I Have the Best Husband on the Planet....

....because he does things like crochet beanies for Baby Hippo while he's out of town....

(For some inexplicable reason, Baby Hippo's eyelid was swollen this day, and he was also in a bad mood (my attempt at tickling couldn't even illicit a smile), perhaps the latter being related to the former.)

When John came home and fitted this over Baby Hippo's head, I said, "You didn't make that, did you?" When he answered "Of course!", I was stunned, my mouth literally gaping open. I have no idea how to crochet. So anyways, sorry if you're jealous. Love you, John!

Teeter Totter Time!

...courtesy of John, who had the teeter totter installed in the kids' play place while we were out of town. Thanks, John! You're the best.

I Heart John's Gardens

Marrying me nearly six years ago has not been an easy adjustment for John. I already had six kids when we met, and during the course of our brief marriage we have added four more rambunctious boys to our brood. That being said, John often says that being a father isn't nearly as challenging as being a husband. Tells you that I may be a little high-maintenance.

Anyway, my point is that everybody needs a release from their every day responsibilities, and John's happens to be gardening. Over the course of the almost four years we've lived here in Mexico, John has planted iris gardens, vegetable gardens, grape vines, a winter wheat field, an herb garden, a stunning gladiola garden, trees throughout the property, pots filled with colorful annuals and vines spilling over the sides, melon patches, tomato and cucumber vines and much, much more.

My all-time favorite garden of John's, though, is the "strawberry field". It's not really a field, just a small patch of ground to the left of our home, but we just love to say the "strawberry field". And even though it's only mid-April, look what it's already producing....

I'm in love with our strawberry field! Thank you, John, for all of the work you do in our gardens. Our home is beautiful and our harvest is plentiful because of your efforts! :)

P.S. My sister and I are finally getting skinnier!
See how we're doing it HERE! :)

He's in Steerage Now

Before my husband was lucky enough to find me and my then six kids, he had a job that, for years, took him around the world. During the first conversation my kids had with him, there was no country they could mention that he hadn't visited. And of course, since he was the Northern Hemisphere Regional Manager of an lucrative electronics company, he ALWAYS flew first class.

Well, things have changed. His current job keeps him pretty much in one place, expect for the occasional trip to the regional office in Boston, and now, when we go on vacation, he has to fly in "steerage" (his word) with the rest of us.

And this is how he gets there...

Sorry life isn't so glamorous for you anymore, Hun, but you said it's worth it.... right?

Thanks for listening!


Today on...

-life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day: {twins eating cherries}
-365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time: No-Cost Arcade Time!
-Fotografia Colonia: Savannah - 9 Days Old

A Dear John Letter Regarding Labor Coaching

In case you don't know it by now, I'm somewhat of a natural type girl....natural consequences, natural healing, natural nutrition, and of course, natural child birth. For the last 7 out of 8 of my deliveries, I have opted to deliver my babies without an epidural. (My eighth delivery was a scheduled cesarean section as both the twins were breech.) There are so many reasons for this decision, which I will share in a subsequent post. Suffice it to say, whatever husband I am married to at the time has a lot of work to do himself during my deliveries. Most would assume that because this is my ninth delivery, my baby will come fast. This will most likely not be the case. My labors last anywhere from 10 hours (my third) to 51 hours (my sixth). In fact, I asked my sister in California if she would like to attend the birth because I'm sure that I would have time to call her, have her book and board a flight from California to El Paso, pick up my mother in El Paso, then drive the 3.5 hours it takes to get to the hospital where I will deliver in Mexico, find the hospital and still arrive in time for the birth. She said yes, if she's not in the middle of an important scientific experiment to find a cure for a debilitating disease. Come on, Robyn! Where are you priorities? Just kidding, I understand if science needs you more than I.

Back to the point, John's first birth attendance was with our first child together, or course, and my labor was 36 hours long. He did an absolutely amazing job supporting me in every way possible, along with our doula (which is a professional labor coach) and giving birth to the current 3-year-old boy was probably one of the most beautiful experiences I've ever had. Yes it was painful, torturous even, but the love John showed to me during the process is something I will never forget. We'd only been married for less than a year, but we became so much closer because of going through this together.

