2014 Review

2014: a fantastic year for me & my family! 

We persevered through the emotional roller coaster of Lyla turning two. I have a feeling three is going to have a brand new bag of surprises! 

My baby boy turned one & decided to start acting like a toddler. *crying noises*

March came with the arrival of our baby niece, Scarlett. I need to squeeze her. 

I married my best friend in August. It was the perfect wedding for us & never would have been possible without my amazing support system. 

Our best friends lived with us almost the entire year. It was awesome. Then they went and broke our hearts in October. *more crying noises*

I finally wasn't pregnant. *

*I loved both of my pregnancies, creating life is a beautiful thing. However, it's been since 2010 since I went a whole year without carrying a little person inside me. My body finally feels rejuvenated. 

I think I forgot to tell my blog that Lyla got to meet Queen Elsa.
What a TREAT! 

I sorta think resolutions are a ridiculous trend, yet I tend to make them anyway. 

The new year symbolizes a fresh start. It's a time to reflect on all of one's accomplishments and acknowledge any douche-like behaviors. Soooo. Besides all the normal stuff like be kind, be present, be on time, be active, be me...here it goes:

I'm going to work on being more patient. I constantly find myself asking Lyla to take a deep breath, when sometimes I need to slow down and do the same. This simple act really helps. 

I'm going to drink less caffeine. I'm pretty much a coffee/energy drink junkie. And I ask myself, for what reason? It does nothing to energize me. It's simply a bad habit that I'm going to [try to] replace with H20.

I'm going to take better care of my skin. umm aka use anti-wrinkle cream. Is that a totally vein resolution? Yeah. Well. I already made my first purchase, so too bad. I noticed some eye wrinkles and my 25 year old self is not ready to embrace any of that nonsense. Get out of here wrinkles! Young & vibrant skin is making a come back! 

The 2014 Guest list Includes: 

Priscilla spent an entire month in Texas. I can't believe that was already almost a full year ago.

Grandma Paula & Steve visited. Grandma is the world's best pretender. We had so much fun & even convinced them to stay a couple extra days! 

My mom & grandpa Dave road tripped all the way here. Taking care of toddlers and old people is pretty great material for a reality TV show. 

Monte, Julie, Cameron, Sydney, Rob & Baby Scarlett traveled via airplane to spend some time with us, including a weekend in Galveston. Beach house = yes. Beach with Babies = pass. 

Taylor and Jordan partied it up in Texas all summer long. We miss them! 

I kidnapped Libby for ten days, for the second year in a row. I'm looking forward to continuing that tradition again this summer. 

I just love having guests & there are many more I plan on bribing/luring/tempting in 2015.

Cheers to making 2015 another great year! 

Christmas Eve Favorites

"Can you guys sit by each other and say Santa?"

Gingerbread Houses

We got so busy last week that blogging fell behind. 

Here are some pictures of the cousins making/eating gingerbread houses.

Also, testing out their aunt & uncle's new bed. 

Update: Monday was not as terrible as I anticipated. Both of the kiddos slept in until 9:00, behaved like civilized creatures, & took nice, long naps too. Monday post-holiday weekend really could not have gone any better.

Christmas Recap

We had a fantastic Christmas! Like most people, I love everything about Christmas, but there has always been a slight sense of sadness that loomed around during the holidays ever since my parents got divorced. Lyla & Max brought that magical feeling back to Christmas for me this year. We spent Christmas Eve at the Cox residence, followed by several hours of assembling toys and eating cookies. The reaction on their faces in the morning was priceless and made up for the lack of sleep. Who knew being Santa would be such a rewarding job!?

This is the first year I felt Lyla was able to truly comprehend the concept of Santa. She was definitely pumped about his arrival. I don't think Max gets it quite yet, but his excitement still matched Lyla's because, well, he is her shadow. We baked chocolate chip cookies for Santa. We set out some carrots for the reindeer. They opened special Christmas pajamas. We read a Christmas story and, thankfully, both of them fell asleep without any nonsense stall tactics. Kirk and I had a lot of work to do! There was a three story doll house to be built for Lyla. A race track needed assembled for Max. Oh, and I made a midnight run to Walgreens for batteries. Such a rookie mistake! 

