Semifinalist

And the runners-up are......

I've been trying to get a good picture of Landon so that I can make birth announcements for our family that live away, but lack of talent, time and a cooperative baby have come in the way. But I finally picked a picture and ordered them, so here are the pictures that didn't make the cut.

Thanks to the amazing skills of my sister Kristal and the magic of photo shop, they look half way decent. Kristal, you rock!

My next project is to try and get a picture with all five kids. Wish me luck!

At first I was afraid, I was petrified

Kept thinkin' I could never live without you by my side,
(Come on, sing along)
But then I spent a few night alone (with 5 small children)
And I grew strong
And I learned how to get along

Go on now go, walk out the door
and enjoy your weekend away,
'Coz, you're coming back for more.
Weren't you the one, who wanted all these little kids,
We thought I'd crumble?
We thought I'd lay down and die?
Oh, no not I! I will survive
For as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give
I'll survive!
I will survive!
Hey hey!

Sorry Diana Ross for massacring your famous song, but this is the tune that has been running through my head for the past four days with Keith gone to Salt Lake. I've been dreading this weekend for over 6 weeks now, with visions of me not sleeping, crying and screaming. Fortunately for all who dwell here in the Jones home, it hasn't been that bad.
Less sleep then I'd like, but I will survive.
Crying, not by me, but I'm sure they will survive.
And okay a little screaming by me, but once again, I'm sure we will all SURVIVE.
(But only for four day. Any longer then that, and I may come unraveled.)

Thanks Heaven for Dad!
My new song will be, "I'm so glad when Dad comes home"

Landon is 1 month

(This following post is a picture overload,
so if you are not a Grandma or relative you may want to skip this post.)

I can't speak for Landon but this has honestly been the fastest month of my life. I feel like I am constantly in motion or thinking about the five things I need to be doing. It's busy, but I'm happy. The kids all love Landon and are so happy to have another person in our family. Taryn often comes to me in the morning when the older two are at school and the younger two are asleep and says, "I miss our big family!"
I'm not going to lie to a that 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm is CRAZY around here. I can't wait till 7:00 when Keith gets home to help me sweep them all off to bed.
Landon is a good baby. He's not the best sleeper like the rest of your kids were by now, but he makes up for it by not requiring a lot of attention the rest of the time.
Grandma Maurine hand quilts all of her grandkids a quilt. So I thought I should take some pictures of Landon with his quilt for her.

"Hi Bubbba"

Alina is obsessed with Landon. She loves him. She loves to get right in his face and say, "Hi Bubba, Hi Bubba, Hi Bubba." Poor Landon I don't know if he is just enduring the madness or likes it. I hope she can continues to like him with being jealous.

Getting bigger!

This little man is getting so big. I feel bad that my family isn't here to see how sweet and cute he is, so I've decided to try and blog more. Here is where poor Landon spends most of his day, sleeping in the bouncy, high up on my table so that Alina can not harass him. Note the long forehead and HUGE hands like his brother, Garrett.

Best Buddies

These two girls are the best of friends! They can play for hours together without me having to hear a peep out of them. They both have wild imaginations that play out into great adventures. Most of them including one or both of them turning into animals or magical creatures. The only time we have disagreements is when they can't decide who is going to be the owner or trainer of the animals.
Everyday my sofas get rearranged into a fort, trampoline, ocean or a hundred other uses for their play. This does bug me a little, but I figure if this is the least of their messes I best not complain. I'm just happy they get along so well, and require little attention from me.

We miss Grandma

My Mom comes as stays 2 weeks with each of her daughters when they have a baby. She has 24 Grandchildren, so she's spent a good amount of time in each of our homes. My kids LOVE it when Grandma comes to stay with us for the new baby. We have all been so sad to have Grandma leave, especially the girls who were home with Grandma all day. I don't know what we would have done without her.

My Mom is great about help out with all the little things like giving the baby a bath, changing diapers, fix meals, clean up meals, entertain the older kids, and remind me to take care of myself. Whenever she leaves, I always wonder how will survive.

Grandma and Kendall were watching TV, when Grandma realize she had lost Kendall. Kendall somehow fell asleep in this weird position.