Our Pioneer Life

The Life Of A Mother

2011-11-13T10:27:00.006-06:00

The very moment you become a mother, your life changes forever. After that very moment, you are a mother. Always and Forever. From that moment on, life is always a series of emotions. Some happy, some sad. Through it all, there is no money in the world that I would take to buy those memories.

Take tonight as an example. I am in the living room with Brent, Hannah, and Jacob. Then, Brigham walks in the room. I look down upon his little head, and what do we all see?

A small child trying to look like he had no ideas as to why I would be asking him if he had cut his hair.

This is Brigham trying to pretend he didn't cut his hair.

Then he realized he was in trouble, and led us to what he used to cut his hair. He had snuck scissors from the kitchen, into the bathroom, and cut off his head. He had gotten within an 1/8 of an inch. So... I took him outside, and shaved his head. He was an 1/8 of an inch from being shaved completely bald.

Brigham after he realized he was in trouble.

...And after the hair cut.

The life of a mother is never boring, and never ends. Just remember all the laughs and smiles you were blessed with!

A Past Post... Back In September

2011-10-05T09:03:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, September 3rd, Brent, myself, Jacob, and Rebekah headed up to Gallatin to check out a storage facility that is for sale. We talked to the man about it, and are now waiting for the contract to be written up. We will be "managing to own" a storage facility. It has 31 units, all but 2 are rented out. It also has 4 store fronts, so we can do our BBQ (so excited!) because we can get one set up as a commercial kitchen! One would be for the office, and the other two are private enough that we can remodel them a little and make them into a living quarters until we get some land. Unfortunately, he sent the contract and it was pretty unreasonable. We told him we were still interested, but not with the way the contract was written. All he had to say was "Interesting!". We haven't heard back. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

After we got back on Saturday, we prepared for Monday's "festivities". It was Labor Day, and we were spending the day at Brent's Grandmother's with his parents, and other family and friends. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, and I brought some dessert (brownies, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie).

Just before dinner, Bekah was getting a little grumpy. She had eaten a little breakfast, and flat out refused lunch, so I was sure she was grumpy because she was hungry. It didn't help she was getting 3 teeth all at once either (a molar, eye tooth, and front tooth). Sandy (Brent's mom) gave Bekah some watermelon, and she ate a few pieces. Then, a few minutes later, dinner was ready. I made her plate, but she refused to eat it. She just cried. I took her and put her in bed and she went to sleep. At that time I didn't think she felt hot. Sandy said earlier she had felt hot (feverish), but it seemed to have gone down.

After a while, Brent, the kids and I all went downstairs where Bekah was resting. She began getting fussy around 9, and Hannah said she felt hot again. I asked her to go get a sippy cup of ice water. When Hannah got back downstairs, she said Bekah didn't look right. They were behind Brent and I. We turned around, and Hannah was holding Bekah up, with her arms wrapped under Bekah's arms. Bekah was just dangling there (Brigham kept trying to give Bekah her sippy cup). Something was definitely not right. Bekah was in the middle of a febrile seizure (a first for us).

I will admit right now that I completely lost it. I was absolutely terrified and on the inside was having a total break down. On the outside, it wasn't much better. Brent grabbed up Bekah and held her. I called 911. That was an ordeal in itself. I dialed on Brent's grandmother's phone, and waited for what seemed like forever (probably 10 seconds), and it didn't ring. I looked at the phone and yelled at it. At that time, everyone else in the room looked at me funny. I told them Bekah was having a seizure, and they all began to move around to help. I tried dialing again, but the phone line was dead (GREAT!). I pulled my cell phone out and got through (by that time she was getting better and I didn't actually NEED to call, but I found that out later).

The police got there within minutes, followed by the fire department, then the paramedics. Come to find out, when you mention 18 month old, they all come running. Brent went with her to the hospital. I wanted to sooo bad, but I had Jacob, and there was no way they would let him in, and I didn't want him exposed to all the hospital germs. When we went outside to the ambulance, you should have seen the street. The entire street was filled with flashing lights. There was the ambulance, 2 fire responder vehicles, and around 5 police cars, all in a little culdesac. I said later that you just can't have a good holiday without the entire police force showing up at your front door.

Brent got to Children's Mercy around 10pm. Bekah was responsive, but still not feeling well. Here's a picture Brent took of her in the ER waiting room.

We were all pretty shaken up. Hannah kept saying if only she would have gotten the water to her faster (I told her that there was NOTHING she could have done to prevent it), Sadie couldn't stop crying (they have a special bond), Brigham couldn't understand why Bekah wouldn't take the cup from him. He kept saying that he tried to give it to her, but she wouldn't take it. When Sandy and Bill were telling him that Bekah went to the hospital, he responded back that the hospital is where people go to die. How sad that he thought she was going to die! We told him that she went there to get looked at and would be home soon. Abby and Moses were doing fine. Abby was skipping around (LOL), and Moses was next door with great grandma and the company talking about dinosaurs (Jurassic Park) and Ghost Busters.

Now, the delima that came to be was that Brent was at the hospital, and had no way to get home. I didn't know how to get to the hospital, and had baby man. What to do? My cousin Stephanie said she could give us a ride (so sweet of her), and took Sadie and myself to Children's Mercy. I left Jacob with my mom, thinking they would get out soon (LOL - Yeah right). After 5 hours, we FINALLY saw a doctor, who went over what we should do if it happens again.

Here's Brent and Bekah waiting in the room.

Basically, Bekah has a 30% chance of another febrile seizure, she'll out grow them by 6 at the latest, if it lasts more than 5 minutes - take her in or call 911, a fever reducer wouldn't have prevented it, and her (or my other children) will probably pass it on to their children.

I learned from questioning others and my own studies that she needs a high fat diet. The brain cannot handle the fever if it doesn't have enough fat.

Overall, it was a frantic and traumatic learning experience. I don't want to go through that again, but I will be watchful during each fever we have from now on. Bekah is doing fine, and is as ornery as she always has been.

We are now preparing for our move, coming up soon! Nothing but sunny skies ahead, if I have anything to say about it.

Thank you Heavenly Father and Mother for watching over my family!

Unschooling Is More Than Education... It's A Way Of Life...

2011-08-18T12:38:00.002-05:00

My family is all freaked out over the way we school (or don't "school") our children. We don't have "school" in the normal aspect of things. We "unschool". We don't fall into the class room that we decided to opt out of when deciding to homeschool our children. We learn through life, through education, through hands on experience. Not through hours a day at a desk, with "teacher" standing over them, busy work, and such.

As I was online today, I found a quote from a fellow unschooler that described unschooling very well...

"Unschooling doesn't mean not learning - it means learning without the trappings of school. Its not unlearning or uneducating. Its only unschooling - it points out a contrast in approaches to learning. My unschooled kids are learning as much or more than their schooled friends (and that includes home schooled or institution schooled)." - Pam Sorooshian

Unschooling is more than education. It's a way of life. It's how we, as a people, learn. Every single day we unschool. We learn how to do something (cooking new foods, better ways of cleaning, building something, etc...) with the use of our own brains. Not with teachers. Not with books. Just with our own intelligence and ability to think on our own.

That is what I am teaching my children. How to think and act on their own, instead of waiting to be told or shown how to do it.

Jacob Porter

2011-08-18T12:26:00.005-05:00

On August 4, 2011 our son, Jacob Porter, joined our family. Here is his story...

Our baby was not officially due until August 8. I was not too worried about an early delivery, since all my previous babies had been born on, or after, their guess date. Hannah being our exception, since she was induced early for no reason (my own ignorance).

Brent and I went to bed at about 11:30 pm on Wednesday night. At midnight, contractions started in. I had been having them off and on for a few weeks. Usually lasting a good 12 hours. This time, however, they were down low, in my cervix, instead of up high on the top. There was a definite difference in these contractions. There was a pressure, a pushing down. I was awake more than asleep. Going between using the bathroom, and listening to my Hypnobirthing soundtrack in my restless sleep. At about 7 am I got up and decided to take a shower. It was such a wonderful feeling. The warm water took so much of the pain away. There were still a few contractions that I had to squat through during my shower and just after as I got dressed. Then, after I got dressed, they stopped completely.

Yep. That's how things had been going for several weeks. I had just gone through another 7 hours of hard contractions, and then nothing. I was a little disappointed, but I wasn't quite ready. I looked at it as 7 hours of labour that I had gone through and was 7 hours closer to having baby. We still had some things to do in the house before I wanted baby to come. We also had some plans to visit Brent's friend a little over an hour north of us. We were going to look at some land he had for sale, and visit with him and his wife for a while.

At 10 am I had only had around 3 very mild contractions, so I told Brent that we should go and visit his friend. I could tell he was a little weary of going so far away from home, but I grabbed up my birth kit, baby clothes and extra cash. I said all else, we'll get a hotel and have the baby there. Seeing that I wasn't too concerned, and feeling pretty good, he agreed to go. It was a trip we were both wanting to take, and I think overall it was a good distraction for me.

We traveled up north to his friend's house. I had a few contractions, but nothing that really concerned me. As we were at their house, we were talking at their kitchen table, and I started getting some stronger contractions. The ones that I had to close my eyes and focus on relaxing and breathing through. They were still only about 20 minutes apart. We went out around noon, and looked at the land... Well, Brent and Jeff looked at the land. I stayed in the van and fell asleep while they tromped through the woods. I wasn't really up to ticks, poison ivy, and walking through the woods with contractions. A little later they came back and we went back to their house for lunch.

At 1 pm we ate lunch. I just opted for salad and some chicken broth. I was beginning to realize that labour was kicking in, and I was pretty sure that I was going to be having the baby that day. Knowing what I know, only 2 of my births had not included getting sick. I only wanted to eat soft, easy to throw up foods. I began to time them, and they were 10-15 minutes apart. I knew that from past experiences (except Moses's whirlwind birth) that usually gave me plenty of time, I laid down and dozed on the love seat as Brent sat on the couch and talked with Jeff about Church history. They asked several times if I was doing alright, and I said yes. A little after 4 pm, I was not feeling good anymore. Brent and I decided to go ahead and head back home around 5:30 pm. By that time, I was at about 5-7 minutes between contractions. However, as we walked out their door, they got so much worse. I had to stop in their driveway, half squat, breathe and I started crying. They had instantly gone from 5-7 minutes to 2-3 minutes apart just by walking to the van! I felt bad for Brent, because he was driving and I could just see him wondering if we were going to make it.

He was awesome. He did speed a little, but not bad (I kept teasing him about getting pulled over). He kept telling jokes and kept the mood light in the van. I'm not really sure if it was for him or me that he was doing this for. I really helped me, though. He was also starving, as we hadn't eating much that whole day, and I was feeling sick. He said a few times (jokingly) how he was going to starve, and I didn't want to stop and eat.

It was a hard trip for me, though. I felt such pressure. Most of the contractions were so hard, and I did my best to relax, and picture my cervix opening wider through each contraction. I read how this worked in a book by Ina May Gaskin. How they actually felt a mother's cervix open when she visualized it opening during a contraction. At one point, I told Brent that I changed my mind. That I loved being pregnant. That I wanted to stay pregnant forever. He laughed and said it's too late now.

When we got onto the back road leading to the house, we ended up getting stuck behind someone going 40. It was 55 on that road. There was nothing but hills, and we couldn't pass. I had to start laughing. I told Brent it was like the movies where they start yelling, "My Wife Is In Labour!". We both laughed at that.

