Christmas 2011

We had a lovely Christmas this year! For the month of December, our family had a Christmas-themed Family Home Evening every Monday night, which helped us get into the spirit of Christmas. We sang Christmas songs, drank hot chocolate, decorated the Christmas tree, watched "The Christmas Oranges", made snowflakes, delivered Christmas cards and cookies to neighbors, and watched "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" and "The Nativity" on DVD.

I'm so grateful for family and friends who sent us holiday gifts and treats this year. It made our Christmas all the more special. During the week before Christmas, we literally had treats show up at our house every single day. We received packages in the mail from family far away, and we were given a bunch of gifts from anonymous members of our ward. It made our hearts full to receive so many gifts and to feel so much love from others.

Christmas Eve we had a big turkey dinner with Marilyn, James, and Grandpa North. I spent all afternoon making the turkey and various side dishes. The turkey was so moist it fell apart right on my fork. Mmm! The adults had a fun time playing Mormon Bridge next to the fireplace after dinner. Brad won. Marilyn and James broke out their Weird Al DVD, and we enjoyed watching that in the evening while James chased Lizzy all around the house.

Christmas Day was lovely! We went to church in the morning for one hour, then we waited for Scott and Emma to come home at 1:00 pm. We opened all our gifts, had some yummy snacks, then waited for other relatives to show up. The Bruce North Clan arrived in the mid-afternoon and the Clarks arrived in the evening. There were games, snacks, and some more Weird Al. I made a honey-baked ham and Mormon potatoes. YUM!

Here are some snapshots of Christmas this year:

Lizzy and David got to see Santa at the Ward Christmas Party on December 6th. Lizzy talked about Santa for days after that.

Looking forward to 2012!

"David is All Gone"

My Facebook Status Today:

Lizzy came running into my room first thing this morning and immediately went to David's bassinet. She did not find what she was looking for. "Oh no," she said solemnly, shaking her head. "David is all gone." She said it so matter-of-factually, I couldn't decide whether she was happy he was gone, or sad. Not wanting her to worry, or to get the wrong idea of her brother's disappearance, I told her that David was in his swing in the living room. A big smile lit up her face and she turned and ran out of my room. I smiled when I heard her gallop down the hall. A few seconds later I heard her greet her brother in a very high, girly voice. "Hi David! How are you?" She sounded just like me! So cute.

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

David's Two Month Stats

Weight: 11 pounds 8 ounces, 24% for his age.
Height: 24 inches, 68% for his age.
Head Circumference: 15.6 inches, 21% for his age.

2-Month David
If I were to describe David in three words I would say he's calm, social, and bright. He is very easy to please. He likes to eat, sleep, coo, smile, and look into people's faces.


Little quirks:

• He likes to turn his head to the right almost all the time. Unfortunately that is causing the right side of his head to go a little flat. We are trying to get him to turn his head to the left.
  
• He always gives little warnings before he starts crying. Basically, he only cries when we haven't figured out what he wants in a timely manner.
• Mama's voice makes him whimper when he's hungry. Even if Mama sings from across the room, if he hears her he starts asking for food.
• He LOVES to eat. He prefers the breast over bottles, but he knows how to take the bottle if necessary. He had good practice with that in the NICU.
• He seems to like music a lot. Music calms him down almost instantly, especially Mama's voice (when he's not hungry).
• Not exactly a quirk, but he has BLUE EYES! I can't get over how blue they are.
  
• He LOVES his swing.
• He likes company. Sometimes all he wants when he's fussy is for someone to come over and say hi to him.
• Sitting in the car-seat makes him very sleepy, especially if he's wearing his warm, brown bear suit.
• He is now sleeping between 5 and 7 hours at night. Mama LOVES that!
  

Cold? Bah! Not Me!

