We have a wall!

Yesterday Steve's Dad came over with all the wood to frame the basement. That in itself was exciting. Last night Steve, his Dad and brother Rod all got to work on framing the basement. They got one of the walls done, they took a small one that wasn't done well down and started to get ready to put another wall up. I'm so excited, it's going to be so nice to have the bedrooms and office finished down there, I CAN'T WAIT! Thank you Brad, Steve and Rod for getting started, I'm so happy!!!

Funny Sydney

Last night Sydney woke up crying which she doesn't do very often unless she hasn't gone to the bathroom before bed. Anyway this time it was something different. We had been watching animal planet before she went to bed and it was all about crocodiles growing up and what they eat. She has crazy dreams a lot but this time she had a dream about me getting eaten by tigers so she was scared and wanted to check I was okay. I told her I was okay and that tigers can't get me because they're all locked in zoo's.

Then today we went to the doctors for my 28 week appointment and the doctor was asking the kids about what they thought the baby would be, a girl or a boy. Maddie thinks we're having a boy and Syd is quite determined we're having a girl so she was getting mad at Maddie for saying it was a boy. Then Maddie kept going on and I was trying to tell her to stop because it really does make Syd quite angry. Anyway Syd had, had enough and said, "I told you, I don't THINK it's a girl, I KNOW it's a girl".

She really is so funny, she makes me laugh all the time. She has such a unique personality which can be nuts at times but it keeps us on our toes. I guess we'll see what happens is we end up having boy, she might not be too happy!

Trying to be a big boy!

So Spencer is still learning to go potty, he does really well at church because he thinks it's fun to go out of sacrament meeting or nursery. He also loves to pee outside so he does well then too. I'm not too worried about him totally getting it straight away but this morning we had a lovely experience.

Last night Steve had told me that Spencer had peed standing up (inside the house this time). I didn't think too much of it but this morning I told him to go potty and off he went. Next thing I know he's coming back into the living room walking funny and then I see why. He had poop all over his legs so I quickly took him back to the bathroom.

He had decided to pee standing up again but at the same time decided to go poop so there was a nice pile of poop on the floor. Not the nicest thing you want to hear about but it was pretty funny. I couldn't really get mad at him because he was trying and just wanted to pee like a big boy. I just told him he had to sit on the potty when he went poop.

I guess this is just another prime example of how different boys are to girls. I would normally get a bit frustrated about finding poop on the floor but it was so funny, it's funny how your kids doing naughty things really do make you laugh. I love being a Mom, it's the BEST! I might get stressed with my kids sometimes but they always find ways of making me laugh, who ever thought poop on the floor would make you laugh though?

What is with this weather?

Okay I'm getting a bit sick of this weather now! I know Idaho is windy but it's almost the middle of June and it's still cold, mostly due to all the wind. I shouldn't really complain just because I know when it gets really hot I'll be wishing it was cooler but at least then my kids could play outside and we could do some fun activities and not be stuck inside all the time.

We've had 2 park days now and both times the wind has been crazy so there hasn't been the best turn outs. Tomorrow we're meant to have a BBQ for enrichment but I think we'll be moving that to the church. I was talking to the kids today about the wind and Maddie was asking me why Jesus was making it so windy, then Sydney said that Jesus was just blowing really hard, that's why it was so windy, it was so cute! Oh well, hopefully next week will be better and we can really start our summer holidays and activities, that would be nice!

Maddies last soccer game

Today was our last trip to the soccer field for the year. Every game we've had so far the weather has been really nice but today is was pretty cold. There is meant to be 10 kids on the team but one of the kids has never been so we've played with 9 kids all season. Today we started with only 6 kids so that was fun? They actually did really well but we were all glad when Jason showed up, he was the teams super star this season!

We ended up losing 2-1 which really wasn't bad for only having 6 players for abit and then none of the kids got to sit out so they were all pretty tired. Maddie was so good the first quarter, running around like a mad women, that wore her out pretty good.

All in all their season was really good. They lost twice, tied once and won the rest, I think that was about 5 games so that was good. Maddie did so much better this season, she really loved it and it was so nice because she had a lot of her friends on her team. We're going to pass on fall soccer this year, we liked spring way better because it was so much warmer. For now we'll focus on t-ball, then swimming and then I think we'll have a break because we'll be adding another child to the madness we already have and that will be busy enough for a while!