He asked me where we wanted to go, my mom's or his Grandma's house. I really wanted to get in the tub. I knew that his Grandmother's tub was almost never used, and was very clean. At my mom's, the kids all use the tub, and I did't want to clean it to get in and labour in. I wanted it to be super clean and sterile enough for me if I happened to have the baby. We got to his Grandmother's house, and we realized that we didn't have our sterile gloves. They were at my parent's house. Brent grabbed Hannah (and I thought Sadie) our two oldest who were staying at his Grandmother's to help her out, checked on me to ask if I was okay and if there was time to go. I was sitting on the toilet trying to get through contractions. I said I thought so. He went out the door. Then 30 seconds later, Sadie pops in and asks if I'm okay. That Brent wanted her to check on me. I said yes, that I was running a bath. She went on out, and I though she left with her dad.

I moved myself slowly from the toilet to the tub. A laborious effort, considering they were only like 2 feet away from each other. I got in the tub, and it was so nice and warm. I had one really hard contraction that just about knocked me over. I got on my knees, sitting on my feet, and leaning forward on my hands. My contractions were almost nonexistent feeling because of the water. I was amazed at how much it eased the pain. Why hadn't I ever done this before?!

I reached inside of myself to see where baby was, or if I could even feel baby. I got 1/2 a finger inside of me and immediately felt something round.

"Is that the baby's head?", I immediately thought? I touched it again, and it just disintegrated at my touch. Water flowed out of me, and a tiny bit of bloody show. My bag of waters! I felt it, and then felt it release into the tub. I looked at the not quite as clean bath water, and immediately knew that baby had not passed meconium. That was good.

I was completely calm. I was both doctor and patient. I felt inside of myself again, and a full finger length up was the baby's head. I had never felt this before. I had always just let someone else take control of my births. Even with our last, our first unassisted birth, I let Brent take over and I just told him what to do. I had not wanted to move, to reach, and feel what was going on. I knew what should happen. What to look for. I could "see" it all, with my mind's eye. I felt baby's head again, and knew it felt funny. I couldn't tell what it was that I was feeling. It was a lump, a cord like feeling. I immediately wondered if that was the umbilical cord. I knew that I had to know quickly. I felt again, and kind of pinched to feel it better. It wasn't a pinch to break, but to get a better feel. That is when I could tell it wasn't the cord, but a bunch of the sack on his head from when it broke. I was calmed and knew that it was almost over. Baby was in the birth canal. All that was left was to push my little baby out. That sounds easy enough, but having done this before, I knew what it consisted of.

I waited for another contraction, but they had slowed down since getting into the water. Still on my hands and knees, I leaned back, sitting on my feet. Then got back onto my knees and leaned forward, half way stretched out. Then righted myself back to the hands and knees position. That got the contraction started. I felt inside of me and pushed hard. I felt the baby move down to the opening. I stopped and waited, again, for another contraction. After nothing happening, I again leaned back and forward to produce another contraction. I gave a hard push, and baby made it maybe 1/3 of the way out before I stopped and relaxed, feeling baby move back up inside of me. At this time, I was mentally moving back from doctor to patient. I for a second or two thought how hard this was and how it hurt. How I didn't want to go on.

I then changed back to doctor mode. I thought of when my two boys (4 and 3 years old) cry when they have a hard poop. How I tell them they just have to push it out. The longer they wait, the longer it's going to hurt, and that it HAS to come out sooner or later. I mustered up all my mental energy. When I had my next contraction, I pushed. I pushed hard, but slowly, and with complete control. I felt my baby's head stretch the skin. I held the head, and massaged the skin to help prevent tearing (not the easiest thing to do on yourself). I wanted to stop, but knew I couldn't. I kept pushing. I wanted to cry out (but was completely silent for this entire experience). It hurt. It stretched. It burned. Then, when I though for sure I couldn't do it any more, the head was out. Oh, my! What absolute relief!

Then, baby began to wiggle. Never had I experienced this! Still underwater, baby's head was moving around, like he was twirling around. He was moving his arms around inside of me, wiggling. His head was twisting and turning. I gave another great push to get him out for good. This was, strangely enough, harder than any of my other babies. Normally the body is the easy part for me, but being in this odd position (hands and knees still), I had to lean forward and push him more behind me. Then, as his body began to slowly slide out, I moved back up and guided him back toward my stomach. He was out! I had my baby, all by myself, in the water, and I caught him!

We had another little boy! I held him under the water for a few seconds. He was so calm. As I took him out, he cried. I held him to me, but didn't get the skin to skin contact I was expecting. I forgot I was wearing a shirt. It was too wet to take off, so I just held him to me.

Then, Sadie (my 13 year old daughter) knocked on the door. I didn't know she was there. She came in and helped me with baby. We looked at him, and he was perfect. She got my phone and took a picture of him in the tub.

I then told her to call Brent. She grabbed the phone and I think all she said was, "It's a boy". She went and fetched a towel I had set aside and, still in the tub, we wrapped him up in the towel. I drained some of the water, and refilled it with cleaner, warm water. I tried to nurse him, and he tried, but wasn't too interested. Sadie got my Shepherd's Purse tea (Brent had my birth kit in the van, but I remembered to grab the tea). I drank half, then tried to nurse baby again, and then drank the other half.

Brent came in, and saw that we were all doing good. He made sure I was okay, and baby was doing well. He got out his phone and took a picture of me with baby in the tub...

I then told him he hadn't seen baby's face yet! I unlatched baby and faced him toward Brent. He got another sweet picture of him...

What a sweet baby man! We waited an hour to cut the cord. We tied it, and cut it. Then Sadie got another dry towel. He got wrapped up and Sadie got to hold him. Then Brent took him out as his mom came into the house. I had Sadie shut the bathroom door, and I birthed the placenta in the emptied tub. I laughed, saying the tub looked like a murder scene. Sadie had Brent get a gallon zip lock bag for the placenta (which really grossed him out to hold the bag). I did a really good job of not letting the placenta touch him. I cleared out the room, drained the tub, and took a shower (to clean both myself and the tub).

As I was drying off, Brent and his mom were drying off baby and weighing him. He was born at 7:05 pm Thursday, August 4, 2011. He weighted 8 lbs exactly, and 21 1/2 inches long.

I came out of the bathroom and helped dress him, and then the pictures started.

He's a great baby. He doesn't cry much. He slept all night last night. I had to keep waking him up to nurse him. At about 5 am, I couldn't sleep because of after birth pains. I got up with baby, and we slept in the recliner in the living room until about 8 am.

I Am So Freaking Out Right Now!

2011-05-11T13:36:00.000-05:00

So, I mentioned how I interviewed on the local Kansas City news station about Chicken Pox Parties. Well, the reporter I talked to (Jana) messaged me on FaceBook today. Good Morning America Wants to interview me! Oh My Goodness! I am so freaking out! I said YES! I am right now going between laughing and crying. Literally! Talking in public is so terrifying to me. This is so much to take in right now! I just wanted to share!

I'm also trying to get it on YouTube, but here's the link to the news site video and their follow up the next day...
http://www.kmbc.com/video/27836599/detail.html

http://www.kmbc.com/video/27837379/detail.html

What A Busy Past Few Weeks

2011-05-08T14:15:00.003-05:00

The past few weeks have been kind of crazy and fun. A couple weeks ago, a reporter from Kansas City's Channel 9 News found my Chicken Pox Party – Kansas City group on Facebook. Her friend had just had a Pox Party a week or so earlier. This reporter had never heard of pox parties and was wanting to do a story on them. Unfortunately, and understandably so, nobody wanted to talk to her about it. It is a somewhat touchy subject, and many are afraid of what others might think or do toward their families. Jana (the reporter) messaged me on Facebook, asking if I knew of any upcoming pox parties. I messaged her back and let her know that I didn't, as they are many times hard to find, but gave her my number if she wanted to talk.

She did call, and we talked for a little while. She wanted to interview me, but as I lived a few hours away at the time, she said she'd try to contact some people in local homeschool groups first. I told Brent about it, and told him that I was happy that she wasn't going to interview me (I hate being the center of attention). The very next day, she called and said that nobody wanted to talk about it and asked if we might be able to interview after all. I really didn't want to be on the news, but I felt that this was something that was worth talking about. If nobody else was going to talk about it, then it was up to me. We scheduled a time for that next week, and I spent the next few days mentally calming myself. LOL!

We went up to KC, and at 1pm I interviewed about Chicken Pox Parties. I was so nervous, but Brent said that I did really well. I have been stressing over the fact that now I'm going to be, not just on the news, but the lead story! CRAP! LOL! Mom called last night (Abby's birthday) and said that they saw a clip for the story on Channel 9. It's going to be on tomorrow at 10pm. She said I looked really good, well spoken, and educated about what I was talking about. There is also another woman they interviewed for the “other side”, which I expected. It is kind of fun, and I can't wait to see the comments on the news site about the story! I bet there will be some good “haters” on there.

I would like to save a copy of the news story. My parents and Brent's parents are both going to DVR it, and we're going to see if there is a way to download it to the computer. It's freaking me out, but how often do you get to be on the news? As my Aunt Jo said, it's a family member on the news and has nothing to do with the police. LOL!

I'll post the video as soon as I can. :)

We are preparing to move... again. LOL! Things just aren't working out here. We are heading back up to Kansas City, and will stay with my parents until this fall. By that time we hope to have made enough money from the Kettle Corn and Shaved Ice that we can get a few acres and start building a little cabin up in Northern Missouri. That is the goal. :) We also hope that a few of our good friends from Arizona might make their way out here too.

As for the new baby, we are still planning a home birth. We just don't know which home baby will be born in. There is my parent's, Brent's Grandmother's basement, or I can always have a “hotel birth”. I'm open to any of them. There's still time, but it's running shorter. 27 weeks tomorrow! As little as 10 weeks, or as many as 15.

For other news. Yesterday was Abby's 7^th birthday. A few weeks ago, Abby said that she knew what she wanted to eat for her birthday dinner. She requested meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. She also flipped through my cake book and picked out the cake she wanted. She got all of it. We made her birthday dinner, which was so yummy, but not a meal I would expect a girl to request for her 7^th birthday. LOL!

We also worked hard (all of us) to make the cake almost exactly like the one in the book. It was a fondant covered cake, and I'd never worked with fondant, but I was willing to give it a try. I decided to try to make some roses, and I made a few. Abby even helped make some of the fondant roses. She did a great job! Brent helped me put the fondant on the cake, cut out the hearts, and make the ribbons and bow. I would have probably still been trying to do it today if he hadn't have been there. What a great helper (minus the heckling from him and Sadie). LOL!

She talked to her two Grandma's and her Great-Grandma on the phone, and is eagerly awaiting this coming week. Grandma Ruby and Grandpa Dale will be coming to visit tomorrow (with a few presents). I haven't told her she's getting the 3^rd Narnia movie and the Shrek move set. She will also be getting two cards in the mail. One from Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Bill, and the other from Great-Grandma, with some money that she can use for whatever she wants. :)

I think her birthday was wonderful. Abby had a great time. Unfortunately, she ate so much that it didn't stay down for long (but she felt fine after that). It was gross, but we were all laughing so hard (she got some on Brent's foot when she flung her arms), that we couldn't control ourselves. What a crazy night!!!

