Update

Hey everyone! I'm actually doing much better than I expected. Don't get me wrong, I'm still sad and depressed about Adri, but I'm finding ways to get through each day as it comes to me and not be useless and lay in bed all day because, as I learned before, that does nothing for you. If anything, it makes you worse! So I'm trying my best to stay positive and smile through the tears and be strong for the little ones, because they are sad too. We are not going to our lake-house anymore, we canceled that and are not sure if we will reschedule this summer or not. We have plans to make about the funeral and such! The funeral for my baby girl Adri will be this Friday evening. All of our family is coming in from Washington and PA to pay my respects. My parents already came down this morning! I missed my mom so much and it really helps to have her here with me again. We sent out invitations this morning. Invitations make it sound like a birthday party or happy event, so let's say its more like a notification letter telling people she's gone and hoping they can make it to the funeral. Overall, everyone has been more than kind to us! People from our church family have been dropping of meals, baked goods, and just gifts all day which makes me feel better that people care about me and our family in this tough time! I'm going to wrap up this post with a promise to keep you all updated on how everything goes in this family :)

Bad News

Hey everyone. I have terrible news. Adri is gone. On the way to the airport she still was very sick, high fever, crying, coughing, and throwing up. And then when we got to the airport and went through security and all and were about to begin boarding, she had diarrhea. It was quite a mess for me to clean up! Well we got onto the plane, and she was all crying and it hurt me to see her so sad and upset. She even threw up on the lady next to us, which wasn't pleasant! She didn't mind though, and even helped me with Adri. Around 6pm, Adri was coughing so bad she was having trouble breathing! I called for assistance, and the flight attendent asked for doctors on the plane. There was one, and he examined Adri as best he could and said it didn't look good. I was so scared, but trying to comfort my baby as best she could in what could be the last hours of her life. Around 8pm, she was even worse! The doctor said it was all getting worse, and her pulse was slowing down which was not a good sign. She was having trouble taking breaths, and kept throwing up and coughing up blood. And then, around 9pm, the doctor said she was probably not going to make it unless in intense hospice hair, and even if she was on oxygen there was a low chance of survival. I was so upset, sobbing but trying to cherish the last moments with my baby girl. At 9:47pm, Adri took her last breath. I was freaking out, sobbing and wailing and disturbing the adults and scaring the little children. The flight attendent moved me to a more private place to mourn until the plane landed at 10pm. As soon as I got off the plane, I was a mess. I was still clutching my dead baby girl, who was cold, white, and still, eyes still open. When I saw Danny, I ran into his arms, sobbing and wailing about my baby. Danny flipped, couldn't believe what had happened. We drove straight to the hospital and gave them our dead baby, and they examined her and just explained she just had a bad immune system that allowed deadly viruses inside of her, and even if she was hospitalized, there was nothing they could have done. I was a mess still, and Danny and I drove home to break the news to the kids, the 4 kids at home. Right now we are still in the car, and I will let you know how the kids take it.

Bad News :(

Hey everyone, a little change of plans! Right now we are in the car on the way to the airport! Crazy, huh? Well, Adri was getting a lot worse, her fever went up and she won't stop crying! Also, she was coughing up blood, which really scared me! Victoria booked us 4 a flight right away, because Ella and Brielle seemed to be doing fine and the other girls were there to help them unpack! This time, we have a straight flight, from 4-10, we are almost at the airport! Well, I would really appreciate it if you all prayed for me and Adri in this time of need. I have already called Danny, and he called the doctor! Our doctor thinks it is a rare disease for newborns, hippilocation. Symtoms are high fevers, coughing up blood, diarrhea, and in serious cases, death.

In NYC (plus sick Adri)

Hey everyone! We are finally in NYC! Look on Brielle's blog for more details about last night, the plane ride, and today's plans! This morning Adri woke up with a light fever! I'm really scared, because this is the 3rd or 4th time she's had a fever since she was born. The doctors have done some basic tests, and they all have come out negative, plus of course they did many tests when she was born, just for procedure! So, that's why I have decided to go home tomorrow with Victoria and Ella instead of Tuesday, because I need to take Adri to the doctor! Hopefully they can run more tests, maybe have to rerun some, because I want to figure out what is wrong! I'm really hoping that its nothing serious :( I'll keep you updated!

Big Day!!!!

Today is the day Brielle is going of to college! I will miss my baby girl so much, but she is grown up now and can finally go live on her own :) We just left for the airport, we are all going! We are a little illegal now, hehe our car only fits 7 but we have 8 ;) Everyone wanted to come to say goodbye to us until Tuesday! We are all going to visit again though end of August, when Victoria's family is coming too, which is great! Right now I'm in the car blogging, and we will arrive at the airport in half an hour! It's so exciting :D

Vacation!

Hey everyone! :) So at the beginning of June, we did go to the beach for a week with my family, and you guys have been asking if that's all the vacations we do! Well, we go to our lake house and mountain house in August, which is always so much fun! Our lake town in in PA, about 2 hours out of Pittsburg, at Raystown Lake! Quite a drive for us, but only 4 hours for the rest of Danny's family, whom we share the house with! It's really sad because Brielle can't come this year, because of her college classes! We leave this Wednesday, July 31st, one day after Adri and I get back from taking Brielle to NYC! It's going to be hectic, but our lake house is always really relaxing :) We are just off the lake, on the beach, which is great! It's so different from the beach though, its not very full and the water is much colder! Another part of Raystown Lake is a waterpark, which the kids always love! There is even a little kids section, which is great for us. We get back the next Monday, August 5th. And then on Tuesday, August 13th until Monday, August 19, we are at our mountain house in Washington with my family! This year Danny can only come for 3 days though, because he used all his vacation days for our beach trip/lake house. My job is very flexible though so I can work while we are there! This coming month will certaintly be busy, with lots of activities, but definitely fun! :)

Busy Bees!

