We Had Ourselves A Merry Little Christmas

December 26th. The most melancholy day of the year. Everything you have been doing for and celebrating for a little over a month is done. Life is basically back to normal. Such a depressing little day.

I was extra excited for Christmas this year. Having two girls to spoil was so much fun! And, this was the first year Abby was excited for presents and Santa. I still don't think she quite gets that Santa was the one to drop off the presents, but she did talk about him a lot and had fun opening her presents and helping Madalyn open hers as well.

We started our festivities on Chrsitmas Eve by going to breakfast with my parents. Whats better than starting off a day with strawberry crepes, sausage, and hashbrowns? Nothing, that's what. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of that, but it was so much fun and hopefully a yearly tradition, as long as Sam keeps having work off. That day was spent baking banana bread, watching Miracle on 34th Street, and napping. That night we visited with Sams dad, then got home and had our own traditional Christmas Eve dinner while watching Grinch, Elf, and Christmas Story.

We always open Christmas Eve jammies. This year, we got the girls some, but decided to skip us to save a little bit of money. This is the first year in my 27 years of life that I have not had new Christmas jammies. Sad right?  Also, we have a tradition that comes from South Africa where Santa leaves the gifts he brings in a pillowcase. Once Abby and Maddi finally went to sleep (after 11 mind you) I got busy and made Madalyn's pillowcase. I love how it turned out. After that, Santa was able to come and we were able to go to bed, at about 2. Late night, but so fun to spend together watching movies without our kids!

Christmas morning everyone slept in until 8:30. It was nice, but I was getting too anxious. We all got a pretty good haul. Sam spoiled me rotten. I was only supposed to get my Kitchen-aid, but he also got me Vans shoes, Death Cab for Cutie CD's and a waterbottle. I know, it sounds silly to get a waterbottle, but for some reason I LOVE new waterbottles. And this one is so nice. After we opened our presents, we sat around and enjoyed our new toys in the mess.

That afternoon, we visited Dan and Nonie again, dropped of medicine to a sick mother in law, and then spent the rest of the evening at my moms opening more presents and stuffing our faces. My girls got spoiled!! And I loved dressing them in the same outfits. Can't believe I haven't done it yet. I just love my little girls so much!! Holidays truly are better with little ones.

 That night, my girls had it and both crashed at my parents house. When we got home, they decided to wake up and we were up late again with them. But, it was a lot of fun. I somewhat didn't mind them awake. And an added bonus, they slept in until 8:30 again AND are both down for naps at the same time. Score!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas as we did! I am sad Christmas is over, but I am looking forward to the New Year and what that brings. 

The 4th Month

Months: I can't believe my little chubby cheeked Maddi is already 4 months old! I just can't believe how fast time is going!!

Weight: I stepped on my scale with her yesterday and she was an even 15 pounds! That is with clothes and a diaper on but still. She is growing! (sadly with the holidays, so is her mama. But the chub suits her more than it does me.)

How She Is Sleeping: She is doing better lately. Ever since my rant on the fact that I've gotten no sleep lately, she has really stepped it up. She wakes up between 4:30 and 5:30 to eat, and then goes back to sleep. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

What Madalyn Loves: She loves to sit up, so thank goodness we have the bumbo. We also have a toy she can sit in that she loves as well for short periods of time. Usually until Abby tries to climb in it with her. She also loves her mama! Since Abby is not so much a mama's girl, it's nice to have one child be. Until she is older, then I am sure Maddi will walk in the footsteps of her sister and be a big fan of daddy. But for now, she is my number one fan!! (ps, she loves her daddy too, but lets face it. I am the eating source and by the amount of chub on her, we know she loves to eat) She also loves coke apparently.

Don't mind my death look here.

What Madalyn Hates: Maddi pretty much hates when I clean or get ready or do anything other than pay attention to her. She also despises tummy time still. She also hates sitting now when I burp her and insists on standing.

