weekend review

This weekend was a memorable one:

On Friday morning, March 8th at 4:10 AM our best friends had their first baby. Baby Brox Walker Taylor was born! 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 in. long.
 
I just can't wait to meet him. Whitney and Morgan are going to be pro parents.     

Friday night Paul took Caitlin and I on a date to Disney on Ice! Nolan got to hang out with Chelsea and Tyler. The show was called "Dare to Dream" and it featured the Frog Princess, Cinderella and Rapunzel (Tangled). It was actually really well done, the skaters were talented and it was creative the way they used the rink and props and of course the songs from the movies were fun. Caitlin was in HEAVEN. She could not have been cuter about it. Cinderella is her absolute favorite right now so she was enthralled with the whole scene. She kept asking if she was going to put on her blue dress, and get waving to her and at one point just yelled "Cinderella!" so loud, she was just so delighted. Intermission was during that scene and the entire 15 minutes she kept asking me if she was coming back and if she was going to wear her blue dress again and if she could say hi to Cinderella. And she told me "when Cinderella comes back i want to give her a love" She was so real to her and she was completely enchanted. She liked Rapunzel too (and "fwinn why-do") and she sang along to a bunch of those songs. At the very end there was a ballroom scene where all the princesses came out and Mickey and Minnie and they all did one last number and then said goodbye. We tried to prep her and have her wave goodbye to everyone but when it all ended and the lights came back on a look of distress came across her face and she started full-on bawling. She was so sad that it was over. She said "no go bye bye, I want Belle to come to my house!" There was a huge backdrop castle that they used onstage and all the characters had gone into it at the end and she said "i want to take the castle" She was so sad it was so cute/funny/sad. It took her a few minutes to get over it and realize it was truly over but she still talks about them and tells me "we go to see the princesses a different day" I think one of the funnest parts of being a parent is knowing your kids and their personalities and knowing what they will love and then being able to spoil them a little bit. It was a magical night.      

Saturday we did some things around the house and also took a trip to Cabelas, and then that night Paul and I had date a night and went out to dinner. Paul had been out of town the whole week and also the week before so we were sure happy to have him back and all to ourselves for the weekend.

On Sunday we got to spring forward (even though I feel like we JUST fell back) and Paul and I had high hopes of getting to "sleep in" (really jut seeing the clock look later) but alas both kids woke up super early for some reason and we had kind of a long day with them. We went to church and then to a friend's house for dinner so it was a fun day nonetheless. We definitely have a mild case of spring fever going on around here.

nolan: 9 months old

I just feel like 9 months is so old.. my baby has now been out of me as long as he was inside of me. Nolan just keeps going strong. He continues to be is happy sweet self while mixing in a little more adventure and mobility. I'm sure my mischievous boy is yet to come but if he keeps being so sweet and cute I'll never be able to get mad at him.


Eats: Same as last month, with the addition of a few solid foods now that he has teeth! He has had some crackers and juice a few times. Liked gnawing on the crackers, wasn't a big fan of juice. Also not a fan of the sippy cup. He now has 4 teeth with another one on the way. He cut three teeth within 4 days! And the fourth came abut 5 days later. It is both tops and both bottoms. I was amazed they all popped through so close to each other, definitely explained the previous struggles. What a champ though!

Sleeps: His naps have gotten back to being better after his teething month. Still will occasionally wake up at night once or twice when he is cutting a tooth. Other than that great sleeper, although he is completely partial to his crib.

Plays: He is sitting up so much better now and will sit and play with toys or watch TV for a long time. He is mesmerized by the TV, especially if it is a show with songs in it (which most are at our house). He can't get from his stomach to sitting yet so he is either one or the other (usually starts sitting and end up on his tummy and back). He still loves to roll around and scoot on his tummy. He has gotten on all fours a few times but hasn't done a true crawl. He also is tarting to want to stand more. He will pull on your fingers, but not pull himself up by himself, he just holds on and want you to help. He peeks over the bumpers in his crib and will pull them down to see things. He doesn't stand in his crib but I find him in all sorts of positions when I come in to get him. Usually pulling himself up on the bumpers and peeking through the slats or also I will find him laying down with his feet kicked up on the side on the bumpers.

