The Fryars

seriously??

2011-01-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Was my last post really in November?

Well, we are alive and well. Holidays, vacation and now school has kept us moving nonstop.

That is about as much effort I have left to give tonight to my blog!

Good night all!

52 Piece Project

2010-11-29T19:43:00.000-08:00

My sister is an amazing artist! I have a few of her pieces in my house and just drool over her website and walls. She is starting a new fabulous give away for those of us who can't afford cheesy Hobby Lobby prints, let alone original fine art. Every week for a year she is going to give a way an original piece. How cool is that?! Check out her project's blog and website! Her work looks great online but the pictures don't do the pieces justice. They are beautiful!

http://52weeksoffreeart.blogspot.com/

http://www.crystaldespain.com

Lucy!

2010-11-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

After 6 very cute and handsome grandsons, we finally welcomed a granddaughter into the Dixon family! Lucy Elaine was born to Tiff and Rick on 11/25 (Thanksgiving Day) weighing 6lbs 8 oz and was 19.25 inches. She is so beautiful and we are going to spoil her silly!

Christmas Crafting!

2010-11-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

Liam made a count down snowflake chain! What a mess! I think we will be finding glitter for months to come.

poor baby

2010-11-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

There were some issues when the drs tried to circumcise Declan as a newborn. Long story short, his foreskin was so swollen it was cutting off blood circulation to the head- which is a problem if we want grandbabies. Our pediatrician called in a pediatric surgeon who rushed over to check Delcan out. He made a slit the length of the the foreskin so release the pressure. We had to wait for him to heal completely before we could try again. So poor kid just got circumcised (11/23). I went in with him and he did great. He was really fussy the rest of the day but has been fine since. I much prefer doing the procedure when they are newborns! I think it is easier on everyone. I am just thankful there was no lasting damage and we were able to get it taken care of.

2 months!

2010-11-27T10:47:00.001-08:00

I can't believe he is two months already!!!! At his well baby check up he weighed 13lbs 13 oz and is 24 inches long. He is already filling out some of his 6-9 month clothes- ridiculous!

Happy Real Halloween!

2010-11-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

10/31/10

Justin had to work on the real Halloween so we spent it in Loveland at my parents. The cousins came over and we carved more pumpkins and ate candy! My boys were boxes of cereal. Liam was his favorite, Cookie Crisp and Declan was Lucky Charms

Zoo Day

2010-11-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

We braved a free day at the Denver Zoo with Katie, Mark and Rodney. It took us a good 30 mins driving in circles to find a parking place. After the zoo we went to Red Robin for dinner. Then the men went to an Avs game and Katie and I brought the kids home and fell asleep :)

10/21/10

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-27T10:33:00.001-08:00

The Seamons came over and we carved pumpkins! (10/20/10)

Declan's Blessing

2010-11-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

What a sweet sunday it is when you get to listen to your husband and other important men in your life bless your sweet baby. I feel so honored to be married to my husband and to be the mother of my two sons. Declan's blessing was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes.

The circle
October 17, 2010

Sleep!

2010-11-16T09:11:00.001-08:00

Liam and Delcan both slept amazing the last 2 nights! Liam usually sleeps 12 hours so that was nothing new. However, 8 week old Declan has spoiled me with 10 hours both nights! I actually woke up before both of them this morning! I can't tell you what it was like to wake up on my own time without my crying alarm clocks going off from two different room! A few asked me how I have gotten Declan to sleep so well. He has been sleeping 7 hours since 6 weeks old. All I can think of is that the trick is the velcro swaddle wraps. They are like straight jackets for infants! Ever since I started using them (I think it is the halo brand) Declan has been falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer! For you sleep deprieved moms- it is definitely worth a shot!

Motherhood

2010-11-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

I will post pictures and updates soon. I know I am way behind but I am on my laptop and all the pictures are on the desktop.

I can't believe I am a mom. I know it has been a few years since I held Liam for the first time. However, I am humbled and in awe everyday at the amazing gift that I have been given. Even though both of our kids came a few years earlier than we planned, I couldn't be happier. Never did we imagine that just three years after kneeling across the sealing alter would we have two kids! It was a hard adjustment but it just goes to show that Heavenly Father has his own timeline. It is so humbling to be a mother and know that our Heavenly Father trusts me enough with his precious children. I was reading on my friends blog about her labor experience. She said that laboring naturally was the closest she has ever felt to understanding the atonement. I couldn't agree more. The intensity that it take to bring our children into this world is so humbling and amazing. Through the birth of my children, I have come to have a deeper relationship with Christ and our Father in Heaven. My sweet babies drive me crazy and I get really frustrated (more often than I care to admit). Sometimes I hide in my closet for a few minutes to get myself together, but I can't imagine life without them. I make mistakes all day long but as soon as Liam gives Declan a kiss, or when Declan smiles at me and Liam randomly says "love you", I know that I am doing okay. Heavenly Father won't leave us stranded and alone. He helps me everyday. I feel so blessed to be a women and have the gift and calling of motherhood.

Big Eater!

2010-09-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

We went to the breastfeeding clinic today at the hospital. At 10 days old, Declan has already hit his birth weight! He also floored the lactation ladies by eating just over 5.5 oz. They had never seen a newborn eat that much before!

Brothers

2010-09-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

They aren't brothers are they? I can't get Blogger to rotate this picture so sorry. Declan is the left and Liam is on the right. They are about the same age in the picture.

Liam has been great with Declan. He is pretty gentle and hasn't seemed to jealous. The biggest issue we have is over the pacifiers. Even though Liam hasn't had one since June-ish he still takes a pacifier and hides in his room and sucks on it. As soon as we come looking for him he throws it across the room and pretends he never had it.

Welcome Declan!!!

2010-09-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

He his here! My sweet boy, Declan Craig was born on Sept. 18 at 12:58 pm. He weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 20 1/4 inches long.

