I have to get all of the last 5 months down in words first and then I'll post pictures another day. Both girls are asleep and I have limited time- so rather than waste the next 30 minutes on Pinterest, I figure I'll journal what we've been up to lately!
So On August 12th, Kinzley came into our little family. Life hasn't been the same since and we're so grateful. She is such a sweet, calm (usually) baby and brings an added light into our home and family. We all absolutely adore her- ESPECIALLY Alyssa. Joseph and I love her to pieces, but Alyssa CAN.NOT.GET.ENOUGH. of her!!! She drives Kinz crazy sometimes, but it is very cute and we're so happy that she loves her little sis so much. So most of the last 5 months has just been learning to adjust to life as a family of 4- but we've also done some other fun things along the way.
As previously mentioned, my mom was with us for 5 weeks after Kinzley was born. The girls and I went to TX for 10 days where we were pampered and taken care of by my parents and brother. We also had some very fun visitors while we were there!!! My friend Virginia and her two little boys were SO sweet to fly to TX to spend a few days with us! It was SOOO fun to see her! We hadn't seen each other for over a year, so it was very much needed time. We had a blast visiting and mostly just tried to make it though each day fed, clothed, and happy. :)
*Side-note: My little Kinz is awake now- my alone time came out to about 30 minutes today. :)*
Back to August- Joseph started his MBA program meaning his nights were now taken up by school (whether it be class or studying). So when we returned from TX, we were on our own! We did pretty well, I think. Alyssa started a little "class" through the public rec. center. She calls it her "fun class" now- we sing songs, read a book, play with bubbles and toys, and enjoy being out of the house for a little bit of time. It was good to practice getting out of the house with both of them just once a week at first. (We're almost pros at it now.) ;) So September consisted of surviving!
October came and went so quickly!! We had big plans for Halloween Costumes but no time to actually follow through with those. haha So Alyssa was a BYU Cheerleader, Kinz was a football (so feminine, I know), I was a ref., and Joseph was Coach M. Pretty awesome. Except that the ward party only lasted 45 minutes and since we were watching another game- we were later than that- haha but it was still fun to dress up. So in a nutshell, October was spent anticipating the holidays, and celebrating Halloween.
November was sick month for us. :( Alyssa caught croup while in nursery, and as hard as we tried to keep Kinz away from her, Kinzley got it too. Then Alyssa had her 2-year molars come in (molars=CRANKYNESS!!!), and both girls got the stomach flu!! Joseph and I think we may have had it (much lighter version than the girls) but I changed more poopy diapers in that week than I have EVER changed in a month! It was insane! BUT the month couldn't have had a better ending... we had a VERY special guest for Thanksgiving. :) Joseph sister, Becca, came to visit for a few days and we had a blast. We had to pack a LOT of fun into 3 days and I think we did pretty well. Alyssa was in love with her and was her little shadow the entire time. She cried when Aunt Becca had to leave (as did Aunt Becca and myself- it'd sure be nice to have all our family in the same place...*sigh*...) Anyway- we are so grateful that Becca would come and visit us and can't wait for another trip!!! ;) ;) ;)
December was of course very busy for our little family- we celebrated my 25th birthday on the 12th and I must say, it was the best birthday I've ever had! Really, it was just fabulous. It fell on a Monday this year, so of course we got to celebrate all weekend, as well as Monday. Joseph surprised me and got me some TOMS (I've wanted some for a while) and he came through! My parents gave me a ticket to come to TX with the girls!! It was a big surprise and we're excited for our next trip! We went to Cafe Rio on Friday night and then saw the lights at the Mesa Temple. I love hanging out with just our little family of 4. It's so fun to just be with Joseph and the girls- it's a rare occasion these days so we jump at every chance we get! On Monday, a very sweet friend texted me and told me her and her kids were taking me out to lunch for my b-day and to name my favorite place- so after discussing a few places, we decided the on Macaroni Grill! It was SOOOO yummy and they made it such a fun day!! That night we enjoyed a quick dinner with Joseph, but he had to leave before we did cake, so Alyssa sang to me (well, I sang to myself) and she helped me blow out the candles. It was a DELICIOUS chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and LOADED on sprinkles (my fav.) So now I'm a quarter of a century old, and life couldn't be any better.
