Highs & Lows

Well, since I last posted, it has been an emotional time for our family. We have had high ups and low downs, so there is a lot to write about.

First, we discovered in late August that we are unexpectedly expecting our fifth child. Obviously, this was unexpected as my husband is still out of work. But not unplanned, as we were planning on having more children. We were just planning on waiting until after Nathan had employment. We trust Heavenly Father has a reason for this child coming now and are looking forward to the arrival. My due date is April 4, 2011 – which will put Robin and the new baby just 17 short months apart. I am going to have my hands full!

Then came more shocking news, this time both unwelcome and painful. We discovered that my Aunt has stage 4 lung cancer that has spread to other parts of her body. This has been very hard on my father and his family, as they just lost their younger brother last year. My Aunt also live several states away from us and our van is not running well, which means at this point we are unable to go see her. She has elected to undergo chemotherapy and fight the cancer. So we are keeping her in our family prayers and submitting her name to the temple prayer roll regularly – hoping for a miracle but again putting our faith in Heavenly Father to know what is best.

More recent news was happily received but not wholly unexpected. My brother is engaged to be married! He and his then girlfriend took a road trip cross country and stopped to visit us along the way. The whole family was hoping that the trip might end in an announcement, but no one was sure. Sure enough, he popped the question the day before they arrived here. He even caught it on camera (I admit it, I teared up when I saw the picture, but I blame the pregnancy hormones). So when we met, I was properly introduced to her as his fiancé. I am so excited for them! We only got to spend one afternoon chatting and getting to know her, but from what I see, I like her and think she’s definitely good for him. My mom is already worried about travel, though, because they are thinking of next May for the wedding date, which means I’ll have a brand new baby to take on the trip. I’m sure it’ll all work out.

Then more sad news today. My husband’s uncle died this morning. Which means his mother is the last member of her family left. So we are having her come over tonight so that we can make her dinner and she can spend time with some of her children and grandchildren. Upon reflection after this news, Nathan and I reached a sobering conclusion. The older we get, the more friends and family we will see pass through the veil. At times like this, I am very grateful for the comfort and knowledge the gospel gives us. I have no fear of never seeing my loved ones again; I know my Heavenly Father has provided an immensely better and more loving plan for all of us.

Onto updates about individual family members. Dad is still job hunting. He’s had some interviews and has one tomorrow. With the economy the way it is, we’ll just have to have faith that something will turn into a job. I’m doing well with the pregnancy, though the COBRA payments to keep me insured are ridiculous. Rebekah is doing well in school and still a great help to me with her younger sisters. Rose is as sociable as ever and a little harder to button down, but still a good girl. Rachel gets into everything and speaking quite clearly now. Robin is very interested in the world around her, a big eater and pulling herself to a standing position quite easily now.