Friday was moving day. We got all the boxes unloaded and filled the trailer

with our furniture. On Saturday, some volunteers from our new ward were coming to help unload the last of it. However, Saturday at 12:03 am (yes, I looked at the clock) I woke up (after 45mins of sleep) with a contraction. I knew right then I was in labor because it was completely in my back. I let Justin keep sleeping. At 4am I put a call in to my midwife. We decided it was time to come in since we now like 40 mins away and I tested positive for group B strep. My mom got to our house just around 4:30 and away we went. We left our house in shambles with only our beds set up. My Dad came to the house in the morning to meet the elders quorum. I was admitted around6:15 am (triage took forever!) and was happy to find that I was already at 5 cm after only 6 hours! I continued to labor and cope with the back labor until about 7:30 when I received the epidural. After only 45 mins of sleeping after moving all day I was so exhausted.

About 10 mins after I got all hooked up there was a horrible scream from down the hall so

my nurse went running. Apparently, there was a first time mom who dilated from 2 cm to complete in just a few contractions. That poor women. I could hear her through several closed doors and walls. After a couple more screams the music played meaning she had her baby.

Declan was facing the wrong direction and was very slow at turning. Labor stalled so we broke my water at 8 cm. The contractions were still weak and irregular so we started pitocin. Three contractions later I felt ready to push. Four contractions after that I was holding my sweet baby!

My family was amazing. We came home Monday morning to an unpacked house. Our kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms were all put away. There is still organizing to do but the amount of work they did in two days would have taken me weeks.

Our new ward, which we have never attended, has been outstanding. We are so excited to be in it. The elders quorum president called the relief society after they helped move furniture to let them know we were having a baby. We have had meals from them all week. We didn't expect anything from them and have been overwhelmed with their selflessness and generosity. We are so excited to be in this ward!

39 week update!

2010-09-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Everything seems to be great! Baby is still facing the wrong direction but that is are only issue (which isn't really an issue)! I am dilated to 2 cm! I didn't hit 2 with Liam until I was in labor for like 6 hrs so I am excited!

I-Hope-You-Have-The-Baby-Tonight Cake

2010-09-14T14:17:00.001-07:00

Crystal surprised me with a cute belly cake. She called it my "I-Hope-You-Have-The-Baby-Tonight Cake". She found a marshmallow fondant recipe so this was her practice cake! It turned out really cute.

Justin thought it was a little strange.

As soon as we found the baby inside Justin flat out refused to eat it. He doesn't have the odd Dixon sense of humor!

Owie

2010-09-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is the result about five minutes after a two year's head met a tile floor.

Changes and answered prayers

2010-09-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

So the next few weeks are going to be crazy!

First off, we are so excited to welcome our baby anytime. His due date is in 10 days! This pregnancy flew! I can't believe it is almost over (although my body is very ready for it to be).

Secondly, we are last minute moving to Fort Collins this weekend! A few weeks ago we went to the temple and were really struggling with how to make Justin's new work schedule fit with his schooling. Well, we felt like maybe we should look into moving to Fort Collins. Within 2 weeks we found the one and only place in Fort Collins that would take our dog and that we could afford as well as found an awesome young family for our place. This is the perfect couple because they have a young boy so I don't have to undo Liam's cute room I just decorated 3 months ago and they have a really flexible move in date so when the baby comes we can put things on hold without it being an issue.

38 week update

2010-09-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

All is well and things are moving slowly. I am already more dilated than I was when I went into labor with Liam which is sad because I am only a 1 but I will take it! Baby sounds good but the little stinker turned around and is facing the wrong direction so, unless he rotates again I will no doubt have back labor again.

One and only belly shot of the pregnancy

2010-09-08T07:29:00.001-07:00

My sister Tiffany and I! She is 6 months with her first and I am 37 wks!

37 weeks!

2010-09-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

We just got back home from my 37 weeks appt. Everything seems to be going good. The baby's heart rate was a steady 136 bpm. My tummy is measuring a week small but at least I gained some weight this time. I also tested positive for Group B strep which pretty much just means that I have to have an antibiotic 4 hrs before delivery but it doesn't pose risk to me or the baby since we are aware of it.

Wake up Daddy!

2010-08-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Liam had a really hard time napping yesterday so Justin went to lay with him. About 30 minutes later, Liam comes walking up to me and grabs my hand. He leads me back into his bedroom. Justin had fallen asleep on Liam's bed. Liam pointed at Daddy and started laughing and then he ran up and tickled him!

Cloth Diaper update!

2010-08-28T09:42:00.001-07:00

After two weeks of cloth diapers I have to say my only real complaint is not having enough! I barely have enough for a day and a half so I keep running out of diapers. Luckily, I still have some disposables on hand but that small supply is dwindling too. Cloth diapering is much easier than I expected! There is so much info and types of diapers and accessories that it seems very overwhelming. However, once you just pick something and go with it, the whole process is much simpler than it seems! I have to admit though, I would definitely not be doing cloth if it wasn't for my handy diaper sprayer. I just might have to buy one to put at my parent's house :)

Wahoo! I'm Two!

2010-08-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

Liam is 2! I can't believe it (that is until he wakes up)! We had a fun pool party last night with some family and friends! My mom came up early to show me how to decorate a cake and so with her fabulous instructions I decorated his cake! Liam had a lot of fun playing his his four cousins and best friend Rodney! That was a lot of little boys running around! Liam's favorite gift is the donkey kong monster truck Justin picked out for him. He had to sleep with it last night!

At 2 yrs old Liam weighs 25lbs (18%), is 35 in (63%) and has ahead circumference of 20 inches (93%). Needless to say he is slightly (ok really) out of proportion but he is still cute as a button!

Happy Birthday!!!

