Those are some proud parents!
My two favorite girls (besides Carissa)!!
One Proud Grandma!
Jack gives good hugs
Good little sleeper
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Meeting the Family
This is Adam writing this one. I figure I can make my blogging debut when children are born. I thought it would be okay to give you some more pictures (not swollen "I was just born" pictures) of Madelynn. So here are a few with family and a few of Madelynn's first glamour shots. Carissa will be back to her full time blogging job soon, and she can fill you in on all the labor stuff. Please to enjoy.
Jack gives good hugs
Jack gives good hugs
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
What a crazy week we've had
Our Christmas festivities started on Saturday when my sister Kelli and her family came to Cleveland for a few days before they flew out to Utah. Adam had just finished his written boards (YEAH!) so it was nice to have him home and able to hang out with us. We all drove to Kirtland and visited the Lake Farmpark there for their annual Country Lights. It was freezing cold and my weird son wouldn't wear his gloves or his hat, but the kids loved seeing Santa, all the amazing lights and animals and making a toy in the elves' workshop.
Don't let this picture fool you. Jack, even with his Santa obsession, wouldn't go near the guy without Adam holding him. Olivia asked Santa for... get this... a booster seat. 
Don't let this picture fool you either. He wanted to go on this pony so bad and then half way around the lap, he freaked out and Adam had to take him off. 
Olivia, on the other hand, is a pro at pony rides. She's my little cowgirl.
Jack could have stayed here all day. He loved looking at the trains and watching them go around and around. I'm just glad they were behind plate glass because he would have torn them apart.
Olivia had just started making her toy when the "Elf Dance" started. She was a little weirded out by it all. When I told her to dance, she would just look at me with wide eyes and shake her head.
Roman, Olivia and Hayden painting their toys. Olivia made a purple helicopter. It was very purple and took forever to dry. Thank goodness for the newspaper they provide for you to wrap up your toys. We asked Jack if he wanted to make a toy and he said no. He was having way too much fun in the play area (which was fine by me seeing that if Olivia made a mess with paint, I don't want to even think about what Jack would have looked like!)
On Friday, Adam took his mother to the church sites in Palmyra. They left at 7am and got home around 10:30pm. They had a lot of fun learning about the beginnings of the Mormon church and about Joseph Smith and the other Saints who sacrificed so much to bring the gospel to the world. While they were gone, the kids and I hit a couple of after-Christmas sales and they got Happy Meals for lunch, which is always a treat for them. We came home and played with their new toys all day until early bedtime, since neither of them took a nap for me.
Don't let this picture fool you. Jack, even with his Santa obsession, wouldn't go near the guy without Adam holding him. Olivia asked Santa for... get this... a booster seat. Don't let this picture fool you either. He wanted to go on this pony so bad and then half way around the lap, he freaked out and Adam had to take him off. Olivia, on the other hand, is a pro at pony rides. She's my little cowgirl.Jack could have stayed here all day. He loved looking at the trains and watching them go around and around. I'm just glad they were behind plate glass because he would have torn them apart.Olivia had just started making her toy when the "Elf Dance" started. She was a little weirded out by it all. When I told her to dance, she would just look at me with wide eyes and shake her head.Roman, Olivia and Hayden painting their toys. Olivia made a purple helicopter. It was very purple and took forever to dry. Thank goodness for the newspaper they provide for you to wrap up your toys. We asked Jack if he wanted to make a toy and he said no. He was having way too much fun in the play area (which was fine by me seeing that if Olivia made a mess with paint, I don't want to even think about what Jack would have looked like!)Kelli and her family left on Monday and then we welcomed my mother-in-law Sharon on Wednesday, Christmas Eve. We were so glad she made it in on time because she was flying in from Portland and the weather there was so bad that some people were waiting as long as 2-3 days for their flights. 
Santa dropped some presents off early for the kids. Of course, they were pajamas. The kids were so excited and had to put them on right away. Notice Jack's red face? He had a 103.8 temperature that night, up from the 102.4 he had the night before. He still had the fever all through Christmas and wouldn't eat much for those three days, but drank a ton. The fever left as soon as it came and I'm not sure what it was, but he was so clingy and cuddly that I kind of enjoyed it (secretly, of course).
Christmas morning was very laid back for us. We are used to the chaos of tons of family in one house, so it was weird for Christmas to be so quiet, but it was a nice change. Jack wasn't feeling well enough to actually open presents, but Olivia was more than happy to open his for him.
If you can't tell, Olivia was a little excited to get her booster seat from Santa. She also got a Disney Princess talking kitchen from Adam and I, as well as some "princess" make up and a Sleeping Beauty doll from Jack.
