Free and Clear!

Thank you so much for the many prayers, phone calls, and emails. I am happy to report that the doctor removed all of the melanoma! For the next year I have to go to the doctor every three months, if they don't find anything else I'll go every six months, and after two good years I will only need a check-up once a year. I do have a 4 inch scar on my back but that's a very small price to pay...it'll probably just make me look tough. ;-)

(PS. Don't forget to schedule an appointment for yourself.)

Hope and Faith

Hope is the anticipation that the outcome will be good.
Worry is the anticipation that the outcome will be bad.
Faith is the anticipation that whatever the outcome, it will be for our good. - Anon.

Got some bad news Friday - Melanoma. I hate that word. Like really, that is an ugly word just like the word mole..eww. I don't like saying either of those words. Anywho..the 'mole' was removed but I have to go back in two weeks to have more skin cut away to see if they got it all. The Doctor removed 3 more moles though and that has me a tad worried...well at times I get overwhelmed by anxiety and worry but then I try really, really hard to lean into my faith and find peace. Darin gave me a blessing (a special prayer) that really brought me peace and faith that all will be well. I LOVE that feeling when Heavenly Father answers your prayer and your worries melt away and you feel peace flow over you. I know that waiting for the results of the other 3 moles will be the hardest part, it will take about 2 weeks and that seems like an eternity away. Patience, real patience is such a gift and I'm grateful for it because the option is to indulge in worry and anxiety...I hate those feelings but by nature I am inclined to be anxious. So the next two weeks will be a wonderful opportunity to feel patient peace...to reflect on that blessing and to grow closer to my Savior and to my family. My hugs will linger, my prayers will be longer, and I will find time for all the things that I put off for 'another day'. Yes, things get put into perspective quite quickly don't they.

We've had some good news around here too...

Allie has braces and Kate lost a top tooth!

Allie was sooo excited and apparently "All of the girls in my class followed me into the bathroom after lunch (the day she got the braces on) just to watch me brush my teeth!" It's all she's talked about for days now ;-)!

Also, Kate is wiggling that other upper tooth and it should be out just in time to make it on her Christmas list..."All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth. "

The Buckeyes Won Yesterday! (Sorry if you're offended by this pic, but it had me laughing out loud and running for my camera...die hard fan I tell ya!)


And then there's this beauty who has me wanting to forget the dishes and laundry to just cuddle on the couch...Heavenly.




...Home can be a Heaven on Earth.

This video is exactly what I need to hear daily!

Finding my way...

I just read Jessica Nye's account of life with a newborn which inspired me to update my blog with what life is like now.


This pregnancy was by far my most difficult. It was very. painful. I cried a lot. I prayed a lot and I begged God to let my kids forget it. The pain really affected my mental state - I would say I had a low-grade depression most of the time. That was new for me. Once I realized that the pain wouldn't be going away I just started to pray that I could feel happy. If I could feel happy, then maybe I could enjoy time with my kids. The few days and/or weeks where I felt happy made the pain tolerable. I didn't want my kids to remember what a grouch I was, nor how many times they had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Not the best chapter of my life.


Delivery was amazing. As I told Darin, "It was my finest hour." hehe I was so blessed. The Lord answered my prayers and everything went smoothly - epidural, great nurse, small baby, epidural..some blessings need to be counted twice. Of course the best blessing is Scarlett!


Postpartum. Happy. Yay, no baby blues but baby highs! My list of physical problems keeps growing, but what a blessing to feel happy.

Nursing...yikes! As my mom said, "Well Sarah I guess you know you're not a Holstein!" (that's a dairy cow.) I've NEVER had good luck with nursing and it breaks my heart. I want to nurse so badly but it seems my body isn't meant to. With my other kids I thought they were colicky...as it turns out, they were just hungry. Sad that it took me 4 babies to figure that out! So after going through all the pain and blood in the first stages of nursing, I thought I had it worked out....except that two weeks in my milk started drying up. Seriously?! How is that possible?! I'm doing all I can to make it to the 6 week mark but truly, after I nurse her she still drinks 2 -3 oz of formula. Ya, I'm fighting a losing battle. Has anyone else had this problem? I even have a hospital grade pump, drink lots of water, take Fenugreek, eat oatmeal...what else can I do?!

Scarlett is happy, sleeps lots, burps lots, hates baths and is constantly getting loves from her family. Darin walks in the door each day and declares that it's "his turn". Roman gives Scarlett lots of kisses and shares Elmo with her. Allie and Kate love to hold her and both got to feed her a bottle which is very grown-up of them. I cuddle her every second I can!

