Dallas trip

Since we missed out during the holidays, I took the kids for a little trip to Grammy and Papa's house for a week. the weather cooperated and we and a great time. We got to go new places that even I had never been and it was fun to explore and see new things. The kids had fun but missed their dad and got a little homesick for their own beds... I realized it was MUCH easier to travel when Caitlin was a baby and just bring her along than it is with 3 kids being uprooted and new schedule and new place. But it was worth it. They loved all the exciting things at Grammy and Papa's though, primarily the cats. They noticed there were dragons everywhere and kept asking why everyone liked green dragons so much?!

The plane trips were a source of major anxiety for me... first time to fly alone with the three. I'm happy to report it went amazingly. I was prepared with an ipad for both older kids and movies and lots of snacks and they were happy to watch them. We had a direct flight and we were seated close to the bathrooms. Nolan discovered the plane bathroom was pretty fun so he took lots of potty breaks which worked out well because I was afraid of him peeing his pants anyways. Caitlin was a great helper and treated the whole plane to a Frozen sing along as she watched in her ipad with her headphones (they worked so great she couldn't even hear herself). Maverick was a dream.... I had him in front of me in the baby carrier the whole time and he loved it. the constant snuggling was a win/win and he took some good naps and was happy and just perfect.

Some things we enjoyed:
-Dallas World Aquarium (Really should be re-named the rainforest museum because it was like a rain forest inside filled with all kinds if different animals all over the place. We got up close and personal with a sloth, monkeys, a black panther, and even a bird that bit Caitlin's finger!)

-hot tubbing every night (my parents just got a big hot tub for the backyard and we got in almost every night. It was heavenly!)
-Paddington Bear Movie, lunch and playing at Central Market
-Southlake Town Square (Had to run a few errands, visited the old stomping grounds and a few stores, then grabbed lunch)




-Texas Discovery Gardens (Gardens outside and a butterfly house inside! We saw lots of different types of butterflies and also listened to one of the workers and learned a lot about different types of butterflies and watched them get released! The weather was beautiful so after the butterfly house we walked around the gardens and had a picnic lunch.)

-wagon rides and playing with Papa (My dad watched the two older kids for a few hours while my mom and I went out. The kids were in heaven helping Papa in the yard and getting wagon rides. They took turns going down the big hill in front of my parents' house and did it probably a million times)
-Dallas Zoo (The Dallas Zoo was huge and a great zoo! We didn't even see everything there, but we did see lots of exciting things. My kids are 100% animal lovers and mixed with a beautiful sunny day it was wonderful! We had a great time walking around and exploring.)

maverick: 4 months old

Can't believe this little love is 4 months old. Three months was a turning point for getting out of the colic and crying and it's only gotten better from there. He's been great this month and we are all so enjoying him. He is happy and social and he's been such a good sport doing all of our busy holiday things.

Eats: moved up to 6 ounces, still drinks the "Enfamil gentlease" formula.  It's one of the most expensive ones, but he does really well with it and doesn't get tummy aches so I don't want to mess with a god thing! Usually eats every 4 hours.

Sleeps: He naps some in the morning depending on what we are doing, usually does a good nap in the afternoon. Sometimes, but rarely, a short snooze in the evening. He goes down for the night between 8-9 and sleep til 4-5. He has slept trough the night (til 6 and 7) twice. He still sleeps in his cradle and sleeps much better when he's at home. I swaddle him and rock him to sleep for his nap and bedtime. He likes to be swaddled and has to have his binky to fall asleep.

Plays: He likes to sit up and look around. When he is in the baby carrier he likes to face out. Hates tummy time. Loves having people around and talking to him. He also likes having his head rubbed and having his diaper changed.

Dislikes: I wont say what he dislikes, but I will say: he's a mama's boy. He seems to prefer women in general but especially me. I love this most of the time because it makes me feel so loved and special and I know it's only a matter of time til he figures out Dad is the fun one. This only gets hard when I am busy doing something or in the middle of the night when someone else is trying to help him and he's not having it. He hasn't discovered strangers yet though and seems to do well with babysitters (we usually always just use the same one or two people).  

