Win a Dyson!

Okay, I'm not a huge on entering contests. I mean I really never win, not like my friend Jodi who has won I'm sure her entire house. This last month she found airline tickets for a penny, yes a penny! Her family of six is flying for a whopping $125! (when you add all the fees) However, when you're talking about cleaning or organizing stuff, I am a sucker! Well, 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a new slim Dyson. I recently replaced my vacuum with a Dyson and other than it being kinda heavy and bulky, I love it!!! Now I realize that telling you about this contest lowers my chances of winning the Dyson, but I thought it nicer to spread the opportunity!! Good luck!

In Like A Lamb, Out Like A Lion

I thought about that saying at the beginning of March when it was 60 degrees and beautifully sunny. On last Tuesday, when it was 75 degrees and I was wearing flip-flops, I thought we were going to prove the saying wrong. Think again...8 inches and it's still snowing!

He's 2!!!!

My not-so-little-one is now two! Yesterday we celebrated Jeffrey's second birthday as quietly as a family of eight can. No huge to-do, but a fun family celebration. the plan was to grill hot dogs and have yummy Costco cake. But due to the sudden change in weather (Tuesday, sunny and 75, thursday, snowy and 30) we boiled hot dogs - not as glamourous. He loved the ketchup on his dog and then opened presents (Grandma and Grandpa Iverson were there too), and then had cake and ice cream. Then it was just play time. No nap for the precious birthday boy, but an early bed time.

It is hard to believe that two years ago he was being born. I remember going into the hospital a little before 6am, and the nurse starting to get everything ready because having given birth four previous times this was definitely going to be quick. My friend Chris showed up and being a massage therapist went to work on making my contractions more effective and less painful - yeah, Chris! Then my friend Shannon showed up. I remember carefully breathing deeply through contractions until my husband suggested that since this was the last one, I should just get the epidural and enjoy it more. Ah, sweet drugs, they are definitely a gift from God! A few hours later and a Push and a half, we had our sweet baby boy #3. At 8 lbs even he was also the biggest. (And remains that way today!)

What I find amusing are the things that I distictly remember about that day:

1. The fact that my doctor was having her day off.
2. I was in the same room that my friend Carrie Story had delivered her son in just two weeks earlier.
3. Shannon has very petite hands, but a huge amount of love comes from them!!!
4. Chris crying as Jeffrey was born.
5. Then Shannon crying.
6. Then me crying, 'cuz who can let her friends cry alone!
7. Calling my grandparents to let them know that Jeffrey Andrew Guilliard Iverson had been born (named after Grampy Guilliard Thompson!).
8. Being thankful that Meredith was a girl, because I didn't know if I could handle four boys in a row! (I know that sounds so aweful, but it was what I was thinking
9. Strongly disliking the fact that they took my blood pressure every half hour!
10. Despite the fact that the bed is not comfortable, being a little sad that I had to go home.

Looking back at that makes me realize that giving birth makes your mind and emotions really wacko sometimes. Over the last two years of Jeffrey's life, I've learned several things.

1. People thought four kids was a lot, five is just crazy.
2. He was not our last, so now Six is just crazy! (we are really done now!!!)
3. People will be rude enough to ask if you know what causes babies to be born!
4. Five children in four car seats do not fit in a mini-van
5. Jeffrey Andrew Guilliard Iverson does not roll off the tongue when trying to scold said child.
6. It is possible for a child to "scoot" on his belly faster than I can catch him.
7. Even if I vac every day, he will find dust bunnies somewhere!
8. When found, he will eat dust bunnies.
9. Even an 10 month old can find the off switch on the computer, thus destroying the work I had done for the past three hours, because I didn't hit "save".
10. Now at two and 32 lbs. (he's lost four over the last six months) he is too big to carry anywhere.

He is a precious boy, so I'll keep him and share a little bit of him with you!

Jeffrey @ 6 months

(probably more like 7 or 8, but suppose to be 6 month picture)

Jeffrey loves Bob (the tomato), but he also calls Larry, "Bob".

MMMMM...Coscto chocolate cake with strawberry filling!

I need that cake faster, mom!

It was such a long day that he fell asleep at dinner.

It's been a long time since that has happened!

Mmm...grill season!

Tonight we grill!!! Bubba burgers for the fast and easy need to get to swim lessons dinner, but the smell is still the same!!! Yummo. Yesterday it was T-bones on the grill. I meant to only eat half of mine, but it was so good I ate all of it and was too full for the rest of the day! Wednesday's high? 49 degrees.

PS: Mike wants me to make sure and tell you he is the grill master! (Especially since last week I grilled and left the grill on all night and we ran out of propane.)

