Potty Training

I thought for sure I had blogged about when I potty trained Kylee, but I went back to look and I didn't. I am can not remember everything about it like what exactly I did, when I was frustrated, how long till we did morning and night, etc. So, I am trying not to make that same mistake again by blogging now. We are not done yet, but at least I will have something to look back on when I do the next one.

We started potty training last Monday. That would make Tia about 22 months old. The reason I decided to do it even though she is still not talking is because I knew she could. She takes of her pants almost everyday, she loves to open the potty and sit on it, she would wipe herself, and she was just highly interested in it. So, we went for it. Monday was pretty bad I don't think we had a single success. Luckily, I was watching Ethan that day and he loves to play outside, so most of the accidents happened outside, which is super convenient. Just so you know, I haven't done the fully commando approach yet, they wear panties and if we are out front or going somewhere they they have pants too. Just in case you want to know. Even though Monday had no success, it wasn't too bad actually.

Tuesday was better. We finally had success. We still had quite a few accidents, but some success. We went shopping even. That is a pretty bold move for day two, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Wednesday, she did really good again. Then Thursday I think we had none. She did so awesome. She went when we were at the doctors office. Lasted the 30 min ride there and back. She went while we were at the park. She just did great. Friday though was horrible. We had messes, tantrums, major failed expectations, and to top all off I was having a kind of rough day too. It was so bad. I just wanted to scream. Poor Gaupo had to hear all about the woes of potty training and the awkward pregnant, but no enough to wear maternity clothes stage. It was one really rough day.

Saturday, we went up to Loveland to find maternity clothes that I could wear, and that I was excited to wear. This was a little risky, but it turned out well. Apparently Tia prefers public restrooms, because I never have a problem getting her to go in them. We had a successful shopping trip. I found somethings I really like, and because they are new they haven't been stretched much so they stay on pretty well.  The rest of Saturday went well and pretty much without problems I think. We even went to our stake carnival, and she used the bathroom there twice and really was a champ. Sunday she did pretty good except the fighting on when she should go kind of started. She didn't really want to go when I needed her to, so one time she didn't sit there long enough and while I was teaching a little lesson in nursery she pooped. I mean the stance that I saw when I came back in the room was actually quite funny, because I knew exactly what had happened. Luckily, it was easy to take care of and went pretty much without incident. The rest of Sunday was good.

Yesterday was good, but then I have started coming down with a cold. Oh man, I am such a grouch when I am sick. All I want to do is veg and have it quite, none of which can happen with kids. So today has been rough. We didn't really have accidents, but she kept pulling on my shirt and trying to look down it, touch my face, fight me, etc. When I am sick these things go over not at all well. 

As you can see we are not done, but on a good start. I need to get it so she will tell me, but it so hard to let go once they can go whenever. I really like not having messes, so to try and wait for her to tell me is just more than I can seem to take right now. I will probably wait till the cold passes to work on this step, but if the fighting me about it gets worse than maybe not. Also, we need to do naps and bedtime, but we have to move her out of her crib first. So, we are getting there, but are still far from being complete.

Notes on things I do: To keep accidents from ruining the stroller when I go running---I have her sit on a plastic bag. To make sure they don't get on the carseat---put a diaper underneath her. Its not strapped on and she still gets wet, but the seat doesn't. I ask her if she needs to go and if its been about and hour then I try to get her to go. Whenever she has an accident, I grab her hand and run with her to the bathroom saying "mommy potty! Mommy potty!" I do this so that she knows that is what I want her to say and also, so she knows that we need to go potty in bathroom. Then once we are on the potty we wipe of legs, get new patties, clean underwear if needed, and then go mop up the mess. Potty training is not for wimps, but it is possible and very nice not to have to change diapers hardly at all.                                                                                                                 

Michael Bryce Family Reunion 2015

This is our third year of having Michael Bryce family reunions and they are great. It allows for a time for us all to gather together and the only thing we have going on for a couple of days is being together. Our family reunions are kind of short only about 3 full days together, but it is way better than nothing which is probably what might happen just because of schedule conflicts, money, work, life, etc. So, yes we had our third reunion and it was great let me tell you about our reunion adventure.

