Letters to Santa

Lastnight we wrote letters to Santa. I thought they were pretty cute.

Here's Kate's:

Dear Santa,
I want a pants and shirt. And cents. And a Barbie and a pony. An airplane can go. I'm a good girl, Santa. I want a carpet stack. Two presents.
Please and Thank you,
Kate

No clue what she wants a carpet stack for. She's very informative though. Yes, Kate, an airplane can go!

Here's Kaden's:

Dear Santa,
Thanks for giving all the kids on earth toys, even if we be a little bit naughty. Since I have been a good boy, I would like a roller coaster that goes over the top of our house, which goes really fast, but not too fast that you go flying, and make sure that your elves can build it. And I would please like a Hotwheels jet set, and a drum set, but not a guitar or a microphone, a real one. That's about it.
Love,
Kaden.

Gosh, I hope he's not too disappointed when he doesn't get a roller coaster for Christmas. I don't know how Santa would fit that one on his sleigh, plus it wouldn't fit in our yard. This kid has high expectations. He also drew pictures of what he wants for Christmas on the back of his letter. The very first thing he drew was a picture of a "toy ticking time bomb". Hmmm, that one concerns me a tiny bit, hehehe.

Also, Kaden brought home a note from school today that says "I am thankful for the U.S. Army and Earth. And my Grandma and Grandpa. Both of them. My mom, dad and little sister!" I'm thankful for you, my sweet little ray of sunshine!

Brent Jr!

My friend Katie sent this to me. Isn't it cute?! She photoshopped Kaden's face in. Too bad he doesn't want to be a UPS driver for halloween.


And just for kicks, here's a picture my Mom took of Kate a few months ago. Silly girl. She sure can stick that lower lip out when she's pouting.

Princess poops

Kate is recently done potty training. (She still has an accident maybe once a week or less, but we've been working on the potty training thing for 6+ months now. Sometimes she's just too busy playing and forgets until it's too late and she tinkles on the way to the toilet.)
Kate also has been fascinated with princess stuff lately and will frequently tell me that she is a princess.
Anyway, I just heard Kate yell from the bathroom "Mommy, I'm done!" so I go in there to wipe her bum. I told her "good job pooping on the toilet, Kate!" Then she said "Did I poop Princess poops, Mom?" Yes, I suppose she did. Silly girl.

Putting things in perspective

I was in a somewhat sour mood lastnight. Brent got in bed and attempted to snuggle with me, and noticed my sour mood. He then told me that I "have two amazing kids and a husband who adores me". He also told me how much he loves me, and named a few other things, but that's what stuck with me. How could I not cheer up after he told me that?
Thanks for putting things in perspective, Brentus! I ADORE you too!

Kaden boy

Kaden is so much fun to be around. He is the most inquisitive child I've ever met. The questions never end. EVER. He's also a deep thinker. He's always informing me of random things. Anyway, this afternoon, he tells me:

Mom, you have to be two things. I'm going to work at swim lessons, and I'm going to be a police officer. On a TSX dirt bike.


So I guess grown-ups have to have two jobs. When he grows up he wants to be a swim teacher and a cop. He loves motorcycles, and has been saying for ablut six months now that when he grows up he wants to get a TSX motorcycle. I don't think that even exists. How cute.

He also just asked me "Mom, why does Santa have a brother?" and "How do people get electricitied?" (electrocuted) and "Can there be electricity clouds in outer space?" and "How did Jesus invent the earth?" and "Mom, how do people get out of control?" all within the last two minutes.

Man, I love that kid.

Kate's version of "I Am A Child Of God"... And T-ball

Kate loves singing. I was trying to teach her the words to "I am a Child of God" today. A few minutes ago I heard her singing a new version:

I am a Child of God
And I pooped my pants...

Needless to say, she had just been in trouble for pooping her pants. Silly girl. She makes me laugh.



Also, today was Kaden's last T-ball game for the season. He did really good. He hit the ball well, and while he was in the outfield, he caught the ball several times and threw it really good too. He really seemed to enjoy t-ball this year. (As opposed to last year. He hated it last year.) I'm really proud of him! He seems so much more confident in himself since he turned 5. He's pretty disappointed about not starting Kindergarten, but I really feel like he will do much better (especially in his social development) if he waits another year.

