Potty Training and the Trouble with Number Two

At aerobics this morning one of my friends asked me how potty training with Ephraim is going, since she knew we started potty training on Monday the 20th. I figured that potty training Ephraim would be harder than it was with Jacob, since Jacob had it down in about four days. What I never really figured on HOW it would be harder.

The first couple of days of potty training were rough. Since we go directly to underwear with no pull-ups, I expect a bit of a learning curve. We mostly stayed inside and spent lots of time going to the bathroom; but with rewards for going on the potty, Ephraim learned pretty quickly and things got better.

We actually got to the point where Ephraim was enjoying wearing his underwear. He liked choosing which pair to wear and didn't want to put on a diaper when it was time to go to bed. On Friday and Saturday day we had absolutely NO ACCIDENTS! This was pretty impressive because Friday my friend Melinda came and picked up and took us on a shopping trip to Salt Lake for my birthday. We went out for lunch a did some shopping, and you can bet we visited the bathroom at nearly every store we went to. I was so impressed that Ephraim did so well. I was singing the hallelujah chorus and we were all happy.

For just a moment I thought I was mostly finished with potty training since Jacob trained just that fast. Maybe I can finally stop doing so much laundry... Ha! Not so fast, Mommy! The inevitable happened... for the past three days we have had an accident every day. Only one accident per day is pretty good, right?!

Well, it WOULD be pretty good... if the accidents weren't all Number Two! Ugh! Dealing with this kind of accident makes us all feel a bit like this:

I don't understand how Ephraim can stay dry for 5 days in a row and yet not make it to go poop on the potty! We go to the bathroom at least once or twice an hour, but if I don't get him to the bathroom at the random right moment, then I end up with yuck!

I guess the good news is that we are making progress. This evening Ephraim actually told me he needed to go potty! He had already started to do his business, but at least he caught himself. Maybe we will get through this potty training business after all.

That would be nice because I love this boy and I would really like to keep him. :o)

Wonder Woman Weekend

This weekend my mom came to visit and participate in the Wonder Woman Ride. I had originally planned to ride with her, but I had not really put in enough time on my bike and didn't feel it was worth is to pay to only go 35 miles or so. But I was happy to cheer my mom and her friend on.

Just before Grandma got here Ephraim had a big bonk. He fell off the neighbors trampoline and landed on his head on the concrete! Talk about scary. Luckily he didn't get a concussion or a big goose-egg, just some nasty scrapes. It seems the neighbor's nine year old daughter was kind enough to help him get on the trampoline and then he got bumped off while jumping with the bigger kids. This is one of the reasons why we don't have a trampoline! The new rule is that Ephraim can't jump without an adult present. Just check out his huge scrapes.

Saturday my mom and her friend Debra drove to Payson and participated in the ride. While she was gone Joe and I took turns riding our bikes. We both rode to the Provo boat harbor and back, which is around 28 miles.

Later in the afternoon when the ride was finished, we all went shopping. I had heard about a small marketplace in Lindon called Fallow Field Farm. They had many different vendors selling everything from quilts, jewelry, sweets, soap and so much more. We had a fun time looking around at all the fun creations and Mom and I both got a little necklace charm.

After that we went shopping for my birthday. We went shoe shopping in the Mall and Joe and I both found some nice Merrells. Then we did some other shopping. It was fun to have Grandma come and visit for a while. The boys always enjoy spending time with her, even if we usually do end up shopping!

Preschool Tool Time and Looking for Leaves

This week it was my turn to teach as part of the cooperative preschool I am doing for Jacob. We are doing a series on community workers, and I was lucky enough to get to teach about construction workers. It was so much fun!

Of course since I have two boys, I had no difficulty coming up with books or props. We just got out all their bulldozers, dump trucks, rollers, and excavators. We also pulled out their hard hat and tool box. I picked up some of out favorite construction books while I was working at the library last week and we were ready to go!

Since preschool was at our house, Ephraim got to participate too, which he LOVED! We had circle time and talked about the day of the week, the weather, and the letter for the day. We went over our alphabet chart and the sounds that the letters make. Then we got to read some stories. We also took turns putting on the construction hat.

Of course I couldn't resist taking a couple pictures. All the kids loved to wear the hard hat and learn about what construction workers do. We also talked about tools and sang "This is the way we hammer the nail... this is the way we turn the screw..." etc. while the kids mimicked the action with the tools. It was awesome!

After preschool was finished, Jacob put on the hard hat and insisted that I take a picture of him with each and every tool as he pulled them out of the tool bag. What a funny boy!

Later in the evening for Family Home Evening we went for a drive up Provo Canyon to look at the beginnings of the Fall foliage.

We even went as far up as Sundance. The leaves up high have started to change, but it will be a while before they all get colorful.

We stopped at Bridal Veil Falls on our way home. The boys thought it was fun to get a closer look at the big waterfall.

Playing at the Park

We finally got a nice, sunny day. So Friday afternoon the boys and I went and had a picnic lunch at Evergreen park. It's probably more accurate to say that I had a picnic lunch and the boys had bites on the run! It was a beautiful day and we had a lovely time.

