My Holiday Post

Twas the week before Christmas, when all through my house
Not a tree, or a wreath, or even my spouse.

No stockings were hung on the chimney at all
And all this torture could make a kid bawl.

A trip to Cool Forest, we cut down our tree
Rachael got car sick but the kids were filled with glee.






All our favorite ornaments including the dove
Were placed on our tree with the star up above.





The stockings and wreath and the Nativity
Made their way out of the box, thanks to me.




Presents were wrapped, not far in advance
With favorite character wrappings that made the kids dance.



The night before Christmas, we drove all the way to Oroville
Where In-Laws welcomed us with food for our tummies to fill.

Presents were exchanged and stories were told
of Wisemen and Shepards and people of old.

The long ride home was made late at night
and in the dark sky, we saw Santa take flight.


(This picture is a dramatization and does not depict our sighting acuratly...We saw three twinkling lights in a rythmatic motion flashing across the night's sky)

We got home close to midnight, kids still awake
getting Ethan to sleep was about all I could take

A few hours later, I made it to bed
When FINALLY sugar-plums could dance in MY head

The moon soon gave way to a damp gray sky
and I heard through the silence, my sweet baby cry

Soon the hustle and bustle of of three other kids
Turned to laughter and excitement to see what Santa hid

Eating breakfast and playing were all the kids could take
But we had to wait for Mikey, Sarah, Grandpa, Christi and Uncle Jake



Finally the time to open gifts was here
And I knew a nap would soon be near

Wrappings and toys filled out our living room
Putting everything away would soon be my doom




New bedding for all and some other great gifts
Including a scooter, laptop, and Raya's Ripstik






This little book called Twilight, I started that day
After pressure from family and friends far away


(No, I haven't read this series yet...please don't stone me...)

The food was plentiful and so was the mess
Who cleaned up the mess...well, take a guess!

That night proved real fun, playing games with the fam
Soon midnight approached and it hit me...WHAM!

I found myself in bed thinking of the days events
And couldn't believe that Christmas just came and went

How quickly Christmas comes and how quickly it goes
The story each year that each of us knows

The tree is now gone and the stockings too
A new year awaits with new resolutions to do

I'm blessed with laughter, warmth, and love
Family and friends and four children to hug

May your days be great this new coming year
With food, shelter, clothing and nothing to fear

This peom closes my year and boy was it tight
Happy New Year to all and to all a good night!

God Grew Tired of Us

I highly suggest this documentary from National Geographic. It is about "The Lost Boys" of Sudan and how a few of them made their way to America. Watching these men eat chips for the first time, go to the grocery store and taste donuts for the first time and wondering if the green soap for washing dishes will turn whatever they are washing green makes me feel so grateful and blessed to be an American. Again, I highly suggest this film. I found it on Netflix.

Stay tuned for my holiday posting...It's coming...I promise!

A Son

Four years ago...minus one day, Patrick and I had a couple friend of ours over. They wanted to go Christmas shopping...I refused! There is a reason I get all my shopping done well before Christmas...I wasn't about to go out in the "last Saturday before Christmas" crowd...They insisted...and I insisted even more. They pretty much drug me out of my house. I don't like crowds...Christmas shoppers bother me and too many of them REALLY bother me...The one and only reason I got in that car was a slight...ok, HUGE hope that it would put me into labor. You see, I was about due with our 3rd child, a son, and I looked like this:

(don't mind the "crazy pregnant lady" haircut...I know, it was a mistake...don't ever cut your hair when you are pregnant...Just look at it!)

I know...I looked Huge! I was HUGE...and uncomfortable and, well...I could go on and on...

He was due on Christmas Eve. I really wanted to have him early. I really wanted to have him home for Christmas. I was hoping he would be early like his older sisters were...I was hoping...but I also knew that he would come when he wanted and so I was prepared. I had all the Christmas shopping done, wrapped, and instructions given to Patrick if I ended up being in the hospital come Christmas Day.



So as I am in the car, dreading the trip to the mall (of all places)...I figured I could prolong my torture and use the "Pregnant lady has got to eat" excuse to stop off and get some food. We decided to head off to Del Taco. I usually don't eat there. I thought they served up Mexican fast food, but apparently they serve up burgers and fries too. I was confused as to what to order for the kids and I (Patrick could order for himself)...I stepped up to the register and began ordering for the girls..."Ummmm, I guess I'll have some french fries and ummmmmm, a couple of hamburgers..." I was trying to figure out what I wanted to eat and then...GUSH....ok, so it wasn't a huge gush all over the floor...just a slight gush...I finished up the order completely holding in what had just happened to me and not ordering any food for myself because I was freaking out...No one knew, only I knew that my water had just broke. I paid, stepped back and whispered to my friend..."either I just peed my pants or my water broke". I discussed it with my friend and then I told Patrick and then Patrick decided to share it with the cashier who was probably a 16 year old boy and really didn't need or necessarily want to hear that kind of information. A trip to the bathroom pretty much confirmed my suspicion. So I didn't get any food, but I got out of shopping.

(This is the receipt from Del Taco on that wonderful day)

Patrick and I headed off to the hospital leaving our girls with our friends and with Patrick's brother and sister-in-law.


