The Cabin

Spent the New Year at the cabin this year, I think we have done that for a few years.  Did Ryan and I stay up until midnight?  Yeah right!!  I can barely stay up past 9:00 PM these days.  I think I did make it until 11:30 PM.  Then woke up again at 3:00 AM to Isaac spewing throw up all over me.  Red throw up might I add.  Too much licorice I guess.

Boy how my kids love the cabin, every morning this week Isaac woke up and asked what day it was.  Friday couldn't get here fast enough.  What kid wouldn't love it when you can stay up late, watch movies, eat junk food (hence the red throw up at 3 AM), 4 wheelin'.  

Happy Anniversary! 8 Years and counting...

Lately

Once again, my lack of posts comes from me being too lazy to get the photos off my computer.  So no photos this round.  Life is great. Isaac started preschool last month. Boy how he loves it, and it is just adorable.  I have started threatening missing preschool if he doesn't listen.  That won't last long.  He is also in soccer with some of the neighbor boys, so darling.  He surprisingly does better than I expected!

As for Liam, still a little stinker.  Quite the feisty one, you wouldn't know it unless you were around him a ton.  He is pretty shy around strangers (sorry bud).  People keep asking if he ever talks, and boy does he!  Now that Isaac is in school it has been so fun just hanging out with him.  I recently got called as a nursery leader so I get to spend lots of time with the kid.  He is so different when he is not around his brother and really is a sweet little boy.  But he does love his brother and follows him around every where.  They play so cute together when they want to.

Then there is boring me.  I started watching a friends kids a few days a week for the month.  And will randomly watch another friend's little girl every now and then.  Today I had all 5!  Had to load them in the car to take Isaac to school today.  I texted Ryan and let him know that there was still room for one more :).  Last week we went to the library and people thought I had two sets of twins.  It has been fun having all these rugrats running around.  Keeps my kids entertained, now that the pool is no longer an option these days.  Loving this weather though, not looking forward to the 6 months of winter we have.  Here is to a long fall!

We just got back from visiting my sister in Vegas.  I braved the trip with just me and the kids while Ry lived the bachelor life.  Luckily things did get done around the house while we were gone.

And my goal for 12 halfs this year is almost complete!  2 more to go, will be done by Oct 15!!  As much as I love running, it will be nice to be done.  I am sure I will continue it, just not sign up for so many at a time.  The only annoying part is not being able to go do something on a whim because I have a race that weekend.  Ryan will be glad to have some Saturdays back to go fishing.

Surprise!

We had a surprise visit from these guys and kept busy every day this week!

Days of 47 parade.

Fireworks at Cottonwood Heights

Bike rides in the park

Of course we had to hit the pool!

A visit to the "jumpy place". Jump Around Utah, a must do!! So fun and not as far as Kangaroo Zoo, slightly more pricey though, but worth it.

Family BBQ's

And I finally got to meet this little squirt before he was 6 months old.

Meet Elliot James Delaney. I could hold him all day.

Weekend Cap

While Ryan spent the weekend doing this...

Liam and I spent the weekend like this...

3 day intense potty training began Friday morning. I had everything planned out and ready and realized Friday morning that I really should have planned for Isaac to be busy doing things instead of cooped up with us. Last minute I pawned Isaac off with Aunts/cousins, friends houses, and Grandma (A big thanks to them!). Made it much easier to focus on just Liam, although I sure did miss my Isaac.

I don't tell you this because I think I am amazing and can potty train my kids by 22 months. I tell you this because I am officially a true believer in the 3 day process. Anybody can do this, it just takes A LOT (can't stress that enough) of patience and focus!! I thought I was just lucky with Isaac and really worried that I would struggle with Liam, but Liam has been SO much easier during these 3 days than Isaac ever was. I loathe changing diapers and feel so bad that they sit in their urine and feces often. Liam has had some bad diaper rashes lately, so this will put an end to that! This time I didn't use the portable potty, so gross to clean that up. I would just turn him around on the toilet and let him sit that way. Plus I figure it will get him used to normal toilets when we aren't home.

Day 1: The most difficult. He peed his pants most of the morning. Woke up from his nap dry though, then after his nap he realized what he was supposed to do and could hold his bladder. He wouldn't tell me he had to pee, but I could see it in his face and would rush to the bathroom with only a little pee in his undies. So he figured it out by day 1. As for #2, again, you could see it in his face and as soon as I scooped him up and rushed to the bathroom he would scream, but boy was he clenching those cheeks! So funny.

Day 2: Woke up dry!! But then didn't go potty until about 11:00 AM!! Wow, who can hold a morning pee that long. Well he sure did and boy did he have to go. He still wasn't too excited about sitting on the toilet, would whine most of the time. But I knew he had to go and just made him stay (even though that is against the book, oops!) That happened 3-4 times the rest of the day. Still the same issue with #2, but at least he held it as best he could. I was always too late with Isaac, NOT fun cleaning that up!

Day 3: And here we are on the last day. Woke up dry again this morning. Did his morning potty around 9:30 AM and a couple more times since then. Still a bit timid on the toilet. And doesn't actually say he needs to go, but will look at me when he has to, luckily I know the sign now. And holds it until we get there. He is napping now and we will continue the day at home, hopefully he continues on this path!

I didn't think I would say this, but I will actually look forward to these 3 days with my future kids (or kid). I had so much fun just hanging out with Liam and spending time with just me and him. Not worrying about laundry, housework or anything else.

Now I just need to be daring and venture out of the house, always locating the nearest potty wherever we go! That is going to be a whole other learning experience for him, but I refuse to go back to diapers and am determined to make this work! Wish us luck!!

Summer so far

Can't even put into words my excitement for this weather.

So far we have...

hit the pool a few times

eaten LOTS of popsicles

roasted smores in the backyard

AND my favorite so far, FINALLY scored a playset from KSL (an early b-day present for the boys). Do you know how fast these things go?!?!? There have been 5 other ones that posted in the last couple of weeks that I wanted but they sold within 20 minutes or less. I couldn't sit on the computer all day hoping one would post. We did find a swingset kit on KSL and snagged that right away, so we were planning on building one ourselves. But then just yesterday, I was randomly checking KSL and saw that this had only been posted for 24 minutes. I knew it had probably sold but I texted the girl anyway. She said it hadn't sold yet and I said GREAT!! WE WILL PICK IT UP TONIGHT!!! Man, I can't peel these kids away from it, and the neighbors finally come over to our house :).

Can't wait for movies in the park, drive ins, concerts, camping, hiking, the list is never ending.

HAPPY SUMMER

(P.S. if you are interested in purchasing the swingset kit it is pretty sweet. All you need to purchase is the lumber and the manual tells you exactly what to do. Comes with all the hardware and swings. You could make it quite elaborate. Let me know before I post it back on KSL)

Today

Nothing new to report.  Just had to be one of the many complaining about this weather.  I have been so excited for the pools to open because we practically live there in the summers.  I love going the first week they are open because nobody is there.  All the older kids are still in school this week so it is so nice to practically have the pool to ourselves.  Doesn't look like that will be happening for us this week.  Isaac keeps asking me "Mom, what should we do this summer?" Well, we are going to do a bunch of swimming when the weather gets warm.  But then the other day he said he wanted to build a snowman.  Poor kid won't know how to differentiate the seasons if Mother Nature doesn't straighten up!