Hey everyone! :) I'm sorry I haven't posted for almost a week, the past week we have been so busy! Friday as I said Lindsey went back home and we had a nice relaxing, quality time day. Saturday we went to the park for lunch, the kids had a blast they hadn't been to the park in awhile. Sunday we went to church, all but me! As I have mentioned before I don't plan on taking Adri to church until she's at least a month or two, until her immune system is stronger. Sunday afternoon we went out to lunch at Java Jungle. Monday, we had a movie day! We hung around the house all day and watched movies as a family! Monday night we went out to dinner at Boom Burger. As you can see our family loves burgers! Tuesday we went swimming at our friend's house, the Johnson's. My 18 year old daughter Brielle and Victoria's 18 year old daughter Ella are going to college together in NYC! It's so exciting, they leave on Saturday! Adri and I are going along with Brielle to get her situated in her dorm, and Victoria and Ava are going with Ella, too! We are flying together on Saturday. Our plane leaves at 3, and then after dinner at 6 we land in Kansas. Then, at 8 our flight to NYC leaves, and we will arrive at 11pm, but by the time we get to our hotel, it will be past midnight. They won't check in Saturday, it is too late so they will be in the hotel with us! We will leave Tuesday afternoon then. Back to our week! Tuesday and Wednesday we didn't really do much, but today we went shopping with Victoria and Ella for dorm supplies! Brielle will be making a blog soon, I'll let you know what that is when it's done :)

Tips and Tricks for the Car!

Hey everyone! A few of you have been asking how I keep my 6 kids occupied on long car or plane rides. The answer is, with preperation and effort you can go for a smooth and comfortable ride! First, you should definitely pack a lot of snacks! Also candy, if you are okay with your kids having candy. I usually have a bag of snacks in the car in easy reach to myself or whoever is in the passenger seat to reach and pass bag to the kids. I find it easiest to bring a large variety and even ask the kids before hand what snacks they would like to have in the car! That way no one is stuck eating something they don't like and complaining how hungry they are. Secondly, bring activities! I usually have each of the kids bring a little bag of their own to keep with them filled with activities  I have used travel board games, like boggle and rummikub, but also little random things for the little ones to do. It works well! Just be sure that games to not have really small pieces that could dump onto the floor, requiring more clean up work for you! Also, I bring coloring books, mazes, connect-the-dots, word search, et cetera. Finally, talk to the kids! Maybe sing songs with them (this is not good for airplanes) or just play a simple game such as Guess What I'm Thinking Of or something similar! I sometimes even have the kids play madlibs with me. But most of all, just have fun! Don't get crabby and angry with the kids if they complain if they are bored, just being kind results in a fun family car ride!

Relaxing Quality Time!

Hey everyone! :) So yesterday afternoon nothing much occurred, we just relaxed at the house! I played with Adri and the little boys, and Brielle also played a game with them when she got back from work! Before dinner, I did some work in the office, and Lindsey went home, because Danny was going to get home at 7! He ended up getting home at 10, because he was tied up at the ball field. In case you forgot, he is the manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers! It is his version of heaven on earth :) After dinner, I gave the boys baths and put them to bed early, because they were both really tired! Brielle and I played with Adri and then I got a lot of work done when Danny got home and Brielle and Blake went to bed, and soon after Danny and I retired! Today was a fantabulous day! Lindsey came early (6am) and surprised me with a trip to the waterpark! Well not for me exactly, but for the kids! She said I earned a day of realxation :) So, since Danny didn't work today until late afternoon, we had the day to ourselvves! With Adri though, of course :) We lounged in bed all morning, playing with Adri, and when she took a nap we watched some TV. After lunch, we played with Adri some more and then when she napped again we had some quality time with each other :) The kids didn't get home until 4, and since Danny had to leave at 2:30, I had time to work in my office and play with Adri! Overall, it was a great day :) This evening, after dinner, a few of my friends stopped by with their kids to hang out! It was fun catching up with them, and they loved Adri <3 Their kids had a great time playing with mine, but they didn't stay for long because my boys were tired from their exciting day! They retired early, once again, and I watched some TV with Brielle and after she went to her room I, once again, got some work done and nursed Adri one last time before putting her down! All in all, a really good day :)

First Week at Home!

