Halloween 2011

We had a festive Halloween that began when the kids got home from school.  Once everyone was decked out, we headed over to Grandma Dildine's to show off costumes 

and go Trick-or-Treating.

Nathan came up with this last minute costume after rummaging through his dad's closet! :)

Wow!  He is getting so big!  P.S.- I adored this spot in Grandma Ruby's backyard.  With all of the Fall leaves, it was a perfect place to take these photos.  (note to self--remember that for next year!)

Danny made a PERFECT Harry Potter!

I tried to get him to shout "Stupefy!" when I snapped this picture, but this was the extent of his enthusiasm.

Ryan was really excited to be a vampire, but not as excited about wearing the vampire teeth.

I guess I can't blame him.  Those plastic pearly whites really do hamper candy consumption.

Lydia was over the moon that I let her wear make-up.  She wanted to wear it to bed.

Lydia decided that she wanted to be a Mermaid this year, the generic variety.  This was not to be confused with The Little Mermaid, Ariel.  That would have required red hair. :)

And here is Ruby, our Little Pumpkin Fairy.

Thank you to her cousin, Paige, for supplying some of the important elements of her costume!

Though I can't say that Halloween is my favorite holiday, I can say that I love seeing my kids all dressed up and having fun.  What a great group!

Expectations

I went to the hospital early on September 21st, thinking that I would have a smooth delivery...after all, it was my fifth, right?  I had it all planned out, every detail.  I had done this before:  everything in order at home, my mom flying in the night before, pantry and fridge stocked, house clean, toe nails painted, People magazine stashed in my suitcase, tiny pre-made bows ready, make up bag handy for a stellar "after" picture with the baby.  :)  Well, about 10:30 a.m. I signed a bunch of paperwork releasing the hospital from any liability regarding my epidural.  Soon after, everything went crazy.  I warned the nurse anesthetist that my epidural might be tricky.  Both with Ryan and Lydia, they had to try twice to get the epidural in.  Nothing could be as bad as that, right?...wrong.  The procedure that should have taken five minutes, took an hour.  They tried to seat the epidural four times until finally, when I felt to sharp shooting pains down my legs, I knew something was wrong.  It didn't help that the guy supposed to be in control seemed frantic and started saying, "oh, no.  I'm so sorry.  I'm so sorry."  Mike was terrified and I was in immediate pain in my head, neck and shoulders.  He had punctured the dura (where the spinal fluid is) and actually zinged me in the spinal chord.  That is when he called for help.  Enter real anesthesiologist...epidural seated...and done, but it was too late for what my recovery would look like.  (And should I mention here that the epidural never quite worked all of the way?).  Thanks to the pain meds they pumped into my IV, I labored the rest of the time in and out of sleep, laying flat.  That is, until they set me up to push.  (That is when the spinal headaches are unbearable because the spinal fluid leaks out of the puncture).  I've never felt pain like that.  I hope I never have to feel pain like that again.  

And then she was here.

Ruby Lyn Dildine was born at 2:36 p.m. and was 7 lbs. 6 oz.

She came out crying, but soon after was calm, just taking in her surroundings.

This was after they moved me to the recovery room, on a gurney, laying flat.  I could not walk yet, nor could I sit up.  Don't I look like I have been through a war?  Yah, at that point I didn't care so much about my glamourous "after" picture.  The doctors explained that I was not a good candidate for the miracle Blood Patch that could take away all of my pain almost immediately.  So, weighing our options Mike and I decided that we would wait out the spinal headache and deal with a tough recovery...anywhere from five days to five weeks.

My mom brought the kids down to see me and Ruby.  After such an emotional and traumatizing day, I was so glad to see them and get hugs from each of them.  I was worried for them to see me in such bad shape but I think my mom prepped them pretty well.

These older two boys have been so great with the baby.  It is so nice to have an extra couple pair of hands.

Ryan loves Ruby.  He likes to go up to her and say, "a-booga-booga-booga!"

The proud big sister.  Lydia has some trouble saying her R's, so when she talks about baby Ruby it sounds like:  baby woovey.  :)  Everywhere we go Lydia refers to Ruby as "MY baby."  

