Summer

I won't feel like it's actually summer until we go boating— hopefully this week— but we did do some summer activities over the last week or so.

We had to meet with our home builder and decided to take Layla to the nearby splashpad afterwards. I took her there last year and she LOVED it, but this year it was a big flop. She had more fun on the playground than in the water. Weird, considering she loves water so much.


We went swimming at my grandma's house ... and that was NOT a flop. Layla kept saying, "I having fun!" over and over and she didn't want to leave. The second we pulled her out of the water she said, "I have more water now!"


On Saturday we attended the Lions Club breakfast as part of Taylorsville Dayzz (why do they spell it with two zs? Drives me nuts!). My grandma is a member of the Lions Club so it was fun to see her there. Afterwards, Mitch went to help his sister move and the rest of us attended the T-ville Dayzz parade.

Layla thought the parade was awesome. Her favorites were Smokey the Bear (she was laughing the whole time he rode by), all the princesses (royalty on the floats), and the T-ville high football players because they all gave her high fives (it was pretty cute!). Oh yeah, and the candy. She really likes taffy, apparently.

Mitch and I went to the fireworks Saturday night and met up with Brock and Natalie there. Natalie's family was nice enough to let us hang out with them. The fireworks show was not nearly as good as I remember, and it took us so long to get home that I'm not sure when we'll go to that particular show again ... not sure it's worth it to be honest. 

Part of the weekend was spent fixing Mitch's car that broke down on his way to help Katie— thank heavens it was just a $17 part (upper radiator hose) and thank heavens that my husband is a handy mechanic! 


We also spent a lot of time helping Layla feel better after a fever of 102 for 24+ hours.We have no idea what was wrong with her; maybe she has a new molar? I have yet to get a good look in her mouth. The good news is she's feeling much better and is back to her rambunctious, jabbering self. She cracks me up and I'm so glad she's better. 

And, an update on potty training ... now that she's back in diapers, she's been telling us more than ever before when she needs to go to the bathroom. Her diapers are staying dry for the most part. So, I guess we'll just keep on keeping on until she's got it down pat and then we'll switch back to her big girl underwear ... again. But at least we're making progress. Who knew it would help to potty train her in diapers?!?

Regression

I am LOVING the things Layla is saying lately and I love watching her use her little imagination while we play. She's such a good little mommy to all her stuffed animals, whom she refers to collectively as "my friends." For the past few days she keeps complimenting me profusely, saying that "Mamma's so cute!" and "Mamma's hair is soooo pretty!" and  "Ohhh, Mamma's a cutie!" which totally cracks me up (and makes me wonder if she's being sincere or just trying to use flattery for self-gain. Ha, ha.). It is sweet though.

But I'm frustrated lately. Just when I post about Layla being potty trained, she decides to stop caring about whether or not she pees her pants. Seriously, the last two days she has had several "accidents"  (I use quotations because I know that she knows perfectly well what she is doing). How did we go from several days in a row with zero accidents, and Layla telling me when she needs to go, to today, where we had so many accidents and she couldn't have cared less if her pants were wet or not??? Ahhh! I don't get it! I want to pull my hair out! I know she grasps the concept, she meets all the criteria on every "how to tell if your kid is ready to potty train list" ... but she just stopped caring. Just like that. Like the last two weeks were all for naught. Frustration!!!!!

I read online that many kids go through a "regression" phase when they're potty training. It's their way of processing new skills, blah, blah, blah. Some folks advise to just keep going, while others advise to take a break.

We're taking a break, as of 6 pm tonight. Diapers are back on. (I actually need to go buy more.) We will start again when she starts showing more interest.

The irony of it all is that while we were reading books before bedtime tonight, Layla told me she needed to go on the potty. What?!? I've been wanting her to tell me that all day! I'm seriously at a loss ... so we're just going to take a break for a few days and go from there.

Here's a random video of Layla singing the alphabet. She has it down almost perfectly, forgets L and M. She finally learned to sing the ending perfectly too ("now I know my abcs, next time won't you sing with me"), but I stopped filming before she got to that part. I LOVE her facial expressions towards the end.

I must say, I am so thankful for my mom, who gave me a break tonight (Mitch was at work) and watched Layla for a bit. I'm sure she could tell I was frazzled. Thanks, Mom! You're a lifesaver!

June

Let it go down in history that June of 2012 is the month Layla became potty trained. Hip, hip, hooray!

