Potty Training Bliss

HIP HIP HOORAY!!! I just want to say, that after a really really rough 5 days--Lucas ROCKS at being potty trained!!! I've tried to potty train Lucas like 10 times I swear, but each time, after like a day, I'd give up (I'm not the most patient person with things that are gross). So, this time Jess and I decided that we'd try for 5 days, and if he still didn't want to, then we'd try again in a few months. Well, he took full advantage of his 5 days and didn't try to make it to the toilet once!!! That means like a MILLION clean ups. At any rate, we were happy when day 6 came.

Then---wait for it......he cried when we tried to put him in a diaper!!! And ever since then, he's done awesome! He's had like 3 accidents in 4 days! WOO WOO. I've ran tons of errands with him, and each time, he's given me plenty of notice...even going to Kade's soccer game, and drinking tons of his water...and nothing. He's so so cool and I love that he's potty trained!!! YEE HAW! Anyway, I just wanted to share the bliss! Just YAY! (plus, he's excited that he can turn 3 now. You see, Jess told him that he couldn't turn 3 until he pooped in the toilet (ha ha, we're awesome parents)...So, during his trial 5 day period, he kept telling us 'I'll go poop in Putt Putt's bathroom (where he wants to go for his birthday) He's a smart one that Luke. He's excited for his birthday now!

In other news, we used our "Special Plate" for the first time to celebrate that fact that Kade can tie his own shoes!!! YAY for him. We were most excited because it was kind of like his first real goal. I didn't really think he was ready so I didn't do much to help, (I know, I'm a lame mom) but he kept insisting on wearing his shoes with ties because he wanted to practice. And then one morning before school, as I watched, he did it! I was so happy and made a huge deal out of it--to which he said, "mom, it's not a big thing, I've done it like 3 times..." He tied and untied his shoes a million times that day on the way to school. (he says it wasn't a big deal...but he was pretty darn proud of himself) At any rate, we wrote it on the bottom of the special plate for it's inauguration---and it was awesome. Now it's hard to get him to wear anything besides shoes that tie.

Oh, and Kade's liking school now. In the past he's been kinda bored with it, and always wanted to stay home with Luke and me. So I've been worried about when school really starts next year. But yesterday (his day off) he actually said, "I wish I could be at school right now, I'm a little bored." Some people might be sad about that, but not me---IT WAS SO GREAT! He's never felt that way and just yay--just yay. I mean so he only has one month left--he likes it. It helps me to breath easier for him to start Kindergarten in August.

He's also in soccer--it's so cute to see him in his jersey that drowns him...he and another little girl on the team are at least a head shorter then everyone else. He really enjoys it and we love going to his games. Go Grovetown Hurricanes!

And we put together our trampoline a few weeks ago and IT ROCKS!!! And seriously, they've come so far. I mean the springs aren't even possible to touch from the inside. The kids hit the enclosure maybe a million times while they're jumping--and do they fall off and shatter bones--NO--they're saved from the net. They read books out there, work on their ninja moves, play random pretend troll games...and just go crazy. Plus, we love jumping with them. I was always the one that couldn't control her bounce and was off the tramp and into the raspberry bushes way too much (I know---who puts they're trampoline by a thorny raspberry bush? Well, if we wanted to jump off the giant swing set that dad built, it had to be by the raspberry bushes...so...anyway, just a terrible combination.) Anyway, the point is this, I love jumping with them and I don't have to worry hardly at all. It's tons of fun. so all-in-all, everyone should get a trampoline! (and if you don't, just come over and use ours--FUN) (oh, and thanks Jessica so so much for taking us to get it, you saved us like $100 in shipping--you're the coolest)

Why Mormons Build Temples

I thought this video and the Churchs statement below was so perfect and beautiful and exactly how the Savior would want us to respond. I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know it's teachings are true. I'm so blessed to be a part of it!



If you'd like to read the churchs statement on "Big Love" click here

That sweet boy of ours!

Sweetest little boy ever! Yesterday morning I slightly remember hearing little feet pittering-pattering down the hall. Then the loud bangs of Kade unloading his dishwasher. Now, this alone made me so happy because he didn't need reminding. Then he came into our room-all smiles--and announced that breakfast was all ready. It was just so cute to see how happy he was that he did it--even getting the cereal off of the top shelf of the pantry, pretty impressive. He did it again this morning and well, we're just soooooooooo blessed to have him in our family. We love you Kade!!!!

