The Richards: 2010

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

October...

A quick catch up of the last month.

We went to Bear Lake with all of my family at the end of September. It was beautiful weather (I acutally packed clothes that were too warm) and a lot of fun. Greg took Hailey shooting with they guys. She tried shooting a gun once, and then just ended up playing in the back of the truck with her cousins. Easton and Mason loved playing in the sand (and trying to eat it.) But most of all the kids loved riding the 4-wheelers. Of course, I forgot to take pictures except for a few family pictures that Jason took and Kortney took a lot of really good pictures of everyone shooting guns. (Thanks Kort and Jason!)

I don't plan on having a family picture with everyone looking at the camera for at least another year or so.

Greg has everything under control, I promise.

I don't know what kind of guns any of these are, but I know that between all of my brothers you pretty much had your pick. (Which now I owe them a special thanks cause I'm sure it made Greg want a gun even more than he already did.)

The rest of October was spend doing the usual day to day stuff. But we were all looking forward to the best part of the month... HALLOWEEN! Hailey had her costume picked out since April, and I was hesitant to buy it that early fearing she would change her mind. But she stuck with it and wend as Princess Aurora (or Sleeping Beauty if you prefer.) I decided to keep a theme with the kids and Easton was a knight and Mason was a dragon. Greg and I ended up going as Mario and Luigi. We went trick-or-treating with some family which turned out great because the boys didn't last long, so we took them back to the house while Hailey stayed out with the rest of the "die hard" trick or treaters and came home with way too much candy.

Hailey's Jake Skelington pumpkin that Greg carved. (Hailey helped with the important thinks like choosing which pumpkin she wanted and choosing what to carve.)

My pumpkin

Hailey and the three pumpkins we did that night. (She made it back for the other important part which was lighting the candles and turning off the lights to see the finished product.)

Earlier that month Hailey helped me make a haunted house, which I found out later turned into a house for all of her princesses.

Easton and Mason enjoying a sucker I gave them trying to help them be good while trick or treating... and it worked for about 2 minutes until the suckers were gone.

Most of the trick-or-treaters (I don't think anyone was fast enough to get a picture with all of them in it.)

Easton

Mason (he would NOT wear the head piece for the dragon)

Hailey (apparently it was really bright outside)

The rest of the pictures are just some random pictures of the kids:

The boys just went to the doctors for the 18 month appointment. They are officially toddlers now. I really can't believe they are already a year and a half. I remember some twin mommies telling me to hang in there cause life get so much easier at 18 months... and for the record, I'm still waiting for that to happen. Here are their stats (more for my record than anything else.) Easton weighs 24 lbs. 5 oz and is 32 inches (weight is in the 29th percentile and height is the 44th percentile) and Mason weighs 23 lbs 11 oz and is also 32 inches (weight is in the 21st percentile and height is 44th percentile.) I guess I'm going to have to stop Easton from stealing Mason's food.

One of the few pictures I have of the boys both looking at the camera and smiling.

The boys got new coats and they were so excited to put them on. (I'm sure it was only because they thought that they were going bye-bye cause they kept waving at me.) They also loved the hoods, which surprised me cause they have never kept hoods or hats on before.

They were both signing "hat" once I put their hoods on.

The computer desk has become a new favorite toy for Easton and Mason. And Mason especially loves his new hiding spot. (Except for when Easton closes the door on him.)

Usually I go home for lunch and on the days that Hailey has preschool I get her ready and then drop her off on my way back to work. I had an appointment one day so Greg had to get her ready. We had gone through how to do her hair the day before but I was a little nervous that she was going to go to school looking like she had just gotten out of bed or something. I asked him to take a picture so I had something from the first time he did her hair, and I think he did pretty good. Now if only I could get her to stop doing that "fake smile" thing.

Alright, so I've rambled on long enough and this post has seemed to go on forever. Hopefully now that we have our laptop working without being plugged into the wall I will be able to update more often with smaller posts. (That might be a little high for expectations... I'll settle for completing one other post before Christmas.)

Monday, August 30, 2010

Vegas Baby!

We went down to Las Vegas for the Cole family vacation this month. Hailey went down a day early with my parents and Friday night everyone went to the Tournament of the Kings. She loved it and was so excited to tell me tht she had to cheer for the dragon and eat her food without any forks or spoons.
After feeling like I had packed up the whole house and then some, we drove down early Saturday morning. I was hoping that the boys would fall asleep for at least a couple hours since they usually take a really good morning nap, but they only slept for about 20 minutes. Despite refusing to sleep and a few minor tantrums, they did better than I had expected them to. I snapped a few pictures of them messing around with their feet, and the other picture melts my heart. Every once in a while you will catch them holding hands in the car; it's crazy for me to think about how strong the bond is they have together.

Most of our time was spent hanging out by the pool. A couple weeks ago Hailey started taking swimming lessons but seh had only taken a few so she was still hesitant to go completely under the water. But by the third day she had built up her confidence and just decided that she wanted to go under the water and swim. After that we couldn't keep her above water.

