And no...not the kind you put on french fries!=)
Things have been just a little busy in my life these days, so I haven't been able to find the time (nor the desire, quite frankly) to blog like I used to. In fact, this post alone has taken me over a week to complete. Oh well. I have had much more important things to do! =)
However, I now have some playing catch up to do, so in the few minutes I have to myself today, I am going to attempt to finish my recap of these past few weeks.
Here goes...
First up - December.
December 2011 was probably one of the most emotional, and hardest months we have had in a long, long time.
Possibly, EVER.
We said "see you later" to our sweet little Mason and "hello, nice to meet you" to our tiny little Logan all in one week's time.
Not to mention that Christmas fell in the middle of that week!!!
To be honest, I am not sure how our hearts even survived that week, but I can say that I don't think we will ever be the same!
Just before little Mason left, we were able to take him on one last family outing - to a hockey game.
Man, I miss those chubby little cheeks!!!
We were also able to do one of my favorite Christmas traditions again this year, our annual night out at a hotel downtown. This year we spent the day with Mike's mom, his sister from Idaho and her two sons. We rode the Frontrunner train to Ogden...
played at the Treehouse Museum...
...ate dinner and then walked through the park to see all of the Christmas Cottages lit up.
We then raced back to the train (literally) and headed back to Salt Lake. That's where we parted ways and Mike, Ian and I headed over to our room at the Little America. After such a busy day, we were all pretty tired so we just donned our pajamas and pigged out on snacks I had brought with us as we watched "The Polar Express". (I think we were all asleep before it was even over=)
The next morning we headed to the hotel pool and Ian learned the glorious joy that is a hot tub! He had been in the hot tub before at my parents cabin, but that one was more like a warm swimming pool. So having a real hot tub, on a cold December morning, was a real treat for all of us!
Next up...Christmas.
December 2011 was probably one of the most emotional, and hardest months we have had in a long, long time.
Possibly, EVER.
We said "see you later" to our sweet little Mason and "hello, nice to meet you" to our tiny little Logan all in one week's time.
Not to mention that Christmas fell in the middle of that week!!!
To be honest, I am not sure how our hearts even survived that week, but I can say that I don't think we will ever be the same!
Just before little Mason left, we were able to take him on one last family outing - to a hockey game.
Man, I miss those chubby little cheeks!!!
We were also able to do one of my favorite Christmas traditions again this year, our annual night out at a hotel downtown. This year we spent the day with Mike's mom, his sister from Idaho and her two sons. We rode the Frontrunner train to Ogden...
played at the Treehouse Museum...
...ate dinner and then walked through the park to see all of the Christmas Cottages lit up.
We then raced back to the train (literally) and headed back to Salt Lake. That's where we parted ways and Mike, Ian and I headed over to our room at the Little America. After such a busy day, we were all pretty tired so we just donned our pajamas and pigged out on snacks I had brought with us as we watched "The Polar Express". (I think we were all asleep before it was even over=)
The next morning we headed to the hotel pool and Ian learned the glorious joy that is a hot tub! He had been in the hot tub before at my parents cabin, but that one was more like a warm swimming pool. So having a real hot tub, on a cold December morning, was a real treat for all of us!
Next up...Christmas.
I have to start out my Christmas recap by telling you about one of my other favorite new Christmas traditions.
Christmas Eve dinner. Mmmm...
Last year, after many years of shuffling between families, and trying (usually unsuccessfully) to please everyone, we decided that Christmas Eve was going to be our day from now on. Our day, as in a day just for me, Mike and our kids. That's it. Christmas day we will share, but Christmas Eve is our own, and I love it!!!!!
And I LOVE that Mike is in charge of dinner that night because he takes it very seriously! He dirties every pot and pan in the house, but his delectable creations are oh so worth it!
This year we dined on New York strip steaks, grilled outside on the barbecue (thank you spring-like winter weather) roasted baby red potatoes, rice pilaf, steamed artichokes and buttery croissant rolls. See what I mean? We didn't even have any room for the creme brulee he made for dessert! Tragic...
