Potty training, Discovery Museum and Birthday party fun!

March has started out pretty good. We have been busy with trying to get Wyatt to be potty trained and Ethan had a birthday party to go to for a friend from school and we went to the Discovery Museum in Fort Collins twice. It has been busy but it has been fun.

Emmett is so funny. He does not really like his car seat but, he has gotten better with it. He also falls asleep int he funniest ways sometimes. I love that he fell asleep sucking on his toy when his binkie was right next to him. haha Such a sweet little boy! I just want to eat him up!! If he would sleep through the night I would want him to stay this little forever. I love this stage he is in. He is such a giggly and smilie boy. He is happy all the time! Well except for when he sees me walk away after I put him on the floor. Then sometimes he starts to cry because he wants me. haha But, he has been scooting around like crazy these days. He even has ventured into the kitchen a few times. He loves to play with the ball popper toy that makes noise in our family room and he just discovered the door stopper 2 days ago. He had so much fun hitting it and making it make noises. He would kick his legs so fast and was just so excited that he went back to it later that day after a nap! haha I am cool with it as long as he doesn't get the white plastic part off and put it in his mouth. I will be needing to keep my kitchen floor a lot cleaner now that he is on the move. It won't be long now till he gets up on his knees and actually crawls! It is so much fun to watch and he gets so excited that he can now get to the things that he wants. 

 We have restarted the potty training process with Wyatt. We keep trying and then giving up and then trying something new and then giving up. So I finally went to the Dollar store and stocked up on a bunch of items for the treasure chest. We have been putting Wyatt in underwear for about a week now. For the first half of the week he would do well for most of the day and then pee his pants. He just didn't seem to care. If I didn't force him to go take a potty break he didn't care too and would pee in his pants. I was about to give up again but Brandon told me to hold on for just a few more days and then we could take a break in Cali and then hit it hard again when we got back home. However, the last 2 days Wyatt has worn underwear and stayed dry all day long. I feel like it is a miracle! I think part of it its that Ethan had an accident while at the Museum and Wyatt was able to take advantage of that and say that "Ethan pees in his pants like a baby." and "I pee in the toilet like a big boy!" So I think that made him feel pretty cool that he had stayed dry and Ethan had not! haha Funny how that sibling rivalry can help with things sometimes! haha So I am sure hoping that he keeps this up while we are in California. The picture was taken after he had gotten his first 3 stickers and earned his toy guitar. He was so excited and I sent the picture to Daddy and told Wyatt how proud Daddy was and how proud I was that he earned it! Thank you Dollar Store for providing tons of cheap toys that can be used as incentive and that are actually enticing for Wyatt! haha 

Fun at the museum! 

We have a Fort Collins Museum pass and we have not really used it yet. Last Tuesday it was super windy. It was too windy to play with our new kite outside so I figured why not go to the museum and take advantage of my pass on a day that we can't go outside. Besides, we have been at home for so long it seems and it felt like it was time to get out and do something else. The boys had fun and we were there for about 2 hours. They went into the free Jam session area and played on the drums for about 5 minutes and explored everything else for about the same amount of time. Then Ethan found this gear wall and he really liked it. It was like a magnetic gear puzzle. You can move the gears around and see if you can get them to all move. He had a blast!! 

 Then Ethan had a skating birthday party to go to. He has never skated before so I had to walk with him on the floor to help him out. After a little while we were able to get this skating helper and he had a little more fun being able to skate on his own even though he went really slow. I kept telling him that he just has to practice and he will get the hang of it. He had fun but not as much fun as he would have had if he had done it before. 

 Emmett had to hang with us and he was a trooper. I love that little toothy smile! 

 So much fun going to birthday parties. This style is not my cup of tea though. I would much rather have only a few kids over at our house and let them play some games in the backyard and then feed them cake and ice cream. Ethan has been to a couple parties now that are way beyond what I grew up doing for birthday parties. One he got 20 bucks on a card for playing arcade games and 2 rounds of laser tag and then this one where they roller skate and then have pizza and cake. I am just a simple person I guess but I would rather have the kids just come play at my house! haha To each their own I guess! 

Lastly, we went to the museum again this week because they have a new Tot place they just opened up. My friend Lindsey Coats invited us to go with her. So we went to check it out. The place was pretty awesome! 

 The kids played in this train spot for at least 40 minutes! They had so much fun! Eventually they ventured off to see what else there was. It was fun and we spent another 2 and a half hours there. 

By the end I took Emmett into the wind chime place that was in the tot spot and he was loving the wind chimes. He grabbed hold and wouldn't let go and just kept clanging them together! :-) It was a fun day and the tot spot was so much better than everything else they have there. It was geared towards the kids and that is what made it the best! 

Anyways, the last week and a half has been really good. So it has been a great start to March and tomorrow morning we head off to go to California. We are so excited and I will post all about that when we get back!! 

