just what the dr. ordered

February hit and so did a bad case of cabin fever for us all. We needed some vitamin D and a getaway. So we decided to tag along with Paul on one of his business trips to California and it was delightful.
We all flew in Friday night into Orange county and stayed with Morgan and Whitney. Paul left Sunday night to go work for the next few days while the kids and I stayed and played and then we reconvened Wednesday and flew back Thursday. (We had originally planned on staying through the week but turns out Paul had to be back for a work meeting so we wrapped it up early which was a little disappointing but it actually worked out pretty well.)
Saturday we had a beach day. We went to Newport beach and played. Nolan liked grabbing the sand and throwing it and Caitlin built sand snowmen "like Olaf". Caitlin loved going in the water with Daddy and Nolan was more like me.... just dipped in a toe. In fact for awhile anytime the water started rolling in he would turn around and run in horror. He was cracking us up. He eventually got a little bit better about it and went in to about his knees or so. He was also really funny about walking in the sand. The smooth sand he was fine but the loose sand he was super cautious and unstable. A lady close by even mad the comment "this is a good place to learn how to walk!" while she was watching him. I thought, "well he's been walking for almost a year but the sand is throwing him for a loop" The water was cold but as long as the sun was out from behind a cloud it was warm and lovely. We got lunch from Sancho's Tacos and picnicked on the beach. Paul taught the kids how to feed the seagulls leftover tortillas and chips and we attracted quite the flock. Then we packed up and went to Balboa island. We walked around the peninsula and looked at the cute houses and got treats.

Sunday we went to church, rested, took a walk and played at the park and then had home made pizzas for dinner. Nolan and I came down with a weird case of allergies and I lot my voice this day, I'm still fully recovering and Nolan was getting red splotches and puffiness all over his face. Something in that California air did not agree with us.

Monday we got delicious donuts in the morning and took them to walk along the T beach in San Clemente. The path goes along the beach and piers and is so beautiful. We met up with a few other girls and had a little stroller gang. We stopped towards the end and the kids played in the sand and went on swings. We park hopped that night.

Tuesday Whitney had to work so I got to try out three kids for the day! Actually I had a ton of help in the morning when Morgan's mom Cheri came over and took the kids to the pool with me. She was so fun to chat with and the pool was so cute and perfect for the kiddos. We stayed for like three hours and my sensitive pregnancy skin even has a little sunburn on my back to prove it. Lunch, naps and the park wrapped it up til Whitney got home that night.

Wednesday we squeezed in a Disneyland day. Paul couldn't bare missing it with the kids so he flew in early that morning from another office in CA and we headed to Disney. They were open 10AM-8PM and we opened and closed the park. It got a little chilly when the sun wasn't out but in general it was great weather. It was really crowded! I thought for sure a random Wednesday in February wouldn't be but it totally was. Oh well, that's Disneyland and since our kids are so little we didn't have a long must-do list so we just picked the rides with short lines and still enjoyed our day immensely. Honestly, Disneyland is magical and it never seems to lose that. The kids were in heaven in their own little ways.
-The characters were still one of the highlights, and the parade was still the biggest highlight. But they loved the rides even more this time. Teacups was probably the favorite as well as the Winnie the Pooh ride. They were both a lot less tolerant to stay in the stroller for long periods of time so we took it slow and kept a close eye on both of them running around. Nolan's max wait time for a ride was about 5 minutes so we took a lot of turns waiting in line the jumping in which I'm sure people around us really loved.

-Paul and I took full advantage of our one day and got all our favorite disney treats: churros, corn dogs, Dole whips, cotton candy, and even found some new ones. We ate our churros as we were waiting for the parade and Paul was sharing his with Caitlin and let her have a bit then took one himself and his bite was totally soggy. Paul was like "umm Caitlin?" and she looked at him and kinda shrugged and giggled and said "I just like to suck off the sugars" HAHA!


-Caitlin realized the difference between the characters who were real people and the ones in costume so she would ask, "Are they gonna be real or pretend? Do they talk like me or do they talk pretend?"

-We went to meet Tinkerbell and her friend Fawn and she asked Caitlin what her favorite animal was and she said "a squirrel" (?!?!) Nolan decided he really liked Fawn and snuggled up to her for literally at least a minute and just stood there and wanted to give her a kiss it was all hilarious.


-When we saw the princesses Caitlin would talk to them and they would say "Who did you bring? Is this your brother?" to which Nolan would run up to them and said "brudder!! brudder!" really loud. He also loved giving the princesses loves and would make his way right into their poofy dresses.


-The best character greeting was with Tigger and Pooh. Nolan got so excited and ran right up to Tigger saying "ti-er! "ti-er!" and they were playing with him and hugging him and even "bounced" with him. When we turned the corner and saw Pooh Nolan got so excited again and wanted to hug him and give him kisses on his nose. It was so adorable.


-Paul and I went on a very few adult rides. The first ride I went on I had just sat down into the car and the ride broke! Luckily it was a pretty quick fix. Later that day i went on another and as i was coming out realized i had forgotten my phone in the front ouch of the seat! So i had to go back and they had to have every car pass through and check the pouches. It took awhile but we found it.

-Caitlin had to keep switching hands during the parade because they were getting tired from waving at everyone. Every single character got a personal wave and shout out from her, and she got a lot from them in return. Nolan loved it too.

 

Thursday we flew home, sad to leave the sunshine and our friends behind. Whitney and Morgan were so nice to host us, feed us, make treats for us and the like. It was so fun to see Brox and hang out with him, right before he turns one! He is such a cutie and easy going baby. We're so glad to have amazing friends like the Taylors that we feel 100% comfortable crashing their house and now that we know what a nice and beautiful area it is.. we will probably be going more often!

weekend review

President's weekend.
-Paul went to the hunting expo while i took the kids to see a special matinee of "the Jungle Book" with Cassie, Rebekah, Tiffany & Bella. The kids loved it. Caitlin was asking me the funniest questions like "Why is Mowgli just only wearing panties?" and "Where is his mommy and daddy?" and "Why does that girl have a dot on her forehead? Is it makeup? Is it lipstick?"


-Sunday we went to church, rested and watched the Olympics. We've deemed Sunday nights as our new "Family Movie Night" because with 9AM church the days just seem l-o-n-g so a movie is a good way to top it off. Nolan was face down in the popcorn bowl.

-Monday we worked out then went to Provo Beach Resort to play games and bowl. That night we went to Cubby's and then another special showing of "The Little Mermaid" with Rebekah and Jordan.

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!