Happy Mother's Day!

Today, I thought I'd take the opportunity to make my SIXTH announcement.  Pregnancy announcement, that is!  Yes, I am 7 weeks 2 days pregnant, and pregnant for the 6th time!

Yes, that's right.  This is my SIXTH pregnancy.  This is the SIXTH time I've had the privilege to announce that I am growing a tiny little human right now.  (I'm so crafty, I make people.)  I'll gladly accept any and all prayers that this baby grows happy and healthy and joins our family here on Earth where s/he will grow to a ripe old age, still happy and healthy.  I'm nervous, but I don't have the same fears with this pregnancy as I did the last one.

I'm not "over" losing Taylor.  I don't think I'll ever be "over" it.  However, the opportunity to be pregnant again is amazing, glorious, and I am so very thankful for it!  I want to shout it out to the world that I am pregnant again!  I want to celebrate every minute of this pregnancy, much as I have felt with my other FIVE pregnancies.

Last time around, I could never envision the birth.  I could see the NEXT birth (as in, this pregnancy), and would even try to create an image of Taylor there with us, but it was a forced illusion.  This time, I am guessing we're having a boy and I can SEE this birth happening.  But, that doesn't mean I'm fear-free.  Every twinge has me nervous.  My first appointment isn't until 10 weeks (June 1st) and it breaks my heart to remember how Taylor's heart was beating so strongly at that stage, as I had that initial early ultrasound done.  So seeing it this time around isn't going to lessen any fears I have.  I'm nervous, almost like I shouldn't be but can't quite kick it anyway.

I should be due sometime around December 28th, though give it +/- a week!

Only 32 weeks 5 days-ISH to go!!

21 April 2012

OR Trip - Friday

Friday, we started by going to Astoria to see the GOONIE house!  We ended up going on the Trolly and they pointed it out.  However, it was such a busy day and we wanted to get back "home" to pack, so we didn't go UP TO the house.  It really does have a zipline in the backyard, and the lady who lives there... she was a Goonie fan and came to see Astoria because of The Goonies.  She got there, saw that the house was for sale, BOUGHT IT, went home to sell her house, and then moved in to her new place.  She thinks it is so cool that she invites people to come check it out!  Isn't that awesome?!  Now... if you're young and haven't seen it, GO WATCH IT NOW!!!

Aren't Josh & Kiersten totally adorable?!  Yes, of course the girls posed them. 
Okay, okay, and then Alicia and I thought it was adorable enough
that we joined in, trying to pose them just right.  But they're so darn CUTE!

Kiersten with Lillian, her new BFF.

Keith got to ring the trolly bell.

Have I mentioned that Kiersten was like a shiny new toy for the 4 teenage girls?
That's okay, they were the newest novelties for my kids to play with too.
And they were all so cute together.  All of them.  Age 15 months to 17 years!!
See how sweet they were with Kiersten?
ADORABLE!

Mitchell, Kiersten, and Keith - LOVING the beach!

Kiersten was super cuddly because it was very COLD

After we took the kids to touch the water the first time,
Mitchell ran back to the stroller and covered himself in
blankets, refusing to get out again.

Keith LOVED the water and wanted to be more daring
than I would allow him to be.  It was hard to manage taking
him to the water while cuddling Kiersten and also
making sure Mitchell was taken care of back in the stroller,
far away from the water line.  They warned us of the tides sweeping kids
into the ocean, so I was a bit nervous to let him go alone or with the other kids.

Alicia's little Josh did much better than Kiersten.
He ran all over the place and really enjoyed the beach!

OR Trip - Thursday

Thursday was nice and relaxing!  The older girls, Alicia and I all went to the Portland Temple.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  (pictures taken from ldschurchtemples.com)

Afterward, we went to

I LOVE all the MOSS!  Green carpeting all over EVERYTHING!

As fun as it might have been, I was NOT about to take my rambunctious boys,
who were running all over the place, up to that bridge where they'd
undoubtedly freak me out, stick their heads through the fencing,
and attempt to fall from what is probably about 100 feet up. 
Nope.  Just wasn't going to happen.  Ever.

And this photo taken by Lillian would show exactly why my kids weren't
about to go up onto that bridge!

Keni (in her Forks sweatshirt!!), Lexie with Josh, Kiersten on Lillian's hip, Keith, Jordan, Hunter, and Mitchell

Keni with Keith

Lexie with Kiersten, Mitchell and Keith with their new bestie, Hunter

OR Trip - Wednesday

Wednesday, we left the boys at the house with Alicia, loaded in all the girls, and the 6 of us went to Forks/LaPush, Washington!!  I posted pictures on Facebook of Kiersten at LaPush beach and NO ONE understood that it was TWILIGHT!!

This is Lexie posing with an apple the way the Twilight book does.

Bella worked at Forks Outfitters.  We went there.  I bought a Twilight magnet ribbon thing for my van.
And a Forks sweatshirt. 

We ate lunch at the picnic tables by the Visitor's Center.  There was this cute rustic bench there, and the girls took TONS of pictures of Kiersten on it!  SO CUTE!

The Forks Hospital no longer has the sign that reserves a parking spot for Dr. Cullen.  Bummer.
But if a town was going to get over Twilight, the Hospital is the place to start, right?

Someone actually lives in this house.  Apparently, as one of the only two story homes in Forks, this person VOLUNTEERED to let it stand as the Swan residence.  Odd.  We were creeped out enough that we hurried right along!

"...the deep porch that wrapped around the first story.
I didn't know what I had expected but it definitely
wasn't this.  The house was timeless, graceful, and
probably a hundred years old.  It was painted a soft,
faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well
proportioned.  The windows and doors were either part of
the original structure or a perfect restoration..."

Excerpt from Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight"
Chapter 15.  The Cullens (page 321)

This actually is the place Stephanie Meyer wrote about as the Cullen home.  It's actually a bed & breakfast.  It is NOT what was in the movie. 

Not sure what this was.  It wasn't the mailbox.  Nice though!

This was on the entry way to the house.

 

Uh, $3 for a 10 minute visit... PER PERSON?!  No thanks.

This was one of the MANY Twilight themed shops that has closed down.  Only one really seemed to still be open, though a few shops had a few Twilight items or a section of items.  I thought it'd last at least through the last movie that will come out in November of this year.

Yes, that's a Quileute Tribal School in LaPush!  How awesome!  Apparently the language is dying out, so they teach it at the school now.  At least, that's what Wikipedia taught me.

How fun!  There are little Totems on the sides of houses!

BIG Totem Pole!

First Beach at LaPush!

Kiersten didn't want to touch the sand/water!

Finally got her feet into it!

Kiersten with her new bestie, Lillian!

She came to love the sand, but of course she had to taste two rocks and two licks of the sand on her hands!  EW!