Hey everyone! So, I know I haven't posted since Sunday, but I've been having a fantastic week with my sister and my babies! :) So Sunday evening we had a fun evening with Danny's parents! They were just at our house, playing with the kids and all! It was so much fun to just catch up with them, since they live in PA. Danny's 4 siblings were going to come too, but they decided to see some LA sights! Since they have actually never been to Cali before! We always have been the ones to visit them for holidays, because that's where the whole family lives! They were all so happy for the excuse of the new baby to come and see us :) So Sunday night we all retired early, I was still getting used to waking up all the time with Adri! Right now, she usually wakes up 5 times, but I'm hoping once she's one month old she will be down to 3 times. Anyway, Monday morning at 8am my parents, grandparents, brother and his wife and kids came by to say goodbye! As I have mentioned in an earlier post, their bus leaves at 10:00am. It was really sad, having to say goodbye, but I knew I would see them soon! We are planning to go down to Washington for a week during thanksgiving break, but my parents usually come down a lot to see us! So by 9:00am they were gone, and Danny left for work. He wouldn't get back until 11:00pm that night, so it was a long day. I dropped the kids off (Brielle and Blake to work, Colton and Tristan to soccer camp) and so it was just me, Lindsey, Ryan, and Adri for the morning! Lindsey played with Adri and kept Ryan occupied while I did a major clean! I hadn't cleaned the house in forever, since we had a lot of company and a newborn! That felt good to get done :) And then I fed Adri while Lindsey drove down to pick up Colton and Tristan at noon, and took them out to lunch! Ryan went along for the ride/lunch, so it was great to have some one on one quality time with my daughter. I love her so much! <3 Turns out Lindsey decided to take the kids to the park for the afternoon, and then on the way home from there she picked up Brielle and Blake! So, I had a lot of time to work, since I really don't have any maternity leave! My job just doesn't really permit that. So around 3pm Lindsey brought all the kids home! I was still really busy working, so Lindsey took Adri for me and Brielle had craft time with the little boys while Ryan and Blake played catch outside! Around 6 dinner was dropped off, and we all ate and I fed Adri. We all just had a relaxing evening, and I got the little boys into bed/bathed by 7:30pm, Ryan in bed/bathed by 8:30pm, and had some time to myself with Adri and Lindsey! Blake and Brielle went back to their rooms around 10:30pm, and Blake can be up in his room until 11:00, but Brielle can be up until about 11:30, since it is summer time! I fed Adri around 9:00pm and put her to bed, and then Lindsey went home at 9:30, so I had an hour and a half to do more work until Danny got home! When Danny got home at 11:30 (he was running late) we both went to bed, only to be woken up many times with the baby! Only its quite worth it, because we both love her so much <3 Tuesday, the day was very busy! Danny didn't work at all until late, so he was home with me :) As was Lindsey! Danny dropped Brielle off at work at 9:00am and the little boys to soccer camp, while Lindsey played with Ryan and I took care of Adri and got some more work done. And then around 11:00am, Danny's family came by! It was a lot of people, but so much fun! I had to leave to pick up the boys at noon though. We had a fun family lunch, it was great to catch up with them all! They went back to their hotel at 3:00, and Danny went to pick Brielle up from work. It will be a relief when she turns 16 and can soon drive! :) But Danny's sister Samantha and her husband, John, stayed for dinner! As I have already mentioned, Samantha is pregnant with triplets and due on Friday! After dinner, she wasn't feeling well, so she took at nap on our couch before they were planning on leaving. But, she had severe stomach pains, and her water broke! She was having her babies!! Danny called 911 and got an ambulance  because she was crying out in pain and we weren't sure what was happening, she didn't look normal! She did have her babies safely, though. It turned out the one babies head was stuck, so they had to perform a C-section. But both her and her 2 boys and 1 girl are fine! She won't be able to go home on the plane on Thursday, though, she's going to have to stay here! But, her and her husband John decided they really want to move to LA! They have been contemplating it for a long time now, but thought it was best that they don't move the babies all the way to PA until they are a few months, and they don't want to stay in a hotel that long, they want to get settled! So all day Wednesday they were in touch with realtors and finally put an offer down, and were accepted this morning! Their home is in the same development as us, which will be fantastic :) They won't officially own the house until next Tuesday and when the final papers are signed, and will move in next Thursday! They are so super excited for this big step! They have decided to leave the babies in the hospital for a few days while they fly down to PA and pack up, they left this morning and are coming back Saturday morning, after everything is packed up and onto a moving truck, and all their things will be here hopefully the end of next week! It is a sudden, quick decision but they think it is the right one :) They also both found jobs here, John easily transfered to another branch of his company, and Samantha found a part-time at home psycologist. So, back to our week! Yesterday, Wednesday, was a pretty calm day, nothing much happened. We just chilled out at home and I worked. A LOT! I'm really behind on my articles, and I have a lot of unanswered emails for my web design company. It's so much work to do 2 jobs, but it's totally worth it because we need the money with 6 kids! This morning Danny's family came by to say goodbye, they are flying back to PA! And like I mentioned, Samantha and John went along and left the babies at the hospital. It was really sad goodbye, but I know I'll see them at Christmas, but hopefully before! So that has been our week so far, comment if you want to know more about my life as a mommy to 6 :) <3

Sundae Sunday

Hey everyone! It's Sunday, and today was a great day! We woke up and got ready for church, but Adri and I didn't go! I'm not planning on taking her anywhere major until she's a least a month old, maybe 2. Little newborns and just so fragile and not exempt to lots of things, and I don't want to take any chances! But, Danny went along and said everyone was asking about me and the baby, so Danny showed them pictures. I'm so lucky to have a great, nice church family like this! So, my sister Linsdsey, her kids, my brother Paul, his kids, my parents, and my grandpartents came to our house for the afternoon! It was great, we ordered lunch from Java Jungle, which is a cute local restaurant/cafe that has fantabulous food! My whole family loves it, there is one in Washington too :) We had a great afternoon with a lot of family fun, since they all leave tomorrow morning :( They are actually all taking a bus, which is quite crazy! It is about 20 hours from LA to Olympia, Washinton, where they all live, and where I grew up. The bus leaves at 10:00am and they will reach Olympia Washington, at 10:00am the next day! It is longer than the 20 hours because they stop every 3 hours for restrooms, and the reststops have food for meals! I'm sure it will be quite an adventure, with 8 adults and 5 kids! And, of course, the other passangers on the bus. They did reserve seats, though, so they all are sure to get on and sit together! Well, back to our day. We all went out for ice-cream sundaes at a local icecream place that coincidentally, is where Black will start work next week! Adri did come along on this journey, because it wasn't that far and I obviously didn't want to leave her home alone! Everyone went back to their hotel rooms to get organized and packed up and have dinner and all around 4. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, for the next month or so people are bringing us dinners, so that's dinner for tonight! I have no idea who/what it will be, but it will definitely be good :)

Our Day (and random topics)

