Where to start?

I am so far behind I don't even know where to begin but there are a few things (dates) that I don't want to forget so I figure I will at least jot them down....

December 1- First day that I KNEW for sure what I was feeling was my little bun in the oven swimming around!

December 20- Found out that the little bun was all..... BOY!
We are super excited to meet this little man and Jack is over the top thrilled that it is a boy! Whenever we go anywhere he always wants to look at the baby stuff and begs to buy something for his baby brother! I hope his excitement over the new little one lasts at least until he gets here!

January 1- Got my first look at teenage years with my little missy! I didn't turn on the TV for her at the cabin right when she requested it so with hands on her hips and in her meanest voice she pointed at me and said " YOU...... STINKY..... PANTS." She then proceeded upstairs and woke up her Boppy who of course did just what she said and turned on the tv for her! She is a tad bit spoiled and had us laughing so hard!
That same day she decided she wanted to take a bath in the sink. There is no hot water at the cabin so we have to heat it all for her on the stove when we bathe her. Usually this results in a bath in about 2 inches of water but she still insisted on wearing the swim goggles! It was so funny to see her in the sink with 2 inches of water wearing her goggles and singing all kinds of songs. She has such a fun personality!

January 7-8- Ryan and I celebrated SEVEN years of marriage! I love that boy so much and I am so appreciative of all he does for our family. He is a great husband and an even better father. The kids are so lucky to have him and I am so thankful that he is so good to them! We spent the afternoon together shopping a bit and then went to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Nothing fancy but it was a great kid free afternoon spent with the one I love most. Later that night we returned home to find our poor cat had been hurt (intentionally by a mean neighbor) and we were going to have to put her down. It was a sad evening and Jack was really upset. It was hard to explain to him what was happening in a way that he could understand. Finally we settled on that Purzy was going to live with Jesus and he seemed to be okay with that! We had a love/hate relationship with Purzy but it was still so hard to see her in pain and have to make the choice to put her to sleep! We will miss you Purzy Paxman.... RIP! And, if I ever mention wanting to get another cat please someone knock some sense into me! So sad to say goodbye to our cat but so happy to say goodbye to having to have a litter box!!

January 12-19 - Took a fabulous vacation with friends to Hawaii! So much fun and so thankful to Ryan and Grandma Nette for making my trip possible. I was worried how the week would go but surprisingly they all did just fine without me! Guess I need to do less around here because now I know they are capable! ;) I will post pictures sometime in the hopefully near future!

January 21- Started potty training Ella and let me tell you she has done AMAZING! I think holding out this long was good for her because now she just "gets it" whereas when I tried a few months ago she just didn't. "fingers crossed" No poop accidents and only one pee accident in 3 days! So far SOOOO good! She is amazing and we love her so much!

I decided I am not sending Jack to Kindergarten in the Fall even though he is technically old enough by 10 days. After much contemplation, talking to teachers and really weighing out the pros and cons I hope I have made the right decision. Now I just need to find him some kind of preschool for the next year and hope he enjoys it! I hope in the long run that we have made the right choice but I guess you never know if the decision you made is the best but it is what we feel like will be the best for HIM!

Can't believe I only have less than 15 weeks until the little one gets here! (He so needs a name... if you have any good suggestions please send them this way.) Ryan has recently taken up calling him Aldo... a slight improvement from Maynard and Jimmer but not much! So I need to come up with something better than Aldo soon or we may be welcoming Aldo Paxman into the family soon! (don't worry- not really!) I am trying not to complain and trying to enjoy this pregnancy but it has been hard. Harder than the other 2 by far. I feel like I am being slowly drained of EVERY ounce of energy I had! Hence no blogging because a nap sounds so much more enjoyable every afternoon while the kids sleep! It has been a lifesaver that my kids still nap so that I have been able to as well. My house is a disaster, the thought of cooking meat makes me sick and bending over is already getting hard.... needless to say we have eaten out a bit and luckily Ryan doesn't complain that the house is usually far from tidy. Hopefully soon that "nesting" feeling will kick in and my house and family will benefit from it!

