Merry Christmas

The Greatest Christmas Gift Ever

Gingerbread House!!!

I was at Joann's the other day and found a Gingerbread House kit. We've never made one before and I thought the girls would enjoy it. We had a lot fun decorating it with the help of Dad assembling the walls (that was kind of tricky). Here are some pictures of us decorating it. It turned out pretty cute. The girls did a good job.

Kamryn wasn't too happy we weren't giving her attention during the decorating. This is what she did most of the time. She did manage to stop crying for a little bit so I could snap a picture of all the girls together.

I had to add this picture of my little Kami. I bought her some new PJ's the other day and they look so cute on her. I love pink and green together. She's starting to sit up good with support and It's fun to watch her. She thinks she is pretty cool.

Who's that?

So, I have learned a great lesson this week. I put out all my Christmas decorations and as I was putting out my Nativity set Lauryn asked who the baby was. Wow. I felt a little sick inside. Me and Alan decided a few weeks ago that we were going to keep Christmas small this year for more than one reason but obviously the primary reason was so we could experience the true meaning of Christmas. I am okay at admitting that I'm not a perfect parent and many times I forget to teach my children some of the most valuable of lesson. Jesus' birth is a pretty important one. We've talked about it randomly in the past but obviously not made it special enough for Lauryn to remember. Now is a better time than ever. This Christmas I am going to start new traditions as our small little family grows and so we can learn and grow together. I love Christmas so much. The decorations, the food, the gift giving. But, Christmas is more that that. I NEED to focus more on our Savior this year, for myself and my family.

It now fits

Hooray! It now fits. My Mom and Kristin were at Bukoos and found a really nice kitchen sink. I gave Kris and my Mom the measurements of the old sink but gave them the measurements of the under part of the sink as opposed to the upper part which she measured. So instead of double checking the measurements I pulled out the old sink and found out the hard way that the new sink was to small for the sink hole. Well, we had two choices, we buy another new sink that fits the hole or put new counter tops in. It came out 6's so my friend Dave & I put new counter tops in. There was a big burn spot on the old counter anyway so why not. It was fun and really cool to learn something new, and I believe well worth the effort. I bet you all are wondering, why didn't you put the old sink in? And to answer that I banged it up pulling it out.

Mornings - Yeah!!!

I love mornings!!! There is nothing better than to wake up to the sun shinning and open every blind in my house, make all the beds and sit in my room in my rocking chair rocking my little Kamryn. It's not to much later that Lauryn and Madalyn are sitting on the arms of the rocking chair or laying on my bed with their blanky's watching cartoons. I usually have a big mug with ice water and also an ice cold cup of Diet Coke, with a straw (I love straws). It's not too long after that the girls are asking for the famous chocolate milk. This is a typical morning for me. I do have some mornings I have to be a certain place so things go a little different but I love mornings. I usually get ready about 11:30 or noon just because I love to relax. I don't get much done in the mornings because I enjoy relaxing so much. I do all my chores before I go to bed so I can enjoy the next morning. I'm probably the opposite of a lot of people but I wanted to share because the sun was shinning so beautifully this morning. I love the sunshine and mornings!!!

Nursing Stinks!!!

SHE'S SO DANG CUTE!!!

I am having the HARDEST time nursing. I know this may seem like a weird thing to be blogging about but it has been really HARD for me. I think I'm going to stop. Kamryn treats me like a pacifier. It's so FRUSTRATING. She wants to nurse every hour and I feel like I'm ALWAYS feeding her. It's not fair to me or to my other girls. I didn't have this HARD of a time with my other two. It was easier to nurse when I pumped for the day and just nursed at night. The babysitter got them on a schedule and I just CAN'T seem to get the hang of things. Kamryn has been my FUSSIEST baby yet and I think it will be easier for her too. I HATE to stop because it's just getting to be winter and I WORRY about all the good stuff she gets from me and not from formula but she's had a good start. Anyway, give me your opinion on what I should do or at least make me feel better about my decision. I'm really STRUGGLING with it (The nursing and the decision to stop)!!!

I love my family!!!

I've been organizing my pictures and came across a few pictures I wanted to share. I can't believe how fast time flies. Just 4 months ago yesterday I was in the hospital giving birth to my little Kamryn.

She has grown so fast and is such a blessing in our lives. She has the prettiest smile I've ever seen. I can't believe I am the mother to three little girls. I hope in the short amount of time I have them in my home I will be able to teach them to believe in themselves. That is such an important thing in life. I want them to be happy and grateful. I am so glad that they have each other to lean on through life. I can't think of a better gift I could have given my girls than each other.