We left on Friday evening after work to head to Trinidad, CO. I had made sandwiches and packed us some good other stuff and we headed out. We actually made pretty good time, but we did have a few slow downs along the way. However, considering we were going through Denver around 6:00 I am not going to complain, because I don't think we came to a complete stop except maybe twice. The girls did really good traveling and somehow managed to stay awake the whole time. We arrived in Trinidad around 9:30. The night was rough. First it took awhile to fall asleep. Then somehow the alarm got turned off and went off at midnight. So, I had a really deep 2 hour sleep, so I woke up and was like ready to go. To make matters worse it was extremely hot in our room. We did finally get that figured out, but it took awhile. Then our kids who love to sleep warm started to get slightly restless because of the cooler air. Finally we did get some sleep, but boy oh boy was it a rough night.

Tia being our navigator. She loved holding that giant book.

Kylee wanted her picture taken too. Here she is being silly.

Saturday dawned early with our kids. I guess it wasn't literally early, but it sure felt like it after a rough night. Luckily the hotel had a great breakfast and so after really enjoying that we checked out and were going to head out when I checked the receipt. They overcharged us by $20. So, I made Gaupo go back in and talk to them. They kindly worked it all out and after getting some gas we were on our way. The trip was really quite uneventful. Although, it did seem really long. I think it is because we don't know the route very well, so we don't know when things are close and what things to look for next, or the halfway point, etc. However, we arrive in beautiful Bryce, AZ around 5:00 AZ time. So, we didn't make bad time. The girls did pretty well and overall not a bad trip. That night was mostly spent just settling in and trying to recoup from all that travel. I mean even good travel can exhaust a person.

Tia and Allen being cousins.

Sunday was a beautiful day. We got up and got ready for church. We went to church where I happily dropped my kids off at nursery and then left. Bless those nursery leaders hearts because Tia wasn't very happy about this and apparently cried on and off the whole time. OH! that is so hard. However, I was able to enjoy church. It was fun to sit with all my sisters and my mom. In Relief Society, we had no kids, so we could actually enjoy the whole thing together. Then after church we all came home and had a super simple lunch and put the kids down for naps. Gaupo took a nap too. My siblings and I talked, we may have played a game I don't remember. After naps dinner was made. We had our family plus Josh Jensen, Papa Ross, and my Uncle Mark for dinner. It was fun to catch up with all of them. It is a good thing Uncle Mark has a good sense of humor because he sat down next to Kylee and she literally broke down in tears and didn't want to eat until I sat between them. It was sad/funny. After dinner we did a lot of visiting and the kids just played and played and played. During that time the Boyd Bryce's came up to say Hi, so that was super fun. However, before they left I had to put my kids to bed because they were starting to not play very nice. After all the kids were down we had family council. We discussed the Allen Brady reunion, our next reunion, my parents will, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the schedule for the week. Its kind of weird to discuss such grown up things. It kind of makes me feel old, yet kind of important. After that meeting we talked some more and then my mom made us go to bed.

Tia in Allen's PJ's doing her happy dance.

Monday was such a fun day. We started off with biscuits and gravy. Then I vacuumed out our car, so it would be ready to sell the next day. Then I helped get stuff ready to go up the mountain. When I say "The Mountain" I mean Graham Mountain. Gaupo, Papa, Betty Jane, Kylee, Tia, and I all loaded in the truck and everyone else went in the van. It will be the last time our family will ever fit in just two cars. Once again a little bittersweet. We drove up to Shannon. That is my family's favorite spot to go. Josh met us up there with his mules. So, I got the pleasure of taking the girls on mule rides with my dad. I haven't ridden in so long I forgot how wonderful it was. It is just kind of nice to sit and look around and not have to worry about driving. When we were finished with that, my brother had gotten the fire going and we had a wiener roast. Fire roasted food is the BEST! My mom had all the trimmings for traditional somores, cookie somores (I actually REALLY liked these), somores with fancy chocolate, chips, and drinks. It was AWESOME! After eating we kind of just hung around. The kids played bat, and just had fun running around. Around 3 when the kids were getting cranky, we left. They all feel asleep going down the mountain, but it really wasn't enough to last them through the night. When we got home, Jack and Lindsay made dinner and we went swimming. Then we ate dinner and boy Jack and Lindsay make REALLY good pizza. Then we had family home evening. Then us adults played Quiddler and called it a night.

Papa, and Tia on Treasure. Kylee and I on Tigger.

Papa, Tia, Kylee, and I.

Kylee, Papa, Betty Jane, and Me.

Kylee and Papa.

Kylee and Me.

My Mom.

Tia getting ready to play in the water.

