Cropped Top

Addison went in for her annual haircut today. As in this is only her 2nd haircut since she's been born! Originally, I was the one that planted the idea in her head to get it cut. Her hair would always get tangled and had lots of little scragglies. It was time to get some consistency to it. She loved the idea. Especially since her friend Bentley just recently got a new haircut. Everytime I'd bring it up she'd say "A haircut like Bentee!" Needless to say she was on board. Of course I was the only one that got cold feet right before it was time to cut it. Lindsey was asking me how short I wanted it to go and all the sudden I got nervous and a little sad. I pushed through it though since I knew I would love the end result. And I did. And she did too of course. She did sooooo good sitting still for Lindsey. I was prepped with an iPad and fruit snacks just in case but she didn't even need them. She loved getting primped like a princess.

The "Before" picture. Goodbye scragglies!

And the "After" picture. Hello cutie!!

And here are a few more of the little model. Apparently she now enjoys "posing" for pictures. Hey, makes it easier for me right?


And her other pose. She propped herself up on the table like this all on her own. Maybe she has a future with Olan Mills? ;-)


And of course we can't leave out Mr. Jonas. This was a picture we took a few days ago because frankly everyone needs a nakey picture right?

Goodness, I have squeezy kids. If you see black and blue bruises all over them now you'll understand why. They simply can't be squeezed enough.

What's In A Name?

Apparently attention....and lots of it. A few days ago I was on the phone sorting through insurance stuff and Addison was trying to get my attention. She had made several attempts and nothing was working. As I was hanging up the phone I heard her say my name: "Shannon!" I did a double-take and asked her what she said and she clammed up. I laughed and asked her if she said my name and she smiled and said yes. Once she knew it was funny she said it about 1,356 more times. It was hilarious. Mostly because she'd say funny sentences that had nothing to do with anything. She'd hold her hand to the side of her mouth and shout "Shannon! What are you doing Shannon?" And then "Shannon! Come back over here Shannon!" She was thrilled she not only found something to get my attention but to make me laugh every time she said it. It's weird when your child knows your real name. No worries though, she still calls me Mommy just as much as evidenced when she followed me around earlier saying "Shannon! Shannon! Shannon! Mommy! Shannon! Mommy!"

And I don't just want to talk about Addison in all my posts. Jonas is doing lots of cute things as well. He has decided he likes to sit up and see things now. Apparently laying down is for babies and he's not one anymore. He L.O.V.E.S. to pull his binky out of his mouth and play with it. He has yet to master putting it back in by himself so lucky for him Mommy comes to the rescue....a lot. He loves to jabber and it always throws me for a loop. I usually just think he's starting to cry so I'll plug him up with the binky but then realize ahhhhh he's just talking. It sounds close to crying since it's usually in a high pitch blabbering voice. It's cute though, I love seeing him grow up more and more everyday. He's such a good baby and we are very grateful. Especially me. I can't imagine having two kids who weren't as good as mine are. I'm guessing I'd be bald pretty quick.

It's About Time

Nope this is not a church commercial....but I do love those. This is about the day-to-day discoveries of a 2 1/2 year old.

Yesterday Addison was beyond fascinated with our digital alarm clock and I thought it was hilarious and cute enough to post about. Usually the minute she wakes up she wanders into our room for some cuddles and milk and we hang out while Daddy gets ready for work. Well this day, she finally discovered the alarm clock on Daddy's night stand. She's been into numbers and especially asking me what time it was so part of me wasn't too surprised. However, she was amazed at this little nifty piece of technology. She'd happily shout out which numbers she saw and then was floored when the numbers would change. I think she sat and watched it for at least ten minutes...trust me...I was clocking her. Hehehehe.

Anyway, it was hilarious how amazed she was with it. She'd plop her head on her hands, lay on her stomach, and kick her feet in the air while she waited for the numbers to change. Then every time they did she'd get all excited and say "Mommy now it's a 7!!" and then "Mommy now it's 8!!" Rinse and repeat. I thought it was adorable. It's fun to see how such simple things are so fascinating to kids. It totally takes me back to my childhood.