 Likes: He still likes to be independent. He rarely snuggles for long. He likes to be around people but just in his own little space doing his thing. He also likes to make noises! He yells and grunts really loudly. He can say "da da" and "ta ta" and "la la" but not with any regularity.


Dislikes: Taking medicine... we have had to pull out the Tylenol many a time this past month and he doesn't like it.

Also: He is wearing mostly 12 month size clothes, and I even bought 18 month size pajamas.
-His laugh is a grunty laugh that sometimes completely sounds like Donald Duck.
-Firsts: He celebrated his First Valentine's Day. First time getting sick... he caught some sort of stomach bug and threw up 3 times over 3 days. He as showing some other symptoms and I thought for sure he had an ear ache from teething but I took him to the doctor and he said it was a virus. Luckily it passed quickly. He was so sweet about it the whole time.

-his eyes are still very light and blue. Although when I was looking at Caitlin's pictures from this age hers were still a bluish-gray she was born with, they hadn't quite turned dark yet. So I guess they could still change but I hope they stay this way because they are beautiful!
-Stats from his 9 month check up (3/11/13):
weight: 24.27 lbs. (97%)
length: 28.75 inches (65%)
head circumference: 8.2 inches (82%)

Just for fun, here's a comparison of Caitlin and Nolan at 9 months:

And HERE is what Caitlin was up to at this age.

joys of motherhood: february

-Everyday Caitlin HAS to wear dance clothes and/or a tutu. I actually think it's really cute and I would probably just let her dress like that except for the fact that it is literally freezing outside and a leotard and tutu just isn't going to cut it. Pants and coats have to be worn. So getting her dressed is a little bit of a fight. And then as soon as we get home and she strips down and insists on either being naked (in a diaper) or in a leotard and tutu.
-Nolan is loved by all we meet, especially people in our ward. There is even one family that calls him "rolly Noley" just came up with that on their own... so one Sunday Paul had him during the last hour and before the lesson the guy that was teaching (who is not a small man) announced to the whole class "Well i just went through my closet and I've lost some weight so now i have a couple pairs of old pants that will probably fit Nolan." I love my fat and happy boy. 
-Caitlin wants to dance ALL THE TIME. First thing she says in the morning is "Mom, can you turn on some music?" so we put the music on and she has us put out "her stage" (a blanket on the floor.. but a particular one) and she goes to down and dances all over the house. Praise and applause at the end of each song are mandatory. But I like it.
-Conversations with Caitlin heard throughout the month:
"Caitlin are you done eating?"
"mom.. i'm SO done"

What does the red light mean? "STOP"
What does the green light mean? "GO"
What does the yellow light mean? "FASTER!" ...wonder who taught her that one?

Watching a show on TV and randomly she says "i like her dress" about one of the girls. she has stated giving us compliments and says "thanks!" when we give her one. 

-We celebrate lots of birthday over here. One of Caitlin's party things to play is birthday party. She makes a cake and you have to sing the birthday song at least 5 times. The other day was the bears birthday (Paul's bear rug hanging in the office) So we brought him a cake and a present and sang to him. And then she started petting him and saying "oh you are such a big boy! You are so tall!"
-We were watching a cartoon with her the other day and two characters kissed. She was staring at the tv at them kissing and then turned to Paul and I and said "ooooh how sweeet. He loves her... how sweeet." We were cracking up.
-Everytime I get Nolan to look and me and I say hi to him he smiles. And every time it totally melts me heart. I'd say he is happy 90% of the time. (and considering about 8% of the rest of that time is spent sleeping he is really happy).
-Nolan completely has buck teeth. His two top teeth are gigantic and I'm slightly worried. They are growing out of the front of his gums opposed to downward. Braces here he come. But at least I'll have a little bunny rabbit for Easter :)
-At the beginning of the month we went to "Color me Mine" with Mike and Jenna and Cassie. I had a hunch that Caitlin might love it and I was right. She picked out a little ceramic horse to paint and she went to town on it. It actually turned out really cute (kind of tie-die-ish) and She was really happy with it. She keeps it in her room and often likes to hold it and watch TV with it and she always tells me she painted it. We also made a little plaque for Nolan's door to his room with his name and his foot print. It was a really fun outing.

