Utah Trip July 2011 - Part One

This year we went to Utah for the Fourth of July and had a blast.  It was so nice to get out of the Phoenix sun and to enjoy time with my family.  We did so many fun things while we were there.  My only regret is not being able to spend even more time with friends and family we love.

We rented a car this time to drive up.  There were two reasons for this.  One, our car has a history of breaking down on road trips and we really didn't want to get stuck in the desert.  Two, my mom graciously offered to let us take her van back to Phoenix so we could haul a twin mattress down here for Tommy.  It was so fun to drive a nice little car and to know that we didn't have to clean it at the end of the day:)  The drive went well.  Tommy was a real trooper and even went potty in the public restrooms on the way.  We played lots of games and kept Tommy happy by having one of us sit in the back with him most of the way.

We had a really fun Fourth this year.  It started at about 6:00 am when Ben and I drove down to Provo so I could run a 10 K at BYU.  We were a little bit late and ended up walking up 900 East just as the race started.  We could see all the runners coming from Kiwanis Park onto 900 East running away from us.  I started to cry because we had driven all that way and then I missed the start.  We kept walking up the road, though, and Ben encouraged me to go ahead and run the race anyway.  I started about 10 minutes after the official start and I couldn't see any other runners ahead of me.  I was kind of embarrassed to be so far back and to be running slow anyway because I was 14 weeks pregnant, but I went ahead and finished the race.  I ran completely by myself for about two miles before I started passing some of the slower joggers and walkers.  It was fun once I started, though, and the race volunteers were so nice they even stopped traffic just for little old me.  It felt great to be able to run outside with the backdrop of the mountains to the east.  It was beautiful and I loved every minute of it.

Later that evening we went to my brother, Wes', house for dinner and to watch fireworks.  They live right by Thanksgiving Point, so there is always a good firework show to see.  This year aerial fireworks were legal in Utah.  It was quite the party.  Many families were having parties in Wes' neighborhood and so the sky was lit up from every direction.  The kids (and adults) loved it.  Tommy was kind of shell shocked and talked about the loud fireworks and the pops the entire drive back to my mom's house.  We had a great time and were grateful to get to spend the evening with my entire family.  Below is a video of the grandkids throwing Pops with Grammy and one of the kids playing football together.

The next morning we went shopping at the mall with my mom.  She bought Tommy some new pajamas with cars on them, took him for a train ride, and bought him a cookie.  He was a happy camper.

The next day we went to Wheeler Farm with Jamie and the kids.  I really wish we had something like that here in Phoenix.  It's free to walk around and look at the animals.  The kids loved it.  We got to see cows, chickens, horses, goats, rabbits, and ducks.  Tommy's favorite thing was sitting on the tractors.  He could have done that all day long.  Maybe I need to buy an old tractor for the backyard that he can sit on and pretend to drive:)

Tommy driving a tractor.

The kids looking at cows.

Feeding the ducks with Grammy.

Our next activity was going to the mountains to eat doughnuts and play.  I remember as a kid that we used to go to a picnic area and eat those cheap Hostess powdered sugar doughnuts and drink chocolate milk.  That's just what we did in the mountains and I wanted to do it with Tommy.  We all packed down several doughnuts and then we went exploring.  Salt Lake has had a really wet winter and spring so the river was higher and faster than I have ever seen it before.  There were sand bags all along the path.  In the video below of Ricky and Tommy throwing sticks in the river you can see some trees on the left that aren't usually in the middle of the river.  It was crazy and a little scary to watch the kids right along the rushing river, but we had a great time.  We found a cave that Ricky and Sadie explored, we climbed on rocks, and we threw sticks into the river.  Thanks to Ricky and Sadie for gathering sticks and branches for the kids:)  They could have stayed there all day long!

 

Miraculously we got a picture of all three kids smiling at the same time.  The secret?  Just say "poop" and they all start laughing.

Jamie, Makayla, Ricky, Sadie, Tommy, Me, and Jarom.
 
