General Conference Weekend

It's been such a nice weekend.  I didn't get to watch all of Conference, but I have it DVR'd so I can watch the rest of it this week.  We had it on the TV all weekend, and even with just that it brought such a nice Spirit into our home.  And, I got a ton of work done around the house, which also makes me feel good. 

I don't think our bedroom has been this clean since I was pregnant with Ally and went on a cleaning spree.  I moved the dressers, cleaned out drawers, washed windows, and even vacuumed walls and air vents.  These things happen occasionally, but never at the same time!  The rest of the house isn't half bad either, which is nice.  Laundry is nearly all done and just some odds'n'ends left in the common area.  Problem is, the odds'n'ends are the hardest ones to get put away since there's not a home for them yet.  Still working on reversing my pack rat ways (the hubby too). 

Anyway, it's been a refreshing and relaxing couple of days.  The weather has been gorgeous, we've spent time together as a family (including a special pancake dinner - so fun!), and I got some cleaning done.  Good start to the next week. 

Worlds of Fun

Ernest's company has their company picnic every year at Worlds of Fun. We went the first couple of years (before kids) and then hadn't been back. Until this year. Ally is almost 2 ½ and Jacob is 7 ½ months, so things with them are beginning to get more manageable. And free tickets. A good recipe for a Saturday Family Outing. So we packed the kids in the car, along with sun screen, hats, change of clothes, snacks, food for JJ, sippy cups, diapers, front carrier, toys (for Jacob), and of course, the stroller. It's amazing the things you need for a couple of hours out when you have a toddler and an infant.

I was so pleased with how well both Jacob and Allyson did while we were there. We spent the majority of the time back in Planet Snoopy where Ally got to ride a bunch of rides with Daddy. I hung out with Jacob and people watched. And took lots of pictures of Jacob and Ernest (in most the rides, Ally was so short that it mostly looked like Ernest was riding it alone). She did have a great time though. You'd hear shouts of "Higher!" and "Faster!" mixed in with "I flying, Mama!" So much fun. I rode a giant swing with her, and that was plenty for me. Apparently my stomach has decided it's old and doesn't like rides much anymore. Ally didn't want to get in her car seat and leave at the end of the day, I think mostly because it was a bit past her nap time so she was kinda grumpy. Poor kid, gets that from her Mama. Jacob took a nap in his stroller and also fell asleep again in the car on the way home.

So, a successful Saturday outing. The first one we've really done with all four of us. Next up I think is the zoo. I am looking forward to it!

The Eye Doctor, One Foot, and a few others

I've started several blog drafts but didn't publish any of them because I am woefully behind in my photo downloading and editing.  Trying to catch up a little bit, so here goes!

August 8

Yesterday Ally went to the eye doctor. She went a year ago too, and they just did some basic tests with lights and stuff. This time she did well enough that they had her look through all of the machines. She did great! Good news is that she sees 20/20 and everything looks good. Bad news is that she sees 20/20. Dr. Spruyt said that most kids her age are still slightly farsighted, and that it equals out over the next year or two. Sometimes they peak early and then stay there, but she said that since my myopia (nearsightedness) is so severe, she expects Ally to start to slide the other way and to need glasses in the next year or two. Poor girl! I hope not. She also did a quick check on Jacob, and he is perfect right now. She said he's slightly ahead of his age in tracking things with his eyes and head, but that isn't bad at all.

All the way to the eye doctor Ally kept looking out the windows and pointing to the clouds (it had rained earlier in the morning) and singing, "Rain cloud, go away!" with the "away" a higher note and all drawn out. So cute. And she was pointing out animal shapes in the clouds. This included alligators, bunnies, puppies, and surprisingly enough, Daddy.

She's starting to say Daddy and Mommy now instead of just Dada and Mama. I really like Mama though.
She tried to put me to bed last night because Ernest told her she needed to help me go to bed. He meant that she needed to cooperate and go to bed herself that then I could sleep. She took it to mean get herself ready for bed, then to make my bed and fluff my pillow, and told me to lay down. So cute. She got upset that I was laying on Daddy's side (I was reading while waiting for her to go to sleep in her room - but she popped in to see me) and then went to climb on to my side saying "I sleep here."

She's says "Not yet!" a lot, especially when it's something she doesn't want to do, like get out of bed in the morning or help me clean up her toys.

She told me that she needed real water for her dishes because her pretend water was gone. I asked her why her pretend water was gone, and she told me it was because she drank it all.

She grabs her boots and coat out of the "too small" box in her closet and puts them on. Correction - she puts one boot on, because her other foot "is not cold, Mama."

She loves suckers. For the past few weeks she keeps telling me she needs a blue sucker. I finally picked up some dumdums at the store last week. On Sunday I told her she could have a sucker if she went poo in the potty "a blue sucker, Mama? At Walmart!" She knows her store. So, after she got her blue sucker, she's been asking for a yellow one. After the doctor visit yesterday I gave her a sucker while they were looking at Jacob, since she had done such a good job. However, I don't have any yellow suckers so I gave her an orange one. "Orange sucker, Mama!" I told her we didn't have any yellow, so now she has been asking for a red sucker. Hmm..what color next?

JJ pulled up for the first time on his own on Friday (8/5). He also started clapping his hands. He is so fun, and really starting to move around. He adores Ally, sitting and laughing at her and smiling at her. He loves to watch whatever it is she is doing and loves for her to come give him attention.

Going Private

So, my blog (such as it is) will be going private in the next couple of weeks.  Please let me know if you'd like to be added to my list of "allowable" folks.  And, I again, will increase my effort to blog more often. :) 

Smile