SANTA

Everyone needs a picture like this, right?

needless to say Hayden was not a fan of Santa
but he was fine looking at him from a distance after he got that candy cane!

what a big boy!

This cute boy is now officially 18 months old! WHERE DID THE TIME GO?! He went to Nursery at church for the first time last Sunday and loved it! I checked on him after one hour and he was playing nicely and then when I came and got him an hour later he was still playing with the same toy! He was excited to see me when I came to get him but he didnt' really have a problem with me leaving him there. I'm sure it was all the excitement of the new toys, and our good friend Melissa is the nursery leader so that helped things too. He is wearing his cute Christmas outfit in this picture! I LOVE this little man!

2/3 down...1/3 to go!

I'm now in the third trimester of this pregnancy. Which is both great, crazy, scary, unbelievable, overwhelming and fabulous all at the same time! I was telling Josh that I can't believe it's the first part of December. Then it will be the first part of January and then the first of February and then we could have another baby! WOAH! Not that I thought this day wouldn't come, but for it to be so close around the corner makes me a little nervous. Nervous because I'm not sure how the whole two kids thing is going to work. How will Hayden react. How will we manage a newborn and a little guy under the age of 2 all at the same time. Will they both feel loved and get the attention they need? Even though people tell me love multiplies it does not divide when you have more kids, I can't imagine loving another the way I love and adore our little Hayden bug. There is also a lot that I still need and want to do before she comes. All of this being said we are really excited to meet her. To see if we make girls as cute as boys. To find out what her little personality will be like. To find out her name...we're still undecided. My mother in-law tells me that I shouldn't plan on having another baby that's as good as Hayden. So if we get anything less then a mellow, good eater, good sleeper, happy baby I'll know she cursed us! It's crazy and unbelievable that there are only 3 months left. I feel like this first part has flown by. I've been sick and I'm getting fatter and fatter everyday but it feels like with Hayden I was reading all things pregnancy and constantly worrying about everything I was eating and doing and how it was all affecting him. This time I think about her and I worry if I'm not eating as well as I should or if I'm throwing up a lot that she is not getting the nutrients that she needs, but for the most part I'm more worried about the end. Will she come early, or was that just a fluke? Will she be born perfect or will there be problems? Will they whisk her away to the NICU and make me worry about her 24/7? OR will things be like they are for almost everyone I know and go according to textbook?

In the beginning I was sick. Tired, throwing up almost everyday sometimes multiple times a day, or nauseous. Which was not fun, but I didn't gain a pound until I stopped throwing up at about 20 weeks. So there's no great loss, but there's some small gain! There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to my puking. It didn't seem to matter what I ate or when the only things that I could connect to it were if I went too long without eating or if I missed a giving myself a shot. {I give myself shots of Heparin 2x/per day to make my blood thinner due to a blood disorder I have called Protein S deficiency}

She sits way lower than Hayden did and I seemed to pop out a lot sooner this time than before. This could be a second kid thing or a boy vs. girl thing, who knows. By the end of the night I feel like I need to sit down or lay down, and some of the clothes that I wore until I was 7 months with Hayden have long ago been pushed to the other end of my closet.

Even though I complain about being uncomfortable and getting fatter I'm so grateful that things have gone smoothly up to this point. I'm grateful that we have the opportunity to be parents to another little one. It truly is a miracle, there are so many things that can go wrong and everything has to happen at just the right time for them to develop correctly. We are so excited to meet our little girl! I hope everything goes as well during this last 1/3 as it has so far!

It happened!

Today it snowed for the first time this winter. I heard it is the first time in 60 years that it has been so late in the season before any snow. I'm grateful though because once it comes it seems like it never leaves! We decided to go play in it! Hayden loved every minuet of it, and didn't want to come back in the house!

This is probably one of those you had to be there moments but I took a picture and laughed all the way down the street so I have to document it! We were walking past a house in our neighborhood and they had a huge Santa and baby Jesus in the manger sitting on their front porch blocking their front door. Josh saw it first and said "don't worry no one can get in your front door you have Santa AND Jesus blocking it!!" I laughed SO hard!!

