraid like my other kids are though.  I'm glad he'll pick up the beetles and look for the snakes and catch the birds... he really loves nature and being outdoors.

Mike just got back from 3 days in Boston... yea!  Cameron had a good orchestra concert on Tuesday, Errolyn got to watch a movie with some friends after school at the school (some auction thing her friend won and was able to invite a friend), Emma had a water day at school today and it was her last day of school, and I had a doctor's appointment today and the baby is doing well.

So, Mike went to Florida for a family reunion a couple of weeks ago.  He had a great time... although the kids were jealous that he went to Disney World without them.  Someday...

Last week I went to one of Heidi's oil parties.  Then the next day Errolyn and I went to a Mother/ Daughter Activity Day's dinner.  After dinner, the mother's had 12 minutes to make a foil dress on their daughter's that was modest.  I thought I made Errolyn a pretty cute outfit and Errolyn even kept it on for a while.  I guess the dress was ok, but the details: bracelets, purse, sun hat, earrings, flower belt, etc. were what made the outfit... even if it was just foil.  ;)

Then the next day I had a meeting to teach my two assistants how to conduct and rehearse since they'll be conducting at the next Stake Conference while I have my baby.  Errolyn also had a GT Fair that day and we got to see her display on Brazil.  People were really impressed with all of the paraphernalia she had from the country... I guess it helps that her Daddy served a mission there for 2 years.  ;)  Then on Friday, Cameron had his 8th Grade Party/ Dance.  He didn't dance since he's not old enough (by like a week) and he also said he wouldn't be comfortable being that close to a girl yet.  (Yes!  Lol.)  So, he earned a ton of tickets at the carnival like games and was able to cash them in for free movie tickets, restaurant tickets, etc.

Logan and Errolyn still continue to do very well at baseball and volleyball.  Errolyn's coach gives out "mock" awards after each game and Errolyn has been winning a lot of them "Most underhand serves (although she's getting really good at overhand and almost ready to switch), most bumps, most serve receives, most hustling, etc."  And Logan's coaches are telling him the opposite of what most baseball coaches tell their players... to not get so many people out because its a non-competitive league, lol. 

Saturday, the Updike's came over and we talked for a while, went out for dessert at BJ's, and then came back and played a couple of games.  On Sunday, Mother's Day was good.  I got French toast in bed and cute cards and a song from the kids.  The kid's sang the first verse of the "The Family is of God" in church and it was Emma's first time singing with the big kids... she was so proud.  They all sang well, but Logan always sings with feeling and he's fun to watch.  Carol came by after church with a delicious cake and played games with all of us.

And swim team started this week for Logan and Errolyn, although they've only had one practice because of the unusual May cold front that we're getting... but I'm not complaining.  :)  Cameron had a temple trip on Tuesday, but the poor guy left his suit at school because he was supposed to dress up for his big debate in GT.  So, he had to wear his old suit and shoes which he was worried about.  Yesterday, Cameron had a big GT debate on hand guns.  He won the "Crossfire Award" for the best crossfire skills, but his partner didn't do very well so they lost the debate.  Cameron was majorly bummed.  He had spent a lot of time researching and taking notes to help his partner, but at the last minute someone stole his notes for his partner off of his desk.  I'm just proud of him for putting in the effort.  Last night, all of the boys went to the Priesthood Commemoration.  Afterwards, they ate and played outdoor games and had a blast, especially Logan.  Errolyn and Emma decided to have a girl's night and they each did each other's make-up... it was hilarious.  (And I even think Emma did a better job doing Errolyn's make-up, but that's not saying much, lol.)  My camera was dead, but it would have been a good picture.

And now I'm up at the wee hours of the night because I'm in the middle of planning the United Voices for Christ concert and my blessing and my curse is that I dream of details and have to wake up and take care of them.  It's my curse because I lose a lot of sleep when I plan events, but a blessing because important details are always brought to my remembrance and I feel things go off without a hitch because of those details. 

My ear is still slightly clogged and I'm still pregnant, although it's SO nice to be able to get things done and do more at this stage of my pregnancy.  The baby is kicking a lot and its been fun!  And I think that's it for the last few weeks.  :) 

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas A. Edison

Paraphrasing this one:  Don't look negatively on your failures, but look at them as successful data.

These were from my Relief Society Activity last night.  Afterwards we had a swap and it was like a giant free garage sale... awesome!