Lyla woke up on Christmas morning around 7:00 a.m. and mumbled something about finding her barbies, a gift she received the night before from Kurt & Olivia. I reminded her we should first check if Santa made any deliveries and that's when she remembered it was CHRISTMAS! All four of us tip-toed out to the living room. Max was a bit skeptical of the living room make over, but Lyla immediately approached the doll house and said "whaaaaat!?" It's almost like she thought we were making this Santa thing up the whole time. She ran up to her room to get her Barbies and I heard her telling them, "Barbies, guess what...some magic happened last night." Hearing her say that was possibly my favorite moment of the morning.

Lyla was so captivated with her new house that it was difficult to get her to focus on opening her gifts under the tree. Max, on the other hand, ripped into all of his as fast as his little hands would allow. As the kids unwrapped their gifts, the piles kept growing and growing until they reached a stuuupid amount. I always forget how much our extended family spoils our kids and that parental spoiling is not necessary. Generosity runs fierce in this giant family of ours! I'm trying not to beat myself up about it too much because most of their gifts from us were just small, inexpensive items. Obviously they do not need anything. We do it because it's fun for them to open presents and make a giant mess on Christmas morning.

Hmm that's probably just my way to justify falling victim to this commercialized version of Christmas. My plan to get ahead of the game by starting my shopping in October didn't do much good since I continued to shop up until Christmas anyhow. Buuuut let's be honest, it's fun for ME too! Some of my favorite childhood memories are the anticipation & inevitable chaos on Christmas morning. Kirk even said this was his best Christmas ever. Christmas is awesome. Being a kid is awesome. This life is awesome. We played all morning and then headed to The Stouts to enjoy a delicious meal. It turns out Hali was on the nice list, just like Lyla & Max.

I love her bed head.

Christmas followed by the extended weekend was perfect. It was filled with Christmas music until our ears wanted to bleed, lots of laughter, plenty of sugar, delicious food, memorable moments, & wonderful humans. The only thing missing was snow [who doesn't love a white Christmas?] and our Idaho people. Monday morning is approaching quickly and I have a feeling it's going to come with a big ol' Christmas hang over. After four days of living completely carefree, it's going to be absolutely dreadful trying to convince Lyla that bedtime & vegetables do still exist. Ugh. Totally worth it though... 

Lyla's birthday is in one week and I cringe at the thought of more STUFF. However, Kirk and I agreed a long time ago that we would never downplay her birthday just because it arrives shortly after Christmas. That wouldn't be fair for her. She deserves just as much recognition on her birthday as those June babies do! So...it kills me to say it, but we will party it up some more next weekend. Is she seriously going to be three? 

Love So Hard

The newest Lyla phrase is "I love you hard"

She could say I love you so much/a lot/tons but NOPE. She loves hard. It's pretty awesome and I thoroughly enjoy the hilarious stuff that's been coming from her mouth lately. It took her the longest time to say on her own that she loved me or Kirk. I think watching Frozen too many times turned her heart ice cold. For reals. I tell the girl I love her probably 100 times a day and she would never say it back, unless there was a bribe involved. Although it's in her nature to be a stubborn one, I was convinced she hated me. In contrast, Max already says "Love you" in his jibber jabber language. 

Now she tells me she "loves me hard" all the time. Finally. She must be catching up for lost time or maybe she recognized that her refusal to announce her love was really damaging my soul. She even started requesting snuggle time too, which was a delightful surprise. She  was very rarely agreeable to cuddling as a baby. And although I embraced her independent spirit, the lack of cuddling was still a disappointing realization for me. Again, in contrast, Max was the cuddliest.

Also, instead of saying "I love you too" she always responds with "I love you back"  

I think this love lingo she invented is here to stay!