New Adventure

2010-08-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

So Justin and I decided to brave cloth diapers! We had our package waiting for us when we got home from Steamboat! Liam thinks they are fun to play with. He likes to stack the liners. I can't tell you how it is going yet since Liam is now in his first one. Hopefully, we will like them and get used to a good wash routine before baby comes!

Gramps Camp

2010-08-14T09:25:00.001-07:00

We went up to Steamboat Springs this year for Gramps Camp. Unfortunately, "Gramps" couldn't come. So instead of having the whole family like usual, it was the Despains and us. We at least had all the cousins up (minus one but she is in utero still so that doesn't count yet) there! We didn't do to much because of the number of small boys in comparison to the number of adults, my giant pregnant belly, and two babies (well, I guess they are the little boys now) getting sick. We still had alot of fun though. The first evening we braved the murky swimming pool water for a while. The boys went to bed and Crystal, Mark, Justin and I broke out the cards! We stayed up way to late playing Canasta. Crystal and Justin won but I think she made up rules as she went :) j/k but we definitely have a rematch in the near future! The next morning we played mini golf on the 'resorts' course- it was a joke though. I haven't seem such a ghetto course before! The Despains soon headed home and so Justin, Liam and I enjoyed a nice 2 bedroom, full kitchen condo to ourselves. Unfortunately Liam developed a fever so we just hung out at home and enjoyed cable (a luxury we rarely see). We don't even have local channels at home so it was kind of fun. To end our adventure Liam got stung by a bee as soon as we made it back home. Luckily, he isn't allergic like most people in my family! It was a fun vacation but hopefully next time we can get the other half of the family up!

Camping!

2010-08-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

We got to go camping with the Seamons last week! We went up to Red Feathers and had a great time! Camping with toddlers was rather tricky but we all enjoyed ourselves! The first night didn't go so well. It took a good 1.5 hrs for the boys to fall asleep and then us adults stayed up a little too late talking and enjoying not chasing toddlers. A few hours after we went to bed Liam woke up. He calmed down finally and we all dozed off again only to be awoken by Rodney's cries. Not long after both boys were sleeping again did we get to be startled awake by our neighbors car alarm. That was the end of the night so we all gave up on the whole sleeping idea and started our day just after 4 am. It took until about 3pm the next day for all of us to have recovered from the night. We took turns sleeping and chasing the boys. The second night was much better but still left room for improvement! We can't wait to go camping with them again next year!!!

Lost Dog!!!

2010-08-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

"Who me?!"

Naughty Riley disappeared last week! We went for a camping trip with our friends, the Seamons! We wanted to take the dogs, Riley and Wyatt, but their boy, Rodney can't drive in the car with them. Justin had to come up to camp late so he could finish his last final so his job was to haul the dogs. He dropped Riley off with Wyatt so they could get some energy out and Justin went to the store. He was back in less than 15 minutes and Riley was M.I.A. That was on Wednesday evening. He spent hours driving and walking around trying to find him but he had no luck.

Justin finally made it to camp at almost 11 pm. Camping was great (even though I was worried and missing my dog) but that is for another post. We got home Friday and immediately went to the shelter but he wasn't there. We checked again and again. We had a family reunion/wedding that weekend so we didn't get any lost dog posters out until Sunday.

Sunday night was hard because it was the first night I was all alone without my husband or my dog. Justin finally got home from work Monday about 3am and he sat in the car for a few minutes finishing a chapter on his audiobook. Soon, our cat Sophie climbed into the car through the sunroof and sat with him and then out of nowhere Riley's head pops up in the window!

Somehow that dog found his way home. He has never been to the house he escaped from and rarely do we go on walks around our house. I was so surprised that he actually found us! He seems to be just fine. He lost a lot of weight because his ribs are visible even from across the yard! He is dirty, has a few nasty bugs crawling on him and was collarless.

We are so happy to have Riley back safe and sound!

32 Weeks!

2010-07-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my 32 week appt! The baby's heart rate was a steady and slow 136bpm. Liam's heart rate was always in the 150s and high 140s so maybe this means Baby wont be so busy (fingers crossed)?!!!! The midwife said that I am measuring right on and was surprised how low and forward he is (especially his head). She joked that she could almost feel his nose! Obviously she couldn't but it was funny. Baby is in perfect position for labor and delivery so hopefully he stays that way so I can avoid a very long back labor again!

A miracle? Quite possibly!

2010-07-24T07:49:00.001-07:00

After 6 grandsons on the Dixon side my sister and brother in law are breaking the trend and adding the first granddaughter to the mix! She is going to be one tough chick with all these boys around!

Nursery!

2010-07-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Justin and I decided to switch bedrooms with the boys and give theirs a make over! So, on Tuesday we started painting and by Friday we had all the furniture moved in! I still need to switch the closet contents but other than that it is done! Liam's reaction everytime he walks in is "oh wow, oh wow!". He really likes to touch the stars but "star" is a hard word and it comes out more like "bar".

Day in Denver!

2010-06-22T07:05:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we went and spent the day in Denver! We stopped by the temple first and then got lost and ended up at the South Glenn shopping center. There was a fun little splash area that Liam loved!

Names

2010-05-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

Why are boy names so hard?!

Big Boy Bed!

2010-05-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Guess who is sleeping in his big boy bed for the first time ever?! Thats right...Liam! I put him in bed about an hour ago and he laid right down. He has been abnormally quiet (like no crying or anything) so I have checked on him 2 times and he is still just laying in bed looking at his books. He isn't asleep yet but hopefully he will soon. I will be floored if the transition was really this easy. I am sure even if tonight continues this smoothly, there will be a few battles down the road.

Eagle Project!

2010-05-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

My 14 year old brother is working on his Eagle Project (impressive)! He will be building fences along a hiking trail in the mountains. For his fundraiser his goal was to raise $800 by doing a garage sale. After only two days he broke the $1000 mark! Liam had a lot of fun scavenging through the donations!

