Big head...little body

Cousins

2009-12-17T09:42:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, Nathan's sister Jessica came over with her little girl, Delayney. The kids opened presents and we all enjoyed spending time with family. Delayney is there only cousin and it's so much fun for them to be able to spend time together. You can definitely tell they're all related!

Our little Ivan is almost 7 weeks old. It's so strange, because he's still so young, and yet I can't remember life without him. He gets held and loved on so much. Just the way it should be!

My Little Watson

2009-12-09T11:22:00.002-05:00

Nathan has some strong genes! Ivan looks just like him- as do all of the kids (except Gabs) I'm lucky I'm married to such a handsome man!

Aunt Mary and Uncle Bernard

2009-11-24T15:56:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving always makes me think of my Aunt Mary and Uncle Bernard. I haven't seen them in years, but I sure do miss them!

This is what Gabs and Zekey do when Mommy is feeding Baby Ivan

2009-11-23T11:20:00.003-05:00

And here I was afraid they would feel neglected! :)

Brothers

2009-11-19T09:29:00.003-05:00

I was really worried about how Zekey would do with having to share me with a new baby. I have to admit, I spoiled my little Zekey from the day he was born and he was extremely attached to me.
But he's done amazingly well. He's so loving with baby Ivan. There's only been a few times when he's wanted me to hold him while I'm feeding Ivan. They're already great buddies.

Ivan Thomas

2009-11-09T19:38:00.004-05:00

November 1 was a very happy day for the Watson family. Our little boy entered the world :)
My labor and delivery was awesome. I had a great nurse and things moved faster than I thought they would. I was going to try to do it without an epidural, but once the contractions really started, I remembered what it was like without the epidural, so I decided to go ahead and get it. And I'm very glad I did. I could still feel pressure and contractions, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it would have been without an epidural. I did standing abs all throughout the pregnancy and it definitely paid off- I pushed him out in a few minutes. I always want to start breastfeeding right after the baby is born, but the nurse who came in after the good nurse left was incredibly slow. She was very nice, but she took him to weigh him and then she wouldn't give him back. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown not being able to start nursing him. But I finally got him and he latched on right away and has been perfect at breastfeeding from the start. I told Nathan that I wasn't looking forward to breastfeeding, but he reminded me that once I get started with it, I really love it. And I do. I think it's such a special bonding experience.
Ivan is almost 9 days old. He's already grown and changed. The kids love him and we're all adjusting really well. I was worried that Ezekiel would have a hard time, but he really hasn't. He isn't jealous of Ivan at all. He tries to sit on my lap when I'm feeding the baby though :)
People used to tell us that once you have 3 or 4 kids, anything after that isn't a big deal. But adding one more is a lot harder than I thought. Five kids is a lot. He is a wonderful, easy baby. But we definitely feel the difference between four and five kids.
When I was in the hospital, all of the nurses went on and on about how he was such a good baby. They said that he was so silly and were making them all laugh when he was in the nursery. He has such a strong personality for being an infant. I think he's going to be our little comedian. He makes us all laugh and he brings so much joy into our family. I'm so glad our little blessing is finally here.

I'm Ready to Have a Baby!

2009-10-22T13:27:00.004-04:00

I was hopeful that with as active as I've been throughout this pregnancy, the baby would want to come out a little early. But it looks like he's quite content in there. I had a doctor's appointment today. I'm still only dilated one centimeter, but he's really low. I had her strip my membranes to try and kick start labor. I've never had that done before. It wasn't fun to say the least. So after she did that, I took Gabs and Zekey to Walmart and walked around for an hour. And then we came home and skipped nap time and I've been cleaning the house for the past hour and a half. I've had a few contractions, but mostly just feel really crampy. I'm really, really hopeful that he'll come this weekend. But if he doesn't, I'll be induced a week from Sunday. So at least the end is near!

Gabs took a break from her doggie costume so she could dress up like a ballernia. She insisted on having Zekey in the pictures with her. I can see why people always mistake him for a girl! :)

Little Fi Fi

2009-10-20T11:54:00.004-04:00

I spent the day Saturday looking for Halloween costumes. The only ones who really needed them were Malachi and Aylah. I found nothing for them, but I did find a pink dog costume for Gabs. I didn't know if I should get it for her, because she had already decided to be a cat and use the costume the other kids have used in the past. BUT her favorite color is pink and she pretends to be a dog all the time and I found it at a second hand store, so I had to get it. It has a name tag on the collar that says "Fi Fi". The child literally lives in this costume. Not only does she wear it all the time, but she never breaks character. Woof woof!

Almost Baby Time

2009-10-14T15:12:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's already been a week since Ezekiel went to the hospital. It's been a fast week, but the days that we spent in the hospital felt like an eternity. We're so happy to have our little guy back home and even happier that he's doing so well and besides his cough, he's pretty much back to normal.
I had a doctor's appointment today. When you get to the end of pregnancy, the appointments seem so pointless. All they do is measure you and listen to the baby's heartbeat. For some reason, my doctor's office always runs behind, so I ended up waiting for an hour and half. With Gabs and Zekey. They were wonderful- as wonderful as a 3 and 2 year old can be in the doctor's office. By the time it was over, I was so stressed out I started having contractions. Which have since gone away. But I wouldn't mind if they came back and I went into labor. I've gotten so much done in the past two days. Things that don't really matter too much- like organizing and cleaning. But it makes me feel so much better and I definitely feel ready to have the baby. Although I still haven't packed a bag. I'm going to do that tonight- just in case :)

