Oh I dream about Mexico....

When I was a kid my dad had a song that we would listen to constantly called "Domestic Life" by John Connelly, and in it he sings, "oh I dream about Mexico, where all the pretty people go, but we're on a budget that just won't budge, not much money but a whole lot of love." I think of that every year when we get to go to Mexico, how very blessed we are to have parents that pay for our resort that we stay at..... all we pay for is our airplane ticket and food, otherwise it would be impossible to go on this yearly vacation. We hadn't planned on going this year, but it really is a special time for Ian and I that it has become a priority. (Thanks to all who watched our kids.)I'm also reminded how my dad's first trip to Mexico was about 20 years ago when he was in his 50's and how long he waited to get to do fun stuff like this. I guess I just feel very spoiled. This year we went to Puerta Vallarta instead of our usual Cabo. The thing I liked the most was I wasn't pregnant or didn't bring a nursing baby, that has been the case often the last 6 years. The thing I missed the most about Cabo was the little hamburger stand that we often frequent on our walk to town in Cabo. I must say I definitely prefer Cabo. Anyway I didn't get many pictures at all, things are different when you don't have your kids around. But here are a few.

Christmas

The kids always make a gingerbread house usually for Family Night some time in December and then they get to eat it on Christmas Eve. It is usually hard as a rock but the fun part is destroying it. Apparently Bradford didn't like what was happening in this picture.
We always do the Nativity Story of Christs birth on Christmas Eve it is usually pretty chaotic but there is truly something wonderful about it. This is Abby as one of the wise men.
This is priceless of Ivan and Makenna as Mary and Joseph, you can just see the love.
The Shepperd's ended up looking more like Jedi, Bradford and Davis are too cute.
Isn't it just sweet.
This is Christmas morning as the kids unload the loot in their stockings.
Here is a special gift we got the kids, a little yellow lab. We named her Lacy, it has been about 3 weeks since we got her and we still totally love her. She is a really great little puppy.

It was a great year. We are so thankful for the many blessings we have received this past year, a lot of answers to our prayers. We are also looking forward to the last year of this decade. (I say the last year because it has been a joke between us, my dad says it is the last year because we haven't lived through 2010 yet, but the rest of the world says the end of the decade was the end of 2009. So that statement was for my papa.)

Ian had a birthday too!

You wouldn't know it but Ian had a birthday too! We actually went to Chuckee Cheese on his birthday and he didn't even complain. I just wanted to write a few facts about my Ian, just some small things that I admire and love about him.
1. He is confident, I admire this because it is something I truly lack, I am always second guessing myself even if I'm right but Ian can make you believe he is right just by the confident way he presents himself, it is a very good trait to have in a husband.
2. He likes people, he is always wanting to have people over and make new friends.
3. He is adventurous, likes to go new places, try new things and isn't afraid to do anything.
4. He is quick to say sorry, sometimes if he hurts my feelings, which is usually purely by accident he is very quick to just say sorry.
5. He is smart, this one is a double edge sword, but I wouldn't have it another way.
6. This one is silly but I love that he always turns his clothes right side out before he puts them in the laundry, saves me a lot of trouble.
7. A bunch of other silly little things that would probably totally embarrass him if I shared so I won't, this is mostly for posterity sake anyway, right?
Anyway totally love my 35 year old hubby. This is a picture of him doing something he totally loves.