Kylee, Gaupo, Tia, and Me.

Kylee, Betty Jane, Tia, Allen, Papa, Skippy (dog)

Tia.

Tuesday started off with a griddle breakfast. It was so good. The men did a really good job cooking it up. Then we headed off to Thatcher park to play. The kids played good their for awhile. Then we headed back to the house. Once we were there we hung out, got some lunch, and put the kids down for naps. During naps Gaupo and I bought our first minivan. That's right folk I now own a minivan. We bought it from my parents, who were very generous to sell it in the first place. They have done a great job caring for it. We got our trip plate ( a piece of paper you put in the window) and headed home. We sold the Impala to Jack and Lindsay. I thought we would both have a harder time than we did, but honestly Kylee has had the roughest time. It has taken until like yesterday for her to start saying that she likes this car. She was always saying that she liked the other car better, and wondered why we had to sell it to Uncle Jack. Anyway, after all the car stuff was done we went swimming again. After about an hour swimming, I came back in and got the girls changed and started dinner. Gaupo and I were in charge and made chili rellano casserole, beans, and spanish rice. It all turned out good. After we finished eating we dashed off to the Grant's house to see their tortises. At first the girls were afraid of them, but they slowly warmed up to them and both Kylee and Betty Jane got on Thor and rode him. It was so cool. I honestly haven't really wanted pets, but I was kind of tempted by these. Anyway, so cool and such a fun activity. When we got back it was time to put the kiddos to bed. Then we visited and called it a night.

Betty, Tia, and Kylee on super awesome teeter-toter.

Betty, Kylee, and Tia before heading to the park.

Kylee, Me, Tia, and Gaupo.

Kylee on one of the smaller tortoises.

Tia pointing at the tinny one.

Tia riding one.

Kylee and Betty Jane on one.

Betty, Tia, and Me.

Wednesday we left. It was sad. I mean at least others were leaving too, but still like it just felt too soon to leave. I think that me+lots of travel=needs more than just a few days, so I can act normal. Anyway, we had to go. We went to Trinidad and had a pretty good stay at the hotel, still a bit rough but much better than the last time.

Thursday we slowly got our groove on and went home. Thus ended our wonderful trip. I know it doesn't sound like much, but time together is so precious. I just feel like I blow it every time I get the chance, but luckily my family keeps inviting me back and love me anyway. I sure love being around them and am grateful for the wonderful time that we do have together. It is truly a wonderful blessing. 

Together Forever

This weekend we went to Idaho. Yes, again. We went for Gaupo's brother Scott's wedding. It was a little crazy, but it was totally worth it. There were so many great moments, memories, and really our kids did pretty darn well on the drives.

We started off on Friday after Gaupo got off work. He ended up having to work through his lunch, so he was able to come home early, so we got a little earlier start than we were originally planning on. It was both good and bad. It was good that we got off earlier because we got to the hotel earlier, but working 8 hours straight is really hard on Gaupo's system. Consequently, I drove most of the way. This time it worked out good because I was wide awake and a little antsy just sitting there and for once Gaupo was completely fine being a passenger. The girls did really well until about 8 o'clock and then they started getting grumpy. I bet it was because it was past bedtime and their naps left a lot to be desired. However, we finally got them to calm down and they fell asleep making the last of our trip very pleasant. When we got to the hotel it was around 10:30 and the girls of course were super excited. They were running around looking at everything, exploring the bathroom and closet, and just loving that it was a new place to run around. They were not too happy to go to bed, but because it was so late we were all going to bed, so once there was nothing going on they both fell asleep quickly.

