Cheese!

Bridger lost his first tooth! He was so cute about it. It was super loose but no one was willing to pull it but dad and Bridger wouldn't let him. After a long "here let me try and pull it out" session with Bridger crying in fear I told him that when I was a kid I pulled out all my teeth by myself and he should just try it. So he said ok and gave it a little pull and to all of our amazment and laughter it popped right out. He was so excited. Well, all the kids were. Well, I think Stewart may have been the most excited. He was beaming, you'd think his kid had just one the noble peace prize or something Stewart loved it. :O) Then we busily got ready for the tooth fairy to come. Bridger has three more on their way out. He is going to be a rich kid at the rate he is going. His smile is so cute! I love it. In a couple months he'll have giant hole in his mouth. One thing he loves is that he can stick a straw through it while he drinks. :O) Its the simple things in life that give a kid a thrill!That is the little pouch that came with the little tooth fairy kit I bought at Barnes and Noble for $10 bucks. It was cute it had a book, a frame, a little night light thing to help the tooth fairy see in your room, and then a little pouch to put the tooth in. I love the pouch.

A well oiled machine and other such things

Ok, the real point to this post is that whenever Stewart's schedule gets very busy I find that I miss those extra hours in the evening and those weekend days when we are used to talking and discussing things. And well lets just say that isn't happening lately. So I have the need to talk about the mundane things I wouldn't normally dedicate a whole post too and so I lump them all in this random mixture of "what I'm thinking about these days" sort of post. If you love me enough to care then enjoy but if life is to busy then you can look forward to posts on Stewart's 30th birthday and our fall family pictures as our coming attractions. :O)

-My mom always said that after you have several kids its not that hard adding more because eventually you are a well oiled machine and everything is already in motion. I sort feel that my family has gotten to the point recently. Not that I am adding another baby any time soon but rather that we are a big family that is running like a well oiled machine. So that is very nice. I always get comments about how many kids I have and it has been fun lately to be able to tell people how much I love it and how fun it is. I think I shocked a lady nearly to death yesterday when she asked if I was done I replied that I would have ten more if I could.

-I am finally feeling really comfortable in my calling in the young womens. I think I am actually doing a good job. I hope I am. I really enjoy my girls though remembering what teenagers are like was a bit of a reality check. I forgot how the years between 14 and 16 are really hard and confusing. Oh, my miamaids I love you! Getting to activities with no husband to watch my kids is going to kill me though. As part of my calling I am going to be doing a lot of the trunk or treat planning and Young Women in Excellence planning. I find that a bit scary but it will be fine I know it.

- We are getting a dog! Well, a puppy! I am sooooooo excited. Eeeee! We always said we were going to wait like another ten years but a series of events happened and I knew that we needed to get a dog for Angeli, our resident animal lover. We are getting her a dog, a cute little dog not the type we'd thought we'd be getting as our first but I couldn't be more thrilled. (I'm a small dog kind of girl) We have a local breeder picked out and the pups will be ready in November to bring home. In the meantime I am researching dog training like you wouldn't believe. Cesar Milan is the BOMB! Love him. If I can help it we are going to have the most obedient joyful dog ever. I don't want to worry about her getting out and all that jazz. I want her to be a complete blessing to our family. I hope I can accomplish that!

- Bridger is getting ready to lose his first 4 teeth. Yes, he has four loose teeth. He is excited to get money from the tooth fairy.

- I found out to my dismay that my insurance does not cover my varicose vein treatment. I seriously have been crying on and off for about a week because of it. I had everything all lined up with these amazing different specialist and then it was a no go. I am so sad I will have to deal with my veins for another pregnancy down the road. sigh.

- Benjamin fell last week and got three stitches in his chin. He was our first to need stitches. I cant believe we made it this long without getting stitches. his little chin was all bruised and swollen for a couple days. Poor little guy.

