Christmas and Such

Okay this is going to be long. But I swear I must have the cutest kids in the world because I seem to be getting some seriously cute moments caught on camera lately. I'm not biased at all. Sorry for the different sized pictures. I didn't realize I had it on large so some are huge and some are not. =)

We had a great Christmas. Now that we're back in Idaho we really do have 12 days of Christmas it seems! Since we have three families between the two of us we spend a day here, there, and everywhere. We went to Mark's dad's the weekend before Christmas and that was lots of fun. Then Christmas Eve was at my parents house. Here are all the grandkids in their jammies. My parents always let us open one present on Christmas Eve and somehow it always happened to be pajamas! (I think I was about 10 or 11 when I finally figured that one out. Ha!) Anyway, now they do the same thing with the grandkids.

I helped my mom make my dad a quilt this year. I guess I should say she helped me. =) She did a lot of the cutting and helped me tie it (or attempted to) but even better were the perks like a new blow dryer and a box of diapers to show her appreciation for me doing all the sewing! Anyway, my dad had to take medical retirement recently after too many years to count working on busses for ISU. So we used his work shirts and pants to help make this quilt. I think he liked it but he's kind of hard to read. Ha! At least now his 16 pairs of pants aren't going to waste!

We did a little nativity at Mark's mom's. Saydi was baby Jesus and we tried to get Weston to be Joseph but as you can see - he didn't like it very much!

Here's a picture of Saydi and her favorite thing about Christmas. She seriously chewed on a plastic wrapper (with very close supervision, I promise) for 20 minutes on Christmas morning.

This was our Christmas morning. I got this bike from the lady that I visit teach with. And wouldn't you know it - it was the only thing Weston played with all morning. That and some balls that Mark got for his stocking at the dollar store. So we could have seriously spent $1 on Weston and he would have been satisfied. That's what we get right?

We had a super Christmas morning. Mark got me some great gifts and we enjoyed having a lazy day at home in our pj's all day. Something we haven't been able to do for a long, long time.

I took these pictures this morning and had to put them up. I love how much my kids love each other. Weston loves to hold Saydi and always asks where she is when she's napping. She likes to sit with him too but not nearly as long as he would like! And I really did try to get Saydi's fist out of her mouth but nowadays that is where it always is. If she doesn't have something else to put in there she shoves her whole fist in. Literally.

So now the holidays are over and we have to get back to every day life. I have enjoyed the hustle and bustle this year and am sad to see the season go but am grateful for all I have and for the chance to get to clean house, take naps, or maybe even read again!

Time Flies!

Saydi turned six months old yesterday. It's hard to believe she's already half a year old! Our life was complete chaos the first few months but now we don't know what we did without her. She is so precious. In fact, that has become her new nickname. Daddy is pretty good at picking them. Although, I do feel guilty because we call Wes "Fussy" and Saydi "Precious". Both names are honestly meant with all the love in the world!

These are some of my favorite things about Saydi:

- She is the most ticklish baby I've ever seen. You can touch her anywhere and she will jump and squeal.

- Her tongue is CONSTANTLY out. It really is too big to fit in her whole mouth but she also loves to play with it. If she just sees something she wants to taste she will stick it out, even if the object is clear on the other side of the room.

- She snuggles. Every time I pick her up she squeezes her arms around my neck and buries her head in my shoulder.

- Her scrunchy face smile.

- She bounces and kicks and goes crazy whenever anyone gets close to her, in the hopes that she is going to be picked up.

- Her brother makes her laugh harder then anyone else can. She adores him and her favorite thing to do is to have me help her chase him around the house.

- She is petite and tiny, like girls should be! Wes was already in 9-12 month clothes when he was six months but Saydi is barely in 6-9 and can still fit in some that are 3-6 months if they are bigger.

We love you so much Saydi and you have been a welcome surprise to our little family!

Weston's 2nd Birthday

On Thursday (the 10th) Weston turned two! I can hardly believe it. He's such a special part of our lives and I can't believe he's only been here for two years. Before I put some cute pictures of his day up I wanted to list all my favorite things about Weston so that I'll always remember what a fun, and good boy he was when he was only 2.

-He is so very patient. If he can't figure a toy out he will work at it forever and never get frustrated.

-He is so obedient. Sometimes if he does something naughty and I'm holding Saydi or my hands are full I will tell him he has to sit in timeout and he will go there by himself and sit in his chair in the corner.