Jack and his Imaginext castle. He plays with this at his cousins' house all the time and we found it on a great deal, so we got it for him. He hasn't stopped playing with it since. He also got a dump truck and an animal hospital (it sounds weird, but he plays with it at our neighbors house and loves using the keys to "lock" the animals in their cages). The kids got a VMotion from VTech from Nana and Papa, and Olivia absolutely loves it. It's like a Wii for kids, but much more affordable and teaches her things like letters and healthy eating and colors. I really like it. 
Adam was a little excited to get a Nintendo DS in his stocking this year. We only got stocking presents for each other, but I figured that the DS fits into a stocking so it went in. He loves it and was really surprised. Adam cheated a little bit and got me a new Kitchenaid knife block (it does not exactly fit in my stocking) but it is awesome. We needed new knives very badly! My brother and sister-in-law also got us this awesome cutting board with two knives and they are really helpful when I need Adam to help out in the kitchen (thanks Kory and Ana Lee!). I love cooking and these new knives have already made my life so much easier.
On Friday, Adam took his mother to the church sites in Palmyra. They left at 7am and got home around 10:30pm. They had a lot of fun learning about the beginnings of the Mormon church and about Joseph Smith and the other Saints who sacrificed so much to bring the gospel to the world. While they were gone, the kids and I hit a couple of after-Christmas sales and they got Happy Meals for lunch, which is always a treat for them. We came home and played with their new toys all day until early bedtime, since neither of them took a nap for me.Today is also Adam's and my 7th wedding anniversary. My mother-in-law let Adam and I go on a date last night. We just went to Applebee's and got an appetizer and a dessert and had some one-on-one time. It was really nice to sit and talk without kids interrupting us. With a new baby coming, we didn't really have the time (or the energy) to do anything crazy. Can you believe we're going on seven years? It seems like time just flies by when we're having so much fun. I love you, Adam! I'm looking forward to the years ahead of us while we add more children to our family and move to greener pastures after dental school and I'm so excited to see where life takes us. You are such a sweet and caring husband and father and I couldn't have asked for more. Hey, and did you realize we'll be on a cruise for our anniversary next year?! How exciting!!!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
O (real) Christmas Tree
We went to the Whispering Pines tree farm on Saturday to pick out our first real Christmas tree. It was bitterly cold, but at least it was not snowing or raining. The kids were really excited to get taken to the trees because horses pulled us the whole way. Jack didn't even want to get off, and then when he did get off, he wandered away from us toward some smaller trees. I thought, Hey, what a cute picture that is! and snapped away. Little did I know I documented my son standing shin deep in a humongous puddle hidden by snow and ice.
Olivia put on her pink ornament and then decided she was too cold to continue, so she sat on the couch with her Trader Joe's kettle corn and watched me do the rest. Jack thought he was being helpful by taking the ornaments Adam was trying to put hooks on.
It was a fun experience, although it was really cold and Olivia kept asking where the farm was (we kept explaining that it was a tree farm and there were no animals). I think next year we'll have just as much fun decorating a fake tree in the warmth of our own home... or maybe we'll live somewhere that doesn't believe in snow (cross my fingers!) and then we'll get another real tree when I'm not freezing!
He was so mad! I felt bad for him because I knew it was about 28 degrees outside and we hadn't even looked at any trees yet. I carried him for a little bit and then we started seriously looking at trees so we could find one quickly before Jack started losing toes. We finally found one we thought would fit nicely in our house. It wasn't too tall but was round, which is what I wanted. I didn't want a skinny tree. Adam cut it down and we took it to the wagon to be carried back to the front, where they shook and baled it for us. Oh, and Jack also fell in a snow ditch on the way to the horses. He had a tough day! We went to the little cabin and got some free cocoa, but skipped out on the free hot dogs and smores because it was really busy and poor Jack was freezing, even indoors. We got to the car and took his socks and shoes off and his poor feet were red and ice cold so I held them while we drove and put his socks on the vent to dry off. 
After the kids took naps, we set up the tree. We had to cut a little more off once we got home because the trunk was curved a little and the tree kept falling over. Once we had it up, though, we decorated it with the ornaments (shatterproof ones!) the kids picked out at Target. They each put up one ornament and then decided they were done.
Olivia put on her pink ornament and then decided she was too cold to continue, so she sat on the couch with her Trader Joe's kettle corn and watched me do the rest. Jack thought he was being helpful by taking the ornaments Adam was trying to put hooks on.It was a fun experience, although it was really cold and Olivia kept asking where the farm was (we kept explaining that it was a tree farm and there were no animals). I think next year we'll have just as much fun decorating a fake tree in the warmth of our own home... or maybe we'll live somewhere that doesn't believe in snow (cross my fingers!) and then we'll get another real tree when I'm not freezing!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Trying to play catch up
We went to Thanksgiving in Toledo at my sister's house. It was a little chaotic with my family, her family and my parents all in my sister's house for four days, but it was still fun to see them all. We spent our days shopping, cooking and eating turkey. Oh, and we also spent our days keeping Jack out of their kitchen (they obviously need to invest in a lock for their pantry like we have!). I didn't get any pictures of Thanksgiving prep or dinner because I was so preoccupied with my mother and sister in the kitchen and by dinner I was so exhausted that my camera was the last thing on my mind! Just trust me when I say dinner was delicious!
