foto friday

Playing dress-ups, jumping on the bed, and eating ice cubes. That's how we spend our days. She wouldn't take these wings off... She was wearing them for HOURS and she would come sit on my lap and they would be all up in my face so i'd try to slip them off and she would notice an demand to have them back on. She's serious about her dress ups. love it.

 

 (taken 1.26)

P.S. What are we gonna do when we get a BOY around here?

La Caille

Friday night we went out for a celebratory dinner with the Turnbulls. The boys have officially completed their first year of work with vivint energy and it's been a success. This past year (workwise) has been one of high pressure, high hopes and high stakes for them but they have both done so well with it. After selling their company, they had a lot to do at vivint to make the transition go as well as possible and I can personally say that Paul has put in so much time and effort to make sure that he has done the best job possible with his new position and I am very proud of him. He is such a great provider for our family and I have always known that he is a super hard worker but he has proved it to me time and time again.
We went to La Caille to celebrate and had a delicious dinner. We had never been there before so it was fun to go and have the experience. The Turnbulls are such good friends and always so easy to talk to and the boys always keep Missy and I laughing and wondering what they will do next. Paul made up the rule that we all had to take a turn making a toast with our Martinelli's to something. We toasted to some good things so hopefully this coming year will prove to be as profitable as the last!

20 weeks

halfway point! So far everything has gone by so far and I'm so glad. I've still got a lot to do before this little guy gets here but i'm so excited for when he does! I'm glad I've already made it this far, and I'm hoping the last half will also go by fast and be maybe easier than the first (key word: hoping).

-I'm still pretty small. At night i have a pretty good little belly and during the day i just look fat, and I feel like a lot of people still don't even know that I'm pregnant! But that's ok i know better than to complain or wish I was bigger... all in good time.
-The important thing is that baby boy is alive and well and growing strong! We got our 20 week ultrasound the other day and everything looks perfect! He is pretty much right on the day with his measurements and everything looks perfectly healthy. Such a blessing.
-My latest food cravings have been: egg salad sandwiches, top ramen, and anything sweet or chocolate... not together (but sometimes). I have had the biggest sweet tooth ever since Christmas break and it's not going away. Once i find something i like i pretty much just eat it everyday.
-I've been a lot more moody and hormonal lately, which I'm sure is hard for everyone involved.
-So far this baby is super chill. He moves around but not a ton and wasn't moving very much in the ultrasound. Which I'm fine with. 

foto friday

She LOVES to brush her teeth, by herself. She has to have it wet and also asks for toothpaste. So i always dip it under the sink before i give it to her. The other day she decided this was not enough and after brushing for a few seconds went to the bath tub and turned the faucet on and was dipping her toothbrush, brushing, dipping, for a good 10 minutes. Such a silly girl.
(taken 1.10)

parent's weekend

My parents came up for the holiday weekend and were here Thursday - Tuesday. It was fun to have them and spend time with them. They were hoping to ski most the time, but due to the lack of snow, we did lots of other little things between our house, Cassie in Provo and Chelsea in Pleasant Grove but mostly just enjoyed spending the time we had together. I barely took any pictures but here's a recap of what we did:
Thursday we got them from the airport then met up with Cassie then went to Malawi's pizza.
Friday my Dad, Cassie and Paul went skiing and my mom, Caitlin and I ran a few errands. That evening Paul and I and my parents went to eat at Cafe Rio. We also played a lot of Boggle this weekend.
Saturday we went to a few stores in the morning, my dad visited his mom and then we headed back home. While Caitlin was napping Paul and I got out and ran a few errands and then that night we went to the BYU basketball game with my parents and Chelsea. It was our first one to attend this season so it was fun and we won! Afterwards we met up with the others and went to Sub Zero for ice cream.

Sunday my parents came to church with us and then that evening we had a big family dinner that was delicious. Unfortunately both Caitlin and my mom got sick (with different things) so it was a little bit of a hard day.
Monday my mom was really sick so we laid low. The boys were hoping to take advantage of the "huge snow storm" that was supposed to hit, but it never quite did. So we just had a normal day at home and let my mom rest... as much rest as you can get with Caitlin running around the house and wanting to spend every minute with Grammie.
Tuesday my parents went to the BYU devotional in the morning where Cassie sang with the Women's Chorus and then it was off to the airport that afternoon.

Always fun to have my parents around. Caitlin (and I) already miss the extra company and attention. We love you guys!

foto friday

 (taken 1.9)

ziplocs anyone? I try to get a few dishes done and behind my back THIS happens. She emptied my entire box of ziploc baggies and was using them to scoot around on the floor and was QUITE pleased with herself. Who can be mad at that little face?


**Another funny thing that has no picture but that i want to mention is that Santa has carried on past the Christmas season. Whenever Caitlin sees anyone with a white beard, she says "ho ho ho". For example: The other day we were in Hobby Lobby and they had a little garden display of gnomes and she kept seeing all these gnomes with little beards and hats and saying "ho ho ho". Also, the other day in church Paul was showing her some church pictures and one of Moses came up and immediately she said "ho ho ho!" and pointed to Moses.

