Cortney: 3 months along

We are pregnant! We are going to have 3 kids! We are all so excited.

Something I haven't shared on here yet:
In October I had a miscarriage. I don't need to go into the details but it was hard for us and a situation that can only be described as heart breaking. I recovered fine and was ready to move on and anxious to see what would happen in the future and bringing baby #3 to us when the time was right.

On January 6th I took a pregnancy test. I just know when I'm pregnant. Paul didn't think so but as I showed him the positive test I said "I always know!"We were overjoyed that we were able to get pregnant again so fast, now was the scary thought that the pregnancy may fail again. My doctor's office got right into getting me blood tests and scheduling an ultrasound.

Everything was looking good and on January 15th we got to go into the doctor for an early ultrasound. It was an amazing feeling when she showed us our little wriggly blueberry and we heard the heartbeat... a sound that was so painfully absent a few months before. I tried to hold back tears of relief and gratitude as Caitlin asked the ultrasound tech "Did you find a baby in my mommy's tummy?" At the ultrasound I was 7 weeks.

I'm now 12 weeks along and finished with my first trimester! I've gone to the doctor another time and got yet another ultrasound and things continue to look great! As every paranoid mama knows, you are never completely out of the woods a far as things that can happen but we feel confident and faithful that this pregnancy will continue to progress and we are so incredibly excited to have another sweet baby come join our family.

The first trimester was not easy. This has definitely been my hardest pregnancy so far, I'm sure only heightened by the fact that I already have two others at home demanding my time, patience and energy. Morning sickness, nausea, stomach aches, extreme food aversion, fatigue, and yes even the dreaded throwing up have been the name of the game. Usually about once a week we just stay home and I do as little as possible. Otherwise I usually feel ok in the morning/early afternoon and then I'm ready to snuggle down with the kids by naptime.

With all that being said, I rather be sick and know that I am still pregnant than be unsure and worried. And it is a huge relief that I know for certain every second of pain or sickness is worth it when it comes to my babies! I'm grateful that my kids have been good on our long days at home and that they play so well together and also grateful that Paul is so helpful and considerate.    

Here's to hoping things improve from here! I'm due September 4th. My due date with Caitlin was actually September 3rd, so it will be similar timing... aka a very pregnant summer but hopefully not too close of birthdays! The countdown has begun...

love notes for my lovies

Dear Nolan,
I love that you are such a boy. I love how ticklish you are, especially on your tummy and sides or under your chin. I love your cheeks and your beautiful kind eyes and especially when they get squinty when you are happy or excited! I love your nose scrunch when you smile. I love how you say mOmmy, especially when you think you're in trouble and you're trying to get a smile out of me so you know that you're not. I love the way you purse your lips out when you say word like "toesh." I love how much you love your blanky, mickey & minnie, Winnie the Pooh and horsies. I love when you get in the zone with your cars and play for a long time and said "brrrrm" in your really deep voice. I love how friendly you are to everyone. I love when you blow kisses, and especially when you give real kisses, though those are a little harder to get. I love how much you love your sister, and I love how you say "bruddo" and I love how much you love babies. I love how you want to be just like your Daddy and how much you miss him if he's not around. I especially love that when something is wrong, it's usually always me that you want.
Love you forever my little boy,
Mommy

Dear Caitlin,
I love you my little princess. I love your confidence and your desire to make everyone around you feel included and happy. I love your cute little pot belly and you cute bum that always has the crack hanging out! I love how perceptive you are to people's lives and to situations that we are in. The other day at the movies you were being to cute and I looked over at you and you looked at me and smiled and shrugged your shoulders and said "This is fun mommy thanks for bringing me to the movies!"... as if you could read my mind. I love the questions that you ask and how curious you are about everything. I love how smart you are and how quickly you learn things. I love how much you love to dance, do dress ups and color and paint. I love how grateful you are, you almost always remember to say please and thank you not only for things but also for experiences. I love how much you love surprises and love to give and get reactions to things, no matter how big. I love how much you love your little brother and how you try to be such a big helper. I love how much you love your daddy and how you just light up when you are around him. You are my constant buddy and I love having you around me all day.
Love you my little sweetie,
Mommy

my funny little Valentines

Our LOVEly day went a little something like this:

-Paul took the kids to get donuts for breakfast, then he went in to work.
-The kids and I got ready, played and then they got to do a treasure hunt for some gifts. The hunt only had like 4 steps but it was really fun and they got really into it. They found their gifts from Grandma & Grandpa Dickson underneath the bed. A cute Mickey Mouse tool set for Nolan and a Minnie Mouse bead set and lip gloss for Caitlin. They loved them.


-Went around to friend's houses to deliver little Valentine's from the kids ("love bugs") and then went to Daddy's work for lunch. At lunch they also got their Valentine's from each other (Frozen Valentine's with heart candies and a juice). We had a fun lunch together, then went home for naps.


-That evening Daddy got home and we did another treasure hunt for their gifts from us: new T-shirts for our Disneyland trip and more beads for Caitlin and a horse stable for Nolan. Nolan's "horsies" are the BEST gift we have ever gotten him. He plays with them non-stop and loves them. My gift to Paul was that I went in and re-decorated his office with new pictures, etc. He was surprised when he walked in after being out of town! I also got him a sweater and a few other treats throughout the day. He got me THE MOST amazing foot massager!! I am so excited to be using it every day I love it so much it was such a fun surprise!


-We got the kids settled with dinner and then Paul and I went to the Turnbull's annual Valentine's couples party. This year's theme was "Roman" and we sat at low tables and ate and talked and then played a lot of games. It was a good night, always a fun group and fun juicy games.

2.3: me and my little loves

As part of my Valentine's gift to Paul (although it was basically a win/win for all of us) I got pictures taken of me and the kids. My talented friend Tiffany was nice enough to take them for me and I LOVE the way they turned out. Especially knowing the background of how uncooperative the kids were being and my poor mom having to hold up a blanket to get the right lighting. But completely worth it for these cute little faces.

visiting and skiing

We got to have both sides of the family come for a visit this month.

Paul's parents came up for Anelise Hancock's wedding and stayed with us for a few days. The two families overlapped for a couple days and we got to have a fun dinner together and watched the Superbowl. Lorraine brought up delicious Texas brisquet and Rudy's sauce. While the boys watched the football game we all got a lesson in decorating cookies from Lorraine. It was really fun! A skill I've been wanting to learn for awhile. The kids also got really into it.

 My parents came up for a ski trip and also stayed with us. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Park City ski resort. My dad learned to ski and grew up skiing a lot at Park City, hence it also makred his 50th anniversary of skiing there! He came up with a master plan to celebrate his "skiing jubilee" which included skiing every single run at the resort. It took him 3 days and he was so happy. He and Paul had a banner day together in what they both described as their "hardest day of skiing ever" when they skiied 30 runs, including every double black and most black diamonds on the mountain. Those boys can shred. We had a family ski day when we took the kids up. They didn't last long but Caitlin had a wonderful time and did awesome! She had the best attitude and had tons of fun. And yes, Paul did have Nolan on his back and Caitlin between his legs for a time. Then we passed Nolan around.

I also got to go up another time with Paul and my Dad while my mom watched the kids. The day that we went there was about 9 inches of fresh powder and at tho top of the back mountain you could only see about 1 foot in front of you, it was so foggy. Needless to say not my ideal conditions but the boys were nice enough to wait for me and they are such great sports to ski with, I had a lot of fun. Skiing as a family definitely holds some of my favorite memories of growing up so it was fun to do it all together again.

We also had a family dinner at Pizza Pie Cafe... complete with a balloon animal battle.