-He asks permission for things already. When I'm feeding Saydi he will come in her room with me and say "I want books" or "I want toys" and look at me and wait for me to say yes or no.

-He is a neat freak already like me! He doesn't like cake or cupcakes because the frosting is sticky and he doesn't like it when dirt or crumbs get on his feet. He loves to play with this bear on Saydi's changing table but I keep the wipes in front of it. He will set the wipes on the floor, get the bear, and then put the wipes back without even being told to do it. He likes for things to be in the right place.

-He adores his baby sister. He is always so excited to see her in the morning and after naps and he frequently wants to hold her and refuses to let her go, even if she is uncomfortable or crying.

-He loves to have both Mark and I with him. Whenever one of us puts him in the car he repeatedly says, "where's dada" or "where's mama" because he's very concerned that we both be together.

I love absolutely everything about my little guy but those are some of my favorites. He is truly special and I know now why Mark and I had to wait for two years to be worthy of adding him to our family. We love you so much Weston and are so glad you are our son!

From this

To this! (This is his new scrunchy face that he makes all the time)

Couldn't pass up the opportunity to post this picture of him. This was in the morning when we were getting ready to take Hannah and Hallee to school. He loves his boots and people comment on them everywhere we go. He refused to take the sunglasses off too.

We got him a little shopping cart. My sister gave him her girls' old one and it was his favorite toy but got broken. So we got him a new one (that's a little more boyish too) and he loves it.

I was trying to explain to him to blow out the candles - which he then did all by himself! I didn't even have to demonstrate. What a smart kid.

He doesn't really like cake so I thought we'd try cupcakes this year but he didn't really like those either. =)

Wes had a pretty fun day. Mark built a fort with Hannah and Hallee the night before (they stayed with us because Sarah had her baby on the 9th!) so he watched his new favorite movie, Toy Story, from the confines of his fort. He thought that was pretty cool. During his nap I decorated the house and wrapped his presents. He was really excited to get up and see gifts and balloons everywhere. We played until Mark got home and then we took him to McDonald's where he wolfed down a ton of chicken nuggets - his favorite. Then we drove out to Iona and watched that house that has it's lights synchronized to Christmas music. Weston LOVED it and I'm sure we'll go back again. After we got home we had cupcakes and presents and he played so hard. It was a fun day and I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year now that Wes knows there are fun things under all that paper!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This post is going to be huge but I'll try to keep the boring words limited. Life has been so busy lately. And so fun! We've been doing lots of fun things and I've been slaving over my sewing machine which I have also loved. I'm not a great seamstress but I am really enjoying all the little projects here and there. My sister and I made stockings this year. I liked the ones Mark and I had so I just made them for Weston and Saydi. I really like how they turned out though and now I want to make some for Mark and I next year. =)

My sisters and I had our annual Christmas party. The highlight of which, for me, is always the dollar store gag gifts. You wouldn't believe what you can find for a dollar! Here are some of my faves:

Amy in the swim cap Mark and I found!

Miss in the dinosaur hat!

Sarah's "ginormous" tooth brush!

And Mark got silly string. Which led to this. It was so much fun and we are always laughing when we have this Christmas party.

The other great gifts were a giant comb, a shampoo shield, a harmonica, and an air horn that lights up. (Which we found out is much more effective as a child caller. "What's that noise? I wanna see!") We really missed Becky this year but luckily we got to have her kids there. So much fun!

Some other highlights of the night were when Mark put Weston's Mr. Potato Head glasses on Saydi. Hilarious!

And I loved the way that Saydi cuddled with Hannah all night. It was so cute.

This is a picture of Miss in the apron that I made her. Isn't she cute? =)

And I can't forget to include this lovely picture of what Weston does when he's left unattended on the toilet. Silly boy. I can hardly believe he is going to be 2 on Thursday! I'll have another big post of that day I'm sure!

So life is crazy but oh so fun. We have a lot going on this week too that will be "blog worthy" so I'm sure I'll have more posts soon. I love this time of year and am so glad to have such great family to share it with.

A Sneak Peek

We got some updated pictures this weekend from my AMAZING friend Jackie and she sent me a sneak peek that I am dying to share. She is incredible and I highly recommend her for any photography needs. Thanks Jackie!

Oh Where, Oh Where Could It Be?