Happy Birthday My Little Rebekah

2011-02-10T12:29:00.003-06:00

Last year, on this day, my family was snowed into our little cabin. At 11:15am, my husband (Brent) and 11 year old daughter (Sadie) assisted the birth of our baby girl, Rebekah! Oh, how time flies. She is now, officially, 1 year old. It really does seem like just the other day she was a tiny newborn. Now she has her two front teeth, is walking, and just getting into everything in general.

Happy Birthday my beautiful Rebekah. You are my joy! You bring such happiness and laughter to our family every day!

Rebekah about an hour after birth (2-10-10)

Rebekah March 2010

Bekah in April 2010

Today, on her 1st birthday.

Feb 7, 2011

2011-02-07T20:08:00.011-06:00

Yeah, so I guess I just really suck at blogging. LOL! We are all doing great. We have moved close to Stockton, MO. Brent and I are trying to save up a little bit and get around 5 acres of land to start homesteading on. We have a few plans for the Kettle Corn trailer, and hope to possibly add on a Shaved Ice machine to it for this years festivals.

Bekah has started walking just in the last couple weeks. She also got her two front teeth in. She has really grown up fast. It's just hard for me to believe that in 3 days my little Rebekah will be a year old. Time sure does fly.

Little Moses is potty training. We're not pushing him too hard, as he has a tendency to push back. However, he now enjoys sitting on the potty, and even went poop on the potty the other day. Hooray! What a big step for him, as previously he would scream if we tried to get him into the bathroom to sit on the potty. :) Moses has also shown an interest in counting. It's not a lot, but he can count to 4. LOL! Moses is also really enjoying singing. I'll go to bed at night, and Moses (who's room is right next to ours) breaks out in song! Most of the time I don't have a clue as to what he's saying, but it sure is cute. I'll just lay in bed an quietly laugh.

Brigham is growing too fast as well. He turned 4 last December. He grows bigger, but always looks the same. He is also always telling jokes! He loves jokes. :) If he can make you smile, that will just make his day. He is so sweet. The other day I threw my hair up in a bun. He looked at me and said, "Mom, you're pretty". Awww. What a guy.

Abby. She has really taken a liking to reading. After really fighting with her on teaching her to read, I decided to just let her do it on her own schedule. She had to discover a love for it on her own. It was hard for me to just let go, but it really worked. She's not one to be pushed into something she doesn't want to do. She is quite possibly the most strong willed person I have ever known. Thankfully I'm her teacher (enter sarcasm). ;) She really has found that books are fun, and full of information. Abby really misses having chickens, too. I can't wait for us to get some land, so she can have her chickens to care for.

Hannah and Sadie have been keeping busy as well. They have made some new friends, and enjoy playing with them whenever they can.

The weather has been just wild lately. Some days it's beautiful 40's and 50's. Then, we get 20 inches of snow. LOL !

Here's our poor car on the Feb 1, 2011 snow.

It really was fun to watch the snow come down. It was blowing so hard, and every hour I would run to the window and take another picture of the car to document how fast it was piling up.

Sadie, Hannah and Abby were up in Platte City with their Grandparents, so they missed out. However, Brigham and Moses just loved watching the snow!

The unfortunate part was that we had been out of town, and hadn't been able to get our wood situation together. We were pretty low on wood and also on food. We couldn't get out of the house until two days later, when Brent was able to dig the car out. He had gotten a lot of the driveway shoveled (half I think) when a friend of our saw him. He was so sweet and came over with his tractor, and plowed the rest of the drive for Brent.

The last hour of the snow storm, the wind shifted direction. It began blowing the snow up against the kitchen door. The next day, we looked out and saw how high the snow had drifted. Here's a picture of Brigham. He is standing in the open door in front of the snow. He's also showing you how fun it is to make his breath show up on the picture. LOL!

Not Much Going On

2010-08-03T16:46:00.003-05:00

I thought I would write again. It's been forever, and yet not much has really been happening. We moved back to Missouri around the end of May or beginning of June. Other than that, it's really been pretty slow.

Brent and I have gotten into a few festivals this summer for our kettle corn. We had the Tonganoxie Days on June 12. It rained for the first half. When I say it rained, I really mean that it RAINED. We were thankful that we were in a trailer, instead of a tent. Unfortunately, most of the vendors left when it was raining. Thankfully, the ones around us stayed, so we didn't do too bad.

We just finished the Platte County Fair, that ran from July 21-24. I must say, for July in Missouri, you could not have asked for better weather. It was hot, but not unbearable. The last day (Saturday) was beautiful! We were over by the grandstand, next to where the demolition derby, mud run, and the truck and tractor pull was being held. There were tons of people out. Unfortunately, they were not there to spend money. All the vendors talked about how they only made half of what they had the previous years. We made about half of what we expected to make. It really was a disappointment, but the state of the economy was really the big reason for it all.

After that, one of our friends from Arizona (Sean) came out to Missouri. He was helping a friend deliver some things out here. He was then needing some help driving a box truck back out. So, Brent left for Arizona on Thursday. Sean, Clara, their kids and niece (Jessica) came up to Kansas City on Monday of last week to do some Church sites. We went to Independence and Liberty. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed seeing them again. It's been too long.

Brent and I have been talking about going out to Arizona for the winter and selling kettle corn. Maybe we can make some money and head out to California to see his birth family. That would be really neat to finally get them together.

Anyway, I am missing Brent. He won't be home until August 11, and it seems like forever! In the meantime, the kids and I are going down to my Grandpa's for his 90th birthday. He has never met Moses or Rebekah, so that will be fun. :) I'll take pictures and let you know how it all went.

Our First Unassisted Birth!

2010-02-12T12:06:00.003-06:00

She's Here! I can't believe it finally happened. Due on Jan 30, our little Rebekah arrived February 10, 2010. Weighing 9 lbs 1 oz and 21 inches long.

I had been having contractions starting at 4:30am the previous morning, lasting about 10 minutes apart. They were strong, but not uncomfortable. I was beginning to get excited until around 4:30 pm, when they stopped. It was such a let down, since she was over a week late and I was really looking forward to meeting my new little one. I was also excited, because, although she was our 6th baby and 3rd home birth, she was our first completely unassisted pregnancy and birth. It was like doing it for the first time all over again.

This being our 6th baby, I thought I knew what the labor would be like. LOL! Like they say, each labor is different. I went to bed around 9pm that night, and was a little down since my contractions had stopped a few hours earlier. Brent came in and I asked if he could rub my back, since it had been hurting some. He began rubbing my lower back, just above my butt, and it felt so good, but gave me one long contraction the entire time he rubbed it. It happened to be hurting in the pressure point to help with labor. :)

After that, my contractions started up again slightly. Around 10:30pm the contractions were back to 10 minutes apart and were waking me up. I was able to sleep between them until 11:30, when I decided to get up and listen to my MP3 and rock in the recliner in our room. I spent some time listening to Ashokan Farewell (civil war song) and Scotland the Brave (bagpipes), but ended up listening to Oh Holy Night by Josh Groban for an hour or more. It brought me some peace, thinking of how all of mankind had been going through this, even the mother of Christ.

I started timing the contractions around 1:30am and they were still 10 minutes apart. By 2:30am they had gone to 3-5 minutes apart. My water hadn't broken on it's own (like it did with 3 of my others), but I decided to wake up Brent just in case, since my last labor only lasted 4 hours.

He was so wonderful for me. He got me what I needed when I asked. I moved around a lot, and always forgot my robe in a different part of the room. He would bring it to me, get me drinks, hold me, comfort me when needed. He was great.

Brigham, our 3 year old, woke up around 5am and came into our room. He watched me as I labored, and added a little humor to it. He began moaning with me during my contractions, as they were getting stronger and I was beginning to make noise at this point. LOL!

At about 7am he woke the rest of the kids up (their normal wake up time) and told them baby was coming today. They were so excited! They all came into the room, one at a time and gave me a big hug. Throughout my labor Brigham was in the living room, just on the other side of the wall, but continued to make noises like me. What a funny little guy!

Things were really not going how I had thought they would. Each child I had, the labor was shorter, so I was more or less expecting a quick labor and birth. This labor was getting stronger, but felt like it was taking forever. My water hadn't broken, so I wasn't sure how far along things were moving. Brent asked if I wanted him to check me. He did, and said he could feel the head and I was about a 7 or 8. I must say that after 10 hours of laboring, I didn't want to hear that her head wasn't through the cervix yet. He then asked how it was that he could feel the head if the water hadn't broken yet. I said something to the effect of it being like a water balloon and you could still feel the head through it.

I must say that through this, it was such a bonding experience for us. It was great to work together and learn the actual birthing process, as just the two of us.

I don't know what time it was, but maybe and hour and a half or so before Rebekah was born, Brent called in Sadie (our oldest - 11 years old) to help be the nurse. She was to bring Brent what he needed so he wouldn't have to leave me. She was also advised how to give me the mistletoe tincture after the head was born, but before the body, to help prevent hemorrhage. She was so excited to get to help out and experience the birth of her new little sister (or brother since we didn't know at the time what we were having).

Labor was really getting hard for me. I was so tired that I was almost falling off the birthing chair asleep between contractions, which were about 3 minutes apart and very strong (to the point of me yelling at times). I moved to where I was kneeling on the floor and laying on the birthing stool. I asked Brent to check me again, and he said she was still not through the cervix (how disappointing), but he asked if I wanted him to break my water. He was so sweet to not do anything without asking my permission first. I said yes.

He pinched the bag of waters under the baby's head. He said for a moment he didn't think he had done anything. Then the water shot out and covered him. LOL! He got it in the face and all over his clothes! Sadie said she got a little on her hand, as she was standing off to the side holding a flashlight for dad, but he got covered. I felt it come out, and I heard him react. I slowly turned around to sit on the birthing stool and told him that I know wish we had been video taping the birth so I could have seen that. LOL!

I was hurting pretty bad, but the water breaking helped a lot. Things began to really move at that point. I began pushing a little during contractions. She was slowly moving her way down the birth canal. I asked Brent where the head was, if it was coming out yet (as if I didn't know). He said she was almost there and he and Sadie could see her hair. I reached and felt her head, but she was still about 3 inches in. I told Brent later that it may as well have been a mile at that point. :) A few contractions later, pushing during them, she was crowning.

WOW! I've been through natural birth 2 times before. I never seem to remember how big a baby's head is. I kept pushing, and it took about 3 contractions before I got her out. The entire time as she kept coming, and coming, and coming, I could just picture myself tearing. The only thing keeping me going at that point was knowing that once the head was out, it was basically over. As her head was coming, I began yelling for Sadie to get the tincture for me. Brent kept saying the head was not out yet, but I knew that she needed to get it, because I wasn't going to wait around too long to deliver her body.

Finally, her head was out (and I didn't tear). Brent said that there was a beautiful head of hair. So sweet and wonderful, he teared up and began to choke up when talking. He was so overcome with emotion. Oh, how I love him.

My little Sadie, big sister to all our children, gave me the mistletoe tincture and on the next contraction I pushed our little girl into the world. I thought as soon as she was out, I should have warned Brent that I was pushing, but I think he knew what I was going to do. He caught our little Rebekah, and she was perfect. Sadie quickly fetched a towel to put her in and clean her up with. As soon as she was in the towel I asked for the time. 11:15am. Brent held our new little baby for a minute, looking at her and absorbing her into his memory, and then quickly passed her to me.

