The last two weeks have been busy! *Lots of Pictures*

I am once again behind! I am warning you this one is going to be long!

This is our tree this year...


It isn't the best one we have ever had but it is still pretty. The limbs are drooping & I am hoping no ornaments fall off. Oh well it only has to last two more days!

On the 5th we went to the PG parade. It snowed that day & was really cold. We still had a great time with our friends!


Addi, Hannah, Maddie, & Ian

On the 9th, I gave Jaiden rice cereal for the first time. She wasn't a fan! I think she didn't like it because she wasn't getting it fast enough. I gave her a few days & then tried again. Last night she seemed to like it a little better. I would feed her a spoonful & then give her the bottle so she would suck it down. I am not sure if this is a great tactic but it worked!




I was up late the same night Jaiden experienced cereal for the first time, it seemed cold in the house. I went to turn the heat up some and noticed that it was only 64degrees in the house. It was set on 70 ~ not good! I woke Josh up and told him the heat was broken. It was a really cold night so we loaded everyone up and went to stay with David & Susan. Josh called someone to come look at it first thing the next day. We ended up having to replace the whole unit ~ OUCH! We had plans to redo our hideous bathroom after hunting season but instead we got a new heater! Oh well, sometimes things do not go as planned.

Jaiden started coughing that Friday & I got a little worried so I took her to the doctor. Hannah had to go for her ear re-check since she had an ear infection two weeks earlier. Hannah's ears were fine & Jaiden sounded clear. Even though she was coughing we went on to our kids-free church class party! Meleah stayed with Hannah (We took Jaiden with us). We had a great time! The girls played dirty Santa & I got a Vera Bradley make-up bag. It is just what I needed to keep up with all of my stuff in the diaper bag!

The next day we went to Jared's surprise 30th birthday party & then went to my aunt, Carla's house for a girls night. Once again we had a great time. (no pics because I never did get my camera out)

That Sunday night we went to the annual open house at David & Susan's house.

Monday we stayed home & by Tuesday Jaiden's cough sounded horrible. She was very congested and had a temp of 99.8. Not a high fever but not good for an 8 week old baby. So I took her back to the doctor. He could hear a rattle & squeak in her lungs and her ear was infected. He gave her a breathing treatment and we were sent home with an antibiotic & inhaler. She was better in the next few days.

The 18th we went to the Wylie's house for the teenage Christmas party. We realize that we aren't teenagers anymore but Josh is their teacher on Wednesday night.

The 19th was my 30th birthday! WOW, 30?! Really?! It is hard to believe that I am already 30 years old. I had a great birthday. We went to Brenda & Steve's (my aunt & uncle) for my mom's side of the family Christmas. Josh bought me an Edgar's chocolate birthday cake! YUMMY!!! My favorite! We played Dirty Santa at the party. I ended up with a basket from Bath n' Body Works. My grandmother bought Hannah a cute baby doll that laughs, sucks her bottle, & burps. She is a cute doll & Hannah loved it. Jaiden got clothes - YEAH! She needs some clothes that aren't hand-me-downs.


The below picture cracks me up. We were playing Dirty Santa and my dad accidentally opened a girl's gift. He is trying with all his might for a girl to steal this from him... (they eventually did!)


Jaiden with aunt Jan



Hannah with aunt Amy


Jaiden taking a break from being held (the girl loves to lay on a blanket in the floor and kick her legs)


When we got home from the party and pulled into our driveway this is what I saw...



30 (I mean 29) flamingos! We started with Rachel, then Emily, & now my turn. The senstational six are the best friends a girl could ask for!


Good friends & a beautiful family are two of life's greatest blessings. God has blessed me beyond measure. This picture shows the three reasons my heart is so happy.



Sunday night we had another church Christmas party. We played Dirty Santa (getting a little tired of this game!). I ended up with a box of Nutty Bars - Yum but not good for my waist line that I want to shrink!

Monday we went to the nursing home where Josh's grandparents are & sang Christmas carols. Below are pics from that.





Yesterday I took Jaiden to the doctor for her 2 month check-up. She was 23 1/2 inches long (had grown an inch in a month) & weighed 10 lb, 5.5 oz. She is still 90% of height & 50-75% of weight. Her ear has cleared up and he said she was perfect (but I already knew that!) She did have to get 4 shots. The poor baby was happy as could be laying on the table smiling away and then the shots came. I felt so bad for her! She is smiling a lot these days & beginning to laugh. She "talks" & squeals most of the day. I already mentioned that she likes to lay on the floor on a blanket and kick her legs. She looks around and takes it all in. She still loves to watch Hannah. This morning she held her blanket in her hands for several minutes. I thought it was really cute. She still likes her swing & loves to take naps in it. Here she is sleeping away. The hair in this picture is cracking me up!