I started re-writing one of the Youth Messiah pieces on Tuesday... it will be much better now!

So, we had a fun Easter and birthday.  My Dad came down for a couple of days and it was good to talk with him.  He played songs on the guitar for the kids... I'm glad my kids get to have memories of him doing that.  We alternated between David's house and our house to spend time with Dad.  I had a good birthday! I woke up to hearts with messages cascading down the stairs.  We had all of the in-town family and Dad over for dessert (my favorite Nadler's cake from Carol), I opened presents and cards from everyone, and then we had an Easter Egg hunt for the kids.

The big news is that we're having a girl!  So excited!  The baby is healthy and measuring a little big, so the baby might come a little earlier than expected.  I wrote "It's a girl!" on pink paint sample cards I had picked up from the store and delivered them to the kids' schools.  The kids are very excited.

I spent a few days this last week trying to teach Emma to swim with a 1-week trial membership I got to a gym.  While she's made a lot of progress she still will not leave the wall or let me hold her away from the wall without screaming bloody murder.  So, I don't think she'll do Swim Team this year... next year definitely though.  Try-outs are in two weeks and its just not enough time to fully teach her to swim on her own without a pool I can go to every day.  I bet she'll be a good swimmer by the end of summer though.

Logan lost one of each of his two pairs of tennis shoes and so he was wearing his church shoes all week.  I had the kids go check the mail and down at the end of the street they found Logan's other tennis shoes.  Apparently, he had worn them mismatched to play and left them at the end of the street.  *Rolling my eyes.

On Friday, I took the kids to the zoo and Emma and Logan had a great time seeing the animals.  When we got to the zoo we realized that Emma had somehow taken off her shoes before we got into the car to leave and nobody had noticed... and the zoo was far away and we got one of the last parking spaces available.  So, luckily I had an extra pair of crocks in the car that Logan was able to wear and then Emma wore Logan's shoes.  We tried buying shoes in the gift shop but they didn't have Emma's size or anything near her size.  Nobody complained and we got to see everything, so the shoe situation worked out.  The 3 oldest loved feeding the Lorikeets and Cameron at one point had one bird on his head eating nectar and another on his arm.  No, I didn't get pictures because my camera died just before we got to the Lorikeets.  Then we went to Jason's Deli (the kids' favorite place to eat) and then swimming.  I was exhausted but we all had a fun day.  Then yesterday was a work day.  Errolyn and I worked hard on the inside cleaning and Mike and Cameron worked hard on the front yard.  Logan cleaned inside and then also went out to help the boys.  Emma enjoyed helping Errolyn with her chores.  I think we all worked for 5-6 hours straight.  My motto is "work hard, play hard."  Since we'd had a fun day the entire day on Friday the kids knew Saturday would be our work day.  I'm glad that my kids know how to work hard... I think its an important habit/ skill to learn.

Kathy and Grandma just came over to get some of my extra artichoke plants that sprouted to the side of my big one.  Apparently they were $24 a plant at the nursery, so I was glad I had some extra offshoots that they could have.

Other than that, my left ear is still slightly clogged but a lot better, my ptyalism is still ruining my life (not really just super annoying), but at least I'm not sick and able do things with the kids and around the house now.  :)

So, Emma and I are trapped in the kitchen while the carpet guys clean our carpet.  We have to get our carpet cleaned every 1- 1 1/2 yrs. to keep the warranty valid on our new carpet... and it needed it anyway.  So, we cleaned the entire house yesterday, and now it is in complete disarray with furniture moved everywhere so they can clean the carpet, lol.  But, we should get everything put back tonight hopefully.

The Symphony conductor asked if I was feeling better because they could really use me on this next concert.  I am feeling better, so I decided to play with them one more time since I'll take off all of next year to be with the new baby.  I've played in a couple of weddings lately, but its really been hurting my back to play for 2-3 hours with the baby, not to mention, not being able to use the restroom when we're in the middle of playing... so, I probably won't do any more weddings until after the baby is born.

My left ear is still clogged, although not as much.  The doctor says we just need to wait it out and it will eventually unclog.  She doesn't want to prescribe anything stronger because I'm pregnant, so I'll just be disoriented for a while and keep asking people to repeat themselves when I can't hear.

I am feeling old; probably because of my upcoming birthday.  I had no problem turning 30, but 35 is so much closer to 40 and it just seems old. 

