Potty Training

When we got back from Erin's, potty training officially began. I told Charlie about underwear, and he got really excited, so the next day, off we trucked to Walmart to get some Cars underwear. We spent a lot of time without pants on. We set a timer on the iPad and sat on the potty about every 20 minutes. Once we mastered the froggy potty, we moved on to the big potty. He was doing pretty good, but he wouldn't poop on the potty. (TMI, I know.) Around the same time, an awesome present arrived in the mail from Aunt Erin. The opportunity to play with it was enough to produce some results! We drove to Dollar Tree and got it filled with helium. It was pretty cool until I flew it right at Charlie and then he hid in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the motor stopped working, and the company was impossible to get a response from, so then it was just a giant balloon. 

Giant angry birds "air swimmer". 

We also used a small bowl of marshmallows and playtime on the iPad as rewards. This was the first time he was allowed to play on the iPad, and he learned how to go to the bathroom about 20 times a day just so he could play it. So far, so good! He only pooped on the floor once. Everything else has been in the froggy potty or the "big boy" potty!! I never thought I would be so excited about pee and poop. He is so proud of himself too - it's pretty cute.

New job is a little rough...

Tonight I drew a bath for Charlie, got him undressed and put him in the tub. He crouched in the water like he usually does when he thinks it's too hot to sit down. I asked if it was too hot. No. Then I ask if he's pooping, No. So I go back in the kitchen to finish making/eating my gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. I come back to the tub and he's sitting down.
"I pooping, mommy."
"You pooped in the tub?"
"Yeah."
"Where is it?"
"Back there somewhere" (pointing behind himself)
So I gingerly scrape the bubbles off the top of the water looking for errant poop, but find none. I was relieved because in the process of potty training and stalling for bedtime, he often says he has to poop when he doesn't or says he's poopy when he's not.

I scrub him down and let him play in the tub for a bit before getting him out. I tell him it's time to get jammies on, so he climbs out of the tub and I wrap him in a towel before unplugging the drain. I reach down to grab the drain and grab something slimy and squishy instead. EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW followed by NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

It turns out that Charlie was, in fact, not lying this time. So I got to fish it out of the tub. I called Charlie back into the bathroom and told him that was naughty and we needed to flush it down the toilet. And he started crying. We've been trying to get him to use the potty. It must be so confusing for a little guy when you poop in one place and everyone is thrilled, but you poop someplace else and you get in trouble.

If there's one thing about this new gig, there's never a dull moment!

Addie's Birthday

On Friday, we had terrible weather - and it hailed! It came down fast! I thought we moved out of the realm of wintry weather in August, but I was wrong.

On Saturday, we went down to Erin's to visit for Addie's birthday. We got there Saturday afternoon, and met everyone at the Hogle Zoo. It was a nice day and we had fun seeing all the animals with our cousins. I don't have any pictures of cake and presents because I was on the couch feeding Russell. On Sunday, we hung out at Erin's while they went to church. Then we got Cafe Rio or Costa Vida and ate it at a local park before heading back to Idaho.

Riding the carousel. Thanks Aunt Erin! 

Saying goodbye. 

Russell taking his first driving lesson. 

One last picture with Erin's family. 

Dierkes Lake

Yesterday was Chad's day off. It seems like it was the first day all summer that we haven't been driving to or from Idaho Falls, so I was looking for something fun and summery to do. My neighbor told us about this lake down by Shoshone Falls, so we packed a lunch and decided to give it a try. 

The water was cold, and there were lots of flies, but it was definitely a fun summer thing to do. 

5 points for Twin Falls. 

Keeping busy in the car.

Goodbye Idaho Falls!

Last weekend (August 10th and 11th), we rented a truck and spent Sunday and Monday packing up the rest of the house and cleaning. Charlie spent the day playing with our home teacher's family. A couple of guys from the ward came over to help load the piano and the rest of the boxes.

I already miss the convenience of Idaho Falls. You have every business you might want in one place, but it doesn't feel too congested. In Twin Falls, pretty much everything is on one main drag making me never want to drive there. Jerome has a Dollar Tree and a Walmart (Hallelujah) so I stick around here.

If nothing else, Idaho Falls has provided us with some amazing healthcare. It is true that there are doctors and dentists literally on every corner, but we didn't even really search for ours. We definitely lucked out.

Dr. Steven Robison delivered Charlie and was supposed to deliver Russell, but Russell decided to be born on the one night that Dr. Robison was going to be unavailable. He was at a scout campout. I tried to schedule my postpartum appointment with him so I could say goodbye, but the receptionist repeatedly told me I had to see the doctor who delivered the baby. I couldn't think of any way to finagle a doctor's appointment with my regular doctor, so I figured I'd just have to send a note to say I moved. But after I saw the doctor who delivered Russell, there was a knock on the door and Dr. Robison walked in! He saw I was in for an appointment and came by to chat and see how everything went. I will probably never again have a doctor like him! He even gave me his cell phone number (which I will never use!) to call him if I had any problems. I will sincerely miss his awesome care and friendly "bedside manner". He always asked about my sister that went to Harvard and my brother that was working for the President. We chatted about band because his son was in band at IFHS. He was great and I wish I could fly him to wherever I am to deliver all my future children.

Our pediatrician (Dr. Scott Smith) was also kind and was careful not to sound accusatory or condescending when telling me my babies had lost too much weight.

Idaho Falls Pediatrics

I loved having babies at Mountain View. Of course I have nothing to compare it to, but I like the small hospital. It felt more like a hotel than a hospital. Though I did set off the baby alarm with Russell once because I got too close to the elevator. Then it felt like a prison.

This is where Chad took me when I was having Charlie. (They have since moved their office)

This is the entrance through which I waddled at about 2:30am to have Russell. 

My dentist (Dr. Jed Zirker) was also awesome. He fixed my teeth (after not going to the dentist in 6 or so years...) without being rude. I felt like he didn't try to book me for procedures I didn't really need. He even was a good sport and took a picture with me when he fixed my teeth and I could eat Starburst again. He fit in my appointments to make sure my teeth were fixed in time for me to go on vacation for a month. He also always asked about school and the band, and later made friends with Chad over his Apple products. I liked him a lot. And that's saying something, because, I mean, he's a dentist. 

 We drove down to the falls to take some pictures.

Simply Mac in Idaho Falls where Chad got his start with the company.

 The playground at McCowin Park where Charlie played a lot.

 The playground at Ammon Elementary where we also spent a lot of time.

The church building.

 Marv's - the barber shop across from the church. Because it's so old timey.

One last Dairy Queen lunch with the Swensens. This kind of became a Sunday afternoon ritual as we came back a few times to pack up the house, but had no food or any way to prepare it.

Our last night in our first house.

All cleaned up and ready to go:

...are we forgetting something?

My favorite room in the house. 

View from the upstairs room facing west. 

View from the upstairs room facing east. 

Though we wanted to get back to Twin Falls before it got too late, we were also starving. So we decided to hit up IHOP for one last meal in Idaho Falls.

Saying goodbye to the Swensens. They were awesome neighbors.

The house that made us homeowners! Where we brought a little puppy, and two little boys home to. 

It is hard to say goodbye to this little place. We didn't expect to be here for 4 years, but all in all, it has been pretty good to us. We are excited to move on, with high hopes that we will end up where we want to be. Cross your fingers! Goodbye Ammon!