Daddy Day

One day I walked into the living room and saw this.  I quickly snapped a picture.  This is the daddy of my kiddos. :)

I really love him.  He makes every day better.

While putting Elsy to bed tonight I had to shut the door.  Logan was making Tommy laugh to hard downstairs for Elsy to be able to fall asleep.

Logan and Elsy are best buddies.  They are always playing and talking.  I love how Logan makes everything a game for her.  The other day Logan let me take a nap.  When I woke up I asked him what he and Elsy did.  They watched Tinkerbell Neverbeast and then afterward played Gruff and Nix.  There were pillows everywhere and apparently they had made a fort.  

One of the reasons I fell in love with Logan was because he is just so gentle and sincere.  I have seen that in his parenting.  

I love watching him hold our little babies and sing them songs.  

Logan can make my kiddos laugh even when they are in the middle of the worst fits.

Logan is always helping me by getting the kids to bed, doing dishes, and helping in the middle of the night when the sleeping gets scarce.  

I snapped this picture about an hour ago.  Logan is so supportive in doing nightly family scripture reading and prayers.  He always makes sure we have family home evening and morning prayers before he leaves for work.

I couldn't have asked for a better dad for my children.  There are countless ways Logan makes a good dad.  Thank you Logan!  You da bomb.

And Father's Day isn't Fathers Day without a shout out to my own dad!  

I love him to bits and am so grateful for all he has taught me!  Dad has taught me to skin a deer, mow the lawn, make jam and cobbler, birth puppies, drive a car, and work a math problem.  He showed me its important to be patient, kiss your wife when you get home (even if your kids scream "EWW!"), listen, and find a way to make every situation fun.  It is because of my dad that I love animals and nature and enjoy going on drives to experience a beautiful night.  My dad continues to show me he trusts me by asking and listening to my opinion.  I couldn't have asked for a better dad.  I know he wants all of us kids to be happy in life and reach our hightest potential.  I love you Daddy!

And one more shout out to Logan's Dad.

You can't have as wonderful of a husband without him first having a wonderful dad.  I am grateful for all he taught Logan and all he continues to teach his growing family. :)

Happy Papa's Day!!

Elsy Ann - Personality Pictures

My little girl turned two in April!  Wow does time fly and boy do we love her!

She is quite the diva and such a chatter box.  Her shirt says "I share my sparkle with the world" and she truly does.  I hope she is always as kind and genuinely happy with others as she is now.  She has a big, soft heart and I love her so.

Here are some shots of her to show you her little personality:

2 yr check up and nervous for shots.

Loves to read my scriptures!

Dare devil

She loves crawling into our bed on the morning when I want to sneak a few more winks of sleep or when I'm feeding Tommy she slips into bed with Daddy.

She always pops right back after falls and bruises and will tell us about them for days.

Wink!

Here is her 2 year birthday picture!  She is so beautiful and just the sweetest thing.  Stop growing!!!

We love you to much Elsy.

Temple Trip

Today we went to Deseret Book.  The only way I could get Elsy to want to come was to promise we would walk around the temple after.

It was such a beautiful day outside!

Elsy's Grandma Bean gave her a book about temples when she was born.  We read it last night so it was a good little wrap up of what we had been talking about.

I'm so grateful for temples and an eternal family.

Day Camping

Today we drove up to Ensign Ranch for a little day camping trip.

(I love this picture because Elsy is actually smiling.  She NEVER smiles for pictures!)

The day started out a little rough but once we got on the road things kicked into gear and we had an absolute blast.  We had a picnic lunch (okay we had Subway), took naps in our tent (okay Elsy couldn't fall asleep because of the birds and wind on the tent flaps so she and Logan slept in the car), went swimming (okay feet dipping anyway!), and then went on a hike (okay it was a 50ft nature walk).  The only thing we actually did right was canoeing!  We all fit!

We recently got a mini van and felt a lot more keen on just throwing things in the car to head out for a fun day trip.

I'm so grateful for a husband who thinks up fun activities to get us out of the house.  He is such a huge help.

And I had to throw in another one of these pictures because in this one LOGAN is actually smiling normal... And he NEVER does that for pictures either. ;)

Mummy's Day

Does your bathroom counter house the Disney princesses?

And if you have another bathroom does it look like this?  (Complete with stickers, candy jar incentives, and wipes on the back of the toilet?)

Do you keep a stash of Sandra Boynton books next to your bible in your night stand?

Are all your Netflix recomendations shows like Daniel Tiger, Tinkerbell Secret of the Wings, or Hercules?

