September 2012

We attempted to potty train the boys this month.I tried the 24 hour method and did it with both of them. It didn't got so well. First day was as expected, some accidents but some successes in the potty. Second day, lots of accidents, very few successes and a accident that left Owen outside crying, where he wet himself, me cleaning up some pee that Owen has dragged a book through after I specifically asked him not too, Caleb sitting on the potty crying because I just didn't know where to put him and Mike coming home during the middle of all this and saying it was time to quit potty training (he is usually extremely helpful, this was not one of those times). Third day, they were started telling me "no"  and were refusing to sit on the potty. I keep hearing 'when the time is right, they will just get it'. Apparently our timing wasn't right. They are back in diapers and we will try again in a few months.
We had a fun Labor Day barbeque at Lisa's house. It started at 2 and we didn't leave until about 7. We loved hanging out with the family and the boys loved playing. That weekend, we celebrated Will's birthday by eating a yummy dinner and cake at his house and going to Fizz Feast at Soda Row in Daybreak. They had a fire engine that the boys were able to climb inside, they thought that was pretty cool.
The boys are doing playschool with some other kids from the neighborhood. It is like preschool. All the moms take a turn teaching the class, hosting a party or planning a field trip. We went to Thanksgiving Point for one class and visited Farm Country. I bought some animal feed and the boys thought that was really fun feeding the animals. They loved it when the animals would lick their hands. They were also able to take a ride on a pony and a tractor ride around the farm. We saw all sorts of farm animals and they knew what most of them were. Each class, they learn a new letter and number and then the lesson is on dinosaurs or weather, music or manner, etc... there is a craft and treats and of course lots of playing. They seem like they have a really good time. Also, is it just me or do kids seem smarter than when we were growing up? They are learning their ABC's and they are two years old. I swear I don't have much to do with it. (I try a little with reading and playing, but I must admit, I'm kind of lazy).  It must come from Mike, because he's smart too.
Here is a story that proves my point. We have this page in a train book that the boys love reading, they point to each car and say what it is. They start from the back and go forward. Caleb, points to each car and tells me what it is and spells it out if it has a word on it. He is getting good at knowing his letters. Here is the order of the cards. Caboose, yellow truck, l-o-a-c (coal car) o-1-l (for oil car) banana, square (for the door) and then he spells the word b-a-n-a-n-a-s. It is so cute. He is getting so smart.
Mike's grandma turned 91 this month, so we had a birthday party for her at the park. As always it was yummy food and good company. However the hit of the night was when Dean got out the rockets and was shooting them up in the air. The kids loved it, the adults too. He would have all the kids count down. 5...4...3...2...1 Blast Off. The boys were loving it, they had the biggest smiles on their faced and looked up in the air to see where the rocket was and where it would land. One of the times it blew a little off course and Dean had to go look in someone's back yard. He had a trail of kids following him, they all wanted to be in on the adventure.
This was the 'on' year for canning for me. I always do it and tell myself I won't do it again, but about every 5 or 6 years, I seem to run out of canned goods and I always find myself canning again. This year I decided to go big. I helped can over 175 jars of food. I canned about 130 with Lisa, Pam and Mariah. We made sweet pepper relish and pizza sauce. Then I canned apple sauce with my friend Suzanne Anderson. She had an apple tree and I picked about 3 big boxes full off Jim & Karin's tree. And last I canned salsa with Shannon & Colleen Barker. Wow, that was a lot of canning, but boy does our food storage look good.
Fall is in the air. I love this time of year. It is so magical and I'm so excited for all the holidays.