Quiet Book Pages!

2010-05-17T18:57:00.001-07:00

My Relief Society started to make Quiet Books back in the early fall. As a group we did 8 pages but I just kept finding cute ideas and soon my 8 pages turned into 32! The book still isnt done but it is done enough to take pictures! I have a few finishing touches, like putting the hands on the clock and a shoe lace in the football, before binding it. Once they are completely finished I will definitely post pictures. I have spent way too long on it not too! The pages all turned out to be different sizes and some didn't turn out as well as the others. There are a lot of silly mistakes that I am just too lazy to fix (like the ice cream scoops that are bigger than the page).

I forgot to flip the title page of the first book- oops!

My page ideas came from the relief society, my wonderful friends' imaginations, Simplicity Pattern 3709, and 2 very cute blogs:

http://naptimejournal.blogspot.com/2009/05/quiet-book-pagesyou-asked-for-them.html

http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/search/label/quiet%20book

Mommy moment

2010-05-15T18:30:00.001-07:00

We all had a stomach bug this week. I was rocking Liam in the glider and he would just smile and giggle. He only snuggles when he is sick so I guess some good things come from having the 'bug'! Anyways, we were rocking in the chair, bonding and all of the sudden baby started kicking. It was a wonderful mommy moment, snuggling with Liam and feeling baby kick at the same time. I have had a hard time bonding with this baby and finally I feel like that bond has had a jump start!

"Oh, I wont stop you!"

2010-05-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Justin and I were late checking into graduation last night. We got lost and then had to park forever away so by the time we actually made it into the building we were about 15 mins late. After getting our cards and checking in I ran to the bathroom. Unless I made it to the bathroom now, there was no way I would make it through the ceremony without an embarrassing accident. In the hall way was some staff that was trying hard to round up all the graduates to get them back into the check-in room. I really had to pee and was walking fast as a pregnant lady in heels can. I put my hand on my tummy just when the lady was about to redirect me. Suddenly her tone and expression changed and she said, "Oh, I wont stop you!"

Baby Update

2010-04-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

We had an appointment with our midwife, Marie, today (18w6d). We got to listen to the heartbeat again. It was going 145bpm! My uterus is mearsuring big (she didn't tell me how big) but you can't really tell because it is longer like a watermelon instead of sticking out! Everything looks/sounds great! We have our big/only ultrasound in 2 weeks!!! Now that the first trimester is over, the pregnancy is going really fast! I can't believe I am almost half way done!

Definitely Not!

2010-04-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Me: "Hey Liam, are you excited to be a big Brother?"
Liam: "Yeah"

Me: "Are you going to love the baby?"
Liam: "Yeah"

Me "Are you going to give kisses to the baby?"
Liam: "Yeah"

Me: "Are you going to get a Big Boy bed soon?"
Liam: "Yeah"

Me: "Are you going to give your crib to the baby?"
Liam: "Yeah"

Me: "Big boys don't need pacifiers. Are you going to give your pacifer to the baby?"
Liam: Looks at me for a second, shakes his head no, climbs off my lap and walks away.

Justin's new job!

2010-04-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

So, I have been waiting to post about justin's new job until he actually starts but I just can't wait anymore! He was hired on at the Walmart Distribution center in Cheyenne, WY. No, we are not moving. The commute will be no longer than commuting to Denver. He is transferring there the beginning of May! With this transfer will come a very nice and welcomed pay raise, and only three days working a week! They will be 12 hour shifts but Justin (who has worked 12s before) said that he would much rather work 3-12s than 5-8s! I don't blame him! He will be working overnight weekends. The hardest part will be fitting church into the schedule but it will happen. It might take a few Sunday's to find the best sleep schedule though. This schedule will be great for school because it leaves almost the whole week open! Congrats to Justin for getting this new job!

Father to Son

2010-04-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Justin and Liam had a little Father to Son talk last night at bed time. It went something like this:

Justin: "So Liam, Mommy is having a baby and you will be a big brother!"
Liam: (Smiling)
Justin: "If you have a baby sister you need to toughen her up a bit! Thats your job as a big brother."
Liam: (Smiling and nodding his head in agreement)

Maybe we should have another boy...

Good Morning Surprise!

2010-03-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

I woke up to find that Justin left me a beautiful Hyacinth plant! It has several bulbs and is in full bloom! It is so beautiful and smells so sweet! I can't find my camera so that picture isn't the actual plant but it looks the same! Time to go work in my garden! What a sweet husband I have!

New Midwife

2010-03-27T08:05:00.001-07:00

We had another midwife appointment yesterday! I am 14 weeks. We met the newest midwife, Krista. She was great. There are three in the office and we really like them all. One of them wasn't to impressive but that might be due to the circumstances I have met her in. She was the one doing my labor checks. We went in every 2 hrs like they said only to find that I had dilated like .5-1 cm. So she wasn't my best friend. I am sure is great though- she just kept sending me home and I didn't like that!

Anyways, The baby was easy to find again. He doesn't move around nearly as much as Liam did! I remember the nurse always chasing Liam's heartbeat! The heartrate dropped from 169bpm (at 10 wks) to 154bpm today. He sounds great though! All of my blood tests came back great! I asked them to check my thyroid levels since my mom and sister have issues with theirs. I have had alot of the symptoms of hyopthydroid so I decided to have them check it out. To my surprise it came back .75 which is pushing to be considered hyperthyroid! Opposite of what I was expecting but thats fine since it is still in the normal range. I think I will have it retested after baby is born to see if pregnancy is messing with things! We don't have an u/s date yet but it will be in about 6 weeks probably!

