Friday, January 27, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Family Letter -- 1/16/12-1/22/12
Oh, another week has come and gone. I'm getting better at this letter thing--I'm actually documenting a few days earlier than I normally do! Not much happened last week. On Tuesday night I went to a Relief Society activity while Tyler watched kids in the nursery. There was one other guy helping him and there were 19 kids in there! It was a popular activity because a former contestant from The Biggest Loser came to talk to us. She was really cool and said lots of good things. If you want to be healthy and/or lose weight, a diet isn't going to cut it. You need to change your lifestyle. She lost 125 pounds from the show but she still exercises for two hours a day and consumes around 1200 calories to maintain her new weight. She has completely changed her eating habits and is healthier and happier than ever. She looks great!
I actually got out of the house a few times on Wednesday during the day. Lyla and I went to Target while the girls were at school. After they got home, we all went to pick up some prescriptions and to the library. The kids had fun picking out lots of books and I picked up some books for book club. It was nice to get away and the girls were actually really good, even though Ada didn't want to go. She is a total homebody.
On Thursday night, Tyler took Ada and Kate to a Utah basketball game while Ly and I went to book club. I love book club. There are eight of us and we meet once a month to hang out and discuss a book. We discussed 'Mrs. Mike' and then it was my turn to pick the next book. I chose 'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf. I've never read it, so I hope it's good. I stayed out way too late but had lots of fun with my friends.
Ada went to a birthday party on Friday evening so the rest of us decided to get out. We decided to eat dinner at Village Inn since Kate loves pancakes so much. Ada has been invited to so many birthday parties but Kate hasn't been invited to any without Ada also being invited. We thought we better do something special for Kate so she wouldn't feel bad about not getting to go. I would have preferred to get ice cream or something, but Tyler and I aren't eating sweets during the week. The food was okay (really, what can you expect from Village Inn, right?). Kate started getting sick that night, so she really didn't have the best time. Ada had fun at her party, though. They all wore pajamas and had their nails and makeup done, ate dinner, decorated cupcakes, and watched a movie. Something monumental happened that night: all three kids slept through the night! It was glorious. It hasn't happened since, but it gave me a little bit of hope. Kate was doing pretty well at staying in her bed until she got sick. I hope Lyla starts sleeping through the night again soon.
Tyler got a lot of painting done on Saturday. The toy room is coming along slowly but surely. I can't wait until it's all finished. I pretty much sat around and watched basketball most of the day. I did get the bathroom cleaned at least.
Kate informed us on Sunday morning that her ear hurt. While Ada, Lyla, and I went to church, Tyler took Kate to an Instacare-type place to get her checked out. Sure enough, she has an ear infection and is on antibiotics. Besides her ear, she's had a fever and a cough. I really hope nobody else get this, especially Lyla. Kate and Ada can't keep their hands off of her despite the fact that I tell them to a million times a day. I always end up getting mad at them and then they get their feelings hurt. Anyway, we watched some football and were sad at the outcomes of both games. I'm not excited about the Patriots and Giants playing in the Superbowl. I wish they could both lose!
Tyler and I are going strong with our healthy lifestyles challenge, though I've had a harder time doing it this week. I've stayed strong, though. I even turned down pie at book club.
Lyla has always wanted to eat at least every two hours. Last week I started feeding her about 2 1/2 hours and it's gone pretty well. She still cries a lot. She won't take a binky. She likes to use me as one instead or suck on her fist. I tried a few different kinds of them last week but it was to no avail. Ada and Kate were obsessed with their binkies, so this is new to me. At least I won't have to worry about weaning her from one when she's older.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable week. Ciao.
I actually got out of the house a few times on Wednesday during the day. Lyla and I went to Target while the girls were at school. After they got home, we all went to pick up some prescriptions and to the library. The kids had fun picking out lots of books and I picked up some books for book club. It was nice to get away and the girls were actually really good, even though Ada didn't want to go. She is a total homebody.
On Thursday night, Tyler took Ada and Kate to a Utah basketball game while Ly and I went to book club. I love book club. There are eight of us and we meet once a month to hang out and discuss a book. We discussed 'Mrs. Mike' and then it was my turn to pick the next book. I chose 'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf. I've never read it, so I hope it's good. I stayed out way too late but had lots of fun with my friends.
Ada went to a birthday party on Friday evening so the rest of us decided to get out. We decided to eat dinner at Village Inn since Kate loves pancakes so much. Ada has been invited to so many birthday parties but Kate hasn't been invited to any without Ada also being invited. We thought we better do something special for Kate so she wouldn't feel bad about not getting to go. I would have preferred to get ice cream or something, but Tyler and I aren't eating sweets during the week. The food was okay (really, what can you expect from Village Inn, right?). Kate started getting sick that night, so she really didn't have the best time. Ada had fun at her party, though. They all wore pajamas and had their nails and makeup done, ate dinner, decorated cupcakes, and watched a movie. Something monumental happened that night: all three kids slept through the night! It was glorious. It hasn't happened since, but it gave me a little bit of hope. Kate was doing pretty well at staying in her bed until she got sick. I hope Lyla starts sleeping through the night again soon.
Tyler got a lot of painting done on Saturday. The toy room is coming along slowly but surely. I can't wait until it's all finished. I pretty much sat around and watched basketball most of the day. I did get the bathroom cleaned at least.
Kate informed us on Sunday morning that her ear hurt. While Ada, Lyla, and I went to church, Tyler took Kate to an Instacare-type place to get her checked out. Sure enough, she has an ear infection and is on antibiotics. Besides her ear, she's had a fever and a cough. I really hope nobody else get this, especially Lyla. Kate and Ada can't keep their hands off of her despite the fact that I tell them to a million times a day. I always end up getting mad at them and then they get their feelings hurt. Anyway, we watched some football and were sad at the outcomes of both games. I'm not excited about the Patriots and Giants playing in the Superbowl. I wish they could both lose!