My mom with her three favorite people:  Makayla, Tommy, and Jarom.

I love in this next video how Tommy is trying to eat his doughnut while running. Never mind the piece he drops on the ground and then eats:) I'm so glad the cousins love playing together.

It's a Girl! (at least we think so)

Today we got the much-anticipated 18 week ultrasound during which we determined our baby is a girl. Yay! The tech was pretty sure (60% he said). This little baby was jumping and moving during the whole ultrasound. They had a hard time getting any good pictures. Every time they got her in a good position she would jump or bounce away before they could push the snapshot button on the computer. It was actually really funny. We went to an ultrasound school, which was awesome because the ultrasound lasted for an entire hour. At first I was kind of bugged that it was going to take so long, but as it progressed I found myself loving the experience of lying down and watching my little baby dance for such a long time. Ben didn't love it as much since he was in charge of keeping Tommy happy and entertained for the entire time:) They spent a lot of time showing and measuring each little part of the baby and explaining what everything means. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Our baby is healthy and active, which is just what we want:) Below is the best picture we were able to get of the baby. They tried to get a good profile shot the whole time, but she was just moving too much. We walked away with 13 pictures of her various body parts and this is the best profile we got:) I love this picture because it really tells the story of how the ultrasound went. She's upside down (it's a really clear shot of her foot, leg and torso!) and her head got cut out of the picture on the bottom right. Love it. We are so excited to meet this little girl.
On another note, I am loving our decision this time to have a midwife deliver our baby. We have an amazing midwife who comes to our home for all of the prenatal visits. She does all of the things a doctor would do except that I feel like she actually knows me and my family. I don't ever feel like I am infringing on her time or keeping her from something else that is more important. When she is here she is totally here for me. She has visited with us for about an hour at each appointment, answering my questions and sometimes just chatting. It has been a wonderful experience so far.

Father's Day

We just enjoyed a trip to Utah, but it's going to take me awhile to blog about it. I came home with 59 video clips from our 10 short days in Utah. That's right, 59. I know sometimes my blog posts get long, but maybe that will give you an idea of how much I actually abridge to write a blog post:) That will be coming soon, so for now I thought I would post a few pictures for Father's Day. I usually run about one month behind anyway.

Ben is such a great dad. I am so grateful to have married a man that is so good to my babies. Ben is Tommy's idol. He always says that he wants things just like Daddy has them. For example, the other day Tommy chose to wear his Percy underpants, (from Thomas and Friends) and he excitedly exclaimed, "I have Percy underpants, just like Daddy!" when I put them on him. Now, just so we're clear, Ben does not actually where Percy underpants, but I think it's cute that Tommy thinks he does. When we eat meals Tommy always wants a bite of whatever Ben is eating, but he rarely asks me for a bite of what I have. He knows that Ben only eats delicious things, I guess. On Father's Day Tommy wanted to dress just like Ben. He was so proud all day and said things like, "I match Daddy," and "Daddy, Tommy so handsome."
One of Tommy's favorite things to do during the day is go upstairs to "work" with Daddy. Ben set up an old laptop on the floor so that Tommy could have his own computer to work on. If Daddy has a mouse, Tommy has to have one, too. If Daddy has earphones, Tommy has to have some, too. Here are a couple of pictures of the two of them working together. I couldn't get both of them in one shot. I love that Tommy has a piece of toast for a snack, just like Daddy did at the time. So cute.
I am so grateful that my son has such a great role model. Ben is such a great dad and he loves Tommy so much. They wrestle and play every evening, which I appreciate. Ben has also taught Tommy to be very loving and gentle and to give really great hugs. It must be genetic:) Below is a video of a very typical evening of Tommy and Ben playing and laughing together. Actually, this was much more calm than they usually are, but I thought it was cute anyway.

