Is it TRUE?!

I think I can now officially claim success with getting my youngest child potty trained. No accidents in days, staying dry at night, even telling me it's time to go, or going in the bathroom all by herself and getting on the potty!

Do you know what this means?! MY YOUNGEST CHILD IS OUT OF DIAPERS! No more diapers after 7+ years straight of a kid (or 2) in them! This is a very momentous occasion.

I was a little sad about getting rid of a lot of the baby stuff. Even got a little teary when the crib got taken apart. But this?! YES!

A huge congratulations and thumbs up to Ellie, who was, by far, my easiest one to potty train. (Although Nicole was pretty easy too, once she decided to do it. My angst was my own fault by trying to make her do it too early.)

Yay, yay, yay! It's a happy day.

Recipe alert!

I found this recipe for Ravioli Lasagna the other day, and tried it out last night. So easy, yummy, and the kids LOVED it! I figured it was definitely worth passing on. Happy meal making! :)

Cool School

The school that Riley, Nicole, and Jared attend was nominated and selected as a "Cool School" by our local Fox affiliate. Today the school was featured in a few different spots on their morning news show. Riley got to go bright and early and perform with the choir, and when the elementary kids got there, they included them in a couple spots about what the different grades did for the Presidential Pageant, and about the school becoming a "Gold Medal" school in physical education, and health awareness.

Here's Riley's spot. You can catch a glimpse of her in the back row when they pan to the far right (at 2:13). Not only does the choir have 2 more concerts left this year, but they are traveling to California in April for a big festival competition at Disneyland.



And next, here's the spot Nicole is seen in. You'll see her run by at 0:32 sec.....she's in the skirt and flowery coat!


Jared was very sad today that he is in afternoon kindergarten, since it meant he didn't get to be there with the TV guys....you can't win them all. :)

More Florida....Animal Kingdom

I think I can say that one of my favorite parks at Disneyworld is Animal Kingdom. It is so unique to Disneyworld, and I think it is very well done. It is beautiful, green, and lush. The animals habitats seem large and very true to where they would be living in the wild. The areas of the world you "visit" also seem pretty real. Fun entertainment, good food, and there are even some fun rides thrown in there with the animals! We went twice while we were there, and didn't realize until the 2nd day that there are some really fun educational opportunities for the kids, and because of time constraints (like a flight home to be caught!) we weren't able to let the kids fully partake of that......I guess we'll just have to go back! :)

To really see most of the animals, you get to go on a ride (it is Disney after all!) called the Kilamanjaro Safari. Think "Jungle Cruise" with a guide, but in a bus that is really driving, and the animals are real, not animatronic! The fun part about the drive through to see the animals, is that it is hard to tell that the animals are really in enclosures....except the safe animals like the giraffes, antelope, and buffalos which you are driving right in the middle of their habitat!



Doesn't Riley look thrilled to be there?! She was sorta happy to be at Disneyworld...as usual we had to beg her to be in pictures, but a smile was asking a bit too much?! She was happiest when we were in line for the big rides, like roller coasters...the safari ride wasn't on her list of fun rides. Stinks to be a teenager on vacation with your family, doesn't it? :)

There are some "thrill" rides at Animal Kingdom as well. Expedition Everest is the new one...think Matterhorn on steriods! Big mountain, and a bit of a storyline involving a Yeti. Problem for me was the fact that since it was "Everest," it was pretty high with some very steep drops, some of which are backwards in the dark due to the "yeti" ripping out the tracks. Yeah, I only needed to do that ride once. :) Although the daredevils Nicole and Riley gladly went on it again with Dad! We also went on the "Kali River Rapids" ride. This ride has a huge potential for getting you wet. Ellie was lucky to be just tall enough to go on the ride. She went through tentatively, but laughing. When we got to the end, there was no one else in line, so they told us if we wanted to stay on, we could. Ellie didn't! And since we really dodged the water bullet on the first time through, I opted to not tempt fate and accompanied Ellie off. That was a good choice! The rest of the family went TWO more times, and came off literally drenched! I guess at one point Jared had a wall of water come up over his head! We took Jared and Nicole to the bathroom after to wring out their clothes. :) See all the other smart people in ponchos on the ride?!