Errolyn is rocking the house in volleyball... go Errolyn!  And Logan is the Superstar player in baseball this year and can outrun almost anyone on the field to get the ball and then tag the runner before they get to base, lol.  We're trying to teach him to stay in his position, but he gets frustrated that the other players aren't bright enough to know where to throw the ball to so people will get out.  I think we'll have to put him on an older team next year.

I'm excited to see my parents this weekend!

So 1 1/2 years ago, the Scouts went to a Garden store in town and let the Scouts each pick a veggie plant to take home.  Cameron got me an artichoke plant because he knows I like them so much and that I've never planted one before.  Well, I finally got my first artichoke!  :)  It's kind of small... next time I'll let it grow a little bit longer.  I have 11 more buds growing... I'm excited!  :)

 

So, I'll start with the non-April Fool's stuff first.  I went to the ENT and I had a fever still, that I didn't know I had, and I still have an ear infection AND sinus infection.  So, I'm on my 3rd set of antibiotics... Hopefully it'll work because I only got 3 hours of sleep last night because I was so miserable.

I'll just paste my Facebook status for the April Fool's stuff: "Happy April Fool's Day! My mother-in-law got me the best. She said they were on a road trip and turning onto our street... I was excited!... but panic also set in as I've been sick with multiple things for 2 weeks and my house isn't exactly clean... but it was an April Fool's joke and I totally fell for it. I used the same prank on my kids, saying Grandma was on her way and they were all excited... but it may have backfired because now they're sad she's not coming, lol. 

Errolyn laced my water bottle with salt... that was an interesting one. Logan put toothpaste on the toilet last night for the first person who used it in the middle of the night, he stuffed toilet paper in the toes of everyone's shoes so they couldn't put them on, and he taped the phones to the bottom of chairs so they would ring and we couldn't find them. The kids have decorated each other's rooms with hearts or cute April Fool's messages. After the Facebook post that's been going around with the toothpaste Oreo cookies (that I knew Cameron had seen), I bought Oreo cookies and did NOTHING to them and he wouldn't eat them for a while because he was convinced there was toothpaste in them, lol. I've been promised there are more pranks to come... wonderful."

So, it's been a fun day... kind of, lol.

Emma is the sweetest little girl ever.  Since I've been so sick lately I've been taking naps occasionally.  The other morning I was fading out, on accident, on the couch.  Emma turned off all of the lights downstairs, turned on the bathroom fan (she knows I like white noise when I sleep), brought me a phone and blanket, and then she went upstairs to her room, closed the door, and played.  She certainly is a mother at heart.  Of course, I woke up to her singing Frozen songs at the top of her lungs an hour later in her room, but even that was still cute.

I've talked with some friends who have had clogged ears, and they all said it lasted a couple of months.  Joy.  At least the pain is starting to die down.  I guess I'll just have to get used to hearing out of one ear for a while.  But, I'm still going to see an ENT just to make sure there's nothing that can be done.

Errolyn auditioned for the Middle School orchestra yesterday.  She's still a beginner, but she's way better than the other 5th grade string players and doesn't want to be stuck with the other kids playing super easy music in the 6th grade orchestra.  The 5th grade strings teacher doesn't teach them anything, but plays on his computer and just tells them to practice something.  I volunteered one week to kind of show him how to teach and to help the kids (he's a choir teacher and knows nothing about violin).  Errolyn said the practice after I taught, the choir teacher had them open the book and all play together and was going over my instruction sheet I'd left on posture and technique.  She was excited that he was teaching them something.  But then the next 6 rehearsals he did nothing again.  So, she dropped out.  I normally don't let my kids quit things in the middle of the year once they've committed, but the teacher obviously is not committed to helping the students at all, so I let her drop out as long as she promised to have lessons with me instead.  She agreed and has improved a lot.  She'll find out what orchestra she'll make in a week or two.  The Orchestra Director said she's automatically good enough to make the Upper Intermediate Orchestra, but depending on how the other auditioners do, she may even make the Lower Advanced Orchestra.

Oh, and I think I need to ground Logan more often... just kidding.  But he's been grounded to his room this week and he's been reading his Scriptures, reading the Friend, he drew and colored a beautiful picture of the temple, and he's been singing Primary songs in his room all week.  I feel like he's grown spiritually more in this grounding than all year, lol.  He really is a good kid... other than the reason he's grounded for.  ;)

2 different antibiotics later and lots of medicine I shouldn't be taking while pregnant, and I still have an ear infection and can't hear out of my left ear.  This is getting annoying.  Mentally I'm ready to go, but my pain is making it difficult to get on with things.  My morning sickness is almost gone except for after dinnertime (yea!), but I can't kick this dumb ear infection and ear clogging.