Tyler and I are going strong with our healthy lifestyles challenge, though I've had a harder time doing it this week. I've stayed strong, though. I even turned down pie at book club.
Lyla has always wanted to eat at least every two hours. Last week I started feeding her about 2 1/2 hours and it's gone pretty well. She still cries a lot. She won't take a binky. She likes to use me as one instead or suck on her fist. I tried a few different kinds of them last week but it was to no avail. Ada and Kate were obsessed with their binkies, so this is new to me. At least I won't have to worry about weaning her from one when she's older.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable week. Ciao.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Family Letter -- 1/9/12-1/15/12
Last week was a pretty uneventful week. Tyler worked on the toy room as much as he could and I did my usual mom stuff. On Monday we watched Alabama kick LSU's butts. I'll miss college football. I did do one thing out of the ordinary, though—I went and played church basketball! Our ward had eight people show up and the other ward had zero, so we did a little 4-on-4 scrimmage. I am sorely out of shape and not very good, but it was fun to run around. I think I'll plan on going again!
Tyler and I have been doing very well on our healthy lifestyle challenge. All of us have been eating much healthier for the most part. The girls have been enjoying lots of fruit. The other day I found Ada and Kate eating handfuls of spinach and lettuce. This isn't uncommon for Ada, but for Kate it's monumental! I have really embraced this thing. For lunches, I usually eat salad with lots of veggies, beans, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. They're really good! Thanks to Ang for introducing me to them. I made up a muffin recipe by throwing a bunch of stuff together. I didn't measure any ingredients, so I hope I can recreate them sometime. I used a little canola oil, brown sugar, honey, eggs, baking soda, salt, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, oats, applesauce, shredded zucchini, walnuts, and raisins. They were good! Kate ate five the next day! They were good for snacks. I've also been eating fruit or nuts instead of treats for snacks. For breakfast I've been eating either oatmeal or Kashi cereal. A lot less crap is being consumed by the Squire family! I hope we can all continue these habits.
Kate's nights of not sleeping with Tyler were short lived. She started climbing in bed with him again. Lyla still wakes up in the night too, so between the two of them we haven't been getting the best sleep!
On Saturday we enjoyed watching some NFL games (well, at least one game was enjoyable). Tyler kept giving up on the 49ers but I kept telling them that there was plenty of time to come back. That night we went to eat at Five Guys (not healthy, but not against the rules either). It was fun to spend the whole day together.
I taught my first Relief Society lesson on Sunday. The lesson was 'Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself' from the George Albert Smith manual. I was able to use a story from Grandpa Dickson's journal in the lesson. It was from a time he met Pres. Smith. I think the lesson went pretty well. Tyler came to listen and gave me a few pointers that I hope will help. It's nice that I only have to worry about this calling once a month! Sunday night we ate dinner at Mom & Dad's and we brought dessert. Since we only eat dessert once a week now we wanted it to be good. I made Fudgy Cocoa Brownies and hot fudge sauce and Tyler helped me make peppermint ice cream. It was all so good but I felt so sick after I ate it! I guess my body is getting used to less sugar. Perhaps I'll have to eat smaller portions next time.
Kate has taken a new interest in drawing, just like her sister. She can now draw people and draws them all the time. It's the cutest thing! I keep trying to help her learn to write her name but she doesn't seem interested. I think it will come soon. She has a pretty easy name.
I think I jumped the gun when I said that Ada's tantrums were over. She's had some bad moments lately, but at least they're milder and shorter than her former ones. She's a good helper, though. She's been really good about cleaning up after herself.
Lyla is still sweet but fussy. She's sleeping a little bit longer when I set her down at least. I am loving her name more and more. It always takes me a while to feel like I picked the right name, but Lyla's is feeling good! Maybe it's because it's so easy to use nicknames with her. I love calling her Ly, Lyla Ly, Little Ly, My Ly, and Lysqui. I just love her.
Well, it's adieu for another week. Peace out.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Birthdays
I've been meaning to make this post for MONTHS. So, we all have summer birthdays (except, now, Lyla) and I thought I'd put them all into one big post.
It was a big year for us. It started off with me turning the big 3-0 in June. I actually had a hard time with this! The night before was especially difficult. Well, Tyler decided to plan a surprise party with our families a few days before. I thought I was going to the temple with the Primary presidency. Margo picked me up and on the way, asked me to run into Lorena's to pick up a quesadilla for her because she didn't have time to eat dinner. She gave me money, I ran in, and the lady lead me to the back. I thought that was strange, but suddenly there was a loud 'SURPRISE' and there were all these people I knew staring at me! It was the weirdest feeling! Tyler (and Margo) did a great job. We ate, I opened presents (including a Kindle from Tyler), and Tyler whipped out some cupcakes from Mini's. My favorite! It was a pleasant evening.
The next night we went to dinner with just our little family, and the day after that was my actual birthday. We ate breakfast at Kneaders, went bowling, and went to a family reunion for the Squire family, where we swam and ate pizza. On the way home, we stopped for some Red Mango. Then, to top it all off, Tyler made a delicious (and beautiful) chocolate cake for Sunday dinner the next night. Everything turned out great!
Now, to the girls. Their birthdays are both in July. We decided that they can't have a friend party every year, so we planned a combined family party for them. My grandpa happened to pass away on Kate's birthday, so all my family members were in town and able to join us for the festivities. All the kids went to Kangaroo Zoo and then everyone came to our house for pizza and treats. We decided on a Candy Land theme. I really only had a table full of candy for everyone, but everything else was colorful, from the tablecloths and plates to the rainbow cupcakes and ice cream cones. It was really windy, but fun to have everyone there.
