A Pee-pee in the Potty

Carter is finally potty trained! After several failed attempts since last summer I decided that what he needed now was consistency. He started telling us throughout the day, even while in the car and at stores that he needed to use the potty so we gave it another shot and just stuck with it. He had a few accidents but I reminded myself that he would learn from it better if I kept underwear on him than if he was constantly changing from underwear back to diapers. I put a change of clothes in my diaper bag and crossed my fingers every time I left the house. Luckily we only had two accidents while not at home.

To help him remember that we was wearing underwear and not a diaper I let him leave his pants off. I realize this is a little white trash but I figured it was ok since we didn't leave the house this way and it was just until he could go a full day without accidents:



He is still so small that using the potty is quite a process for him. First he has to climb on the toilet to turn on the light:


Then he has to bring the stool to the toilet:


And Bingo! He always looks like he's falling in but he doesn't want to use his little boy seat and assures me he isn't getting his bum wet. I guess that would just be adding another step anyway.
Every time he used the potty he got to put a sticker on his potty chart, and when he went a full day without accidents a few days later we took him out for ice cream. We haven't had an accident since! Yeah! I feel pretty proud of myself considering we did all this only a few weeks after Addison was born. I was a super mom for a few days. Hmm. That part didn't last long. :)

Valentines Do-Over

If the first time fails, try, try again.

Jeff had to work last Saturday night so we decided to celebrate Valentines Day on Friday night. My parents agreed to watch the kiddos so we went out to dinner. Jeff wanted sushi but I was more in the mood for BBQ. In the end Jeff picked out a new BBQ place he wanted to try. We dropped off all three kids (I didn't want to leave Addison at first but then thought if I fed her right before we left it would be okay because she always has some formula around that time anyway and I didn't think we'd be very long cuz we were just doing dinner).

The place Jeff wanted to try was in Old Colorado; a place called Front Range BBQ. I was a little nervous driving so far away, and was already second guessing leaving the baby even though we had just left. Then when we got there the place just had a scummy feel. The two guys we met in the parking lot made me grab Jeff's hand for a reason other than affection. And once we got inside there was group of people waiting for a table that were having quite a colorful conversation. The menu looked good and the reviews got raves but the F-bomb that was dropped in the lobby as we were leaving assured us that we had made the right decision. It may have good food but I don't think we'll ever know.

So there we were back in the car again, 30 minutes gone from our "quick" dinner and we were back to square one. Where to eat? Sushi? BBQ? We decided to go to Texas Roadhouse. On the way Jeff is driving and plugging in the restaurant to see if we could find a closer location than the one we already knew of. We find a closer one, make a U-turn and call ahead to put our names in because the Roadhouse is notorious for long waits. 45 minutes they say. Its now 45 minutes already into our "quick" dinner so 45 minutes more seems like a long time. So we look up the number for the other location closer to home and think we'll just spend some of the time driving over there and which will save time on the drive home. But when we finally get them on the line they say their wait time is an hour and 25 minutes!

Now what? After another U-turn and phone call we end up at Old Colorado location and settle down to wait it out. The place is just insanely crowded (I don't even want to imagine how the other place was!). We calm the hunger pains that are now upon us with a lot of peanuts and check out the menu to save time. We get to know that faces of those around us really well because they do not change. I watch this lady dressed in sweats cry silently for some unknown reason and think it's the saddest thing I've ever seen. I mean, you must be in pretty bad shape to go out in public in a condition like that. Your family must be desperate to cheer you up, or why else would you be out?

After an hour of waiting, looking at the same faces of three different groups that were there before us we called it quits. We weren't even hungry anymore and definitely done waiting. The hostess told us with a straight face that it should only be about 10 more minutes, but in the same sentence added that there were 7 parties in front of us. Eight parties will be seated in 10 minutes? Riiight.

Jeff grabbed a hamburger on the way home but I passed, having totally lost my apetite. By the time we picked the kids up Addison had just finished a bottle and was not interested in what I had to offer. It was a pretty uncomfortable night for me and definitely not good for my milk supply which already not the greatest. Not the best Valentines date we've had.

When we got home Jeff's sister Natalie asked how our date went. When we told her our story she very kindly offered to watch the kids for us the next day if we wanted to go out to breakfast or lunch. Although we weren't too keen on the idea that night, but in the morning we decided to give it another go.

We chose Sushi and had a wonderful date. I guess everyone needs a do-over sometimes.

My Valentine

I was about to buy a Valentine's Day card for my husband the other day but then I happened to look at the price on the back of the one I picked out. It was over $7! So call me cheap, but I put the card back and decided to write something myself.

10 things I LOVE about my husband:
He comforts me when I'm sad
He's a great father
He builds me up and always tells me I'm beautiful
He's in tune to my emotions
He makes me laugh
He supports me when I feel overwhelmed
We enjoy most of the same activities
We work together on finances
We rarely argue, but when we do, it is with respect and quickly followed by an apology and then forgotten
He is unselfish
He is generous
He is self reliant
He is a hard worker
He loves me always

Okay, that was more than 10 things, but what can I say? My husband is the best!

I'll never forget the first time we went snowboarding when we were dating. I was a little apprehensive about going because I knew it was gonna be difficult to learn and I didn't want to ruin the day for Jeff. He had just told me the day before that he loved me for the first time. I knew the next day would show me just how much he loved me!

I hadn't told him I loved him that night, but I couldn't keep from telling him the next day because he was unbelievably patient and sweet. I was falling all over the mountain while he waited giving instructions. I felt clumsy and silly but he just kept telling me how beautiful I was and how much he loved me. I'll never forget him climbing up the mountain to give me a kiss and wipe all the snow off my face after I had wiped out after only boarding a few feet. It takes a lot of patience to spend an entire day waiting for someone to take over an hour to go down the bunny slope each time. Not much fun. I'll never forget how he treated me that day.

Another favorite memory of mine happened very recently. Shortly after Addison was born I suddenly felt very overwhelmed and exhausted. He found me crying on the couch. After I explained why I was crying he suggested I lay down for a nap and he watch the kids. He tenderly helped me upstairs and tucked me in bed. It seems a simple thing, but the compassion and love he showed me with that simple act spoke volumes. I will remember that day for a long time.

At church today it was Ward Conference and the Stake President talked a lot about marriage. All I could think about was how wonderful mine is.