Birthday Girl!

We love birthdays around here, so we were very excited when Kennady's 3rd birthday rolled around. My parents came down and we went to lunch, opened presents, and had cupcakes that I made her. She was thrilled! After Cam got home from work, we went down to Salt Lake and ate pizza (Kenna's favorite) and let her pick out an animal at Build A Bear. Overall I would say it was a very successful birthday! We love Kennady so much! Her nick name is "Sassy" and it fits her so well. She is so funny and makes us laugh every day. If I say "I love my girl" she will tell me "No, I daddy's girl!" and that she is. Kennady is average in height and her weight. She and Hudson play so well together now and are the best of friends, and she also loves her baby brother Parker. We're so blessed to have her in our family. We love you Kenna!

 

SICK!

This year was a ROUGH one for us with sickness! We were fairly healthy until after the New Year, and then it hit hard! It started out with Cam getting Influenza, which then passed onto me and the kids. Luckily the kids and I caught it fast enough to get put on Tamiflu, so we recovered a lot faster than Cam. (He hacked for a month straight.) Once I got sick, my mom came and got Parker because if he got it we were going to be in big trouble. That was one of the hardest two days of my life! I felt so guilty not having him with me, but was so nervous about him getting sick. I'm so grateful we have family so close to help us out when we need it! We ended up with Influenza one more time, but just Hudson and Kennady got it that time, each kid got sick throwing up at least twice, including poor Parker, and Hudson and Kennady had several bouts with colds, croup, and fevers. (Kennady had to get steroids twice for her croup.) Hudson got so sick one Sunday that Cam took him to Instacare. He was lethargic and burning up, even after trying medicine. We called our Home Teacher over to help give him a blessing, and within minutes, he was up walking around again. It was a wonderful testimony building experience, and Hudson still talks about when Daddy gave him a blessing. I am so grateful for the Priesthood in my life! We literally didn't go a week through Jan, Feb, and March without someone being sick. The Dr's even started feeling bad for us! Luckily Parker did fairly well, especially considering how sick his two siblings were. He got a little stuffy, but I know we were so blessed that he didn't end up with the flu or RSV. I am really hoping we built up a lot of immunity this year so that it's not so bad this winter. Having sick children is extremely exhausting and hard for me! Bless Cam for picking up throw up several times (twice after being thrown up on in bed) and helping me out. I truly have a wonderful partner in parenting!

My dad took these when they had Parker. Marlie loved having a baby around!

Fun in the snow

We had a lot of fun playing in the snow this winter, and there was plenty of it! It will be interesting to see if the amount of snow we got is typical for where we are living. It seemed pretty intense, but we are fairly close to the mountains. We really enjoyed going to the sledding hill by my parent's house this year. The kids had so much fun with their cousins and could've played all day long. I enjoyed being outside when it was actually sunny and tried to take advantage of any vitamin D that I could get!

Christmas 2012

It was another busy, fun Christmas for us! I think they just keep getting better, and will, with the kids understanding more and getting excited. We went up to Cam's parents on Sunday (the 23rd) and had our party/program with them. We stayed the night, and then went over to my parent's on Monday. We helped get dinner ready and had a great time as always. I say it all the time, but the cousins seriously get along so well! It is so fun to watch them play together and build relationships. We went home that night, as Santa was coming to our new house for the first time and wanted to be there in the morning to see what he brought. We woke the kids up (crazy, I know!) and brought them to the basement. Hudson and Kennady were so excited about what Santa had brought them, along with what was there for Parker. We all took turns opening gifts after that and everyone was very happy with their gifts. After a nice, quick breakfast together, we got ready and headed back to Smithfield to be with Cam's family. The drive through the canyon was beautiful! It was very snowy, but with blue skies. We ended the night at my family's home and stayed the night there. The holidays are always a very busy time, but I try to remind myself that spending time with our families is what it's about. I know at some point our parents won't be here to share memories with, so we need to enjoy the time we have now. 

Kenna as an angel during our nativity reenactment 

CHRISTMAS MORNING! 

Kenna got a doll house from Santa!

 Parker just chilled out and was a happy camper

Hudson got super heros!

 I loved having a new baby at Christmastime!

 Parker got a play mat, and he loves it! 

Hudson helping Kennady put on her Cinderella slippers. He did this all on his own, and it was like the scene out of a movie. Love these sweet kids! 

Excited about dress up!

Edee painted us this pretty picture

Cam surprised me with this Jambox, so we can rock out to music in the house. Awesome gift!

Our pretty drive on the way to Grandma and Grandpa Hoyt's

Aunt Chelsey and Parker

Enjoying a great day!

Baby's First Christmas!

I love my adorable family! I had a wonderful Christmas with them! 

Temple Square

Going to Temple Square every year to see the lights is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. We didn't pick a very good night to go though, as it was SO crowded! I think because of all the snow and it being so cold everyone picked the same night, which was pretty decent. We were paranoid about losing Kennady or Hudson. It was still a good time though, and I'm glad we got to meet up with Cam's family!

Preparing for Christmas

It was so fun to decorate the house for Christmas! I put the tree up the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and the kids were so excited. It has definitely been a work in progress and I hope to be able to add more things that I want in the years to come. I did a few crafts that were way fun, but took a lot of time and money. (Hence why I don't look at Pinterest very much!) I was happy with how things turned out though, and love the warm, cozy feeling of our home. 

Cam and I were asked to portray Mary and Joseph at our ward Christmas party, with Parker playing Jesus. It was a really special morning for me. It feels so special to have a new baby at Christmastime, and this gave me an opportunity to really think about how Mary felt and about our Savior. It was the perfect way to feel the spirit of Christmas!

2 month stats

This little guy is such a good baby! He is starting to chunk up, and I love it! He is almost 12 pounds, which puts him in the 55th percentile for weight, and at 23 1/4 in, is in the 60th for his length. Parker is sleeping a lot better at night now, which is awesome for this mommy! He is now waking up just once early in the morning, around 4-6, and then goes back to sleep until 8 or 9. We got some medicine for his poor skin at his appointment, and it looks so much better after just one day! He is so smiley, and we love this happy boy!