The joys of motherhood

There are pro's and con's of Kate being able to change her own pull-ups.

Pro: She's very independant, which is nice for me when I'm in a hurry. She can dress herself. Take off her pull=up and put on some panties. She usually throws away her pull-up too.

Con: Sometimes she takes off her pull-up, pajamas and all and just throws it all wrapped up into the dirty clothes hamper. Without throwing away the pull up first.

Sometimes I don't think to sort through every single item in the kid's hampers looking for things that shouldn't be there before I throw it in the washer. Sometimes I just dump everything in the hamper into the washer. BIG mistake. I just went to change out the wash, and guess what I found in the washer? Is that bubbles? Foam? I touch it and its a slimy gelatenous goo. Ew ew ew!!!

Guess what I'm be cleaning up this afternoon? Yay for me.

Herrrrrre's Danae!!!

That's right! Brent's sister Danae is home from her mission to the Portland, Oregon sign language mission. She got home on Thursday. We went with the Blanchs to pick her up at the airport. We missed her so much, but are very thankful for her great example to our kids. It's great to have her back. Her homecoming talk in church will be this Sunday. This is a picture of Danae holding Kaden at the airport. After she gave everyone a hug, she picked called Kaden over to her and picked him up. He asked her "how do you know my name?" It was kind of funny. Both of the kids took to her right away. Even Kate, who was only 10 months old when Danae left. They spent the entire weekend glued to her side. I'll bet she was glad to have her legs free when we went back home. Anyway, I'm so happy she's home. I'll even admit, I shed a few tears of joy at the airport. :)


Welcome home, Danae!

I know, it's been a while!

Not much going on here. Kaden's done with school for the summer. He really enjoyed his preschool teacher Mrs. Connolly. She is a wonderful teacher and Kaden has grown by leaps and bounds in her class. We've decided to keep him in preschool next year, instead of sending him to Kindergarten. He's still very small, and I think he could really benefit from an extra year of social development as well.

We've been busy with the regular summer-time stuff. Brent and I took a trip on the motorcycle at the beginning of May. We took a three day trip to Casa Grande, Sedona, Williams, and Jerome. We had a blast, but came back very sore. We've both really enjoyed having the motorcycle that Brent bought a few months ago. We also celebrated our 7th anniversary last week. We rode the bike down to Mesa and went to Red Lobster for dinner. I don't like sea food, so I had chicken. I can't believe it's been 7 years! I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who loves me so much, even if I am a little crazy sometimes!

Kaden had his five year check-up last month. He weighs 30 pounds, and was 43 inches tall. He's only in the 10th percentile for his height, and still negative for his weight. His doctor said that for as premature as he was born, he is doing absolutely incredible. She said his last big hurdle will be starting school and seeing how his social skills are. As of now, I think he's kind of in the middle. Not advanced, but not lagging. He does seem to be a little less mature than other kids his age. It never dawned on me that social development could be affected by prematurity until his doctor said that, but it makes sense. Anyway, I'm just thrilled with how well he's doing. He sure is an amazing kid, and is so much fun.

Both of the kids are in swim lessons. Kaden is in t-ball. We've been to visit Grandma Hathcock and Grandma Blanch. We're having a fun summer, but nothing super exciting. I also just started watching my nephew Corey full time. My sister Heidi just started a new job. Corey is lots of fun to have around. He's such a cute and sweet little guy.

We're getting super excited about this Thursday though. Brent's sister Danae has been on a sign language mission in Oregon for the last year and a half. She's flying back home on Thursday!!! We are so excited to see her and have missed her terribly in the last year and a half. Yay!

Happy Birthday to Kaden!

So today Kaden is FIVE!!! Crazy to think that it's been five years ago today that my tiny little guy was born. Two pounds, two ounces... So small! He beat the odds so many times. He is my little miracle boy. I still get teary-eyed thinking about his rough start. And I still haven't been able to scrapbook the pictures from when he was born. It's just too hard. Anyway, I am so thankful for that wonderful little boy. He has such a fun personality. He is hilarious, and very sweet. He always knows when I need a hug and is always willing to give me one. He's such a good brother. I can't imagine my life without him. I love him so much!
I love this picture of Kaden. It totally shows his personality; fun, fun, fun!