(new computer, no pics on it, so sorry.)

Welcome Miss Scarlett

Scarlett Elizabeth Lunt
born September 7, 2010 at 6:30 pm
weight: 7 lbs
height: 19 inches


We're so excited she's here! The delivery went smoothly. She's just a sweet little angel. I love this picture but it doesn't capture how small she really is - at the doctor on Friday she was only 6lb 8 oz! She's a big eater though so I'm sure she'll be gaining soon. Her sisters and brother love her so much and constantly ask if they can hold her. Roman did ask if my belly (which is still big) had a brother in it. Haha We're loving life with 4! Thank you for the phone calls, prayers, and well wishes!

She's here! I was and still am on cloud 9!


She wants her Mama...


Weighing in.... 6lbs 15oz....basically 7lbs

A VERY Proud Papa...

Heading up to our room...


The Super Excited Siblings...

Little Sisters could be slightly overrated to someone... ;-)

Going home outfit...

Now we're at home enjoying sleepless nights. Oh Joy!

Beach Bums, Back to School, and Baby Bumps

The summer is winding down and Baby Scarlett (yep!!!) will arrive before we know it. Thanks to Darin's sis and bro-in-law, we had an end-of-the-summer vacation at Huntington Beach. They have a beautiful beach house that accommodated a large crowd of Lunts! It was a perfect way to end the summer...Family+Beach+No Schedule = Heaven! Some of Darin's sisters and their families were able to come too...there is nothing like having cousins to play with! I wish I had taken pictures at the house with the other family members..seems like I only broke out the camera at the beach. Thanks again Robbie and Amy!

My cousin, Rhonda, lives in Southern California and was so awesome to bring her brood down to play with us at the beach. This is Kate, Chloe (Rhonda's daughter), and Allie.

All of our kids together...

Rhonda and me...I'm not sure if this picture does it justice but we look more like sisters than cousins. It's so funny how that happens sometimes! We hadn't seen each other in 10 years! At that time neither of us had kids, and now we both have 4 (well almost ;-)! I loved that we could just sit and talk for hours while the kids played, I love friends/family that you can pick right up with even if it's been a decade since you last got together!

Most of our beach time was spent with Darin's sister Donette and her family. This is Roman, Brady, and Kate. Donette's boys are just the right ages for our kids, they played all day and night until we forced them into bed!

Tyler dug a big hole for the kids. They ran and jumped in it, dug in it, and played until the tide came in and washed it away. They even found an extra friend (not sure who the little blonde girl is) along the way.

We went to an aquarium..can't remember the name. Ha But it was a lot of fun. The kids got to touch all kinds of starfish, stingrays, and other stuff...where was my camera for that?!

1st Day of School. Not sure why but everyone must take a picture in front of their door on the first day of school....this was actually after school because my camera wasn't working that morning. Happy to say that the girls are loving their teachers and we couldn't be happier with them either (lots of prayer that they would get the right one for them)! Oh, and yes I made them wear these outfits the 1st day, with the promise they could pick whatever they wanted after that. Ha!

She's coming.....

Sew Fun! 5 New Projects

Yes, making babies makes me crafty. Maybe it’s part of my “nesting” stage. It seems that my little sister, Jill, is going through the same thing. I’m loving it and wanted to share some of my fun with you.

1st project – Binky Clip
The fabric (ric-rac ribbon from Joann's) snaps on and off so I can wash it. I sure hope she’ll take a binky because this turned out so stinking cute – AND because I’m a big fan of “plugs”.


This is an old broach I had. I clipped off the pin and sewed some elastic around it so it slides over the clip. I should have taken a picture of the plain clip..oops.

2nd project – Headband that matches the Binky Clip (Allie made this!)

Allie has the sewing bug even more than I do and she’s planning a big post soon to showcase her creativity. For now she said it’s okay if I show you this cute headband that she made Baby S or Baby B (read and vote below!). Didn’t she do a great job?!

3rd project – Boutique-d Outfits for the Girls

When we were in Utah, Darin’s cousin’s wife (did you follow that?) had their daughter in THE CUTEST PANTS EVER. I asked her about them and sure enough, she’d made them. I took notes and came home determined to make some for my girls.

The girls refused to wear these cute white jeans – it was too hot or they didn’t have anything to match…well, time went by and they got too short. So I turned them into capri’s and added the “Boutique” accents.

I purchased these shirts at Target for $7 and just added the grosgrain ribbon down the front and ruffled it for the sleeves.

