Shelisa, this is for YOU

My sister is in Peru and has been asking for pics of the kids, so here is a cute Dallin-photo I took tonight.

The history behind this shirt is this:

The kids' great-grandma Marilyn gave this VERY special, VERY loved Spiderman shirt to Cory years ago. Since then, Cory has outgrown it, and it was passed on to Bryson. Well, tonight after baths I asked Cory to get Dallin dressed, and he chose THE SHIRT. There was quite a bit of excitement from Dallin about being allowed to wear THE SHIRT.

Here's the link for a video of my crazy little boys enjoying being Spidermen.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=338255178025&ref=mf

Take note of how sweet and patient Cory is with Dallin. He's such a WONDERFUL big brother. I'm so excited to give him another little brother to nurture!

Valentine's Day and potty training...yeah, I know, an odd combination

Guess who's officially a BIG BOY????

He's so proud of his big boy underwear (especially these ones - they have Hulk AND Spiderman!)

So, here's the potty-training story....

After I got done writing an email, I realized that Dallin had been quiet for a long time. A little TOO quiet, if you catch my drift, so I go on a search for him. Where do you think I found him???

He had stripped COMPLETELY and UTTERLY naked, climbed onto the toilet, and was trying to POOP!!!

I hadn't even STARTED potty training him yet. The poor little thing wasn't tall enough to climb on with the seat down, so he put the seat up and was trying to balance with just the bare toilet (which is hard enough for a person with a big ol' booty, but he's only got a little two-year-old tooshy!!) He was shaking and gripping on for dear life, but he was determined to poop. He even tooted a few times, so I know he was pushing the right way, if you know what I mean. So, after that I took him to WalMart and we got him a little toilet seat (one that actually fits his little rump) and some big boy underwear, that he of course got to pick out. Can I tell you how much I LOVE this little boy!!! He's just such a darling. I mean, a complete rascall, but a darling too. Ah. So, I've been having fun trying to potty train the little guy ever since.

Here are some of his "cute" little potty training habits that he does.

1. He HAS to be the one to turn on the light in the bathroom. Even if it's already on, he pulls his stool over there, turns it off, and then turns it on again.


2. He's got to be 100% naked to "go". This means no shirt or socks.


3. He likes to change his underwear every time he "goes". Yeah, I'm never going to see the bottom of the laundry basket again!


4. He has to wipe his tooshy, even if he only peed, actually, even if he doesn't even "go". It's just part of the ritual.
   
   

As for Valentine's Day, we had a wonderful one this year. We had a yummy breakfast (new recipe) and gave the kids each a box of chocolates. They were SOOO very excited. Church was good. Then, my mom asked if she could have the kids over for dinner at her house so they could skype with great-grandparents. We of course eagerly agreed (thanks, mom!) So, that meant John and I got a romantic dinner for TWO (well, 2 1/2)

At first I wanted to do something elaborate that I hadn't tried before, but John convinced me it would be better to just spend the time hanging out, rather than cooking, so we made a fairly simple dinner together, and it turned out PERFECT.

The steaks were on sale, so we got a value pack. What usually was $46 in steak, I got for $16! Yaya! Can you tell which plate is man's and which is woman's? ha ha ha, I've been on a veggie kick this pregnancy, and John is a lover of mashed potatoes.



After dinner we went on a walk around the block, did dishes, and it was time to pick up the kids. Just a wonderful, low-key evening. Like I said, PERFECT.

24 weeks

Had my doctor's appointment yesterday, so here are the stats:

measuring right on time
heart beat: 141 beats/min
weight: 146 (8 lbs in the last month, whoa! And that makes 23lbs for the pregnancy)

Feeling great these days, I have plenty of energy as long as I get my nap. Of course, you don't want to see me if I haven't gotten my nap. :)

Does this look just wrong??

I was trying to find a blog background for Valentine's day, and I put this one up, but with all these boys in the family, having a bright pink background just looks wrong to me!

But just because I'm surrounded by boys doesn't mean I can't be girly, right? So, I put up the hot pink background anyway!

Maybe I DO have a girl after all!

...No, not in my belly, and yes,that IS make-up my 2-year-old is wearing on his eyebrows. And no, this is not the first time this has happened. He grabs for my make-up just about every time I turn my back, always getting ahold of the eyeliner and putting it in the same place.

I think someone has been watching mommy too much!
This stuff is ridiculously hard to get off a moving target!

The elementary school had spirit week this week. It always amazes me how different Cory and Bryson are. Cory wanted no part in the whole "dressing up" thing, but Bryson wanted to go ALL OUT! Here he is for wacky tacky day. He was absent for tie/hat day, which was kind of sad. Tomorrow is PJ day, and I KNOW he'll have fun with that one as well.

The pictures don't do his hair justice, it's parted in the middle, it looked really tacky in real life.

The boys, by that I mean all 4 of them, enjoy their wrestling matches. Here's a little family game of tug-of-war. I try to stay mostly out of the danger zone. I get those stupid braxton hicks contractions everytime I do anything physical, so I watch, giggle, and snap pictures from the side-lines.

It's a BOY!!!!! *yes, the 4th one*

So, I had my sonogram today!! I am so grateful, I DID NOT have a shy baby this time. Spread eagle, all the way! As she was moving the little thingy-ma-bobber around, I could tell that it was a boy, even before she said anything. Now, many of you know that I have wanted a GIRL from the beginning. No, not the beginning of THIS pregnancy, from the beginning, as in high school. When I found out Cory was not going to be a girl, it took several months to adjust. I was content with Bryson being a boy, and with Dallin, once again I had a twinge of disappointment when I found out he was a boy. BUT with this one, once I saw that little *thingy* I could not stop smiling. I am SO HAPPY it's a boy. Not content, HAPPY. I didn't think I would be, but I am just giddy over the whole thing. Suddenly this pregnancy feels right! I mean FOUR boys, how much fun does THAT sound??? I can remain the princess in the house, and I will get my quiet time when Daddy takes them all camping. They will have plenty of wrestling partners, too. However, I recommend wearing protective gear when coming to visit. :) ha ha, I'm just so excited! I can't wait to meet this little dude!

The reactions I've gotten have been hysterical!

John and Shelisa both answered the phone saying, "it's a boy, isn't it?"

My dad: "Well, at least now we don't have to worry about the safety of a little girl"

Cory: "UGHHHH!! I wanted a girl! A boy is boring!!"

Bryson: "Mom, why do we have lots and lots and lots of boys?"

ha ha ha, I can't help but be totally excited! And I think the older boys will come around to the idea.

Doc's appointment

This morning I had a doctor's appointment. We were able to get the heart rate for the first time this pregnancy...150 beats/min, which is right in middle ground. I am measuring right where I should be at 20 weeks. I am up to 138 lbs, so 15lbs total for the pregnancy and 5lbs in the last month. Oh boy! Tomorrow we have the sonogram, so hopefully I will have more news to tell shortly!