She isn't sleeping as good as she was. She was going to bed around 11:00, falling asleep by herself, & sleeping until 6:30 but since she has been sick she wants to be held more. She HATES to bathe. As soon as her little bottom hits the water, she screams & wraps her legs around the sling in her little tub. As soon as you wrap her in the towel she is back to being happy again! Her hair is beginning to lay down but it doesn't appear that she has lost any. She is starting to notice objects around her and can follow them with her eyes really well. She is such a joy to our lives and I couldn't imagine life without our little angel! Enjoy the pics from her two month "birthday." I even caught a smile - finally!






Whew I need a nap after this update. I am sure my update for Christmas will be a long one too. We are making cookies for Santa tomorrow and then will be attending 4 family Christmas parties in the next 3 days! If you are still reading, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

Giveaway

Southern Savers is giving away two $50 giftcards - one for gas & one for food. It ends tonight. Check it out here.

It has been almost a month since I blogged last & it may take two posts to catch up. Hannah was in my friend Lauren's wedding on 11/14. I was a little nervous that she would put on a show, scream, or do something that would mess the wedding up but she was an angel! She looked beautiful and walked down the aisle with no problems. She got a little squirmy and went to sit with Josh for most of the wedding. This is the only picture I got of Lauren & Hannah together. Hannah was getting tired and wouldn't look at the camera but isn't Lauren beautiful...


The day before Thanksgiving Hannah & Jaiden both had check-ups. Hannah had her 3 year and thankfully was caught up on her vaccinations. We got to the examination room and the nurse told me to strip them both down to diaper/panties and bring them out to weigh. Hannah didn't want to take her clothes off and kept saying "mommy this is so embarrassing!" I didn't even know that she knew what embarrassment was! She finally got over it (and then didn't want to put her clothes back on, of course). She weighed 32.6 pounds which put her in the 75th % of weight and measured 39 1/4 inches long, which put her in the 90th % of height. Dr. Walley said she looked perfect. She talked the whole time we were in the office. Jaiden weighed 9 lbs, 4 oz which put her in the 50th % of weight and measured 22 1/4 inches long which put her in the 90th % of height. They are both growing which always makes me thankful for healthy children! You can look at Jaiden and tell how much she has grown. She will be 7 weeks old tomorrow and I just can't believe in one week she will be 2 months old! It's cliche, but where does the time go?

Jaiden smiles all the time but I can't get a picture of it. The flash on my camera distracts her every time. She has also stared "talking." She will "ooh" & "ah" at whoever is talking to her. I love it when she does it and could just eat her up! She also is getting better at focusing on objects and following them with her eyes. She loves watching Hannah & will break her neck trying to see what she is doing. Hannah still loves Jaiden so much. She likes to talk to her and gives her lots of kisses! It is cute as long as Hannah keeps some distance!

Jaiden has been staying up until 1:00am or later. She loved being up at night and laying on a blanket. However the last 3 nights I have laid her in her bed around 10:30 pm and she just laid in there looking around until she fell asleep. She has gone to sleep by herself without crying and slept until 6:00 am each night! I can handle sleeping from 11:00 to 6:00 every night. I hope she keeps it up but I don't like not rocking her to sleep. She likes to cuddle during the day so I guess I can handle it as long as she is not upset! She loves to be in her swing and watches the little birds & butterflies on the mobile. She also naps in the swing. She likes to be in motion. She kicks her legs and moves her arms all the time. The more you talk to her the faster she kicks. She doesn't like to lay on your arm when you hold her. She wants to be on your shoulder or sitting up on your lap so she can see what is going on. She is drinking 4 ounces of milk every 2-3 hours. Her hair sticks straight up in the air but it is too cute! I think she is a beautiful baby but I may be a little partial! :0) You can see for yourself...

Sweet, beautiful baby!


This is what Jaiden looks like when she is trying to watch Hannah!


The two sweetest girls in this world


Caught a little smile from Jaiden


Kisses!



Being silly & looking just like her daddy!


Every time she wears yellow or green, Hannah asks why I am dressing her like a boy.


The back of the hair, straight up in the air!

