9 Months

Kathryn turned 9 months at the beginning of December. When I took her into the doctor a couple weeks ago, she was 27 inches long and 16 pounds, exactly. They didn’t say what percentile that is all in, which is kind of good. He said she was growing and that is good. With percentiles, doctors get kind of worried with how small our kids are, so I’m okay not knowing. This is a picture from yesterday, in a dress she got for Christmas from Grandma. She would not leave the headband alone, so she didn’t wear it to church.

Things about Kathryn at 9 months:

-Finally has a tooth, the second one is working it’s way through and she can be grumpy about it sometimes

-Will sleep through the night (11-12 hours) unless sick or teething.

-Loves to play peek a boo, she will hide her face with anything she can: a blanket, burp cloth, clothes, diaper, etc. She even says “Bababa.” while doing it like she is trying to say boo.

-Babbles a lot.

-Crawls, cruises along things. Therefore she gets into everything. Each day it seems like she can reach higher and higher.

-Loves to get paper when she can.

-Loves playing with her brothers and their toys.

-Takes two naps a day, getting better at taking a little longer naps (an hour, sometimes an hour and half, yay!)

-Loves almost any food (but not turkey). She eats baby food like a champ. She takes a bottle once a day (unlike the boys who would not take a bottle)

-Loves people

-Can stand on her own without holding onto anything, so close to walking, but not yet decided to, crawling is easier, faster.

-Can climb stairs if she really wants to (she has done it like twice)

-Eats anything off the floor that she can.

-Still loves to suck her thumb when she is tired.

We love her. She is such a sweet baby.

December

This has been a busy month for us. We got our first snow. Ian loved playing in the snow and was out there all Sunday morning Jaiden tolerated playing out for a little bit. Kathryn wasn't quite sure what to think and she couldn't move around easy in all the (too big) snow stuff.

Our snowman fell as we were building him.

The snow was gone later that week, when it rained. We got maybe an inch and half that time.

We had a Christmas breakfast for our ward party. It was actually both wards here. It was good. We were able to visit with people. One of our friends has four girls and two boys. The three oldest girls took care of Ian and Jaiden for us. They helped them with the crafts and everything.

We went to the aquarium to see Santa. They didn't even charge extra for pictures with Santa!

Jaiden wasn't crying, he just didn't want to smile for the camera.

Kathryn didn't know what to think and was distracted by his beard.

We explored some at the museum. There was a part open that hasn't been open when we have been there before, Rex and Ian had a lot of fun with it.

We then saw Santa swim with the fish. I'll post the video on that later, it's not working now.

Kathryn was wearing a cute Christmas elf dress that day.

She can now stand on her own without holding on to anything, but she doesn't want to walk yet. 

She has also discovered peek a boo. She will hold things in front of her face and hide and then put it down. She also talks will doing this, so I think she is trying to say boo, but it comes out as baa.

Last weekend we went to our friends' house for pizza, games, and movie. It was a great night. The girls took Kathryn about half the time and Rex was able to get her to sleep for part of the movie (it was late). We are excited to have someone who likes to play games (they have many of the same ones as we have).

This Thursday we got a big snow storm, so Ian had his polar express day at school on Wednesday. I was able to find a sitter for Jaiden and Kathryn last minute to help out in Ian's class. There were several fun activities. At the table I was at, the kids put sentences from the story in order and then color pictures, cut them out, and put them in order. There was also musical chairs and reading sight words, making reindeer antlers, and a few other activities. They had hot chocolate and donut holes for snack. That afternoon they watched the Polar Express movie.

School was cancelled Thursday because of the snow, that was the last day before Christmas break, but they were going to make it up today, but the roads were still bad. Ian has had a blast playing out in the snow. He has been out there a couple hours already today. It is too deep for Jaiden to enjoy it, he can't walk in it. Thankfully, the kids and I haven't had to go anywhere the past couple days (Rex went to work yesterday though the flights were cancelled and he worked today).

Halloween and such

We had a good Halloween. Our ward had a trunk or treat the Wednesday before Halloween. The boys had fun doing activities and trunk or treating. I took the boys around, while Rex and Kathryn handed out candy at our car. That night wasn’t cold at all, it wasn’t kind of weird not having to bundle up under/over costumes. I was kind of lazy about costumes this year. Ian was spider man again (barely fit him), Jaiden was a pumpkin, and Kathryn was a zebra. She didn’t mind the head piece like Jaiden did when he wore it as a baby. Rex took the boys out trick or treating around our neighborhood on Halloween. They had fun. Kathryn and I handed out candy. We got maybe 50 kids that came by. We had a lot of candy left over.

