Mommy Blues

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Today was rough! I mean the kind of rough where your husband walks through the door and you just want to burst into tears because you finally made it through the day!

Carson, as mentioned in the last post has been struggling with potty training in relation to "#2." Seriously, the kids has maybe pooped 5 times on the potty in the last 8 months of training! He has a serious fear or something going on.

Last night after dealing with a few "accidents" Brian came home and relieved me of taking care of the last of the lot. Both Brian and I are out of ideas. We literally have tried. it. all. (rewards: sticker chart, treats, toys, games, punishments: time-out, taking care of his own "mess", shower, no friends, no tv/movies, no playing outside, no under ware, spanking, we've even tried sitting and reading stories on the toilet, the potty watch set every 30 mins, ignoring the "accident"...)

Today was no different; 3 accidents (yes, all poop). How one kid has that much poo inside them, I will NEVER understand!

Now, I have no problem dealing with a little poop. I've been blessed with a strong stomach (although there has been a time or two that his' has knocked me on my keester.) I get that he is only 4 and is still learning. The hard part is that he is a very strong willed child, so not only do we have these "accidents" but we also get to deal with the arguing that goes along with having him sit on the potty, or wipe, or admit he has had an "accident." The list of arguments goes on and on.

He wants to learn so badly, but he just gets so busy doing other things that he forgets to run and take care of business. I just need to figure out how to cope with all of it. Because today I did NOT cope well, and that makes for some serious "Mommy Blues."

Aaaannnnddd.....we're back.

Oh! My! Gosh! I know that's what we are all thinking. I'm going to give this blog another shot. Brian and I were talking the other night about how fast our kids are growing up and how we feel like we won't forget anything they say or do in the moment, yet looking back it's so hard to remember all of their "ism's." Thus the reason for my goal of trying to revive the dead blog! I'm not even sure where to start...too much to try to catch up on. So here's what's been going on recently: Abby started 1st grade. I have very mixed emotions about this; she was so ready to start (and was driving me CRAZY during the summer), but I miss her like crazy! The other day I was making lunch and got out 3 plates by accident and LOST it! She has only been in for a week now, so I know this is just an adjustment period. She is having a little bit of a hard time as well. She comes home hungry and tired. Neither of us are used to the long days. She was put into a new class that they had to create becasue the 1st grade class numbers were outragious. They have 183 1st graders at Foxboro! So they created this new class last minute. I was really excited at first. She only has 17 kids in her class, but her teacher is GREEN! This is her first year teaching, and while I understand that teachers have to learn the art of teaching in the classroom, so far, I am NOT impressed. We just had back to school night a few days ago and her teacher was totally unprepaired. She only explained a few points, and left me feeling very unsettled. Brian called the principle yesterday and left a message for him. We will have to see what comes of it. I just want to know what is going on day by day and see when I can come in and help out. I trust that she can teach, I just don't trust that she can keep Brian and me involved, which is crutial to how Abby will do in school. Abby also got her ears peirced last week. She has been asking to get them done, so I thought when she got into 1st grade would be a perfect time. She chose the cutest little pink glittery hearts (they are so Abby.) She LOVES them, and so far, no problems. Carson is signed up for Mrs. Cynthia's preschool (the same one Abby went to when she was 4.) He doesn't start until after Labor day. He is really excited about getting back into school. I'm not sure how well he understands that he won't be going to the same preschool he went to last year, but he's still excited. He loves walking Abby up to the bus stop every morning. I just stand on the porch and watch them walk up together and then wait for him to come running back to tell me that Abby got on the bus and is safe. He really does love is big sister; he's been missing her so much now that she is gone all day. But it's been so fun to have time with him. We are still working on getting the stinker potty trained. It will be a wonderful day when he is fully trained! He does pretty good most of the time. He has an occasional #1 accident, but #2 is KILLING us! He has successfully ruined ALL of his underware that we've bought him. I sutter to even recall the 'accidents' they truly are that bad! But he wants to learn to do it so badly, so we'll just keep pluggen' away. Kayleigh, who? you say... yes, Kayleigh our 8 1/2 month old. This is the first time she has been mentioned on this blog (sad, pathetic, slacking....call it what you may...I'll take it.) Kayleigh came into our family last December 3rd, and she has been so much fun. We all love catering to her and watching her reach her milestones. Kayleigh is going to be the last of the Pack rugrats. Brian and I debated for a long time on weither or not to have another one. We are so glad we decided to have her. Kayleigh has such a cute little personality. Latley she has been playing a game of 'ppppplllll'ing with Brian. Everytime he walks into the room she starts spitting. It's pretty funny. She'll do it occasionally with me, Abby, or Carson, but it is literally EVERY TIME Brian walks into the room. It's their game. She has had a cold for a few days now and has had some rough nights, but she has been a trooper. She is such a good baby and just rolls with what's going on. With 2 older siblings, she kindof has to though. Brian and I are still pretty much the same, just older and possibly a bit more boring. I started running a few months ago and caused a stress fracture in my right shin, so now I'm sporting a very fashionable walking boot for the next 3 ish weeks. I say 'ish' because I'm not sure I can make it that long. Brian is still at L-3 and is working as an LTE (lead test engineer.) He is likeing it, but is super busy. He started his MBA at Westminister last fall and is just getting ready to go back in a week. I have to keep reminding myself that it's a means to and end when he is gone 12+ hours some days. Well, I think this is all for now. It feels good to be 'back.' I'll be updating pictures soon. Gotta get little Kayleigh Roo's face on here!

