Lottie Loo

Charlotte finally said "mama" TODAY. It's official. She was sitting in the kitchen, calling out for her favorite snack, Gerber puffs, and she looked at me and said, "Mama." So just for that, she gets a post all about her.

Her latest happenings include patting her head, her belly, and sniffing when you point to her nose. She can wave bye-bye and she can walk a few steps, but is choosing to take her time. She is a screamer. I feel like a little person is yelling at me all day, but it gets my attention and then she grins. She hums all the time and shakes her baby booty every time she hears music. She can put on a necklace and climb INTO the dishwasher after pulling out all the silverware. She has a new passion for baby einstein (a nice break for mom) and has a deep appreciation for vanilla yogurt. If she could be anywhere, it would be on her mom's hip or in her arms, on her lap, or just right directly in her face, smiling.

Here's to open mouth kisses, stinky baby breath, and long cozy naps. Love you Charlotte baby.

Witching Hour

I've heard it called "Witching Hour," "Crazy Hour," and "Arsonic Hour." It's the hour before dinner time when everyone is cranky, tired, and hungry and mom just needs the chance to make dinner without distractions in order to pacify the crowd and get through this last stretch of day before bathtime, story time, and FINALLY bedtime.
Why not put them in the sink and have them rinse some dishes while you work?

Potty Party

Potty Training (Fall, 2009 -- present)

Phase 1: Hazel was ready; Mom wasn't.

Phase 2: Mom was ready; Hazel wasn't.

Phase 3: A potty party. This is it.

We started off strong, using the potty so we could officially switch over to panties for good. I love that she came out and showed everyone which Tinkerbell panty she chose. What a potty princess.

We invited Gram, Papa Kevin, and one of Hazel's best friends, Haley. The balloons were one of my favorite parts of this party: If you go #1, you get a yellow. And if you go #2? Yep, a brown. Haley got so excited with all the hype, she ended up peeing on our piano bench at dinner. (Funny thing is, when our bench gets wet, it leaves a permanent mark. So now we have an imprint of Haley's bum and the bum of a past neighbor, Clint Womack, who sat there after a shower and was still, I guess, a little damp.)

For dinner, I made the best meatloaf I've ever made (I have a horrible track record) with a recipe I found in my Better Homes magazine. Yum.
And of course we followed the yellow and brown theme with the cupcakes as well.

We gave Hazel a few presents to celebrate this big step and motivate her to keep going in the potty. She got Tinkerbell dishware (the more you eat, the more you... ) and some good reads for the bathroom.

One of the games we played was "Pin the Hazel on the Potty." It was a big hit, although some of the players peeked...

Charlotte enjoyed herself and LOVED the brown cupcakes. She may have earned one too.

We also played "Musical Potties" (don't worry, we just used chairs) and the girls earned rewards for winning the games. Any time they used the bathroom, we cheered and gave them a balloon.

I've turned the "Pin the Hazel on the Potty" poster into a rewards chart. Once Hazel fills the tank with stickers, she gets her final present. I have it wrapped where she can see it for motivation. We had a major accident the next morning, but since then, we've had great success. This little girl has a bladder of steel. Good luck to all you potty training mothers--what a job! And we're still only at the beginning....

Feb 19th, 2010

Jackson Hole

Feb 12-15th

This Valentine's day, we spent the weekend with some of our best friends in Alpine Junction, just south of Jackson Hole. It was a blast. We decided that it just might be worth it to buy a big house and live together (now that would be interesting) so our kids could play together and we could have game nights every night.

Funny yet very scary story...we were pulling all the men on sleds behind our Explorer and decided to try it with the kids (much slower). We pulled them up to a hill and parked. David was in a sled with Hazel and Lucy and I was behind him with Charlotte. Lucy's mom, Juliann was down the hill a bit to watch and help slow us down, if needed. WELL, suddenly the car starts rolling down the hill, right behind Charlotte and I. I grabbed her coat, and jumped onto the snow bank while yelling "David! David!" (This is the best part) David kicks the girls in the sled down the hill to Juliann, turns around (by now the car was sliding pretty fast) and stops the car within a few feet with his bare hands. Meanwhile, Juliann grabs Hazel and throws her onto the embankment and then does the same with Lucy, just in case. The poor girls were having a great time until they were ripped off the sled and thrown into the snow! My 2nd favorite part (the 1st being my studly husband saving the day) was when we were all in the car, still shaking, and Juliann says "I need to write Hazel an apology note. I think I scared her to death." So funny. Take it from us, don't ever park a car at the top of a snow-covered hill and sled down behind it!

Thanks to everyone for a great vacation. We love you guys.

The best four years

February 11, 2010

I'm sure everyone says this but it really seems like David and I have been married much longer than four years. Maybe it's because we've known each other for twelve or because we've had two kids or maybe because time flies and all the moments that happen in between when you're not paying attention add up to so much more than just four years. There have been so many "firsts" together: first apartment, first trip to the grocery story together (we fought b/c David was a know-it-all cook and I wanted to provo myself as a great housewife), first Christmas, first couch (after 3 yrs of marriage), first time having someone else accidentally (or not??) use your toothbrush, first family home evening, first baby, first of many sleepless nights, first house, first head-on collision with poverty, first realization that you're not in it alone anymore and there's always someone on your side, first major mishap with the crock pot and a sweetheart who ate it anyway, first college graduation, first real success at work, first trip to the ER with a baby, first time wondering how on earth we got ourselves from there to here so quickly...when did we grow up? Sometimes he smiles at me and he's still the 15 year old with a cast on his leg who asked me to dance to U2's "with or without you"; the boy who drove to the middle of nowhere for a Jr. Miss pageant and took me to a county fair somewhere along the way home even though it was way past our curfew; The one who carved a bear for me out of a block of wood, drove nearly three hours back and forth just to take me out on a date; the boy who told me he loved me before he first kissed me and put a tiny ruby on the inside of my wedding ring so that I would always remember his personal and eternal love for me.

Happy Anniversary my sweet David.

For this year's celebration we ate at Timbermine Steak House...


And went swimming at the hot pots in Ogden Canyon. It was the best. Ever.

Though the weather outside is frightful...

I realized the other day that I often overlook the FUN that can take place outside in the snow. I've been trying to be better about putting on the snow gear and enjoying the fresh air. Lottie likes it so much now that any time she sees her winter coat, she hands it to me and asks, "uh?" (which means "Mom, I'm tired of being inside and would like to play in the snow. Can you help me with this jacket?) She's very articulate.

Valentine's

This Valentines' Day we were busy little bees.
Hazel decorated V-day cards for her grandparents, I made this yummy granola for our friends, and we cut out a LOT of paper hearts to surprise Gram at work. They now add a nice flare to our front window.

Happy Valentine's. More to come of my very own Valentine. Love him.

Much needed paint

Sometimes you just need a little girl time. ( I actually get a lot of it.)