I really don't even know where to start...February seems so far away, and yet general conference is just next week. Enid and I went to my brother Aaron's house to watch their kids while they went on a cruise. We had a really good time, and their kids were great. We left on a Friday and came back on Wednesday. Riley loved playing with his cousins, but he did not like sharing cars with Landon, even though they were Landon's cars. The only part I was not looking forward to was the getting up and getting then ready for school, I am not a morning person. I don't know what i'm going to do when Riley starts school. Luckily though Enid volunteered to do that part since she was always already up with Lindsey. Also sharing a bed with my two little ones for 5 nights was not the best...I was very glad to come home to our individual beds. The timing of it was great though, because Stephen was gone to Boise at the same time trying to get a job as an ISP officer. Then when he got back he was doing the outdoor program with work for two nights, so we never would have seen him anyway. As for the ISP...he passed the fitness part, he passed the first interview, and then we got the results from the panel interview a couple of weeks later, and he scored a 75, he needed to score a 76. One lousy point was the only thing standing in his way from the job offer. One stinken point. Oh well, I guess it wasn't meant to be, and they are hopefully hiring again in June. Timing is everything. Stephen also applied to the Madison Sheriff's office. A new family in church today introduced themselves, and he said he had just gotten hired at the Madison Sheriff's office, and since there was only one opening I texted Stephen to tell him he didn't get the job. He said I know, they hired the Sheriff's nephew...hmmmmm do you think Stephen's application even got looked at, I'm guessing no. We through a surprise birthday party for Stephen's mom. She turned 50. We actually had 50 candles on the cake...in the pictures you can't even see the cake, it just looks like a ball of flames. We bought a van the other day. It was not on the list of things to do that day, but it happened. Stephen always said we will never buy a van, then my sister Enid bought one, and he got Riley out of it one day, and was like that is so much better than a car, we need to get one, and it was me that was dragging my feet. We drove by a dealership last week and saw one that we liked and called about it, and he told us how much it was. We looked it up and it was a really good deal, so we went down to test drive it, and when we decided to get it, and he came back from talking to his boss and said sorry guys for some reason there are two listings on my paper for vans, but we only have the one, but I quoted you the wrong one. After a lot of going back and forth we decided we weren't going to do it, he said he had gone as low as he could, and we didn't want to go that high. We got in the van to go, and I said go back in one more time and offer $150 less than what he had last said and we will do it because we won't find as good a deal, since they messed up they were cutting the listing price already by $4000. End result, we got the van. I absolutely love it. The only bad part is it has too many buttons for Riley to push, hopefully the novelty will wear off soon. We got Riley a new booster chair, and Bailey has taken over his chair, and she is so much happier with a forward facing carseat. Stephen starts school up again in a few weeks, and the stupid history101 class is only offered at 4:30, and it's the same way every semester, and for that reason he has put it off as long as possible, but it is a prerequisite for pretty much the rest of his history classes. The teacher does it to weed out the people who aren't serious about history as a major. Anyway, we really don't want Stephen to do midnights anymore cuz they just plain suck, and he doesn't get the rest he needs, so his boss approved a set schedule for him which is awsome, and we are excited about it. Even though he'll have to do his homework at home now, at least now when he is home and awake with us he won't be a zombie, and we won't have to tiptoe around the house. The weather was amazing this week. We had fun out side. We went to the nature park to feed the ducks, and Bailey loves to swing. We were outside the other night til 8:30 just playing, and we didn't even need our coats. I treated myself to get my nails done last week, and I"m really liking it, I think I might keep it up for a while...they are fun. The lady who hosted bunco this month, her daughter was there and she sells $5 jewelry, so I went to her house to check it out and got some cute things, and now I am debating whether or not I"m going to give it a shot. I don't think I'll make a ton from it, but any extra money helps. The stomache flew hit our family last week. We all got it, and it was miserable. All of Stephen's family had it too. I don't remember ever being in that much while throwing up, it was bad.
We have a potty trained little boy in the works. We went to sam's club and bought a huge box of diapers then two days later we started potty training. We weren't planning on it, it just happened. Stephen was changing a poopy diaper and said man Riley you really need to start using the potty, and of course he said no. But we just starting picking at him calling him a baby, only babies wear diapers, he's not a big boy, and that he CAN'T wear underwear, we even put his underwear on Bailey to make him jealous. Stephen took him into the bathroom for like an hour and just sat with him while he sat on the potty, and he finally went a little bit. There has been a few accidents along the way, one of which was on the kitchen counter, but he is doing really good. We have given him the carz cars as a reward, which he is obsessed with. He spends more time hiding them from Bailey so she can't get them than he does playing with them I think though. When he does have an accident we take a car away as punishment and he can earn it back by going potty. We ask him do we just need to put a diaper back on you, NO, I a big kid, I not a baby, I wear underwears, I sorry, I never do it again. We were in the pet store a couple of weeks ago getting Riley some more fish, and all of a sudden Riley comes screaming. I have never seen him so scared, his arms and legs were wrapped around me so tight. Come to find out he was walking down the isle of fish, and then all of a sudden it turns into cat cages, and I guess it caught him off gaurd, but yes he was scared of the cats. Then were looking at birds, and I said look at that tiny one, oh yeah that's cute mom, oh Riley look at that fat one...I don't like fat birds mom. Then all the way home he was telling us all the animals he likes, and how he doesn't like fat birds. It was pretty funny. Riley got new nursery leaders, and now screams to go to nursery, but I make him just go, and he calms down and ends up having fun. He is very excited that the easter bunny is coming and is going to give him candy. I love how "kissing it better" makes everything ok. Penny was watching the kids the other night and she was rocking Riley to sleep and singing to him and he puts his had over her mouth and said don't sing it Nana. Any toy that Bailey has Riley wants, it doesn't matter what it is. He is really into shooting and killing monsters, spiders, and snakes. All day we make believe that I am one of the three, and he shoots them. I don't particularly like the game, but I"m partially to blame for making him scared of spiders and snakes. Riley can sing his ABC's. I mean it's not perfect, but pretty darn good for a two year old. Every where we go people always think he's so much older because of how smart he is and how well he can talk.
Captain, we have lift off...we have a crawler. She started crawling about the third week of February. She does it funny though. She only crawls on one leg and drags the other one. She needs to be a part of everything, and gets into everything. Of course she loves the stairs, and can crawl up them pretty good. She is cruising along furniture and can stand on her own for a few seconds. When she gives hugs, she likes to pat you on the back, which makes you feel so good and loved. She loves to walk holding your fingers and would do it all day long if you were willing. She adores Riley, and he can make her laugh so hard even with the tiniest bit of attention. She has such an attitude and is very stuborn. While we were at Aaron's, Enid forgot to turn the curling iron off and Bailey pulled it down and burned her arm. It has healed pretty good. She is always getting hurt though, she's going to be a little tom boy. She's tough too though cuz she cries for like two seconds then she's over it. She hates me doing her hair, and does her darndest to fight it. She has a game where she fake laughs, and we do it back and forth. She likes to head bonk. Two nights ago she slept for 12 hours. It was pretty amazing. Now only if that could happen every night. She will pretty much eat anything you put in front of her. She got so much attention today at church. Everyone was like "she's the happiest baby I've ever seen, she is so cute". Bailey just loves life, and wants to learn all about it, and is loving the new things outside. She is good at helping put her arms through while getting dressed. She said mom the other day, unfortunately it was scolding me...MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM, MOM. She has started biting me, and thinking it is funny, so we shall see how much longer breast feeding goes. If she's tired enough she won't do it. She likes to pinch, and then twist it. She is just so layed back and easy going, she just makes me so happy.
