Potty Training

I've been telling Landon for the last month that after he turns 3 I'm going to teach him how to use the potty and we're going to throw away his diapers. He hasn't liked this idea very much and has insisted that we throw away his underwear instead, but his birthday was Friday so I stuck to my word and we started potty training today. If any of you remember, I tried to potty train him one other time when he was 20 months, because of a book I read that said that was the ideal age, but it ended up being a nightmare and we've been scared to do it ever since. I was thinking today that I totally skipped age 2 when most people try to potty train which is a little weird, but I just never found a good time and Landon kept insisting on wearing diapers so I didn't push it. Diapers are too easy. Anyway, we started by taking off his last diaper and trying to put on underwear, but he didn't want anything to do with the undies so we put clothes on without anything. Half way through the day he decided he didn't want clothes on either because "it was too hard to go potty" so he ran around naked until bedtime. We made it through the day without any messes, but the first two times he needed to go he said he wanted to take a bath before he went so he ended up going in the tub. I thought we were going to go the whole day without making it in the potty until tonight when I heard the magic words, "mommy I need to go potty" and he went to the toilet and went. Not even a dribble. He was so happy. He kept saying, "I'm doing it mom!" Now we'll have to see how the night goes. The book I read says to do night time training at the same time, but I wasn't sure I was up to it so I bought some "night-time underwear", but he insists on NOT wearing it or any pajamas. BUT at least I talked him into putting on some underwear to sleep in. I'm confident he'll get it soon. This has been a much more pleasant experience than the first time. I don't think I'll ever try at 20 months again.

Sick mom with sick kids

Just when I thought we would make it through the winter without getting the flu...we go it! It's been a horrible week of throw-up, crying, and sleepless nights. I hate feeling totally drained. Especially, when I have kids that want extra love and care because their not feeling well. Zachary wanted me to stand up and hold him non-stop most of the week, but while I was sick I only had the energy to hold him lying down. Because this is not how he wanted to be held he would cry and wouldn't give up until he was tired enough to take another nap. Poor Landon ended up watching way to many Dora shows. I'll probably have to have a week of weaning him off T.V. now. Today the boys and I are feeling better. They are still a little more tired than usual and have a bad cough, but none of the other stuff. However, now dad is not feeling well so I'm afraid we may have a few more days of this. I'm really sick of having a sick family, but it does make me even more grateful for good health. We can't wait to be able to get out and be around people again.

6th Anniversary

Thanks to my sister, Ryan and I were able to leave the kids and enjoy some time together as we celebrated our 6th anniversary. We started the night off by going out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse where we enjoyed eating without the constant struggle of keeping kids seated and quiet. Then we headed to San Francisco to stay the night. When we first arrived we thought we must have gotten one of the best rooms that looked down into the streets of some of best places to shop, but it didn't take long to realize that we would have traded for an inside room away from the street noise. The windows of the old San Francisco buildings are so thin it sounds like you have the windows open and so we were awakened throughout the night with people yelling and cars honking. It reminded us of when we went to Italy for our second Anniversary. Despite the noise and lousy sleep we still were excited the next morning to go to Angel Island. We went to Tiburon to catch the ferry and had a wonderful time biking around the island and enjoying the views of the city and Golden Gate Bridge. Afterwards, we had to rush back home for Ryan put out a little business "fire". Then we went to the mall and had way too much fun shopping without kids.

