Ouch!

My family thinks that if I would be doing this:



Instead of this:

I would start to heal. I must admit, they are probably right. I'm trying dear family. I am not used to having people wait on me. I am sorry Jillzilla has hatched. Doc says one more week and I should start to be in less pain. I know, this is going to be one looooooooong week. Thanks for all your efforts.

Happy Birthday Stephen Leighton!!

Yes, somehow it has happened, my baby boy is 26 today!! Wow, do I feel old! I can remember his birth like it was yesterday. 25 hours of grueling labor, an emergency c-section to save both our lives, and finally my 10lb 14oz son came into this world. I was and still am the proudest mama in the world. Stephen has a heart of pure gold. There is nothing he would not do for his family. He is a master gamer and although he test my patience with his lack of patience at times, it is all good. Stephen, thank you for everything you do for us. You are a wonderful big brother and keeper of the downstairs. You are thoughtful, insightful, generous, and kind. You have knowledge well above me and there are days I am floored with what you know. We are so lucky to have you in our lives. Now, about that lack of patience with your video games............. Happy Birthday, Tben. I love you with all my heart and soul. I hope you have an awesome day!

I just did it.

On Easter Sunday, we loaded up the van and headed to the Minnesota Zoo. It was a beautiful day and I love any and all opportunities for family time. We spent five hours at the zoo. We saw all kinds of animals including lots of babies. We decided to break for lunch around 1:00. My mother-in-law joined us for lunch, looked at me and said, "how did you do it?" "Do what?" I asked. "Raise all these amazing children." I gave my usual answer of "with a lot of love and a great sense of humor". But over the past few days, as my family is growing up and out, I have been asking myself that very same question. My answer is, "I just did it". I can remember going to the grocery store with 2 in a stroller, one seated in the shopping cart and another in the infant seat placed sideways in the grocery cart. 4 children age 5 and under and I did not give it a second thought going out on my own. I laugh when I hear moms of one or two children whining about how hard it is to handle their children. Then we added two more children and still that did not slow me down. I wouldn't trade my large family for anything. Yes, I made tons of sacrifices and gave up lots of me time, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I honestly don't know how I did it. I had two options, sink or swim. As we left the zoo, I realized it has been awhile since I have taken a picture of my family minus Angela. So, for your enjoyment, I give you my amazing children:

And their pretty cool parents:

I thank God for all of you each and every day. Like Grandma Shirley said, you all are truly amazing!