My mom ended up staying an extra week while Paul had to go out of town. She was my helper all week watching the kids and running errands and doing anything I needed her to do and keeping me company while Paul was gone. The kids loved playing, making cookies, dressing dolls, doing play doh, coloring and whatever else Grammie was willing to do with them. It was great! I so appreciate my mom's willingness to drop everything and stay to help me.

The kids got their Valentine's presents from Grammie and Papa a day early... cute Mickey and Minnie stuffed animals that they are in love with.

niether here nor there

January on instagram:

joys of motherhood: january

-The other day Caitlin said "I want to hold Nolan" which ended with them sitting next to each other with her arms around him. I thought it was funny that she still thinks of him as a little brother she can hold when they are about the same size. They really do have a special bond and they love each other. They play really well together and I think they would both be really lonely if the other wasn't around.

-The other day Caitlin had a friend over playing. A little boy. They were sitting on the couch and had this conversation:
Caitlin: "you're cute"
boy: "i know"
Caitlin: "you're just cute!"
boy: "yah i know"
-long pause-
Caitlin: "...just like me"
I thought it was so funny that she told him he was cute! And then thought it was funny that she needed to repay herself the compliment.
-Nolan is talking quite a bit more although most of his words all sound the same. Sometimes I will tell him to say something and it won't sound at all like what I've just said. But he is certain he just repeated it. He rarely puts two or more words together, although I'm sure he could. The only time I have ever heard him do this is when he was sitting on my lap watching a show and he turned to look at me and said "hi mommy" it was so sweet.
-Caitlin is a big girl in primary now and loves going to Sunbeams. I'm told that she is a super singer, no matter what song. Her teacher told me that one time in class she had a couple kids wanting to sit by her but since they all couldn't one was a seat over. They were sad about it so Caitlin reached over and patted them and said "It's ok, I'm right here!" Another lady told me how they were playing a bowling game to pick songs and Caitlin's name was picked so she went up to take her turn and they gave her the "bowling" ball and she immediately set it down and gave it a big kick to knock down all the pins! I guess that soccer rubbed off on her.
-When I went in to get Nolan the other morning I found him in his crib with no pants and no diaper, happy as can be! Luckily that was all I found in the crib!
-Nolan has climbed out of his crib three times. I put him down for a nap one time and he climbed out and came back out. I put him back in a few times and told him to stay. Miraculously he did and he hasn't climbed out since, even though he is obviously well aware. I feel like I'm living on borrowed time as far as that one goes.
-Everyday in Caitlin's prayers she asks that Madison and London can come play. She also blesses that Bella will feel better. Without fail every time.
-Caitlin clogged the toilet the other day and it started overflowing into the hallway! It was quite the adventure and the kids thought it was so funny to have towels all over the floor. I thought it was pretty gross.

-Nolan is really hard for me right now. He is getting old enough that he needs to be disciplined but he just plain doesn't care and does not listen. He is so independent and when i tell him to do something or not do something he will either just ignore me or look at me then keep doing exactly what it is. Caitlin is so in tune with emotions and would not want to do something to make me mad or sad but Nolan could care less. He is also so strong and big that any sort of physical barrier is impossible. I've tried hand slapping and some spanking and he doesn't care. I tried time out and he laughs. Lately I have been getting right in his face and saying no and making him listen and that is working somewhat as far as not doing things but he still just does his own thing most the time. He won't stay by me or even hold my hand in the street. He also gets super whiny and yells when he wants something which is not good. And not like him because usually he is so happy. He is just really challenging in that regard right now and I'm hoping time and some maturity and patience and consistence on my part will help.
-Paul and I are trying to do more one on one time and dates with the kids. This month I went with Caitlin a cute "Frozen" birthday party for her friend Bella. They had crowns and ate lots of treats and played an Olaf game and got to watch Frozen with popcorn at the end.


-Paul took Nolan skiing with him while the girls were at the party. He put him in the backpack and the two of them had a great time!