What's new: She is giggling. And it is the sweetest sound in the world!

What Madalyn is learning: She looks like she might roll over from back to front very soon. She is also learning how to reach for things she wants. Nothing is sweeter than feeling a little hand grab at my face.

How Mommy is doing: I have been fighting a nasty cold for a week, but other than that not too shabby. It's still hard being a mommy of two sometimes, especially when I need to run a whole bunch of errands or I want to clean my house, but slowly it's working out.

What we are working on: We are still working on trying to roll over, and getting her out of our room.

What we are looking forward to: Meeting Uncle Tim, Aunt Ashley, Emmy and Jack for the first time, and of course Christmas. Particularity, Christmas Eve! Our Christmas Eve tradition is becoming my favorite. We stuff our faces with a huge feast, prepared mostly by Sam, and watch Christmas movie after Christmas movie while wrapping any last minute gifts. Bliss!

Oh my little Madalyn, I sure do love you! What did I do without you?

Weekend Rundown

Friday:

The weekend started off with a pretty fun ward party. Good food, fun friends, and great activities.  Even though Sam's finger is in this picture, I sure do love this one of my family! (looks like Maddi has mastered the selfie kissy face.)

Saturday:

Double date date night with Erik and Ali to my moms last Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert. After 14 years of going, it will be weird next year to not go. Maybe we will still have to fight for tickets. Since we have been spoiled for 14 years, I am not sure I will be able to figure out how to actually get tickets...

Sunday:

I stayed home sick with this cold that just won't go away on Sunday with Maddi, while Sam and Abby went to church. Afterwards, Sam had a meeting and I was able to cuddle with my girls as they fell asleep on me. That evening we went to my moms for roast dinner where Maddi got some cousin time with Charlotte. That night, once the kids were in bed, Sam and I watched the horrible as always, "Holiday in Handcuffs."

Despite being sick the whole time, this weekend was a pretty great Christmas weekend!

Sleep Part 2

So, since I complained in my last blog about my girls and how they aren't sleeping, I just have to note that even though they were both up around 6 today, it was the first time either had woken up and they both fell back to sleep until 8. Which is awesome seeing as I have come down with Abby's cold she had last week. Looks like I got my one night of (almost) 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Isn't it funny? Just when you think you're at your wits end and can't take another night of lack of sleep or whatever it is you're struggling with,  you get a tender mercy that boosts you up?

So, I guess I will keep them at night for just a little longer. Because I mean really, they are super cute. Plus,  this mama is one happy lady having had sufficient sleep.

Sleep

Let me first start out by saying, of course I love my girls. Its obvious given that they are the stars of my blog/instagram/facebook. However, I think I am ready to let someone else take them at night.

First, there is Abby, who should be the one sleeping through the night. We were so pumped when we made the transition from the crib to the big girl bed. It was so easy! She had no problems going to sleep and sleeping all through the night. Until she did. Now, she comes in our room almost every night, and putting her back in bed isn't easy, what with the wailing and squiggling and nashing of teeth she does. Seriously.

Then, there is miss Maddi, who is expected to get up at night. She is, after all, not even 4 months. But, she was sleeping through the night, and when she would wake up she would eat and fall immediately back to sleep. Now when she wakes up, and I put her back in her back in her bassinet, she sleeps for maybe 20 min, enough time for me to just fall back to sleep and then wakes up again wanting to be cuddled. And we usually go back and forth like that until morning. 

After all this, they wake up like they just had the best nights sleep of their life, while Sam and I have huge bags under our eyes and can't say a sentence without yawning. 

So, if anyone wants a sleep over with two cuties, feel free. I just want one night of uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep.Just one night.

Our Little Firecracker

Our little Abbigale Mae is one spunky little girl. A lady in our ward referred to her as "a little firecracker" and that fits her to a T.

At almost two and a half, Abby is one fun toddler. She surprises Sam and I every day with new things she does or says.

