Family Pictures 2010

I am so excited!!  We just took family pictures and we just got to see the "sneek peak" preview of them!  There were so many good ones - and I've only seen a fraction of all the pictures taken.  One of my very sweetest friends, Chelsea Allred, took our photos and she did a fantastic job.  Thank you, Chelsea!!  It will be about another week until she finishes all the editing (we took a ton).  The family picture that I posted as our new blog header is just one of many.  More to come!

Oh Baby!

Our baby girl is a feisty one!  The ultrasound technition and I were cracking up at her little personality unfolding on the screen. And watching her on the monitor while feeling her move inside caused me to bond with her even more.  I am so excited for this spunky little girl to meet the rest of Team Reeve.

Her profile

Her profile from the other direction

This one made me laugh.  She's laying on her neck, with her little bottom up, and her knees almost touching her forehead.  Comfortable, Sweetie??  The best part was watching her extend her legs to push into a summersault.  What a crack up!

  

Branson and Irelynn were in the room with me during my ultrasound.  It was amazing when Branson looked up and before we could say anthing he said, "Her foot!!!"  Sure enough, he was right.

 

You may not be able to tell from this picture, but in the moving sonagram this little picture of her hand was doing the "I love you" sign.  (Otherwise known as the Texas Longhorns sign.)

 

Again, upside down doing gymnastics.

This picture is particularily facinating.  She is upside down again, laying on her neck - but this time she got tired of trying to summersault and arched her back instead.  You can see her vertebrae on the left (arching like a backwards "C"), her bottom up with her knees bent and heels tucked.  

She's going to fit right in with our three little monkeys when she arrives! 

Drumroll Please...

When we got back from Mexico we had just found out the gender of our unborn baby.  Much to our surprise, we found out that we were going to have another girl!  We were shocked.  I was so certain that I was going to have a boy.  This pregnancy was so much like Branson's - and not very similar to our girls' pregnancies. 

I wanted to inform the kiddles in a special way, so I shopped for the outfit that she would wear home from the hospital along with her first stuffed animal.  I found the perfect nightgown and the cutest pink piggy for our new baby.  I put the outfit in a white box with grey ribbon to not give away the surprise immediately.  However, inside it was wrapped in bright pink tissue paper - so that when they opened it, there was no room for doubt that our new baby was in fact a girl.  

We captured their reaction frame-by-frame:  

Here I was explaining that each of them came home from the hospital in a special outfit that I picked out for them.  I told them that Natalya's was a pink nightgown with a bunny on it; Branson's was a preemie sized striped onesie with a car on it and a pair of blue sweat pants; Irelynn's was a pink nightgown printed with tiny roses all over. 

Then I explained that we had given them each a special stuffed animal.  Natalya had Magilla Gorilla, Branson had Froggy, and Irelynn had Coco (a puppy).  I told them that our new baby would have this little pig. 

They were so excited to hug the little pig.  They all took turns.

The anticipation was murder.  We opened the box.   

"We're having another baby GIRL,"  I said.

Branson processing the information...

Natalya clapping, overjoyed.  Irelynn grabbing the gift. 

Branson's jaw dropping.

Then he crumbled.

I could hardly lift him from the carpet.  He was devastated.

Natalya said, "I think he's crying just because he wanted bunk beds."  I asked Branson if that was why he was crying.  He said, "No.  I really thought I was getting a brother!"  Then he cried some more.  Even I shed a tear or two.  It was so sad to see him that disappointed!

The only way we got him settled down was by convincing him that maybe this baby will like Spiderman and grow up to be a Nascar driver.  That provided him a little peace. 

I got him to show the camera her nightgown.

It took some convincing that the piggy was for the baby in Mommy's tummy - not for Irelynn.

Natalya is super excited!  Not just for the bunk beds, but for another sister.  :)



Every once in a while Branson will burst into tears for seemingly no reason.  Then I find out that he's still mourning the loss of what he thought was a brother.  He's getting better though.  We helped him understand that this little girl has been waiting to join our family.  We know that she was meant to come to us.  And he can't stand the thought of a member of our family being left behind.  He knows that he will be a great big brother and protector to his sisters.  He also knows that he's not totally "surrounded by girls" as so many point out.  He has his daddy.  And they will bond throughout this process.  I love each of my children.  And it's sweet to see their testimonies grow of the Lord's plan for us as each new baby joins our family.

