May

Chris- Still working/living in San Francisco.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have him as a husband and a father to our children.  I appreciate SO MUCH the sacrifices he is willing to make on our family's behalf.
We keep him busy during the six days a month we have him here.
He has found a new hobby in VW bugs, which is particularly fun for the whole family. He recently bought me a '69 convertible (Happy Mother's Day) to share the driveway with his '71 Super Beetle.  We joke about selling the suburban and taking two cars everywhere we go.  We'd sure save a TON on gas! He has high hopes of adding an older bug and a bus to his collection in the future.
Another thing I love about Chris, is that he is so incredibly supportive of my hobbies and dreams.
He teaches Gospel Doctrine on the Sundays he's in town. I love to listen to him teach. He truly has a testimony of the Gospel and he loves sharing it.

Kayci- I'm surviving.  I'm slowly discovering the ability to ask for help when I need it. Just last week we had our Bishop and his family come hang our shade screens. Not an easy task, and I'm SO grateful for his willingness. I stay busy- which keeps me sane. Between the vinyl business, the furniture business, callings in RS and coordinating monthly stake baptisms, and the endless number of client design projects, there are times I feel stretched to my limit, but I wouldn't change a thing. I love being outside with the boys taking care of the animals and the yard, even if that too, is hard work.  I'm anxious for summer break, sleeping in and staying up late, swimming all day-every day. I'm also awaiting the arrival of a new desktop computer and a vinyl software upgrade. I'm toying with the idea of doing the vinyl stuff more full time. Right now, it's a hobby that pays for itself, but I have a goal in mind to help build up our savings. After all, we'll be paying cash for the delivery of this baby girl in October!

Kleven- He's growing fast.  I can tell by how quickly his jeans get too short to wear. It's a good thing I convinced him to wear shorts to school. He is reading everything, and writing stories and books, and is ALWAYS drawing. He is our artistic one for sure. We really liked Eduprize this year and we're excited to continue there in the Fall.  Kleven just finished his first season of Coach Pitch Baseball. He decided he likes soccer better because he "doesn't have to stand in line forever". So, we'll be doing soccer again in the Fall as well.  Kleven is a smart kid. He absorbs information like a sponge and can recall the most random facts about everything. We were trying to explain some of my pregnancy woes to the boys, especially my keen sense of smell and Kleven quickly explained that "mom is like a polar bear, which can smell up to eight miles away".  He never ceases to amaze us with his intellect. His teacher recently told us that she has never encountered a child quite like him before. He is such a perfectionist about his schoolwork, but he is also so incredibly creative, it puts him at two extreme opposites. The goal for the last quarter was to get him to turn in a sloppy creative writing paper.

Ezra- He's still our "squish".  We cheated and put him in a booster seat after his fourth birthday, even though he doesn't weigh 40 pounds yet. I know, we're terrible parents. He hasn't grown much in the last year, but it seems that everyone else his age certainly has, which we realized while watching him play t-ball. He was the shortest kid with the exception of the youngest girl on the team.  The helmet made him look like a running bobble-head. But he was FAST- which was surprising.  He is usually referred to as "pokey-joe" and "slow-Mo"and I'm sure he'll have a complex later in life from hearing so many "hurry up's" and "faster, please's".  Ezra has a kind heart and a sensitive soul. He is the calm, relaxed type and can usually be found in front of the tv in his underwear or a red power ranger costume.  Ezra will start his second year of Preschool in August. At this point, he's just excited that class is in the afternoon so he won't miss his favorite morning cartoons.

Merrick- We've been counting down the days til he's old enough for nursery at church. NEXT WEEK! He's cute, and that's about all he has going for him on Sunday.  I'm afraid he's going to be the class clown or the bully. He's tough and stubborn but those dimples save him on a daily basis. He hasn't been a picky eater, which is great, but he's a bottomless pit. He can smell candy/treats before he sees them. I won't make the mistake of putting holiday appropriate candy in my apothecary jars on the piano again. He learned how to scale the piano and take the lids off without me hearing the glass clinking. Merrick loves to be outside. If the screen door isn't locked, he's in and out as he pleases. There are only two problems with this, one, he'll go out without shoes and find patches of thorns, and two, he's always dragging a blanket with him. He's also moved on from "baby toys" and only likes to play with cars and trucks be right in the middle of the action with his brothers.

