We’re thankful for Noah, Kristi and their Creative Crew!

There’s never a dull moment at the San Diego Eyres’ house with four little kids under eight each with his/her exciting agenda.

When Noah picked us up from the airport he had fresh pictures on his phone of Cubby (3) and Bennett (2)’s agenda for that day. Cubby admitted that they “accidently” got into Kristi’s makeup and found the mascara.

Looks as though they had quite a lot of fun….AND if you look carefully at the next picture and see what Cubby has in his hand, you’ve got to wonder what they have in mind next. Don’t know whether to think “Dynamic Duo” or “Dukes of Hazard”! The wall, the couch and the carpet were all included in the caper and took some time to repair. Worth it just for the pictures!

 

Besides Kristi being incredibly calm and collected about these exciting events every day, and working so hard on keeping house and home going and getting kids to school and lessons, we got to see her play in her team’s final two volleyball games of the season. Why didn’t I take a picture? Kristi loved playing volleyball in high school and is one fabulous player! She and those other moms rocked it!

The kids are nice to give me hugs and welcome me but who are they are really looking for when we come? Grandfather!  He’s like having a barrel of monkeys around and is still a kid himself in many ways! He peels oranges and then makes something fun and funny out of it:

We loved being there for a few days to peek in on everyday life at the Noah and Kristi Eyres. What fun to listen in on their sweet morning devotional as they read the scriptures together. Kristi sits down to read and says, “OK, go Cubby.”  And he obediently says, “And it came to pass” and they proceed. About every few verses, without missing a beat, he responds exactly the same every time Kristi says, “Go Cubby.”  It’s the cutest thing ever! Good way to realize how frequently that little phrase is used in any given chapter!

 

For fun we happen to hit “Crazy Hair Day”  at school. McKay came up with one of his typical hilarious comments as his dad was creatively “spiking his hair”:

 

 

A McKayism: “People aren’t even going to know me! They’re going to say, ‘Where is that kid with only one cowlick?’ 

 

Kristi rose to the occasion as always and created something awesome for Lyla with her Rapunzel hair (sorry blurry):

Cubby and I walked to the school together while the kids rode so they wouldn’t spoil their hair in the rain. As you can tell that Cubby is a barrel of moneys himself!

 

We landed there (from South America) at a very exciting time! Not only was it crazy hair day but it was also doctor appointment day for Kristi and Noah who just announced to us that they were having number five baby in May. We were thrilled beyond words to have another little pizzazy little child join our crew!

Incredibly brave and stoic Kristi, who is usually miserably sick for the first 26 weeks of every pregnancy, thought she was home free after feeling pretty good for the first 10 weeks…and then it hit. She somehow carries on between “throw ups” and that constant wave of nausea! Bless her courageous heart! 

Grandfather and I watched the kids while they journeyed to the doctor and the ultrasound machine, only to find that that little kid had legs crossed and umbilical cord across the very vital place that they needed to see! Kristi drank some juice, went for a walk and the baby flipped around and gave them a pretty good view of who was in there.

A trip to the grocery store provided clues to the sex of the new baby. Note the color of the treats:

Do they look happy enough?  Especially Lyla who has been outnumbered by the boys for quite some time!

It was supposed to be a secret until Noah and Kristi came up with their usual, unusual way of announcing the arrival each new member of the family. When we got home, however, Dad/Grandfather sent out a draft of our annual Thanksgiving Card to the family before we sent it out to “the public” for everyone to check for mistakes. The biggest mistake was putting in the information that Noah and Kristi were expecting “a little gal”. 

When he realized his mistake in his office at home, he started yelling, “Oh no! Oh no! I can’t believe this!” I thought someone had died! He was so horrified that he couldn’t even get out what he had done!  Noah and Kristi in the their usual gracious manner accepted the foiling of their plans with their usual graciousness and, knowing their “Grandfather’s” enthusiasm for new additions to the family, forgave him and gave him permission to go ahead and publish the info on the Thanksgiving Card.

In addition to that little change in their lives and along with Noah going back to school for a Master’s degree at Southern Cal “on the side” while still maintaining his rock star status at work, they have also decided to move back to Orange County so that Noah can be a little more central for work and have more time with the family.

We got a chance to see the house they are looking at in Ladera Ranch but I only took one picture of the kids under an umbrella (because it was raining) in the front entry. Duh!

It’s a beautiful home in a lovely neighborhood close to where they rented when they first moved to CA!  The kids would go to the same school and be in the same church congregation so that would be helpful.

How thankful we are for this wild, rambunctious, creative, darling, up-for-adventure, extraordinary family! Somehow they will survive all that wildness in their lives with flying colors. Knowing them, it’s just inevitable!