Kate of the Desert

Although we have lived in Utah for 8 years, this was the first time we ever spent Christmas here. With my due date nearing, we decided to stay home, and we originally thought that we'd spend the holidays alone. But then my sister Rachel announced she was coming down with her little family from Alaska for the first time since her baby was born a year prior... and all my other siblings decided to fly up to visit! The Urness family also decided to come in town to go skiing and to visit, and so it turned out we were not alone at all.

My good friend Haley got tickets for us, as well as my cousin Paige and her family, to ride the Polar Express in Heber! The ride on the classic train included sweets, teens acting the parts of elves, and a visit from Santa.

We spent most of Christmas Eve and Christmas with Rachel, Dick and Baby Ava and my brother Eric and his girlfriend Gracie. It was my first time hosting and being in charge of Christmas and planning the holiday meals. Dallin made ebelskivers for the first time, following the tradition from his family. Dick and Rachel put together the stockings and stuffed them until bursting with thoughtful gifts and treats.

35 weeks on Christmas Eve

The rest of my siblings arrived over the next few days, and we celebrated Rachel, Gracie, and my sister Olivia's birthdays. On one of the nights, Olivia and her husband Tanner put together a fun and elaborate game night with minute-to-win-it games such as racing to put gift bows in a bowl with a spatula and blind fold.

The Urness family took us to Luminaria, where we walked through acres of gardens decked with millions of lights. Beckham got to dance wildly on a dance floor, jumping up and down to Christmas music.

Watching the city's Christmas parade.

Every time she saw my belly, Ava would toddle over and lay her head on me, blow raspberries and otherwise act as if she knew her baby cousin was in there!

We joined Paige's family at Monster Jam, a huge monster truck show, and both the kiddos talked about monster trucks and motorbikes for days to come.

Beckham got his head stuck in the cat door of the baby gate shortly after we installed it for baby Ava.

With less than 2 months to go until baby brother arrives, I've been soaking in time with my firstborn. Beckham is 2, and being pregnant with a toddler is definitely a challenge, as he is getting faster and stronger and I am getting slower and more prone to huffing and puffing. Last pregnancy, I felt borderline guilty for taking naps; this time I fully embrace it and am just grateful I have the chance. Though I should probably go to bed earlier, one of my favorite parts of the day is in the evenings when I relax on the couch to watch a show and feel baby kick and hiccup.

I was surprised how quickly Beckham picked up on the concept of a baby in my tummy. If I talk about "mommy's baby," he immediately tugs my shirt up to see my belly and will often squeal and blow raspberries against my stomach. I've explained to him that the baby is growing and needs to stay in my tummy till after Christmas, so now he'll say, "No come yet. After Christmas." A small mishap yesterday happened when I told him the baby was kicking my tummy and tried to have Beckham feel the kicks, but instead my playful little Beckham started trying to kick my stomach too (luckily not hard, and I stopped it very quickly).

More on Being Two

Beckham talks SO much. When he's mad, his go-to phrases are, "Hey that's mine," "Go away," or "Let go," (including telling the child-proof latch on the cabinet to let go). But he's also picked up some cute and funny things, such as talking himself up with, "I can do it," while climbing the most difficult things he could choose to climb at the playground; politely saying, "No thank you"; using "uh-uh" for a casual no; or responding, "Of course," when I say thank you. He is incredibly good at remembering people's names. He sings all the time and is ALWAYS requesting a full playlist of songs to either play on the radio or for me to sing.

The "binkie fairy" came this week and left streamers, a present, and a note telling him he was a big boy now and didn't need his binkie anymore. He was beyond excited to open a of Thomas the Train set and was immediately able to name 4/5 characters included. We're on our third night without his "bee-bee," and I've been amazed at how quickly he accepted that a binkie is no longer a part of his life now that he is a big boy and has his train set. Bedtime has taken a bit more effort, but ultimately it all has gone way better than I anticipated, especially for a kid who regularly freaked out if he didn't have his binkie before.