Splurging

2010-03-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

So Justin and I decided to have fun with some of our tax return money. We each gave ourself a budget and then we got to shop! I ended up, after alot of research, getting the Cricut Expression die cut machine. It came in a bundle with YourStory machine which is a book binder (not the cheese ring ones you used in elementary school) and a laminator! I haven't had too much time to play with them but once I am out of school it will be way fun! I chose the Cricut because of the cutting size up to 12 in! There is a software program called Sure Cuts A Lot (cheesy name, I know) that always you to use all the fonts on your computer. It also allows you to make your own. I have purchased it yet but I plan too. Spending $80 on one cartridge doesn't sound fun.
Justin bought a 42" t.v. which means our 32" is going in the bedroom! I fall alseep much better at night (when he is working the night shift) if the t.v. is on which usually results in a very uncomfortable night on the couch. Sorry I don't have pictures. It has been like 50 posts since I had any!

Most expensive snack ever

2010-03-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

I can't help but to have the urge to eat my wedding ring. Of course, Justin freaks out and is ready to hide it from me! I have enough sense, after the urge eases up (a second after it hits), to put the ring back on my finger and eat a cracker instead. This has to be the weirdest craving I have ever experiences. I just want to eat it!

Under 200!

2010-03-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

I have been anxiously awaiting for baby countdown to break 200. Today it finally did! There are officially 199 days until my baby's due date! I have to admit that 199 sounds way better than 200! I am mid way through week 11 and am feeling much better than last week. However, it might be because I have been so stressed and busy that I haven't had time to notice how awful I really feel. Either way, I will take it!

My hardest week thus far

2010-03-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

Week 10 has definitly been the hardest of my pregnancy so far! I was all excited because during wk 9 I was feeling really good. Then everything hit twice as hard again. I am happy to say I still have not thrown up! Hopefully I can keep it that way. This is the first week I have had crying episodes and other hormone manifestations. I didn't cry once yesterday, as opposed to at least twice every other day during this week. so hopefully my hormones are evening out alittle bit! Lets hope week 11 (starting tomorrow) is nicer to me than this one was!

Appointments Galore!

2010-02-26T15:34:00.000-08:00

This morning Liam had his 18 month check up. We met a knew doctor in the practice and was not surprised to find that we liked him just as much as every other one we have met so far! Liam showed off his talking skills and convinced both the doctor and I that we should wait another six months before we decide whether or not to start speech therapy. He was in the 18% for weight (about 23-24 lbs), 60% for height (32.75 in) and a whopping 90% for head circumference. He did a good job with all 4 shots and was award a Bravery certificate and a free kids meal from chick-fil-a! His favorite part was the 4 band-aids.

This afternoon I had my first prenatal appointment! I am 10 weeks today and it was great to go in and see our midwife and nurse again. They were both very excited to see Liam too. We were able to hear our baby's heartbeat beating at 169bpm! It didn't take the nurse very long to find it either. It was such a relief to finally have some reassurance that our baby is ok!

Happy Birthday!

2010-02-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

Justin turned 25 today! Last night I woke Liam up and we went and filled his car with balloons and colored the windows while oblivious Justin was inside working. Justin seemed to think it was a nice surprise. When we were dating I used to break into his car and leave messages and other surprises (like food) so I thought it would be a nice blast from the past for him! Unfortunatly, he had to come home and sleep. However, that didn't halt Liam and I from continuing a birthday celebration. It just so happens that our good friend Dani shares a birthday! Naturally us girls (and Liam) went out for lunch! When we got back Justin was waking up so we drove to the rec. center to buy Justin his birthday present - a gym membership! Afterwords we met back up with the girls plus another husband and helped ourselves to some ColdStone ice cream! Needless to say, I think that I have gained all the weight I have lost during the pregnancy back just in during this afternoon- but man was it worth it!
After dessert, Justin, Liam and I headed off the store to get some cool workout clothes for Justin. To finish off the birthday celebrations we came home, did homework and then Justin left for work. Overall, it was a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Justin! I love you!

Nursery!

2010-02-21T20:21:00.001-08:00

Today was Liam's first day in nursery by himself! After sacrement meeting he ran straight for the toys. It didn't take him too long to find Elmo. He was to preoccupied with toys and kids to even notice us leave. Justin and I got to listen to almost all of Sunday School before he realized that we were gone. I actually brought my scriptures to church today (something I gave up on months ago because they turned into extra weight to haul around that I never got to open). When the nursery leader came to find us Liam was pretty distraught. All he wanted to do was snuggle his daddy. Justin said Liam refused to be put down through half of priesthood meeting. For his first day, I think Liam did awesome. He has never been left with someone he doesn't see on a regular basis so I was impressed. Maybe next week he will make it through all of Sunday school!

Best Half Birthday Ever

2010-02-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

So I can only think of two important half birthdays- 1.5 and 15.5. I think that 15 and half is probably the scariest seeing as in Colorado that is when kids get their driver's permits. So that fear automatically leave the 18 month birthday as the best. I think it deserves the title though! Liam has hit that anxiously awaited half birthday! That means he gets to go to nursery during the last 2 hours of church! What a blessing! We have spent the last 3 Sundays in there anyways, because when we walk to halls he always hears the kids. The nursery leaders are awesome and let us come play. Hopefully the time we have spent in there will help with the adjustment- if he even needed help! I think he will do great! I am so excited to be kid free during the last blocks for a whole 7 months!!!

Happy 18months Liam!

Baby #2 is on the way!

2010-02-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

Well it looks like we will have another monkey joining our family September 24th! After the shock of another surprise pregnancy we couldn't be happier! Even though Liam doesn't understand yet I know he will be excited! He loves babies and always tries to hold them and love on them. I might have my hands full when the baby comes! Justin's new goal- to eventually have a planned pregnancy! I guess for not planning this it will work out well with school schedules and such. The kids (that sounds weird!) will be 25 months apart so at least we hit the 2 year mark!

