Another Jacob Israel . . . ?

Well, it's officially official--we are going to have a baby brother! Jacob has told me for weeks that our baby in my tummy is going to be a boy; another Jacob Israel King, which is how Jacob always refers to himself. And he was right! Sort of.

We had our ultrasound today (I'm 23 weeks along) and everything is good--fingers, toes, 4 chambers in the heart, and another boy. With a small head like his big brother, I might add. We make our girls hearty with big heads and our boys skinny and pinheaded, but they're all cute!

I already think this little guy is adorable, as you should be able to tell from these incredibly clear pictures taken from the blurry images they gave us. Don't you think he looks like his daddy? He wouldn't cooperate with the doctor, so the first 3 shots are all looking up his nose. What a cute nose! The first two are the same (I couldn't decide which was the least blurry), the 3rd is a lower angle. And the last is a semi-profile of face & belly. I think his nose and mouth look a bit like Jacob mixed with Eleni.

As far as names go, Jacob Israel isn't going to work again, even though it's the only suggestion we can get out of Jacob. So we are open to any suggestions!

Uncle Benji got married!

This is going to be an exciting year on the Romney side of the family--3 weddings in 3 months. That has to be some kind of record! Well, one down and two to go. I thought some of you might appreciate seing how fun it is for us to travel long distances. Our kids have been really patient about being squeezed into the back of a Corolla . . . eventually we'll get a bigger vehicle, but it's good for our kids to do without, right?

Things started out okay . . .

But by the end of the trip, I think everyone was worn out!

Truly, it was truly a wonderful weekend. The kids had a blast with their cousins,

Benj & Amy's wedding was beautiful, wonderful, and everything we could have hoped it would be (they even had my favorite BYU-I Catering Spinach Salad at the luncheon--what could be better?)--I even got to sing my famous Irish Drinking Song, thus performing the one and only musical number aside from the songs by the bride and groom.

We didn't get many pictures with my family--I'm always forgetting to whip out the camera. But I liked this one of Ellie practicing Grandma Yaya's piano.

In addition to the wedding, we had another special surprise. Seth's brother Vance and his wife Brittney had a baby while we were in town! They were nice enough to let us all come that evening to meet beautiful baby Austin James (I hope that's spelled right). He's adorable! The first baby on that side of the family, so the kids are thrilled.

WE NEED UNTSEE!!!

I don't know what any of us would to without our precious Lydia Natalie! She's in first grade this year and doing well. She's a reader like her momma-today after school we started talking about the day, then both ended up sitting together at the table, reading the new books I'd picked up at the library. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, eh, Marilla?

"Unt-see," for lack of a better spelling, is the nickname Jacob and Eleni have given poor Lydia. She is the center of their little world, and for a while they didn't know what to do when she went to school. But now they have found ways to entertain themselves, and not all of them quiet and peaceful . . . They love to play what we call "Indian in the Cupboard," where they lock themselves in this cupboard, then burst open at the same time. Ellers is surprisingly good at it.

This is our neighbor, Madi, a sweet friend to both kids. Her name was one of Ellie's first words, along with "Daddy," "Mommy," "Jesus," and "Lolalolalolalola," said with tongue flapping back and forth.

It means "Lola," short for the Disney Channel cartoon, Charlie and Lola. It's a family favorite--Seth and I enjoy watching it almost as much as the kids. You really should check it out! Oh, yes, and "cah-co cheese" (cottage cheese--she's a dairy fanatic).

Here are Ellie and Lydia on Easter Morning, and Jacob posing for the camera. We actually took this picture because he said he molded a bear out of sour cream . . . And of course Ellie got a hold of the Halloween candy (yes, we still have some).

Spring in St. George

Spring here is like summer everywhere else. It's beautiful! I'm going to show off the yard a bit; almost 100% Seth's doing. He finished the deck and landscaping a couple of years ago, but can't function without some kind of yardwork project. So he keeps buying plants for the yard, and so far, everything is flourshing! (Excepting the white peach tree, which appears to be giving up the battle against aphids. If I had a dollar for every time I had to spray those blasted bugs off our plants . . . but dishsoap and water works!)

And here you see why Seth is known as the guy with the greenest lawn on the cul-de-sac. One of my friends told me it looks like carpet. I think it's because he fertilizes it practically every other day, then tells all the neighbor kids not to walk on it. I heard our 3-yr-old neighbor tell another kid, "Don't walk on Jacob's grass--it has poison on it!"

Here's our garden--tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, strawberries, and onions. Last year we had tomatoes for months and months--hope it happens again! We love the growing season here.

Climb Every Mountain

Lately I've taken to wearing Jacob & Eleni out by hiking up the mountainside behind our house. They love it because we can see our tiny house down below, and I love it because they're ready for naps when we get home. These are some shots from our recent picnic. St. George in winter is truly heavenly . . . although we did get one little snowstorm on Monday!

I made Jacob carry the food thinking I would carry Ellers. But she was pretty tough, as you can see!

UH, did somebody say surgery?

Seth has barely moved for the last 4 days. He came out of anesthesia thoughtfully inquiring, "Is this the Celestial Kingdom, because all I want is a hot dog!" The surgery went well, but the recovery is a lot more than we bargained for. It will be a long road. The surgeons repaired his multiple hernias, and he is dying to get back to doing his daily routine. The kids are keeping us on our toes, but they sure are sweet little cookies. Jacob has been helping Seth get up the stairs (he holds Seth's finger and makes grunting noises), and Lydia keeps praying that dad will get better. All in all we are surviving.

Bodies keep falling apart!

So basically, all the kids have had multiple bouts with the stomach flu, Eleni, Jacob, and their dad all burst an eardrum this year, Jessica's feet are getting worse, and my gut exploded (hernia) lifting weights, which led to a really awkward moment with my neighbor (family practitioner) in the church bathroom.

We are already waiting for the day when we are all going to have major overhauls on these decaying bodies. I plan to look like one of them statues with stomach muscles ripped in places unimagined. Of course someday I also hope to have all the hair that I have charged with treason return to honor my crown, if ya know what I'm sayin'.