It's a Girl!

My beautiful daughter Sarah went to her first doctor's visit and found out she's having a girl! They're naming her Victoria Rose. Isn't that a beautiful name?  Victoria will be Sarah's third baby. She already has a boy and a girl. We're excited to meet her in June!

Enjoying my older kids

This last week has found me spending time with adult kids. It's such a reward for all the training and parenting that we did. The reward being that we can now enjoy one another's company and just be together.

For Christmas our oldest son bought his dad tickets to Rain: The Beatles Cover band. The show was excellent. If you like the Beatles and you're ever able to go, you should, you won't regret it. It was so much fun. They sounded and looked just like the Beatles.
These pics are from from the Rain Website. Rain  He and his wife went with us to The Old Spaghetti Factory and then to the concert. It was fun just being with them.

  

  

In the middle of the week we went to Phil's BBQ to celebrate our second son's 28th birthday. We met him, his wife and little guy there. It was the first time for his wife, and about our fifth time or so. We always get the rib tickler with some added onion rings. Big greasy onion rings dipped in ranch dressing-oh so good!

Phil's BBQ

This weekend we headed to Luke Air Force Base where my daughter's family lives. We went for an overnighter so Grandpa could meet his newest granddaughter. We had fun playing with our grandson too. He is only two and so full of energy. I think we were welcome playmates.

We were able to go to Cracker Barrrel TWICE!!! Yes! In California we don't have Cracker Barrels so we can't go to one unless we're in a different state, that means if we hit Yuma or Phoenix we always go. It was Fish Fry Friday which is my FAVORITE so I was able to indulge my taste buds.

I'm having trouble uploading pics, but when I'm able I will post a new picture of the little Miss and her brother.

Today is my third son's 23rd birthday and he is stationed in Baltimore. We were able to call and chat with him for awhile. We so enjoy him and miss him since he's all the way across the U.S. When I went to Ethiopia this summer I stopped at his house for half a week on the way back. I get to see him in June when they come home for a few weddings.

Hopefully you have a relationship or will with your older kids. It's one of life's greatest blessings.

Sarah's Shower

 

 

Happy Birthday, Sarah!!

Today is my Sarah's 21st birthday! Sarah is my oldest daughter and my only daughter for sixteen years. She was raised with seven brothers and kept up with them every inch of the way.

A week before Sarah was due I went in for a non-stress test. During that test the technician told me she was 95% sure I was having a girl. After three boys I could hardly believe it! For the next week I looked at all the little girls I saw and thought, "I'm going to have one of those and this is a whole new realm of spending money!" The tights, barrettes, dresses, shoes, etc....

The day she was born everything was going well. She was to be my second v-bac and I looked forward to her arrival. After fighting so hard for my first v-back this pregnancy seemed so easy.

It was easy until the dr. broke my water. Sarah didn't do so well then. Her heart rate decelerated with every contraction and I think in between also. They kept giving me a warning that if things didn't progress soon, meaning her heart rate go up quickly and I dilate just as quick, that I was headed in for a c-section. Then I remembered that during one of her sonograms her umbilical cord was right in front of her face. When they broke the water there wasn't a buffer and her face must be pushing on the cord. I told someone in charge my thoughts and they decided to do an amniofusion.



Doing an amniofusion provided Sarah the relief she needed until she was ready to make her appearance. Since this was very stressful for me I didn't progress much in the way of dilating. I think I was at about 6 when I felt as though I needed to use the restroom. Since I was hooked up to the amniofusion and Sarah had wires connected to her scalp inutero I couldn't get up. Steve graciously got the nurse to help me with a bedpan. BUT! I didn't need to use the restroom I was ready to push! In ten minutes I had gone from 6 cms. to needing to push. She was born quickly and everything was fine.

She was born with a HEAD FULL of black hair, long fingers, and dark skin. If I hadn't seen her come out I would have thought she belonged to a Latina mother. She nursed right away and was a good little nurser.

Sarah is now married and a mother herself. She is expecting her second baby which we think is a girl!

I would post newborn pics of her but my scanner hasn't been working so newer pics will have to do.

DLT & GGG

Jesse, (17) our third son, oldest at home is on a DLT trip with our youth pastor and some older teen guys from church. What is DLT you ask? Down Low Trip. Last year they went camping and fishing with no facilities. They weren't allowed to shave, bathe, brush teeth, wear deoderant or any of the things that make it so we can stand each other. Jesse cheated though and brushed his teeth and wore deoderant until he was caught! Then he had to go without and be a manly man.

Yesterday he left for this year's DLT and I think they went to Palm Springs to a timeshare. The girls aren't supposed to know where the guys are going and since Sarah qualifies as a girl, I didn't get to know either (because I would tell her) except through what Steve told me. So we're envisioning them sleeping through the morning hours, swimming and eating in the afternoon, and playing Risk until the wee hours of the morning. What a life......................

Now Sarah is going on a GGG. What is GGG you ask? Well Sarah isn't even sure what it stands for. Is it Godly Girls Get-Away? Girls Godly Get-Away? They're taking the rough road this year. They're going camping for a night with a pregnant leader! This oughta be fun!!!

I'll report back next week how their trips went. By the way.......my house is very peaceful right now. Ssshhhh...........

Sarah and the Prom

Sarah Aaron & Sarah
Hanna & Sarah
Aaron, Sarah, Hanna & Jacob
The girls showing their corsages

Sarah went to the local high school's prom Saturday night. She was asked to go by her friend Aaron while they were in Ecuador. Sarah's best friend Hanna also went with Aaron's best friend Jacob. The girls looked absolutely beautiful and the guys were very handsome.

They were chauffered around town by our youth pastor Shad. He borrowed his brother-in-laws Mercedes so they could ride in style. My solution was to have Jesse dress up in his tux and use our mini-van, but I guess that didn't have the same effect.

Shad drove them to Harbor/Shelter Island (I've lived in San Diego all my life & I still get them confused.) where they went to Island Prime for crab and filet mignon. They then headed to the Midway, a boat used for military purposes. I'm sure it's retired and that it is called something more official than a boat, but I'm not up on my military history or recent San Diego history. Maybe it's not retired because they said there were helicopters and other things on it, so they wouldn't be there if it was inactive. Right?

The prom started at 8pm and ended at 11pm or so. Shad drove them over to his friend's house where they reminisced over the evening. Unfortunately the night had to come to an end and they all went home to sleep.

The next morning Jesse, Sarah and Aaron drove up to Six Flags Magic Mountain in the Los Angeles area. Hanna, Jacob, and Hanna's sister and her friend went to California Adventure in Anaheim. All arrived home safely and the "fun" weekend had to come to a close.