Tommy's Second Birthday

We celebrated Tommy turning two in June! I can't believe how fast he has grown up already! We had a little birthday party with some of his friends from the ward in the evening and had a great time eating ice cream and cupcakes together. The kids ran around outside and had a bunch of fun. Thank you to everyone who made Tommy's birthday special by sending gifts, calling, or coming over. He felt so special all day and talked about it for days after.
This is a picture of the kids playing at Tommy's party. Afton and Tommy are in the dry pool, Soren and Kaige are at the top of the slide, and Stan and Jack are in the background popping balloons. Even one month later Tommy still talks about how, "Jack pop balloons." I guess it made quite an impression on him:)
Here is Tommy with his buddies, McKay and Sam. The slide was a birthday present from us, which we often turn into a water slide. The kids love it!
And here is Tommy helping me make frosting for his cupcakes. He was my taste tester, and loved every minute of it.

Here is the video of Tommy blowing out his two candles. He did a pretty great job! I love how he got all shy when everyone began singing to him. Thanks again to everyone who helped Tommy feel special on his big day. We sure think he's the best little boy in the whole world:)

Exciting News!

Most of you know already, but we wanted to officially announce that we are expecting another baby! I am 16 weeks along already and due on January 4. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the baby comes just a few days early to beat the new year:) We had an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and were able to watch our new baby jump and bounce and move the entire time. The technician had a hard time getting any measurements because the baby kept moving so much. Tommy is so excited to be a big brother. He is hoping for a "little girl baby," and so are we, although we'll be happy whether it's a boy or a girl. Tommy is also pretty convinced that he has a baby in his tummy. I have been feeling pretty good, especially in the last few weeks. I feel like I am getting much bigger much faster with this one, but I guess that's probably normal after the first pregnancy:) Here is a cute profile shot of the baby. She is kind of kneeling with her head bowed a bit.
Just a cute story about Tommy: a couple of weeks ago he did something like put on his own shoe and I made a really big deal about what a big boy he is. I said something like, "Where did my baby go? My baby grew up so fast into a big a boy." Tommy got this really concerned look on his face, pointed at my tummy, and asked, "Where baby go?" I had to explain to him that the baby is still in my tummy and that the baby I was talking about was him. He was at least relieved that the baby was still in my tummy. He is going to be a great big brother. He loves babies and he is so sensitive and nurturing. We are all very excited!

Catching the Potty Train (for real this time)

Warning: This post is all about potty training so don't read it if you have a potty training aversion!

We have somehow succeeded in potty training Tommy. Once a mom succeeds at this feat it's funny how fast other moms want to know how you did it. I was definitely one of those moms a few months ago. I don't profess to be an expert, but I do know how to potty train my own child, so I guess that's worth something. Over the past several months I have read everything I could about potty training. I gleaned ideas from everyone that has ever succeeded at potty training a child. Somehow I put it all together and came up with something that worked for Tommy. I write this in an effort to help other desperate moms. Maybe something we did will help you.

I thought I'd start this post off with a few humorous potty training tips that I found especially unhelpful. Keep in mind that my son just turned two in June and that he is quite, um, let's say independent:

• Give your son one M&M when he goes pee and two when he goes poop in the potty. So, we tried this on our first attempt back in March and it totally blew up in our faces. I didn't know this before March, but apparently there are kids out there that will not be bought or bribed, and I happen to be the mother of one of those kids. When we try to bribe him he defiantly does the opposite of what we want him to. That's a good trait in general, but a little disappointing when it came to potty training:)
• Put Cheerios in the toilet and let him aim at them. My son is more likely to reach into the toilet to eat the Cheerio than he is to aim at it with his pee. He is also likely to think it's fun to throw things into the toilet, and we are trying to avoid teaching him that at all costs. Maybe older boys find that motivating. I don't know, and I'm not going to try it.
• Wait until your child is ready to potty train. Okay, seriously, what does that even mean? How can a toddler make an intellectual decision about when they think they are ready to learn to use the toilet? I know people will disagree with me on this, and that's fine. I'm just saying, don't expect your toddler to come to you and say, "I'm ready to use the potty now," unless you want to wait years longer than we did for him to learn to use the potty.
  