Free fishing day

Today was free fishing day so Steve was all excited to take the kids. I was too until I caught Maddie's flu bug and threw up last night, then I wasn't feeling too well this morning. I still got up and got ready because I knew that Steve would need help with the kids.

So we set off and got there at around 9.30am. There was already tons of people there, a lady gave Spencer a fish that they had caught because they didn't want it so he was all happy about that. There wasn't much room but Steve found a spot and was in deep concentration trying to catch a fish. The weather wasn't very nice either, this summer has been crazy so far when it comes to weather, windy and rain, not very much fun!

I was trying to keep the kids next to us, Spencer just wanted to run around so I had to keep grabbing him all the time. Steve wasn't having too much luck and the kids were getting restless but Steve finally got a bite and tried to call us over so the kids could help him real the fish in. By the time we got over there he had lost the fish so that was sad.

We stayed for a little while longer but Syd had been needing the toilet for ages and was about to pee herself so we needed to go. Spencer needed the potty too but he wasn't shy and went right there where we were, he loves going outside now!

Needless to say we didn't catch another fish but at least someone gave Spencer a fish so we took that home and gutted it, Syd and Spencer thought that was pretty cool. We would have stayed there longer but Maddie had a soccer game at 11am so we had to rush off for that. I really don't think I could be a fisher, I don't have the patience for it, maybe most of that was because I didn't just stand there and relax, I was feeling rough and trying to stop kids from falling in the water, ah who am I kidding, I still wouldn't be patient enough!

Look world, I can PEE!

Yesterday we were out a lot with t-ball practices and soccer practice so I was worried how Spencer would do with going to the bathroom so he had a pull up on all day! After our first practise I was sure he had peed in his pull up but when I checked he was dry so I was so impressed. Our little cousin Whitney told me she had found him with his pants and pull up off going potty outside so I laughed! At least he was going potty.

After that practice Spencer and I went on a date to his favourite place, McDonald's. The girls had both gone to their friends house for a couple of hours so we had a fun time together. When we got home he was playing outside and was showing me all his tricks on the swing set. It was nice just having some time just the 2 of us because now it's summer that won't happen very often.

So, we went to our second t-ball practice and after that we rushed home to get ready for soccer practice. The girls got ready and had a cookie and some milk. Maddies friend was with us so I told them all they needed to go to the bathroom before we left. Next thing I know Spencer had disappeared outside in the back garden so after getting everything ready I went to get him so he could go potty too but there was no need! This is how I found him.

He had taken himself to the bathroom, OUTSIDE again for the whole world to see! What a nutter, it made me laugh so I had to take pictures but modest ones this time. I haven't tried to teach him the whole standing up going potty thing so it was funny to watch him trying to hold himself to pee. These moments really are great and remind me again how lucky I am to be a Mom.

She's getting so big!

This is Maddie with her friend Alex on their first day of Kindergarten.

Today was Madison's last day of school. I can't believe it's already over, it only seems like yesterday that she started kindergarten. She's learnt so much this year and has changed a lot too. She's always been such a good girl and still is but now with a little more attitude. She's 6 1/2 now and sometimes thinks she's 16! She's so funny to watch, singing along with Hannah Montana or High School Musical, those are her favourites. We were at the store yesterday and she was looking at the Hannah Montana barbies, the ones that sing and there she was singing away in the store. She loves to sing, I think she gets that love from me!

During this school year she has lost her 2 front bottom teeth, she made the 100 club in her class, that was one of her first goals when she got into kindergarten, she practised and practised until she got it. She's learning to read, she's doing so good. I wasn't the most patient teacher when it came to reading but she was patient with me and is ready good now. She's had a couple of crushes this year, it's so funny to see her get so embarrassed about it, she's so cute. She's played volleyball, soccer and is now getting ready for a fun filled summer of t-ball and swimming.

I know I'm bias but I think she's so beautiful! I feel so lucky to be her Mom. I wish sometimes I was a better Mom, I'm learning all the time and I know I'll never be perfect. The time just goes by so fast and I feel like I sometimes don't pay as much attention to my kids as I should with all the other craziness going on in life. It doesn't seem like that long ago since she started preschool and soon she'll be in 1st grade, it's CRAZY! She really is a wonderful little girl, always trying to be helpful and she's so excited to have this new baby. She keeps telling me all the things she can help with, she's going to be so good.

