Donut Run!

The weekend of February 11th, Grammie Smith came to visit.  When Grammie comes to visit she takes the kids on Donut Runs.  The kids LOVE this and look forward to it!  Of course my children have to pick the biggest donuts on earth.

 And because Grammie is SO NICE, she let this little sugar addict get two ginormous donuts.

 The girls showing me their yummy donuts.  MMmmmm donuts.

 Carter was spending the weekend with us and so he got to go on the donut run too, he loved it.

Thanks Grammie for spoiling the kids!

Blue & Gold Banquet: Wild Wild West

On February 7th we had our Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts, this year we decided on the theme Wild Wild West.  There was lots of Hick Talk all night.  We dressed up like cowboys and cowgirls, ate chili, cornbread, salads and brownies and enjoyed watching the boys receive awards.  Jason and I also put together a cute little program and had some of the boys participate.  All in all it was a good night and we had a great turn out!

Flag Ceremony.  The boys did a great job!

Then of course I had to take a million pictures of everyone at their tables.

Our ward is AWESOME!  We are really lucky that we are part of such a great ward.

Me and my cute Cub Scout.

Bridging the boys into their new dens.

 Jason and his famous, "watermelon cheer."

 Some of our awesome Cub Scouts receiving their awards.

Me, Jason and some of our Cub Scouts gathered around the campfire for our program.  The boys did an awesome job, they all spoke like cowboys when they read their parts.  I guess I thought something was really hilarious in this picture.

I seriously love our calling, I know people might think we are completely crazy because I haven't really heard of anyone loving "Scouts" but we do.  Our boys are great and so our are leaders!  We had a great time!

MJ

A few weeks ago it was White Ribbon Week at school.  It was Internet safety week.  They taught the kids a lot of great things about internet safety.  One day during the week the kids had to dress up in a disguise.  The purpose was to explain to kids that people you talk with or write to on the computer may not be who they say they are.  Mr. Parker decided to dress up as Michael Jackson.  Hannah was Hannah Montana.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a pic of Hannah, but I did snap a quick pic of PK before he headed off to school.

This kid is hilarious!

Doodle Doodle Doodle

I remember when I was a kid, I used to draw faces on people in magazines, in the newspaper, pretty much if there was a picture of anyone on any kind of paper I was doodling all over it.  I admit, I still do this ALL the time.  So, when I opened up the newspaper and say two of Parker's masterpieces, I was laughing so hard, like really hard, like I need to get out more because I laughed so hard I snorted.  Thanks PK for making Moms day.

 I'm still laughing.  Man, I think he actually looks better with some facial hair and that earring is the BOMB!

Mitt, I mustache you a question????  Hee Hee Hee, I know I'm hilarious!

"Mom, Parkers Funny!"

Our girls think Parker is the funniest person in the world, well maybe the 2nd funniest, they think their Dad is pretty hysterical too.  Parker is always finding new ways to make the girls laugh.  It doesn't take much either.  This particular time he was standing on the couch and falling over.  The girls couldn't stop laughing.

 Parker falling, Girls laughing. 

Ava honestly thinks Parker is the greatest person on earth.  Oh and she has undies on, she was refusing to wear pants that day.  Whats new right?

Potty Time & New Undies

On January 30th, I decided to start potty training Ava.  Potty training is Hell.  Yes, I just swore on our blog, but you know what, I'm not one to sugarcoat anything, so I will just tell it like it is. H-E-L-L.  I hate it, but the funny thing is that I shouldn't hate it, because I didn't even potty train Parker and Hannah, Jason did.  But this time around Jason wasn't working shift work, so I got the dreaded chore.  I have little patience.  So I knew that this was going to be a learning experience not only for Ava but for Ava's mother.  But I went in determined that I wasn't going to quit and put her little bum back in diapers.  So, we borrowed Grammie Olson's portable dvd player an we LIVED in the bathroom for one whole day and when I say lived I mean it.  We ate breakfast and lunch in there.  We watched Barbie a Perfect Christmas like a google trillion times.  I even had to ask my friend Lacie to pick my children up from school because I didn't dare leave the toilet, because I knew once I did Ava would pee her pants.  I was a woman on a mission. That little girl held it for 6 1/2 hours!!!  She drank 20+ ounces of Apple Juice, ate a gazillion salty snacks so she would drink more apple juice.  Had a shake, popsicles and still nothin'!  I talked to my friend Tara and she suggested giving her soda, so Miss Ava got a Shasta for a treat, she was in heaven and was guzzling it.  I was determined to make her go and she was determined not too.  Ava thought it was awesome we were eating lunch on the toilet.  I thought it was gross, but hey a mom has gotta do what a moms gotta do.  It was 2:50 p.m.  I called Lacie to pick PK and Hannah up from school.  I was begging Ava to go pee pee.  I was bribbing her, telling her that moms legs were dying from sitting on the floor all day hanging out with her, I think I may have even shed a tear....then at 2:55 p.m. she went to the bathroom!!! HALLELUJAH!!  I didn't know that I could get that excited.  I was screaming, I was crying, I was so happy.  Ava was looking at me like I was a complete lunatic and when I turned and saw myself in the bathroom mirror, I realized I was a complete lunatic. 

Lunatic or not, I actually completed my mission.  The kid went potty, I did it.  I accomplished the task I had been dreading throughout this whole kid raising process.  I succeeded and a little bit of me was laughing an evil laugh inside, "I won.  I won.  The 2 year old lost and I won." ha ha ha!

Okay, so forth...I am happy to announce that Miss Ava Karen Smith is fully potty trained!  This girl definitely deserves a round of applause!

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!

 She thinks the potty is awesome.  She thinks undies are awesome. 

 I think she is AWESOME with a capital A!

 She is a giggling fool ladies and gentlemen.  Sitting on the potty for 6 1/2 straight hours you get a little giddy and crazy.

 We did lots of coloring.

Undie Bum on lil' bums ROCK.  I let her help me stir the food since she went potty.  She was in heaven.  So easy to please.

 The drinks and snacks.

 Talking on the phone while going potty later that night.  She was telling Papa and Grammie Olson that she went potty.  She was really proud of herself.

 We need to give a shout out to Hannah, she was such a great helper the entire time we were potty training.  She would sit and watch movies with Ava, she would color with her, she read her stories, she gave her snacks.  She was always encouraging her, it was the sweetest thing ever!

 Watching Barbie A Perfect Christmas for like the 500th time.  I know every word and song to that movie. 

 Having lunch in the bathroom.  Gross yeah probably, necessary??? Heck ya!

I love this kid. 

Ava is super excited to be potty trained.  I feel bad though for all the people we come in contact with, strangers, friends or family...she tells them while pulling down her pants and showing her undies to them, "I big now, I go pee on potty.  These my nunnies.  I do big poop."

Awesome.