Christmas 2008

Although Christmas time is always chaotic and I feel like the days leading up to it I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off, its always worth it when the day finally comes and things come together. We had such a great time opening presents with the kids as Brielle tried to eat all the wrapping paper, and Daniel going from toy to toy playing and be overwhelmed with excitement, and then sitting back with Jason as we reflect on this time of year, and having a overwhelming feeling of gratitude for all the blessings we have in our life, and how grateful we are to have such an amazing family and friends. We love you all and hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Eve

We had a great Christmas Eve, my parents came down to our house and we had a casual dinner, we watched The Santa Clause with the kids, and lounged around in our jammies. What more could you ask for?

our attempt to get a family picture.....I think I just have to face the fact that getting a good family picture just isn't going to happen with a 3 year old and 5 month old.

first attempt to get the two of them in front of the treewell....at least they are both sitting down now

Daniel took off, while Brielle was still in the same spot....oh isn't it nice when they can't move yet!

Merry Christmas!

5 Months!

I remember with Daniel I just couldn't wait for him to get older and to learn and start doing new things, but this time around I almost want to freeze time, because it is going way to fast. It seems every day Brielle is learning and doing something new, her latest trick is sitting up on her own. As she gets older her personality is really starting to show, and boy does she have a little attitude! I don't know how else to put it, but she is all girl, she is very particular with the way she is held, to the way you hold her bottle, or the way she holds her own bottle, and she loves to be held, but you have to be standing(honestly what is about infants that you can be walking with them holding them, and the minute you sit down they scream! I don't get it!), she also has this little squeal she does when she wants your attention, and boy is it loud and high pitch, there is no way I could ignore it, an I guess something we are also going to have to get use to is she is very sensitive, I can't even count how many times Daniel makes her cry, not because he's being mean or rough with her, he's just trying to play with her. But either way, we just adore her and yes....she has us wrapped around her little finger!
Everything still goes right to the mouth

She was getting so upset because she couldn't get the whole thing in her mouth.

just a little randomness

Bonding Time....I love these moments!

I love watching these two interact, she is completely entertained watching Daniel run around the house, and he loves giving her hugs and kisses! I can't wait until she's a little older and they can actually play together.

I just love the face she's giving me!

I put her in the middle of the floor to play while I cleaned up a little, and I come back in the room and she had rolled over to her saucer, either she was giving it kisses, or just like everything else, she was trying to put it in her mouth, needless to say its a little big for her mouth.

Almost! She is almost sitting, without the boppy she can sit for about 5-10 seconds, with the boppy she can stay sitting for a few minutes, she's getting stronger everyday!

Christmas Tag

(I have even started wrapping my presents! Not quite done yet, but I'm ahead of where I was last year at this time!)
Christmas Tag: I've been tagged by Niki

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot Chocolate all the way



2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? We have a little bit of both, the big presents that are hard to wrap get put under the tree unwrapped



3. Colored lights on a tree/house or white? our tree has white lights



4. Do I hang mistletoe? no



5. When do I put up my decorations? Usually the day after Thanksgiving, but I was anxious this year and we had our tree up the week before



6. What is my favorite holiday dish? the honey smoked ham on Christmas day, plus I love the tradition on the Carroll side where Jasons dad wakes up Christmas morning and makes a huge delicious breakfast for everyone, and boy does he go all out! YUMMY!



7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? I always looked forward to going to Grandma and Grandpa's house on Christmas Eve and spending time with all the cousins and family



8. When and how did I learn the truth about Santa? I actually don't remember how old I was, I just remember snooping one year and found a bunch of presents and then when I woke up Christmas morning my mom and dad tried to tell me they were from Santa, and thats when I realized it was really mom and dad!



9. Do we open a Christmas gift on Christmas Eve? Now we open one gift on Christmas Eve and then the rest Christmas morning, and growing up we always opened our gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Christmas Eve and the ones from mom and dad on Christmas morning.



