Saturday May 31

I'm back to blogging about my Utah trip-I know I'm still not done!! So when Carmen was in town we took the day and did some shopping in Park City. It was fun but neither one of us found cute stuff for us only the kids. Poor Kal had gotten a little virus from Elizabeth and I had to buy her some new outfits mainly b/c of her diaper exploding. Luckily the kids took a nap on the way home and then it was off to have dinner at my friend Janell's house. I've known Janell since my early primary years and we were roommates in college. She's the one who introduced me to Joe-I'm not sure if I should thank her or hit her! :)I was very excited to meet Janell's hubby Dan and he's a sweet heart and definitely knows how to burn some chicken on the grill! But it was still delicious. Bobby, Janell's little bro, also came over to hang out. Sorry Joan I don't know why Nell didn't include you in on the party!I hate that I didn't get any pictures except for Bobby showing Kaiden and Kalli, Dan's pet lizard. I can't remember her name but i was very shocked that Janell had a pet lizard in her house!

Strollin' Fun

Saturday May 31

Elizabeth has a little stroller that Kaiden and Kalli just loved (we have since gotten one). It was the one prized toy that all three kids would fight over. One day Jeremy and I decided to put Kalli in it while Elizabeth pushed her around. Kalli looked huge in this little baby doll stroller and it wasn't long before Elizabeth wanted a turn and of course Kaiden too! I think its obvious that this stroller is not made for 20 and 30 pound kids. So the stroller rides were short lived but they enjoyed 'em while it lasted. Unfrotunately I didn't get a picture of Kaiden riding but trust me it was funny to see Kalli trying to push him around.

Bridal Veil Falls

Friday May 30

My sister Carmen lives in Logan, Utah which is about a 4 hour drive from Provo. She came out for the weekend and stayed with us. Kaiden was so excited to see CC and ran out to her car the second she drove up. Kalli was a little hesitant but as soon as she saw Kaiden and her rolling on the ground having a good time she quickly realized how much fun CC is! Shorty after Carmen got there we drove up the Provo Canyon and stopped at Bridal Veil Falls. It's so beautiful there and they have a paved trail most of the way up. Kids always stop and play at the bottom of the water fall and I was planning on my 2 doing the same. It was a little chilly which means the water is freezing but they didn't think twice about going in! I brought extra clothes for the drive home hoping they wouldn't get sicker than what they already were at the beginning of our trip. Kaiden had a great time climbing up part of the water fall with Carmen and me and Kal chilled at the bottom. The kids were soaked to the bone and once their lips starting turning blue/purple it was time to get out of there. Unfortunately when I took Kalli's pants off to put dry ones on her cute blue jeans fell out of the stroller on the walk back to the car. Not good especially since I only brought her 2 pairs of pants-Hello its almost June why is it so cold! Thank goodness little Elizabeth didn't mind sharing all of her clothes with Kalli, they were a real life saver!

If you look closely to the right side of the picture in the middle you can see Kaiden and Carmen waving.

A day at Annie's

Friday May 30

Thursday night all of us girls decided to have a play date with ALL of the kids at Annie's. The kids really enjoyed themselves and us moms enjoyed chatting again. Even though we were interrupted a lot more often. Kaiden was finally able to jump on a trampoline again since last year's fiasco. It was almost a year to the day that he broke his arm falling or 'jumping' off the trampoline. Annie's was much safer and built into the ground but that's not an option in Louisiana with all of the ran we get! Kaiden couldn't get enough of the tramp and was jumping way after the other kids were done. He just loved it and I wish my dad would get ours out again...maybe we can talk him into it-we'll see!

Brynn and Kalli watching TV.

