Cleo's Ferry Museum and nature trail

On Saturday we went out to Melba to see Cleo's Ferry Museum.  I had no idea where we were going, just that Curtis knew somewhere he wanted to take us.  And I'm so glad he did.  I didn't even get pictures of half the stuff that was there.  We'll definitely have to go again when it's warmer so we don't rush through it.

Look who's using the potty!!.....(a joy only a parent could understand...LOL)

 Bet you weren't expecting to see him were you?!! ha ha  Actually, this transpired because his older brother Garrett has finally started using the potty and wearing big boy underpants (during the day).  Earlier today Jack saw that Garrett had pooped in the toilet so he immediately wanted to sit on the potty too. He didn't get anything out that time but he enjoyed sitting there.  It wasn't until after I arrived home from picking up Nikki from school that Jack just stood there and I looked at him questioningly and he says to me "I'm pooping".  So I ran over to check and see if he'd gone in his diaper yet and he hadn't and asked if he wanted to go on the potty and then rushed him over and sat him down......and he DID IT!!  Even after he was done he just wanted to sit on the potty because he was having such a good time.  He was rewarded with a sucker afterward.  

Then about 3 hours later he had pooped in his diaper and when I went to change him he said he wanted to go on the potty again.  So I cleaned him up and sat him on there and after several minutes I heard a little tinkle.  Of course we were very excited for him and cheered for him each time.  Now when Jack wants to sit on the potty he tells me to "sit down" and points to the side of the tub because that's where I sat the first time he tried out the potty.

We are very excited that Jack is now starting to use the potty but we're not pushing anything on him.  We're just going to let him enjoy it when he wants to do it.  But it is nice to dream about both the boys being potty trained before having any more babies  :)

On a different note, I tried a new braid on Nikki this week.  Well, new to me.  I have seen this "fishbone" braid before but had never tried it until now.  I found a blog that had a video tutorial on how to do it.  It was actually easier than I thought it would be.

Jack is 2!

Jack turned 2 on Saturday!  We went to my in laws that evening where he opened his first gift.

 A wooden puzzle train!  Can you tell he's saying "choo choo"?

 Sunday evening we celebrated with a little party.  After doing a cupcake cake for Nikki's birthday I decided to do one for Jack.  Somehow cupcakes just taste better, more moist.  No specific shape this time.  I just squished them together and frosted them like a regular cake.  I used decorations that I have had since Nikki was a baby (except the candle).

 He was clapping and cheering as great grandpa came in while I was trying to get a picture of him.  He was so happy he even ran around giving everyone hugs.

 This was his "big" present and I think his favorite.  Although, Garrett loves it just as much.  The best part is that this car was given to me by a friend in my ward for FREE.  I consider it a blessing because work has been really slow for Curtis lately and money is extremely tight right now.  So I'm very thankful.  He also received 2 books, a bowling set (from the dollar store) and some clothes.  He was so cute because he was very excited about getting clothes.  He kept saying "clothes!".  Not very often you see a small child get excited about clothes as a gift.

Sippin cider!

Last Friday we took a walk after Nikki got home from school because it was actually nice enough and we really wanted to get out of the house.  We walked Nikki over to a friends house to play.  The boys and I kept going and by the time we got home we were pretty cold.  So I made some hot chocolate and apple cider.  We can't wait until it gets warmer so we can take walks all the time!  :)

Keeping busy in January

 Well, it's been too long since my last post.  Here are some of the fun things we've been doing in January, mostly birthday related stuff since we have two birthdays this month in our family.

 The day before Nikki's birthday we took the kids to a place called "Monkey Bizness", which is similar to "The Jumpin Jungle" but they have several different things like the rock wall climbing.

 This is the first time either of us has done rock wall climbing (and I mean with a harness).  It was fun!

 Another thing different is this climbing jungle gym.  Nikki and Garrett loved this the most.

 And they have an area for smaller kids.

 I love that the parents can go on things too and not have to pay!  Wheee!  This was Jack's favorite.

 That night after going to Monkey Bizness we stopped at Idaho Pizza Co. for dinner, and yes that is a real fire in the background.  Our table was right next to this nice looking fire place.

 It's birthday party time for Nikki and me!  This year I decided to try something a little different with her cake.  As you can see we went with cupcake flowers.

 The birthday girls together with their cakes.  I also decided to do something different for my cake this year and bought a Boston Creme Cake.  Sooooo yummy!!

 Nikki with her loot of birthday presents.

 This beautiful jacket is from my hubby.  The funny thing is that he had me try it on before the party with my eyes covered.  He wanted to make sure it fit.  So I knew what it was before hand but didn't know what it looked like.  To go with the nice new jacket I also received a new necklace and bracelet from my parents and my in laws took me shopping for a shirt and skirt (I'm wearing the shirt in the birthday photos)  It was a great birthday!

 Curtis has a couple of air soft guns and one night we threw a blanket on the couch and made a bullseye on paper to shoot them at.  The kids loved it!

 Nikki was making the funniest faces while she was aiming.  She looks more like she was just smiling here but she had us cracking up.

 This is a new recipe Curtis discovered.  What should we call it?  Egg Surprise?  This is what happens when you try to boil an egg in the microwave.  It exploded and literally blew open the door!

 And who can resist this cute little boy giving his ducky a shoulder ride.  Priceless!

 I'll try to keep up with my blog better because I realize there are family(other than Curtis now) and friends out there that still enjoy looking at the blog.  I was better at it when Curtis was in Iraq but now he's home and I've been slacking.