Yes, we are still here....

It has been so long since my last post; I'm not even going to attempt to catch up. Just know that since August things have been going well, busy, but well.

Ok, so I'm just going to recap Christmas and New Years for you.

Christmas:
On Christmas Eve we went up to my mom and dad's house. We broke off from the traditional Coleman activities, and just did our own thing. We played a few Christmas games, ate treats, did the Nativity (no pictures sorry--only iPhone pictures today.) We opened pj's and a few other presents then headed home to go to bed.

Christmas morning we got a wake up call from our sweet 4 year old at 4:00 A freaking M!!! Although waking up to "Mommy, Santa came! And he brought me a dolly house!" is cute, it would have been nice to have a few more hours of uninterupted sleep. I let her hop into bed with us hoping that would get her to go back to sleep for a few hours. No luck. I finally got sick of being kicked in the back/stomach (dispite our California King size bed, there just isn't enough room in there for more than 2 bodies, even if they are small!!) and went to get into her bed. At 5:00 Carson woke up; Abby hadn't fallen back to sleep, so we were up for the day!

Carson's Christmas from Santa:


Abby's Christmas from Santa:


Playing after the choas:


I love Christmas moring and the excitement that it brings. Abby and Carson loved their presents. Abby kept asking for the next one. My parents came down around 10:00 that morning and gave the kids the gifts from them. Then it was off to Logan to Brian's parents' house. We ate a yummy lunch and then opened presents. After a little more chatting we headed home for some much needed rest!

On New Years Eve we went up to Logan for the annual New Year's Eve party at B.J. and Emily's house. This year the kids were invited! Before we went to their house we went up to Hardware Ranch to take a sleigh ride and see the Elk. Abby was pretty excited to go for a real sleigh ride! It was super cold (9 degrees) so we bundled the kiddos up in their snow cloths. I think they had more fun playing in the snow after the sleigh ride though.

Brian and the kids ready to get on the sleigh:


Check out all the Elk:


Abby on the sleigh:


Daddy and Carson telling the horse "thanks for the ride!"


Abby and Carson playing the the snowbank:



We got to B.J. and Emily's house at 7ish that night. We did the usual things eat, talk, play, eat, talk, eat, and watched the ball drop as we counted down till midnight. The kids did pretty well. Carson got tired around 11, and started asking for his blanket. He even asked to go home! Abby did really well. She was a little shy around the other kids and got sad few times, but over all she did well. After watching the ball drop we went outside with a few of the kids and played with sparklers. Carson really enjoyed it; Abby has never been fond of fireworks and would rather stay away from them. It was a very chilly 3 degrees so we didn't stay out there too long! We spent the night at Brian's mom and dad's house and played the next day for a while before heading home again.

Abby 4 minutes till midnight!


Carson with his sparkler:

24th Celebration, Lagoon, and Anniversary

Well, it looks like I'm getting a bit better now that things have kind-of settled down. :)

24th Of July:
On the 24th of July we went up to Logan to have breakfast with Rod's Rotary Club. We headed to Ryan's Place Park so the kiddos could play for a while. Here are some shots:

Typical Abby:



Three of the cutest little turds ever!


After the park we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa Pack's house to play and have lunch; then it was home for mommy to go to work.

Lagoon:
On the 6th we went to Lagoon with the Clayson's and the other Packs. The kids had a blast. It took them a while to get the "waiting in line" thing...ok, well Carson never really got it. :) By the end of the day he had had it with us telling him to "just wait." It took Abby a bit of coxing to get her to ride the rides with us; luckily Aunt Andelyn was there and made it fun for Abs.







The kids got to cool off in the water fountain. I think they would have been fine if we would have just played there for the whole day.





Seven Year Anniversary:
Our anniversary this year fell on a Sunday. So just like any other Sunday we got up and went to church. After church we decided to head up Farmington canyon for a picnic dinner. The drive was BEAUTIFUL! The kids loved being our in the open; Carson got more dirty than I've ever seen him. Abby enjoyed herself too aside from her first attempt at wilder peeing (with mo success mind you.) Here are the pictures:









Brian went off and picked me a bouquet of wild flowers:

A quick little update

Wow, I thought once we got into the house things and things got back to "normal" I'd have more time to blog...ummm...well, guess not! ;)

Here is a quick little update:

We are in our house (YAY!!) We moved in on Saturday June 17th and have been busy every second since. It is so great to be in a home again and to be reunited with all of our belongings. The kids have adjusted really well to the new house. Carson wasn't too happy when we picked him up from Aunt Angie's on the 17th and brought him to the new house. He kept screaming in the backseat..."no house!!" We spent a great deal of time here while it was still under construction in May and June, I guess he was just sick of it! He was better once he came in and saw that most of our things were here. We are officially unpacked, most things are hung on the walls and we finally have all of our blinds (no more newspaper on the windows (double YAY!!))