Tyler turned 30 in August. He didn't want a big deal made out of his birthday, especially since I had a small surprise party for him at The Pizza Factory the year before. I made his traditional carrot cake, we ate at Texas Roadhouse with his parents, and he opened gifts. Pretty low key, but fun nonetheless.
Since our anniversary is also in July, our summers are always full of celebrations! Can't wait for this summer!
It was a big year for us. It started off with me turning the big 3-0 in June. I actually had a hard time with this! The night before was especially difficult. Well, Tyler decided to plan a surprise party with our families a few days before. I thought I was going to the temple with the Primary presidency. Margo picked me up and on the way, asked me to run into Lorena's to pick up a quesadilla for her because she didn't have time to eat dinner. She gave me money, I ran in, and the lady lead me to the back. I thought that was strange, but suddenly there was a loud 'SURPRISE' and there were all these people I knew staring at me! It was the weirdest feeling! Tyler (and Margo) did a great job. We ate, I opened presents (including a Kindle from Tyler), and Tyler whipped out some cupcakes from Mini's. My favorite! It was a pleasant evening.
The next night we went to dinner with just our little family, and the day after that was my actual birthday. We ate breakfast at Kneaders, went bowling, and went to a family reunion for the Squire family, where we swam and ate pizza. On the way home, we stopped for some Red Mango. Then, to top it all off, Tyler made a delicious (and beautiful) chocolate cake for Sunday dinner the next night. Everything turned out great!
Now, to the girls. Their birthdays are both in July. We decided that they can't have a friend party every year, so we planned a combined family party for them. My grandpa happened to pass away on Kate's birthday, so all my family members were in town and able to join us for the festivities. All the kids went to Kangaroo Zoo and then everyone came to our house for pizza and treats. We decided on a Candy Land theme. I really only had a table full of candy for everyone, but everything else was colorful, from the tablecloths and plates to the rainbow cupcakes and ice cream cones. It was really windy, but fun to have everyone there.
Tyler turned 30 in August. He didn't want a big deal made out of his birthday, especially since I had a small surprise party for him at The Pizza Factory the year before. I made his traditional carrot cake, we ate at Texas Roadhouse with his parents, and he opened gifts. Pretty low key, but fun nonetheless.
Since our anniversary is also in July, our summers are always full of celebrations! Can't wait for this summer!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Family Newsletter -- 1/2/12-1/8/12
Last week I failed to mention that Kate started going to Primary at church. She gave the opening prayer on her very first day and did a great job. Ada also gave the scripture that day. She recited Jacob 6:12 from memory.
It was nice to get back into the swing of things last week. Ada started school again on Tuesday and I started taking Christmas decorations down. There was a lot of drama that day, however. Ada pulled the Halloween candy out that had been on the shelf for weeks. I told them they could each eat one piece. I later tried taking a nap, but it didn't really happen because Ada and Kate couldn't stop fighting. Ada then came in and asked if she could have more candy. I said she couldn't because she'd already had some and because she and Kate were fighting too much. She kept begging and trying to open a piece right in front of me. I told her I'd throw all the candy away if she ate some. She left the room. I few minutes later I walked out and found both girls happily chomping on candy. I promptly got their buckets and took them downstairs to the big garbage can. When they realized what was happening they tried to talk me out of it, but they had been warned. They were both hysterically crying and I couldn't help but laugh. Lots of craziness then ensued, but things finally calmed down. I hope they learned their lesson!
Tyler and I started a healthy living challenge with most of his family members. We can get a possible five points every day: one point each for drinking 60 oz of water, eating at least four fruits and veggies, exercising for 20 minutes, refraining from treats, and accomplishing a personal goal. My goal is to eat more protein. The hardest thing for me last week was actually the exercising. I went walking with a friend one night but that was it. I've done much better this week so far. I have definitely been eating healthier and I think everyone in the family has also. I'm also trying to cut back on processed foods. We'll see how long we can go, but it's been really good for us thus far.
Saturday was a busy day. We all went to the Utah basketball game at noon. It was a close game that they lost. They seem to be improving--Tyler saw them get their first conference win on Thursday night. After the game, we went to University Hospital to visit Grandpa Bateman. He is recovering from triple bypass surgery. He is still in a lot of pain and can't get much sleep or eat much, but he seemed pretty good nonetheless. Marilyn, for some reason, couldn't stop talking about how beautiful his hair is. I got a kick out of that. As we were leaving, Alan and his entire family (minus Kim, who was working) showed up. It was good to see them, as it doesn't happen very often. We then grabbed some lunch and went to Home Depot to buy paint for the toy room. I picked out a light turquoise for most of the walls and a mustardy yellow for accents. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Morgan and Jordan then came over to hang out. Tyler had stacked all the new paint on the stairs in the basement, and when Morgan looked down to check on Brynlee, she found quite the sight: turquoise paint spilled at the bottom of the stairs! We all ran down and the can had tipped over and lost its lid. All I could do was just stand with my hand over my mouth. While trying to figure out what happened, we noticed Kate wasn't around, but there was crying coming from the spare bedroom. There was a trail of turquoise footprints leading to the room. We're still not quite sure how it happened, but Kate somehow knocked the can over. Her feet were covered in paint and there were plenty of footprints to illustrate it. Oh, what a night! Pictures will be posted soon. We cleaned up what we could but realized that we weren't going to get it out at the bottom of the stairs. We'll probably cover it with a rug until we can get new carpet. We really hate the carpet in our house, so we're not sad about that; we just wish we could replace it in the upstairs family room first! Oh well. We finished the night playing on the xBox Kinect. It's a lot of fun!
