Braelyn and Braxten

Now that I got Braxten's birth story on the blog, I wanted to get an update done on the kiddos and our little family of four.

Braxten: He is now four weeks old! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. He has been a very good baby. He only wakes up to eat once a night, if at all. If we put him to bed around 11, he will sleep until 6 ish most nights. When he is having a growth spurt, things are a little different. He loves to stare and try to figure things out. He stretches and wiggles and is starting to grin now and then-more than just gas. I will tickle his sides or tickle his cheeks with my hair and he will give me a hint of a grin. I love it! He is also starting to "talk" and coo a bit more. He will be really quiet and then all of a sudden let out a squeal and it catches me off guard. I can't help but giggle. I don't know how much he weighs. At his 2 week check up he was 8 lbs 1 oz and 20 inches. I look forward to watching him continue to grow :)

Braelyn: She is continuing to grow and loves being a big sister. She is 29 and a half pounds and 36 inches tall. She is a big helper, too. Braelyn will grab the dirty diapers and throw them away without me even asking her too. She will also come running whenever Braxten starts to cry. Today I was washing some dishes and he started to fuss. I heard him but was finishing the dish in my hand. Braelyn came running and said, "Mom, come here! Grab my hand. I need to take you to baby brother because he is crying!" I just had to smile and comply.

She is getting so smart! Today she did a 24 piece puzzle all by herself. She can count to 14 and sing her ABCs (Minus the J. She seems to skip it every single time...) She loves to play with all things princesses and babies, but she also loves cars and trains. She can navigate my kindle better than I can which is pretty sad. She loves to climb and jump on EVERYTHING! She is a little monkey. Her favorite TV shows right now are Super Why! and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (which is a cartoon spin-off of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood). Her favorite movie is Frozen-of course- and she keeps asking to go see it again. I have already pre-ordered it off of Disney Movie Club :) Her favorite color is pink and her favorite foods are pizza, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and PB and Js. The thing she wants to do the most is go to school. She can't wait to go and keeps telling me that she is 3 because I tell her she can't go to school until she is 3--Stinker...

Tyler and Me: We are just adjusting to being parents of two children rather than one. It is awesome and we wouldn't change it for anything. We didn't do anything for Valentine's-just got a Papa Murphy's heart pizza and Tyler gave me an Ice Cream cake. He is getting Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 if they ever decide to show up. I got them half off on Disney Movie Club. Hopefully they will be here in the next few days. I am starting to go to the gym. I love running on the elliptical. I am thinking about signing up for a 5k-possibly the one in Morgan. We'll see how it goes :)

That's it for the Matsons! Now here are some pictures because I know that is all you wanted to see anyway. P.S. If anyone has photoshop and wants to edit some pictures for me let me know! I love the ones I took, but they do need some editing.

Braxten's Birth Story

I have been meaning to write this for the past few weeks, but with two kids I am just now getting around to it. So here I go! This is Braxten's birth story.

My due date was January 19th, but we scheduled an induction for earlier. On January 16th at 7:15 a.m. we left our house with our family of three and dropped Braelyn off at my in-laws house. Tyler and I arrived at the hospital at 8 am and since I pre-registered, we were able to go straight to our room.

My first nurse was named Carol-Ann and by 9 am she had me on the pitocin drip and everything was underway. We watched season 4 of the Big Bang Theory while we waited for things to happen. Around 11:30 my doctor came it to my room to break my water and strip my membranes. I went from an almost 2 to an almost 3 just by her doing that. I got a new nurse named Cari (from Mountain Green) and she was absolutely incredible! She was very friendly and helpful and was able to keep me relaxed a bit better. At 2:30 my nurse checked me again and I was only a 3+ so I decided to go ahead and have my epidural. Dr. Patel came in within the next 10 minutes to start it. It took about 20 minutes to fully kick in, but I kept it so light I still felt the pressure of my contractions, just not the pain. Just before 4 the nurse checked me again and I was a 9+. It took me less than an hour to dilate 6cm! The epidural allowed me to relax and let my body do what it was meant to do. My nurse just let me finish dilating and wait until I felt ready to push. By 4:35 we started a couple practice pushes. Halfway through my second contraction she told me to stop because the baby was coming and she didn't want to be the one to deliver him :) She left and called Dr. Lister who got there by 4:45. She came in and gowned up while I pushed two more times, during which Tyler asked "What more can I do to help." After asking if it was okay with me, Tyler was gowned up as well. They got ready and I pushed 3 times through one more contraction. On my next contraction I pushed twice and Braxten's head was out! I loved hearing his little cry! I pushed one more time and my little man was here. They put him on my chest while Tyler clamped and cut the cord. This was the point where I could not hold back the tears. He was such a handsome little baby! I was a proud mama!