Melt your heart

I was going to give you an update on Yellowstone Church, but I stayed home today with Jeffrey who was running a fever of 104.6 for most of the day. This has been going on since Sat at 3 am. This afternoon though, we think he may have had an allergic reaction to the Motrin I had been giving him every six hours. Now we are back to the Tylenol which unfortunately only last 3 1/2 hours. It also only drops his temp to 102. His breathing in very shallow and there is just something about a two year old (especially the one that brings me to my knees often) that just wants to sit on your lap and fall asleep - or at least try to. Right now he is kind of asleep on my lap while I type, but every so often, he jumps (and I back space), readjusts, and settles back down. His cheeks are bright red and despite the fact that I am wearing a tank top, I am not cold. He is quite the little heater. While it is 1:40am and I would like to crawl into bed at some time this evening, I really am cherishing this sweet time to just hold him still and pray for him. For his health, but also for his future - the kind that goes beyond the temper-tantrums and poopy diapers.

A WEEK????

Wow, this week has been busy, but I did not realize that I had not posted at all this week. So to steal an idea from my friend Chris, here are the 10 reasons why I haven't posted in a week:

10. Yellowstone Church launched last Sunday with 90 people in attendance! Yeah God!
9. Those people need to be followed up with.
8. Jarret & Meredith started swimming lessons.
7. Judson & Mikalah started swimming lessons.
6. Jeffrey started a Mommy & Me swim lesson.
5. Jeffrey started speech therapy. (side note: he said "hippo" today!!!)
4. Morgan started crawling which means she doesn't stay where I put her.
3. When she crawls she finds all the dust bunnies and starts to eat them (yuk!)
2. I am starting to trade fall/winter clothes for spring/summer clothes for the whole family.
1. I'M A MOTHER TO SIX KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Ultimate Gift

Last night's date night included a sneak-peak of the movie The Ultimate Gift. Very good. Sometimes it was difficult to follow the characters and sometimes something totally random happened, but I needed a full box of tissues to get through! This is a movie I would let my big kids (10,8) see and intend to buy when it comes out on DVD.

More Dishes?

So I just loaded the dishwasher with last night's dishes. I like waking to a clean kitchen, but they wouldn't all fit in the dishwasher because it was full of yesterday's lunch dishes. I was chatting with Chris as I did this, and her comment was, "I'm not having six kids!" We'll see???? I said I wouldn't move to Montana and here I am.

Yellowstone Church: Newspaper Article

Yellowstone Church is having our public launch on March 11th. We are mailing 25,000 postcards this week to Billings residents inviting them to the Grand Opening. This newspaper article was written in anticipation of that event. Please keep us in your prayers.

Billings Gazette Article.

Sesame Street Personality Test

Thanks to my friend, Chris, I took the Sesame Street Personality Test

Kind of scary how accurate it is. I AM NOT A NEAT FREAK!!!!! Okay, maybe a little.

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you live your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

http://www.blogthings.com/thesesamestreetpersonalityquiz/">The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I'd love to hear who everyone else is!

Starbuck's Java Chip Ice Cream

I have such a weakness for Starbuck's and ice cream and when you can put them together, who can resist? However, as I get older (ugh!) I have discovered less of a tolerance for caffeine after 3pm. When I go to Starbuck's, at that hour, I can order de-caf. However the Java Chip ice cream does not have that option. So when my husband dished me a bowl at 9:30 last night (or is it technically still this evening?) I enjoyed it, but not so much now!

In case this doesn't time stamp, it is 1am my time. I am doing a load of laundry, checking email, and then am going to work on my scripture memorization. I was asleep, sort of. I was in that I-think-I'm-asleep state, but very conscience of everything going on (husband's breathing, dog rolling over, baby whimpering) that it's not very peaceful. My "dreams" are all the things I have to accomplish tomorrow. If you were to look at me, you'd probably assume I was sleeping (helpful when trying to escape small children in the middle of the afternoon), but really I'd know you were in the room and if I was particularly alert, I'd probably be able to tell what you were wearing even though my eyes were closed (extra-talented!).

Daughter #2 woke me up about 12:30am, having wet the bed. We are attempting to get rid of the pull-up this week. I give it a week of trying and then we go back to pull-ups to try again later. This is only day two and the laundry is piling up. After getting her cleaned up and sheets changed (not fun on a full size bed with the lights out and a baby sleeping three feet away), I was too awake to lay in bed going crazy.

I know I will pay for it tomorrow - very busy day, but I just can't sleep. I loved the ice cream, but I think it will have to be a splurge for once in a while and only before 3pm!