Happy 12th Birthday Jacob!!!

Happy 12th Birthday Jacob!

Jake has grown up all too fast, but some things about growing up are great for both Jake and his mom and dad. For instance, most kids request mac 'n cheese for their birthday meal, and Jacob wanted ribs (and egg nog...of course). Here he is chowing on his slab of ribs on his birthday. We love you Jacob!!! We are so proud of you for your desire to live the gospel and receive the priesthood. Here are some pictures of his birthday party and some other photos of the past year.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Bryan's real “Elk”

Here are some long overdue pictures of the bull shot 2 weeks ago. Can’t believe it’s been 2 weeks already (Kinda feels wrong to be so excited about an elk when I have a beautiful new baby to show off, but how often do you shoot such a tremendous elk? Babies…well they seem to come along every other year….).

Here is my perspective of the elk from where I shot. 8 cows came out of the aspen on the far left (most of leaves appear to be off) and walked left to right to the crown of the hill and then stopped. The bull followed them out about 15 seconds later. (elk is down b/w the aspen and the crown of the hill).

Thinking of putting this one in my office lobby.... "the doctor will see you now."

The dangers of a 60 second shower

When one has a new baby, they usually are wise to reconsider their priorities.

Adoring my New Baby,

Cuddling my Older Kiddos, &

Loving my Perfect Husband topped my list.

I didn't think a 60 second shower was an unreasonable second priority.

Apparently I was wrong.....

I thought I'd taken the proper precautions: house doors locked, bedroom/bathroom door locked with new baby securely buckled in her bouncy chair on the floor, and toddler preoccupied with books and toys on the bedroom floor. My shower was short. Really it was.

But alas, here is the scene I found:

Though Eve can't speak,

I think she was trying to give me a clue as to what happened

with her eyes.

The bright side?

With all that lotion she will now have

BABY-SOFT skin!

Tomorrows blog: How to take a 30 second shower.

A few more angles.....

For our family out of state (which is nearly all our family)

requesting more, more, MORE!!!

Here are a few snapshot of the first week of her life!

She sure is fun!

Welcome to our family, Eve!!!

The kids could hardly contain their excitement in the final days

as we anticipated our baby's birth!

And the actual event was just as thrilling as they'd imagined

(well... Amelia doesn't look too thrilled, but I can assure you she was!)

This was their first peek at their forever sister!

While most babies are welcomed into the world with softly sung lullaby's,

Eve was welcomed with a heart felt, albeit off-key, rendition of Happy Birth-day!

They even brought an Oreo birthday cake!

(The chocolate cake crumbs in the hospital bed that night reminded me that

I am blessed

and

motherhood is never boring!)

..... but motherhood certainly is rewarding!!!

Proud Daddy is in love...

... and for good reasons.

Jacob meets Eve.

(Our oldest and youngest.)

Aubree gives Eskimo Kisses.

Hayden is so tender with his Sister....

... and Seth is a gentle giant.

And Amelia is just happy, happy, happy!!!

Let's take her HOME!

Eve Isabelle Wilcox!

Today I met my baby girl.

It is a reality that doesn't fully hit you until they place her in your arms.

The weekly doctor's visits, growing belly, and uncomfortable contractions

all provide a foreshadowing;

but you never fully comprehend how much and how quickly

you will fall in love and have your life forever changed

until she is there-- in your arms;

until you feel her soft skin, smell her sweet breath, and touch her tiny hands and feet.

And in that moment you forget that there ever was a time when you didn't know her;

a time when your life didn't revolve around her;

a time when you were not complete.

Being reintroduced to my children after a few earthly years

or a few eternal moments apart

is one of my favorite experiences upon this earth.

The veil between heaven and earth is so thin

as these sweet spirits enter their mortal life.

What a time of joy!

What a privilege to be part of that process.

Eve was born at 4:10pm on September 17th, 2009.

She weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces & is 20 inches long.

She is perfect.

Welcome to our hearts Eve!

