My Baby is Growing Up!!!

Can I just tell you that it is KILLING me that my baby is growing up.  In just a little over a week from now she will be 1 years old.  I can barely stand it.  Macie has been such a joy and all of us just adore her.  She doesn't lack for any attention and she is such a sweetheart that it is hard not to give it to her.  

 I don't know what it is about these babies, but I can't get enough of them.  Now when they turn 2, its a different story!?  That age is a little more challenging for me, so I love to soak up every moment I have when they can't talk back.

 This is my favorite picture.  I didn't have my camera with me for this one, so I got my sister in law ( who always has her camera) to take this picture and I'm sure glad that I did.  It is priceless.

4th of July and All Star Game!

On the 4th of July this year we were able to participate in one of America's favorite past time...Baseball.  Micah was invited to play on the All Star team for Layton City and they played the championship game the morning of the 4th.  It was fun to watch him play even though they lost.

 Micah getting some extra coaching before he hits.

 It was pretty cool because they announced each player, just like an official game.  He thought that was pretty neat.

 Here is his all star team.

 Here is Ella and Macie enjoying the park and watching the game.  Thanks to my friend Brandee, Macie was decked out.

 Macie is getting WAY to big.  She will be one next month.  YIKES!!!!

 Elias loved watching his brother play.  He is the only 6 year old I know that will just sit and watch him play and practice.  Hoping so bad that he could play too.  His time will come.

That which is not written is Lost!

Ok, so our family had the opportunity to go to Aspen Grove this past week with all my brothers and sisters and their families.  At this reunion my parents took the chance to share some things about our past ancestors.  It was really neat to hear about their lives and all that they had to go through.  The theme for the week was "That which is not written is lost."  The ancestors we learned about were those that had written their stories down.  This has had me thinking.  I have been very bad and keeping this blog updated.  I have gone back and forth because I don't want to write too much down and come across bragging, mean, or whatever my mood is for that day.  The reality is I have my good days and my bad days and life can be great sometimes and sometimes really hard.  I guess it is just my job to write it down and then let those that come after me decide how to interpret it.  I need to be better at keeping a "journal."  I know that I will regret it later when I can't remember a thing.  I am so bad at remembering details, I just hope this helps.

Our kids spent a lot of time catching up with their cousins, most of which live in Arizona. 

 McKenna with the "girl" cousins her age.  Jaylee, Elle, and Allie.  Oh how she loves them.

 Isaac with some of the "boy" cousins that he hung with.  He as a lot of older cousins that he thinks are really cool, and are.  What a great example they all are.

 Here's a few of the young kids hanging with the babies.  On the left is Claire with baby Jimmy.

Elias with Haylee and Knox, It is just so great that my kids have so many cousins their age or around their age.  The greatest thing was to see the older cousins interact with the younger cousins.  It was literally one big happy family.  Everyone just helped out whoever was nearest to them at the time.  It didn't matter if it was your own child or sibling.  I just love that about family.

The Pothier family doesn't just sit around during vacation.  There are a lot of activities that offered at Aspen and we enjoyed most of them.

 Mixed doubles tennis, which I'm not very good.  I wish I was better, but just not my time of life right now.  Something I would love to take up when I get time.

                                                                   Volleyball games

                                                            Wiffle ball games!!

Major basketball games.  The boys entered a 5 on 5 basketball tournament against other families that were at Aspen.  They did a great job and took 1st.

These guys are the greatest and made it all possible.  We celebrated my mom's 67th birthday while we were there and it was a lot of fun because we surprised her with a book full of letters and pictures.  My sister also put together a video.  It was great and it much deserved with all that she does for our family.  I love these guys and they have done so much.  Just look at the top picture!!!

Baby Macie 7 months old

My friend Alicia Kinne does photography and does a great job.  She took some pictures of Macie and I just love them.  It makes me realize how important it is to capture your children whenever possible because they change so quickly.  Macie is such a great baby.  She just goes with the flow and is loved by her family so much.  She is always smiling and is just so pleasant to be around. 

Many Changes for Ella

With the new year comes many things that I wanted to accomplish and it included Ella. She has been a trooper with the many changes that she has had to endure through the past few weeks.  After coming home from Arizona, getting settled, christmas put away, house cleaned, and kids back into school and a schedule, it was time to first get rid of Ella's binki.  I just cut the top off she took it didn't like it and I told her it was broken.  We threw it away and that was that.  She did so good.  She did have it only during naps and at night, but within a couple of days she stopped asking about it and her, and our, sleep hasn't suffered too much.  No more babies in the house, although she is still in her crib.