P.S. My computer is stupid and has locked me out of photo editing so I can't rotate the pictures. We I get on the desktop I will fix it! Sorry!

Sneaky sneaky!

2010-01-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

My sister, Tiffany and her husband Rick brought over a plate of cookies this evening. Of course Liam was eyeing them all night and ever so politely asking for some. He got lucky and was given a few crumbs. When we weren't looking though he climbed up and grabbed a cookie off the plate and took off. I heard him running down to the hall laughing the whole way to his bedroom. He was hiding in the dark room in the corner behind his crib! What a sneaky little man!

Snowboarding!

2009-12-21T10:16:00.001-08:00

I learned something this weekend: Dixon genetics + snowboarding does not = success.

My sister has the pictures on her camera so if I ever get copies from them I will post some! Our camera died on the mountain so I don't know how many "action" pictures we have.

Justin took me snowboarding for the first time on Saturday. We went up to Copper Mountain with Crystal, Mark and Dave (my brothers and sister). It was so much fun but probably the most frustrating thing ever. During the portion of the day that I was actually on my feet I was going down the mountian sideways. I am happy to report that I only face planted 3 times to whole day. Those three falls were enough to bruise my knees up pretty bad! Justin had a few pretty good falls. I looked up (from my own crash) just in time to see Justin do three somersaults down the hill! Thank goodness for helmets- we definitly needed them!

Getting off the chairlift was pretty much impossible. They never had to completely stop the lift even though the guy in the control room had to oame to my rescue. It was pretty embarrassing but we all survived. My last time getting off the lift was my most graceful. I still fell but happened to land on the board so I was able to slide out of the unloading zone!

Snowboarding was definitly harder than people make it look and I don't think my body has ever been this sore! It was totally worth it! Hopefully next year we will be able to save enough money to go again!

Liam's room!

2009-12-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

I am almost completely done with Liam's room. There are a few things, like the empty picture frames on his wall that need filling and the really crooked curtain rod that the tenants hung, that need to be fixed but other than that his room is complete! It is nice having a safe place for him to play that is out of our tiny living area.

Liam's room was the first to get set up! I was just so excited to hang the decor that I had made for his room!

Liam's room is as big as ours-lucky boy!

I made these from ribbon, srcapbooking paper and styrofoam. I just velcroed (is that a word?) them to the wall!

moving with a toddler

2009-12-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

So 4 months ago I posted that packing with a toddler was impossible but man was I wrong! Unpacking is so much worse. I decided this afternoon as I sat on my couch, a big bowl of ice cream in hand, with Liam's screams from his crib to seranade me that we will forever live in a half moved-into diaster zone. I am ok with that though- for today anyways.

Newest Creation

2009-11-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

I am getting really antsy to move into our own place again! To keep me busy I started making and brainstorming new decorating projects! The first on my list was a plaque for Liam's room. His infant nursery was blue and brown contemporary stripes so I thought I would go with a theme this time! I am set on not painting the walls because it took so long to undo it just wasn't worth it. I have some other things planned for his room but can't really work on them until we live in the house. Hopefully I will have his room finished in a month or so!

Sorry it is not a very good picture. It was really easy to make. I just cut out scrapbook paper and glued it onto a piece of wood and voila!

Christmas Crafting!

2009-11-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

I am so excited for the Holidays this year! It seems like I am more excited than usual- maybe because Liam is old enough to have some fun this year. I have finished two of Liam's presents this past week! We are moving back to Greeley in a few weeks and am I so excited to decorate and organize Liam's room! I keep thinking of different storage ideas for all of Liam's toys that are in storage. He seems to have turned into a little boy overnight! He doesn't need a nursery anymore- he needs a room for him to play in!

These were the easiest things to make! The plastic ABC magnets at Walmart were quite what I was looking for so I decided to make my own fridge magnets! I found these cute wood cut outs at Hobby Lobby the other day. I just put a sealer over them and slapped a magnet on the back so I have easy to clean fun magnets for Liam now!

His ABC blocks took a little (and by a little I mean a lot) longer than the magnets to make! I just bought 1.5 inch wood blocks and painted them with arcylic paints. I put some stickers on them because my drawing skills are horrendous, and sealed them so they can be washed! Hopefully he will have fun stacking them and putting them in and taking them out the box!

Fall Happenings!

2009-11-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Sorry the pictures are sideways. I can't seem to get my computer to save the rotation so just cock your head to the left and then it will appear to be normal!

As you can see, Liam was a fierce tiger for Halloween! We were all sick and grumpy on the real Halloween and since Liam is still so young we just skipped it! We had to dress him up later for pictures just so we had them!

Justin snuck Liam his first chocolate chip cookie ever! Liam doesn't look guilty at all!

This was Liam's favorite part of Anderson Farm! It is this huge rabbit pen. They had alot of baby rabbits that were fun to watch.

He crossed the line!

2009-10-24T09:13:00.001-07:00

Liam has finally crossed the line between a crawler and a walker! He is, as the peditrician said, the most cautious baby ever. He has had the balance and coordination to walk for months but has lacked the motivation and confidence! He has just started to take off and now he is walking almost everywhere. The only time he really crawls is if he is in a new environment that is making him nervous or if he needs to go as fast as he can so he can do something he knows is naughty!

Nah Nan

2009-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

Thats how Liam says "all done". He waves his hand in front of him (usually throwing the food on his tray across the room) and yells "Nah Nan!". It is pretty cute but up until tonight he has only done it when he has finished eating. We were shopping today and he was pretty cranky. He started waving his hands around and yelling "Nah Nan, Nah Nan!". He did that pretty much constantly until we walked out of the store.