I sat on the birthing stool for a moment, then asked Sadie to get a chux pad to put on the recliner. Brent went to take our baby, when he found she had pooped on me. :) We cleaned us both up. I then moved over to the recliner and held the baby, while helping Brent tie off the cord after it had stopped pulsating. We cut it, and I got a little blood spatter on my shoulder. :) Then he got some thick cloth diapers wet, and one with a ginger tea compress, to clean me off with and to hold onto myself for helping to heal.

I sat in the chair for about an hour, trying to feed her, but she wasn't interested. She was just angry after being put through such an ordeal. :) Then I began cramping pretty hard and having a little blood pass. I took the umbilical cord and gently put pressure on it (not pulling, but making it taunt) and pushed a little. The cord began to go slack. I asked Sadie to get me the bowl I had reserved, and I slowly pushed the placenta out and put it into the bowl, reserving it for later, to encapsulate it.

We were preparing to weigh her, but found she had pooped on me, again. LOL! My little stinker! We both cleaned off, again, and then I helped Brent put her in the baby sling with a digital scale attached (after zeroing it out of course). 9 lbs 1 oz! No wonder! She beat out my biggest baby by an ounce! LOL! She loved the sling, and we let her stay in it for about 15 minutes while we got things cleaned up. Sadie went and got some clothes for Rebekah, and when I went to get her out of the sling, I found, yet again, she had pooped in the sling! :) I must say that through the night she proved that her bowels worked great. LOL!

She is perfect, though. Her big, little head with great big squishy cheeks. I love her more than I can say! The kids can't get enough of her. The boys love her and want to hold her all the time. Even though Moses can't talk, he still tells me he wants to hold her. He sits next to me and reaches for her. Oh, how he and Brigham love to share their new little baby! :) What good big brothers they are. The big sisters are all so great with her and were so excited to hold and love on her finally. ;)

Things Are Moving Along

2009-12-12T10:29:00.002-06:00

Well, things are going... slowly. We are packed and ready to go, as of last week. LOL! We got all packed up and then a big snow came through and delayed us by about a week. We didn't have a heater in the car, so driving through the snow wasn't a good idea. We got the car in the shop and now our heater works. :) That is always great to have. We are planning on getting out tomorrow morning. We can finally get out to Kentucky. I am mainly excited to get settled before the baby comes.

As for the pregnancy, things are going great. Baby moves around a lot. He/she is running out of room, so I get a lot of knees and elbows and I jump probably as much as the baby does. :) I am now 33 weeks, so I don't have a lot of time left. We are all prepared, though, so that is a relief. I got my birth kit all ready over a month ago. That was my big goal (other than having a place to birth).

The kids are excited to get out to Kentucky as well. They keep asking when we are leaving. Poor things. We keep getting delayed. I know they will miss their Grandparents, but it will be good for them to have their friends to play with.

There have been many changes happening in our lives lately. Most all of them good. I can't wait to see what Heavenly Father has in store for us in the future.

Mexican Pirates? Why not!

2009-11-16T22:51:00.007-06:00

Well, again, I'm not doing so well at keeping up with the family blog. We have been keeping busy packing. Always packing it seems. :) We have been trying to get out to Kentucky for a while, and pray it will be soon. We were supposed to have left several weeks ago, but our car went into the shop. Several hundred dollars later, we now have to wait again to make some money for gas. **SIGH**

Our family is doing well. We have been sick off and on, but things are looking up. We all came down with some sore throat thing a couple weeks ago. Then Moses, Brigham and I ended up with pink eye the other day. We are all well again. :) I am always happy when the family is healthy.

While Brent and Sadie were in Kentucky we had a fiesta/pirate party (sure they go together) at his parents house. I guess that would make it a Mexican Pirate party?

I got a few pictures of Moses, Abby, Hannah and Brigham. They all had a great time!

(Let's not forget Bill and Sandy as pirates!)

(The kids with Brent's dad Bill)

I also got one of Moses sleeping.

I am feeling pretty good. I am 29 weeks pregnant. I do have heartburn all the time, and it's hard to eat because of that. Other than those minor complaints things are going really well. Baby is moving around all of the time. I am looking forward to meeting our little one and knowing if baby is a he or a she. :) I refuse to call our baby an 'it'. That is a pet peeve of mine.

(27 weeks) I was a little frazzled. I was trying to get the timer to work and get a picture of myself. Not really knowing what part of me it was going to take, my expression was all screwed up. LOL!

Things have been pretty boring around here. I'll try to post some more later. :)

This week has been exciting...

2009-09-29T12:41:00.009-05:00

The last few days have been exciting. Brent, Sadie and I got the trailer painted. It looks so much better now. I feel really good selling out of it now. It looked kind of icky before.

Brent and Sadie priming the wall.

The trailer primed.

The painting is finished.

Then yesterday Hannah lost her top front tooth and Moses got his first haircut. I got the clippers out and cut off all his little curls. He now looks like a little man. LOL! Then, Abby has been going around 'bugging' us all the time. :)

Last night after the hair cut.

Today (9-29)

Abby being a lady bug.

My Mom and Dad went out the other day and bought a Wii. We hooked it up yesterday and have all been having a good time playing the sports. :) Today, while Brent and I were bowling, the electricity went out. Soooo.... We beat up Spongebob. :) We entered a picture Abby colored into a contest and she won a Spongebob pinata. We decided this would be a good time to beat the stuffing (or candy) out of him.

Hannah, Brigham, Abigail and Sadie

I am getting bigger. :) For those who haven't heard... I am pregnant with baby 6. We are due around the first of February 2010.

Tomorrow, Brent and Sadie are heading out to Kentucky for a couple weeks. We will miss them so very much. I am happy Brent is taking Sadie, though, so he won't feel so separated from the family. I pray they have a safe and uneventful trip. Brent will be selling kettle corn at a couple festivals out there with Mark and Sean. I hope they all do really well. We could all use a little help with money right now.

New Tooth

2009-08-03T18:06:00.001-05:00

Well, just a quick note. Moses got his first tooth yesterday. :) He has been struggling with both his top front teeth for a while now. They are all bulging and tooth shaped. Well, yesterday we noticed that his bottom left tooth had broken through. LOL! We're still waiting on those top teeth.

Moses is walking

2009-07-27T20:49:00.003-05:00

Today Moses decided he was going to walk. It's been about an hour and this is what he has accomplished. As you can see, he has a mind of his own. We wanted him to go to the middle of the living room, but he wanted to leave and go to the kitchen. LOL!

End the Fed Rally

2009-04-25T15:37:00.014-05:00

We just got back from the End The Fed Rally. It was a lot of fun. We met at the front lawn of the Liberty Memorial here in KCMO. We had around 200 people show up. I counted about 75 just before it began, but then we had a lot more join in after the rally started. We had several good speakers as the rally began. First, Tom Mullen (writer, musician, and author of 'A Return to Common Sense') officially started the rally. Then, Marcy Brooks (Featured juror in the documentary 'Freedom to Fascism', musician and Inspirational speaker) gave a great speech. The next speaker was Rep. Jim Guest (Chairman of Legislators against Real ID and Personal Privacy committee). The last speaker before the march was Darrell Castle (2008 Vice-presidential nominee of the Constitutional Party, attorney, and co-founder of Mia's Children Foundation, Inc).

When the speakers finished, we marched to the IRS building. When we got to the IRS building security came out, but stayed behind bars. :) It was pretty funny. There were some employees that came out on the upper area and watched for a while. There was even someone in our group who yelled at them to 'come over to the free side'. LOL!

After a little while moved to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. It was fun to see the expressions of those driving by. Some were upset looking, some confused, and others honked and waved showing support.

See the people in the windows?

Look! Visitors! I wonder if the Federal Reserve Police want to join us. :)

Security ran us off the front of the building as we were walking back to the car. So much for our detour. ;)

Tax Day Tea Party - Liberty Memorial

2009-04-16T14:54:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, Brent and I attended the Tax Day Tea Party at the Liberty Memorial. It was a great rally that we really enjoyed. There were a lot of people who came to show their support. We had a lot of fun and it felt good to be out there supporting those who are sick and tired of all the government spending. If we don't step forward now, it will only get worse. We need to show the nation that we are not happy about what is going on. We need to gather together and make a "Change we can believe in". We can make a change! YES WE CAN!

We got some pictures and video of the event.

Speaker from News Radio 710, Chris Stigall

Swim Lessons

2009-04-16T14:27:00.006-05:00

Monday was the first day of the girls swimming lessons.

My mom, Abby, Brigham, Moses and I went out on Saturday to find out about swim lessons at the Park Hill HS. Abby was so excited to get signed up for swim lessons. Well, we got there and they said they had room for Sadie and Hannah, but the class for younger kids was full. Abby was
crushed. She stayed brave, though. We told her we would get her into swim class somewhere.

We then went to the YMCA in town, and they were able to get her in. She was so happy. So with that, Sadie and Hannah are Mon, Tues and Wed and Abby is Tue and Thurs. We have a full week for the next few weeks of swimming. LOL!

They have all enjoyed their classes so far. Sadie is loving being in the water. Hannah is not so sure about it, but is staying brave and keeps on trying. Abby is so happy to be included in big kid activities. On both Hannah and Abby's first class they had an underwater surprise. Hannah slipped off the foam swim board and went under. With Abby, she went down the water slide, and the instructor didn't catch her. She wasn't fazed, though. :)

Sadie and Hannah in class blowing bubbles.

Abby going down the water slide.

Someone broke into our car

2009-04-06T14:24:00.002-05:00

I noticed on Sunday that our glove compartment was opened and some of the papers that were in there were on the passenger seat. First I thought maybe Brent was looking for something. Then, knowing he would have put it back, I thought that maybe the glove compartment popped open and the papers spilled out. We were parked at Brent's Grandmothers house, and her drive is pretty steep. Sometimes our glove compartment does pop open on it's own, so it's not that crazy of a though.

Then, today, we were loading the kids into the truck. We hadn't been in the truck since Friday or Saturday. I went inside to get the baby, and Brent came in and asked me if I got into the glove compartment looking for something. I said no, and asked why. He said that all the papers were out of the glove box and were scattered all over. He said he didn't think I would have done that, but thought he would ask. I then told him about the car yesterday. Then, Brent said that the radar detector, construction calculator, digital tire gauge, some expired gift cards/debit cards, and our big case of CD's were stacked on the passenger seat. It looked like someone was piling things up to steal, but something or someone scared them off.

We decided to call the police to file a report. The officer came within a couple minutes and took down our information. He said that since our doors were unlocked (we usually lock them but didn't that night) and they didn't steal anything, it's not a crime in our county. He asked us to look around and see if they took anything, or if they left anything. Brent looked around the passenger side, and I went to the driver side. I looked in the center console (since all our papers from there were on the floor board) and saw they took all the change from our change holder. I kind of laughed, but the officer said that since they did steal the money he could then file the theft.

We laughed a bit with the officer, since they only stole like $5 in change. I said maybe they ran to Mc D's and got a $1 meal. :) He was a real nice guy and said that if we notice anything missing or anything like that, to call and they will add it to the report. He was pretty surprised they didn't take the radar detector (he said it was a nice one) or the CD's. Normally they steal things they can pawn. I guess we're blessed that they were scared away before they could take anything.

