My life day to day....

Is sometimes Crazy, Stressful, Tiring, but always worth it! I just want everyone to know how thankful I am for my two WONDERFUL children! Everyday they do the funniest things, and they make me smile, laugh, and it makes me feel so good to see them learning new things all the time. Today Carson got out the swiffer mop and the wipe for it, all by himself, and started mopping the kitchen floor! He is always playing with the mop, so it took me a minute to realize he had put on a swiffer! I just laughed!
This is a pretty typical scene in the mornings. Kaylee just chillin on the floor, putting anything and everything in her mouth. But hey, as long as they are bigger than her mouth, it gives me hands free time to get breakfast, work, or cleaning done.

A few days ago, I was outside with Carson, and we found a Praying Mantis on his trampoline, and so I thought it would be fun to try and catch it. I remember all the time when I was little, catching lady bugs, potato bugs, and other insects. Carson thought it was so funny, when I was trying to get it in the jar, since I was kind of squeeling, cause I didn't want to touch it. (I'm a wimp, I know!). We named him George, (I think after his favorite monkey). He thought it was fun to watch him, but we decided to let him go the next day.

Carson loves to play with the camera and is slowing learning how to actually make sure he is getting the object he is taking the picture of, in the view finder! This is a picture he took of Kaylee, who is just chillin', with a toy in her mouth!

Carson and Kaylee are just a joy to spend my days with! I feel so lucky to be their mom!! I know they are still little, but I know they love each other, and it is so fun to see them be good siblings with each other. Kaylee just lights up every morning, when Carson and I greet her! She laughs at whatever Carson is doing! And Carson is always making sure Kaylee is okay, not crying, or doesn't go too long without a toy! I know that all moms think their kids are just the best, so I hope most of you can relate to the joy children bring to your life! I know my life is blessed!

Just a few pictures of my Big Boy!

I gave Carson a haircut today, and decided to style it, rather than make him wear a hat today, so I took advantage of it and tried to take a few pictures. He acts so silly sometimes, so it is hard to get him to hold still long enough for pictures, but sometimes it makes for better pictures, since you can totally see his personality! Just wanted to share!

I'm a big boy now!!

I am such a proud mommy right now! Most of you know I have attempted several times to potty train Carson, with out too much success. But I think I can finally say that he is, for the most part,.....potty trained! :) Yeah!!!! On Monday evening I brought home a little potty from Kid to Kid. I got it to use with the method from the book 'potty training in less than a day'. The whole concept was based around your child potty training a doll, using the potty, and during that training, they would also learn about going potty. Anyway....I had only made it like 5 chapters into the book, when I made the mistake of letting Carson see the potty when I got it home. So then he wanted to play with it. So I grabbed a teddy bear, since I hadn't found a peeing doll yet, and put underwear on it. He thought it was so funny to have the bear sit on the potty. He also took his turns sitting on the potty, but of course didn't go. I really didn't know what to do after that since I hadn't finshed the book, but...since we had put big boy underwear on him, we decided to just keep them on him until bedtime, then put him in a pull up. So Tuesday I just kept him in his underwear, and he actually went twice that morning! (Using the normal toilet). I was so surprised that he went! I was feeling optamistic, but then he had about 4 accidents in a row...and I was thinking it wasn't going to work, and I couldn't believe I had gotten my hopes up that it would. But, then he went again that night 2 more times. Once he learned that he could stand up and pee, he has only had one accident on Wednesday, but Thurs and Friday NO pee pee accidents....just the other one. So we need to work on that, but for the most part he is doing wonderful! (The potty watch has also been a big help in not only reminding him, but me to have him go potty). In fact we went to the store and dinner tonight, and he went several times while we were out! I was kinda nervous about taking him out, so I packed a pair of undees and shorts just in case! I know that parents potty train kids everyday, but this is such a relief to me to have the worst of it over with. I know there will be accidents to come and it won't be perfect, but we have taken the left over diapers out of his room, and have stored them for about 2 1/2 years until Kaylee will need them! It is a good feeling. I feel that as a mom, I have accomplished something good. I love you Carson and I am so glad that you are my big boy!

I AM FINISHED!!

Wow! I finally finished the twilights series!! I started about 2 weeks ago, and borrowed my Moms book, Twilight! I was hooked! Then I found out that almost everyone else I know was reading them too! It has been so fun to talk to everyone about them! I can't wait for some of you to finish so we can REALLY talk about them! I think we should have a book party in a few weeks to give everyone time to finish, and then we can get together and chat about it! :) Let me know if that would be something you would like to do!
My Review of this book would be: FANTASTIC! It definitly always surprised me on what happened next! I love they way the author describes everything and is so good at keeping my attention. In fact, I would sometimes forget I was reading, and feel like I was watching a movie! For anyone who knows me, I am not a big reader, since it is hard to find time, but this was well worth staying up late almost every night reading!! I can't wait for the movie to come out and to see if there will be any continuation of the charaters in other books! I really liked the books, and I insist that Kristi and Melissa join the bandwagon and read them too!!!