Hey everyone! :) Our day today was really good! Danny is still off work, so this morning we painted Adri's bedroom! The walls were just plain white, it was Tristan's room. Now the wales are a pale pink, how pretty. In our home, most kids have their own room! Brielle's room is purple with blue and pink swirls on one wall, Blake's is red with blue stripes on the bottom half of all the walls, and Ryan's is blue with lots of sports designs randomly! Colton and Tristan now share a room, because Tristan's room is now Adri's! So the wall in there are just plain green. Well, back to our day! The kids didn't have anything planned, because I knew it would be pretty hectic with Adri and since she is just home from the hospital yesterday! So I made a light lunch of soup and sandwiches  and then took everyone to the park! Since it was really hot today, Brielle stayed home with Adri because I didn't want her exposed to the heat just yet, she is only 4 days old! Blake really didn't want to come along, but I wanted him to get out of the house and get some air! But luckily one of his friends happened to be there with his little siblings, so that turned out great! Ryan, Colton, and Tristan had a lot of fun together running and just being little boys :) When we got home the boys got their showers, because they were sweaty from the hot day and all. In case you were wondering, we have 5 bathrooms! Danny and I have one, Brielle has one, Blake has one, and then there are 2 others just in the house! So that's great for our big family :) And while I had some quality time with Adri after not seeing her for about 2 hours (the longest it has been yet!) everyone else was just chilling, getting ready to go to my sister Lindsey's house for a bit family dinner! We left at 5 to get there at 6 in time for dinner, and had a great time! We just got back now, at 9. I wanted to adress another topic today on this post, since it's pretty short! A lot of you have been asking if all I do is write articles for the Madison Magazine, and the answer is a no! I also do web design for over 100 companies! It's a lot of work, I usually dedicate time to my articles during the day and address my web design emails and work on all of that in the evenings after the little ones are in bed! Doing 2 jobs does take a lot of time and energy out of me, but the money is worth it especially with the new baby! I'm really happy with my life, and definitely wouldn't change a thing :)

Pets and Potty Training!

Hey everyone! :) I've been getting a lot of requests from you guys about what I should post about, and I had some extra time tonight after the little ones are asleep (Adri finally went to sleep early!!) so I thought I'd pick 2 topics to address! So, since we have many kids, we do have many pets also! When Brielle was my only kid, we lived in Michigan! In Michigan we had 2 pets, a dog and a cat! The dog's name was Pancake and the cat was Kermit the Frog. Don't ask why, Brielle named it! ;) But then when I was pregnant with Blake we moved to West Virginia, and we decided to leave the animals behind because it would be hard to bring them along! So, we gave them to my good friend in Michigan, Bailey, and she still has them! And then we lived in West Virginia until Ryan was 2. There, we had 3 pets, a bunny, and frog, and a puppy! The bunny was Fluffy, and frog was Kelly, and the baby puppy was Sammy! We also had 5 fish, Mr. Chubby, Mrs. Chubby, Baby Chubby, Miss Chubby, and Lollipop! And then when Ryan was 2, like I said, we moved to LA, where we currently reside! I know it sounds like we move half way across the country all of the time, but it is just because of Danny's work! When we moved this time, we brought Sammy along with us! Sammy passed away a few years ago though, he got hit by a car :( It was sad, Colton, Tristan, and Adri never got to see her! But, when Colton was born we got another dog, this one's name was Coral. She is a sweetie, and we still have her! She is 5 years old. And we also have a bunny, Blacky, and 7 fish, Sally, Mr. Silly, Chubby Jr., Happy, Love, Peace, and Smile! I know, odd names, but the little boys named them :) Colton feeds them every morning! Coral is all of ours, but the bunny is Brielle's. She loves little Blacky! <3 So, those are our pets, though Tristan really wants a kitty so who knows! ;) Now onto potty training. Out of all my kids, Brielle was the easiest to potty train  She thought the toilet was magical, how it flushed away all pee and poop, and she was so excited to use it! I had her going on the toilet by age 2, which I expected with Blake! That was not a good idea. I had Blake try and use it so young, he didn't want to! And then, he fell in. It wasn't terrible, when he was sitting down he let go of the counter next to the toilet and his butt fell in! I grabbed him, though, so he was only down for a few seconds, but it really scared him! He wasn't fully potty trained until he was 5. He would go in the little potty we had, but wouldn't use the big one at all! Ryan was pretty simple too, he had the normal qualms about falling in and such, but he was potty trained by 3, which I think is great! He had trouble pooping on the potty, though, so he would usually put on a diaper to poop, which he did until he was 4. While I was potty training Colton, he was just like Brielle, fascinated! He wanted to go all of the time, and sometimes just went into the bathroom to sit on the toilet when he didn't even have to go! So he was potty trained by 2! Tristan, on the other hand, is still learning! He will go, if you ask him to, but he won't tell you! So he usually just goes in his pull-up, unless I remind him every few hours! I need to teach him to go himself, too, I have to help ;) So I hope you enjoyed reading about our pets and potty training, always feel free to leave more requests below!

Life with the New Baby!

Hey everyone! :) My life is so different now with Aria in my life! Yesterday I was let out of the hospital with Aria at 9am! It was great, because we had the whole day to get adjusted. My family and Danny's family were kind and left us alone for most of the day, just to get settled with the baby and get her room all set! My mom and dad were with us all day, just helping out with the kids and all since it is pretty crazy! Danny has taken off work ever since the baby was born, just to help me out, but he has to go back Monday which will be tough, because that's when my mom leaves! But, my sister Lindsey (who lives an hour away) will be coming down every day next week for the day, until Danny gets home in the evening! It will be such a big help to me, because I need to get used to a newborn and Aria needs to get settled into a normal schedule and such. Also, I signed up Tristan and Colton for a 9am-12 noon soccer team/group, it's just for the week though! It's for 2-5, just basic skills and such since Colton will start soccer soon and I just need Tristan to get out of the house for awhile, because he is always bored and hangs on me! But Brielle works all next week, and Blake starts his new job 3 days a week, so mostly it will be just Ryan, Aria, Linsey, and myself. I hope for next week to just be a relaxing week where I get the house cleaned and organized from being in the hospital, and have some quality time with my sister and my baby. It should be good! :) comment if you guys want more posts <3