- I finally have a good routine for getting in the exercise I like to and I am finally consistently loosing weight. It is so slow but in the past three/four months I have lost 7 pounds. I still have 16 pounds I'd ideally like to lose but I'm just taking it easy. If I cant loose it within a life style I like living then I guess I am not loosing it because its not worth that much to me.

- We started giving allowance. Stewart came up with the system and I love it. I think his parents did it this way but maybe not. They get smiley faces on a sheet of paper with their name on it and then at FHE they get to cash them in (and pay their tithing). Each smiley face is worth 5 cents. If they do their daily jobs they can earn 25 a day. It has been a big success.

- I am so excited for Halloween! The kids are being cowboys and cowgirls. I bought them guns and hats and stuff. they will be so cute....well, I hope!

- Then there is Christmas. I am already having so much fun making gifts.

- No action on the house yet. Oh, well. I am glad I'm not having to deal with moving in the near future. Right now thinking that moving after Christmas sounds pretty nice. time will tell how off I am.

The End

GeneV

My little baby is now 8 months old. Whenever people ask me how old she is I sort of hate having to answer 8 months because I am sad to acknowledge that so much time has passed. She is such a doll. She brings such a sweet and happy spark to our family. Her days are filled with food, mischief, naps, riding in the car, exploring, and giggles. She is still a bit of a mommy's girl and likes to have her mommy close by. But it amazes me that she can go and find a little corner of the house to explore and play there on her own for 30+ minuets at a time just entertaining herself.

She hates getting in trouble. All I have to do is say somewhat sternly "no baby" and she starts to cry. I think she'll be an obedient child. :O) She likes to cuddle just as much as she likes to be on the move. She crawls to me and crawls up my legs til I pick her up and then she rests her head on my shoulder as if to hug me and then prods me to get walking. She does not like sitting through church. She is so wiggly that I end up just plopping her on the ground and she crawls under peoples' legs and has herself some fun as different people pick her up and love on her.

She is a pincher. She love to pinch and I cant tell you how many little pinches I get all day. She likes when we go on walks or jogs together and loves taking baths. She loves to eat, and by eating I mean dirt, grass, paper,.... she gets a lot of fiber. She loves being sung to and if you take the time to get her giggling she will love you forever.

I still call her "my little perfect" because she is just so perfect to me. There is something about her spirit that is so regal to me. I get the sense that she is such a noble little spirit. And much as I hate that her baby days are passing I likewise am so excited to see what wonderful things she does in her life. I have no doubt that she will make this world a more beautiful place then she found it. I cant even express how much joy my babies bring me. I wish that these days would never end. Oh, my kids just make my heart sing! Happy eight months my sweet little girl. Your mother loves you very much.

Weight: 21 lbs (89th percentile)
Height: 27 in (41th percentile)

Mr. Benjamin all Grown Up in Big Boy Underwear!

The past two months we have been potty training Benjamin. I was a little nervous to do it because it can be stressful especially with people randomly showing up to look at our house but lucky for us Benjamin did great.

The last two weeks he really took off and basically potty trained himself. He just started going all by himself whenever he needed to go. On Sunday he made it official when he wore his big boy underwear to church and did perfectly. By the end of the day he had filled his potty chart he"d been working to fill for the past weeks and then earned his special toy he picked out. A Star Wars bouncy ball!!!!! He loves it. :) He is so delighted with himself. I love how proud he feels about himself because it really was his determination that made it happen. He set a goal, he practiced it, he mastered it, and he loves getting all the recognition for his accomplishment. That is golden confidence building. :)

The big kids were really good coaches and cheer leaders too. Potty training a child with older brothers and sisters is easier then your first which is so awesome. Lots of things in parenting get easier as its your third and fourth child....life is more hectic but the tasks themselves get simpler. Bridger and Angeli were just as excited about each time he went potty in the toilet as he was and were just as proud of him too. I really appreciated their support of him.