Hmm, you must be a mom.  At least, thats what I keep thinking as I decide to go to the park instead of doing the dishes... or settle down for an episode of Drop Dead Diva after the kids are finally in bed instead of cleaning all the toys up that are splayed between me and the television.  

Just a week ago I spent over an hour at the grocery store balancing an oversized carseat on one end of the shopping cart peeping over the top and around the sides making sure I didn't run into anyone/anything while keeping the toddler in my basket from grabbing everything within reach... only to find out I left my debit card on the counter at home.

How is it that I wake up at 6:30 every morning, but am not showered and ready for the day until at least 10am?  I can't think of what I did, I tell my husband, but I know I was doing SOMETHING!

What was I thinking potty training a 22 month old?  What was I thinking letting Elsy paint in the garage next to me with her waterproof paint while I used my grown up?  Didn't I know she would find the can I wasn't using and pour it all over her legs?  Why do I even try to keep up my hobbies?!  Why do I try to make anything for dinner besides chicken dinosaurs?  

I think I am going crazy.

On Friday, I realized I had had it.  I hadn't slept much the night before and was looking forward to a long nap while the kids slumbered peacefully in their beds at the same time.... riiiiiight.  Instead I found myself on the floor frantically rocking Tommy in his carseat to no avail (the last resort, he usually alwasy falls asleep in his carseat!) in dire hopes of getting some sort of shut eye before Elsy woke up from her nap.  As I watched the precious minutes slipping by I finally realized there would be no sleep for me that day.  And as that realization set in, the tears came.  And they came and came.  

I started thinking about my mom and wondered, did she ever sit on the floor crying because she couldn't take it anymore either?  And I started thinking about all the moms I know and wondered if they all had done that... and I realized they probably had.  

Being a mom is hard.  I remember when Logan and I were deciding wether or not to start having kids I went to church one day and saw all the moms there and thought, "I can do that!".  Back then, I didn't realize it, but I saw having kids almost like having cute little accessories that I could take with me, get compliments on, dress up all cutsy, and just have a merry ole skippy life with.  Now I realize it is so SO much more than that.  Last week at church I heard someone say, "Parenting is joy, not fun."  I couldn't agree with that more.  Although there are fun moments every day, for the most part parenting is pure grit.  But it is so rewarding and can make you feel so much joy and love.  Strange how it works that way.

While sitting on the floor Friday, having one of my 'meltdowns' as I fondly call them, I realized how much I appreciated my mom for all she has done for me.  There is no way to really appreciate a certain part of what your mother has done for you until you are actually a mother yourself.  Dear Mom, you are a rockstar.  

Since it is Mother's Day,  I thought I would say thank you to some of the more prominant women in my life.  Some of the women are relatively new while some I have known all my life.  To all the women out there who have helped support me, teach me, and love me, I say "thank you"!

First, my mommy.

My mom is the reason I grew up wanting nothing more that to be a mom myself.  I have never, ever wanted to be anything more than a mom.  And whenever I face a challenge while parenting I think, "Well, how did Mom do it?"  

My mom taught me to sew, play the piano, cook bread, clean a toilet, shave my legs, crochet, make my bed, read, and do my times tables.  She also taught me that modesty matters, family will always be there for you, and that living the commandments and standards of the gospel bring happiness.

My mom always took naps growing up.  But every time I snuck into her bedroom during naptime to ask her a question or to grab something out of the closet she was either reading her scriptures or sleeping next to an open Ensign.  I am grateful for that example.  Now I make my scripture study time a priority during nap time and I have grately benefited from that habit.

My mom loves my dad.  There is no question about that.  When Dad got home from work she always gave him a big kiss in the kitchen.  "Blek!" we would say.  But I always knew my parents loved each other.  She also loves each of us kids.  Each first day of school she cried.  To me, that explains how much she likes to be around us.

My mom told me she wanted me to feel comfortable enough to come to her for questions I had about things instead of my friends.  I always did feel comfortable enough.  My mom was always understanding, whether it was about mistakes I made, girlfriend woes, or boy trouble.. my mom always leant an ear and gave expert advice.  

I could go on and on about my Mom.  She loves the Lord and she loves her family.  I hope to one day be just like her.

My mother-in-law Natalie:

I love this picture of Natalie because it just fits her personality to me.  Natalie is so soft spoken and kind.  She is a very thoughtful person and I have benefitted from that many times.  Sometimes I will find an email in my inbox from her that says just what I needed to hear that day.  She is so in tune with the Spirit and is always willing to share.  I haven't been around for much of her parenting time, but I do know that all her kids turned out fantastic, especially my husband ;)  And I know that kids don't turn out like that without some amazing parents.  Natalie is an exceptional grandma and mother.  I am so grateful for her example.