On the 21st, we celebrated miss Alyssa's birthday! She turned 2 and all she wanted/knew about her birthday was that she was turning 2 and she was going to wear a crown!! So that morning she got her crown and wore it ALL day long. We made a trip to the doctor that morning, where everyone wished her a happy birthday and she did great- we came home, finished getting ready (the girls were ready, but I got ready), then we headed to In N Out and picked up lunch to go eat with Joseph. We ate at the park by his work and then played for a while before he had to go back. That night we had spaghetti and more cake. It was the perfect 2-year-old birthday day and it was just "magical". Alyssa was spoiled with a lot of presents- one particular favorite is her new kitchen from my parents (a combined b-day Christmas gift) ;) She LOOOOVVVVEEESSS it (and that's an understatement). She plays with it every day and can't get enough. She's always cooking us something to eat or pouring us something to drink. We love it just as much as she does. ;)
Christmas Eve we flew to TX and enjoyed an entire week with my family. Everyone was there except Austin who's on a mission. We missed him a ton, but loved talking to him on Christmas Day. He'll be home THIS YEAR (beginning of August probably) and we can't wait to SEE HIM!!! (We'll have more on the details of Christmas later- but some highlights were the WICKED tickets Joseph surprised me with and going to Sea World- Alyssa's first time- she LOVED it!!! And so did I- I felt like a kid again- it was perfect.)
So here we are in January- almost February!!! Kinzley is eating oatmeal baby cereal (hated the rice) but still not sleeping through the night! Can't wait for her to be 6 months so we can get some FOOD in that girl- she just needs some sweet potatoes! :) She is becoming so much more alert and aware and she LOVES laughing at Alyssa. Alyssa just wishes she could "play" more. Joseph is back into school and is busy busy. I'm teaching 7 piano students now and hope to get a few more soon! I love teaching (and it's great money too) and have some very fun students. Our biggest news of January is that ALYSSA IS DONE WITH THE BINKIE!!!!! Hurray! That was our goal- lose it after Christmas vacation. And that's just what we did- one night it was gone and we told her she didn't need it anymore- she went to bed great that night, slept well, and did great the next day. The next night was a disaster and Joseph ended up sleeping on her floor so she'd actually sleep. She's done so well though and we're so happy to not have it anymore!! Her talking has just taken off and although we don't understand everything, we understand a LOT more than we used to!!!
I have big goals for the New Year- lots of hopes and dreams- hopefully some of them will come to fruition! (Is that how you spell that??) One of them is to get in shape- a goal I have every year- but usually fail at- must have something to do with being pregnant for the last 3 years (haha not really but it feels like it). BUT since we do not plan on having another baby any time SOON- I figure now is the best time to "get in shape". So I've started running- I'm not a runner- in case you were wondering. BUT it's the best way for my body to get in shape. So I've started. Slowly. But I've started. And I'm up to 3 miles now. So I've run 3 miles two days so far. My goal is to run 3-4 times a week- for you "runners" that may sound pointless- but I have to start small or I'll quit like I always do. I have some other goals with my scripture study and I have found most of my inspiration for awesome new study tips on this site: www.theredheadedhostess.com I also have big hopes of learning to sew (my grandparents gave me a machine for my birthday) and being super crafty this year- we'll see how that goes. haha I also want to be better at reading more, trying new recipes, and BLOGGING more (keeping better record of what we're doing!) And of course budgeting... blah to money... but it must be done and I'm hoping to master it this year. ;) Wish me luck.
But mostly I just want to keep learning how to be a better mom and wife. If I've learned anything over the last year, it's that I have a LOT to learn. I feel like a kid again in that I feel like I know NOTHING. Luckily I have a very good husband and very sweet girls who are forgiving and understanding and help me in my learning process. They are so patient with me which helps me want to be better for them. I also have a wonderful mom who I call for help and tips all the time, and of course good friends who are always willing to pick up the phone and listen. So here's to a new year. Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us!!!
*PS- It's been fun seeing some new faces on IG!