Skype-ing

2009-10-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

So my sister, Tiff and her husband, Rick are living in Russia for the semester. There is a website called Skype that lets you do video calls for free. It just so happened that Tiff and I were online at the same time! We talked for over an hour for free with a video feed. It was pretty darn cool to be able to see/talk to her for free for so long! Thank you Skype!!!

Will they last? Probably Not.

2009-10-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

My goal: To keep these from breaking at least until Christmas.

I found these cute wooden model kits at Joann's yesterday. They were like $2! Justin building Liam a toybox for Christmas so I thought- what good is a homemade toybox without homemade toys? I spent all day yesterday sanding and painting and glueing. We will see if they even last until Christmas. Even if they do he probably wont get to play with the pirate ship. I am sure he will impale himself.

Reaching New Heights...and dangers

2009-10-11T19:59:00.001-07:00

Liam has figured out how to get on the kitchen table! He is so proud of himself and it is a constant fight to keep him off. I am not sure how he is always getting up. We move the chairs and somehow he is up again! We have only had two falls from the table top to the tile floor but that is 2 to many! He fell before church this morning and has a nice bruise in the middle of his forehead and a huge bottom lip. Now if only he would put that climbing energy into his walking...

Time to Grow Up

2009-10-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

So Justin and I decided that maybe it was time to grow up alittle bit. We have been married for just over two years and have never had a budget! Thats horrible I know- especially with his Sam's Club income! I have worked really hard organizing our finances to begin debt payoff and starting a retirement fund as he now has that benefit at work! We are super excited to have finances in order and actually start living within our income instead of on credit!

I decided to make a visual reminder for us of our frugality so I decorated a pickle jar. Any extras will go in our jar and that will be our trip/ big date fund!

fall food storage!

2009-10-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

I love the fall!

Out of all the seasons of the year fall is definitly the best season to be living with my mother! We have been working non-stop for the past 6 weeks on food storage! We have canned dozens of jars of salsa and marinara sauce, made about 150lbs of apples into yummy applesauce and applepie filling. Both my mom and I had a huge zuchinni harvest this year. We made over 50 loaves of zuchinni bread and have well over 100lbs shredded and frozen for more bread! I also made 8 jars of pumpkin pie filling from our giganitc miracle pumpkin (I thought my pumpkin plant died and then one day there was a huge pumpkin in the tomato plants). We are having alot of fun with the dehydrator too! I discovered that 16 bell peppers is about 1 quart dried. We also dried at least 16lbs carrots and a bunch of bananas for banana bread. She also had the dry pack canner from the stake for a while so we canned a few hundred #10 cans of flours, sugar, noodles, rice, powdered milk, popcorn but no wheat : ) ! I am finally proud of my food storage even though it is still small at least it is growing alittle! We are almost done with everything- finally! There is not much room left for everything. Her freezers (yes plural) in the garage are busting at the seam and we can't even close the door to the food storage room! Her house is a disaster because we always have something going on in the kitchen! I have learned so much from her and almost feel like I might be able to can on my own next year!

We are using the Wendy DeWitt food storage program!

Check out her blog at everythingunderthesun.blogspot.com

Scroll to her first post and it will explain her program!

2 Years!!!!!

2009-09-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

2 years ago today Justin and I were sealed in the Logan, Ut temple! What a crazy two years it has been! It went so fast! Here are a few of the things we have done since that beautiful day:

*honeymooned during a hurricane in Mexico

*bought a duplex that doubles as our home and additional income

*had a beautiful baby boy (alittle early than planned though : ) )

*both started school full time and finally picked our majors!

*got a dog and 2 cats (all though one didn't last too long)

*fallen in love over and over again

I feel so blessed to have been lucky enough to marry a man who is so wonderful. He is a better father than I ever could have imagined. I love being married to my best friend. All though we have had some very stressful times and have gone for days without seeing each other due to conflicting schedules, I couldn't ask for anything more. Everyday I learn something new about him and I just fall in love all over again. I never really knew what being truly happy was until we took the step and gave each other an eternal commitment. I love you Justin and I can't wait to see where we will go this year!

Fun- a water dish!

2009-08-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Liam!

2009-08-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we welcomed our little man into the world! He was born at 9:53 pm and weighed 7lbs 15oz and was 20.5 inches. I can't believe how much has changed in that short precious year! Right now Liam is climbing on our moving boxes and unpacking for us. Its alittle counterproductive but oh well. I can't believe how wonderful being a mother is and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with him. I can't imagine our life without him. I am still amazed at how incredibily blessed women are to have the opportunity to be the mother. What a divine role that is!

At 1 year Liam...

weighs in at 20lbs 9 oz
is 29.5 inches tall
He is stubborn! He knows what he wants and it takes alot of effort to distract him!
Loves Peanut butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Doesn't say obvious words yet but talks all the time
He sings in the car
Loves to climb- anything taller than the carpet he climbs- his newest height is the chairs at church
Always has something in his mouth and keeps it there indefinitly
is addicted to his pacifier
has 12 teeth!
loves his sock monkey
loves his puppy, Riley
can stand very well but hasn't built up the courage to walk yet

Happy Birthday my precious little baby!

Maybe I should go to the dentist...

2009-08-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Liam had a tooth sticking straight out of his mouth. I touched it and then it fell out! Then I touched my own tooth and it fell out. Well, that started a domino effect and soon my hands and mouth were full of teeth! To top it all off my gums fell out too. The worst part was that the teeth in my hands as well as my gums were all black and nasty. Needless to say, I was thankful to wake up to a mouth full of white teeth that are still solid in my gums and my gums are still part of my mouth.

oh so tired

2009-08-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Playing is hard work! He fell asleep in the hallway with his leg on the wall!

oh the joys of packing

2009-08-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

I had no idea how hard it would be to get ready to move with Liam around! He is one busy toddler! If we were just moving it wouldn't be so bad. Just throw everything in a box and call it good. Since we are renting out our home we have to go and plaster and touch up the walls with paint, fix the doorbell, fix the sprinklers, fix the closet door, paint the back door, hang the cabinet... and the list goes on and on and on. We have exactly 1 week left to finish and have the house cleared out. We just got a storage unit here in Greeley so I am trying to organize everything so if we need something it wont take hours to find.
Liam is a great helper with packing. He pulls everything out of the drawers for me. Then he pulls it out of the box I just put it in. It is all taking at least twice as long as I had hoped! He is so proud of himself that you just can't get frustrated!!!