Tagging Along

Every once in awhile we are lucky enough to get to tag along w/John on some of his business trips. Especially when they are so close. This time we got to venture off to Oklahoma City. I'm not really fond of Oklahoma City....or even Oklahoma for that matter. But I'm also not fond of staying at home with two kids for multiple days in a row all by myself. Granted, when we do tag along, I still pretty much juggle the two kids by myself anyway while John is off doing work stuff - but I'd much rather have a change of scenery while I do it! :D

After packing for a small army we finally loaded up and hit the road early on a Wednesday so we could get John there for his work dinner that night. Sidenote: I must say I L.O.V.E. having a minivan. Yep, I'm one of those weird girls that always dreamed of owning one. It's great for many reasons but especially so for when I need to crawl back and sit with the kids and entertain them on long drives. Especially Mr. Jonas since he's not particularly fond of his car seat and doesn't have the added luxury of watching a video. Addison thinks its pretty cool when I sit next to her too and frankly I enjoy watching a little movie while we drive as well. It's a win-win-win-win....yes for John as well since he gets to enjoy a peaceful drive w/out tears.

Anyway, we made decent time and finally arrived at the hotel and sent John on his way. The first night was a little hairy with me and the kiddos. Mostly because Addison has entered the defiant stage and seems to make everything a battle. And also because I lose my patience w/it all quickly and we seem to just butt heads sometimes. But that night the tides turned for the better. Usually hotels and changed up sleeping arrangements have everyone off but amazingly Jonas slept pretty good which means I did too. Yay! I woke up amazed at how well the night went only to hear John say his wasn't so great since he was up putting Addison back to sleep every 30 minutes and then he had to leave for his meetings early. I even enjoyed a nice morning where the kids actually slept in! That never happens folks! It was only until 8:00 am but I loved it.

Once we were awake I didn't quite know where we were going to spend our day but thanks to facebook friends, I got lots of suggestions. We ended up going w/Aunt Sarah's suggestion of the Science Center. I especially loved seeing it was only about 5 miles away from us. We spent the whole day there and loved it. Addison wore herself out by the time we left which was exactly as I had planned. We even skipped right on by nap time w/her and she finally crashed in the van when it was time to go back and pick up Daddy for our drive home. I had hopes of actually attending a temple session that evening (which was one of the reasons we tagged along) but since his work meeting ended a few days early we had to book it back home so he could be at work the next day. All in all, it was a nice change-up in our schedule and a fun little drive with our cute little family. It's so nice to take trips like these when we are able to with the little kiddos.

Practicing for her own mini-version of the Jerry Lewis Telethon. Such a talented girly!

Having a mini-photo shoot while waiting for our lunch. Such a pretty girly isn't she?

Learning to drive the tractor. She'd make her Grandpa Weekes and Grandpa Bell so proud!

And the gymnastics corner. We spent 85% of our time in this area. She loved it. Time to enroll her in gymnastics I guess!

Yes, Jonas was with us and here is proof! He spent most of his time napping in the stroller or sitting on my lap.

The three story slide. Addison would climb to the top all by herself and slide down. I was quite impressed...it was huge!

And here she is at the bottom of the afore mentioned slide. She went up and down it about 10 times...each time landing entirely different than the time before.

And lastly, the last area we discovered. She loved this one as well. A cute little area to paint and build houses and landscaping.

I Resolve

So, I'm still undecided on how I feel about making New Years resolutions. I know some people that think they are silly and some that take them seriously. I'm probably right in the middle of those people. I think mostly because I realize that everyone's "weight loss/exercise" goals always fade within the first few months of the year and nothing really changes. But I guess it's only considered failure if you stop trying right?