There's nothing else really noteworthy from our week. Here's to another eventful week (but hopefully with only good events this time)!
It was nice to get back into the swing of things last week. Ada started school again on Tuesday and I started taking Christmas decorations down. There was a lot of drama that day, however. Ada pulled the Halloween candy out that had been on the shelf for weeks. I told them they could each eat one piece. I later tried taking a nap, but it didn't really happen because Ada and Kate couldn't stop fighting. Ada then came in and asked if she could have more candy. I said she couldn't because she'd already had some and because she and Kate were fighting too much. She kept begging and trying to open a piece right in front of me. I told her I'd throw all the candy away if she ate some. She left the room. I few minutes later I walked out and found both girls happily chomping on candy. I promptly got their buckets and took them downstairs to the big garbage can. When they realized what was happening they tried to talk me out of it, but they had been warned. They were both hysterically crying and I couldn't help but laugh. Lots of craziness then ensued, but things finally calmed down. I hope they learned their lesson!
Tyler and I started a healthy living challenge with most of his family members. We can get a possible five points every day: one point each for drinking 60 oz of water, eating at least four fruits and veggies, exercising for 20 minutes, refraining from treats, and accomplishing a personal goal. My goal is to eat more protein. The hardest thing for me last week was actually the exercising. I went walking with a friend one night but that was it. I've done much better this week so far. I have definitely been eating healthier and I think everyone in the family has also. I'm also trying to cut back on processed foods. We'll see how long we can go, but it's been really good for us thus far.
Saturday was a busy day. We all went to the Utah basketball game at noon. It was a close game that they lost. They seem to be improving--Tyler saw them get their first conference win on Thursday night. After the game, we went to University Hospital to visit Grandpa Bateman. He is recovering from triple bypass surgery. He is still in a lot of pain and can't get much sleep or eat much, but he seemed pretty good nonetheless. Marilyn, for some reason, couldn't stop talking about how beautiful his hair is. I got a kick out of that. As we were leaving, Alan and his entire family (minus Kim, who was working) showed up. It was good to see them, as it doesn't happen very often. We then grabbed some lunch and went to Home Depot to buy paint for the toy room. I picked out a light turquoise for most of the walls and a mustardy yellow for accents. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Morgan and Jordan then came over to hang out. Tyler had stacked all the new paint on the stairs in the basement, and when Morgan looked down to check on Brynlee, she found quite the sight: turquoise paint spilled at the bottom of the stairs! We all ran down and the can had tipped over and lost its lid. All I could do was just stand with my hand over my mouth. While trying to figure out what happened, we noticed Kate wasn't around, but there was crying coming from the spare bedroom. There was a trail of turquoise footprints leading to the room. We're still not quite sure how it happened, but Kate somehow knocked the can over. Her feet were covered in paint and there were plenty of footprints to illustrate it. Oh, what a night! Pictures will be posted soon. We cleaned up what we could but realized that we weren't going to get it out at the bottom of the stairs. We'll probably cover it with a rug until we can get new carpet. We really hate the carpet in our house, so we're not sad about that; we just wish we could replace it in the upstairs family room first! Oh well. We finished the night playing on the xBox Kinect. It's a lot of fun!
There's nothing else really noteworthy from our week. Here's to another eventful week (but hopefully with only good events this time)!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Family Letter - New Years Edition
Last week was a pretty good week. We stayed home for most of the week. Tyler worked minimal hours and spent a lot of time working on our crawlspace. We are finishing it and making it into a play room. There's still a lot to do, but I'm amazed that Tyler knows everything that needs to be done and can do it all himself. He will probably do everything but the carpet.
Monday morning, Tyler took Ada and Kate to Kaysville to watch 'Puss in Boots' with his family. I didn't feel like taking Lyla to a movie, so we stayed behind and ended up going to Amy & Eric's house with Ang & Hyrum. It was great to see Becky, Seth, the Parrishes, the Hickersons, and the Wolfs. Ang & Hy had to stop by Fashion Place Mall on the way back, so I was able to get in my weekly Chick-Fil-A fix. :)
On Thursday night Tyler and I went to see 'Savior of the World' at the Conference Center. His brother was in it and it was one of the last nights to attend. We really enjoyed the show. Ang & Hy were kind enough to watch the girls while we went. Abby & Scott came over to hang out too. I was a little nervous about leaving Lyla for so long, but she was great. Kate, however, peed on the floor before she went to bed. Later that night, Ada peed the bed. Even later, after Kate climbed in bed to sleep by Tyler, she peed our bed! It was quite the night.
The next day, after watching a BYU bowl victory, Ang & Hy came to hang out one last time before flying back to Houston. Dude & Korrin and their girls hang out also. We ate pizza and hung out. I love hanging out with the Marstons and was sad to see them go. Who knows when we'll see them again. :(
We pretty much lounged around on NYE watching football until our annual party that night at the Spencer Dickson home. Tyler was very happy to see his Utes come away victorious. Abby got sick, so they were unable to join us for the party. They were missed. We ended up snacking, talking, playing Trivial Pursuit, and playing Catch Phrase. It was a pleasant evening. The little girls, however, had trouble getting to sleep and stayed up way too late. The only one who fell asleep (besides the babies) was Kate. Ada didn't get out of her sleeping bag, but she stayed awake as long as the rest of us. We usually try and predict who is going to die in the coming year. Nobody but me really said anyone this time. My prediction was Hulk Hogan. We'll have to see what the new year brings!
