She's a Big Girl Now!

I started to try and potty train Annalyn back in January and it didn't go so well. This girl loves candy so I figured that would really do the trick but she would get so fixated on the candy and she would get really mad that I wouldn't just give it to her. Then she started to get really scared of the potty chair so I decided to back off and wait until later. Then we were busy getting ready for little Kyla to come and adjusting to having her around so I figured we would just wait until September when Annalyn would be two and a half.

I have been trying to prepare Annalyn for this event but every time I would bring it up, Annalyn would just tell me that she was going to go potty in her diaper. She hates being dirty and it got to the point where Annalyn was pretty much changing her own diapers. Last weekend I told her that if she could change her own diaper she needed to start wearing big girls panties. The next thing I know she had some on and was peeing on my carpet. She wanted to wear them still and she told me she would go potty in the potty chair. She was also going through a swim suit stage where she kept randomly changing into her swimming suits during the day and she was really upset when she would pee in her swimming suits. Those first two days she had a lot of accidents and not a single success. I was ready to put her back in diapers but she really wanted to wear panties. Then the next morning I went into the bathroom and discovered that she had peed in her little potty chair all by herself. And she kept going potty in there all by herself. She is pretty independent and wouldn't even tell me she needed to go most of the time. Although, she likes to bring me her little potty chair and show me that she went so I can praise her. And just like that, she started using the potty chair and she hasn't looked back. She has only had a few accidents since then. She has even waken me up several time during the night to go so we have been letting her wear panties to bed. She was so easy to potty train. She didn't need any sticker charts or external motivation, just a little bit of praise. Now I am just trying to teach her to go potty on the big chair so she won't be tempted to carry her pee all around the house. That was sooo much easier than I expected. Potty training is still a lot of work, especially since Annalyn wants to go potty about 50 times a day but I couldn't be more proud of my sweet little girl. She sure is growing up. Way to go Anna!

More Brynlee Quotes

And here you have it. Another post of Brynlee quotes mixed with some stories about the funny things she does. This girls says the funniest stuff. At least, I think she is pretty funny.

I was doing a load of laundry a few weeks ago and when I was putting the load into the dryer I discovered that one of Brynlee's barbies had been through the wash, as well as some littlest petshop pets and a few of Brynlee's other toys. I asked Brynlee if she knew how all of these toys got into the washing machine and she told me, "Yeah, they was a little bit dirty so I just decided to wash them."

Brynlee got to say the prayer in primary one Sunday. She waltzed right up to the microphone and I went up to help her. She didn't want my help. She just grabbed the microphone and said "ummm." I reminded her that she was supposed to be saying the prayer so she started praying. This is how her prayer started out. "Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day. Please bless that my mommy can get good sleep." I had a hard time containing my laughter after she said that. I am so glad she was thinking of me. I could use some good sleep. 

Right before my aunt and her family left for Texas, my cousin Addison was teasing Brynlee and telling her that she should come to Texas. Addison told Brynlee she would put her in her suitcase. The next thing we knew Brynlee walks out of her bedroom with a suitcase saying, "all right, I am ready to go to Texas." Apparently she grabbed a handful of pajamas, a handful of skirts, some shirts, her stuffed reindeer and some clothes for her reindeer and she threw them in her suitcase and she was all ready to go. She was very disappointed when I told her we weren't going to be able to go. "Can we go in a long time?" she begged. I told her we probably could go in a long time and she was super excited. Later that day she packed a suitcase for Annalyn and as soon as her dad got home she told him; "you need to hurry and pack your bags. We are going to Texas in a long time." She told him about all of the things she packed in her bag and she whispered in his ear about how she packed, "some panties."

Brynlee figured out how to buckle her own car seat about a month or so before Kyla was born and she hasn't had help doing it since. There was one day when we were planning on going to visit grandma later that day after lunch. I told Brynlee about it and she was all ready to go first thing that morning. I was cleaning up the house when I realized that she was missing. Annalyn didn't even know where she was. We went outside to look for her and I almost started to panic when I couldn't find her. I finally checked in the van and there she was, bucked in her seatbelt. She can't unbuckle it so she was stuck. Luckily it was cool since it was still early in the morning and she was fine. In fact, she threw a huge fit when I unbuckled her and made her get out of the car. She wanted to wait in there until after lunch time when I would be ready to go. I hope she doesn't do that again.

