A Big Day for Ellie

Ellie lost her 1st tooth today!  She is so happy.  She has been looking forward to losing a tooth for a long time now.  She is excited about putting her tooth in her special tooth pillow tonight for the Tooth Fairy.  Her excitement is contagious.  What a cutie!

Valentines Day

Valentines Day 2011 was awesome.  Kids make every holiday fun.  Ellie, David, and John woke up to a Valentine surprise from Mom and Dad.  Ellie got fake nails and a new puzzle.  David and John got Nerf guns. ("shooting guns" as they call them...)  I only wish they had gotten up before Eric left for work, because they loved their prizes.  

Later that day they received Valentines in the mail from Grandma Teresa & Grandpa Dave and Grandma & Grandpa  Mecham.  Getting mail is always a special treat.  Grandma Jean and Grandpa John gave them a prize on Sunday night after our Valentines dinner. Grandma Cook sent over some little ice cream treats.  Our kids are so lucky to have such thoughtful grandparents.   

Eric got me some fabulous new running shoes and I got him some YakTrax shoe covers so he can start hiking in the snow.  I'm so lucky to have Eric for my Valentine.

I got to help out at Ellie's class Valentine's Day party.  She has some cute friends in her class.  The party was a success, and my craft turned out better than the one I did for Halloween...thank goodness.

January Rewind.

This time of year makes me feel kind of blah.  I've felt like I haven't had much to blog about, but this morning I thought of a few things worth mentioning.

First, I read a few books and tried to update my Goodreads account.  Here are some short reviews.

• Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare   my review:  Good, not great.  I'm sure I'll read the next installment anyway.  I liked The Mortal Instruments better.
•  I Am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore    my review:  Action packed, aliens and love. Looking forward to the movie. (Eric is not intrigued by the previews...)
• The Scorch Trials, by James Dashner    my review:  Second in the Maze Runner Trilogy. Didn't love it or The Maze Runner, but the loose ends are not tied up yet, so I'll keep reading.  Weird story. Frustrating.
• The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan  my review:  So many names to remember.  Good story though.  Crosses into Percy Jackson territory.

Second, an update on the boys.  I. hate. potty. training. We've been at it for awhile now.  John is doing OK.  He's mastered the concept, but no amount of bribery will get him to wear big boy underwear or a pull-up.  David couldn't care less about going to the potty, but you can bet he'll wear underwear or a pull-up anytime.  We're trying to stay positive.

The boys are now sleeping in bunk beds.  They are doing great, way better than I expected.  I don't have a cute picture yet, but I will soon.  David gets top bunk, and John loves the bottom.  Everyone is happy.  It just takes a bit longer to get them to bed now that they're not trapped in cribs.  It can be frustrating, but I guess it's a small price to pay.

Next, we spent the last weekend in January at the cabin with the Allreds.  It's always a good time at the cabin, even though we didn't see the sun this time because of an inversion.  Lots of sledding and relaxing.    I took zero pictures though.  I did manage a few minutes of video.  Never in all my days would I believe that Grandma Jean would come flying down the hill on a sled.  It was a great weekend.




Last, here is what we are looking forward to next!


Free Disney Tickers 

In other January/Disneyland related news, Eric's little sister Missy, and her sweetheart Justin got engaged in Disneyland.  We're so excited for them.  We can't wait for their June wedding.  Congratulations again, guys!