I decided to include some updates on the girls since I haven't been good at keeping up on the blog. I haven't really said anything about Lyla aside from her birth story. Here goes:
Lyla
-Lyla is such a sweet baby. Early on she started sleeping through the night. It was a blessing from heaven! Most mornings, she wouldn't wake up until after Ada left for school. I would then feed her and she'd go down long enough for me to work out and shower. Unfortunately, that stopped. She has done much better the last two nights, so let's hope she keeps it up!
-She really likes to be held. This makes it difficult for me to get anything done. I don't mind holding her, though. She is already getting too big! She's always been pretty fussy. I purchased a Baby Bjorn to help me get some stuff done since she usually cries when I set her down. The new swing she got for Christmas also helps for a while. I have figured out how to type while feeding her, though, so hopefully I can keep up the blog a bit better now.
-She loves to smile. She could smile very early on and after about five or so weeks she started smiling a ton. I love it. I'm usually greeted each morning with a huge, gummy grin.
-She puked a ton her first several weeks of life. This made for many extra loads of laundry. Luckily, this has passed. Kate would get really grossed out by it.
-She doesn't poop much, but when it comes, WATCH OUT! Her first blowout happened all over Grandpa Squire. She hasn't had too many since then, but they always seem to happen at inconvenient times, like when I'm hanging out with my friends.
Kate
-Kate has had an interesting time adjusting to having a baby sister. She got sick right when Lyla was born, so she didn't really pay much mind to her (though Lyla got sick at only two weeks old with a stuffy nose and ear infection). I thought that she was adjusting really well, but then realized that she was being extra naughty when I would feed the baby. She would provoke Ada and they would fight every. single. time. It was really frustrating! She has since settled down a bit. She's still my sweet Kate, but three is just a tough age. It's harder for me than two was. One thing that helped her adjust was that she somehow became a Daddy's Girl a few months before Lyla was born. This was a shock because she was so attached to me before. She's not terribly gentle with Lyla and likes to wake her up, but we haven't really had any big problems.
-Kate is LOVING preschool. She gets sad on the days she doesn't have it. She loves her friends there, especially Kayla, who happens to be the only other girl. I've loved seeing her learn new things, like the Pledge of Allegiance, the days of the week, and many different songs.
-She always makes us laugh. She has started to be scared of floaties in the bathtub. She named them morps and will not get in if she sees any. She doesn't want them to touch her. Ada has somehow convinced her that "red ones don't get us". Another thing that makes us laugh is that she refers to her grandmas as 'the grandma with Smokey' (my mom's cat) and 'the grandma that doesn't have Smokey'. She can't seem to keep them straight by their names.
-She has never been a great sleeper and would always get in bed with me at night. I would always wake up and put her back in bed. After she started preferring Tyler to me, she started climbing in bed with him. He is a very heavy sleeper, so she started sleeping in our bed every night. We're working on getting her to stay in bed and she has done okay. Tyler told her that he would pee on her if she slept by him, so now she's scared and just bugs me when she gets up. Hopefully we can end this habit soon!
Ada
-Ada is loving kindergarten. She has made lots of new friends and looks forward to going every day (if she can get out of bed). Her new best friend is Quinn. Today she was so excited to come home and tell me that Quinn has the same shirt and shoes that she was wearing today. She loves learning French and learning how to read.
-She is enjoying ballet more this year than she did last year. Their recital this year will be 'The Sea Fantasy' and Ada was happy to inform me that her class will be clown fish, "like Nemo". Late that day, though, she said, "I wonder if we'll have to wear red noses." She's a crack-up too!
-I am so happy to report that Ada's bad behavior is mostly in the past. She had a really bad episode yesterday (which I'll blog about later) that made me question this, but I'll blame it on the lack of sleep from NYE. She's probably my easiest child now. Phew! It was a long time coming. She's pretty good at cleaning up and obeying. She and Kate still do their share of fighting, but things are going well.
Monday morning, Tyler took Ada and Kate to Kaysville to watch 'Puss in Boots' with his family. I didn't feel like taking Lyla to a movie, so we stayed behind and ended up going to Amy & Eric's house with Ang & Hyrum. It was great to see Becky, Seth, the Parrishes, the Hickersons, and the Wolfs. Ang & Hy had to stop by Fashion Place Mall on the way back, so I was able to get in my weekly Chick-Fil-A fix. :)
On Thursday night Tyler and I went to see 'Savior of the World' at the Conference Center. His brother was in it and it was one of the last nights to attend. We really enjoyed the show. Ang & Hy were kind enough to watch the girls while we went. Abby & Scott came over to hang out too. I was a little nervous about leaving Lyla for so long, but she was great. Kate, however, peed on the floor before she went to bed. Later that night, Ada peed the bed. Even later, after Kate climbed in bed to sleep by Tyler, she peed our bed! It was quite the night.
The next day, after watching a BYU bowl victory, Ang & Hy came to hang out one last time before flying back to Houston. Dude & Korrin and their girls hang out also. We ate pizza and hung out. I love hanging out with the Marstons and was sad to see them go. Who knows when we'll see them again. :(
We pretty much lounged around on NYE watching football until our annual party that night at the Spencer Dickson home. Tyler was very happy to see his Utes come away victorious. Abby got sick, so they were unable to join us for the party. They were missed. We ended up snacking, talking, playing Trivial Pursuit, and playing Catch Phrase. It was a pleasant evening. The little girls, however, had trouble getting to sleep and stayed up way too late. The only one who fell asleep (besides the babies) was Kate. Ada didn't get out of her sleeping bag, but she stayed awake as long as the rest of us. We usually try and predict who is going to die in the coming year. Nobody but me really said anyone this time. My prediction was Hulk Hogan. We'll have to see what the new year brings!
