Our wonderful daddy made yummy bread in our pizza oven with left over pizza dough. It was so good. We all love it when we have yummy pizza in our pizza oven.

Ross is so funny! He is always putting Molly's dress up shoes or her flip flops on. It cracks me up!

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland for our miss Molly's birthday, and we had a great time! We all got a little sunburnt though. It was a great vacation and we stopped in St. George and saw some of our family on the way there, and we stopped in Las Vegas we stayed the night both stops. On our way back we stopped at Grandpa and Grandma Ray's house and stayed two nights. Ross's favorite part of disneyland was riding the bus there every morning and night.

We had a great valentines day.

Izzy and Molly made this poster for our daddy. Our wonderful cook daddy made us a LOVEly breakfast and Abby and I (Erika) went outside and cut some branches off our plants. Abby put the branches in a jar and I (Erika) glued them in a heart on a paper. I (Erika) also made stones that say LOVE. Our mommy made huge cookies that were shaped like hearts. Sadly we didn't get a picture of that.

We got a dog a while ago. If you haven't seen her yet here is a picture.

We went night skiing the day after Christmas and it was FREEZING! The lines were terribly long. I only got one picture though. 

WHY OH WHY SO MANY CHICKENS-Izzy has been wanting chickens so Jared and I told her if she got the chicken coop cleaned out and read about how to take care of chicken she could get a FEW.  We had talked about getting a couple of hens that were already laying and then maybe get two babies, I didn't want any more little things to take care of.  Monday I was gone all day and Jared was with the kids so he helped them finish the chicken coop and and then took them to get chicks and this is what they ended up with, 18 chicks that are only 5 days old.  But they said they might not all live, THANK GOODNESS.  They still have to be under a light and we were worried it was too cold the first night so I let them put them in the mud room the first night, by morning with the smell I woke up to they were back outside.  If they can handle being mauled like crazy I think they can handle a little cool weather.
The girls are out in the chicken coop 1st thing in the morning and many times in the day checking and rechecking the chicks.  They took the pictures, I try to avoid the stinky place.  I am just the hand washing Nazi.
Izzy loves the chicks. Abby and her studied about how to care for chicks for days before and they are taking good care of them. I am really proud of how much Abby help Izzy learn, they know a ton about chicks. The first night Abby noticed that they had pasting which basically means that they have a bunch of dry pooh on their bum and you have to clean it off so they can poop and not get sick. So Abby got a rag and her and Izzy cleaned bums for a while, Oh the joys of farm life.  For some reason the little things really gross me out.
Molly doesn't make too much fuss about it all she just thinks they are sooooo cute.  I am really excited to have our own fresh eggs, for those of you who don't get fresh eggs each day they really are so much better than the genetically altered yuck you get from the store.  If you ever have a chance to go to a commercial egg farm you should go and see where your food comes from, then you with have 18 chickens in your front yard too.

I can't believe my first baby is 12 and my baby boy is 1.  Why oh why does time have to go so fast.  I have always thought that having my babies grow up would be so sad which it is so sad that they will not be my babies forever but as Abby has gone into young womens it is so fun to watch her grow up and she is such a good girl and so cute it is getting scary.  I am so glad she still likes me to home school her because I would really miss her if she was gone all day.  I could not have asked for a better girl, she is blazing the trail for the rest to follow.

Ross is so fun at a year.  He keeps us all entertained and so busy chasing him all day everyday.  he never slows down and is already trying to run.  If the door is open he is gone, no shoes, rain, it doesn't matter he takes off and never looks back.  I worried about him with all of these girls trying to mother him all of the time but he holds his own-he is still Ross the boss.

Time really does fly,  I just try to love everyday that I get to have these little people (yes Abby you are still a little people) in my home.

I wanted to put some tomatoes, just for eating, on the porch.  I didn't have any big pots but I found these in the chicken coop and since I have been trying to be extra thrifty lately they worked great.  They don't look to snazzy now but wait till I pick up some red spray paint for plastic.