Saturday was the wedding day. We left our hotel in Green River around 9:15 a little later than planned, but when we arrived late to the lunch it hadn't even really started yet, the caterer was just getting the food there, so it wasn't totally untactful just a little. There was a tasty dutch oven dinner. With wedding cake for dessert. Aubrey looked absolutely beautiful. She had her hair and makeup done fancy and she just looked so mature and I thought really pretty. Scott was Scott, handsome and just really happy to be getting married. I am sorry, but guys don't really look that much fancier on their wedding day, but girls usually do. Anyway, it was so fun to watch them and they looked very pleased with their special day. After the luncheon, we all headed to the Logan Temple where Scott and Aubrey were sealed. It is such a neat experience every time. This time especially for me. I don't really know why, but this time as I was listening to that sealing covenant I was blown away, but the commitment. It is HUGE. I honestly can't believe well I can, but it still seems amazing that we do that for the most part in our twenties. We make a major commitment to someone else and to God when most people would argue life is just beginning. However, that commitment doesn't come without blessings and power. I do know that covenant holds a lot of binding power and if we stay faithful to it we will be blessed. After the sealing and pictures we headed to Swanlake. On the way, Gaupo and I talked about what I was thinking about, and about how you keep the "spark" in marriage alive. It was interesting to realize that spark and power come when we depend on and serve each other. The more we look after and serve our spouse at least for us the more "spark" our marriage seems to have. It is when we get lazy and take each other for granted that things get run of the mill. We were the first ones back, so we got some drinks picked out and some cake mix cookies made. Then we waited for the pizza to get there. When Gary, Aaron, and Melanie arrived with pizza we were still doing things and getting kids changed and things, so it took a bit to get to the food, but we got there and it was as good as ever. That night by the time baths were taken, and a little talking had been done it was time to hit the sack. We were all pretty tired after that great long day.

Kylee by the back of the Logan Temple doors.

Tia. She loved these flowers and fence.

Tia.

Kylee.

Tia and Kylee.

Tia, Me, Aubrey, Scott, Kylee and Gaupo. Such a fine bunch.

Sunday was thankfully a day of rest. When we first made plans to go out, it looked as if it would have to be a travel day, but we were blessed with some vacation time we didn't think we would have and so we were able to rest. We went to church in Swanlake. Kylee went to Grandma's class and then to primary. She was so excited. She loves going to primary. There was no nursery so Tia and the other visitors that were there played while us parents took over. The women, Heidi, a Gambles Mom, and I did Sunday School and then Jeff, Jason, and Brandon Gambles watched the kiddos during Relief Society. It worked out very well. Then we went home and had a delicious dinner and put the kids down for naps. While they were sleeping, I went to visit my Grandpa. I got to spend a little over two hours with him. I know that doesn't sound very long, but usually don't get to visit longer than and hour and almost never by myself, so this was GREAT! Anyway, we visited and chatted and remembered together. It was awesome. It was so great to hear my Grandpa talk. Family is so important to him. He wants everyone in his family to be his forever and ever. That is why the back of his and Grandma's headstone says "May there be no empty chairs." I can not even begin to tell you the love that my Grandpa has for his family. Also, we were able to go the cemetery and I was able to see the headstone he picked out and hear about why he chose everything he did. Then on the way home we talked some more about families, about where Grandma was, and about how we would one day see her again. As he talked about all these things, both in the car and at home, I could tell that my Grandpa KNEW these things. He didn't just believe them or hope for them like I do right know. No, he knew them and was holding tight to that. I honestly can not believe the strength of his testimony. It is truly amazing. It really helped strengthen mine, and honestly be better able to look to the future with joy. My other favorite thing was when we talked about the summers that I got live with them. I am so glad they happened, so lucky and blessed to be able to know my grandparents like that. One of my favorite memories from those summers is traveling EVERY Saturday, except for the couple where my dad went with me instead, with my grandpa to the farmers market in Idaho Falls. We talked about that because I said "I am sure you had better things to do than to go there with me and make sure I would stay awake." His reply was great, he said, "I bet then I thought I did, but I look back now and there isn't a better way I could have spend those Saturdays." I know I am so lucky to have had that time to talk with him and just to be with him. Anyway, I loved my visit with Grandpa it was so great to chat and I didn't have to worry about a thing it was WONDERFUL!

When I got back to the farm, we went over to Clifton for Gaupo's cousins Eagle Court of Honor. They did a really good job, and then had a great dinner after. It was kind of late for such a party, but it was still really fun to go and to participate in something that we would normally have to say "Oh man, we can't go we live too far away." Plus it was fun to visit again. Although, visiting when you have kids is a lot different than it was before them. When we got home we put the kiddos to bed and then stayed up till about 11:00 chatting with Grandma. It was so great.

Monday was a travel day. We got off a little before 10:00 and headed home. We stopped for lunch and the girls thought that was great. They love to eat "fancy." So grateful that fancy for my kids is Wendy's. For the most part they did really well. Toward the end again they got pretty whinny, but hey they are kids and traveling is rough, so I really can't complain too much. We got home a little after 7:00 and had beans and cheese and then sent those tired kids and ourselves to bed.

This trip was totally worth all the crazy traveling.