Whenever Brynlee doesn't get her way, there is usually a huge melt down from her. If Annalyn gets the pink cup, gets to pick the show they watch, or if she plays with the toy Brynlee wants, Brynlee gets very upset and tries her best to get Annalyn to trade. The other day Annalyn got the cup with the pink lid and Brynlee threw a huge fit. Eventually she gave her cup to Anna and took the cup that Annalyn had. Annalyn started crying and Brynlee looked at Annalyn and said, "Anna, you get what you get and you don't get upset!" She tells Anna that a lot but she needs to take her own advice.

I cut  my finger on a pair of scissors the other day and as soon as Brynlee noticed the band aid on my finger she questioned me about it.
B: "What happened to your finger mom?"
Me: "I cut it on those scissors."
B:"Oh, well I think maybe you need to use some of my little scissors next time."
Me: "There was something sticky on the scissors and I tried to scrape it off. That is how I cut myself."
B:"Yeah mom, that is why you should never do that."

My mom took Brynlee to the movies the other day with my sister Heather and her kids. Later that day Heather told me that as soon as Brynlee got to her house she whispered to Heather and told her that she was wearing pink panties. Then Brynlee looked down at Heather's toes, gasped, and exclaimed. "My pink panties match your pink toes."

On that same trip to the movies my mom let Brynlee talk to my sister Alesha on the phone and I guess Alesha was talking to Brynlee about her birthday that was coming up. Brynlee told Alesha that she was going to get her a horse for her birthday and then asked "do you want a horse or a unicorn for your birthday?" In the end Brynlee's gift was a slumber party with Brynlee and her packed suitcase. When I picked Brynlee up from the sleep over she first of all wanted me to leave and she told me she was going to stay there for five more days.

My sister Alesha had a birthday back in July and my dad started to sing Happy birthday to her during dinner. Brynlee scolded grandpa and told him he shouldn't be singing that song since it wasn't time for the cake yet. My dad looked at Alesha and said
Grandpa: "I am so sorry. I am so sorry Alesha."
Alesha: "Why are you sorry?"
Brynlee: "Grandpa was just singing to you. That was his mistake but he is soooo sorry."

Brynlee woke up early one morning, crawled into my bed, gave me a huge hug, breathed in really deep and exclaimed. "Mom, your boobies smell really good. But don't worry, I am not going to eat them." Thanks for the reassurance Brynlee.

Brynlee brought her purse to church with her one Sunday and she had a little blue comb and her doll in it. While we were in the hall getting some copies made for my primary lesson, Brynlee went right up to the primary president and told her;
B: "Sister Hellewell, I think your hair looks a little bit crazy." (Her hair looked great so I wasn't sure what she was talking about.) Brynlee then pulled out her little blue brush, handed it to Sister Hellewell and told her,
B: "Here, you can use my brush."
H: "I already brushed my hair this morning."
B: "Yeah well is is a little bit curly right there."
H: "That's because I curled it this morning. Don't you like it?"
B: "I think it kind of looks crazy. You better brush it with my brush."
Sister Hellewell brushed her hair a little bit and then handed the comb back to Brynlee. Brynlee approved of her hair after that. Sometimes kids are just a little bit too honest.

Right after my mom broke her arm Brynlee was asking her about the sling on her hand. My mom told her how she hurt her hand by falling down the stairs and hitting her arm on the post. Brynlee was quick to tell my mom, "grandma, that is why you shouldn't put your arm there."

We went to Brynlee's four year old check-up last week. She was really worried about having to get a shot and asked the nurse if she would need one first thing. I wasn't really sure if she would have to get one or not but I tried to prepare her just in case. I should have prepared her much better though. Getting Brynlee to stand still on the scale and to stand straight up to get her height was an ordeal. She officially weighed 38 lbs (71%) and was 40.5 in. (64%) tall. Then they tried to give Brynlee an eye exam. The nurse told Brynlee to stand on the tape and to look at her chart that had different shapes on it. Brynlee stood on the tape but her body was facing the wrong direction so she was trying to look at the chart over her shoulder. She kept creeping up closer and closer to the sign and when they had her cover one of her eyes she kept peeking. The nurse tried to get Brynlee to read one of the really small lines and Brynlee looked at her and said, "how about I read the top line. That one is bigger." Eventually Brynlee read the line well enough that they aren't worried about her eyesight.