My Grandma Volmer (Dad's Mom):

Grandma Volmer has taught me the importance of going to the temple.  She works there all the time!  I used to work for her on Saturday mornings cleaning her house.  I loved to listen to her old country music while I dusted the bookshelves and vaccumed the floors.  Grandma Volmer is an amazing quilter and gave me some tips when I decided to make my own quilt.  Grandma's house is always a place I feel welcome and is a hub for the whole family.  Every summer my cousins and I would walk to her house after going to Free Swim at Garden Park Pool.  I love all the songs she taught us.  She lives next door to my parents house now and I love going over there for a chat.  There is always something new to learn from her. A trait I would like to take from her is that she never complains.  :)

Grandma Merkley (Mom's mom):

Grandma Merkely is the most selfless person I know.  She is always working, trying to help other people.  She is always in her white tennis shoes and to me those always were a symbol of her getting down to business every day.  She is also an amazing seamstress and I go to her for all my sewing questions.  I used to love climbing her tree when  I was little and she always had a cookie in the cookie jar when we came by.  I am always learning from her as well.  Grandma raised some happy people and I am so glad because every time I go over there, the house is full of laughter and fun stories.

Grandma Atkin (Logan's Grandma):

From the first time I met Mary Ann, I just felt like she was my very own grandma.  And Logan and I weren't even dating yet!  I remember meeting her and thinking everything about her felt welcoming and familiar.  She has a way of loving and accepting everyone.  She is so generous and kind.  If I am a grandma like her someday, I know I will be happy...an so will my grandkids!  I also love playing cards with her.  She is so smart and is always keeping her mind active.

Grandma Bean (Logan's grandam):

Grandma Bean always has a smile on.  She reminds me a lot of my Grandma Merkley actually!  Grandma Bean has set an example to me on the importance of geneology work.  She has so many stories and is so willing to share her testimony.  I found a little book of Logan's that she made for all her grandchildren.  In the book was a bunch of information about his grandparents, and great grandparents up to several genenrations back.  I used it to update our family tree online recently.  I was so grateful for that little book.  My patriarchle blessing talks about family history work.  I hope to learn a little more about that from her!

***

Mothers are amazing.  And even though there are challenging times, there are always times that make all the hard work worth it.

(Following my mommy's nap time routine example!)

Yay for moms!  Motherhood is not always glamorous, but it is always worth it. 

Motherhood = Joy

Saturday

Today we slept in until 8!  Okay I was up from 5:30-7am and THEN slept until 8.  But hey, whatever.  But then we woke up and got productive!

We went on a morning trip to Home Depot and got some plants for our garden.  The people whose house we are sitting built a garden box on the side of their house.  It is just the perfect size for a little of this and that.  We did strawberries, tomatoes, spinach, sugar snap peas, jalapenos, bell peppers, romaine lettuce, zucchini, pumpkins, and cilantro.  I wanted to try my had a broccoli but when I got home I realized I had accidentally bought cauliflower instead.  Eww.  I didn't even plant them.  Does anybody want them?

I had my two helpers.  Both ended up getting filthy.  I understand how Elsy got that way, but I have no idea how Tommy did.  He had dirt all over his face!  Maybe it was because I kept putting his pacifier in with my dirty hands...

While I was planting, Logan was in the garage painting the kitchen we got for Elsy's birthday (which is in a week and a half!).  I am in a Facebook group called Buy Nothing Redmond and basically you post things you want to get rid of for free.  Anyway, I got this awesome play kitchen, fridge, table, chairs, and play food from one generous lady for freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  We are fixing it up to look more like a 'real' kitchen.  I'll do a post about it when it is done.  Anyway, check and see if your city has a "Buy Nothing" group because its awesome.  I get some fun stuff on there (like a side table and toys) and I also get to get rid of my junk.

I just loved how Elsy sat on the edge of the garden box and filled her little bucket with dirt.  She had little bare feet and dirt all over her face.  Love her to pieces.  And Tommy was so good all day sitting in his bouncer. :)

And of course, we had to get clean at the end.  And get pizza because we worked so hard.  Elsy seriously ate like 2 1/2 slices.  And a bread stick.  She can pack it.

Peeing In The Potty: A Journey

Guess who is potty trained!?  ELSY!!!

I have gotten some raised eyebrows at her being so young, (23 months old) but honestly, she was ready.  The gal would tell me every time she peed in her diaper and before she would go #2.  She would stay dry all night and through her naps.  I thought, eh why not?  Let's get this over with while I'm not going anywhere because I have a newborn.  So we did it!

