Christmas!

I got in the Christmas spirit yesterday and was ready to decorate! Bella and I were listening to Christmas music and got the decorations out. Then Bella and I went and bought just a little 5ft fake tree. Maybe one day when we are settled we'll get a big tree. I put the tree up last night when she was in bed and this morning she was SO excited to see the tree. She was speechless, haha. The tree came with lights so that was all it was this morning.

We then decorated it and she LOVED that part. This year I think she'll enjoy Christmas. She already knows what Christmas is about. We ask her what Christmas is and she says, "Baby Jesus." Next year after she actually sees what she gets at Christmas this year her answer will probably be PRESENTS! Hopefully not though.




And ta da! Ok so we still need a star and maybe a pretty skirt, but here it is for now. We've had all the ornaments from the company that worked next door to where I used to work in Utah. So it's not the prettiest but Bella had a blast decorating it. :) One day we'll spend money too on pretty decorations.


Once again, the boys slept through the festivities! Dave said he wants to go out in the snow and cut his own tree down, that's how it should be done apparently. (And that's how you know he is from Chicago and I am from AZ!)


And we are working on smiling. Ever since she learned to say "CHEESE!" she gives this goofy tooth smile. Perfect timing for our Christmas cards :)

Mommy's Earrings

If your 1 year old daughter wears stud earrings, don't let her wear your dangly ones even if she REALLY wants to otherwise that is all she will want to wear after...even if they are 3 inches long and hanging past her shoulders


(The large spot on her shirt is soy milk she spilled. I tried the vanilla soy milk but just didn't like it. She asked for some today and the first sip she took she said, "Icecream!" She thought it tasted like ice cream haha. Trust me it doesn't otherwise I'd be drinking it by the gallon! At least I know someone will drink it though!)

Feeling negative

All morning I have found myself feeling down and not motivated and thinking nothing but negative things which I'm sure are all from lack of sleep, especially last night:

My house is dirty and I wish it was clean
Need to do laundry and don't want to do it
I wish I didn't have to go grocery shopping today
I wish my baby would sleep longer than 2 hours at a time
I wish he wouldn't cry
I want to sleep all night
I wish Dave would have nothing to do on Saturday so he could be home and help out
How am I going to survive next year when Dave isn't home the whole year
I wish Bella could pull her own pants down and get on the potty all by herself so I'm not trying to nurse Gaines and help her with one hand which usually makes Gaines really mad, and then trying to get her dressed again since she chooses not to leave her pants around her ankles and has to kick it all off, all the while still nursing
Even though I'm normal size again, I want to work out hard core so I don't feel so squishy and soft
I want a big bowl of ice cream really bad
I feel like I'm covered in milk and spit up at all times
I want a day off

After feeling so negative, I go to put Bella down for a nap just now. We always sing a song before bed and just open up the children's song book and pick one. I opened up to "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" and it couldn't have changed my attitude faster. Here are the words in case you've forgotten:

"Whenever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue blue sky
Whenever I feel the rain on my face, or the wind as it rushes by
Whenever I touch a velvet rose or walk by a lilac tree
I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me

He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings
He gave me my ears that I might hear the magical sound of things
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart, I thank him reverently
For all the creations of which I'm a part, yes I know Heavenly Father loves me"

So here's my new attitude:

I'm thankful for my husband who is working so hard and studying every day so he can one day provide for us
I'm thankful for my 2 beautiful kids who are healthy and that I was able to take part in creating the miracle of life
I'm thankful I had easy pregnancies and deliveries that blessed me with healthy kids even though it left my body squishy
I'm thankful for a crying baby and a sometimes fussy toddler because it shows they are alive and well
I'm thankful I'm able to nurse my children and not have to buy formula even though I may feel like a cow and covered in milk all day
I'm thankful Dave is in school and not in the military. I may have to go one year without him next year off and on, but I'm glad it's not longer than that. I don't know how families with spouses in the military handle it.
I'm so thankful to be able to stay home with my kids and be the ones to raise them even though some days are crazy and nothing gets done. It's ok if the house is dirty, one day I will be well rested again feel normal and the house will be clean.
I'm thankful for the beautiful weather
I'm thankful Bella loves her brother and is the biggest helper to me!
I'm thankful for great parents and in-laws who are the best grand parents
I'm thankful for my brothers and sister
I'm thankful for my friends
I love my husband and kids so much and even though some days start off rough, I wouldn't trade any of it for anything!!