Mess Makers

I wish I knew how to arrange my pictures. They don't seem to move where I want them to go. Oh well! To the right is Landon showing me his sad or tired face. Sometimes when I say, "show me your happy face, " he gives me a sad face. Silly boy. Also, to the right is Landon with Grandma Bowen. We were lucky to have her come stay for a few days. It had been awhile since we've been to Utah so we're glad she came to see us. And Below are the MESS MAKERS. Ryan always sings the song, "Mess makers, mess makers, make me a mess". It's working because they sure are good at making messes together. Here, they found the ovaltine container and spilled it all over the floor. They had fun making the mess for the few minutes I stepped out of the room, but didn't have so much fun when I locked them in their room so I could get it cleaned up. The smell was horrible. I should give Landon a little credit for trying to clean it up though. He ran into to tell me he had made a mess. I told him like I usually do that he better clean it up or he'll be put in time out (not knowing what kind of a mess he made). When I went to check if he was cleaning it up he was on his hands and knees with a towel swishing it back and forth. He probably was trying to wipe it up, but in reality was just spreading it all over the floor and into the cracks of the hardwood.

Happy Birthday Zachary

It's hard to believe, but, Yes, Zachary really is a year old. We celebrated his birthday yesterday by going to the Childrens Discovery Museum in San Jose and having some really yummy chocolate, brownie birthday cake. Zachary and Landon both had so much fun exploring the museum that they fell asleep as soon as they got in the car and didn't even wake up when we moved them into their beds. This hardly ever happens.
A year ago Zachary surprised us by coming 5 weeks early. We were told he could be a few months behind until he reached 2, but we haven't noticed that he is slow in any way. The first couple months he slept almost non-stop, but since then he's seemed to keep up with his age pretty well. He is now a really fast crawler. He can stand without help and is getting close to walking without help. He loves stairs and will go up when you say, "up" and come down when you say, "down". He loves to play with phones and will put the phone to his ear and babble. He says mom and dad, Uh-oh, hi, and tries to say many other words but few could understand. He is fascinated with lids and will play with a container that has a lid for minutes(longer than any other toy). He loves his dad and gets upset if he doesn't get a hug when daddy comes home. He's getting good at throwing fits and will start screaming and fling himself to the floor if Landon takes his toy or I take something away he shouldn't have. He loves food and most of the time will eat more than Landon. His favorite food is cooked zucchini. We love this little guy and are so glad to have him in our family. He loves to laugh and makes us smile many times throughout the day.

"COINS"

A couple times a week Landon asks if we can walk to the mall. Not because he loves to shop, but because he loves to play on the little firetrucks and other fun rides. He is always asking for "coins" (which I find funny because I've always called them quarters) so that he can take them to the mall. About twice a month we give in and let Landon earn the whopping seventy-five cents it takes to go on a 2 minute ride and we walk to the mall. Luckily, Landon always chooses a vehicle that has two seats so Zachary enjoys it too.

Today, we went to Walmart and as we were leaving I gave Landon a bunch of change to put in the red tin. What I thought was going to be a simple task ended up taking much longer because Landon had to sort the change and in the end would only put the pennies, nickels, and dimes into the tin. The quarters he kept for himself and asked if we could take the "coins" to the mall to go for a ride.

A new calling

About a month ago I was asked to be the new Young Womens President in our ward. A few of the first thoughts that ran threw my mind when I was asked if I would accept included, "Why me?", "I'm too young.", "Wouldn't someone else be more qualified?", and "How am I going to do this with two little kids?" I thought for a moment that I must be dreaming and that I would wake up soon. Well, it turns out it wasn't a dream and yesterday was the first day of this exciting, yet overwhelming calling I now have. Since being called I have had a flood of ideas and I find myself thinking, "How am I going to have time to do all these things?". I'm trying to stay calm and have faith that I can do this. I pray that I will be able to bless the lives of the YW and their families. I know that I am not alone in this endeavor. I am thankful for the help of counselors and advisers. I am thankful that I was counselor for 2 years. I am thankful for the example that the previous President was to me. I am thankful for the young women in my ward, and I am thankful for a husband that supports me in this time-consuming calling and his willingness to help with the kids. I know that it won't be easy, but I also know that I was called for a reason so I will take one step at a time and do the best that I can. I am thankful for opportunities like this that my church gives for I know that it will teach me to love to serve, it will help me grow stronger, and be better.