18 weeks

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this pregnancy is so different from Caitlin's. I don't know if it's because it's my second or if it's because it's a boy, maybe both. Either way, time is moving along so quickly that i can't believe this little baby will be here before we know it. I am more excited and my to-do list grows everyday. Here's a little update:
-I felt him move at about 16 weeks. Still only small movements which i mostly feel in the morning and at night but i love feeling him. It's so assuring and exciting at the same time.Paul felt him for the first time last night.. he's getting stronger!
-I had a not-so-little shopping spree while we were in Texas and got some great deals on clothes. He's pretty much set for the first year of his life (although I'm sure that won't stop me from buying more). I'm actually having a lot of fun buying boy clothes, much to Paul's dismay I'm sure... as it turns out whichever gender of baby we have they are fun to spend money on!
-We think we have decided on a name, although Paul says he is still open to ideas. But I'm like 98% set on it so I don't think it'll change.
-Overall I'm feeling a lot better and starting to actually gain some weight. It was nice to not have to worry about what to eat during the holidays and mostly just concentrate on getting enough to eat in general. Also nice that i didn't have to cook for myself during the holidays (that always helps). I still have some lingering tummy aches and I swear I had Braxton Hicks contractions on the airplane on the way home from Texas, I know it seems early but whatever it was.. it was painful.
-On a selfish note: I'm trying to grow my hair out and thought now would be the perfect time with taking prenatals and everything and it's not happening. It's not growing fast at all! So dissapointed. 
-My belly is growing bigger everyday and I am slowly moving into the baby-belly opposed to fat-belly stage, depending on what I'm wearing.

Foto Friday

 (taken 1.6)

This outfit is killing me.. the skinny jeans, the toms (that I bought thinking they wouldn't fit until this summer), the vest. she is just so cute to me and she is looking older everyday. Must.document.everything.

neither here nor there

december instagram pics:

2012

Dickson Family Top 10 of 2011:

(in no certain order)

1. Buying a house.

2. Paul having a new and different job.

3. Paul (finally) graduating.

4. Celebrating our first official Mother's Day and Fathers Day

5. Caitlin turning one.

6. Finding out we're pregnant.

7. Traveling a ton (definitely took advantage of kids-fly-free under 2 rule)

 Trips to: San Diego, Austin (multiple times), Dallas (multiple times), St. George, Disneyland, Arizona 

8. Planning, planting and successfully growing our garden

9. Having our summer of races and competitions, and achieving our goals. My biggest achievement being the half marathon and Paul's biggest being his Half Ironman Triathlon. 

10. Making some new friends and keeping the old (...one is silver and the other is gold...)

It's been a big year. And a really good one. And it went by entirely too fast.

Things i am looking forward to in 2012: 
(in no certain order)
-(obvi) having our baby
-visits from family
-having another niece in May!
-Caitlin going to nursery at church, and then turning 2
-hopefully more exciting baby news from friends and family.. keep those little cuties coming!
-some trips
-our 5th year wedding anniversary (hint hint paul it better be good)
-The Hunger Games movie (yes that is a legit thing that made the list)
-doing some fun projects to our house
-doing the whole holiday season all over again!

"the best way to spread Christmas cheer..."

-CHRISTMAS EVE: This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip. During the day we made gingerbread houses as couples. It was really fun to get creative (we got really into ours.. notice the cotton "smoke" and the north pole flag, we were proud) After the babies woke up had dinner and did our evening: opened up pajamas, read the nativity story and exchanged gifts of our favorite things. We played games and watched a movie then went to bed so Santa could come!

 -CHRISTMAS DAY: We all woke up and got ready for church. Caitlin looked so cute in her Christmas outfit, it almost made me sad that church was only an hour long (almost). When everyone was ready we made the traditional line down the stairs and got to go see what Santa brought us. All the stockings were filled and a few presents were set out for each of us. Caitlin was of course really into (literally) all the candy from the stockings, but she also enjoyed her toys from Santa. She got a Minnie Mouse shopping cart filled with things like some sing along DVDs and a stuffed animal and little toys. After enjoying our Santa things and eating some breakfast we went to church. As much as I love the toys and Santa and the magic of it all, I'm glad that there is a true meaning to the holiday that goes much deeper. I'm so thankful that Jesus was born and that amazing people like Joseph and Mary we were willing to bring him to the Earth and raise him to fulfill his mortal ministry. After Church we came home and got changed (back into our pjs of course) and put the babies down for naps. That gave us time to open all the adult presents. Again we both got so spoiled. Paul's big gift this year was a new gun and all the paraphernalia that includes. My biggest gift was also my biggest surprise: a right hand ring from Paul! I was so shocked to open it! It is so beautiful: purple amethyst with white sapphires and diamonds. Exactly what I have wanted but never expected to get it right now. He's the best. I got other fun things like a new watch, some games, and a few things for my house and kitchen. After all our presents the babies were up and we had Christmas with them. Caitlin remembered just how to tear off the wrapping paper and she was a pro. She got lots of fun things: clothes, toys, baby doll things, a little tent and another popular thing was Cason's gift: the ball pit! The babies LOVED playing with all the balls and climbing in and out of the tent. All of our toys kept us busy for the rest of the day.