Braxten was born at 4:56 pm weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. He has been such a little joy to our lives and Braelyn absolutely LOVES her baby brother. I do have some pictures below. There is some leg showing so if you don't want to see, don't look!

More Christmas Baking

I was asked for the recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Muddy Buddies, so here it is! I originally got the recipe HERE from Our Best Bites, but once again, I had made a few changes.

Chocolate Peppermint Muddy Buddies
7-8 cups Chex Cereal (Normally rice chex, but I used corn chex because that is what I had on hand)
1 cup chocolate chips--semi sweet or milk chocolate
2 tsp. peppermint extract (more if you want a stronger flavor)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
16 Standard size candy canes
3/4-1 cup powdered sugar

Place cereal in a large (really large) bowl and set aside. In a blender or food processor, place 8 candy canes and powdered sugar and blend until candy canes are smooth like the sugar. Place the other 8 candy canes in a ziploc bag and use a heavy rolling pin to crush into small pieces (or stick them in the blender/food processor and pulse until they are crushed-not to powder!) Dump the crushed pieces (not the powder) in with the cereal and mix; set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, mix chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Microwave at 30 second intervals stirring in between each interval. When smooth, add peppermint extract and stir. Pour over cereal and mix until everything is evenly coated. Put the cereal mix and powdered sugar mix in a ziploc bag and shake until everything is coated. Eat and Enjoy!


SORRY THERE IS NO PICTURE! IT GOTTEN EATEN WAY TOO FAST FOR THAT :-)

Christmas Baking

So today I have been in a super Christmas baking mood. I am going to a Christmas party tomorrow, so that is one of the reasons. I made cookies and they are to die for! Here is the recipe! I got it here but made some of my own tweaks to it.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

6-8 candy canes crushed in a food processor or blender

1 1/4 cups butter (2 1/2 sticks)-I know it's a lot!

1 tsp. peppermint extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Package Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses

Preheat over to 350*F

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid) combine powdered sugar, butter, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl, until creamy. Add flour mixture, mixing until blended. The mixture will be crumbly. Add the candy cane pieces. Shape dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool 3-5 minutes then press candy cane kisses in the center. (I had to press them then put the cookies directly in the fridge in order for the kiss to hold its shape better.) Enjoy!

Zoo, Thanksgiving, Letter from Nick, & Snow!

So this post covers a lot, but I hope it won't be too long. First, Braelyn and I went to the zoo with Kelsee and Caydence the day before Thanksgiving. It was Wild Wednesday, so it was a free day at the zoo. The girls had a lot of fun. Braelyn (and I) wanted to see the polar bear, but she had surgery to repair an umbilical hernia so she was in her den and holding area and wasn't allowed to swim. We hope she gets better soon! Braelyn also loved the seals and the baby elephant.

For Thanksgiving, we were at Tyler's family this year. Aaron and McKinnley were able to make it up this year so it was a lot of fun. Braelyn loved to see baby Claire and was very "helpful" with her.

The only person we were missing was Nick, but he's on his mission in Guatemala and that's a better place to be for the time being. He was able to perform a baptism in his first week in his first area. We are so happy he is doing so well. When the mail came this morning, we were happy to see that we had a letter from Nick; nothing big, but it was still good to hear from him. For family who may be reading this, the letter goes as follows:

My dearest bother, sister, niece, and nephew,
Thank you for the letter! I loved the picture B-Rose drew! It was something great to get. She's my favorite. I can't wait to see Baby Matson for the first time! I expect a lot of my favorite little niece as well!
Also, thank you for that letter you gave me in the airport ,(we each wrote him and gave it to him to read on the plane to Guatemala) I really appreciated it! You two are awesome. So you probably want some first area mission details, huh? Well it is insane! My comp is from the Dominican Republic which means my espanol is improving a ton! My area is called Trebol II Zone Central Zone 8. It's a pretty great place. The ward is huge! A lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. Anyways, just thought I would write you back!
Love you all so much! Elder Matson
PS Sorry about the cursive! I just worte Grandma June in all cursive, so my mind was used to it.
PSS Send anything else to the return address
PSSS Hi Braelyn! Love Ya!

