Christmas Simplified

We had a new kind of Christmas this year. We simplified and spent most of the holiday season at home with just Adam, myself and the kids (as opposed to spending Christmas Eve and Christmas day at our parents' houses and going to all kinds of parties). It was a lot of fun, but I did miss some of the traditions we've had since I was young and the time with my siblings/parents. In keeping with the simplicity, here are a bunch of caption-less pictures of our holiday season. Simply put, I love my family and I love my Savior.

 

Finishing out 2012

It's been a busy couple of months with the holidays and Adam and I both working extra hours. Adam is really enjoying his new(ish) job and they've been keeping super busy, but we've missed having him around when he has to work 6 day weeks. My work has been a little more busy this time of year as well as the company has just merged with another and taken on more work and people taking off for the holidays. I still only work part time in the early mornings, but the last few weeks it's been more like 5 hours/day than 3. It's amazing to me how much just an extra couple of hours can take over a whole day with the kids!! Anyway, now that Christmas is over maybe things will start to slow down and we can get back to enjoying our free time!

 

Here are a few things we've been doing leading up to Christmas (that's a whole other post of it's own!)

 

We decided to join the masses in the "Elf on the Shelf" tradition, and I have to say I was a little bored with it after the 2nd day. It was nice to have something for the kids to do when they got up so they weren't hanging on me while I finished working, but I got tired of trying to come up with things for him to do and most nights I forgot to move him so I had to hurry in the morning before they boys were awake. We planned on doing fun mischievous things, like most of the things I see on Pinterest, but then it occurred to me that having this elf to make sure the kids are being good while he was being naughty didn't seem like the best plan! He spent the majority of December just sitting on shelves or other objects around the house.

 

We had a Gingerbread house making/Christmas movie night and watched Elf. Elf was the boys' favorite movie this year. Deegan loved the part when Buddy says "He's an angry elf!" and Griffin's favorite part was the elf saying "Little Buddy Diapers"- and they would quote them all the time!

 

Ritter figured out how to get out of "tummy time"- and his pants.

 

I convinced Adam to let me put the tree up the weekend before Thanksgiving ;-)

Ritter loved sleeping to the sound of the train.

He finally fit in the Bumbo! I LOVE the Bumbo, especially for Colicy, reflux babies that refuse to lay down! (I know it says not to put your kid on the counter, but I only put him there when I can watch closely)

 

Deegan and Griffin were both in love with the train!

 

Deegan played Santa a lot

 

Ritter gained exactly .5 oz/day for his first 3 months (which is on the low side of average, but still acceptable!!)

 

My mom bought this super cute outfit...

 

And the other boys had to have hats too!

 

In early November, Ritter's colic was all but gone and we had a relatively happy baby for about 3 weeks! It was HEAVEN!  The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Adam ended up staying late at work and Ritter chose that day to bring the Colic back! He cried from 5:30 that evening until 11:00. Adam was gone until almost 10 and I was on the verge of killing some children! (Not really, but my tolerance was very low!)  From that night on, Ritter has cried increasingly every day. I decided to pull out all the stops and try anything and everything suggested to me. We tried the Chiropractor and the allergy spray he prescribed, probiotics, me going milk free, feeding him formula, increasing his reflux medicine dosage, tummy soother, gripe water, gas drops and finally essential oils (as well as different positioning and sleeping techniques). NO LUCK! So I finally made an appointment with the pediatrician last Friday. When I took him in of course he was happier than ever and laughing and smiling at her. She felt his belly and said she couldn't see anything that could be causing him to be crying like he is (2-4 hours at a time, 2-3 times a day). Then she looked at his head and was concerned. She said something about the way the ridges are separating and that his head is growing really fast. She didn't tell me the measurements, but pointed to the chart and he's close to being off the charts on head measurements. I told her that my other boys' head grew fast like that too and that they had big heads when they were babies (Griffin still does!), but she was still concerned that maybe he had some fluid causing pressure on his brain. So, we headed over to the hospital to get an ultrasound done on his head and some lab work to check for any other inflammations or problems. While I was there, Adam texted me to tell me that Griffin's mouth, which he had smacked pretty hard 2 days prior on the side of a bed, was hurting him pretty bad and maybe it needed to be looked it. I told him we were at the hospital for an ultrasound and he said "Great, what's Deegan going to do to even this out?". Deegan woke up that night with a stomach bug and was sick for the next 2 days! Luckily, Ritter's tests all came back normal and my mom looked at Griff's tooth and said it would be fine. Now we just have to figure out how to deal with all this crying and avoid Ritter's head getting flat like Griffin's did from sleeping in his car seat and his head growing so fast.

 

Deegan taking pictures of himself while he was sick.

Ritter FINALLY happy.

 Griffin's fat lip.

