Baby Conner is here!

12 days later and im finally getting online to write and update all my friends and family.
It has been quite the adventure. I delievered our son on November 16th 2011. 3 weeks before his estimated due date. We origionally went in to have the baby turned as he had gone breech. After prayer and blessings we knew that we were going in for much more, however when we arrived the baby had already turned so my husband and I started looking up where the closest 5 guys restaurant was so we could break outta there and go get some greesy food. But just then the Dr came in and explained what they were seeing on the non Stress test they were performing at the time. And it wasnt good.

There were indications that the placenta might be failing and he suggested we induce now. The Dr called my Dr and they talked then my Dr came to the hospital and came and talked to me. Long story short (already too late haha) we went right over to labor and delievery and started the induction. 4 hours after the medication was started to try to induce, we broke my water to try to help it along. 4 hours later from there (total 8 long hours of contractions) I finally gave in to an epidural. (glad I did) almost 7 hours later from the epidural and our little boy Joined our family. Healthy and doing great. Conner Isaac Neil weighing 7lbs 2oz and lighting up that morning for our entire family.

There were some other complications I wont go into on here but we had to monitor baby for a full 48 hrs in the hospital to be sure he was still healthy. Every thing looked good so we came home Friday morning. Happy to be home but missing the peice and quiet of the hospital. =)  Our other 5 children were over excited to see baby and have mom home. It was so wonderful to feel of all the love for our little baby boy..

As the past 2 weeks have gone on I am so very greatful for the power of the Preisthood and the Blessings our Heavenly Father has given us. The healing power and comfort felt through the lord is just amazing. Our son continues to grow stronger and healthier everyday. We are so thankful to have him as a part of our family.

A big thanks to all of our family and friends and all the support that has been shown. We really do have some amazing people in our lives.  Thank you!

~Sherrie

The count down

That last month before baby arrives always seems to be the longest.Weather its tired of being pregnant, hormones, the heat/cold., or just anxiety that wears you down, there is one thing that is gaurenteed for me. It feels like forever and I get so big I worry about how big my baby really will be. =)   but in the end a sweet precious little one is born and brought into my family and in my care. Is there really a greater gift?! A more rewarding experience?! I think not.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, I find myself half way energized to work on projects for the kids and things and half way going "time to sleep for the next 4 weeks"  haha! I guess its a good thing I couldn't actually physically sleep that long, there are things to get done and exciting projects to finish for my other amazing 5 children.

So here I am on the computer updating blogs and searching for some fun holiday recipes to try along with some cheap crafts and gift ideas.  I dont know how your finances work but with 5 almost 6 kids I can tell you Im being creative this year =)    Feel free to send me links, ideas, suggestions for the holidays. It is truley going to be one to remember for all of us.

~sherrie

We are having a BOY!

Yes another Boy!  Im so very excited!  I personally have 2 Daughters and 1 son. I also am a mother to my 2 handsom step sons. This will be my second Boy but we will have 4 in the house.. haha LOTS OF BOYS!!!
They really are an adventure I will tell ya. Recently My 1 year old has shown me just how fun they can be. He has been pushing the nipple of his bottle through the bottle and then shaking the milk all over.  Doesnt seem to matter if I tell him NO or take it away so now its time to finish the bottle era for him and graduate to only Sippy cups! yay!


Preparing for a Baby is always fun. No matter if its your 1st 3rd or 6th. This new little life that you are about to bring into this world is an amazing Joy! We are all so very excited to have little Conner Join our Family this winter. Baby should be here anywhere between Nov 30th and Dec 5th.   The only thing that worry's me about Winter babies is the RSV season. My first to children Amber and Talia were born in January and Talia the second child at 2 weeks of age got RSV. Her Father and I practically lived at Primary Children's for 2 weeks while we did our best to pray that she would pull through. It was a very scary time one that yes will help me to be much more cautious of where I take and when I take my little baby out in public. But with 5 other kids at home 4 of them all in school I fear this is going to be harder then it was even then.  So lets all pray we can keep baby Healthy and the Other kids healthy too this winter season. 

I decided that I really need to branch out and be more creative. Learn more things to do and more craft ideas especially for my boys.  So any suggestions and or thoughts be sure to let me know, and for now I will just start watching the CREATE channel again as it has already been too long.

Take care! Happy End of summer to you all!

Life, Choices, and 2 more days of anxiety!

Our Independence day was amazing! The entire weekend was filled with events of love and joy. First my step son was baptized, and what a great experience this was as we were all filled with the spirit and joy of our heavenly father,  Second we enjoyed some paintball fun and atv riding along with fireworks at a friends house later that night. It was amazing to watch the kids and how excited they were to be involved. Next we enjoyed the 4th of July, Parades, BBQs, Family, Friends and of course FIREWORKS! What a blast this was. However I was deeply saddened by how the kids and even adults were more excited to see the kids floats then the troops and groups of service (military, police, firemen etc) at the parade. I believe this generation is loosing is sense of pride for our country and this saddens me and yet gives me inspiration to teach my kids and be more involved in supporting our great country! How lucky we really are to live here and be given all that we have. I love Independence day!

