Sort of, kind of, return to blogging

I can't believe it's been almost three months since I've posted here.  

I've been on a blogging break of sorts...one I didn't plan to take, it just sort of happened. 

 A lot has happened since I last posted.

We finished up the Spring semester of co-op, finished up another year of homeschooling, celebrated a sweet little four year old girl's birthday, attended our son's final soccer games and his senior soccer banquet, celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day, our older kids helped with and our younger kids attended Vacation Bible School, sent our youngest boy to a week long soccer camp and...

on May 28th we welcomed our seventh child into the family!

  

This is our little son, Ezekiel Bane  "Zeke".

8 lbs 10 oz

20.5 inches long

We are thrilled to have him here.  He is such a sweet little fella and brings so much joy to our family!

I was pretty quiet about the pregnancy and chose not to share it here on the blog for a number of reasons (perhaps we will chat about those later).  My husband and I decided to wait until he was here to share our news.  It has taken me 6 weeks to do that, but here he is!  

Zeke has very happy and thankful parents and proud siblings.

I'm thinking I will write a separate post about Zeke's birth story.  I will just say for now that we are overjoyed with the end result - our precious baby - but the process was a disaster.  I did not dream my seventh delivery could go so horribly wrong.  We have not stopped praising God for His protection and for the gift of this sweet boy.  

My husband took a picture of me during labor, so later I returned the favor.  We each "labored" in our own way.  hahaha!  Having a baby is so exhausting for dads.  :)

Here is one of the few pictures I have of me pregnant.  I was seriously so busy we hardly remembered to take any pictures - and sick - I was seriously so sick I hardly ever felt like taking pictures.  It is sooo nice not to be sick anymore.

Unless it's your first baby life doesn't really slow down at all when you have a baby.  

The day I had Zeke one of our son's had a guitar recital.  All of our kids stayed at the hospital until the last possible minute and then headed out with our in-house guitarist to his recital.  

As soon as we were home from the hospital life picked right back up with all the activity that a house full of people can produce.  At first I thought I would not be able to get my feet under me.  I was pretty overwhelmed and more than a little tired.  My husband took a week off of work but wow, did that week go quick!  All of the children were super helpful and our dear church family brought in meals.  

Bit by bit I'm figuring out how to be the mom of seven - how to get the laundry washed (just not always put away), how to get dinner on the table (just not exactly on time) how to nurse an infant and read to a little gal while answering a text message, how to run errands and clean house (just not how I used to) how to get a shower before noon, how to get the checkbook balanced and the bills paid and the groceries bought in the two hours between feedings, how to survive on almost no sleep, and so on.  

These have been the best weeks of my whole entire life, even if the previous paragraph doesn't make it sound as such.  I have enjoyed watching our family pull together.  I've laughed as my teens have grocery shopped at the way they interpret my list.  I've smiled as I've watched my husband cry every. single. time. he holds this boy.  I've been proud of the girls as they have taken on the role of little mommies and I've teared up every time I hear the kids bragging about their brother.  God is so good to me and I certainly don't deserve it.  

Life has sort of, kind of, returned to normal so I plan to sort of, kind of, return to blogging.  I'm so glad you've stuck around!