Thanksgiving 2012

Our second big trip with our new van was down to Dallas to see Rick's parents and family for Thanksgiving.  Aundrea and Andrew as well as Rob came down so everyone was there but Dave, who is deployed.  We were able to skype him Thanksgiving Day and were so glad Aundrea and Andrew came.  Tracy flew up to help me and the kids drive down early.  We were there for a week.  The kids loved playing with Emily and cousin Andrew.  

Here is Rachel and Aaron playing with "Big Andrew" just to distinguish the two Andrews.

Here is Aundrea and I on Thanksgiving partaking in all the food we didn't have to make!

Here is Uncle Matt with Anson, Andrew and our cousin Ava at Thanksgiving dinner.  He was kind enough to share his room and bathroom with so many of us that week.

 We were so glad with Rick caught up with us on Wednesday so he could help wrestle the troops.

 

  Rachel was so glad to have some snuggle time with her Uncle Rob.  He's going to make a great daddy some day but in the mean time he's a great Uncle.

 We even snuck in a trip down to Houston to see Ashley's family before Rick got there.  

 We loved seeing Ashley in her home.  We are due on the same day but couldn't be more different in size.  Hmmm...who is going to go first!

It was a great road trip and we had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa DeMille, Nana, Emily, Matt, 7 dogs all those who joined us for Thanksgiving dinner.  Grandma and Grandpa really wanted a grandkid photo for their Christmas cards but we had some non-cooperators.  Maybe next time!  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Brinks, Hofer, Gilson, and Lione Homecoming

So before the great recession started Rick's work would hold a Prom every other year and invite all the attorneys and their spouses/dates to a formal event in Chicago.  We went to one of these when I was 7 months pregnant with Rachel.  It was hard to find a dress to fit then.  This year they again had an even that found me prego looking for a semi formal event.  The thing is Rick is a lawyer and so is everyone he works with.  This makes a semi-formal event FORMAL.  I looked everywhere for a dress but most stores have put their pregnancy section online.  You can't see them or try them on.  And because I knew I'd probably only wear this dress once I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it.  So after looking every where I found one online.  Mom helped me look for a dress and drape.  I ended up getting my hair and makeup done professionally as well.  I felt all dolled and pampered when we left. 

We decided to spend the night in Chicago so we didn't have to drive home late.  Diane and Dennis spent the night with the kids while we were gone.  So as in true tradition for me the commute took us 2 1/2 hours to get into Chicago and to the hotel.  We quickly checked in hurried over to the event.  We made it to the last few minutes of cocktails and then we went to dinner.  The tables were arranged for us to sit at certain ones.  We found our places and sat when I noticed an older couple sit right next to us.  Older couple in lawyer term means more seniority.  These people look like they could have retired a long time ago so very senior.  When they started they acknowledge Gerry Gilson for helping sponsor the event.  Guess who was right next to me, Gerry Gilson and his wife, Jamie!  It was a little overwhelming to be next to such an important person.  His wife is also an author of some 20+ kids books.  We had a lovely evening with them.  It was a great night out, a little scarey but it was nice to get to know the people Rick spends so much time with. 

Halloween 2012

We had another great Halloween this year.  Grandma Somers made the big boys' costumes this year, which made them doubly special.  

Anson is a green ninja, from Ninjago a lego series.

 

Aaron is a knight.

 I convinced Rachel to reuse her adorable ladybug costume from the dance concert this year.

 Andrew was superman.  Although if you asked him that night he told you Batman.  We're still working on that.  Pretty adorable face though, huh!

  I love that Rick takes the kids trick or treating and I get to stay home by myself and hand out candy.  It works great for everyone!  Happy Halloween!!

Family Day 2012

Family day sneaked up on my this year.  Every year we celebrate the day we were sealed to Anson.  We adopted him at birth and consider him to have always been in our family but we want to celebrate him and his unique part in our family.  So every year we try to do something as a family.  With the prego hormones running wild this fall we caught it just in time.  We celebrate on October 8th but this year that was a Sunday so we celebrated more October 9th, which this year was Columbus Day and the kids had off school.  Grandma Somers and I took the kids to Konow's Corn Maze and we did everything but the maze.  The kids had a blast!  

 All 4 kids at the water pumps racing their ducks down the gutter.

 Anson and Aaron climbing in the huge hay stacks.

 Andrew and I on a cow train.

 The corn silo was the biggest hit.  Here is Rachel running in the corn.

 Anson loved to swim and get buried in the corn.

 Andrew wasn't sure about the corn but once he got adjusted he was all in!

 

After a fun day we invited our special guest, Grandpa Allred to join us for our family celebration.  Grandpa sealed Anson to our family 7 years ago in the Chicago, IL LDS Temple.  We believe families can be together forever and it was a real treat to be able to celebrate family day to the person who made this possible for our family.  After dinner we joined Rick in playing a few games as a family.  We are so happy to be a family and are so grateful for temples to make our family together forever.

