Mommy's Special Halloween Treat

After 2 days full of potty training, I WAS DONE...FRUSTRATED, DEFEATED AND NO SUCCESS (not even close, no pee in the potty what-so-ever)....arghhh. So on the morning of the 3rd day, Halloween morning, after she peed on the kitchen floor 3 times and we went through 3 halloween costumes (they all got wet!) in 1 hour...I was just DONE. So I decided to stop trying and start again next week. We left the house to go visiting teaching, go to the library story time, and pick up Preston from kindergarten. I strapped a diaper on the little lady, because I was done trying and going to so many places... well...we got home around lunch time and I just thought...ok, we are home, we will take off the diaper. I did and after a few minutes, Aparri came to me and said, "Pee" "I have to pee in the potty" so off we ran to the potty...no pee. But, there was also no pee in her panties or on the floor (A good sign..I thought!). Well, we ended up in the bathroom every 2 minutes for the next half hour with nothing....but we only went potty if Aparri said "Potty" not if Mom's timer went off... as I was still taking my "break". Well, we tried all afternoon and still no success - LOTS of attempts and yes even a few accidents. The evening came, and it was time for Halloween trick or treating and I put the diaper back on her, I wasn't going to deal with pee on the street.... so off we went. After 2 hours, we got home and we were handing out candy and she says, "Mom, I have to pee". Tired, I said, "Go tell Dad" He hadn't been dealing with it for 3 days, so I thought... he can take a turn.... so she ran to the garage, grabbed Dad, and off they went to the potty....wouldn't you know it... she comes back bouncing... "I peed in the toilet, I peed in the toilet." Yep, she finally had a successful deposit in the toilet, and I missed it... but, I was just thrilled that it happened! She was excited, we all cheered for her, she got her Jasmine princess doll... yipee. An hour later, she even attempted to poop on the toilet...I hope this is the beginning of the end! We will see how the next few days go.... but hey, we have had 1 successful deposit and we are all thrilled, that is MORE than we have had yet... and believe me, WE HAVE BEEN TRYING!!!!  Best TREAT Mom could ask for...good job Big Girl!

The Real Halloween

The kids woke up on Halloween asking the question, "Is today the REAL Halloween?"  With so many pre-Halloween festivities, I guess they were a little confused!  But, yes, it was the REAL deal!  And as soon as they heard the official, YES..today is the day!  They were excited.  They got ready for school in record time - costume and all...and yes, it was still something different then they had worn to any previous activity and still not what they planned on wearing that night either!  After a fun filled day at school, the afternoon seemed to pass like a whirlwind with homework, dinner, decorating the porch, costumes, and meeting up with our friends to go TRICK-OR-TREATING!  We met up with 3 families from church - the Armstrongs, the Hoopers, and the Gilletts.  (Laura was sad she didn't get a group picture.... she didn't even think about it until bed time and she was kicking herself that she didn't get a picture...and if you know Laura - that is very uncharacteristic...the camera is usually attached to her hip and snapping constantly... she thinks this pregnancy thing is throwing her off her A game when it comes to pictures!  She just hasn't been as camera happy lately...too many things on the brain!  In CJ's Words... "It's ok Mom, you can get a picture next year."

Nevada Day

When we moved to Las Vegas, we soon found out there is this wonderful Holiday called "Nevada Day" (Never had such a day anywhere we lived before...never a Washington Day, Florida Day, Idaho Day, Oklahoma Day, or even Texas Day...but there is a NEVADA DAY!!)  The kids are out of school, the weather is gorgeous, and it is usually on a Friday..I think ( I should check into that).. but anyway, it is in October every year (I do know that).  This year, we spent the day together doing crafts, playing games, having friends over, and as CJ is modeling so well for you .... relaxing and enjoying the weather!  Yes, we still had "quiet time" on the day off (or tried to...ended up she refusing to nap after a 35 minute attempt...) but when Laura went to put Aparri down, Preston and CJ put the afternoon activities into their own hands!  Laura came out to find Preston searching the front yard for crystals in the rocks, and CJ lounging in the sun with his little fortress - complete with umbrella, chips, blanket, pillow, water, sun glasses, and a few toys!  Laura couldn't stop laughing, it definitely wasn't the sight she was expecting to find!  Happy Nevada Day!!  