Zekey

2009-10-12T15:46:00.004-04:00

The past week has been one of the most difficult weeks ever. As soon as Aylah got over her sickness, Ezekiel got sick. He had the same thing as she had, but his fever went away much faster than hers did. I thought he was getting better, but last Sunday he started getting even more sick. His temperature went back up and he had this horrible cough. The worst was that he started to not be able to breathe. He was still acting like himself and running around, so Nathan and I thought that if he just sat down he would be better. But that wasn't the case. One of the hardest things as a parent is trying to decide what your child needs when they're sick. We didn't know if we should take him to the emergency room or just wait until the morning and take him to his doctor. Finally, Nathan and I both agreed that he needed to go to the hospital. Nathan took him and by the time they got there, Ezekiel's throat was almost completely closed up. I can't even think about what might have happened had we not taken him to the hospital. They gave him a shot of a steroid, epinephrine and oxygen. He was there for a couple of hours, but was able to come home. The doctor at the ER prescribed some insanely strong steroids for him. Little did we know that it was too much for his little body to handle and by Wednesday he was so dehydrated, we had to take him back to the doctor. He was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday and he had to stay there until Friday evening. Our poor baby! He had croup, but the main problem was how dehydrated he was. Nathan stayed both nights with him in the hospital. And I spent the days with him. I started having contractions on Wednesday from the stress, but thankfully once I laid down, they went away.
He's home now and he's doing so much better. It was so scary when he was that sick. He was like a little rag doll.
My doctor is going to induce me on November 1st if baby doesn't come before that. I think I'm ok with staying pregnant for a little bit longer. I feel like I have so many things to do before he comes. I'm excited to not be pregnant, but I still want to enjoy these last couple of weeks of pregnancy. As long as everyone is well, our baby boy can come whenever he wants!

Malachi and Aylah on picture day

They have the same smile :)

Gabs loves her little brother. She was a good care giver

He was so exhausted, he couldn't even keep his eyes open

This makes me sad to even look at. He was very brave though!

Malachi and Aylah at "Kids in the Kitchen"
Feeling good enough to be silly!

Sick Family

2009-10-02T09:18:00.002-04:00

It seems like everyone is sick right now. And isn't it too early for the sick season to start? The weather went from warm, summer weather to cold, yucky weather. Which is probably why everyone is sick. The sickness has hit our family hard. So far the only ones who aren't sick are Malachi and Gabs. Hopefully we can keep it that way. Aylah has been home from school since Wednesday. She's had a consistent fever and flu like symptoms. And then yesterday, Ezekiel got it too. So every night I've been up with them. Not necessarily because they actually need me, but mostly because I've been checking on them every hour. I hate it when the kids are sick. But it we've made good use of our get well time in the house. They've made forts in their beds, decorated some delicious looking cookies, watched way too many obnoxious kids shows and gotten in lots of snuggle time with Mommy.
I've definitely hit the exhaustion part of pregnancy. There's something about pregnancy exhaustion that is unlike anything else. I would much rather have a newborn than have the constant drain of pregnancy. He's gotten so big and it seriously hurts when he moves. I have almost everything all ready for his arrival, so hopefully he'll be here in the next 3 or 4 weeks. I'm so excited to see what he's going to look like. All of the kids have blonde hair excpet Aylah, so I'm very curious to see if he'll have brown hair like her. I'm sure he'll be chubby and have huge cheeks like all of the other kids. I can't wait to get my hands on him!

Fall

2009-09-29T10:14:00.004-04:00

Fall weather has finally made it's way to Ohio. We've been enjoying the change in seasons, although it has brought some coughs and sniffles. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and I have an upper respiratory infection. Thankfully I'm taking medicine now that should clear it up quickly. Gabs and Zekey are both very good at playing together (or by themselves), so I'm able to kind of get some rest. I've been consistently measuring a week bigger. I'm not sure if my doctor will use that as my due date. If so, I'll be due on Halloween. I hope he doesn't come on Halloween though! I'll go back on Monday to see when I can be induced. This is the first pregnancy where I really feel in no hurry to have the baby. This has really been an easy pregnancy (as easy as pregnancy can be) and even though he's big and it hurts a little when he moves around, I absolutely love feeling my baby inside of me. I really feel like he will come when he's supposed to. I would love to say that I'm going to try to not be induced this time, but with four other kids, it's pretty important to be able to plan when I have the baby.
This past weekend some good friends of ours got married. Malachi and Aylah were the ring bearer and flower girl. They were so cute. Nathan and some friends brewed some special wedding beer. Everyone was amazed at how good it was. It really is impressive that Nathan has gotten so good at brewing amazing beer. I'm looking forward to having some in the future :)
One of our favorite things to do as a family (actually, there isn't anything we *don't* do as a family) is to go to a local store called The Anderson's. They have great samples the kids love, a great selection of food and beer and they have all of their fall and Christmas decorations out which we all enjoy. It's always funny to see people's expressions when we walk in with so many kids. But having a large family is something Nathan and I feel called to do. We sacrifice a lot, but there is nothing better than being able to be with our kids and raise them to be the absolute best people God wants them to be. Fall is filled with so many little family traditions of ours. We have just as much fun doing things with the kids as they do. And it's exciting to think that in a few weeks we will be adding another member to our family. God has been very good to us.

Our camera is the worst ever. I don't know what happened to it,but it just doesn't take good pictures anymore. The pictures of Aylah and Malachi at the wedding didn't turn out well at all. :(

This was the end of funny pictures in the van. Aylah and Zekey had enough.

Malachi and Aylah look like twins.

Update

2009-09-25T14:31:00.004-04:00

I've once again been bad about updating my blog. I haven't been feeling the greatest the past few weeks. The pregnancy was going really well, up until about 3 weeks ago. I have horrible asthma and allergies and they get even worse when I'm pregnant. The change from Summer to Fall is the worst time of year for me. So I've had this ongoing asthma/allergy/cold thing for the past few weeks. I have to do breathing treatments several times a day. Yuck. And my body is finally feeling the effects of growing babies so many times. My feet hurt, my hips hurt, my lower back hurts. Ok, pretty much my entire body hurts. I've had to modify my exercise, because my body just doesn't move right anymore. I was afraid that the baby wasn't growing properly, because I thought my stomach was smaller than it should be. But at my last doctor's appointment, he was actually measuring a week bigger. Wonderful news for me! I'm just carrying him differently than any of the other ones. He's all out in the front, not all over like I've been in past pregnancies. I really, really don't like the way I look when I'm pregnant, but this little guy has definitely been kind to me. I crave really weird things like raw vegetables and ice water. It's so strange. I could honestly eat cucumbers and celery all day long. I guess if I'm going to crave something, it might as well be something healthy! My next doctor's appointment is on Monday. I'm going to ask her when I can be induced. I was going to try really hard to be patient and let the baby come when he wants to this time, but I really want him here in no more than four weeks. In the meantime, I'm going to try to enjoy every last minute of being pregnant. I feel so blessed to have five kids. It's amazing to me that God has given us so many little lives that bring so much joy and happiness into our lives. But I'm also really glad that this will be the last baby. Unless God really wants us to have more. But I'm pretty sure my body is done growing babies! :)

