So Much to Post

Oh my gosh....a MONTH has gone by already and I have so much to post.  I almost want to procrastinate, but I know it will only get worse because I can't stop taking pictures lately, so I better get to it.  My mom told me I should not apologize anymore for my blogs being so few and far between, so I won't.  I will just say that I have been FREAKING busy this past month and have not had the opportunity to blog at all.  I wish I could have done it sooner, but tonight is the first break that I have had.  Here is a list of things that I have been doing.  The week after we got home from our awesome trip to Vegas for Thanksgiving, I had to work, so there was no chance for me to blog.  Then the next week, my computer hard drive crashed, so I was without a computer for a week. I was also helping prepare for our ward Christmas party and doing Christmas shopping without the kids.  The ward Christmas party turned out awesome, but it was a lot of phone call reminders and several hours of set up and take down.  Then this week was another work week for me as well as preparing for Delson's 2nd Birthday party.  And tomorrow is our ward Christmas program and I have to play 5 songs on the organ as well as accompany the choir for 2 songs and then tomorrow night we are having a Relief Society fireside and I have to play a piano piece at that too, so I have been STRESSING out over playing the piano all week.  This week truly was the week from you know where.  But I should really be able to enjoy next week which is good since it is the week before Christmas.  Yeah....I can't wait for Christmas!  Sorry....I just had to get the last 3 weeks off of my chest.  Now I can actually blog with pictures.

A New Boy

Delson has been doing remarkably better.  On Sunday we decided to start a new routine for him whenever he goes down for a nap or for bedtime and ever since then it hasn't taken him longer than 10 minutes to fall asleep.  Whenever we put him to sleep before when he had his binky, we would just put him in his bed with it and that was it.  We never read books or snuggled him or anything because he was fine without it.  So Sunday we decided we would read him 2 to 3 books to help wind him down for nap or bedtime and then just kind of tuck him into bed a bit and it has been working like a charm.  Before the binky was doing all of the comforting, but because he doesn't have it now, he needs a bit more from us in order for him to calm down before bed.  Otherwise he screams and throws fits in order to calm down.  This new way is much better and we are all happier.  I am fine with him taking shorter naps, I just didn't like him taking so long to fall asleep and constantly having to go in his room and put him back in his bed over and over.  He still gets sad about bedtime, but he hasn't asked for his binky the last 3 days that I have put him down.  So I know this is a HUGE improvement.  I'm glad we have stuck it out.  Consistency is the key to raising children I have decided and sometimes it is SO DIFFICULT to be consistent, but it is worth it.  And usually the child catches on within a few days, and then it's no big deal for the parent anymore.  Anyways....I'm MUCH happier now and I think Delson is too.  Yeah for resolution!

I thought I would include a few pictures of Delson in this post.  He has really started to LOVE Legos and it is so nice to see him play so nicely with them as well as be so focused on something for so long.  He really enjoys building towers with them.

Performing acrobatics to reach for his Legos.

This is classic Delson.  Whenever he is really focused on a task, he sticks his tongue out.  This reminds me of his Grandpa Walt because he does the same exact thing.  So funny!

Proud of his tall tower.

Update on Delson

So this week has kind of been crazy since we took Delson's binky away.  I think life can only get better, but now I'm starting to wonder if it was the right time to take his binky away.  He has been extra naughty this week.  I have to say "No" to the same naughty act about 500 times instead of 10 times and he has been taking half the length of naps that he used to.  He use to take 3 hour naps and now he is taking 1 to 1.5 hour naps.  That is a HUGE bummer to me.  And it takes him about one hour to finally settle down and even take a nap whereas he used to fall asleep almost immediately.  Night time seems to be fine, but nap time really REALLY sucks.  My life depends on those nap times.  Today I even drugged him with Benadryl and he still only slept 2 hours, which was better but still not what I was hoping for.  He has been waking up about an hour earlier in the mornings too.  Does anyone have any suggestions for this?  I am hoping he will get over this soon and go back to his original schedule, but I have doubts.  Without his binky, I think his life and our lives have changed FOREVER.  DARN BINKIES!!!