Feeling Left Out!

2009-08-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Since like a dozen friends moved this summer Justin and I were feeling left out. So, we are moving too. I promise, it is not nearly as exciting as everyone else's move. We decided to go live in my parent's basement for the fall semester. We are trying to save up for a single family home. With the housing market here and since we already own a house we need to save up a 10% down payment, 6% closing cost (hopefully the seller will help) and the 2 months resevere mortgage payments for our current property. We were told if the market turns and is officially no longer a declining market then we don't need to save nearly as much. We decided to take advantage of my parent's hospitality and jump start our savings. We will be back in Greeley in December though. We will probably rent a small apartment for the remainder of the lease that is current on our duplex (Aug 2010).

Its kind of scary to do this but I think in the long run it will be good. If it doesn't get us into a house at least we will have some reserve money in the bank so Justins stress level will drop.

To All our Greeley Friends- Don't Forget about us! Loveland is not that far away and we will be back!

A wonderful surprise visit!

2009-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

We got a call on Saturday evening from Grandma Karen, Justin's mother. She was on her way home to St. George, Ut from Soda Springs, ID and decided to turn left at the fork in the road and come to visit instead! It was finals week this week so it was such a blessing having a in-home, on-demand babysitter! We tried to convince her to stay longer but unfortunatly she doesn't think her work would like her calling in sick on the first day back from summer vacation!

Well, Liam's 1st birthday is about 2 weeks away (I can't believe it!) so we did a mini birthday party with Grandma Karen here! It took Liam a long time to try the cake. He just played with it and through it on the floor! Silly boy! He really liked the Little People's farm though! I think his favorite was the Winnie the Pooh Laptop! Now he has his own buttons just like mommys!

Liam sure enjoyed playing with Grandma Karen! He got pretty attached to her. Every morning when we would walk around the corner to find Grandma he would get a concerned look on his face and then a huge smile when he found her!

She left this morning and we miss her already. We are devising a way to convince her to move closer! 10 hours is just too far!

What a wonderful morning surprise!

2009-07-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Justin usually sleeps like the dead. It takes him an hour or two to be up and going. Today however, he jumped out of bed at 7 am and started cleaning! We spent 4 hours cleaning our house today and now it just sparkles. I was sad I missed walking with my friends, especially since a few of them are moving soon, but I wasn't about to miss this opportunity!

Puppy School

2009-07-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

So, I am pretty sure our puppy, Riley, is going to be the first ever dog to be kicked out or failed out of puppy school. We go to our first class last night and there are three other 5-10lbs squeak toys running around. Riley is pushing 35 lbs (at 3.5 months) and was just so excited about these other dogs. Naturally, the other dogs weren't too excited about him. Next week the teacher wants us to let the dogs run around and play. I should call the vet and give them a heads up that three little dogs are on there way from being run over by mine.

Mom's Party!

2009-07-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

This year we actually celebrated Mom's brithday within a week of her actual day. I think last year it took us a few months- sorry Mom. We had a fun BBQ at Mom and Dad's. Dad made his delicious apple cinnamon puffs in his dutch ovens- absoltutly amazing! Holly and Aronn then set up a showing for our family of Harry Potter at the theater! After sweeping up all the messy popcorn (yes, we had to clean the theater) Aronn took us up to the room which has a name that I don't know. I will call it the window room. He showed us how the movies are shipped and projected. It was pretty cool. It was fun having the huge theater just to our family! Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-05T10:07:00.001-07:00

Apparently really old Graco Walkers aren't that great at keeping kids in the seats.

We had a great 4th of July! Justin, Liam and I went to my parent's ward breakfast that morning. After alot of pancakes and fruit we launched a bunch of rockets! Liam was to tired to even care. One of the rockets was too heavy for the rod on the paunch pad so Justin and my Dad got brooms out and held the brooms against the rockets to stabilize it. After all rockets were launched everyone was surprisingly injury free!

Justin had to work that night so he went home to sleep. Lame, I know. Liam, Riley (the dog) and I went to Loveland. We spent the whole afternoon at GiGi's (my gramma) and Great Grandaddys. We did dinner, played with cousins and watched the fireworks! Liam really liked the fountain ones. He would stand up and stretch his arms out and move his hands like he was trying to grab it.

Overall it was a wonderful 4th and Liam seemed to enjoy his first ever! Maybe next year Justin wont have to sleep and work through it. Hope everyone had a wonderful time!

David has bad aim.

Record time at Church!

2009-07-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

We spent all of 10 mins in church today. As usual we showed up 5 mins late meaning we spent the passing of the sacrement in the foyer. The alarm serenaded our sacrement-taking. As soon as it was over we wandered into the dark chapel to find the congregation saying another prayer. My first thought was "oh, they added a new sacrement piece". Idiot, I know! After praying in the dark everyone got up and left! We walked through the church building and there is only one light circuit working and 3 alarms going off! So, under 15 mins in and out! Impressive!

Nothing says "Good Morning" like chocolate chip pancakes!

2009-07-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

Liam got to try his first chocolate chip pancakes this morning. I only put a few chocolate chips in it but it was sure messy. Naturally, he loved it!

Welcome!

2009-07-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to jump on the train and make a blog. I have no idea what I am doing but I'll figure it out as I go! Now I can have a fun place to post pictures, updates and all of my many random thoughts!