That crazy road tripping family

 Before we get started on yet another of our crazy road trips, I had to share a few photos from our last trip a few weeks ago.  I have been terrible at keeping up with my blog, partly because we have been in the middle of moving.  Again.

Everything we own was loaded onto a truck last week and we've been living in a hotel.  It's much more difficult to live in a hotel than in the RV.  Unfortunately, we don't have our camper anymore because of a manufacturing defect in the frame.  So we're all staying in a hotel for the next few weeks.  We leave on Saturday to head east and spend the holidays with family for the first time in years.  Needless to say, life is crazy.  Typical for us.

On our most recent trip we decided to visit some of the National Parks in our area before we move away from the southwest.  We had previously visited the Grand Canyon in 2009 when all six of the big kids were six and under.  (Link here.  Funny to read how I thought Sarah was weaned then.  Those girls had me convinced several times but they didn't wean until they were four.)

We returned to the Grand Canyon and found that it was even scarier visiting with older kids than with a herd of little ones.  Nathan has no fear and isn't as easily contained as he was a few years ago.  I had a few minor heart attacks while we walked the rim.

Matthew wanted to take photos of his own.  More heart attacks for me.

At least Seven was safe in the carrier.

We saw snow on our trip to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.  This called for an immediate stop so the kids could get out and play in it.  Six pairs of muddy shoes later, everyone was happy.

So far, Big Blue has been to 15 states.  We got her at the end of May.  That's a lot of miles!  We stopped at some Arizona favorites (Flagstaff, Winslow, Show Low, Phoenix) and the St. George area.  We even hit Las Vegas.  Such a fun trip!

One of our favorite parts of the trip was our hike into the bottom of Bryce Canyon.  It was steep, a bit scary, and most people probably thought we were crazy for hiking down there (and back up) with seven kids.  

Of course the kiddos thought it was the "coolest hike ever."  Fair enough.

 The view from the top was pretty amazing though.  And there was more snow!

I think we are leaving Arizona on a high note.  We've seen a lot, done a lot, learned a lot, and changed a lot in our time here.  Our family grew too.  I think we'll all have fond memories of desert life... mostly.

Ultimate Blog Party 2010!

It's time for the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom and, true to form, I'm doing the last minute thing. I feel like I have a good excuse for being so late to join in though. (Ya think?)
For those who don't know me, here's a brief introduction that will include far more info than you ever wanted to know about my life.

I'm Heather and I have an amazing husband, Jason, who has spent most of our married life serving in the Army. Together we have 6 sweet children, all born in less than 6 years. Our oldest son is Matthew (7) and he's incredibly smart and also incredibly challenging. He's on the autism spectrum and he is quite a character. Joshua (5) is the peacemaker in our house and would give the shirt off his back for anyone. He's a budding artist. Leila and Sarah (3) are our identical twin daughters. They were born at home and have been little miracles from the very beginning. Leila is super sensitive and truly believes she is a princess. Sarah is a tomboy in a tutu. Nathan and Ryan (19 months) are our identical twin sons. They were a (HUGE) surprise! Seriously, who thinks they'll have 2 sets of identical twins? I was in shock. These blonde boys are terrors. They look like angels but they are into anything and everything and they work together for evil. Needless to say, I'm a busy mom. I blog a lot about poop.
On top of all that, my life gets even crazier. My husband left in January 2009 for an extended TDY followed by a deployment to Iraq. Right now he's across the globe while I hold down the fort here at home. And home for us? I'm not sure where that is, actually. Two weeks ago we lived in Virginia but now we're in Georgia. In a few months we'll be headed to Washington. It's a long, long story.

I'm not your "typical" mom. I do all sorts of "strange" things. I homeschool our children. I prefer to give birth in my home too. And I breastfeed beyond what some would consider acceptable. (Yes, I nursed 4 children at once for over a year. Can you say freak?) I use cloth diapers and always have, since my oldest was a baby. We cosleep. We eat organic, locally grown food almost exclusively. So while my own family thinks I've gone off the deep end, I can just remind myself that I'm trusting my instincts, doing what I feel is best, and I've got strong convictions. (Did I mention I'm stubborn as heck?)
I love to read and write and I've always wanted lots of children. I love Jesus and I know that somehow He'll use my life to reach others for Him. I'm a Starbucks addict and use my espresso machine every morning. I take my half dozen kids into Target at least once a week because it's my favorite store and I can treat myself to an iced dark cherry mocha from the Starbucks on my way out. I take my crew grocery shopping too... because I really am crazy. I love to sew, knit and paint although I can't remember the last time I had time to do any of those things. Such is life right now.

A random fact... I've live through a major hurricane, an earthquake, a tornado, and far too many blizzards in the last 5 years. Don't stand next to me in a lightning storm.

That's pretty much me in a nutshell... It's Twinsanity!

Weaning

It seems that, for some of my children, their nursing days may be coming to an end. I've been afraid to say anything because I just knew I'd utter the dreaded "w" word and someone would un-wean themselves.It seems that Sarah is no longer nursing. Could it really be? After more than 3 years, is she really done? She hasn't nursed since last month. I think it's safe to pronounce her weaned!
Ironically (or not so ironically) Leila is still nursing. I guess it just proves that identical twins really are not identical. Leila is potty-trained. Sarah isn't. Leila is still nursing. Sarah isn't.
One afternoon, a few weeks ago, Leila was nursing with Nathan when Joshua and Matthew took a sudden interest in "milkies." Matthew wanted to remember what it tasted like and Joshua said, "ice cream that's warm." I had to laugh! Joshua weaned when the girls were about 6 months old so I'm surprised he remembers much from that long ago. When I told Jason about our conversation the first thing he asked was if I had nursed Matthew or Joshua when they asked about it. I guess that proves that he really does think I'm a tree-hugging hippy. I glared at him and said that I hadn't nursed any 6-year olds recently.
No, I'm not nursing 6-year olds. Or even 5-year olds. In fact, I'm only nursing one 3-year old and two not-quite-one-year olds. For the first time in almost a year, I'm only nursing three of my children. It sounds so strange, doesn't it?
As I look back at these beautiful photos, my heart is heavy. My sweet friend Nicole is a very talented photographer and she took these photos for me when the girls were about a year old. They are the only professional nursing photos that I have (of any of my kids) so they are very special. Now I find myself remembering what it felt like to hold Leila and Sarah on my lap while they nursed together. And I'm sad that I'll never get to do that again.
However, I will cherish each moment with Nathan and Ryan that much more. I think time goes by twice as fast when you have twins. If I was still in Georgia I'd be begging Nicole to take some photos of Nathan and Ryan nursing-maybe even of Leila nursing with them. I love this time, love holding my babies, love nursing them and smelling their sweet smell. I don't want it to end!
All too soon these sweet, gentle nurslings morph into wild, loud toddlers. And I'm just not ready for that. (Will I ever be ready?)
So today I'm going to hold my babies close. I'm going to revel in the greatness of extended breastfeeding. I'm going to remember Leila wrapping her chubby arm around Sarah's neck as they nursed together on my lap. I'm going to wonder why they won't fit on my lap together anymore. I'm going to smile because I have 2 more sweet babies who will still throw their arms around each other and nurse on my lap. And I'm going to count my blessings.