The Farm- I'll have to go count, but I think we've got about 20 chickens, all kinds of breeds.  We're getting 14-16 eggs a day. And no, we won't be eating the chickens. The goats are thriving and growing in number. We had four babies born in February, and a fifth one just last week.  I got to help deliver the first set of twins with one hand, while video conferencing the delivery over my phone for Chris to see. It was amazing. I told Chris I would do it for a living, it was so fun! The second set came without help, and the last little guy, Rupert, we missed by mere seconds. He's the favorite. I had to milk his mama and bottle feed him for the first few days and he's become quite the little tag-along. The boys adore him. We sold two of the other babies this week. and hope to get two more sold soon. We're pretty sure we'll be keeping Rupert. Bean, Ezra's rabbit, still lives on the back porch. He was the only survivor out of the three we started with last summer. He's a favorite with the little girls that come over to play. They'll carry him around like a baby for hours and he lets them.

That's us, for now.  If you're interested in following my projects, check out the Goat Farm Furnishings blog too!

A Quick Update, because I'm clearly slacking...

I'm packing and getting the house ready for my mom to take over this week. Chris came home for his every two-weeks- weekend on Thursday night.  We usually pick him up after 10pm, so the kids aren't fully aware that he's home until Friday morning. He managed to stretch his weekend into a WEEK long stay, since it coincided with the boys' first week of Spring Break. Still weird that he lives out of a suitcase when he's here...
On Friday, he went to school with Kleven. Our sweet oldest son is having the hardest time coping with dad being gone. He acts out in rage when he's missing him and is beyond jumpy and excited when he's here. We haven't found a happy medium... yet. Friday also entailed shopping for baseball mitts for Kleven and Ezra. Kleven is doing Intro to Coach Pitch, and Ezra will be playing t-ball.  We signed them up through a neighborhood "for fun" league. It was inexpensive and low key- perfect for first-timers. They're also on the same teams as Slade and Daisy!
They both had their first practice on Saturday. There's something magical about watching a bunch of little kids running bases while wearing mitts bigger than their heads. Next practice, we'll bring more water, more snacks, more chairs, shade, and activities to keep the little kids busy and out of trouble.
Chris was also released from his calling in the Young Men's program and given a Sunday calling for the weeks he's in town. He hasn't been sustained yet, so I'll fill you in later, but it's something he's no stranger to and he'll be great at.  In case you were wondering, I'm on the Relief Society committee and I'm the ward Baptism coordinator, or just REALLY busy for both callings during the same week of the month.
Sunday was stake conference. Then Kendyl shot some new family pics for us!  I can't wait to see them!
Monday we sat around waiting for Chris to finish working. Then took him to grandma's house for a haircut after dinner at Barro's.
Tuesday was our 8th anniversary. The boys and I sat around all day waiting for Chris to finish working, then went to dinner and a movie as a family. Chris is flying me out to San Fran for the weekend as our anniversary get-away without kids! I can't wait!!
Today is Wednesday- I need to get working on laundry and packing and getting the house ready to leave in my mom's care, but I'm sitting here waiting to see if my breakfast will stay down before anything else.
I have an appt on the 31st with my OB to find out how far along I am!!! I can't believe we're going to have FOUR kids! How did that happen so fast?!?!  You'd think I'd know to pay better attention to important details by now... all I know is that I can eat food and keep it down! No ice-only diet this time around!
We fly out tomorrow and I'll be home Monday night. Then Chris will be home again on Thursday. I'm going to TRY to post from San Fran, but that's not a promise.