 

"i just like to smile, smiling's my favorite"

Christmas with the Dickson's was jam-packed and busy and crowded... but all in a good way. We had an "Elf" themed Christmas. There were decorations like the movie and quotes from the movie all over the house and we did things from the movie and shared our "favorite things". We were there from the 22nd to the 3rd and did so many fun things, and enjoyed such nice weather and events. The only downside was that i was sick pretty much the whole time with a nasty cold (i guess.. lost my voice and everything) but that didn't stop us, so here are all the highlights:

 -Christine and Chris announcing they are having a girl!

-Looked at lights around town, including the Night Before Christmas court and the "Christmas house" (thousands of lights all programmed to Christmas music that you tune your radio to). 

-We went ice skating! I hadn't been ice skating in years so it was really fun. We even got some tiny baby skates for Caitlin and had her try it out.   

-The 26-27th the boys left to go hunting. The girls got returns and exchanges done and watched movies and played games. We went to lunch and also all got our nails done by Christine who got a Shellac nails set for Christmas. the boys were successful on their hunt, Paul got 3 deer himself and they came back with about 170 pounds of meat.. hello deep freeze!

-The 28-29th we switched with the boys and had our own little girl's trip! We headed down to Houston and stayed at the Westin at the Houston Galleria. That night we went to an art studio called "Pinot's Palette" and took a painting class. We all started with a blank canvas and painted along with the teacher and finished with our own personal masterpieces! It was so much fun. We had snacks and drinks and listened to music and had so much fun. Then we went back to the hotel and watched a movie and had pizza. The next day we spent the day shopping around the (HUGE) Galleria. We started with brunch at the Nordstrom Cafe and then shopped to our heart's content. We finished out the day with delicious Italian dinner and cheesecakes from cheesecake factory then drove home. It was so fun to get away together and have a little break from the little ones. The boys did a great job while we were gone (at least we think they did).

-Saw the Mission: Impossible movie and enjoyed it more than i thought i would.

-Rang in the new year with food, mostly family and a few friends, chocolate fountain, games and hot tubbing. We took the babies in first for skinny dipping while it was warming up, but don't worry Paul and Jeff are in fact wearing swimsuits and so were the rest of us when we got in later.

 

-Went on walks to the park and enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather, even got a little warm sometimes.      

-The babies were so cute together. They loved the constant entertainment and they played pretty well together in general. They would give each other "loves" and it was so cute. They each definitely have their own interests and personalities so it was fun to see what they were all into.   

Christmas break is something we look forward to every year and this year was no exception. To be able to get away and spend time with each other and with the rest of our families is so fun and we always make great memories. Thanks Stewart and Lorraine for being willing to host our whole bunch and have great holidays with us.

practice christmas

This year was a Dickson family year but we started our Christmas vacation in Dallas with the Peltons for "practice Christmas". Caitlin and I flew in Sunday afternoon and surprised Cassie (YAY! so glad she is back). She didn't know we were coming so it was fun to surprise her and spend time with her and get caught up. We watched movies, shopped, talked, ate delicious food, saw friends, decorated the Christmas tree and went caroling. We made and ate tons of delicious fudge. Paul got there late Tuesday night after finishing up some work things.

 Wednesday was our official "pre-Christmas" with my family and we had a lot of fun. We got up and had a yummy breakfast and then opened presents. Caitlin learned very quickly how to open presents and she loved ripping the paper off the boxes. We all got very spoiled, some highlights included remote control helicopters and new work clothes for Paul, a new wardrobe of maternity clothes for me, and Caitlin got a ride-along bike and a set of princess high heels and a crown. Her face was priceless when she saw the princess things (she's getting really into dress-ups) and she was so excited and cute wearing her little heels around. My family also opened their presents from us. After that Caitlin took a nap and everyone got ready, we ran a few errands and when she was awake we head to the Gaylord Texan. It's always so fun to see all the decorations and lights there. And this year we decided to check out the ICE exhibit. This year was "Shrek the Halls" and the sculptures were AWESOME! It was freezing but worth it. Everything was so detailed and crazy to think it was made of ice. We had fun walking around and admiring and also enjoyed the ice slides at the end. They were sticklers about kids on the slides so they made Caitlin go down a short kid's slide all by herself and she got completely stuck in the middle of it, not able to slide at all. Eventually she made it down but she wasn't too happy about her little tushy being so cold. After the exhibit we looked around the rest of the Gaylord at all the other decorations. Caitlin's new word is "WOW" so everywhere she looked she was saying "WOW" and pointing to everything. After seeing everything we went to Spring Creek BBQ for dinner then went home.
Thursday we hung out in the morning and then left in the early afternoon to start driving to Austin. We met up with Lorraine halfway and did the swap and were on our way to start our Christmas with the Dicksons! Thanks mom and dad for a short but sweet Christmas celebration.  

 

 

Love, the Dicksons