Blessings beyond measure

This last few days have been extra emotional for me, but before I get into that- a small update. People ask me all the time "How is life with 3 kids?" or tell me that 3 is usually the breaking point for a lot of parents.  My response is: "Life is total chaos with 3 little kids, but I love it!"  It's amazing how much harder it is to have a baby when you have a 2 year old AND a 4 year old, vs. just having a 2 year old with the baby. Ritter is doing much better with his colic and reflux, but I think it's mostly because we've learned to handle it. The biggest "secret" we've found to controlling the colic is that he needs to be fed BEFORE he is hungry, and needs to be asleep BEFORE he gets very tired. Remembering that has made a world of difference.  Deegan and Griffin still adore Ritter and have been so good to help me with him.  At his 2 month check-up, Ritter was up to 8 lb. 4 oz. and 21.5 inches and the doctor said he's looking great!

   

2 months old!

A few days before Halloween, we woke up to what was supposed to be a day with a small chance of a little snow in the afternoon, but turned out to be a decent sized storm.  The snow was really wet and heavy and broke my poor little willow tree in half!

Adam's job is going well and we are loving that he works 4 days/week so we have more play time with him!

It's so nice to be able to have him be a part of our "regular" days and to have time to do family activities.  This job is a lot less strenuous and much more safety conscious, so Adam comes home from work with energy, not feeling exhausted and sore!  One of his days at home, we decided to go to the Pumpkin Walk in Logan. The kids had a lot of fun!

Raking the yard part 1- there will be that many more leaves on the ground again before we finish!

We try really hard to teach the boys good work ethic and that life is not just about playing and that we have to work before we can play, but who says work can't be fun?

Griffin "Max" King of the Wild Things

Lumberjack Ritter

Lego Darth Vader

Ritter was superman for the ward party

We had lots of Halloween fun this year! We had a family party at Adam's parent's house, then we had a primary children party at church. On Halloween day, the kids and I met with friends to trick-or-treat at the stores on Main st. in Logan, then had just enough time for naps before heading out to T-O-T in our neighborhood.  The kids had lots of fun and the parents were exhausted when it was all over with!  Griffin had a hard time with the idea of wearing a costume this year, so after trying a Lego Pirate, a regular pirate, a construction worker, a fireman and finally a "monster" (Max from Where the Wild Things Are- without the crown and tail which he pulled and pulled on until I removed it!)

T-O-T Main St. with Ausi

Done and ready to put the costumes away for another year!!

My crazy "new mom hormones" emotional week began on Sunday.  We were able to have all of our family (minus Lori and co. :-( ) come to church with us to witness Adam giving Ritter a blessing.  He did an amazing job!  He says he felt like words just came pouring out of his mouth and he had no idea what he was saying! He blessed Ritter with the ability to find the good in the world even though there were hard times ahead for him.  The blessing was so perfect for Ritter and my heart was overflowing with love, joy, and gratitude for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a loving husband who honors his church callings and preisthood, and my beautiful little family! I LOVE these boys and I love that I get to be surrounded by them all the time!

Yesterday, before I went to vote, I got a text message from my old boss Tony. It just said "Hope all is well with the new baby. Keep me posted if you want a job."  When Tony and I have worked together in the past (at 2 different companies), we got along really well. He treated me well and made sure I was taken care of within the company, and we had a lot of fun. So, anytime he has come to me with work opportunities, my first instinct is to jump on it because I know it would be a good opportunity.  The last couple of times have been after I decided to more or less quit working and stay home with my kids, so I am always faced with the decision of being home, or making more money. In the economy we have now and the uncertainty ahead, I'm always a little inclined to go back to work full time when the opportunity presents itself just for a good back up plan, but I have found that the Lord wants me where I am now. If Adam and I plan well and prepare and work hard, we have been able to overcome any financial/job related obstacles that have come our way since I quit working full time, and I feel like the blessings of being with my babies have far outweighed the struggles.  After basically telling Tony "thanks but I'm not looking to work more hours right now", I had time to think about it while I was out voting and running an errand.  I kept thinking how blessed I am that I have the perfect (very part time) job right now that pays well, is flexible and most of all I enjoy the work and the people.  On top of that, I have the ability to be home with my kids all day and play and learn with them, but then on top of that also, I have the opportunity for another great job! I have 3 things that a lot of people don't have!! I'm not sure how I got here, or how I deserve to be in such a good position in life that I can turn down something really good for something better, but I am grateful!!

When I got home from voting, Adam and I got the kids to bed and spent the evening watching the polls. I'll admit, for a long time I was very skeptical of Romney having a chance at winning, but then I became convinced that enough people could see how much better he could make things.  The last week or 2 though, I have talked with quite a few people who still felt like Obama was a better choice and my conviction wavered.  I was nervous last night, but still had high hopes that Romney would win. I was pretty crushed when I heard that Obama was winning.  I know that the Lord has a hand in all things and that this is only furthering his plan and bringing the 2nd coming closer, but I'm still not happy and am very concerned for the struggles my kids will have to face!  Right now, I'm just going to be grateful for the abundance of blessings in my life and do my best to keep on that path.