Life is always interesting and often throws curve balls our way. Brian has been struggling to find what he wants to do for the rest of his life and what career is going to make him happy. We THINK he has found that joy. But I will fill you  in on that a little later when things are in motion. In making these choices and discovering how our lives could/will change has brought us out of our thinking boxes! Exciting yet unknown which is always a little scary. But as I once told my sister, if it isn't a little scary it wouldn't be as exciting! I am anxious and happy to take on the changes and challenges that our future brings.

Now on to more current and anxious news. WE find out on WEDNESDAY if we are having a boy or a girl! And I cant WAIT! The ability to know that my baby is healthy is one of the most reassuring and exciting things out there. The bonus is that we will find out the sex of the baby as well which will allow me to plan and prepare. So excited!  Our family is growing and we are all so happy to have each one of our children. I am still amazed at the support we receive from Family and Friends. We are so lucky to have these people in our lives and so truly blessed with their sincere support.  Thank you!  I'm sure in the months to come I may need to lean on my friends and family a little more and I'm so glad to know I will be able to do that because of the great people you each are.   THANK YOU

Sending my Luv
Sherrie

Hollandaise Sauce on the Food Network

Hollandaise Sauce on the Food Network

Heartbeat

I think that one of the most amazing sounds in this world is the sound of a heartbeat. Especially when its the first time you get to hear it!  A few days ago we were at the Dr.s and had the joy of listening to our babys heartbeat. What an amazing and joyful experience that you never get tired of hearing.
We are very excited for this little one to join our family. (and cant wait to find out if this one will be a little boy or a little girl) Its always great to be able to prepare for any change.

Now as a tradition that Brian and I started with our baby Dillan, after our dr apts we go to Jasons Deli. I have to say this is a GREAT tradition that I dont think I want to break. hehe.   Their food is delicious and the atmosphere is great. Last time I had the Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich. I do highly recommend this on your next trip. It was a very tasty lunch.  Next to Zupas Id have to say this is my favorite sandwich shop.

This is short but I hope you enjoyed the quick update.

Pregnancy Blues

  Over the past 3 months I have not written much, despite my said commitment to get this blog going. Ha nice I know.   I find myself today however with a better attitude and ready to post an update. 
In the past 2 months I had found myself with the "Pregnancy Blues" Moody, hormonal, and at times just down right depressed.
  I remember feeling this way about 5 years ago when I was pregnant with Talia. However that time it didnt hit until the last 3 months. The days felt long, The nights never long enough and I found myself becoming a hermit. This past week I have attempted to make changes, small changes but significant in the way I have felt. From just being in the sun for an hour a day, to allowing myself that craving that I had. Its amazing how the small things make such a big difference. I spoke with my mother and sister in regards to the blues id been experiencing and the support I received from my family and friends was AMAZING! that alone helped me to pull out of it and enjoy life a little more.  so THANK YOU!
  Now im going forward, ready to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy and determined to develop a bond with this child as I did with Dillan and my girls.  I am so blessed to have the family I do. To have the beautiful and wonderful children I do. And so very blessed to have such a supportive husband. 

  As many of you know I love to COOK! I have not been cooking since I got pregnant., just simply making mac and cheese, cereal and sandwhiches. But Im ready to get back in the kitchen and enjoy what I like to do. Make new things, CREATE!   starting with a new creation not sure how it will turn out as I just kind of made it up. Creamy Swiss chard and potato soup!   IF it ends up ediable then I will be sure to share the recipe with each of you on my recipies blog. If not well then it just simply wont be there. lol

Thanks for reading my lil update and have a GREAT memorial weeked!

My loving Family, My big Family!

This week I have been reflecting much on my wonderful family.

   Life can be very interesting and sometimes we take turns on our life road that while they are very difficult, you wouldn't change a thing.  I am so blessed to have 2 Beautiful girls and 2 wonderful Step sons.

   When Brian and I got married it was a difficult challange where we were combining our two little familys into one. The kids at first clung right on and got along really well. After awhile however They Definitly became "Brother and sisters" Fighting just like a regular family. (hehe)  This was frusterating but I was quickly reminded that its a wonderful blessing. This meaning they have learned to be a family. Each of the children watch out for each other and protect each other just as much as they tease each other and taunt one another. I remember when I was a child and was always concerned for my siblings (heck I still am always concerned) The bond of a family is an amazing thing, that when done with love is very very powerful. What a miricle it is that Brian and I found eachother.