The last time I gave birth, the process was completed in two minutes, as Twin A was born at 1:24 PM via c-section and Twin B at 1:25 PM. Not much coaching was needed during this process, so coaching the upcoming birth may require that I remind John about a few things. This is the purpose of the following Dear John letter....

Dear John,

As you know, I feel like you did an amazing job when you coached me during the 3-year-old's birth. You were so exhausted after the birth, that you passed out on a hard, uncomfortable, ugly chair almost immediately after he was born. I felt sorry that you didn't get the adrenalin rush I did after the birth.

However, it's been almost four years since that occasion, and I would like to remind you of a few things you and our beloved doula did to assist me during that beautiful occasion.

1. If you see that my breathing isn't even during a contraction, breathe with me to show me the rhythm I should be using. You'll know the rhythm from my contractions up until that point.

2. Most likely, my labor will be very long and there will probably come a point when I start to cry and tell you that I'm considering asking for an epidural. Please, at that time, remind me that I can do this naturally, that I chose this way because it's the safest way, both for me and our baby, that I have done it many times before, and that every pain I have brings me closer to meeting our baby boy.

3. Do not at any time suggest that I receive medication or an epidural. If there is someone in the room who is suggesting this, please ask them not to suggest it as well.

4. When the doctor is checking to see how far I am dilated, please do not let me hear. I will most likely feel like I should be more dilated and I will feel great disappointment at hearing I've not progressed as far as I had hoped.

5. Remind me that I can try different positions for relieving the pain, such as walking, leaning on a table, sitting on the birthing ball, ect. 

6. During transition, if you see that I'm crying out and throwing my head back, remind me to make low gutteral noises and to keep my chin down. I don't know why this worked so well last time, this tip our doula showed us, but it did.

7. Please remind me to focus on whatever focal point I've chosen. Although during our first natural birth together, you printed and framed a photo of one of your gorgeous pink dahlias for me to use for this purpose, it turned out that the third button on your shirt was a more effective focal point. It helps a lot for me to have this kind of focus, no matter what I choose at my point of focus.

8. When it comes time to push, remind me that I can try different positions, such as kneeling, standing or squatting. I may not accept that invitation, but I may appreciate the reminder.

All righty then, I think those are the important points I need you to remember. Thank you for being here for me through this and I love and appreciate you!

Love, Your Wife

Valentine's Day: A Memoir of Courting John With My 6 Kids

I am pleased to include this post at Mama M.s...

Mama M. asks the questions, we give our answers! Just click on the heart if you'd like to participate, too!

1. What is the one thing your love does for you that you can't live without?

There are so many things John does that it's hard to pick one, but one thing I noticed immediately about John is that he loves to do things for people. He loves to serve. It is his love language. He was taught this principle by his father, who, when he is asked to speak in church, for as long as I've know him, never speaks on any other topic. His father is the best man I know, and I'm so lucky that John has had an example in him.

This was something that was difficult for me to get used to at first. My first husband was away in military service most of our marriage, and when he was home, serving just wasn't his love language. He loved to compliment, which is my love language, and as a result, I learned to become independent and do things for myself.

I remember one instance when John and I were just beginning our courtship. I had six children, the youngest of whom was still in a car seat. We were in our car port, about to go on some outing, and before I could make a move to get the 3-year-old girl buckled into her seat in my Yukon XL, he jumped up, like a man 30 years younger than himself (he was 49 at the time), gently placed her in her seat and buckled her in like he'd been doing it all his life. I can't tell you how much this shocked me for some reason. Perhaps I thought he was too old to be climbing in and bending over awkwardly or that he wouldn't know how to buckle a car seat, as they can be pretty darn complicated (it recently took my mother 7 minutes to buckle one of my kids in), but I learned then that my life was about to change drastically. I was about to become the object of John's service for the rest of his life.

