Christmas 2015

We had such a wonderful Christmas season. I'll admit last night as we were finally getting around to putting our decor away, I was a huge baby about it and was a silly sobbing mess. I don't know why. All I have wanted was to end 2015 so we can meet this baby, and now all the sudden its over!! It was just so magical this year. I blame it on the pregnancy hormones. :)

We kept Christmas simple this year. a) we didn't have a ton of money and b) pregnant Caitlin didn't have a lot of energy. I also didn't take many pictures, because I was using my video camera, but thats ok. The video is priceless. Anyway, Christmas morning we all slept in later than I thought. I woke up to Abby telling me it was time to get the presents. So we headed downstairs and Christmas morning was over in about 20 minutes!  Haha. We didn't have a ton like I said, but why does it have to get over so quickly?

Abby's favorite gifts included her Baby Alive (even though it didn't pee and poo. Thank you Santa!) and her Ariel doll. Madalyns favorite was her bubble machine and her princess ball.

After a lazy morning, we headed to my moms house to continue the celebration and open more presents. My girls got the cutest outfits from my mom, Andy got some burp cloths, Sam and I got tickets to hale center theater show with the rest of my siblings, and my sister and brother in law were awesome this year and got the kids and us some great gifts. Abby got some frozen lipgloss, Maddie got a Jake and the Neverland Pirates figurine, which she also loves and sometimes goes to sleep with it, and we got a gift card to Amazon. We can't figure out what we are going to get with it yet!!!

I knew she would like her gift from the McGees, but I didn't think this much!!!

After a yummy dinner (that I didn't enjoy wah wah wah) the adults spent some time visiting while the kids ran around like crazies. My niece Tiaree got a Harry Potter trivia game that made me feel awesome because I was doing pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  It was just a nice all around night, even when Abby broke out in hives somehow (we think maybe she got into some fiberglass that was in my parents basement) and we had to go get her benedryl.

Best cousin award.

Seriously Christmas 2015, you were awesome. A favorite in our books. 

Life Lately: December Edition

December has been a fun and busy month. Here are some of the happenings of December so far:

 At the beginning of December, we decided to make sure and get our trip to Temple Square in, so we didn't miss it. Good thing we did too!! It was a fun but cold night!!

 December was also full of little girls with cute Christmas nails,(beware Sam, your son will probably have painted nails on occasion) decorating our house, and ice cream cones bigger than our faces. 

 We've also had lots of mommy-Madalyn bonding time, which will make the transition to baby number three hard on her. She is certainly a mommy's girl and I love every minute of it. However, this mamas girl also has a bad habit of chewing up her food and then spitting it out when she realizes she is done with it. So gross. Especially when its her pb sandwiches. (gag!) I've also taken lots of warm baths this month. They help my back feel better, but getting out of them is a bit of a comedy act. December was also full of Holiday crafts from Abby's preschool. This reindeer hat was one of my favorites.

 December has been the month of the girls having fun together. They mostly play nicely with their toys and it makes me so happy. Also, how gorgeous is Abby in this picture? She just HAD to put on her lipstick before bed. We have also had a lot of lazy mornings in which Abby made her own bed downstairs, and these two girls cuddling together during nap time makes my heart happy!!

 December has been a month of feeling huge and pregnant, and my sweet Abby taking care of me by putting a blanket on me and letting me cuddle her bear. What a sweetheart!! Its also been a lot of skipped naps making it so sweetheart number two can't handle it anymore and falls asleep on me while at Grandma and Grandpas. Also, December brought me my mom and sisters annual shopping day. That hat saved the day multiple times, and eating at Red Robin was fun for all!!

 One day while Abby was in preschool, I had a doctors appointment and brought Madalyn with me. It was an unusually long appointment, and Madalyn was a little angel the whole time!! (of course, one kid is always easier than two.) December also has brought more snow than I've seen in a few years. Though I'm not a fan of driving in it, we sure have loved having it. Abby was so excited to build this snowman with a huge carrot nose and goldfish eyes. I'm also a super lazy cook these days, so one night we ate at the food court and rewarded the girls good eating/behavior with a carousal ride, which they both were so sad when it ended. Abby also had the best time holding her newest baby girl cousin Raegan. She is one beautiful baby!! Since August, we have had two new baby boy cousins on my side and a boy and girl cousin on Sams side. So many new babies!!! (we are next!!)

