A few faves...

So I get so behind on blogging that I get discouraged posting anything at all. I don't have/make time to download my pics, to edit them, the upload them, yaddi, yaddi, yadda....but finally did. I decided to just post them without editing any of them. Get over it. 

Luke's trying to bring back the mullet. Nothin' like a little business on top and party in the back.  We think it's hilarious. 

 

Definitely cuter from the front. :)

 Here are Luke's two little bottom teeth, which broke through around 4 1/2 months!  We were definitely not expecting that!

Sienna is the queen of dress ups.  Definitely not one of her best pictures, she looks a little drunk. :)

 Luke is loving the exersaucer these days.  It totally keeps him entertained and happy.

 Sienna loves her little "Lukey, scmooky, pooky, boo boo...". She loves to hold him, snuggle with him, read to him. She's such a good big sister.  She loves him to pieces.

 This is to document Luke's eczema  There are times this kid wakes up looking like he slept in a lion's den.  No matter how often or carefully I cut his nails, he manages to find ways to scratch.  Poor little guy. It's definitely gotten lots better since we started using cortisone and aquaphor. 

 He's now almost 5 months old! We just started rice cereal. He likes sitting in the bumbo, but is not sure about the rice cereal.

 This is my happy little guy. He really is such a sweet natured baby.  Can't get enough of this boy!

Sienna had a little friend over the other night and they were in their pj's, with dress-ups over them and wearing sun glasses as they watched "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". She is such a fun, spunky little thing, never lacking in personality!

Sienna-isms

There are so many things Sienna says that I don't want to forget. I need to be better at writing them all down.

The other night Sienna and I were telling secrets (like "I love you to the moon and back!) and she whispered in my ear "I'm so happy that we get to be together ALL the time."  Then she followed it up with "Don't tell dad!".  Since she is such a daddy's girl, it's nice to know that she actually does like me, at least some of the time! :)

She's been getting all tongue twisted when she tries to say "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."  Tonight she said "Sleepy night tight." 

I love that Sienna still says "Sorget," instead of Forget.

Oh, and tonight she said "Dad, Luke is a baby rock star."  Not sure where that came from.  She's always keep us laughing!

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Don't be scared by the name of the recipe. I promise, it's super tasty!  You wouldn't even guess that it has pumpkin in it. It's very hearty and it's healthy!  We had it tonight with corn bread and it was perfect!

Black Bean & Pumpkin Chili

1 Medium Onion

1 Yellow Bell Pepper

3 Garlic cloves minced

3 C chicken broth

2 cans black beans - rinsed and drained

1 lb ground turkey

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

2 tsp. parsley

2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. oregano 

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

 

Saute meat, onions, and bell pepper until cooked.  Add garlic and spices and cook. *  Add everything together and simmer for 15-20 mins. (*You can also transfer to a 5 quart slow cooker, stir in remaining ingredients, cover and cook on low for 4 hours)

 

Luke is 4 1/2 months old!

Guess who rolled over today?  Yep. Luke is 4 1/2 month old now. Time flies, huh? He is such a mellow, happy baby. Well, most of the time. He definitely has his moments where he tests out his lungs to make sure they work well.  Generally speaking, he is a very happy, easy going baby. He sleeps through the night and most mornings I find him laying in his crib, cooing and smiling up at me. 

He does have some eczema, which is no fun. He is usually covered with scratch marks, since his skin is so itchy. We've started covering him head-to-toe with aquaphor and then covering his red spots/the areas that itch with some mild cortisone cream, which has done a world of good for him.  I just can't seem to keep his finger nails short enough!  He still manages to find some little corner that he can gouge his face with.  Poor little guy.

As you can see, he has turned into quite the little thumb sucker. We have tried to turn him onto the binkie, but he's just not nearly as much of a fan as he is with his thumb. I have to admit, it's super cute and super convenient. I just know I won't feel the same when he's 5 years old (which was me!).  He loves this play mat. Seriously it's like Disneyland for the kid.  He gets all tuckered out from playing so hard. 