When I was pregnant with our first child together, he would rub my back every night. He would bring me items from the kitchen I thought I needed, then, when I would change my mind, he would go back and get me something else, lest I burst into tears. Now that I'm pregnant with our fourth child together, guess what? He still rubs my back every night and brings me things from the kitchen that I think I need.

I've finally become used to the way he serves me, and sometimes I feel like a spoiled child because of all he does, but I'm definitely not complaining!

2. When did you know your love was "the one"?

As I've written in the "About Us" section of my blog, I knew John was "the one" the first time I saw him. It was on a Sunday, directly before church began and there were few people in the chapel. My mother, my children and I had entered from the right side, as we always did, which was the side closest to the organ which my mother played, and he was sitting alone in a middle pew on the left side. I had never before seen him in church, and my first though was, "I'm going to marry that man." I immediately dismissed the thought as folly, because it had only been 5 weeks since my husband had died, and for all I knew, this man was a married man visiting from the stake, which means that I thought he held a position of leadership in our region and was observing our services. I noticed something about him, though. He had an intense look on his face, as if he was, with great anxiety, anticipating what would be said from the pulpit. He was even leaning forward, as if anxiously waiting to hear the word of God. Along with that expression, however, was a look of sorrow and pain. I couldn't imagine what his pain could be, but it was there. In the following weeks as I learned more about him, more by family members and friends gathering information of their own accord than by my personal communication with him, I learned that he was single, was raised in the same small American Mormon community in Mexico where my grandmother was raised, and that he had just moved to our town from California. As I continued to observe him, I continued to notice this sadness about him, and I thought that if we ever happened to be in the church lobby alone together, that I would ask him why he was so sad. I don't know why I would have felt comfortable asking a complete stranger, for we had not said more than two sentences to each other, such a personal question, but I meant to do it.

When we started dating four months after I first laid eyes on him, I found out the reason for his sadness. He was enduring something few of us will ever have to endure, and I hope to be able to write about it one day. Suffice it to say, he's much better now.

3. Does your love have a special ringtone on your cell?

Honestly, I don't know, but I don't think so.

4. What are you attracted to most in your special someone?

As I said in THIS post, I was and still am attracted to John's spirituality. He has the most amazing faith. He kneels in prayer every night, no matter how exhausted he is. He serves everyone with whom he comes in contact endlessly, no matter the sacrifice. He wears himself out serving so much so that my father often worried about his health and was always saying that "John burns the candle at both ends." There is a saying that goes, "Don't waste away. Wear away." John is certainly not wasting away, but wearing away in the Lord's time by serving the his fellow man, thus serving the Lord, and I love him for it.

5. Did you know when/where he/she was going to pop the big question?

I did know when John was going to ask me to marry him. I can't remember how I knew. Maybe we had discussed it in advance. He took me out to dinner at P.F. Chang's and had asked the staff to place flowers on our table in advance. I know the staff participated in some other way, but I can't remember how now. I remember what I wore. It was a knee-length navy blue silk-knit dress with light blue flowers scrolling the bottom, with my favorite hip-length brown polyester blazer over it. I accessorized with a brown apple seed necklace I had purchased in Juarez and chunky brown shoes. I looked awesome, if I do say so myself, and I felt so blessed leaving the restaurant knowing that I would soon be marrying this handsome man who was holding my hand as we walked through the parking lot to his Honda. My mother had instructed me not to wear the polyester blazer, because it reminded her of the 70s and she hated the 70s and she thought that John would not be attracted to me in the polyester blazer. Apparently, it had little to no effect on his desire to marry me. I still have it and it's still my favorite blazer, although once I left it in the trunk of a rental car, and my mother was sorely tempted to leave it there and not tell me I had forgotten it. At the last minute, however, her conscience got the better of her, and she fished it out of the trunk immediately before returning the car, and begrudgingly shoved it in my direction, telling me that I had better be grateful to her for not leaving it in the trunk. Thanks, Mom.You're the best.

Here are clips of John during our first year together...

Mama M., thanks so much for the Valentine's Day prompts from 5 Question Friday. That was so fun reliving those memories! I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!

It Was Wisdom in God to Make Toddlers So Cute

Remember the beautiful flower arrangement John gave me for my birthday from THIS post? In case you don't, here they are...

