A Moment of Insanity

Ever since we moved back to Utah, Bryn's napping schedule has been erratic at best. Before the move, she would nap from 1-4 PM, wake up, play and then go down easily again for bed at 8PM. Now, trying to get her down for a nap usually ends up in tears (Bryn) and frustration (me). I was certain that once we moved into our house, and she was in her own bed surrounded by her own toys that she would magically go back on schedule. That happened. . . for about two weeks, and then things took a turn for the worse. On the days Bryn actually took a nap, she would stay up and wouldn't fall asleep until after 10:30 which wasn't going to fly. I need a few hours to myself every night for my sanity. I tried curtailing her naps and only allowed her to sleep for a hour and half. But, I quickly learned to never ever wake The Beast. If I did, then the rest of the afternoon and evening was filled with tantrums and meltdowns. So, just like that, I got rid of her naps. As if that wasn't crazy enough, I decided that if she is old enough to not take a nap, then she is old enough to start officially potty training. There you have it, my moment of pure insanity.

Now, we have dabbled a little bit in the potty-training business before. Bryn had shown interest in the toilet last February, and Nate and I became excited about the possibility of having Bryn potty-trained before Hudson's arrival. Alas, it was not meant to be. Bryn had a few accidents and then got to the point where she absolutely hated sitting on the toilet. Fine. No big deal. After all, she wasn't even two yet. We decided that with a new baby coming, a move across the country, and living in a place where she wouldn't have access to all her old surroundings would be a lot for a little girl to take in, so we talked about potty-training again once we moved into our new house if she seemed ready.

And boy did we run with it. Bryn got some new Minnie Mouse and Princess panties and was as excited as could be. We stayed in the kitchen area and her room for about 5 days. She had a few accidents at the beginning but is doing great. Every time she went, she was rewarded with her favorite treat, a Dum-Dum sucker. Best $3.49 investment I've ever made. After a couple of weeks, she got so good at going to the bathroom, that anytime she wanted a treat, she would go to the bathroom, push out a few drops, and then looks at me with a big smile and say, "Sucker please." The Dental Hygienist in me kicked in and I had to think of another alternative because I didn't want her eating so many treats. 

I was browsing the Target dollar section and found some flash cards that had famous landmarks of the world. Nate and I came up with idea of letting her pick one out every time she successfully went to the bathroom. We now have a wall of photos from around the world. We have over 30 of them up and Bryn can recognize each one and pronounces them very clearly. I am talking about landmarks like Chitchen Itza and Machu Picchu. She is also quick to tell you if she has been there (Washington Monument, White House, and Niagra Falls). Just the other day, I was sitting at the counter looking through a travel magazine featuring a tour on Israel. Bryn looks at the picture in the magazine and says, "Look Mom. It's the Dome of the Rock." Bryn loves her pictures and always wants to show Grandma Steph her new ones whenever she comes to visit.

Getting her to go poop on the toilet proved to be a bit more difficult and we really had to up our bribes. We asked Bryn what special toy she would like if she went poop on the toilet. For a week, all she wanted was a "Buzz and Woody" toy. And then it happened. We screamed and shouted and barely stopped short of making a parade out of the whole ordeal. Poor Hudson thought we lost our minds but found the whole ordeal thoroughly entertaining. We went to the store when Nate got home from work to get her toy. Her obsession with stuffed animals won out and she decided that she needed a "Baby Simba" instead of a Buzz and Woody.

And then this is what happens when Hudson tries to play with a stuffed animals which in fact is his. Bryn has claimed every stuffed animal in the house and obviously isn't afraid to use a little muscle to enforce that claim.

It has been a little crazy around the house. Sometimes we wonder what we were thinking potty training her so early. It makes long road trips even longer and shopping excursions can turn into a "we need a bathroom right now" adventure. But when we go to Costco and fork over $40 for a box a diapers for Hudson, we are grateful that we have one child out of diapers. Even if that means she no longer takes naps and sometimes doesn't make it through dinnertime.

Summer Wrap Up

And then, just as quickly as it started, summer has come to an end. Fortunately,  the weather has still been fairly warm which is a nice surprise. Our Labor Day weekend was fairly low key and involved a picnic lunch of In-N-Out at the Farmington Pond. And what would a day at the pond be without feeding the ducks? We brought so much bread that the poor ducks got bored and started swimming away. However, I overheard someone talking about snakes, so I was too busy looking out for snakes to really enjoy myself. After lunch, we headed over to Grandma and Papa's house to tell them all about the adventure.