Sienna is three years old and the best sister in the world. She couldn't love this kid more. Anytime he is around she's climbing all around him, loving, hugging, holding, practically suffocating the poor little guy. She's hilarious. We need to get more of it on video. She'll get right in his face, so intensely, and say "Hi, little guy.  Hi there, little Lukey, mookey, pookey....my little boo, boo, my goo, goo."  So, now she calls him her "Goo Goo" and says to him, "You're so cutie." 

I find it so interesting that Sienna did great for the first 2 months, but then the last couple of months she has really struggled. Anytime I'm feeding Luke she wants to sit on my lap, or wants me to hold her. She will stand in the doorway of her room, completely melting down, saying that her legs don't work.  I try to be patient and show her lots of love, since I know her world has gotten completely rocked, but, man, it's tough. She really tries my patience these days.  She adores Dan.  She can't get enough of him, totally prefers him to me.  I'll be honest, there are times when it's super convenient, but most of the time it's just annoying.  You just can't take it personally, but sometimes it's just frustrating when you think of the fact that you were the one who suffered through the pregnancy, gave birth to them, watch them all day, every day and care for all their needs, and then you're really just chopped liver.  But then there are moments where she is the sweetest thing ever, and turn to me and say, "Mom, I just love you so much." or "Mom, you're so pretty." 

She says the funniest things.  She knows I hate Max and Ruby, so she'll always ask me, "Mom, do you like Max and Ruby?" and I'll say no. The other day she asked me and then said, "Well, dad does. A little bit."  Then she's laying on the couch and says, "Mom, Ruby has lots of great ideas."  I don't know what she's talking about, since I think it's the least creative, most boring cartoon out there.

The other day Dan was shaving and asked her if she liked his goatie and she said, "Nope. It has too much texture."  What 3 year old says something like that? The girl cracks us up!"

"Mom, see? That is what my tummy likes...when I eat french fries, it makes me healthy and strong." Hm...not sure where she heard that french fries makes you healthy...

For over a month we've had this Sleeping Beauty princess dress and shoes picked out for Sienna's halloween costume, then a few days before Halloween she told me she wanted to be a superhero princess. Sweet.  And I could be a rainbow and Luke could be a little cloud.  Oh, and Dan could be a superhero like her and grandma could be a butterfly.  You gotta give it to her for creativity!  Luckily my neighbor saved the day and let us borrow her Supergirl costume, which was super cute. And, no, I was not a rainbow.

She is still quite the little hoarder and carries around bags, purses and buckets filled with anything and everything she can pack into them.  She also loves her stuffed animals. Dan's parents gaver her one of their stuffed animals to look after while they are on their mission. She loves her black doggie "Cola". 

We started a joy school with a few friends in the neighborhood and she loves going to "school" and thinks she is such a big girl. She loves, loves, loves books and really likes to learn. I hope she always has a love for learning.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

This is a yummy soup, so I thought I'd pass it along! It sounds a little weird, but the flavors are sooo good. Trust me.  Enjoy! :)

Pumpkin Curry Soup

2 c. canned pumpkin
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 cups of water (you can also add 1-2 extra cups of water, which is what I did and I liked the consistency/flavor)
6 small chicken bouillon cubes (or 3 large cubes)
2 cups half and half
2-3 chicken breasts, seasoned, baked and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp curry
1 pinch nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 to 3 cups cooked rice

In large saucepan, melt butter. Saute onion and garlic until tender.  Add everything else except the half and half and the rice.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add rice and half-and-half at the end and heat through.  Add any additional seasonings (Salt, pepper, curry, etc...). It is very filling and serves about 6. Makes make great leftovers!

Luke Newborn pics

My friend Emily VanDyke is an incredible photographer and as a baby gift gave me a newborn photo shoot.  She took these fantastic baby pics of our little guy. I'm in love with this first one...and the next one, oh, and the last one...Ok, I love them all!  Thanks, Em. You are the best!!! 

