The Christmas Project

We have been doing a lot of projects at our house lately partly to do some updating and others just to make our space more usable now that we are adding another member to our family but this by far was the biggest project I think we have tackled. Around Thanksgiving Matt and Ez started to scheme about ways to get Matt a flat screen tv and it just evolved from there. With the soon arrival of our little one I told Matt he had to convince someone to be his partner in crime for this big project and luckily for us Kim & Ez were there to volunteer. The project was originally supposed to start this week but Matt was so anxious and excited it worked out that Kim & Ez could come sooner so we jumped at the opportunity to not only finish it sooner but also to have them to spend Christmas with. Kim and I were the official runners for supplies when we went to go get an additional piece of beadboard the only way we could get it into the truck was to rest it on top of our heads..we got some funny looks on our way home.
Before

Wednesday night some guys from our ward came to help Matt move the furniture and all the old cabinets. Here is what it looked like after.

Then the real work began. Matt started working on the base cabinets and finished both sides on Thursday once Ez got here. I felt a lot better knowing that Matt had a "partner" that was just as excited about the project as he was. Thursday night they got both bases installed and then it looked like this.

Friday the top cabinets went in as well as framing out where the tv would go. And then it looked like this...

Saturday was the day that seemed to make the most difference look wise. The remainder of the structure went up as well as everything getting painted. The fireplace even got an update with some new paint and stain. This was a huge group day we really don't know what we would have done without Kim & Ez they were such a big help and never complained about the long hours or endless work. Kim even helped me to keep the house clean, take care of Hallie, do laundry, and make dinner!



We painted into the late hours of Christmas Eve before heading for bed.

Christmas morning we slept in and this is what it looked like once dry on Christmas morning.

When we got home Christmas evening the boys had to hang the tv I thought it might kill them to wait. Monday was spent building cabinet doors, touch up painting, and staining the tops of the bases. No picture for the end of Mondaybut Nic & Ky came to check on us for the evening.



Tuesday morning Kim & Ez had to head for home and we had a doctors appointment so Tuesday afternoon the cabinet doors, hardware, and decor went back up and by Tuesday night here is the finished product.

I have to admit I was a little skeptical but am overly impressed at how well it all turned out as well as completely relieved that it got done before the baby got here. Matt & I can't say enough how much we owe Kim & Ez we really couldn't have done it without them. There were a lot of late nights and long hours but we think the end result was worth it. I think it may be awhile before we take on another project.

38 Weeks

2 weeks left!! Last week at the dr I was dilated to a 2-3 and the dr said thinning out nicely(whatever that means) and that she would be surprised if I made it to my due date. So over the last week I have wondered at times if we would make it to the next day little lone our due date. Im not uncomfortable and I am still sleeping great which neither was the case with Hallie but this one the contractions go in spurts of regularity and severity and then slowly die off. I really feel like the boy who cried wolf but one of these days it will really happen. This week when we went to the dr I am dilated to a 3+ and 70% effaced. Matt asked if we could have the New Years baby, Dr. Boheen said it is a definite possibility so until then we will just keep waiting patiently. I hit the 20lb weight gain this week also after a couple weeks of losing...thank heavens for Christmas I guess.

Christmas Weekend

Our Christmas this year was spent with Matt's family. Im sure in the next couple of years it will get easier as our kids get older but at this point these years are somewhat disappointing since most of Matt's siblings have older kids and have established traditions of their own. So we were more than thrilled when Kim & Ez decided to make the drive from St. George to spend the entire weekend with us. On the night of the 23rd we were able to get together and have some fun with Matt's family before doing our own thing. We got to Tremonton just in time to eat dinner and head out for some caroling. Hallie loved walking with grandma and running down the sidewalk and in the little bit of snow we do have. After we went back to Joy's house and played a gift game for the kids. Hallie was a little confused as to what was going on but as long as she had a present she liked watching the bigger kids. The kids each got a card game and a treat as well as a package of M&Ms with a story. After a fun evening we headed home and I went to bed while Matt and Ez stayed up to work on their project.




Christmas Eve Day I was suposeed to work but ended up being put oncall so the day was spent working on the new entertainment center and getting ready for Christmas. Christmas Eve we opened our PJs and worked late into the night on the entertainment center(more to come).




Originally I was really excited that Christmas fell on a Sunday being able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and what not but ultimately I think I am glad it only comes around every so often. Sunday morning we got up about eight opened presents with Kim & Ez(we were so excited they came to be with us) and enjoyed some yummy egg/sausage casserole. Hallie's favorite part, just as we suspected, was unwrapping the gifts. She played with her toys momentarily but went back to unwrapping pretty quickly.