 Again, December has had some slow mornings, but this new picture is one of my most favorites of my girls. Also, a lot of races have taken place downstairs and the girls FINALLY got to sit on Santas lap!

 This month has also brought some forced family pictures. I had to get one of all of us in our red clothes the Sunday before Christmas!! Its also brought the naughty out of my girls as they ripped open a new package of gum while I was showering and ate 8 pieces!! I also had to include this super creepy and hilarious picture of Abby, because it seriously had me ugly laughing one night after a particularly trying day. And its been these sisters avoiding nap time like the plague but being cute about it. 

And lastly, this month has been a little 2 year old whose life was over at Harmons one night. Its been new makeup from Aunt Ashley which made for one happy 4 year old, and its been more naughtiness on Christmas Eve. Apparently, Abby got bored while pooping and her little sister helped. 

Yes, December was a good month. A good last month as a family of 4. Stay tuned for Christmas and our 2015 in review!! (and before we know it, a baby update!)

37 weeks and 5 days

Man alive, this pregnancy has been rough, both physically and emotionally. With Abby and Maddie, I was of course ready to have a baby, but this time around I am flat out done!! I've been done for months now and I am so, so happy that there is a huge light at the end of the tunnel!!!

I'm looking forward to so much once this baby comes. Here is a list of a few of the major things I can't wait to do!!!

1) Eat. Eat like a normal person. I hate food, as I have complained about quite a bit (sorry about that!) But its bad. Even food I do manage to eat I still don't really enjoy. And, I honestly can't wait to get back to eating healthy. That's just not happening as much as i'd like these days. I'm looking forward to salads for lunch again and cooking a healthy meal that I will actually enjoy!!

2) No more heartburn. A common complaint of the pregnant woman.

3) Being able to hug Sam again really tight without a hard belly getting in the way. I love to hug that man and It will be wonderful to be able to really really hug him again!!

4) Rolling over in bed without causing a mini earthquake as I do so. Also along those lines, being able to get out of bed without struggle, getting off the floor with ease, and not needing a crane to get out of the bathtub.

5) Running. I cannot wait to run again!! I'm so excited to get back to it!! And along those lines, being able to workout harder again.

6) Not gagging at the slightest thing. Anywhere from wind in my face to changing a diaper makes me gag. And every time I do gag, I have to sit and wait to see if I'm going to puke, because every. single. time I feel stuff wanting to come up. Gross.

7) Sleeping better. I know, I know. With a newborn I wont be sleeping much at all, but when i do sleep, I feel it will be more soundly and if nothing else, more comfortably.

8) Snuggling with my girls more comfortably. Lately they have been such snugglers, especially Madalyn. I can't wait til I don't have a big hard belly in the way!!!

9) Clothes/garments not rolling below/above my belly anymore. I  hate things under my stomach. I hate things above my stomach. I hate an exposed stomach.

10) Being able to wear my ring once more!! Yahoo!!

Well, there you have it. My super complainy list of things I can't wait to have happen once this baby makes its exit out of the womb. 2 more weeks. I can hang in there for 2 more weeks...right? Either way, I know our little Andrew Samuel will be totally worth it all.

Pregnancy Update: Less than 4 weeks left!!!

Week: 36 weeks and 4 days!!

Size of Baby: Big and only getting bigger. Seriously, I feel so HUGE!!! Haha. My tummy is definitely in the way all the time. Please bless Andy doesn't make it to 9 lbs plus this time around...

Movement: Through the day he seems pretty quiet. I am obviously more busy so I don't notice as much, but as soon as i sit down for the night he goes crazy. Its starting to hurt sometimes, but I still love it. Except when he jumps on my bladder. I accidentally pee enough as it is. He doesn't have to do that to me too!!

