Why Aunts are Cooler than Moms . . .

Aunts are cooler than moms because when they take you to the Children's Museum, they paint your faces to look like real cats.

Moms just paint little tattoo-sized shapes on your arm.

This is a little late, but thanks for coming, Julianne! You made my life so much easier while you were here; the kids adore you and I believe you had a lot to do with Miles not coming a few days earlier! I hope you enjoyed some stimulating conversation with Audrey about religion and international languages and Neal about politics. Now you know just how boring being on bedrest can be and just how wonderful it is to have a new little one arrive in the middle of the night! Love you! Live it up in P-Town!

Two Boys

Miles today, 16 days old

Here are some more pictures of Miles (steph!). So sorry for the lame blogginess; I've had a major run-in with something commonly called "walking pneumonia," just the thing you want when you're recovering from a c-section and feeding a cute baby all night! Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon, although I've been saying that for over a week. Luckily, Miles is quite well and getting a little chubbier every day. I'm so grateful that he's not sick; that is my worst fear.

My mom, and now my dad, are here to take wonderful care of us. My mom is making sure I don't lift a finger, although I'm going to have to start to soon or Monday will be a rude awakening. Audrey and Parker are great; Audrey was a bit tired of getting up early by last Friday and revelled in her pajamas most of the day Saturday. Parker started preschool this week. I think he likes it; he doesn't really say, but I think it's good for him to get out and do his own thing for a few hours. Here he is on his first day.

and here's more of his cute little brother . . .

The luckiest shot ever. How cute is that?

Fun with Miles

We've been having fun with our new little family member this week. We thought we would play biggest to smallest . . .
Audrey wanted Miles to lay in bed with her and her "guys" . . .

And Miles has been working on his arm exercises.


Everything is going well; I'm still a bit slow and under the weather with a nasty cough (who knows where that came from) and a bit of mastitis (if you don't know what that is, don't ask), but I'm slowly on the mend. Thankfully my mom is here and taking excellent care of everyone.

Oh, and Audrey went to kindergarten today. Neal is able to take her on his way to work; he said she had absolutely no problem being left there, which is of no surprise to us. Like my mom said, if any five-year-old can handle going to school for seven hours, five days a week, it's Audrey. Here she is all ready to go this morning.

For a complete rundown of her day, check out her blog here!

My Miles

Here are some more pictures of my sweet little Miles. He's doing very well in every way; he figured out the nursing thing right away and has been loving it ever since; he sleeps almost always and when he's awake, he's trying really hard to focus on things and loves to squeak. It's fun to have a baby again. :)

His last night in the hospital

Miles burrito. He's more like a taquito.

This is what he looks like today, 4 days old.

As for me, I'm working on standing up straight and getting off the pain medication. My mom is very good at getting me to take naps.

Audrey and Parker are living up the last few days of summer; school starts next week! I'm so excited for Audrey, but sad realizing just how much she'll be gone. Kindergarten here is quite brutal, 8-3 five days a week. I'm sure she'll be fine, but I'm worried Parker's going to miss her like crazy. He'll be in school 2 days a week, which is very exciting for him! More later, it's naptime.

Baby Miles is Here!

Miles Jefferson Horn was born today at 8:19 am. He weighed in at a hefty 5 lbs. 13 oz. and is 18 inches long. He and Leslie are both doing great and are recovering in the hospital. Stay tuned for more updates!

Quotes of the Day V

Just some fun "mykid" quotes of late. These are mostly only endearing to Bramma and Pa, but heck, I thought I'd share:

The other day, we came home for a moment to drop off groceries before a playdate, and I noticed that the gate from our front yard to the back was open.

Me: "Huh, that's weird; the gate is open."
Audrey: "Are you going to close it? Maybe there's a doggie back there." (has happened before)
Me: "I think Daddy just left if open yesterday. I'll be right back."
Audrey: "Mama, if there's a stranger back there, are you going to fight him?"

Parker and I were leaving the bathroom at the pool the other day. The toilets flush REALLY loudly, so he went outside before I flushed it. When I got out there, he said, "why did Heavenly Father make those toilets flush too loud?"

Driving to the airport to pick up Julianne, Parker gets a contemplative look and then, using hand motions, says,
"Mommy, what's farther up than outer space?"
Me (after telling Parker that space never ends and watching his wheels turning to process that one), to Neal: "Who do you know that is 3 and wonders about the nature of the universe? I love Parker."

PS: no baby. My contractions have slowed down, but the occasional one (about 2 an hour) really hurts. What to do! This is getting very, very nerve-wracking.

More books . . .

For the past two days or so, I've been having some painful and numerous contractions and have ordered myself to bed. I've got to keep this baby in here at least a few more days, and luckily, I am able to be in bed because my lovely sister, Julianne is here to care for my kids. During each contraction, I think that surely there is no way I can stay pregnant until the 22nd (when my C-section is scheduled), so I'll keep you posted. We may have our little one sooner than we thought. So, in my state, I can either will myself to have more contractions just by glancing at a clock, or I can read books. I'm trying to read books. I've read these:

Three Against Hitler
The true story of three young German LDS men who actively and fearlessly tackled the Nazis in their own way in Hamburg, Germany at the beginning of WWII. They paid a very large price for their bravery and the story is chronicled by one of them, Rudi Wobbe, a survivor.






A Cup of Tea: A Novel of 1917
by Amy Ephron

A much lighter, very quick little novel about a love triangle during WWI in New York. A good "bathtub book," as my friend Allison calls it. (In other words, it doesn't take a whole lot of brainpower, but the story is good, nonetheless.)

