I Wonder...

I wonder if it is truly necessary to change your underwear 4+ times a day. Conner loves his Pixar underwear so much that he is not truly happy unless he has the opportunity to wear each pair of underwear each day.

Ohh, how I dream of the days when my laundry pile was nice and petite... it is amazing how much laundry is involved when your toddler starts using the potty!

Climbing Stairs!

Caleb climbed all of our stairs for the first time this afternoon! What a strong young boy he is!

Caleb is so proud and excited to start doing big boy activities, it will not be long before he starts to walk. Just last week, I pulled out a push and go toy for Conner and Caleb took ten steps while holding on to it!

We just love Caleb so much, he has brought so much love and joy into our family!

Funny Conner Comments

• "Daddy's Truck is Sexy" was Conner's most recent comment about our wedding video. He loves to watch the segment in which Nate is packing up the truck for us to move to Dallas. This comment makes me nervous... I really need to start watching what comes out of my mouth!

• "I dreamed about Mack and Lightning McQueen again!" Conner always has dreams about Lightning McQueen and Mack(from the movie Cars by Pixar) - he informs us of this fact after every nap!

• Caleb dreams about Chick Hicks (from the movie Cars by Pixar)

• When Conner was play nibbling on Caleb's toes, he pulled away with a look of disgust and said "Gross Baby!"
  

The Wheels on Our Bus...

Conner's new favorite song is The Wheels on the Bus. It is simply not enough for my young toddler to sing the many traditional verses - more verses... more must be added!

Conner has continued to create five original verses to our favorite song. Yes, the wheels on the bus do go around and around and around and around and around and around at our house!

In addition the actions and sounds of the doors, the driver, the passengers, the wipers, the horn, and the babies on the bus - our bus also has come equipped with these special features:

The Daddy on the bus says: "Conner's awesome"

The Conner in the bus says: "Cheddar bunnies"

The Mommy on the bus says: "I love Conner"

The Caleb on the bus says: "goo goo goo"

The Grandma on the bus says: "grandpa grandpa..."

The Grandpa on the bus says: "choo-choo train"

The Grammie on the bus says: "grampie grampie..."

Yes, this song goes on and on at our house my friend. Somebody started singing it not knowing what it was, and we'll continue singing it forever just because :)

Five More Minutes Mom!

My friend recently introduced me to the book Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood.

After hearing about all of the amazing techniques and suggestions offered by this book, I knew I needed to read this book... and quickly!

I just finished reading this book two days again, and I am so excited about all of the fun techniques and results we are already experiencing! Plus, I get to start using the word "bummer" again... how cool is that? :)

One of the suggestions is to allow your toddler to have control that you don't need. Instead of approaching your toddler and saying "its time to go now" allow them to make a choice. Five minutes prior to the time you need to leave, ask your toddler if they would like to go home now or in five minutes. Conner loves this option, and has stopped throwing those "I don't want to leave" fits when I offer this choice... it is great!

Last week, we had just arrived to the grocery store when I was about to pull Conner out of his car seat. Caleb was waiting in the grocery cart, diaper bags were out of the car, doors were locked, etc. As I was about to reach in and unbuckle Conner, he looked at me and said "Not yet Mom.... five more minutes".

Luckily it was warm outside... Caleb and I had no problem waiting "five minutes" which was actually thirty seconds. While waiting, I could not contain my laughter... Conner is usually super anxious to get out of the car!

I have loved watching the various changes that are starting to occur in our family atmosphere due to this wonderful book. If you read any parenting book... pick this one!

April 3, 2009

We have had such a wonderful week! Here are our basic highlights.

• Dad played drums for the ward's youth showcase... it was so fun to see him rock out :)
• Dad planted 6 trees (2 apple, 2 peach, 1 mulberry, and 1 pear) in our backyard this week! What a trooper - he pruned and cared for them in the rain :)
  
• Conner is now praying on a regular basis. Our prayers now include expressing gratitude for plates, chairs, movies, friends, etc. It has been a really great reminder to me of the importance of expressing gratitude for everything. It is so easy to become accustomed to things and forget how wonderful some of the simple things in life are. Heavenly Father has truly blessed us with an amazing world... I am so grateful for the lessons Conner is teaching me!
• Conner is also talking a lot more. He can now name the members of the first presidency :)
• Conner's new favorite phrase is "It's not very nice... is it?" I just love it!
• Conner loves to try and pick up his brother
• Conner is now starting to recognize letters of the alphabet :)
• Caleb took two steps while holding on to a cardboard box :)
• Caleb is giving kisses, and I just love it! He gave me my first kiss this week, and I am still so excited! He loves to lean in with his mouth wide open and place it against your lips... the best part is he makes a "mmm" sound while he does it!

I just love my kids so much... I am soo blessed to be married to Nathan and a mother to the two finest boys :)