Anyway I love my little Madison, she's such a wonderful big sister and daughter. How blessed I am to have her and all my children. I may get stressed with them sometimes but that's my downfall not theirs. They're just learning as I know I am but they mean the world to me and I feel so blessed to be their Mom. What a great thing my Heavenly Father blessed me with, to be a Mom! I guess today just made me realise more than ever that I need to make the most of each day and don't wish time away because my little baby is now 6 1/2 and it only seems like yesterday that we had her.

This is Maddie after her last day of kindergarten.

Nameless child!

I know we have 3 months left until our baby arrives but this whole name thing has been driving me NUTS! Steve thinks it's fine and we have plenty of time but he said that about 2 years ago when we started trying to get pregnant and now we only have 3 months left and we still have no names, well no boy name anyway!

So, we think we're going to name the baby Peyton if we have a girl, not sure how we'd spell it yet though. I'm sure it would just be the way I spelt it though because Steve doesn't like to spell things differently. I tried to spell Maddies middle name which is Lee, like this, Leigh but he wouldn't let me. Anyway at least we have a name if we have a girl I guess but the whole boy name is a whole other story.

I've been asking him for ages to think of names for a boy because he doesn't like any of the ones I've suggested. We had been thinking about Hyrum, well at least I thought we had. I told him the other day that I thought we should just go for Hyrum and he said no! He had told me that he liked that name but I guess that wasn't true because he went on to say how he would never call his son that and he wouldn't want to be called that either. I told him that he shouldn't tell me he likes a name if he really doesn't, I was a little upset because I was getting used to the idea of Hyrum.

Anyway on Sunday he finally wrote a list of names he liked so I looked through it and it made me laugh because he had written 2 names that I had on my list and he had told me he didn't like any of my names. When I asked him about it he said, "well I thought that one was okay so I wrote it". What a nutter! He makes me laugh though so that's good I guess. Anyway last night while we were in bed he said he'd been looking at my list of names again and he said he didn't mind two of them which he said were Jackson and Joshua. I've always really liked Joshua and he has told me how much he doesn't like it so I was surprised so I asked him about it and he said, "well I like Josh, not Joshua". HOW ANNOYING!!! Why tell me you like Johsua when you don't, I couldn't help but laugh!

So I guess the names we're thinking about now are Jackson and the one name I liked that Steve picked was Austin. I'm sure these names may change and Steve will tell me he really doesn't like them but what can you do? I guess we have 3 more months and maybe we'll just have a girl and it will make life a lot easier, well for the moment I guess, not the future as girls are WAY more emotional than boys! Truthfully I really don't mind if we have a girl or a boy, just as long as they're healthy. I just like to be prepared and have the names, one of the many differences between Steve and I, I'm always trying to be organised and he just think everything will be okay and we'll have time which I'm sure is true. I guess that's why you marry someone who has different ideas, it helps you learn and think things in a different way, however I still would like to have a name for our poor baby!

I'm going to count at you!

So I got home last night after eating out with the girls from our neighbourhood. I was pretty full and my already big belly felt even bigger so I was trying to relax, laying on Steve's lap. Spencer had been asking for his apple juice and I was waiting for Steve to get it but that wasn't happening. Next thing I know I feel this fast spray in my hair, then the smell hit me! Obviously Spencer didn't want to wait any longer so he had to get my attention somehow. He had found the sun tan spray on the counter and decided that the best way to make Mommy get up was to give a nice big spray of it in my hair, it was so funny!

He's such a little character. Yesterday he was all over the place, we're still trying to do the whole potty training, it's going okay but we'll see how much longer I can last! Anyway he had made a mess in the girls room with these bright orange crackers and then he got an orange and was stabbing it with this plastic knife. I didn't know he was doing that until he came and found me. When I took him to the kitchen there was sticky orange juice all over floor, just what I wanted to clean up? I was telling him how naughty that was and he replied by telling me, "I'm going to count at you". Obviously he's learning something, even if it's not going potty he sure knows that when you're in trouble we count!

It's just so hard to get mad at him though because he's so cute. We were at Steve's parents the other day and he kept pushing on their screen door so I was telling him off. Then I said if he did it again he was going time out. Obviously he did it again so I went to get him and he started running around the table so I had to try and chase him in all my pregnantness! He was just laughing and laughing, thinking it was hilarious, I had to turn away at one point because he was making me laugh. Why are they so cute, especially at those times when you're trying to tell them off? What a cheeky monkey, but he's just so cute!