Kiddos' Goings On

 Lydia's first day of preschool and Russell's second birthday fell on the same day.  I think my kids orchestrated that so they could make sure I knew just how grown up they were getting.

She was so EXCITED!  And call me rotten if you want to, but I didn't choke up in the slightest as I dropped her off.  I knew she would love it (and that I would too).

I picked her up two hours later and we headed to the park to meet with friends and eat cupcakes.  It was a hot, sticky mess, but we have fantastic friends and neighbors.  And after Daddy got home, we did one our favorite family activities:  ice cream cones at Macey's.

We had his actual birthday party on Saturday so we could accommodate family.

 I decided to forgo the crazy cake in the shape of an animal, steamboat, or tank and just did a simple (but delicious) chocolate peanut butter cake.  He doesn't care, right?

Russell was not going to blow out his candles, and I must say that I was very pathetic in attempting to help him.  Not sure he will get his wish this year.

 Yes, I put the kid in a girl bib to eat his cake and ice cream and then I took a picture of it.  I didn't even think about it being a girl bib until the picture was snapped.  Oh well.  Call me a politically incorrect mom if you must.

Russell was in boy HEAVEN after he opened all his gifts.  He might as well have been in some magical place where every toy is a different kind of truck.  What more could a boy ask for?

As his mother, I could ask that he be a little more fearful of my disciplinary tactics, wasn't quite so messy with absolutely everything he ate, and that he not pick up on so many of his older sister's sass.  But then he flashes that dimple at me, asks for "choc nupe" which is his word for milk, says "thanks, Mommy" or "lub you, Mommy" and he knows he's got me right where he wants me.  I might be in trouble with this one.

Runner in Waiting

We just got back from our camping trip with Chad's family to Panguitch Lake, and while I'm excited to post about it, I am buried under mounds of laundry.  You know the mounds I'm talking about after a camping trip. Not only do you have your regular laundry that is unusually smelly and dirty from all the campfire smoke and dust, but you also have blankets, sleeping bags, and an alarming number of hoodies and jackets that reek in the same manner and must also be laundered.  Not only that, but we are wading through a very messy house and our fridge is devoid of anything edible.

So while I get caught up enough to blog, I thought I would share this little video with you.  The kids went downstairs this morning and randomly turned on the stereo.  Chad went to check on them and discovered little Lydia getting a workout and this little treasure of a video is the result (without any encouragement from us).  I think someone has been watching her mama.......



I especially love the part where she gets a "drink" and goes into super speed mode before wiping her brow and calling it good.  What a woman!

How do you eat your yogurt?

Like this?

How about your sweet potatoes?

Get them in your eye much?

Ordinary Pleasures

Life as a stay-at-home mom is...well, interesting to say the least. One minute I'm ready to give my kids away, change my name, and move to Mexico. The next I'm lovingly looking at my kids and wondering how I got to be so blessed. It's funny how ordinary pleasures of everyday life can seem so extraordinary when the moment is right. Here are a few of mine:


Little man outfits...


Impromptu lunch-time birthday celebrations and a gift that will further my attempts at domesticity.....


Little boys after their baths....


Little boys' faces after rice cereal.....


Looking forward to days when I can use my new stroller and get started on my athletic ambitions....

Walking with your hands in your pockets.....

Awesome aunts and uncle......

Pianists......

Riding side saddle.......

Oh, yeah, that rice thing again.....

And cell phone cases that hook to your belt (or pajamas, in this case.......get it? case?)

Isn't life grand?

Resolved

It's a lazy Sunday Afternoon. Why Chad is the one taking a nap when I'm the one who hasn't slept through the night in over four months is a conundrum. But since I'm awake I thought I'd share the fact that I actually made New Year's resolutions this year and I actually wrote them down.

Here are a few:

1. Eat treats only 1-2 times a week instead of that many times or more a day.
2. Participate in a triathlon
3. Go on as many vacations as we can possibly afford. Camping counts and Chad and I will make it to California for our 5-year anniversary without our children (do or die on that one).
4. Buy a house (we hope!) or at least get out of this cramped apartment.

Let the games begin! And here are a few new pictures of my super cute kids. This first one of Russell is my most favorite I've ever taken of him so far.