Box Elder County Fair

Warning: There are several posts I did today, since it has been awhile since I have blogged! I will try harder from now on to stay on top of things! :)

On Wednesday we headed up north to enjoy the Box Elder County Fair. It kicks off with the parade, which is pretty good, and LONG! Then we headed out to the fairgrounds to get some dinner and ride some rides. It has been at least 8 years since I have seen the fair parade, so it was a treat to watch it! Carson loved the fair part, and Nick took him on several rides.

I have to share one more thing. This made me smile! Ever since our trip to disneyland in June, whenever we make pancakes, I have to make them into Mickey Mouse Pancakes with little ears for Carson. Last night I made chocolate chip cookies. I normally use a big cookie scoop to make the cookies, but I decided this time to use a smaller one and make Mini Cookies....this was Carson's take on it:

Carson: "Mom, you making cookies?"

Mom: "Yep, I am making MINI Cookies this time..."

Carson: "Oh, Mini Cookies? Hey Dad...Mom make Minnie Mouse Cookies!"

Take me out to the Ball Game!

Last Monday we went to the Salt Lake Bees Game with Matt & Natalie for Family Night. (It was also their 2 year anniversary....congratulations!) Here are just a few fun pictures from that night!

Kaylee Enjoying the Fun!

I must say I was very happy about how well Kaylee traveled when we went to Lagoon, Duck Creek for the Reunion, and Holden to spend the weekend with Nick's family. Here is a cute picture of her in the Car, isn't she adorable...

Kaylee really enjoyed Makenna pushing her on this swing. This was up at Jerid and Kelly's property, where they have built a huge building that will be a barn/cabin. It was very nice up there, and the view is gorgeous! Check out the sunset picture I took from there! We also ate yummy dutch oven while we were up there. Can't wait until it is completely finished!

Here is Kaylee trying out Dad's Hat...what a cutie!!

Lagoon!

I am quite behind on blogging, so I am sorry for all the posts...But I wanted to share all the fun things we have done so far in August. My sister Tiffany came in from Reno with her family, so on Aug 6th (Her and her hubby's bday) we all went to Lagoon. It was fun. Carson loved it, and I finally got to ride Wicked and it was awesome! (Last year I was pregnant....)

Kaylee thought grandma's licorice was pretty yummy....

Carson did pretty good learning how to stand in line for the rides....but it took him a bit to realize we don't just 'walk on' to the rides. :) But isn't that the worst part of theme parks...the lines!

Brower Family Reunion

A few weeks ago we went to the Brower Family Reunion (My Dad's family) that was held at Duck Creek, UT. It is about 30 Miles up the canyon from Cedar City. It was beautiful, and we had a blast. It was so good to see so many of my fun cousins and their adorable children. On Thursday night, we ate yummy BBQ food, and did line dancing and kareoke at the Duck Creek Dance Hall. Friday we had a very relaxing day and played horse shoes, talked with family and rode 4wheelers. Others went golfing, rode horses, and went hiking. That night we had a wonderful dinner featuring Moutain Poppers...which are shrimp and colby cheese stuffed into a pepper, wrapped in bacon and then grilled. They are served with yummy tri tip roast, also grilled, with yummy salsa and rice all on a tortilla. Yum!!! My aunt Paula did a great job putting it all together! The whole family stayed in 2 cabins up there, and it was so fun! We left before the reunion was all done, but we are planning another big reunion in 2 years, so we are excited to go again!

8 Random Facts

I was tagged by Melissa, and it has taken me awhile to get around to posting 8 Random facts about me. These probably won't be too interesting...but here it goes:

1-My Favorite snack (especially when I am pregnant) is Bread and Chocolate Milk. I dip the bread in the chocolate milk. It has been a snack I have eaten since I was little! It's like toast and hot chocolate, just cold. Yummy!

2-I hate sleeping with a top sheet, so I don't even bother buying sheet sets. I just buy the fitted sheet. And then I sleep with a blanket, AND I won't share my blanket, so Nick sleeps under his own blanket too! I know that might seem weird to some of you married people, but honestly it is awesome, since I never have to fight for the blanket at night! We slept under the same blanket for about a year, and then realized it was easier to have our own! And I think I don't like the top sheet, cause it isn't cuddly and soft enough, so I just skip it all together. Yes, it is a pain to wash a blanket more than sheets, but it is worth it to me!

3-I am known as a pretty anal person when it comes to keeping a clean house, yet my closets are usually SO disorganized. I think it is because I can shut a door and not have to look at it! It drives me crazy when I open the door and see how messy it is, whether it is my closet, the linen closet, or the shelves of disaster under the TV!! I really need to work on doing as much work on those hidden places of my house as I devote to the rest of my house!