Brian and I each went from a 3 person Family to a 6 Person family over night. What a change. We were married for a year and then we hit our hardest part of our marriage. Luckily the lord guided us both through this and we made it through. After that we grew stronger together and were truly united in one purpose. We learned to support each other and love each other as husband and wife. Soon we were blessed with an even stronger bond, A child. 
  Our pregnancy was different. I dont know if it was because it had been almost 5 years for both of us or if it was just due to our life changes. This pregnancy was amazing however, I felt like I had such a strong bond with my son. (this being something I needed, I wasnt sure how I would feel because up until now it was always my girls first, the bond with my girls is and always will be so strong.) Dillan was born in May of 2010 and when he was born I was overjoyed with how my heart could grow so much more. Dillan gave me a connection to him but also to his brothers and another to his sisters. Brayden and Riley my step sons are "my boys" but I never had the maternal bond with them. Through Dillan however I do feel that I did get a stronger bond with both my step sons. They are his brothers, The love they both show for him amazes me. So simple and so pure. 

Our baby is now 10 months old, a wonderful Healthy growing boy. Our other children are now 8, 7, 5 and 5 (until summer)  and we wondered how this would be for Dillan with all of the kids being so much older then he is.  That was until just a couple days ago. We found out that we are going to be blessed to have another little Neil Baby. (super excited)  My first thought was shock, then excitement, than overfilled JOY!   In all of this news I have reflected much on my childhood and how I am from a large family. I LOVE having a big family. Each of my siblings are so different but yet we are all still bonded as family, We can lean on each other for support and we always had love in our home.  I recognize that my mom was and is an amazing women to have had each of us, and to have taken the time and all the effort it does take to teach us to Love one another.  I pray and Hope that I can be as good of a mother to all of my children.




Big Familys are amazing and I am so blessed to have an amazing husband and my (now) 6 Children!

More Bread Please!

Today I was reminded of the days back when I was 16 (some hundered years ago) when I was working at Rogers Bakery in Reams in magna. I LOVED their bread! ITs the Chewy Gooey White bread that kids love.

There were days when I would just buy a loaf and as a kid dig out the entire center and eat it. Oh the metabolism of a teenager. ( I do miss that, hehe) Working in a bakery I thought was hard and difficult. I would call in sick here and there and when I wasn't sick my boss knew, and he would call me on it and make me come in to work. I have to say thank you Rodger for teaching me that work ethic. I worked hard cleaning cases, frosting donuts, Organizing etc. But the most important thing that I learned there was how to do a good job and what I was asked to do. "Find a way to get it done"  and always go to work when you are scheduled.  This work ethic definitely paid off as I landed a couple of great jobs in which I worked at for some time and thoroughly enjoyed. 

While at walmart today some Bread caught my eye. I bought it. Ate it. and Loved every slice of it. =) This of course being the cause of the memories flooding back to me of my teenage life. Its wonderful how little things can remind you of other times in your life and just make you smile.



 

Ice Cream! Ice Cream! Ice Cream!

We gave our baby Ice Cream!   I know what were we thinking huh?  Nah he did great and downed that little curtiousy cone super fast.

     I dont know what it is about going to get Ice Cream as a family that is so great. But it is GREAT! Always seems to bring smiles to my kids faces.  We have always been avid ice cream eaters, but the time that sticks out most to me is back when I worked right before I had quit my job last summer, Brian would pick up the kids from my moms after work and stop for ice cream. EVERYDAY! That seemed ridiculous to me at the time, but I later realized that this was his way of bonding with the children.  Brian is an amazing father who cares deeply for each of our children. He takes time to learn what they are interested in and what motivates each child.
     I never realized that he knew what they liked and what made them happy. This because I thought he was always disciplining and never enjoying. Later I realized he was teaching each of them a lesson on hard work and reward. (this instead of just giving the kids what they want when they want) He also does something I'm not too good at and that's just saying no to say no and exercise the right of being a parent. (this I have found to be something you do have to do as a parent)  Somehow Each of the kids respect him and although they don't always get along, they do know that they can go to him whenever they are in need or even just to talk at times.

This bonding and parenting, all starting with ICE CREAM!  Gotta Love it!

Birthdays and Making Family Memories

Birthdays are always so much fun. No matter how young or how old you may be its a time to celebrate who you are.

