Brinley's Big Announcement

SHE’S POTTY TRAINED! I honestly never imagined that potty training would be so much work! It’s not that I mind changing dirty diapers because I don’t. I would rather change dirty diapers than dirty underwear! I haven’t been one of those moms that pushes the potty training thing. Actually, Brinley started it on her own and yes, that was over a year ago so we have been at this for quite some time. I know she could have been potty trained a LONG time ago, but this little girl does what she wants and when she wants it. Although it’s tough to deal with sometimes, I love that she knows what she wants and she fights for it. I hope that part of her never changes.

Big Girl Bed

We decided to move Brinley into a bigger room so she would have more room to play and just be a kid. We weren’t in too big of a hurry to get the room done, but on Monday night Dustin picked up the mattress we bought and when he brought it home Brinley was so excited about it. She couldn’t wait to sleep in her “big girl bed” I had no intentions of putting her in this bed for a long time because I just didn’t think she would stay put. It turns out that this bed has been one of our best investments. We just told her if she threw a fit at bed time she would have to sleep in her crib and it has worked like a charm. You have no idea what we had been dealing with every single night at bed time. She would cry because she wanted to sing more songs or read more books. Then she would cry because she wanted more water, then her water wasn’t “big” enough, then she would cry because she’s hungry, then she would cry because she wanted the humidifier on, then she would cry because she wanted her closet doors shut, then she would cry because her lips hurt, then she would cry because she wanted a different stuffed animal, then she would cry because she wanted a Kleenex, then she would cry because you forgot to tell her to close her eyes, then she would cry because she wanted to snuggle. I’m not kidding. This was our nightly routine after we had already gone through her routine of books, singing songs etc. So, even though her room isn’t painted or cute yet, it has been so nice to put her to bed and have that be the end of it. But I’ll be honest, this empty nursery is breaking my heart. I feel like I should be running in there several times a night to rescue a screaming baby. Where have the past 3 years gone?

Brinley's First Gun

Brinley’s like of guns definitely comes from her dad. He recently got his concealed weapons permit. Guns still make me a little bit nervous and when Brinley started walking around pretending to shoot people or anything else I didn’t like it one bit. We decided the best thing to do would be to teach her about guns and gun safety. We wanted to teach her that guns aren’t a joke and that they can do serious harm. She helped make a target and here she is shooting her very own BB gun. We showed her the hole she made when she shot the gun and how that would hurt a person or an animal. She now knows that guns are only for hunting or target practice and I’m so glad we took the time to teach her because she doesn’t walk around pretending to shoot people anymore.

First 5K of the Year

Chels and I ran the "Freeze Your Buns 5K" today.  She is so dang much fun to run with.  Chels got 2nd place in her age group and I got 3rd in mine.  Dustin and Brinley are so great to support me, even when it means standing around in freezing cold weather.  Can't wait to run another one.

Hardware Ranch

We drove up to Hardware Ranch last night.  Took a picnic, listened to some John Allred and watched the Elk.  I absolutely love spending time with my little family!

The Light of My Life

This particular day felt like spring to me. The ground was covered in snow, but thanks to this little ray of sunshine in my life it felt like spring.

A Day of Love

Valentines 2010

Sledding

Who needs sisters when you've got a dog?

The other day I walked in on Brinley pampering Roxy... so cute!  She had her little blow dryer and curling iron out and even put this necklace on her (whatever it its).

New Blog

I now contribute to a blog called Working For a Better Life.  For motivation and information on exercise and nutrition check out http://www.exerciseaddicts.blogspot.com/