Life with 5 children

Life with 5 children is well..busy...not because going from 4 to 5 is a big addition, but going from no needed naps, no diapers, no night feedings to having a newborn has slowed us down a bit. Niki's Mom came for 2 weeks to help while the old Mom in the house tried to catch up on some sleep. The oldest 4 children loved having her here and Scott and Niki both could not have survived, or maybe just wouldn't have eaten if she hadn't come. We are slowly getting used to being able to get the amoeba of children out the door. :) The older 4 have adjusted fairly well and are mostly being very helpful. One month has passed since Ford was born. This is the most recent picture below is sleeping, smiling Ford on the couch. Ford started off with strong resemblances to Law, but has changed a lot into his own little person...with several chins. If you've called and we haven't gotten back to you, thank you for your patience. Getting on the phone these days seems near impossible!

Grandma and Ford.

Smiling in his sleep.

Maisy would hold Ford all day if she could.
4 tough kids! :)
This one just makes me laugh.


That's a good wife who lets her husband go to the baseball game with a one week old! :)
Cousin Matt came to visit us.

Does this look like a trip to the ER waiting to happen or what?

Thankful for new life!!

11 pm Sunday night, August 22nd.

Niki "Scott, my water just broke" (we've never had that happened...always induced)

Scott "Great, wake me up again when you need me to do something."

Niki "Ummm....we need to go to the hospital, NOW!" :)

Robert Ford joined us at 356 am on Monday, August 23rd! He weighed in at 7 lbs 7oz and measured 20 3/4 inches, although they measured him at 19 inches today...so we're not quite sure about his length.

All of our children have one family name and one unique name. Robert is Niki's maternal grandfather's name, as well as her favorite Uncle Bob, and his son's name as well. Uncle Bob loved and treated Niki like his own daughter growing up and we're happy to be able to pass on the family name. Ford was the name of the younger brother of a favorite student of Niki's when she was still teaching.

Ford and Niki came home on Tuesday. It was a relatively peaceful night after the crazy night in the hospital. Thank you for your prayers along the way and for continued prayers as we adjust to having a new baby in the house.

Solo is the most traumatized by Ford's homecoming.
Scott and the boys set up the crib!

Gardening, grills and graduation!!

Scott graduates from Command and Staff with honors and earns his masters..now on to his new job. We are all proud of his hard work and thankful for the brain God has blessed him with!!!

Mom and I spent the weekend in Raleigh for Wade and Meri's (Niki's college roommate) wedding. Check out the tv in the bathroom mirror...we were both impressed!
Congrats Wade and Meri!!!!
Our bookworm. :)
Niki celebrated her 36th birthday this spring. (YIKES! and yes, those are matches, not candles! HA!)
Quick visit from Uncle Bob last week.
Local car show--in front of an old NY police car.

Law's crazy grill!!

Psalm 127:3--Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord...

At the wedding this weekend, I heard and really listened to the verses from 1 Corinthians 13 on love...love is patient, kind...is not rude, boastful or self-seeking...here I am trying to be patient as Law snaps a quick photo. (28 weeks) As the weeks wind down, I am really trying to focus and pray for God's help with the patience of love and the NOT being rude of love. :)

Normally, I wouldn't share thoughts, but we've had lots of repeat questions about the pregnancy, our family, etc...so while I have a moment, here are a few of the most common questions/comments mostly from friends, family and acquaintances....some from strangers.

*Is this really your 5th child? well, yes...but they all didn't come out of my womb.

*Did you ever think you'd have 5 children? Absolutely...NOT...but God had a different plan for me...I think Scott has always hoped for at least a basketball team! :)

*Are you having twins? ummm...no...(do I ask at this point if I look like I am?)

*Do you know its gender/are you happy that its a...? We know its a boy...I was indifferent toward gender...someone in the house is happy to pass on the family name. :)

*Boy, do you have your hands full! Technically, any Mom with two children has her hands full...one on the left and one on the right. :)

*Do you have a name picked out? Not exactly...we've narrowed it down a good bit, but will keep that to ourselves. :) Right now, we call him Larry Jr because he looks exactly like Law (short for Lawrence) looked as a baby! It might be a hard transition when the other 4 realize he'll have a different name!

*What do the kids think? L and M are excited...I'm not sure E and F really know what's going on...I'm expecting E to regress some because the attention will be turned from him.

*When are you due? Sep 9th, but Maisy was 3 1/2 weeks early, so we'll see what happens.

*How are you feeling? A bit older, I must say...but not too bad. I'm thankful that my blood pressure has been great so far!

*Are you done after this one? Scott and I are hoping the Lord makes His plan for our family known to us after this child, so we don't know right now.

A few prayer requests if you have a minute:

--Barb, Scott's step Mom is still recovering from brain surgery after the bleed...praying for healing of her eye sight and feeling to return to her right side.

--Niki's cousin Bob is currently deployed on a carrier...prayers for his safety and for his wife Kir and their girls back home.

--Prayers for healing for a young man in the Army named Ian...he was hit by an IED that severed his spinal cord.

--Continued prayer for my health as the weeks pass by in this pregnancy...that preeclampsia would not rear its head...at least before 36 weeks :) and that E and F would continue to mature spiritually, mentally and physically as we continue the assimilation process.

Easter, Old Friends and Field Trips

Happy (belated) Easter. We hope you had a wonderful celebration of the resurrection of our Lord!

It was too much work to move all these pictures, so they are in backwards chronological order. I wasn't trying to feature myself! :) 20 weeks along...its a healthy (thank GOD) boy!!

Thanks for the racetrack Grandad and Bibi. This was my second setup of the track so some of the turns are a bit abrupt!

The JSF---just for you Grandad!

Who doesn't enjoy a day at the air and space museum??

The 3 younger ones may not have been impressed by the Arlington National Cemetary, but Grandma, Law and I were. It is full of history of our nation.

We were amazed at the grounds of George and Martha Washington. To think these buildings were put up in the 1700's blew our minds.

This sheep at Mt. Vernon was having a rough time...the children were having a fun time guessing what he was talking to the wall about.

George and Martha's view of the Potomac.

Grandma and the children learn about the machine shop at Mt. Vernon.

We had a wonderful night catching up with some other Marine families. Just a few years back, there were 3 children between the three families.

Top (Law S, Madison J, Alexandra M)

Bottom (Ezra S, Maison S, Feven S, John Patrick M and funny Andrew J)

The 3 originals: Alexandra M, Law S and Madison J (our favorite God daughter)

Our favorite God son Justin.

Scott, Niki, Shelly, Eric, Amparo and John

Justin REALLY wants to pose with us!

Easter day fishing at the neighbor's pond.

Ezra's catch!

Cousin Matt trying hard to limit the fish casualties. :)

Easter Day with cousin Matt.

Ezra trying to figure out what it means to 'hunt' for Easter eggs.

The boys and cousin Matt.

Hiking in Prince William Forest.

Field trip to Fredericksburg Battlefield.