I decided to include some updates on the girls since I haven't been good at keeping up on the blog. I haven't really said anything about Lyla aside from her birth story. Here goes:
Lyla
-Lyla is such a sweet baby. Early on she started sleeping through the night. It was a blessing from heaven! Most mornings, she wouldn't wake up until after Ada left for school. I would then feed her and she'd go down long enough for me to work out and shower. Unfortunately, that stopped. She has done much better the last two nights, so let's hope she keeps it up!
-She really likes to be held. This makes it difficult for me to get anything done. I don't mind holding her, though. She is already getting too big! She's always been pretty fussy. I purchased a Baby Bjorn to help me get some stuff done since she usually cries when I set her down. The new swing she got for Christmas also helps for a while. I have figured out how to type while feeding her, though, so hopefully I can keep up the blog a bit better now.
-She loves to smile. She could smile very early on and after about five or so weeks she started smiling a ton. I love it. I'm usually greeted each morning with a huge, gummy grin.
-She puked a ton her first several weeks of life. This made for many extra loads of laundry. Luckily, this has passed. Kate would get really grossed out by it.
-She doesn't poop much, but when it comes, WATCH OUT! Her first blowout happened all over Grandpa Squire. She hasn't had too many since then, but they always seem to happen at inconvenient times, like when I'm hanging out with my friends.
Kate
-Kate has had an interesting time adjusting to having a baby sister. She got sick right when Lyla was born, so she didn't really pay much mind to her (though Lyla got sick at only two weeks old with a stuffy nose and ear infection). I thought that she was adjusting really well, but then realized that she was being extra naughty when I would feed the baby. She would provoke Ada and they would fight every. single. time. It was really frustrating! She has since settled down a bit. She's still my sweet Kate, but three is just a tough age. It's harder for me than two was. One thing that helped her adjust was that she somehow became a Daddy's Girl a few months before Lyla was born. This was a shock because she was so attached to me before. She's not terribly gentle with Lyla and likes to wake her up, but we haven't really had any big problems.
-Kate is LOVING preschool. She gets sad on the days she doesn't have it. She loves her friends there, especially Kayla, who happens to be the only other girl. I've loved seeing her learn new things, like the Pledge of Allegiance, the days of the week, and many different songs.
-She always makes us laugh. She has started to be scared of floaties in the bathtub. She named them morps and will not get in if she sees any. She doesn't want them to touch her. Ada has somehow convinced her that "red ones don't get us". Another thing that makes us laugh is that she refers to her grandmas as 'the grandma with Smokey' (my mom's cat) and 'the grandma that doesn't have Smokey'. She can't seem to keep them straight by their names.
-She has never been a great sleeper and would always get in bed with me at night. I would always wake up and put her back in bed. After she started preferring Tyler to me, she started climbing in bed with him. He is a very heavy sleeper, so she started sleeping in our bed every night. We're working on getting her to stay in bed and she has done okay. Tyler told her that he would pee on her if she slept by him, so now she's scared and just bugs me when she gets up. Hopefully we can end this habit soon!
Ada
-Ada is loving kindergarten. She has made lots of new friends and looks forward to going every day (if she can get out of bed). Her new best friend is Quinn. Today she was so excited to come home and tell me that Quinn has the same shirt and shoes that she was wearing today. She loves learning French and learning how to read.
-She is enjoying ballet more this year than she did last year. Their recital this year will be 'The Sea Fantasy' and Ada was happy to inform me that her class will be clown fish, "like Nemo". Late that day, though, she said, "I wonder if we'll have to wear red noses." She's a crack-up too!
-I am so happy to report that Ada's bad behavior is mostly in the past. She had a really bad episode yesterday (which I'll blog about later) that made me question this, but I'll blame it on the lack of sleep from NYE. She's probably my easiest child now. Phew! It was a long time coming. She's pretty good at cleaning up and obeying. She and Kate still do their share of fighting, but things are going well.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Family Letter - Christmas edition
Last week was a great week. It started on Monday with Ang and Hyrum flying into town and stopping by for a visit. That night, Tyler wanted to go to the Utah basketball game as a family, but first we stopped to eat at Gourmandise since it was the last day to use our Groupon there. Unfortunately, it was very crowded with people also using their Groupons. The service there isn't the best (read: slow) and they had run out of my top two choices, so needless to say, we missed the game. Too bad for Tyler since it was probably his last chance to see his team win this season. :)
Tuesday night we invited the siblings over to hang out (the parentals couldn't make it). Korrin made her famous caramel corn and I made Swedish ginger cookies. The girls had fun with their cousins and we had fun talking and watching basketball. After the Dicksons left and the girls went to bed, we played Spades with the Marstons and Hewitsons. The girls kicked some major butt!
On Wednesday night we hung out with our friends Rachel and Steele. We'd never seen their new house, so we went over there and enjoyed pizza & pumpkin roll and laughed a lot. We always have so much fun with them. Their sons Ashton and Jackson are the same ages as Ada and Kate, so the kids had fun playing too.
Thursday night was Kate's preschool Christmas program. She was lucky to have my parents, Tyler's dad, and Angie & Hyrum come watch. She was so adorable with her curly hair and red dress. When it came time to say her part, she thought for a minute and said that her favorite part of Christmas was ice cream. Typical Kate! Everyone had a good laugh over that. All the kids looked so cute doing actions to the songs they sang.
On Friday morning the girls and I went to my friend Amber's house for brunch. Kim and Shano were also there. We had fun catching up and seeing each others' kids (and some spouses). I don't get together enough with my friends! That night Tyler and I decided to stay up late to assemble Christmas gifts so we wouldn't have to do it on Christmas Eve. We were up past 1 a.m., but glad we got it done.
