The essentials...

Laine Jo is a silly girl. She has always been very particular about sleep. When we brought her home from the hospital she was really not sleeping well. It was tough. I had her sleeping in the little pack-n-play bassinet so she could be right be our bed. The second night of little sleep Jer suggested that we move the big crib to the side of the bed so she could sleep on the cushy mattress. That solved a lot of problems. The little princess needed a soft mattress to sleep on. To this day she hates sleeping in a pack-n-play. She also is a very light sleeper. She must have her 2 blankies, pink bear and a baba.

Oh the baba. She will be 18 months old on the 17th of July. I remember with Bode we wanted to make sure that he was off the bottle by his 1st birthday. We were very insistent on using sippy cup at nap time and only a bottle at night then switched the bottle with a silly cup at his first birthday. That really hasn't happened with this girl. First off any change in schedule or routine she has a hard time sleeping through the night. With Bode I let him cry it out. It took a few nights of a bit of crying and he figured it out. Even now at nearly 18 months Laine won't cry it out. She will cry and cry until she gets a bottle. She is great at taking naps and still takes 2 naps a day. But night is a different story...

Until this week! Yay! Success. Partly I don't want her waking up all the other sleepers in the house so it is just easier to get her a bottle. But this past week Jer was gone with the Scouts so Laine got "trained". Laine goes to sleep between 6:30-7:00, I know this seems early but she is grumpy and tired so she goes to bed. She was getting up between 2-3:00 every night wanting a bottle. And I gave in. So while Jer was gone I let her cry. She is a big girl and can handle it. The first night I nearly gave in, but she fell asleep. Then next night was much of the same. By Friday night she was sleeping from 7 pm - 7am waking up around 5am for a bottle. It is either give her a bottle or get up at 5. I say bottle :) Last night she went to bed at 7pm woke up at 6:30 am got a baba and slept until 8:30. Whoot Whoot! Lucky me. I hope this whole thing doesn't come off sounding wrong or complainy. I am very luck to have my good little sleepers!

Hopefully we can get this sleeping thing down before I go after the bottle. I think I don't want her to loose the bottle because that makes her a toddler and not a baby. I am not ready for her not to be my baby anymore.

Bode and I go to go on a little date the other morning. I...err... Bode... has been really excited to see Toy Story 3. So I found a sitter for Laine and we went to the movies to see it. We both loved it. I decided to go crazy and see it in 3D. It was fun but the movie would have been just as good without it plus I would have save a good amount of cash and I wouldn't have had to keep telling Bode to keep his glasses on. It was fun just the same.

Bode's eyes are looking much better. The swelling has gone down and the sty's have come to a head and started to ooze the yucky stuff inside. It is gross but it means they are going away.

It was a long week with out Jeremiah home. He got to go camping and hiking with the Boy Scouts in our ward. Thank goodness things are back to normal and we have him home.

On the road...

(Many posts below!!)

We set out on vacation this past week.

We have all been so excited to go.

Can you tell?

We kept telling Bode that it would be a long drive.

At this point I don't think he believed us.

Last minute we decided to download VZ Navigator to my phone.

I will never travel without it again.

The one time we didn't type directions into the phone we ended up here...

Not really the beach we were looking for.

But very interesting just the same.

Look at all the fishies...

We visited the aquarium on our vacation.

I think these 2 pictures sum up how Laine felt about the whole experience.

She was in awe of the fish!

We got to feed the birds.

Birds are creepy.

We will never own a bird.

Bode finally got up the courage to touch a sea creature.

He said it was so cool.

I couldn't get this kid to look at the camera once.

Can you blame him?

There were to many sharks to look at.

The aquarium wore us out.

It was really quite crowded.

I think it would have been more enjoyable if there were less people.

(We did actually see another family from our ward though, coming out of the elevator. Small world)

I still think it was a good time.

First taste of the ocean...

Later that evening we met up with the Davis's.

I or we thought we could just go to "look" at the ocean.

You can't really take 2 four year olds, a 2 year old and an 18 month old to the beach to just look.

All the water and sand was worth it.

The happiest place on earth...

Bode and Kolsen with their "1st time" buttons.

These boys were so excited to go to Disneyland!

We only got to see a few characters.

Luckily we got to see Goofy. Bode loves Goofy.

He walked right up to him and said hello.

Then got really shy for the picture.

Walking out of the park Bode was disappointed we didn't see more characters.

He really wanted to meet Micky, Robin Hood and Lighting McQueen.

We convinced him that Mickey was so busy that day, Robin Hood was in Sherwood forest protecting the park (I don't think there is Robin Hood in the park, right?), and McQueen was in his garage.

That made everything ok.

The look on Bode's face is sheer terror.

Jer had his hand on Bode's chest through this ride.

He said right at the drop off Bode got all tense and his heart started beating out of his chest.

We rode all the rides we could. The boys got to ride everyone.

They were very brave. I wasn't exactly sure how Bode would do on all the rides.

But each time after we got off he said, "That was COOL!"

We waited 2 HOURS to ride Splash Mountain. 2 flipping hours. I have never ever waited that long for any ride, ever. Natalie didn't want to ride it so she wondered around with the little girls while we waited, not so patiently, in line.

The little boys stood there the whole time. I was shocked. So we finally got ready to board the ride. There were 10 people in front of us when Jer turns to me holding Bode and says "Bode has to poop, right now". I seriously nearly had my own little break down. 2 hours of waiting and Bode has to poo. This was a no waiting kind of situation for the kid. So I grabbed Bode, talked to the line people, they said we could enter though the exit when he was done going potty and board the ride. I picked up Bode and literally ran with him football style through the park to the closest bathroom. We made it just in the nick of time. I am pretty sure another second in line there would have been more than one "log" floating down the Splash Mountain river.