An Unforgettable Excursion

We had the awesome opportunity of spending almost a week in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico in early September.  Brian's dad and step mom and each of their 8 children with their spouses all left their little ones at home for a care-free vacation.  Talk about an unforgettable excursion!!  We were truly spoiled.  We were having so much fun that we hardly missed our kids.  And they had a fun week planned with Grandma.  It was a win-win.  Here's a sample of what we did on our trip:   

These are the faces of two very relaxed parents.

Paradise Village Resort

 

Our resort had some exotic animals.  Including three beautiful tigers...

Six babes on the beach with fancy drinks watching our husbands swim in the ocean.  Between all of us 9 women, we've given birth to some 28 children and 2 more on the way...  

Amazing women - and hot mamas!  

Me, Stacie, and Angie holding baby Rosalie (Brittany's newest little one).

This is for sure my favorite picture from our trip.  Pure bliss.

The best thing about an "all inclusive" resort is for sure the food.  We ate and ate and ate.

And ate.

And ate.

And smiling, we were ready to eat again.

The pools were fantastic!  Brian just slid down the body of an alligator into the pool.

The boys played basketball in the pool and had a great time.

The Spa

I took a couple of trips to the spa during our stay and was absolutely spoiled.  

Here's Kim and I before getting our massages.  I got the "holistic relaxation" massage loaded with aroma therapy, hot rocks, and warm wraps.  Incredible. 

I went back for a pedicure.  I agreed to purple polish to appease my daughter.  Sure enough, she was pleasantly surprised to see me come home from our trip with purple toes. 

Las Caletas

A few of us (Brian and I, Angie and Jared, Jessica and Gene, Bryan and Brittany, and Kindra and Ian), got on a boat to a private island for dinner and a show.  Dinner was delicious.  The show was great.  The trip to and from the island, however, was less than enjoyable.  Between getting sea sick and caught in a serious rain storm on the way back causing a 30 minute boat ride to end up over 2 hours long, it was slightly miserable.  Cold, wet, and nauseated.  (I'm glad I can look back on this occasion and laugh!)  At least we enjoyed each other's company and had a wonderful dinner and show.  

 

The island was beautiful.

The show was funny, artistic, and full of talent.  They played music and danced in the rain. 

We were all surprised when some of the cast members descended from the trees above our heads!

Drummers in the trees. 

We were treated to a dinner buffet.  All the food was good - but they had the best seasoned vegetables I've ever had!

**Notice how dry and clean we look before we headed back to the mainland.**

After the return boat ride.

Seriously soaked.  I actually dumped water out of my handbag and had to lay our our wallets, phones, money, etc., out to dry.

Zip Line

Everyone got the chance to go zip lining together!  I certainly couldn't participate because of the little girl in my belly :) but I couldn't stand the thought of being left out.  I was excited just to watch and take a few pictures.  And it just worked out that I could hold little Rosalie during the excursion so that her mom and dad could join the others.  She's such a good baby - she slept almost the entire time.

Angie and Jared in their harnesses.

From my vantage point I could watch them on 7 out of 11 zip lines.  They had such an awesome time!

These sweet cheeks slept the whole time.

During the couple hours I was there I made a new friend.  He was Nahuatl, an Aztec descendant, and lived in the hills.  Spanish was his second language and English his third.  He has never had a formal education but learned how to make these little bracelets (and other crafts) from his father.  I bought one bracelet for each of our kids.  

The ride back was beautiful.  There were several waterfalls just off the road. 

The country.



The City.

On our last night there we enjoyed dinner, Mariachi music and dancing.

'Til next time, Mexico.  Thank you for a fabulous vacation! 

And thank you, Rob and Kim for providing a way for all of us to enjoy one another together.  That was awesome.