Derby, Date, & Day o' productivity & fun

This last weekend was really great because not only were we productive, but we also had plenty of fun. My kind of weekend for sure.

Friday night we attended my nephews' Pinewood Derby (the first one I've ever attended--fake singles ward ones don't count). Their cars didn't win, but they were definitely the most creative...

Apparently this post will have no pics. Dumb Blogger. Not sure why it won't work.

Anyway, after the Derby Hannah went home with her cousins to have a sleepover with them while Scott and I went on a rare date. We went and saw the newest Les Mis movie for my first time. We also bought a couple of small toys for our new baby at K-Mart while we waited for the movie to start. Good, ghetto times. I absolutely loved the movie, and Russell Crowe's singing didn't even bother me. It was a miracle that I stayed awake for the entire movie that started at 9:45pm, especially since I only got 2 hours of sleep the night before. It was just that good.

Scott enjoyed sleeping in the next morning, and I enjoyed resting in a little later than usual. We then spent the majority of the morning and afternoon cleaning and working on random projects. Hannah came home in the afternoon, even though she didn't want to leave her cousins' house. :)

Saturday evening we went out to dinner and then spent a few innings at a UVU baseball game (thanks to free tickets from John and Megan). It was really nice to spend a warm evening at a ballgame. Hannah really enjoyed it too.

The best thing we accomplished over the weekend was to clean our bedroom that has been neglected for months. What a relief!

Fun and productive--great weekend for sure!

Back on (& off & on & off) the potty train

I've been meaning to post an update on Hannah's potty training for a couple of weeks now, so here goes...

Three weeks ago, I read the book "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day." I had heard a lot of good things about this super old technique that my mom actually used with me and my sisters. Well, I decided it was worth a shot, and the first week in April was the perfect week to try it because we didn't have much going on (I didn't even have to work).

So I started with Hannah right after breakfast on Monday morning. I followed the technique exactly for 2 1/2 hours. (Except for the part that says to to call accidents "bad"--the therapist in me just can't call a child or her mistakes bad. Oh, and I didn't make her run around in her wet underwear.)  Anyway, the first hour went great. Hannah absolutely loved the treats, juice, and constant mommy attention. The 2nd hour, she grew tired of all the potty talk and potty practice. Hannah kept trying to get me to sing songs with her and to read books to her (2 of our most common activities), and she seemed perplexed and annoyed when I would redirect everything to be about the potty (per the technique). The last half-hour, Hannah started to grow desperate for her old, potty-free life and actually started crying because she just wanted me to read her a book. I, of course, caved at that point and read to Hannah. And I also might have cried a little. But right after we finished the book, Hannah pooped and peed in her potty. And right then I remembered that my daughter never does anything on anyone else's or any book's timeline. She does all things her own way in her own time. So I immediately modified the technique to be Hannah-friendly. Books and singing and and flexibility are a must in Hannah's life. And we were both much happier that way.

On Monday Hannah had 2 1/2 accidents (she was able to stop the one I count as half as soon as she realized what was happening). But then Hannah went for 3 1/2 days with ZERO accidents! I did put her in a pull-up for naps and an outing to the library (and of course bedtime), but she often kept her pull-up dry. I was amazed at how long she was able to hold her bladder--one time going more than 5 hours!

Aside from the fact that Hannah never reached the point of just going to the potty on her own (I told her to go every hour or so), I was feeling really good that Hannah was getting the hang of using the potty. But then the weekend came, and Hannah totally regressed. I think this was mainly due to the fact that Scott got more involved, and he didn't do things exactly like me. Hannah seemed to suddenly forget that she could pee in the potty, although she continued to poop in the potty (something she was also much better at during our first potty-training stint).

I started off the next week determined to get Hannah back on the potty train, but she was having none of it. And I was feeling frustrated at that point because I knew Hannah could do much better. It wasn't much fun for me or for Hannah. And on Wednesday I decided that I didn't like the tension it was causing. It just wasn't worth wasting time cleaning up pee and then ending with both me and Hannah feeling frustrated. Definitely not that way I want to spend the last couple of months I have alone with Hannah. I want to completely enjoy our time alone together. So we happily jumped off the potty train together.

I'm positive that Hannah will just start using the potty on her own when she wants to--just like she has done most things in her life. Her pediatrician seems to think she is a bit of a perfectionist and waits to do things until she can do them perfectly. I really hope she hasn't inherited her mommy's perfectionism, but that's a post for another day. In the meantime, Hannah and I are enjoying our potty-free alone time together.

Overall, I don't think it was a waste of time to try this potty technique. It was worth trying something new. And I liked how it focused on helping Hannah be more independent in all the potty tasks and  how it focused on praising and rewarding for staying dry. I'm sure these things will help when Hannah is ready to go for it.


