The Day After

The day after Dennis's very fun birthday party, we all fell ill. I felt like I had been hit with a truck because my body was so tired. Caitlin developed a runny nose and sneezing....plus she woke up with her first night terror in quite some time. A few hours later, Colton woke up crying...or almost screaming (I can't remember which because I was exhausted). Dennis thinks his tummy may have been upset because of a new food....peas or apples, I'm not sure. And Dennis wasn't sure if he was having allergies are the beginnings of a cold.

By morning, we were all exhausted. Dennis stayed home to help take care of us...and him. I got in a 3 hour nap mid morning and could have probably slept the rest of the day. Colton and Caitlin seemed to be doing better when I woke up, but Dennis appeared to be heading downhill. So while Caitlin and Dennis napped, Colton and I watched my DVR'd Kathy Lee and Hoda. By the end of the evening, I was feeling much better, Colton was super happy, and Caitlin was still runny but in good spirits. Dennis on the other hand, had to seek out the Nyquil. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

And now, I can't sleep. It's past midnight and I can't shut my brain off. It's SOOO funny (hear my sarcasm) that I couldn't get enough sleep last night or today, and now I can't even fall asleep! I am so not amused. I guess that is why there is coffee. Because when I wake up tomorrow morning, I will be super groggy and exhausted....oh, I so can't wait. :)

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Happy 32nd birthday to my wonderful husband!!!! He celebrated by
throwing a Pro Bowl party for his Fantasy Football league. We had a
potluck tailgate party food and there is SO much leftover. It looks
like I won't have to go shopping for the Superbowl now!!!! I helped
him start off his birthday early when he got home on Friday with his
first (and most likely his favorite) present.....an Ipod Touch. It is
a really nifty gadget and last night we played the LONGEST game of
scrabble on it that we have ever played. The game took about 2 hours
to play!!!! Caitlin and Colton made him a plaque with their hand and
foot prints. I used Colton's foot as a tree trunk and Caitlin's hand
as branches. Then we used our finger prints for the leaves and
blossoms on the tree. It turned out pretty cute. Ooooo, and for his
birthday cake, I made him an ice cream cake....cherry chip cake,
vanilla frozen yogurt, and buttercream frosting. I don't think I've
ever had cherry chip cake and I don't think I'll try it again. It's a
bummer really. The frosting and the ice cream were really good, but
the cake kinda had the same effect as when Colton takes a bite of
peas. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the point.

I also have to wish a very happy birthday to my Nana as well. She
always likes to celebrate by going to the Thai restaurant in town. So
funny that my Nana likes Thai food....I've never thought of her as an
adventurous eater.

Fun Facts Part 2

We are still potty training around here. Dennis got this pic of Caitlin and she had no idea he was there! Some days are better than others, and the one's that aren't so great.....are soooo gross!!! Now if she can only master the art of telling me BEFORE she goes, then we'll be good.

This is what happens when your toddler gets into the hair clip container! Surprisingly, she kept them in for a while before strewing them all over the house.

She wanted a tattoo...so daddy gave her one! The belly is probably her favorite spot to get tattoos.

Her very first LBD! Wait.....I think I've already posted these once before. Oh, well....

Mederma

After having two children (especially Colton), my stomach stretched
more than it wanted and I was left with blasted stretch marks! They
weren't so bad after Caitlin and soon disappeared. But my skin had to
stretch even further with Colton and my stretch marks are
horrible!.....and not disappearing!!!! They are just plain ugly and
purple to boot! So, I started using some samples of Mederma for
stretch marks and I could actually see it start working!!!! I decided
it was worth it to fork over the $40...yes FOURTY BUCKS to reduce or
eliminate this eye sore. I just can't believe how well it is working!
I've been using it for a a little over a week and already they are
not nearly as purple as they were before. I have to use the lotion
for 12 weeks to get the full effect, but already I'm loving what I'm
seeing!!!! So, if there are any of you out there that hate your
stretch marks as much as me, it's absolutely worth it to check this
stuff out!!!!

Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Fun Facts

Since I cannot remember what I wanted to post, I have some random fun facts. Just before Christmas, Colton rolled over for the first time! He has also been trying to roll over while I'm holding him on the couch! He is such a wiggler! I know he's going to take off running as soon as he can. He also has started inching his way forward. I left him on his tummy in the middle of the livingroom floor for a minute and when I came back, he had moved about 2 1/2 feet forward!

For Christmas, Caitlin got a DJ Lance Rock (Yo Gabba Gabba) costume from J and K. It's so cute to see her with them on. She also loved to have me wear them....but that wasn't as cute....therefore, no picture for you.

Caitlin's first braid! I never thought about braiding her hair until I saw one in Maddie's hair. So, I thought I might try it out on Caitlin....and it turned out so cute! She's been really good about letting me do her hair in the morning, and she hardly ever takes her ponies out anymore.

New Year's

Dennis had a friend over for New Year's eve to watch the Lord of the
Rings trilogy.....and apparently, Caitlin really wanted to watch it
too because she didn't go to bed until 6am!!! We tried to let her cry
it out several times and laid down with her, but she did not want to
sleep (at least by herself). So, she stayed up with Dennis and his
friend watching movies. I guess she didn't play around or
anything....just sat there and watched. Then around 6am, she crawled
into Dennis's lap and fell asleep. I, on the other hand, stayed up
watching SATC and The Nanny and soon fell asleep around 1am. Colton
rang in the New Year by nursing. Fun was had by all.