After Splash Mountain we went and looked at the pictures they take of you on the ride. In the bottom corner there was a picture of Micky Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. Bode was so excited. He told us that "Micky and Goofy saw him go down that water!!! We have to find them. They are so close!!" He then walked around for the next few minutes shouting for Mickey and Goofy :) I had to prompt him a bit in this video. I just had to get him saying Goofy on video. So cute :)

Laine was even big enough to ride a few rides.

I can't speak for her but I think her favorites were Buzz Light Year and Pirates of the Caribbean.

We all enjoyed the Pirate ride.

It was a small line, air conditioned and we all got to ride it together. 

All the kids did really, really good.

I have been to the park before but always with older people.

I always thought the people pushing around strollers and screaming kids were crazy.

I was right. It is a bit crazy. But it was so fun to bring my kids to the park.

We decided to go a bit later to the park so we would last later in the day.

There was the occasional melt down and cry fest. But over all the kids were troopers and waited so patiently in all the lines. I am so glad the Davis's could come. I don't think it would have been as fun if they weren't there.

The beach...

We played in the water.

And the sand.

This girl loves the water. She loved it when the waves splashed her.

She would get wet and I would think she was done and set her down in the sand.

As soon as her toes touched the sand she was running back to the water.

So much fun!!

Home...

Then we drove home.

It was a good week with lots of fun memories.
Jeremiah and I both agree that we now need a vacation from the vacation.

Preparations...

For the last year or so Bode has been collecting change in a jar. We told him when the jar was full we would go to Disneyland. Whenever there was a piece of change laying around he would excitedly tell me that we needed to put it in the Disneyland jar. He also get letters in the mail from his Grandma Joncas occasionally with dollars in them. He made sure that every time he got "monies" it went straight into the jar. Well check it out! The jar is full!!

So we went to our local Coinstar and Bode got to empty his jar.

The grand total is...

$59.55!

When we turned in our recept to get the money, he was much more excited to get the 55 cents than the $59 dollars. He was very happy to use his quarters to buy a big gumball.

Here he is with is earnings.

 I think $59 dollars will buy a great souvenir in Disneyland.

In fact I am positive he will be buying his souvenir and Laine's in the park.

Guess we need to go to Disneyland now... I think next week sounds good.

Don't you? :)

12 on 12...

Sort of.

I saw this idea on another blog, who actually got it from another blog...

On the 12th of the month this person always does 12 of 12.

12 pictures of 12 random things, people, ideas that happen on the 12th of the month.

Not that I am going to do this every month but is sounded fun yesterday. I just didn't have time to sit down yesterday to blog. So I am going to do my 12 on 12 on the 13th instead. The only thing you have to do is add a picture of yourself from that day.

(1)

So here I am in all my Saturday glory.

Actually I think this is how I look everyday.

Some variation of tee-shirt and work out pants, unless I leave the house.

I always at least try to get presentable clothes on if I leave the house.

But that doesn't always happen :)

(2)

I thoroughly enjoyed yesterdays weather.

I was shocked to wake up to stormy weather.

My kids loved playing outside in the rain.

I love any kind of weather in the desert!

(3)

Laundry.

I did SO much laundry yesterday.

I am happy to report that I got 99% of it done.

There is only one load left to do.

(4)

I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned!

Since we will be out of town next week I need to get the house all clean.

I hate coming home after a great vacation to a messy house.

So I dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed...

Luckily for me my sweet hubby mopped the whole house on Friday!

(5)

I posted this on Facebook for my sister.

She is selling this couch if anyone is interested.

(6)

I put in contacts... well almost.

I have been wearing glasses since last September.

I got them thinking I would only need to wear them driving and reading.

I was wrong. I was wearing them all the time!

I hate not being able to see so I would wear them to the gym, church, playing volleyball.

Let me tell you, volleyball in glasses is no good.

So on Wednesday I went to the doctor to get glasses.

I am no good at putting drops in my eyes. Just ask my husband, he has to pin me down to put allergy medication in my eyes. So I was a bit worried to get contacts.

It is not so bad. Yesterday I put them in with little trouble, but noticed that I wasn't seeing as well as I was the day before. Then I got to thinking...boy I can hardly see out of my left eye...

So I go check and NO there is no contact in my left eye. DUH...

I looked down on the counter and there is was.

I laughed at myself for that one.

Today I can tell you that yes, I did get both contacts in both of my eyes today :)

(7)

I keep looking at my hutch and feel it is too cluttered.

 I need to take some stuff off and clean it up a bit.

(8)

I patched a pair of pants.

They have a bunch of distressed spot in them.

I am not a fan of underclothes poking through so

I patched them with a little material and some no sew tape.

(9)

I had to stop and laugh at my little shoe bandit.

If there are a pair of shoes laying around you can bet they won't be there for long.

Laine loves shoes. She screams with joy at the store when we walk by the shoe department.

(10)

I gave Bode three rounds of medicine including;

eye ointment, hot water compress, an oral antibiotic and jelly beans.

Ok so the jelly beans aren't doctor's orders but they are the only way I can get him to hold still while I put the ointment in his eyes. After going to the doctor we decided to be more aggressive with the stye treatment this time around. So three times a day he gets eye ointment, hot water compresses, medicine and jelly beans.

If the big stye doesn't clear up on its own then we have to get is drained.

Thankfully just after 2 and a half days of treatment I can already see an improvement.

(11)

ABC Family had all three Back to the Future's on.

So all through my cleaning and folding laundry in the afternoon we watched them all.

I love those movies.

I actually have them on dvd but was to lazy to get them out.

Bode said it was "so cool".

(12)

And finally I put my kids to bed then I sat down with my computer, a large glass of water,

watched an episode of Frasier and enjoyed the silence.