• Let your child run around the house naked. When he pees on the floor he'll be upset and then you can simply teach him where the pee pee goes. Don't judge me, but we actually tried this for a couple of hours and you know what happened? He peed on stuff and I cleaned it up and it didn't teach him a thing about using the potty. I hear this works well for some people, but we didn't find it to be especially helpful.
  

I hope this post has a few tidbits of information and ideas that are actually helpful, unlike some of the advice I received:)

Let's rewind a few months. I started getting a little panicked when Tommy started wearing size 6 diapers when he was about 16 months old. Size 6 is the largest they sell in stores. You can special order size 7, but I really wanted to avoid the cost of doing that. Tommy had shown a little bit of interest in the potty at about that time. I got a potty seat that goes over the big potty and he liked to sit on it and pretend to wipe his bum with toilet paper. He liked watching us go potty, but that was as far as his interest went. In January I found out that a friend of mine in the ward had just succeeded at potty training her 23-month-old son so I pestered her about how she did it. She followed the Three Day Potty Training program by Lora Jensen so I thought we would give it a try. The basic idea is that you put your kid in underpants and give them tons to drink. You stay right by their side the entire day and when they start to wet, you scoop them up and run them to the potty. You never ask them if they need to go. You only take them to the potty when either they have an accident or they tell you they need to go. It worked for her so I gave it a try.

This was back in March. Tommy was just barely 21-months-old. We spent a very long morning running to the potty and cleaning up accidents, but after about six hours he actually got it! I was amazed and so proud of him. He was accident free for the rest of the first day and all of the second day. I couldn't believe it! But, that's about when it started to fall apart. I made several mistakes and take full responsibility, but I learned a lot from it. The major mistake I made was that I hovered too much over Tommy and pushed him too much that he started to push back. I was constantly at full alert, so afraid that he would have an accident, constantly putting him on the potty when I thought he needed to go even though he didn't tell me that he did. It turned into a power struggle, which is the worst thing that can happen during potty training. I was stressed out and so was he. He started having accidents any time I turned my back. I wasn't getting anything around the house done because I had to watch him all the time. He stopped telling me he needed to go, so I started forcing him onto the potty more and more. It was bad. We stuck with it for over a week, but it finally reached a point where I couldn't do it anymore. I broke down one night and uttered the words that moms only say when they really reach the breaking point: "I don't want to be a mom anymore!" It was awful. I was worried I was ruining Tommy. I was worried about giving up and going back to diapers because I didn't want to teach him that it was okay to quit something because it is hard. I felt like a failure. We put him back in diapers and forgot about potty training for a couple of months. I vowed never to try again. I had no idea that potty training was going to be so emotional.

I did learn a thing or two from our first try, though. The most important thing I learned is that different kids are motivated by different incentives. Tommy doesn't care what other kids are doing. He doesn't care what I want him to do. He doesn't care about the rewards. He could care less about a sticker chart. I learned all of this through our first attempt. Some kids respond really well to those types of things, but not Tommy.

I learned that the only thing that motivates Tommy is control. He thrives on doing things by himself. He thrives on doing the things grown ups do. He loves to choose his own clothes. He loves to help me do chores around the house. He loves to help me shop. He just loves to be big, so that's what I had to use to motivate him to use the potty. For weeks before we tried again I told him how babies wear diapers, but big boys wear underpants. We talked about how big boys go potty in the toilet. During the process of potty training I often had to use things like, "When you go potty you can zip up your own pants," or, "You can wash your hands by yourself if we go potty," or, "You can flush the toilet by yourself when you go potty in it." Doing things by himself was the incentive I used the most (although we definitely rewarded him with treats and lots of praise to make the experience more enjoyable). If you have an independent (or stubborn) kid on your hands, this might work for you, too.

