My parents bought Grandpa and Grandma Dickinson's house on the Lake! I am very excited that it is a house i know and to be able to go boating all the time. I am also excited to see how the house will look like in the end after they make it their own. I am sad to see my house go though. It is officially up for sale and next month might be the last time I get to go to my house! that is really weird and sad. but as long as we are together as a family its ok. its just hard to wrap my head around that this is really going to happen. I never ever ever thought my parents would move.
Elli is basically potty trained!!! Elli and I have tried with potty training off and on and it was a frustrating thing and not quite working. She would want to go on the potty after she went in her diaper - setting herself up for unsuccessful trips. But good she was aware her body did something.
then one day I bought a little toliet (in adddition to the potty seat that we already had) and she just got it! although she perfers the potty seat as she feels like a bigger girl on it. I think it really has nothing to do with me but the fact that she wanted to do it and that she got a successful trip. We then have had a couple weeks of all successes and only 2-3 accidents. She was amazing. We trained for only certain hours in the day - putting a diaper on at dinner time so we could both take a break from training. and it was really nice. during this time Elli had basically mastered potty training but had no sucesses when it came to pooping. but this last week Elli figured it out and hasn't had an poop accident since and runs to the potty each time.
At this point I'd say Elli is potty trained except that she doesn't always think to go and needs reminders to stop what she is doing and go. So as long as I am reminding her every 1.5 we are accident free but if I leave, she doesn't always go running to the bathroom but she is getting better every day at remembering to go and not hold it. It's been so nice to have her trained as we dont use diapers for her and she feels big and proud. Canyon has had some sucessful trips too but that is just on his own and I am debating on embracing his excitement or not because he is still young.
St. Patrick Day:
We had a fun neighborhood st. Patrick day activity. The activity involved story time, making hats, having a parade and singing songs.
Its so fun to have the friendships that have developed her at wymount in our neighborhood. I have great friends and so does Elli and Canyon. I am sad that alot of them are moving in the next few months. it won't be the same. At least I have got back in the habit of making friends again.
Some fun things we have done are - reading group, yoga group, running a 1/2 marathon (at 13 weeks pregnant) & training together, playing together outside everyday, tea party, walks, birthday parties, going to storytime together at the bean museum and library, etc.
We have been also looking at different job opportunities for next school year. So we have had some interviews, have another one tomorrow and waiting on some other applications. It will be interesting to see what work Blake and I choose for the next year.
Blake has been working hard on his thesis for graduate school this month too. Writing about the what, how and why of his project. I think he will enjoy starting the actual research instead of just writing about it.
Elli and Canyon have become HUGE BYU FANS!! its so fun - they know all the chants and love cosmo. We go to alot of BYU games and its been a fun outting to watch the games, and watch dad at work as he is filming them. here is us at a baseball game!
Grandma Dickinson sent the kids a package and they were so excited about the new hats they got!
Its so fun to see Elli and Canyon grow up! They have such fun personalities! They also are playing alot more together! It's my favorite thing to watch them naturally play together. They do have some sibling fights though...dinner time: "Me: does anyone want milk? Elli: I want milk, Canyon: no I want milk, Elli No I want it!, CAnyon: No I do!....Me: you both get milk!!!!" It so fun that they are close in age because they have so much in common and enjoy alot of the same things.
Elli = Full of life, loves friends, potty trained, confident, puts herself out there, become a leader to the smaller kids- telling them how to do things and encouraging them to follow her. good eater. Lots of energy. Elli is really good about going to sleep in her bed on her own - after our routine. I am amazed at the things she does every day and how smart she is. I really hope I can keep up with her. She is also getting really good at her push bike! and has a great imagination. She has also started to be really interested in looking/ "reading" books by her self and with me.
Canyon= big boy in a little body. He is so ahead of the kids his age. They are all playing by them selves saying a word or two. He is playing with the big kids doing what they are doing, speaking sentances. I get a complement on his talking everyday! He under stands everything I tell him. Can count to 12. knows his colors. I think he thinks he is Elli's age and pulls it off pretty well. I just get nervous when he is half the size of those who he is playing with and don't want him ran over. He also started nursery in janurary and never has had a problem and loves it. He is a mommies boy but also a daddies boy in other ways. It fun to have the bonds he creates. Canyon is a night owl...He is refusing to sleep at all cost and will often want to stay up as late as us or later.
another adventure we took on is limited nap time. This means both my kids stopped wanting/ needing naps. They only take 1-2 naps a week and when they do- I need to wake them up at an hour or else they can't fall asleep that night. Even with a short nap it can be hard for them to fall asleep because they have so much energy. before this was a big struggle of fighting them to go to bed both at nap time and then bed time but we are all happier now that we are not having this struggle.
We are usually doing these activities each week:
we go to the library, baking, walks, play outside with the neighbors, bean musuem -story time get to touch live animals, and byu sports games.
Its been fun to live so close to the temple that we can walk there. The kids love love lvoe to touch the temple!
I am in my third trimester. Here are some pics of me at 10, 20 and 30 weeks. I am currently 31 weeks. I am doing pretty good. I get some bad pains in my body though - which i think is from not taking it as easy as I am watching Elli and canyon too. But i have been working on some things i can do to take it easier and the pains are lessing in some ways. But of course increasing in other ways as i get bigger. But other then that I am trying not to get too baby hungry yet so that the wait is not so long and painful. I am also starting a workout /be healthy goal with my sister-in law Heather for the last part of my pregnancy and so hopefully that will help me feel good and be distracted too. Lately I enjoy swimming but getting up early is hard so it doesn't always happen.
We got help though byu and found out that though taxes we will be getting alot finacial help this year which we are so excited about. Such a blessing. Too bad we didn't know this the last couple of years but we are learning. It is amazing all the help we have recieved in our marriage the lord is certainly looking after us as we begin our family.
