Our Backwards "Sleepover"

Lately, sleep has become a precious commodity at our house. Jaxson is going through a phase where he consistently wakes up before 6:00. This wouldn't be so bad, except Aynsley recently decided that she misses us too much and would rather not sleep through the night. Getting up multiple times through the night and then having an early wake-up call would make anyone tired, but then add to it that both kiddos have not been taking the best naps lately due to some remodeling we have going on at the house right now, and you get two grumpy kids and one tired mom.

So, I decided that we would stay in our pajamas this morning and have a "sleepover" day...just in reverse.

We started our day by making some chocolate chip waffles...yum!

Our "sleepover" continued when it was time for lunch. We had pizza picnic-style while watching Madagascar. Jaxson didn't quite get the concept that he was supposed to eat lunch on the floor, and I ended up having to put him in his highchair anyway, but it was a nice try.

Aynsley was just happy to be there. Don't you love her crazy hair? As her hair is getting longer, it is starting to get a little curl to it. After her bath, it kind of dried a little wonky. :)

After lunch, it was time for the sleepover part...nap time!

My Little Loves

I tried so hard to take pictures of the kids in their Valentine's Day shirts, but taking pictures of two little kiddos is much easier said than done. I would get one kid settled, and by the time the other was in position, the first was needing attention again! So, I had to settle on taking pictures of the kids individually.

Little Miss Aynsley:
Happy first Valentine's Day! She is such a sweetheart! Lucky for me, she was willing to let me take a few different pictures without getting too bored.

My Jaxson:
Always on the go, and definitely more difficult to photograph. I was so pleased to see that I got this picture, though. This is such a classic Jaxson expression, and I love it!

We had such a nice Valentine's day...I loved having it be low key and just spending time with the family. We have started a little family tradition to have dinner at home and then watch a movie. I love it, and am truly looking forward to continuing this as the kids get older. Mike and I went out for our own date night later in the week, and it was so nice to enjoy a quiet evening away. No crowds, no rush, just quality time. I love my family.

Parachute Date Night

Last week, Mike and I had the opportunity for a rare date night out without the kiddos. We headed out to Club Sound to see Parachute in concert.

We had such a great time! We kept joking about how it felt like we were back in high school...this had definitely been a long time coming.  When Mike first said that he wanted to go, I was a little skeptical because I wasn't very familiar with their music. I had only heard the one or two songs that they have on the radio. After the concert, I definitely became their newest fan!

Big thanks to "Hoppa" and "Nina" who were willing to babysit, despite a little girl who decided to throw a big fit!

10 Things I Love About You

Jaxson, ten of the things I love so much about you right now are:

1. You are learning so much and soaking up everything! Whether it is learning where your nose is, a new word, or how to assert your opinion, I love it all.

2. You say "hi" all the time...it could be as a greeting, to get someone's attention, or when you are trying to get someone to take something. "Hi" is your favorite word.

3. You absolutely love to be tickled. You will purposefully wait so that someone will tickle you, then laugh hysterically.

4. I love that you are so interested in cooking and always want to help. I loved making sugar cookies with you this week. You did such a good job helping me cut out the cookies.

5. I love how much you love music. Right now, your favorites seem to be Taylor Swift and Fresh Beat Band. Hearing either of those will immediately catch your attention. You love to dance to a good beat.

6. You will still let me snuggle with you, especially in the morning after you first wake up. I always enjoy cuddling with you while we watch a morning cartoon.

7. You are such a good brother. You get the biggest smile on your face whenever you see Aynsley. You are always telling her "hi". You also try to rock her when she is in her car seat, give her a pacifier, push her around in the walker...anything you can do to try and help her.

8. You are such a charmer. Even though you are going through a shy stage right now, you still know how to make everyone smile. People can't help falling in love with you.

9. You are so proud of yourself when you have a new accomplishment. You recently learned how to make a basket in your basketball hoop, and you always clap your hands whenever you make a basket. You also clap your hands whenever you are excited about something.

10. You love to play! You love seeing other kids and being able to play with them. It doesn't matter if they are a few years older or your same age, you just love to play.

Aynsley, ten of the things I love so much about you right now are:

1. You have the biggest smiles! They light up your entire face and make your eyes crinkle.

2. You are so strong and are growing so quickly. I can't believe you have started sitting up...and you aren't even five months old yet! You are also rolling over and love to play with your rattles.

3. You love to snuggle! You absolutely love it when you are being held and wrapped up in a blanket. Sometimes you don't even sleep well unless you are being held. It gives me a good excuse to slow down and just enjoy being able to hold you.

4. You love your big brother! You get such a big smile on your face whenever you see him. I know that you and Jaxson are going to be best friends.

5. Sometimes it seems like you are trying so hard to talk. When you coo, it sounds like you are trying to say "hi".

6. You already love Faline. You are always trying to reach for her and pet her.

7. Like your brother, you also seem to like music. You love it when Jaxson is watching the Fresh Beat Band: you always turn yourself so you can watch as well.

8. You are a very tough little girl! As much as your brother loves you, he is sometimes a little rough. For the most part, you take it all in stride and don't get too upset.

9. You are already very opinionated. You know what you want, and you make sure that we know it, too. I hope that you are able to channel this energy in a positive way as you get older. :)

10. I love your laugh! Sometimes your laugh sounds a little like a cry, but your face is lit up in the biggest smile. I love being silly and making you laugh. I love to see you so happy.

Stay Beautiful

Lately I have been staying busy with more than just the kiddos...my sister, mom, and I have launched a little business! The idea came in October when Mike commented that since we enjoy crafting/sewing so much, we might as well try and get a little income from it. We tried posting a few things on Etsy and even had booth space at a Christmas Boutique, but have decided on selling our items at the Cannery Center.

So, what do we sell? We sell handcrafted headbands and hair clips for all ages, plus baby accessories, such as bibs and burp cloths. I started making some of my own accessories because I was tired of looking for cute items for myself and kids without spending a fortune...pretty much everything we sell is $10 or less!

Right now we have a Facebook page and a blog. We are still working on posting pictures of everything online, but of course you can see everything in person at the Cannery. I would love your support, even if it is just a "like" on our Facebook page or for you to become a follower on our blog. This has definitely been such a learning experience and we have a lot of fun ideas planned for the future, so please join me for this exciting ride!



December in Pictures

Wow, I feel like I am always trying to play catch-up with this blog. I can't believe that we are already almost to the end of January...for real?!? I figured that I would use pictures to illustrate our month, and then I realized that I was just about as good at taking pictures as I have been about blogging. It really was sad to see my lack of pictures, especially for Christmas. Anyway, here is a glimpse at what we have been up to:
I decided to take the kids to Fotofly for Santa pictures. I figured that since Jaxson is getting to the age of "stranger danger", I might as well have them taken with me so that we would hopefully get some good Santa pictures. Well, Jaxson did great, but unfortunately Aynsley wasn't too into it. She seriously cried for pretty much the entire time. I really think that she was just too hot in the tent, because she calmed down right after we left, but it left us with some interesting Santa pics. Aynsley was either crying or pouting in all of them. Maybe we will have better luck next year?

Aynsley is getting SO big! It is crazy to see how fast she is growing, especially since she is doing things a month or two ahead of Jaxson. In December, she was so good at propping herself up on her arms, and now she is already starting to sit up. And yes, she is not even five months old yet! I keep saying that she had to listen to us brag about her brother the whole time she was in utero, and now she is just trying to play catch up. I am trying to cherish every day that I get to have her as still being a baby.

 I saw this cute idea on Pinterest where they had taken pictures of kids with Christmas lights. I thought it would be such a great idea with Jaxson since he has absolutely loved seeing all the lights. Sadly, he did not agree that it would be a fun way to have his picture taken, and did not cooperate at all. I tried it a little with Aynsley and it still didn't quite turn out right. But, since I pretty much took zero Christmas pictures, I will take what I can get.

Christmas was so great! I was a bit nervous about how Jaxson would do because he started the week out with a bad cold and ended it by getting an ear infection.

We had my family come over on Christmas Eve and we did our traditional Swain Family Christmas lights drive and Christmas book reading. I think that these are two of my favorite holiday traditions, so it was so fun to spend that time with my family and also share them with Jaxson on Aynsley.

On Christmas morning, we had a bit of a slow start and ended up having to pack up everything to take to my family's house. We then spent Christmas morning with my family, the afternoon with Mike's dad, and the evening with his mom. It makes for a busy day, but we are truly so blessed to have all of our family so close and be able to have such fun times with them. We were definitely spoiled, but as I said, it really was great to just spend time with family. I think I am realizing that more and more now that I have Jaxson and Aynsley.

Sadly, I hardly took any pictures at all on Christmas. But, here is Jaxson loving his cars and also playing with his cousin Kambri. He loves playing with her!

Temple Square

First of all, where has the time gone??? I can't believe that we are already halfway through December! I feel like I have so much to say and post.

On Monday night, we went with my family to see the lights at Temple Square. I was excited to take Jaxson because he gets SO excited whenever he sees Christmas lights and decorations. Needless to say, he had such a great time! Both kids did an awesome job right up until the very end, and it was so much fun to get out and enjoy the lights with my family.

My siblings and me: Khemia, Beth, Kristin, David, and me.

Jaxson all bundled up...isn't he cute?

Mike, Jaxson, and me - Aynsley fell asleep while we were walking around, so we decided not to get her out of the stroller. You can see what Jaxson thinks about having his picture taken.

The whole family (minus Aynsley)

Aynsley and me

It has been so much fun to have my kids experience Christmas and all it has to offer. Although Aynsley is pretty oblivious to what is going on, Jaxson gets excited. I love seeing him experience everything, especially since he doesn't know about Santa or any of the materialistic side of Christmas. He just enjoys the actual Christmas spirit, and I love seeing it through his eyes.