Abby is most definitely a girly girl. I got a wig out of our Halloween things and she wears it every day. She asks for her "curly hair" and walks around delicately brushing it out of her face. Any time she sees someone with long curly hair, she asks to put their hair on her head. She is also recently into dress ups since Thanksgiving. It's a good thing my sisters family gave Abby this dress up, because I don't think she would have given it up easily. She didn't take it off for two days after. Other accessories she loves are her necklaces and her purses, and she loves to put on makeup and chapstick/lipgloss.

This is probably my very favorite picture of her!

Abby has the cutest little quirks. I often hear her in the next room let out a big annoyed sigh and say "oh man!" when she drops something or something doesn't go her way. She also has the best memory! She remembers people that she meets just once and asks about them all the time. For example, one of her most favorite people in the world is my step mother in laws dad. After going to his house one Sunday with Nonie, the rest of the week she asked for "Grandpa Don." Nonies aunt was there as well and so Abby also asked for "Aunt Bobby" for weeks.

One of my favorite things that is going on with Abby right now is I am 98% sure she has a crush on Jimmy Fallon. I mean, how can you not? (her mommy sure does.) Every time she sees him she knows exactly who he is and asks to watch this clip all day long.

She dances right along to it and watches it over and over again until I make her stop.

A few more tidbits about my favorite two year old, she loves to fast dance, (like Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street) she loves to walk like a penguin, she knows basically all her colors, knows most of her numbers, and can count pretty well too. She is into saying that everything is hers, particular the new Christmas present my parents gave us: "my Tablet". She also talks in third person. "Abby's big girl bed?" and when Maddi smiles at her she exclaims "She's smiling at you!"

Abby also loves to take pictures, and she loves to exclaim how she feels. "I'm so excited!" "I'm soooo maaaaad!!!!" and "I'm happy now." And, she loves Madalyn so much!

Lastly, Abby loves to sing. Her favorite songs are "I Am A Child Of God" "Snowman" "We are never ever getting back together" "I don't care, I love it" and "Royals" to name a few.

I sure do love my spunky, quirky, firecracker girl. I can't even believe I get to be her mommy.

Baby Update: Better Late Than Never

Months: Maddi turned 3 months last Monday, the 18th. The day I had my surgery. So, I wanted to write this blog way sooner, but I've been sorta busy recovering AND our laptop broke (like a day after we finally got our internet back after a week of that not working) so I would have had to sit in the messy spare bedroom to do this. ANYWAY moving on. 

Weight: At her last appointment, she weighed 13.5 pounds. I'm sure she is about 14 now. Cute little chub of mine. 

How she is sleeping: Well, that has kinda flip flopped since the last update. Now, Maddi sleeps great in the day, and ok at night. She has been waking up again to eat, but she does fall immediately asleep again. Really, it's her sister that is keeping me up most nights.

How she is eating: Obviously, this girl loves her food, and she loves being nursed vs. bottle feeding. The day I had my surgery, she had to have bottles, and that last one she had to have about killed her. As soon as she could nurse again she was a happy little babe. And here's the fun fact: I actually love nursing this time. With Abby I was so worried about nursing in public or around people that I didn't enjoy it at all. With Madalyn, I love the bonding time. Especially when she stops eating to give me one of her cute chubby-cheeked smiles.

What Maddi Loves: She LOVES being changed. Seriously, she can be fussy and as soon as we lay her on that changing table to change her diaper, her clothes, whatever, she is all full of smiles. She is also starting to notice toys. We have this toy, it's called a winkle, (horrible name I know) and she just loves to grab that thing and stuff it in her face. She also loves her big sister and is starting to give her huge smiles, which melts my heart. I can't wait until they do cute sister stuff together. Oh and she loves her baths!

What Maddi can do: Girl can hold her head up like a champ. She can now sit in her bumbo, which we love, as well as her swing and other bouncy type toy.  