One day last week she woke up and decided that she would not, under any circumstances, wear a diaper. She wanted to be butt-naked. I almost let her have her way (she has the cutest little bum bum), but decided instead to forge into the valley of potty training and force her into some Dora panties.

She might be angry at me for posting this pic when she's older ...

Well, it's been over one week now and I'd like to say that she's pretty much potty trained. She still wears a diaper at nap time and bedtime, though I'm thinking of nixing the nap time diaper. We've had a few days with zero accidents, and she is now telling me when she needs to go. I do still remind her throughout the day, especially when she's too distracted to remember herself, but overall I think she's got it down. We've even ventured out on a few outings (close to home) and been successful at "keeping Dora dry."

I'm always telling her, "keep Dora dry" and "don't get Dora wet." The first few times she had an accident I'd say, "Oh no! You got Dora wet!" Then we got to the point where if she had an accident, Layla would say, "Poor Dora," like she didn't even care that she peed her pants. It was really frustrating. Now she says things like, "Don't pee pee on Dora. Keep her dry," and "No pee pee in the princess bubbles (bubble bath). Pee pee in the potty!" It's pretty funny. At least she understands now.

Yesterday I felt like we went backwards; she had three accidents! But, to be honest, I think she didn't feel great. Pretty sure she's getting her last two molars in. She has, however, totally redeemed herself today. Not one accident so far, telling me when she needs to go. 

We put away her little princess potty and are just using the seat adapter on the big potty, or "Mamma and Daddy's potty" as she calls it. I hope this is the end of changing diapers for us (until our next one comes along, that is)! I'm so proud of my little Buggie! I feel like she's really grown up a lot the past few weeks - talking better, using the potty, understanding more, etc. While she does throw the occasional 2 year old tantrum (and she can scream loud! let me tell you), she is super, super sweet.  

While potty training, I've had lots of time to read, since we've mostly stuck close to home. I have recently read Treasure Island by Rober Louis Stevenson and Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Loved them both. I have never read a novel by either author, and I was particularly keen on Dickens' writing style. No wonder he is one of the greatest authors to ever grace this earth.


We went to Quick Wits the other weekend. It's a comedy club that is all improv. It was hilarious! My good friend Ally is dating one of the comedians there and we were able to sit by her. She was even kind enough to give us two free tickets, which was really nice of her. Jimmy and Karen joined us and we had a great time. We need to go again! Although, I don't know that Jimmy and Karen will ever hang out with us again after the tantrum that Layla threw that night! Whew! She did NOT want to go to bed and I thought we were going to miss the show. Such a little stinker. We probably helped them decide that they never want to have kids, but I hope they know that it really is worth it. Really, there's nothing better than being a parent. We're all just waiting for them to get married first. :)


Our new home is coming along. Should be framing this week or next. Mitch was out of town all week, so he didn't go by after work to check on it and I'm too lazy to drive up there. Ha, ha. We're finally done making all the decisions regarding appliances, upgrades, colors, exterior, etc. I didn't know we were so picky until now! I love that we get to decide every little thing, though it is overwhelming at times. I am so excited to see it all put together!

Daddy

Happy Father's Day, Mitch! You are such a patient, fun, caring, hard-working Dad, and Layla and I both appreciate you for that. We love you so much!

We went to the park with my fam on Saturday, had a picnic, and played the bean bag toss game. Brock and Natalie brought Duke with them and Layla loved holding his leash and watching him play fetch and swim in the river. 

I saw the idea for this jar on Studio 5 the other day, and decided to make one for Mitch for Father's Day. (We decided not to give each other gifts for Mother's/Father's Day, but this was just something small.) My mom helped me and I loved how it turned out! Thanks for your help, Mom!

We spent Sunday with Mitch's fam and had a nice lunch at his gma's house. It was great to see everyone again. We are both so lucky to have great dads - and Layla to have great grandpas! We love you guys!

On Sunday we also drove by our new house ... they have poured the rest of our foundation! 

Should start framing any day now ...

Priceless

Our good friends Shelly and Parker came over yesterday and we let the little girlies "swim" in the pool. They had so.much.fun as you can tell by these pics. Their faces are priceless. (I recommend clicking on the pics to make them bigger.) Thanks for coming over, guys!

Layla: "Thanks for making me wear this dumb hat, Mom."

 Layla: "At least we get graham crackers to dip in the pool water before eating. Yum!"

