All I want for Christmas...

Well, this explains Jackson's recent fussiness and sleeplessness.

I was not expecting this to happen so soon. Eliza didn't get teeth until she was 8 months old. Jackson is only 5 1/2 months! Although, he has the body of a 12 month old so maybe that explains it. Baby Tylenol...I don't know what we'd do without it.

Merry Christmas

We had a very nice Christmas this year. My mom and dad were in Arizona with my brother and his family and my younger brother and his family were in Texas so it was a little different this year but still fun. On Christmas Eve, Matt was planning on taking Eliza to the Chipmunks movie but she woke up with a high fever and just didn't feel good all day. So even though she had been looking forward to it all week, we had to postpone the movie and spent the whole day vegging on the couch.

Thankfully, Christmas morning Eliza was back to herself and running back and forth between our room and the living room talking about all the presents that Santa left under the tree. Eliza got a little kids computer in the hopes that she will stop wanting to type on ours all day long, some clothes, Candyland (we play it at least twice a day), and her favorite....a camera. Her aim is a little off but she has had so much fun taking pictures. Eliza was also very helpful unwrapping everyone else's gifts.

In the afternoon, we went to my grandpa's house for a visit. It was really nice. He gave Eliza a Tinkerbell slap bracelet which she loves, along with many, many cookies.

Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa McCann's. Eliza got so many nice things and had a really great Christmas. I think she was trying to figure out why Santa left her presents at so many different houses but she sure wasn't complaining.

By the way, Eliza got to see the Chipmunks movie with dad on Saturday. She loved it.

Santa

Look who showed up at grandma and grandpa's house on Sunday! Eliza gets a little bashful around Santa but was still excited to see him. I think Jackson liked the way his beard smelled.

Grandma Burton

We lost my Grandma Burton last Saturday. She was 87 years old and she lived a very wonderful life. My Grandpa died 13 years ago so it's hard to be really sad because she's finally with him again. They have 6 children, 20 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great granddaughter. We had a nice funeral yesterday and almost everyone was there. It was nice to hear and share our fun stories and memories of Grandma. There are so many memories but since it's Christmastime, here are some things I remember about the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa.

We always went to their house in the afternoon on Christmas day.

Their tree was mostly decorated with little pictures of all their children and grandchildren.

The gifts we got from them were always homemade things. I remember getting loaves of bread and jam, a binder of all our ancestors and their personal histories, a book of piano music that my grandma loved to play that she thought I would like, a binder full of Christmas stories, and a journal.

I remember putting on the Christmas story one year. I played an angel I think.

Not Christmas related but Grandma's Applesauce Oatmeal cookies were always a favorite. I have a copy of her recipe written in her handwriting that I will always cherish. I think I'll make a batch soon but I'm sure they won't be as good.

One of the many things I admired about my Grandma is that she always remembered everyone's birthday. And when it got so she couldn't write birthday cards anymore she would ask that we call her on our birthday. She always wanted to know what we were doing and how our families were.

Grandma Burton was very special. She loved her family and prayed for them. I hope she felt all of our prayers in her behalf towards the end of her life. I truly feel so happy that she is with Grandpa again and I know that their example and teachings will always be with us. I feel blessed that I have had my grandparents in my life for so long. Many people don't. Six months ago my other grandma passed away but I knew both of them for so long. It's such a blessing to have a funeral and have it be more of a celebration of their life, rather than a sad occasion. That was the case with both of my grandmas. I love them and miss them but as long as we remember them and the things they taught us, they will always be near.

Grandma is home for Christmas. We love you!

These are some pictures from when Eliza was about 7 months old. I can't believe those are the most recent pictures I have of her but here is my sweet Grandma.

Welcome to the family!

My brother David and his wife Amanda welcomed little Jared Weston into the world on Sunday. He was 7 lbs. 10 oz. and 21 inches long. This pregnancy has been such a tough one for Amanda and no one thought she'd carry this baby as long as she did. He was only about 10 days early! Amanda, you are a trooper! I never would have made it if my pregnancies were like that. He is beautiful, look at that hair! I love it!

Updates

It's been a while since I've posted and I know both of you that read my blog are dying for an update! :)

We've been mostly focusing on potty training Eliza and getting Jackson to take good, regular naps. The former is going pretty well, the latter....not so much. When Jackson was brand new he was always so spitty that I let him sleep in his car seat for a while and when I tried the crib he wasn't having it so I gave in and he's been sleeping in a bouncer chair ever since. Well, not only is he getting way too big physically for it, I figured it's gone on long enough and he needs to learn to sleep flat on his back in his crib. So it's not his fault, he doesn't know any different, but we're trying to teach him that's where he needs to sleep now. We'll see how long it takes.

Eliza has actually been doing great with potty training. She's been in underwear for the past three days and has only had two accidents. She's still in diapers at night and if we're going to be away from the house for more than 10 minutes but it's definite progress. I don't care what people say, bribery is a wonderful thing.

I guess I didn't ever post Jackson's 4 month stats from a month ago. He weighed 19 lbs. 13 oz. and was 26 inches long. He's still off the charts in weight and in the 99th percentile for height. He is a monster. I have never seen thighs as big as his. I love it! We'll see how big he is at his 6 month check-up in January.

Here a video of Eliza feeding Jackson. She always asks if she can feed him but if there is baby oatmeal involved, she dry-heaves the whole time. I don't know why she keeps volunteering.

Here are just a couple of cute pictures.