10. How do I decorate our tree? This year I have red christmas balls with white bells and well I have yet to find a tree skirt I like, its pretty simple, but thats the way I like it



11. Can I ice skate? Yeah...I took lessons for awhile as a kid, but I haven't been in years



12. Can I remember my favorite gift? My Favorite gift growing up was when my parents got all of us our ski's and we had passes up at Park City, since being married my favorite gift is my anniversary band that jason got me to go with my ring.



13. What is the most important thing about he holidays for me?To remember the true meaning of Christmas, and spending time with Family.



14. What is my favorite holiday dessert? I'm pretty basic when it comes to desert, nothing beats warm brownies with vanilla ice cream, all the other christmas deserts I'm not really a fan of, so I stick to what I enjoy.



15. What is my favorite holiday tradition? i love going to Temple Square to see the lights



16. What tops my tree? nothing at the moment, our tree touches the sealing, so there isn't any room to put anything on top



17. What do I prefer - Giving or receiving? giving!



18. What is my favorite Christmas song? Santa Claus is coming to town and on a more spiritual side of Christmas I love Away in a Manger



19. Candy Canes? there okay, not my favorite though

Now I tag......Anyone who wants to do it!

Out with the old and in with the new, the hangers have been replaced, its now his blocks. This kid cracks me up, every night we have to have tigger, pooh, his sponge bob pillow and his blocks. Its almost as if I need a list to check off to make sure we have everything, but hey he sleeps soundly, so thats really all that matters!
It seems I have been finding this more often since he started Pre-school he comes home just exhausted. As much as he loves it and is having so much fun its been a little hard on him as well, he is on the afternoon schedule so that cuts right into nap time and so he when he gets off the bus at 3:45 he's more than ready for a nap. His schedule right now has him going Tuesday - Friday, but I may cut one of those days out, after seeing how things went his first week, I think it may be to much for him, I'm gonna try it out for another week and see how he does.

First day of school!!

Yesterday was a very emotional as well as exciting day in our house. It was Daniels first day of Pre-school, and not only was it his first day of school, but he rides the BUS to and from school! I can't believe it.....my little boy is riding the BUS! I honestly thought he was going to be scared or start crying, but he was just as happy as ever, the aide on the bus helped him get on, and get him to his seat, and as we stood outside the bus waving at him, he just smiled and waved and off he went. He will usually ride the bus every day but considering I was already overwhelmed with the idea of Daniel going to Pre-school I decided he would ride the bus to school and I would pick him up, I just needed to ease my mind that he is okay there. And he was, when I picked him up he didn't want to leave, I guess he was just having to much fun! His teacher said he did really well, and for being his first day she was shocked at how calm and easy going he was, but really that is his personality, he adjusts to situations really well, and he's not hard to please. Way to go Daniel on great first day and we hope you continue to enjoy it!

Daniel sporting his new backpack!




He's ready to go! Pre-school here we come!

Twilight

On Thursday night I think I was doing just about the same thing as about every other woman was doing, attending the twilight premiere, I knew there was a lot of excitement for the movie, but never did I imagine this, I got to Jordan commons and after driving around the parking lot for about 15 minutes I finally found a parking spot, and walking in the theatre was a whole different story, other than Swiss days I don't think I have seen this many woman in one place in my entire life, they were screaming, they were dressed up and then you have me looking at all these woman like they are possessed or something, don't get me wrong, I'm a twilight fan, but I have my limits. My friend Sheri got us tickets to the midnight premiere and I have to say I was expecting more, I liked the movie but I didn't love it, I guess i was just hoping for more between Bella and Edward, and well at times it was just a little to cheesy for me, but i was entertained. So thanks girls for a great night out, it was very much needed!

3 YEARS old!

Happy Birthday Daniel!