Back to School

2009-09-01T14:14:00.003-04:00

Last week was the beginning of school for Malachi. Kindergarten started a week after everyone else, so we eased our way back into the school year. Malachi's first day was great. He has a good teacher this year and we're very excited for him to be starting first grade. He likes to pretend like he doesn't like school, but I know he does.
Yesterday was Aylah's first day of Kindergarten. I've been so upset about her starting school. She still seems like a baby. I had to try my very hardest not to get emotional in front of her- I wanted her to be excited and not be scared or upset about starting school. So yesterday morning I made them all special breakfast (strawberry pancakes with whipped cream) and I got all of the kids ready to walk Malachi and Aylah to school. We had about 10 minutes before we had to leave and I started feeling a little weepy. But Ezekiel kept me from letting my emotions get the best of me by puking all over the girl's floor. I had to quickly put him in the tub, gather all of the kids up, take some pictures of Aylah and run out the door before we were late. I think this was a blessing in disguise though, because it definitely kept me from crying!
Once we got to Aylah's classroom, she walked right in and put her things away and sat down at her seat and started working on her morning paper. She acted like she had done this a hundred times before! I was so proud of her. She came home yesterday and wanted to do her homework right away. She is going to be an excellent student.
The past two days of having only Gabs and Ezekiel at home have been amazing. Gabs loves being the older sibling- she gets to boss "baby head" around and she gets to play with all of Aylah's things. I didn't realize how difficult the summer was with four kids at home until yesterday. Gabs and Ezekiel both take at least 2 hour naps, so that has allowed me to have a few minutes to rest and also have some time to myself. Spending the summer with four kids meant that I had zero time to myself. There was always a child with me. If the other kids were napping, Malachi was still up and talking my ear off. I didn't realize how much I need a little time to myself until I actually got some time to myself. It's been wonderful. :)
I'm very excited for this school year. Although the kids don't go to the best school, Nathan and I both trust that this is where God has us for now and our kids will be protected and get a good education. It's hard to believe that we have two kids in school, but I'm so thankful for how incredible our kids are and I'm excited to see what kind of people they grow to be in the next year.

Last Weekend

2009-08-27T09:24:00.005-04:00

We recently listed our house with a realtor. Within about a week of having pictures of our house on the internet, our realtor called and said someone wanted to look at our house. I was so excited! I frantically rushed through the house cleaning- this is not an easy thing to do when you're 7 1/2 months pregnant and have four kids at home. But I cleaned and organized for hours upon hours. The next day was Saturday, the day people were coming to look at the house. So Nathan and I got up early and spent the entire morning cleaning the house and working on the yard. We were just about finished and getting ready to walk out the door when our realtor called and said, "I'm so sorry, the people just left a message saying they're canceling." Arghhh!!!!! I seriously felt like crying. Hours spent getting the house just right all for nothing. So since our weekend was such a letdown, we decided to spend Sunday in the beautiful town of Grand Rapids, Ohio. It's only about 25 minutes from our house and we always have fun there. We actually remembered our camera, so here's a few pictures of our much needed relaxing Sunday.

Fun in the Sun

2009-08-19T08:51:00.005-04:00

Summer

2009-07-31T09:10:00.006-04:00

Why is the summer going by so fast? My mom always says that after the Fourth of July, the summer just flies by- and it sure is!
We've had a wonderful summer this year. It's been unseasonably mild here, but I really haven't minded. Since we don't have central air, the cooler weather has been lovely for my pregnant self.
We've gone to the beach a few times and we went to Kansas City about 4 weeks ago. Of course, I forgot my camera. I've done a horrible job about taking pictures this summer. I'll blame that on pregnancy brain- and four kids. :)
We celebrated Ezekiel's 2nd birthday on July 21st. He's grown into such a sweet little boy. Every time I feel sad that he isn't a baby anymore, I just remind myself that in a few months I will have another baby.
And speaking of the baby, this pregnancy has gone remarkably well this time. Since I've had preeclampsia in past pregnancies, I was worried that the same thing would happen this time. Being on bed rest and having to go to the doctor 3 times a week for non stress tests, is pretty much impossible with four other kids at home. So it really, really is a huge blessing that this pregnancy has been so good. I've been working out 5 times a week for 45 minutes. It's really helped me not to gain too much weight and hopefully will help with a quick labor and delivery. I don't know where my motivation has come from, but I've been very consistent with the exercise.
Tomorrow is our 6th anniversary. It's amazing to think about all of the changes we've had in the past few years. God has blessed us in so many ways- I'm constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have the husband I have!
Here's some random pictures of the summer. Not too many since I haven't been good about taking pictures. Or updating the blog. Anyone who's been pregnant can relate- I'm definitely not myself when I have a little person growing inside of me. The second the baby is born, I'm a whole new person. Only 14 more weeks left! :)

Goodbye, Kindergarten

2009-06-16T09:39:00.003-04:00

It's amazing how quickly this past school year went. I was so sad to have my little guy head off to school, but we quickly got into a routine and I was amazed at how much progress he made.
Malachi has been out of school for almost 2 weeks. We've had lots of fun enjoying the summer so far, but it won't be long before I have two kids in school.
Here he is on his last day of school. He's grown so much!

The Unofficial Start of Summer

2009-05-28T09:23:00.003-04:00

I'm a horrible blogger. I think about posting something and then I never do. Of course, being pregnant doesn't help much with my motivation. :)
I've always thought of Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer. Even if it's not technically summer yet, I just can't help but think summer has begun.
We had a great Memorial Day weekend. We worked on our garden, had a cookout and visited with family and friends and Nathan worked on the new motorcycle he just got. This is especially exciting for me, because for the past 6 years, we've shared a vehicle. The thought of being able to take the kids to the park during the day is very exciting! Plus, Nathan has me convinced that riding on a motorcycle is going to be tons of fun.