 

First Dentist Visit

There is much conflicting advice in regards to the appropriate age to take a child to the dentist. I've heard it's best to schedule a dentist appointment as soon as that first tooth emerges and then I've heard a dentist visit isn't necessary until age three. I made the conclusion that, with so few teeth, we could make the same observations as a dentist. There is nothing we were concerned over, so we held off on the premature dentist visits. However, Kirk experienced some extreme dental issues over the last several weeks and it sorta sent me into a state of paranoia. So I headed to dentist, hand in hand with my favorite 2 year old and favorite 1 year old.  

Despite my efforts to prepare Lyla for going to the dentist, she kept saying she was scared about it. I was worried this would transform into being uncooperative. Instead she was the exact opposite. I was so impressed when she agreed to sit in the chair all on her own. She let the dentist examine her mouth and apply a fluoride treatment. She did comment that it felt weird, but nothing else. There wasn't even any battle when it came to brushing and flossing. He told Lyla he was scrubbing "bugs" off her teeth. She thought that was pretty funny. He noticed that her bottom teeth are very tight, which suggests her permanent teeth will be crowded. That isn't a surprise though since both Kirk and I were cursed with hill billy teeth. Thank you braces!

The dentist gave Lyla an A+ for keeping her teeth clean & healthy. To be honest I was actually a little surprised by this response because I know sending her to bed with a bottle is frowned upon. It's basically the same as falling asleep with a lollipop in your mouth. He was giving her so much praise though, so I decided that our dirty little secret didn't need to be shared. 

Max was eager for his turn. As I mentioned before, he insists on doing everything he sees his big sister do. He was cooperative, then they applied the fluoride treatment and he got all hot & bothered. It's okay though. He gets a free pass for being only 18 months old. 

Max doesn't have as many teeth to investigate, but the dentist said everything looks good for him too. I asked him to take a close look at Max's front teeth since he sleeps with a pacifier. He said there is a slight shift, but it's nothing to be worried about at this point. Apparently it's only a concern when the teeth start to tilt completely sideways. Yikes! 

Overall they were pretty much the poster children for kid dental patients. The dentist even said, "These kids are so mellow." And I thought to myself, "Yeaaaah. You should come spend a day at my house!" That was a nice compliment though. I am pleased my kids were well mannered. 

Holiday Cheer

With our Christmas tree assembled & decorated, we are officially feeling the Christmas spirit. It's only been up for three days and I've already noticed the ornaments within toddler reach are slowly getting moved to the top half of the tree. Ha! There is never a dull moment living with these two monkeys.  It will look even more glorious with a giant pile of presents underneath, which will emerge over the next few weeks.

I am pleasantly surprised that I am looking forward to spending the holiday in Texas this year. I really thought it would take longer than two years for that mindset to change. It is always wonderful going back to Idaho to spend time with family, but overall it's just exhausting and overwhelming for the kids. We are still urging family to head south instead, but it doesn't look like we will have any guests until after the new year. It's okay. I am learning to appreciate the low-key holiday gatherings. 

I think one of the greatest things new parents look forward to is the joy on their child's face on Christmas morning. That first year is always a disappointment since babies are oblivious to the festivities. There is a lot of work that goes into being Santa and I think this year I will finally experience the Christmas morning excitement I've been waiting for. Lyla mentions Christmas at least once a day. She totally understands the Santa concept and is happy to point out Max's naughty behavior when necessary. I'm curious if she will fear Santa in real life, as she did last year. 

I am trying to avoid sending the message to Lyla that Christmas is all about presents. It's a hard balance since I am so excited about giving her the most awesome Christmas ever. It makes me feel all warm & nostalgic. But as she gets older, I hope she realizes how fortunate she is. I hope she is grateful. And I hope she is humble about it. For now, she is only three, so there is still time for damage control if she displays signs of being spoiled rotten. 

With this in mind, I explained to her in very simple terms that some kids don't have toys like she does and since we need to make room for the new toys Santa is going to bring, I asked if she wanted to give away some of her old toys. Well. She  immediately burst into REAL tears and said "No, I will miss my toys!" Then just a few moments later, she changed her mind. "Yeah mom. That's a good idea. Let's give my toys to our neighbor." Haha! What!? Hmm I am wondering how her train of thought led her to believe our neighbors were in need of toys. But hey! It's a start. 