We've decided Weston has a secret hiding place. In it are the following items:

A remote control for our TV

The remote control for our Mac

The cord for my camera to put my pictures on the computer

About 100 other various items and toys

So yes, I have many cute pictures of my kids to share but unfortunately I can't post them until Weston understands the phrase, "where did you put mommy's cord for her camera". Not that he's allowed to play with any of these items...things just tend to come up missing when little paws are involved.

Not much new around here in the mean time. Just sick kids and restless nights as well as too much on my calendar for me to accomplish before Christmas. Tis the season right?

Why I Love Being a Mom

Halloween

We had such a busy Halloween day. In the morning my twin nephews, Bryce and Brenon, were baptized. It was so special and the Spirit was so strong there. It was a great way to start the day. My sister Becky was in town so she and her boys spent the day at our house and we all went trick-or-treating with Amy and Miss and their kids. Since Halloween is my dad's birthday too we met at their house and had dinner together first which was fun. Weston was a little nervous at the first door we went to when we went trick-or-treating but as soon as he saw they were putting snacks (or "nacks" as he says) in his bucket he was literally running from house to house. He was the first one up there banging on the door. At one house he even walked right inside! It was really funny and we had a great day. Here are some pics.

Farmer Fussy. Miss gave me a super cute tiger costume for Wes to borrow but he would have nothing to do with it. So I tricked him into this costume. He thought he was just getting dressed but the final effect was this little guy. He loves that dumb hat of Mark's so he didn't mind wearing it all night.

Ballerina Saydi. I had been wanting to make Saydi a tutu and Halloween provided the perfect excuse.

This is all the cousins on my side except Makoy. All the girls were ballerinas.

Koy was way too cute to not put a picture of him up. He was a cop but he was sporting those vampire teeth for a good portion of the night. =)

Move it or lose it people - I've got "nacks" to get!

And here was Baby Saydi while we were out. All bundled up.

We had a great time and I'm loving how fun the holidays are for me again now that I have kids!

Cabin Fever

I haven't been leaving my house (or at least not for very long) ever since starting to potty train Weston so we've been getting pretty bored around here. Here are some pictures though.

Wes always wants to hold Saydi and he throws a fit when I take her away when she starts to fuss (for obvious reasons). He's not very good about holding her in a good position. =)

He thinks the cans are legos apparently since he is always stacking them. He discovered yesterday that they roll too and that kept him occupied for a good 10 minutes.

Baby Saydi has been spending a little time propped up in the high chair in the hopes of her building up her stomach muscles. She can sit for a split second but always falls forward. This picture makes me kind of sad though because she's getting so big!

I took these videos last night and they were both so cute that I couldn't decide which one to post so I'm adding them both. The first one is of her in the bath. I tried putting her in the big tub a couple times before because she's busting out of the baby tub but she hasn't really liked it, until last night! It was great.

Saydi is VERY smiley and talkative. She giggles way louder then this but it was as good as I could get. I apologize for the terrible camera work. It's hard to make a fool of yourself to get your baby to laugh and tape it at the same time. And yes, that is DROOL on her shirt. I swear she's teething. I can't keep her dry.

Help Wanted

We've been having some conflicts with potty training. The 3daypottytraining.com website has a help desk that I've been using but the suggestions I've been getting are things that I feel are beyond Weston's understanding. Physically he is doing great. He only goes pee a handful of times every day and hasn't wet the bed at all for almost a whole week. But he is seriously lacking with communication. He has yet to tell me before he has to go. He usually just dances around and until I physically show him the potty, he forgets that that is where he needs to go. We've gone entire days without accidents, and we've had days (like yesterday) when he's had three or four. So I'm wondering what all you other moms have done to try to get your child to communicate with you before they need to go to the bathroom. I'm feeling really guilty because I really felt like Weston was ready for the potty but now I'm second guessing myself. I've tried to be really good about not forcing him and we never put him on the potty if he doesn't want to. But I still am worried that I am pushing him. Weston has always been really advanced physically but kind of slow vocally. He understands absolutely everything I say to him. But he can't say very much to me that I understand. Any suggestions on how to get him to tell me he needs to go?

