Milestones...

OK, so just being able to write another post with this new baby is the FIRST milestone of late! Actually, we have been experiencing quite a few milestones around these parts as of late. I'll share more in a bit. OK, back to baby. Even as I write this, baby Spencer is desperately competing for my attention. He is getting so spoiled because of the many willing "holders" - he doesn't know how to behave on his own. Scary I know. I don't care, I love holding my baby! If anything it gives me an excuse to force my other kiddlins into independence:

"Sorry, Mommy can't help you with that because I'm holding Spencer."

Or,

"Sorry JD, you have to learn how to cook those eggs on your own now because Mommy is feeding Spencer."

Or, my personal favorite (since Christian is potty training),

"Sorry buddy, but you can't have any accidents because Mommy can't clean you up - I'm holding Spencer."

I'm not sure how much longer I can hold off my other darlings, but I have a feeling they're going to catch on to my system soon enough.

Anyway, back to the milestones we've all been experiencing lately...

Christian's Milestone

My little sweet man is finally potty trained! How do I know this? The other day he came into my room first thing in the morning and asked me to wipe his bottom. What? You pooped by yourself?? Saweet! I know this may sound strange to anyone that hasn't experienced the joy of potty training, but this was music to my ears! It meant that he was putting his own big boy underwear on and going potty independently. Another reason I know Christian is potty trained is my neighbor called today and asked if I could come over and wipe his bottom. Yucky you ask? Not at all! It was a proud moment in my journey of raising Christian - he didn't have an accident while busy playing! Joel and I are convinced that the easiest way to potty train is to wait until they are ready - usually around 3 years is the magic age. We bought Christian this little "potty watch" timer gadget. It didn't really help - he just kept pushing the song button over and over. I snapped a picture of just such an occasion:

Camryn's Milestone

So Joel and I decided Camryn needed to learn how to ride her bike without training wheels. She begged me to take off her training wheels thinking she would just hop on and take off. I don't think she realized it was going to take some work. She didn't like that part. I tried working with her in front of our apartment, but we both got frustrated. This job belongs to the master: Joel. Once he had time, he took her to a church parking lot and voila - she could ride by herself! Now steering, stopping and starting are a different story! I'm sure it'll come soon.

JD's Milestones

So Joel and I have been working so hard to convince JD that he is in control of his attitude and that having a negative attitude affects the family dynamics. Something clicked in his head recently because he is doing so great! He admits that we have peace in our home again because he has been praying for a good attitude lately. Hallelujah! Another milestone of JD's has been his desire to memorize the Articles of Faith. He has never ever ever ever wanted to do anything like this before. But again something clicked in his little head and boom - he has memorized 12 of them in like a week. We're working on #13 this week and I know he'll get it done.

Joel's Milestone

Dusting off the old books and studying for boards. Enough said. He stays late after work every other day to prepare for the early August exam.

Heather's Milestones

Well I've had quite a few to share - some bigger than others. Finishing a post - finally! I'm back on the treadmill and I've been able to run 3 miles (with a potty break here and there - hey, I just had a baby!). I put Spencer in a little chair and place him right next to the treadmill and he falls asleep watching his belardo (translation: beached whale lardo) mom try to burn off some baby fat. It must be too much for his little eyes to handle. Another milestone happened last week: I went grocery shopping with the kids - and it was pleasant! Enough said. I'm also cooking dinner again. I'm obsessed with using up a bunch of our food storage before we move. As a result, we've been having some interesting dinner combinations. Poor Joel. Oh, I almost forgot - I took a shower the other day and it was uninterrupted - that's a pretty big deal!

Spencer's Milestones

Watching mom run on the treadmill. Enjoying taking baths. Smiling - such a treat for mom and dad!

Grandpa's Milestone

This is the best one of the bunch. After months of chemo and radiation, my dad just got the thumbs up from the Huntsman Cancer docs: he's cancer free! Yeah! Now that's quite a milestone.


So hats off to us - we rock!