A day with Kimi

This is Kimi--we love her! We got to spend some time with her the other day at our house and LOVED IT. Whenever any of us get to talk with her, we just feel so incredibly happy. We sang full throttle in the kitchen to Aladdin and Grease and this girls got skills! Kimi brought over High School Musical 3--which is awesome and Kade keeps singing "The Boys are Back". he he, I just love musicals--I wish life was a musical sometimes he he. Anyway Kimi's moving soon and we'll miss her and her family soooo much! Thanks for coming over Kimi!

The following comes to you courtesy of Jess, the new KING OF BLOGGING!!!

Kind of like a contest...

I have Shang-Hai'd the following from Melodie's blog in an effort to secure for myself some random artifact of drabble of her own manufacture. She stated that the first five individuals to respond to her posting and create one of their own will be the recipients of a fabulous prize! So I now look forward to some wonderful creation, and in keeping with the rules, I offer the same posibility to the first five here. The same restrictions all apply; and you can be sure that the same promises are also yours to enjoy! I look forward both to recieving a home-made treasure from my beloved sister, and to tapping the deep creative well of my soul in an effort to share the joy of recieving. All can be assured that my creations will be of the first degree, and that true thought will go in to each and every gift.

Fabulous Five Fun
OK! So here's how this works...the first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me. My choice. Made especially for you. Of course there are some restrictions and limitations:

1) I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2) What I create will be just for you.

3) It will be done sometime this year (hopefully sooner than later).

4) You have no clue what it will be. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure. ;-)

5) I reserve the right to do something extremely strange (but I'm not that creative).

The catch? The catch is that you must repost this on your own blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog.The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift from me!! Hurry fast, this is a limited time offer.

Oh! And be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!!

Can He Do It?

It's on to week two now in the Great Boredom Experiment. My position in the home has shifted from 'main bread-winner' to 'blob.' I pretty much just ooze from room to room and suck the life out of whatever activity was occurring before I arrived. I'm not sure if that means I've achieved some supernatural level of boredom or not. It's an interesting thought, however, to believe that I've transcended the every day type of 'normal' boredom, and that I now exist on a plane of boredom unreachable by the common homo sapiens.
I call my new plane of existence "The Field of Dreams." This has no reference to a baseball field, but rather a place where all the random thoughts of the universe converge. I sit at the nexus of that convergence and channel all the randomness in a state of boredom induced nirvana. In the Field of Dreams, I have access to all the random thoughts of the human mind, both conscious thought and unconscious meandering. Things flow through my infinite field of random vision, and I note briefly their significance. "Can monkeys spit?" "What would happen if I put a banana in Mike's gas tank?" "Who is that girl, and why is she threatening me with a head of lettuce?"
Each one has it's own value, and each one contributes to the mindless boredom, drawing me deeper and deeper into a trance-like state of drool-inducing brain wave inactivity. "What's at the center of gravity?" "Why is it called a 'hung jury'? Did we hang them in the past as a failure to come up with a verdict?" "Do dung beetles hate their job?"
Each thought is so intertwined with the others that it's hard to tell which are my own and which are from the universe. I'm pretty sure most of them are mine. I'm guessing that probably the universe doesn't care much what color lifesaver is Lou Dobbs' favorite, or how long a giraffe can hold its breath.
Maybe when I go back to work I'll lose my connection to the boredom universe. Maybe I'll always carry this new transcendental lifestyle with me. Maybe I can harness the power of boredom and focus it into hyper-concentrated 'boredom bullets' that I can fire with my brain at enemies, causing them to lapse into a state of unconsciousness while I charge ten thousand dollars worth of jelly beans to their credit cards. (Fear me!)
No matter what happens, leaving my Field of Dreams, my boredom nirvana, my nexus of semi-conscious nothingness will be bittersweet. "I wonder if I could catch a cold from a fish?" "How does Carmichael get his hair to do that?" "What percentage of weasel attacks are caused by accidental exposure to high intensity gamma rays?" "Where do leftover......(fade to black)