Well, with the encouragement of seeing some more friends potty train their children I decided to give it another try. I read "How to Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day," by Teri Crane, which is a much softer approach to potty training. The basic idea of this program is that you throw your child a potty party. You decorate the house according to a theme of your choice, you serve treats, you open presents. In the morning you have your child potty train a doll or stuffed animal and then in the afternoon you potty train the child. It sounded nice, but I didn't think Tommy would really get the whole party thing. Older kids with big imaginations would probably love something like that, but Tommy just turned two at the beginning of June, so he wasn't quite there yet. Plus, you are only supposed to watch potty training videos and read potty training books and talk only about potty training the whole day. I thought that would be too intense for Tommy. But, we took some ideas from that book, combined them with ideas from our first attempt, and added on a few more ideas I got from reading friend's blogs.

Like I said above, we started talking about how big boys wear underpants several weeks in advance. Then one Sunday morning we put his big stuffed monkey in underpants and had Tommy teach the monkey how to go potty. It surprised me how much he enjoyed doing that. I think it's because he had all the control in the role of teacher. After teaching monkey a few times Tommy wanted to wear big boy underpants. He stayed in them the first time for about two hours without an accident, so that was good. I reminded him every few minutes to keep his underpants dry and I praised him every time he said his underpants were still dry. We pretended the monkey had an accident and had Tommy teach the monkey again how to go potty on the toilet. We continued to do this for a couple of weeks. Tommy loved teaching the monkey how to go potty and sometimes he even wore underpants himself. Once he had an accident he wanted a diaper again and I always gave it to him. It wasn't easy. He got upset every time he had an accident. I felt like I was setting him up to fail every time he wanted to wear underpants because I knew he would have an accident and then get upset about it. But, I stuck with it for about a week and gave him underpants when he wanted them, reminded him to keep them dry, and told him every few minutes, "Tell Mommy when you need to go potty." I never asked him if he needed to go. I don't know how other kids are, but if you ask Tommy if he needs to go potty he will always say no. It's like asking him if he's tired. He'll never admit it. So I put the ball in his court and let him tell me when he needed to go.

After about a week of doing this and wondering if it was doing any good, Tommy gave us some encouragement. We were at Stake Conference and he had a diaper on. It was like 11:00 in the morning and he looked at me and said, "Need potty." You better believe I jumped up and took him to the potty! It turns out he had kept his diaper dry all morning and he actually went on the potty when I took him. It made my week.

After that happened I realized that he just needed a little push to really be potty trained. I needed a little push, too. So we removed our safety net: diapers. A few days later (this was just a few days after his second birthday) I told him that we were out of diapers and that he was a big boy and needed to wear big boy underpants. We combined everything we had been doing and worked on potty training most of the morning. We took the monkey potty, I reminded him to keep his underpants dry, I told him to tell me when he needed to go potty. He was accident free in the morning, but only because he held it until about noon and then basically exploded when I set him on the potty without him asking me to go. He wore pull ups for his nap and then had an accident in the evening. After the accident he asked for a diaper and I told him he couldn't have one because we didn't have anymore. It was basically the same thing the next day. He asked for his "sleep pants" (pull ups) a few times, but I told him that those were only for sleeping and that he needed to wear his big boy underpants. He was pretty good to comply.

So on the third day I decided to change my strategy a little bit. He hadn't told me that he needed to go once and I wondered if this was sinking in at all. He was a master at holding it, but I knew that wouldn't get us too far. I knew he could tell me because he had done it during Stake Conference a few days previous. My goal was to get him to tell me when he needed to go so that I could relax. So I decided to have a really intense potty day with him, and it worked beautifully.

