Check This Out !

This past week we woke up to our first snow ! I took pictures at 6:00 in the morning when I got up to do my bible study and have my coffee and realized that the infamous white stuff had made it's appearence here in town - not just up in Pikes Peak.

Well, today officially started the Halloween Festivities - we have many planned over the next week. My MIL and SIL arrived here from California this past Thursday afternoon and are enjoying seeing how much the kids have grown - especially my SIL as she hasn't seen 'em in about two years. We decided to take her to Focus on the Family and today, Steven took her on a drive thru Garden of the Gods and around town while the kids and I attended a local multiples club harvest festival. The kids all got to decide what they wanted to dress up as this year (the first year I let everyone decide) and suprisingly enough, it went much smoother then I thought it would. I only had to run out last week and pick up one costume for Alexis. Everyone else chose from the ones we saved from years past and a few new ones I bought from another friend who has quads.

Attached are some pictures of the kids in their costume / multiple club party pix. More to be posted as the week goes on with another festival tonight at our home church, trick or treating on Friday and a trip to Steven's office to trick or treat there on Friday as well.

Taylor - Cheetah, Alexis - Sleeping Beauty, Joshua - M & M, Anthony - Lion, Julian - Spiderman, Jiliana - Ladybug

Blessings on your week !

My Local News Interview

http://www.kktv.com/2008election/headlines/31232174.html

This is the link for the interview I did with the local Channel 11 news. I was able to "read" it instead of watch the video. I hope you can do the same. Have a great day!

Here's are the pictures from Red Robin (details in previous post).......the kids enjoyed meeting "Red" the bird and having kids' sized root beer floats ! They were well behaved and liked having happy birthday sang to them~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABIES !

Happy 5th Birthday to my little miracle children - Alexis Diana, Joshua Stanley, Anthony Frank, Julian Matthew and Jiliana Hattie ! Steven and I can hardly believe that it has been five years since our lives changed forever ! When Dr. Elliott unfolded each of my children and showed them to me over the blue seperation sheet; I knew each one would be special in his/her own way.........although I didn't realize how much until we all came home and I got to experience them all together at one time! This year, we decided to keep things much more low key then in years' past - amazingly enough, the kids have really enjoyed lots of "little treats" instead of one big bash.

Friday the 17th was their actual birthday and we took them to Build A Bear to make their own special friend! Boy, was that a big deal! As you can see - they really enjoyed picking out and making their new friend! When we were done with Build A Bear, we took them to Sonic for Jr. banana splits and then ordered pizza for dinner.

We let them open up their present from Grammy Susan - nice little "semi-hard" Disney Charactar baseballs - that was interesting once they started throwing them around inside although I must say, nothing has been broken yet! The night was rounded out with a nice Frankenstein cake in honor of the Spooky Season upon us !

Saturday had planned the two little girls attending a birthday party of a little girl they know from Sunday School at church. It was held at Focus on the Family - which we enjoy attending often anyway. Jiliana went to the party and Alexis stayed at home with her siblings; we then got a call from a friend that helps at the local Republican Victory Office. She asked if we wanted to be interviewed for the news because our political signs were stolen out of our front yard the week prior. So we were on the news again! The interview was spliced into the newstory and made the five o'clock news locally.

The reporter found out during the course of our interview that I had seven children, including a set of quints whom had just celebrated a birthday - well, of course we were asked if there was a big party planned. I shared that we were doing lots of little things that were fun and rare for us. Our next treat was to take the kids to Red Robin to get birthday treats this afternoon after church. The reporter asked if she could do a story on us and meet us at the restaurant - we said of course, so we are now "out of hiding" so to speak.

The New Development This Week (and other outragious stories!)

First off, let me start by saying that compared to lots of other HOM families, I have it easy. You jest? Some might say that statement is crazy in itself, but comparitavly speaking, everyone has their own set of hardships to deal with in life; mine just happen to be in the medical mishap department.

