Potty Training

Kamryn is smiling because she is officially potty trained!!! (well mostly)

We started on Tuesday with wearing big girl panties. She changed her panties every time she went potty that day - I think she couldn't decide which princess she liked best.

She had a couple of accidents on Tuesday and Wednesday. She didn't really seem to get it and I was doing the thing I swore to never do - me be the one potty trained and always asking her if she needed to go potty. Thursday I was ready to give it up because she didn't really seem ready. We went back to diapers that day but on Friday she was insistent on wearing panties again and went the whole day with only one accident. And then on Saturday, while Justin was tending, she overcame the big obstacle of pooping in the potty. We were so proud of her and she got to get her present today - a DVD of Piglet's Big Movie.

I just hope we continue to do well. One down, one to go (that won't be anytime soon).

Taylor's science fair

Taylor with his science project for the 4th grade science fair. He wasn't sure he was going to participate in the fair or just write a science report. On Monday of the same week as the fair he decided he wanted to do an experiment. We really simplified the scientific method and did more of a project. His question was "Who runs faster - 4th grade boys or girls?" He figured the boys would run faster. He was right.

Visitors

These ladies came to visit me and meet my family last week. The woman in the middle is Ginger Meyette and she was my 5th grade teacher. The woman next to her is Linda, Ginger's partner. Ginger - Mrs. Avery to me - was the one of the greatest teachers ever. We've been in contact ever since I was in 5th grade. I tended her two little kids when I was a young teenager and then we've kept in contact by sharing Christmas letters.
They live in Denver and were in Utah visiting friends. I wondered if it would be weird to visit with someone I hadn't seen or talked to in over 25 years but it wasn't. It was really fun to visit with them and get to know them better. Jared and Kamryn took right to them and showered them with attention and toys.

Easter Pictures

Here are some Easter pictures from the Easter egg hunt on Saturday. Doesn't Jared make Justin look even taller than he really is?

All dressed in spring colors for the Easter party.

Justin and Jared dying eggs at my sister's house.

Brooke helping Kamryn hunt for eggs.

Spring Break

Spring break is over and we're all sad about that. It's never long enough. I think I would really like being on the year round schedule and having breaks throughout the year. I enjoy my kids being out and 3 days wasn't long enough.
We didn't go anywhere this year and just enjoyed being home and taking it easy.
We spent Thursday taking 4 kids to the dentist. Justin refused to go because he wanted to hang out with his friends. He missed out on going to Mountain Mike's pizza with us - it was pizza buffet and was delicious. I highly recommend the place, especially their dessert pizza. We met my sister and her family there and then we hung out at their house after.
Thursday night was book club, which is always a great night out.
Friday I took Brooke shopping for some new spring clothes. She's lucky she's so thin and can find such cute clothes.
At night, Paul and I went out to dinner at Iggy's with friends in our ward and then played Catch Phrase after.
Saturday we did an easter egg hunt at my sister's house with all the cousins. Justin drove us up to Kaysville and did a great job on the freeway. I was definitely a little more relaxed on the drive home than on the way there. Now he's only got 36 hours to go.
On Sunday I taught all of our Young Women an Easter lesson. The lesson went very well, better than I expected it would and all the credit goes to the girls! They shared such beautiful thoughts about the Savior.
After church we did our usual scripture treasure hunt for baskets and then had a delicious dinner.
On Monday, Brooke and I went with our friends and took their "adopted" grandma out to lunch. For FHE, we had fun playing outside in the beautiful weather and then had a lesson on money and finance.
Now it's back to school and the real world.

A must read!

If you need a good laugh, one that will make you cry, pop over to this blog for one of the funniest things I have ever read.

An unusual FHE

Last night we had a rather unusual Family Home Evening. We've always been a little laid back on our Monday night gatherings. Lately it's been more of a challenge because Brooke has volleyball practice and doesn't get home until at least 7:30 or later. By the time we finished with dinner it was 8:00 and we only had about a half hour to do something. We didn't have anything planned and were just winging it. Paul made the suggestion that everyone take a turn choosing a song off an iPod (we have 7 in our house, embarrassing to admit) and then we'd talk about music and how it affects us. The kids were all over this idea. The hard part was choosing just one song.
Justin went first and chose Waiting for the Sun by this band.
Then I went and chose Sweet Escape by this chic.
Brooke picked How Far We've Come by Matchbox Twenty.
Paul picked The Load-Out by Jackson Browne.
Then Taylor chose Walk the Line by Live. (We heard Daughtry do it on American Idol).
And we even helped Jared and Kamryn pick a couple of songs - Dancing Queen by ABBA and Under Pressure by Queen.
It turned out to be a fun evening and we enjoyed hanging out together. We could have gone hours choosing songs. Sometimes just being together is the most important thing that happens during FHE.

I don't really recommend this

Last week I mentioned to Justin that Jared and Kamryn wanted to go find him at school and he asked me why I didn't let them.
So the next day when they asked again I said we could go and find them.
We loaded up in the car and went to Rite Aid and bought the felt tip pens that Brooke needed for art and then went to the school. We got there just before the kids lunch hour. It was a little scary for Jared and Kamryn when the masses of teenagers came out of their classrooms heading to lunch.
When Brooke and Justin saw us they turned red and wanted to hide. They wondered why we were there. When I handed Brooke her art pens she asked me what she was supposed to do with them since she was going to lunch and I told her to hang onto them and be grateful that I brought them.
Then we told Justin that the kids came to find him and wanted to sit by him at lunch and he asked why. I reminded him of our conversation the day before and he said he'd just been kidding.
So I decided to continue the torture and walked to the lunchroom with the little kids and sat down with some of the Young Women in our ward. At least they were happy to see me and talked to me. Of course, I wasn't their mother so it was cool to talk to me.

The latest 2 year old argument

This was the latest conversation between Jared and Kamryn, heard yesterday two different times:
Jared: I'm two
Kamryn: I'm two
Jared: NO, I'm 2!
Kamryn: I'm two
Jared: NO! I'M TWO!!
Kamryn: I'm two
Jared: NO!!!! I'M TWO!!!!
Finally I stepped in and said "you're both two" to which Jared said
"NO, I"M 2!"

When this conversation began again in front of their dad and Justin it also included this:
Kamryn: It's my birthday
Jared: NO, it's my birthday.

Do you think he has issues?