paul's Mexican buck

I know that my version of this story will never do justice to the great adventure or the stories Paul could tell, but since his only association AT ALL with our blog consists of once in a while looking at it to "catch up on his life" this will have to do:

Paul got to go hunting in Mexico at a ranch just south of the Arizona border with two of his friends. He got invited last minute when one of the other guys dropped his spot and I could tell he was dieing to go so of course I wasn't going to stand in his way. It wasn't until after the decision was made and money was spent that I heard about crazy border patrol, drug runners, the Mexican Mafia and a few other colorful stories. Regardless. Paul was very particular with me before he left and had me look at (a lot) of pictures of bucks so I could tell him which ones I liked the looks of because he wanted to make sure he would shoot one I liked. (WHY am I TOTALLY losing the battle of not having animals in my home?!?! When did I get so soft and that declaration go out the window?!) 

Anyways, Paul had a great (and safe!!) time and came home the happy hunter... He shot a great big buck that scored 190" and will probably go in the Boone and Crockett record book. It is a great looking buck and it will be on proud display soon.

 

Congratulations Paul!

Girl's night

Caitlin and I had a girl's night on Friday. We got dressed up (she HAD to wear her tutu) and then we went and got chik-fil-a and then met up with Tiffany and London Barnes and saw the Peter Pan Ballet. It was actually put on my just a local dance studio, it was kind of like a recital but it was pretty good and full of little dancers in tutus so that was pretty much the only criteria.

Sounds like a simple night but it was honestly one of the best nights I've ever had with my little girl. Maybe that sounds over the top but it's true. It wasn't because of what we did, it was just because of how much she loved it all and how much fun we had together. I was able to give her my 100% attention which she loved and we just had fun chatting in the car, eating our "chicken bites" and she loved watching the girls dance and eating treats. She was so good for all of it. I feel like a lot of times I have to be the disciplinarian, the time keeper, the scheduler, the task master, or the chauffeur for the family so it was nice to just be the fun one and enjoy a night together. 

Caitlin is just so cute and growing up so fast. After each dance she would clap and say "good job!" And everyday since she's asked to go see the girls dancing. As a mom I needed a night like this, just a night to let me remember how cute and sweet my little girl is and remember that I'm doing a good job, even if sometimes she makes me want to pull my hair out or sometimes I feel like I am no fun. Her sweet face and excited attitude made my night, and it was perfect.

about to POP

Whitney is pregnant and so cute! I'm so excited for her to have her little baby boy! We have missed them so much since they moved to California so I was so excited when she said she could come out for the weekend!
Friday when she arrived we picked her up and then went out to lunch then we came home and hung out at the house then that night we went to a birthday party an saw lots of friends.
Saturday we had her shower. We did the "About to POP" theme and it turned out really fun and cute. She has the cutest little belly and I can't believe she is only 8 short weeks away. Baby Brox is going to be so cute and he got some cute things! It was fun to mingle with everyone and of course eat a lot. We had lunch and the popcorn bar and opened presents and people made guesses on when Brox will make his debut (most guessed late and BIG)

 (apparently the only pictures we took all weekend were at the shower)
Saturday night Whitney and I met up with her parents and a few aunts and uncles for a delicious dinner in Salt Lake then we came home and played games.

Sunday we hung out at home in the morning and watched the Miss America pageant and then went to church and then it was back to the airport! I loved having Whitney come visit. It was so fun to see her and have some good girl time. Whitney has always been so fun with my pregnancies and I consider her another aunt to my kids... I couldn't be more excited for her and Morgan to have their little baby, they are going to be amazing parents! 

dolphin cay

Just got a copy of our pictures from when we swam with the dolphins in Atlantis so I wanted to share a few! We did a "shallow water dolphin encounter" so we mostly watched and got to pet and we were only about 3 feet deep. Caitlin loved it. She was a little nervous at first but warmed up to it. She especially loved when the dolphin jumped out of the water. Nolan watched/napped on the shore. I loved it too and P.S. I think I'll wear one of these wetsuits every time I go swimming.. they are just so attractive!
 

Nolan: 7 months old

Nolan is now seven months old. He is just so cute and such a good baby. Paul and I are always amazed at how easy going and sweet he is. It's the rare moments when he cries or whines that take us by surprise. We had a busy last month and he just rode right along. I love having him in our family. We are still waiting for him to pick up on some things, but he progresses everyday. Here's how things went:
Eats: baby food! He loves it. Turns out he is completely not a fan of rice cereal or oatmeal but he loves food. I was trying so hard to get him used to it and finally called it quits to try baby food. He eats really well off a spoon now and hasn't met a food he doesn't like. Even the green ones! His favorite is applesauce. He eats his food twice a day and has three 8 oz. bottles. He still loves his bottle but now he can hold it on his own and ever since he started doing this he doesn't want to be fed anymore he just wants to do it by himself!

Sleeps: From about 9pm to 9 am with still two naps during the day. (Usually about 2 hours) He will still fall asleep in his car seat or stroller pretty easily, but he definitely sleeps in his bed the best. He likes to sleep on his side mostly. We put him down on his back but he always rolls over and nuzzles into his blankets.