Hallie got a lot of stories..needless to say we have been doing a lot of reading.

The one thing Hallie remembered all day that Santa brought was her animal cookies...go figure

She also got a quilt that can be folded into a pillow and a puppy purse from Grandma Joy

The dr kit has since become a favorite and gets taken pretty much everywhere with us. She also got so wireless headphones for the car, some living scripture dvds, and puzzles.




By the time we were done we had to hustle to get ready for church and to Tremonton on time.
Hallie enjoying her new headphones while watching her living scripture dvd

We attended church with Matt's parents and then headed home for some yummy traditional Christmas lunch. I thankfully remembered I wanted a family Christmas pic before we changed our clothes



After we were more full than we should have been we ran over to "Our House" where my grandpa currently lives to see him. He seemed to be doing really well and his new hearing aides make conversation a lot more enjoyable.

After grandpa loaded us up with candy we went back to Joy's to take to Chris(matt's brother) who is currently serving a mission in Brazil. Although there were some technical difficulties we ultimately got in a good visit once we switched to one on one conversations. We are excited for Chris to come home sometime this summer. By this time it was dark and we headed for home. Ultimately the boys decided to hang Matt's new tv because he and ez couldn't stand it in the box anymore. All in all we had a great Christmas but we did a lot more running than I would have liked so we will look forward to next year when we can spend our day in our Pjs and just hang out.

Christmas Village and Santa

Monday night for family night we headed to downtown Ogden to see the Christmas Village, Santa, and enjoy some hot chocolate. Hallie was excited to sit on Santa's lap although she didn't have anything she could tell him she wanted just the candy cane as she said thank you and climbed off his lap. After some prompting she said she wanted her mommy and daddy..I don't know if that means she wants a new set of parents or that she is happy with what she has..we hope its the latter.

Christmas Date Night

It is no secret that recently I have become pretty emotional about pretty much everything from the news to all of the Christmas traditions going on around me(really this is a horrible time to be prego). Well for some reason date night this week was no different. Matt and I are like a lot of couples with young kids out there that aren't always the best at getting out and dating weekly and sometimes even monthly but I also know that the times that we do our marriage, our love for one another and our little family grows. So as the days draw closer to having our new little girl I find myself cherishing all the date nights we have had lately. One date night that has become somewhat of a tradition at our house is attending the Motab Christmas Concert. Historically this concert holds a special place in my heart and Matt and I's relationship. While dating in high school I attended the concert a couple of times with Matt and even shared one of our very first kisses after the concert in the underground parking...how romantic right?! So each year as we attend the concert I get giddy thinking of the significance this concert holds to me and getting to sit next Matt and relive one of my favorite Christmas past times. This year was no different although the dynamics have changed a bit. Matt and I have been married five years, have to find a babysitter, and plan a little more in advance than we used to but the feelings are all still the same. After a wonderful dinner we enjoyed the concert hand in hand and after wandered back through temple square to where we parked as we talked about fun things both past and present. What greater blessing is there than to have married your best friend??? I don't think there is one.

Temple Square

So after a bit of a rough week with Hallie and I having the stomach flu we needed a night out in the fresh air and a touch of the Christmas spirit. Hallie talked all day about going to see Jesus and the temple. The lights as always were breath taking and Hallie's added commentary made it all that much more fun. Hallie's favorite part was the reflection pool with all the lights and nativity in the center. Kids add such a light on this sometimes dim world we feel greatly blessed to have Hallie in our lives and the added spark and favor for life she has.

Gingerbread Decorating & Cookies with Santa and his Elves

Wadman(Matt's work) does a lot of projects to help the community and those less fortunate. This year for the ABC dinner they are auctioning off a construction site to help families in need. Yesterday they invited the employees and their families to come and build gingerbread items to be part of the sites. Hallie was literally like a kid in the candy store when we arrived with candy spread all over the tables for anyone to use along with their creativity. Hallie and I made trees covered in frosting and ornament candy as well as sampling various candy.