What I've been eating: I've been trying so hard to eat healthy, but its just not working most the time. Food is nasty, unless its mint M&M's, Oreos, Cocoa Dino Bites, and anything holiday. Last night we had a pot roast for dinner and it was actually good though, so that was a Christmas miracle. 4 more weeks and then I can enjoy food again. Yay!

How I've been feeling: Eh. Last week was hard. I was nauseous and achy and sad. But this weekend and today have been good!!

Best Moment of the Week: When Sam brought me home pretzel bites Friday night after work, and yesterday was the best Sunday before Christmas ever!! Church was wonderful and filled with the spirit, naps were a perfect length of time, dinner tasted amazing, and playing Mario/relaxing was wonderful!!

What I'm looking forward to: Christmas this week and the birth of my son. Obviously. Good vibes that he will come a week (or more!!) early please!!! ;)

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving weekend was one of the best weekends we have had in such a long time. I thought it was going to be a bummer week. Sams second job at Litzas is really busy around the holidays, so he was scheduled to work Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, so I really thought it was going to be a bummer. But besides working late on Monday, he was off every other day by 8 and he didn't have to go in til about 5 or 6, so it wasn't too bad after all!

Wednesday we didn't do much. Sam got off work from his day job at 1, and when he got home we all took naps until he had to leave again. Lame yes, but also quite necessary. That night when he got home, we all enjoyed some family movie time. It really was fantastic.

Thursday, my mom sister and I did our normal Thanksgiving swim. It felt so nice for my big pregnant self to float around and stretch in the water for a bit. After the swim, I came home and got busy making some things for dinner, and then we ended up at my moms for a wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving dinner. A few of my aunts and uncles were there, as well as my cousin Tifanee, so it was so much fun!! Also, let me note here that I had 3 pieces of pie and I am not ashamed. That night we were all dead and ended up sleeping fantastically that night.

Friday we lazed around a bit and then we hit the stores to try and get some Black Friday deals. I ended up finding a griddle for $15, we found the Santa Clause and The Grinch, and got a few Christmas toys for the girls. Sam went to work and us girls lazed around til he got home. Once he was home, we watched The Grinch and then fell asleep to the Santa Clause.

Saturday, I woke up sick, so we literally did nothing all day long. I didn't mind one bit. The girls had fun int he snow for a bit, and Sam worked for maybe an hour that night and guess what we did once he was home? Yep, we watched movies.

Sunday I stayed home from church sick and binge watched Greys Anatomy (stupid stupid show) and Sam took both girls to church with him. It was a nice 3 hours to myself resting. After long afternoon naps and some meetings for Sam, we headed on over to his dads for some soup. We planned to stay home, but we both agreed getting dinner made for us was a good deal. Plus, we don't see that side nearly as much now that everyone lives out of state, so it was nice to visit for a bit.

I know the weekend may have seemed mundane to most, but it truly was a fantastic, much needed restful weekend spent with those I love the most. And boy do I love them. I still can't believe sometimes that this is my real life. That I married the man of my dreams who I met when we were just 15, and we have two of the most adorable wonderful girls in the world and are adding a 3rd one to the mix in just 6 more weeks. I truly am blessed!!

Our St. George get away

My family owns a time share condo in St. George, and we are able to go down about once a year. So when the opportunity came up months ago for a short vacation last month, we were definitely in. The closer it got, I wondered if we should go as money is tight (thanks to poor sick Madalyn and the hospital bills this summer) but we decided we really needed a vacation and this was pretty much the cheapest one to go on. Also, it would be just us and my parents, which yes it would have been fun with the whole family there, but we got the whole basement of the condo to ourselves, which was really nice, especially considering we all already had a hard enough time sleeping down there.

So on Wednesday the 21st after Sam got home from work, we loaded the car and headed down. The trip down was terrible at first. Abby is terrified of the dark lately and started crying that she wanted to go home as we were right outside Provo, even being distracted with a movie. She did this on and off for a while, and seeing as Madalyn loves to copy Abby, she started it up too. Finally I remembered about some glow sticks Grandma Nonie gave us that I was saving specifically for the dark trip, and that calmed them down both immediately. The rest of the drive down went pretty smoothly, only having to stop in Beaver for a potty/run break. We got to the condo about 10:30 or 11, but our wired kids were up sooo late. Abby and I fell asleep about 1, but Sam and Madalyn were up til about 2.