I really really did love them, and apparently, so did the twins, just in a different way...

Isn't the 8-year-old girl amazing for dutifully attempting to return the floor to it's previous state? (And without even being asked, which always astonishes me)

Twin A, upon realizing I was photographing the event...

...made sure to say the obligatory "cheese" for the camera...

I'm so glad God made toddlers so cute in times of crisis like this. And, Honey, I said it once, but I'll say it again in writing. I really did love the flowers. Sorry about the accident.

Thanks for listening.

How to Reupholster a Cushioned Chair

Have I told you recently how amazing my husband is? Among the many things he did for me on my birthday yesterday, including letting me sleep in, sweeping the kitchen floor, buying me a CD, a DVD, a fan duster (don't worry, it was upon request), a tres leches cake, and THIS floral arrangement...

...was to reupholster four bar stools! I love these bar stools, but after 4 years and 9 kids, the beige cloth coverings just got nasty and I couldn't handle it anymore..

Plus, as each day passed, they continued to get nastier and nastier as the 3-year-old boy has yet to learn that food should stay on the table, and not on chairs, his clothes, and the floor. Thus, I knew that recovering them in new fabric would be a feckless effort, as they would just become filthy again in a matter of days. My solution? To cover the chairs with a gorgeous fabric, then cover that with a thick, clear plastic. Here's how it went...

First John laid the cushion upside down on said fabric, then cut the fabric to size and pulled it tight to the back of the cushion...

He then stapled the fabric in place, first pulling the sides tight, then the corners...

Here are two of the four fabric-finished cushions...

He then performed the same process with the clear plastic...

...and here is the finished product...

Admittedly, it would look better without the shiny plastic, but that idea is an impossibility at my house, and I am just so thrilled with how they turned out and how easy they are to wipe down after a meal!

I totally love how the pink looks against the green island...

...and I am the luckiest girl to have such a multi-talented, considerate husband! Thank you, again, John, for a spectacular birthday! You are the best husband ever!

Homemaker Monday: Always Write a Packing List... Or Else!

Welcome to the 73rd weekly edition of...

Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs.

YOURS: Today's "YOURS" goes to Stain-Removal-101 dot com! I swear this has to be the most interesting stain removal site I have ever seen. Listed here is a stain-guide removal chart from A to Z. Ever wanted to know how to get out apple stains?

Baby food stains?

....or Carrot stains?

Go no further! This site lists common stains, and how to fight them, from A to Z! I am definitely bookmarking this website and will probably be referencing it on a daily basis! To view the entire A to Z list, click HERE. Thank you so much, Stain-Removal-101, for linking up to Homemaker Monday! Please feel free to grab the "I Was Featured" button on my left sidebar and we hope to be hearing more about stain removal from you on a regular basis!

MINE: Here is some inspiration to help motivate you to write a list when you pack. If you'll remember last week's Homemaker Monday, I wrote a comprehensive list of the items I would need for our two-week road trip...with all ten of us in attendance. Doing this is not characteristic of me, but more like something my ultra-organized husband would do. But this time he didn't....he got too comfortable and confident...and unbelievably, he forgot his church shoes. He was thus faced with the choice of wearing his brown faded suede sandals with his gray church suit and tie, or borrow some of his brother-in-law's shoes, which were a half size too small. He opted for the latter option, but because the closet was dark, and because his brother-in-law could be considered the male Imelda Marcos of shoes, according to his children, he ended up at church, unawares, in these two shoes...



When I asked why one shoe had a tassel and one did not while we were sitting together in a meeting, he looked down at his feet, and began laughing, silently of course, because we were in church, so that just his shoulders moved and his face broke into a huge grin and his eyes wrinkled around the outsides, and he said through his silent laughing that he must have put on two completely mismatched shoes.

In his days of yore, before he met me, when he would have spent over $200 on a bottle of cologne, this would have been completely unacceptable and inexcusable. Now, 4.5 years and 9.5 kids later, after his silent laughing ended, he smiled and simply said, "Okay, I'm going to my next class now. See you when meetings are over."

