A Family Update

First off, thank you SO MUCH for all of the sweet congratulations we have received after announcing our baby news. We just love and appreciate all of you!

Before all of the holiday pictures and activities behind the pictures take over our blog, I wanted to do a family update. There has been a lot going on with our little family that I really want to document so this post will take care of that. Then onto the holiday fun!

Brycen

It's hard to believe that my little guy is going to be two years old in three months. He is 21 months old today and it's just all going so fast. I've loved every moment with this little boy over the last 21 months. It's hard to describe in words how much Tyson and I love him. He's our best little friend. It makes me excited to start all over again and experience all those fun stages with a new little baby. (Is it crazy that I'm already starting to make plans for his birthday?)

Brycen has been having a blast with all of his new Christmas toys. He has quite a few to choose from! He was a little on the spoiled side this year, which is totally easy to do with kids and so much fun to do. Between us and grandparents, Brycen made out with a haul. It was definitely a Brycen Christmas this year!

We brought out all of our Christmas books when we put up our Christmas decorations. Ever since then the book Brycen always wants to "read' is The Christmas Box Miracle by Richard Paul Evans. Not Goodnight Moon or Clifford the Big Red Dog or Daddy Hugs...just The Christmas Box Miracle. We end up just saying random things about Christmas as we flip through the pictureless pages.

Brycen started saying more words while we were in Idaho and also before we went. He is now starting to say:

• kitty
• cat
• woof
• He tries to say "book" but it always comes out as "ball".
• He says "vroom vroom" while playing with cars.
• He's still really in to saying "uh oh".
  

Brycen has his own little language. He says individual words that we can understand. But a lot of the time he says things like "blogadid" and "oideeoideeoidee" and "bogidy". Yes, this looks (and sounds) like jibberish. But it's the same jibberish every time. He knows what he's saying for sure! And it's hilarious listening to it.

Brycen loves the Toy Story movies. Especially the third one. One of the nights I was at my parents' while Tyson was in Utah Brycen couldn't sleep so we watched "Toy Story". I kept dozing, but every time I looked up to hopefully see him asleep he was 100% attentive to the movie. We were watching it on my bed on my mom's portable DVD player so Brycen had it on his lap a lot. I'd position him on his back so he could hopefully go to sleep, but every time I'd wake up from a short doze he'd be sat up and wide awake watching the show. He watched the entire thing before going back to bed. A couple of hours after going back to bed he woke up screaming again. Mom told me to get some sleep and she'd watch him. They watched "Toy Story 3" on her TV. He ended up falling asleep during that one and sleeping on my mom's bed the rest of the night. He slept in till 10:00 that morning. He loves those movies. I think we know what his birthday party theme will be this year!

He loves to give kisses. If you walk up to him or you're holding him and say, "Kisses" or "Kiss you" he'll go right in for an open-mouth smack-a-roo. Sometimes he'll pucker up really big and give you a kiss that way. And usually at that point he wants kisses from everyone else too. If you're holding him and you get close to his face he'll go in for a kiss. Or just out of nowhere you'll be holding him and he'll just randomly start going in for one. He's a lovable one, that one!

Brycen sure does love his daddy. When he wakes up in the middle of the night crying he would much rather have his dad snuggle him than his mom. Whenever Tyson picks him up Brycen gives him a big hug and lies his head on his shoulder. When he hurts himself he'd rather be consoled by Dad. Is this hard for Mommy? It sure is sometimes. But I'm glad that he loves his dad so much.

Brycen is getting better and better at eating. He started eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all by himself, picking up the sandwich on his own and biting into it. I take the crust off for him so he doesn't choke on it, and he makes a huge mess getting jam all over his hands. I also give him a few chips with his sandwich.

When Brycen is walking down the hall and we're behind him, all we have to say is "Get you" or "I'm going to get you" and he'll take off running. It turns into a little game where we follow him around the apartment. He loves it!

Brycen has six pairs of casual shoes and one pair of dress shoes. I guess a toddler really doesn't need that many pairs of shoes. But apparently I like to buy shoes for him as much as I like to buy them for myself! I just can't help it when I see a tiny pair of Toms or Air Walks and think my boy would just look stellar in them. I have to have them! Both sets of grandparents got him shoes for Christmas so that added to the bunch. My next boy is going to be set on shoes.