Ammon

Ammon had his 8th birthday on the 7th of December so I need to catch up on that by writing a bit about him.
Ammon is my second child and when I was pregnant with him I decided I was not going to gain as much weight as I did with Ivan, my first born. I tried so hard to eat healthy and actually didn't gain as much as I did with the others but I was still huge. Oh the pain in my hips each time I stood and when I slept, I had to flip from side to side. I felt like he was huge and my belly was tight as a drum. When I started into labor I remember dropping Ivan off at Will and Lindsay's house and Ian and I driving in the dark and hurting really bad on the way, I think it was rainy or even a bit snowy on the way, it all seems like a dream as I think back on it now. I didn't have as long of labor with Ammon as with Ivan Probably 8 hours or so but I had an epidural when I was just 2.5 centimeters dialated. The most distinct thing I remember was when he was born the doctor saying, "whoa, he's big" He was 10.3 lbs and had the biggest head and cheeks. He had broad shoulders and a barrel chest. He was just big looking. And he grew like crazy, when I took him in for his 2 week appointment he weighed 12lbs exactly and the nurse carried him around to all the other nurses saying "2 weeks old, can you believe it?"
What a wonderful boy Ammon is, he wants to do what is right and really is just a good kid. He is now eight and will be baptized next month, what an exciting time for our smart boy. For his birthday we took some of his friends and him to do the Chuckee Cheese thing, again, he loves that. Here are a few pictures!

Grace

My Grace is 6 years old. Her birthday was on the 1st of December. As her birthday approached I was reflecting on her birth and feel so lucky to have her as a part of our family. For posterity I thought I'd write a bit about her birth. Grace was actually due right around thanksgiving but she went over a few days. Two weeks before her due date I started having contraction that would go all night and then stop. (this didn't happen with any of the other pregnancies). I remember feeling very worried one night because I hadn't felt her move for a while and I called the doctor who wanted me to track for the next few hours to see if I felt anything, shortly after I felt some slight movement and thought, "I'm just being paranoid". I tend to do that. Then on December 1st I awoke around 5am and my water broke and off to the hospital we went. We dropped Ivan and Ammon of with Kevin and Leah on the way and were able to get to the hospital in Paradise. After they got me all hooked up and I was in the hospital room I was feeling good the labor didn't seem to be so painful in my back the way the boys had been, so I was thinking, this will be better this time. I was also listening to the monitor which was tracking Graces heart rate and I started getting worried because it seemed to slow way down during contractions. I told Ian I thought something was wrong and he just said, "stop worrying," no sooner had he said that when in rushed some nurses and said they had talked to the doctor and the heart rate of the baby was going dangerously low and we needed to take her by Cesarean. They quickly got me ready and in I went. A little while later we had a little baby girl. The cord had been around her neck twice. She still has broken blood vessels on the back of her neck from it. Needless to say we are so thankful for our Grace and to have her here on earth to enjoy. She really is my sunshine,(a song I sing to her often) She has such a caring heart and enjoys the beauty in the world around her. She is dramatic and eccentric and everything a little girl should be. I love it when I find her in her room just singing to herself. Love you Grace. Here are some of her birthday pics.

more

Photos are all follows...
1 and 2 Apples, apples apples. the kids picked up literally thousands of apples in October. Apples are my favorite but truthfully I am all appled out. I made lots of applesauce and sad to say we have not even had any yet. Guess we better get a fattened pigs for some pork chops, heaven forbid I should just go buy some at the store, right anyway we need something to go with all this applesauce.
3 Abby's one and only bottle, I managed to go 7 months only using 1 bottle and finally the tip ripped so instead of going and getting a new one we just stopped using the bottle, it was time anyway.
4 just had to throw this one in there. Grace sure loves her brother and I know he loves her but you couldn't tell from his expression but I know he's loving it;)

Anyway here is some more from the calm before the storm post, to bad they don't post in the order I want but I have more important things to worry about.

the calm before the storm....

December is a bit hectic for us with birthdays galor and Christmas. I'm actually really trying to simplify things so I can enjoy this magical time of year. I truly love Christmas and all the joy it brings into our home. But this post isn't about all that it is about some of the things that have been going on that I haven't posted about. A bit random so just remember I'm a mom of five kiddos and right now the two at home are wrestling around making quite a commotion. 1st photo is of a old shed that we knocked down here I liked it but it was only about 20 feet from the house so a bit of an eye sore. 2nd picture is Ammon in his cross country race he is smack in the middle of the pack and this is after he ran Graces' whole race with her encouraging her the whole way, what a good big brother. 3rd photo, Graces' race. 4th, Utah, at BYU, thank you to the passer byer. 5th, found Bradford in the tub like this one day, funny kid, never a dull moment, and this is the calm before the storm.