The Howe Family

Leading up to Nate’s brother returning from his missionary service for our church, the boys would play the following game at breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Phin: (chanting in a regular tone) Uncle Chris! Uncle Chris! Uncle Chris!

Eli: (gradually getting louder) Uncle Chris! Uncle Chris…. UNCLE CHRIIIIIIIS!

Phin: (super loud) UNCLE CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!

They loved going back and forth saying his name and seeing how long they could yell before I would crack up laughing and try quieting them down. (“We don’t yell at the table you guys…”)

Anyway, we are happy that Chris served a wonderful mission in Los Angeles. Welcome Home you bilingual power house! We love you! Here are a few pics for posterity-sake:

We had a “heaven on earth” kind of a day on Sunday. Adele was blessed at church. If you haven’t been to a baby blessing at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you should. It is beautiful and empowering. I loved watching Adele being held up by her father and other dear family and friends who have the priesthood. The men stand in a circle with the sweet baby and (typically) the father will give a blessing for their life. Nate blessed her to be a light in the world and other wonderful things.

This is a picture taken after we liberated her from the antique christening gown. She is being held by her Grandpa Howe and oh-so-happy to be with family (and out of that dress!). I’ll hopefully get photos of her in the blessing dress before she outgrows it. Love you all!

A great thing about living in agriculture country: people grow food, even if they don’t like it.

Case in point: a man outside Fort Morgan offered some free apples on the Swap Shop radio show. When we arrived he said, “I don’t even like apples!”

Last week we had a family date in a local orchard. It was quite heavenly- the air smelled sweet and the sun was just about to set. I need those kind of days to remember how absolutely fabulous it is to be alive. The boys frolicked around and ate loads of fresh apples (including wormy ones I’m sure. Eli wasn’t very discriminatory about which ones ended up in his mouth…). I even daydreamed about having an orchard one day… Ahhh. Here’s to harvest season!

If you’re wondering about the canning picture- we canned about 30 pints of applesauce. Yum!

This is just a promo post for my photographer phriend, Chelsea Ellingson. If you are in Northern Colorado and need exceptional pictures – she’s your girl. Click here to see her work.

These are the rest of the “meeting Adele” shots from July.

This post is for my dear friend, Sarah. Yesterday on the phone she asked what we were doing this summer. I casually said we weren’t really doing much. This morning I was thinking through the past month and realized that we’ve had a brilliant summer. So, Sarah- here is my real answer about our summer:

I have LOVED this summer because we added Adele to our family. Having a newborn has forced us to enjoy staying close to home. And honestly, I love my home! We have worked really hard to make it our heaven. I have loved watching my toddler boys enjoy the kid-summer-stuff like making popsicles, swimming in pools, scratching bug bites, hunting for worms, drawing masterpieces with chalk, watching fireworks. I remember how good things are when my kids can run around a backyard without a care in the world.

Phin is really into worms. He brought some in the house this morning so they could watch him eat his snack. He says that the worms, “wiggle when they are happy.”

Phin can also identify parsley and chives in the garden and bring them into me when I cook. I am still working with him on deciphering the difference between thyme and oregano.  Eli likes to pick chives, too. But he feeds them to our next door dog, Goldie. That poor dog.

We are off to Fort Collins today to go on a toddler hike and play in the splash park. Life is so good. Here’s to lazy summers and popsicle-stained faces.

All three children are napping. Miracle? Yes.

After three whirlwind weeks with a newborn, I am ready to share the long awaited birth story. Once upon a time, I thought my water was slowly leaking. (I’m not one to gush amniotic fluid without the assistance of the OB’s crochet hook.) It was either me losing bladder control or amniotic fluid. It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference there at the end without scientific equipment. So, I headed to the hospital on Sunday afternoon looking for some of that scientific equipment. I wanted to be sure before Nate headed into Greeley for a church meeting.

I went into the hospital with nothing but my wallet, sunglasses, and cell phone. The sweet nurse informed me, as she held up a black q-tip, that I was going to be admitted right then and there. I was a solid 2 cm and 50% effaced with leaking amniotic fluid. I thought that was fabulous news. I called Nate and then started calling around for a babysitter. Our friend came over to watch the boys while my fabulous Labor Team drove to Fort Morgan. (Our friend was supposed to be running a Girl’s Camp Meeting at the church- so she just changed the venue to our kitchen table.)