Revelation

It’s peacefully quiet in my house. For the second day in a row, Lydia has taken a nap—and willingly. We’ve had major struggles with this lately. And it isn’t just that she won’t nap. It’s that missing her nap makes a complete difference in everything about her, her health, her attitude, her eating, and her night sleep.

It all came to a head last Sunday when she refused to nap. She was an unbearable wreck by 5:00 pm. She fell asleep in my arms at 6:30 and we put her in bed though it was an hour early. But she woke up at 2:30 in the morning and refused to go to bed. She didn’t just defy us, but she let out ear-splitting screams that left us with nothing to do but get her up—angrily.

All that night, I pondered on what I could change in our lives, in the way I take care of her, that would help her sleep. You can’t just sit down with a two-year old and explain why she needs to sleep.

And then it came: the revelation.

Lydia needed attention. I needed to fill her love tank. If you are familiar with The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, then you know what I am talking about. We all have a love language and we need to be spoken to in that language to feel loved. Lydia’s language is Quality Time. So is mine. You’d think that would work out perfectly, but it doesn’t. You see, my quality time means I just need you around, but I don’t necessarily need your attention. Just be in the same room with me and we’re good. Lydia on the other hand needs 100% of your attention. When you give it to her, she might as well be in Care-a-Lot surrounded by all that is perfect and loving.

So I’ve made it a point to give her an HOUR of my undivided attention each morning. We go in her room and I am all hers. Granted, it isn’t as easy as it sounds mostly because Russell hasn’t quite got the knack of a “schedule” down. But I’ve made it work so far. It’s hard not to want to reach for my cell phone, go change the laundry, or whatever else is on my to-do list. But I make the effort and we just play. And so far, it is working!

I realized that I needed to change my focus. I needed to make my day about my kids. And not about me taking care of kids. I’ve savored the peace and quiet that has come from this. I hope it lasts.

Cheaters Prosper: A Family of Four

We are a family of four now! Russell Morgan arrived on the 8th. I did cheat to get him here though. My good friend Mandy and I always talked about how we thought using less medical intervention was best when bringing babies into the world. Well, she delivered her little bundle of joy at home with no help (literally, her husband delivered the baby). And well, I joined the leagues of Utah women who were, dare I say, induced! My reasons for going that route were that I was 40 weeks, I was enormously uncomfortable (I could barely walk the last two days), and I didn't want him to come on 9/11 or on Chad's birthday, and I didn't want to deliver a 9 lb baby.

So into the hospital we went. Our nurse starting working on me about noon. At 12:30 the doctor started the pitocin and broke my water. I started contractions at 1:00 and within half hour was about to the breaking point with pain. Luckily the anethesiologist came in and got me my epidural by 2:00. Even he said that my contractions were "humongous" so I didn't feel like too big of a wimp. My epidural didn't work at first though so he dosed me up again about 3:00. Fifteen minutes later the nurse checked me and the baby's head was ready. We waited for another fifteen for the doc and Russell came barreling out at 3:37. So you can see that I cheated in every way possible. I only suffered for one hour and then took every convenience modern medicine could provide. And I don't regret a bit of it. I thought Lydia was an easy delivery, but this guy was ridiculously easy and fast. Yea for me.

Now, I told everyone that I felt enormous, that I knew my baby would be big. Keep in mind that Lydia was only 6 lbs 15 oz when she was born. So will you all believe me when I tell you Russell was 8 lbs 8 oz?


Lydia with her new brother just a few hours after his birth.

Our precious baby. We're doing well. We're conquering nursing with a vengeance. For any of you that remember the absolute torture I went through trying to nurse Lydia you can give me a victory shout because we are doing much better with this guy. I'm recovering well and even faster than I did with Lydia. Russell doesn't have a schedule yet, but I think we'll do just fine. He woke up every three hours last night, but that was a major improvement on the night before. Hopefully it only gets better from here. I can tell you it is so weird to have him here. It's amazing how his presence has already changed the chemistry in our family. I can't help but look at Lydia and feel that she is so much older than she seemed only a week ago. She's been really good about the baby so far. I'm worried about how she'll be when I'm the only adult here to meet her needs though. So far Chad's been around a lot and a few grandmas pop in once in awhile too. Only time will tell. I can say that Monday is looking a little scary because it looks like it's the day that I'll have to do it on my own.