For dinner we hosted a Labor Day BBQ with a bunch of our friends and their kids. Nate officially broke in his new smoker and allowed everyone to feast on smoked ribs and chicken. Nate and his smoker were deemed a huge success, and I'm sure the smoker will get plenty of use during the upcoming football season. But before we get into that, we must first give summer a proper farewell and share a few of our favorite pictures. When the weather starts to change, the first things to go are the days when running around barefoot is the only option. Sadly, these cute little piggies and chubby legs will be covered with socks and pants within the next couple of weeks.

And instead of heading to the neighbors' pool or the splash pad to cool off, we will have to settle for practicing our swimming skills in Grandma's jetted tub.

Gone are the days where copious amounts of sunscreen are necessary to make it through the day*, and the only place to cool off is under the shade of a giant tree while sipping on some ice water. (*Please note Bryn's rockin' tan lines from her sandals. Love it.)

The summer months are typically the slowest ones up at the University which allowed us to visit a couple of boys up there. We had to check and see if they were working hard. . . or hardly working depending on the day. Bryn could always count on Papa for a big hug and never left his office without a hand full of licorice. And, on a couple of occasions, we were even able to steal Nate away from the office a few hours early for an afternoon of shopping and dining in downtown Salt Lake.

There were plenty of slumber parties on the guest bed which hung out in our living room because RC Willey decided to deliver our couch three weeks late. And even though they were also late delivering our new BBQ, we were still able to break it in before summer officially ended. To be honest, Nate has gone into withdrawals from not having grill for three years. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that he will be using that baby until the snow flies.

And then I realize that with the end of summer upon us, these two are now a few months older. Hudson is creeping up on five months and just gets rounder and sweeter by the minute. It's a good thing he can't talk yet, because I wouldn't be able to say no to those eyes and those cheeks. Miss Bryn is a riot and all her antics keep us thoroughly entertained. The way her mind works is absolutely fascinating and every day she allows us to have a peek into how she is processing the world around her. Her vivacious love of life is contagious and you can't help but smile when you are around her. 

Now that the hot summer days are slowly fading and a new season is upon us, we couldn't be more excited. Because with the colder temperatures comes fuzzy sweaters, leaves changing color, hot chocolate, and most importantly football. And that alone is enough to put a big smile on your face.

Workin at the Car Wash

Now that Nate has a long driveway, he has plenty of space to work on all his projects. Lately, he has been constructing a smoker to use during his upcoming football games. However, on today's agenda was a good old fashioned car wash for the 4-Runner. Nate and his lovely assistant got all the necessary brushes, hoses, and soap ready and then Operation: Caught Ridin Dirty commenced.

As of late, Bryn has had a mild obsession with cleaning. She loves to scrub the plates and cups while I do dishes, could spend all day wiping her toys off, and would clean the entertainment center with wet wipes all day if I would let her. I like this new found hobby of hers and do my best to encourage this extra-curricular activity. I don't have high hopes of this behavior continuing once she is a teenager, so I will get as much cleaning out of her now while I can. Needless to say, Bryn was a very willing participant helping Nate scrub down the car. Nate, being the gracious guy that he is, let Bryn work on the front of the car where all the bugs were splattered on. How thoughtful of him, right? After awhile, Bryn figured out that she was given the hardest task and decided to play in her little inflatable pool instead.

And what was Hudson and I doing while those two slaved away in the hot sun you ask? We sat in the house and enjoyed the nice air conditioning. However, I did make some strawberry lemonade slushies for the day laborers so that has to count for something. Hudson here is not quite five months old and yet he is already a genius. He has found that the quickest way to get out of work is to stick out that bottom lip and blow a few raspberries. That'll get you out of work every time. Pure genius, I tell you.

And Nate here thought he was being so clever and was going to spray me with the hose. I was in no mood for a wet t-shirt contest, so I quickly reminded him that I was carrying an extremely expensive camera. That put a damper on his original poorly conceived plan, but didn't stop him from throwing a sponge at my backside as I lugged Hudson back into the house. Don't you worry though, I will settle the score soon enough.

Carbon Copy

While Hudson was down for his afternoon nap, Bryn and I decided to brush up on our baking skills. I opted for a super easy peanut butter cookie recipe, and Bryn insisted on getting her apron and stool out to help. I turned my back for literally a couple of seconds to grab an egg, and then found Bryn sampling the peanut butter straight from the jar. I couldn't help laughing at the irony as I grabbed my camera. My mom took a picture of me doing the exact same thing when I was just about Bryn's age. However, I was a little more refined and at least had the decency to use a knife. What can I say? Bryn is a girl after my own heart.