After finishing the trees we headed over to Treehouse Museum for the annual Cookies with Santa & his Elves. They had a sing along with Santa as well as cookies and milk with all of his eleves. Along with enjoying everything else Treehouse has to offer.
Hallie's Face when she saw Santa for the 1st time

Hallie's New Room

In anticipation of the arrival of the new baby we decided to move Hallie downstairs. This decision was not made easily or without lots of discussion. Ultimately it doesn't make a lot of sense to have a five bedroom house and have your 2 girls share a room. I think that when the time comes that everyone will sleep better with their own room. I hate that Hallie is downstairs it seems so far away at night. We did however move the video monitor downstairs with her so I can see her at anytime which helps a lot. Saturday night(1st night) was a nightmare Hallie was up every half hour from 1-5AM. But since then she actually gets excited to sleep in her new room. Before moving her to the basement she was getting up at least once a night for what seemed like just to say hi and be tucked back in and since her initial night downstairs she has slept the entire night and acts throughout the day like she slept better...I know I have. Although I am still fearful that something will happen and I wont be able to get to her(which will be a worry probably her whole life)the new arrangement seems to be working well. We let Hallie pick the color she wanted her wall, within reason, and then my artsy husband actually painted the tree, leaves, and blossoms on the wall(yeah he has skills). I think as a whole with a few more little girl touches it will be just what we wanted.

35 Weeks

I had to take a double look before I continued past this title. Although someday I feel as if I have been prego forever this pregnancy really has gone quite quickly. After today's appt we will continue with weekly visits until our new one arrives. Dr. Boheen was so funny today as we talked she asked if I remembered when I needed to head to the hospital. To be honest that part I'm still a little fuzzy on with Hallie I didn't want to go to the hospital for fear they would just send me back home telling me I wasn't in labor so by the time Matt convinced me to go there wasn't a lot of time before Hallie arrived. So Dr. Boheen informed me that because I went so quick last time that when my contractions are 7 minutes apart that she wants me at the hospital ASAP the problem is I didn't even realize I was having contractions until they were 4-5 minutes apart so I will have to pay closer attention because the last thing I want is to have Matt deliver this baby and not have an epidural. My ulcerative colitis seems under control as long as I control my stress. This past weekend we moved Hallie to her new room, set up the nursery, washed the carseat, and put all her tiny clothes in the drawers. One thing that is very different is that I have another child to worry about so we have friends and family oncall so when the time comes we hopefully have a plan. I also found out this past week that the hospital has shut down all visitation for kids 14 and younger including siblings and only 2 people at the bedside at a time. I'm not one for a lot of visitors but I wanted hallie to be able to visit her new sister before we brought her home for good but that wont be happening. I do feel as though Im running out of time...time to do things with just Hallie..time to get everything in order. I worry that Hallie will feel unloved or replaced and that breaks my heart Matt just keeps telling me we will figure it out one day at a time(yeah for sane husbands when you have raging prego hormones). I only pray that Hallie will be patient with us as we all take this adventure together. Heres to about a month til we meet this active little girl.

26 Months

With the holidays upon us I totally spaced updating about our sweet Hallie. She has become quite the little independent. She loves to do things by herself. Her personality is becoming more apparent all the time. Just Saturday we moved her to her new room in the basement in anticipation for our new arrival(more to come later). Her love for Mickey Clubhouse seems as if it was more of a phase and she has now moved on to Dora the Explorer. She would watch it all day if you would let her...which may come in handy in the coming months. She has really started liking to sing and be sung to she now can sing her entire ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and likes to sing parts of other songs and even a few sets of her own. She likes to sit at the piano and play while she sings. Crafts have become a part of her daily life she loves to paint, color, and cut whatever you will let her. She still is hesitant of potty training but daily asks to sit on the potty I figure it is a matter of time before she decides she is ready. She loves to tell people she is going to be a big sister to baby "gracie" in mommy's belly. And asks all the time if today we go to the dr to see her. My only hope is that she likes her as much when she really gets here. She continues to be nothing but a pure joy in our lives. She is a very loving and tender hearted little girl. Part of her bedtime routine includes hugs and kisses(regular, eskimo, and butterfly). She has started to take interest when we read scriptures/say prayers and loves when we read and she gets to repeat her verse/prayer. With the weather becoming so cold the library discovery time and tree house museum have become weekly outings. It is so fun to watch her imagination grow all the time. She is great to play by herself but also loves when someone will play or read to her. She is a very good listener and rarely if ever has to go to time out. She still naps 1-2 times a day which I love. She goes to bed about 8:30P and sleeps til 8-8:30A. Before moving her downstairs she was waking herself up at least once a night but since moving her downstairs the problem has resolved. The picture above is how I found Hallie when she told me she was ready for church...she makes life comical.