Unfortunately, EJ was sleeping when this was taken, but it's a great picture of the other little ones.

I can't tell you how many people after hearing the ages of our kids have paused with a shocked look on their faces and said "Wow, y'all must be really busy". That's the understatement of the year! Yep, we're pretty busy but we're a big, happy family.

Keeping Others Safe from Themselves:

Ponder this in our current state of society...


Why is it that it is perfectly fine for young men to go out and celebrate the coming of the New Year in denim jeans, button-down shirts and jackets while the fairer gender finds it necessary to wear tight fitting, thigh-high and above, low-cut dresses with stilletto heels??? In 40 degree nighttime weather???"


Does going out on New Year's Eve mean one leaves their brain at the door?

Rhetorical question I guess, since the numbers of ladies wearing the above mentioned outfits way out-number their more sensibly dressed sisters.


Something I, your "socially-observant public servant" found while working downtown "A-town" here in Central TX on New Year's.


I tip my hat to those young ladies that dressed elegantly while having half a cranium in the cold nighttime temps....


Oh... this is a Christian-based blogsite so the only pictures you will get are of your fine "XO". Not the best picts, my Assistant Chief took them on his I-phone.


XO

Not Quite A "Rock of Gibralter":

All,

Well my beautiful wife is too kind with her praises since I feel I got off lucky to some extent.

I only had to worry about the three older ones (KJ, CJ and AJ) and fortunately got lucky since EJ had got the same sickness a couple of days before everyone. ZJ stayed healthy- Praise God!

My wife also did not have a chance to blog about our Christmas Day evening... Yup, you guessed it, the same malady that afflicted my dear wife, eldest son and eldest daughter hit me later that evening. Nasty GI "bug" coupled with a fever and chills- something I would not wish on anyone.

Two days later (and after some wonderful care from KJ) I was finally back in the world of the living.

Christmas 2008 will not go down as one for the old scrapbook, unless a sick and vomiting family is you idea of a scrapbook. Oh well, good bye to 2008, hello 2009.

Just another year for a family that believes in freely sharing our maladies.

Take Care and Welcome to 2009...

XO

My Poor Dear Hubby

EJ vomited a couple of times on Sunday afternoon. I attributed it to the cup of sour milk she found under the Christmas tree and drank part of before I realized what she was doing. Little did I know that was the start of a very long Monday for my poor dear husband.
AJ started crying about midnight Monday morning and when Eric went in to check on her, she had vomited all over her bed and herself (note to all moms out there - do not let your kids drink the frozen fruit punch concoctions at Chili's if there is any chance they might vomit in the next 12 hours!). After I finished feeding the baby, I helped Daddy make a bed in our room for AJ and we all settled down to sleep. I got up again to feed the baby at 3AM and found CJ standing in the hall outside our room saying "Mom, I made a big mess on the carpet. I'm so sorry!". I think we would have rather had him vomit in his bed since his attempt to get to the bathroom resulted in a huge mess on the carpet from his room all the way across the hall (again I repeat the warning against the Chili's drinks if you want to avoid the need to steam clean your carpets at 3AM). By the time we got CJ's mess cleaned up, I realized that I was not going to escape the "plague" that had beset our house.
Mom and the two older kids spent all day Monday in various states of gastric distress, lounging on various couches and beds. Poor Dad on the other hand got the "pleasure" of dealing with the laundry, clean up, and work that three very sick people can create. At one point on Monday literally ALL of the sheets, blankets and pillowcases in our house were in some stage of the wash-dry-replace cycle! Not to mention that I was so sick that I couldn't even sit up to nurse the baby so he was delivering ZJ to me every time he needed to eat and then coming back to change his diaper, etc. later on.
Mr. J. wins the award for best daddy and hubby for his wonderful care of a houseful of sickies. I credit him with our recovery in time for Christmas!

Eve-l Kenevil?