Note: This will also apply to Max, but he's hasn't quite passed that line of oblivion. He's getting close though! 

Maxwell: 18 Month Check-Up

Weight: 24 pounds 12 oz, 45th percentile

Height: 33 1/2 inches, 75th percentile

Head: 19 inches, 75th percentile

Max had his doctor appointment this week. He grew nearly three inches in three months but didn't even gain one pound. This was alarming for me. The doctor claims this is a normal phase of growth. And since he is such an active boy, he probably burns more calories than he eats. He is always eating. And he is always on the go. So I guess it makes sense. He's a healthy boy. That's the important thing. Still, I can't help but feel stressed about it.

I thought I had some parenting strategies figured out, but the same methods are proving to work differently on Max. I guess that's why they say raising a boy is a lot different than raising a girl.  I told the doctor how Max finds humor in not following direction and gave some examples of his meltdowns. Then he gave me the 411 on male psychology, as he always does. His tips are always amusing. This time he said men don't want women to tell them what to do, but they need women to tell them what to do. He advised that anytime I request something from Max, it should be followed by five praises. This goes for husbands too. He said men need to feel important and acknowledged. They are egotistical creatures. Apparently females can typically follow instruction without so much recognition.  This is just a theory about the way our brains are wired, but I think he might be onto something. LOL! 

He didn't cry for his shot. He never cries. He always gives a slightly irritated look to the nurse, but that's about it. Lyla held his hand and she claims this is why he did not cry. They are so cute. 

here is Maxwell's fifteen month check up! 

Max: 18 Months Old

Max is 18 months old. And oh boy, is he acting like it. I think the "terrible twos" are creeping in early with this kid. I think he is very intelligent and aware of his surroundings. As such, if he feels he is being left out of a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g he will make his frustration known. These tantrums are a bit terrifying, but we will get through it.

I've declared age two as the year of testing boundaries and miscommunication. And it's looking like age three is going to be the year of attitude and whine voice. I will discuss more about that nonsense later. This post is about my boy! 

the skills & life experience of maxwell:

1. He tries to jump. But he can't jump. He lunges his whole body into the air and sometimes he falls over. It's a hilarious attempt. 

2. His attention span is short when it comes to cartoons. But surprisingly he will actually sit and watch football longer than anything else. He points at the TV when it's turned off and says "uhh ball" which is "Football" in Max language. I think this is a dream come true for Kirk. 

3. He recognizes most superheros by costume and by name. It's probably more common for parents to brag about color or shape recognition...but that's okay. Once again, the dad influence overrules here. 

4. He sleeps 11+ hours per night. He is in bed by 8:00 pm and awake around 5:00 am. Then he will usually snuggle for a couple more hours in my bed. 

5. His vocabulary is beginning to blossom. This includes the words mom, dad, Lyla, Krew, water, poop, football, basketball, olive, bath, night, bye. It's getting to that point where I can translate most of his language, but it still sounds like jibberish to everyone else.

6. He has a vein on his neck that bulges when he gets angry. I think it's really adorable. And I imagine I will still think so even when he is a grown man. 

7. He still lets his momma rock him to sleep. I enjoy this very much, as the older one always refused bedtime snuggles at this age. Also, he insists on sleeping with his toy Hulk. Don't try to fool him with a teddy bear or monkey. It must be Hulk. 

8. He likes to throw away his own diaper. I guess this is a fun task for a one year old. He is also very interested in the toilet. I am open to early potty training but I think we will hold off on exploring that world until after the holiday. 

9. He has all four of his first set of molar teeth. It was the longest teething marathon I have ever endured. We were finally granted our victory and now Max is happily chewing food more than ever!

10. He is so loving and gentle towards Lyla's babies, when she allows it. There is no doubt that he has a destructive nature --- crashing into walls, pounding on toys, swinging at furniture, and climbing on literally everything. But it's comforting to know that a tender heart lives on the inside of his active little spirit. 

Please click here to view Max's fifteen month list!