Lizzy LOVES to go outside. It's her favorite thing in the world to do, and she does it every day. I didn't mind it so much in the summer-time, when the air was nice and warm. She would go out, sometimes wearing nothing but a diaper, and everything was fine. Now that the freezing cold weather is here, she still wants to go outside every day, and it drives me crazy when she refuses to wear appropriate winter attire. I've caught her several times outside wearing nothing but her diaper and a pair of oversize shoes. At least she wore shoes. A few weeks ago she learned the hard way that she shouldn't go outside barefoot in the snow. Now she always wears shoes in the snow, even if they're mismatched, too big, and don't belong to her. I wish she would do that with the rest of her body.


I love Lizzy's enthusiasm for life. For her, it doesn't matter what the weather is, life is good and exciting, and she will not let anything stop her from doing what she loves most.

I got her dressed warmly for this photo! YAY!

Cousins

The Montgomery clan came to visit us for David's baby blessing this year. David got to spend some time with his older cousin, Eric, who is only about four months older than him. Rachel and I had fun taking pictures of our boys together. David seemed a bit oblivious towards the other baby, but Eric, on the other hand, seemed to really enjoy his little cousin. They were so cute together.



I love that my sister and I have babies close in age! It's fun talking to her about the babies and sharing feedback. I remember how we jokingly challenged each other in the summer 2010 to see who would get pregnant first. She won this round, but I came in not too far behind. We have such cute boys to show for it.

David's Baby Blessing

My precious little boy had his baby blessing last Sunday. I am grateful for my faithful husband, who is a worthy priesthood holder and gives incredible blessings to his children. David was blessed with a love for music and being valiant-- at least those were the two that stood out to me the most. I am grateful to have the priesthood in my home, and for my darling son, who I know will hold the priesthood someday.


Some more cute pictures. I love the expressions on his face!

The Highlight of My Day: November 2011

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in November 2011:

Tue 11/1/11: I enjoyed watching the snow fall today. I was not expecting the weather to change so quickly. Lizzy had fun getting on her boots and coat and playing outside.

Wed 11/2/11: It was nice having both little ones sleep all afternoon. I got done some chores and had time to myself. I hope they do it again tomorrow!

Thu 11/3/11: Little David is getting better at focusing on my face when he looks at me. He's growing up so fast! He's got the prettiest blue eyes right now. I wonder if they'll change?

Fri 11/4/11: Brad and I took the two youngest children to Walmart tonight. It was my first time taking David to Walmart. He was an angel!

Sat 11/5/11: Today was Jessica's baptism. Scott and Emma were able to come with us to the baptism, and we had a fun time visiting with family and eating Loralee's yummy soup afterward.

Sun 11/6/11: I went to church for the first time in over a month and it was lovely! David slept through the entire block, and it was very cute hearing his little sighs and coos under his blanket during all the meetings. He was so cute.

Mon 11/7/11: I cuddled Lizzy during Family Home Evening tonight. She liked sitting on her mama's lap, sucking her thumb. She's been wanting extra attention lately.

Tue 11/8/11: I'm excited that Baby David's birth announcements are here and I get to mail them out! I need to work on the family newsletter as well.

Wed 11/9/11: It's funny how getting out of the house to go shopping seems more like a treat than a chore now that I'm home most of the time. Brad and I took the little ones to Sam's Club tonight to go shopping.

Thu 11/10/11: I loved the way Lizzy greeted her baby brother this morning. She said, "Hi, sweetheart!" Sounded just like me.

Fri 11/11/11: Baby David turned one month old yesterday and today I've noticed how much he's grown. Almost all of his newborn outfits are too small for him. Guess we'll have to move up a size. I can't believe how fast time is going!

Sat 11/12/11: My highlight of the day was having our family photos arrive! But I also enjoyed spending one-on-one time with Bradley today. Scott and Emma were gone, the little ones were asleep, and Brad and I enjoyed snuggling on the couch.

Sun 11/13/11: Brad spoon-fed me ice cream tonight while I was nursing the baby. I was in a really funny mood and couldn't stop giggling.

Mon 11/14/11: Baby David gave me his first social smile this morning! So dang cute!

Tue 11/15/11: I watched "My Neighbor Totoro" with Lizzy and David today. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Lizzy's facial expressions during certain parts in the movie. Very entertaining.