Finally Spring

2009-05-14T12:34:00.005-04:00

I absolutely love Spring. And this past winter has seemed like the longest winter ever. But finally warmer days are here. As soon as it's even remotely warm, we head to the lake. For Mother's Day, we decided to head to Port Clinton, one of our favorite places to go. We didn't have any set plans, we just headed out there. We stopped at a park and ate lunch right by the water. It's so nice, because the lake is so big, it seems just like you're at the ocean. After lunch, we got back in the van (after realizing that the keys were locked in the van and having an old man break into our van with an old fishing pole), and we started driving. We came across a ferry that was going to Put-in-Bay (an island) and we were surprised to see that it was very inexpensive for all of us to get there. So we quickly parked the van and hopped on the ferry for the 15 minute ride to the island. This was the first time the kids had been on a ferry, so it was a fun, somewhat scary experience for them. The island was very family friendly, we went to a park and then we walked around and looked at all of the shops. We rented a golf cart and drove around the small island. The battery in our camera was just about dead, so I didn't get many pictures. But it was definitely a day we'll always remember.

We've also done a lot of yard work. We both take pride in our little house, and it's always fun to work on the yard together. Nathan did a lot of work in the backyard, and I planted a bunch of flowers in the front. I've been looking for a wreath for the front door for months. Everything I found was ugly and incredibly expensive- I couldn't bring myself to pay $50 for an ugly wreath! So this past weekend we went to Hobby Lobby and I found everything I needed to make a wreath for only $11! I was very happy and I love the way it looks.

Catching Up

2009-05-07T09:12:00.003-04:00

Has it really been a month since I last updated this? I always want to write something clever and witty and have lots of awesome pictures. It doesn't always work out that way though. Especially since my brain goes on vacation when I'm pregnant!
So to recap what we've been doing the last few weeks- we went to see Nathan's sister Jessica's new baby. She and her husband, Morgan, live a couple of hours away in Michigan. Their little girl, Delayney, is a perfect combination of the both of them. This is the kid's first cousin and they were very excited to meet her.
Malachi just learned how to ride his bike. It's been a long time coming. He's been practicing for a while, but he doesn't have much patience, so he would give up after a few tries. But this past weekend, it finally clicked and he's been riding his bike since then. He went for a bike ride with Nathan. A very sweet memory!
I'm almost 14 weeks pregnant. I have my first doctor's appointment tomorrow. For some reason, I have this feeling that it might be twins. I think it's twins every time, but my belly is huge and I usually don't show very much until around 5 or 6 months. I'm kind of nervous to find out- either I'm having twins, or I'll feel bad about being so super fat. :)
I tried to organize the pictures, but it's too difficult to get them to work right on blogger. So here they are. I'll definitely write something better in the future. The kids dancing to Kids Bop kind of makes it a little hard to think straight.

Happy Birthday, Gabs!

2009-04-06T09:53:00.004-04:00

On Friday, we celebrated Gabs' third birthday. I always get very nostalgic when it's one of their birthdays. This birthday was particularly special, because it's been a year since Gabs' had her seizure. She's been very healthy, and we're so thankful for our sassy little girl!

Opening her presents

She loves babies and dogs!

Opening her card from the kids.

We never go out to eat, so this was a very special treat.
This was our second time going out to eat as a family, and
the kids were perfect!
She was so proud of those balloons!
Daddy and Zeke
Check out that silly face!

Malachi and Aylah

Our three year old :)

I Don't Like Being Pregnant- Who Would've Thunk It?

2009-03-31T14:30:00.003-04:00

I used to think being pregnant would be so much fun. I would stuff a pillow under my shirt and admire how cute I was with a big belly. But then I became pregnant- and I found out that it wasn't exactly fun and I definitely didn't look cute. If only my belly was the only part of me that becomes pregnant. Instead, I'm one of those girls whose entire body is affected by pregnancy. I have swollen ankles, my skin breaks out, I have permanent "tired eyes" and I develop a serious case of hot dog fingers. Yeah, pregnancy is not fun.
The one thing I do love about being pregnant is feeling the baby move. I think that is the most amazing feeling in the world. Knowing that someone is growing inside of you. Feeling their little hiccups. So for this pregnancy, I've decided to focus on the good things about being pregnant. Not just feeling the baby move and having a free pass to eat whatever I want, but the physical side of being pregnant too. I want to embrace the enormous belly. I'm about 8 1/2 weeks right now. It seems like it's already been forever. And my belly is rapidly growing already- actually, I don't know if it's really pregnancy big or if I just don't feel the need to suck in my gut anymore. At any rate, this is me- 8 1/2 weeks pregnant (because that 1/2 a week makes a difference!) 32 more to go. :)

This is my "8 weeks down, 32 more to go" look. Lovely, huh?

I guess my body is just so used to being pregnant, that it jumps right into looking seriously pregnant.

There's Been a Change in Plans

2009-03-26T09:19:00.003-04:00

I haven't been updating this like I should... mostly because I don't think anyone really reads it.
And if anyone does read it, they most likely already know why my plans have changed... another baby Watson is on the way. My plans have only changed slightly though. Somehow I've found the strength and motivation to continue working out 5 days a week. And my constant feeling that I'm going to puke has kept me from indulging in anything too unhealthy. So I'm still getting in shape- I just won't be sporting that bikini this summer! :)

The first date that Nathan and I went on, he told me that he wanted a big family one day. I was surprised that a young man would have such a passion for children. That's one of the reasons why I know that God brought us together for a reason. Thankfully, he wasn't just trying to impress me with his desire to have kids... we both feel incredibly blessed to have such a big family.
As our family grows, I'm learning that a lot of people don't feel the same way about big families. When I was pregnant with Ezekiel, we took many trips to the beach. One particular day, we decided to stop at the store to grab drinks and lunch for a picnic on the beach. Nathan went off trying to find drinks and the kids and I scoured the produce section for a healthy treat. As I filled a bag with peaches, an older man stood next to me. "Are they all yours?," he asked. This is a question I'm used to- usually followed by laughing. "Yes," I said. He looked confused. "And your having another one?", he replied motioning towards me swollen belly. "Yup". He shook his head. "That's too many." I was shocked. Never did I think that having a large family would be thought of as something negative. I didn't know what to say. Finally, I responded with, "well, at least I won't be old and alone in the produce section one day!" Actually, I didn't say that. The man had already walked away and I'm far too nice.
All this to say, we are so very blessed to have these children. Yes, we have a lot. And they may miss out on taking a multitude of ballet classes, or swimming lessons, or keeping up with the latest fashion. But they will grow up having the memories of picnics on the beach, and visiting imaginary lands, and coloring pictures until their hands hurt. And they will always, always have their family.

