Insta-August

Here's our August, Instagram-style...

{8.5.17}

Home Depot Kids Project for the win!!! These are the cutest little truck builders around. 🚛🚛 Also, Walmart in AF has cherries 3lbs for $2!! 🍒🍒🍒 I couldn't believe it and I'm kicking myself for not buying more. #saturdaymorning #errands#notyardwork

{8.7.17}

I'm rereading a talk by Elder Holland at a CES fireside for Teachers/Leaders and just love how much hope and goodness can be found in the Gospel. (Link in bio-I think everyone should read it!) Also, a friend posted this quote yesterday and it was exactly what I needed. I'm probably going to hang it by my mirror so I can see it every day of my life. #sharegoodness

(Elder Hollands Talk - Be Not Afraid, Only Believe)

www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/evening-with-a-general-authority/2015/02/helping-with-the-real-issues 

{8.10.17}

Officially only five weeks until I turn 30. 😍🙌😱😬😊 Commence my turning thirty bucket list. #shantelturns30bucketlist Number one: Do something I've never done before/paddle boarding. I've wanted to do this for so long and we finally made it happen. The perfect weather, and although the Marina we went to wasn't anything spectacular- we basically had it to ourselves and it was great for our first adventure into paddle boarding. 🌊💦💧

{8.10.17}

Happy late birthday to Harry (July 31) and happy 5 months to our favorite little muggle (yesterday). #snugglethismuggle #harrypotterforever⚡️#startingyoung

{8.14.17}

My heart has been so heavy this weekend, over the hateful things happening in my beloved country. I wasn't able to attend a Unity Rally tonight, but instead we had FHE on how it doesn't matter what you look like or the color of your skin... Jesus loves everyone and expects us to treat each other with love and respect. We read my favorite "Ordinary People Change the World: Rosa Parks" book and looked at this picture illustrated by @sufitch. It's one of my favorite pictures to use on Primary stuff because of the diversity shown and the happiness that exudes from it. I know that love is stronger than hate, and hope that here in my own home... I can help my children understand how to be courageous, respectful, loving, and Christlike. I hope my children's future is as bright as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King dreamed it would be.#susanfitchdesign #thegoldenrule

{8.14.17}

Good morning Baby C. So glad to see you again. (Don't let that sweet face fool you. He's started waking up twice a night again, 🙄) #happybaby#cantreallycomplain

{8.28.17}

Austin potty training last week + Lydia starting kindergarten tomorrow = Me, eating my feelings. (Surprisingly my feelings taste like Caramel M&Ms and Dr. Pepper.) I'm not ready for summer (or childhood) to be over! Also, potty training is not for the faint of heart. #sendhelp#oratleastmoremms

{8.29.17}

1st day of Kindergarten. She came home saying "Kindergarten is sooo great!" (At least three times in the first hour.) Safe to say, she loved it. She wanted to ride the bus, and held hands with a neighborhood friend all through the line and onto the bus. I've been having a hard time with this kindergarten thing, but I'm trying to be positive for her sake. So happy for this sweet, brave girl. #thereweretears#butonlyfromme

Potty Training

This is one of those TMI posts. Will Austin wish I hadn't blogged about this when he's an adult? Maybe. I'm still not sure how to handle that part of blogging. But, for the purposes of my life record - here it is, because I think potty training a child should earn you a giant gold medal.

Austin was definitely ready to start potty training long ago and I was just dragging my feet. I didn't want to do it while I was pregnant and certainly didn't want to do it with a newborn. But, as summer was winding down I decided we better take advantage of the warm weather and our free schedule and just do it. 

Austin has been going poop in the potty 80% of the time anyway (like I said, he was definitely ready). Probably 80% of that 80% he was actually starting to go poop in his diaper, but then would tell me and we'd run to the toilet for him to finish. So really it was just putting the final steps into gear for him. 

A couple of days of salty treats, lots of juice, and lots of potty-time songs from Youtube and the bulk of the work was done. It's amazing how just the transition from diapers to underwear makes this boy look so big!  

 It took a couple more weeks to really get the hang of things. But Austin really did better than I had even expected. He got one M&M for going pee and one Peanut M&M for going poop. (And I got one Caramel M&M anytime he went potty at all, because potty training is hard!) When he finally started only going half of his pee/poop so he could get a treat, then come back to finish so he could get another treat (ha!) we went to the store and bought him a brand new helmet that he's been wanting for a loonnnnng time and came home and had a celebratory potty-treat party for our big boy. 

We've still had a few accidents here and there (which I always brush off as no-big-deal), but for the most part he's got it. (Especially the pooping part, he gets that- it's just the peeing that sometimes we are a little late with.) But I'm proud of this little guy and can't believe how much bigger he feels now that he's potty trained. 

The Great American Solar Eclipse

Here are some pictures from "the Great American Solar Eclipse." It had been almost 100 years since the last solar eclipse that traveled across the entire United States. There was a lot of news and excitement for people who wanted to watch the eclipse. We were not quite in the "path of totality" where the sun would be completely covered, but it was about 95% covered. I worked in Lehi so I could come home to watch with the eclipse. We got special eclipse glasses and Shantel made a little contraption to make it easier for the kids to wear them and not look at the sun. It was fun to see how interested Lydia and Austin were and how much they enjoyed it. Some cool things to remember (1) how much the temperature dropped as the sun was covered by the moon and (2) the cool shapes that the shadows made in the trees (picture below). The next big eclipse event will be in 2045 and Lehi will be in the path of totality and it will be awesome!