I gave him a ton to drink so that we would have plenty of opportunities to practice going potty. I also set a timer to go off every 10-20 minutes throughout the day. Every time it buzzed it was potty time and we ran and sat on the potty. Sometimes we skipped or walked on our tip toes to the bathroom to make it more fun. We read lots of books on the potty that day (something I vowed never to do) to make it more enjoyable to sit there. The timer wasn't meant to be permanent, it was just meant to give him lots of practice without me being the one to constantly tell him to go. We didn't go anywhere, not even outside. I had lots of inside activities to do and we really just focused on potty training. Every time I needed to go potty that day I made a big deal about it and imitated what I wanted him to do: grabbed my crotch, danced around, said I needed to go potty, asked Tommy if he would help me. Maybe that sounds ridiculous or gross to some people, but the best way Tommy learns is by watching what we do. It was a really long day, but it worked better than I had even hoped. All morning, every 10-20 minutes we sat on the potty and nothing happened. Not one drop. Then finally around 11:30 we were coloring and Tommy jumped up, grabbed his crotch, said "Potty!" and ran for the bathroom. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears! I was so proud of him I gave him a bowl of ice cream afterward.

The next day we continued with the timer, but it quickly turned into a power struggle. He started running away from me every time the buzzer went off and refusing to go potty. I knew this would happen, so we stopped the timer idea. I told him very clearly that I wouldn't make him sit on the potty anymore as long as he told me when he needed to go. It was hard because I was still so afraid of him having an accident! But, I decided that I needed to let go and embrace accidents as a part of the learning process. Either he was going to tell me he needed to go or he was going to have an accident. And you know what? A couple of hours later he was still accident free and he actually told me when he needed to go. He has been completely accident free since the second day we started this (it's been over a week now) and he is really good at letting me know when he needs to go, even when we are at the park or otherwise away from home.

I don't want anyone to think that this has been easy, because it hasn't. He grasped onto potty training within a few days this time, but I think a lot of has to do with the prior training we did in March, plus all the weeks of preparation that led up to him taking the plunge last week. I also don't want anyone to think that I am bragging that my just-barely-two-year-old can use the potty. I'm not. It's his accomplishment and I am very proud of him for it, but the only reason I am writing this post is because several people have asked for it. I hope it helps someone out there as much as other friends have helped me. Also, I don't want anyone to think Tommy is smarter than other kids. I know he is the smartest kids in the world, but that's just because I'm his mom:) I really think any toddler can learn how to use the potty as early as their parents are willing and able to teach them in a way that works for that child. I'm sure Tommy could have been potty trained back in March, but I made several mistakes that inhibited the learning process.

Many people have asked me if I will potty train my other kids early like I did for Tommy. My answer is unequivocally "YES". Potty training is not easy, whenever you do it. It's emotional and it's messy and it's a lot of work. I say do it early and get it over with. From my informal observation it often takes the oldest child a couple of serious tries to get potty trained. I think however old the child is, he's going to remember what he learned the first time. In addition, the parents learn a lot the first time around and it makes the second attempt much smoother. That's just what I have seen with my friends and family members (and myself). So don't get discouraged if the first time doesn't stick. Chance are the second time will be much easier.

I hope this helps someone! If you ever have questions about what we did or if you just want to vent about the woes of potty training your own child, post a comment, send me an email, or give me a call. I know how it is:)

May 2011 Trip to Denver

We got to spend ten wonderfully restful days in Denver this May. We went there primarily because Mike and Hillary had their second child, Jake. We got to spend a ton of time with our new nephew and we got to be there when he was blessed at church. The week was full of surprises, too. Joel received his mission call to Sacramento the week before we arrived, so he was able to go through the temple while we were there. It's big family events like that that make it hard to live far away, so we were so grateful that we were there for Joel and for Jake, too. We loved just hanging out with the Chattertons, playing at the park, and eating all the food in the house. We discovered that Tommy loves cucumbers with Ranch dressing and cheese balls. We also learned that his favorite TV show is "Airplane MASH" and that he is scared to sleep in small spaces (we had to move his bed into the hall the last few nights we were there so that he would actually sleep through the night).

