A Rising (OCD) Star

Reagan had an end-of-year gymnastics show this week. She did...well, better than expected. As the youngest (2.5) in a class meant for 3 year olds, she had a little trouble focusing and following directions. But she tried her best!

 Unfortunately, without fail, every time she walked past these round things that you were supposed to crawl sideways over, she had to put one on her head. (They do look like hats.) Also unfortunately, she had a raging wedgie for the majority of the show.

On the other circuit, she stopped every few seconds to fix something out of place. All the other kids just walked across the balance beam, but our little girl couldn't until she had fixed the prop that was knocked over (which took quite a while). She straightened mats and fixed things up and did very little gymnastics. :)

 She's lucky she's so cute.

A Very Merry Weekend

This weekend was just full of Christmas celebrations! Friday night, we decided last minute to check out the Festival of Trees. I had heard of it, but didn't know it was a Primary Children's fundraiser until that day, and we wanted to give a little back :). So I loaded the girls up in the freezing weather, picked up Lance from work, and set out for some fun! We had a wonderful time. Saw some cool trees, ate some good treats, and got a few little last-minute gifts. And took no pictures. But it was worth braving the cold!

Friday afternoon, we stopped by a nursery holiday open house nearby. They had a live camel and reindeer! So cool!

 We decided this one was Vixen. Reagan asked him to say hi to Rudolph. She is obsessed with Rudolph right now and can sing the entire song, word-for-word, on her own.

 They also had face painting.

Then, Saturday night, we met Lance's mom and sister on Temple Square to eat dinner and see the lights. If we thought it was cold on Friday, we didn't anymore. It was FREEZING! We were stumbling around in blizzard weather trying to squeeze out eyes open enough to see the lights. I think Daryn was the only warm one. She actually fell asleep. I'm assuming it was sleep and not hypothermia :).

We thawed in the Visitor's Center before walking back to the car. 

 We enjoyed the Christmas Devotional on Sunday, and Monday for FHE we made a rice krispy house! So much easier than gingerbread. It was a smashing success! Then we ate it.

And to show you how merry the weekend really was, here a snapshot of how our girls spend their time. 

Guess what this girl can do!

Yesterday was a big day for Daryn. She stared rolling, sitting, and eating! She rolled both directions (left and right) from her tummy to her back, and was able to sit and balanced unassisted for a decent amount of time (like 10 seconds). She also got to try some broccoli, cauliflower, and strawberry for dinner, and she definitely swallowed some, because I could see it in her poop this morning :). Can't believe how fast she is growing up all the sudden. And actually hitting milestones on time! (She is not even 5.5 months when you adjust her age for her premature birth) We are so excited by her progress. What a miracle.

A Grace-ful Birthday

On Monday we got to celebrate Grace's 4th birthday at Color Me Mine, the pottery painting place. I was a little nervous to take Reagan, but she did great! She painted a beautiful "Family" figure, with a little help from Daddy, and had a blast.

 And then, of course, dinner, cake, and presents.

 While the big kids got pizza and ice cream cake, all Daryn got was a sock (and some milk). Luckily for us, she was content :)

Getting ready for Christmas

The day after Thanksgiving, we launched right into Christmas mode. No Black Friday shopping for us! Instead, we went Christmas tree hunting. After some wandering, we finally found the perfect one.

 

Of course, we didn't bring gloves, so Lance and I ended up with pretty beat up hands and arms by the time it was all said and done. But we do it for the kids :).

 

Daryn had old-man-grandpa-front-butt. Pants are not her best look.

Before  and  After:

Happy Holiday girls.

 We got all the decorations up that weekend. My favorite is always the Nativity.

And then, this week was all about making Christmas cookies

And visiting Santa!!

After a little coaxing, Reagan warmed right up to the jolly old elf and told him that she had been nice, and she would like a puzzle, please. We'll see if Santa comes through. So excited that it's finally Christmastime! And it really feels like it, with the snow and temperatures in the teens this week. I can't believe we leave for Colorado two weeks from tomorrow. So much to do and so much fun to have before then!

One Happy Family

Having a photographer in the family is the best. Genevieve has taken some of my favorite photos of myself in the past (bridal, maternity, etc) and these family shots she snapped a few weeks ago were no exception. She is so talented!

 Of course, the gorgeous sunset didn't hurt either :)

We are the luckiest.

Giving Thanks

For Thanksgiving this year, we able able to spend the day at Stuart and Genevieve's. I was thrilled to not be hosting/cooking a huge meal. It was so much more relaxing! (For me.) So no pictures of the food, but just a couple quick shots of our favorite girls. 

These two are best buds now. They sat there for quite a while just talking and admiring each other.

These two, on the other hand, got fiercely competitive when the game Hungry, Hungry Hippos was brought out. It got pretty intense and I'm proud to say that Reagan held her own. 

 Overall, a very fun, relaxing day. So fun to have family nearby! And we have so much to be grateful for this year.

Halfway!

Daryn is 6 months old today! I just can't believe it. Before she was born, we had no idea what her life would be like at this point. It is such a miracle what a happy, normal life she is living. We are so so grateful we have the opportunity to raise her and love her and call her ours. She makes me want to be the mom she deserves.

She had her 6 month appointment yesterday. 

Her stats:

Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz (< 3 percentile)

Height: 22.5 inches (< 1 percentile- not even close to being on the chart)

Head circumference: 16 inches (4 percentile)

She has pretty steadily gained about 1.5 lbs per month since she came home, and she is right on her own growth curve, so the doctor is please. And I love those chunky cheeks and double chin! When we brought her home the second week of June, she weighed just over 4 lbs and the green preemie outfit below was too big on her. She still wears (big) 0-3 months but we're making progress!

 Skills: babbles, coos, laughs, grasps toys and puts them in her mouth, scoots around on her back a little, can roll from her side (almost all the way on tummy) to her back. Can bear weight on her legs and is getting close to sitting. Loves dancing and music, and playing on her floor gym. Sleeps 7-9 hours at night and nurses 6 times a day. She sees physical therapists twice a month and we are hopeful that she might be able to sit and roll by Christmas. I'm not too worried about it though, because she is doing so amazing and just has her own timeline for things. She'll get there. This girl is tough as nails with all she's been through!

Also, sadly, this girl is pretty sick, so this was the scene in our bed around 6:30 this morning, after a very long night. (Can you see Lance's head hiding from the sunlight?)

Snow

Our first snowy day on Saturday. Reagan was thrilled!

 And so was Daryn! Her very first experience with snow!

 Although, she didn't really like it hitting her face, so she got to sit in her stroller in the garage for a little bit and just watch the flakes fall.

 While we did this:

 Snow much fun!

Bonus: Can you say twinners?

 

They are almost exactly the same age in these pics. Just under 6 months. You can see for yourself how much older Reagan looks than Daryn. That's a preemie for you!