Cameron played his String UIL concert yesterday and they got a Sweepstakes trophy for doing so well.  I was starting to feel better from my morning sickness and committed to play the violin at 2 weddings that are coming up and at the next Symphony concert... but that was before my ear infection, so hopefully I can hear by the wedding this Saturday and my Symphony rehearsal next week.

Logan starts baseball on Saturday and Errolyn will have another season of volleyball.  I won't be coaching volleyball this time, but after observing the other teams we played against last season, I requested Errolyn's new coach.  Her coach is really good and an actual volleyball player (not just a random parent) so I think Errolyn will learn a lot.  Now I just need to teach Emma to swim before the middle of May so she can join Swim Team.  She just has to be able to swim half way across the pool and they'll take her on the team... we'll see.  My other kids all joined at 4 yrs. old too, but they didn't have to know how to swim; the coaches taught them.  But, now the rules are different for joining.  Now that Emma already has to know how to swim a little... we'll see.  I think Emma would go crazy watching ALL of her siblings swimming everyday for 2 months while she sat on the sidelines, so hopefully she'll let me teach her so she can join the team.  The cold water won't help the situation, so hopefully it'll heat up a little.

We find out if the baby is a boy or a girl on April 24th... exciting! 

I can't remember having an ear infection in many, many years, but if this is what my kids feel like... I feel SO badly for them!  I try really hard to only take medicines that are Class A or B drugs, so no Sudaphed, nose sprays, or Advil while I'm pregnant... and consequently I feel like I'm dying.  I miss my medicine!  The good news is, I think my morning sickness is starting to subside- yea!  The bad news is, I have a horrible sinus infection and ear infection and the pain in my head could not be any worse... waiting for my afternoon doctor's appointment is taking all of my patience and prayers right now.

I got a blessing last night which said I would be able to sleep and that I needed to go to the doctor.  My ear either stopped hurting or I wasn't able to feel it enough to get some sleep (thank goodness)... but now it's back with a vengeance.  Glad I was at least able to get some sleep

Mike just got promoted... yea!  He is an IT Security Technical Director now and it came with a nice raise.  Proud of his hard work!  The next level up from him is an Executive... so he's doing well. 

So, our Spring Break routine was working hard in the mornings and then playing in the afternoons.  I was still feeling badly, but wanted the kids to go out and have fun.  Monday, I just took the kids up to the church gym and they played volleyball, tennis, Ghosts in the Graveyard, etc. while I laid on the church couch.  Tuesday, a friend of ours owns some undeveloped wooded property and they invited a bunch of families out.  They had a large tree house, camp fire, and lots of snacks and the kids had a blast running through the trees playing games with so many friends.  Wednesday was a bad day for me so I sent the kids on a nature scavenger hunt through the subdivision and park since I couldn't go out.  Thursday, I had a better day so Carol and I took the kids roller skating.  The kids had a blast skating, as usual, and Emma went skating for the first time and loved it!  Carol was a great Aunt and skated with Emma for over an hour to help her.  It all went good until Emma crashed, then Carol crashed and hit her head on the floor and may have a concussion.  I feel so badly for her! 

Friday, Janet's family came into town.  Carol bought crafts for the kids at Michaels and we hung out with Janet and David's family at Carol's for a while.  The kids had a fun time playing with their cousins.  On Saturday, we met Janet's family at Heidi's for a little bit and a ton of people were there: Grandma, Kathy, Carol, George, and David and Janet's family.  I hadn't had much opportunity to talk to Janet so I when she was pumping I went and talked for her for about 30 minutes which was nice.

Also, since I've been sick a lot, I've had a lot more downtime where I'm not doing anything productive.  So, we decided to get Netflix.  I've become addicted to the TV series "Once Upon a Time."  It's a little weird at times but I love how they incorporate the storybook characters and their past lives into modern times.

Errolyn created an "Amazing Race" for the family.  The first challenge: build a 1 foot tower with 50 popsicle sticks without tape, glue, or leaning it up against anything.  The boys are having fun with this one... it'll be fun to see what the next challenges are.

Errolyn just told me...