The boys really enjoy this park. It has fun play equipment with plenty of slides and things to climb up. There are also swings and plenty of grass. Jacob's favorite part of the park is probably the big hill.

Jacob loves to talk Ephraim and any other little friends he meets into "running up the big hill" with him. He really does run all the way to the hill and all the way up it! Then they roll down the hill and run back.


Jacob is usually willing to do this again and again... but often he can't find anyone who wants to go with him multiple times. That boy loves to run! Ephraim does a pretty good job keeping up.

It was nice to spend some time outside and let the boys have some fun in the sun.

Picnicking in the Basement

When we woke up this morning it was a cold, wet and drizzly day.

It has been cloudy off and on this week, so the boys were feeling a little bit stir crazy. Consequently they were having a hard time getting along and were driving Mommy a little bit crazy too. So we decided to have a picnic. Having a picnic outside was definitely out of the question, but that didn't stop us. We decided to have a picnic inside instead.

The boys thought it was so much fun to go get lunch and eat it on a blanket in the basement. It definitely made the day much more fun for all of us.

Bugs, Boys and Fruit: Week in Photos

Not too much happened when we got back from our trip. We mostly spent the week relaxing and getting back to our everyday life. So here is a photographic overview of our week.

September 4

Choo- Choo! Thomas and Friends make bath time for dirty boys more fun.

September 5

Joe recently got a new job and got to get a smart phone for work. Now he can get his email, surf the web, and do all kinds of other things with his phone (like play games!). I don't really mind because his employer will be paying part of our phone bill. I also get send texts now, which is pretty fun.

September 6

Happy Labor Day! I spent the day canning some delicious salsa. I tried a new recipe and really like how this salsa turned out. It has a nice flavor and some heat too! Now if only I wasn't out of corn chips!

September 7

If you ever wonder what raising boys is like, it looks a lot like this. Today I was in the living room with the boys, playing camera tag. They were trying to run away from me while I was trying to take pictures of them. It was pretty hilarious.

September 8

The plums are just about ready to fall off our tree! I guess I will be making some plum jam this weekend. Yummy!

VMworld San Francisco

Our trip to Star Valley and Logan ended today when we picked Daddy up from the airport on our way home. Jacob and Ephraim were excited to see Daddy, and I know we were all ready to go home.

While Joe was in San Francisco we were able to keep in touch through text and picture messages. It was nice to know I could send him a little message and he could read it when he was able to. It was also fun to get pictures of where he was and what he was doing. Here are some of the pictures Joe took using his phone.

Here is the hotel room that he stayed at. Looks nice to me!

Joe did a lot of walking in San Francisco, and he found this apple store and took a picture of their cool banner.

I had to smile when Joe send me this picture message. He saw all these lifts artfully posed and thought of me because I try to take a picture of something interesting every day.

One evening Joe went on a little sightseeing trip around San Francisco. He rode on a trolley part of the way, and then walked a whole bunch. Too bad the streets are all either really uphill or downhill! His legs got quite the workout.

One of the things Joe saw was Lombard Street, which is the curviest street in the US. Looks pretty crazy to me!

Then he walked from Lombard Street over to Coit Tower. I thought this picture turned out really nicely, especially for a cell phone picture!

He also took some nice pictures of the city. Here is the Bay Bridge as seen from Coit Tower.

And here is a picture of the city.

Joe had a good time at his conference in San Francisco. We are hoping that maybe someday I will be able to go to a conference like this with him so we can spend the evening sightseeing and exploring together.

The Fly Boys

We had planned an airplane with Grandpa for the boys ever since we knew we were going to Star Valley. Finally the weather was good enough the morning that we were headed to Logan to visit Jeanette for a day. The boys were SO excited and loved every minute of it! I may have a future pilot or two on my hands, since this was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for them.

They were SO excited that they would barely stand still (which makes picture taking a challenge)!

Like the matching jackets we had to get the boys? Not bad for 5 bucks!

Of course the boys had to check out the cockpit before we took off. Jacob was content to hang onto the yoke. Ephraim on the other hand wanted to push every button and twist every knob! Good thing the plane wasn't on!

 We got the boys buckled up and all ready with their headsets. Then we taxied to the runway. Before you knew it, ZOOM! and we were up in the air!

Ephraim was so excited that he got to sit in the front with Grandpa. He kept telling me that he was driving the airplane! My dad assured me that he was definitely trying to "help" move the yoke!

Jacob got to ride in the back of the airplane with me. It was fun to watch him and hear both of the boys' excited little voices coming over the intercom. They were having such a great time. We kept the ride short to be sure it was a good experience for them.

I love the view from the air, so beautiful!

Both the boys had a fabulous time on their plane ride! They loved to see all the tiny buildings and cars. It was fun to listen to their excitement as they commented on their airplane ride in their headsets.

When we landed I had to get both the boys in the back seat so they could post for some pictures. Aren't they cute?

I love their cute little noggins with the huge headsets on!

I especially love this picture of Jacob. Isn't it the best?

I think I may have a couple of future pilots on my hands, don't you think?