It's time...

It's that awful, dreaded, totally grosses-me-out time. Potty training. The plan was to start at the beginning of June, but with Bobby's school, work, our callings, vacations, etc. there was just NO time for me to be 100% fully vested into potty training. And the thought of having to stay home for weeks and weeks, with no air conditioning and a 6mo old baby, until he is potty trained is enough to just make me want to cry. And since we thought we were going to be moving sometime this summer (still waiting for that call!) we didn't want to start and then have to interrupt things with a move. I will NOT do this for months at a time. I want to start, be fully committed, and be done with it. So long story short, I just don't think we have the time yet. However, as it normally is when ever children are part of the story, what you want doesn't really matter. Tyler is ready and that's all there is to it. He's been asking us to buy him a "big boy potty" (a toddler toilet) for the past 2 mo. or so. Everytime we go to walmart he asks to go look at them. I've been promising him for the last mo. that we would buy him one, but haven't because...I don't want to potty train yet. And yes I'm fully aware that every other child his age (2 1/2) is potty trained. He actually threw a FIT in Walmart on Mon. because we didn't buy him one. We got out to the car and were loading the groceries in the trunk and he said, "Mommy! Where's my big boy potty?!" I said, "Oh shoot Tyler I forgot it." He cried the whole way home. Yes, it's time. Every time he goes poop he says, "I want poop in big boy potty like Daddy!" We're going to buy him one tonight. And so it begins....

But I'm totally at a loss of how to go about doing this! Since all your kids are trained, what's your advice? Like what am I supposed to do for church on Sun.? I don't want to put him in a diaper-it's underwear from here on out-but I don't want him to wet his pants. Or is that what I'm supposed to do and just bring a change of clothes? Or do we just not go? Help!

Fire! Fire!

So here's the story about this (if you haven't already read it on my mom's blog):


Needless to say our Fourth of July was explosive! I seriously don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. In situations like that my mind gets the better of me and all I could do was think the worst. The fire was moving so quickly I was sure the neighbor's house was going to catch on fire, then my parents house, then all the cars (remember this was a holiday so there were lots of people parked out on the street visiting), we weren't going to be able to get everyone out of their houses, people were going to die and it was going to be ALL OUR FAULT! I'm pretty sure at one point I was hyperventilating.

The morning was your pretty typical 4th activities-BBQ, swimming, games, chatting followed by naps; well everyone napped except for my grandparents, Bobby and I, and my dad. My grandparents were going to be leaving soon so wouldn't be around for our firework extravaganza that evening and Bobby thought it was unacceptable that they wouldn't get to see fireworks on the 4th of July, so decided it was up to him to make sure they received the FULL holiday experience. The 5 of us went outside to watch Bobby's super firework skills but didn't get very far before...fire! Thanks to the incredibly dry, summer heat that consumes the city of St. George, the grass is just begging to be caught on fire. And that it did. About a minute after he lit the firework we were walking back in the house and my dad glanced over his shoulder to see the bottom of the neighbors bushes on fire. Everyone jumped into action-except for me. I basically just freaked out and couldn't move; don't ever be left alone with me in a crisis-you will die. I couldn't believe how FAST the fire spread. It went from a little flame, to one bush on fire, to the next bush, to all the bushes. Nobody's hoses would reach the fire so my grandpa quickly connected a couple houses together and we were able to start getting it under control. Bobby was running buckets back and forth from my parents pool while my dad called the fire department (as did every other neighbor on the block). People driving down the street stopped and got out to watch-some actually helped-while the rest of my family was getting woken up from their naps. My mom's bedroom is on the second floor with her window facing the front of the house. She woke up while my dad was in there calling the Fire Dept. and said all she could see out the window was flames-scary! She ran downstairs and got my kids (who were sleeping) just in case the fire spread to our house-better to be safe than sorry! (why is this becoming the slogan for my life?!) Finally the fire dept. showed up AFTER we had already put it out so I was really annoyed about that! It took them over 15 min. from the time we called to get there. Someone's house or car would have for sure caught fire by then if we hadn't put it out. Good thing my tax dollars are working for me.

Towards the end my sister came running out of the house and then ran back in saying, "Oh I better go get the camera!" I about smacked her upside the head because I for sure did not want to remember any of this because it was just going to be bad bad bad! But now that everything/everyone is okay I'm really glad she did! You can't really tell from these pictures how much was burned



They went from full bushes like the one on the end here-


-to this in a matter of minuets.


Most of the firemen were just standing around and talking so I went up and asked if it would be okay if Tyler checked out their truck and they were SO nice about it. They shook his hand and said he could climb up inside if he wanted, but mostly he just wanted to check out the gadgets.


I'm just glad he thought the whole thing was fun and that his Daddy is THE COOLEST because he brought a firetruck right to him on the 4th of July! Can any of the rest of you say that?!





The police are automatically discharged if the fire dept. is-why is it that when my tax dollars are being used, it's against me- so even though we're the ones that put the fire out, and Bobby didn't intentionally start a fire (so he says), and restitution is being made to the guy with the burned bushes, he STILL got a ticket (like close to $600-we're trying to work something out with that though). The cop said that if a firework starts a fire it is an automatic ticket-no questions asked. The officer even said that this could have happened to anybody, St. George is just too dry and the littlest spark would send anything up in flames. I think from now on, we'll just take Tyler down to the station to see the firetrucks. A little less drama, and a little easier on the pocketbook.

Bobby was pretty shaken up about it too and went to bed at like 9:00.


He has completely sworn off fireworks for life and has gone as far as to forbid Tyler from ever lighting one. I guess that's not exactly a bad thing, but I have a feeling we'll be lighting some next year. Just not in St. George.

Help!

