Ash and Em plus 8.........

Friday a friend called and asked if I was interested in an impromptu trip to the zoo, so I said "absolutely". I was going stir crazy and if I didn't get out of the house I was going to blow a fuse---so off we went- she with her 3 kids and me with 5 (my 4, plus one of Natty's friends).

The babies

In the gorilla house. Can you smell it?? My nose still burns....

Last week we took a trip to Beboo's for a couple of days. Swimming was the favorite activity....
Beboo was able to convince Lou-lou that she really DOES like swimming!

dallin getting the hang of things...

Our little Gene-Simmons-wanna-be...(except not so freakishly nasty...)

Brooklyn chillin' in the shade--

Speaking of Brooklyn- she's getting bigger (9lbs 12oz at her last appointment) and this gal loves her baths-this picture cracks me up--she reminds me of a littlest pet shop animal--(which I happen to think are *adorable*!!)

What day is it??

**DISCLAIMER** I have tried and tried to format this post so the pictures look nice and neat and are aligned with the text, but I'm out of patience, and I'd rather be sleeping.....
As anyone who has experienced the joy of having a newborn in the house knows, all the days start to blur together and personally, I often have to concentrate to remember what day it is. The past 3 weeks since Brooklyn's arrival have been wonderful and difficult, exhilarating and exhausting. But I've realized exactly how lucky our family is. Between a constant stream of delicious meals and visits from friends, both sets of grandparents, a great-grandparent, an aunt, uncle and cousin, we have been truly spoiled. Only over the past 4 days have I had a true glimpse into life with 4 children. (And I've only had ONE total meltdown...a few close calls, but they don't count!)
While we were in the hospital, mom and dad took Natty and Dallin to the Farm for a family reunion.
After they returned, my brother and sister-in-law and their beautiful baby girl and my grandma came to visit for a few hours...which wasn't nearly long enough, but it was SO appreciated- it took serious effort for all of them to get here! It was so, so, so fun to see all of them!! And did I mention my little niece is BEAUTIFUL and so flippin' sweet? (Katy-do you like how I leeched onto your post so I didn't have to write all about it??)




























Then Tim's parents were able to visit for about a week- it took serious effort for them to get here too---think airlines, canceled flights, and an unexpected hotel stay....you get the picture.... We didn't do anything extraordinary while they were here. (Unfortunately as good as I feel, I still get wiped out after an hour or two of running around). But we did get in some shopping and lit some firecrackers. Madison sat with her ears covered for 99% of the time saying "Ees yowd. Ees yowd." ("It's loud"). The boys (Tim and his dad) got the basement bathroom completed, and were just able to catch up and visit...we LOVED having them here! (I'm waiting for the blessing pictures with *them* in it so I can post them, but they're not on my camera...grrr).
Here are just a few random pictures that I've taken over the past few weeks.....

INTRODUCING.......

Brooklyn Ann Bingham. Born 6/19/08 at 3:25 p.m 7lbs 6oz 20 inches


sweet cheeks


l'il mama


lou-lou's a big sister! (laughing her head off!)


with auntie cari


snuggling with daddy

After a short 4 hour labor start to finish, we are so blessed and so happy that she's here safe and sound. For those who care about the birth story- I went in at 10:30 and was hooked up to the pitocin by 11:30- I was able to get an epidural after only a few hard contractions, so I was one content girl. Brooklyn's heart rate kept going lower than it should have, for longer than it should have, so after an hour or so of that, they came in and did an amnio-infusion. (The way they explained it was, when they broke my water, that took away all the cushioning and so her cord was getting compressed. So they basically had to put water back to see if her heart rate would come back up--and it did.) But when Brooklyn came out, the cord was around her neck twice, which explained everything. Gratefully, all was well :)
As a side note, interestingly enough, my cousin's wife , Anita, delivered their baby girl on the same day, within 9 minutes! So they're twins!! sort of.

I'm always amazed with the miracle of birth, but sometimes I think I've taken for granted the fact that we have 4 healthy children and that I've been able to get through deliveries without any serious complications. That said, I know that it's not just coincidence; that it's absolutely a blessing from Heavenly Father, and that it's the direct result of many prayers and priesthood blessings. I just heard that my Grandma literally prayed for 6 hours straight that both babies would get here safely and that the mothers would be protected as well. (Yes, 6 hours. People would call her and she'd say, "I can't talk right now. We've got babies coming", and hang up!) I LOVE that!!

Anyway- we're all doing well and are loving this new addition :)

NEWS FLASH to myself...I am NOT in control!!!!