The moral? No matter how confident in your packing skills you are, always write a list!

P.S. The 17-year-old boy and his cousin just looked over my shoulder, asked what I was blogging about, acted disgusted that I was blogging about my husband's mismatched shoes, and stated that if I wanted people to be interested in my blog and to think I was cool, I would blog about how the Cowboys won 17 to zero. There....blogged. I hope you think I'm cool now, but maybe not.

OURS: Okay, let's see what all of you wonderful homemakers have for us today. If you haven't posted anything recently, please feel free to go through your archives and link anything homemaking below! Thank you, all of you, for your visit today and I hope you have a wonderful Homemaker Monday!

The Unexpected Genius of a Two-Level Island

So have I ever told you it took nearly two years to plan and design our kitchen? And two notebooks of graph paper? I drew out plans like this...



...and this....



...and redrew them and erased them and crumbled them and redrew them again. Finally, from the dust, to cement, slate, hickory, granite, Mexican talavera tile, antiqued faux brick tile and stainless steel, among contractors to whom I could only speak in broken Spanish, and who thought if they spoke in very loud voices to me, using the same words, perhaps I could understand them better...

...emerged our dream kitchen.

I think what has to be my favorite part of our kitchen is the island. I'll show it to you in a minute. We chose a two-level design, like this...



(View from above)

I imagined myself standing at the lower level, preparing meals, while the kids did their homework or just sat and talked, perched atop tall bar stools at the upper level. I imagined friends sharing their lives with me as I made one of my weird health smoothies or rolled sushi (of which I will be posting a how-to soon).

The island was to be 8 1/2 feet by 5 1/2 feet, thus the need, in my opinion, for a two-tier design. I just thought that an expanse of granite that large would be too overwhelming and, more importantly, impossible to transport from the U.S. here to Mexico.

When we first designed our kitchen, I wanted it to be part of a great room that would be in plain view when one opened our front door. To me, the kitchen is the heart of the home, and I truly wanted to express that by making it visible to guests immediately upon entrance. However, my husband was somewhat against this plan. He said the kitchen would always be dirty and messy and that would be the first thing guests saw when they walked in. I promised him he was wrong, and that I would ALWAYS keep it clean.

That was before I knew I was pregnant with twins.

So yes, things changed. My kitchen isn't always clean, especially the island. In fact, we have to store many of the contents of the lower kitchen drawers on our island because we can't seem to find drawer locks the twins can't destroy.

But here's the unexpected genius...the reason you came here...

This is the view of our kitchen when you first walk into our home...



...and this is what you see when you enter our kitchen...



(Yes, I agree the island is a little cluttered, what with my mother's fruit bowls and my blogging paraphernalia, but at least it looks clean, right?)

This is the view of our kitchen when you enter through the side door from the family parking area...



...and this is what you see if you walk up to our island...



Not too bad, right? See, I was able to keep the kitchen relatively clean this day, even though I have a 3-year-old and 2 20-month-olds under foot at all times.

BUT...

If you were to walk around my island, to where the sinks are, THIS is what you might see...



Here you can view many of the items we have to store on our island, along with the recent tray of doughnuts I never got around to putting on a plate, various loafs of store-bought and homemade bread, dishes, and other miscellaneous kitchenware. There is also a laundry basket with a baby doll stroller in it on the floor. There must be a reason for this, but because I can't get into the mind of my 3-year-old, I will never know why.

Thus, the unexpected genius of a two-level island. It helps your kitchen appear clean and organized even if you have three kids 3 and under. Thanks for listening.

I Have the Best Husband Ever! No, Really!

Happy 54th birthday, Dearest John!

Here are 54 things I love about you, sub-divided into 5 categories. See, I have one organized bone in my body. I thought you might get a thrill out of my organizational skills...

Let's start with the shallow...

John, The Physical Man...

1. You have the most beautiful, swimming pool blue eyes ever, eyes you have passed down to our 3 sons together.

2. You have the best teeth...straight and large and most of them show when you smile. It was one of my mom's top five selling points when she was trying to get me to go out with you.