For journaling purposes, I'm also posting an essay I wrote a few months ago for my English class. It could only be three pages long, and I had to cut out SO much info, but I go a 100% on it. My teacher was very impressed with the story. So if you're up for a little story, here goes:
Saturday is my favorite day of the week. It’s a time to relax and spend time with family. One particular Saturday my husband, Brent and I slept in late since we did not have to go to work or school. We went to a few yard sales to find baby items for our first child who we were expecting on July 22. We came home, ate lunch, and took a nap. I’d had an easy and uneventful, even enjoyable six months of pregnancy so far. Saturday, April 24, 2004 ended up being a day that would change my life forever. It was the beginning of a new chapter in my life.
I awoke from my afternoon nap to a very sharp pain in my stomach. It hurt so bad that I began to cry. The pain faded a little bit, so I tried resting again. I didn’t even bother waking my husband. Then the pain came back, and left, several times. I finally decided to call my mom and ask her what was happening to me. While I was on the phone with her, I started bleeding and I felt like a balloon was coming out from between my legs. My mom told me to call my doctor immediately. Since it was Saturday and the doctor’s office was closed, I spoke with the on-call doctor. Dr. McNeil instructed me to go to the hospital. I woke Brent and after we left, I called my mom to let her know. She sounded very scared, and informed me that she had packed her bags and was on her way to come see me. She lived four hours away, so I told her to stop freaking out and that I would be home from the hospital in a few hours, after the doctor stopped my contractions. I assumed that since I was only 27 weeks pregnant and still had thirteen weeks until my due date, there was no way the baby could be born this early. My mom insisted that she was coming anyway.
When we arrived at the hospital a nurse directed us to a room at the end of the hallway. I was told to put on a hospital gown and get in the bed. I had never been in a hospital gown or bed before, and it felt very strange to be there. My nurse, Evelyn put two large elastic bands around my belly. One was to monitor the baby’s heart rate and the other was to monitor my contractions. The doctor had not made it to the hospital yet, but instructed my nurse to perform a pelvic exam and ultrasound to see if my cervix was dilated. The ultrasound came first. The ultrasound tech came in to my room with the ultrasound machine. She again confirmed that my son was a boy, and commented on how big his feet were. She was not allowed to tell me anything else about what was going on until the doctor read the ultrasound. Evelyn then proceeded to do a pelvic exam. She asked me to spread my legs and inserted her fingers inside of me. She got a very concerned look on her face and quickly ran from the room, almost yelling “That’s a bulging bag!”
Neither Brent nor I had realized the severity of the situation until that moment. We were both very scared. I was glad that my mom was already on her way. Brent called his parents to let them know what was going on. Evelyn returned a few very long minutes later. She explained to us that I was beginning to deliver my amniotic sac, with the baby inside. She had run out of the room to call the doctor again and let her know of the urgency of the situation. Brent’s parents showed up shortly before the doctor got there. The doctor did another pelvic exam before notifying us that I had gone in to preterm labor. She explained that I would be taken via helicopter to another hospital with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that would be able to care for my son.
While we waited for the helicopter to arrive, Evelyn put an IV in my arm and started giving me Magnesium Sulfate, which was a muscle relaxer that would slow my contractions. Evelyn said she would also need to give me a shot of steroids that would help my baby’s lungs to develop faster, thereby increasing his chance of survival. When I turned to talk to Brent, she stabbed my thigh with the needle and injected the steroids. It startled me and was so painful that I flexed my thigh as an unintended reaction. The needle bent so far when I flexed my muscle that it nearly broke. That shot hurt far worse than any of the contractions I had experienced so far.
While still waiting for the helicopter to come, a high-risk baby specialist came to talk to Brent and I about what would happen with our premature baby. He explained that if my son were to be born that day, he had only a fifty percent chance of survival; that if he were to survive, there was a high likelihood of severe disabilities. This was terrifying news to me. He also told me that for every day I was able to keep him inside of me, my son would spend about three less days in the NICU.
Around 5:00 pm the helicopter arrived and I was loaded on to a gurney. There was not enough room in the helicopter for Brent to come, so he had to drive over in his car. Although the other hospital was less than five miles away, Brent was waiting for me when we arrived. It was my first time in a helicopter, but it felt very strange to by lying down looking up at the sky. It was an uneventful helicopter ride, and I was so relieved to see Brent again. I was so scared, and he has always been my strength during difficult times. I could see that he was very scared too.
The medics rushed my gurney in to a hospital room and moved me to the hospital bed. Then they tilted the bed back so my feet were about eight inches higher than my head. I was told that this was to help gravity work in my favor. I was also receiving high doses of Terbutaline, which is another muscle relaxer, as well as antibiotics to ward off infections.
The next day, Sunday evening, I got a second and final steroid shot. The doctors said that my son would benefit most from the steroids if he stayed inside of me for a full 48 hours after the initial dose, giving the steroids enough time to develop his lungs more and increase his chances of survival. We all had a little celebration on Monday evening.
I remained in that hospital bed, day after day, thankful that I was increasing my baby’s chances for survival. I was completely miserable due to the high doses of muscle relaxers. I could hardly lift my arms or turn my head. My vision became extremely blurry, so I couldn’t watch television, or read, or do anything else that required my sight to pass the time. I had plenty of time to worry. It felt like I was going to be in that hospital bed forever. Brent stayed by me the entire time. He was too worried to leave my side, and slept beside me in my hospital bed. I began to have heart problems due to all the medications I was on and the stress it caused on my heart, and also developed pneumonia.
By Saturday, I’d started contracting very frequently again despite all the muscle relaxers and my condition had continued to deteriorate. My doctors decided that if they continued to keep me on these medications, it would have severe complications for me, and that the baby had a much better chance of survival now than he did one week ago when this started. I was taken to the operating room for an emergency c-section at 5:00 am. Brent stayed by my side through the surgery, and even watched most of it. I was still very afraid that my baby wouldn’t breathe on his own when he was born. I was amazed at how quickly everything went. My sweet, tiny little baby was born at 5:13 am on May 1, 2004, just thirteen minutes after being taken for a c-section. He weighed only two pounds, two ounces.
Within seconds of his birth, I heard the most beautiful noise I’d ever heard. My baby began crying! I couldn’t see him, but I heard his strong little cry for a few seconds before he was rushed away by the neonatal team. After hearing his cry, I knew that he was strong-willed, a real fighter. I knew he had what it took not just to survive, but to fight the hard battle ahead of him and come out on top. He was finally able to join us at home after three long months in the NICU, without any lasting disabilities or side-effects of his prematurity. He truly beat the odds, and my life will never be the same because of this amazing little boy.