Also: His hair is still super fluffy and is getting longer but staying light. Still looks like he has no eyebrows but he has dark eyelashes. I get the most comments on his round face and his fluffy hair. 

Firsts: Christmas season, first time being sick. He caught the croup that was going around and Nolan had. Such a sad little cough and runny nose. This time of year is hard!
(Dec 4-Jan 4)

2014 was a good year.

A good year...

Welcomes a baby

(Maverick Liam born September 5th) 

Allows for lots of adventure 

(Paul climbed the grand Teton, swung through the Corona arch in Moab, and shot antelope. Cortney went on a girls trip to California and the whole family 4 wheeled through Moab)

Includes big things for Nolan 

(turned 2, is talking non stop, sleeps in a big boy bed, and took swim lessons)

Includes big things for Caitlin 

(turned 4 and started preschool, played her second year of soccer, third year of dance class, took swim lessons, and skiied alone)

Brings change 

(We did house renovations in the back yard and basement, the Meads and my Grandma & Grandpa Goulding moved here, Hansens and Turnbulls added babies to our clan)

Provides for travel 

(Trip to New York, Family trip to Lake Powell and California, Anniversary trip to Nebraska)

Is bookended by Disney 

(our trip in February and Disney on Ice in September)

Brings success 

(Vivint. solar IPO at the New York Stock Exchange and Paul being named one of the top 40 under 40 in the energy industry)

And lots of happiness the whole year through.

Can't wait to see what 2015 holds.

joys of motherhood: december

I can tell I've been really busy when I haven't had time to write down all the funny things my kids are saying. They are constantly making me laugh and making me thing about things from a different perspective and I love that. I don't ever want to take for granted the funny little moments and the cute things they say.

-We were in a casual restaurant and had just finished eating. We were gathering up our trash, putting on coats, etc. getting ready to leave and all of the sudden we saw and heard a huge spray of water over by the back window of the restaurant. My first thought was that a car had driven past and sprayed the window then I realized a car couldn't have gotten close enough and also why would the water be STILL SPRAYING? In the 3 seconds it took for me to have these thoughts Paul and I looked at each other and said "Nolan!" We ran back there and turned off the water... which turned out to be a huge water valve like you would see in utility closet that the firemen plug into. I don't know why this restaurant had it out in the open.. so accessible for little hands! We let a worker know what had happened and surveyed the area for damage.. all of it looked like it would dry off without problems so we quickly made an exit! Watch out for wandering curious little boys!

-In the course of one dinnertime prayer, these are some of the things Caitlin said: 

Please bless that no dragons will get us-- they're just pretend

Please bless that no gingerbread cookies will get away

Please help us so we won't be naughty for Jesus

Please bless that Christmas will come

-Maverick still is very fair and still looks like he has no eyebrows and it's a source of worry for Nolan. Whenever we are looking at him together Nolan will say "But Maverick has no eyebrows!!" haha they are just really light. 

-I've been telling the kids the Nativity story and Caitlin always asks "But why did Jesus have a glow when he was born?" A lot of pictures she's seen Jesus is glowing and she always wants to know how he can be born like that. And if I ever tell the story and leave that out she will quickly add in "and after he was born he had a glow"

-Backseat conversation:

Nolan: I going to be a big daddy and be tall tall tall. and I going to marry Caitlin.

Caitlin: oh haha ok I'll marry you... Because you're funny!

(i didn't have the heart to tell them they cant get married... it all seemed fairly logical to me)

-Conversation with Caitlin:

me: Who's your favorite friend at school?

C: We'll NOT Maddox... He always tries to stand by me in line and sit by me. And we were taking pictures the other day and he kissed me on the cheek.... Daddy would really not like that!