-We've been going to Provo Beach Resort lately as a good indoor outing from the cold. The kids love all the arcade games (the candy crane is play til you win!!) and the carousel. Last time we were there we were sitting at a booth eating and Caitlin got up and went over and sat on a stool at the bar. Paul went and sat with her and the girl came over and asked if they needed anything and without skipping a beat Caitlin said "pink ice cream please!"  

-I had to get Nolan new pajamas because he had outgrown all of his so we went to Carters and I got him a few pairs and then I told Caitlin she could pick out one new pajamas to have. Their whole back wall was filled with tons of cute pajama sets and she had a hard time choosing but ultimately decided on the "blue princess dress" that has a little castle on it and has wanted to wear it every night since. I got Nolan size 18 months (more than double his age) and they fit him pretty well with HOPEFULLY some room to grow!


-(this doesn't have to do with my kids or being a mom but wanted to mention it somewhere) Our ward missionaries along with the youth leaders put together a "youth mini-missions" program the last weekend of the month. It turned out to be a really cool experience for everyone involved. Every young man or woman got a mission call and then on Friday night all of the 12-13 year olds went to the Draper Temple and then everyone met at the church to hear some speakers and then the older kids got to go sleep over at a few houses and learn more about places in the world and missions. On Saturday morning we got to have 3 young men over to our house and listen to them try to teach about the church. All of the youth got really into and did a great job. I loved going to the beautiful Draper temple with all the kids and seeing what a spiritual experience that was for them. I'm so thankful for missionary work and that the youth are so enthusiastic about it.

niether here nor there

I did the photoaday challenge in February and the prompts got a little lame so i strayed but i still posted a photo everyday so here they are:

And a few extras:

Peltons in town

My parents came up for a visit and to help Cassie move back down to Texas before her mission. Very conveniently (for me) they came to stay while Paul was out of town so it was not only nice to have visitors, but truly nice to have the company! Here are some highlights:

Tuesday night we went to dinner at Corner Bakery with come of the Stuart clan for the big announcement from Chelsea and Tyler. They are expecting, Chelsea is due July 31st and they announced to us... it's a girl! I was shocked,  had guessed for sure a boy but earlier that day I told Caitlin that we were going to go see Chelsea and Tyler and see if her baby was a girl baby or a boy baby. And immediately Caitlin said "it's a girl." I tried asking the questions differently and telling her i thought it was a boy but she never wavered.. "no, it's a girl".... out of the mouth of babes! They will name her Zoey and we will finally have a cousin on the Pelton side! So excited!

Wednesday night we had a Cassie farewell party/Pelton mission reunion at BYU. We got a room in the Wilkinson Center and many people came to say goodbye to Cassie and many of our old missionaries were able to come and say hi to my parents. It was a nice night and I ate way too many BYU brownies. Afterward we were leaving and all of the social dance classes were having a dance in the Ballroom. Caitlin was in awe and HAD to watch the dancers. I felt pretty awkward standing there with my two kids watching a bunch of college kids mingle and foxtrot but Caitlin just stood there so still with her arms folded and watched the whole thing. One boy even came over and asked her to dance and she just looked and him and said "no" and then looked away. haha. But she still talks about it. Luckily there were only 2 songs left and then the dance was over or else we may have been crashing that party all night.
 
My kids were complete angels while my parents were here (Caitlin even took a nap everyday). I don't know if it was just natural timing or what but it's just another compelling argument for them to move here.

Caitlin: 2 1/2 years old

Ever since Caitlin turned 2 she has seemed so much older to me. More talkative, more accountable, more emotional. She has always been and continues to turn into her own little person. She is such a character and we love her so much. My life would not be complete without her, and I mean that in every way possible. She brings out the best and probably the worst in me and teaches me patience every day. She is a combination of so many of her parent's best and worst traits and she shows them all to the fullest. Her love for life is amazing and inspiring and non-stop.