Typical Saturday Morning

2009-02-25T15:29:00.002-05:00

Could they be any cuter???

Spring Has Sprung

2009-02-24T10:11:00.005-05:00

Ok, spring hasn't exactly made an appearance yet, but for the past two days there has been sunshine. Wonderful, glorious sunshine- a very welcome friend. I have all of the blinds pulled up, and even though it's only 18 degrees outside, if squint my eyes and look at the light pouring in, it's almost as though spring really has sprung!

I've been making lots of progress on all the things I've been working on. I've tried my very best to organize- the closets and the basement are both finished. For me, that's a big deal! I've also been working on the kid's rooms. I painted Ezekiel's room a lovely shade of blue. His room is small, so it's a very light color, but it almost has a gray tint to it, which still gives it some depth. Nathan is painting him some elephant pictures and I'm going to make curtains. It should be all finished by this weekend. I'll put up pictures soon!

The biggest progress I've made is on myself. I've been working out every day. There's a channel called "exercise tv" on our digital cable, so it makes it very easy for me to do a workout video every day. I've been doing the Jillian Michaels "30 Day Shred", as well as doing yoga and pilates. I've always drank a lot of water, but I'm drinking even more now. I've been also been eating low fat, high protein foods. And eating lots of fruits and veggies. I've lost about 4 lbs, but the main thing I wanted to do was get toned, and I can definitely see a difference. Now if only I wasn't butt white!

If it's Good, Why Change it?

2009-02-12T12:33:00.005-05:00

Every day I ask the kids what they want for lunch. And every day it's the same thing- peanut butter and jelly, bananas and crackers. Sometimes we mix things up a little and have peanut butter and honey.

The always funny "silly face".

Gabs has gotten into the habit of letting her tongue slip out when she's concentrating. Evidently Dora was pretty intense today.

Yummy!

Dance!

Princess Gabs.

This morning the girls found a ladybug- they love ladybugs, but they're always too scared to touch them. It was pretty exciting though!

Pictures

2009-02-11T15:29:00.004-05:00

I really, really do have awesome blog ideas in my head... I just can't find the time to actually sit down and write something! So.... in my effort to keep this blog up to date, here's some pictures of the past couple of weeks.

We recently got digital cable, but the box thing that came with it sat on top of our tv and looked awful. Since Nathan and I both have the mindset "why buy something when you can just make it?", he built a little wooden box for the tv to sit on, conveniently concealing the digital cable box. We also put up floating shelves, which I absolutely love. Right now the only real decoration we have is the plant. I'm trying to find just the right things to put on them!

This was taken a few weeks ago when Zekey and I went to Kansas City. This was in the Detroit airport. There was a big snow storm and we were at the airport for several hours. He had the stomach flu the day before, but he was still a great traveling buddy!

Every time I take a picture, the kids want to do something "silly". Extremely silly. Aylah always does something with her hands during a silly picture. Doesn't it look good?! :)

Every Saturday morning, we have a "special breakfast". This morning was especially special because Daddy made his famous pancakes. This is Gabs helping. Notice the stunning haircut she gave herself!

They were nice enough to indulge me in a serious, smiley picture. This is Malachi and Aylah having an after school snack and coloring.

Life Is Just So Daily

2009-02-04T15:45:00.003-05:00

I have to admit, the cold weather has really gotten to me. I get really bummed out after Christmas every year. January is such a long month, and there aren't any fun holidays to look forward to. So here it is the beginning of February, and I am absolutely dying for warm weather. It's hard to remember what grass looks like!

I've definitely let the mundane winter days get to me. I think the kids and I have being feeling the effects of cabin fever! But in the past week or so, I've decided to stop being pitiful and do something to liven up these boring winter days.

The first thing I've been doing is attempting to organize things. It really is a struggle for me. My idea of organizing is redistributing things. I'll clean out the closet, but everything just gets moved around to different places- organized closet, but a wreck everywhere else. So I've been trying to actually organize. I'm throwing things away and only keeping what we need. Which is against my nature being the pack rat that I am!

The next thing I'm doing is redecorating the kid's rooms. Since we have such a small house and so many kids, everyone has shared the bedrooms at some point. So Ezekiel's room is still girly from when Gabs was in it, and the girl's room isn't really decorated at all, since I wanted to keep it neutral when our house was on the market. I've already found lots of fun ideas to make things to decorate their rooms and the kids and I will be taking a trip to the craft store in the next couple of days!

The last thing I'm doing is seriously getting in shape for the summer. I love, love, love the summer time. I love swimming and doing things outside. But (almost) every summer for the past few years I've been pregnant. And in case you were wondering, pregnant Sandra does not enjoy swimming and doing things outside. But this summer is going to be great. I've been working out every day and I've been drinking an insane amount of water and I've found all kinds of super healthy recipes. I'm going to periodically update my progress- I can already tell a difference after a couple of weeks of hardcore exercise and eating healthy. I can't wait for the summer!

And since no blog is complete without a picture of the kiddos.... here they are at our very own Super Bowl party.

Remember Me?

2009-02-01T16:56:00.004-05:00

can't believe I haven't written a blog in so long. I've thought about it, but every time I sat down to actually write something, I just couldn't. I'm blaming Winter. I hate this time of year. It's cold and boring and I think it puts me in a bad mood. I am anxiously awaiting warmer weather.

We had a wonderful holiday season, and despite the boring, cold, snowy weather, we really have done some fun things. Here's a recap of the past several weeks. And I really will be updating this more often. Winter and all!

Cutting Hair

2008-11-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

I've always enjoyed cutting hair- just not kid's hair. Today I decided to give all of the kid's (except for Zeke- those blonde curls get to grow!) a much needed haircut. It ended up taking me two hours to get their hair cut, get them bathed and clean up the mess. I just buzzed Malachi's hair, trimmed Aylah's, but Gabs got the biggest change of all. Her hair is very fine and it had gotten so long in the back, it just didn't look good. So I ended up giving her bangs and cutting it into a little bob. I think it definitely fits her silly personality!