Updates on the kids:

Jaiden is now potty trained (though he wets the bed unless I wake him up during the night to use the bathroom). Kathryn still has no teeth and is not walking yet, though she pulls herself up on everything and walks along what ever she can. She is getting into more and more and can reach more. She can open the bottom drawer of our dresser and is quite proud of this. She likes to open and close it. Ian is still loving school. He came home sick one day (both he and Jaiden had random fevers one day). He got a gash on his forehead walking out to recess one day. He tripped and hit a metal door frame. He didn’t know he was bleeding until someone told him. We took him to the doctor, and they glued it. He opened it again the next week, playing at recess. He fell, his hand hit the ground, and his head hit his hand.

We have gone to the National Mississippi Museum and Aquarium several times. We bought a membership and it has already paid off. There is an interactive water part that the boys love to play in (it shows how locks and dams work on the river).

There are several boats outside to tour.

Kathryn spends most of her time there in the stroll, straps are good to eat.

A giant snake to play on. Jaiden wouldn’t sit so I could get a good picture of him.

They have a dance floor and costumes for the kids. Jaiden loves this area.

We also raked up all the leaves in our yard (we have two big trees with leaves and our spruce tree keeps losing its pine needles).

There were about four piles of leaves, this size, in just the backyard (the front didn’t have as much).

We had a good Thanksgiving. We had the missionaries and a family they are teaching over for dinner.

Cute Pictures

It is hard to get all three to smile at the same time. When Jaiden finally gave a good smile, Kathryn as done (beaded socks are a good distraction).

We got our first pet, a Guinea pig. His name is Hilly (Ian named him) and the boys love him. He gets so scared, I walk by his cage and he runs all around.

Presidential Election Years

I hate them! I hate everyone saying vote for this person because the other one is evil. It happens on both sides. I hate the commercials that are show, which are pretty much the other person will do all this bad stuff, but I won’t, but I won’t show/tell you what I will do in this commercial.

I think I know who I will vote for, but no I won’t say, it don’t want to turn this into an argument. I have thought about it hard.

We are responsible for our own lives and our own happiness. Happy times are ahead, let’s make it happen (no matter who is in the president’s office).

Updates on Jaiden and Kathryn

Jaiden is adjusting to Ian being at school all day. He always asks me to play with him. We started potty training him a week and half ago. He is doing great now (except at nights). The first three days were hard, he wet his underwear almost every time. And then last Sunday, it suddenly clicked and he hasn’t really had an accident since then (he did great in nursery, which I was worried about him not letting his teacher know when he needed to go, but he was able to wait until Rex went and checked on him between classes).

This picture sums up how Kathryn is all the time, on the move. Shortly after we got home from Utah she started crawling (at 5 1/2 months) and has not stopped getting into everything she can since. She has also recently started pulling herself up on some things (at 6 1/2 months). The other day, she was crawling around the main floor as I was making dinner. When I checked on her, she was almost in the bathroom, so I closed the door, but then she found other stuff to get into.

She is also starting solid foods. She is doing well with oatmeal (she spit up a lot with the rice cereal, so stopped that), carrots, sweet potatoes (green beans also make her spit up more), and apples. That is all we have tried so for, but now that she has figure out eating off the spoon and swallowing the food, she is doing great.

Ian’s First Day of School

The day after we got back from Utah, Ian started school (he was actually a week late). He was so excited for kindergarten.  He is loving it so far.

His school is a mile away, so too close to ride the bus, to far to walk (with the hills and a double stroller), so I drive him everyday. He goes all day long. He brings a lunch to school. The school has PE, art, and music on a three day rotation. Ian loves art and PE, but not music. The days when he knows he has music, he doesn’t want to go to school, but then I remind him of other things. He has two friends that he plays with most often at recess.

This past Friday they went on their first field trip, to a park here in town. Ian was very excited about riding the bus. It was pretty cold (it had been pretty nice until Thursday and then it decided to get cold all the sudden, Wednesday was in the upper 70s and then it went down to the lower 50s or 40s).

There was also a Family Fun Night the PSA put together for the whole school. It was pretty fun. There were a bunch of different games. I have gone to one PSA meeting, the next one is Monday. I am excited to get involved in his school. I have been able to volunteer in his classroom one time so far.

Utah Trip

Shortly after we moved and got settled in, we packed up and left for Utah. We had this trip planned because Rex’s sister Felicia was getting married. We booked flights out of our airport, but woke up that Thursday morning to a rainstorm. Our flight would have been to Chicago (where apparently the storm was worse) and then to Salt Lake. Our flight to Chicago was cancelled. We worked with the airline and they were able to get us one a flight from Cedar Rapids to Dallas to Chicago (with a 6 hour layover in Dallas). We drove down to Cedar Rapids (about an hour and half away). We caught the flight to Dallas. The kids all did well on the plane. We then spent a long time in Dallas. Luckily it is a huge airport with a train and play areas for the kids. Our flight out was also delayed an hour due to storms in Miami where the plane was coming from. We eventually made it to Utah and got to Rex’s parents’ house at 11 that night.

Friday we helped set up a little bit and then headed out as a family to run some errands (we borrowed my parents car, barely fit all three car seats in it). We had to get a new suitcase since one of ours finally died, it was almost to that point before we left, but formula spilling out onto everything was the last straw and into the garbage it went. I also got my ears repierced. The holes from when I was 12 closed up and I had been meaning to get them done for awhile now (in the same spot as before). Though the girl at the store first thought we were talking about getting Kathryn’s ears pierced. I am of the mind that babies do not need their ears pierced. I haven’t decided at what age yet I will let her decided whether or not she wants to or not.

Saturday we spent Saturday getting ready for the wedding and we were finally able to meet Jason’s family. His nephew that is about the same age as Kathryn is a lot bigger than her (but I think she was more mobile, rolling and scooting kind of inch worm style all over the place). I  helped with the food and Rex helped set up stuff at the reception place (a neighbor’s backyard). The reception was really nice and there were quite a few people, including a girl who played tennis with my sister in high school (she came with Jason’s cousin). Ian and Jaiden loved running around with Luc and Hayden. It was great to not really have to worry about them and what they were doing.

Sunday morning, we blessed Kathryn in Rex’s parents’ ward in Draper. It was nice and she was really good for the blessing, Rex said she found her shoe and sucked on it the whole time. My cousin (and her husband and baby) and one of my uncles came. Rex’s grandma Jones was able to be there too (she came down for the wedding). A couple of my roommates from college were able to come as well. It was nice to see them since I hadn’t seen them in a long time.

 

Kathryn in her blessing dress.

Kathryn and Great Grandma Jones.

We then went up to my parents’ house. Kristi and her family got there late that night. We were able to do stuff with them in Monday and Tuesday. Monday we went to the Dinosaur park. Our boys were kind of scared, but Kristi’s boy Harrison loved it and kept growling at all the dinosaurs. We had a family dinner that night, though Teri’s fiancée Isaiah was not able to come. Grandma Cisney and Carol Ann came as well. We took some family pictures in the backyard. Tuesday morning we went up to the Brigham City Temple Open House.

Jaiden and Harrison with Grandma.

Harrison waving to the dinosaur, he had to wave to all of them.

Ian being himself.

Kathryn and Great Grandma Cisney

My Dad, Grandma, Owen (Kristi’s baby) and Kathryn.

Wednesday we rode the front runner down to Salt Lake for the wedding brunch and sealing. Between the brunch and sealing we were able to explore the new City Creek Center. Ian got soaked in the fountain and Jaiden wouldn’t get wet. I loved Felicia’s wedding dress. She had it made in China when she was there this summer.

Friday we went to the zoo with my parents’ and were able to briefly see one of Rex’s aunts and some of his cousins. We then went down to Draper. That night was a reception for his cousin Elizabeth and her husband at the Jones’ house. We went down to Provo on Saturday. We got all the kids BYU t shirts. We also got to see Danielle and Brian’s place. We went swimming at Christen and Alex’s condo pool. We then went to a neighborhood party in Draper. Rex was able to a lot of people from growing up there.

This polar bear was so fun to watch. He would swim up to the glass and then pop out of the water.

We went back up to my parents until we left on Tuesday. It was a great trip, but we were all ready to come home.