Now, we know to check and make sure our doors are locked. I'm going to clean out our vehicles to make sure our things aren't stolen. I guess they had a problem with vandals getting into unlocked cars last summer, and now that the weather is warming up, it's starting up again. I guess that is why you should lock your doors, keep valuables out of the car, and keep it clean. LOL! Live and learn. We didn't lose anything and I am grateful.

Pictures and Videos

2009-03-13T15:30:00.007-05:00

For the longest time, I haven't been able to easily post pictures or videos. We had dial-up. :( We'll now that we have access to high-speed, I'm posting a few pictures and videos.

Dolphin show at Sea World San Diego.

Shamu at Sea World San Diego.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle - Disney Land

Kids with Grandma and Grandpa

At the beach.

We're back in Platte City

2009-03-13T15:11:00.003-05:00

So, we have made it back to Platte City. It was an interesting week. Here's the story.

My parents and Brent's parents left for Concho on Thursday. They stayed in Amarillo, TX and then left on Friday to finish the trip. Well, my dad started feeling bad on Thursday afternoon. By the time they reached Albuquerque, NM my dad was telling them where the hospital exits were on the way through. With that hint, they took him to the Presbyterian hospital there in Albuquerque. They called and told Brent and me that the hospital is keeping my dad overnight. He had a blockage in his intestines, and they needed to keep him until it passed. He was so bloated and they drained a lot of fluid out of him. Bill and Sandy decided to go ahead to Concho without my parents to help us pack and finish loading up. We are so grateful that they decided to come out without my parents.

We finished loading up, and left on Sunday. My dad never got released from the hospital, the entire time we were moving. We stoped and visited with my mom and dad on the way back to Kansas City. I felt so bad for him. He came all the way out (just 4 hours from us) only to spend 4 days in the hospital. They finally released him on Monday afternoon, when we were just a couple hours from KCMO.

We stayed in Liberal, KS on Sunday night. It was good to stop. We didn't get there until 2:30am and were pretty tired. I couldn't sleep after we checked in. I got on the computer, and watched a little T.V. until Brent and I decided to go ahead and sleep. We got to keep Moses and Brigham in our room (Brigham got his own bed). Bill and Sandy kept Sadie, Hannah and Abby in their room.

It was a good trip. We all made it back home. My dad did get to see the kids. It was his first time seeing Moses. We even got a picture of them together in the hospital. LOL! I don't have it, however.

We got our diapers today

2009-02-03T17:12:00.004-06:00

I went to check the mail today (I'm still anxiously waiting for my W-2). Well, instead of getting my W-2, I found my giant package from Miracle Diapers.

Brigham was so excited when he saw them. We immediately put his on. He got G diapers with 12 of the inside liners and 6 inserts. :) He loves them. He got 3 green and 3 orange. (I was kind of happy he didn't get any pink -LOL!)

Moses got 9 diapers. He got 6 Blueberry AIOs, 1 fitted with deer and bears on it (so cute), and 2 blue Beatrix Potter contour fitted, 3 pre-folds, 1 snappi and 4 covers.

Then we got lots of inserts. The boys got to try them on and are enjoying them. I told Brigham that they are not to poop or pee in. That is for the potty. Then, about 15 minutes after putting it on, he said he had to pee. We went to the potty and he did. I hope him feeling the wetness will help with our potty training. :) I'll let you all know how things go with it.

I did get some pictures of them. I didn't get Brigham's mouth wiped off in the first picture. He had been eating red Jello. It looks like he somehow got it on his back too. LOL!

Miracle Diapers

2009-01-27T14:44:00.003-06:00

I am so excited. We have been having some hard times with the economy as it is. I have been looking into cloth diapering, but it is so expensive to start up with the diapers running $15 - $40 per diaper.

Well, several months ago, I came across a web site that provides diapers for free (you just pay the shipping). You let them know when your baby/child is about to outgrow their diapers, and they'll send you new ones. You just have to send the old diapers back to them. It is so wonderful. At that time, they were not accepting applications.

Just the other day, I thought I might look them up again. Low and behold, they were (and as of now still are) accepting applications. I went ahead and applied, and a few days later, we got an approval e-mail. I am jumping for joy! We finished up the on-line application, paperwork and payment on Friday. I can't wait to get Brigham and Moses's diapers! We need them so bad. It will help so much to not have to go buy disposable diapers every week.

The website I'm talking about is called Miracle Diapers. Please check them out. They are run by WAHM and SAHM, and are dependent on donations. If you have any new, or gently used, cloth diapers, please contact them and see if you can donate to their program. If you have a few dollars you can spare, you can donate to them through Paypal or by mail (money order). Please check them out. They are a life saver for so many families.

From their website... Here is a little about them and how you can help.

Miracle Diapers

Thanks to thousands of generous donors, Miracle Diapers has proudly cloth diapered over 1,000 babies in three years! What does that translate to? We have saved over a million dollars and 500 tons of garbage! Every year we receive more than double the amount of applications than in previous years.

Miracle Diapers have been sent all over the world. Most of our applicants are from the US and Canada, but we welcome applications from anywhere. We have joyfully sent diapers to Latvia, Germany, Japan, Australia, and India, to name a few.

Though our focus is on cloth diapers, we accept any donations that promote natural living such as unused natural menstrual items and unused cloth nursing pads and baby carriers.

Would You Like To Help?

Below are the ways you can help further our mission:

1. Donate diapers, covers and accessories. Many people don't realize how much we depend on our donors. Large or small, new or used, donors are the ones to make it happen. You are the elves and we get to play Santa ALL YEAR LONG.

Note: We have TWO new drop off sites in Michigan and San Antonio, TX! If you would like to be a local hub for collecting donations for Miracle Diapers, drop us a line at volunteer@miraclediapers.org!

2. Volunteer your time. We have positions available for committed individuals from all walks of life! The best part is...you don't even have to be a mama (or a dad).

3. Promote our cause! Hosting our banner on your blog, business or personal website attracts more visitors -- be it donors or applicants. You can also purchase MD merchandise and let the public know how awesome you think we are!

4. Use Good Search. Search the internet and earn money for MD!

5. For each $5 donation to Baby By Nature, BBN will send a diaper to us.

6. Let us and other diapering communities about how we have helped you. Unfortunately, the negative stories are echoed all over the internet, while the positive ones are seldom heard.

7. Don't just thank us...thank our donors! Donors love to know that the items they send are needed and well loved. Your stories encourage donors to send again and again, which in turn helps us cloth diaper more families.

8. Diaper purchases can be made at The Eli Monster, to be directly donated to us!

Our first four birth stories

2009-01-17T09:47:00.008-06:00

I was thinking about the births of Brigham and Moses today. As I thought about them, and how I had written down the birth stories, I realized that I had only published the birth story of Moses. I haven't told the stories of all my others. Now, the birth story of Brigham was written after his birth, but Sadie, Hannah and Abigail's were written years later, so I more than likely forgot things. That is why you should always write it down that day or the next, while it's fresh in your mind. Here we go...

Past births:
My first 3 girls were all born in hospitals.

With my first baby, Sadie, I had thought I was in labor the day before. I didn't say anything to anyone except whispering to Brent. It started when we were out eating at Jazz (Cajun restaurant) for his sister, Heather's, birthday. It was my in-laws first grand-baby and I didn't want to take away from Heather's birthday dinner. She is a sweet person and it was her day.

We went home that night, and my mom and sister were in the kitchen. Lea laughed and said that I would be going into labour that night. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, around 4am. I was so tired and every time I moved to wipe, more liquid would spill out. I thought I wasn't done yet, and then would try to wipe again, and liquid would again dribble out. After two or three times of this, I woke up a bit and realized this wasn't normal. I then realized that my water had broken, not in a gush as I had thought would happen, but as a dribble. I walked the house for about 30 minutes, and then decided to call Brent home from work.

He came home, and we put a towel in the car for me to sit on. He then drove me to the hospital, which was about 15 minutes away. I had filled out the forms previously, so they admitted me. I still had to answer some questions, like my name and birthday, and I'm sure they thought I was nuts (I got my birthday wrong when they were asking me questions).

I had to wait a little while to get a room, as they were full, and there was a nice woman, who had already birthed, who gave up her room so I could birth in one. Unfortunately, some of her family was not told that she was moved. I was sitting in the bed, leaning on Brent, getting an epidural, when her family walked into the room. It only took a second before they realized I wasn't who they were looking for.

The only part I had problems with was how they treated me when they decided it was time for me to push. I had been labouring for 12 hours, and they told me to hurry up b/c another woman was having her baby at the same time. My body wasn't quite ready to push, so the rushing tore my cervix. They had asked if I wanted to hold her right after she was born. I wanted to, but I didn't get to hold right away. They rushed her away so they could repair their damage to me. I didn't know what was going on, but knew it was about me since the doctor and nurses gathered around me. I was a little scared, since there was no communication. They didn't tell me what had happened until later.

Sadie Marie Hartman was born at 4:04pm on her due date, July 3, 1998. 8lb 1.2oz and 21 inches long.

I didn't realized how much labour and birth actually took out of my body. Shortly after Sadie was born, I decided I was going to use the bathroom. I tried to get out of bed when I was all alone in the room. I made it to a standing position, and I almost passed out. I humbled myself enough to call a nurse to come help me to the bathroom. I spent the first night in that room. However, the next day, the nurses asked if I would be willing to give up my room for a labouring woman. I agreed. Someone had been so gracious to give her room to me. I felt it was only fair for me to do so for someone else. Funny enough, the bed in the regular hospital room was more comfortable.

My second was a good birthing experience over all. I had all my dates for them, since I knew the day she was conceived. For some reason, they still couldn't figure out the due date. Somewhere between the beginning and end of December. As the day got closer, the doctors asked about induction. We talked about it and decided to go ahead and induce. Brent's parents came down to Oklahoma to be with us and see the birth and their new grandbaby. They induced me on the 10th of December.

Brent was going to school at Spartan School of Aeronautics. He had school that day, but didn't want me to labour without him. I told him to go to school, and if things progressed faster than we thought they would, I'd call him. He hesitantly decided to go. It all worked out great, though. Labour went slow. He had plenty of time. I spent a lot of the day with Bill, Sandy and Sadie. They had a little play area that they would take Sadie to go play in to pass the time. They even got her a little toy car, that she just loved.

The doctor was good and the nurse during labor was great. I tried to go without an epidural, but being stuck in bed made it hard. I had some pain medication put into an IV, but it didn't help much. Brent said that I didn't need to go through all the pain, so I decided to ask for the epidural. Shortly after that, I was ready to push. We still hadn't decided on a name for our little girl. We had been going between Sophia and Hannah. I was getting ready to push, and Brent said that it was up to me what we would name her. I decided I liked Hannah best.

Hannah Marie Hartman was born at 5:01pm, on December 10, 2001. She was 7lb 9oz and 19 inches long.

I had issues with the nurse after. We had our daughter in the room with me (I always kept them in with me). It was December so it was cold outside. The heater in the room would kick on and make it so horribly hot in the room. Then it turned off and blew out cold air until we froze. Then the nurse came in when it got cold and told us if we didn't keep it warmer in there she wouldn't let us have our baby in the room. I was not happy and Brent was furious. He waited until the room was a good temp and then piled all our stuff on the vent. No more hot or cold air. The room stayed nice and warm, and there were no more problems.