Searching for weird pre-written words in random folders on the computers that Errolyn has created and writing down the definition she's written

Wagon races with socks on the tile and using no hands (10 times back and forth)

Finding a hidden clue behind one of our 60 wall pictures in the house

And finding a coin from the year you were born

Emma and Mike are partners, Logan and Cameron are partners, I'm the judge, and Errolyn created it all.  Everyone seems to be enjoying it!

I wish the little pregnancy ticker would have a better count down.  I see 200 days to go and I think, "I can't do it."  But, when I convert the weeks to days, I feel a little better.  It should say, "80 days down, 200 to go."  Then I feel like, "Hey, I've already endured a lot.  Maybe I can do this."

I usually sleep so much better when Mike is out of town.  I think I'm such a light sleeper that I wake up to every little turn or noise he makes in the bed.  Also, I like to stretch out and take the whole bed... which I can't normally do.  But, I would rather have him home than gone.  Soon!  :)

Anyway, I haven't slept that much better this time around.  The first night, Errolyn's alarm clock accidentally went off at 5am and she started taking a shower for school and fully woke me up.  Then, one night I had a major United Voices for Christ meeting and I drank a LOT to keep from being sick during the meeting, so I was up all night using the bathroom.  Last night I finally took an adult Zyrtec.  It was wonderful.  My mouth dried out a little, I was sleeping wonderfully... and then at 5am the smoke detector in MY room started chirping every 15 seconds.  SO annoying!  Especially since I had Mike change all of the alarm batteries just before he went on his trip.  I went downstairs to sleep, but I could still hear the chirping loudly through the closed door.  I couldn't find the batteries at first.  Finally, I found one and climbed up on some wobbly furniture because I'm not aloud to carry the heavy ladder right now and it was 5am and I was still half asleep.  I changed the battery, got in bed, and then a minute later it started chirping again.  Not funny.  So, I found another battery, changed it again, waited a minute, smiled, and then went to bed.  A minute later it started chirping again.  I finally took the original brand new battery, took the tape off (Mike marked the date on it to see how often we were changing them), I pressed the button on the alarm things several times, and then I went to bed.  7 minutes later, the alarm chirps 2 times... freaking me out, and then it is quiet for the rest of the night... well the little sliver that was left of it.  If it happens tonight I'm just disconnecting the whole thing.  I think I'd rather risk the slim odds of burning to death than losing more sleep (yes, I'm exaggerating, but not too much).  I called Mike and he put a new battery in it a month ago, and then again at my request before his trip this last weekend.  So, I think we have a bum detector and need to get it replaced.  If I have to be positive about this experience, I guess I would be grateful that my kids are not light sleepers and slept right through the incessant beeping.  :)  There, now I ended on a happy note... rolling my eyes.

Saturday:
My best friends right now...

http://www.canadadry.com/  (Thank you Carol!)

http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/p/nature-plus-prenatal-multi-30-fl-oz/nt-7185#.Uv-8UU2YbIU

http://www.orbitgum.com/

I woke up to a beautiful flower bouquet on Valentine's Day and Mike woke up to a decorated car inside and out.  The kids enjoyed giving and receiving their Valentine's cards.

I coached another volleyball game today... Gingerale being the only reason I was able to be there.  The girls are really coming along, but I've realized a team is only as good as the weakest player on the team.  The girls are progressing and won the last of the 3 games today.  We've been playing some tough teams that have been together for several years.  I'm hoping we'll have a good chance against the next two teams since they are newer teams like us.

Cameron also had his first tennis match today.  Cameron played way better than last year, but because he's his school's #1 player, he's playing against all of the other schools' #1 players who are all awesome.  So, he played great, but still lost every match today.  I hope they'll ease up his playing rotation a little so he has a chance to win once in a while.

I have Stake Conference this weekend and the rodeo on Monday, so I've stocked up on my Gingerale.  Hopefully I can sit behind the organ at Stake Conference and hide the fact that I have to drink it every few minutes.

Other than that, the kids have been busy with school.  Cameron had to memorize the entire poem, "The Raven" for school... ugh... 18 stanzas!  Errolyn did an Ecosytem powerpoint project and Logan did a 100th day of school project and built a giant card tower out of Uno cards and glued them together.  Emma turned 4 and had a good family party.  She got a new bike (Errolyn's old bike) and is enjoying riding it.  I also filed our taxes.  We're still getting a lot back but are having some deductions not count as we get paid more... such is life.
 