Next, it was time to potty train her.  I wasn't quite sure how this was going to go because she had never gone to the bathroom in the toilet before, but I was going to go for it.  I started on a Monday morning and let her go naked (with a dress covering her).  They hate the feeling of the pee running down their leg and so it seems to work for my kids.  I stayed on tile as much as possible and just waited.  She had three accidents that morning, then the next time she brought me a diaper and wanted me to put it on, I didn't but rushed her to the bathroom where she went to the bathroom for the first time.  Yea!!!  After that she just figured it out.  I don't believe in asking my kids when they have to go to the bathroom.  I just figure when they have to go they will let me know.  I actually think I have gotten away with something as a parent.  Truly potty training is one of the hardest parts of parenting.  It is frustrating, mentally challenging, you are confined to your house, you have to figure out the best time.  It is just a mess (all you mothers know what I mean).  But this has truly been a blessing from above.  Of course she has had an accident or two, but it has been two weeks now and she is doing so great.  If she does have an accident it is small and she can now go into the bathroom take off her pants, get on the toilet, go to the bathroom, flush, and be done.  I am so excited but now this really means that there are no more babies in this house.  I can hardly believe it!!!

Arizona and New Years Eve

Christmas Day was great, but the day was mostly spent getting packed and ready to go to Arizona.  We left the day after Christmas, and McKenna's birthday, it was interesting since McKenna had a migraine the whole way down and was pretty sick.  We finally got there and stayed at my brother Paul's house.  It is great because they have kids that totally include my kids in everything.  They have two older boys that Isaac loves to hang with because he doesn't have any other older boy cousins here in Utah. We had a great time staying with them and I appreciate the sacrifice they give to have us there.

Sunday was spent taking care of Ella because then she was sick for the day.  On Monday my oldest brother, Bob, and his family came into town and so we enjoyed having all of the siblings together, except my brother steve and his family.  We had a good time watching the kids do an elephant gift exchange and enjoying catching up.  We then exchanged kids for sleepovers and the played all night and all day.  I then was sick all of Monday night and Tuesday.  My sister in law totally took care of me and my kids and I was so glad she was there since Seth had to go back to Utah to work.  Now that is good family !!

We did mall trips, adult dinners, girls time shopping, boys playing golf, bounce U with the kids, parks,  lots of hanging out and having fun.  It is always so great to get together and we have fun doing most anything.  I enjoyed some personal time I got with my siblings and their spouses.  We had such a great time and even though we battled some sickness and the drive is a beat down, it is always worth it and it gets me through the next time I can see them again.

Took kids to the mall, which is crazy, but we had a good time.

Brought in the new year with my favorite people!  We had so much fun with mexican food, frisbee dodge ball, three deep game, and lots of dancing! When my family gets together there isn't much sitting around.

Micah with Kimball, we miss the Driggs so much since they moved from down our street.

Isaac with his cousin Sam

These were the only three that stayed up till midnight.  Elias was so sick and slept from 5pm until the next morning, poor guy.  Then we put Ella to bed because she could care less.

Christmas Day 2009

Every once in a while Santa nails it with Christmas.  This year was his year.  We had a great Christmas!  We were able to wake up enjoy opening presents as a family and just having fun together.   I think everyone went away happy and it was a lot of fun.  After the presents and breakfast the kids enjoyed getting their gifts put together and organized and I kind of ran around trying to get everyone ready for an eleven hour car drive to AZ.  It was all worth it and I was glad that we could spend some of the holidays with my family.  It had been a long time since we had been down in AZ for the Christmas holiday and it was a lot of fun.  (more on that later)

Ella was pleased as punch to have lipstick and a purse to put them all in.  She still walks around the house with a ton of items in a purse.  She is a girly girl.

A remote control car for Elias was great fun.

If you know Micah then you know that he is a Chargers fan.  So he got a Chargers watch and a scooter that sparks when you ride it.  Most of the neighborhood was over to watch it in action.

As you can tell Isaac was pretty excited about his new ipod.  He has loved it and he loves watching Nacho Libra on it at all times.

McKenna was very excited and surprised at getting an itouch.  Of course she figured out real quick how to text her friends on it (who seemed to get phones, we aren't there yet).  She seems real pleased and it is rare that she doesn't have it with her (not at school though).  I also did really well with Seth's gifts, which is hard sometimes.  I just like surprises, so when they are successful then I'm all for it.  It was a great holiday and I'm glad it is over and I can get myself organized again.