Don't want to forget....

Our little Sienna has turned into quite the creative little thing.  She has an incredible imagination (and memory) and is totally into story telling these days.  She has lots of imaginary friends, including a dragon who lives downstairs.  She has names for all her friends/dolls/animals.  It's hilarious because she makes up these names that I've never heard of.  I've jotted down just a few of them--Kika, Asha, Shalla (her baby doll), Shamdem (her bear), Shassa (her duck), Alla, Anna, Buffola, Zulee....  Where did this kid come from?  She's so funny.

Here's a few funny things she has said recently.....
-"I was a superhero when I was two years old."
-"When I'm a superhero I lift heavy things over walls."
-"Mom, I sorgot to tell you somesing" (sorgot is forgot)
-"Mom, will you say sorry to me?"  "Why do I need to say sorry to you?" "Because you hurt my feelings." (I get this just about every day. She's a little drama queen).  "How did I hurt your feelings?" "Because you put a baby diaper on me."  (She thinks she's a big girl when she wears a pull up).

Sienna has adjusted so much better than I anticipated since we came home from the hospital.  She just can't get enough of Luke and is such a good big sister.  She is now sleeping in her "big girl" bed and has stayed in bed every night since we put her in it. She even still takes her naps, so we are grateful.  I've heard so many horror stories about transitioning from the crib to the bed, but so far, so good!  She is a great little helper and loves giving Luke hugs and kisses.  She'll say, "Mom, Luke wants to hold me."   It's so cute.   She's really sweet and tender with him.

Introducing Lucas "Luke" Daniel Dixon

Lucas "Luke" Daniel Dixon 

Born June 20th, 2011 5:40 p.m. 

American Fork Hospital

I'll post more details and pics later, but here's some of my favorites that my good friend Emily Van Dyke took while we were still in the hospital.  I love them!  (Nevermind the fact that I'm still in my hospital gown looking ever so hot!)

Tomorrow's the big day!

6/19/2011
I'm getting induced tomorrow. It's crazy to know exactly when this baby is coming.  I can't wait to meet this little guy!  It's so crazy to me how different each of my pregnancies has been.  This time  week 4-26 were so incredibly miserable for me, with no relief from the morning-noon-and-night sickness, but then the last couple of months have been so much better than my last pregnancy.  With Sienna I had such bad ligament pain (which started at week 19, right as the morning sickness ended) that it hurt just to walk, and that lasted until I delivered. I also had horrible back pain and had to see a chiropractor every week for the last several months of my pregnancy.  I probably could have stood to go to the chiropractor the last couple of weeks, but this time it's been much more bearable.  And really it's only been the last couple of weeks that I've gotten really uncomfortable. Now I feel the stabbing ligament pains and feel like this kiddo is going to fall out of me when I walk, but I'm grateful it's only lasted a couple of weeks this time around.  I guess the trade off has been being diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  I didn't have it with Sienna, but this pregnancy 2 out of the 4 glucose tests came out 7 points above normal, so they treated me for gestational diabetes.  I've had to be super careful with my diet, balancing my carbs evenly throughout the day and have had to check my blood sugar 4 times a day.  I am grateful that I have been able to maintain normal blood sugars with just diet and exercise and didn't have to take any pills or insulin.  It was super daunting when I was first diagnosed.  I read the risk factors associated with gestational diabetes--preclampsia, premature baby, stillborn baby, having diabetes later in life, baby having diabetes, 9+ pound baby.  Pretty scary list.  But my dietician and doctors were  quick to reassure me that if I was really careful and able to keep my blood sugars within the normal range, then all those risks go away and I'm at the same risk as anyone else. I've had to check my blood sugar (finger prick and all) four times a day for the last few months, and have  been able to keep my blood sugars under control, which hopefully means we will have a healthy baby boy!  And hopefully once this baby comes life will go back to normal!   Stay tuned!