Christmas Eve was filled with baking and getting ready for all the Christmas festivities. I made two pumpkin rolls and a chocolate peppermint one. On the way to the Squires', we stopped by my grandma's house to say hi. She had fun presents for the girls. Unfortunately, Kate was a little too tired and decided she liked Ada's gift better, so she had a major meltdown. Good times! We enjoyed our traditional candlelight dinner at Tyler's parents' house and then the kids acted out the nativity. We played the dice game that Tyler's mom always puts together, but she changed it up a little this year and we all enjoyed the change. We also opened sibling and grandkid gifts. It was a fun night. Tyler and I really enjoyed playing Santa when we got home. We just couldn't wait for the girls to see their stuff!
Kate was so funny on Christmas morning. She had fallen asleep in the car the night before, so she wasn't really prepped for what was to come. She was the first one awake and just wanted to go downstairs and play Candy Land. Ada soon woke up and was anxious to go down. We made sure to continue our tradition of reading Luke 2 together before we go see what Santa brought. Ada and Kate were so excited to see their gifts. They love their Barbie house and Ada said it was just what she wanted. Kate preferred to play with that than see her other presents. Lyla got a swing, Tyler got a bike, and I got clothes. Tyler surprised me with an ice cream/sorbet/frozen yogurt maker and had stuff all ready to make sorbet. He then surprised all of us with an Xbox and Kinect! We were really spoiled this year. We then got ready for 11:00 church. It was nice to go to church on Christmas and enjoy musical numbers and testimonies. I played the piano for a flash choir performance (they invited anyone who wanted to come up and sing). After church we went back to the Squires' to open more presents and eat lots of food. Then it was off to the Dicksons' for our traditional Honey Baked Ham dinner. After we ate, my brother read from Luke 2 and we had a little program. The bigger girls each did a talent. Ada sang the months of the year in French accompanied by a dance and Kate sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' complete with actions. Ella sang and recited a poem and Grace sang. Grandma Dickson told a story and Grandma Bateman gave us all a good laugh by singing and dancing to a song from her Kindergarten-teaching days. We then opened presents. Kate's face was priceless when she opened her Olivia house/pirate ship from my parents. Everyone had a great time. We are so blessed to have everything we need plus a lot more and to have family to spend time with.
Tuesday night we invited the siblings over to hang out (the parentals couldn't make it). Korrin made her famous caramel corn and I made Swedish ginger cookies. The girls had fun with their cousins and we had fun talking and watching basketball. After the Dicksons left and the girls went to bed, we played Spades with the Marstons and Hewitsons. The girls kicked some major butt!
On Wednesday night we hung out with our friends Rachel and Steele. We'd never seen their new house, so we went over there and enjoyed pizza & pumpkin roll and laughed a lot. We always have so much fun with them. Their sons Ashton and Jackson are the same ages as Ada and Kate, so the kids had fun playing too.
Thursday night was Kate's preschool Christmas program. She was lucky to have my parents, Tyler's dad, and Angie & Hyrum come watch. She was so adorable with her curly hair and red dress. When it came time to say her part, she thought for a minute and said that her favorite part of Christmas was ice cream. Typical Kate! Everyone had a good laugh over that. All the kids looked so cute doing actions to the songs they sang.
On Friday morning the girls and I went to my friend Amber's house for brunch. Kim and Shano were also there. We had fun catching up and seeing each others' kids (and some spouses). I don't get together enough with my friends! That night Tyler and I decided to stay up late to assemble Christmas gifts so we wouldn't have to do it on Christmas Eve. We were up past 1 a.m., but glad we got it done.
Christmas Eve was filled with baking and getting ready for all the Christmas festivities. I made two pumpkin rolls and a chocolate peppermint one. On the way to the Squires', we stopped by my grandma's house to say hi. She had fun presents for the girls. Unfortunately, Kate was a little too tired and decided she liked Ada's gift better, so she had a major meltdown. Good times! We enjoyed our traditional candlelight dinner at Tyler's parents' house and then the kids acted out the nativity. We played the dice game that Tyler's mom always puts together, but she changed it up a little this year and we all enjoyed the change. We also opened sibling and grandkid gifts. It was a fun night. Tyler and I really enjoyed playing Santa when we got home. We just couldn't wait for the girls to see their stuff!
Kate was so funny on Christmas morning. She had fallen asleep in the car the night before, so she wasn't really prepped for what was to come. She was the first one awake and just wanted to go downstairs and play Candy Land. Ada soon woke up and was anxious to go down. We made sure to continue our tradition of reading Luke 2 together before we go see what Santa brought. Ada and Kate were so excited to see their gifts. They love their Barbie house and Ada said it was just what she wanted. Kate preferred to play with that than see her other presents. Lyla got a swing, Tyler got a bike, and I got clothes. Tyler surprised me with an ice cream/sorbet/frozen yogurt maker and had stuff all ready to make sorbet. He then surprised all of us with an Xbox and Kinect! We were really spoiled this year. We then got ready for 11:00 church. It was nice to go to church on Christmas and enjoy musical numbers and testimonies. I played the piano for a flash choir performance (they invited anyone who wanted to come up and sing). After church we went back to the Squires' to open more presents and eat lots of food. Then it was off to the Dicksons' for our traditional Honey Baked Ham dinner. After we ate, my brother read from Luke 2 and we had a little program. The bigger girls each did a talent. Ada sang the months of the year in French accompanied by a dance and Kate sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' complete with actions. Ella sang and recited a poem and Grace sang. Grandma Dickson told a story and Grandma Bateman gave us all a good laugh by singing and dancing to a song from her Kindergarten-teaching days. We then opened presents. Kate's face was priceless when she opened her Olivia house/pirate ship from my parents. Everyone had a great time. We are so blessed to have everything we need plus a lot more and to have family to spend time with.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Family Letter
My sister started sending out weekly family letters updating us on their lives. I decided to follow suit and post it to my blog. It might bore everyone but it's a quick and easy way to keep track of stuff. Here goes nothing...