Plays: He LOVES to roll. He rolls everywhere and back and forth. He pushes up on his arms and tummy and reaches for things. I feel like he may begin scooting sooner rather than later because he will already reach and roll for things. He plays really well with his toys- he likes to study them and really concentrate on playing. He would really rather be on the floor rolling from toy to toy than being held most the time. He also likes to stand. He's not very sturdy but he likes to stand if you are holding him or stand in his saucer toy. He also discovered his feet this month! Probably due to the fact that we were on vacation and he didn't have to wear socks and warm shoes all the time. He likes to play with them.

Likes: He likes his tongue lately. He is always sticking it out or twisting it inside of his mouth or trying to chew on it. It's cute to see his tiny little tongue sticking out. I also think it's because of teething (no teeth yet but I know they are on their way!) He also likes the ladies. Usually a girl can get a smile out of him way quicker than a boy. And of course he loves his own personal groupies here at home: Caitlin and I. He also likes playing airplane and "wrestling" daddy. He has this little grunty/chuckle laugh that is so funny.

Dislikes: Sitting up. He's just not into it. I think it maybe be uncomfortable on his big belly to bend. He will sit for a few seconds then fall over.

Other: He had his first trip out of the country, first plane ride in first class (pretty sad that his first was also my first), first Christmas, first New Years. He is wearing 9 month clothes, and still some 6-12 month things. He still wears mostly sweats for pants because he needs the elastic waistband all the way around. When we were in the airport traveling we put him in his carseat with one small blanket on teh suitcase scale: 33 lbs! That's what I'm lugging around on one arm everyday! I still take him in his car seat a lot because since he doesn't sit very well he likes to just lounge, and also he is warmer in there. His hair is growing so nicely! It's getting long and even growing over to tops of his ears. I love doing his little faux-hawk but it never stays for very long.

weekend review

Friday night we had a mini college roommate reunion. Heather was in town for the day so we met up with her and her family and Leigh. I finally got to meet Heather's adorable little girl Brooke! We ate at Cafe Rio and then came back to our house and hung out a little longer until they had to get to the airport. We missed Whitney of course but it was fun to be together.. I have so many great college memories with these girls and I hope we will always stay close.

Saturday we finally made it to Scheels and we were each in heaven a little bit... such a cool store and something for everyone! (for me it was the candied pecans more than any outdoor/sporting good but whatever)


Paul and I also had a date night. We ate at CPK then played Settlers of Catan with friends (our current obsession).

Sunday we switched to church at 1:00 and I'm embarrassed to say that we were still not quite on time. That's our goal for this year: make it on time! We really have no excuses. But church was great anyways, I am still working with the 12-13 year old girls and there is a new curriculum this year for teaching the youth lessons that I'm excited about. More of a discussion than by-the-book lesson. I'm excited to get the girls sharing more and learning from them.  

skier/dancer

Caitlin started her new year with some exciting stuff. 
First, we took her skiing. We kept our expectations low knowing that it could be a fail or it could be amazing. It was amazing. She loved it! Last time we took her it was more for the fun of it, she didn't even fit in the boots. This time was a huge step towards legitimacy. She knows what skiing is and she wanted to try. We met up with the Turnbulls and got lunch to start then rented her stuff. Then we went to the bunny hill and she came down twice... grinning both times. Paul skiied with her between his legs or she skiied to the side as he held her hand. She totally supported her own weight, but did not want to fly solo very much.

We bundled Nolan up as much as possible (snowsuit+blankets+fleecey carseatbag+smaller blankets+ hat) And he didn't complain. He and I hung out and watched all the skiers.

Soon she was asking to "go on the chairs" so Paul took her on the chair lift. She loved the ride up and skiied all the way down asking Daddy to go faster. After that she was pretty worn out so we called it quits and ended on a high note. But I'm sure we will be hitting the slopes again soon!  


The next day was her first dance class. I searched for a place that would take 2 year olds because I just knew she would love it. We took her to Center Stage in Orem and love it she did. She loved wearing her tutu (she calls every skirt a tutu by the way) and we got there a little early and saw some other girls dancing and looked at the room where her class was and by the time class was ready to start she was so excited to get in there. She was adorable. She followed directions and behaved really well. And its just so cute to watch all of them. As soon as she walked out the door she said "I wanna do it again!"