The Table

2008-11-12T15:38:00.000-05:00

I can still remember making my first "grown up" purchase. It was a bright spring day, and my brother Paul and I had accompanied my mom and grandma on one of their many garage sale trips. I'm always hopeful to find a treasure when I go to garage sales, but it's usually in the form of clothes, books or knick knacks. This day was different. As I walked up to the first house of our garage sale endeavor, I noticed a small table with four chairs placed at the top of the driveway. It was beautiful. Deep cherry, it was modern and still kept a classic feel. It was perfectly smooth, no scratches, and it shined in the early morning sun. Although I didn't need a table at the time, I just had to have it. The woman informed me that she and her husband had recently purchased it, but realized they needed a bigger table. She was selling it for $140. Substantially out of my price range. Besides, I didn't even need a table. I told her no thanks, but she quickly responded by saying she would give it to me for $100. Sold!

My brother Paul and I went to the bank where I withdrew $100 and then we loaded it into the back of his mini van. I was so proud driving home as I looked back at my wonderful table. It sat in my parent's basement until Nathan and I got married. After we were married, we moved into a home in Springfield. I finally had a kitchen to display my table in. It traveled with us across three states to our current home in Ohio. Strategically positioned in our small dining room, it has served it's purpose well.

Today as I was cleaning up the kid's lunch mess, I decided to take some extra time to really clean the table. I was shocked at what I saw. This wasn't the same, amazing table I had purchased just a few years ago. It no longer shined like it once did. The varnish had been rubbed off and sticky fingers had left a permanent film over the table. It was different. But it was better. I noticed pen marks left by little hands creating a masterpiece. Deep gashes in the legs of the table as the result of eager helpers cleaning up after dinner. And the stickiness... oh, the stickiness! I can only imagine how many peanut butter and honey sandwiches have been devoured at this table! No, this wasn't the same beautiful table I was so proud of. It was a different kind of beautiful. It now holds the beauty that my children have so lovingly etched into it's very grain.

October

2008-11-07T09:40:00.000-05:00

It amazes me how quickly time goes by. In many ways, it seems like it should still be the summer. The fall has proven to be exceptionally nice. The weather has been beautiful, Uncle Paul came for a visit, we've made friends with our neighbors and always have someone to play with. As we enter the month of November, I want to remember to be thankful for God's blessings. For the every day things that can so easily go unnoticed.
Although the past few months haven't gone as Nathan and I had planned, I'm realizing once again that God is faithful and His plans are so much better than mine!
Here's what we've been doing in the month of October:

Decorating cookies with Mia and Matthew.

Uncle Paul's Visit

2008-10-23T09:47:00.000-04:00

My brother Paul has been teaching in South Korea for the past year, so we hadn't seen him for a very long time. Here's some highlights of his visit. We had lots of fun!

My Little Rockstars

2008-09-11T20:33:00.001-04:00

Hello Kindergarten

2008-09-02T20:58:00.001-04:00

Well, the day finally came... I had to send my baby boy off to school. All summer I've thought about it. In the last week leading up to Malachi's first day of school, I've broken into tears over the thought of not having him with me all day. I couldn't sleep last night, because all I could think about was that my little baby boy is heading to school.
I tried to prepare Malachi for spending his days in school. I told him that he would be getting up every morning and he would go to school. He would eat lunch there and he wouldn't come home until the afternoon. "Yeah, Mom, I know," was always his response. This morning I thought for sure he would be nervous. But he wasn't. I made him whole wheat pancakes with strawberries for his special first day of school. Every few minutes I would ask him, "Malachi, how are you feeling? Are you nervous?" "Nah," he would reply. How could it be that I was the only one feeling this sort of separation anxiety?
Since we live right by the school, I was able to walk him to school this morning. He looked so cute in his little uniform. As we approached the school, we could see a line of anxious 5 year olds waiting to file into the school. We got into the "boy" line and I willed myself not to cry. Malachi just grinned and pointed out the fact that every other boy had a Spiderman lunchbox just like his.
I helped him get situated in his classroom. Once he put away his backpack and lunchbox, he sat down to color a picture of Winnie the Pooh. He chatted with the other children sitting at his table and suddenly the urge to cry had gone away. Although it's unbelievably hard to not be spending my days with the little boy who has been by my side for the past 5 1/2 years, I realized that this is the beginning of something great. I'm so excited to see Malachi learn in the next year. I guess Kindergarten is kind of like the first year a baby is alive. So much happens in such a short amount of time.
So I survived sending my firstborn off to school. It's a very bittersweet experience. I know that this year will be amazing for Malachi. And maybe next year when I send Aylah off to Kindergarten it will be easier... but I doubt it!

I have to admit, these were the best whole wheat pancakes ever!

On his way to school!

Daddy fixing his hair.

Malachi and Daddy walking home from school.

August

2008-09-01T21:14:00.001-04:00

Once again, it's been way too long since I updated this. We've done a lot in the last month. We celebrated Aylah's 4th birthday. And of course, we did lots of things outside. Here are some highlights...

We're Lake People

2008-07-31T21:44:00.000-04:00

Today we visited Nathan's Aunt Janet. She lives on Coldwater Lake in Michigan, about an hour and a half away from us. Spending the day on the water only confirmed to us that we absolutely must have a house on the water one day.
The best part of the day was when Nathan and I took Malachi, Aylah and Gabs out on a paddle boat while Zeke napped on a swing with Aunt Janet. This was definitely one of the best days so far this summer!

The kids in their life jackets

Zeke upset because I kept shooing him away from crawling down the stairs.

Don't we look like we belong on the lake? And this is evidently my natural hair color now. When did it turn red?!?

The Best Summer Yet

2008-07-26T21:13:00.000-04:00

I don't know why, but this summer has been amazing. We've done so many outdoors things, which is by far our favorite thing to do as a family. We go to the beach about once a week and we've found all kinds of fun spots on the river.
We also celebrated Ezekiel's one year birthday. We took the kids to the zoo for his birthday and enjoyed some family time at home. It makes me sad that my baby is already a year old... I guess that means we're due for another one! haha

These pictures are random, but they sum up what we've been doing in the past month...