Last Monday, Lyla had her 2 month check-up at the doctor's office. She weighed in at 10 lb 6 oz (37th percentile). She was not a happy girl after receiving a few shots. Poor thing. Tyler was able to meet us there and then we got lunch at Chick-Fil-A. That is seriously one of my favorite places to eat. I'd eat there at least once a week if one was close. That night we delivered gifts to the neighbors and then, per Ada's request, drank hot chocolate around the Christmas tree. I tried talked about the nativity story, but it didn't go so well as the girls couldn't sit still and then Kate spilled her drink o the floor. Oh well.
On Tuesday, Ada had her Christmas performance at her ballet class. Mom and Dad were able to come as well as Tyler's mom, as well as, of course, Tyler, myself, Kate, and Lyla. It was cute to watch. Ada is about the tallest as well as most flexible girl in her class. We got sundaes from McDonald's afterward and that night I got to take a break from the children and go to a Relief Society activity. The Woods Cross High madrigals sang and we enjoyed a hot chocolate bar afterward. I just ate the candy.
On Wednesday I got to go to Kate's preschool and spotlight her in front of the class. I read them 'Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog' (one of her favorite books) and handed out M&M's, her favorite candy.
I don't really remember Thursday. I think Tyler was gone that night making visits.
Friday night we got to attend Tyler's work Christmas party. We dropped all three girls off at Mom and Dad's and went to La Caille. It was fun to see Tyler's co-workers and their spouses. The food was pretty good. We were probably the first ones to leave since we had to get back to feed the baby. It was fun to get away for a bit.
I watched the Cougs lose a close one on Saturday and that night we went to a Christmas party for Tyler's dad's side of the family. Tyler's mom made big plans for us to do a flash mob performance of The First Noel. She was really serious about it and told us it would be our Christmas present to her (we did get her something else). During dinner, we all stood up and sang a'cappella and then sat down as if nothing happened. After the party and putting the kids to bed, Tyler and I watched 'The Help' since we both recently finished the book. It had been a while since we'd seen a movie!
Sunday was our ward Christmas program. Tyler sang with the ward choir and Ada got to sing two songs with the Primary. Kate was sad that she didn't get to go up, but she will be a Sunbeam in January so that won't be a problem anymore. She'll be jumping right in on the 1st: she was already asked to give the opening prayer (and Ada was asked to give the scripture). It will be fun to be in there to watch on her very first day of Primary.
Other things of note: we found out that Tyler passed his PE exam, which is a very big deal and a huge relief. I am so proud of him! We also paid off our student loans. Overall, it was a pretty good week!
Last Monday, Lyla had her 2 month check-up at the doctor's office. She weighed in at 10 lb 6 oz (37th percentile). She was not a happy girl after receiving a few shots. Poor thing. Tyler was able to meet us there and then we got lunch at Chick-Fil-A. That is seriously one of my favorite places to eat. I'd eat there at least once a week if one was close. That night we delivered gifts to the neighbors and then, per Ada's request, drank hot chocolate around the Christmas tree. I tried talked about the nativity story, but it didn't go so well as the girls couldn't sit still and then Kate spilled her drink o the floor. Oh well.
On Tuesday, Ada had her Christmas performance at her ballet class. Mom and Dad were able to come as well as Tyler's mom, as well as, of course, Tyler, myself, Kate, and Lyla. It was cute to watch. Ada is about the tallest as well as most flexible girl in her class. We got sundaes from McDonald's afterward and that night I got to take a break from the children and go to a Relief Society activity. The Woods Cross High madrigals sang and we enjoyed a hot chocolate bar afterward. I just ate the candy.
On Wednesday I got to go to Kate's preschool and spotlight her in front of the class. I read them 'Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog' (one of her favorite books) and handed out M&M's, her favorite candy.
I don't really remember Thursday. I think Tyler was gone that night making visits.
Friday night we got to attend Tyler's work Christmas party. We dropped all three girls off at Mom and Dad's and went to La Caille. It was fun to see Tyler's co-workers and their spouses. The food was pretty good. We were probably the first ones to leave since we had to get back to feed the baby. It was fun to get away for a bit.
I watched the Cougs lose a close one on Saturday and that night we went to a Christmas party for Tyler's dad's side of the family. Tyler's mom made big plans for us to do a flash mob performance of The First Noel. She was really serious about it and told us it would be our Christmas present to her (we did get her something else). During dinner, we all stood up and sang a'cappella and then sat down as if nothing happened. After the party and putting the kids to bed, Tyler and I watched 'The Help' since we both recently finished the book. It had been a while since we'd seen a movie!
Sunday was our ward Christmas program. Tyler sang with the ward choir and Ada got to sing two songs with the Primary. Kate was sad that she didn't get to go up, but she will be a Sunbeam in January so that won't be a problem anymore. She'll be jumping right in on the 1st: she was already asked to give the opening prayer (and Ada was asked to give the scripture). It will be fun to be in there to watch on her very first day of Primary.
Other things of note: we found out that Tyler passed his PE exam, which is a very big deal and a huge relief. I am so proud of him! We also paid off our student loans. Overall, it was a pretty good week!
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