I also never wrote about my pregnancy scare.  I started hemorrhaging really badly and thought I was miscarrying.  I ended up not, but I have a huge subchrionic hemorrhage pocket near my uterus and I'm not aloud to lift, push, or pull, anything heavy.  I'm a lot better, but still spotting on a daily basis.

My kids have been super helpful and Emma is full of smiles and fun sayings to cheer me up every day.  I'm grateful for my supportive family.  :)

Tuesday:
Ok, I wrote this a few days ago and it didn't publish... glad it saved my draft.  The only other update is the Rodeo and Stake Conference.  Stake Choir went well, but I had a difficult time conducting on Saturday... I should have delegated but I thought it was early enough I could handle it.  Hindsight is 20/20.  The youth choir sang "Plant a Seed," a piece Janet, Mom, and I used to sing around the piano... fond memories.  The Stake Choir did great on their two pieces as well, especially "The Spirit of God."

The Rodeo with Carol, David's family, and Kathy was great, but we were rushed at the Carnival and Stockshow and didn't get to see as much.  It was also crowded.  The kids didn't really enjoy the Rascal Flatts concert although I loved it... as much as I was able to.  Emma enjoyed seeing the "pony races" and she didn't like the "big angry cows," the bulls, lol.  Carter was dancing to all of the songs and was way cute to watch.  It was a late night, one we probably won't repeat with the kids for a while.

One story the Stake President told I especially enjoyed.  He told how his son had watched an epic battle take place on the side of the house between and scorpion and a house spider.  Every time the scorpion would lunge at the spider, the spider would run between it's legs and then over it's back.  This happened many times, until his son could see that the spider wasn't just running between the legs, but had carefully been leaving a thin silky line everywhere it ran.  After numerous times, the web had become so strong that the scorpion couldn't lunge anymore and the spider bit it's neck and killed it.  He read the scripture in 2 Nephi 26:22 where the devil "he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever."  He looked up flax and it is soft.  He compared it to the spider, how the devil is so cunning and subtle that sometimes we don't even see the trap he is laying for us at first.  If the cord was thick and rough and sharp, of course we'd see the trap and get out.  But, because he slowly works at us with soft cords, sometimes we don't see the danger until we're already trapped and we are stuck.  And then he of course talked about what we could do to ensure we weren't being trapped by the devil.  It was a great analogy I thought.

So, yeah, I'm home sick from church which is why I'm posting so much today.  :)  Logan and I both have bad colds and since Logan has a fever, I'm staying home with him.  I just feel like this huge weight has been lifted from me!  I was trying to fool myself into thinking I could handle all of the stuff on my calendar while I am sick, knowing I am only going to get much, much worse.  Anyway, I finally e-mailed: the Symphony telling them I needed to take a leave for a year or two, I e-mailed the Stake switching my Stake Music Training to a month when I won't be sick (from March to May), e-mailed my Assistant telling her we need to wait to re-categorize the library music in all of the buildings until April when I'm not sick, and I'm in the process of finding a replacement teacher for all of my violin students at the middle school.  Whew... I hate to quit on things, but sometimes I need to be realistic with myself and I finally am.

I still have the Stake Conference Choir coming up, the UVC choir to plan and meet with, and volleyball to coach... but I still feel like I just lightened my load a lot.  Also, I have a 2nd Music Assistant being called soon, so I'll be able to delegate more with the choirs.  Mike said he'll coach volleyball for me if I need him to, but I told him we can re-evaluate each week and I'll do it as long as I can.  Feeling good... :)

I'm so glad I write frequently on my blogs!  I just went back through my old Xanga posts and found out approximately how long I was sick when I was pregnant with Logan and Emma.  I should start feeling better around the first week in April!  w00t!  At least it gives me something to look forward to.  It's only 2 more months... I can handle that.  I also had fun reading some of the fun things Cameron and Errolyn were doing back then... love my kids!

So, after spotting for the last two weeks I went to the doctor.  Everything is fine and the baby is in the uterus where it should be.  We even got to see and hear the heart beat.  :)  And, even though I'm eating super healthy, I'm still getting bad morning sickness.  Go figure.

My violin students all had Solo and Ensemble and received Ones.  Cameron received an Outstanding which is a 1+ and so did one of my students.