Ryan and his Sports

Next in my children series is 9 year old Ryan! Ryan has had an almost perfect life, he hasn't had any major illness's or anything like that! The worst times in his life have been when he hasn't been accepted into a sports team or something like that. He was on his first sports team when he was 4, it was Pee-Wee soccer! Danny practically forced him, he really wanted his son to like sports! Ryan did not want to go to the first practice, he was afraid he wouldn't be good enough! But, since his daddy was his coach, he absolutely loved it!! He has begged me to let him play all sports immaginable ever since! He has played, soccer, baseball, and basketball ever since he was 4, and never once complained about anything! I love how he is always active and has a lot of energy and willingess to do anything! He has been a pretty easy child, always doing what he's told and never being too crazy. Danny keeps telling me its because he is always super active, and gets all of his energy out in good things, like sports! His theory will be tested out when Colton starts sports ;) That's pretty much all there is to talk about Colton, please comment below with more post ideas! <3

Update

Hey everyone! Aria is 2 days old today, and she is doing great! Couldn't be any better :) Yesterday and today have been great days! Yesterday, as I said before, my dad and grandparents flew in from Washington, and stay until Monday! We had so much fun yesterday morning, they brought me lunch (it was great not having to eat hospital food!) and had a good chat. They were at their hotel for the afternoon then, because my brother, sister, and all their kids were coming to visit! And, as you know, there is a limit for visitors in a hospital room. So, we had a great time, my kids were there too so they were glad to see their cousins! My younger brother, Paul, and his wife Darla live in Washington, near my parents! They have 3 kids, 13 year old Amy, 9 year old Damien, and 5 year old Sarah! My youngest sister, Lindsey, and her husband Bill, live about an hour away from us, outside of LA. They have 2 kids, 15 year old Kayla and 12 year old Christy. I'm not sure if I mentioned we are all having a family dinner Saturday night at Lindsey's house, after I'm out of the hospital! I also do have another sister, but she's 5 years older than me and lives with her family in Iraq, serving as missionaries. We haven't seen her in 15 years, and don't even know about her husband and family. She emails us updates once in a while, and she has gotten married and had 6 children. We all miss her so much, but we don't know if she misses us <3 So today, Thursday, has been great too! This morning Danny's family flew in from Pennsylvania and were with us all morning! His parents are Bob and Mildred, and he has 4 siblings, Brittany, Samantha, Jeremy, and Austin. Danny is oldest, and then comes Austin. Austin is married to Trish and they have 3 kids, 16 year old Alki, 14 year old Niko, and 6 year old Gabe. Then comes Jeremy, he is married to Morgan and they have 1 kid, 10 year old Elizabeth. Morgan is currently pregnant with twins and is due in 3 months, though! Brittany is married to Al, and they have 2 kids, 3 year old Rick and 4 year old Samuel. And then Samantha just recently got married to John and is pregnant with triplets, 2 boys and a girl, and is due next Friday! It's a risk for her to take this trip, but her doctor said she was physically doing great, and contacted a doctor down here to check up on her next week. They leave Thursday, so hopefully she has her babies when she gets back! Well, back to my day. After they all left to go back to my hotel, a big group of my friends came by with lots of baby gifts for Aria! Let's just say, she won't be needing anymore clothes for awhile! If you want more updates about my life with a new baby, comment below :)

My Family

You guys wanted to see pictures, you here they are! :) I'm also going to be quickly describing everyone to you

This is me, Brooklyn! I have naturally curly hair, but for this family photo shoot back in May I straightened my hair :) I write articles for the Madison Magazine in my at-home office. I enjoy writing, reading, and spending time with my husband and children!

This is my husband, Daniel! Danny works for MTV and is the Los Angeles Dodger's manager! He is gone a lot of the time, but he loves his job and it pays well, so that's what counts! Danny enjoys sports, coaching his kids sports teams, and spending time with the family. 

This is my 15 year old daughter, Brielle! Brielle turns 16 this fall, and on her 16th birthday we are taking her to get her permit, and then 6 months later she will, hopefully, be taking her driver's license! Brielle enjoys her labtop and iphone, hanging out with her friends, and dating! She has had a few dates this past school year (her freshman year) but just recently gotten her first boyfriend! His name is David and they spend a lot of time together :) Brielle also has a a full-time job at CVS Pharmacy, and works every other Saturday and Sunday at a local grocery store. She also babysits a few evenings a week for me, and other people! It may seem like a lot of jobs, but she is saving up for a car! Brielle has always wanted to model, and this fall she is going to start working at Hollister, and hopefully modeling. But who knows! :)

This is my 13 year old son, Blake! Blake enjoys making trouble around the house, but is very intelligent and does well in school. He is getting his first job, at a local ice cream shop, and it starts this Monday! It is 3 days a week and pays well :) 

This is Ryan, my 9 year old son! Ryan enjoy watching sports with Danny and playing on his sports teams! In the summer (now) and fall, he does travel soccer. In the winter he plays basketball, and in the spring he plays travel baseball! A lot of running around for Danny and I, but Ryan just loves it! 

