Thoughts on Potty Training

It's probably been 4 years since I potty trained Hali. Last night we used the last pull-up on Porter and I decided (or was guilted into it by Scott) that it was time to bite the bullet and potty train Porter. Ugh! It's only part way through the day and I'm so not liking this. I totally forgot how gross it is to wash poop out of underwear. Why is poop so much worse in underwear than it is in a diaper? I'm an old pro at the diaper thing, but the underwear makes me gag. I know this is sickest post I've ever had, just be grateful I didn't take a picture!

A Little Vent

ok, so my sister-in-law, Natalie, has used her blog to vent about her husband, and now it's my turn. Last Christmas, I asked for a new knit cap to keep my head warm in the winter. I'm envisioning a cute knit thing with maybe some flowers on it. Something cute and girly. This is what I opened up.



Yes, it does say University of Utah. The point, Honey, is to get something I would like, not you! Needless, to say, it's now his and my head is still bare. I bring this up, because last night we were talking about Christmas and I said that I needed to get to the mall. I'm all out of perfume and I've had this bottle for like 5 years (I don't wear it often), so I have no idea what's out and what I would like. Scott says to me that HE should pick out the scent, because he's the one smelling it on me. Now, who would trust the man who bought the hat above for his WIFE, to pick out the same woman perfume? I don't think so. So we've settled on this. I will pick out about 3 or 4 choices and then he can pick the one he likes best from that. You'd think that after almost 12 years of marriage, I would know to SPELL things out and he'd know my style!

P.S. By the way, this was not the only gift I got. To give Scott some credit, the rest of my gifts were lovely and I loved the watch he picked out particularly! Love you, Hon!

Regan's New Do!

Regan needed a haircut. We (meaning me) decided that it had no style and needed something different. I don't think I was thinking so drastic, but I love how it turned out. More importantly, SHE loves how it turned out. So CUTE!


It's not uneven. She just put one side behind here ear.


A view from the back.

Halloween Parade

Friday morning, the school decided to do it's Halloween Parade and Parties. I hadn't planned on staying for more that the Parade, but the girls didn't want to change out of their costumes until the parties were over and especially Hali couldn't stay in it the whole day.



Regan posing during the Halloween Parade. Can you believe that the girl on the right is in 4th grade?



Hali going by in the Halloween Parade. They were moving pretty fast so she only got in a wave.



Hali and her best friend Kylee are playing the mummy game in class.

It's Halloween Time Again!

Elk Meadows Elementary has figured out a way to make Halloween stretch out for about a week. I LOVE IT. Most every year, I spend about two months planning and making my children's costumes. I know most of you are shaking your heads and thinking I'm totally crazy! But I love this. Lots of women scrapbook or are really good at keeping their houses clean. Not so much me. I love to sew. And Halloween is the best and most fun time to do it! So the more they can wear these costumes that I've SLAVED over, the better! Thursday night the school had their Trunk or Treat at the school. We took pictures of the kids before we went.



Here are the kids posing in front of the house. I was still getting Zoey ready, that's why she's not in the picutre.



I adore this picture of Regan. I think it perfectly describes her. Not that she's sweet and loving, but that she's an ACTRESS! She's being Mother Nature and really getting into the character. I LOVE IT! You can just imagine the drama that is my house.



Hali's costume, I admit, I got a little carried away with! It just kept getting more and more ornate. I couldn't help myself! She LOVES the girly costumes and I LOVE to make them. I wish the picture had turned out better and you could more clearly see the peacock feathers. Hopefully, we'll get a better one later.



Porter is really into pirates right now. I guess it's a boy thing. So, here he is as Pirate Porter! By the way, that is my FAVORITE smile!



Can you believe, with three girls this is my first Cinderella?
Zoey wouldn't stand for us to take a picture, so I had to hold her on my knee and try to stay out of it!

Can we build it? Yes, we can!

We had quite the building weekend. First we built the bookshelves, not from scratch, we aren't THAT good. We bought them from IKEA. We finally have one here is Salt Lake and now I know what my sister-in-law, Lara, means when she raves about it. I love it, too. You'd think for someone who loves to read as much as I do, that I would have put up shelves sooner. I mean, these are pretty much the only bookshelves in my house! Can you imagine?!


I've had the bench for a while and it looked so small and lost on that wall. Now it looks like it's one big piece! I love it!

The girls have been complaining about their bunk beds for a while now. They loved them for about a month and then decided that they didn't. So we finally gave in and took them apart. We knew since they are a twin and a full, that it was going to be a tight squeeze so we bought them a smaller computer desk. It's perfect and the girls are now THRILLED with their room. One of these days we'll finish the basement and then they can have their own room.


I know, I know, I REALLY need to paint that wainscotting! It's been on the back burner for about two years now! But I've had Porter around. He doesn't let me do much except clean up his disasters!

A Room with a View Continued....

I figured about once a month, I'd post a picture of the view we have of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. It doesn't look that much different, but they have been working! All the curbing for the parking lot is done and if you look at the temple from a different angle you can see the changes. It's very cool to have a temple being built nearby. And now it looks like my kids may be going to a new elementary school that is being built down the street from the temple! So, cool.

The Great Pumpkin Search

We took the kids to pick out pumpkins on Friday night. We found this cute little place off of 90th and State Street. They had several cut-out posters that you could put your face in and even a little train! Little being the key word! But the kids thought it was cool.



Hali and Zoey smiling for Mom. Well, sort of.


This little boy followed us around and we couldn't get him out of the picture.


Scott is hiding behind so that we could get Zoey in it, too!



Here's Porter riding the Little train.

The New Regan!

Today Regan got braces. She was really nervous, as usual, but so excited when they were done. I guess that's the difference between getting them when you're 10 and not when you're 14. She'll have them on for about two years, so she'll be done before she's even a teenager! YEAH!! That's one less teen angst we'll have to deal with. Hey, I'll take what I can get!



The Before.



Regan's new hardware! She had orange and black put on for Halloween. Geez, we didn't get to decorate our mouths when I had braces, back in the stone age!

BELLO- Bration!

The Ringling Bros Circus came to Salt Lake last weekend and we took the kids to the show on Friday night. They were really excited. Bello is the main clown and he can do everything! He joined quite a few of the acts and was really good at them. Porter loved all the animals, especially the tigers. He kept roaring at the kids behind us.:-P



Probably the only picture we got of the actual circus that wasn't blurry.



Regan and Hali before the show started.



It's rare these days to get a picture of Porter smiling. He thinks he's cuter making weird faces.



I think that you always have to get a picture with a parent, just to prove they were there. So, I tried getting one with Scott. I guess the girls didn't realize I was taking a picture.



The kids (myself included) enjoying the show.



Porter didn't want me to take his picture. Nice ketcup face!