Little Prince

My little guppy is 18 months old!! I took him to the doctor and the dentist last week. Not a party, but necessary. 

stats:

31.2 inches (25th percentile)

24.6 lbs (35th percentile)

Not a giant kiddo anymore. He weighed 20lbs at 9 months....so his growth has slowed considerably. He still has very little hair. Good thing he has such a cute little head.

He is such a mamma's boy. He loves to cuddle and often brings me his blanket so we can do just that. He loves books. At bedtime, he picks a book and sits on my lap.  He still wakes 2 or 3 times a night...which has been frustrating. We are working through it.

His appetite has slowed quite a bit. I think I know why the dog is gaining weight; Jackson feeds her everything off his plate.

He is such a chatter box and seems to say a new word everyday. His new one is thank you "Dank Que." He loves to squeal and "dance" (stomps in place and claps) He loves his sister and wants to do everything she does, much to her frustration.

 He gets very jealous when Roxy sits on my lap and promptly comes and tries to sit right on top of her. He is fascinated with her ears and tail. And is always trying to hug her head. He also likes to snuggle her, which basically means he lays on top of her. This is tough. I do what I can for her when I see it happen. She is a very sweet and tolerant pup.

He has been going to nursery like a champ! I find myself almost lost in Sunday school. Keeping him entertained and quiet was a big job! 

I can't believe he will be 2 soon! WOW.

 

 Happy 18 months Jacks! 

January Drag

January is a drag.

Markham works 70 hour weeks. The kiddos and I miss him. Thank goodness it only lasts a month.

It hasn't been all bad. We play hide and seek, watch disney movies, play spongebob on the wii and dance. Yesterday was one of those awesome magical days. The kiddos were angels, I was able to do a little painting and mod podging craft. love that. I even told Markham how awesome the day was, at midnight while he was sleeping I am sure. It was one of the those days that made me think this whole parenting gig is a piece of cake.

That's just not true.

This morning, the kiddos woke up at 7:30, just in time to see Markham's face for the first time in days. I made them chocolate chip pancakes, per Kaity's request. Couldn't make them fast enough. "Where's my fork, I want milk, I want more," intermingled with Jacks yelling and whining.

Kaitlyn fell down the stairs...again. This happens once every couple of weeks. Wow. It was bad today, her lip started bleeding. Her nose will be black and blue. Jacks is yelling and whining non-stop. Teething, tired, please don't tell me it is the terrible 2's coming early, he can't be that old yet. I still get up with him 2-3 times a night.

I think I may be experiencing vacation hang-over. We had such an awesome December. California was so fun. And last week, my parents invited me and the kiddos to St. George with them.  It was so warm! And now, we are home all day, every day. It is winter in Utah.

I have no pictures to post. I can't find my camera charger. It is probably still in the bottom of a suitcase buried in the closet.

Cheers.

Home for the Holidays - Carroll Style

We had a wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends and lots and lots of treats! We spent only 2 weeks of December at home! We packed up all our Christmas bags, boxes, tags, suitcases.... and our pup Roxy and drove the 10 hours to southern California. We made a stop in Provo and picked up Markham's brother Matt and all his things. I love our Pilot....It all fit...WOW.

We hit the ground running with lots of fun activities. We made gingerbread houses with the cousins, hit our favorite restaurants, had a big Bunko party with friends and family, sang Christmas carols and had treats with neighbors and friends, went to the Nutcracker Ballet, got some last minute Christmas shopping done, played lots of games, enjoyed a super yummy Christmas Eve Dinner with extended family and even managed to squeeze in 30 minutes of Lord of the Rings. I really wanted to watch the whole trilogy but by the time we sat down to watch it I fell fast asleep.

  Christmas morning

 Kaity was super excited about her Leapster 2 and games

 The brothers modeling new shirts

A new Christmas book!

 Raclette on Christmas Day

Kaitlyn really enjoyed catching up with her cousins.

 The whole family, even great grandma was there from Oregon.

 It was great to spend time with Markham's family. We don't get to see them that often. Markham's mom was amazing. She cooked, baked and grocery shopped almost constantly. We were a big group and there were quite a few times when we were just the base. Add neighbors, friends, extended family and it was sometimes around 50+   It was an impressive example of organization, stamina and the desire to provide all of us a wonderful time. Mission accomplished.

We hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas as well. I failed to send out Christmas cards this year. I lost track of time and then I had no time to do them. Thanks to all our friends and family who sent beautiful pictures and letters. They were fun to come home to.

We wish you a Happy 2011!!

San Diego Zoo

Markham's sister Jen, and her family invited us to go to the zoo with them. It was super fun and warm! The sun felt AMAZING. I really tried not to think about the arctic tundra we would soon be driving home to.

Kaity with Mason, Derek and Aaron. She had a blast with them.

Kaity loved the monkeys and the polar bears. Jackson enjoyed himself as well . He liked the giant tortoises and giraffes. He pointed and laughed a lot.

 

Thanks again Jen and Bryan! It was awesome!

Just a Few Pictures