Abigail is our third baby. I waited patiently with her birth. I was due on April 30. Well, April 30 came and went, and I continued to wait for her. On May 5, I knew I was in labor all day but didn't say anything to Brent until I was getting somewhat uncomfortable. Her labour was the very best of all of them thus far. We were staying with a group in Independence Missouri. I was in the kitchen area with Brent and some of the women there. I remember how we were all talking and laughing. One of them (who had just had her baby a week earlier) asked me how far apart my contractions were. I casually looked at the clock and when I timed it, I said they were 2 minutes apart. She then got somewhat frantic and said Brent and I needed to leave for the hospital (it was about 30 minutes away). One of the other women (who was a nurse) laughed and said we knew when we should leave, and that we would be fine. Shortly after that, Brent and I got in the car and went to the hospital. Our friends there said they would watch Sadie and Hannah, since it was the middle of the night, and they were sound asleep.

I didn't have any pains until I got into the car. Sitting still, and knowing I was going to the hospital, stressed my body and cause the contractions to become almost unbearable. I had Brent keep the radio on, and I sang the entire way to the hospital, except when I couldn't due to a contraction.

When we got to the hospital, Brent parked the car and helped me into the emergency room area. I was in so much pain that I was cramped into a doubled over position, and couldn't stand upright. The nurses led me into an observation room, put me in bed and hooked up monitors to see where I was at. I'm not exactly sure how long I was in there. It felt like hours, but was probably closer to 20-30 minutes. The nurses came in and took me to one of their birthing rooms. The staff was very friendly, but the on call doctor was a little 'strange'. She just seemed kind of out of it, like she was asleep. I think she was just an odd person, but very friendly.

Shortly after getting to the birthing room, they broke my water. At that point, the pain got very hard to handle. I asked the staff for an epidural. As we were waiting, I found something out that I shared with Brent and the nurse. I told them that it felt so much better during the contractions when I pushed. It took so much of the pain off the contraction and substituted it with manageable pressure. The nurse did not say anything to me about it, and left. About an hour after requesting the epidural, the anesthesiologist came in with his assistant. I was in pain, and do not remember anything about this time of the labour. I am completely blank and do not even remember the epidural being administered. Brent said that the anesthesiologist had trouble with the previous woman (that is why it took so long for them to get to me) and he had blood spattered on him, and he had his assistant performing the epidural. While she was trying to put it in, he was yelling at her. That is not an ideal situation, in my opinion.

Shortly after the epidural, I gave birth to my little Abigail Marie. She was born with dark hair, almost black.

The doctors wanted to keep an eye on her. Her bilirubin level was high. They said she was jaundiced and put her on a bililight. I was still kind of 'out of it' and the doctor said something about liver failure and a blood transfusion. I lost it and started crying. I know that they were trying to explain the worst case scenario, but I didn't understand what they were saying at that time. We took her home, and she spent the first week with a biliblanket. I somewhat joked that I had to plug my baby in, but I was actually battling depression at that time. I had a hard time bonding and I was frightened for her. She did great, though. She ate like a champ, and gained all her birth weight, plus some, back within two days of being home. We had a home nurse come and prick her little heal every day to check her bili level. It was sad, and hard to do, but she did great. After a week, the nurse said she was fine and didn't need the biliblanket anymore.

(Brigham) Our last baby was last December. His birth is still fresh in my mind
so I remember more. :) He was our first home birth and first boy. I
researched all the information while we were TTC so I
could 'convince' my husband to have the baby at home. When I told
him I wanted to have our baby at home, he said he felt the same way.
Luckily, I didn't do all that work for nothing. All our parents were
very against this. They knew I or Brigham would die. We showed them
the statistics on how home birth was safer than hospital birth. They
didn't get any say in the matter anyway. We found a wonderful
midwife the next state over (we lived in MO and was near impossible
to find a home birthing midwife.) She did all the prenatal visits at
my home. She made me feel very empowered and educated me about
pregnancy and birth more than I could have known. I had 3 children
before and didn't know squat. Funny how uneducated I was when I put
my faith in the doctors. I had a friend ask me to call her as soon
as I went into labor so she could take pictures and document the
entire thing (she's a photographer). She wanted a home birth so
badly, but at that time her husband didn't like the idea very much.

I went to bed around 1am and thought, "Tomorrow morning I'll put the
waterproof pad on the bed so it won't get wet if my water breaks."
I'm a procrastinator and was a few days overdue. Two hours later I
woke up and water hit my knees. Funny! Too bad I didn't get that
waterproof sheet on before I went to bed. :) I went to the bathroom
and used a little strip to make sure my water broke (I thought what
the heck! May as well make sure.) I went to my husband and kind of
woke him up. I told him I had good news and bad news. The good news
was I didn't wet the bed. I never told him the bad news. He guessed
it on his own... No sleep tonight. We called the midwife and my
friend. I walked around for a while in the house and ate some
breakfast my FIL brought to us. I didn't want to eat but they made
me. After a while my contractions stopped so Suzanne (my midwife)
checked me. She said that my water broke on the top and asked if I
wanted her to she could break my water again. I agreed because I was
so tired and yet so excited. I couldn't wait to hold my baby.

I labored in the living room. We had a hammock stand and I hung from
the hammock. I hung from my doula (who I almost bit). Glad I got my
senses back before that happened. I pushed from the hammock for a
while, but I was so exhausted that I just couldn't push any more.
They helped me to the couch and I decided to push while on my back.
I didn't want to do this position before then, but I knew I could
push from that position. I let out a huge scream and, after a few
pushes, our little man's head made it into the world. I hear about
the ring of fire, but I don't remember that. I do remember how bad
his shoulders hurt when I pushed again. He was born a few minutes
after 12pm.

What a wonderful experience. I always want our future children born
at home. It was so wonderful and spiritual. I appreciated the births
at home much more than those in the hospital. It is
something else to feel it and know how hard your body is working to
bring this wonderful little child into the world.

A New Year!

2009-01-08T20:00:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone! We have made it into the new year, and so far, everything is going well. We still have a little work coming in, so that is good. It keeps us going.

We are looking to make changes this year. We will be moving from Arizona soon. We don't know where we will end up, but we are still praying about it. We know that our Heavenly Father will lead us in the path we should follow. I just hope we are open minded enough to listen to where it is that our family should go. There are some projects we are looking to start, and I hope this move will allow us to begin those projects.

One big one is our house. We are looking into alternative housing. We have looked into many different styles, such as yurts, rammed earth, compressed earth block, star-plate huts, and now are looking at earthbag houses.

Other than that. It's been pretty boring. Life as normal out here in the White Mountains. We've had lots of snow. It has almost melted, since it's been in the 40's and 50's the past few days. Our truck was broken down for 3 weeks. The fuel pump went out. Thankfully, it died in our driveway. LOL! We got that fixed on my birthday. It was a great present. :)

I got my photo book finished on Shutterfly while we were out in California. I posted it in the Shutterfly community the other day, so if you are interested, you can flip through it and see the kids HERE. It was fun to do and I was very impressed on the quality of the book, when it came in the mail.

Well, that's pretty much it for now. I'll go, but I'll try to post again soon.

Sea World and Disneyland

2008-12-14T14:05:00.008-06:00

It’s been awhile since I wrote. I’ll tell you about our week. It’s been full of excitement. On Sunday, we left Arizona for California. We stayed at Brent’s Uncle Paul and Aunt Pam’s house for a couple of nights. We took the family to Sea World on Monday. My Aunt Evelyn was able to get us four free passes to Sea World, so we only had to buy one ticket for Abby. I was actually surprised that they still charge $55 for Abby (who is only 4) to get in. They didn’t make us pay the normal $12 parking fee, though, so it all worked out.

We had a great time at Sea World. We met up with Brent’s sister, Heather, and her family. We got to see a lot of the shows. The kids got to see the dolphin show, Shamu’s show, they saw the penguins, the sharks, the manatees, otters, and they were able to pet and feed the dolphins. It was a lot of fun.

On Tuesday, we said goodbye to Paul and Pam, and left San Diego. We headed up to Anaheim to check into the hotel by Disneyland. Heather and Robert picked up Brent’s parents at the airport and we all met up at the Portifino Inn Anaheim. It was a nice hotel. The kids had a room with bunk beds and there was a sleeper sofa in their room. That gave Sadie, Hannah, Abby and Brigham all a place to sleep comfortably. We were able to shut the doors to separate our room from theirs at night, although Moses did sleep in our room. He had a little crib he slept in.

We spent a part day, on Tuesday, at California Adventure (since Disneyland closed at 6pm for their employee Christmas party). The kids played on the kiddy rides. I found out that many days of spinning rides in kiddy land is not good for me. J Sadie got to ride a big rollercoaster that went upside down, and loved it. Hannah was just a couple inches too short, much to her relief. LOL! Brent and I took turns riding the big rides with Sadie while the other rode other rides with Hannah. Brent’s parents had Brigham, Moses and Abby at times so we could ride the big rides. Sadie and I got off the roller coaster a little after 9pm and were waiting for Brent and Hannah, when the fireworks from Disneyland started up. Sadie and I got to watch the entire display. It was very pretty!

On Wednesday, it was Hannah’s 7th birthday. We went to a special character birthday breakfast with Lilo and Stitch in the Paradise Pier Hotel. It was an amazing breakfast, to say the least. We ate and only had a late lunch/early dinner that night. I was impressed by the food and entertainment for the breakfast. The family had a photo taken with Minnie Mouse. The kids also got Minnie, Lilo and Stitches autographs.

We then spent that entire day and next (with a break for sleep of course) in Disneyland. Abby’s favorite ride was Splash Mountain (a log water ride). It was cute with a whole animated Brer Rabbit story. Brent and I were able to go out alone one night and watch the fireworks together. It was great.

Our last day was Friday. We split the time between Disneyland and California Adventure. We went back to Disneyland for the fireworks show (our Grand Finale). Before it started, Brent and I took Sadie and Abby (Hannah opted out) to the Splash Mountain. We rode it twice and since there was no line, the lady let us ride two more times without exiting the boat. Abby was thrilled. When we got off, we made it back to where Bill and Sandy were waiting with Hannah, Brigham and Moses for the fireworks. To our surprise, they were having an amazing show on the water.

The Princesses (Ariel, Belle, and Snow White) were on boats floating across the water and dancing with their Princes. The water would spray up in a fine mist and they had animated shows on the water spray. They had dragons and fire on the water, Mickey and the Witch from Snow White were fighting, and Peter Pan with Hook and all the pirates came through on a giant pirate boat. When that was over, we all got to watch the amazing fireworks display.

Saturday, Bill’s brother (Steve) and his wife met us at the hotel after we checked out. We all went out to breakfast and then they took Bill and Sandy to the airport, while our family played on the beach for a little while.

Overall, this was a great trip. We all had a lot of fun, and although we are all tired and sore from all the walking… We all had a fun time together.

Our birth story 6-5-08

2008-06-08T09:09:00.006-05:00

Brent and I went to the grocery store around 7:30 Wednesday night (6-4). I was craving fruit, so we stocked up on a bunch of different fruit. I was feeling really good, even though I was 4 days past due. I hadn't had any contractions for several days, but did have some pressure pushing down on me as I walked. We got home around 10 and I ate a big bowl of cherries, grapes, a date and a bite of Brent's cantaloupe. We then went to bed.