(So this isn't Patrick with me...It is my brother who happened to stop by as we were heading to the hospital)

The doctors confirmed that my water had broke, but it broke up high and that is why it didn't gush all over the place (Thank Goodness). They ended up breaking my water with a crochet hook (ok, so it really wasn't a crochet hook, but it looked like one)...



I walked the halls...I walked through my contractions because a nurse walking down the hallway told me it would make me dilate faster if I did...I wanted to get my epidural, but I had to be at a certain centimeter before I could. After a few mishaps with the anesthesiologist, who forgot about me, and some cool numbing drugs, I was able to get my epidural and become pain free...well, sort of pain free. My contractions were irregular...I remember lying in a dark room, in the middle of the night, hearing beeps and looking up at the contraction monitor and thinking that I was in for a VERY long night because I couldn't see a regular consistency to the graph...I was tired and thought this labor would never end.



I swear the nurses gave up on me...Every time they came to check me, I was at a 5. I wasn't progressing. I wasn't used to this. I hadn't had any problems with the other two kids. They decided to give me pitocin. It didn't help. A long while went by. I was wondering why no one had come to check me. Finally a nurse came in. She wanted to put an internal monitor on the babies head because he kept coming off the monitor. She pulled my covers down and told me to hold on a minute. She came back in with another nurse and said, "Ummm, I think it's time to get you to the delivery room, the babies head is right there." Patrick and his mother were just coming into the room to see what was going on. They were stuck in the hallway because there wasn't any room in the tiny labor room I was in...which had a pull down toilet from the wall...LOL! Anyway, Patrick asked if he could go to the bathroom and the nurse said "If you want to miss the birth"...They hustled me to the delivery room and with two short pushes...A tiny miracle with sweet little cries, made his way into this world. Ethan Lewis Durling was born at 4:30am weighing in at 8 lbs. 2.9 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. He was born 6 days before Christmas.






I was able to bring Ethan home and have him there on Christmas day. What a wonderful Christmas present. A precious gift straight from the hands of God. A tiny little spirit, full of wonder and amazement...



My sweet boy is Four years old today. Where does the time go? Happy 4th Birthday Ethan! I love you so very much!



Here's to more birthdays in the future!

Seperation Issues

I swear! My bed has serious seperation issues...It did NOT want me to leave it this morning...

You Better Watch Out...

You better not CRY...(Sing with me now...)Santa Claus is coming to town...

Santa Claus came to our Primary Christmas party this morning! I think Santa has a very tough job! I took pictures of all the kids in Primary with Santa and towards the end, it was a crying frenzy...my child included...I have to admit, I had hope that Carly would be ok being held by Santa, but unfortunately, that hope soon diminished as Sheri (my friend) brought her into the room...Ahhhh, another crying baby being held by Santa Claus picture to add to my collection!









And below is the newly called Primary Presidency who organized and ROCKED this killer Primary party...Yes! We are super cool...

Love

It is so fun to see a newly engaged couple and watch how they interact with each other. It brings me back to when I was newly engaged. Love changes over the years and the tummy butterflies are few and far between. The love I have for Patrick is far more deeper than I would have ever imagined it to be 11 years ago yet I sometimes long for that giddy new love we once shared where I loved all his little quirks and never once thought that the grammar corrections or burping or farting would EVER bother me. Times have changed, but my love has grown ten fold. It's grown to a new kind of love...one that is amazing!

So I was asked to engagement pictures of Patrick's cousin Jessica and her fiance Benjamin...We went up to the Wash House and Downtown Oroville. The session was quick but I got a lot of cool shots...So here is your teaser Jessica...I am trying so hard to get the rest of the photos finished but I have to schedule teeth brushing into my schedule these days...They will come...I promise...In the meantime, enjoy these few photos!

Blog Slacker...

Ok, so I've been a blog slacker...sue me...or better yet, read my catch up posts below...

A Monster Bash!

Ethan had a blast at his 4th Birthday Monster Bash!

We celebrated Ethan's upcoming birthday scary style...ok, so the monsters weren't scary at all, they were so very cute, but they were monsters none the less. When asked what kind of birthday party Ethan wanted, he quickly rose is hands to face level, curled his little fingers, and with a scary 4 year old little boys voice said "A Monster Party"...I said "Ok, we can do that" and so we did.



The decorations were as simple as decorations can get...streamers and balloons...both in black and blue colors. The cupcakes were topped with little monster suckers and blue frosting which made for some great monster pictures.



We had a bunch of little monsters running around. They yelled, screamed, cried and even hid while sneaking someone else's candy.



We decorated monster cutouts with stickers




and for the older kids like this one:



we had sharpie pens.

Ethan wanted to play hopscotch at his party...and so we did...



or at least we tried.

We sang and played guitar:



and we turned blue like monsters do:



Ethan received many fun toys...Spiderman bubbles, Spiderman wrist web spin, a remote controlled car, batman figurines, hulk monster gloves, batman jammies and band aids, clothes including batman underwear, cars, Spiderman 3 the movie, paint, puzzles, and this:



It's called a Skuut and it helps prepare your child for bikes without training wheels.

I made Ethan's awesome shirt which says "Ethan is having a blast at his 4th birthday monster bash"



Each child got a shirt very similar in an awesome goody bag to take home.



We had a great turn out being so close to the holidays. Ethan had so much fun with his friends and probably even more fun with all his new toys. Thanks to all of you who came to help celebrate my little monster's birthday!