Pirate Potty

A while back I mentioned that we were potty training Nolan. Well, I just happened to never mention it again because we quit. Than we started several weeks later, and then quit. Well we're at it again and I think it's finally working (just in time for preschool). We've been reading "Pirate Potty" and I've been letting him stand up. He's always done well with the pee-pee bit, but poop was another story. I'll save you the details of our many hardships, but yesterday we had a breakthrough! He actually came to me and said, "Mom, I have to go potty!" And he went. No. 2. Just like that! I felt as though the heavens opened and smiled down upon me! I sang. I danced. We put a stamp on his poop chart and a sticker on his pirate hat. He ran around with his hat on saying "Arrr, Matey" the rest of the afternoon. Here is my little pirate pooper. X marks the spot, buddy!
Yesterday, Ezra was doing plenty of squealing at the dinner table. Nolan hates this and usually screams back. I couldn't take it anymore and reminded Nolan that when he screams back it only makes Ez scream more. Well, the next time it happened, Nolan said angrily, "Ezra, you are NOT terrific!"
And this evening Nolan kept slugging Ez while they were in the tub. I said, "Nolan, do not hit your brother." He got this innocent look on his face and casually said, "Oh yeah, I forgot." Oh brother.

Park City... again

I know, I know - we go to Park City a lot. But we love it! This time we were with my mom, and my two sisters' families. Lacey needed an unexpected surgery to remove her gallbladder so she, Rob, and baby Travis only came up for a couple day trips, but Ryan and Kendyll stayed to play. Luckily she is recovering well. Nolan loved playing with all of his cousins. There was lots of swimming, shopping, eating, walking, and movie watching. It was great for me to know that my boys would sleep through the night so that I could stay up later than usual. It's a treat to stay up late sometimes... I see why kids like it! Thank you, thank you to my Mom and Dad who paid for the condo. It's always such a treat to go cool off and have fun with everyone.

If anyone is interested in a trip to Park City, here are some of our favorite things to see and do: Tanger Outlet shopping, eating at Kneaders, hiking, walking Main Street, Olympic Park, new splash pad at Newpark, swimming, caramel apples at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and visiting the local (and very old) cemetary.

As always, Nolan said some funny things this trip. But our favorite was when Bryson would say "Konnichiwa" and Nolan would ALWAYS respond "But I do have bones! See!" He would then proceed to point to his bones. We're not sure why he had this response or what he thought Bryson was saying, but it happened several times.

Our own little family took one morning to go hiking. We found a beautiful 3.5 mile hike nestled in the pine trees. It opened into a gorgeous overlook of Jeremy Ranch. I know that over the next hot month we'll be thinking back to that lovely hike.

Come see, Mommy!

This evening I was working some magic at the grill when Nolan came over and said, "There's a lizard up there. Come see, Mommy." He didn't seem all that enthusiastic but I thought I would help him get a close look. I asked him where it was and he continued to point to the side of the house. I still wasn't seeing anything... I figured it was a little baby that had already run away. We walked the length of the home and he finally said, "It's right there!"

Whoa!!! Lizard? More like a freaky wild dragon!!! Here is what he showed me:
I could hardly believe I was seeing this in my yard. It had to be just over a foot long with the tail and probably 3.5 inches wide at the belly. And Nolan didn't seem to think it was anything out of the ordinary. I ran to get Justin and the camera and headed back out. We thought it might be dead, but suddenly he jumped onto his feet in an aggressive charging position. I began screaming and yelling for the boys to get back. Later I said, "Justin, you know that was scary when he got up on his haunches like that." and Justin said, "The only scary thing was your screaming." Nolan just had this look of "What is going on?"
We made a few calls and the sheriff said he'd come help. We have no animal control here so he was the next best thing. He actually didn't know what to do with it at first. We figure that it is a bearded dragon that got loose from it's owner. He called a local pet shop and they said they'd take it. That way it will live and they'll give the owner a while to claim it. I'm pretty sure Sheriff Mott was not pleased about picking him up. I have a feeling he's more comfortable with handling criminals. But he did well. What an adventure!
Justin called a few of our immediate neighbors to ask if they had a missing pet. When they came out to have a look Justin later confided, "I figured you guys didn't have a pet lizard but I didn't want you to think this was a domestic abuse case." Nope - no wife beating tonight.