Kaiden and Brock on the swingsSydnie, Scott, Kaiden and Kalli on the tramp

What's Happening Now

*****WARNING*****this is a Brag Blog***** which also contains poop stories*****don't feel required to read*****WARNING*****
I've been so busy trying to update my blog from all of our trips but we've had some big milestones around here and wanted to share. Kaiden is one step closer to being fully potty trained! For some time now Kaiden has only been pooping during his nap or bed time when he has a pull up/diaper on. I've known for a while that he poops shortly after I read him his story but it wasn't until Tues that I knew just how soon. After leaving his room for 'rest time' I got back in (I kid you not) 4 minutes later and he already has poop. I was just thinking what a waste it is to use a pull up for 4 minutes! So as he's walking into the bathroom I say, "Kaiden how 'bout tomorrow before your rest you try and poop in the potty, like Cameron (his cousin) and Lilli (girlfriend see below) and Kaiely and Peyton (both friends from church)" His reaction was not what I was expecting at all and said "Okay". We've been fighting this battle for some time and finally let it go for now and it's paying off! I also added that he would be such a big kid when he poops in the potty just like all of his friends and he adds "like you too mommy!" Since I was working that night I gave Joe a heads up to make a big deal out it throughout the night so he would stay excited about the whole idea and not start to freak out again. I reminded him several times in the morning but to be honest I was so tired the next day that I almost completely forgot when it was nap time. I told Kaiden to go potty like usual while I changed Kalli and then it would be time to read a story. Well right as he sat down I remembered he needed to try and poop and to my astonishment he was still fine with the idea. So while I was in Kalli's room he comes running in with his shorts and undies around his ankles yelling "I pooped in the potty! Mommy I pooped!" I couldn't believe so Kal and I ran after him into the bathroom. That was such a proud mommy moment for me! He even went several more times that day. Later on in the week he started regressing so I reminded him he couldn't play with his new cars if he didn't poop in the potty. And ever since Sunday it's been smooth sailing, I didn't even have him wear a pull up during his nap today-and he was completely dry when he woke up! I don't think I'm quite ready to conquer no diaper for bed time but I don't think it will be long.
Since we're on the subject of poop I'll brag about my little girl too! Kalli has told me a few times now when she's had poop. I think she realizes how much attention and cheers Kaiden gets when he poops and she wanted in on some of that! Either way I'm happy. For example today I asked her if she had poop and she said no (which is her normal response for just about anything)but I checked regardless. About 15 minutes later she's walking around grabbing her bum saying "poop, poop" and sure enough she had it. Me and Kaiden gave her lots of claps and cheers just like he gets. It wouldn't surprise me if she gets potty trained before the year is over b/c she is so observant and wants to do EVERYTHING that Kaiden does. Along those lines I can't believe how grown up she has gotten just in the last month. Since we've been home her vocabulary has tripled in size and never stops talking (just like her brother)! Just for my memory's sake here are most of the words she's saying (0obviously she doesn't pronounce them perfectly but she's working on it!)- Mama, Dada, Brother, Bubbles, Lisa, Abby (Aaron and Lisa's dog), Dog, Duck, Cow, GeGe, Papa, Nana, Apple, UhOh, Nose, Eyes, Bum, Poop, Head, Hands, Chin, Belly, Baby, Want Down, Whats That, Want that, JoJo (the clown), Shoe, Plane, Please, Thank you, and of course my two favorite are NO! and MINE!

So needless to say I'm proud of my little girl! And she's also learned her body parts and some animal sounds as well. It's amazing to me how much quicker girls seem to pick things up and it probably helps that she's the second child or maybe she's a kid genius! Just Kidding!
One last thing that I'm excited about is enrolling Kaiden in school today. He'll start a 3 year old Pre-K class on Sept 3. It seems that he's just as excited as I am especially since he'll be going to school like daddy! It's only 3 days a week, which I feel is a good transition, and last from 8:30-11:45. Once I told him he'd being going to school he said "Ohhh I think Kalli will miss me". What a smart boy b/c I'm sure she'll be very bored without him but I'm looking forward to getting a few extra things done like grocery shopping with only 1 child! That's as close to heaven as I'm going to get for now!
For those of you who have read this entire post Bless You!

Girl's Night Out

Tuesday, May 27

All of us girls wanted to have a night out with just us and NO kids! All of our hubby's were nice enough to put all the kids in bed without any help (shocking I know! j/k) We all love Pizza Factory and their bread sticks are to die for. And since non of the hubbies really like it there it was an easy pick. We had a great time visiting and goofing off. We were always laughing and I sometimes wonder if others thought we were a little on the tipsy side or something. Unfortunately in Happy Valley (Provo) restaurants close at 9 on weeknights! I would kill for Chili's to close at 9 but we're open until 11. With that being said we were kicked out and sat around in the parking lot deciding where we'd go to next. None of us were willing to go home that early! We decided on good ole' Burger Supreme. We just walked in and grabbed a booth and continued right where we left off-talking and laughing the night away. Well that is until that place closed too so we decided to be good responsible moms and go home. It was such a great time and I wish I were around to do it more often with these girls. I love ya'll!

Nicole, Amanda, Annie, & me

Dino Museum

Tues May 27

Me and Amanda took the kids and meet up with Nicole at the Dinosaur Museum in Thanksgiving Point. Lucky for us we got discounts since Nicole is a member- thanks cole! The kids had a lot of fun just running around and the highlight was playing in the sandy water. I wish I would of had a stranger take a picture of all of us at the sand pond b/c me and Amanda had the girls in our arms playing in the water while Nicole was holding Kara next to us and the boys playing all around us too. We had a great time and me and Amanda enjoyed some yummy lunch next door before heading home to get ready for our Girl's Night Out! That post will have to wait another night...it's time for bed!

Scott, Brock, and KidKalli was all for the free Dinosaur rides!

Kaiden had to join in too!The girls watching Thomas the Train videos on Amanda's lap. I'm not sure if Elizabeth was very happy about sharing momma's lap!