Crafty Kristen

Now that's an oxymoron!  But I am trying to be more crafty these days.  I went to a Ladies Craft Night last Friday and realized how NOT crafty I am.  We were supposed to bring any craft we have been working on and I was the only one that brought my computer so that I could update the blog and start on Kambria's digital 1st year scrapbook.  I mean....I guess those are sort of crafty, just in a non-messy way, which I definitely like.  But this week I decided to get to work and make more of a mess.  I started researching crafty websites to get ideas of some crafts I could do and I ended up making a few Thanksgiving cards and this beautiful ornament Christmas wreath.  I love the way it turned out!  I found the idea on this website: http://www.eddieross.com/eddie_ross/2009/12/ornament-wreath-winner.html . It was a lot of fun and definitely got me in the Christmas mood.  I recommend trying it.

Binky-Free Delson

Last night we finally took Delson's binkies away.  We wanted to get rid of them before he turned 2 which is next month and I thought it might be nice to have them gone before we go visit my parents in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving.  So.....we did it last night.  Like so many of my friends have done, we cut the nipple of the binkies off and then when we gave them to Delson, he said "Uh oh" because he knew they were broken and had to be thrown in the trash.  We threw them away and when he realized they were all gone, he was pretty sad.  He cried for about an hour and half before he finally fell asleep last night.  It was heart wrenching to listen to.  He kept crying out "B" because that is what he called them.  He is such a sweetheart and he was pretty much mourning over the loss of his comfort prop.  I only hope that if I was to die today and Alex told him I was all gone that Delson would cry like that over me. It was pretty pathetic.  It made me feel bad, but I know it is for the best.  He woke up one other time in the night and started crying, but I just went in and reminded him that they were broken and he laid right back down and went to sleep.  I was really nervous for nap time today too, but he only fussed for a very short while.  He is such a good boy and he is doing much better than I thought he would.  I am so proud of my Delson!  Yeah for no more binkies!  (At least for Delson....we'll still have to get rid of Kambria's at some point, but I don't even want to think about that right now.)

9 Months Old & Other News

Kambria is now 9 months old and she had her doctor appointment on Monday.  She weighed 20 lbs 10 oz (85th %-ile) and measured 29 inches long (90th %-ile).  She is still a big girl.  She is getting to be so much fun!  She started pulling herself up to stand and she loves it.  She is constantly trying to do it even though it is not without its falls and bumped heads.  She is getting stronger every day though and she is so so smiley as usual.  She also nearly has 8 teeth.  She has 3 teeth that have just surfaced and it is craziness.  She has been a little whinier lately and I think it is because of her teeth, but overall, she is very happy.  Here are some pictures of the things that have been going on lately.

Kambria is trying out her new skill.

Delson thinks he is so funny sitting in Kambria's small car seat.

Here, Delson's friend Jaylie is loving Kambria.  She is so sweet and just wanted to hold her and cuddle her all night long.  She will be a wonderful big sister someday.

Delson in his new white shirt and tie all ready for church and smiling sweetly for the camera.

Halloween 2010

For Halloween this year I took the kids to our ward's trunk-or-treat/carnival with Daneen, Dexter, and Sarah with her 2 kids Braden and Gemma.  Alex was out of town over Halloween so I was so grateful for the help I had on Halloween because I am on the activity committee in our ward and I had to help with the activity.  It was chaotic, but fun!  The kids just stayed for the trunk-or-treat because the carnival was too crazy and they couldn't really participate, plus it was late.  But they had fun and they looked so cute all dressed up. 

Mommy and her pink bunny.

The cute bunny and the handsome giraffe.

Braden was dressed as a puppy dog.  Obviously the 3 of them didn't fit very well on the chair, but it looks super funny.

So cute!

I just had to take a picture of Kambria trying to fit in her car seat.  She looked funny all stuffed in there in her costume.