Last week seemed to go by smoothly enough, having recovered from five tonselectomies, one ER surgery and loosing my oldest daughter for about an hour after an away cross country meet (long story, another day!) -- I'd say that things were quite calm all things considered. Having said that, Obviously it was too much for me to state such a fact, because last night Joshua (AKA Quint "B") who has always been my biggest moose and my biggest "baby" during sickness -- he actually woke me up from this strange cough he kept having. I would guestimate somewhere around three in the morning, I woke up, went into his room (that he shares with his two other bros.) and realized just how weird this cough sounded. So I promptly picked him up, took him into bed with me and dh where we all three didn't get much more sleep after that. No fever, chills, complaints of pain, etc, just this stupid cough.

So, "Mama Denny Nurse" coming to the rescue, getting online first thing this morning, cruising "Web MD" like a used car bonanza, trying to figure out what the heck I am dealing with and I come across the syptoms list like the bling on the liquor store marquee that says, "ON SALE: -- croup, or barking seal cough. Now, I was 99 % sure this is what he had, but of course, I don't hold the medical degree, I just play nurse full time to seven kids including two that are quite regularly what we refer to around here as "breathing optional".....I call dh and after a quick pow-wow realize that I have to go to the real professionals to make sure my son is getting enough oxygen during this funky cough since the smaller the child the bigger the risk (so that's why all my kids are so underweight?!?!)..........

..........okay, so I decide that dh should come home to take care of the other four while I take Josh to the urgent care about two miles away as it's much closer to our home then the PCP who is all the way across town and a same day would at best be in the afternoon -- not doable when I have to be at home waiting for other kids to get home from their schools. My oldest is already at school, my middle just left for the bus stop at the corner, the other four are asking for breakfast and I am off with Joshua in tow to find out two things:

What are my son's saturations (oxygen levels) and is this contagious?

We arrive at the urgent care to find the facility pretty much empty (praise Jesus!) and get in to see the PA within about an hour (not bad for a walk in basis) upon listening to my son for about ten seconds, I, too, concures it is indeed Croup with a side of horseness (no voice). So we get Dexotrol (steriods) liquid for a one time jump-start dose to recovery and a prescription for nebulizer with albuterol for breathing treatments just like when the kids were six mos. old and got RSV.

So, now we are headed home to relieve dad to go back to work and I am left to get the kids ready for school since today is school pictures (yeah me!) and one is staying home with me. Oh yeah, I did mention that this week is conferences so the district is closed on Thursday and Friday with no school so we were working with a three day week to begin with !

Okay, well, since it's only Monday, I'm sure a lot more juicy info will trickle down my way yet - the week is young!!!

Blessings on your day!

What a Blessing !

Hello Everyone! I hope this find everyone having a productive and healthy fall season !! We are now back in the school groove complete with PM preschool, playing room mom in Taylor's third grade class and making sure Briana is keeping up her grades in middle school (she is doing lovely!) .....it has been a hard adjustment coming down from all these medical procedures and time off from school, etc...........

......however God has been so gracious to put in our family life some awesome Christ-followers who struggle the same struggles, weather with kids or finances or jobs. He has been so gracious to provide for all our needs and even some of our wants, despite the fact sometimes we don't think it 's in the right order! I have slowly learned (and am still learning) that if I just pray it into existence; it will happen and for that I am in awe every day.

........when I think about where I was one year ago (right before we relocated here from southern CA) I cannot beleive how much our family has been blessed with; I prayed for a long time that we would move out of California - a place that is hostile for the most part, high cost of living and not family friendly - but never did I imagine that we would move to a town where we are the norm - large families are A BLESSING here - albeit the quintuplet part still leaves folks stumped - but never once have I heard "Wow, I'm really sorry for you"......and that is so refreshing! Steven has connected with other Christian men at our church; I attend a mid-week women's bible study and the kids enjoy going to church. We have gotten involved in our community - the local GOP office - the multiples club - the school.....things we didn't have time for back in California.

Though we have less money and resources now then we did in CA - God has blessed our lives so richly - it really doesn't matter.....we have each other and caring friends and supportive family.

Okay, I didn't expect to get on this whole "We are so lucky" box - but sometimes, I just have to stop and appreciate what is right in front of me..........