Happy 34th!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! You have always been such an example of commitment, love and devotion. I hope we can be like you some day. I love you!

You know you're pregnant when . . .

You know you're pregnant when you're driving down the road, alone in the car (for once!) and that Lonestar* song, "I'm Already There" comes on; it's the one about the dad calling home from a hotel room and hearing his kids and wiping a tear from his eye. And you find yourself wiping tears from your own eyes.

C'mon, I live in Texas. They play Lonestar on the soft rock station. :)

Oh, and then my friend Emily sent me this.

Reading Corner

These are my latest reads. All three were quite enjoyable! Check 'em out!


The Pearl, by John Steinbeck

A short story I was never required to read in highschool, but by one of my favorite authors. It follows a poor, young fisherman who finds a very precious pearl in the ocean, which subsequently brings great change upon his small family, and reveals facets to his personality he never knew existed.






Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

A memoir of sorts written by a woman on vacation alone. She ponders the relationships of her life and compares them to sea shells. An inspiring read, quite quoteworthy!















Katherine, by Anya Seton

My mom left this book at my house for me to read. (Thanks, Mom!) It was a good one, based on real people, Katherine and John, the powerful Duke of Lancaster. They were in love for many years and married toward the end of their lives. It all happens amidst much peasant revolting in England in the 1300s.




PS: 36 weeks today! If I had been on bedrest, I would have officially been allowed to get up today. :)

Audrey

Check out Audrey's blog to see a video of her playing her newest song on the piano. She's so proud!

Today . . .

Today, as the kids and I "walk errands" in the August heat, I am grateful for these:

pregnant lady parking spaces.

Mama

Martha Annis Walker Horn, age 15

Today is Neal's mom's birthday. I can't really put into words the feelings I have for this extraordinary woman. I never have known anyone who even compares to her on so many levels. Someone at her memorial service said something so beautiful about her that I'll never forget. They related that speaking to Mama was like "standing by a lit fireplace. As you walked away from your conversation, you felt like you were just glowing with her warmth and love," almost as if it were a palpable heat, her personality was that strong and influential.

Her ability to make you feel like the most important person in the world gained her friends throughout her life; even strangers felt as though she was their best friend. She taught me to always acknowledge that even the small things in my life are deliberate blessings from my Heavenly Father, and that I ought to be thankful for them. She taught me patience, unending love and devotion to family, confidence in myself and my opinions, and how to live with true grace and dignity. Her testimony and unfailing faith strengthened mine, her words and laughter brought me joy and happiness, her determination to live her life to the fullest inspires my hardest days, and she made my wonderful Neal the man and father he is. I love her dearly and miss her daily. I can't wait until the day when she can meet Parker and reunite with her little "Audie Mae;" until then, we have the memory of her love and laughter to sustain us. Happy Birthday Mama!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Mama; she loved to garden, but even more than that, she loved to garden with Neal. And the addition of a crazy little redhead just added to the fun that day.

Here is Audrey with her "Gie." All of the other grandkids called her "Ganmama," but since Audrey was still a baby at the time, she'll always be "Gie" to our little family.

Below are some of my favorite excerpts from Neal's brother Jeff's beautifully written eulogy to his mother:
"Though Mama has passed from this life, we shall never be 'without' her. She is so much a part of who we are; there is not a part of us that has not fallen under her influence. Everything we love about life reminds us of her. As John said, 'how blessed we are to be the children of such a courageous, beautiful and tender woman. We couldn’t have loved her any more than we do.' "
"Mama had an incredible ability to accept people as they are. She never faulted people for disagreeing with her, or tried to force them to accept her position. This allowed her to form close relationships with dozens of people who came from different backgrounds than she did, were of different faiths than she was or lived lifestyles that were different from her own. As Aunt Sue said, 'one of the things I loved most about your mother is that she loved me the way I was.' "
"Even in the darkest hours, when she learned that her children were gathering to say their goodbyes, Mama managed to say 'as soon as I am able to get this pain under control and I get a little strength, I'm going to go in there and make some bread for when everyone comes.' "
"One day near the end, while lying down beside Mama, Georgia happened to look at her wedding ring. There was a little touch of bread dough clinging to the bottom of the diamond. How symbolic of her life. Feeding others, physically, spiritually and emotionally, was the focus of her life."
"Mama frequently told us 'I’m not afraid of dying.' She told Shelby recently, 'I had such a good time living.' "

Sorry for the sad post, readers; I just wish you all could have known Neal's mama. All of us who did are much better people for it.

Butterfly Center

At the Natural History Museum here in town, we have a really fun place called the Butterfly Center. We went this afternoon since Neal had some time off. The kids have been there before, but they have never been so enthralled with it as they were today! It was really beautiful. There are thousands of butterflies flying all around, landing on people, eating fruit and just hanging out on tropical plants. Audrey said, "Mommy, can we come here all the time? I love this place!" Maybe soon we'll become members of the museum so we can avoid the steep admission prices. Here are some shots from the day!

The kids in front of a case of butterflies in all stages of development, some in chrysallises, some drying out their wings after just emerging.

An Atlas Moth. Neal was really excited about seeing this one. You can't really tell, but it's about 8 inches from wing tip to wing tip!

Hey Indy Parkers, this place is reason enough for you to visit; Andrew would LOVE it! They have dozens of species of other live bugs, too, not just butterflies and moths. Not to mention the thousands of dead bugs on display, too.

Mommy?

"Mommy, after our bedtime snack, can I read just one book to Parker?"