Saturday night all of the boys went to see the Rush concert. Greg isn't a fan, so he decided to opt out on the boys night. Sunday night the girls al went and saw La Reve at the Wynn hotel. It was such a incredible show and there really aren't words to describe how amazing it was. Originally Greg and I were going to take Hailey to see the Tournament of the Kings, but since she had already gone Greg and I decided to go see Ka by ourselves, which was also an awesome show.

Like always, I wish I would have taken more pictures of everyone. This "having three kids" thing never seems to get any easier.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

The Perks of Turning One...

Written from Easton and Mason's perspective, below is a list of some things that make turning one great. However, since the conversation of what they do and don't like has yet to take place, I have to improvise and try to decide exactly what they like best. But I'd like to think I'm pretty insightful and I'm sure I hit on most of the key points.

1. Presents

Not only for the actual gift but the bags, tissue paper, bows, boxes and wrapping paper make hours of entertainment for a one-year-old.

2. Cake
Finally, our first chance to eat enough sugar to make ourselves sick. We get more adorable with each fist full of frosing and cake that we try to put in our mouths. This is also part of another one of our favorite things... getting messy.

3. Milk

This is more of a perk for mom and dad since they are now spending about $3 on milk each week instead of $30 for formula. But with formula out of the way we now get more real food, which we love!

4. Facing forward in new carseats

Wow! This puts a whole new perspective on car rides. There is so much to look at, but it makes it a little difficult to fall asleep sitting up.

5. A whole different kind of TROUBLE

Nothing is safe now... we will find a way to get into every "no-no" possible. That is our job as toddlers.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

My List:

After reading Ashley's post I decided to add to her list of things that I loved using with my babies. Since I have been through the newborn phases twice, I realize that everyone's experience is different and circumstantial. There are some things that I used all the time with Hailey and then didn't use hardly at all with Easton and Mason... or visa versa. With that being said, I also think it's great to have the opinions from other moms who has been there/done that. And the best part: my advice comes with a take it or leave it option. Some of these are repeats, but I did that on purpose... if two mommies recommended it, then it must be a great thing!

Gotta Have It:
1. Bouncer/Vibrating chair - my boys used these on a daily basis from the day we got home from the hospital (they even slept in them for the first few weeks) until just recently when they figured out how to throw themselves out of the bouncer while still being buckled in.
2. Swing - all of my kids spent many hours in their swing... sleeping or just hanging out. Definitely gave me some time to either get things done or just catch a few hours of extra sleep. (And don't forget to keep extra batteries on hand.)
3. Saucer - I didn't have one with Hailey, but I missed out. Easton and Mason loved these things... also another item that might give you a few extra minutes to get some things done. (With the expense of all the other baby items you will need... this one you can get a few months after.)
4. Humidifier - you never know when you will need it, but it is a must when you have a sick baby!!!
5. Jogger and Umbrella stroller - Many might think I'm crazy, but I think it is very necessary to have both strollers. The jogger is great for outside, but they are big and bulky. An umbrella stroller is awesome for stores cause they can maneuver between almost anything and they are little enough to keep in the car.

Might Be Helpful:
1. Sleep Machine/Sound Machine - I don't know if this contributes to how well my boys have slept through the night since 3 months, but I think it helps. I think it drowns out other noises and also helps establish a "sleep routine".
2. Bottle Warmer - never used it with Hailey but because I pumped with the boys and stored extra milk, I used this multiple times a day for 6 months.
3. Binkie clips - I sometimes forget to use mine, but everytime I'm out and a binky drops on the floor or gets thrown from the carseat and lost in the car... I wish I would have remembered it. If you kid loves their binky... you definitely don't want to be without one. (And they are really easy to make yourself, so it isn't a big expense.)
4. Sleep Sacks (a little modification of the miracle blanket Ashley mentioned) - my boys loved to be swaddled, but only for about a month. After that they liked their arms being out and during the colder months I felt like the needed a little something extra. I started using the Halo sleep sacks, I felt like it kept them warm but didn't have the risk of putting a blanket in there with them. I also thought it helped with the "sleep routine".
5. Incline Sleeper - I only mention this cause if your baby has reflux, it might help. Everytime the boys laid flat on their back they would act like the couldn't catch their breath (this is the reason they slept in the bouncers for the first few weeks) but when we finally moved them to the crib I still needed to keep them a little bit upright... these were life savers.

Didn't Like It/Didn't Use It:
1. Diaper Genie - I don't know what to say except for I hated it. With the boys I bought a diaper champ and I liked it so much more. And with a diaper champ you can use your own garbage bags instead of having to buy the refils which are really spendy.
2. Boppy - This one I have mixed feelings with... I hated using it for help with positioning the baby while trying to nurse (I ended up borrowing something from my sister-in-law that I thought worked much better... I think it is called the brest friend, but I'm not sure.) But I did use the boppy to help prop up the baby on the floor, or help them with sitting, or for a little tummy time.
3. Wipe Warmer - I heard many moms rave about this... I just never used it.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Dinner Time...

Easton - Mommy's baby after eating.

Mason - Daddy's baby after eating.

The important thing is that Daddy helps with feeding, and I think the boys like to get messy. (They just don't like getting cleaned up.)