As soon as the doctor told Brynlee she had to have a shot Brynlee started panicking. Dr. Bennett told Brynlee not to worry because she wasn't going to be the one giving the shot. Brynlee calmed down and cooperated for the check-up. She answered all of the questions correctly that the doctor asked her. She knew that her boobies were her private parts, she knew that she should wear her "Ariel Hat" when she rides her bike, and that she should wear her seat belt in the car. Kyla had her two month check-up at the same time Brynlee had her check-up. As soon as the doctor started to leave Brynlee went and sat in the corner of the room and tried to cover herself up with my bag. I tried to reason with her but she did not want those shots. Eventually I had to hold her down so they could give them to her. By the end of that appointment Brynlee was crying from her two shots, Kyla was crying since she got three shots, and Annalyn was crying because the sucker they gave her was broken. I nursed the baby to calm her down, Brynlee was a little bit happier once she got the Princess Jasmine sticker that she demanded, and Annalyn was much happier after Brynlee went and found the nurse and told them to get a new sucker for Annalyn. After that Brynlee wanted to go to "Old McDonalds" so she could eat some french fries and chicken nuggets. I told her we might be able to go and she was so excited that she went skipping out of the room and she told the receptionist all about how I was going to take her to Old McDonalds. She even invited the receptionist to come too. The receptionist told Brynlee she was have to ask her boss if she could come. Brynlee told her that would be good and then she marched right over to the elevator. After all of that I felt obligated to take her to McDonalds.

Earlier today Brynlee got really mad at me because I wouldn't turn on the movie she wanted to watch. I told her she had to pick up her mess first. Brynlee told me;
B:"Mom, if you don't turn on my movie right now, you are not going to have any more babies."
Me:"What do you mean. I already have a baby. I don't need another baby right now."
B:"Yeah, but then you wont have any boy babies. You won't have no more babies in your tummy ever again. I am going to count to 4 and if you don't turn on my movie, you wont get any more babies."
Me: "Brynlee, I am not turning on that movie until your mess is picked up."
B: "One... Two... Three..."

Kyla - 2 Months

Time seems to go so much faster when there is a baby around. Kyla is two months old and getting nice and chubby. At her two month check-up she weighed 13.06 lb. (89.77%) she was 24.25 in. long (99.16%) and her head was 16 in. (98.43%). She had to get three shots at her check-up and she screamed until I nursed her and then she went right to sleep. Oh how I love her cute kissable chubby cheeks and her little arm and leg rolls. She is already starting to lose her newborn hair and she has a small bald spot on the left side of her head and in the back. She still has dark blue eyes. Her belly button is starting to go back in but when she cries it sticks out and looks like an outie. Most of her eczema has cleared up and she has the softest skin with just a little bit of cradle cap on the top of her head.We all think she is pretty cute.

Kyla started to smile a little bit this month and it is the cutest little thing. It is super rewarding when she grins at us. She had almost an entire week where she seemed to be happy and then we had two days where she was miserable and cried almost the whole day. On a normal day, she cries for at least a few hours but she also has a brief happy period where she will smile and coo at us. All the crying has been a real challenge because there is really nothing we can do to help her. 

Kyla goes to bed great at night and she sleeps in her little pack in play in our room all night. She wakes up once or twice to eat and then goes right back to sleep. During the day she has a much harder time sleeping. She sleeps the best if someone is holding her. She still nurses every three hours with one longer stretch (4-6 hours) at night. She still has no interest in a pacifier so I have given up on it for now.

Kyla loves to be held and she loves being in the moby wrap and sleeps in there really well during the day. She tolerates all of the hugs and kisses from her big sisters for only a few minutes before she cries and she usually cries when they try to hold her. That hasn't stopped either one of them from wanting to hold her and love on her. Kyla spits up a lot and this has grossed both of her sisters out. Last time Kyla spit up on Brynlee, Brynlee almost dropped the baby in her haste to go and change clothes and she ran off crying about how her beautiful skirt got spit up on it.