At midnight I woke up and my water had broken. Luckily, I had enough foresight to be wearing an adult diaperfor just such an occasion. (My last baby my water broke in bed and I didn't have anything to protect me or the bed.) I didn't want to wake Brent yet, because my shortest labour had been 8 hours previous to this baby, and we had just gotten to sleep a couple hours earlier.

My contractions started out at 15 minutes apart. I spent a lot of the first hour laboring on the toilet because of the amniotic fluid, which was coming out during contractions in squirts. After about an hour I woke Brent, and he asked if we should call our friend (who was helping to deliver our baby at her house). I wanted to keep timing the contractions, but 30 minutes later they were stronger and 5-10 minutes apart. We called, and she said to come on over. (She had actually already been awake for 30 minutes already.)

It took us 30 minutes to get out of the house (packing a few last minute things into the car). We left our other kids with a friend and got to our friends house just after 2am. By that time my contractions were pretty strong and about 5 minutes apart. She checked me and I was at a 4 and 50% thinned out. I laboured in the house for a little while, some times leaning on the bed with my Brent holding me. Sometimes on the portable toilet (so I didn't have to worry about what was coming out of me). Then she asked if I wanted to try getting in the bath. I agreed and she got the tub ready. I was so cold, and couldn't stop shivering. I also felt so sick, I kept asking for the bowl (I always get sick during labour) but never needed it. She checked me again and I was at a 5 and still 50%. I sat in the bath for about 20 minutes and then wanted out. She asked what I wanted, and I said, "I want the baby out". I walked back to the bedroom and laboured some more in there standing by the bed. My contractions were 30 seconds apart and I didn't know how much more I could take. They were all so wonderful, though. They kept putting hot ginger packs on my back, stomach and elsewhere. :)

Our friend wanted to check me again, and I got on the bed. After laying down, she checked me, looked at me and said, "The baby is in the birth canal." I smiled the best I could and said, "That's the best news I could here." She said baby only needed to go about 3 more inches to go. That is all I needed to go on. I barely felt the pain from the contractions then. I pushed on the next contraction. Then pushed again 1 or 2 more times (I can't really remember). :) Then I could feel his head crowning. It hurt, but I knew it was almost over. I panted a few times and then finished pushing his head out at 4:20 am. She checked and there was no cord around his neck. I asked if he was OK, and she said he was. Then during the next contraction I pushed and our baby Moses was born into this world at 4:22 am. We then waited until the placenta quite pulsating and after it was birthed at 4:50 am the cord was cut at 4:55 am.

It was such a wonderful birth experience. I love Brent for being there for me as I called for him. At one point all I could do was hold my arms out and call for him as he rushed across the room to hold me. He was such a rock for me. I am so excited to welcome our new little one into the family.

Sorry I've been slacking

2008-06-02T23:30:00.003-05:00

I am so sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog. I forgot my user name and password. Isn't that awful?!

Anyway, we are all doing great. I was due yesterday (Sunday 6/1) but baby is still hanging out in my tummy. LOL! I think he/she is just avoiding the 'real world'. Do you blame him/her? I had been getting some strong contractions last night, but they stopped around 2pm today. They are starting up again, but they usually do around bed time.

I did snow here on 5/22 and I got a few pictures of it before it melted. We were driving back from town (30 min away) and the roads were snow covered. That really kind of stinks when the defrost and heater don't work. :) If we would have known it was going to snow, we probably wouldn't have gone to town. It had been in the 80's and 90's a couple days before. We did fine, though.

I also got a picture of Brigham (Sat 5/31) while he was sleeping. It was just too funny to pass up. What a funny little man!

I am going to go ahead and get to bed for now. I'll try to remember the camera for when our new little angel is born. I have all my stuff over at my midwife's house. We are having a home birth, just not at our home. LOL! I'll keep you informed (better than I have been) and get some new photos on here as soon as I can.

Love you all,
Amanda

In and Out

2008-03-20T12:16:00.002-05:00

My post from http://ourbirthjourneys.blogspot.com/

I woke up Sunday morning and I was in pain. My right kidney was hurting like something awful. It was like labor pains, but in the front and back of my kidney area. We went to church, and I sat through the pain. Around 5 pm it subsided. I thought I might be getting a UTI, so I drank a pitcher of cranberry juice and a lot of water (I usually drink lots of water anyway).

On Monday, Brent went to work about 9 am and I was feeling great. About 11 am the pain started up suddenly in my kidney and I had to lay down on the couch until it was better around 3 pm. Every exhale on the second breath was a stabbing pain in my kidney for an hour and a half. As soon as the pain started I got nauseous and there was no way I was eating until everything was better. I drank a glass of water with a vitamin C and garlic tablet every hour for 5 hours. I ate a little at 3 pm and then at 7 pm we all went to visit our friend Moroni and ate at his house (corned beef and cabbage - my last meal just before this started). Ironic, LOL!

I went to bed Monday night around 10 pm feeling pretty good. Well, I woke up at 1 am and my pain was back. It hurt like a knife in the right kidney. Brent woke up and was concerned and asked if I needed to go to the hospital. I said no (I didn't want to go). After about 30 minutes he said we were going, and I agreed. We were driving down the road and I saw the sign warning to 'Watch for Elk'. I started talking to Brent about how that would suck to hit an elk. We were talking about that (keeping my mind off the pain) and I looked off to the right, just off the road, and there was a big bull elk. I was like, 'Holy Cow! There was and elk'. Then I looked to the left and pointed to Brent a cow elk. We were watchful after that.

Now, this was the night of St. Patrick's Day and the cops were out. Brent was driving perfect, so what happened. We got pulled over in Show Low. Now I was getting annoyed, which only agrivated my condition. I was hurting and we got pulled over for no reason. He came to my side but my door doesn't open and our windows don't work in the front. HA! HA! Cop had to come to the driver's side. He gave Brent a warning (pregnant lady with abdominal pains going to the hospital helped). We had a light out on the back of the van! Thanks dude. We finally made it to the hospital and I gave them my information (the computer went down, so she had to write it all down). I was admitted for the night. They put me on antibiotics and pain medication (Motrin with something else that burned in my IV). Around 6 am Tuesday morning, they took 5 viles of blood and then did an ultrasound on baby and my kidneys around 7:30.

Baby looks great. I was correct with my due date of June 1. They said, by the ultrasound, they are saying June 4, so I was close enough to be the same. We did try to find out the sex but baby was sitting on one foot (covering up the back) and one hand was covering up the front. LOL! We got to see baby's face. It was so clear and such a cute little person. I can't wait to hold my little one and kiss that little face. Baby is almost 3 lbs. Getting big.

As for me... they said they don't know. I have a UTI, but my right kidney is inflamed and there was some blood in my urine. They said it is either kidney stones or a kidney infection. They gave me antibiotics and released me. They said I'll probably have it start up again and I'll need to come back. I hope it's over. I sure don't want to go through this again. At least I know our baby is doing great. That's the big reason I went to the ER. If I wasn't pregnant, I probably wouldn't have gone until it got bad. (Sounds awful, but true. I hate hospitals.)

Brigham is walking about

2008-03-10T19:19:00.007-05:00

We finally got some video footage of Brigham walking around. He will only walk for us when we play music, so if you want to hear the song, turn on your audio. He's so funny. He will walk about and dance to the music, but he's still unsteady on his little feet. He cracks himself up and loves to have us clap when he walks. What a ham! He watched the video and was laughing and saying, "Yah".

He is also getting his bottom front teeth. One has finally poked through and the other is trying. Poor little Brigham has been a little down the last two days. We give him a small dose of Ibuprofen to cool his temperature and that perks him up for a little while.

Brent and the girls went out yesterday and climbed the 'Mountain'. They had lots of fun and found some partial arrow heads. Here are the pictures of their hike. I didn't get to go because I don't think I could make it up that hill at 28 weeks pregnant, and there is no way to carry Brigham since the trail is steep and the path is loose rock.

A New Beginning

2008-03-01T09:35:00.003-06:00

We have started a new beginning for our family. Last Saturday we loaded up the van and left Missouri. It was a long time coming, but we finally made it to Arizona. There were many delays in Missouri, the last being the passing of Brent's sweet Grandfather. He was a wonderful man with a very gentle spirit and will be missed by every person who knew him. He is happy now, thought, and we are grateful that he can be healthy and young once again. We stayed in Missouri for a couple of weeks longer to be with Brent's family and see if we could help out in any way.

It was finally time for us to leave, though. We were going to take both vehicles, but decided to just take the van for now. We didn't have a lot of room for our stuff, so we just packed the bare essentials of a bit of clothes and a small amount of our cooking supplies. There were also a lot of things we were going to bring that we forgot (pressure cooker, wheat grinder, food grater, etc...). Brent is going back in a few weeks to pick up some of the things we still need.

We made a side trip and stopped in Dallas for a couple days to visit our friends. It was a good thing we stopped because I got sick while out there for those two days. I did a lot of sleeping and staying away from everyone. It was good to be in a house instead of on the road while feeling the way I did. My illness left the night before we were to leave, so the trip from Dallas to New Mexico wasn't bad. We stayed in a hotel in Albuquerque and then only had to travel about 4 hours to get to our destination out here.

In the meantime, we are staying with some friends out here and looking for a place to live. They are a great family and I am so thankful that they were sweet enough to let us stay here until we get on our feet. We don't want to stay too long and wear out our welcome, so I've been busy looking around for somewhere for us. There seems to be quite a few places available, but they all want a lot for what you get. We are still looking and praying for guidance. We do have one place that is an option in two weeks, but it is 30 minutes away from all of our friends. We will just have to wait and see.

The baby is doing good. I will be 27 weeks tomorrow and am growing round. LOL! Baby kicks and spins all the time and seems to be having a great time. It is so fun to feel the baby moving about and wonder what he/she looks like and will be like. We are really looking forward to the birth, but I am anxious to get settled into a place so we can get the home prepared for the birth. I do want the house to be clean and ready, since that is where the baby will come into the world. We are still looking for a midwife, but that will work itself out, one way or another.

The girls are doing good. I think they miss their Grandparents, but they have a bunch of kids out here to play with, so that helps to keep their minds off of things. It has been a big change for them the last month with the loss of their Great-Grandpa and the move, which then separated them from their other Grandparents. My mom (and possibly dad) will be coming out in May. Then Brent's parents (and possibly grandmother) will be coming out to UT in July and we will meet them out there. We hope his Grandmother comes out and can meet the new baby.

Brent is having a lot of fun out here. We are cooking a brisket for everyone tonight and having a bit of a get together. Next week Brent gets to go out and start a job doing sheet rock with Sean. That will be nice to get a little work in. He is also helping Sean get his window and siding business going. They got a call yesterday and the house they put a bid on agreed to sign with them. That's exciting. Until things get up and going Brent will probably have to get a job else wear.

That's about all that has been going on lately. We are finally in Arizona and are doing fine. I have remembered my password to get into the blog (my brain has been on the fritz lately), so I can start updating the blog again. I'll try to keep it updated.

It's been a long time!

2008-01-25T18:57:00.001-06:00

I am such a slacker. I have been so bad at keeping this updated.

We left the farm the first week of December. It was such a wonderful experience. We learned a lot about how we want to live. The kids enjoyed the chores that they were responsible for.