Tonight, Eliza and I went to my mom's work Christmas party. They had such fun things - face painting, a magician, balloons, cookies, and of course, Santa. She knows who Santa is and isn't scared of him but when she is put face to face with him, she kind of freezes up.

We're excited for Christmas and can't believe how fast this year has flown by!

Birthday party

Well, after postponing it a week due to sickness, we finally had Eliza's birthday party Sunday night. I sort of feel bad having people drive in the dark and cold to come watch a 3 year old open a few presents and eat some Costco cake and ice cream. But I guess it's one of those things you're sort of obligated to do for family. I thought it was fun anyway and I know Eliza loved it.

Thank you to everyone who came and for all the fun presents!

Happy Birthday

Eliza turned 3 years old today! I can't believe I've been a mom for that long. Wow, you'd think I'd have a few more things figured out by now, huh? All these phases she goes through are really throwing me for a loop.

We were going to have her party on Sunday but she and Matt caught a cold so we didn't want to risk getting anyone else sick. So she hasn't really gotten presents yet but my sister in law, Megan made this for her. I mean, have you ever seen a cuter bag? If you can't tell, it's the perfect size for a coloring book and it has slots for crayons in the front. She is so talented, I don't know how she makes all these things but it's perfect for Eliza!

So we had a mini party with just the three of us after Jackson went to bed. We made and decorated cupcakes and then took the extras to our neighbors. So fun! Can you tell which part of the cupcake is Eliza's favorite?

Eliza is such a blessing in our lives. She makes me laugh all the time and teaches me so much. It is incredible how much a little person like her can learn and absorb from the world around her.

She is smart, funny, and very loving. I love my daughter more than I can say. Most of the time I feel like I don't deserve her. Happy birthday sweet girl!

Halloween

I remember when Halloween was just one day. This year it seemed to take up the entire week leading up to October 31st. Maybe I just notice it more now with kids. Either way, it's been a busy week but a fun one.

Tuesday night we had a neighborhood party at a friend's house. We played Scene It! and I totally dominated. It was a nice couple of hours away from the kids, too. Thanks Grandma McCann for tending!

Here are our awesome costumes. Matt has a friend that works at LDS hospital and he "borrowed" some scrubs, masks, and booties for us.

Wednesday night, my parent's ward had a party for the primary kids and since their primary consists of about 4 children, we didn't think they'd mind if Eliza and Jackson came too.

Thursday was our ward party. I took the night off for this one and let Matt take Eliza to it. Believe it or not, our friend Andy (aka 'that scary man' as Eliza called him) really didn't scare her at all after he gave her candy.

Friday during the day Matt's work had a trick or treat party for the employees' families. Lots of fun and lots of candy.

After a very long, napless day, Matt took Eliza trick-or-treating around our neighborhood tonight. She had been looking forward to it the whole day. She got the hang of it after a little while and stopped saying "trick or treat" to the other kids that were out. Everyone said how nice and well mannered she was. Yeah, they should come over at 3:00 am and then see what they think. Just kidding, she's a good girl, most of the time.

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween! Thank goodness it only comes once a year.

Family Pictures

I am not very good yet with Picasa but I thought I would try to create a collage with some of the pictures we had taken today as a family.

Wheeler farm

Eliza's cousins who live in Phoenix have been in town this week and my dad was brave and decided to take all of them to Wheeler Farm. They got to walk through a mini corn maze and pick a pumpkin out of their pumpkin patch. The family pass was supposed to include a wagon ride as well but when we got everyone onto the wagon, the driver informed us that this particular ride was a private tour for a field trip and that we had to get off. Wish the guy would have told us that before we waited for 15 minutes in the sun next to the stinky cows. Oh well. After that we just decided to forgo the wagon ride and headed home.

Sean is 7 and Eliza absolutely adores him. Whenever they come visit, she always follows him around and wants to play with him and eat her dinner next to him. He held Eliza's hand the whole time at the farm. He was "in charge" of the map and made sure we didn't get lost.

Thanks grandpa for a fun day!

5 years

Today is our five year anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long already. Some people go on trips, some get away to a bed & breakfast somewhere....what did Matt and I do? Well, we didn't sleep in, we had cold cereal for breakfast, I did some grocery shopping, changed some diapers, tried to make Eliza take a nap (not successful, by the way), and folded some laundry. But you know what? It's fine. I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful children. Life is good and I hope the next five years are as great as the last five have been.

By the way, I did not know that the five year anniversary is the "wood or silverware" one. Google suggested that a Bonsai plant is an appropriate gift. Matt is a big fan of "The Karate Kid" so maybe that's not a bad idea.

Smart girl

I'm not sure at what age kids start doing things like this so I don't know if Eliza is early or late but I have to say, I'm very impressed. She started tracing the letters the other day and wants to do it all the time now. Hey, I know some adults whose handwriting doesn't look this good. Oh and for those of you wondering, she writes with her right hand but throws balls with her left. I'm a lefty so we weren't sure what to expect. Looks like she got a little of both me and Matt.

Sleep

You know you're not getting enough sleep when your 2 1/2 year old says that the color of your eyes is "blue, black, and red." I guess I could use a few more hours.

The other morning Eliza came in to our room to wake me up and very enthusiastically said, "Mom! The sun is awake! You don't have to sleep anymore!" It's hard not to smile at how excited she is for a new day to start. I love that girl.

Brother & Sister

Here's some cute pictures of Jackson and Eliza. She loved posing with him a little too much, as you can tell by the look on his face.

By the way, she's not pushing him off the couch in that first picture, she was actually trying to stop him from tipping over. Not that she doesn't think it is incredibly funny when that happens though.