We have really loved getting to know and hold this little baby these last two months. We love her more every day.

The Month of July

During the month of July we celebrated the fourth, had Kyla's baby blessing and spent some time with my aunt Lisa and her three girls who came to visit from Texas. We got to help our extended family and do lots of service. We played outside when it wasn't too hot and we had some friends over to play on the water slide twice. The girls played with lots of toys inside and we spent lots of time visiting with family. Our chickens have been growing and they keep getting out of their cage so we spent lots of time trying to catch them but they are hard to catch.

My aunt Lisa and her three girls were here for ten days. While they were here we went fishing with them, Joel floated the river with them and Brynlee had lots of fun playing with Kennedy who is the same age as her. Addison came and spent the night one night while they here and we had fun spending time with her. All of the kids came over one day and played in our water slide and Kennedy spent a day at our house where we painted, did several crafts, watched a movie and played with toys. We spent lots of time at grandma's house with them. We roasted marshmallows, ate a dutch oven dinner, and had fun with family. The rest of my family came down from Rexburg and we had fun seeing them. We were sad to see everyone go back home. Brynlee has determined that she is going to fly on an airplane to Texas in a long time to see Kennedy and she keeps asking to play with her. She already has a suitcase packed and ready to take on her trip to Texas.

Right around the time my aunt left, Joel's parents went on a trip to Canada and we got put in charge of taking care of their house and garden. Luckily Joel's brother Jake helped us out because that was a huge job. We picked so many green beans, peas, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes and we watered a lot of vegetables. We spent several evenings over working in the garden and we got to enjoy some nice vegetables. It was really hot but the girls and I helped out as much as we could.

Towards the end of the month my mom broke her arm. She was walking down their outside stairs and she missed the last step and her arm landed on a post. She can hardly move her arm at all and she has been in a lot of pain. The girls and I have spent a lot of time over there helping her and keeping her company. My mom has helped me out a lot this summer so it has been good to help her. I do miss having her help though. She went with me every week so we could go to the library reading program and she helps me with my primary class. I had to recruit someone else's help in primary last week.

We all managed to stay busy this month. For Joel, things at work slowed down a little bit in that they haven't had as many houses to frame but Joel still kept plenty busy with other projects at work. He was also busy with his calling, fixing things around the house, and working on his truck. He also bought another project truck that he found on craigslist for $500. Just what we needed. He helped to pick the apricots off of our apricot tree, that tree was loaded with apricots this year, and we made lots of fruit leather with it.

I didn't get to do a lot this month since Kyla is still too little for me to leave with anyone else but I did manage to make it to Zumba twice with all three kids and we played outside and spent lots of time at grandma's house. Kyla does really well in the moby wrap. That thing does gets hot but I can get lots done while she is in there. I was able to can some green beans, freeze some corn, and help pick apricots all while Kyla slept soundly in her moby. 

Brynlee has been talking my ear off lately. She will talk to anyone who will listen to her really. She got to spend the night with my mom one day and she had a great time. She had her suitcase all packed for her trip to Texas and begged me to let her take that bag somewhere. She was thrilled to stay with grandma and didn't even seem to miss us. I know that Annalyn missed her though. She also spent another night at her grandma's house when Alesha was there and she has been begging to do it again. When I went to drop her off there she kept asking me when I was going to leave and when I came to get her she told me she was going to stay there for two more nights.

Since Brynlee go to spend the night at grandma's house, Annalyn got to go to the zoo with my dad and with my dad's sister Shirley and her two year old grandson Raider and it sounds like they had a blast looking at all of the animals. I know Annalyn had a lot of fun and she felt so big going all by herself. She really missed Brynlee though. She sure does love her big sister and she wants to do everything Brynlee does.

Kyla is really growing up too. She still cries a lot but she has also started to smile. She gets lot of love from her big sisters and she loves to be held. 

July was a fun and relaxing month. We are really enjoying our summer and we are not ready for it to be over anytime soon.