Our wonderful and crazy life from February 14th - 29th

The month of February was a good and crazy one. It went by so fast! Between every day life and fun outings with the kids and kids getting sick. It was a full month. Here are some more pics from our life! 

 Ethan was so excited that I let him feed Emmett. He would talk to him all cute and tell him not to grab the spoon. He loves being a helpful big brother. 

  

 The day after Valentines Ethan did not have school and we had some little coupon card things from Chick-Fil-A that were for a free entree so I took the boys for a fun morning at Chick-Fil-A. They were pretty stoked! I love the goofy faces that they make! haha

Emmett had fun just hanging out in the high chair looking at everything.

Then for Family Home Evening one night we took the boys for some frozen yogurt! They we so excited to be getting some ice cream for FHE. 

 We even gave Emmett a couple of tastes. At first he was not so sure about it because of how cold it was. Then after he realized what it tasted like he was wanting all of it. haha 

  

 Emmett started scooting around which he loves. He does sort of an army crawl and he gets where he wants and is so happy when he gets to a toy that he wants. 

 Wyatt with his chocolate teeth. haha Nothing better than going to Costco and getting samples of chocolate! haha He ate it and then smiled at me and his mouth was covered with chocolate! haha it was hilarious! 

  

 Emmett really likes the swing. 

On our way back from sledding Ethan had a birthday party to go to. We were running pretty late and Ethan had to go pee. He said he had to go really bad and couldn't wait anymore. We were not to our exit yet so we found this water bottle and Daddy told him to pee in the water bottle. Ethan thought it was the best and funniest thing ever. I think he laughed the whole time he peed and so did Brandon and I. haha I still can't believe we had him pee into a water bottle. haha 

 Daddy and Wyatt playing air hockey while Ethan was playing with his friends at the birthday party. 

 We also had a bad cold run through our house. Ethan started the cold with a nasty cough. I ended up getting a call from school one day that Ethan had thrown up at school. Luckily it was not a tummy bug. They were at snack time and he had a coughing fit and coughed too hard and threw up. Poor buddy! He had a slight fever too. So I took him home and he acted fine the rest of the day. He just had a bad cough and then he got a runny nose. Then Emmett got the cold and cough. Ethan shared a spoon with Emmett when we were at Costco (which Im sure Emmett would have gotten it anyways.). The next morning Emmett was sick. 

We had humidifiers running in both the boys rooms for probably 2 weeks or more. Their coughs were tight and Emmett's started to get more bark. So I would steam him in the shower and had the humidifier in his room. By that Saturday evening he was not drinking much and he would just cry. He cried practically the whole night. I was up with him basically until 4 with an hour sleep and then brandon took him at 5. He threw up on me 2 times and would cry anytime he coughed or burped. We were not sure what was going on but we were exhausted and he was so sad non stop. We would rock in in front of the humidifier to help him out with his cough and he wouldn't drink more than an ounce every couple of hours. It was miserable!! He had a fever too, so I couldn't just go steam him in the shower to help loosen up his cough. We were at our wits end and Sunday morning we were so exhausted that there was no way we were going to make it to church. We also ended up taking him into the Pediatric Urgent Care because he just wouldnt get sleep or eat anything. All he would do is cry every half hour or less. It was sad to see him so sad and we new something had to be wrong. So Brandon took him in and all they said was that it was the common cold and to switch off between Ibuprofen and Tylenol and give him some Benadryl to help him sleep and clear out his nose. Brandon said that she checked his ear but it was pretty quick. So that is what we did. That night he slept a little bit better. He was also so exhausted and drugged up of coarse he slept a little better than the night before. The following night was almost as bad as Saturday night. On that Tuesday he just kept crying through the morning and he had a fever again. Then when there was a little chunk of ear wax coming out of his ear I went to flick it out and Emmett started bawling. Right then I knew he had to have an ear infection. I thought maybe even a double ear infection because he would cry with either one. So I called his doctors office and they got me in within the next hour after I called. Sure enough he had an ear infection. The doctor had to clean out the wax in his ear to really see it but he said there was puss in his left ear. So we got him on antibiotics and he was feeling a little better just after one dose. By that evening he even gave us some smiles and wasn't crying non stop. 

 This was Emmett the next morning after having had only 2 doses of antibiotics. He was actually smiling and playing with toys and happy. It was so good to see his happy face again. I had been missing it the last few days. I just wish we had gotten him on antibiotics earlier because he would have been so much happier so much faster. Plus, it made me mad to think that he probably had an ear infection on Sunday and the lady at the Urgent Care didn't look well enough and just told us it was the common cold. I wanted to go over there and say we should not be billed for our visit because you didnt care enough to really look in his ear and diagnose him correctly. But, oh well... at least he was finally on the upside of all of this! 

 Then Wyatt got the cold. He had more of the nose part of the cold. He couldn't breath out of his nose at all and he just looked terrible. He didn't want to do anything but lay on the couch and watch T.V all day. Look at that poor face! He looks completely miserable! Luckily this was the worst of it and he started getting better after a couple of days. Man were we glad when this was all over with. Thankfully Brandon and I didn't catch it. Now I am really hoping we are done with sickness until next year! haha We have had our fair share around here and I am done with it all. 