They are so special. I can't imagine not having them in my life. Life is so precious and you never know what might happen tomorrow. Every once in a while I think about that and try to live each day to the fullest. I am so lucky.

Fun Halloween!!!

I've decided that I'm not very good at getting pictures of my girls all together on special occasions. I don't have one good picture of the girls together on Halloween. It's hard with a baby to get them all together when we're out and about. We had a really fun Halloween. We went trick-or-treating with our cousins, Taylor, Cayden and Hannah. Taylor's friends asked him to go with them but he new we were coming so he decided he would have more fun with Maddie. I should have got a picture of them two holding hands the whole time. Maddie thinks the world of Taylor and he thinks the world of Maddie. They are so cute together. Maddie was really grumpy when we were taking pictures so this is the best picture I got of her. I'm holding her and if you can't tell she's a butterfly. Lauryn looked adorable in her cat costume. She has the brightest smile and must have felt like a million bucks in it because every time I looked at her she was grinning from ear to ear.



For some reason I never dressed up Lauryn or Maddie like a pumpkin when they were babies but I always wanted to. I finally got my pumpkin baby and she was a cute one. She's so much fun. Lauryn and Maddie can get her to laugh so hard. It is so cute.

Our new puppy, Sadie!!!

Just last Sunday we got a new puppy, Sadie. I love dogs and have my whole life.

Last November, our black lab, Katie, was hit by a car and killed. It was devastating. I still cry when I think about her and my girls still mention her in our family prayers.

Anyway, I was finally able to come to terms with her death and decided it was time to move on. Sadie is a yellow lab. She's about 12 weeks old. We are loving having her around. Madalyn and Lauryn are so good at taking care of her and as much work as a new puppy can be we are thrilled to have a new addition to our family.

Kamryn

Kamryn Grace Marietti was born on July 9, 2008. She is our third girl, yes I said third girl. I can't imagine life any other way. She has grown so fast in the last 3 1/2 months. She loves to smile at her sisters and loves to eat. She is already grabbing at her toys and can hold a rattle. We are so lucky to have her in our lives. She is loved by many. She doesn't have just one mom she has three. Lauryn and Madalyn are just as concerned about her as I am. She has completed our family.

Madalyn

Madalyn Reese Marietti was born on January 24, 2006. She is 2 1/2 years old and this should explain a lot about her. Madalyn has always known what she wants in life and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She has adorable hair that bounces when she walks and a smile that melts your heart. This is why she is so irresistible. She enjoys having a new baby sister to mother. She also loves watching Diego and her cousin Taylor who teaches her funny things. We love our little Maddie. She is a great strength in our family.

Lauryn

Lauryn Taylor Marietti was born on October 30, 2003. She will be five years old next week. She is full of life and has a ton of energy. She started pre-school last month and loves every minute of it. She is already reading and enjoys writing notes on any piece of paper she can find. She is very good at making up interesting words. She has the biggest heart of any little girl I know and is the greatest big sister in the whole world. Her smile says it all.

Tagged

Tagged? This is fun!!!

What's your husbands name? Alan Dean Marietti

How long have you guys been married? 8 years and 2 months.

How long did you date? 3 1/2 years

How old is he? Just turned the big 30...Wow

Who eats more sweets? Definitly me

Who said I Love You first? I did- I wrote it in a Love letter in Chemistry class

Who is taller? Alan, for sure

Who is the better singer? We both love to sing but I think I'm better

Who is smarter? Alan by far. He has a really good memory with lots of useless info in his head

Who does the laundry? Mostly me

Who pays the bills? Me

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do

Who mows the lawn? Mostly Alan but I really like to do it

Who cooks dinner? 99% of the time I do but occasionally a Sunday he'll finish dinner or cook when I'm at work

Who drives? Alan

Who is the first to say they are wrong? Me

Who kissed who first? I did

Who wears the pants? We each have a leg. Alan's strengths are my weakness and my strengths are his weaknesses.

Kristin & Alan

Alan and I have been married for 8 years. Alan works as a plumber and is in his 3rd year of plumbing school. I work full time as a stay at home mom and a couple nights a week at a local credit union. We have three beautiful girls Lauryn, Madalyn and Kamryn who light up our world. We also have a dog named Tobie. We have a great life. It's crazy sometimes juggling work, school and church callings but somehow we manage. We definitely appreciate the time we have together.