October Craft Wall

 

Can't have a Holiday without some crafts..... here is our October Crafts!!

Our 2012 Pumpkins

Pumpkins just don't last very long here in Nevada (the sun gets them or the crickets!)... even when you don't carve them. So, to help keep them as long as possible, we decided to paint all our pumpkins but one... and that ONE we would carve the Eve of Halloween! So, that is what we did...off to the commissary Pumpkin patch we went where everyone was able to choose their own pumpkin and paint it. They turned out mighty cute! We have a clone pumpkin, pink-purple-black pumpkin, solid black with a grey spot pumpkin, dracula, and polka dot pumpkin. The kids had a great time helping Dad gut, design a face, and carve the pumpkin big boy pumpkin of the eve of Halloween. We are still cleaning up goo off the floor...we will work on keeping the mess a little more contained next year!! The boys had a little too much fun trying to goop their arms and then share the goop with everyone around them! Clay ended up putting a strobe light in the pumpkin to really make the face pop...and it was quite a hit with the trick or treaters! Good job guys!

Whose Who Today?

We had lots of pre-Halloween fun this year! We had the school carnival, the church trunk-or-treat, and the housing festival all before the actual Halloween DAY itself! Several weeks ago we talked to the kids and they all picked what they wanted to be for Halloween - well, with so many activities to go to...they couldn't be just one thing...oh no.... thank goodness for dress up boxes, because I swear we had a different character for each event! We had everything from Darth Vador, Clone troopers, fairies, princesses, rock star, beach bums, ghosts, iron man, and sherriffs. Whew...quite the mixture, I know! At the ward trunk or treat, Laura even found a little boys with a matching outfit!!! That pumpkin is from Papa and Nana and was used for a Halloween costume when Laura was a kid! So - to find someone else with the same one, was a big deal! It ends up, it was a costume from his mom -when she was a kid!

 Star Wars was a popular theme this year among the Ward family and several of our friends!! 

 Aparri was fasinated by her fairy shadow.  She would run up to the wall, look at it, twirl, run away and run back...it kept her entertained for quite a while!!!

Baby Preparations

 Baby Preparations are in full motion!  Laura has the whole family busy busy getting ready for our little man to make his appearance in less than 2 months!  With Clay home...the "honey - do" list has begun!  We painted the crib (which Aparri insisted on helping with - and surprisingly, she is a good little painter!), refinished a dresser (Laura has been working on that thing for the last year and Clay came in, bought a belt sander and had that thing done lickedy split...wow, if Laura had only known the secret of a belt sander!), rearranged the spare room into a nursery, cleaned out a closet, and kept up our new tradition of going to build-a-bear workshop and picking out a new friend for our baby.  The kids picked out a cute brown dog and named him Brownie D-Dog.  December is coming quickly!!!  Oh boy!

 The dresser before...

 The dresser after...

The kids showing off Brownie D-Dog.

The wicked Hoe

 As any military wife will tell you.... if anything is going to go wrong, or any catastrophe happen to your family - it is going to happen when your husband is gone.  Yep...yet again!  We just didn't expect it to happen so soon...THE day that Clay left, yep THE DAY he left, Aparri got hit in the eye with a garden hoe.  CJ and Aparri were playing in Nana and Papa's garden - Laura was weeding - and Aparri got a little too close to her brother who was breaking up a dirt clod..and yep, right in the eye.  We took her to the ER, gave her a priesthood blessing, and had several follow up visits with the optimologist.  After a week - the optomologist said that the cut on her eye was healing nicely and no surgery/ stitches would have to be performed, and she shouldn't have any permenate damage done to her eye.  We feel truly blessed and watched over.  Look at that wicked thing...it is awful!  It could have been sooo much worse, we are so grateful that the Lord is watching over our little family.

First Day of School 2012

The First Day of School...  we can hardly believe it - we have a second grader, a kindergartener, and a preschooler.  The 2 boys get to ride the bus to school - and that is the highlight of every day - they love that thing (and Mom loves it too)!!  CJ was an expert with school this year, Preston was a little nervous - but after having his buddy Aiden in his class - he was put at ease, and Aparri has a little preschool with her little friend Lydia.  To make the first day of kindergarten special - we got Burger King, and Pizza Hut for dinner. Happy school days kids!