If I didn't know it before, I sure do now! Since the beginning of this pregnancy I've maintained that this little girl would make her appearance between 37 and 38 weeks. (Natty was born at 39, Dallin at 38, Madison at 37; so it made sense). Well, 37 weeks came and went. I was disappointed because I'm just flat-out-tired. But within that week, Madison came down with a nasty stomach bug that lasted a full 5 days. Then I got it. (Luckily it only lasted 1 day for me...I'm still so grateful for that!!!!) So I decided maybe Heavenly Father knew something I didn't and that's why our baby wasn't here yet.

So I thought- well, maybe she'll come at 38 weeks. That's perfect! 38 weeks came and went, but my Dr. asked if I wanted to be induced on the 19th. (today). Of course I said yes!! Well, yesterday morning I was getting ready for the day, and was going to get my labor-pedicure and 30 minutes before I was to leave, Madison tripped, hit her mouth and knocked a chunk off one of her front teeth. So pedicure got rescheduled and we took a trip into the dentist. Luckily they were able to just smooth it down because the nerve wasn't exposed (still so grateful for that, too!!!) Fast forward to the night before our 6 a.m. induction: all the bags are packed, kids are ready for the trip to the farm, we're getting ready for family prayer and I get a phone call from the hospital. All their labor beds are full and they need to postpone the induction until at least 10 a.m. the next morning, possibly later. So of course, I was completely deflated. But after I had a mini-hissy, it occurred to me that the sooner I realize and accept (that's the hard part) that I'm truly NOT in control, but Heavenly Father is, the better off I'll be. It sure takes the stress off :)

Pictures to come someday. My camera's packed in my hospital bag and I'm too lazy to unpack and repack it....

Finally....an update......

Due to popular demand (okay, so only 2 people have asked), I'm posting an update after almost 3 weeks... I'm pregnant, people. Give me a break. And yes, I intend to use that excuse for the next 1-3 weeks. After that, I just gave birth, and *that* will be my excuse for the next 10 years. So there.
Anyway- the past 3 weeks have been busy- soccer season for Natty and Dallin finally wrapped up; Dallin cut his own hair and "graduated" from preschool and I've finished the majority of my To Do list before our little girl arrives.
Here are a few pics to entertain; and sorry for the blurry soccer shots. My camera is pathetic (although I'm grateful to own one!)

Also, not to brag, but just to document, I finished my mega-cooking session. It took a solid 5 days, but I have at least a month worth of dinners stored in my freezer, so it was worth it. I made meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, baked spaghetti, lasagna, chicken noodle casserole, Southwestern Chicken roll-ups, chicken pot pie, eggrolls, and chocolate chip cookie dough balls. It's killing me to not use them yet, especially when I get so tired and sore by the end of the day...but I will resist!

About Dallin's haircut- it was very quiet in the house (very abnormal), and when I found him and asked what in the heck he was doing, he was smiling and said he was tired of his hair being in his eyes. After I stopped crying from seeing his cute, long hair trimmed to the scalp, I told him I'd just have to give him a buzz cut to "fix" his hack-job, and THAT is what caused all the tears- he didn't trust my skills as a barber. So I told him Daddy could do it and then he was happy as a clam. Luckily, I didn't take it personally.

Tim won 6 tickets to the Louisville Bats game a couple of weeks ago, so even though it was kind of drizzling before the game, we braved it, took natty out of school for half a day (educational field trip), and took one of dallin's buddies with us. They had a blast and the seats were right along the first baseline, 3 rows up. So we had a great view- It was no St. Louis Cards game, but it was fun all the same!

And as embarrassing as it is, I had to include a recent pic of myself in all my pregnant glory:
Every pregnant gal gets comments from friends, strangers, etc. And for a couple of posts, I'd paste a pic of a whale every time someone commented on the size of my belly. But then I decided my whole blog would end up a series of whales, so I gave up. So here are some of my favorite comments this go around....names have been omitted. And truly, I'm not torqued. I just thought they were pretty funny....


1) Man: Are you pregnant? (he knew I was!- I was 7 months along and it was painfully obvious)
Me: Yep. A little bit.
Man: HOLY smokes!

2) Woman: Girl, we need to get you a four-legged walker to put under your belly!

3) Woman: When are you due?
Me: June 28th.
Woman: WOW. You are HUGE!
Me: Thank you.

Needless to say- that pic explains *why* people would say such things- and Weight Watchers will know me very well in about 6 weeks.... and that's all I have to say about that.

Happy Belated Mothers Day.....