Kids

I was determined to make it to church today. I heard Kleven get up at seven and a few minutes later, heard the tv downstairs turn on. I rolled out of bed about 20 minutes later.  I was going to shower and be dressed and ready for church before the other two boys got up. Instead of getting right intot he shower, I figured I might as well feed the animals first, so I didn't get my church clothes dirty. I headed out the back door and saw the goats come running from the far end of the pasture area. Even Eleanor was bookin it faster than I'd seen her run in weeks.  And then I saw it... the tell-tale bloody cord hanging out of her backside, swinging as she ran. "OH CRAP!" I immediately started screaming at her.  "OH ELEANOR!  NO! TELL ME YOU DIDN'T! NOT AGAIN!!!  WHERE IS IT?  WHERE DID YOU LEAVE IT!!!???"  I was in panic mode, since the last experience ended badly, I was fully prepared to find another dead baby goat in the pasture. I could see something about 50 yards away that looked like it could be, but was it? Right as I took my first running stride, I heard a noise from inside the shelter to my left...  "WHAT!?!?!" There in the corner, out of sight from almost anywhere, were two babies, and I could see both their faces. I ran over to them and one lifted its head.  I grabbed the other one hard around it's belly and gave it a shake.  It was clear they were both alive. I was instantly overcome with relief.  Then I apologized to Eleanor. 
I carried the new baby boy and his sister into the house.  They were crying pretty loud so I nuzzled my face deep into their necks and talked to them softly.  Baby goats smell SO fresh right after they're born. I recognized that familar smell from a couple weeks ago. Kleven heard us coming and his face lit up when he realized they weren't Princess' babies and he was kind of in shock, wondering where they'd come from.  It could have been a look of relief that I didn't make him watch the delivery this time around, since I'm pretty sure he's scarred from Princess' delivery. I plopped them down in his lap on the couch while I ran upstairs to get my phone. They look just like their mama! Creamy white with gorgeous, tan spots!  The little boy has an extra couple spots of a beautiful gray/brown.  They're already as big as their 2 1/2 week old friends.  So far, Eleanor has proven to be an excellent mama.  She'll even stop eating to let them nurse, instead of kicking them away.  If it weren't raining today, I'd be right out there with them.
We DID end up making it to church. After a meltdown on Kleven's part, and pulling in to the parking lot nearly an hour late, I realized Merrick's sippy cup was upside-down in his carseat, so I had to put everyone BACK in the car and drive home for some dry pants. We made it into the building right as our ward was exiting the chapel. I walked the two big boys to Primary and Merrick and I took out seat in the back of the Sunday School room.  He was being an ANGEL today.  Total fluke, I'm sure. Not more than 10 minutes into the lesson the door opened and I got pulled out to go help in a nursery class. I get asked to sub almost every week, but I'd never been in nursery before today, and I DON'T want to go back.  I feel bad for the teachers of that class.  They were there, but needed extra hands.  I soon found out why... There's a terror in there and I was scared of him after about five minutes. He only punched me in the face once, while holding a hard plastic troll doll, but he also pretended to be a shark and bite by shoulder and later, he smacked me with a toy stethoscope because I wouldn't let him listen to my heart. I wanted to lock him in the toy cabinet.  It was the only way to keep everyone safe.  If I were the nursery leader, he wouldn't be allowed in there without one of his parents. Or in a straight jacket.

One week down...