As for our family. We are currently in Kansas City. We are getting our possessions sorted and packed. We are planning on heading out to Arizona by the second week of February. We are really looking forward to getting out there and being close to our friends. There is such a strong spirit out there. We love all of our friends and feel that we are being called out there.

We are expecting our 5th little on around June 1. It is so exciting and we are really looking forward to our new little baby. We are planning to have our 2nd homebirth. Brigham's birth was such an amazing experience that I can never imagine having another in the hospital again. I never plan on going back to the hospital for any of our future births, unless I have to.

Other than that, things have been rather slow. I'll do my best to keep things up to date.

We Have BABIES!!!!

2007-11-18T09:14:00.000-06:00

We got up this morning and the girls looked outside. What did they see? Three little kids. The goats have started having babies!!! We have five babies and two no longer pregnant mothers. They are all so cute. The girls have already named them all.

We have Black Goat's babies: Snowflake, Shep, and Misty.

Then we have Emily's babies: Shooting Star and Midnight.

Picts of the cattle and goats

2007-11-15T12:21:00.000-06:00

Here are the pictures I said I would post a few weeks ago. :)

Anna Belle

The bulls and Hereford

The calves

The goats (most nannies are pregnant and due soon)

Gruff and his harem

Slacking off

2007-11-02T21:31:00.000-05:00

OK, so I've really been slacking off when it comes to keeping up with the blog. Things have been nutty around here. Well, since we've been here, three of the four puppies vanished (probably dead), the old horse died (last post), all three of our kittens died (The white one got squished by rebar falling off the chicken coop and the other two died side by side, on a rock, in the rock garden.), all of our baby chicks died in the same day by Lucy the dog, and a bull died (we think from 'Blue Tongue'). I told Brent that if anything else died, I would lock myself into the bedroom and not come out. I also told Mark and Marian that I will not send them any new pictures of the animals, since every time I do, the next day something is dead. Not just a little something, but a horse or bull.

We did find out what to do with a large dead animal. Brent dug a hole and we burried it. Not really. :) We called the animal disposal people and they take them, no charge. What do they do with it? I couldn't tell you. Maybe they go to the local grocery store? Yuck. Maybe not.

We are waiting on the good news with the animals. Anna Belle should be having her calf within the month. Most of the goats are pregnant and two look like they could go any day now. We're looking forward to seeing some babies around here. The girls miss milking the goats, too. They will love getting to have something to do, other than collect eggs. They've been checking the eggs at least three times daily instead of the normal one time daily.

On to the other news. Brent has been selling kettle corn on the weekends with Ian. They seem to have fun out selling. It's hard for the kids and me, since we don't see him Friday afternoon through Sunday evening. We miss him.

In a couple weeks Brent and Ian will be flying out to KC for two or three days. They will be picking up a car and bringing it back home. His parents got a new SUV and are sweet enough to give us their Saturn. It will come in handy since we only have the Yukon and it doesn't get good gas mileage at all.

It's getting late and my thoughts are rambling. I guess I'll go for tonight. I'll post the last batch of pictures of the goats, cows and bulls (before the one died) tomorrow.

Love you all.
Amanda

A Hectic Month

2007-10-09T07:36:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't updated lately. We have had an incredibly crazy month. We had some friends come down from KC (in last post). On their way here, they got into a car accident and lost their vehicle. A good Samaritan drove their family from Illinois to the farm in Kentucky.

While they were here we harvested the honey and made the wine from the grapes in the vineyard. We pray the wine turns out fine. We've never done it before and didn't really know what to do. :)

Brent and the girls spent a week in KC to be with his Grandmother and Grandfather. His Grandmother was having surgery and he wanted to be there for her. I would have loved to have been there too, but Brigham and I stayed to care for the farm with our friends. Brent and the girls got home just fine, but two days later Brent had to leave again to take our visitors back home to KC. Two middle of the night drives in two days really takes a toll on you. He slept well that night. We missed him, but he was home in a few days.

Now we have some other "fun" activities planned. Brent gets to fix the barbed wire fence in the back pasture and string a new line of wire as well. He says it's about 40 acres. We walked the fence line a few days ago and it took about an hour just to walk. We did find 2 box turtles we brought home for the girls to see and study (we let them go the next day). We also got into little almost invisible ticks (turkey mites as they're called in KY). Brent got them all over his legs. I was fortunate enough to get them everywhere else. I have bites from my neck down, but not many on my legs. I feel like I have chicken pox. Brent thought he had poison ivy until we compared bits. Now he's pretty sure he just got ticked. :)

Here are some pictures of the four horses on the farm.

Our question now is, "What do you do with a dead horse?" We found the old horse (20 years old - in the last photo) in the field yesterday. She was beyond reviving. We get to spend today hauling her out of the field. :( I tried to feign ill, but I don't think it's going to work. I'll let you know how it goes.

Collecting Honey

2007-09-13T10:57:00.001-05:00

The weather has finally cooled off. We are in the 80's during the day and 50's at night. It's nice to sleep with a blanket again. Everything is going well for us. Our friends Rex and Sara are staying with us for a little while. They were coming out to visit us, and got into a car accident just into Indiana. A good samaritan picked them up and drove the entire family to the farm. They are stuck with us for a little bit. We are keeping them busy, though. We are collecting the honey from the bee hives today. It is pretty fun. I get to stay away, though, since I'm allergic to bees. :)

Brent and Rex extracting honey

honey comb before and after extracting

straining honey into the buckets

bee super

We do have news on the puppies. Tuesday we noticed that three of the puppies were gone. Bear stayed behind at the farm. As of today, Thursday, there is still no sign of the other three. We don't have much hope of seeing them again.

We finally got a little rain!!!

2007-08-24T09:11:00.000-05:00

It has been so very hot lately. There has been a heat index of 107 for quite a while. We went about a month without any rain. Things were so dry. The pond that waters our cattle and sheep is getting very small. We have been praying for rain. We've been watching the online weather to see where the rain was going (north to flood out Ohio). We kept thinking, "Why won't it come our way?". Finally on Sunday we got some rain. It started around 4pm, I think, and rained that day and night. We got more rain on Tuesday. Not bad. We still need more. The pond is still very low.

The heat has really taken it's tole on our milk supply. Anna Bell gives about a gallon of milk per milking now. When it was nice out we were getting two and a half gallons per milking. Usually milking is pretty uneventful. Swats of cow tail across the face, horseflies trying to eat us, keeping the cow from stepping in the milk bucket. Last night was entertaining. We got to sit on our buckets and watch 5 deer, up on the hil,l in the other pasture. There were three adults and two babies (who had almost lost their spots). My dad would say they were ready for me to shoot. :) I have a tendency to shoot the young ones. :) Hey, they're good and tender.

Well, that's all for now. I have to go help Brent cook dinner so we can eat before chores. I made a suggestion for dinner and now he's by himself. We'lll post again later....

The Family Visit

2007-08-17T11:06:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Brent's parents came to visit. We all had a lot of fun with them here. The girls had such a great time showing Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Bill around the farm and showing them how the chores were done. We got a lot of great pictures. We did have to send the camera back to my parents, so no more pictures for awhile.

I also noticed that I had left poor Brigham out of the previous post, so I thought I'd update you on him. Two Sundays ago I was in the kitchen doing dishes. He came crawling into the kitchen (yes he's crawling). He grabbed ahold of the back of my pants. I didn't think anything of it. Then his grip got higher and higher. I looked behind me and he's standing up. Well, now he thinks he's just the bomb. He stands up everywhere. I got some pictures of him but he's sad because I'm not holding him.

Pictures of the Farm

2007-08-01T09:33:00.000-05:00

I have been promising to post pictures of the farm. Here they are.

This is the house, the barn and chicken coup.

The rock garden.

The water pump.
The solar panels.

It is such a beautiful and peaceful place here. I would love for everyone to get to see it here.

The bee hives.

The saw mill.

The baby chicks.

New pictures

2007-07-30T08:36:00.000-05:00

I have some pictures that I thought I'd post. We are borrowing my parents digital camera so I'm getting all the pictures I can, while I can. I have some pictures of Brent with the goats and milking the cow. I'm in there too, milking the goats. Hannah took that picture of me! Great job Hannah! It looks like the cool days may be gone for now.

We did get some watermelon from the garden. It was pretty exciting. I took bunches of pictures of it. We all enjoyed watermelon on a hot day!!!

Not everything is fun on the farm. I did get a good batch of poison ivy on my arm that got somewhat infected looking. My arm swelled up pretty good and was real ugly. Brent got a surprise too. He was carrying the watermelon up to the house on his shoulder from the garden. When he got on the deck we saw a Black Widow on the watermelon. It didn't bite him, but the girls got a good lesson on what a black widow looks like and to what to stay away from.

Our puppies

2007-07-25T19:01:00.000-05:00

I thought I would write a little about the puppies here on the farm. Lucy had some puppies a few weeks ago and we finally got them out from under the house today. Sadie and Hannah spent some time under the house, crawling on their stomachs, to drag them out. There are 4 surviving puppies from the litter (none lost in the process of getting them out from under the house). We have 3 boys and 1 girl. Here are some pictures of them.

The girls are holding the puppies (we guess about 4 or 5 weeks old). They are not quite able to leave their mom yet. Abby is holding Shep (the shy and timid one), Hannah has Good Hank (the outgoing and playful boy), Sadie has Bear (the biggest of the 4) on her lap and Pepper (the little girl dog who whines a lot and seems to be a little crazy) beside her.

(Shep, Pepper, Good Hank and Bear)

2007-07-24T15:31:00.000-05:00

We have made it to the farm. We are all having a great time. We've gotten pretty good at milking the cow and the goats. The gardens are doing great. We have more squash than we know what to do with. Pretty soon the watermellon and cantalope will be ready. We're really looking forward to that! The chickens are laying about 10 eggs a day and we're getting about 3 gallons of milk from the cow.

My mother and sister just left today. We went to Mammoth Cave and took a 2 hour tour. It was very interesting. We all enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out. Brigham was the only baby on the tour and I am grateful for our baby sling. There were several tight spots that I had to hold the sling up to my neck to get through. He slept through the entire tour until the last 5 minutes.

(Sadie and Hannah showing their cousins how

to collect eggs.)

The children have been enjoying all their chores. The girls have been collecting eggs from the chicken coup and feeding the baby sheep the goats milk. The sheep is only 7 weeks old but sure is getting big. They have really been growing in maturity and spiritually. They are a real inspiration to me. The girls have been working hard milking the goats. Sadie can milk out 2 goats all by herself. She is also able to almost milk out one side of the cow (which isn't easy).

We had been milking 6 goats, but due to some of our goats being pregnant we are now down to 3. It has helped cut down on milking time with the goats. Some of those cut out of milking were kickers.

(Sadie milking Black Goat.)

(Sadie, Hannah, Brandon and Adam feeding

the baby sheep.)

Our life as a family

2007-06-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

We are starting a new life and are wanting to share this experience with all of our friends and family. This is an exciting time where we are able to relive the lives of our ancestors. Our children are able to be schooled in the ways of old. They will learn how to build their own houses, care for animals, grow and tend their own gardens and have the responsibilities that most children don't have now days. I hope to post often on our thoughts, trials, joys and add many pictures of our experiences.

We are following the Lord's guidance and pray that we will always be open to listening to His word. These are the days of our Lord. He will lead us and show us the path to eternal happiness.