I love this picture of my Mom with my kids because this captures how she really is! Whenever I hear women saying things like, "Oy, I'm turning into my mother", like it's a bad thing, I have to roll my eyes. Because in my head, I always tell myself, "Oy, I *hope* I turn into my mother". Here are some of my favorite memories or things I admire about her--From childhood, I remember: her making every birthday and holiday special (even St. Patrick's Day!), coming home to homemade cookies after school, finding an "elf" had cleaned my room spotless for me, her taking us to the park or the pool often, a fun scavenger hunt set up at the mall for my 16th birthday, trips to the farm, camping or grandma's house. Mom has a way of not sweating the small stuff- she's laid back, easy going, but strong in her convictions. When she's sick, you'd still never know it because she's almost always positive and optimistic. I love that she has a "cooking show" with my kids. (Her screen name is Moonblossom, Natty is Crystal, Dallin is Jack-La-Loo-La, Madison is Mary Loo-Baby Boo). She's taught me to enjoy the good things in the world, to simplify, to look for the good in bad situations, and to live the gospel as best you can without judging others who don't believe or do as you do. I love seeing her scriptures marked up and the pages worn because I know she's made reading the scriptures a priority; and I always knew if I called her name and got a "Shhhh" for a response, 95% of the time it was because she was in the middle of a prayer. This doesn't even touch the ways that she has influenced me for good, but it's a start. Mom, I'm so grateful for all that you've done for me, the boys, Tim and our kids. I love you. Happy Mother's Day! (By the way, since no one else has blogged about you, I guess that makes me the favorite again. It was only a matter of time.)

I love this pic of Tim's mom, because #1, it's one of the few I have and #2, it shows how much she loves her grandchildren. Apparently I'm a minority in that I'm one of those girls who genuinely loves her mother-in-law...I have to go mute when friends complain about their in-laws because I just can't relate. Obviously I don't have 33 years worth of memories yet, but in the past 12 years, some of the things I've admired about her are her honesty, her devotion to her children and grand-children, and her willingness to help others around her, among many other things. I love how supportive she is of Tim and I as we live across the country. She is so patient when I call her a million times with medical questions about any one of the kids. I love going back to Vernal and having it feel like home when we walk in her house, not like we're just visitors. She's always thinking of fun things for the kids to do, or fun things to send the kids for their birthdays and holidays. I'm so grateful she and Tim's Dad have been able to be at each of our kids' blessings and at Natty's baptism. I consider myself so lucky to have married into Tim's family and to have such a wonderful mother-in-law! I love you. Happy Mother's Day!

GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!

I'm not sure how to spell that phonetically, but Natty scored her first goal of the season today! Usually she plays defender because that's where she likes, but her coach had her play forward today and she got the opportunity to score- Tim took her for ice cream afterwards to celebrate. I wish I had a camera, but she was pretty excited!

The other day at her practice, I realized what an un-cool mom I really am. For those of you who don't know, I hate...no....loathe....grasshoppers, crickets, moths. (basically, anything that jumps or flies really fast. YUCK.) Anyway- Dallin and Madison were playing in the field near Natty's practice field and all of a sudden Dallin charges up to the van with his hands cupped around something yelling, "Mommy!!! Look what I found!!!" Prior experience told me it was either a worm or some form of insect. So before I even knew what it was, I closed all the van doors *very* quickly and yelled, "Dallin!! Go put it back!! It needs to be with it's family!!"
Well, he looked completely dejected and turned around with slumped shoulders to put his pet back. I felt horribly guilty, so I cracked a window and said, "Okay, Dal- come around to my side and show me what you found"....He got a big old grin on his face and came to my side and tried to open my door. "No, no, no. Let's just leave the door and window shut, just hold it up to the window so your chicken mother can see what you found." And this is what I saw *through* the window:
not a great pic because you can't really see the grasshopper's little head poking out of dallin's fist- but if I didn't think they were such vile things, it could have been pretty cute.

And now for something completely different: I went to shopping today for the first step in my freezer-meal-making-marathon. I had a cart loaded to the brim since I'll be cooking for a full month, and I was going slow feeling so sorry for myself because my 8 month preggo body was hurting as I was pushing all of that food around. And all of a sudden I saw a man in the produce section who was obviously down on his luck. He passed me and grabbed a bag of lettuce and then turns to me and asked, "Is this lettuce?" I told him that it was and he just thanked me, nodded, and walked off. I get so self-absorbed sometimes that I forget how blessed I am that our family is able to buy a month worth of groceries, while others are going hungry or wondering how they're going to afford lettuce. So I had a little talk with myself and said, "Ashly, buck-up. Get over yourself. Show a lot more gratitude and complain a lot less." So that's my goal for this week. Shouldn't be hard because I have SO MUCH to be grateful for.