Yes, we still have to cover plants since it freezes here until I swear- July.  Jared came up with this plan and it works pretty nice, this afternoon it was toasty warm in there.  I planted all salsa ingredients except cilantro, I just could not fit another thing. 

This year the garden is a lot more enjoyable.  I actually like to garden when I am not a week overdue like last year when we tried to plant.

We decided to do everything in boxes this year and not put anything right in the ground since we are not the best at weeding.  I hope we can get one more box built this year for a few things I didn't fit.

I am back to the blogging world.  I have decided to use our blog as my journal since I am terrible at writing in my journal and I am prompted daily to keep some sort of record of this great life that I live. So rather that try to catch up I am just going to start now and if I get a chance to add more past pictures and events I will just do it randomly.

Yesterday we planted the garden.  I decided to try square foot gardening this year and man, it was fun.  I fit so much more into our three boxes.  I planted this box about a week ago and yesterday me and the girls finished the other two.  I had to pick up my bountiful basket in the morning and the girls had play practice so between those two things and a few garage sales we didn't get started until noon but we worked all day long.

Sunday we blessed baby Ross.  Thank you to everyone who came and we missed those of you who couldn't.  We really had a fun weekend.  We went swimming, to the horse pulls and all of the 4th celebration things.  Busy but lots of fun.

Ross looks so cute in this outfit that he was blessed in it was just something that I already had but I thought it was just fine.  He looks really big.

I love this picture with the hat but Jared said I need some serious help with shaping hats so he doesn't look so nerdy.  How could that cute face be nerdy?

Baby Ross is getting big so fast.  He is a happy baby when we are home.  He doesn't like to go places especially any kind of store.  Boys really are so different right from the start.  He likes his bed and doesn't like to be cuddled to sleep you just have to lay him down and as long as he can get his fist in his mouth he goes right to sleep.  Molly loves to hold him and he really likes her.  

Erika really likes to pick his clothes and dress him and at first he was kind of annoyed with everybody but now he loves every one of his sisters.

He had a couple of cross eyed moments.

Not really amused being dressed up so cute for church.

These are just a few of the things that have happened in the last two months.  Man the summer is going by fast. Izzy broke her arm the day before I was due to have the baby I guess it was good to go over.  She broke it on the slide at the park and it was a pretty bad break for such a small fall.  She had to have surgery to get it set and have two pins put in it.  Six weeks later when they went in to take the pins out one had worked its way up too far and she had to be put out again a week later to get that out.  She was really bummed she had to have a cast for 8 weeks instead of six but she is back to monkey bars and riding her bike like a maniac now.  Jared and I were wondering if the surgery would scare her enough to chill out a little.  As we were leaving the hospital she said "that was kind of fun"  I guess no such luck.  I am sure it is only a matter of time until the next emergency room visit.  We got the garden planted in between the rain storms.  Jared and Abby did most of the work.  I was in and out with the baby.  The other girls thought it would be fun in their swimming suits the next day with their bad sunburn they weren't so sure.  I never get my pictures in the right order but last is our moth that we noticed in our jar one morning.  Izzy and her friends found a caterpillar and put it in the jar and we kind of forgot about it until someone noticed it had turned into this pretty moth.  Izzy refused to let it go and it was a bout dead when Erika finally set it free.  

He's finally here!!!

Ross Jacob Ray finally decided it was time to come exactly one week overdue he was born Saturday May 9th at 1:09 p.m.  Everyone was starting to think that I was crazy for not getting started but I have had such long labors being started with the girls that I wanted to see if going into labor on my own would go any better.  I am glad I waited.  I woke up at 3:30 in the morning and I woke Jared up at 6:30 to go to the hospital.  We got there at 8:00 a.m. and he was born at 1:09 that afternoon.  Only 5 hours at the hospital Jared and I were both in shock. Weighing in at 9lb. 14 oz. he is cute as can be and a very good baby.  Thank you to all of my family helped with the girls and to Jared's parents for helping for a couple of days since we have been home.

Can you believe my first baby is 11 years old.  Abby is just all around good.  She just radiates goodness.  She is such a great helper and is always worried about someone else and boy does she worry.  I have never been much of a worrier so I guess Abby got the mom share of that, she worries enough for both of us.  I think it makes her a great big sister.  She takes good care of all of us.  