My big boy!!!

So handsome!!!

Gabs and Daddy on the 4th of July

Opening presents

Having fun at the zoo

The other day, I took Malachi and Aylah to the grocery store. As we were walking out, I let them each pick something from the quarter machines. This is what Malachi chose.

Nathan made the best pizza ever. All from scratch! We often talk about one day opening up our own restaurant and making up recipes for the menu. We put black olives on the whole pizza, and 1/3 pepperoni, 1/3 mushrooms and onion and 1/3 artichokes and sundried tomatoes. It was sooo good!

Mi Familia

2008-06-23T20:59:00.000-04:00

The summertime is especially fun for us as a family. We've already been to just about every beach and lake there is around here. Being anywhere near the water is the kid's absolute favorite thing. As fun as it is in the summer, it's also unbelievably tiring. So this blog will just be a little update on all the fun we've had this summer.

Ezekiel splashing in our awesome backyard pool

Gabs love the water, but for some reason, it scares her.
So she always just plays in the sand.

Love!

Our family picture in the backyard.

Showing off the raspberries they picked. Notice Malachi being
silly behind Aylah... two seconds later, Aylah was in tears as
Malachi laughed hysterically.

The Perks of Being a Mother

2008-06-10T20:17:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, my shoulder started to hurt. I couldn't figure it out. I do stretches every day and I jog and do pilates a few times a week. So why in the world would my shoulder be killing me? And then it struck me, for the past 5 1/2 years, my shoulder has supported the weight of a child. My hip has a permanent indentation of a child.

So I started to think of other ways my life has changed since having babies. I'm a master at doing things with one hand, I can change a diaper in seconds, I have a super-natural ability to know exactly what's going on in the other room. Being a mother is exhausting. But it's the best kind of exhaustion I will ever feel.

I always think it's funny when I take the kids out by myself. People always smile when they see four little heads with faces that look so similar. "Aww, they're so cute!," they'll say. And then they realize how many little faces they're really looking at. A look of shock and confusion comes over them, "Are they ALL yours?" they ask. And when I tell them yes, the response is either, "you must be very busy!" or (my favorite) "how do you do it?!"

A few months ago while we were all out for the day, a woman came up to us and talked about how cute the kids were and told us that she raised four kids who were all close in age just like ours. She told us something that I will always remember: "the days are long, but the years are short" How very, very true! Right now the days seem longer than anything. But soon they will fly by. But I will always cherish the perks of being a mother!

Beautiful artwork Malachi
and Aylah made me for
Mother's Day.

Ezekiel relaxing with Daddy.
The kids watching E.T. for the first time. It's now their favorite movie.

Gabs being Gabs.

Crawling and getting into everything! :)

Today

2008-04-28T20:23:00.000-04:00

Staying at home with four kids, it's only understandable that some days are better than others. Today wasn't that kind of day. It went a little something like this... the morning was spent with Malachi and Aylah arguing over the "correct" way to sing their ABC's. Each of them trying to out sing the other, resulting in Aylah crying and Malachi letting out a frustrated, "arghh!". Then I attempted to fold laundry. It didn't work out so great with Ezekiel trying to climb up on my lap and rubbing his snotty, drooly face into the clean laundry. I try to workout every day, but I'm usually smart enough to do it when the kids are napping. But today I got to do pilates with little legs and arms tangled in front of my face. But the real highlight came when Gabs knocked over her little potty not once, but twice. To anyone who's ever potty trained a child, having a miniature potty smack in the middle of your living room is no big deal. But to anyone who hasn't potty trained a child, it's straight up nasty. Ok, it's straight up nasty any way you look at it, but it's a necessary evil when you consider the alternative, i.e. changing diapers.

Nathan is nice enough to let me get out of the house as soon as he comes home from work. So after we ate dinner, I was able to escape for a while. As I was driving to the library (my idea of a good time), I cranked up the music and starting thinking about how even though this wasn't the greatest day we've ever had, I still want to remember it. Because I know these moments will be gone in the blink of an eye. One day my mornings will be quiet and I'll miss those little voices, those very loud little voices. I'll be able to exercise without a body plopping on my belly as I try to do sit ups. I'll clean the windows and there will be no sticky hands plastered on them.

So on my way home, I stopped in the store and got a notebook. I want to be able to write down everything that happens in the days I spend with my children. The good and the not so good. Because I know one day I'll sit down and read it and I'll realize that it was all really good.

The Sass is back!

2008-04-04T11:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated Gabs 2nd birthday. It was a good day. We spent it at home, but we did all of her favorite things. Here are some highlights.

Pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. Yum!

We did a craft. Well, the kids and I did a craft, Gabs just colored her hand...
And of course told everyone else what to do
Playing outside

Playing with her new stroller

With Daddy in her new tent

I made her fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn for her birthday dinner. And of course, her favorite, banana cake with cream cheese frosting.

Silly Gabs!

Gabrielle Olivia Jayne

2008-03-26T20:42:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Nathan and I had the scare of our lifetimes. Our youngest daughter, Gabs, hadn't been feeling well. We assumed she was just getting her 2 year molars. She had a low grade temperature and wasn't acting like herself. She was outside while Nathan and I did some yard work. She was acting fine and then she started crying, so I picked her up. Within just a couple of minutes of me holding her, she began to have a seizure. Her eyes rolled back and she started shaking. She turned white and her lips turned blue. For a minute she wasn't breathing. I yelled for Nate and told him to call 911. There were definitely a multitude of guardian angels watching over her. Within 5 minutes, the ambulance arrived. One of our neighbors had just returned home from work, so she was able to quickly run over and stay with the other kids.

When we got to the hospital, her temperature was almost 105. They said she had croup and that it was a fever induced seizure. The past few days have been really hard. Her temperature would not go down and she just wasn't getting well. So Nate took her to the doctor yesterday and she now has pneumonia.

There have been so many people who have covered us in prayer. Thank you! Please continue to pray that her recovery will be quick and she can get back to being her feisty little self!

