Catch Up, Part 2

These events aren't in chronological order. They're just in the order of the way the pictures uploaded to the post.

House & Yard:
After four years of living in this house, we've finally gotten around to finishing the yard. We built this house, so we had to start from scratch. We were doing a little at a time. Every year when we'd get our taxes back, we'd do something big on the yard. This year we decided to bite the bullet and just get the rest finished, and I am so glad we did. We had grass in the back, but that was it. No fence, no playground, no trampoline, no borders, no patio. Here's what the back of the house looked like before:

We knew we always wanted a deck, so we finally had our neighbor build us one. When it was almost finished, our boys didn't like to go out on the deck because their feet got too hot (it's west facing). So we decided to have our neighbor add a roof to the deck. We are so glad we did. He did an awesome job and it looks great. Here's how it turned out:

Here are a few more pictures of the rest of the backyard. We love it so much, and it's so nice to have a place for the kids to play.

Addilyn:
I haven't posted about Addi in awhile and I thought I'd just let everyone know how darn cute she is. We got this hat as a hand-me-down (thanks Lisa), and I couldn't resist keeping it on her, even though it was in the middle of May. You can't tell me that I don't have the cutest little girl ever.

Hair-do:
While I was in England I had serious issues with my hair. It was long and straggly, and I didn't trust anyone there to cut it (nor did I want to pay $200 to get my hair done). Here's what it looked like in England from the back:

Since we've been home, I've had it cut (twice). Here's what it looked like the first time. Having bangs has been a hard adjustment. Since this haircut, I've lightened it and swept the bangs to the side a little more. I don't have a picture of it, but I like it, and I think it will last me at least for a litte while.
Sammy's Birthday:
My Samuel Alexander turned 3 at the end of April. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. He's so darn cute, and it's a good thing he's so cute, because he can be quite the stinker. He's very loving and affectionate, but he's also very sensitive and needy. He insisted on having a Diego party, which turned out to be really fun. Here are a few of the pics from the party, which was the evening before his actual birthday:

Sammy had fallen asleep an hour or so before the party began, and woke up crankier than ever.


A little cake and presents did the trick.


We had a Diego pinata. Instead of hitting the pinata, you try to pull the correct string to release the candy. We of course let Sammy go first, and wouldn't you know he pulled the string for the candy. They weren't quite sure how the whole thing worked, but they figured it out pretty fast.

The next morning, Sammy's cousins came over and we made scones for breakfast. They were covered in powdered sugar and they were a big hit.

Silly Kimball: Kimball found this in our basement and loves putting this on his head. My question is, "Why in the world do I still have this?"

Potty-training: When Sammy turned three, I decided I should get serious about potty-training this kid. He's pretty stubborn (I don't know where he got that from). I tried bribing him in every way possible to go on the toilet, but he just didn't want to. He'd sit on the toilet, but he couldn't make anything come out. I knew he could do it if he could just figure out what it felt like to go wee-wee on the toilet. So, to get him to go, I took him to my mom's house, who has a TV in her bathroom. I put his port-a-potty in the bathtub and put warm water in the bathtub. I let him sit there watching cartoons until he finally went. It took about an hour and a half, but he finally did it. After that, the wee-wee potty training was pretty easy. Pooping, on the other hand, was a nightmare. I again tried everything. I got little bags and filled them with underwear, treats, and toys to put on the toilet. Everytime he went poop on the toilet he'd get to open a bag, but Sammy didn't care. I even gave him a cold shower everytime he pooped his pants, which he detested. But did that motivate him? NO! After about a week of Sammy pooping his pants, Kimball comes in and tells me that Sammy wants to poop on the toilet. I had just tried with him, so not believing anything would happen, I told Kimball to go ahead and help him. I hear Kimball saying, "Come on Sammy, don't you want to open a poop bag?" Apparently, Kimball really wanted to open one of Sammy's bags. Next thing I know, Kimball comes running in, "Mom, Sammy pooped on the toilet!" I of course did not believe it, but sure enough, he had. All it took was Kimball asking him to do it and not me. He's been potty-trained ever since. If only I'd known. Here's a picture of Sammy going wee-wee for the first time at my mom's house:

Boredom Games: With the weather as crazy as it was in the spring, we got stuck in the house a lot. We all got really bored one day and were trying to think of anything to do. I had these old beanbags that I'd made in college for an education class. The boys found them and we decided to have a beanbag toss. The boys had to stand behind the board game and toss the beanbags into the bowl. Who knew a game so simple could produce so much enjoyment?


CD Release Party: For those of you who know my brother, you know he loves music and is in a band. They used to be known as Palamino and recorded one CD under that name. The band has changed a bit and is now called The Devil Whale. Not too long ago they had CD Release Party in Provo, which I actually stayed up late enough to go to. It was a really good concert, and I liked the music a lot. Before the party, we had a little band get together at my parents' house. The following picture is of Jake getting some grub:

Sunday Entertainment: Does anyone else have a hard time keeping their children entertained on Sunday? We try not to play outside, so there's only so much we can do in the house. We let the boys watch the old Book of Mormon movies, which aren't our favorites, but the boys have learned a lot. So when we let them choose which Book of Mormon movie they want, what do they choose? Helaman's Strippling Warriors. Why? Because they're fighting the whole time with a bunch of swords. Okay, not the best Sunday activity, but that is reality in the Book of Mormon. Who am I to deny my children an experience with the Book of Mormon? So one Sunday, as they're watching Helaman's Strippling Warriors, here's what I found:

At least the fighting hadn't taken total control that day, and a little love was being shared between siblings. Notice Kimball's sword coming out of his pants, just in case things got out of control.

What kind of Mom am I?:

This following experience took place in the early spring when the weather was just nice enough to go outside. It was a cloudy day and I had gone to a park with my sisters. I was fortunate to have Addi fall asleep in her carseat and sleep peacefully for nearly the entire time. When she woke up and I took her paci out of her mouth, here's what her face looked like:The poor thing got sunburned on her face and was left with a paci mark around her mouth. In my defense, it was one of the first times out for the season and sunscreen was not on anyone's mind.

Scuba Diving:Clark is working with the Young Men in our ward and for the activity of the Varsity Scouts they have been certifying in Scuba Diving. Clark had never done this before, but he loves it. He got his own scuba gear and just went on a trip with a fellow ward member to Catalina so that he could finish his certification. I'm glad he's got a new hobby that he's interested in. I just wish it were a little more convenient (like having an Ocean nearby) and a little less expensive. Oh well, as long as he's happy.


So that's it for catch-up number two. Did anyone make it through the whole thing?