Home Again Home Again Sick-ety Sick & Resolutions 2013

We had to cut our vacation short due to sickness otherwise we would still be in Idaho.

So far, Seth has been the only one who hasn't caught it.

Lucky duck.

We've had a rough couple of nights with Lilia's stuffiness and Porter's tummy issues.

Not to mention my incapacity.

So, our New Years isn't going to be all that exciting tonight!

Because I'm on anyway, I'll update on my yearly goals for everyone who cares...

...me.

Resolutions 2013:

1. LOSE WEIGHT!!--I know, totally cliche. But, seriously, I've got 50+ pounds (yes, you read that right and it's totally embarassing) of extra junk in my trunk that needs to disappear by next year. The eating of my body weight in delicious foods that weren't exactly the best for me this last Christmas vacation will just make it that much more fun to say the final number of pounds lost by 2014.

2. Be more patient--It's hard to keep patient when you're feeding a little one who needs you and another little one who needs you is basically trying to climb all over you while feeding so he can get more attention. I need a constant reminder that I will miss this and I need to savor each and every moment.

3. Keep positive--duplicate from last year. I'm gonna be honest and admit that I'm in denial about moving to Wyoming next July. I need to think positive about this, and I need to get my rear in gear with getting Porter into a school there...eeeek!...positive thoughts, positive thoughts...
I've honestly gotten much better about the girls now that it's been a year and a half and I have sweet Lilia to look after, but I still have my moments. I also seem to freak out in paranoia over her a lot more than I ever did with Porter, so that's something else to try to be positive about.

4. Spend more one on one time with those I love--Can never get enough of this, but always seem to have something that gets in the way of just enjoying being with members of my family. Immediate and extended. So, I'm going to make an extra effort to put my family before my chores. (Hard for me since I'm kinda OCD about what I need to get done at home)

Happy New Year!!

Spoiled

This is how I found Lilia the majority of our time in Twin:

 

 

But, it definitely made someone else jealous...

 

Lilia got spoiled by her Gammie, and loved every minute!

Les Miserables

Seth and I had the privilege of going to a movie without the kiddos.

Probably one of the best perks of a vacation to the parents’ homes.

I have been waiting for this movie to come out ever since I saw it was going to!

I grew up with this music, have seen Broadway perform it live in Dallas, and am currently reading the book.

It’s probably needless to say that I absolutely love this musical, but I’m going to say it anyway.

I LOVE THIS MUSICAL!

The movie was very well done and even shed some new light and gave me a greater appreciation for certain characters that I didn’t like as much as others before seeing this movie—Fantine and Marius.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of vocals.

Even though the Hollywood actors didn’t have the vocal training and experience of the Broadway actors in the movie (including the original Jean Valjean!!), they all did very well!

That is, except for Russell Crowe.

But, his acting made up for his lack of singing talent since he nailed the character of Javert so well.

I loved the movie, and I think it was brilliantly done.

You should go see it.

Make sure you bring tissues or else your sleeve will be very wet when it is over.

(If you are unfamiliar with the plot, I would suggest looking that over before you go as well)

Thanks for giving us our first actual date night in a long time, Gammie, Grumpa and Vanna!

Out to the Bowladrome

We and the Martins went bowling while everyone else was at home either too sick or too preoccupied taking care of those who were sick to join us.

 

We had a great time!

 

Mostly because of these two characters...

 

Ava is such a doll.

 

 

Becca got to bowl with Kade attached and he didn't seem to mind at all, although it made for some extra entertainment from those of us watching.

 

 

You go Becca!

 

Lilia slept the whole time in her car seat, so I was free to bowl without an excuse for my horrible score.

 

Porter gave a victory dance every time he bowled...

 

...whether he got one pin or all ten.

That's positivity!

 

 

Porter was also a big help to Ava.

 

He would put the bowling ball on top of the pink dragon for her to push when it was her turn.

 

What a sweetie.

 

My favorite part of the whole night was their dance off:

 

 

Best rendition of the Macarena ever.



Our Favorite Gift This Year

Christmas Day

 Christmas morning faces...