To brighten Aunt Jessica's day

2008-03-05T11:37:00.000-05:00

I haven't been keeping up with this blog as much as I had hoped. By the time the kids are in bed, I'm just too tired to write anything. But I have lots of things to write... just need to get around to it.
So I'm going to put up a few pictures of the kids. Their favorite cd right now is something I got from the library called, Sunday School Jamz. So as they dance around to some sweet remake of "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore", I'll attempt to update everyone on the happenings of the Watsons.

Here's a semi Nathan and Malachi made out of legos. It's definitely Malachi's favorite thing to play with, but it always seems to break!

Ezekiel is trying to crawl. It's hard work. He's so active already, I'm not looking forward to when he can crawl and will be into EVERYTHING.

Gabrielle's absolute favorite thing to do is to mimic adult things. She pretends like she's cleaning, she takes care of her babies like they're real, she puts on her "ladies shoes" and stuffs a backpack full of fake keys and phones and pretends like she's going bye bye. I wonder if she'll still think vacuuming is fun when she really has to clean the house?

Aylah is such a little ham. She thinks it's funny to make "angry" faces when I take her picture. But they just end up looking cute!

I've been trying out a lot of new recipes lately. Nathan really loves my cooking skills!

Goodbye

2008-02-28T09:18:00.000-05:00

Today I received the worst news. Our sweet neighbor, Sally, passed away Monday morning.
Last night I walked across the street to her house to give her some pictures of the kids. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I could hear her two little dogs barking inside. Her sister, Peggy, lived next door, so I assumed she was over there.
And then this morning the phone rang. I answered and a cracked voice filled my ear. Struggling to get the words out, "Sally died." I just can't believe it. I look out across the street and I expect to see her standing in her living room window.
Whenever the weather was warm, I would let the kids play in the front yard. She told me how much she loved to watch them play. It was the highlight of her day. One day, she walked slowly across the street, cocktail in one hand, cigarette in the other. She went on and on about how well behaved the kids were, how they had such big cheeks. And then she glanced over at our driveway. The kids had taken off their shoes and lined them up on the cement. They were running barefoot through the grass. She looked at me and said, "Isn't that a beautiful site. How I wish I could see that in my driveway."
She taught me to recognize and appreciate the little things in life. Neither sister had any children, all they had was each other. And they reminded us often how blessed we were to have such a big family.
I will miss my friend.

Favorite

2008-02-15T10:52:00.000-05:00

Complete

2008-02-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl, my mom had my room decorated in purple. My favorite color. Purple and white eyelet curtains hung on my window, purple flowers flowed on my bedspread. I thought of names for the gingerbread family holding hands across my wall. I would trace my finger along the stenciled flowers on the side of my dresser. I loved that room. But my favorite thing was a cross stitch picture that hung on the wall. There was an angel on it and below it read, "My day is complete; I heard a child laugh." I would sit and look at that cross stitch angel and pretend like I had my very own angel watching over me and waiting to hear my laughter.

As I got older, I took down my purple decorations and changed the color on the walls. I forgot about my cross stitch angel. Until recently when I was cleaning out the attic. I came across a box my mom had given me a few years ago; in it was some childhood memorabilia. I sat and sorted through old diaries and letters. Silly pictures I took with friends. At the bottom of the box was my old friend staring right up at me. My cross stich angel and the words, "My day is complete; I heard a child laugh."

And it occured to me. As a child, I was hopeful that my angel would hear my laughter. But now my days are filled with the laughter of my own children. Giggles when I tickle their bellies, hysterical laughter as I'm chasing them around the room, pure merriment as they splash in the bathtub. I'm so blessed to have each and every day be complete through the laughter of my children. And I can only imagine that somewhere there's an angel delighting in that laughter!

Blind Man's Bluff

2008-02-01T11:29:00.000-05:00

During the winter, the kids are cooped up in the house all day. So in an attempt to keep them all from going crazy, we play games. Endlessly. The irony is that the never ending games drives me crazy! :)

They each have their favorite game. Malachi is the Operation champion, Aylah beats everyone at Memory and Gabs is a whiz at Blind Man's Bluff. Nathan places a little stuffed swan in Ezekiel's swing, blind folds Gabs and spins her around. He then puts her in the kitchen, and somehow, she can run straight to that little swan. It's the funniest thing ever.

Here's a video of Gabs playing her favorite game!

The Beginning

2008-01-29T20:27:00.000-05:00

Originally I wanted this blog to be filled with all of my "intelligent" thoughts and ideas. But then every time I sat down to write something, all I could think about was something silly the kids did or the way their faces looked as the spun around dancing to music. So I've decided to "write what I know". And honestly, there's nothing that I know better than my family.

My first post will just be introducing my family...

Nathan and I met in March of 2002 at a Ben Fold's concert. It was very random. We exchanged email addresses, after I took pictures of him and his friends with Ben Folds. Luckily, I got a picture of the two of us as well. This is us the night we met

We have four children. Malachi just turned 5. He definitely fits the role of first born. He loves to learn. He loves to play. He's so smart, sometimes I forget that he's only 5. Here he is decorating a cookie.

Aylah is 3 1/2. She's our little sweetheart. She loves playing mommy. She has such a kind heart, but she keeps up with her big brother! Here's Aylah loving on her little sister.

And then there's Gabrielle. She's 22 months and we call her Gabs. She's our little spitfire. Anytime there's music, you'll find her busting a move! Here she is wearing her favorite jacket.

Our baby is Ezekiel. He's 6 months old, and he has a whole house full of people cattering to his every need. He's the happiest baby I've ever seen. He loves to laugh and smile. Here's a picture of Ezekiel being his smiley self.

Around Christmas, the two old ladies who live across the street from us came over and brought us gifts. They brought over baskets filled with things they've collected over the years. Sisters, both in their late 70's, they had an endless amount of books and nicknacks to share with us. While the kids were scouring through their gifts, the younger sister leaned over and said, "I just love looking out my window and watching you all live your life." Such a simple thing. Through the day, I can see her standing at her living room window just waiting for a glimpse of the kids. It made me happy to think that our every day life can bring her so much happiness.

So, I hope that through writing about our every day life, I can bring anyone who reads this some kind of happiness and encouragement. I'll try and throw in an "intelligent" blog every once in a while. But I'm pretty sure any story I have to tell about my four little kiddos would be much more interesting than any thoughts or ideas I could ever have!