Since it is Disney.....the characters are available for auto- and photo-graphs.



And to finish this post out....a perfect shot of the monkeys at the "Tree of Life"!

Turkey in the Straw

The school the kids go to have a Presidential Pageant every year around Presidents Day, celebrating a different president each time. This year, being Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial birthday year and held on his actual birthday, they honored "Lincoln's Legacy." Each grade had a different presentation. The Kindergarten (showing above) performed the Virginia Reel to Turkey in the Straw, the 1st grade did a puppet show about Lincoln's life, which Nicole was the narrator for one of the groups. We did video that as well, and if you are really interested, you can come by and watch it! ;) All the students from 1st-9th grade also wrote essays about different quotes of Lincoln. The Jr. High quote was "It's not the years in your life, it's the life in your years." This was the essay judging I mentioned in an earlier post that kept me SO busy when we got back from Florida. To our delight (and I promise I didn't rig it!) Riley's essay won "most creative" for the 9th grade! She actually won this same award for her essay in 7th grade as well. She was embarrassed and didn't want to go get her ribbon, but she knew she couldn't get out of it! We were really proud of her. Riley also sang with the choir, but since I still hadn't figured out how to take video with my camera at that point....well, you understand... :)

Ellie's Dream House

Disneyworld 2009

We had the fun opportunity to visit Disneyworld at the end of January. Ron, Riley, and I had been before, but it was the 3 littles first time. They loved it! Disneyworld is HUGE! I think I heard once that the park portion of Disneyland could fit in the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld. Crazy! Even getting to the Magic Kingdom is an adventure, as you have to take either a monorail (which Jared called the "mono-roy") or a ferry boat to get to the actual entrance. We got a 5 day park hopper pass, and spent 1 1/2 days at the Magic Kingdom.



The weather was wonderful when we got to Florida. Got a little rainy and cold in the middle of the week(one evening/morning of rain), but then warmed up again the next afternoon. Anything was enjoyable knowing that we left snow and 30 degree temperatures at home.

We went at a great time of year, as the waits in lines were very short...Saturday was busier, but not bad. The kids went on nearly everything they could go on, although Jared wasn't interested in trying Space Mountain. Poor Ellie was even tall enough for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain, so she was unknowingly taken on those rides.....once was enough, she decided those weren't her favorites! Maybe next time she'll decide to be a daredevil like her sisters!

Ellie was the FUNNIEST when it came to meeting the princesses. Ellie loves princesses and seemed excited, but I'm sure she didn't know what to expect. When we walked in and she saw them, she was so starstruck and overwhelmed! She would go over to them, clutch their hands, but not look them in the face or talk to them. She wouldn't even smile for the pictures. But she did hold her dress out like a little princess herself with her empty hand. After visiting with them, Ellie asked if she could "go home now?" I guess it was the highlight of her trip and she was now complete!

Proof that I was there:

Now THAT is a Cookie!

Yes, we are back. Sorry I haven't blogged about it. Something about coming home to immediate inundation with school volunteer projects (Spelling Bee and Presidential Pageant essay judging), not to mention the instant return of seasonal depression (this is self-diagnosed, of course, but I am SO ready to have sun and warmth here!) I have facebooked since being home, but the blog is still suffering! :)

I'll do better.

Maybe. ;)

We had a kinda fun day Saturday. After dropping Riley off at the mall with friends, we took the younger kids to lunch at BYU Legends Grille. Good food. The kids liked the pizza, but LOVED the gargantuan chocolate chip cookies. We are such good parents. We bought them one pizza to share(dinner plate size), but each of them got their own dinner plate size cookie to eat. That makes sense, doesn't it? A little backwards for the health conscious, but it was Saturday!

We were planning on a trip to the Bean Museum after lunch, but Jared's meltdown nixed that. I'm sure it had nothing to do with all the refined sugar he had just ingested!

Be back soon!

We're outta here! Off to enjoy some fun, sun, and Disney wonder for a few days. The kids are beside themselves with excitement, and I'm just hoping I get everything together in time for our flight in the morning. Until next week, adieu!

Happy Birthday Riley!

Fifteen, and already asking for a learner's permit......Can I hide under a rock please? I'm not ready for a driving teen in the house!!!!! EEK!