This girl...
-She keeps me on my toes 24/7
-She makes me laugh really hard.
-She has more energy than anyone and probably even herself knows what to do with
-She is very into people's emotions. She always wants people to be happy. We have found that telling her that we are sad or mad is harder for her than anything sort of physical punishment. She is very aware of how other people are feeling.
-She loves being physical: rough housing or playing or snuggling or giving people loves.
-She loves interaction and hates being alone.
-She loves to laugh. She thinks lots of things are funny.
-She loves to sing songs and read books.
-She loves to learn, she picks up on things quickly and she is very curious and inquisitive. I don't think I have ever heard her respond "i don't know" to a question, if she doesn't know she just makes something up. She loves for us to ask her questions for her to answer.
-She is a daddy's girl through and through. But she does have some sweet moments with me that I treasure. And she also LOVES her little brother.
-She loves water and also anything with a pump top (like soaps). Too many messes have been created in our house because of these two.
-She is inherently a very messy girl. She likes to get in there and get her hands dirty and push the limits.
-She loves Jesus and the scriptures and saying her prayers and although she is not very reverent she can be tender. 
-She is still wary of new people sometimes but I wouldn't really describe her as super shy.
-She doesn't respond well to discipline so I'm constantly researching and finding the best methods.
-She is very smart and I think sometimes too smart for her own good.
-She has the cutest little body that she likes to show off all the time by being naked.
-She has more energy than the energizer bunny.
-She is a girly-girl. She LOVES dressing up, putting on makeup, putting on lipstick and nail polish.
-She has the ultimate sweet tooth and would prefer to be snacking on sweets and only sweets all day everyday.
-She is wonderful and I love her.

Valentine's Day in (3) parts

We celebrated Valentine's in a few different ways this year:

(1) The weekend before Valentine's Day we went to the Turnbull's annual Valentines couples party. It was 1920's themed so we all dressed up and had yummy food and drinks, danced the charleston then played the infamous way-too-personal nothing-is-off-limits embarrassing version of the newlywed game (a yearly tradition and huge crowd pleaser). We had a lot of fun, danced hard, and laughed harder.

 

(2) On actual Valentine's Day (Thursday) we did fun things with the kids and as a family, including: pink heart pancakes for breakfast, Caitlin's dance class, delivering valentines, lunch with Paul, making ice cream (tried a guilt-free recipe and it was a hit!), heart shaped grilled cheese with tomato soup for dinner and enjoying valentines presents and treats. I love my little family so much and try to show them everyday.

(3) The last Valentine's celebration was for Paul and I. We celebrated the day after by going to Salt Lake. We shopped at city creek, ate at Ruth's Chris steakhouse, went to trolley square, saw the Safe Haven movie then stayed the night at the downtown Marriott. (Can you tell by the amount of shopping and eating and lack of physical activity that it was my year to plan v-day?!) Cassie was so nice to watch the kids for us overnight and it was actually really weird to be so close but not go home at night! Really nice at the same time. In my book, few things in life are more heavenly than Ruth's Chris harvest salad, filet mignon, and sweet potato casserole (not exaggerating... my mouth is now watering) but being with my one and only Valentine definitely takes the cake. We could have been doing anything and had a great night.

our revolving door

We got to have a lot of visitors in a short space of time and places. It seems like sometimes when it rains it pours and all our families come at once, and we just pretty much have a 24/7 party going on at our house. But knowing us we probably wouldn't want it any other way.

So my parents were in town for a few days and stayed at my sister's. We got to see them some during the day, and also went to dinner as a family and all the adults got to do a temple session one morning. It was a really special experience to be at the temple as a whole family, including Cassie and something that we have looked forward to doing for a long time. We also had a fun joint families dinner and game night. I love that my family and Paul's family gets along so well. I love when my parents are in town and my kids love it too.. they love their Grammie and Papa.

Stewart & Lorraine and Christine and Cason and Corinne got to come up, to catch all of the family events going on at the same time. They all stayed at our house and we had kids and/or adults in every possible room, including the freezing cold basement but everyone was really accommodating and it actually worked out pretty well. We also love having Grandma and Grandpa here whenever they come, and it had been awhile since the kids had seen them. And it was especially fun to have Christine and her kids come since we don't see them as often. The kids all played together with squabbles in between (the 2 year olds are still working on sharing) but they were mostly all adorable. We took them to McDonalds for lunch one day and also played hide and seek at home. Cason is just so sweet and mellow and has the cutest smile. He is so obedient and you can just tell he is very good-natured. Corinne has the prettiest doll face and even though she is obviously a mama's girl I tried really hard and she has the cutest smile once you've earned it. It's funny that our boys and girls are so similar in personality, just switched places. We got to spend lots of fun time together as adults too swapping stories and playing games, along with trying to balance time between all of the other family things going on.        