After 23 hours of labor Daniel finally entered this world via c-section on November 23, 2005. He came in weighing 5lbs 12 oz and 19 inches long, but as little as he was he brought the most amazing spirit into our home, and I have to say the day he was born was the happiest as well as the hardest day of my life. During my entire pregnancy I had no idea what was in store for me, I probably had 12 ultrasounds and not one of them gave any indication that I was going to be delivery a child with a disability, and even after he was born, we didn't know the fullness of his condition until he was 2 months old. These last 3 years Daniel has brought us more joy than I could ever imagine, I don't always fully understand why I have been given this challenge, but I would never change the way things are in a million years, Daniel is one of the happiest, fun loving little boys I know, and he has a smile that will just melt your heart! As I sat at the computer looking back at all his baby pictures I couldn't just pick a few out, so I put together some collages of my little guy growing up, as I was looking at these it brought so many memories back, from all the surgeries, to dr's visits, to birthdays, to vacations, and all the good and hard times we have had, as I sat here in tears looking at all his pictures I realized how lucky I am, and how fortunate I am to have been trusted with this sweet little spirit. Happy Birthday Daniel, we love you and hope you had a great birthday! (to see the collage better, just click on it to make it bigger!)

First solids!

This is what happens when I don't feed it to her fast enough! She just loves her rice cereal, and if I take to long between bites she gets pretty upset with me!

Miss independant! She kept reaching for the spoon, and wanting to do it herself!


Not quite sure how this spoon works yet

Then to top it off, she thought it would be fun to blow bubbles at mom while she had food in her mouth!

Disney on ice

Last Saturday we took Daniel to Disney on Ice, and he LOVED it, he was dancing, and singing, just doing what kids do best, just having the time of his life. Jason and I were actually very entertained as well, its been years since I have been, and it was a great show for all of us! Plus it was nice to have some one on one time with our little guy and I thinked he loved having our undivided attention the whole evening as well.

4 Months!

as you can see, she has her own way of sitting in her bumbo, she just can't stop reaching for those cute little feet!

My baby girl is already 4 months old! Wow, really where does time go? We had her 4 month check up today and she is seriously growing like a weed, as of today she is weighing in at 15 lbs and 26 inches long! Like I said.....growing like a weed! Well, here are a few things about Brielle at 4 months.
*She is now rolling over both ways, she rolls from her belly more, but just recently she has started rolling from her back to belly as well.
*She has discovered her feet and is constantly trying to shove them in her mouth
*She loves to blow bubbles and making razzing sounds, and she has become very vocal lately
*We are now officially sleeping through the night!
*She is getting real good at reaching for objects and and trying to maneuver them to her mouth

*We just started her on rice cereal and she love it!

And Just because he's so cute I had to add a picture of my handsome little guy!

Spina Bifida Clinic

I'm a little late on this post, but on November 7th we took Daniel to clinic at Primary Childrens. And I am happy to say, we got the green light! They were so amazed with him and how much he has accomplished since our last visit in April. So as each doctor and therapist came in, we got nothing but good news, no surgeries, and no tests! We do have to continue our annual bladder studies and ultrasounds of his kidneys, but those only happen once a year, but really other than that, we are in the clear for now! Once again this little guy is proving to all of us just how strong he is and against all odds he is doing things I never thought he would do! The little things that come so easily to other children Daniel has to work twice as hard to do, and I couldn't be more proud of him and his willingness and motivation to learn and try new things. We love you Daniel and keep up the good work!

Worn out

What always amazes me is how kids can fall asleep in the weirdest positions and places. How do they do it??

This is what happens when Jason is asked to watch Brielle!

The other day I was just exhausted, and I had already put Daniel to bed but little Brielle was just not ready to go down yet, so I asked Jason if he would mind watching her and put her down for me, he said no problem, well after tossing and turning in bed for a bit, I decided to go see how they were doing and this is what I find, Jason on the computer with Brielle in her Bumbo watching daddy play his video games. She was happy as can be sitting there, now why can't she be like this for me during the day when I have a million things to do!