4-I DVR all new episodes of Hanna Montana...am I a dork or what? Nick and I just get a kick out of them! I love the disney channel for providing clean shows to watch! And ABC Family. (And I still love to watch episodes of Saved by the Bell).

5-I am a percussionist. It has been a while since I have really done any drumming, but when I was in High School and College I was involved in Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band and even participated in a Winter Drum Line at Mt. Crest HS when I was a Junior. When I competed in Miss Utah, as Miss Mountainland, I played the Marimba for my talent, only because I didn't know how to do a drumset solo. But when I started doing pageants, I said if I ever made it to Miss Utah, I would play a percussion instrument instead of the piano, cause it would be different! I yearn to play in a group of some kind again just to be able to play again! Anyone want to start a WX Jazz Band?

6-I have always wanted a nose job. I know that some people think it is vain, but I don't care. I have braces right now, cause that was cheaper than a nose job, but some day, Nick has promised that I can have a nose job. So if there is anyone out there that has had one, let me know who you used, and if it really hurts, and if you thought it was worth it? (Aren't all girls the same? We all hate how we look? Even though our husbands tell us we are perfect the way we are!?)

7-I often feel inadequate. In many ways....like I am not a good mother, wife, or friend. It really isn't a low self esteem, but more like I see everyone else do things so much better than me. Maybe it is jealousy....I see that their house is nicer, or their hair is cuter, or their husbands have better jobs, or their kids are smarter, or I am not good enough for them....does that make sense? I feel like I dwell on the things I DON'T have, and I am always trying to refocus my thoughts on what I DO have....and how blessed my family is. I think that is the adversary hard at work! Anyone else feel that way?

8-I spend way to much time looking at peoples blogs! And working on my computer. With all the real estate stuff I do, I sometimes feel like I neglect Carson and Kaylee...and I love to read peoples blogs, even if I don't know them...Am I a Blog Stalker?!?!? I should work on that! So with that said, I should probably get back to my kids....

I tag all those who are reading this!

What a silly girl!

Kaylee is such a funny little girl! She is just showing more and more personality every day! On Friday we took her in for her check up, and she weighed in at a whoppin' 12 lbs 8 ounces. (2%) She was 25 1/2 inches tall! (40%). The dr. said she looks great! Other than getting up still here in there at night, she is great! The dr. said to feed her if she gets up since she is still really small for her age. So, I guess that is good to know so I won't make her 'cry it out' since it is SO hard to do, but I can't wait until she gets a big enough stomach to keep her full through the whole night!

These pictures are so funny to me....she is slowly learning how to eat off a spoon, and thanks to Natalie, does a pretty good job! But this is how quick her mood can change sometimes: Happy one minute.....
Not so happy the next:

I just thought that was funny! She loves to eat her orange vegatables, but she is such a wiggly baby and loves to grab for anything in front of her, that it is impossible to feed her with out getting it all over the place! So it is now a nightime ritual to give her a bath! And Carson insisted that she take a bath with him Sunday Night....so Nick let them take a bubble bath...it was really cute to see how gentle and helpful Carson was being with Kaylee. He is the BEST big brother!!!

Before I forget...I wanted to post some fun pictures of our trip to Hogle Zoo. Our wonderful friends, the Hornes invited us to the zoo with them with their annual pass. They had a members night, so instead of going in the heat of the day before they normally close at 4, we got to go in the evening, and it was wonderful!! Not too hot or crowded. Thanks for the fun!!!

I love this picture of Kaylee and Ashlynn....I can tell they will be good friends!

Wheat & Beet Days!

It has been awhile since my last post, but it isn't because we haven't had anything to blog about, but it is because we have been so stinkin' busy!! So just a recap on our fun weekend....for anyone who cares...we went up to Tremonton on Friday to celebrate Wheat & Beet Days (It is actually a Garland City Celebration). Every year my mom directs a play for the Garland Childrens Theatre. So we went and saw "Annie" that night, it was really cute! Carson liked it and even Kaylee stayed awake the whole time!!

(Kaylee at the play...she was such a trooper considering that she had a fever from getting her immunization shots earlier that day!)

The next morning we got up and went to the parade! It was sweet and short! Just the way I like them! Carson really liked all the candy they threw and the big trucks that were in the parade. Last year Nick took Carson to the tractor pulls, and this year they went again later on Saturday night! They had a blast and I am not sure who was more excited to go!

My cute brother Christopher in the marching band. He is a senior this year! Crazy!!

One of the main reasons we went to Tremonton was to cut down the pine tree at my parents house. Nick got that tree down in about 45 minutes! It was super fast, and Carson thought his dad was the coolest for cutting it down using a chain saw! He was super impressed! I think Nick had a little to much fun with that chain saw too! He doesn't own his own, so it is fun for him to play with one when he gets a chance!

AFTER:

Also on Friday, it was Karen's Birthday! (Nick's mom) And Makenna's Birthday (Our niece). So Happy Belated Birthday!! We hope to see you Thursday!!!