It's so easy to have a good attitude when you remember all the things you are thankful for!

Excuse me? Did you say no dairy?...for a year!?

Goodbye milk
yogurt
cottage cheese
cheese slices
enchiladas
quesadillas
lasagna
fettucine alfredo
sourcream
ICE CREAM!
Goodbye all dairy products...

FOR A YEAR!
(or until I'm done nursing)

If you don't know, I LOVE cheese and milk and pretty much any dairy product there is and eat/drink more than my fair share every day. I have at least one serving of dairy at each meal. Giving it up is a HUUGGEE sacrifice for me, but if it makes this sweet little face feel better and not scream as if I'm feeding him a bottle of acid...


I'll do it!

It's going to be a long year without my nightly bowl of ice cream that's for sure :)

Little Gainer

Here are some pictures my wonderful sister took of Gaines at a week and a half old. I love them and I think they turned out great!

Check out those perfect little lips!

Sneaky sneaky!

A friend just posted on her blog today how she turned her back for just one minute and her little twins took advantage of that and got into many things they shouldn't have.

Well I thought of you tonight Amy when I got on the phone for just one minute after I had fed Bella dinner and turn around to find our little one doing this... (I'm sure you would have taken this any day though than what your little tykes did!)

Yes she is using a butter knife and shoving it in as fast as she could before I took it from her!

The things they do when mom's back is turned!

Thank you Caillou!

Why I love you Caillou even though I think you are whiny:

1. You allow me to get an extra hour of sleep that I desperately need every morning while Bella watches you.
2. You eat carrots, therefore Bella eats carrots.
3. You eat pancakes, therefore Bella eats pancakes when she normally only likes frozen waffles... eaten frozen.
4. You eat spaghetti, therefore Bella eats spaghetti.
5. You eat grape jelly, therefore Bella eats grape jelly on toast.

Bella is not one to try new things, hardly EVER. Unless she decides on her own that she wants to try it. For instance, our friends brought us dinner the other night along with caramel apples. They also brought extra caramel that I couldn't keep my paws off of. I tried to get Bella to try some but she wouldn't come near. She said it was scary. Oh well, one less thing of sugar she doesn't need anyway, but just funny how its candy yet she won't touch it because it's unfamiliar to her. Typical.

Last night Dave offered Bella some leftover spaghetti and Bella said she wanted it. Just a few days before that when I offered it to her she wanted nothing to do with it. When she says she wants something we jump on it adn try lots of convincing telling her how great it is since it is so hard to get her to eat new things. Before Dave even gives it to her she says, "Spaghetti is yummy!" Just so you know, she has never eaten spaghetti so for her to say that was funny. Turns out she loved it and devoured two bowls of it. I seriously get so happy when she eats new things since I get so sick of giving her the same things day in and out.

Well this morning when Caillou was taking care of entertaining Bella while I got some extra shut eye, I hear Caillou say, "Spaghetti is yummy!" I turn to Dave and say, "That's it! That's where she got it from. She ate it last night bc she saw it on Caillou!". I then start thinking about the other new things she started eating lately, like carrots (she asked for them one night while I was making them for dinner.) I remember an episode we have recorded where he feeds the horse carrots and also eats them himself. Also another episode where he eats pancakes, etc.

Why can a little bald haired whiny boy get Bella to eat new foods and we can't!? I don't really know or care, but it's working. I now think I will be recording all Caillou episodes in hopes he'll eat lots of other foods that she'll decide she wants to try also. I've been feeling really bad about how much TV she has been watching every morning since Gaines has arrived so I can get a little bit more sleep to survive the day, but now I don't feel so bad because it is totally paying off! Haha. So thank you Caillou! :)

Rrrrr Happy Halloween!

My little pirate!

Our first pumpkin

We carved our first pumpkin yesterday. Bella was excited to open it..until we did and there was gross smelly stuff inside. She ran to Dave and told him the pumpkin was scary. Once it was carved though it wasn't so scary anymore and she liked it.

Fixing the ear




Gaines slept through the pumpkin carving


Being a Dad is exhausting...or so he thinks :)

Pictures

I'm a big sister!


I love this picture! Bella looks so excited to hold him however she really could care less. Right after I snapped it she was done holding him, ha.