Brycen has really taken a liking to "Curious George". He laughs at the way George talks and he pays close attention whenever it's on. I admit that every now and then I use George as a babysitter so I can get something done. Like right here at this moment typing this post. :) Other favorite TV shows include:

• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
• Little Einsteins
• Jungle Junction
• Timmy Time (It was pulled off the air last year so we've watched the DVD. Thanks, Mom!)
  

Tyson

Tyson is really enjoying his job working as a therapist at the McKay-Dee Hospital Behavioral Health Institute. He already has a constant full schedule that keeps him very busy. Some days are definitely better than others with this job. His uncle worked at the same place years ago so they really enjoy talking to each other about Tyson's job. His uncle really loved it there so Tyson has been extra hopeful. Moving away from Idaho and our friends and family there was one of the hardest things we'll probably ever do so it helps that his uncle loved it here so much. Tyson leaves the BHI and sometimes visits hospice patients afterward. He's been doing some of the work he did in Idaho Falls with the same company on the side, as it is based out of Utah.

Our TV shows picked back up this week so we have both been pretty happy campers. When you don't do a lot in the evenings except hang out as a family it helps to have a new episode of "Revenge" or "Modern Family" to look forward to. We normally start those after Brycen goes to bed. We also watch "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune", which makes for some good family time during/after dinner. Tyson got the first two seasons of "Parenthood" for Christmas so we've started watching those from the beginning. We love that show.

Alli

I will be 11 weeks pregnant tomorrow. Week 10 marked the baby being the size of a kumquat and he or she has started kicking those tiny little legs. Our little one has teeny tiny finger nails and the feet are just about out and where they should be. The baby is about 1 1/4 inches long. I'm getting excited to get to the point of feeling movement! That was by far my favorite part of pregnancy and a struggle to have disappear after Brycen was born. (But that's a whole other story!) I have a doctor appointment next week, and the February appointment will hopefully determine if we're having a little Phoebe or Phoebo! I'll be 16 weeks then so it may not be possible to tell. But I'm excited that my doctor likes to have an ultrasound done that week so we can at least try to see. So exciting! The last time I went to the doctor I learned a new detail that made me pretty happy. Deli meat is something pregnant women shouldn't eat, yes? Well actually I had heard that during my first pregnancy and when I asked my doctor he said that women all throughout history have been eating deli meat and have been fine. But my current doctor straight up told me it could be harmful. WELL...my doctor told me that if I go to Subway and have a ham and turkey sandwich, if I get it toasted it will be fine. The meat needs that 30 seconds to heat up a bit and then it is fine. Good to know!

Foods that I am LOVING right now (the bold represents my besties):

• popsicles
• enchiladas and other Mexican food (Costa Vida or Cafe Rio pork salad or burrito...indeed!)
• slushies
• Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburger with American cheese and 86 the onion - but ONLY this burger. It was once any kind but now we're just down to this one. Every other kind makes me want to be sick.
• fruit snacks
• oranges
• pb & j
  
• Chex cereal
• Cheerios
• water
• cheese and crackers (Ritz with Reed's Dairy cheese only)
• chocolate - nothing has changed there!
• vanilla wafers
• juice
  

Foods that make me want to cry:

• deli meat
• ice cream - frozen yogurt (like Orange Leaf) is good but not ice cream
  
• opening the fridge in general
• pizza
• Chinese
• burgers that aren't from Red Robin
• pasta
• red sauce with meatballs
• Subway (which really makes me sad)

Besides being pregnant, I'm keeping busy with being a mom and housewife, as well as an avid food blogger and photography school student. Sometimes I feel like I have a full-time job outside of being a mom. But it's all totally worth it! And I love that I can do it all in my pajamas. My recipe blog started earning revenue last summer and it's been really nice having that extra chunk of change in our checkbook. I've had a hard time blogging about new meals because I haven't made any new meals in a LONG time. Weeks six and seven were SO hard with this pregnancy and I thought I was dying. I was extra sensitive to smells and could hardly make dinner. Poor boys. After our Christmas vacation I've found myself rejuvenated and I've made three meals this week. Two of which are already on the blog, but tonight's meal is a brand new one. (Stay tuned tomorrow for the recipe!)

And that's the latest on our family! Thanks for reading!