August trip to Gatlinburg, TN

Going back a few weeks we went out to Gatlinburg, TN for our summer family trip.  It was about a 10 hour drive, and then another hour to get through the crazy traffic in Gatlinburg, who knew!  We drove to Gatlinburg August 4th and returned August 10th.  The new car was great and the kids did really well for the drive.  Gatlinburg and it's sister city Pigeon Forge is nestled at the entrance of the Smokey Mountains National Park.  It was beautiful!  We drove around the park a little but we had a lot of rain the week we were there.

Who knew Gatlinburg has one of the nation's best aquariums!  It wasn't a huge aquarium but it was amazing.  Instead of walking along a wall of tanks to see different fish they had a huge tank and when you went downstairs you stood on a moving walkway and it moved you in the tank in tubes.

 

 The sharks and fish swam all around you.

Here comes the shark!

Here is another tube we waited in to get to the penguins.

They had a tank of HUGE spider crabs that were amazing to watch.

It was an amazing place to visit and really see fish, sharks, crabs and even mermaids under the water.  We didn't get the picture but there were a few mermaids swimming in the stingray exhibit.  Rachel loved it!

After the aquarium we walked along Gatlinburg, which is full of little shops of every kind.  It was so much fun to see and sample it all!

We went to Dollywood's Water Park but we didn't get any pictures because we were having so much fun.  The kids loved the wave pool and the lazy river.  Aaron even tried some big water and tube slides.

Next to Gatlinburg is Pigeon Forge.  That is where Dollywood is and we also attended a Lumberjack Feud there.  It was a lot of fun in a Midevil Times type arena.  Pigeon Forge also has a ton of go-cart and amusement park places.  We went to one park and had a blast.  Andrew was too small to ride on anything so we had to keep him busy watching.

 

 We all did mini golf at the park.

Anson and especially Aaron can't get enough go-carts.

Rachel even tried go-carts for the first time.

Rachel loved the other rides more like the truck train and spinning ride.

Here is Rick as the ever willing partner to take the kids on all the courses.

We had a great time in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  It was nice to have time to spend time just as us.  We all got some much need quality time with each other.

Ugh to Potty Training

So my least part of parenting thus far is potty training.  I've never been very successful at it whether that is my fault or the fault of my kids.  It usually takes months, and a couple cases a year, to complete.  I've tried a range of books, rewards, and ages to accomplish this but it comes down to my kids are stubborn enough to only do it when they want to.

So in getting to that age with Andrew I again started a new approach and started it earlier in age.  He has been able to hold it for hours on end and on our last trip to TN he held it through 2-3 cups of juice or water for over 5 hours.  I knew the problem for him would be the BM.  He has been able to hold that since he was an infant for days on end.  We've tried diet adjustments, mineral oil, and laxative in order to get him routine.  Finally around 2 he decided it wasn't such a big deal.  So I muscled up and decided to do it as soon as the boys were in school but Rachel wasn't.  Rachel's preschool is on the other side of town and I was worried about commuting while potty training. 

Well it went as horribly as I thought.  Andrew can hold everything, and hold it, and hold it!  We had 2 days of just him and me working on potty training.  The first day he had to go BM but wouldn't so he couldn't take a nap.  He finally conked out on the pot at the end of the day. 

Yep, I'm really showing pictures because of all the yuck I've had to deal with the last couple weeks I needed a good laugh.

So after holding BM for 4 days we finally worked it out in a traumatizing experience.  Afterward he refused to even sit on the potty.  Andrew is big in to play fighting, swords, lightsabors, guns, etc.  So in one of our down times I was sword fighting with him when I started thinking if we called it a shooter and had a big brother shoot if he would go for that.  So Aaron volunteered to "shoot" standing up in the big potty with Cheerios and wouldn't you know it when I told Andrew it was his turn to shoot he got up there and did it.  Everyone cheered and I laughed the rest of the night.  Who would have guessed calling it a shooter and putting Cheerios in the potty would make a difference. 

So for the last week and a half we've had the most success with a big brother, usually Aaron, invites Andrew to go "shooting" and it's all good.  We're still working with him initiating it but he has amazing bladder control and can hold it until I take him. 

BM we have not come close to mastering.  I'll follow him around for days and he just holds it until I miss him for a couple minutes and he goes in his underwear.  He promptly tells me he's "bombed" but it is after the fact.  SO we have a ways to go but we're trying.  I hate potty training and all that goes with it but I was hoping that if I do it earlier I don't run into the terrible 2's and 3's attitude that I have had such a hard time with.  We've been homebound for most of the time just in case but we'll get there; it's only been 1 1/2 weeks.  I look at the bigger kids and they were all a pain to potty train but they all eventually do it so I just need patience and a lot of Clorox wipes.

Anson and Aaron start school

This summer has been great but after we returned from our trip to the Smokey Mountains we were ready for school to begin.  Anson is in 2nd grade and Aaron is in 1st grade so they are both gone all day.  This will be such a change especially because Rachel is also starting PreK tomorrow.  

Here is Aaron ready to go.

 Here is Anson, not wanting to take another picture but willing with a smirk.

They are both such cute boys and we will really miss them while they are at school but oh the fun things they will learn.  I'm glad we live so close to the school so I can be part of so much.