Lydia turns three!

It's just another morning in the Balint house... We were all up before the sun and said goodbye to daddy as he headed to work. I offered the kids breakfast until they couldn't eat another bite, cleaned up the house, did some laundry, made myself some breakfast, and then they sat on me and finish off my breakfast too. My cup of coffee is next to me now 2 hours cold, the dog is finally in her kennel after terrorizing the house and kids, Lydia's reading books, and Grayson is down for his first nap. We made it! I always feel like I can sit down and breathe at this point in the day. I'm on the couch looking out the window right now at the beautiful snow. I love the snow, but this time it just feels bittersweet. My legs are antsy for a run... I've been thinking about it constantly. As the stress builds up to our great trek to the last frontier I find myself needing the release. The cold just isn't helping! Just five minutes breathing in the cold outside will drive my sinuses into a brain-freeze-like headache and my joints in my hands start creaking in this strange dull pain. I've tried ear muffs, scarves, multiple hats, gloves, etc, and nothing seems to work well enough to shield me from it... so I'm sitting here staring at it. So beautiful, so untouchable... It's like buttercream frosting. (an analogy that may only work for those of you that are also dairy free). Mmm... now I just want to eat frosting! Well for Lydia's sake I hope we'll get to enjoy this snow and play outside for a little while today, but for my sake I hope the sun comes up, melts it away, heats up our valley, and we can officially enjoy some spring!!! We have just 37 days left until our little family heads to AK and I would really like some beautiful warm spring weather before we go!
So what have we been up to? Well my baby girl turned 3 years old! Can you believe it?! I can't. It all happened way too fast! We had a play date with her best friend, Jack Jack, on her birthday and then we opened a couple special presents from her grandma and grandpa and us later in the day. Jacob took a day off work to spend with us and it was wonderful! Nana threw Lydia a beautiful party the following weekend with all of our family and we all had a great time! Lydia informed her Nana that she wanted a princess Dora tea party with a Pink pink pink princess dora cake and Nana more than delivered! Lydia loved everything about her party and her cake and is still talking about it! Everyone came dressed up for the party and had a great time. Lydia was spoiled with love from all of her grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I'm glad we were able to get some great photos to keep forever! She came home with multiple Dora dolls of different shapes and sizes that she loves, new pretty dress ups, and a big 'two wheeler' that we've gotten to take out a few times already. She has been riding it around the house since it's been too cold and snowy to take out lately. I know when we leave to AK she'll be missing her bike a lot! Well the sun is coming out right now (YAY!) so I better put this girl into her snow clothes and send her out before it melts (yay!) or grayson wakes up and decides he wants out there too (which means I have to go :p). Here's a few photos from the party :)

Auntie Sandy, Grandma Peggy, and Lydia all dressed up!

Lydia and her princess Dora castle cake! She was SO pleased!

Opening her presents!

My beautiful, sweet, amazing little 3 year old girl

Lydia on her new bicycle!

No fear! She just hopped right on and went!

Mom and I dressed up in our fun tea party dresses! The one I'm wearing was my grandma's that my sister wore to her 8th grade graduation! I didn't last too long in it, though. I couldn't lift my arms in those sleeves!

Grayson turned 1, Christmas happened twice, and I just had a birthday!

Pallows (pillows), honeys (undies), Eggo (Diego), dinky doo (pinky dinky doo), I think I can, I do it, icky poopoo's, OOOH budder (brother), pretties, rite dare, stwower (stroller), I needsta help, boots, choc-oh-late, helmit (remote)...

I love listening to Lydia talk. I absolutely love her sweet little words and how she says each of them in her own little accent. These are just some of my favorites... some of the ones I hear the most. She's given her own names to so many everyday things that I often forget that it's not what other people normally call them. I'm teaching myself how to not speak her language back to her, though. I know it doesn't benefit her when it comes to teaching her the correct pronunciation of things, but my goodness it's hard not to say silly sentences like "I needs lots is a more of dees ones" when she's usually the only little human I talk to all day... everyday.
That and yes, I want to keep her little a lot of the time. I don't want her to grow up. It's so dear to my heart to hear how she's developed her own language to describe her little world... I feel like I see my world differently just from the way she has described it to me in her words.

Grayson's birthday came and went and with not TOO many tears... We celebrated with family the weekend before Christmas. It couldn't have been better. He loved being sang to so much that we sang him happy birthday twice! He ate more cake than I'd like to admit, but it was so extremely cute and I just wanted him to enjoy it. My mom made him a beautiful little sock monkey cake (hopefully I can find and add pictures!). You could tell he knew EXACTLY what it was and who it was for by his sweet little squeals the moment he saw it! He has loved his sock monkey from the moment he received it and it has been his favorite lovey since. Besides his train... it's by far his favorite thing in this house.
I hope that we get to celebrate his birthday with family like that every year. What a blessing!

Christmas with my family was celebrated that same weekend. I don't think I can remember having a better Christmas! All of the kids did great and had such a wonderful time! It was more relaxed than any other Christmas and I really think that everyone there could agree that we all left with full hearts and truly enjoyed our time with each other. We opened presents Saturday morning (my goodness every child was spoiled!). I was able to cook my favorite meal, breakfast, and then the kids played with all of their toys all day. We got everything prepared and cooked for the 'big dinner' and family all slowly arrived. We visited, opened beautiful stockings (just wait until you see how huge mine was! hahaha), and shared gifts that we had chosen for each other. We draw names every year and it's always fun surprising them with something unique and personal! The dinner was amazing and the deserts were even better! We sang birthday songs to my Uncle, Grayson, and myself, opened more presents, and then everyone went their separate ways. Jacob and I had planned to leave the next morning, but after some discussion... we decided it would be safest to leave that evening.
The kids are still loving all of their gifts from santa and I am too!!

This past weekend we celebrated Christmas with just us as a family. It was such a sweet time! I read a book to the kids regarding the birth of Jesus, which Lydia loved, and we celebrated Christmas as a tribute to Christ's birth. Lydia is STILL singing 'Happy Birthday baby Jesus' around the house!
We opened presents, nothing big, but just a few things special that we had got for each other, and had our friends for dinner. All of the kids played well together and had a great time as did we. It was such a wonderful Christmas this year!

The day after was my birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! I'm now 24, be amazed, I know. I'm getting so stinkin old! Jacob came home and brought me beautiful flowers and a yummy peppermint starbucks! It was wonderful :)

So here comes the new year! I'm excited to be starting a new year full of new adventures! I haven't fully thought of any new year resolutions, but I'm sure that I will. Probably some new plan to build some muscle on these bones, learn a new craft, play more music, or finally sew Lydia's quilt that I started BEFORE she was born :/. I'm not sure yet, but when I know... you'll know.

Jacob and I hadn't planned on being in this picture, but neither of the kids wanted near Santa! :)

Grayson in his sock monkey little get up with his lovey

Me and my GINORMOUS stocking full of goodies!

My mom had a wool sock monkey dress... of course I had to put it on! haha... (ignore my lack of make up!)

A photo of all of the stockings together.. you can tell Jenna and I are the favorites here! ;)

Grayson seeing his cake with his cousin Autumn (otter pop)

Want some??

So handsome!!!

Lydia concentrating on opening everything in her stocking :)

The adorable cake and cupcakes!

MY beautiful cake my mom made me...  COMPLETELY dairy and gluten free!!! <3