Maddox Zephyr Kemble
February 17, 2009
6lbs 15oz
19 inches

We decided to be induced on Tuesday and the labor and delivery was nearly effortless. It took 8 hours, he was born at 4:43pm. He is a very good baby. The kids just love him. At first the boys were unsure of what was going on and seemed nervous of him, but now life is just a usual for them. We are all feeling the lack of sleep though! Kyle and I have agonized over him name. We always put a lot of pressure on ourselves, silly I know but I want everything to be perfect for this little guy, especially for his beginning. We chose Maddox because it has both Welsh and oddly enough, Pottawatomie backgrounds. Kyle is being a lovely husband and letting me have my eccentric middle name of Zephyr. I think its meaning is so beautiful, A mild gentle breeze. As I wrap this up though I want to thank Madonna, Jessica, and Ty for watching the other of our kids. My mom for taking me to the hospital and supporting me and her encouragement. Lastly, Kyle I love you my kind, dear, and long suffering husband, I love you. May we enjoy the next chapter of parenthood!

It's a Zoo!

The kids have these little outfits in their dress up bin and this was the first time they all three had them on at the same time. They ran around "getting" each other and pretending they were zoo animals. On a side note for Halloween Jack this was the alligator suite he had to wear for halloween with a gun. He was a gun packin alligator.

Making Memories

One of the main reasons we moved up here was to be closer to family and to spend more time with them. Well, this Christmas we decided to go out to his parents and cut down a tree. In the past we have had a fake Christmas tree so this is a truly new experience all together. We went up to the property that his Dad owns up at Buck Creek and searched for probably and hour. Kyle and his Dad found a tree that we perfect. It was down a small ravine so Kyle had to hike down and cut down our perfect little tree and he and his dad pulled it up with a rope. It was so much fun. Sam loved the snow he just couldn't stop eating it. Jack loved being out with the guys, he says he going to be just like his Dad when he grows up. Katey had a good time till she got to cold, then she started to cry. Poor thing. We took it home and decorated it. To be honest it was a little Charlie Brown tree , like but we loved it and the memories.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

(In this pic. this is just the first time it snowed 15"
overnight, now the snow is 1/2 way up the window!)

This winter has been a long one already. Had anyone told me how much it was going to snow up here in the boonies, I don't know that I would've moved! Just kidding! But really it has been a record breaking snow fall for the inland northwest. According to records it hasn't snowed this much since 1963. As of recently we have gotten 65.5 inches of snowfall. When the kids go out to play in is up to their waists. The snow plows can't keep up with all of the streets and the mayor of Spokane declared a state of emergency, and snow burms as tall as me and so wide that many of the streets have lost a lane on either side. The kids have been out of school for 7 days on top of Christmas vacation. Not to make matters worse but now that the snow has stopped the rain has continued. Well, that makes the snow heavy and now roofs are caving in all over town. It is literally a skating rink now! Driving is like off roading it is so bumpy and potholes in the ice 6 inches deep, easy! Now the kids have been having snow days just because it is unsafe to walk to school, being that there is snowy icey burms covering sidewalks and all of the ice. What a crazy winter.(Just for a visual the snow burms from the snow
blower are upp to about my dad's shoulder, he's 5'10)

You always see pictures of other peoples kids that fall asleep in the funniest ways and places. Now we finally have one too! We were all getting ready to go some where and Sam was kinda whiney and wanted Daddy to hold him. But as we were all busseling around he got ignored. Next thing I know as we all started for the door I look over and Sam has fallen asleep on a bin, standing up! He is so darn cute!

On Christmas Eve Sam wore a Santa hat to dinner at my Mom's and ever since loves to wear this hat every where. Well, today in the car Katey told Sam that she liked his Santa hat and how cute he was. In his little broken baby words he said," Not Santa hat, My hat! Sam's hat!" In the picture here he didn't want Dad to take a picture of his hat.

Katey drew this picture for Granny the other day. It is a picture of the Nativity. The people in the picture are from left to right. Mary, Heavenly Father, Baby Jesus, Wise Man, and a girl Shepard. Note the star in the sky, too! It is so very precious, isn't it? And I bet no one thought that maybe Heavenly Father would be present, too! Merry Christmas from all of us. Thank you for the the beautiful picture Katey. (The lines across the pictures are because she drew it on lined paper.)

Katey's Take on Families and Forever

The other day while helping Katey take a shower she was telling me all her woes of being an older sister. How hard it is and how her little brothers are soooo mean. I respond by saying,"Some people believe that we choose our families while in the pre-exsistance and perhaps even our birth order." She thinks for a minute then replies,"um, mom, I don't think so. I think that we just get what we get and we're stuck with it. Not only that but God says think about what you want, cause that's NOT what your gonna get!" I am always so stunned when she says stuff like that all I could come up with was," Katey maybe your partly right but God is not that sarcastic and does not torment us."

Yesterday, my husband and I took the kids up to the hopsital to see Grandma Sylvia. She had a stroke on Thanksgiving. While we were there Katey said that she had a penny for Grandma. She went to Grandmas bedside and said," Grandma, I found a lucky penny for you outside and I thought you might want to have it. It might help to get better faster." I just about cried, she was so sincere, so beautiful. Grandma took the penny and smiled, it was a very tender moment.

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

We have had a good Thanksgiving, yet again. The food was fantastic and the company even better. My mom, myself, and Jessica, and Julie all divided up the Thanksgiving menu and that made the load so much more manageable. There was The Peaslee's, The Kemble's, The O'Driscoll's, The Rennakers, and Kyle's parents Paul and Cordelia. There was so much food it was fantastic , there was sweet potatoes, two different kinds of turkey, ham, and 8 different kinds of pie! Jessica had her turkey smoked and Kyle made a cider and spice brine. He even caught the oven of fire with it! I got to use my Grandmothers fine china that she gave to me and that was fun. Really it could not be more perfect. Except that Grandma Sylvia had a stroke and is now in the hospital. So, naturally, we were deprived of my mom and dad's company. We are all very concerned for Grandma and quick recovery. We ask at this time to keep her in your prayers for her to return to good health and spirits.

Thank you & happy Holidays!