My friend Jen over at icandy homemade has made the most adorable little Fancy Nancy dress for her daughter and is hosting a Fancy Nancy Book Give-away on her blog. They have the cutest crafts/ideas on their blog (and always make me feel super untalented!). Check it out....

http://icandyhandmade.blogspot.com/2011/03/tutorial-giveaway-fancy-nancy-dress.html

Pregnancy update and Sienna-isms

So, week 26 and I'm finally back to the land of the living--just in time to enter the 3rd trimester, the huge and uncomfortable stage. I still can't believe that the "morning(noon and night)" sickness lasted for so long-- around week 23ish.  And since it started so early this time, it was like having the flu for nearly 5 months. Blah! I'm SOOOO glad that stage is over. I'll take any amount of heartburn, sleepless nights or labor over the nausea any day.  I don't know how women do it, when they are sick the entire time. I don't think I'd ever get pregnant again!

I'm just so grateful to feel like I can function again.  I never thought I'd appreciate cooking and cleaning so much, or brushing my teeth and opening the fridge without dry-heaving.  One thing I've been totally avoiding while being sick is potty training my little Sienna.  So, now I feel like I don't have an excuse and today is number 2.  Definitely not my favorite thing in the world, not gonna lie.  That's a whole different post on its own. (I wish it looked as fun as this picture makes it seem, but it's very, very deceiving...)

Sienna is 2 1/2 and such a little character these days.  She is definitely a strong-willed, spunky little thing.  The other day she turned to me and said "Mom, you're driving me CRAZY!"  I have no idea where she got that from, I'm sure I've never said those words before. ;)  I can totally see what people mean when they say that it's not terrible two's, it's the three's that's the toughest. It seems like the closer she gets to three, the harder she gets.  She is certainly a little drama queen, and the tantrums are starting to become more frequent.  But it's a trade off, because she's also more fun now. She cracks me up.  She's always been a good talker, but now it's really fun to hear the things she comes up with and the way she puts sentences together.  And it's fun to see her get so excited about things.  I love feeling like we can do things together as a family that we will all enjoy.

My little drama queen.

*This is her sobbing uncontrollably because her puppy Coconuts was left in Dan's car and wouldn't be home for 5 whole mins.  "I just miss him SO much."

A little Sienna update......

She wanted us to do magic, so she gave Dan a magic wand (a pen) and told him to turn her into a "callepiller".  He was doing it incorrectly, so she gave him specific instructions how to say "abbadabba" and "bippity boppity boo".  Which he did. She dropped to the ground and started crawling on the ground saying "worm, worm, worm," which is apparently the sound that a "callepillar" makes.  Who knew?

She's been saying words like precious and wonderful to describe everything lately.  I love hearing it. Yet, she hates being called anything other than Sienna.  If I call her sweetie or my girl, she'll say, "NO! I'm Sienna."

She's still a little pint-size thing. Two and a half and a whopping 27 lbs!  I said to her the other day that she has a cute little bum and she said, "NO! I have a BIG bum!"  Since she's a "big girl," apparently everything has to be big!  I'm thinking, girl, you better appreciate it while you can!  It may not always be little, so enjoy it now.  She's definitely in the "I can do everything by myself" stage and wants to do all sorts of things that she can't do by herself. Great that she wants to be so independent, but super frustrating for her not-so-patient mom.

One of my new favorite words she has come up with is "spreckle".   She discovered a "spreckle" (aka freckle) on her leg and was so fascinated.  Now she points out all the "spreckles" she sees on anyone.

So, I may or may not have a little road rage.  Well, when I was kindly talking to a couple of other drivers who were acting like idiots on the road, Sienna pipes up from the back seat "Mom, you can't talk to them".  "Why can't I talk to them?"  "Because they are cars, they can't hear you." 