Youth Conference and much more!

This week has been so exciting. I'll start with last Sunday. When I awoke from my rare and glorious nap, my two nieces were at our home. Lacey had gone into labor! I just knew she wouldn't wait until Wednesday, her induction day. It was nice having the girls over to play with my boys since I had lots of packing to do for youth conference. Just before I left at 6:45 a.m. the next morning, we got word that the little guy was finally here. Lacey and baby Travis had a rough time (forceps and all), but they are doing well. We're happy to have another boy grandchild in the mix, especially one as cute as him! I'll get pictures soon to prove it.

So I left Justin with four children as I headed off for youth conference! I was so excited I couldn't sleep the night before. It did not disappoint. There were many fun activities, water fights, sports games, a fun dance, lots of good food (anything tastes better when I don't have to cook it), great spiritual moments, etc. etc. Our youth are awesome and I had a great time with the other leaders as well. If not for the lack of sleep I would have stayed a couple more days if I could! I felt like I was in high school again going to the dance and staying up late eating junk food and playing games. My bedroom even got slammed with water balloons at 1 a.m. The stake made a handful of boys write me apology letters. Poor kids... I thought it was funny! What an adventure. Justin did so well with the kids. He had the house clean and even had to take care of Kendyll's bloody nose. My mom only had to babysit one afternoon (thank you!!). It was a fabulous break for me. Next time we'll have to take a break together. Thanks, Doodah!

This week we've also been exploring in the moutains and tried a new local frozen yogurt shop. Delicious! We saw an official Home Depot stock car where Ezra tried his first cotton candy and Nolan threw another hideous tantrum. Justin took Nolan to an Elders Quorum activity this morning. They went shooting. Yes, we put a 22 semi-automatic rifle in the hands of our 3-year-old. Justin said that Nolan took a shot, looked around, and then continued shooting all over with a serious look on his face (Dad never took his hands off the rifle, of course). He then wanted to try the handgun... that's where Daddy drew the line!

A Good Day

It's only noon, and so far we've enjoyed the swings at the playground, went swimming with the cousins at Aunt Lacey's house, grilled hotdogs, and enjoyed shortcake with strawberries, blueberries, and real whipping cream. Could this summer day get any better? It might if only I didn't have to mop the kitchen floor.

Happy Summer!

Summer Days

Nolan recently completed swimming lessons at Deseret Peak. He was typically the first one to hop into the water, often announcing to his teachers, "Here I am!" There was a brief near-drowning experience with him and another girl. I looked over and saw them floundering underwater. I was able to reach Nolan and when I pulled him out it caught the attention of the lifeguard who jumped in for the girl. Scary, but Nolan recovered okay. He would come home and say, "I'm such a fast swimmer." Most of the days we would stay and swim afterward. Ezra loves the water and I even enjoyed going down the waterslide with Nolan. It was always fun to see our friends, Jaxon and Marshall, and our cousins, Ryan and Kendyll.

During one of his lessons, I was watching him from the side. I heard his teacher say, "What are you looking at, buddy?" as she tugged her swimming suit up. She looked at me and it was obvious that he was checking out her cleavage. I laughed and said, "Oh, his Mom isn't lucky enough to have that so he's very interested." A little awkward but she thought it was funny.

We also went to the Moulton Reunion which was held in Alton at my parents' cabin. At one point, we had 48 people in attendance. It was nice to have lots of space, good food, fun conversation, and time away from work and cleaning. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Moulton, and all of those who came. We missed you if you weren't there, especially Jodi and Daren's families.

The first morning, we woke up at 5:45 a.m. to drive to Panguitch for a Hot Air Balloon Festival. We were amazed at how much fun it was to see 36 balloons being launched all around us, all within 30 to 45 minutes. Nolan and Grandma K were hoping for a ride, but it didn't happen in the end. Luckily, Nolan did get to walk around inside the balloon part as they were blowing it up with the fan (not the propane tank!). It was quite a sight and worth the loss of sleep.