On Thanksgiving Hannah woke up saying her ear hurt. She ran a fever and got sick. We couldn't get her into the after hours clinic that day. I ended up going to my grandparents with Jaiden then Josh went to his parents when I got home. Our Thanksgiving wasn't celebrated like it usually is but we still have a lot to be thankful for. Friday I told Josh to go hunting and I stayed home from Black Friday shopping. I went out when the girls got up. We went to CVS & Walmart. I am glad I didn't miss the sleep to go at 5:00 am because I got everything I wanted that was on sale! Hannah still didn't feel good and I ended up taking her to the doctor on Sunday. She had an ear infection. Since she wasn't contagious I took her to the 6th grade & under Christmas party at church. She loved it and I am glad she didn't miss it. I forgot my camera and didn't get one picture.

Monday we took Hannah & Jaiden to see Santa and then went to Marvin's to get our Christmas tree. We finally have the tree up and decorated. Now the Christmas season has officially begun! I even wrapped a few presents today and am almost done with my shopping. Santa has sent word to me that he is done with Hannah & Jaiden's Christmas. He only has a few stocking stuffers for the elves to make and then he will be ready to come to our house! I am getting so excited and love everything about the Christmas season! I hope you all are having as much fun as I am!

Giveaway

Frugal Coupon Living is giving away a Pampered Chef cookie press. Visit her website for all the info & to sign up to win. I would love to get this in time to use it to make cookies for Santa!

We have been on the go since last week. Friday Amy, Jaiden, & I went to Christmas Village. Hannah stayed with Kim so I didn't have to worry about chasing her around. It was a great day. I carried Jaiden around in the Moby wrap. She seemed to be the topic of conversation. I bet I was asked "is that a real baby in there?" (really? why would I carry around a doll!) and heard "look at all that hair!" a hundred times. She slept almost the whole time. I did get several Christmas gifts bought and got our ornaments for this year! I am so ready for Christmas and have made a good dent in my Christmas list. I am trying to wait to finish because I know I will want to shop when the season is in full swing!

Saturday we went to the Alzheimer's walk! We had a great time and I am already looking forward to next year. I am hoping to have a bigger team and raise more money (I kind of slacked this year since so much was going on!). So keep it in the back of your mind if you want to give or join our team.

Sunday afternoon we went to the park to have Christmas pictures made with all of the grand kids on Josh's side. However our photographer didn't show so we went to plan B. We went to Walmart to try to get one shot of all of them together since we had all 5 kids dressed and they were ready to take their picture. We waited and waited. Then when it was our turn, we didn't get a good picture. They never looked at the camera at the same time. Jaiden was hungry and Lila was crying. We were in a hurry to get the funeral home so it felt more rushed and crazy. So that was a fiasco but we did get one okay picture. Maybe next year!

Monday I took food to the church building for the Hosmer family. I under estimated how much time it would take to cook and prepare (didn't factor in having to give Jaiden a bottle). So I ended up running around like a crazy lady trying to get everything ready to be there at 2:00. I was right on time and then realized that it didn't have to be there until 2:30! At least it was there on time! I am still having time issues trying to figure out how long it takes me to get everyone ready. I know I will get it soon enough but you would think in 3 weeks I would have it figured out by now - oh well! After we dropped the food off, I decided to make a Publix run. Hannah was an angel but Jaiden screamed the entire time we were in the store. I was happy to be home and needed a nap!

Tuesday I took Hannah to the library for story time. We ate lunch at Pizza Hut and then went to the dentist. Hannah & I are both cavity free! Yesterday was such a yucky, rainy day that I came home and laid on the couch. Hannah checked out Stuart Little 2 and Tinkerbell from the library so we cuddled up on the couch and watched her movies. I made cookies and we had a great afternoon.

Jaiden was 3 weeks old yesterday and you can tell how much she has grown. She loves her swing! She has even started to notice the mobile that is above it. She definitely smiled at me this morning! She is so sweet and loves to cuddle. She is sleeping good - some nights every 2-3 hours and sometimes 5 hours at a time! She has a bad case of baby acne and it is driving me crazy! She is still beautiful though. Hannah can't keep her hands off of her and never lets her nap for long. Poor baby(and mommy!). She will have to be tough!





Monday night I was cooking dinner, Jaiden was in the swing, & Hannah was playing with her picnic set. She had drug out several things from the cabinet and went in the living room. I went to check on them and this is what I found...


Hannah was having a picnic with her and had placed her cup and plate on top of her. I guess she really doesn't understand that Jaiden can't play with her just yet!