Normally, I would have gotten a picture with all of the kids and me.  I soon learned that this time around I would have to let go of my expectations.  I never did read that People Magazine, we didn't get a "first bath picture" of Ruby in the hospital, nor did she get to use any of those pre-made bows.  I even planned on having all of these pictures Blogged and Facebooked that very evening.  But the truth is, I couldn't feed myself, walk or barely hold my own baby.  We definitely had other things to worry about, and I wasn't expecting that.  I had to start focusing on what was REALLY important.  What was important was that I get feeling better and that Ruby made it here safe and sound.   

Celebrate

It worked well to have Nathan's birthday fall on a Friday.  We got to enjoy "date night" as an entire family.  Nathan's Uncle Jim and his new wife, Valerie tagged along, too.

Nathan didn't get a friend party this year.  On our kids' "family party" years we usually take them out to dinner.  Nathan chose Tucanos.  We would have had the waiters sing to him, but Lydia was terrified at the prospect.  That was okay.  He still got the complimentary ice cream sundae.

Thirteen Candles.  You're all grown up.

Nathan opened a few presents.  This was one of his favorites...Jimmer Fredette's Sacramento Kings Jersey. Mike ordered it special with "Jimmer" on the back.

Valerie made the comment that this was probably one of the last pictures of our FOUR children.  She was right!  Just a couple days later a new little bundle would arrive.  Pictures to come...

My Teenager

Happy Birthday to My Teenager, Nathan!  Yes, he is Thirteen!

This is what he looks like now, handsome and all grown up.  But to me it seems not too long ago...

that My Teenager looked like this.  What a cutie!

1st Day

Over the last couple of weeks and days my crew has gone back to school.  Here are the pics.  

Miss Lydia went back a couple of weeks ago.  She is on a year-round track for her preschool.

This is her latest "smile" pose.  A tip of the head and a little grin.  Lydia is such a social butterfly.  She has already made so many friends.

My biggest boy, Nathan.  He is now in the middle of the pack at the Middle School.  So great that he gets to ride his bike.

The close-up.

My Danny is head honcho at the Elementary School.  He is right back at home, loving every minute that he gets to spend with friends.

Danny is really excited about his teacher.  Mr. Price has a whole collection of Superman and Batman toys in the classroom.  Danny can't quit talking about how cool he is.

Big transition for Ryan this year.  He went from half-day Kindergarten, to full-day First Grade!  He is so grown up!

So far, so good.  His teacher is a perfect fit for him.  Although he was quite nervous the first day, he has been very brave.

I love that these two walk to school.  I think it's going to be a great year.

Wedding Weekend-The Reception

We made it back to Boise just in time to grab some stuff to decorate the getaway car and head straight to the reception.

The reception was held in Brad and Tricia's backyard. The setting was perfect and in the shade it really wasn't too hot, considering the High-90's weather.

Ice Cream was served along with the wedding cake. I just love how this candy topping table turned out. So colorful!

It really was a great weekend. We were glad that we made an event out of it with all of the kids. Our family was able to create some fun and treasured memories.

In the days leading up to the wedding Valerie was super worried that someone would "trash" the car. She only wanted something done if it was tasteful, so I decided to head up the project.

With the help of some of Jim's nieces and nephews, we got the getaway car all decked out.

Clanking cans...so classic.

Before you knew it the reception was over and everyone went out front to see Jim and Valerie off. Hugs were shared from moms, dads and siblings...and in Jim's particular case from about 15 cousins. He has always been the favorite uncle.

We cheered them on as they drove out of the driveway.

Jim and Valerie-We are all so excited for you!

You two are really a fantastic couple.

Best Wishes and Many Years of Happiness!

Wedding Weekend-The Wedding

The wedding, of course, was lovely and perfect. And, of course, I cried my eyes out like a lot of people did, only I was ten times worse, being pregnant and all. I tried not to make a scene on the way out of the sealing room, but I'm pretty sure my sniffs and muffled cries were echoing loud and clear in that quiet room. :)

The entire time Lydia was connected at the hip with Valerie's youngest sister, Claire. She is Ryan's age, but these two little girls really hit it off.

They roamed around laughing and playing. At any given moment if I would ask someone, "Have you seen Lydia?" the answer would always be, "Oh yah, she's with Claire."

The happy couple coming out of the temple. Oh, so happy.

Mr. and Mrs. Dildine!

A multitude of family pictures were taken. This is one of my favorites. All of the brothers together.

After pictures we headed to Chili's for a quick lunch. We were good and hungry and had a great time eating with our cousins and other family. This is the "big kid table."

What a day for celebration. Now, back to Boise for the reception.