As you know, our third offspring has proven to be our biggest challenge. She is in constant motion and has frequently shown that she can accomplish physical feats that most almost one year olds cannot. She also has the disturbing (at least to her mother) trait of having absolutely no fear.

So what if I pushed my feet against the table and tipped myself over chair, booster seat and all? I'll just smile, climb out of the seat and continue on with my day.

Hmmm, how did brother slide down the stair railing? I'm gonna have to try that very soon!

Wow! That bunk bed is the coolest thing ever! Mom won't get me one, so I'll just climb up the ladder and hang out in brother's bed.

You get the picture.

Last Friday Eve got a bit too daring - climbing into a landry basket and somehow managing to get ahold of the cord on the iron which was hanging in its mounting plate on the wall. Mom was only two steps from her, but could only manage to deflect the iron so it struck a glancing blow on her little head. Thankfully she only had a laceration on her forehead instead of a much worse injury. Dad took a picture of her in the ED after they put the LET (lidocaine, epinepherine, tetracycline) jelly on her wound to numb it before they sewed her up. 2 hours and 4 stitches later we were all back at home.

She'll have a story to tell about the scar right in the middle of her forehead.

Mom may not survive the excitement of raising "#3"...

Zach Jak - The Story of the Yellow Thanksgiving Baby

As many of you have heard our 4th little blessing decided to make his debut three weeks early. He arrived Sunday night and was transferred to the NICU on Monday morning because he could not maintain his blood sugar on his own and needed IV dextrose. Then just when his blood sugar stabilized, he developed the jaundice that has been characteristic of all of our babies. He's comfortably ensconced in his isolette enjoying sunbathing under the bililights until his bilirubin levels are low enough for us to bring him home - hopefully sometime Saturday morning.

I was having a hard time dealing with having to leave my baby in the NICU, until a heart to heart with the XO and some time in prayer changed my perspective. Yes, our baby is once again in the NICU with all of the stress and difficulty that entails but he is healthy overall and has a very treatable condition. He will be home with us very soon, unlike many of the babies around him who face months long ICU stays and lifelong health challenges. And even if he were one of those very sick babies, I would still be thankful because I have been blessed far beyond anything I deserve. I know that God has a plan for every thing that happens, both small and large. And I will continue, with His help, to give thanks in ALL circumstances.

Please help us welcome Zachary Scott "J" ("Zach Jak" as the NICU nurses have nicknamed him):

Born Sunday, November 23, 2008

7lbs 1 oz; 19 1/2 inches long

Our family of 6 is complete!

Things I Have Learned This Month

#1 – If the kids have been playing outside and kindly get Mom a glass of ice water, Mom should make sure they washed their hands before getting the water or she may end up with a mouthful of sandy water.

#2 – Very tired pregnant mommies should resist the temptation to lie down “for just a minute” while the baby is asleep and the older kids are playing. The resulting mess from the “fiesta” they had on the front porch was not worth the few minutes of rest.

#3 – A gallon jug full of water makes an effective “lock” for the top of the trash can. EJ thinks getting everything out of the trash can is great fun. Now if I could just figure out how to keep her from opening the cabinet locks I’ll be all set!

#4 – Mom should remember that Daddy bought their son a 6 foot long rubber snake at the Texas State Aquarium when she goes to pour something in the sink and sees this:



I almost had a heart attack until I realized what it was! CJ’s reply to my yelling? “My snake was playing in the sandbox and needed a bath Momma! Did he scare you?”

#5 – Mom should be thankful that with a 6 year old boy in the house it wasn’t a real snake in the sink!

#6 - If you buy your son a 500ml bottle of water for a trip you should include explicit instructions that he is NOT to drink the entire thing in the first 20 minutes or else you will spend the rest of the drive trying to find bathrooms on the barren stretch of highway between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

#7 - 3 1/2 year old girls who love gymnastics will insist on wearing a leotard all day, every day even when it is 60 degrees and wearing one requires them to ask "wrap me up in this towel so I don't freeze momma".

Hope all is well wherever you may be reading this from. We miss all of you dearly!