Abby got a new bike and clothes and of course a book that she has been wanting.  She loves to read and gets a new book for every occasion.  Abby was a good sport about no birthday party this year since being nine months pregnant doesn't really put you in the birthday party mood.  She just wanted to make daddy's pizza and watch movies so that is what we did.  Jared always takes the girls on a daddy daughter date for their birthday.  They went to a movie and then to one of their favorite places, the book store.

Baby Update

7 days left until the due date.  Although I have been preparing myself for the fact that the baby decides the due date.  After being started 2 weeks early with all four of the girls this is a whole new ball game.  I had a ultrasound at 38 week and they said then that he weigh a little over 8 lbs then so by 40 or possibly 41 weeks he is going to be a monster child.  I have never been pregnant this long and now I understand what everyone has been saying about those last 2 weeks.  It is a good thing my doctor visits are in the morning because by evening I would be begging to get started.  Why is it that your belly feels 4 times bigger by 6:00 pm?  Really I feel pretty good other that being huge.  It is to the point that I hate going anywhere for all of the comments like the one I got at a funeral I went to it went like this

Her:  When are you due?

Me:  In a couple of weeks.

Her:  It looks like yesterday.

People are so kind.  Anyway we can't wait for this boy (still without a name) to get here!  I bought this baby sling that you wrap up and tie the baby to you so hopefully I can get him in that and everyone won't be able to take him from me.  With all of these girls (little mothers) I am a little afraid that I will never get to hold him.  Hopefully the next post will be baby arrival news.

Last weekend Abby and Erika had to play for the piano judges at the musical festival.  They played two duets and then they each played a solo for a different judge.  They both did GREAT!  Their duets were flawless.  It was closed judging but they let moms go in and I was so glad.  They both do really well under pressure.  When they played their solo's the judge was so impressed with each of them.  She said Abby was the first one to have her piece memorized and the first student to really show emotion and I think she was amazed Erika could play as well as she did for how young she is.  They only competed with their duets and they took 3rd place.  They were just scored on their solos and Abby took high score.  Since they placed they had to play for the awards recital that night. I was so proud of them. Things like that make listening to all the whining about practicing worth it.

EASTER

I can't believe Easter has already come and gone.  It was a great relaxing weekend.  Molly got this Dora hop on ball thing and she spent the entire day Saturday on it.  The Easter bunny had to come on Saturday because we have early church on Sunday.  Tammy and the boys came up for the weekend and we colored eggs and had our easter egg hunt with the golden egg with $5 in it actually grandma did two golden eggs and Erika found both of them.  Most of the eggs had money and candy in them so the other kids weren't too mad about it because everyone got money.  Saturday night Jared and grandpa took all of the kids to the movie and me and Tammy and mom stayed home and made cards.  It was fun and quiet.  Angie went to Devin's family party.  We missed you Ang.

The girls so cute in their new spring outfits.

Everyone loves coloring eggs.  Mikey too big of a stud muffin to color 

eggs but he would sit in for the photo. He's a cute kid. 

 It is fun to have some boy energy around. The egg hunt was about to 

start.  Grandpa gave Molly and Izzy a head start which really wasn't

necessary for Izzy.  Notice Molly's red cowgirl boots she looks like she is

from Idaho or something.

In between conference sessions I sent the girls outside to get some energy out.  They got spring fever and decided to shovel of the tramp then they roped Jared into helping.  By the time they got it done it was time to come back in to watch the second session so they didn't even get to jump much.  They had their shoes off they thought to was so warm. I think it was maybe 45 degrees. Molly had hers off for about 2 minutes and was back in for boots and a jacket. We are really ready for spring up here.  Yes these pictures were taken April 5th we really do still have that much snow.  Remind me why we live here.  When I post pictures about June or July you will see why.  I am trying to remember that.  Between the snow and 4 weeks left of pregnancy I really wish I could just go to sleep and wake up about May 1st.  I really try not to wish time away but I am not doing                                                                                                             very good at it right now.