How Mommy is doing: I have to say, only a week and a half after my surgery I am doing pretty well. I still have a little bit of pain, but recovery has been quicker than I anticipated, and I hope to be working out soon again. Those first 4 days were the hardest and most painful, but with the help of family and friends, things worked out. I seriously have the best people in my life!

What we're working on: Rolling over, and getting her out of our room. Abby was out of our room at about 6 weeks, but seeing as Abby and Maddi share a room, we haven't quite made the transition yet. Soon though. I think we will all sleep better. 

What we are looking forward to: THANKSGIVING TOMORROW! Swimming in the morning (even though I am technically not supposed to until Friday. What's one day right?) and then eating our faces off in the afternoon, followed by our traditional watching of The Santa Clause that night. We are also looking forward to being done with school and enjoying the Christmas season as a family with zero obligations!! Yay!!

Farewell Gallbladder. You Haven't Been Playing Very Nice.

So, Monday I am having surgery. Not a bad surgery, just getting my gallbladder ripped out of my stomach. nbd. But seriously, I am pretty nervous. All these what-ifs are going through my head, and when I found out I have to fill out a basic Will, well that just didn't help. Plus, starting midnight Sunday night, I have to stop eating and drinking. That is almost worse than getting cut into. Ok jk it's not. But really. I hate being hungry. And I'm also not really getting cut into, just poked in 4 places and my gallbladder will be sucked right out. A Laparoscopic surgery they call it.

There are some pluses about having this surgery though, that I am hanging onto for when I feel nervous. They are as follows.

• I get at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, thanks to the anesthesia. Lately my girls, particularly Abby, have been keeping me up all hours of the night. And last night, I had to go into work for my first time in 5 months (and my last time. woot woot!) so today, as I am feeling extremely tired and not being the best mom in the world as we watch episode after episode of Sesame Street and Curious George. With this surgery, I get to sleep. And it will be the whole day basically!! 
• Sam will be missing work for at least 2 days. So, not only will mommy duties turn into daddy duties, but I am quite certain I will be doted upon to the max. I think I will build my throne of blankets and pillows on the couch in front of the TV and ring a bell anytime I need something. Oh...and I am excited to hang out with him too. 
• I get to catch up on my shows. Supernatural, Hart of Dixie, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, Parenthood, How I Met Your Mother and Parks and Rec to name a few. 
• I get to finish my book too, if I have time between my busy schedule of watching my shows. 
• I don't have to make dinner. At least for a few days. I don't hate making dinner as much as I once did. In fact, I am getting pretty good at cooking. It only took 4 and a half years of marriage. But to have a few days off of dinner duty will be nice.  

All joking aside, I just want to get this thing over with and get into recovery mode. I feel like I am finally almost back to my pre-pregnancy fitness level, and this is annoyingly setting me back again. So with an amazing husband to take care of us three girls and the help of other family members, I hope my recovery is a swift one! Wish me luck, and prayers are welcome!

Life Lately According To My Phone

 Life lately has been an exhausted mommy cuddling her two babies. It's been adorable Madalyn smiles, and Abbigale wanting to help cook breakfast.

 Life has been making a tremendous amount of cookie dough and totally blowing my healthy eating. It's been Abby trying out the outhouse at Desert Star. Life has been Abby loving her new "curly hair" as she calls it that we found in our Halloween box, while Maddi hates it. 

 Life has been early mornings cuddling in bed, and getting my girls back to sleep together. It's been Abby, once again with her curly hair, playing with Maddi. Life has been our cute Jack-O-Lanterns, and it's been having the cutest little bee's I ever did see. 

 Life lately has been Abby balancing on our new rug while at Lowes. It's been Madalyn falling fast asleep in my arms. Life has been Abby naming her doll Aurora (after our friends baby) and Maddi being jealous that she wasn't playing with the doll as well. And life has been my obsession with my girls while Abby actually played nicely. 