The big rush of momentum once I was admitted was great. I was totally excited and ready to push out a baby in a few hours. Hook up the Pit! However, in a small town, things don’t always work out how you want. My doctor wasn’t coming in until the morning. She told the nurse over the phone, “just have her go to sleep and then she’ll be rested for the morning, if she wants an epidural, page the nurse anesthetist now so you don’t wake him up later tonight.” It was truly 14 hours or so until I saw my doctor from when I was admitted.

Nate came to rescue me with board games and snacks. He also brought toasting glasses and bubbly to celebrate. (Disclaimer: Our bubbly was a tasty Grape-Cranberry Martinelli’s.) My Labor Team arrived a few hours later and I didn’t have anything exciting for them to do. I wasn’t progressing on my own and I was having very little pain. I sent them to my house to sleep on real beds and Nate and I played board games and listened to great music on a mix provided by my best friend, Chelsea.

I knew I would want that epidural, so in came our good friend from church to hook it up. (Again, small town reality…). He was fabulous and in minutes I couldn’t even feel the awkward pain from full-term pregnancy. Seriously- I could actually sleep! In the morning my nurse came in and announced that once my OB was done with her shower, she would come and break my water. Still no rush. Nate ate the scary breakfast tray, complete with a rubber-egg-disc, and I wasn’t even jealous.

My doctor broke my water around 7:00 am and then things finally got moving. I progressed quickly and really enjoyed having the epidural so early. With my other deliveries, I always waited until I was super cranky and mean to get the epidural. With Adele’s labor, I had it in before I ever had real pain. This delivery was almost dreamy. I felt great and enjoyed it! When I transitioned it was time to throw up and then push her out. (That’s how it always works with my babies: transition, puke, push.) Nate was so excited for my nausea that he pushed the call button to get a nurse in to check my dilation, etc. I didn’t want an audience to watch me puke and called my sweet husband a jerk.

After pushing through 2 contractions she arrived! She had the cord wrapped around her neck, so after she was set free, we met face-to-face.

I needed Adele. I am so thrilled that I get to be her mother.

*Photos were taken by Chelsea Ellingson.

I am thrilled to announce that we did plant a garden this year. I didn’t think it would happen because of crazy May schedules, hail storms, and mostly a big pregnant me. This is our second year of gardening- but you wouldn’t be able to tell. We were far less ambitious than last year. Here is the roll call of our garden:

• Tomatoes (Mr. Stripey Heirloom, yellow pear, better boy, and celebrity)
• Red and Yellow onions
• Cucumber
• Zucchini
• Yellow summer squash
• Snap peas
• Green beans
• Peppers (green bell, yellow bell, jalapeño, and banana)

Thankfully, all of our perennial herbs came back from last year. So I am happily making fresh herb vinegarettes using thyme, chives, and oregano. We also have sage, mint, and French tarragon. I haven’t done anything yet with the sage or tarragon. The tarragon has a anise-y flavor which doesn’t appeal to my pregnant nose. We also have really happy strawberry and raspberry plants that survived the dry winter and hail extravaganza.

Here’s to growing season! What are you growing?

I finally had the front tire on my double jogging stroller repaired. I was tugging the wagon around in the meantime- which was less than comfortable or efficient. (Also, my pregnancy waddle didn’t look so hot without something to hide behind.) So, my return-to-mobility celebration today was at Riverside Park. It is one of the gems of Fort Morgan. There is a giant playground, sand volleyball pits, basketball courts, inline skating/hockey rink, baseball fields, duck pond, horseshoe pits, walking trails, swimming pool, and an impressive disc golf course.

Our celebration featured a frog hunt on one of the nature trails that goes along side part of the Platte River. We didn’t find any frogs, but we found lots and lots of sticks. Boys are quite content with sticks, so I didn’t have any complaints. I am SO thrilled to have my stroller back.

**Phin’s one eyed photo was taken at his request. He wanted to have a “pirate face” picture.

There are about 3 questions that we are asked constantly about the baby. They are the universal acceptable-small-talk-for-expectant-parents questions:

1. When are you due?
2. What are you having?
3. What will you call him/her?

Here is our current list of names that we like, love, or think are funny. Leave a comment about your favorites or least favorites.

• Vivian or Vivienne
• Stella
• Eden
• Ava
• Lilly
• Rosemary
• Grace
• Ruby
• Mae
• Naomi
• Zion
• Adelaide
• Charlotte
• Phoebe
• Della or Idella
• Rosalind
• Harmony
• Gwendolyn or Gweneth
• Ada
• Norah
• Opal

(And yes, we did do a google search for “lunch lady names” and “nursing home names.” Shady Acres was popular.)