Not nearly all the happenings from the Paxman household this month but I guess it is better than not getting anything written down! Just wanted to add that we are so blessed in so many ways and I am so thankful for everyone and everything I have in my life! Sometimes I forget to stop and think about what I do have rather than what I don't have!

Christmas 2011

To start off the Christmas Season we made a quick trip to Cabela's to catch up with good old Santa Claus. Nothing like sitting in Santa's lap surrounded by dead stuffed animals to bring on the holiday spirit! Actually it's great, they give you a picture for free and there is hardly a line. A win win if you ask me. Ella cried all the way up until it was time for me to plop her on his lap and then she was all smiles! Guess she didn't want him to see her being naughty! Jack was a big talker clear up until we got to see him and then he clammed right up and I could tell he was really nervous! He was a fantastic Santa and we can't wait to go see him next year!

We spent an evening decorating Gingerbread houses with the Frisby family and the kids had so much fun! I anticipated we would be the first ones done and out the door because my kids suffer from a lack of attention span. I was so shocked when we were the last ones there and that Jack had worked so hard on his house. I don't think he could have added anything else even if he had wanted to. His was complete with a wood stack, mailbox and the north and south poles. He had so much fun and Ella was just content eating all the candy and icing and playing with the toys. We will have to do this one again next year because they had so so so much fun! I feel hesitant to throw the finished product away because he had such a good time making it and did such a great job! But alas, tomorrow it will be going in the garbage!

(notice Ella's mouth full of candy in this one while Grandma does all the work!)

I am blaming it on being pregnant and tired but we didn't "make" one sugar cookie this holiday season. I decided at the last minute that we HAD to decorate some so I bought some for the kids to decorate from the local grocery store. They didn't seem to mind and loved eating all the frosting and sprinkles they could get their hands on. I have to admit we may take the easy route again last year... the cleanup was a breeze and I think the kids had just as much fun!

These were just a start to all the fun things we did before Christmas and I am hoping I get back around to blogging about the rest of them before NEXT Christmas gets here!

Charlie Brown Christmas

This year we decided to cut down our own Christmas tree. Let's just say it was an experience and I finally just said "fine" to the tree Ryan and Jack picked. And as suspected when I saw it in the forest it turned out to be a "charlie brown" Christmas tree. Jack couldn't have been prouder though and told everyone he could that he had the most beautiful tree and that he cut it down by himself. He was so cute that I might even consent to cutting down another "beautiful" tree next year instead of using my really beautiful, fully lit, symmetrical tree that spent the holiday season in the box in the attic! And no, the pictures don't lie- it was crooked and leaned to the right for the entire Christmas season. I can't believe I am admitting this but I may just be a tad bit sad to take it down tomorrow!

Naughty or Nice

My poor little boy is scared.... oh so scared. No, not of Santa but of being on the Naughty List!

This is what I posted on Facebook yesterday....

Jack just told me he keeps having bad dreams. I asked him why and he said "because I feel like I am on the naughty list." I said why bud? and he said " because I am naughty!!"

He then proceeded to cry... really cry.... the snot running down his nose kind of cry because he is so scared he won't get anything for Christmas. I then had to tell him that he for sure was on the NICE list and that I was sure that Santa would bring him lots of presents.... I guess I am not using that threat anymore this year. Poor kid is going to have an ulcer from worrying about it so much! So now after everything naughty that he does he always says to me.... " But I am still on the Nice list... right Mom??"

Funnies

Just a few funny things I don't want to forget.....

Ella saw an employee at a store the other day who wears an eye patch. Of course she was sure he was a pirate and every time we saw him she was sure to tell him ARRRGGGHHHH.... Matey. Luckily I don't think he ever caught onto what she was saying!

Jack was having one of his fits the other night about having to go to bed. When it was all done and Ryan was tucking him in he wanted to make sure that his Dad told Santa and the Elves that the fit was just an accident and he hopes he gets some presents! Guess that threat is working... somewhat!

Ella was hanging off a chair the other day and screaming something over and over. I had no idea what she was saying so I was just ignoring her. Finally Ryan said "do you know what she is saying?" He then proceeded to tell me that she was yelling "Ayudame" which I now know in Spanish means HELP ME! She was needing help off the chair but unfortunately for her I only speak English! She is learning far too much from her friend Dora the Explorer!