The next day, we decided to keep it pretty chill, seeing as our kids were exhausted. We had breakfast at Blackbear Diner. After blackbear, we went back to the condo and put the girls down for a nap. Madalyn wouldn't go nicely so I rocked her, and it was the best!! After some resting, my mom and I ran to get some groceries (that was the worst. 2 hours gone!) After shopping we had some dinner, and then went to our own parts of the condo for the night (except the times abby and maddie were up bugging my mom and dad!)

Friday morning we decided to head to Zion National Park; my favorite place! We all drove in our car so my dad could use his perks of being old and get us in for free. We drove through the tunnels, had a fun picnic lunch, and then took the shuttle up to the River Walk for our hike of the day. My girls were troopers on the way up...slow troopers who just wanted to explore, but hey, that is being a kid right?? It took us 45 minutes to walk the mile to the Narrows. Once there, the girls threw rocks in the water for a bit and we headed down. Sam had Madalyn on his back and my dad carried a very gabby Abby on his shoulders who told him all about the water cycle. According to her, the water goes into the mud at night to sleep, and then wakes up in the morning to keep flowing. It only took us about 20-25 minutes to hike down. After that we were all exhausted so we decided to head back to St. George, grabbing some pizza on the way there. That night we watched movies. It was another later night, and we didn't sleep well once again.

Because of our lack of sleep, we decided to forgo our plans to go to Snow Canyon and just hang around St. George. After a very late start to our morning, we ate our lunch and headed to the park. Abby was acting kind of blah, but I chalked it up to her being exhausted...until about 45 minutes into playing she ran up to where I was sitting and the poor thing threw up. So, we ended our day out and went back for naps and my sweet parents went and got her some sprite and saltines. After her nap she seemed to be doing a lot better, but threw up at the dinner table again that night. We then cuddled the rest of the night and went to bed early...ish. (compared to the other days anyway.)

The next morning, Sunday, it was time to pack up and go home. That was the best nights sleep we all got, and Abby was thrilled she didn't throw up in the middle of the night. We slowly packed up our things and left about 2 to head home. The trip home wasn't terrible. We stopped in Fillmore to get our wiggles out at the Maverick park and then drove the rest of the way home, Madalyn was super unhappy and just wanted out. But we made it home by about 6:30 and the girls were so happy to get out of their seats. Abby was so happy to be home that she hugged the house. I am not really sure what was up with her the trip (besides not feeling well, which is never fun to be sick outside the home) but she weirdly was anxious to get home the whole time. At one point she was saying how much she missed our basement and her bed (and my bed.) Sunday night she threw up one more time, but thankfully we were home and we all slept amazing in our own beds.

It was a very nice get away though, despite the few hangups. I'm so glad we were able to have a cheap get away that we all needed to have very much!! Thanks mom and dad for having us tagalongs!! 

Because I need a little Christmas this year.

Every year when the Holidays start, I am very adamant about waiting for all things Christmas until Thanksgiving Day. That is, until this year. I started listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies last week, and I couldn't be happier.

You see, 2015 has been one of the hardest years to date. Lice, a broken arm, flues, a hospital stay, a very, very hard pregnancy, more Madalyn sick scares, and financial struggles. It seems like something went wrong on all the fun holidays this year and we had to miss out. I know, sounds like 1st world boo hoo problems. But its enough to wear on a person.

I guess I'm also wanting to start celebrating now in case something else happens and we miss Christmas. At least we had a full 2 months celebrating right? And, I haven't been in the happiest state of mind lately, with a dark cloud always hanging over my head, and Christmas music and movies bring me happiness and excitement, so why the heck not, right?

So, with the season approaching, Christmas means the end of the year, a fresh year that will hopefully be better, and a brand new baby to boot.  So to all you anti-Christmas celebrators til after Thanksgiving, I say to you this year, Bah-humbug. Or something like that.