 Parker: "Look Layla, I can do Yoga!"

 Layla and Parker: "One, two, three ... all fall down!!!"

Girlies: "We fell down!"

 Layla: "Shelly, did you see that?! That was awesome!"

     Girlies: "Let's do it again!" 

 Layla: "Just as awesome the second time!!!"

 Parker: "I totally agree!"

 Layla: "Again! Again!" 

Silver Lake

I recently wrote down a "while we're living in Salt Lake" bucket list and last Sunday after church we crossed the first thing off : a trip to Silver Lake at Solitude Ski Resort up Big Cottonwood Canyon. (Not to be confused with the other Silver Lake, also up Big CC, that requires traveling down a dirt road, past Tibble Fork Reservoir, to get to. The one we visited is the closer one.)

It is so very beautiful there.

I thought Layla would love walking around the board walk, but for some reason, she requested that we push her in the stroller. Whatev.

We saw some beaver dams, but no beavers. We did see some ducks though.

We packed some sandwiches and such, but it was colder than we expected, so we opted for eating in the car amidst the beautiful scenery.

I felt like a bad mom because - while I did think to bring us all jackets and dress in long sleeves and jeans - I did not think to bring Layla a blanket and she kept asking for one and telling us that her hands were cold. Good one, Mamma!

We went in this little building to warm up. Layla liked looking at the displays.

She was just the right height for this one.

At least she managed to have fun despite being cold. And it sure beat sitting home bored!

On the way home we got stuck in the canyon for about 30 minutes while two helicopters and other emergency vehicles blocked the road. We could not see a car accident, if that's indeed what happened, and when we tried to look it up on the news we couldn't find any coverage on what actually happened, so it's still a mystery.

A few other things on our list: boating, Hogle Zoo, Kennecott Copper Mine (Mitch has never been and it's a must), Memory Grove, boating, frisbee golf (Holladay area), Millcreek Canyon, boating, mountain biking at Sundance, hiking above the capitol building to a place I call "the crematories," oh, and did I say boating? Here's to a summer full of fun!

Happenings

Here are some videos I took of Layla singing in the bath tub. It takes a lot of coaxing to get this stuff on video, so this is a precious commodity. This first video showcases Layla singing, "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam." In case you can't tell what she's singing, the lyrics are as follows:
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day,
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.
A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, 
A sunbeam, a sunbeam, I'll be a sunbeam for Him.

The second video showcases Layla singing, "Where is Thumbkin?" which her Grandma Bott taught her. She also sings a song my mom made up for her; we call it "Layla Lou." The lyrics are:

Layla Lou,

I love you,

Yes I do.

Woo, hoo, hoo!!!

Then she goes on to sing random bits of the sunbeam song, mostly "At home, at school, at play, Him!" which is her own special version of the song, I guess.

I should be better about recording what we do each week. This week Layla and I went to the Gateway Discovery Museum while Daddy painted another room in my parents' basement (only one more to go!). We also went and fed the ducks near my parents' house. I taught Layla to scare the "nasty pigeons" away by yelling, "Kaaa!" really loud and waving her arms above her head like a little mad woman. It was hilarious until other people showed up and I was actually slightly embarrassed. Ha, ha. At least they thought it was funny too. Seriously, pigeons are so gross. The rats of the sky, I say. 

Last night we went to a BBQ with some friends. We all had a blast, but no one had more fun than Layla, who had her first experience on a trampoline. Oh my goodness, I've never seen her giggle so much, and I've never come so close to having a heart attack between the trampoline and the firepit! Ha, ha. She was such a good little girl though and we didn't have any accidents. She LOVED the oldest girl there, Sammy, who is 7 years old I believe, and Layla insisted on being next to her / holding her hand / sitting next to her / bossing her around the entire night. At least Sammy was a good sport! We need to get together with that group more often for sure.

Before the BBQ we met up with Katie, who had just bought a new car. It's a 2011 Dodge Challenger and I dare say it is gorgeous!

I hope Katie doesn't mind me posting these pics, but I thought it was cute!

I might also add that never, before marrying into a "car family," did I ever think a car was "beautiful" or cool. I just didn't care about cars. But now Mitch has taught me that cars can be pretty. And Katie definitely bought a pretty one! She now has the coolest car of anyone I know. She even let Layla help her drive it. Lucky girl.

On a side note, I still think Layla looks a lot like Katie, which is a good thing.