Here is how we did it.  While Elsy was wasting a million diapers because she would go just a drop and want a change, she was still very nervous about sitting on her potty with a bare bum.  (We bought her a potty months ago just to have her sit on it while I went... Because, lets be honest, little kids love to be an audience when we are going ourselves :P).

Sooooo I bought some pull ups.  Everyone says pull ups are a no-no when potty training, but I did it for convenience because the first two days were to get her used to sitting on the potty with a bare bum, not for going.  We still called them diapers, it was just nice to not have to take her pants off and her diaper every time I had her sit on the potty.  So for two days we just randomly would go sit on the potty and read Little Critter's "The New Potty" or one of a few potty training picture books we got from the library.  I got lucky because both days she told me she was going "poo poo" and I ran her in fast enough to get the poo in the potty.  Yay! right?  Eh... its a little gross. :P

We went to the store and picked out panties.  I'll let you guess what Disney character is on Elsy's panties... 

I talked to some people about how to go about doing this whole thing and read a little bit online.  My aunt Stacy's philosophy is, once you decide to put on panties you NEVER EVER EVER go back to diapers.  That is the end of it. (You can still do diapers for naps and over night however).  This way your kiddo isn't confused because you went to the store in a diaper or church but now you are in panties at Grandma's house and at home or whatever. I thought this was a good idea but it made me extra nervous to potty train because I knew there was no going back.

An idea I had seen and thought was completely bogus online was keeping your kid naked for three days.  Yeah welllllll, I decided it wasn't so bogus after all and did it.  Only I only did it for one day.  Here is why I decided it wasn't such a dumb idea.  I realized that Elsy just wasn't aware of when she was going potty until her diaper was wet.  So with her having bare legs, she suddenly became VERY aware of the wetness and was able to coordinate the feeling of having to go with actually going.

As you can tell, I was pretty worried about potty getting everywhere.  I think the only two people who will truly appreciate this photo are the two people whose house we are sitting. ;)  I just didn't want to have to deal with pee in carpets and on couches.  I gathered all kinds of salty snacks and juices (salty to keep her thirsty and liquids to keep her 'going'), lots of movies and toys, and of course my crochet.  We watched Peter Pan and Barbie Nutcracker a LOT and were camped out in this room for two whole days.  I may have been climbing the walls by the end.

I couldn't resist this picture...

That first day Elsy held it and held it and held it.  She was so afraid to go on the potty that she would start to go a little and then hold it (because she could feel the wetness and didn't like it) and then not go on the potty because she was scared.  She drank a TON of apple juice.  I couldn't believe her ability to hold it.  It just showed me how ready she really was.  She had some serious control!

When she finally did go it was in her nap diaper.  And she went SO much it leaked out the diaper (which hasn't happened in forever people).  And sadly, she happened to be in my bed when it happened.... sitting on Logan's pillow. Yikes.  Logan said, "After all the trouble to get her to not pee on the carpet (speaking of all my blankets and towels everywhere), the one place she goes is my PILLOW!"  We had a good laugh.

Once she finally went on the potty ("Yellow poo poo Mommy!") she didn't have any more problems.  I put her in just panties the second and third days because she was doing so well I didn't think she needed more days naked.  We did start to have more problems when we put pants over the panties (I think the pants made her feel more secure like a diaper) but we soon got over that.  

Our rewards system has been stickers and a candy (a single M&M) or a cookie (mini Oreos).  Elsy would get so excited after she went and say "Canny, sticka, canny, cookie!" over and over.

I tried to stay really positive through the whole process.  Whenever she had an accident I would say, "Uh oh!  That's okay!  Just remember, pee pee goes in the potty!"  I would try to say it all perky even though I sure didn't feel like it.  Especially when she ran out of pants.

The whole thing went surprisingly well.  She only had three accidents on the carpet (so far).  The nice thing about wearing pants is if she has an accident, the pants mostly absorb the pee so it doesn't get anywhere.  Logan has been really helpful too, if you couldn't tell.  We take pants and panties wherever we go.  I even brought her Elmo toilet ring to church the first week.

It has been a month since we started.  Overall it has been a success!  Right now our only issue is I have gotten used to her going on the potty and don't ask as often as I should.  So now she will pee a tiny bit in her pants and then stop and yell "Poo! Poo!" (because it is all poo poo to her) and then she will finish on the potty... which is great!... except we still have to change her panties.  So we are working on that.  But for the most part, we are doing great! 

Yay for pee pee in the potty.


Here are links to get the stuff we bought:

Elmo Potty Ring
Plastic Potty
The New Potty Book
Frozen Panties - Also, I would just recommend seriously like 20 pairs of undies. And we ended up buying Elsy more pants because she went through a lot.