Today we were privileged to celebrate my fathers birthday with the family. What a great time to enjoy my siblings and share in some good food.
We started today by doing one of the most amazing things we can in this world, Attend the LDS temple. Being able to do baptisims was such a wonderful and rewarding experience. One of the workers there asked what brought us there today and shared with us how he felt that being at the temple with your family for your birthday is a wonderful gift.  I had never really thought about that until he had said it. I am so greatful for his outlook as that is a true blessing to be able to be there with your children. I hope and pray that I will be so blessed to be able to be in the temple with my children someday.
After the temple we all went home and did our own things until dinner. My dad and the kids living at home went bowling. (one of his favorite activities) While my husband and the 3 kids that were home out of the 5 went with us to get his gift. My father likes to garden and is an excellent gardener. He has been working on "Grow boxes" That he can grow cold crops in all year long. So far so good it seems and I am thoroughly impressed with the work and knowledge he has been learned and put into it. So My husband and I came up with the idea for a gift of buying a Garden Nome and giving him a Lowes Gift card. What a fun and useful gift. While shopping for the Nome the Boys were so amazed by some of them. They had Mushrooms (which Riley automatically assumed were MARIO Mushrooms, hehe) and Birds, Nome Caricatures all to a BYU statue that you can put in your yard. What fun ideas and how neat it was to see how these all seemed so interesting to our boys. We picked out a Nome type man and it was a very fitting and suitable for my dad. I think the gift turned out great.
 
We all later had dinner at my Parents. Delicious food, Great company! Riley showed everyone how strong he is and how cute he is when he does his sit ups. (super cute, he is one tough 5 year old) , Brayden had to join in and try to do his as well. (Competitive much?!) Dillan of course just got LOTS of attention and enjoyed every moment of it.  And I got to make some homemade ice cream and a German chocolate cake for my Dad. All of which were very much enjoyed by everyone there. It feels great when the food you make is enjoyed and appreciated. I feel like I was awarded the best gift and that is that my Recipes TURNED OUT GREAT!  hehe  I love to cook and bake and when I make something that everyone loves it is one of the best feelings! Brian Ended the night by Taking my Dad to a Movie. (Definitely Brians thing, I couldn't imagine him doing anything else really, he will always be a MOVIE guy no matter where he works.) 

All in all we had an amazing day, The only thing missing from today was my Girls. I miss them terribly however I am grateful that they are able to spend this weekend with their father. I am blessed to have all 5 of my children in my life. Each of them have very different but very wonderful Personalities.(Dont worry girls I signed the card for you as well *smile*)


Here's to Birthdays! Some of the most memorable days of our lives! =)

'Night all, and Happy Birthday to all you March 19th Birthdays  (Especially You Dad)

St Pattys Day

St Patrick's day. A day I don't necessarily get excited about, but life is about making new moments and new memories. Today I choose to have fun with my children and enjoy making today a little festive.
My kids all are excited about the tails of St pattys day and come home from school with interesting stories.
So in order for me to take part I made a festive Dinner with Green Pizza and all. Did a little research online to be sure I fully understood the real reason behind the holiday.  "Christianity in Ireland!" I found some pretty cool websites for kids and a few on just the reason behind the holiday. A couple are listed below for your info.  The kids loved the pizza and I am greatful to have had this day to share with them.

Looking for a good pizza dough Recipe? Check out my Recipes and look under the Pizza rolls.


Check our these links for more info:

http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day


'Night all and have an Happy St. Patricks Day!

Time to start Writting

As Time has gone on and I have come to realize that I will be a stay at home mom for a long time, I now understand why people blog. What a great way to share your thoughts and feelings, Usually just with yourself as we are our number 1 readers. But most importantly to feel what you are feeling.  A strange thing feelings are sometimes. Even more strange is how we tend to protect or guard ourselves from them. Sometimes completely unknowingly. So today I write just to start this process and am sharing a few unorganized thoughts with you. Enjoy!



Womens Rights

I heard somewhere that women and men are equal, we are the "same" and that I have the RIGHT to be a woMAN and have all that a man has.
I have the right to work 9-5
I have the right to tell my man to do the dishes
I have the right to have my man do the laundry
I have the right to not have to make myself or my family dinner



I have the right to play and have my husband nurture the children.




I pondered on these thoughts for awhile and reminded myself that I am a women and I do have womens rights. I am a women and I also have the right to embrase it!

I am a women and have the right to be a partner to my husband, to be loved and be held. To allow someone to take care of me and I take care of him. To truly work together as a team. Knowing my own strengths and knowing his. 
I am a mother and have the right to raise my own children, cook for my family
to feed them and nourish them, to encourage them and love them, to smile and lead them
and to say thank you when they hug me so tightly.
I am a mother who proudly wears my drool stained badges left on my shirt on the way out the door, from the baby who I gladly change his diapers and love him only the way that a MOTHER can.

I am a daughter who can see that her family is everything. Who learned from her mother,
just what it means to be a women.  I have Womens rights to be who I am. A Daughter, a Wife, a Mother, a Sister, and a Friend.

This Blog is Underconstruction

I decided to launch a blog tab here for my friends and well more as a journal for me.
I hope those of you who read enjoy the updates.

I will have this section up soon.
Feel free to comment.