She loves watching her "shows"--Mickey Mouse and Dora the Explorer are still her favorites.  She also loves Bolt, Toy Story, Happy Feet and anything with a princess.  She loves playing dress-ups and making food in her kitchen.  Dan and I both think Sien may have a hoarding problem--she will shove anything and everything she can find into buckets, purses, etc...and just carry them from room to room.  She'll have 4 different purses jam-packed full of things that she'll lug around with her. She's also obsessed with rocks.  She loves collecting them.  I love it when I discover that she's found some new rocks, because they turn up in the washer or dryer.

Sienna is a very social girl, very friendly and always wants to be playing with friends. She is obsessed with her friends (twins) Addy and Emery and talks about them every day.  They love going to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point.

A book lover, Sienna wants us to read her books all the time and she is just starting to discover the art of story telling.  Typically her stories start out "One upon a time" and include a princess (Sienna, of course), a river, a castle, a witch and a mean, scary dragon.

She's still a crazy picky eater, and refuses to eat "table food" and any kind of meat but at least she'll eat tons of fruits/vegetables/dairy, so it's hard to complain too much. Broccoli and apples are her favorite foods of choice these days.  It's just frustrating to be giving a 2 1/2 year old finger food all the time, rather than the dinner that I make. (I know many moms go through this...) But, seriously, what child refuses to eat mac-n-cheese, pizza, ramen noodles, chicken nuggets?  Meal time is pretty exhausting with Sienna, since we have to turn everything into a game to make her eat.  "I'm gonna eat that!" or "Show us how you take a big dinosaur bite".  It gets really old, really fast.  But at least she's staying on the same growth curve, so her pediatrician isn't too worried and said she'll just grow out of the phase eventually.

She's always loved all things girly, which means she also loves going shopping.  She calls every store, the "shopping store" and would love it if I took her shopping every day.  Sienna loves to dance. We frequently have dance parties in our living room.  She loves to twirl and spin and shake her booty. She's also obsessed with make-up, particularly lip gloss and chapstick and has them with her at all times. 

Yes, this is her covered in my mascara.  You should always be worried when everything is quiet. 

Yes, this is lip gloss she decided to put all over her face.  "Isn't it SO beautiful, mom!?"
Yep. SO beautiful.

Dan and I went out of town this weekend and so we shipped Sienna to a few different places for the weekend.  My sister Janelle (AKA "Aunt Nally"), my sister-in-law Kate and my parents were all so great to help out and watch our little rugrat (Thank you, thank you, thank you!).  Sienna has so much fun playing with her cousin Ella, so I'm sure she was in heaven!  Kate sent me this picture of the two of them taking a bath. I think it's so cute! I love that these two cuties will grow up being little buddies.

Baby news....

So, I just found a stack of Christmas cards that somehow did not get sent, so if you didn't receive a Chrismtas card from me, just assume that yours is in this stack that I'm too embarrassed to send out this late, and feel the love.   We sent our Christmas wishes and announced the exciting news that I'm expecting and due this June.  We should find out in a few weeks what we are having, so stay tuned!

I have not been good at journaling at all this pregnancy, so I'm going to take a few minutes to journal about this pregnancy.  I'm not posting this for sympathy, just for record-keeping purposes (and to remind me to NEVER do this again.....kidding!).  I'm not going to lie, it's been super tough.  I thought I had it bad with Sienna and thought THAT was what I was signing up for, and this has just been so much worse.  I've had constant 24-hr/day nausea (and occasional vomiting) from the minute I wake up  until the minute I close my eyes at night. With Sienna I felt pretty good in the morning and the nausea didn't really kick in until around 11ish, so I at least had some relief.  I definitely wasn't prepared for this.  The nausea started even earlier this time--around week 4-5.  I'm now almost 17 weeks and still feeling really awful.  I've tried just about everything to get relief--preggy pops, ginger chews, vit b6 and unisom, zophran, phenergan, gingerale, sprite, even acupuncture.  I really haven't found anything that seems to help--oh, other than Diet Coke.  Pretty funny, since I haven't had soda in about 13 years.  My Diet Coke addict friends are loving the fact that I always seem to have a diet coke in hand.  It doesn't seem to do a whole lot, but it does a little something.