"Elk"

Here is "Elk," my deer. Got it last week. Seth said we should call it "Elk," and after going to Rocky Mtn. NP on Memorial Day weekend and seeing thousands of real elk, that's what Mia calls anything in the deer family. So this is Elk. I guess it's a fitting name since it was supposed to be an elk. The mount turned out nice. Elk is a good looking buck - good coloration. He is likely the last deer I'll ever shoot since we don't really care for deer meat.

So there you go. Maybe I'll actually get an elk this year and we can call him Buck or something.

Bryan

Like Father, Like Son

When Seth saw Bryan put on his PJ's he was THRILLED to realize that he had similar PJ's in his own drawer. He ran to his room and came back yelling, "We are matching!!!" And boy are they ever!

Seth is the spittin' image of his dad at age 4 (almost 5). They are even both number 4 in the family line-up (even the exact same boy/girl order!) They have the same temperament and quirks.

And they are both super easy to fall in love with!!!

An Edible Girl....

Amelia is my quintessential girl.

At age 18 months she love to be in the kitchen on a stool

(especially if something sweet is in the works!).

Couldn't you just eat her?!

Jake & Aubree at Cotillion Graduation

If you click "view all images" you can see the pics better.

Excited for our sixth!!

Jame, based on my vasectomy comment mentioned in the other post, and others similar to it, I expect that you must feel that I reluctantly await this birth. I just want you to know that I am excited to have our sixth baby! Our life together with our kids is tremendous, and I love going on this journey of life together with you. It's fun to go down the road of life and encounter the unexpected turns and views that we are blessed to experience. I was looking at some of our family pictures on my screensaver today in between patients and saw this one with Amelia and I realize that these moments are all too fleeting, and I'm looking forward to savoring it a little more this time.

I love you!!!!!!!!

Bryan

A Change of Heart

We had one of "Those Days” today. It was Sunday and it was NOT a day of rest.

By 7:45am I had issued 7 time outs (we only have 5 children, one of them being less than a year and a half in age…. not quite old enough for a time out- but close!), cleaned up 2 bowls of soggy frosted mini wheat’s that had spilt on the floor (the very floor I had mopped at 1 am… less than seven hours earlier), and had changed my baby into her third church dress (where does she keep finding markers?)

And the day didn’t progress in a positive way. At church my sweet husband who was running interference at one end of the pew while I ran interference at the other leaned over and informed me that he would be calling the urologist the next morning to make an appointment for a vasectomy (a telling sign that it had been a rough day for him as well!) Total Chaos!!!

I was attempting to just hang on to my sanity that evening and hoping I would make it through a request to make Rice Crispie Treats. I was counting down the hours until bedtime when the phone rang. It was a girlfriend of mine from high school and college asking if she could come and stay with me for a couple of days. Of course!

Anne, (with an “e”) lives in a different state but would be in town for a couple of days by herself for some “testing.” Anne is my age (which is VERY young, btw) has three adorable girls, one doting husband, and aggressive melanoma that she has been fighting for one year now. Her best treatment options are what brings her to our state. The doctors recently found tumor growth…. thus, more testing.

It’s amazing how a day can go from being one of “Those Days” (*tired sigh and a grumble*) to being one of “Those Days” (*grateful sigh and a full heart*).

Later that evening when 4 ½ year old Seth spilt the entire Super Sized bag of Rice Crispies on the floor and 17 month old Amelia discovered the joy of making them say “snap, crackle, pop” with quick little dancing steps we just abandoned the plan for Rice Crispie Treats, left the mess on the floor, grabbed the bag of marshmellows and a favorite book, and headed for the couch, ready for some serious snuggling. Beautiful Chaos…. I am so blessed.

Anne's blog address is wardandannecreager.blogspot.com

I am here.

I’ve had a mental block about Blogging. Bloggers are creative, organized, and perfect. I am ….not. I’ve had the idea that because this blog is archived for eternity it should be flawless. But with the word “Chaos” in the very address and title, doesn’t that make it (both the blog and me) exempt from attempting perfection?

So it is with great hesitation and much pressure from friends and family that I’m entering The Blogging World….. it’s nice to finally be here.