We also got to have Jeff come visit the weekend after they left. He came for some things for med school and we wish he could have brought the rest of him family! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures! But it was fun to have him in and out. He went skiing with Paul and we also had a big family and friends dinner on Sunday. Along with lots of good talks and laughs.

Now we're getting ready for my family to come again next week!

Grandma Shari Dickson

Paul's grandma, Sharilyn Stewart Dickson passed away peacefully the night of February 4th. She had been sick for over 5 years now, even before I even had the chance to meet her for the first time. When I met her she could still vaguely carry on a conversation and still had a welcoming smile and a sweet kiss on the cheek for each of us. Unfortunately over the years she kept declining to the point where we knew it would be soon that we would lose her. Our family and Mike and Rebekah were able to go to their home about four days before she died and got to see her for a last time, and visit with Grandpa. Paul also had the opportunity to give her a priesthood blessing which was a very sacred and special experience for him. The whole family was praying that she would not be in pain and that if she were to pass it would be peacefully. It was.

Her funeral was held Monday, February 11th at Larking Mortuary. It was a very nice day. We met for a family prayer beforehand and then had the funeral. Unfortunately I was out in the hall with naughty kiddos for the whole service but I was able to listen to it on a speaker. There was a strong spirit there and constant reminders of the wonderful and above all sweet woman that Shari was. She was kind to all and was very sharing and jolly and also very intelligent but put her family above all else. I was sad that I never got to know her better but I was glad to be able to hear such wonderful stories and learn more about her. It was also nice to see extended family members that we don't see as often and meet a few new ones.

After the funeral we went to the Graveside at Holladay Memorial Park cemetery where Stewart dedicated her grave and we all said goodbye one last time.

At times like this I am especially thankful for the plan of salvation and the knowledge that I have of where we come from and where we are going after death. Also that families are eternal. We all look forward to seeing Grandma Shari once again.

Nolan: 8 months old

There comes a time in every baby's life, it varies when but it always comes.  It's the teething-but-no-teeth, runny nose, wriggly, squirmy, moving-but-not-mobile, fussy, spits out food, puts everything in his mouth (especially the tiny things), drooling stage of life. And I've decided it's not quite my fave. This past month we've been in that stage. However with all that being said: Nolan is still such a wonderful little boy. He is so good that nothing is really THAT bad. Things are just changing, which of course they always do. This month has actually been a pretty big month for our pretty big boy.

Eats: He is widening his selection of foods, we moved into some meats this month but he isn't a huge fan of those yet. He eats three meals a day of fruits and/or veggies and/or meats. His favorite fruit is applesauce and favorite veggie is carrots. He is pretty icky about texture. Hence him not liking cereals and not some meats. He likes it pretty liquidy. He also drinks 3 8 oz. bottles with each meal. We still add gripe water to almost every bottle to stay ahead of any tummy aches and we still give him sensitive formula. He likes the Target store brand the best. 

Sleeps: He is still a great sleeper at night (12-13 hours) but his naps were more touch-and-go this month. Still blaming the teething, along with a few disturbed nights. Overall still pretty good and hoping to get back to being better.  

Plays: He started army crawling this month! All of a sudden he just took off on his belly. He has gotten faster and faster and he is starting to get more adventurous and cover more ground recently. Ever since he's started moving I've found him in some pretty funny spots. And he gets stuck a lot. He loves going on the hardwood floor and sliding on his belly to gain some speed. He also likes standing but still needs quite a bit of help to support his weight. He likes playing with balls or anything he can chew on (which he thinks is everything). He can't get into a sitting position by himself but he does a very nice side plank and props himself up on his elbow.


Likes: He likes his crib and he gets happy whenever we put him in it. He also REALLY likes his sister. Caitlin makes him smile really fast, even when she's not trying to. His favorite thing still is to just be on his back and rolling around playing with toys. He loves music and having dance parties with Caitlin.