Right she was too.. Daddy didn't like it. Apparently this little boy has quite the crush on Caitlin and would sneak a kiss on the cheek whenever possible. I started asking Caitlin about it and we tried to tell her ways to handle it (Like say "no thank you" or "my daddy doesn't want boys to kiss me") and the whole situation was making her really uncomfortable. I think both him kissing her and also the fact that she knew mom and dad didn't want him to and she felt scared to speak up. she even got the the point where she said she didn't want to go to school. (This was all happening over like a week and a half) I talked to her teacher and luckily the situation was being handled... the teacher had spoken with both the little boy and his parents and they were trying to teach him not to. The teacher said this little boy is just enamored with Caitlin and loves to be around her and she said Caitlin is not flirty or asking for it but she is very sweet and nice to him and helps him in class. I just wanted to make sure that things stayed friendly because Caitlin has so many little boys that are just friends and she is very innocent that way and doesn't think romantically and I want it to stay that way for as long as possible. Never thought we'd have to be fighting off the boys in preschool!! 

neither here nor there

december instagram 

(for some reason they wouldn't all transfer over so this is only about half)

nolan: 2 and a half years old

Nolan is epitomizing the terrible twos right now. And my saving grace is that we are halfway through it. Nolan is smart, aggressive and determined which can make quite the combination sometimes... 

He doesn't listen, unless it's what he wants to hear. He doesn't focus, unless it's on what he wants to do. He is extremely stubborn and determined. He has his own idea about things and how they should be done and he rarely considers an opposing option. He is fearless. He isn't afraid of anyone or anything. He is aggressive and even more so if he feels defensive. He is very loud, and even more so when he feels angry.  He will usually yell before he goes to hitting or pushing (although he's been known to do that too).

The key to Nolan is letting him think he's in charge. He's a leader and he's very independent. He's indifferent to any type of discipline. He laughs and thinks its funny or turns it back on us. I am learning to let things go and pick my battles. I try to be consistent and clear.  

Luckily all of that it is heavily mixed in with the wonderful parts of Nolan. He loves his family and he is very loyal. He defends Caitlin and loves her to no end. He loves his baby brother and has never once been rough or wild with him. He has a gentle soul and a big heart. He loves his mommy and can be so sweet and still gives the best snuggles and still lets me kiss his cheeks all over because i can't stop myself. He is obsessed with his Daddy and loves to wrestle, play and do anything if it involves dad.

He is obsessed with anything cars or trucks. He is pretty coordinated and rarely sits still. He also loves animals, especially horses. He's very smart and communicates well and notices things around him. He usually plays well with other kids as long as there are enough toys to go around and he doesn't feel threatened by anyone. He has a very active imagination.

But he has a big heart, no fears and lots of energy and THAT combination will take him far.

ⓓⓔⓒⓔⓜⓑⓔⓡ

Aside from Jingles' activities, we had a few other things going on to round out all of our festivities. December is such a party month... always so full of so many fun things to do and we made the most of it this year!

-We carried on our traditions of opening a Christmas storybook every night to read and also got our chocolate advent calendars from Grandma Dickson to open.
-dec 3: I had a "girls craft night" with a few friends. We had dinner and desserts and everyone brought a craft or project to work on, or just came to hang out. I made a cute felt ball wreath.
-dec 8: Paul and I got to participate in Vivint's Sub for Santa. We got money to shop for a few little boys then wrapped all our gifts to be delivered at an elementary school. It was really fun to help with.

-Dec 13: Vivint.solar Company Christmas party... they rented out 7 peaks ice arena and had hot chocolate and donuts. Lots of fun! We also went to dinner beforehand. We have such a unique blessing of working with some of our closest friends, I love it!
-dec 14: We worked on our gingerbread house but afterward made my Grandma's traditional fudge! I also made my Grandma Pelton's rice pudding this year, which was a first for me. I love our yummy Christmas foods.
-Dec 16: Caitlin's Christmas dance class performance. They danced to "Suzie Snowflake" and it was adorable. Caitlin got to have quite the little fan group there: daddy, Aunt Rebekah and Great Grandma and Grandpa Goulding (and me and her brothers of course). Perhaps even more adorable than her dance was when Paul brought her special flowers afterward and she was so happy. She carried around her little basket of flowers the rest of the day.