Well this year, I did go ahead and set a few goals for myself. Nothing majorly life impacting although the weight loss goal is definitely looming in the background. This year I wanted to set low-key goals since lets face it, surviving day to day of being a stay-at-home Mom of two kids is a feat in and of itself. Sometimes I consider it success when we make it to bedtime alive!

So what are my two goals you ask? Fairly simple:

1. I want to play with the kids more. Not just plop them in front of a t.v. show while I play on facebook. Not just send Addison off to play with toys by herself or have her bring toys to me while I sit on the couch. Like actually sit down on the floor, no T.V. on, and play. It's a work in progress. Most days I think I'm doing good. Some days aren't my best. Those are the days that I lay down by Addison while she plays and I try to keep my eyes open. ;-) But we've also had some great family hide-and-seek adventures too along with some great learning experiences while playing puzzles. Addison really enjoys having my attention so it's good motivation. It's also fun to get to know them without any distractions. I think I may actually enjoy achieving this goal!

2. Get ready (as in showered, dressed, make-up) everyday and it has to occur SOMETIME in the morning. Our usual routine has us up and going at 7:30 am and I've always been good about getting the kids dressed and ready for the day (even if we spend it all at home) but somewhere along the way I stop right before it's time to get me showered and ready. Mostly because it already takes SO long to even get out the door when all three of us have been dressed and fed. However, I've also noticed how much it affects my mood when I'm actually wearing clothes instead of pajamas and when my hair is actually fixed instead of in a greasy ponytail. So far I've been pretty good with this goal. There were a few days thrown in there where it just didn't happen but I'm pushing on!

And, I won't lie, I have a small goal to get back in shape and lose some poundage. I just don't want to make it my sole goal/priority. I'm hoping as I do that it will lead to doing more of the above goals as well.

So, now they have been documented in blog-land. So let it be done! :D

Not My Child

I think I jinxed myself. On more than one occasion, (okay MULTIPLE occasions) I've told myself that my child would NEVER make messes or get into things or only play/explore things that weren't toys. I always felt sorry for those "other" parents and the messes their kids would make. Welp, the tides have turned and I've now recanted my original statement. My child does indeed make messes....it was only just a matter of time.

Lately she loves to unscrew caps off of any/everything in her path. The above pic is what I found when I walked into the living room and saw her playing in my lotion. Since then she has also unscrewed and dumped finger nail polish remover, sucked all the toothpaste out of her toothpaste tube (3 times), and spread even more lotion....again. What awaits us in the future? I guess I better join the rest of the mothers of toddlers and start putting everything out of her reach. :(

4 Months Old

It's official (and a bit late) .... Jonas McKay has turned 4 months old! Since it's such a busy time of year we just barely got around to taking his 4 month photos. Addison was quite the little helper and we got lots of good smiles out of him. He's always so generous with his smiles lately.

This was the first time he has ever worn shoes (and they actually fit). Don't mind the little chicken legs hanging out of his pants....it's quite common with this long boy.

Of course, Addison wanted to be included in the photo shoot so I figured I'd better include her in the blog post too. ;-)

The poor boy got three shots at his well-visit check-up. He was a trooper through it and Addison was a great big sister. She tried her hardest to cheer him up when he was crying over his owies. Luckily he was all smiles within an hour afterwards but the poor thing got a fever the next day which is a typical reaction to vaccinations I'm learning.

Jonas is a VERY happy and easy baby. He's so good at being patient and hanging out while Mommy helps sister here and there. He also finally learned how to sleep through the night! Woohoo! He has always been fairly good at it but without fail would wake up for that one feeding at night and just nibble at it. Somewhere along the way a switch flipped and he's a pretty solid sleeper lately. Most nights he'll sleep straight through depending on how late he finished his last bottle. I'm loving that my nights are getting somewhat back to normal. I'm never very fond of giving up my sleep.

He's also started babbling and jabbering a lot more lately. It's so fun to hear him talk. Addison especially loves it and says "Mommy...he's talking in church!" I have no idea where she got the church relation from it but she says it every time he babbles away. He also found his hands and loves to suck on his fingers....usually two at a time. He almost enjoys doing that more than sucking on his beloved binky.