Dislikes: He hates having his face wiped. He also doesn't like sitting.. he totally can and he will for a little bit but in general he just doesn't like it. He prefers to be on his tummy or back. I tried to solve the problem of too-tight-tummy by getting him a pair of overalls. They were still kinda tight on his thighs I think but they look cute. 

Also: He has been very drooley. We tried a sippy cup for the first time but he doesn't really get it yet. And his hair is getting really long! It's much longer than Caitlin's was at this age. He still doesn't really have stranger-danger at all. He is fine with babysitters or being held by different people. We moved to the 1 pm church time and it's been a little rough. He will not really fall asleep in his carseat anymore but he gets tired the last hour but won't sleep, which is also when Paul and I have callings. And he is wiggly and wants to just be on the floor, which is always a little weird because you just don't always trust the floors around. He is also super loud sometimes... nothing like someone trying to share a super spiritual experience to the tune of Nolan's extra loud grunts and groans.

 

 

Bailey Anne Dickson

Bailey Anne Dickson

Feb. 5th 8:10 AM

7 lbs. 12 oz. 21" long

Bailey was born on Tuesday morning which is also the day I guess she would be born! She took her sweet time to get here but she is adorable. It was one of the most exciting deliveries I've been a part of because Jenna's water broke at about 1 PM the night before which made for an exciting and very sleepless night before I went to the hospital at about 5 AM. Things went quickly and I got the opportunity to see Bailey be born that morning. There is absolutely nothing like child birth and the amazing feelings it brings, especially to first time parents. It was really amazing to be there in the room. Bailey is so precious and already has such a sweet spirit and demeanor. We are so excited to have a new little niece and cousin!

joys of motherhood: january

-Caitlin had some new socks on the other day with colorful polka dots on them. I said "Caitlin I like your socks" and she said "thanks they have polka dots" what two year old know what polka dots are?!
-the other morning I slipped getting out of the car in the garage after working out and it my arm on the car door. I came in and was telling Paul about it in front of Caitlin. A little while later while I was feeding her breakfast she said:
Caitlin: mommy did you get an ouchie?
Me: ya on my arm
C: (so concerned looking) oh... Sweetie..... I'm sorry.
-Caitlin got a memory matching game for Christmas so we were trying to teach her how to play it and find pairs of things. So we were picking up animals that were the same and saying "See? these are friends, they are the same one." She started picking up whichever ones she wanted and saying "Oh, yes, these are friends!" Obviously she didn't grasp the concept of matching but there's probably a lesson for me in there about everyone being about to be friends and not just sticking with someone who looks like you. She still calls it her "Friends game" whenever she wants to play.
-I recently had an appointment at the dermatologist.. I needed to get some moles checked and also Nolan has a birthmark on his head that my pediatrician wanted me to check. So I scheduled both of our appointments at the same time and of course Caitlin came along. I figured it might not go completely smoothly but i packed along the ipad and had high hopes that it wouldn't be that bad. cannot even stress what a massive miscalculation this was. Without going into graphic details lets just say there was magazines across the floor, very loud whining, an unzipped fly, wiggling, fussing, a paper top that was very exposing, a baby that wanted to roll off the table, and a very curious and in your face two year old all in front of our brand new dermatologist. I told Paul afterward that I had no more patience or dignity left for the day. I needed the sucker more than Caitlin after that appointment. The Dr. was nice but even he seemed a little daunted by our circus act we had going.
-Nolan is usually the most amazing and well behaved baby. When going into a situation I usually assume that Caitlin will act up before he does. But sometimes for whatever reason he decides to be the difficult one and it always throws me for a loop... Like wait! Who is this? This is not the baby I know! And unfortunately it's usually the times when I go into something assuming and counting on him to be good that he has a moment.
-Caitlin was looking at one of our wedding pictures in our room:
C: mommy and daddy at the temple!
Me: yah there we are, at the temple
C: get married
Me: ya we got married at the temple.
C: I want married
Me: where are you gonna get married?
C: the temple!
-The kids go to the Kid Care class while I work out a couple times a week and whenever I go get Caitlin afterward she says, "Good job on your workouts mom!" She knows I need the encouragement.

neither here nor there

January instagram pics: