our first christmas away from family

This was the first year that we were not able to spend Christmas with family. It was sad because we wanted to see everyone and we wished everyone could have spent some time with the kids. Although, it was nice to have a quiet Christmas...just the 4 of us because we know that Travis will probably be deployed sometime this year and won't be able to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with us this year.

It was our first Christmas as a family of 4 as well. We are loving having a new addition and are glad that our family is finally complete! I couldn't imagine my life without Parker and Delainey and they just make everything more fun!

Thanks to everyone that sent gifts for us and the kiddos...they were all greatly appreciated and enjoyed and it warmed our hearts to know that you were thinking of us this Christmas while we were away. Our kids were definitely spoiled this year...hopefully they don't think they will have that many presents every year! (Because they won't!)

This year we opened presents from the Guion side on Christmas Eve. It was nice to get to chat with everyone on the phone!
{Parks--ready to open his gifts from Grandpa Lee & Grandma Jammi, Uncle Tyler & Amber, and Uncle Shane}
{we were all anxious to see what this gift was...the UPS man said it had been "talking to him" while he was making his deliveries and was glad to be rid of it}

{it's Mater & McQueen!!!...and boy are they noisy...thanks Uncle Tyler and Amber...payback's a, well you know the rest!}
{thanks for the new chew toy...I mean hat and gloves Grandpa Lee and Grandma Jammi!}
{new teether from Uncle Shane}

On Christmas morning we opened our gifts from "Santa" and us to the kids and emptied out our stockings. Then in the afternoon (our time) and morning (Washington time) we "Face-Timed" with my parents and my sister's family while opening gifts from them! It is so great to get to see everyone...even if it is on the phone! I love technology and it sure does make being far away so much easier to bear! At night we were able to Skype with the McCue/Parker clan. It was so nice to feel like we were there...even though we weren't really.
{Christmas morning in the jammies...they are too cute}


{a HUGE thanks to Papa Kevin and Nonni Donna for the tractor...he loves it, especially because it is "just like Papa's"}


{oh...the sock monkey hat! For those of you who don't already know, I have a strange fear of sock monkeys...I'm not sure why, I just do! My dad is fully aware of this irrational fear and decided that he would take a break from being a mechanic and be a comedian instead...he saw this hat and of course thought it would be an amazing idea to get it for Parks! I have to admit...he looks super cute in it!}
{putting together and taking apart his Napa engine from Auntie Sara and Uncle Chipper}
{cute as ever in her new shirt}

{I LOVE THIS PICTURE...this is a picture my sister took on Christmas night...obviously in Washington, at my parent's house! If you can't tell, that's Parker on the computer screen, we were on Skype with them!}

The Holiday Season is HERE!

I know that I have not been as good about doing updates as I should be...which means a lot of family has been checking the blog and wondering where new pictures/info is!!! So sorry to all of you. I will try to be better...but with 2 kiddos at home now it makes it a bit more challenging to find time when one of them doesn't need me for something! I have been trying to spend my time that Delainey doesn't need me playing with Parker...plus trying to throw in cooking, cleaning, laundry, and any other household chores is proving to be more difficult that I would have thought! I am determined to keep on top of things though, so blogging has been knocked down a peg or two!

(Parker at the National Cowboy Museum)

(Parker playing at the Science Museum)

In my last post I had mentioned that Delainey was having a bit of blood in her stool...that is still an issue, but the pediatrician consulted with a G.I. doctor who said that she feels Delainey has a severe protein allergy. That means that I (because I am nursing her and the only formula she can have is expensive and tastes terrible) cannot eat/drink anything that contains any milk, dairy, soy, whey, or nuts until Delainey has either grown out of this protein allergy or she turns 1! Not so easy since everything in our house had some form of something on that list! It has taken a while to find forms of things that I can eat. That meant a VERY long trip to the grocery store looking at all labels and trying to find things I could actually consume. Most of the things I can have are organic (aka more expensive!) or found near the gluten-free section of the grocery store. On a positive spin...I have lost all but 5 pounds of my baby weight which I'm sure is in part to my new crazy diet I have to be on! Cue "silver lining." Delainey is still feeling good and doing great. She was measuring in the 50th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height at her 2 month check-up! Dr. D still says she is growing great and looking wonderful. The kids were so good at the appointment, too!


Our little lady is getting so big and is doing new things all the time. She is currently teething and we can see the little white tip of her first tooth trying to peek through the surface. We noticed it at about 12 weeks. At 11 weeks she started rolling over from her tummy to her back...no more tummy time for our little gal (who REALLY hated it anyway, so it is probably for the best for all involved!) She holds her head up really well and loves to play on her activity mat and in her swing. She is putting everything in her mouth and will probably start eating rice cereal by the end of the month...we will see what Dr. D says at her 4 month check at the end of the month! She is so smiley and has her Mommy's face with her Daddy's dimples! Needless to say we find her so adorable and couldn't imagine our lives without our new addition.

Parker is an amazing big brother and is always trying to help...a little too much usually, but we hate to deter him from trying to do sweet things for and with his sister. He loves to come with me when I put her down for naps, always hanging over the edge of the crib to tell her "goodnight sissy" and give her kisses on the forehead! He loves her so much and always hands her things when she drops them and chats with her/soothes her when she cries!

We celebrated our big guy's 3rd birthday on October 18th! He helped me make and decorate cupcakes during the day and we took him bowling for the first time that night. He loved it and had so much fun. Plus, the little guy bowling shoes were adorable! He was so excited and can't wait to go again! He had fun opening his presents, too...thanks to all who sent him things, he loved all of the presents!



We had a fabulous Halloween as well. Parker was a bum and Delainey was an adorable little duck! We went to the Oklahoma City Zoo's "Haunt the Zoo" where you trick or treat throughout the zoo. Parker had so much fun! We also handed out candy at home and Travis took Parker around the base neighborhood to trick or treat. I think Parker almost enjoys handing out candy more than he enjoys getting it. His costume was hilarious and everyone seemed to love it and think it was so funny!


We are still enjoying Oklahoma! As strange as that sounds, even to me! Thanksgiving was wonderful, but it would have been nice to see family! I made my first turkey and made homemade stuffing (because all box stuffings contain milk or soy) and it turned out so well that Travis said we need to make it that way every year. I am officially turkeyed-out and we will be having ham for Christmas!


We hope everyone is enjoying the start of the holiday season...know that we are thinking of all of you and wish we were home to spend the holidays with everyone!