Coaching volleyball has been fun, but we're not doing as well as hoped for at our games.  We're doing lots of good drills, but there are a few girls that just aren't getting it.  I'll have to have some one-on-one time with them at the next practice.  I've also researched some new drills to try with the girls.

We went to Arizona last weekend to see the Gilbert Temple Open House so our kids could see the inside of a temple.  It was way to much driving, but it was a good experience.  We went to Olive Garden on Errolyn's birthday (Saturday).  We called ahead to put our name on the list, but they said they weren't busy and didn't need to do that.  So, when we arrived 20 minutes later they were busy and there was a wait.  We were not happy since we still had a lot of driving to do.  They still sat us down within 10 minutes and then gave all of the kids free meals because the manager felt badly.  That was nice.  The kids swam at the hotel on Saturday night and had a blast.  And then on Sunday, we had our own church service (since our hotel was in a small town), finished the short drive (4 hours) to Mesa, played games, saw the Mesa Temple which I thought was really cool, and went to Papago Park so the kids could walk/ climb to the "Hole in the Rock."  On Monday morning, we woke up early and saw the inside of the temple.  Logan and Cameron really enjoyed it!  Errolyn had built it up too much in her mind I think.  But, she still enjoyed the sealing room.  I thought the chandelier in the Celestial Room was spectacular.  Then we drove home.  On the way to the temple the kids were singing, "I love to see the Gilbert Temple, I'm going there today," instead of the regular lyrics.

Mike taught at Little Philmont this morning and so Carol watched Logan and Emma while I coached Errolyn's volleyball game.  Cameron went to a Scout Camp-out last night in freezing cold weather.  I was excited to finally use our 72-hour kit sleeping bags that are rated for -29 degree weather... but Cameron left it in the car.  Luckily, one of the other boys brought an extra sleeping bag so I hope Cameron was alright last night.  Mike's picking him up right now.

YES!  I am pregnant!  I am due Sep. 15th!  We've known since Jan. 1st, a great way to start the New Year, but waited a few days to tell family until we were totally sure.  We were going to wait a while to tell friends, but I just get too excited so we spilled the beans on Friday.  I've had many people (including family) tell me I should be done at 4 kids... well, this is our life, and our baby, and I knew we were supposed to have 5 kids... and I've known for a while there was one more that needed to come to our family.  So glad it's finally happening!

The biggest question I've been asked is if I'm still doing Eat to Live while I'm pregnant.  Yes, I am, but with a couple of modifications.  I've read about what I should be eating during pregnancy and Eat to Live fits the bill really well.  I am adding in more protein (eggs, turkey, and chicken in moderation) and upping my Calcium supplements, but other than that I'm following Eat to Live pretty well.  In fact I ate a brownie earlier in the week and I was nauseous for the rest of the night.  But, then I ate my green smoothie the next morning and felt great again.  I'm hoping I can keep my morning sickness at bay by eating healthy, but only time will tell if it's diet related or just the way my body works.  I have been making sure to eat something with protein every 2 hours since I've read that's the best way to keep from getting so sick.  Hoping it'll work.

I spent all day rehearsing and performing with my Symphony yesterday... it was an exhausting day... 9 hours of playing total!!  For someone who only practices for 10 minutes a day at best, 9 hours is difficult to endure through... but it was still fun to play.

We're going through the ringer with all of Cameron's school projects due soon... there are SO many.  I wish they would coordinate with each other and spread them throughout the year rather then making them all due within 2 weeks of each other.

Mike coached volleyball for me on Saturday since I was out of town.  I will start coaching this week which I'm excited about.  David and Heidi move into their new house tomorrow!  Excited for them!

It is SO cold!  I can hardly stand it!  At least when I'm hot I can sit in the AC for a minute and be fine.  When it's cold, I feel like I'm always cold!  Even when the heat is on... I might be warm in that one spot, but I move to a different room or place and I'm cold again because heat rises differently.  Hate the cold!!!  Can't wait until Friday (72 degrees) so I can thaw out!!

I spent most of the break helping Cameron stay on task with completing his History Fair project.  He just turned it in and now we have a week to finish Science Fair... it never ends.  The kids also went roller skating and had a blast!  Logan took 3rd place in the 12 and under skating race... he's a fast kid.  Mike thinks he could have taken first or second if he'd been there an hour earlier to warm-up, but the race happened right as they got there.

Other than that... I'm happy!  Everything's been going well!  I have so much more to write about... another time... another day.