Monday, January 19, 2015

Christmas Festivities 2014:Cookie Party

 I don't know if I have written about the cookie party on the blog before or not.  I feel like I have but it has been a while, so for those who don't know here's the back story. . . My mom's friend, Lisa, loves to cook, it's like her favorite thing in the whole world to do.  My mom on the other hand really just doesn't like it at all.  Well back when my brother and I were little kids somehow it came up that mom didn't do the whole bake and decorate Christmas cookie thing with us.  Lisa couldn't believe it, and since she had no kids of her own yet quickly volunteered to do cookies with Adam and me.  So every year close to Christmas we would go to Mrs. Lisa's to make Christmas cookies.  It gradually grew to include a group of friends and their kids and now a second generation of cookie party kids in with my children and Haylyn.  It is loud, crazy, and fun to just get together and hang out.  







Adam and Abby made Olaf


My mom and Reid.  How I love her love for my boys.




Owen loves music and spent a lot of time on her piano.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Christmas Festivities 2014: Painting Ornaments

Christmas is always one of my favorite times of the year simply because it means getting together with people you love and care about and doing projects that will hopefully translate into memories.  Even though this Christmas kind of felt like I was in a fog due to adjusting to life with a newborn, I still wanted to attempt just a few different things with our boys to ensure they had a good holiday season.  

One thing we did was made cornstarch ornaments.  These are better than salt dough and so easy to make using baking soda, water, and cornstarch.  The boys loved cooking the dough, rolling it, cutting it with cookie cutters, and then painting them the next day.  I am hoping this will be one thing always do each year.  It was so fun to watch their little personalities as they painted.  Reid our ever meticulous first born working hard on his creations, while Owen, our free spirit did whatever and got paint EVERYWHERE, including his face.  Needless to say he went right to a bath!







Friday, January 16, 2015

Detoxing (Written 3 Weeks Ago)

This post probably won't make sense and likely will never make a public appearance on the blog but I had to try to get it out anyway.  I feel as if I am detoxing in a way from being pregnant/giving birth.  With each pregnancy this has been a stronger feeling.  It is something I can't really explain at all except that I can't quit thinking about it/ want to remember, need to remember what happened.  To be honest I love labor and delivery, it the day I look forward to the most and love/hate the fact it is only a day.

With this pregnancy I never really thought about the fact this could be our last baby.  It wasn't something that crossed my mind really, especially at the end because I was just so uncomfortable.  It took about 2 weeks after she was born for me to realize and say to Mark "She could be our last one couldn't she?"  Why the thought had not crossed my mind until then I am not really sure, but it did.  I just want to freeze time right now, freeze her right where she is, freeze the hospital stay, freeze everything so I don't forget, so I don't take for granted.

I am so thankful we got to spend 2 days instead of 1 in the hospital.  It really gave me the time to rest (besides the vitals checking every 4 hours, that is NOT fun at 4 AM) and cuddle and just be with her. I was able to get a shower, doze on and off some, and relax which was wonderful since I had been having contractions for a couple of weeks.  I loved all the nurses I had and want to just go back and thank them for being a part of such a special time in my life.  I really just want to remember it all vividly because we could not have the opportunity to do it again.

I need to remember her newborness, how tiny she was and is, that she loves to be swaddled and cuddled, hates diaper and clothes changes, poops every diaper, grunts with the best trucker out there, and can already produce burps to rival those of her big brothers. She likes her paci only sometimes, eats every 3 hours like clockwork, looks exactly like me with my baby pictures, and is just the most precious little light in our lives.  Her brothers adore her and make sure I take care of her ("Mom, Halle Kate is crying, calm her down please.")

***
I wrote this about 3 weeks ago or so when Halle Kate was still oh so tiny.  There are still so many emotions (and hormones I am sure) that go with having a baby and there is still just this strong desire to not forget her birthday, what and how it all happened.  

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Thanksgiving 2014

I know I am going very much out of order since I have already posted about Christmas, but I know if I don't post what I have it won't get done.  So we are backing it up all the way to Thanksgiving, pre Halle Kate, my last few days of being pregnant.

We started the Thanksgiving week off in the hospital of course and then I spent the rest of my week trying to take it easy, having contractions pretty consistently, and just being highly uncomfortable in general.  One oversight I had with this pregnancy is I never got any "over the belly" jeans.  This wasn't a big deal until those last couple of weeks, it got increasingly uncomfortable to wear them.  However by the time I realized my error I knew I only had a few weeks left and I was determined not to spend more money!

This brings us to Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.  My uncle and aunt had invited all of the family over to their house to celebrate.  It was about a forty minute drive from our house to theirs which normally wouldn't have been a big deal at all except I had been contracting pretty consistently for a week or 2 by then, and that night was no different except for the fact I was in jeans that were way to tight on a contracting pregnant belly, sitting in a car for 40 minutes.  Those contractions were some of the hardest ones of the whole pregnancy, they hurt so very much!  In fact we had trouble finding my uncle's house so I made Mark pull over to call someone just so I could get out and stand up and walk around to find some relief.  It was awful.

We finally find the right house and make it inside where I am able to relax a little bit and rotate from standing/walking around to sitting.  We make it through the night, with contractions, but just not as hard.  It is always so much fun to get together with my family.  I am so thankful that everyone gets along, loves each other, and genuinely enjoys the company of their family.  I know this is a rarity.


Me very pregnant, uncomfortable, and contracting


These two cuties born 3 weeks apart!

Ring Around the Rosies with the grandmas



Love my Poppy and his energy


The next day Mark and I had a slow morning because my parents let the boys spend the night with them.  It was nice to wake up slow and have no where to be until 12.  I had learned my lesson the previous night and decided to go with a comfy dress which was a much better choice!  Once again the other side of my family all gathered together and we had the best time eating lunch and dinner with one another.  I was glad to be there eating and not in the hospital on bedrest! Once again I have to say it is wonderful to be around family that actually enjoys being around each other.  I don't know how I was blessed enough to experience this on both sides but I am!


My great-grandmother, 95 and still sharp as ever!


Grubbing down!