This is my 4 year old son, Colton! Colton is our most energetic kid, but he is certaintly also the most fun! He is really sweet and loves school, but mostly because his teacher really likes him and he has a lot of fun at play time and all! In the summer Colton is signed up for Pee-Wee soccer, and he thinks it is so fun! And next spring he is old enough to play Tee-Ball, which he is very excited for! :)

This is my little 2 year old boy, Tristan! Tristan is a mommy's boy, he loves being around me and reading stories with me. He is really sweet, but a little shy around people he doesn't know! There isn't much to say about him, since he's so little, but he is friendly with his family and loves to play :)

Our littlest baby is my daughter, Aria! She is 2 days old, but such a good baby! She's only cried once, and she loves to be held. She loves watching my hair move back and forth, and tried to grab my curls a few times! She absolutely adores her big sister Brielle, she acts esspecially sweet just for her! I'm sure we will have a lot of fun and cute moments with Aria as she grows up <3 

In Sickness and in Health

Hey everyone! :) I've gotten some requests to talk about my kids when they are sick and how I deal with it all! I have different systems for the older and younger kids, because they all have different personalities. When Brielle is sick, she stays home from school and usually just lays in bed all day on her labtop/iphone. If she has the stomach bug or something stomach related, I will usually give her toast and gatorade, but if she just has a fever or a cold I will make her soup. When Blake is sick, he doesn't like to be bothered with! He will just sleep in bed all day, and wake up magically all better! I will usually wake him up for lunch and a few times to give him food and drink, but other than that I just leave him be! He is one of those kids who gets sick a lot, but when he does it's only for a day or so. Ryan, or the other hand, gets sick all of the time! And when he's sick, he's majorly sick. When the older ones are sick, I don't usually take them to the doctor, unless they are out for 4 days. But with Ryan he always seems to get a bad cold and along with it comes a cough! He is sick in bed for a week or more, with visits to the doctor multiple times to make sure he's okay. And he's not the best guy to be sick! Ryan complains a lot about missing his sports games/practices, and just complains about being sick in general! He doesn't like a lot of food, so it's hard to get him to eat things while sick, because he doesn't like soup or toast. Ryan will usually lay on the couch in the living room watching TV while I flutter in and out of the room, checking on him all of the time. But, compared to Colton and Tristan, Ryan is super simple! As all mothers with young kids know, toddlers sick is quite a big deal! They get colds all the time, so they are always stuffy and snotty because they can't blow their nose yet. When Colton is sick, he acts like he's not and is always fighting with me about doing things! I won't let my kids run around outside when sit, they can sit in a chair and read a book or color or something, but no running and doing crazy things, which is tough for Colton! He is always screaming and crying and takes up all my time whenever he is sick, and won't want to eat food! I practically have to force food down his throat. Tristan is a little easier, though. When he is sick, he just wants to cuddle on the couch with me and sleep on me! That's great for a little, but when I have to get up, that's when it breaks lose! He screams and cries and doesn't want to lay down by himself, so sometimes I just end up carrying him around the house, talking to him and singing to get him to sleep, and then after he's sleeping I put him to bed so I can get things done! When he wakes up he'll scream and cry again, but he gets over it! I'm so glad he's only like this when sick and grumpy, if he was always clingy that would be really tough for me! So the only other thing I'm going to address in this post is how I clean when my kids are sick. I try to keep my sick kids in one place, like keep them on one couch instead of switching back and forth. Brielle and Blake are easiest, the germs are in their room and as soon as they go back to school I disenfect their bedrooms and I'm pretty much done! But of course I will always disenfect the bathroom, and all of the doorknobs and just lightly clean the rest of the house, whever germs may lay. But with the little ones who can't sit still and do stuff everywhere, I do a major house clean! I wipe down everything in the kitchen, living room, bathroom, playroom, their room, doorknobs, and pretty much everywhere I can, in hope that germs will not come back! So I hope you guys enjoyed this post, please comment requests for future posts! :)

Q&A

Here are some of your specific questions you wanted to know! :)

Q - What is it like having so many kids?
A - I personally love having so many kids, the more the merrier! It is pretty difficult though, and expensive because of all the things they need/want. But we manage!
Q - Middle names?
A - Brooklyn Ariana, Daniel John, Brielle Olivia, Daniel Blake (goes by Blake), Ryan Samuel, Colton James, and Tristan James.
Q - Birthdays?
A - My birthday is August 3rd, and I will be 40! Daniel's birthday was April 16th, he is 40, and Brielle's birthday is September 25th, she will be 16 and a sophomore ! Blake's birthday was January 14th, he is 13 going into 8th grade, and Ryan's birthday is October 8th, but right now he is 9 and going into 4th grade. Colton's birthday is May 1st, he is 4 and will be going into 3 days a week Pre-K, and Tristan's birthday is March 11th, and he is 2!
Q - What church do you go to?
A - We go to Los Angeles Mennonite Brethren, it's a small church in the outskirts of LA!
Q - Hardest thing you've had to deal with?
A - The hardest thing I've had to deal with was probably all of my miscarriages  It was an awful, depressing time, but it made me a much better person! I'm so thankful for all of my current children, especially Aria :) I love them all so much! <3

Blake's Accident

Hey everyone! I'm going to continue the series I began, about my wonderful children! Next up is 13 year old Blake. Well, when Blake was born he had slight heart damage, and he had surgery when he was only hours old. It was an awful time for me, I didn't see him until he was a day old! And I couldn't hold him until he was 3 days old, because he had to be connected to oxygen and I wasn't aloud to lift him or touch him until he was off it. But, Blake had a great first few years, healthy as a horse! But when he was 5, he was in a severe accident. I was actually in it too, but I had no lasting damage. We were driving on a main highway when another car rammed into the right side of the car, which was where Blake was sitting in the back! The car turned onto its side, but the air bag saved my life! I was fine, just a minor concussion and I was unconsious for a few hours, but Blake's conditions were much worse than mine! Blake had a major concussion, broke both legs, had slight brain damage, and was in a coma for a week! We were all afraid we would lose him, because the doctor's didn't see much hope. When he woke up from the coma he was quite afraid and hyperventilated many times because he had no memory of who he was or anything. He could talk and knew factual information like numbers and colors and such, but didn't know who we were or who he was! After 2 weeks of this, he finally regained all of his memory! It was such a happy time for us all, we were afraid he would be like that forever! After staying in the hospital for a few months, Blake was released home, good as new! That was a very traumatic time in our lives, I almost lost a child, which was terrible for me. But I am just so thankful that Blake is here with us today! <3 :)