2 Weeks

I can't believe that Jaiden is two weeks old already! Although it is hard to remember what it was like before she was here! Managing two kids is not as hard as I thought it would be. Sometimes it gets a little hectic but not overwhelming. (of course I may have a different story when she becomes mobile ;) Jaiden sleeps well for only being 2 weeks old. Most nights I will get 4 hours of sleep at a time but some nights she wakes up every two hours. She hasn't established a schedule for herself yet. I took her to the doctor on Tuesday and she had gained 5 ounces and grew an inch! She now weighs 8 lb, 3 oz & is 21 3/4 inches long! She is in the 90th percentile of height and 75th of weight! She is starting to become more alert and really tries to focus on everything around her. Hannah dancing and singing grabs her attention every time. I think I even got a smile out of her the other night but haven't seen her do it since then. She is also trying her best to lift up her head and she is pretty good at it. When I lay her on my shoulder she lifts her head to look at me.

Hannah is still infatuated with her. She wants to hold her & kiss her all the time. I just have to keep reminding her that she is a lot bigger and could hurt her without meaning to. She doesn't know her own strength but she just loves her so much she can't keep her hands off of her. She doesn't like for her to cry and runs to her side every time she whimpers. She is always trying to take care of her. I even fished a Fruity Pebble out of Jaiden's mouth the other day. I went to fix my lunch and when I came back in the living room Hannah had put it in her mouth. Thankfully it was still on her tongue and I got it out easily! Hopefully she will not do that again!

We have been so busy these past two weeks. We had a great Halloween. Hannah dressed up like a witch and Jaiden was a tiger. We went to Trunk-or-Treat at the church building. Hannah got a bag full of candy and loved being a witch. She was so cute! Here are some pictures...





Sunday started our Gospel Meeting so we have been to church every night this week. I am worn out today but I enjoyed going every night. Mark Posey did a great job and I am better because I went!

This Saturday is the Alzheimer's walk. It is not too late to sponsor me to walk. So if you would like to donate let me know! Any amount is appreciated (and it is tax deductible). Please help! So many families need this to help them out. It is not easy or cheap to take care of these patients! Plus it would be wonderful to find a cure for this disease. Think about it and let me know!

Everything has been great around our house! The first night was a little rough. Jaiden didn't want to sleep and would wake up about every 15-30 minutes. I finally just laid her on my chest and we slept for a little while. I am trying not to get into the habit of doing that but I will do what I have to do to get a little sleep. She has spent most of her days sleeping. She has a few hours of time where she is alert but most of the time if she is awake she is fussy. The last two nights she has cried for about 3 hours then slept for 5 hours. I can handle the 5 hours of sleep! She is really sweet and we fall in love with her more everyday!

Saturday Hannah went with Emily & Jared to the pumpkin patch. Josh went fishing with Casey so Jaiden & I went to Toys R' Us (there was a sale that Santa needed to get) and the new Target. We weren't gone for long but it was so nice to get out and about! I can't stand to stay in for too long. Then we all went to Ben & Rachel's house to eat dinner and carve pumpkins. We had a great time but didn't stay too long. Hannah & I were tired.

This morning we went to church. It was Jaiden's first time outside the womb to go to church. Of course everyone "oohed" and "aahed" over her. We went to eat with Ben & Rachel & Ryan & Jennifer. Then we went back to church tonight. So I am tired and need to go to bed.

This week has been so great. Jaiden really is a sweet baby and I am just trying to figure out her little cries and cues to know what she needs. It takes a few weeks to get it together. Hannah likes Jaiden being around. She has been a great big sister. She doesn't like her to sleep but she won't just wake her up. She usually asks if she can wake her up but when I tell her no she will go about her business. When we got in the car to leave for church tonight Jaiden was crying. Hannah said "I think she is sad because we don't have Pinocchio!" Hee-hee! I love that girl so much! I need to do a whole blog about the funny stuff she has said since Jaiden has been here. At dinner she prayed "Thank you for letting Jaiden come out of mommy's tummy." Even though I am running on little sleep and at times it is hard handling two kids (especially when one is screaming her head off), I am truly blessed! God has given me so much so I am trying to take it all in because I know she won't be this little for long! Anyway I am interested in seeing how this week goes! Hope yours is great!

Sleeping in her bed for the first time...



Hannah & Jaiden before church this morning (the only pic I took)...


Jaiden swinging for the first time (and Hannah dying to swing her higher!)...