Now for some pics of our non-potty-training activities...

Hannah enjoying some good weather out on the balcony with Faith.

 It was fun watching Cole & Clay play baseball.

What a cutie! Too bad it didn't stay warm for long.

Hannah loved attending a BYU baseball game with her aunt Jana.

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Go Cougs!

Would  you believe that I ran a 5k on Saturday? Yeah, me neither. I walked the easy 2k portion. It was fun and was for a good cause. Hannah didn't join the cause because she just can't seem to kick her cold. And Scott didn't mind staying home with her. :)

Oh how I love my stubborn little 2-year-old!

Easter weekend

We had a really fun Easter weekend. Although this was Hannah's 3rd Easter, this was the first Easter that she has been able to walk on her own and enjoy the festivities quite a bit more.

On Saturday morning we attended the Orem City Easter egg hunt with some of Scott's fam.

 

 Hannah looked stinkin' adorable in her bunny ears, waiting for the egg hunt to start.

She and her cousin Emily were in the same age group. Before the egg hunt, Emily wasn't too happy to be stuck with us rather than with her mom. (Notice Hannah's awesome backwards ears.)

 But Emily was much happier after gathering lots of candy and a few eggs.

We met up with Hannah's other cousins after the egg hunt.

We then headed to Salem for our annual Clayson family Easter egg hunt. We had a delicious brunch first.

 Then Hannah loved gathering eggs with her cousins.

And Scott and I loved watching an independent Hannah having so much fun.

Hannah, Clay, Cole, and Faith with the Easter Bunny.

After getting tons of goodies from her grandma and grandpa, Hannah enjoyed coloring and dying Easter eggs with her cousins. Just look how focused she is on her coloring. Super cute.

On Easter Sunday we had early church. After lunch, Hannah found her Easter basket.

The Easter Bunny spoiled Hannah this year (although the doll was a must for Hannah's potty-training).

Hannah especially loved finding jelly beans inside the eggs.

We finally got pics of Hannah in her new dress with post-nap hair.

What a pretty girl in her Easter dress! Don't worry--she didn't wear her crocs to church. :)

 We enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner with all of the local Carters. I only got a pic of Hannah with one of her adorable cousins.

What a fun weekend! We are grateful for the opportunity we had to teach Hannah and our Primary class about the importance of Easter and our Savior's sacrifice and resurrection. I know Hannah doesn't understand much yet, but she definitely knows that Jesus loves her. And she loves Him. :)

end-of-2nd-tri high

Today marks the end of my 2nd trimester. I'm feeling well, but I still haven't had much energy. I didn't get nearly as many things done during my 2nd trimester as I was planning on, thanks mainly to all of us getting terrible colds. Oh well. There's always next trimester. :)

Our baby girl is as wiggly as ever, which is nice because I know she is alive and well (although I do sometimes worry about her getting caught in the cord). We still don't have a name picked out, but Hannah prefers the name I like (Maelee) to the name Scott likes (Sarah). So we'll see what happens.

And here's my ever-growing belly...

Just 3 more months until we are a family of four!

Cubs Spring Training 2013

We made our annual road trip to Arizona for Cubs Spring Training last weekend, and we had a fabulous time! The weather was perfect in AZ, as well as on the drive there and home. And the Cubs actually won!

Here are some of the pics I took...

We spent Thursday night with my sister and her fam in St. George. Hannah was disappointed that she didn't get to see her cousins because we got there too late and they left for school too early.

Hannah did pretty darn well in the car.

We really enjoyed having our friend Melissa drive down with us to visit her brother.

Friday night, we had dinner with my friend Jodi and her family at Oregano's. It was yummy! Hannah even enjoyed munching on the ball of dough they gave her to play with. Nasty.

My cute little Cubbies player!

 We spent the night at Jodi's house. Hannah loved Baby Charlie, and Charlie gave her tons of hugs. Super cute!

Hannah initiated some of the hugs.

And she really enjoyed playing with Charlie's toys.

Hannah didn't even get upset when Charlie gave her a tackle-hug. :)

On Saturday morning, we went out for breakfast and then played at a park while Charlie tried to nap. Hannah was in love with this ladybug.

She was also very adventurous and independent on the playground. It was fun to watch, but it caused her to skin her same knee 3 times within 24 hours.

My adorable little Cubs fan!

We met up with Melissa and her brother and sister-in-law for the Cubs game (Jodi and fam never made it due to illness). Did I mention that the weather was perfect?!

 Hannah got a soft bat and ball as a souvenir, and she immediately started using the bat as a microphone to sing into. Funny girl.

Family pic. Scott's almost smiling. :)

Hannah cheering on our Cubbies!