Olivia was very spoiled to play Mario Party on the Gamecube with her Uncle Jeremiah and cousin Hayden. She always asks to play it at our house, and we have it, I'm just not nice enough to hook it all up and play with her.
Papa and Adam and I took the kids on Saturday to the park. It was freezing but sunny so we stayed until the kids hands were frozen and then left. I love this picture. That isn't wind in Olivia's hair, it's static.
Jack could swing all day if I let him. Papa has more patience than I do and pushed him until his heart's content. I would have taken him out after 10 minutes because I would have gotten so bored!
Olivia on the right, holding her friend Megan's hand. They sang a couple of Christmas songs. I really do believe that putting her in the Kirtland play this summer boosted her self-esteem. She is much more willing to go up on stage and in front of people now. I remember in April she was the reverent child in church, where she stands and folds her arms as an "example" before Sacrament meeting, and she just sobbed when she got up there and had to come back down because she was so scared to be up there by herself. Now she can dance and sing with the best of them!
See what I mean about being excited about the candy cane? This was taken moments after Santa handed it to her. My kids love sugar!
I have a few pictures that all look like this. Jack just staring at Santa and following him around. It was really cute how in love with Santa he was because he wouldn't get too close, but wouldn't let Santa get too far either.
Now this is what I call dedication. Adam was helping to clean the cultural hall after the party and the huge vacuum wouldn't start so he vacuumed with the little tiny one (ours at home is bigger!) and even got down on his hands and knees to scrub out some whipped cream. Olivia thought she would be helpful by climbing on Daddy while he cleaned (she and Jack also do this while I try to clean at home too).
Papa and Adam and I took the kids on Saturday to the park. It was freezing but sunny so we stayed until the kids hands were frozen and then left. I love this picture. That isn't wind in Olivia's hair, it's static.Jack could swing all day if I let him. Papa has more patience than I do and pushed him until his heart's content. I would have taken him out after 10 minutes because I would have gotten so bored!We also had our ward Christmas party this past Saturday. The kids had a lot of fun stealing rolls from the buffet table before dinner started and Olivia sang on the stage with the Primary. She was very proud of herself afterwards. The kids also got to see Santa when he came and handed out candy canes. I got some good pictures of Jack but none of Olivia with Santa since he didn't stop for picture opportunities. Olivia was satisfied with her candy cane and ran off to eat it with her friends while Jack made it easy to get a picture with Santa- he followed the guy around the whole time like Santa was a rock star. The kid loves himself some Santa!
Olivia on the right, holding her friend Megan's hand. They sang a couple of Christmas songs. I really do believe that putting her in the Kirtland play this summer boosted her self-esteem. She is much more willing to go up on stage and in front of people now. I remember in April she was the reverent child in church, where she stands and folds her arms as an "example" before Sacrament meeting, and she just sobbed when she got up there and had to come back down because she was so scared to be up there by herself. Now she can dance and sing with the best of them!See what I mean about being excited about the candy cane? This was taken moments after Santa handed it to her. My kids love sugar!I have a few pictures that all look like this. Jack just staring at Santa and following him around. It was really cute how in love with Santa he was because he wouldn't get too close, but wouldn't let Santa get too far either.Now this is what I call dedication. Adam was helping to clean the cultural hall after the party and the huge vacuum wouldn't start so he vacuumed with the little tiny one (ours at home is bigger!) and even got down on his hands and knees to scrub out some whipped cream. Olivia thought she would be helpful by climbing on Daddy while he cleaned (she and Jack also do this while I try to clean at home too).I had my 36 week check up today too. The baby is head down and every thing is looking good. I even had two contractions today, not like the ones that make you think "this baby is coming!" but the kind that make you not able to move or stand up and you think "oh yeah, I remember this kind of pain, but a little worse and much more frequent." My doctor said I would probably start feeling those since the baby is head down and my body already thinks it knows what it is supposed to be doing. I've been having really frequent Braxton Hicks all weekend too. My Group B Strep test came back positive too for the first time, which isn't a big deal, I just need antibiotics during labor. Other than that, we're in the last few weeks of this pregnancy and although it feels like it has lasted forever, it also feels like it has flown by way too fast and I am not feeling as prepared as I'd like to be. Adam and I are using our date night on Friday as a "get ready for the baby" night and getting some essentials (like diapers!) before this baby comes. We are still set to be induced on December 29. And no, we have not decided on a name yet.
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