News and Poos

Things have been extremely crazy, and yet extremely boring at the same time around our house lately. We started potty training Weston. I have to give a special thanks to Sandy Pascoe for recommending 3daypottytraining.com to me. Her method makes so much sense and already had a lot of things incorporated that I had wanted to do with Weston when it came time for the potty. However, Sandy warned me that you HAVE to do it exactly how the book says. Which I tried. But with a four month old that you're nursing it is hard to catch EVERY accident which is part of the success of this method. So anyway, instead of it being three days it was more like five until Wes started to get the hang of it. So for a WEEK we have been watching him 24/7 to catch every accident. He still isn't really telling us before he has to go but when we say "tell mommy if you have to go potty" then he will remember and run to the bathroom. We're still struggling with going #2 but he's doing SO much better then he was. He's been waking up dry from naps and night time for three days now even though he NEVER woke up dry before he was out of diapers. I never could have done this without Mark's help. I tried to do it on my own during the beginning of last week and it was just too hard with two kids. Mark had a long weekend and he helped me so much and that's when Weston started making progress. I have cleaned up enough pee and poo to last me a lifetime though! I told Mark I don't want to have a baby next time we get ready to potty train. Pregnant, maybe. But not a baby! It's so hard. I have to say though that I HIGHLY recommend using this method for anybody who is considering potty training. It's all about positive reinforcement, love, patience and consistency. No forcing, no discipline, and absolutely no more diapers or pull-ups. And it works! Anyway, we will continue on our journey but I'm just so glad we're down to one accident a day instead of the 20!! that we had on day one (and I only had ten pairs of underwear!).

In other news - Mark started his new job at the Site today! He finally heard from them a couple weeks ago and he's been finishing up all of his testing. Today was day one and we are hoping he is enjoying it. He's doing security which is what he did in the Marine Corps so he's excited to be

back in his field doing things that are familiar to him. And the pay increase is definitely exciting too! We're so thankful that things came through and it couldn't have been at a better time.

Saydi is as cute as ever and continuing to grow, grow, grow. We can never kiss her cheeks enough. She's starting giggling so loud and she frequently gives squeals of delight. She's also discovered her hands and is constantly chewing on them. She's still kind of wobbly but is getting better every day. We feel so lucky to have such good little kids!

Fort Fun

We had such a fun Saturday. We took Weston to the mall to play in the little play area and ended up spending the best 75 cents of my life. We let him ride on one of those moving car things and he thought that was so great. Then we went to Old Navy. I get Weston a bouncy ball whenever I have to go to the doctors office in their 25 cent machine to keep him quiet and occupied. Well, at Old Navy they have big bouncy balls for 25 cents. His reaction when he saw the big ball come out was so great Mark and I had to get him another one just to see it again. I don't think I've ever seen the kid happier! It was hysterical. Anyway, after we got home Mark decided to break out his fort building skills that have been sequestered for many years and he and Weston had lots of fun. Actually, I think Mark and I had just as much fun playing in it as Weston did. Poor Saydi only got to watch from her bouncer but it won't be long before she joins in the fun!

The fort.

I think this picture speaks for itself!

Weston watching Daddy make a run.

Last but not least, this picture is less then flattering of Saydi but it makes me crack up every time I see it!! She's a little preying mantis! The flash scared her so she made that funny face at the last minute. =) And check out her chubb-age on her thighs. LOVE IT!

I can't end with a silly picture of her so I had to add this adorable one that my niece took of her a while ago when they watched her. So precious.

Sickness and Silliness

Weston has been sick for two weeks and finally I decided something wasn't right so we went to the doctor and sure enough - double ear infections. Wes has only had one or two ear infections his whole life so I was kind of surprised. Anyway, we've been kind of lazy because of sick kids (Saydi has a stuffy/runny nose too) so I have been breaking out the camera more to make Weston happy. He loves it. Beware of lots of pictures to follow:

Saydi with her paci...

Saydi without her paci. =)

Weston loves his baby sister so much and is still a wonderful big brother. He is always so concerned for her and excited to see her in the morning.

Weston's new favorite thing is to play in Saydi's crib. It's pretty cute.

He's obsessed with my slippers. He also found an old pair of sunglasses and was sporting the two together for about a half an hour.

I went to check on Saydi one night and found this.

Then she worked her way out a little more. I just love it. So precious.

So despite leaky toilets, sinks, and mold in the basement life is pretty much becoming normal around here. Mark should be starting at the Site pretty soon and we are anxiously awaiting that change. Other then that just the day to day madness...that we love!

Baby Blues

I've noticed in some of the recent pictures I've taken lately how incredibly blue my kids' eyes are. Brown + green = BLUE apparently. Unfortunately it didn't come through as well on the computer as it is on my camera though.