Thanksgiving and Christmas

I am a little behind on blogging. I barely get any time to do things for myself and once I do I usually am lazy and want to sit and veg. Anyway, I want to update on our holiday events and then I will catch up on everything else.

Thanksgiving we were all sick so we didn't end up having thanksgiving dinner until Sunday. We ate nachos on thanksgiving because we didn't feel up to   cooking anything. All of us but Andrew ended up with pink eye and then all the boys ended up with pneumonia. Andrews pneumonia hit later than Jon and Jacksons and he was in the ER shortly after Christmas. Luckily antibiotics did the trick and we avoided a hospital stay. I had a bad cold and pink eye but not pneumonia.

We were all pretty healthy over Christmas. We headed to my parents for a few days. We stayed at their house most of the time and went on walks, enjoyed crazy thunderstorms and 70 degree weather. Jon and I did a sealing session at the temple and he almost passed out. For Christmas we got Jackson a tool bench, a book, a trash truck, and a magna-doodle.   

sick boy

Thanksgiving dnner

1st time seeing Santa

Andrew with Savannah

Jon and dad acting out Santa Claus in Reverse Charades

at the temple

Jack in the box

Clarissa with Andrew

Janet and Jackson at the "big tree" in town, he loves this tree and asks to see it all the time.

Sick again

puddles in GA at the Amacalola Trail- the thunderstorms caused lots of rain

An old post I forgot to post last month...

Jackson is in the most fun age ever. The things he does and says just amaze me. I beg him everyday to never grow up. He has become so sweet with Andrew lately. He lays his head on him, pets him, kisses him, and holds his hand. He gets very concerned if Andrew cries and sometimes seems to think it is his fault if he is near Andrew when he starts crying. He loves to count and can count to about 13 on his own and 20 with some help. He knows all of his letters and is figuring out the words and sounds that go with each. He also knows colors and shapes. This kid has a thirst for knowledge. He repeats things we say and we can see him processing it and trying to make sense of it all. He is starting to understand how to play by using his imagination. Tonight he held up his sound machine and told me it was an airplane. He then started saying it was a boat. He is really into playing in the dishwasher lately. Not the way he did as a baby, but he likes to open it up and drive his cars and buses and trains in there. 

He also loves to sit on our lap and tell us things to draw. He usually tells us to draw a bus with a trailer and a stop sign. He also likes us to draw the letter V or Y. He loves the letters V and Y. Jackson is reserved around others unless he knows them well. He has gotten really good at playing independently since Andrew was born. He is also very independent and often won't accept help and will say "Jackson do it."

Family Pictures

When Jackson was born, right before we went home from the hospital, someone came by wanting to take family pictures. I almost said no because I felt that I looked terrible and was wearing a T-Shirt and yoga pants. I am forever grateful that I have those pictures, they are some of my favorites.  I even love that I have no make-up on in those pictures because it feels so much more real. This time around I planned on getting the pictures taken. We made sure our outfits wouldn't clash and I even threw on a little make up so I would feel better about being in front of the camera. But we still kept it very simple. We ended up not putting Andrew in his cute outfit because he was sleeping and we didn't want to ruin our chances at some good photos. Oh well, baby jammies are cute too. 

my favorite one of him

love the pout

Life with two kids has been absolutely exhausting so far. Since I had Andrew naturally, I have healed much faster. I was walking around shortly after birth and feeling really optimistic. With help from my parents and Jon, the first few days were busy but not too bad. Well by Monday, (Andrew almost a week old) my dad had left and Jon went back to work. Jackson was kind of getting tired of my mom, was sick, and was not too happy about the new baby. It was hard for my mom and I to keep up with the kids' needs/demands and the cooking, laundry, and doctors appointments. Thankfully we had some meals brought by which helped. By Wednesday, Jackson was much sicker and grumpier and had a high fever. We took him to the doctor Thursday and found out he had pneumonia. Andrew also had a check up and his circumcision that day. We were at the doctor for two hours. Then we had to run to Target to get me some nursing bras and then to CVS to get Jackson's medicine. Luckily my mom was with me because it was tiring. When we got home, Jackson's fever had spiked again. He and Andrew napped and I ended up napping too. My mom headed home and it was time for me to face motherhood without outside help. (other than Jon of course). Jackson ended up napping for about 4 or 5 hours because he was so sick.

Friday was my first day home alone while Jon worked. It was hard but not too bad and I felt confident that I could handle life with 2 kids. I felt like I had the flu on Friday but with some ibprofen I got through the day. By Saturday we all felt crummy, except for Andrew. Jon ended up taking work off Monday and Tuesday because he had pink eye. We have all been a stuck home sick for several days. We have made a few trips out to go on a walk or to the park but mostly are home and sick/tired. I'm hoping we recover soon so that we can get back to reality. I am nervous for next week to parent without Jon while he is at work. Jackson has been glued to him and basically wants nothing to do with me. I've lost the confidence I felt at the hospital but I'm trying to stay positive, count my blessings, and enjoy even the hard times. I really struggle with the night feedings and lack of sleep even though Jon helps so much. I keep wanting to quit nursing because I feel so sick, even though it has been easier and less painful this time. I have had to stop myself from complaining and feeling sorry for myself when so many people have things much worse. I am forever grateful for my 3 dudes and they are worth it all. I am so blessed Jon has been sick too, because we have all been home together. I am so grateful for this challenging yet very special time. My family is my whole world. And I am already counting down until Christmas Break!