-Dec 18: We got some light snow... its been a very warm and dry winter! This was a nice little dusting to get our hope us for a white christmas!

-dec 19: We held our ugly sweater party. We ate appetizers and treats and did a white elephant exchange and then played a very exciting game of "Left/Center/Right" and of course admired everyone's sweaters!

-dec 20: I took Caitlin to see the Nutcracker Ballet with a few of her friends and it was wonderful. She loved every minute and sat on my lap the whole time and of course asked me a million questions and told me the play by play of everything happening. I loved it and I am determined to have her be in the Nutcracker one day.

-dec 22: Paul and I took the older two ice skating (Maverick went to my grandparents') They did amazing! They help themselves really well on the ice and both even skated a little on their own. We were pleasantly surprised. Caitlin was the most excited to go but quiet early and Nolan could have skated for hours!

-dec 26: We finally got some good snow over Christmas so the day after we got to play! We took the RZR out and hooked up the tow rope and the sled and pulled the kids (and us!) through the streets. It was a blast. We also went over to the Bailey's and sledded down their backyard hills.



-dec 27: We went rock climbing in Provo with Mike and Bailey and the Gottfredsons. I was shocked at how well Caitlin did.. she climbed almost all the way up to the top a few times. Nolan liked to climb a little and then let go and dangle by the harness. It was a lot of fun with our little monkeys. Maverick watched from the front pack and Paul and I got in a few climbs as well. Afterward we had a BBQ at our house for lunch.


-dec 29: We went to "color me mine" where Caitlin painted a little Hello Kitty jewelry box, Nolan worked on a puppy and I did a little plaque for Maverick's bedroom door with his footprint on it.

-dec 31: We spent New Year's Eve Day Truck shopping with Paul. Then that night we met the Reed Family at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake. We had dinner together and then took the kids to the pool! They were in heaven! They swam for awhile then we went up to our rooms and we had planned to put the kids own with a movie in one room but we all ended up congregating in the same room. We brought lots of treats and snacks and watched some movie, played some games and before we knew it.. it was midnight! Happy 2015! Caitlin and Nolan stayed up until 1 AM those little party animals. We payed for it the next day but got some sleep then had buffet breakfast and hit the pool again before returning home. It was so much fun!!  


-We did battle sickness over the entire break... started with taking Nolan to the doctor the Monday before Christmas then I was back with Maverick the Monday after... both with croup. Caitlin, Paul and I got everything else in between and we were all sorts of runny noses, itchy throats and coughs the whole while. Luckily none of this kept us from having fun!

 -We also did a lot of bike riding in the basement. The kids are getting good at their vehicles... we are excited to use them outside eventually! But for now we are glad we still have a mostly unfinished basement!

Christmas

Christmas was wonderful. This was our first Christmas to stay home for the entire break and sleep in our own house and establish some of our own traditions. We loved it.

Christmas Eve we decorated sugar cookies for Santa and had lunch then went home for naps and that evening we had dinner at the Mead's then played games! We played minute to win it games and a few others. The kids had a blast, and the adults did too! We also did a gift exchange game and we acted out the nativity. It was basically told on fast forward and there was only about one minute that all the kids had their costumes on at the same time. But it's tradition!

After that we came home and we got to open jammies and read "The Night Before Christmas" and set out our cookies and milk for Santa.

Christmas morning Nolan came into our room at 7:30 and snuggled with us... Blissfully unaware of the magic he had just walked past in the family room. He snuggled as we woke up slowly and Caitlin came in our room a little before 8. Paul went to make sure that Santa had come and I waited with the kids until they got the go-ahead. (We let Maverick sleep in) Caitlin told us she thought she heard Santa munching his cookies in the middle of the night. The kids rushed out and checked out all their toys from Santa. Nolan hopped right on his scooter and then looked up at us and said, "Is this mine?!" We had fun looking at their new things and exploring their stockings.