Back in November, I thought of my New Year's resolution and couldn't
wait to start it. Every month I will be writing a letter (an actual
snail mail letter) to someone I haven't spoken to or seen in a while.
I really miss getting hand written mail and I thought if I did, there
are probably others out there too. If I plan out each person every
month in advance, I think I will be able to keep my resolution. Wish
me luck!

Colton 4 Months...a little late

Okay, so Colton's 4 1/2 months now, but I finally have his 4 month pictures uploaded to my computer. I also had to add a picture of Caitlin and Colton's outfit today. I didn't mean to have them both dressed up at the same time, but it just worked out that way. I just got that hat for Colton on Saturday, and I just LOVE it! And that's Caitlin's FIRST little black dress!.....thank you Dyani!!!!

Ouch! Four month shots! Thankfully, he took them in stride!

Maddie's Birthday

The day after Christmas, Maddie turned 2!!! For lunch, we made our own pizzas and had yummy Brobee cupcakes for dessert! We stayed to watch her open her gifts before we had to head back home. I think next year, Maddie is going to celebrate her half birthday to lesson the craziness of having a birthday the day after Christmas!

Christmas

Christmas day was very busy for us. In the morning, we headed over to my Uncle Ray's house to meet up with my dad's side of the family to exchange gifts. It was the first year we didn't go to my Nana's, but we all had a great time anyway. I got to see everyone that I haven't seen since my cousin Clint's wedding. That's the thing about living away from your hometown, you don't get to visit with family as often as you'd like. Anyway, after Uncle Ray's house, we went to my big brother's house to meet up with my sister, her family, and mom. Caitlin got an adorable zebra striped jacket with a matching umbrella! The wind was blowing like crazy so we didn't stay long because we needed to drive down to J, K, B, and M's house. We almost turned around because it was snowing so hard. Then the snow turned to rain....and lots of it! Dennis hydroplaned half a dozen times....and we were only going 40mph! There was literally a river running down the freeway! We finally arrived safety and had a wonderful turkey dinner. In fact, it was the best turkey I had EVER eaten. Kelly brined it and it was so moist and tasty!!! I ended up making a turkey dinner a week later. Anyway, the kids had cupcakes and then we opened presents. There were toys and wrapping everywhere!....just the way it should be with kids. Bedtime that evening was a different story. Caitlin didn't want to sleep....at all. She finally went to sleep when we did, around 11ish.

We had a wonderful Christmas day filled with lots of family. I only wished it would have lasted longer. They day just seems to go so quickly and there's never enough time to visit with everyone like you would like.

Second cousin Kate

Caitlin and Kate

My dad and brother Bill

Grandma Chi-Sai and Colton

Caitlin and Cousin Tyler

Caitlin and Mickey Mouse Potato Head

Aunt Brenda and Caitlin in her new coat and umbrella!

Aunt Brenda and Colton

Caitlin and Cousin Hunter

Brady, Caitlin, and Maddie

Christmas cupcake.

Night, night baby.

Sleepy Cousins

Christmas Eve

On our way!

Dennis had to work Christmas Eve, but he got off early and we were headed over as soon as possible. It was a pretty uneventful trip over and the kids did really well....as usual. We had a wonderful ham dinner when we got there and opened presents soon after, followed by Boston Creme Pie! Mmmmmm! Colton and Caitlin each got a recorded storybook from my dad and Chi-Sai.....I love them!!! The kids went to sleep really easily considering they had slept quite some time in the car ride over. Thankfully, as soon as we arrived, there were plenty of people ready and willing to chase and play with Caitlin. This was a contributing factor for her exhaustion that night I think.

Krista's crazy hair....courtesy of Kristopher.

Christmas Eve Eve

On December 23rd, Santa visited our house since we would be in Y-town on the 25th. Dennis took Caitlin out to look at the lights in the neighborhood and when they came back Santa had delivered presents!....such a shocker, I know. It was a wonderful evening. Caitlin LOVES opening presents so she was all too willing to open all of Colton's gifts. Dennis surprised me with a mini video camera, so I had lots of fun recording little videos over the holidays. I will try and post one as soon as I can figure the whole thing out.

First Staple

Okay, so this wasn't the first post of the new year that I thought I'd be writing. I will definitely post about Christmas and such soon, but first....

Yes, Caitlin can officially add staples to her list of medical records. While I was at Colton's 4 month check-up, she ended up getting a cut on her head from a falling block. She didn't cry at all
and the cut didn't seem like it was that bad. But Dennis decided to go pick her up and then called me while I was just finishing at the doctor's office to let me know it was still bleeding a bit. So, with some info from the doctor, Dennis brought her in. When she walked into the office she was super happy and bubbly! You'd never even would have known she got hurt. The doctor took a look at her and said she needed a staple because the glue wouldn't work very well since it was in her hair. The doc didn't even have to numb her up because it was only one staple and it was just like getting a shot. She was such a champ! She barely cried! So when she got home, it was plenty of fries and Umi Zoomi for her!

The boy on the other hand was also a champ. He weighs 17lbs 9oz and is 25.5 inches long. He got three shots and only cried for a brief moment. And the rest of the time we were there with Caitlin, he was very happy and really smiley. He's such a good boy!

I will post more soon.