Thanksgiving 2010

Utah is a cold place. It can only boast like 3 months of sunshine and warmth each year. That’s not very impressive. Utah does, however, happen to be the place where ALL of mine AND Dave’s family live. Now that IS impressive and is why we, too, live and love it here.

Yesterday we started our morning off by decorating our Charlie Brown tree (this would be our small, kid-friendly, tinselly tree that we put upstairs). Dave turned on some Christmas music, Kate helped hang ornaments, and I snuck a little dance in with my honey (he’ll kill me for saying so). Cole sat nearby in his bouncer chair, hardly amused by all the holiday cheer.

This year was Dave’s parents’ turn to host Thanksgiving. Before digging in, each person took a turn saying what they were thankful for. I was so proud when Miss Kate said, "I'm thankful for my baby." Kate also got to eat with her cousins at the kiddie table (am I the only one that has vivid, happy memories of doing this very thing as a kid?)

The Mom and Dad:

The Ladies Man:

The first picture makes him look bigger than he actually is; see a more accurate depiction below.

Baby Makayla (left) is 12 1/2 weeks, Cole (middle) is 4 1/2 weeks, and Ava (right) is 10 1/2 weeks. Fun to see the difference a few weeks can make.

One thing I love about Thanksgiving with Dave’s family is they do a white elephant exchange after the dinner. We do the whole “steal it a third time and it’s locked” rule. I will say, however, there weren’t too many steal-worthy gifts this year. Here’s what we ended up with:

Dave got the Margarita mixins (just add your favorite vodka). I scored a lovely potted plant. Kate got the disguise gear, which we brought. And Cole earned himself a vase that would probably be worth a big something on Antiques Roadshow.

So glad for a great extended family that is so close by, and for my very own little family of four!

We’re Paintin’ the Town

We made the upgrade to LED’s this year and love the difference it makes. Dave and Kate spent Friday night stringing lights all over our yard. All was well until Kate stepped in kitty poop and had to come inside. Tears were shed.

Love this pic:

Here’s the finished product (at least the front yard):

Saturday morning we met up with the big guy in red. Kate, of course, is never shy of anyone who comes bearing gifts. Cole, following his sister’s example, sat comfortably on Santa’s lap as well. Kate revealed that she wants a white, Fur Real Puppy that walks. Cole, on the other hand, remained rather tight-lipped.

The rest of Christmas gets set up THIS WEEK! Can’t believe it.

A Mother of Two's Two Cents

Life has once again had a wrench thrown in it. It's taken some adjusting on everyone's part.

Cole is a near-perfect baby. He sleeps for the majority of the day, no colic (I'm happy to report), has figured out his days from his nights, and did his first 4 hour stretch of sleep last night. He's beginning to like his baths, but despises the aftermath of cold air and lotion.

The mom and dad are loving this baby and are pleasantly surprised at how easy a newborn can be. We take every opportunity to dress and accessorize him like a Build-a-bear since he can do nothing to fight us. My favorite thing, aside from just staring in amazement at him for hours, is to curl him up on my chest and just listen to his breathing.

Kate absolutely loves her baby brother and tries so hard to be gentle with him. I'm so happy that she finally has a sibling, and know that she will always be a great big sister to him. On the not-so-upside, Kate is definitely taking her dethroning out on her parents. If I were to give Kate a slogan to describe her as of late...piece of cake: "Opposition in ALL things." We've had fits and self-induced vomits over EV.ER.Y.THING. right down to bubbles in her bath. She has also regressed with keeping her Big Girl's dry and clean. We've had to start a potty chart again with stickers and prizes for dry undies. She got her first prize on Friday night--Tinkerbell shoes from the Disney Store. She's been quite happy with them, but we know that battle is still not over (I guess this is what you get for extrinsically motivating your child). I am praying that her struggles pass. Quickly.

Anyway, just a quick tidbit about us. Still here, still alive. Glad to have two babies, just trying to find that happy medium.

Showing Off

Cole was in the mood for a little showing off (and so was I); hence, the following.

Although we have yet to visit a real photographer, the hospital has a company called Bella Baby that brings in free-lance photographers during your hospital stay.  They give a little knock on your door (no advance notice, mind you), bring in a basket and ask if you’d like your baby’s picture taken.  I said yes, but was a little embarrassed when she wanted two of the photos to include the mom (everyone knows that makeup and nice hair falls to the wayside postpartum).  I went with it, so squint your eyes when it comes to those. 

We only got like 11 pics at a rather premium price, but figured it was worth it. 

The above pic is obviously my favorite

Jaundice-testing battle wounds

Optical illusion of tiny; remember he was 8lb, 5 oz

In the middle of some deep, cognitive processing

This is the part where you blur your eyes

The end.

We so love him!  His biological clockwork is definitely backwards, but we’ll keep him.