We took a little break for breakfast (cinnamon rolls and fruit) then started in on our embarrassing amount of gifts. We took turns unwrapping and as each present was unwrapped the kids wanted to fully open them. We took everything out of packages and played with every you before we moved onto the next... Trucks, princess jewelry, games, dress ups. It was so much fun. Maverick woke up in the middle of it and the kids helped unwrap all of his gifts and he played with some of them and was smiley and happy. We all were very spoiled and thoroughly enjoyed all of our gifts. Gift opening took over three hours then grandpa and grandpa Dickson came over to unwrap a few with us.

We had lunch at the Meads and returned home for naps. That night we just played some more. We had woken up to a beautiful snowy day and the snow continued to fall throughout the day... It was the beautiful white Christmas that I had hoped for!

Christmas is so special, I love everything about it and I love that our kids are at such fun ages to enjoy it and get caught up in the magic of the season. I loved our Christmas season.

meet jingles

On November 30th, we heard the doorbell and went to answer the door and all we found was a package from the North Pole! Santa had dropped it off so quickly! We opened our package and inside we found: pajamas, slippers, treats, AND... Jingles the elf! Santa had sent one of his elves to come live with us until Christmas! {Jingles} would stay at our house during the day to make sure we were being good and then at night he goes back to the North Pole to tell Santa how we are doing. Every morning he brought us a special treat or activity to do that day!

A few of our favorites were:

*Making North Pole pancakes:: Jingles brought us the food coloring and toppings and we made Santas, Christmas trees, and Lightning McQueen for Nolan.

 *Christmas Crafts:: Caitlin colored a pillowcase, we all worked on the little gingerbread house and we also did a few other crafts and card making and cooking project throughout the month.

*Visiting the festival of trees:: We went with Christine and her kids and spent a few hours running around from tree to tree and still didn't even see all of them!

*Growing our own candy canes:: Jingles told us exactly how to grow our own candy canes like they do in the North Pole! Here’s what you need to do…

1. Put the magic seeds in a cup.
2. Cover the seeds with some ice cubes from your freezer. You can fill it up to the top.
3. Sprinkle on some magical North Pole snow.
4. Now put the cup in the closet.
5. You have to leave it in there for the WHOLE DAY and you can’t peek! Candy canes are VERY shy when they are growing and if they don’t have their privacy, they wouldn’t grow.
6. After one day, your magical seeds will grown into swirly candy canes!

Ours turned out amazing and it was very magical!

*Driving through the lights at Thanksgiving Point:: We put pillows and blankets in the trunk and packed all the kids back there to drive through.

*Building a gingerbread house:: We were all very hands-on in the process of our wonderful gingerbread house.

*Riding the Polar Express:: We got to ride the Polar Express all the way to the North Pole and see Santa! It was awesome! We read the story of the Polar Express the night before then the next morning Jingles brought us magic gold tickets. On the train sang songs and got a cookie and hot chocolate. Then once we made it to the North Pole Santa came on the train to say hi and gave us each a jingle bell. It was our most successful Santa encounter yet.. no tears and he even got a hug from Caitlin!

*Jesus' birthday party:: We read a book and I told the kids the whole story of the Nativity. Then we acted it out using our little nativity and we played a Nativity trivia game where the kids got to take turns picking a question out of the bag and answering it. Then we baked cupcakes for baby Jesus!
 

*New Christmas Sunday outfits:: December 21st, the primary children sang and Caitlin did a lovely job. Nolan made an ornament for us with his handprint in nursery and he was so excited to come home and hang it on the tree.


*Seeing the lights at temple square:: We went on December 23rd with the Meads and Stewart and Lorraine and it was packed! We got dinner and ate it as we rode up on the Frontrunner train. It was a fun change of pace! Then we went to Temple Square and admired the lights amongst the million other people there. Then we realized that we had to catch the 9 PM train or else we'd be stuck there until 10:30! So we literally ran to catch the next trax train and then transferred over to the front runner. It was exciting!