 Life lately has been visiting the doctor for Maddi's two month appointment, and Abby wanting it to be her turn next.(Maddi took her shots like a champ!) And it's been, once again, getting my girls to sleep at the same time and loving their cute sleepy faces. 

And, life lately has been a super fun date night at Desert Star with my siblings, (missed you Jared and Emily) and loving my handsome husbands beard. Life has been Abby hiding in the shower when it came time to bath her and get her out, and it's been Grammy in heaven as she cuddles my two babes. 

I love my life.

Halloween

This year, I wasn't too excited for Halloween. Sam was going to be SUPER DUPER busy at work, and then we had about an hour after he got home to take Abby to get candy before he had to go to school to take a test, and then study for another class. I wasn't thrilled. However, it ended up not being that bad. Sure, I would have loved longer with my husband, but honestly, what I had with him was really fun.

After the girls woke up from their naps, I packed them up and headed to town to show off them at Sams and my moms work. Unfortunately, I planned kinda bad and thanks to a baby that had to be nursed before we could leave, we didn't have very much time there. But it was nice to be able to pick up Sam from work and we went straight from there to get some dinner at Arbys. Which I love, but always feel super chubby after. Thanks curly fries.

After dinner, we quickly went home and got in our costumes and headed to our wards Trunk or Treat.

The Saturday before Halloween, we decided that morning to get costumes. We had no idea what we wanted to be, but then I found two bee costumes at Kid to Kid and boom, our costume theme was born. For getting it all together with such short notice, I think our costumes came together nicely. (side note: a guy in our ward is an actual beekeeper and would have let us borrow his beekeeper suits. Bummer.)

We were only at our Trunk or Treat for about a half hour and then Sam had to leave to school, but Abby made bank on her candy, and I think she was in heaven. While Sam was in school, I hung out at my moms and helped give out candy (and helped eat it too.) while Abby showed off and Maddi enjoyed being cuddled by Grammy.

When we all came in for the night, we took our annual Halloween pumpkin picture.

2011

2012

2013

I love to see how our family has changed these past three years, and especially happy that cute little Madalyn is a part of it.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and spooky Halloween. I am sooo looking forward to Thanksgiving!!

Liberty Park and a Halloween Party

Last weekend was a really good one. First off, I love Fridays more than any day of the week. Sam gets to come home straight from work, and since I don't leave to go to work anymore, we can let down from work and school and homework, even if its just for the night and relax. I picked up Sam from work, we ate some taco's and then visited our friends Krissy and Greg, who just had a sweet baby girl. It was a nice night.

Saturday is when it got really great. We had a lazy morning while Sam went to basketball. When he got home we packed up and went to Liberty park. I ran (3.2 miles what what) while he played with Abby on the toys and Maddi snoozed away. It was so beautiful there. We had a busy day trying to get last minute costumes, but taking time to play in the fall weather at that beautiful park was totally worth it.

I love these two more than anything in the world!

Oh and don't worry, Madalyn was there too. Sam thought she was sleeping the whole time, but really she snuck out of her car seat and found this leaf that was almost as big as her. The effort wore her out and she soon fell back to sleep.

 Sunday we had our annual Bingham family Halloween party. My other sister in law Emily threw it at her house in Tooele. It was a lot of fun!! She had really fun games for the kids, an art project for the babies, and a really fun get to know you type adult game. Even though we are family, there is still things to get to know each other from I found out. It was really nice, even though I failed miserably at taking pictures. I did get one of my cool nephew. He was Doctor Who. I've never watched the show, but he looks pretty good to me. 

Also, Emily took this gem of Sam and I. I think it's hilarious if I do say so myself. The funny thing is, it would have been probably a really sweet picture of us if I didn't ruin it with this gem of a face. Classic Caitlin right there.

I really love Halloween and October. Thanks Emily for throwing such a great party! Up next: Halloween!