Change is Good (Right?)

Change is going on all around us. I am checking some big to do's off of my list. Number one was get the boys potty trained. Check. Number two was to get the boys out of their cribs and into toddler beds. I have been putting this off, just because they have never climbed or even tried to climb out of their cribs and it is so nice having them contained in one spot at night. I finally decided they are almost 3 1/2 and they are big boys now, so it was time. Last night we took two of the cribs down and put two toddler beds in and then we converted one of the cribs to a toddler bed. They were all so excited and could hardly wait to get in bed. The first night was good, so let's hope they continue to do well in their beds and stay in bed at night.

Before....

and after...

Aiden with a very cheesy smile.

Brock showing me his "gamey."

Collin playing his Leapster.

Winter has arrived. Today we got a couple of inches of snow. Matt and Kayla went out to move some snow and get a start on our snow hill for sledding. Whether we like it or not, it isn't going to be warm until May around here.

We are looking forward to all of the upcoming holidays and I have a really good start on my Christmas shopping. Hopefully I can finish up in the next couple of weeks and then we can start decorating and really counting down the days.

They Did It

The boys are actually potty trained. The first 2 days were really rough and we had several accidents. After the first few days they started figuring it out pretty quick. They get excited to go and love getting the potty treats. We have been accident free since Thursday. Let's just hope they don't digress from where they are. It was something I was totally dreading, but after the first few days, it wasn't to bad. I actually survived potty training multiples.

Aiden, Brock and Collin all ready for church

Last night we carved pumpkins. The kids have been looking forward to that all week since we bought the pumpkins. The girls had fun cleaning them out and choosing their faces, and the boys had a lot of fun as well. I bought them the little kits that they could put their own pieces on and that was fun for them. Collin loved it the most. He even wanted to take his pumpkin to church with him today, and it was quite traumatic.

Aiden and his witch pumpkin

Brock and his Frankenstein pumpkin

Collin and his pirate pumpkin

Friday night we went to the Spookfest at the girls school. The kids loved all of the carnival games and got some fun prizes. They are really excited to go trick-or-treating and get lots of candy.

Potty Training

Yes. Those are two words I have dreaded for a long time. It is finally time to bite the bullet and start the potty training process. We have bought the cool underwear, bought M & M's for potty treats, filled a basket full of prizes and made potty charts. What more could we need? A little cooperation. I am constantly asking them if they need to go potty or always trying to make them sit on the potty to go and I am getting some resistance. They have all gone only once in the potty but we have spent a lot of time sitting on the potty. I am getting frustrated already, and we just started. I am wanting to get it done before the holidays, but I am beginning to wonder if they will every figure it out.

Aiden and Collin trying to be successful.

Brock in front of his potty chart.

I have never potty trained boys before, so I am clueless if my approach is going to work. If any of you have any suggestions, I am totally open to them.

I had to share this funny picture of Kayla from the other night. I went in to turn her lamp off and she just looked so cute with her pig and her hair done up in little buns. (The little buns make the girls hair kind of wavy/curly if you put them in wet and let them dry completely.)

Also, a couple of weeks ago, Matt was able to go over to the pool and test the redone water slide. It took them several tries to get the water slide right and this time it was good. Several guys went down this time around and no one got injured. The kids and I were able to go in and watch while they tried it out. It was fun for the kids. (I am pretty sure Matt enjoyed it as well.)

Family Pictures

It is that time of year when I get excited, because we update the family picture. I love to get an outdoor picture and I love to get it in the fall. Our pictures turned out so good this year and I love them. Here are just a few of my favorites. Also check out the pictures on the right hand side down the blog.

Cave Falls

Last weekend we took a drive to Cave Falls. It was a gorgeous day and I think that our nice weather isn't going to last much longer. It was fun to get out and take the kids somewhere they have never been before. It was a really fun day.

Tree Trimming

On Saturday we went up to my parents house to help them with a little project. They have a huge tree that is their neighbors, but it hangs over their fence. This summer it has pushed out and broken their fence, so my dad decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. He rented a boom truck to handle the issue. He started out going up first to cut the branches down, but he couldn't do the height factor, so Matt was next in line. Matt willingly go in the boom and went up about 50+ feet with chainsaw in hands. After a couple of hours, all that remained of the problem was the mess on the lawn. Matt loved every minute of this. It was right up his alley of fun Saturday projects. I guarantee if we ever need trees trimmed again, he will just go rent himself a boom truck.

Fishing Trip

On Monday night we went with our next door neighbors to the Nature Park to fish in the ponds. The kids had a fun time. All the kids caught at least one fish and some caught more than one. By the end the boys were being a little to adventurous for me, so I was ready to go. Here are some of the pictures with the fish.

Brock with the fishies.

Collin with the fishies.

Last weekend we went to Kemmerer, Wyoming, to see Matt's brothers family. It was a fun trip. Matt was able to go fishing all afternoon on Friday with his two brothers and dad. They caught some nice fish. On Saturday we got to see all of the Nielson Family at my nephew's baptism. It was a fun time and a fun weekend together.

On the way home from Wyoming, Brock and Aiden fell asleep and they looked exactly alike. I guess that's what happens when you come from the same gene pool.