Thursday, October 28

Things

...that make me smile today?

the scents and sights of fall

when this

turns into this

my "Big Boy" helping me bake

and this squishy face

Tuesday, October 26

Cuddles


My mom took this picture the morning she left... early morning cuddling truly is the best!

Monday, October 25

Fall Break

Last week was Fall Break for Sarah & Emma, so all the kids were home Wednesday through Friday. It was so great my mom was able to stay through the week!

We did a lot of fun stuff like:

making Halloween sugar cookies,
having a photo shoot for Jared's birth announcement,

going shopping,

having two mommy/daughter nights
(thanks to Dennis watching the 3 older kids),

and having a picnic at the park.
It was such a treat to have my mom here for 2 weeks, and we all miss her like crazy! Not only was she a huge help, but we think she's fun to be around too. It was nice to have another adult around all day... now it's just me and 4 little ones. Thanks Mom!

Tuesday, October 19

Really much

There is only one way to describe what Emma feels for her baby brother...
complete
unconditional
boundless
LOVE

She asks to hold him 10 to 15 times every day. Whether he is eating, sleeping, screaming, or getting a diaper changed - it doesn't matter.

She wants to squeeze him, be next to him, hold his hand, stroke his hair, and pat his belly.


She tells me at least daily, "Mommy, I love our born baby really much."

I hope he loves her too!

Monday, October 18

vroom vroom

We have been so spoiled here lately.

My parents came to visit us and welcome baby Jared to the family.

My dad spent his week here by fixing up bikes... buying Sarah a new-used bike, putting on training wheels on Emma's, painting Andrew's bike, fixing tires, and all sorts of other bike stuff.


Andrew decided to chip in and help out.


We've taken the kids on bike rides every night since. Andrew pedals as fast as the Road Runner on Loony Tunes... all the while making motorcycle sound effects!

My dad had to go back home, but my mom gets to stay an extra week.

We have all sorts of fun stuff planned (yay!) - more on that later.

Saturday, October 9

Announcing...

I guess I was a little off on my countdown a few days ago. Our little guy decided to come on his own, and I didn't have to wait for an induction this time around. Hooray! It was a first for us, so Dennis and I were newbies on this one.

All afternoon on Thursday I had contractions about 15 or 20 minutes apart, and Dennis thought I was fooling myself into thinking I was going into labor. My doctor had just told me that day there was a possibility the hospital would cancel my induction because they were getting really busy lately, and they needed to leave room for women who were actually in labor. So... after the contractions lasted through the night, I decided to get Sarah off to school and run some errands. Dennis had a meeting that he told me I could interrupt, but I didn't want to. The meeting ended at 10:00, and by the time we found a friend to watch the kiddos at home it was getting later and later. We got to the hospital around 11:30, not sure if they would keep me or not. My contractions were averaging about 5 minutes by then. I was admitted at 8 cm dilated! The nurses told me I had to make a split second decision on whether I wanted an epidural or not... I opted for none this time since I figured I made it this far, and maybe just maybe I could make it through the rest.

The baby was born at 12:49 pm, so it's a good thing we got to the hospital when we did!

So, without further ado...

Here he is...

The one and only...

Jared Lee HungerOctober 8, 2010
8 lbs. 13 oz.
21.5 inches

Jared was born on what would have been my Grandpa Lee's 90th birthday - thus the middle name.

We all love our new "born baby" as the kids like to call him.

Wednesday, October 6

T-minus 6 days and counting


It's still hard to believe sometimes, but we are only 6 days or less from welcoming our baby boy!

I feel huge, awkward, and completely ready to be done being pregnant.

I feel excited, anxious, and it doesn't seem real at all that we're going to have a baby in our home again.

And, to those of you wondering:
No, we don't have a name yet. Not even close...
hopefully we decide on one before his first birthday!

Monday, October 4

Small Town

We live in a small town...

With that comes all the stereotypes we've heard and loved for ages.

It also comes with some fun family activities.

We took advantage of that fun a few weeks ago on a Saturday morning.

Taking in the county fair

and making a visit to the local soda fountain shop.

Goats, pigs, cows, ice cream, and Italian sodas... ahhh!