We are always discussing what we are naming the baby and Jack always likes to give his opinions. Jacks current pick for a name for the new baby..... Christmas Tree. Ryan is still trying to convince me Maynard is the best pick and always suggests it! Grandma Rosie and Jack were discussing names and she likes Sylvia so Jack suggested to her that when the baby comes out to hurry and say "hi Sylvia" before Ryan has a chance to say "hi Maynard." Apparently to him whatever name gets said first is what it's going to be. By the way... don't worry.... it's not going to be Sylvia, Maynard, or Christmas Tree.

Today we were at Carl's Jr. and I was letting the kids play. A sweet little boy came over and asked Ella what her name was with which she promptly replied "pinecone."

I have no idea where these two little personalities came from but they are always full of it!

Labor Day 2011

(LONG STORY but stick it out... I swear there is a purpose!) Let's back up just a bit because I haven't blogged about a very important weekend yet! Labor Day weekend the kids and I headed to the cabin to meet Grandma Rosie. I think Ryan went hunting or something... Just a guess!:) We were having a great time and had headed to the City of Rocks to show Jack for the first time. We packed a picnic and had a fabulous time eating and climbing the rocks. We packed up and were going to head out to go swimming at the hot springs when we got a few miles down the road Ella proclaimed "MOM, I've got poop on my fingers!" While driving I turned around looked and screamed... oh my gosh she really does. I immediately pulled over and began to clean up her blowout that was everywhere! Carseat was pooped, she was pooped, EVERYTHING was pooped. If you can imagine I pretty much used every wipe and cleaning utensil I could find. Once she was clothed again we headed out back towards the cabin. We got about 10 miles down the road when she now proclaims "Grandma, I sick." I once again turn around to find her completely covered in Puke! EVERYWHERE, oh my..... it was all over everything including in my purse. Great.... puke in my purse.... And if you recall I had already used every wipe I had! Luckily we had planned on going swimming so I had a couple of towels in the car that I managed to clean up the best I could admidst me gagging every second and cursing Ryan under my breath for not being here to help me! Luckily for my mother and for the emergency kit Grandma Annette had made us I was able to get it under control enough to resume our trip to the cabin. Once there I began scrubbing everything, the car, the carseat, my purse (which I finally just threw away along with the towels and everything else we had used!) After I got it all under control I started not feeling well.... I just knew I had what she had. I spent most of the rest of the weekend on the couch nauseated and sick. Luckily my mom took care of everything and I was able to just lay dying on the couch. I did muster up some energy to attempt to make them a hot dog... which lead to dry heaving and me immediately returning to the couch. At this point I knew something was up.... do you get where this is heading? Still feeling miserable I loaded up the kids for the drive home... all the while praying I would have no poop or puke to deal with on the 3 hour ride by myself! Once I was home and Ryan arrived home I'm pretty sure I gave him my sob story of how terrible the weekend was and how sick I was and then I broke the news to him that I thought we might need to go and buy one of these....

Turns out it wasn't the flu after all! It was POSITIVE! We are excited to be welcoming the last member of our little family in May. (I know that was a long story building up to this but hopefully you stuck through it!) We are happy. Grateful. And excited! Not to mention scared. Nervous and hopefully ready for this adventure!

We knew we wanted to have one more little one and apparently the time was right for it to happen. Jack is over the top thrilled and pulling for a boy - Ella has no idea what's going on but I'm sure she will be a great and helpful mommy when the new little one actually arrives!

13 weeks along and feeling MUCH bigger than either one of my pregnancies so far! This can't be a good sign!

Here's to our soon-to-be family of 5! Cheers!

The BIG day!

