been a long time comin'

Embry is finally potty-trained! There have been several failed attempts, but he finally decided he was ready to wear big boy underwear for good.

It just goes to show that if you let them do it when they are ready, it makes for a fairly easy process. Hayes didn't have a choice. He was required to be potty-trained for preschool. Oh the misery of forcing a kid when he isn't ready. And Ellie is such a go-getter that she conquered it pretty quickly.

He has done extremely well for several weeks now... we've just waited until the perfect time (read: brother and sister were elsewhere) to celebrate with a trip to Toys R Us.

Way to go Paddywack! I'm so proud of you!

break from reality

A wonderful Spring Break, I tell ya. Kyle FINALLY got to use some of his vacation days, thanks to his attending being on vacation. Yay!

We were able to spend a bit of time with Drew and Liz and watch their wedding plans come right along. A couples' night out thanks to Grandpa and Nana.... hibachi with Laura, Andrew, Drew and Liz. Good times.

I was so excited to meet a sweet friend of mine, Jessi for the first time in person! The blog world is a funny place. I knew her without ever meeting her, so finally seeing her and being able to give her a hug was pretty special. She and her family stayed with us a couple nights and we had the best time getting to know them. Jessi and I were able to sneak out one night to meet up with some of our buddies for a girls' night out. Thanks Randy and Kyle for watching all six kids the whole night... with knowing each other barely two hours. :)

Kyle, Hayes and I then escaped to Antlers for the weekend. Somebody has really been missing his Daddy and needed some one-on-one time. Thanks Minnie for keeping our little ninja and princess in line.

Friday evening was beautiful. We roamed around, fished and made a fire.

The cold weather rolled in on Saturday and kept us cozy in the cabin. There were movies, video games, naps and frito chili pie.

There may have also been some doughnuts, eggs and a boy on kitchen duty.

It was a pretty special trip... just taking Hayes. The first time Kyle and I discovered this ranch, Hayes was in my belly. Six years ago. Wow.

happy st. patty's day!

airing my clean laundry

There's a point where efficiency ("I'll wait so I can take it upstairs in one trip.") turns to laziness. I juuuuust might be there.

A weird little sidenote: I posted this and got to thinkin' that I had already used this title before, so I went to the archives. Almost exactly one year ago, I had. But last year, it was dirty. This year, clean. What does it all mean? :)

Does it mean that I am as redundant as they come? Does it mean that I am making strides in the world of homemaking? Does it mean that I am as redundant as they come? :)

I think what it really means is the laundry always win. Clean or dirty.

 

i can swim

we're all about the costumes

A big thanks to Minnie for pulling out some fun stuff in the attic to add to our dress-up collection. We love it!

case of the missing blankie... solved.

Little Miss has gone almost a week without her beloved blankie. It appeared to have vanished into thin air. Thanks to some beautiful weather today, we were able to play outside this afternoon. And guess what Embry found hidden away in the seat of the rocket?

Needless to say, someone was very, very happy. :)