Birthday shopping trip

Kyson got some money for his birthday so I took him to Walmart to pick out what he wanted. He was so funny. We got a cart and I let him put all the things that he liked in it. When he was done going down all the aisles, we set all the stuff out so he could start eliminating things. I told him to take away the thing he wanted the least.

We kept doing that until he was down to the things he wanted the most. He had it narrowed down to 6 things and was having a really hard time deciding what to get.

He finally picked his 3 favorite things and was pretty excited about it. We had a great time shopping together. The best part about it was that I got a whole bunch of ideas for Christmas.

Officially potty trained!

I started potty training Katie exactly two weeks ago. It really has been super easy! I guess that's what you get when you wait until they are 3 to start. She has only had 3 accidents the whole time!

She gets to pick out a sticker to put on her sticker chart every time she goes potty.

And...she gets a gumball! That is what did the trick. She loves gumballs so she wanted to try and go potty all the time just to get the gum.

She is now going potty without telling me and has gone 4 straight days with dry underwear. She has woken up from her nap dry from day one and the last 3 mornings her diaper has been dry.

I would say she is officially potty trained! Yay!!! I can't believe I don't ever have to do this again! Now we have to work on getting rid of binkies at nap time so she can get a big girl bed!

Tired????

Yesterday when Jadon came home from school I was mopping the floor. He came in and plopped down on the couch. Not even 2 minutes later, I turned around and he was asleep. I guess his busy life has caught up with him.

Kyson's 7th Birthday

Kyson's birthday was last week but I wanted to wait until he had his birthday party before I posted his pictures. This was Kyson's first birthday party and he has been excited about it for a long time. He was very set on going to nickelmania for his birthday. He had a hard time deciding what friends to invite because he has so many. He ended up inviting 14 kids. I was pretty hesitant about keeping track of that many kids in an arcade so I made Dale and Jadon come with me to help. Dale was so good to keep track of them. When we all went into the building from the parking lot, Dale made them stand in a single file line and follow him the whole way.

The kids had a great time playing games and getting their tickets. Luckily we were the only people there so we had the place to ourselves.

Kyson got way too much stuff for his birthday but he was really excited to open it all. Kyson is a great kid! He is nice to everyone! (I guess that's why he has so many friends) He is very tenderhearted and concerned about a lot of things. He is such a good brother to Jake. Even though Kyson is younger, he watches out for Jake and always makes sure he's doing the right thing. He's doing great in school and is becoming a good little reader. Most of the time, he has a smile on his face and wants to do the right thing. I am so thankful he is in our family! I love you Kyson!

Katie's 3rd Birthday

I can't believe that my baby is 3 already. Her birthday was yesterday and she had a great time. We went where she wanted for dinner, chick-fil-a. After dinner we came home for cake and ice cream and then she opened her presents. She was so cute. Every time she opened a present she was very excited about what she got. She is such a girly girl! She loves babies, barbies and princesses. She has recently started watching barbie movies and loves them. She wants to watch them all day. I have a great time with my little Katie. She is the only one at home during the day so we spend a lot of time together. She is growing up so much. She has a few little friends and she loves to have play dates with them. She has a great imagination and plays really well by herself. She started potty training this week and is doing great! She has only had one accident in 4 days. Yippee! She is excited to be a big girl because she wants a big girl bed. I am so happy to have her sweet spirit in our family. She is so fun to listen too and I love watching her play with her little babies. She'll be a great mom someday! I love you to pieces Katie!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a very wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. It was the Byers year this year and Gladys was in California with David while Doyle and Kris were spending it with her parents who just returned from their mission. So we invited Darrell and Shara's family, my mom and dad and Dale's Dad and Geneva to come for dinner. We spent a lot of time the day before and that morning getting organized and ready for the day.

Kierra and Kyson made these cute little turkeys for our place settings.

This is what the Kitchen looked like before everyone got there. I didn't get a picture of what it looked like once all the food and dishes were everywhere. What a mess!

Mom was making the gravy while Darrell cut the Turkey. It was nice to have everyone doing something. It was a little cozy in the kitchen but that was ok. I was so glad to have my mom there to help me pull this off. This is only the 2nd time I have done this at my house.

The kids table

The grown up table

My favorite picture. After we were all done eating, Jadon had pulled his chair up to the counter to finish off the green bean casserole. He said that was his favorite part of the dinner. Thanksgiving dinner is a lot of work but it's worth it to have a nice dinner with our family. I love how it starts the season and makes us grateful for our family. I am so thankful for my sweet husband and my 6 wonderful kids. I would be lost without them!

Once upon a mattress

Last week Kierra was in her first play. The middle school put on the play "Once upon a mattress". It was the princess and the pea story. She had a small part but did a great job. She spent several months, every day after school, going to play practice. Sometimes she got sick of practices but she had a fun time in the play. She said she is going to keep doing plays. I was so excited when she tried out because I always wanted to be in plays. I figure if I can't be in them, at least I can watch her in them.