Thanksgiving

This year we had a pretty laid back Thanksgiving. Even though we received a few offers for dinner we chose to do our own thing. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do the turkey. {I had a pretty HORRIBLE experience a few years ago} I was so proud of myself when everything turned out well! Hayden loved the whole meal but he's totally our son because I'm pretty sure his favorite part was the pumpkin pie and cool whip! It was so nice having Josh home from school for a few days. We are blessed with so many great things in our lives. I love that we have this time of year to reflect on all that we've been given.

The next morning I left my boys sleeping and was one of those crazies that hit the black Friday sales. I didn't really NEED anything I just had a couple wants and some "that's a good deal" things that I would pick up if I were given the opportunity. I only wanted to go to Walmart and Target. I started at Walmart. I got in line at 5:05am, thinking that I would miss all the crazy crazies that wanted the tv's and other electronics. At 6:25 I entered the store! I kept thinking that they would let us all in, but apparently after someone at a Walmart was trampled and killed last black friday they decided to have us all stand in line and let 20 people in, 20 people out. I didn't hear this until I was half way to the door, and by then I had made it so far I wasn't about to get out of line. Inside the store was pretty calm and I even walked right up to the register. I got some good deals, but I skipped Target and headed home after that experience. It was a bit much even for this seasoned black Friday shopper!

the past few days

the past few days have not been fun around here

Friday: I went to the outlet malls with some friends. While we were eating Hayden put WAY too much in his mouth at one time and choked. Literally face blue lips purple choked! SO scary! I grabbed him out of the high chair and had him bent over ready to do the heimlich when he started gagging, so I knew he was breathing then he threw up. Not so fun, but at least he's fine!

Saturday: Hayden's runny nose got worse and he got a NASTY cough! So he was super whiny and clingy. I love him to death but the whining was a bit much by the end of the day!

Sunday: Hayden was still sick and I was in so much pain I could barely walk. My hips and lower back were killing me! I could possibly be my sciatic nerve, but I'm not sure. Hayden just wanted to be held but I couldn't pick him up unless I was sitting down. Josh walked around the house for an hour holding and rocking Hayden while Hayden layed his head on Josh's shoulder...super cute! AND I got a sore throat, wonderful!

Monday: I felt WAY better. The pain in my hips and back was gone, but by the end of the night my throat was killing me! Hayden coughed so hard he woke up from his nap after 1 1/2 hours instead of 3. Poor guy!

Tuesday: My throat still hurts and my body is achy. Hayden still has a cough and runny nose but is running around playing. We had not been out of the house in 3 days and I was getting a little stir crazy! So we ran to Wegmans and Target to get a few last minute items and hit some sales. During which my aching body made me wonder why we had left the house at all!

WAH WAH! this too shall pass and I'm sure we'll be back to normal soon!

We Miss You!

Hayden often comes over to the pictures of our families and points...mostly to his Dada, but we go through everyone and try to say their names. We also do this anytime we are holding him in front of all the pictures on our fridge. We miss you guys!

Our BIG little boy right after his bath

BA-BA

Hayden is so funny every time I hold someone else's baby he comes over and points to me and says mama mama over and over like he's reminding everyone that I'm still his mama. He even sometimes wants to sit on my lap with the baby too. The other day we watched our friend's baby and Hayden was so intrigued with everything. The noises he made, his car seat, his bottle, everything. He was also very concerned when the baby cried. He gave the baby plenty of kisses on the forehead and even wanted to hold him! Things could be a little interesting when a baby comes to our house in a few months and doesn't leave but for now it's adorable!

Sleeping?

Hayden sleeps in some of the strangest positions. He often gets his legs stuck in the bars of his crib, but this was the wildest one we've seen yet! I'm not sure how he falls asleep!

26

My 26th birthday was great! I know I'm a year older but that means wiser too, right?! I'm so grateful for my family and friends that made my day special. I was showered with phone calls, texts, cards, presents, cake, flowers and the works! Thanks everyone!

Josh and Me before going out that night

I am in LOVE with my new present

It's my birthday and Christmas but Josh let me have it before Halloween when it arrived so that I could start using it! It's awesome!!

some of my friends took me out to the Cheesecake Factory for some yummy cheesecake

too funny not to share!

Hayden LOVES it when Josh plays little piggy's with his toes. His favorite part is the WEE WEE WEE at the end. He asks for more and more. My favorite part is at about 14 seconds when he notices that I have the camera. I was dying laughing but tried to control it since I was holding the camera!

sorry you have to turn your head I don't know how to rotate a video.

