The Oldroyd Family

Grandpa & Grandma came on the 21st for a Christmas visit! Our friend Amazon.com had delivered a few packages from them so we knew some fun presents were in store! N & A got their first present on the 22nd-- a double Radio Flyer Wagon!! (Grandpa is just a kid himself & couldn't wait to give it to them!) We decided to take the new wagon for a spin at the Houston Zoo! We had so much fun-- especially Lexie, our animal lover! She squealed, waved her hands & kicked her feet every time an animal moved! They had SO much fun at the petting zoo brushing the goats! They even had their first Merry-Go-Round ride! They weren't too sure about that one... but I know they'll love it next time! The 23rd was mine & Sam's SIXTH anniversary! We spent the morning/afternoon at the temple & enjoying a nice lunch at Macaroni Grill (YUM!) while Nathan & Alexa played with Grandpa & Grandma at home! That night, we opened more presents from them! Nathan got a ...

Christmas Day is special to me for so many reasons. It goes without saying that I am eternally grateful for the birth of my Savior, for his life, & his sacrifice for me. The evening of Jesus' birth brought us the new star & most important, hope of life eternal. What a miracle! Two years ago this morning, I experienced my own Christmas miracle. It marked the end of a long & painful journey. I found out Christmas Morning 2007 that I was expecting a baby of my own! After more than 2 years, I finally had my miracle. Little did I know... I was getting TWO miracles! Because of these two little miracles, I have experienced more joy, more pain, more blessings, more trials, and most importantly, more love than I knew my heart could feel. Also because of my miracles, my love for my Savior has increased a million fold. Now, not only am I grateful for his birth, life, & sacrifice for myself, but I am grateful because my children will know of His goodness as well. Bec...

Here are some pictures I took after church of Nathan & Alexa in their Christmas Dressy Outfits. Don't they look cute?!?!? What a fun week we have to look forward to! Grandma & Grandpa are coming for a visit TOMORROW from Utah! We can't wait! Then they'll head up to Dallas for Christmas with the Behrmanns (my sister) & we'll stay here & have Christmas with the Oldroyds! Everyone is here & there are lots of cousins, aunts & uncles to enjoy! If I don't post anything before, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Here's another side-by-side comparison with my last pregnancy. I'm feeling pretty good. Just had a doctor's appointment today where we got some good news. 2 weeks ago at the doctor, we found a little "glitch". Without going into too much detail (you're welcome) it became apparent that I needed to slow down. If things kept progressing the way it was looking, I'd be on bed rest. She wanted to see me in 2 weeks to check again. I've really TRIED to slow down but it's hard with 2 toddlers & it being the Christmas season. So I was really worried we'd go in today & get some bad news. But not so! Things looks stable for now. Yay! I'll still try to take it easy. As hard as that is, it's easier than going on bed rest. I also need to focus on not eating so much junk-- the weight is packing on! I justify it since I didn't gain any weight my 1st trimester. But I know how hard it is to get the weight off. I know I can have ...

My sweet little Lexie has a fractured tibia. :( We're not quite sure how or when it happened. The Pediatric Orthopedic Specialist said it was quite common in toddlers. The great thing is that she doesn't even need a cast! They said they'd cast her as protection if she were in daycare but since I'm home with her, it'd be fine. It'll heal just the same without it. I just have to watch her so she doesn't re-injure her leg, carry her around a little more, & bring her back in 4 weeks from another x-ray! That should be fun... she didn't love the x-ray part today, that's for sure. I couldn't even be in there with her since I'm pregnant. Luckily Daddy came to the appointment with us! It makes me so sad to watch her limp around. I'm thankful little ones are so resilient!

I did it. I made the Pomegranate Cheesecake . I spent the better part of yesterday working on it (& praying it would turn out) & took it to a party I went to tonight. The scary thing about taking a cheesecake is that you can't take a slice to see how it turned out (despite Sam's argument). Turn out it did. It was a hit-- and so very delectably delicious!!! It's too time consuming to just "whip up" on a regular basis but I definitely will make this a seasonal treat for some event each year. The only thing that turned out differently for me, I think, was the Pomegranate "glaze" turned out to be more of a Pomegranate "jelly". I actually liked it this way though. I think it looks better for presentation & it is too yummy to be running all over the place. I consider this a baking success!

I am admittedly no photographer; especially of food. But one thing I am is a baker. I love to bake, always have. For the most part, I keep it simple. Cookies, cakes, sweet breads, etc... but when I saw these on my favorite cooking blog , I had to try them. Not only am I having a most difficult time with the fact that I cannot have ANY chocolate while pregnant (or nursing for that matter), I absolutely LOVE all things Lemoney or Orangey. With the promise that these taste like Dreamsicle bars-- I was sold. After staying up way too late finishing the 3rd layer, allowing them to chill over night & then figuring out the best way to slice these-- I tried one. And then another-- for good measure of course. Yummmmmm..... I do want to remake them because there are things I will do better next time. I think the crust was over baked, and maybe a little thick for my taste. I also only had little Cutie oranges-- I think the flavor would be better with navel oranges. Lastly, I want t...

The Christmas Season is here for the Oldroyd family! We headed to our friendly neighborhood Home Depot for some new lights for the house this year. The 5+ year old hand-me-down lights from my parents just weren't cuttin it anymore! Sam & I spent the kids' afternoon nap time putting up lights. Don't worry, he did the house, I just did the bushes! Alexa LOVES the lights! We also had our ward Christmas Party last night! Nathan & Alexa sat on Santa's lap for the very first time! As you can see, they didn't quite know what to think... we'll try again at the neigborhood party! They had a great time hanging out with Aunt JJ, Aunt Marianne & their cousins! Oh, and running around everywhere as to not let Mom & Dad enjoy the ward party too much. So fun having 2 toddlers!

Nathan is finally walking. He's been working at it for the past couple of weeks. He still is not totally stable, nor does he walk all of the time-- but he's improving every day! He still has to crawl to keep up with his sissy. He'll be running in no time, I'm sure! I know having 2 walking toddlers will bring it's challenges but I'm so glad this time is here. Not only is it getting more & more difficult to carry them around, but they're just happier walking. Nathan loves to be outside & this will make it much easier to go play! It's just one more step to their independence, which honestly, with another baby coming in 4 1/2 months, I need! Yay Nathan!