Pictures!

Cute picture of Kate on an Easter egg hunt at Grandma Blanch's. Sadly, that was the ONLY picture I got of the kids on Easter. No shots of Kaden and only one of Kate. Oops! I didn't even get any of them in their Easter Sunday clothes. I might have to dress them up again just to do that. haha


Brent with his new motorcycle. He's found a new love in his life. haha











We had pictures taken last week. Kate was pretty grumpy, and Kaden makes the silly "cheese!" face but we still got some cute shots.

Funny boy

Wednesday's are Kaden's day for Show-n-tell at preschool. So, today was his day. He was having a really hard time deciding what to bring. He likes to bring "cool stuff that does neat things". Here's the conversation between Brent and Kaden:

Brent: Do you want to ride my motorcycle to school and show your class?
Kaden: {thoughtfully considering for a moment} No... I don't have all the safety equipment. And besides, I don't have a driver's lisence!
B: Well, do you want to take Sissy (aka Kate) for Show-n-tell?
K: No!!! She doesn't do anything!

I guess Kate's not cool or exciting enough for Show-n-tell. That kid makes me laugh.

Oh, and by the way... Brent got a motorcycle a few weeks ago. It's a lime green Kawasaki Versys. He's so excited about it! I'll post pics later.

Very sad...

I have some very sad news.