Now that we have the inside of the house settled it is time to focus on the outside. For the past 3 weekends my parents and my grandpa Kayle have come down to work in the yard. We really appreciate all of their help; without them we would be lost as to where to even begin. We've been racking dirt and hauling it off; it seems so strange to me that we are hauling dirt off (rocks and dirt clods) just to bring more dirt in (top soil.) We're hoping to be ready for sod by September. I think with my dad and grandpa's help we might make it! :)

The kids and I have really been enjoying our community's pool; we have been going at least twice a week. Abby has become a FISH! Carson is still a little leery of the water, but still has a great time when we go. Just after moving in we bought life jackets for them and they both are so great about wearing them. They know that they are not able to get in the water unless they have it on! I haven't taken many pictures of our swimming days, I'm always in the water with the kids. And too worried about my phone to get it out! Here is a picture of Carson at the pool with his goggles on.



I have been searching for a preschool for Abby since the beginning of May, and finally just last week I found on that had an opening. We met with her teacher (Mrs. Cynthia) and I think it's going to be a GREAT fit! Abby is so active and want so badly to play with friends everyday; it will be so nice to have her back in preschool. She will go 3 days a week Tues, Wed and Thurs for 2.5 hours each time.

The other day the kids and I went over to the park to have a popsicle and play. The popsicles melted so fast and made a big mess on the sidewalk so I ran home and filled a bucket up with water to wash it off. Well the kids thought it would be fun to play in the bucket. They both tipped it over on themselves and got soaked! :) But at least the sidewalk got rinse off too. ;)





Brian started a new job (still with L3) just a few weeks back (well, he's still transitioning.) He is an LTEBZQURST-- :D no really, I can't remember the acronym, but when he told me what it was I about died laughing because it is just about that long. The government loves acronyms! He said that it's nice to have a change in duties, but that it's going to be a fairly stressful job. I hope it ends up being a good job that he will enjoy! He has seemed to enjoy his commute to work since we moved. It is about a 7-10 minute drive now for him. It's really been nice to have him home in the mornings and earlier at night!

We went up to the Cruise In in Logan on the 3rd. Abby and Dani had a great time together. Carson was NOT impressed by all the cars (maybe when he's 16--??) They loved all of the pink cars...supprise supprise. Here is a cute picture of them.





We celebrated the 4th by going to church and then lighting fireworks off that evening. It was pretty nice to be able to light them off in our front yard on the dirt. Abby wasn't loving them; she kept asking to go inside and watch a movie. The crazy little girl has never really liked fireworks. The noise scares her. But she did well. She sat on my lap and Brian tried not to get any "noisy" ones. She started to like it just as we did the last one. We'll see what the 24th brings. :) Here are a few pictures of the kids helping Brian pick out the next firework and sitting enjoying the show.





We went to Bo's birthday party on the 6th and had a blast! Shauna bought dog dishes from Ikea for each of the kids; because Bo loves dogs. They played a game where they had to drink all of the water from the bowl the fastest. It was pretty funny to see all of the kids on their hands and knees licking water from the bowls. Here is a picture.



Carson decided to do it the unconventional way when he couldn't get enough the other way. :)



Here are some other random pictures from the past few weeks. Please pay no attention to my messy hair...





Well, so much for the "quick" update. Hopefully the next post wont need to be so long.

May (in a nut shell)

Ok, this seems to be a pattern. I really will do better once we're settled into the new house. This month has been busy. We officially moved out of our home and into my parents basement on the 19th. It's been a fairly easy transition for the kids, but I think we're all ready to have our own space again. :)

We started this month by going to my cousin's wedding. Here are some pictures of my kiddos at the temple:







Like I said we moved in with my parents. The kids have really enjoyed all the attention, and it has been great to have live in babysitters. :) Here are some pictures of our (or I should say Carson's) adventure so far:







We had a fun family party on Memorial Day as well. Grandma Hansen who passed away last year always had a Memorial Day party at her house. Since she wasn't here to plan it Brian's cousin did, and it was so great to see everyone!!









And just because this is really what is consuming our lives at the moment....here are some pictures of the house:

Front of house:


Back of house:


Light above table:


Front door:


Kid's/Guest bathroom sink:


Master Bath sinks:


View out kitchen sink window (park nextdoor):


Kitchen sink:


Breeze way into master bedroom:


Greatroom:


Looking into the entryway from the greatroom:


Kitchen:


Looks like we'll be moving in within the next 2 weeks!!