So, Ben good job! You are so full of goodness. You are such a positive, hardworking, brave and steady little man. I love being your mommy. Here is our grown up boy! He is too cute. :)


This is my method of potty training that I think is the least stressful and practical way I have ever heard about. Plus my kids don't have accidents as much as some other kids...I give them a longer time to learn and decide to be potty trained and I think it pays off in the end. But each mom knows their kids the best so like with everything always do what feels right for your child.

1.) So I decided they might be mature enough to handle the responsibility of being potty trained and then I start educating them as to what being potty trained means. I read them little books about the steps to going potty. I show them little videos about potty training. If they genuinely seem excited about the concept then I go forward with it.

2.) I give them lots of opportunities to try and go. I let them pick out their own underwear and let them wear them whenever they want at home - letting them know that if they wear them they need to go potty in the toilet if then have an accident I put a diaper back on. I don't get upset when they have accidents. Its all part of the learning process. They need to realize that they need to pay attention to when they have to go and they need to go in the potty. I make a sticker chart and they pick out stickers for it and they pick out a toy that they win after they fill their sticker chart. I make my sticker charts long. Two stickers for number two and 1 for number one and I make sure its long enough that when they win their prize they are really truly potty trained. I also tell them they get two stickers for going in public bathrooms.

3.) If and when they get overwhelmed by the responsibility of it all I let them know its ok and that we can go back to diapers. It may feel like you are regressing but not really...it is all percolating in their heads and it will come. I really think they need time to absorb the reality of going potty in the toilet and decide they really want to do it themselves all the time. Some kids do this really fast and some kids take their time. But giving them lots of opportunities to decide and to keep trying is a great way to approach it. I try to never get mad at them and I try to encourage not pressure.

4.) After they get so they aren't having accidents at home anymore I take the lunge and say okay no more diapers - not even to stores or things. I find if they pee their pants at a store I am more easily upset with them and they get embarrassed with all those other people around when its a big deal and mess to clean up. That can really turn them off to potty training so I don't even go there until they are ready.

5.) Then after 7 to 10 days of them waking up in the morning with completely dry diapers I stop putting diapers on them at night. I am lucky that night training has been really easy for my kids. This can be a tricky one.

And then ta da! They've done it! And I don't think a kid is potty trained completely until the parent no longer has to ask them all the time if they have to go. Sure a lets go before we leave the house and a question when you are close to the bathroom at the store is great but for me it should be all on them for it to be official.

So those are my thoughts. Take them with a grain of salt but I am grateful that it has worked for us and my kids haven't been traumatized or overly stressed by it.

Labor day Weekend

We really enjoyed our memorial weekend. We went to Scheels and hit up so me deal and played at all their attractions, went swimming at the club house, played at the river park, played in Lake Tahoe and hit up the "Best of the West Rib Cook Off". The ribs were seriously the best and the Tahoe was fun and beautiful as ever. I know how redundant I am when I say this but we will miss all those things when we move. :(

The pool is always fun....

I didn't bring the camera to the rib cook off because there are so many people there that it gets crazy and I didn't want to deal with it. But we had a great time. We checked out all the booths - loved the angry bird booth - then ate all the yummy food we could stand....well, we would have liked more ribs but you know you can never have too many ribs, and then the kids played in the movie theater fountains until they were soaked through five times over. It was a lot of fun.

Scheels was lots of fun with the ferriswheel, the kids play area, the ice cream, the huge fish tanks, the fountains at the Legends outlets connected to the Scheels.... plus buying new athletic shoes for me was so nice!

Then to top of the long weekend we headed to Tahoe. It was another beautiful day spent playing in the water and soaking up the beauty. We forgot our umbrella so I was stressed that we'd burn to death but lucky for us Tahoe has trees. :0) we ended up with a sweet spot.


Then we did some BBQ and rented a Red Box movie and had a family movie night. It was lovely. Lovely I tell you. Here's to our next long weekend!