My sister Heidi was about 24 weeks pregnant. Her baby was stillborn this morning. He was born at about 8:30 AM. His name is Levi Michael Pinckard. I guess he stopped developing several weeks ago. The doctor thinks it may be because his umbilical cord got twisted and stopped blood flow. We'll know more about why after a few more tests are run.

Heidi is doing okay. The delivery went well. She is a little sore, and sad. Just keep her and her family in your prayers, please.

NEWS!!! And Kate's first haircut

I've got some very exciting news. I'm PREGNANT!!!! I'm due in November. Yay!

In other news, Kate got her first haircut yesterday. We just got a few inches cut off the bottom, to clean up the split ends. I fixed it after we got home and it looks really cute. This picture is at the barber shop. I got it cut at the same barber shop where I take Kaden to get his hir cut. It was an impulse decision. Kaden was there to get his hair cut and Kate said she wanted her hair cut too. There is a lady that works there that was cutting another little girl's hair, and she did a great job. So I thought, Why not?! Kate did really good. She didn't fuss or cry at all and she sat pretty still for a two year old. Sorry the picture didn't turn out very good. I took it on my camera phone.
And just another picture of the kids. This is from a few days ago. Kate just HAS to carry around her baby doll every where she goes. They are so much fun. I can't believe Kaden will be five a month from today. Where does the time go???

Yesterday, when Kate was surprised by something (I don't remember exactly what) she said "Oy! Holy Moly!" But she says it very dramatic. Ooooy! Hoooooooooly Mmmmmmmmmmmoly! It's hilarious! I love it when she says crazy things like that. Silly girl.

Oh, and one last thing.... April Fools! HAHA. Everything except the first paragraph is true. Don't hate me. It's just a little April Fools fun! :)

Riding an elephant!

This weekend, we all went to the Renaissance Festival with Heidi, Devin, and Corey. It was a lot of fun! And really weird too. I'm telling you, that place brings out the strangest people. I saw more cleavage in one day than I'd care to see in an entire lifetime. All those people that dress in Renaissance-era clothing for the festival take their cleavage very seriously.
Anyway, while we were there, Kaden and I got to ride an elephant! It was a short ride, but it was pretty neat. Kaden was so excited, and thought it was the coolest thing ever. I thought for sure he'd be scared, but he wasn't. Ever since the goat incident, he's been very timid and afraid of everything. He did so good with the elephant though! There was also a petting zoo there and he did, in fact, pet a goat! Shocker, I know!
Anyway, we all had a great time. Thanks, Heidi and Dev for inviting us to go with you and for the free tix! Love ya!

Sorry this picture isn't that great. It was taken on my camera phone by Brent.

BTW- we're headed back up to my parent's house again for the first time since the goat incident. We'll see how it goes! Kaden still talks about the goat all the time. He was seriously traumatized. This last week is the first time he's slept good since it happened, and he's only sleeping because we bought him a cd player and a lullaby cd. We've also been leaving the hall light on so his bedroom is really light. Poor kid's afraid of EVERYTHING!

Running Powers

The other day, after Kaden had been running around all day, he said to Brent and I:

"My running powers are getting low."

Brent said "You mean you're getting tired?"

Kaden- "Yes. I'm running out of running powers."

Funny boy.

Goats and Javelina!

The kids and I were up at my mom's house yesterday. Kaden was playing outside with Joni, my mom's little foster girl who is 6 years old. Kaden ran inside to tell us that he saw a goat-thing that was "this" big, but Joni didn't see it. Then he ran back outside to play. He was acting just fine. Then about ten minutes later, we hear a blood-curdling scream. I can tell it's Kaden and he's screaming/crying so hard that I think he's hurt really bad. Mom and I jump up and run towards him. He came bursting through the front door and JUMPED into my mom's arms. Then in runs Joni.