Overall, the weather was pretty chilly while we were there! It rained and hailed quite a bit. It was a nice break from the constant bright sunshine we get in Phoenix (and I mean that in all seriousness). Tommy somehow conned Grandma into going for a walk with him in the pouring rain.
Tommy played a great game with Grandma where he would do something really fun and then he would fall down on the ground. In this video he was hammering nails, but he did the same thing when he played with the Marble Works set or with Legos.
He also loves to paint, especially with Grandma's cool brushes.
We tried to get lots of pictures of Rachel, Tommy, and Jake together. Rachel and Jake are moving to Indiana later this summer so we don't know when we will be together again. Rachel is just crazy about her cousin. Tommy loves her, too, and considers her his best friend. Actually, scratch that. Tommy considers her dad, Mike, his best friend. There is just something about Mike that Tommy has always adored. (Sorry I didn't get a picture of Mike or Hillary this time. I guess our attention was pretty focused on Rachel and Jake when you guys were around.)


So the first time I held Baby Jake I was in the room with Tommy. I knew he wouldn't be too jealous because he has seen me hold other babies and toddlers before. I held Jake for about five minutes and then Tommy started throwing toys. He didn't throw a tantrum, but I knew that he was a little bit upset. I asked him, "Tommy, are you upset that Mommy is holding Baby Jake?" He put his head down and nodded. Then he looked up at me with the cutest puppy dog eyes, held out his hands, and asked, "Tommy hold Baby Jake?" Turns out he was upset that he wasn't holding Jake rather than that I was! He is so precious. I had him climb up next to me on the couch so he could hold Jake.
He was extremely serious the whole time he held the baby. He didn't crack a smile or wiggle or say much. It's like he knew what a precious little package he was in charge of. In the video you can see him give Jake a few little loves, but other than that, he sat still for a good ten minutes holding the baby. He is going to be the most amazing big brother.

Grandma bought a sandbox while we were there. It was just barely big enough for Rachel and Tommy to sit in it, but they had a great time playing. Tommy has been asking for a sandbox ever since we returned home.
Tommy had a great time wearing Grandpa out. And Grandpa was a great sport to wear Tommy out.


One of the funniest things that Tommy learned in Denver is that soccer is played naked. Let me explain. On the second day we were there Tommy and I went to the park where we saw a bunch of teenagers playing soccer. It was a beautiful day so a bunch of them had their shirts off. Tommy kept pointing to them and saying, "Nakey. Need bath." Yes Tommy, they are naked so they can take a bath. About a week later Grandma and Grandpa took Tommy to Walmart to spoil him a bit and they bought him a soccer ball. He kept telling them, "Soccer ball nakey," but they didn't know what he was talking about. They took the box and the plastic off the ball thinking that he just wanted the ball. When they got home Tommy showed Ben the soccer ball and said, "Soccer ball shirt off." We all had a good laugh and then played "Soccer Ball Nakey" in the backyard. Tommy now calls the game of soccer "Soccer Ball Nakey," but he doesn't always have to take his shirt off to play now. It's amazing how fast kids learn and how much they absorb just by watching other people (for better or for worse).

We were so delighted with a surprise visit from Stephanie while we were in Denver! She is at school in Rexburg so we don't get to see her nearly often enough. She was sweet enough to drive all the way home so she could be there the weekend that Joel received his Endowment and Baby Jake got blessed at church. Tommy loves his Aunt "Stabby" and so do we.

Tommy loves ice cream. He takes after his mommy that way. At first I thought it was so cute that Tommy wanted to sit with his Uncle Joel at the table, but it didn't take long to realize that he was really after the ice cream:) Tommy loves Joel, but he loves ice cream a lot, too.

The last day we were in Denver we went to a park where there were dinosaur bones to dig for. It was really hot that morning so we packed a lunch and brought our camping chairs to the park intending to stay for awhile. Within an hour or so the weather changed so dramatically. Dark, thick clouds rolled in, it started to rain, and we even saw a few funnel clouds. Did you know that Denver gets a lot of tornadoes? I didn't until this trip.

We had such a great time visiting our family in Denver. We love you guys and we miss you! Tommy talks about his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents on a daily basis now. He talks about going to "Drampa's" house all the time. We look forward to seeing everyone again soon, even though we are getting more and more spread out!