2013

 (in no particular order)

munchies & mocktails

Our New Year's Eve consisted of: snack foods, mocktails, friends, kids running around everywhere, kids falling asleep everywhere, Settlers of Catan, and a kiss at midnight. 

 and 2013 has never looked better

joys of motherhood: december

-Since Nolan is almost always smiling, we call him our "happy boy"a lot. Caitlin has picked up on it and she will often go up to him and say "heeey happy booooiy"
-Caitlin loves to tackle Nolan on the ground and lay with him but usually doesn't try to move him. The other day she wanted him to come with us into the other room and she went over and tried to pick him up. I watched her because i figured she wouldn't be able to but I wanted to see wht she would do. She grabbed him around the tummy and tried to lift him and got him about an inch off the floor. Then she came over to be and said "oh mommy, he's too big." Hasn't tried to pick him up since.
-We are trying to teach Caitlin her full name: "Caitlin Dickson" She hasn't quite caught on with her own name but if you ask her what mommy's name is she says "Mommy Dickson" or  "Daddy Dickson"
-Nolan was getting a little fussy the other day in church during a lesson. He was sitting in his car seat and didn't seem to want to be held or lay ont eh floor or anything so finally I took out one of Caitlin's little books with pictures of Jesus in it and he immediately calmed down and just looked at all the pictures. You forget sometimes how close babies are to heaven.
-Caitlin likes to"write names". She gets her paper and crayons and says "I want to write Nolan. tell me the letters." So then I tell her how to spell it and she makes little scribbles and usually goes off on her own version of the abc's, but she loves writing people's names.
-Nolan loves the ladies. He will usually smile for just about any stranger but if it's a woman the smile comes a lot quicker. What a flirt.
-Caitlin says really funny stuff. She picks up on EVERYTHING now and we can't get away with anything, she will repeat whatever we say. Luckily the worst thing she's picked up on so far has only been "oh. my. dosh" but she says some funny stuff. I love when she uses phrases at times that don't really make sense. She likes to say "be back in a minute" or "watch out" "be careful" or her latest is "i don't think so."
-My kids still melt my heart. As much as I try to record little cute moments I can't even begin to capture them all. I love their looks, their words and their snuggles so much.

neither here nor there

my december instagram pics:

A couple other fun things that we got to do between Christmas and New Years were: see Les Miserables, go skiing (a lot for Paul and one time for me), play games, enjoy our christmas gifts,  date night with Mike and Jenna, try to stay warm, have a family date night, and go rock climbing. We didn't get pictures or everything but it was all fun.

12.26: Santa's visit

Once we got home from our travels, we did our own little Christmas Eve and Christmas (that's the beauty of having little kids.. They don't know the date difference). We had come home to a very white Christmas. There was SO much snow at our house and it kept coming down all the next day. A very fun contrast from our previous days in the sun and it made our house feel so cozy! Once we were home, we had dinner and got in Christmas pajamas. We read the kids a few Christmas books and ended with the night before Christmas. We told Caitlin that Santa would come while she was asleep and bring her presents and she said "oh, ok I go nigh nigh" Both kids slept soundly, finally being back in their own beds I'm sure helped.

And the next morning Santa had come! Caitlin was so excited that Santa had come and ran out to find all the gifts. This was the year of Tinkerbell and Cinderella for her, she got lots of fun things from both grandparents and us an she was in heaven. Nolan was just happy and cute as always. He is easy to please. We also opened the rest of the presents we had for each other. It was really fun to just take our time. We opened all the kids stuff first and when they would open something we took it completely out of the package and played with it for awhile before moving on to the next thing and it was so fun to just enjoy each gift and not rush through opening. Caitlin of course helped Nolan open all of his.. He loved the paper more than anything. By the time the kids had opened all their things they were busy playing and then Paul and I got to open our presents. I got some really fun gifts that I'm excited about and Paul got some great things too. Then we had a yummy breakfast.

We loved just being able to spend the morning by the tree and the fire with our little family and soak that Christmas spirit up for one more day.

California Christmas

We flew straight from the Bahamas to California to meet up with my family. They had already been there for a few days but we were happy to be able to catch the tail end of the trip. We all stayed at a fun resort in Palm Desert and enjoyed the weather and the pools and hot tub and all the wildlife (there were little bunnies hopping everywhere!) The kids were on crazy schedules due to all the times changes and vacationing but they were really good. Caitlin full on fell asleep one night as she was sitting on my mom's lap and I was feeding her dinner. I went to get another bite on the fork and turned back to see her heavy eyelids close completely and she was asleep for the rest of the night! She loved being with everyone and having so much attention and always someone to play with. Nolan loved everyone too and especially my Grandpa Goulding! He usually responds more to women but he was giving Great Grandpa lots of smiles and they were buddies.



We celebrated a big Christmas Eve by going to the "Living Desert" zoo in Palm Desert which was really fun. Lots of animals and a carousel ride made it a complete success. Afterward we came back and went swimming and then that evening we opened presents from each other. We got some really fun things and the kids got spoiled with some darling gifts that they love. Afterward we went out for dinner.

The next day (December 25) we got up and got packed then went to breakfast then we all traveled home. Luckily our flight wasn't delayed or anything and we got back to our house that evening. We deemed this day "Christmas eve continued" since we didn't do any more presents or Santa, we just kind of paused everything while we traveled.

Even though it was really short it was so nice to be able to spend time with my family for the holidays. It was fun to be with my entire family and my grandparents and I know my parents put a lot of effort into planning a fun trip for all of us so I was glad that we could be there together. Family is such a big and important part of the holidays.