Then in runs.... a GOAT!!! Kaden was still screaming/crying in terror while mom and I herded the goat back outside and chased it back towards the neighbors house who owns it. The whole situation was so hilarious, mom and I were trying so hard not to laugh in front of him. Joni didn't seem to be too upset by it, other than the initial scare. (Neither of them got hurt.) Poor Kaden was so terrified that if anyone opened the door, he would start crying again. When it was time to drive back to Payson about 15 minutes later, he made us carry him to the car. We got home after dark and he was afraid to walk in the house by himself. When he got inside, he made us close all the blinds and was afraid to walk by the sliding glass door. When it was time to get ready for bed, Kaden didn't want to walk past the sliding glass door to his room to get ready for bed because he said he saw something outside. Brent and I had about a 10 minute talk with Kaden about being brave, and how there's nothing outside (the goat was at grandma's house, not ours, and it ran away anyway). Brent told him to go look thru the glass and he would see that there was nothing there. Kaden didn't want to but Brent told him he had to. So he runs as fast as he can past the door and into his room. Brent asks him again to go look out the glass, and Kaden screams/cries again "NOOOOOOOO!" Poor kid is so traumatized. So Brent goes and picks up Kaden and takes him back to the sliding glass door to show him that there's nothing out there to be afraid of. I look outside and see out in the darkness.......

A JAVELINA!!! and another and another and another. There are about 15 javelina between our yard and the neighbors. So now Kaden is really freaked out. We've never seen them in our yard in the year-and-a-half we've lived in this house. Brent couldn't believe it. Of all nights for there to actually be something outside in the darkness, it would of course happen lastnight. And I think he'll be traumatized for quite a while. He slept in our bed with us lastnight, which never happens (I don't sleep much if the kids are in bed with us cause they move around so much). He was glued to me all night. If I rolled over in bed, he was immediately at my side again. I wonder if he'll ever want to play outside at our house or my mom's house again anytime soon? THe whole situation was both hilarious and sad at the same time.

Also, a quick note. I haven't posted in a while because I've been meaning to post Kate's birthday pictures, but I haven't gotten them off my camera yet. So stay tuned for that. Hopefully within the next week. :)

Marbles

So, we had an adventurous week last week. On Tuesday morning, Kaden accidentally swallowed a metal marble-shaped ball that we thought was a magnet. I had to take him to get it x-rayed. It stayed in his stomach for several days (we had LOTS of x-rays taked during that time). We were so worried that he would have to have it removed by having a tube put down his throat to extract it. He had to have a tube put down his throat at 18 months old and had severe complications and almost died. So, you can understand my concerns about having to put another tube down his throat. After lots of prayers and blessings, it finally came out on Friday. When it came out, it was all dimpled and pitted from being in stomach acid for so long. Anyway, we were so relieved that everything turned out okay.
And here's a picture of the kids with their pediatrician, Dr Laks. We LOVE her and see her even though she's an hour and a half away.

What I love about you! (and Bling!)

Saturday was Brent's birthday. He turned 28. We went down to his parent's house in Mesa and had fun hanging out. It's always fun to spend time with them.
This is the only recent picture I could find of Brent that didn't have dead animals in it. :)

Anyway, for the record... I love him so much! He is such a wonderful husband and father. I love that after six and a half years, and two kids he still tells me I'm sexy. (I really don't feel like it, but I'm glad he thinks so.) I love our little inside jokes. What the hell, I mean really! We still have so much fun together, and he is my most favorite person to spend time with in the whole world. It is my greatest blessing in life to be married to my best friend. I love that he will stay awake at night talking to me (or mostly listening to me talk). I love that he makes me laugh, lets me cry on his shoulder, and puts up with my insanity. I'm so thankful for all the support and help he gives me during the craziest times in my life. (Namely, school.) I love that he is working to achieve his dreams. I love that he is crazy about our kids, and he frequently says that we have have the best kids ever. I love that he loves to spend time with Kaden doing the outdoorsy stuff and that Kate is his little princess. He is such a great dad. I love that he supports and encourages my hopes and dreams. I love that he thinks I'm a good mom and he tells me so. (I have my own doubts about that sometimes too. :) I love that he loves me, despite all my shortcomings. I really think we are perfect for eachother. I love you so much, Brentus! Always and forever, no matter what! Happy Birthday!

I thought this picture of Kaden was cute. He's so fun!


Also, guess what else I did on Saturday?! Here's a little hint... See if you can spot it!