Sacrament meeting used to be a breeze with Tyler. He would sit on the bench the WHOLE meeting quietly reading his books, coloring, playing with his quiet book, etc. but the last couple months have been awful and it's only getting worse. I can't get him to stay on the bench to save my life and I'm usually alone for the first 20 min. or so because Bobby's doing sacrament and the beginning of church is Kylee's nap time so I'm usually trying to put her to sleep so I can't be focusing on keeping Tyler occupied. It doesn't help that he's at the church and has to be "reverent" an hour before church even starts and then we expect him to be reverent for another hour during sacrament meeting. I know by that point he is BORED and he does things on purpose to get into trouble (throwing his crayons all over the bench and to the people in the pew in front of us, kicking the bench, trying to jump over the bench, yelling, "I want to go home!" as often as he can, you get the idea...)I think all of the tricks in my diaper bag have officially been worn out and I need new ideas! What do you do to keep your kids reverent during sacrament meeting?! I'm desperate.

(and I promise I'll post about all that other stuff soon...like tonight maybe)

1st Bear Lake trip of the summer!

So I know I have a million things to post about but I don't have much time tonight so I thought I'd just make a post where it's mostly pictures cause it's easier! Today we spent the day up at Bear Lake (a lake about 45 min. from Logan) and had a great time!! It's my most favorite thing to do during the summer here in Logan because it's relaxing, we get to be together as a family, and Tyler LOVES being at the beach so it makes for an easy afternoon! I just can't get enough of summer and the cute toddler bodies running around in nothing but shorts and flip-flops, Popsicle juice dripping down their chins and laying out in the nice, warm sun. Ahhhh, it was a good day!









Tyler ruining the sand castle daddy was trying to build




After a little lunch Kylee fell asleep


So I took a little nap with her!


He looks comfy...














Burying Tyler in the sand


Well half of him anyways










Bobby's back was SO sunburned so he put Tyler to work with an Aloe Vera back massage


Tyler was actually really getting into it and rubbed his back for like 20 min! Child Labor at its finest.


Since Kylee's been sitting up so good we decided to give them a bath together for the first time tonight. I was still a little nervous about her being in a big bathtub so I clung to her most of the time!


Bobby wasn't so great about angling the camera so that certain body parts weren't exposed so I had to crop the pictures kind of funny which is why you can only see Kylee's head!




Until next time...

More to come...

Stay tuned for-

• Our Anniversary getaway story

• The Fourth of July

• Kylee's first time (sort of) eating solids

• Why Bobby shooting off fireworks in St. George is a BAD idea!

• And Hundreds of pictures!
  

What was supposed to be a fabulous-and so VERY VERY needed- vacation for Bobby and I, turned into nightmare after nightmare. But really, would you expect anything less than drama from my life?

Some videos

Sorry there's a lot...

She's starting to laugh a lot more easily now (like not JUST for Tyler)! My favorite part is at the end where she sees Tyler and just lunges for him. She LOVES him!


The skin tight jammies, the ballerina dance move and the dainty hand gesture will make this video worth millions when he's a teenager. Bobby's really mad that I taught him though. I guess I can sort of understand why...


The pipes in our house can be really loud and for some reason this particular night, when our neighbors were using their water, the pipes were really loud and they totally freaked Tyler out! For some reason he thought the noise was coming from his little couch and when we said, "oh it's just the pipes." he thought we had said it was the vipers-as in the snake-and he refused to sit on it. Every time we would try to put him on it he would scream and run off of it clinging to us. (it was actually really funny and I wish I would have got that part on camera, but i didn't think about yet.) This video was taken a good 10-15 min. after it happened so he had finally calmed down, but I just thought what he was saying was so funny-especially because it was totally
unprompted.

A little catch-up

Last week Tyler's friend Jillian got to come over and play for a couple hours so her mom and dad could go out and celebrate her mom's birthday! Tyler's still pretty shy around girls (okay everyone really) but Jillian brings out his fun side and he pretty much just follows her around and does whatever she does!

Yes, these were totally posed...but at least he complied and was pretty happy to put his arm around her ;)


I love that she always has the silliest faces for the camera!


She loves to grab his hand and say, "Come on Tyler let's go!"




One day I found his elephant comfortably taking a nap under the TV and I thought it was funny so I took a picture...


Tyler got so mad at me and said, "No mom, you wake ewaphant up!!" So I guess he felt he needed to rescue him.


The other day my super fabulously creative, totally on-the-ball, visiting teacher came over and brought me this "happy meal" that she made by hand just to make a visiting teaching appointment! She puts me to shame.


She even hand made the lunch tray and french fry holder thingy.

*The hamburger is cupcake, brownie and frosting and the fries are sugar cookies. How stinkin' cute is that?!?! She did feel really bad that I couldn't eat it, but knew I would be uber impressed with her mad skillz!

This week I had the opportunity to drive down to Salt Lake and meet with some old BYU roomies for lunch. It was so fun to catch up and get together again! Thanks for setting everything up Ellen!! Ellen (Jake), me (with no kids-thanks Bobby!), Bree (holding Melinda's baby Bree, but also due with her own baby in 2 weeks!), and Melinda. Too bad my eyes are closed and we only took 1 picture! ha ha!


The other day we were going out to have a BBQ with a bunch of people that live in our apartment and Tyler wanted to wear red AND blue flip-flops. I told him he had to choose either red OR blue, but he was not havin' it! He wanted both so I said, "fine. Wear one of each!" And that made him happy. I've decided to choose my battles. Makes life much easier! *Unfortunately this photo-not posed.*


It's official, she's a sitter upper!


She's been sitting up in spurts for awhile, but now I'm able to set her down and walk away and not be afraid she's going to fall over and hurt herself. Every once in awhile she'll tumble over if she's been sitting for awhile, but for the most part she's got the hang of it!