Today was our Ward Christmas Party which was fun. We got to visit with neighbors and Braelyn loved the dancers. We didn't get to sit on Santa's lap because he was already scheduled to go to the Sunset City Building. We did get to see him drive by on the firetruck though! He drove all through Sunset City with the sirens on then ended up at the City building. The snow started about 9:30 and hasn't stopped since, so we didn't go to see Santa today. We have gotten between 7 and 8 inches at the last check and it was still coming down. Tyler left at 8 to go plow and salt parking lots with his work. To give me a break while I made dinner (homemade chicken noodle soup) Tyler took Braelyn out to play in the snow and she had a ball! It was dark, but we bundled her up and had the lights on. I think I know what we will be doing after church tomorrow...

Well there is our quick update. I will post in a day or two with a pregnancy update. I don't want to take a picture in my jammies :-) Have a great night all!

Halloween

This last week was Halloween and to be honest I am so glad that it is over! I spent all day Monday thru Thursday working on costumes. I think I am done with my sewing machine for awhile, but it was definitely worth it. Braelyn's costume turned out so cute and she loved every minute of it. She wanted to keep wearing it and not take it off.

Braelyn:
She has been singing her ABCs non stop thanks to the show Super Why. She is still growing strong, but this week got the sniffles and a yucky cough so hopefully that clears up soon. Her favorite question of the week was "What you being for Halloween?" She asked my doctor-who played along and said she was a doctor for Halloween- and pretty much anyone else we ran into. She even asked what were Uncle Nick and Gabi being for halloween. Nick of course was a missionary :) Braelyn loved Trick-or-Treating and got a lot of candy. We did what the government does and gave her a candy tax-taking 50% of her earnings :) I guess there is one thing I have learning from Obama.

Tyler:
He has been hanging Christmas lights for his job and is starting to slightly get over his fear of heights and being on roofs. He's made a couple great friends at work and Matt has spent a few nights at our house just hanging out. I get along with him because we are both Jazz fanatics so luckily I don't have to leave the room or house when he is over because I'm annoyed or don't want to listen to what they are talking about. Tyler finally got a nice long bike ride on Saturday so he is a little happier and more helpful around the house.

Koloni:
Like I said I spent all week on costumes and was completely exhausted. In addition to that I caught Braelyn's sniffles so I haven't slept well at night and the sneezing is killing me. I feel like I am always in the bathroom whether it is because a sneeze has made me need to go or the baby on my bladder. I have hit the 29 week mark today. 10-12 more weeks to go. My sisters Trinity and Kelsee hosted a baby shower for me last week and I got a lot of things (clothes, diapers, blankets, etc.) that we needed so I am feeling a lot more ready for him to arrive. I still have a lot to do though such as get our room ready with the bassinet, organize the kids' room, and deep clean my house. I was even hoping to get the carpets cleaned, but I don't know if that will get done in time. I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday and had to do my glucose test. I got a call Friday that I passed the test and my iron levels are good as well so that was great to hear. I think that is everything for the Matson Family!

Boo, Mike, and Sully Monster's Inc.

Tired Boo in a trance watching Monster's University

Peek-a-BOO!

Matson Update

Time for another update!
Things are going great in the Matson household. Braelyn is learning something new everyday. Tyler is working hard to provide for our family. I am "baking" my little bun in the oven-nothing new. We have had 2 of our 3 sets of neighbors over the last week and it has been so great getting to know them. I hope that we can make some lifetime friends with them and be there for each other whenever any of us is having a bad day. I have already gotten to the point that I am excited to see or hear from them and I love sharing goodies with all of them.