The Kids!

I had a funny conversation with Kaden the other day. He walked in to my bathroom and saw me putting some Proactive repairing lotion on my face.

Kaden: What are you doing Mom?

Me: Getting ready.

K: Is that lotion?

M: Yeah, I guess.

K:(looking very closely at the bottle) Is that Pernactive???

M: Yes, it is Proactive.

K: Oh. Did you order now???

M: Yes, I ordered it.

K: Is it going to clear acne fast?

M: I hope so!

K: Mom, what is acne?

I told him it was the red polkadots on mommy's face. He is such a funny boy. A few months ago he saw someone in an electric wheelchair on the sidewalk. He said "Oh, MOM!!! Look, it's a POWERCHAIR! Mom, can I get a powerchair?" That kid is living proof that advertising works.


On another exciting note, Kate is.....

POTTYTRAINED!!!!!!

Well, for the most part anyway. She's gone the last three days without any accidents. (Except for today, she pooped a little bit on the bathroom floor while she was trying to climb up onto the tiolet. But, she was attempting to get on the toilet and at least she didn't go in her panties.) She still wears a diaper at night, and while we're away from home. Maybe I'll get brave enough today to let her leave the house with panties on, because she's come home dry for the last several days whenever we go anywhere. I've been working with her for the last few weeks. I wanted to get it mostly done before I started school again. She's 23 months old. I'm so proud of her!

Let the insanity begin!

Or begin again, I should say.


I start school again today! Yuck! I know I said that after that awful Chemistry class last semester (which, by the way, I got an A in, YAY!) I was going to just take one easier class this semester, but... I changed my mind! :) I'm taking English, Nutrition, and Psychology. The first two are online, and the Psych class is on campus. It doesn't actually start until the beninning of Feb and is a six week class on Friday nights and Saturdays all day. Brent and I decided that we want me to get through nursing school asap. We have big plans for post-nursing school, which Brent has forbidden me from disclosing yet. As soon as he'll let me tell anyone about it, I will. I'm so excited about it I can hardly keep it bottled up. He won't even let me tell his parents.

So, I'll apologize in advance for not being around much this semester. Between three classes, three part time jobs, being a full-time mom and wife, I have a feeling I may be spread pretty thin. Maybe it's time to cut back on a few more things, huh? :)

The Little Dictator- Junior!

When Brent was little he was known as The Little Dictator. Yeah, he was a take-charge kind of kid. Well, I have a feeling his spawn will have a similar nickname.

Today, in the middle of sacrament meeting Kate was sitting on my lap coloring. All of a sudden, she looked up at the guy bearing his testimony at the pulpit and yelled "HUSH!". Then she went right back to her coloring. The people sitting around me all started laughing. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit too.

A few days ago Kate was sitting at the table eating. Kaden was in the living room playing and Kate was watching him. Then she starts telling him "Hush Bru-er (translation Brother)! So much trouble!" While shaking her finger at him.

She's become quite bossy in the last few weeks. It's actually quite funny. She's more bossy than I would expect a not-quite-two year old to be. Silly girl!

Christmas and New Years!

We've had a great Christmas and New Years. My family came for Christmas on Christmas Eve. Everyone came except for Megan and Chance. They spent Christmas with his family. We really missed having them here! We had a great time opening presents. Kaden got Rockband for Wii and Kate got a kitchen. We've all had a lot of fun playing Rockband. Kaden asked for a guitar for christmas because he wants to be a rockstar when he grows up. So cute!

For new years, we got a babysitter and went out to dinner with our friends Jared and Katie Meredith, and with my sister Heidi and her husband Devin. Yay, it was so much fun, going on a date without the kids. We had dinner at Chili's then picked up the kids and came back to our house and played rockband. We were in bed by 10:00 though, because Brent was getting up early to go hunting. He didn't get anything yet. He saw a few deer but he's holding out for the big one.

We've been potty training Kate for the last few days and she's doing pretty good. She will tell me when she needs to go pee. She's almost filled up her sticker potty chart. She hasn't pooped on the toilet yet though. I think that will take a bit more time. I'm hoping we'll have that mastered by the time she turns two in one month.