We are so blessed though. A family of four. I can hardly believe it!

Lydia's Last Solo

So we're five days away from baby number 2. In a way I can't believe he isn't here yet. In another, I'm glad I get to savor my last days with just Lydia. I can wake up to her calls of "Mommy!" in the morning after a full nights' rest and anticipate her meeting me with a big smile when I go in her room. Going to get her from her crib has always been a good part of my day because she wakes so happily. I"ll miss running out the door with just a sippy and a snack in my purse with Lydia happily in tow. I'll miss just chillin' in the rocking chair together after her afternoon nap. The other day we were doing that and she fell back asleep curled around my baby bump. It was so cute and I took in the moment. She didn't even mind when her little brother gave her a few good kicks. I'll miss that when the new baby takes over both of our worlds.


In another way, I also feel bad for Lydia. She isn't quite old enough to get that a baby is coming. I'm afraid she is going to get blind-sided with her new brother. And it doesn't help that she has been the most ridiculous mama's girl lately. As much as Chad tries to help, she just won't let him do much. She wants mommy to change her, put her to bed, comfort her when she falls and just about everything else. I'm glad she loves me, but....


She does love babies so I hope she loves her new baby brother. I hope I can find the balance I'll need to be a good mom to two kids. I hope I can hold my impatience in check and be more loving than frustrated.

And while I worry about all this, we've tried to make Lydia's last week as an only child a good one. We've been to two different playgrounds, gone on walks, and tomorrow we're going swimming. She gets to spend the weekend with her Grandparents and cousins as we attend Chad's sister's wedding. I hope she feels loved.


Because she so is! How can you not love this girl? She does so many cute things and for the most part is a happy girl, as you can see in the pictures. She's been such a blessing! We love you, Lydia!!

Camping for the 4th

We went to the Uintahs for the 4th. My parents own a lot in the Manor Lands which is all private land. They haul their RV up and we tag along. I must say that I appreciate a familiar bathroom when getting up twice a night to go. Anyway, my mom had this little lawn chair and Lydia LOVED it. She saw my dad sitting in his chair with a box of crackers and a diet coke by his side and decided to follow suit--though of course her drink of choice is whole milk.


For some reason, when I get the camera out, Lydia thinks she needs to squat in order to pose for me. I was trying to get a picture of her in the chair where she was comfortably sitting when I got out the camera. But upon seeing the camera herself, she got down and "posed." I have many pictures of her in this position.

Our first 4-wheeler ride!! I've been riding 4-wheelers since I was little. It is kind of a family tradition for the Carrigans. Well, we've got Lydia starting even younger than I did! She liked it for the most part, as long as we weren't gone too long. It was really cold so that might have factored in. Isn't her little helmet cute?

I had fun totally chillin' for the weekend. I let Chad and my family take the child-watching reigns so I could relax. My only complaint was that our air mattress died and I ended up sleeping on the ground seven months pregnant with aching ribs and all. I must have complained more than I thought because Chad has seriously doubted my ability to go camping again this summer.

New Trimmings

So Lydia hair is growing too fast. Her bangs, as you can see in the before picture, were almost to her nose! I wanted her to grow out her bangs, but I finally let our awesome neighbor cut her bangs and I think it turned out so cute!! I love being able to see her face even when she has messy bedhead. Emily, our neighbor who cuts our hair, flipped Lydia's hair and we brought her home looking so good. Maybe I'll cut some bangs of my own! Her shirt is a little messy because Emily gave her a candy cane to eat while she got her hair cut. It did the trick. Lydia chowed down on the full-sized cane the entire time. She had pink, sugary drool all over Emily's house by the time we were done, but it worked. Worth the mess.

Cute Things She Does

She loves to lounge in her chair with the works: snack, remote, teddy bear, and even most of the time, her blankey.


She loves to rock her carebear. He is one of her favorites. She says "rock, rock" and moves her body back and forth. So cute!

Lydia is a mover and a shaker. We finally got some of her moves (well, her main one)on video. It's a bit long, but we know Lydia's grandmas will love it!

Blogging Blahs??