We discovered a nail in our tire on our drive to Vegas after the game, so we drove slowly and stopped often to fill our tire with air. Hannah enjoyed getting out of the car for a stop at McDonalds. Love the crazy hair.

We spent Saturday night with Scott's sister and fam in Vegas. Hannah and I went to church with them while Scott got a new tire. I didn't get any pics with them nor with my sister and fam during our stop on the way home. But I did get this pic of Hannah riding a donkey during our stop in Beaver. Cute.

As always, our trip made me super ready for Spring. Go Cubs!

funny girl

Hannah is definitely a funny girl, and she knows it. Here are some random pics and some funny things Hannah does...

Hannah loves to lounge in her bunny chair and color or eat a snack. And she loves to make herself a chair out of most anything--a curb, a large ball, her backpack, my purse, her doll stroller, and occasionally her cousins. :)

I love Hannah in blue. She loves this shirt from Aunt "Nandy" and Jacob, and she talks about them all day whenever she wears it.

 Hannah LOVES it when we watch her baby cousins, and she loves to bring the toys to them wherever they are. So helpful. :)

About a month ago, Hannah finally realized that she could get out of her toddler bed on her own and surprised me in the bathroom soon after Scott had put her down for a nap. Fortunately, I had a stroke of genius, and the next day I started letting her sleep with a pillow (I've been way too paranoid about her suffocating with one, but I observed her breathing normally throughout her entire first nap with it). Hannah LOVES her pillow and snuggles with it when she wakes up until we go into her room. She actually sometimes has to be coaxed into getting out of bed because she's too busy snuggling her pillow (with the exception of one morning when she came wandering out on her own when she heard her baby cousin). I'm not sure how she was able to sleep with her head hanging off her bed (see above pic), but you can bet I checked on her constantly to make sure she was still breathing. :)

 Hannah loves to hang out with any and all of her cousins, and she thinks it's a blast to pretend to play the wii with them or to just copy whatever they do.

Hannah loves to play with the "nasty rag" that I use to wash her face and hands after meals. Lately, her favorite place for it is on top of her head. Sick!

Hannah is pretty much obsessed with Charlie, an eliminated contestant on American Idol. She talks about him all the time, tells us she loves him, pretends to talk to him on the phone, and begs us to watch the only recording we have of him. And she even sings along to his weirdy song, "Sky Blue Diamond." Hilarious! And I LOVE the way Hannah says Charlie--more like a British "Chaw-lie." It almost makes me want to name my baby Charlie...but not really.

Last week, Scott asked Hannah if she wanted eggs for dinner, and she yelled, "I hate eggs!!"  Which she kind of does. The ironic thing is that just a couple of days before that we had heard a funny story about Scott's nephew, and I had the thought that I was glad Hannah hadn't yet learned the word "hate." Apparently I spoke/thought too soon.

Hannah loves to tease. She'll randomly call me or Scott or her uncle John "cuckoo" to try to make us laugh. And lately when I ask her how old she is, she'll laugh and say "one." And then she'll admit that she's "two!"

Hannah loves to sing the song, "I love Mommy/Daddy" from Nursery. She often insists on adding her cousins' names to the song. And lately she had been adding the names of all the Bubble Guppies. I'm pretty sure she really does love Molly, Oona, Gil, Deema, Nonny, Gobi, Bubble Puppy, and Mr Grouper. :)

Hannah also loves to sing the song, "Do As I'm Doing." The action she always picks to do first is pinch her cheeks. It's super funny. She must have learned it in Nursery.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked Hannah to do something. She responded by telling me to do it. I then told her that she needed to do it because she's a big girl. And she replied, "Mommy's a big girl!" Smart little sassy pants. :)

Ok, I guess that's enough funny for tonight. I love my funny little girl!

7 Brides for 7 Brothers

Last weekend, we enjoyed a wonderful trip in great weather to see my sister and her family in Colorado. We drove out on Friday afternoon, and Hannah did really well in the car despite letting us know how much she missed her travel buddy Faith.

 

 Saturday morning we were able to attend Jason's last basketball game of the season. Cheesy Hannah!

 Jason is on the front right.

 Hannah with Jason. That afternoon, we enjoyed some time in the sun while Hannah napped.

 That evening, we thoroughly enjoyed watching Joseph play Benjamin in his high school's play, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. Here Hannah is waiting for the play to start on the lap of her kind and patient cousin Sierra.

 After the play, we got to greet the cast. Can you tell poor Hannah was freaked out Joseph's crazy lipstick (due to a gag they played on the girls at the end of the play)? Sad but hilarious. It was way fun to see Joseph go back to his theatrical roots--he did a fabulous job!

 After church on Sunday, we ate lunch and took a couple pics before heading home.

Silly cousins! Hannah sure misses you guys! :)

It was a quick, fun weekend, and it made me feel really ready for Spring!