long overdue update

i haven't done a very good job of posting lately. it just seems like life keeps getting in the way, and i can't keep up right now.

taylor turned 8 at the beginning of the month, and he started scouts. he LOVES scouts. they had their annual pinewood derby this tuesday, and he managed to make it into the top 6 (i think). there were about 18 boys there, so that was pretty good. he tied with another boy for the best paint job. it's going to take me a few days to get the pics up. but, a hand-painted bumblebee car with interior chairs IS pretty cool. his baptism is scheduled for next saturday, but that is going to be moved (more on that in a bit).

elizabeth is elizabeth. not much has changed with her. she is doing better in school, and starting to read better as well.

shannon has started sleeping in her own bed again (HURRAY!). there was a time that we would have both little girls in bed with us most of the night. she still frequently wakes up in the middle of the night complaining that she's hungry. sometimes multiple times during the night. she's quite the character! we can rarely keep clothes on her. then she complains about being cold!

ashley recently got moved to a toddler bed. we had to make some side rails for it, cause it didn't come with them. (weird, i know) since getting the rail up, she doesn't fall out anymore. but, even then, she still ends up in bed with us a lot. we're trying to figure out why she wakes up screaming, and then won't calm down. last night, for example, she was up from 12 till 4:30. since i started having consistent contractions, i stayed up with her, and shaun crashed.

shaun starts school again on monday. he's retaking a class from last semester. that's going to help out a lot, since we already have all the reading, and materials for it. even more so, since we are still waiting on peanut to make his debut. at the moment, he's expanding the studio to make some more room. room for him, room for the kids to have a few toys, and room for my sewing stuff. we're hoping he can get it done before peanut comes. about a week and a half ago, his yearly illness kicked it. he gets an upper respiratory infection every january. called and got him into see the doctor on monday. he's starting to get better.

me, well, i'm still hanging in there. things have been quiet this last month. no more false labors, no big concerns. the baby dropped right around christmas, and we started the dreaded waiting game. and it was empty waiting. this last week or so i started having the scary feelings, and the empty arm syndrome. i haven't progressed any in the last 3 weeks. i'm scheduled for an induction tuesday morning if things don't happen on their own before then. and this is the reason that we are moving taylors baptism back a month. i am NOT going to miss my sons baptism for anything. it's that important.

whoops!

i just finished cleaning up the mess that came with shannon nearly losing her toe. 

elizabeth was going outside to play, and tried to keep shannon from following her. somehow, her toe got in the way of the door, and there was much drama in the land. once it was all cleaned up, it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked (isn't that the way it ALWAYS works!). it stopped bleeding fairly quickly, and now we just have to wait for the healing to take place.

the blood from the floors is all cleaned up, and she's sitting in front of her new favorite movie.

christmas calendars

i am embarrassed. grandparents are supposed to get calendars for christmas. i have no money to print them off, and they are not done.

waiting game

this is the hardest part of being pregnant. the almost done stage. for me, it lasts almost 2 months. and right now, i'm experiencing the "empty arm" syndrome. i am SO anxious to be able to hold this little guy, that it's nearly driving me insane! (not surprisingly, it's worse when i'm tired.)
today i'm 38 weeks and 2 days. we have a doctors appointment in a little over an hour, and we'll see how things have progressed. so far, it's been very slow.
i'm not nearly as ready for him to come as i'd like to be. i don't have my receiving blankets ready, i don't have all the clothes out and washed and put away (no where to put them), the bassinet is filled with the bouncer and the tub. we don't really have any extra room.

the worst part about the waiting this time around, is that i've started worrying that i won't come home with my boy. i keep thinking that something is going to happen, and he won't make it. it TERRIFIES me! especially with no guarantee of eternity yet.

i'm trying, though. i'm trying to be strong, but as each day passes with no change in sight, the feelings intensify. i'm not sure i would survive if he doesn't. lord, please give me peace and strength!

taylor turns 8!

oh my! i'm starting to feel old! my oldest just turned 8, and i'm having number 5 sometime in the next few weeks! doesn't seem like i should be that old!

so, tayor's birthday was yesterday. we kept things pretty quiet, for a few reasons. 1, it was sunday. 2, money is short, again. he got the movie dumbo from nana, his scout uniform and a "lego" guy from us, uncle chuck and aunt trena got him his scout book. we had dinner, and then cake and ice cream, then he opened his presents. he is WAY stoked about scouts, but not nearly as much as i am!

he's "wearing" the scout shirt.

i saw i picture of a lego cake on pinterest the other day. as i knew that shaun would enjoy it as well, i sent him the link. taylor happened to be there when shaun saw it, and said that's what he wanted his cake to look like. but, he didn't tell me until saturday. so, our cake doesn't look anything like the picture we saw, and the legos are more along the size of duplos, but, all things considered, it didn't turn out too bad!