I look at my blog almost daily and think to myself, "I really need to update, but what?" Yesterday, I started thinking that I should have something to write about because I've actually been quite busy. In the last eight days, I've made dinner for other people FIVE times, I hosted book club, took Lydia to the doctor twice, went to the eye doctor, we had New Beginnings in Young Women's, I set up for and attended a wedding, got all my visiting teaching done by the ninth, and several other things. And yet, none of that sounds very interesting to discuss. The weather definitely plays with my mood as well. Some days it is teasingly warm and I'm ready to pull out capri pants and sandals, but other days it is dastardly wintery. Today it is just gloomy.

Thankfully Lydia keeps us entertained. She has learned a few new words including my favorite, "nigh, nigh." Lydia likes to go to bed (which I love) and so she says this often. She can also say a version of thank you, more, all done, peek-a-boo, cheese, doggie, ball, and rock,rock though some words she says more often than others. She knows what a doggie says and will bark on command if you ask her, and she recently learned where her nose is and gives it a good pinch when we ask her to find it. She has also learned to say, "No!" and she gets this threathening scowl on her face. This has developed only in the last few days and I can tell it isn't going to be my favorite thing. But at least she is growing and learning. She is almost always happy and tons of fun.


Ever the face-maker, here Lydia is all ready for church with her hair done up in curls.


She found the mud at the park on one of those just-thawed days and loved it!


And here we are at the same park a different day. We take advantage of weather that reaches above forty and head to the park. I especially loved her pig-tails that day. Her hair is starting to get long enough in the back for me to pull all of her hair up. What a cutie!

Holiday Highlights (Belated, of course)

Our journey to Utah started with one stuffed PT Cruiser and a mostly happy baby in the back seat. The first hour dragged forever and I thought, "we're in for it." But then we started a book on CD and before you knew it Lydia fell asleep which I always gratefully welcome when we're in the car. I can only turn around in my seat and offer new treats, toys, and songs until I've got a rash on my elbow and a crick in my neck. She fared well for the 13 hour drive. When we arrived at Grandma Kimber's, she wore her journey on her shirt as you can see below.

We spent Christmas Eve and had our first round of Christmas morning with the Kimber's. Lydia loved the music table that Santa brought her. It really is a great toy, she still plays with it for a long time, dances, and today, even started lifting her leg along with the little tunes.

We also opened presents with my family and Lydia was so thrilled with every new piece of wrapping paper she ripped from the box. I just thought this picture below was cute. She was showing off for everyone.

This picture below is my absolute favorite of the entire trip. You can see the mountains behind her and I think it is just perfect.

It turns out, Lydia is quite the snow-baby. She LOVED being outside. She wandered in the driveway and even up my mom's road until her nose was so red she could have outdone Rudolph and her hands were frozen numb. She got snow bibs for Christmas and we took her sledding for the first time. We all love sledding and make a point to go at least once while we're in Utah. I was running up the hill with Chad's younger sisters and hoping to myself that I will still be a sledding momma even as I hit my 30's and 40's. Why not?

Coming home, Lydia was exhausted. We stopped at Arby's for dinner and both Chad and I commented that Lydia looked homeless with her dirty face and clothes and her animal-cracker-goo hair. Oh well. We lucked out with decent roads and a really fun trip. Now that the pictures are out of the way, here are some of the things that were highlights for me:

1. Of course, our traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas Day activities. Lydia was so much more fun this year, and I know it will only get better as she understands more and more what Christmas is all about.

2. Making so much food for my family's New Year's Eve party that I honestly spent four or five hours in my mom's kitchen. But when it was time, I laid out a yummy spread that kept my dad giving me compliments for days.

3. Bowling with Chad's family on New Year's day. I watched my father-in-law bowl, and I realized that two years ago, he couldn't have bowled without a lot of discomfort and soreness due to his arthritis. He got new knees last fall and he approached the bowling lane, ball in hand, just like a pro.

4. Playing with Lydia in the snow. That girl loves the outdoors!

5. Last, but definitely not least, playing Rockband with my mom. We made her sing and you should have seen her belting out the lyrics to some Metallica song all the while saying how stupid the lyrics were. Unless you've played Wii games or Rockband with my mom, you will never comprehend the complete and utter hilarity that only my mother can produce. We were all holding our guts with tears of laughter gushing from our eyes. Love you, Mom!

Over all it was an awesome Christmas, much better than last year even and I'm glad we made it.