Our Month in a Nutshell- March 2011

• March 1-14- Well, we are two weeks into the month, and nothing of note has happened to make me think to come on and post. We are all just going about our daily business. Afa has been working out of town, but coming home every week on Thursday nights, and staying til Sunday night. This week he is working all week. He will probably come home after work on Saturday, so that he can go to church Sunday, but he might just stay in Delta. That depends on how they all feel on Saturday. It is nice when they come home, but a pain for them to have to travel and then only be home less than 24 hours.


• The weather has been pretty nice lately, or maybe a little bi-polar! It actually snowed a week ago, and three days later it was in the 60s! It is nice that the kids have had a few opportunities to go out and play. It is great for them to get the fresh air, and get their energy out, and it is a good break for me too. I love to let them go play at the playground, and I can just sit on the bench and relax and read a book. Or I will let them play just outside our apartment and leave the back door open to keep an eye on them. That way I can get some cleaning done without them going stir crazy in the house, and driving me crazy too!


• March 21- Anela went to the far side of the room and squatted down like she needed to poo, so I asked her if she needed to go, and she put her finger to her lips and told me to be quiet, so I knew that she was going to poo. I grabbed her and ran to the bathroom and hurried and took her pants and diaper off. I put her on the toilet and she sat there for a few minutes and then said that she was done. She hadn't done anything. She has been really good about sitting on the potty several times a day for months, but has never actually gone in it. I knew that she had to poo though, so I put her little potty in the family room and let her sit on that. A little while later when no one was looking she actually went over and pooed in it for the first time! Over the course of the next week her potty training has really taken off! She has only had two messy diapers in the last 8 days! And she is doing a lot better about peeing in the potty too. Today she actually told me that she had to poo, when she had a diaper on cus we had just gotten home from my dads. So we took it off and she pooed in the potty. A little while later she was standing there naked and she grabbed her bum and ran to the potty and peed! I am so proud of her, and she is proud of herself too. I am also very excited about her being potty trained because she is my last baby, so when she is done, I will be done with diapers for good!


• March 25- Friday-My brother Kellen flew into SLC on a buddy pass from me. His wife Kathy and their son Shade had flown in the Friday before to visit her dad in the hospital. I worked all that day, but my mom had come in the day before so that she could spend time with them the day he got here. I was excited to see them all. I hadn't seen my brother for over two years, and only seen Kathy and Shade twice in that time.


• March 26- My 3 brothers who live in St. George, Camron, Jamie and William, drove up to SLC and stayed the night at my house.


• March 27- My 3 brothers, my kids and I went to my dad's house where Kellen Kathy and Shade were staying. We spent the day there visiting and the kids played together. It was a lot of fun. The kids love having a cousin to play with, and Shade loved it too. I wish they lived closer! The boys came back and slept at my house again that night.


• March 28- We went back to my dad's, and my sister Genasee had the day off so she was able to join us. We just stayed at my dad's and visited again. I love spending time with my family, especially when there are so much of us. It was a lot of fun! I just wish that we had more time, since Kellen only had a few day here. Or even better, I wish they lived closer! The 3 boys left dad's around 5 to get their stuff from my house and hit the road to go home. Kellen Kathy and Shade left dad's around 8:30 to meet her family at the hospital where her dad still is, and pick up her brother. They got to my house around 11pm, and had to get up really early and leave by 5:40 to get Kellen to the airport, so we didn't really get to spend more time together. I was glad they came over though, at least I got to see them one last time before they had to leave.


• March 29- SEP conference for Ariana. I got to go to parent teacher conference, but unfortunately Ariana's teacher's husband passed away recently, so she has been out. I did go in and meet with the sub, who has been in the class several times during the year, and every day for a little over a week now, so she knows Ariana. She had only praise for Ariana! The report card was already done by Ariana's teacher, and the sub did her assessment testing. She got 5 out of 5 in every subject on her report card, and she passed her assessments with flying colors. She is supposed to be at level 1.6 in reading, and she is at a 2.5! On her speed reading test she is supposed to be able to read 45 words in the allotted time, and she did 94! She also did really well on her addition. She's having a little harder time with subtraction, but still passed with 11 done when the minimum is 10. The teacher also said that Ariana has a lot of friends in the class and gets along with everyone. She said that she is very helpful to the teacher and other kids. (Of course this came as no surprise to me! & I did tell the teacher that she is the oldest so she is used to helping me and her younger brother and sister.) Needless to say, I was feeling like a very proud mama in that meeting and afterwards couldn't wait to tell everyone and show off her report card and tests!