We are practicing the rolling and the tummy time but he hasn't quite mastered it yet. He's a super long and skinny little boy and he seems to outgrow most of his outfits before we can even wear them once. I'm convinced I'm going to have to start stitching my own clothes for him just to get some with the right length for his long body. He's outgrowing 3-6 month clothes and he's only 4 months old folks!

He's such a happy baby and really adores his sister. No matter what, he always looks at her and just smiles from ear to ear. It's so fun to see their relationship grow. I can hardly wait until they play together.

Weight: 15 lbs (25-50%)
Height: 27.5 inches (95%)
Head: ??

So, the little guy is still long and lean!

We are so lucky to have Jonas in our family. Happy 4 months old big boy!

Happy Holidays

Despite the delayed posting - we did in fact celebrate Christmas this year. Apparently it was so great I couldn't seem to find the time to update the blog. But alas, I am back and ready to post about our fun...

Addison really got into Christmas this year which made it fun for all of us. It's so fun to see it all through her eyes and to tap into those childhood memories I had as well. Addison was enamored with Santa Claus - although she refused to sit on his lap, she talked about him non-stop. And believe me when I say NON-stop. Everywhere we went "Santa Calause is nice Mommy....he not scawey, he sit on my lap, he bring me present....a baby dawl!!" Of course, just as much as she spent talking about Santa Claus, she also talked about baby Jesus. That is enough to make this Momma happy! She loved to point out "Dats Mawey, dats Joseph, dats baby Jesus! Dats a donkey mama!" To this day she still pretends she's Mary when she has her bath towel over her head.

We started the festivities with a family gathering at Aunt Sarah's house. We listened to a story about Jesus and also got to open our annual tradition of Christmas jammies. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of Addison in hers but she was of course adorable. Jonas could barely squeeze into his 3-6 month jammies...and he is barely 4 months. I think I'll need to start making clothes for that boy if he keeps growing like he does.

After the family party, we headed to our house and finished up with our traditions of reading "The Night Before Christmas" and also the story of Jesus' birth. We then set out our cookies and milk for Santa and all went to bed.

Luckily Addison wasn't knocking our door down any earlier than usual. We were all up and ready to go at 7:30. Mr. Jonas started strong but didn't last long so we continued on while he napped through most of it. Mostly the day was about Addison and watching her open her presents. There really wasn't much time to allow any of us to open our presents. John and I would occasionally sneak a few open when she was busy tinkering with one of her toys. Which was rare since she was mostly in love with tearing off the wrapping paper and chasing after another one immediately after. She was also such a nice big sister and helped Jonas open his presents. How kind of her! ;-) She was a little upset when she ran out of presents and had to watch us open ours....poor thing!

Proof that Santa Claus came. He actually ate our cookie and drank the milk. The reindeer even dined on our carrots! :D

Santa was very good to all of us and I think we all walked away happy. I would have to say I think I was the most spoiled since Santa brought me a nice new camera to document our family endeavors and history. Of course I had to test it out on a couple of cute kiddos. I'd say it works just fine!

We spent Christmas evening hanging out with Grandma & Grandpa Fields and cousins and aunts and uncles while we dined on a delicious dinner. It was a great holiday and so fun to spend it surrounded by family.

New Years was also a blast. Once again we trekked over to Aunt Sarah's house and the kids ran around and played while the adults played games. Getting together with family always involves yummy food and good laughs and this year did not disappoint either. As usual, we were all comfy and cozy in our own beds when the New Year rang in. It isn't quite the late night party when you have kiddos that wake up early in the morning!

We were very blessed in 2011. Mostly with our newest member of our family, Jonas McKay. He was born happy and healthy and we are all happy and healthy as well. We had a great year with more blessings than I could ever count. We are looking forward to see what 2012 has in store for our family! :D