Four days til Chris is HOME! We get to have him for a couple days and then send him off again for a couple weeks.  It's crunch time! The Digital Signage Expo is this month, which means he's BUSY!
Being busy makes the days go by faster.  I learned this the past week, among other things.  I think I may have also found my personal limit. I realized "I cannot do it all."
I thought I was being so smart by taking on a few extra projects to keep me busy-you know, to make the days go by faster, and then quickly realized I was stupid for thinking I could do it all.
Sunday night I had a client deliver a dining room table and six chairs. They wanted them back in a week.
Monday was rainy and sunny in five minute increments and I couldn't strip the table down for fear it would swell or get wet. SO- I had a couple of my favorite people come over so we could work on a project for church. I was cutting the vinyl for a New Beginnings project. Easy enough. I made a trip to Home Depot for all the supplies I needed for the table and chairs.
Tuesday- I started stripping down the table- I used a belt sander and it was FUN! I also had my sis-in-law over to watch the boys and help around the house while I kept busy.  I spent a good part of the day working on the chairs and continuing to sand the table.
Wednesday- I was well on my way to getting all the chairs and table legs painted. Around 9:45, Ezra was bugging me for popcorn and because I was holding a wet paintbrush and anxious to finish the chairs, I let him have popcorn, which the microwave promptly burned and I ended up taking it out to the chickens. That's when I noticed our goat, Princess, was in the first stages of labor. I spent the rest of the afternoon being a goat midwife, delivering baby goats with one hand and holding my phone in the other so Chris could watch the action via video conference.  It was pretty amazing. I never did get back to the table and chairs, since I was up ALL night worried that the baby goats were freezing to death outside in the cold- and because I was sharing my bed with two snoring, teeth grinding, hacking-up-a-lung little boys. 
Thursday- Ezra stayed home from school with a fever. Kleven got a fever too.  I worked feverishly on the chairs. The antiquing process was taking longer than the paint job. Sis-in law saved me from insanity once again. We went to Olive Garden for Maylee and Skylar's b-day dinner, came home and I went right back to the garage to finish sanding the table.
Friday- Both boys home, both really sick.  I worked on the chairs between cutting Valentine vinyl and the lumber that went with it, and eventually got around to putting the first coat of stain on the table.  I was literally running up the stairs to the vinyl cutter and downto the table in the garage with a stain laden brush in my hand. The table looked awful. I used a pre-stain conditioner and it still wouldn't absorb evenly. It looked like tiger stripes.  I sent a panicked email to the owners and started praying HARD that I could get it to work and then cried.  That night, I loaded up the car and headed over to a Valentine craft party- the one I had cut all the wood and vinyl for. I went with wet hair and no makeup, after sending another email to the table owners that there was no chance I was letting them have their table the way it was.
Saturday- I was working on chairs as soon as the sun came up. Kleven asked me why I would choose to spend time on furniture and not with him.  I cried again. Then I told him that it was mom's work, and I was doing it to make money so we could do fun things. He asked if "fun things" involved the pet store, I assured him it did, and then he forgave me. I tried a second coat of stain. And then I went looking for matches, cuz I was gonna torch the whole dang table.
Sunday- Mom and Carson came and watched my sick boys so I could go to sacrament meeting at church. I needed that more than I thought I did. And when I got home, I worked on the chairs. Sunday night we went to my mom's for dinner and Maylee's b-day cake. I cried some more to my dad about the dang table.
Today's Monday.  After picking up kids from school, and running to a RS meeting, I'm continuing work on the table.  I need to go get more stain and we're running low on groceries. I'm sure it doesn't sound like it, but I'm grateful for the trials I've had this week.  I've learned that I really can't do it all, but that I CAN do a lot. I'm also grateful for a few fellow bloggers for getting me through this week.
If you're in need of some inspiration yourself, go read this:  www.jonesdesigncompany.com/feature/time/

We're Separating...

It's fun to see people's expressions when we use that phrase. :)  In about an hour from this very moment, we're walking out the door and dropping Chris off at the airport. We'll see him in a couple weeks, and then a couple times before JUNE.
He got a JOB! Which is GREAT!
But it's not here, so he has to go "There".
We're used to having him travel for work, but MOVING OUT is a whole different story.
I'm gearing up for a couple days of no change on the home front, and expecting some major meltdowns and tantrums to happen for a while after that.
It is what it is.
Kleven's excited to be the "Man of the House", but I'm sure he'll forget about that as soon as I tell him he can't have oreos for dinner or something else ridiculous.
Ezra's already been in a mood of sorts- I'm not looking forward to what he'll scheme up next.
Merrick is a handful. Anyone who attends church in our building on Sunday knows what I'm talking about. That's not going to change.
For some reason, Chris thinks I'm going to party it up when he leaves... I can't imagine why?
I'm going to have to start getting up before the SUN, to wake a sleeping monster, get him showered, dressed, fed and to school by 7:30... waking two more monsters nearly two hours earlier than what they're used to, just to throw them in the car for twenty minutes.
Once home, the remaining monsters will demand food and cartoons. And I'll give them food and cartoons in hopes that it keeps them occupied enough for me to sneak out the back door to feed and water the seven and a half goats and the 20+ chickens. I still don't have a game plan for the delivery of goat #8.. and maybe a #9.  I'm hoping and praying that she delivers without the need of my intervention. Or at least during nap time. :)
I was so spoiled.