Then after dinner, we open our pajamas and our family game. This year it was "Candyland".
I have to say that Christmas is so much better as a parent!!! It just gets more and more fun each year as Ian gets older and understands more of what is going on. He gets so excited, and this year he was really into the whole thing. He got a personalized email from Santa this year and you should've seen his face!!! It was precious! Hearing Santa speak directly to him about where he lived, what he had been up to over the past year, and what he was hoping to get Christmas morning brought a wonder and twinkle to Ian's eyes that I hope I never forget!
This year's request from the big man was "a BIG monster truck". And of course, being the good boy that he is, he got it!=) He actually ended up with FOUR monster trucks, but that is another story=)
Some of his other favorites from Santa included a new sled, a little piano, a toy vacuum and "the Michael Jackson Experience" for the Wii, because we all know how much Mr. Ian loves to dance!!!
And then of course, you all know what happened five days later.
This little sweetie pie entered our lives.
Luckily, and much to my delight, Logan arrived a solid TWO days before his brother Ian's birthday. I was SO worried that my boys would have to share a birthday, but thankfully, that didn't happen!!!
So, while little Logan spent New Years Day with "K" in the hospital, we took the day off to spend with our first little miracle...our Ian. He opened presents,
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| Despite the look on his face, he really was happy=) |
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| His favorite birthday present - a camera |
Then we gave him a few choices and let him pick how he wanted to spend the day. His choice? He wanted to stay home and play with his toys.
So we did =)
Later that evening, we went to my parents house to celebrate with my family.
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| His present from Grandma and Grandpa |
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| A Pillow Pet!!! |
It was a great day, but I still can't believe my Ian is THREE!!! I will try to do another post soon about him and his three year old antics, but for now I just have to say that he is such an amazing kid and I can't tell you enough how lucky I feel to be his Mom. Love you buddy!!!
As for an update on our little Logan, by his two week check up he had gone up 4 oz. and had grown an inch and a half, but he is still just as tiny as ever. He is three weeks old and still wearing newborn diapers and clothes, and they are still big on him.
He kind of resembles a cute little doll=)
He eats about 2 oz. every 3-4 hours, and can already roll over! It is really pretty crazy! He has held his head up and looked around from day one at the hospital, but around two weeks old, he started rolling over onto his back when we put him on his tummy. CrAzY!! He cries a lot, as newborns tend to do, but is really very sweet!
I am not going to lie though - as much as I love this little man, and as deliriously happy I am that Ian has a brother and we are now a family of four, I am not loving the whole newborn phase as much this time around.
It is HARD!!!
I don't want to sugar coat it, because when Logan is two and my faulty memory has smoothed over the rough edges of this time in my life, I want to be able to look back at this post and remember how DIFFICULT and STRESSFUL these days were.
And I don't think Logan is necessarily a difficult baby or anything, it is just so much harder to accept the challenges that come with a newborn when you have another child that needs you too. I am really feeling the weight that comes with somebody needing something from you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And when there is more than one person demanding all of your time, there is just no break.
(I know, cry me a river, right?)
And it doesn't help matters that Mike really doesn't like this phase, at all! So I feel like I end up handling most of the baby duties with Logan. And I should have remembered that from when Ian was a baby, but no surprise there, I didn't. Mike is just so great with Ian now, and is such a great Dad, that I forgot how much he dislikes this stage.
Thanks for all you do though babe, even when I am sure you would rather be doing just about anything else!!=)
(LOVE YA MIKEY!!!)
But enough whining...
Yes, these are hard days, but they are precious to me and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I am trying, VERY HARD, not to wish these days away, because never again will I be the mom to a three year old and a three week old. It seems like Ian was just a newborn and now he is three, and Logan will be there too before I know it! So even though it takes some reminding some days, I really am so grateful for my two boys and my sweet husband who loves being their Dad.
Ian has been the absolute joy of my life and watching him progress through each phase of life has been my greatest blessing.
And now I get to do that again.
I can't wait!
Ian has been the absolute joy of my life and watching him progress through each phase of life has been my greatest blessing.
And now I get to do that again.
I can't wait!