Wed 11/16/11: I went to my 6-week postpartum appointment today. I'm all clear to live a normal life again-- YAY! I liked showing off my baby to everyone in the office.

Thu 11/17/11: I enjoyed working on Christmas cards today. I can't believe how fast December is approaching!

Fri 11/18/11: Lizzy went through the whole day without throwing a temper tantrum. YAY! It was also fun having the little cousin girls come over to spend the night tonight. Emma opened up her Batman video game present and had fun showing it to the girls. Kaylee held baby David for the first time. CUTE!

Sat 11/19/11: Brad & I were invited to have dinner with the bishopric and other members of the ward at The Golden Corral.

Sun 11/20/11: Today was Emma's birthday! Happy Birthday, Emma!

Mon 11/21/11: I am healing well from my emergency surgery last night. I feel soooo much better today than yesterday. Thank goodness for modern-day medicine and health insurance.

Tue 11/22/11: My lab results came back good! I won't need to go back to the hospital.

Wed 11/23/11: Tonight was movie night! Brad, Lizzy, Marilyn, and I watched "Thor" together while Marilyn made rolls for tomorrow. Not a bad movie, but it was definitely a one-timer.

Thu 11/24/11: My stomach is still not normal, but that didn't stop me from eating a yummy Thanksgiving dinner. Loralee made such wonderful food!

Fri 11/25/11: I enjoyed watching movies with Brad today. We watched "Castle in the Sky," "Me & Orson Wells," and "Iron Man."

Sat 11/26/11: Took Halloween boxes back to the storage unit. YAY! Brought Christmas boxes back. Hmm... yay? I am feeling healthy and strong and almost back to normal. Brad and I took the youngest chicks out to lunch at Subway, then we went shopping at Walmart and Sam's Club. It was soooo nice getting out of the house.

Sun 11/27/11: It was lovely going back to church again. Today I noticed how much Baby David resembles his Grandpa North. I hadn't noticed it before.

Mon 11/28/11: We had our first Christmas themed Family Home Evening of the season. We drank hot chocolate, listened to Christmas music, read a few Christmas verses from Isaiah, and decorated the Christmas tree.

Tue 11/29/11: Brad and I watched "Captain America" after the kids went to bed. I kept falling asleep during most of the movie, but I think I caught all the important parts. I liked it better than "Thor."

Wed 11/30/11: Lizzy watched "Ponyo" for the first time tonight. She has become a huge fan of Studio Ghibli movies lately.

11-year-old Emma

I am thankful for Emma! I am behind on putting up a post about her, since I had a little bit of unexpected drama on her birthday this year. Emma is such a sweetheart and I love her so much. Emma has a sweet, tender heart, and she cares deeply about what others think of her. One of Emma's greatest strengths is her honesty and her desire to do what's right. She is a perfect example of someone who lives a life of integrity. If Emma ever tells a fib she immediately recognizes it and tries to fix it. She takes schoolwork seriously and strives to get good grades. At home, she tries to follow the rules and be kind to everyone. She loves her family dearly.

Here is what 11-year-old Emma has to say about herself:

Favorite Colors: Black, red, green, purple
Favorite Foods: Cheeseburgers, french fries, chili, steak, mashed potatoes
Favorite Movies: Batman, Toy Story 3, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro
Favorite Books: The Warriors series and Hugo
Favorite Animals: Cats, NYAN CAT!
Favorite Superheroes: The Batman family, and Spiderman
Favorite Video Games: Mario Brothers, Batman and Robin, Catwoman, Tomb Raider, and Hatsworth
Favorite Songs: Batman/Batgirl, Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers, How Much is that Kitty in the Window?
Activities and hobbies: Art, reading, playing with family, and school
Goals for the next year: Read all the Warrior books!
I would describe myself as: Smart, nice, helpful, and wonderful!

You ARE wonderful, dear Emma! You are a light to us all and we love you.

Annual Thanksgiving Artwork