We did a little hiking and had some bad luck at Cascade Falls - which was closed. But I think everyone had a good time in the end, especially cooling off at the waterfall near Bryce Canyon.

There was a bit of excitement when I was reading my book in the corner of the family room and turned to see a chipmunk staring at me. I quietly alerted Justin so that we didn't alarm anyone. Well, all the children became very interested as we tried to direct the chipmunk out the sliding door. Soon there were children everywhere and the poor chipmunk couldn't find a direct path anywhere. After shooing him out from under the oven, we finally got him to turn the corner. He nearly ran right into Nolan and my feet, but we quickly scared him out the door. Victory! After that everyone was much more dilligent about keeping the doors closed.
The highlight of the trip (for Nolan and Justin) was a 3.1 mile hike at Bryce Canyon, with an elevation change of 1500 feet. We started on the trail, but many of us soon turned around when we realized how hot and tired the children would be. It was a good thing Grandma K turned back with me because she was able to carry Ezra back up. My back is too weak (I know, pathetic) so she was a big help. Ez cried nearly the whole way back. I was worried about Justin and Nolan. Nolan had insisted on continuing. I pictured Justin having to trudge up the switchbacks with him on his back as he took puffs from his inhaler. After lazing about at the visitor's center for 2 hours, Justin told me that Nolan was quite the little champ! He was the only tike that never complained or asked to be carried. We're so proud of our little hiker and spelunker (he liked the caves, too). In fact, all the family at the top cheered him on as he came over the rim. He later told me, "I'm a very good hiker!"

Birthday Bash

We had a wonderful birthday weekend in Logan, celebrating our little Ezra. We can't hardly believe he is one year old, but we threw him a big party anyway! It was fun to enjoy Grandma K's backyard and the beautiful weather. A big thanks to everyone who came and brought food. Thanks even if you didn't bring food. It was fun! I have a feeling Ezra knew exactly that it was his special day. He would crawl around looking at everyone, giggling, smiling, and grunting. And what could be better than eating cake pops and his own ice cream cone?! Happy day, little man!

I got the idea for the cake from my cousin, who pointed me to bakerella.com. Those little bees are like eating pure joy!

Stats and Alarms

Teenie tiny Ez is only 17 lbs. 12 oz. - that's just under the 3rd percentile for weight. He is 28 in. tall (12%) and his head is 18 in. (60%). He might be little but he's still smart! We'll be taking him in every month to weigh him to make sure he's gaining. The doctor said it might be because he's crawling faster now with his tummy off the floor and he's standing up to everything. He's burning more calories. I think it's partly because I'm trying to quit breastfeeding and he's still not getting enough whole milk yet. But we all know Justin and I won't have a heavyweight champ, so I'm not worried.

I'll be posting about Ez's birthday weekend in Logan a little later, but I thought I'd jot down another "endless alarm" experience. Do you remember our camping experience? Well this wasn't quite as bad, thank goodness, but bad enough. We ran into Best Buy so that Grandma K could look at TVs. As we were browsing, Nolan pushes open an emergency exit door and a very obnoxious, loud alarm sounds. Oh jeez. Not another alarm. Well, several workers walked over, I apologized, and I figured it would be turned off in a jiffy. Turns out the workers' key was broken. They messed around with the door for a bit, and then walked off. At this point, we're all feeling very sheepish. They send for reinforcements but no luck... the alarm is still sounding and customers are starting to clear out. By now there's about 8 to 10 employees (I guess they have that many employees for occasions such as these) swarming around dealing with the alarm. After about 5 minutes, they located the "chosen one" who had the magical key and peace was again restored. Other than us and some die hards looking to buy a huge plasma, the place was empty (oh yeah, and the 10 employees). Justin made sure one of the tall, ominous workers gave Nolan a little talking to (he's learning about natural consequences) and we were out the door. For some reason, Grandma K was no longer interested in looking at TVs.