Needless to say, I've been just counting down the days until I should be feeling better.  With Sienna nausea ended around week 18, which is just around the corner.  When I was pregnant with Sienna after the morning sickness ended I had about a week of feeling great, and I remember going running on the beach and just loving life, then at week 19 I started getting these horrible stabbling/ligament pains when I walked.  They lasted until I delivered.  I remember my MD that it was just how I carry and she told me that they would started earlier and be more painful with each pregnancy, and wouldn't you know it--they showed up last week (week 15ish).  So, it's definitely been a double-whammy, having the morning-noon-and-night sickness and the ligament pains.  Let's just say that I have sucked at life for the last 3 months....and just ask Dan, it's been a LONG 3 months--for all of us.  

I'm just not good at this pregnancy thing.  And I am definitely not one of those who suffers in silence or who does this gracefully.  I'm sorry for those of who who have had to be around my miserable self the last few months.  I really have felt like I am just barely surviving.  It's hard to feel like you are just doing the bare minimum in every aspect of your life.  I just feel like I'm a horrible mom, wife, friend, employee....the list could go on and on. I'm so grateful to live in a time where I have Mickey Mouse and Dora to help raise my child.  And I'm grateful that she's young enough to not remember what  waste of a mom I was for these few months.

I have so much admiration for women, for mothers, especially for those who struggle through trial after trial during their pregancies.  Pregnancy is just not for wusses.  I keep saying that this kid better be cute (therefore being worth the trouble)!  And then I get scared that maybe Sienna got all the cute genes.

I know that this is all temporary, and that it's worth it, and that I have so much to be grateful for.  But, that doesn't mean I have to like every bit of it, though, does it?  I am grateful for this new adventure and excited for what the future holds.  Can't wait to meet this little one.  I have a feeling he/she is a strong, feisty little one who is just showing me early on who is boss! :)

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas (long overdue!)

So, I know I've been a little MIA from the blogging world for the last few months, so I have lots of catching up to do!  I wouldn't even have done this post had I not been able to hijack most of it from my cute sister-in-law.  Thanks, Carolyn! :) We had dinner at The Pie in SLC. Don't worry, my dad ordered us TWO, not just one of these ginormous pizzas.  He's crazy.  I think we took home 3-4 boxes of pizza.

After dinner, we went to This Is The Place Monument in SLC. They have something called a Candlelight Christmas--lots of little houses in the villages, live reindeer, Father Christmas, and a live Nativity.

The whole fam minus Rob and Dan. Carter is doing his 'blue steel' face.

Uncle Brad and the rugrats. He's a great uncle.

Sienna was obsessed with her cousin Carter.  She just followed him around everywhere.   He was such a trooper. He didn't seem to mind. Most of the time, anyway.  Every once in awhile he'd act annoyed and then would ask "where's Sienna?" or he would go find her.  Sienna just loved having cousins around to play with. 

Sienna going for a little "ride"

All the kids just loved the train ride.  Little Kate was making funny baby noises and Sienna was looking around everywhere, asking where the goat was.

Love Sac Love. Tommy and Carter "slept" in the basement with Uncle Brad. Let's be honest, it only lasted a few hours before the kids were up in bed with their mom and dad.

 

 Cute little Kate, or as Sienna likes to call her, Baby Cakes. 

Kate's first ponytail. This is a big moment for any girl!

What happens when things get too quiet around the house.

Fake Christmas Dinner with Jeff & fam, since they weren't with us for the real deal.  Of course I brought Christmas Crackers to carry on some of the English traditions I learned on the mission.

Sienna was in love with all of Kate's gifts and couldn't get enough of this cute little purse.

The whole crew at dinner at La Jolla Grove. Has anyone been to the Riverwoods since they renovated?  Super fun. It's more like the Gateway now. They have some great restaurants as well, including La Jolla Grove. It looks a little fancy schmancy, but the prices are really reasonable, the food is fabulous and the service is great! 

Mom and Dad. Good peeps.