This was the shirt before. It had some lace and rhinestones...tacky ;-)!

4th project – Hospital Gown for Post-Delivery

No, I AM NOT wearing this to deliver in! BUT, I really don’t like the hospital gowns that you have to wear after you deliver either. The nice thing about the hospital gowns is that they are easy to nurse in. I saw some really cute ones on Etsy but I didn’t like the feel of the fabric nor the price tag.

One night as I was going to bed I thought up this little creation, went to Target the next day and found the perfect dress to make it all happen! So…this is a regular Liz Lange black jersey maternity dress. It cost $25. The sleeves were one simple seam, so I unstitched it, added snap ribbon (find it at Joann’s), and have since been deciding how to embellish it. I think I’ll add a black braid to the neckline (it’s so boring)…paired with leggings I can wear it as a regular post-delivery dress but it will be so easy to nurse in! Yay!

This was one of my first ideas to embellish the neckline...but uhhhh it doesn't quite look like hospital-wear. This is why I love my "Coco"..I get to play around with designs before it's too late. So...now I'm thinking I'll simplify this to just a black braid (out of jersey) around the neckline. I like that it will hide the snaps so I can still wear it to church or on errands but can nurse so easily. I think I'll look for more tops like this convert into nursing tops!

I still have some projects on the brain…so we’ll see if I can squeak them in before THE BIG DAY!

PS – I’ve loved reading everyone’s opinions below, thank you! If you haven’t commented yet, feel free to! Oh and Ellen – thanks for the warning…she will never be called Scar!!!! Hahaha

I really want/need your opinion....

So we're getting down to the wire and I thought I was settled on the name Bria but I'm still not sure. I cannot believe it but I actually got Darin to agree to Scarlet as the "backup name". Seriously!!! (The kids helped by telling Darin that he wasn't a "true Buckeye" if he didn't like the name. Ha!)

So my dilemma is that sometimes I worry that a name will somehow create a personality in a child...does that make sense? Meaning if you name your child "Bubba", he will live up to that name - not that there's anything wrong with that. ;-) Most people have only heard of the name Scarlet in relation to Scarlet O'Hara (whom I adore more than you can possibly comprehend) or some Hollywood actress, Scarlet Johanson???. Anywho - Scarlet O'Hara was a very strong woman with a super strong personality...will naming my baby Scarlet make her a tad too strong willed??? Will people just assume that she is overbearing because of her name? Has no one seen that movie nor read the book and so I'm creating an image that only I know about?! Bria, on-the-other-hand, sounds like a very sweet little girl. Right? My pregnant brain is probably crazy and I'm revealing too much of it, but I seriously need to know what other people think of the name Scarlet.

PS - If we name her Scarlet, I don't think I want to use Dallas as her middle name. I know! I'm thinking of a family name instead...yet to be decided.

PPS - You will not believe the sewing I've been doing. This week I hope to post pics of outfits that I "boutique-d" for the girls, the "hospital gown" I made (yes, I have a problem with hospital fashion), binky clips, headbands, and who knows what else!!! Making a baby makes me want to make more stuff I guess.

PPPS - If we name her Scarlet, we'll betroth her to Grey Buxton (Ruth's son) and then they'll be Scarlet and Grey...as in OSU's colors for you non-Buckeye fans. ;-) Allie says they'll have a son named Brutus. Haha Sorry, it's late and I need to stop now.

"Moore" Family Fun

In May my sister Melissa (Moore) and her family came to visit. We had a blast. I wish I had taken more pictures...sorry Thomas, I can't find one with you in it!

We spent the weekend in San Francisco with them and toured Alcatraz - quite an experience!

We had so much fun with their family...we only wish they could have come before their oldest, Nolan, left on his mission to Argentina. We're so proud of him!

Roman with his cousin India - he was spoiled with attention from her and her brothers the whole week!


Our family right before we visited Alcatraz...it's that island to the left of us.


Inside one of the cells. Very cool place to visit - you get an audio tour that gives accounts by past guards and prisoners of what life was like inside....well Roman wore my headphones but I'm sure it was very interesting!

Boat that we rode over...Keaton, Kate, India, Allie, Landon, and Roman in the stroller.

Roman and his "Aunt Lissa" - he still calls our guest room Aunt Melissa's room. We can't wait for y'all to come visit us again!

The rest of the trip was filled with shopping and eating and talking and sewing...Heaven!

My next update is the end of school and blackberry picking...then Utah and sometime I'll post my latest sewing projects.

Just 5 short weeks and our little girl will be here...so much to do!