Plans for the Week

Hey everyone! :) Aria is doing great, all tests have been run and all came out positive! So happy that my baby girl is perfectly healthy <3 After she was born, I emailed all of my family and friends, and almost all got back to me! So tomorrow morning my dad and grandparents are flying in to see Aria, and they will get to the hospital at around 10:00am, after I'm awake and Aria is fed! They will be here, in a hotel, until Monday, which is great! Danny is taking off work, and will be staying with me all day!Brielle will be home with the little ones, and so will my mom! And then tomorrow afternoon my brother, sister, and all their kids are coming in to meet Aria! They are also staying at a hotel, and we are having a family dinner Saturday night, after I'm out of the hospital, at my sister's house an hour away. And then on Thursday Danny's family is flying in! They all live in Pennsylvania, and since we live in LA we don't get to see them that often! They are here until next Thursday, which is a treat! :) Thursday a group of my friends are coming by to see me and Aria, which should be fun! And then Friday morning, I'm going home from the hospital! I can't wait! And for the next month, my friends, family, and church group are bringing meals for dinner! I'm so thankful I have so many great people in my life here to support me! And then this weekend should be pretty calm, just adjusting to life with a baby in the house and enjoying being with my friends and family!
My next post will be a Q&A so please be sure to leave questions below! :)

Big News!

Hey everyone! I have big news! I had my baby!! It's crazy, isn't it? I was at home, it was around 2:30pm, I was just chilling out on the couch with Brielle, talking. Ryan was at sports practice with Danny, Blake was at a friends, and Colton and Tristan were napping. And then, my water broke! I practically freaked out, just ask Brielle! Brielle was a pro, first called 911 because this was quite serious as my baby was breech, and then after an ambulence was on its way, she called Danny and told him to meet me at the hospital! My mom was already on a plane, so there was nothing we could do there. Brielle got my hospital bag ready and the essentials for the baby while I lay on the couch, deep breathing. The ambulence arrived in a matter of minutes, and the siren woke up my boys. Brielle went to their room to calm them, while the ambulence took me to the hospital. When I got to the hospital, Danny was already there! He just let Ryan keep playing and another player would be taking me home. Luckely, the soccer field was only 2 miles from the hospital! Then I was rushed into the surgery room, where they made sure my baby was still breech before performing a C-section. But, something funny happened ... my baby wasn't breech anymore! So they sent me to the delivery room, where I delivered my baby within minutes. That's how its always been for me, a quick but very painful labor. My baby was born at 3:30pm, July 9th, 2013. Oh, did I forget to mention? It's a girl!! I'm so happy, and so is Brielle. Her name is ... Adriana Olivia Davis! We will call her Adri or Adria :) Danny and I love our baby girl so much and are so happy to finally have her here with us! <3 We love you Adri! So after Brielle and Blake made dinner for the kids, my mom's plane landed and she drove the kids to the hospital so they all could meet baby Adri! They were so excited, Tristan especially. He couldn't wait to be a big brother! They all had a great time with Adri, she was all happy and giggly just for them. She already loves her big bothers and sister! Brielle is so happy so finally have a little sister, she can't wait to babysit Adri! I'm sure Adri's childhood will be a good one, and I'm just so happy she arrived safely and happily :) <3

Pregnancy with my 6th Baby

Hey everyone!! Pregnancy with my 6th and final child had a pretty rough start, but a (hopefully) happy ending! We found out I was pregnant on November 5th, when I was a month pregnant. We went to the doctors the next day we were so excited! Terribly, our doctor told me that my baby might have slight brain damage, because its brain wasn't at the right developing point for its age. I was devastated, and slipped into depression again. I got on pills immediently, and had many appointments with my doctor for my baby. A few weeks later I got the clear that its brain was okay!! He/she was just a slow developer. What a relief to me :) During my second trimester I did struggle with severe morning sickness. I would throw up all throughout the day and wasn't able to eat much. I tried as hard as I could to keep up with the kids and household duties, but I just couldn't so my mom came in from Washington to help me out and boy was that a relief! The rest of my pregnancy went smoothly, only a hint of morning sickness in the 3rd trimester. I feel great now, other than the fact that my baby is breech. I was at the doctor's earlier today, and we scheduled a C-section for this Friday. My mom is coming down from Washington tonight to be with me and the kids, and that I'm super excited about! I miss her so much <3 I'm really scared for a C-section, but there really wasn't any other option. I didn't want to try methods to manipulate my baby or anything. I'm a big believer in what's meant to be will happen, and I guess this is what's meant to happen! I'm just glad it is going to be a scheduled, relaxed C-section instead of an emergency C-section when I go into labor while breech or anything. Wish me luck! :)