Finally the big day had arrived and boy was Jack ever excited! First thing that morning they had a party at Pre-school so he was on a sugar high right as the day started. I finally convinced him to take a nap because I told him he would need his energy to go to LOTS of houses! At 3 I headed over to the local car dealership with kids to do some Trunk or Treating. I had never been before or heard about it but just saw a sign a couple of days ago! IT WAS GREAT! Luckily we got there just as it started because before long there were probably more than 100 people in line. Local business (In n' Out, Olive Garden, Chick-Fil-A) were there giving out free coupons for things at their business along with tons of candy! In a matter of minutes they already had a good stash and had tons of fun getting it! Before long Dad was finally home and we were able to head out! Aunt Jenny and Aunt Julie surprised us with a visit and the kids had fun taking them trick or treating. It was such a BEAUTIFUL night and the weather was great so we let them pretty much trick or treat the whole neighborhood and they could have done more! It was so fun watching them and hearing Jack tell them random things like " I like your pumpkins." He was so polite and it was fun watching him act like such a big boy!

Little Miss Sassy Pants and her bad moods..... (she cracks me up!)

We carved pumpkins a couple nights before in preparation of the big night. They were such great helpers!

Jack adores his Dad and it is so cute to see them work together!

And she kind of likes him too..... when she's in a good mood!

And here they are with their final loot! More candy than these kids could EVER need. Good thing Jack already decided he was rationing it and they can only have 2 pieces a day. He doesn't want to run out!
Holidays are so much fun when you have little ones to spend it with!

Listen Party 2011

We were very busy going from party to party for a whole week before Halloween. Friday afternoon we were at Ryan's company Halloween Party. The kids had fun decorating a trick or treat bag and then getting candy from all the employees. Company parties are always extra fun for these kiddos because that means Grandma and Grandpa are also there!

Ella did not like the spider Grandma had placed in her hair and worked hard to try and convince her to take it out!

Our little Pirate Captain was very eager to pose this year so I have tons of cute pictures of him!

After all of these parties Jack's costume was filthy! At each party he spilled something new on it and I was just crossing my fingers that it lasted til Halloween. I am going to try and hand wash it but I think this costume definitely got its use this year!

Rosie's Annual Halloween Bash

Once again Grandma Rosie started off the Halloween season with a bang. She had her annual Halloween party and as always we had tons of fun. Every year we say we aren't going to put as much work into it but every year we do it all over again! The kids spend the morning carving pumpkins with Ryan and trying hard not to ask every five minutes how much longer until the party! Even though we worked very hard to not make anything scary Ella still did not enjoy the party one bit. After eating about 5 cupcakes and me catching her chewing up the olives on the platter and then spitting them back in (I was mortified) she convinced Boppy to take her back into the house to play. She wanted nothing to do with the party and games we had planned. Good thing Grampy is a good sport and missed the whole party to sit inside and play Winnie the Pooh with her!
Here she is the few seconds she actually attended the party! Jack dominating the donut eating competition. He anxiously awaits this every year!

I'm not sure what is going on here but I love their faces!

The family... I was a police woman and Ryan was my convict! I love Ella's face (scowl) in this picture! Oh she is sassy!

Jack loved everything about the party and the minute it was over he wanted to know how much longer until we would have another one. And the countdown begins....

City of Rocks and Pinenut Pickin

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and head to the cabin one last time. Ryan wanted to pick some more pinenuts but Rosie and I insisted he was too late in the season. BOY were we wrong! He spent the whole weekend there picking them and came home with several garbage bags full! Jack loved "working" with his dad all weekend while Ella didn't enjoy it so much. She mostly just bawled about wanting to go back to "boppy's" house to watch a show. Overall we had tons of fun enjoying our last warm weekend of the year!

Can you spot waldo in the rocks?

They are so lucky to have such wonderful Grandma's that spoil them rotten!

She was mad and wouldn't walk any further so she plopped down in the path and pouted..... a common theme for Miss Ella.

Afterward we headed to the Almo Outpost for delicious dinner and dancing. It was too cute and I am sad I didn't get a picture but the famous "JR" was at the outpost performing that night and Ella kept the dance floor hot. The funny part was that she had ripped out the whole bottom of her pants on the rocks so her diaper was hanging out the back and she didn't mind.... she just kept getting jiggy! I on the other hand was a tad embarrassed because we all looked filthy! I even had to beg the waitress for several pats of butter because Ryan had so much pine sap on his hands he was sticking to everything. The butter worked like a charm to get it off! And to finish the day we headed over to the hot springs for a quick dip (and a bath!)

It was a wonderful weekend and I love spending time away with my family!