Fall

Here are a few of the things that we have been doing this fall

playing at the park

when I was getting all of our fall and halloween stuff out I put this witch hat on Hayden and he loved it! He would walk around the house putting it on and taking it off saying hat. It was too big so it would fall over his eyes but he thought that was funny. He's so much fun!

making and eating fruit loop necklaces

And of course playing in the leaves!

Halloween

This year for Halloween Hayden was a Ninja. Josh always told me that I needed to find a Ninja outfit for Hayden because he had one when he was little. So when I saw this one on sale last year I had to get it! Josh said it was excatly what he imagined!

Our cute little Ninja

Hayden and I went trick or treating at the mall with some of our friends for playgroup. Hayden was so cute! He walked to each table and handed them his ticket then they would put the candy in his bag and he would wait for them to hand the ticket back to him. It was so fun!

enjoying some candy

waiting with his friend Jason for his ice cream treat

some of the kids in our ward that were there with us
Madie, Hayden, Brielle, Dayton, Kadence, Tyson, Jason


On Halloween we decorated a Haunted House. It didn't exactly turn out like the picture on the box! The frosting kept running and none of the candy would stay in place. That night we went tick-or-treating to a few friends houses and our neighbors.

our lovely haunted house

Camilla & Hayden

Hayden Ninja fighting with his Dad. He thought it was so funny!

eyes, ears, mouth and nose

He did this perfectly until I pulled out the camera. I still think it's cute though!

Our Week

My week started out by going to the Melting Pot for dessert for my friend Natalie's birthday

Then Hayden and I went to the Pumpkin Farm for playgroup

{because i'm the smart mom that i am i did not take one single photo of Hayden with a pumpkin! I was so mad at myself! We even practiced saying pumpkin on the way out there!}

Hayden wasn't so sure about the goats at first but then after feeding them some corn out of his hand he wasn't so shy anymore




He loved playing on all the toys on the playground

His favorite part was probably the sand

Josh had a dental convention he had to go to on Thursday and Friday so Thursday we met him and some friends for lunch and on Friday he went late and we went to breakfast. I love days like these!

While waiting for our food Josh and Hayden ninja fought with their knives. Hayden thinks this game is so funny!

I was talking on the phone as I drove home from dropping Josh off at the convention. It is against the law in the state of NY to drive while talking on your cell phone without a hands free device...I knew this but I sometimes do it anyway...well a cop pulled up next to me honked and motioned for me to roll down my window. I immediately got off the phone. He said "Do you know what you are messing with there?! A $160 fine that keeps going up and 2 points on your drivers license. You need to fix that! I said OK, rolled up my window and sat next to him at the red light for 30 awkward seconds. Guess I'll go get a hands free ear piece!

Hayden being his silly little self.

He thinks it's fun to climb under the coffee table and over this bar.

Where The Wild Things Are

A few Saturdays ago we decided to take Hayden to the movie Where The Wild Things Are. For the first 30 minuets he was mesmerized and just snuggled into us. Then he got a little bored and we had to bring out every snack we brought and all the books and toys from my bag. He was doing pretty well until the boy in the movie decieded to scream and then Hayden thought it would be funny to scream too. After about 3 screams we got up and left. Maybe we'll try again in about a year! We had such a fun day of haging out and being together as a family!

NO!

Josh taught Hayden how to tell Teton no. He shakes his finger and everything. We think it's funny how Hayden says it with such passion!

ELMO

Hayden has a little bit of an obsession with watching Elmo clips on youtube. Everytime he sees Josh's laptop he wants to watch a movie. We occasionally let him because it's so cute to see him so intrigued and he snuggles right into us the whole time he's watching. For weeks we hvae been trying to get him to say Elmo, but he hasn't. Anyway the other day on our way home from picking Josh up from school Josh and I were talking and Josh said "It's been a while since Hayden has said any new words. We've been trying to get him to say Elmo forever." literally right after Josh got done saying this Hayden said, "ELMO" It was hilarious! It was like Hayden understood every word Josh was saying and he was like I'll show you Dad!

Later that night while in the bath tub brushing his teeth. He looked at his tooth brush, which has elmo on it, and said, "elMO"

now every time he sees Josh's laptop he says "ELMO"

Family Pictures

We had these family pictures taken in September. I love them!