3. You're tall.

4. You're large.

5. You have really lovely salt and cinnamon hair, which was only cinnamon when we met.

6. You have great legs. When my grandmother (who's mostly lost her mind) first saw you in shorts, she said to me, "My, look at those beautiful legs. Do you think he has a brother?"

7. You are very strong and can always open jars if the 17-year-old boy is not around.

8. You can carry 2 25-pound twins all the way to your mom and dad's house.

9. You tan nicely, even though you try to avoid it because skin cancer runs in your family.

10. You are deft for your age. I remember when I first met you how surprised I was that you would just jump into my SUV ahead of me to get the baby buckled in. You are amazing.

John, The Husband

11. You massage my shoulders every night before you go to sleep.

12. You always bring me "fresas con crema" (strawberries and cream) when you go to the big town.

13. You do ALL of the grocery shopping. I can't remember the last time I had to go to a grocery store.

14. You tell me I'm pretty.

15. You let me design our house and pick out the tile and all the paint colors and the kitchen cabinets and countertops and faux antique brick wall tile.

16. You put the toilet seat down, all the time.

17. You try to be really quiet when you leave in the morning so you don't wake me and the three boys we sleep with.

18. You know that I love Smucker's Natural Peanutbutter, creamy, and you always make sure I have a lot on hand.

19. You took all the kids, including the twins, to Arizona so I could have a day to myself.

20. You never mention that fact that I never make the bed.

John, the DIY Man

21. You can change your own oil.

22. You can fix other things on a car.

23. You can lay tile really well.

24. You have an eye for decorating.

25. You can make whole wheat bread and have said you wanted to do so every weekend. Yes!

26. You make a good pot of bean soup.

27. You can fix the air conditioner.

28. You can design an intricate sprinkling system that actually works.

29. You can always fix our toilet.

30. You designed our house with a downstairs theater that can be completely dark, but does not have doors, which could cause a temptation for teenage children. You are a genius.

John, The Father

31. You were a great labor coach when the 3-year-old boy was born, even though I was in labor for 36 hours and you fell fast asleep 20 minutes after he made his appearance. I guess men don't get the hormone high women do after giving birth naturally. Too bad.

32. You stayed in the hospital with me for four days after I delivered the twins via C-section.

33. You took the 3-year-old boy everywhere you went from the time he was 6 months old, even though the people at Lowe's always thought you were taking your grandson out for a day with grandpa.

34. You always change poopie diapers, even if you just changed one one minute before.

35. You buy cute clothes for the 3 three and under.

36. You joke with the kids.

37. You compliment them.

38. You allow them to choose how we will take trips, even when they are uncooperative.

39. You talk to them about consequences in a detailed way I don't usually make time for.

40. You let the teenagers drive your truck.

John, the Godly Man

41. You pray on your knees every night.

42. You don't read a book unless it teaches about Christ.

43. You hold scripture study with your family.

44. You hold family prayer.

45. You hold family home evening and always give meaningful lessons.

46. You never miss a church meeting, even if you can barely stay awake from helping with the babies during the night.

47. You bear your testimony publicly.

48. You are not afraid to cry when The Spirit moves you...one of my favorite things about you.

49. You are really into home food storage and diligently strive to obtain and maintain the year's supply of food our church leaders have counselled us to have on hand.

50. You serve your fellow man in so many amazing ways, ways that would never occur to me. You have taught me so much in that area.

John, the Random Man

51. You like Broadway musicals.

52. You love the elderly and can make them light up when you enter the room.

53. You always give rides to people on the side of Mexican roads who can't afford the bus.

...and 54. You always make a huge deal of my birthday, Mother's Day, our anniversary and Christmas.

I love you and thank you for joining this insane family of seven, then adding 3.5 more to it! I can't imagine my life without you and you make me whole.

Happy Birthday, John!


If you liked this post and would like to join me here on a regular basis via email or other reader, please...
Subscribe

(You'll be helping to pay for at least one of the nine kid's college tuition.)
OR... bookmark or share this post by clicking the "Add This" button below... Thank you for your visit!