Brielle's Teenage Troubles

Brielle has had a rough childhood, not to mention her teenage years! I've gotten some requsets to talk about my kids, so I'm starting from the oldest down :)
When Brielle first went to school, she was 5, in kindergarten. She had majorly curly hair, like me, and it was always frizzy. It was long, down to her waist. The boys at school would tease her and call her pouf ball, and tell her she was ugly and would die alone with 15 cats. She would come home from school crying, and it was really tough on my as a mother, seeing my baby girl deal with bullying and knowing there was nothing I could do about it! Well we got her hair cut to her shoulders, and she started taking a bath and washing her hair in the morning instead of the evening, which I was fine with. Going to school with damp, short hair, it looked better to her, but I thought she looked great either way! But the boys at school still teased her, saying she was trying to look pretty but it wasn't working. I had many conversations with the principal, and Brielle's teacher had talks with the class about bullying, and even though she didn't mention Brielle, the kids teased her that she was getting special treatment and all that. Well, first grade rolled around and we had moved over the summer, which wasn't an issue for Brielle considering she didn't have many friends anyway. Elementary school were great for her, she made a lot of friends and it was a good time in life for her! But then it was Middle school. Everyone knows how Middle school is filled with drama. Well for Brielle she was bullied, again. She had moved schools because Elementary and Middle school were in different schools, and Middle school was a lot bigger than elementary school, with new kids from different elementary schools than Brielle. She wasn't in any classes with her friends, and that alone was hard for her. She was bullied about her looks, mostly her hair and her weight. Brielle is built bigger, but she is not overweight at all, she is perfect. But kids these days were mean and we couldn't do anything about it. So Brielle started straightening her hair and working out. I didn't mind about the hair, but I didn't like how she was so insecure about her body all because of some mean kids. But I let her go on with it, because she was looking happier. But then she started to stop eating at meals, and by 8th grade Brielle was still dealing with bullying, but she had become anorexic. We put her on medication and forced her to eat, but she still lost a lot of weight. But near the end of her Middle school years she made a few new friends who supported her and she started to become healthy again. She started off High school happy. High school has been a great time for Brielle, she has gained weight and is back to healthiness, and she is meeting a lot of new people and isn't bullied anymore. She will begin her sophmore year this fall, she is 15! I'm so glad things have turned around for Brielle, and that she is finally happy! It was so hard to watch my daughter to go through these experiences, but she is a better person from it :)

Dealing with Miscarriages

As you all know, before Colton was born and after Ryan was born, in the period of 5 years I had 6 miscarraiges. A year after Ryan was born Danny and I began trying to have more babies, and after 3 months, we were sucessful! I was pregnant, and at 15 weeks we found out it was a girl! We were all so excited, I had been hoping for another girl! But then at 16 weeks I suffered from a miscarraige. My doctor said I had done nothing to cause this, it was just the baby's heart was not developed properly so she could not live. Danny and I were devastated. Brielle, Blake, and Colton were all upset as well, they really wanted another sibling! I was depressed for just over a week, I stayed in bed all day and only got up to use the bathroom. My mother came down from Washington to stay with me and help take care of the kids, because I basically did nothing. Danny took me to the doctor after 9 days, and I was on depression pills and it really helped and I got back into my normal swing of life! I would still cry late at night and had trouble sleeping, but it gradually got better. After a few months I became pregnant again! I was happy, but didn't let myself get my hopes up incase of another misarraige. It was good of me to do that, because it really helped when we found out we lost the baby at only 6 weeks. We didn't even tell the kids about this one, just Danny and my mom new. Well, Danny and I were getting really impatient, we wanted more kids so badly! So as soon as my body was recovered, we tried many times and I became pregnant with another baby! This one we lost at 6 weeks also, but the kids knew about this one. I was depressed once again, losing 3 babies is quite hard on you emotionally and physically. I was in the hospital for a few days, on medication again but I recovered quickly! A few months later I was pregnant again, and it was another girl! I was thrilled, and quite convinced that since the baby had lived to 20 weeks, she would be fine. How wrong I was. I carried her full term, but it ended up being a stillbirth. I was devastated, and was hospitalized for a week. I was on medication, it took me longer to recover but I did! Then, when I was pregnant again, I was doing good! Right when I found out I was pregnant (4 weeks) we went to the doctor the next day, and he said the baby was not forming correctly and he suggested an abortion because there was only a 20% change the baby would make it full term, and then a 10% chance that it would be living. Danny and I decided not to take that risk, and we had an abortion. It was one of the most hardest things to do in my life, killing one of my babies. I still hate to think about it. But then, after a few months, I was pregnant! We found out the gender of the baby, it was a boy, and we were so happy! I carried full-term and had baby Colton! We were all thrilled to finally have another baby! Since then, I have had one other baby, Tristan, and am currently pregnant! I feel great, just like I did with Colton, which is a very good sign. I'm just hoping things go well! :)

Hello! :)

Hello everyone! My name is Brooklyn Davis and I'm a writer! I am currently writing short stories for the Madison Magazine, I have been working there ever since college. I have an office at home, which is great for me because I have a lot of kids. I am married to Daniel Davis, but I call him Danny! He is my rock, the love of my life. He is the perfect husband! Danny works for MTV Sports and is the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He gets us a lot of tickets to watch the games! This makes him busy quite often, but with a big family like ours you need the money. Our oldest child is Brielle, and she is 15. She is an intelligent teen and loves to babysit and write, just like me! I hope to pass on my career to my one and only daughter. Next comes 13 year old Blake, my troublemaker! He is intelligent, but loves to cause trouble around the house, but can be helpful and serious if the need arrises. But I love him to death! We wanted our kids to be close in age, once we got started we decided it was easiest to do it all at once! And, we just couldn't stop ;) Ryan is 9, and he is Daddy's boy! Ryan loves sports, and is always found outside on the court/field or inside reading his sport's magazines or watching sports on TV. After Ryan, we had 2 miscarriages and thought we were done having children, but then we realized we were having another baby! Colton is 4 now and is my crazy kid! He runs around all of the time and has so much energy, but is a really sweet little boy! He does well in school and with the other little boys. Our youngest is Tristan, who is 2. He is my sweet little baby boy! Tristan is a Mommy's boy, loves to cuddle and play with me and Brielle! He just makes us want to have more and more babies :) Finally, I am pregnant with our 6th child, who is going to be our final baby! I am currently 9 months, my due date was last week and if this baby doesn't come in the next few days, I will be induced next week! The doctors think its okay for me to wait and see if he/she will come on his/her own, because I am doing well and am feeling great for this stage in pregnancy! Wish me a safe and happy delivery :)
If you want more posts, or have any questions or ideas for future topics, please leave a comment below!