 On a happier note. Emmett got back to normal and I chopped off my hair. I actually went to a lady here in Colorado. I saw someone at Chick-Fil-A that had a cute hair cut and I asked her where she got it done. So I did it. I know, its a miracle that I actually chopped my hair with someone here. Especially since we are going to Cali in the middle of March. I could have waited to just go to Paula but, it is time to find someone in my home town! haha So I braved it and the girl did a really good job. So I am happy with my decision and Emmett seems to be too! ;-) haha 

 Going out to dinner and enjoying our time together. Plus I had just gotten my hair cut and I wanted to go do something! haha 

 Lastly, we ended off the month with having the boys make a paper chain for our California count down. Ethan kept asking how many days we had left until we left for Grandpa and GG's house and so I figured doing a paper chain would serve two purposes.  One: It would be fun for the kids to make and Two: I wouldn't have to tell Ethan how many days we had left each day. After they tore off a link in the chain they would count how many were left and know how many days we had left. It has worked out great!! The boys love tearing off each link each day and they get excited because each day we have one less chain to tear off before we leave! We are all very excited for our trip to Cali to see Grandpa and GG. 

Enjoying the slopes!

Brandon's office was doing a work get together in the mountains at this place with a sledding hill. It was a sweet set up. The lodge had pullies taking the tubes up the hill so you just sat on the tube until it got you to the top of the hill and then you could pick which tubing hill to go down. The boys had a BLAST!!!! They were a little nervous at first but after a couple of times they were ready for the bigger slopes. It was so much fun and we were so lucky that one of Brandon's staff members offered to watch Emmett so that we could take the boys together. The only thing that I would say was not good about the day is that it was really windy up in the mountains that morning. The wind made it feel a lot colder and that was really hard on Emmett. Other than that the sledding hills were fun and after we get the boys some better snow gear we will have to go back and do it again. Probably next year when Emmett is older and can maybe come with us so we don't have to pawn him off on somebody else! haha 

Wyatt kept talking and smiling with his lip pulled up. haha It am so glad I got a picture because he never does this and it was so funny to watch! :-) 

Ethan had fun until he was too cold and then it was not fun anymore. We found out by the end that his socks were completely soaked. No wonder he was so cold. His feet were all wet and getting colder and colder. So before we headed out we let him heat his feet by the fire in the little heat lodge they had near the hill. 

Wyatt was just having fun and was a lot dryer! 

Emmett was pushed past his nap time and he was exhausted. He does not do well with falling asleep if he is not in his crib. He was not happy by the time we were leaving. It didn't help that he had a cold and was tired and probably a little cold. He looked so cute sitting there all bundled up! 

What a cute family I have!! I sure do love these crazies in my life!! 

8 Months old

Emmett hit 8 months old a few weeks ago and I actually managed to take pictures of him on that day. However, I didnt get them edited and put on here until now. haha So here are the pictures of our cutie pie. I still can't believe he is already 8 months old. He is starting to scoot around to get to toys he wants. He does kind of an army crawl where he half rolls and then pushes himself forward and then does the same thing on the other side. It is pretty funny to watch. He will be crawling soon that is for sure. Emmett is just such a silly little boy. He is always excited and smiling and making excited squeals or grunts. It makes me laugh that he still gets excited and does his merman thing by throwing his arms back and kicking his legs. It makes me laugh every time. He started to actually eat his solid food really well for a little bit. He really likes sweet potatoes and a pear/oatmeal/cinnamon mixture as well as a chicken/apple/rice mix. He was on a roll until he got a cold again and another ear infection. This kid just can't catch a break this year. He is getting his upper front teeth and then catches Ethan's cold and then got an ear infection. He wouldn't drink really anything and didn't want anything to do with baby food. We took him into the pediatric urgent care last Sunday because he didn't sleep for more than an hour maybe 2 (not in a row) that Saturday night. It was a rough night. They urgent care said it was just a common cold. So we just kept drugging him up with Tylenol and Ibuprofen as well as Benadryl. Then by Tuesday I couldn't take it anymore. He was so sad and just crying all the time and drinking barely nothing. So I took him to his doctor and the doc saw that he had an ear infection. We got him on antibiotics and he was feeling so much better just by that evening after getting 2 doses of the meds. It was so nice to have my little happy smiling boy back that next day. He is seriously such a happy baby. He loves to be thrown in the air and loves to sit in the cart instead of his car seat. He has also started to really like when I have him chase his brothers and when I have him be part of the dog pile on his brothers. He just squeals and kicks his legs. haha Emmett is such a joy to have in our family and we couldn't imagine our family without him in it.

What a cutie! 

We will just keep enjoying every stage this kid goes through. Although... it would be nice if he would start to sleep through the night! haha