 

 

...the only ones I took because my family was avoiding my camera like the plague.

 

(Didn't help that two family members were super sick)

 

Porter was ecstatic when he spotted this by his stocking...

 

 

He didn't put it down for the rest of the day.

 

Not even when he got other presents.

 

Santa remembered Lilia as well...

 

...even though her stocking wasn't made yet.

 

"Oh, the other thing that I wanted"-

 

Thanks Mama & Pops!

When Lilia awoke, she was as pretty as ever!

 

Later that evening, we were joined by the Martins!

 

Ava and Porter were basically inseparable after that.

 

Still with his Mack!

 

Hope your Christmas was very merry!

Oh, The Traffic is Terrific

Travelling with a brand new little one is harder than I remember.

Maybe that’s because there were two little ones this time instead of one.

And, maybe because this little one is a girl and requires quite a bit more “stuff”.

For Christmas, we took the longer route to Twin so we could visit Jo and Kory in Pocatello.

Mom, Dad, Vanna, and Mikki met us there the day after we came and we stayed until Christmas Eve.

It was a lot of fun!

We enjoyed lots of food, games, and company.

So much so that we forgot to check and see if Porter remember to put on his Pull-up one night (sorry again).

We drove to Twin Christmas Eve night and joined the family for our traditional watching of “Scrooge”.

One of my favorite traditions that we will have to add to ours when we start doing our own.

Lights At Temple Square

We had the opportunity to go to the lights at Temple Square before we headed to Twin for Christmas!

We were hoping for smaller crowds, but found that since it was the weekend before Christmas, that wasn’t the case.

It was still absolutely gorgeous!

And cold, very cold.

7 Years

 

Happier than ever!

Merry Christmas!!

 

We hope your holiday season is wonderful!

Our Weeks Generalized

Most of my day is spent feeding Lilia until she looks like this:

 

 

Then, I spend some time with a pump.

 

Because I have now gotten mastitis 4 times (twice requiring antibiotics), I have to make like a cow after every feeding for prevention purposes.

 

Then, when she wakes, she usually looks like this...

"How dare you put me down!"

Before she starts crying to be held.

 

Then, I hold her in a carrier while I get stuff done for the remainder of the day unless Daddy is home.

 

And Porter?

 

Well, he's still awesome at entertaining himself:

 

Occasionally, we play dress up...

 

Usually when we have somewhere to go like a Christmas party.

Even though we're not doing much, we are happy!

 

Happy to have that tight hat off!

Something to Say

These last couple seeks, Lilia has gotten quite vocal!

 

She has started her pre-laughing gasp,

 

 

she's gotten more dramatic (instead of explosive) with her cries,

 

 

 

and she loves to carry conversations--

 

with Mommy,

 

 

with Daddy,

 

 

 

 

 

and with her big brother.

 

 

 

 

We sure love having her around!

Porter Cloned

Except for the fact she's a girl, Lilia looks almost exactly like Porter.

 

And, here's some adorable proof:

 

Lilia...

 

 

And, Porter...

 

 

These are taken at about the same age, too.

 

Lilia is Porter in feminine form.



Lilia’s Blessing Day

We were able to bless Lilia the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

 

 

Keeping up with my tradition, I made her dress.

 

Luckily, she was able to fit it since I had measured it two weeks earlier.

 

During her blessing, she was great, and didn’t even cry!

 

After, though, she was ready to eat, so I had to make an early exit.

 

 

My best friend since birth, Suzanne, was able to make the blessing!

 

 

She sat with me and exited when I did because she wasn’t able to spend more time with us at the

luncheon we had planned after the meeting.

 

I’m so glad we took these pictures out in the foyer!

 

(grabbed from her Facebook)

 

The luncheon went really well!

 

I wasn’t able to take many pictures of everyone there—mostly because everyone scattered when the camera came out—but there was a lot of support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was so great to see everyone and spend some time together.

 

The babies got to enjoy their Gammies’ arms for a while…

 

 

…and we all got to celebrate our sweetheart's arrival.