My sweet baby girl!

So I realized today that I have no recordings of my sweet baby Brielle, all I have is a few minutes from when she was in the hospital, I feel terrible! By this time with Daniel I had like 2 video tapes full, but I guess thats what happens when you have more than one to take care of, and a million other things to do, so with that, I finally sat down with little Brielle and got her cute little personality on tape. This video shows Brielle playing on her tummy and then rolling over, she has been rolling over from her belly since about 2 months, but she has yet to roll over the other way, I think its mostly due to being stubborn, she is not a particular fan of her belly, and so she's probably thinking why would I purposely roll over there. Enjoy!

Finally!

Brielle has finally slept through the night! Wahoo.....i'm not totally getting my hopes up, because with her track record it seems we have a couple good nights, then we are back to waking up every 2-3 hours. But we have never had the kind of night we have had these last two nights, and all I can say is it feels good to sleep, I finally hit a breaking point with her, and decided its time to get this girl sleeping through the night consistently, it may seem mean, but I decided to use the "cold turkey" method, neither of my kids have been the type where I can go in there room talk to them, and try soothing them from there bed, they just want to be held, so two nights ago, I fed Brielle her final bottle of the night, and gave her lots of hugs and kisses and told her sorry in advance for doing this to her, but she'll thank me later, it was about 10 p.m when I did this, then off to bed I went, and like clock work I heard her at about 1:00 a.m starting to fuss, and then came the screams, I had to fight every urge to go running in there and pick up my sweet baby. But I stayed strong and just layed there in bed until finally it was silent, it worked, after about half hour of crying she finally gave up and went back to sleep, she finally woke up at about 5:30 a.m, so it was a start, then night two came and I gave her a bath fed her and held her for a bit, then at the same time I put her in crib awake and gave her a million hugs and kisses and left her, but this time no crying at all, I could hear her cooing and moving around a bit, but she finally went to sleep, and at about 1:00 am Jason heard her stirring so he went to see if she was awake and she was, but this time she never started crying, she just eventually went back to sleep, and then we didn't wake up until 7:30! wahoo, so lets hope this keeps up, and I guess this next week I'm going to be a schedule freak, just to make sure I don't ruin this wonderful thing we have going, so lets keep our fingers crossed and hope this is a sign of things to come, SLEEP!

Family time and date nights(yes, thats right 2 date nights!)

Jason and I had our 4 year anniversary last Wed, and with all our crazy schedules we decided we would just hang out as a family and go dinner and that we would celebrate with a date night that weekend, well it turned out we got two date nights(without kids!) and not only were they date nights, but my parents took the kids for the whole weekend! On Friday my parents came down and we had a little Halloween dinner, and just hung out, Daniel was still a little out of it from that morning and all the medication, so we decided with him still having no clue about Halloween, we would spend the night in, well come about 7:00 p.m my parents head on out back home with my two little kiddos, Jason was at work still, but when he got home, we got to spend the whole evening together, without having to worry about diapers, feedings, and just relax, watch some movies, and of course finally get some sleep! I don't think I have slept that well in a long time, Jason still had to work the next morning, but I didn't get up until 9:30 or so, I must say though, as nice as it was to have all this free time, I found myself at times wandering around the house wondering what to do, but I just enjoyed this time I had to myself and relax. That night we met up with some friends at Tepanyaki for dinner(mmmm, just thinking about it makes my mouth water) and then enjoyed another night of lounging on the couch and having another night of uninterrupted sleep! Now I did miss my kids like crazy, but I know for myself and Jasons sanity we needed to do this, now I don't think I could I could do this very often leaving them for an entire weekend, but I must say every so often wouldn't be so bad, plus having this time with Jason, and not always being interrupted by the kids was quite enjoyable! So thank you mom and dad for taking such good care of our little ones so we could have a weekend together!