Braelyn:
We were finally able to take Braelyn for her 2 year check up-a couple months late... She is 29 pounds and 35 inches tall. We have been trying to do school at home since she is too young to go to preschool. She can already count from 1 to 11 so we have been starting on the alphabet. We work on one letter a week, as well as sing the ABC's, and I am already seeing her learn. Two weeks ago we started with the letter A. I printed off coloring and tracing pages for her to work on. She knows what sound the letter A makes and when I ask her "What starts with the letter A" or "What food do we eat that starts with the letter A" she can answer apple or animal. I am so proud of her and how smart she is growing to be. This week we worked on the letter B. She knows that her name starts with the letter B as well as banana and book. I love seeing her improve each and every day. Her new saying is "Oh my goodness heavens!" It makes us smile every time I hear it. Grandma Mickelsen took us to Wendy's and when we were walking inside she said, "Oh my goodness heavens! It needs to stop windying!" We both got a kick out of her wishing the wind would quit blowing. She talks so much and surprisingly speaks really clear for her age. Her favorite things are bikes, her baby, and her princesses. She is so good with her baby so it is very promising for when baby brother comes, as long as she doesn't try to be the mommy... Braelyn keeps telling me that her baby brother is awesome and she loves him so much. I hope this continues when he is finally here! Fingers crossed.

Tyler:
Tyler is working his "brains" out in his words. He has a great job with a great boss, but they are trying to wrap up summer and fall pesticide so they can do Christmas lights so it has been really busy. He tried to donate plasma to get money to buy a cyclocross bike, but his veins were too small I guess. They said they couldn't get a good vein and that he would have to come back in 2 to 3 months to try again.

Koloni:
I haven't been doing much other than staying home cleaning and taking care of Braelyn. I work at Larry's Spring Chicken Inn in Morgan once a week to help out while they are short-staffed. It's hard work while pregnant because it has been fairly busy most days I've worked, but it is worth the extra savings and pocket change that I get. I loved listening to General Conference last weekend! It was great to hear the inspired words of the Prophet, apostles, and general authorities. I especially loved Elder Bednar's talk on tithing and Elder Holland's talk on hanging on and not giving up. We have struggled with tithing in the past, but have been working really hard on being full tithe payers and Elder Bednar's talk really emphasized that what we are doing is right and we will be blessed for our contributions and efforts. What Elder Holland's talk gave me confidence and hope. We all go through trials and struggles, but there will ALWAYS be a light at the end of the tunnel. It also encouraged me in the fact that if a great apostle of God can struggle with depression and made it through to become one of the greatest speakers and examples in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then I can struggle and stumble with little things and still make it through. Never give up. Never ever let Satan convince you that maybe you are better off digging a deep hole and jumping into it. Like I said in the beginning, I enjoyed taking goodies to our neighbors and just baking in general. In the last week, I have made Banana Crumb Muffins, Snickerdoodles, Lion House Rolls, Breadsticks, Cinnamon Rolls, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies. I think it is mostly a pregnancy thing, because I have CRAVED baked goods.

Baby Matson:
Boy Matson is getting big. A few of my other friends are doing these cute little Q&As about their pregnancies, so I am going to steal a few of their questions. I hope you guys don't mind!
How far along? 26 weeks today
Maternity clothes? Definitely yes to maternity pants. Sometimes I can still wear regular pants as long as I do the hair elastic trick with the button hole. Shirts it depends on the shirt. I can still wear my stretchy and lose shirts.
Stretch Marks? Not that I have seen yet. I hope not!
Sleep? I struggle. I will sleep well at first then I wake up in the middle of the night to pee-baby boy likes to lay on my bladder already-and then my brain won't shut off to go back to sleep. So needless to say I am feeling pretty exhausted
Food Cravings? Baked goods and soup-lots of soup (tonight was cheesy chicken chowder). And ROOT BEER! And these yummy Cascade Ice Sparking Juices. MMM making myself hungry!
Belly Button in or out? It's kind of half and half... the top part is starting to poke out a little, but usually only after meals or at the end of the night, but the bottom is still very inny.


I will get around to posting all my recipes this week sometime and hopefully I can get some pictures to go along with them :) Thanks for reading! Here are a few pictures from the week:

26 Weeks with baby number 2!

My grown-up girl!

Good bye kisses- Last kisses for 2 years. We sent this handsome man to Guatamala MTC

Good Bye UNCLE NICK! WE MISS YOU!