shwetted the bed

Perhaps you may not know this about me, but I was a bed-wetter until I was 7 years old.

I remember once going to my best friend's sleepover birthday party when I was in 2nd grade, and I had to take a diaper with me. I was so embarrassed. Before bed, I pulled it out of my overnight bag, hid it under my shirt, went to the bathroom and put it on secretly. Then when I woke up the next morning, I woke up early, tip-toed back into the bathroom, and took it off before anybody could find out. Of course, my best friend's mom knew about it, but I didn't want all the other 7-year-old girls to know, too. It wasn't until after that party that I finally stopped peeing the bed.

I felt so lucky that Ammon didn't have that same problem after he was potty-trained, and then when the twins had no problems with it either, I was so grateful. Apparently, all the issues with potty-training and bed-wetting were being saved up for Kanyon.

 

Kanyon has all the same kinds of issues that I did when I was a child:

--saving up bowel movements in his tummy until they are so huge that it hurts and he doesn't want to go to the toilet, so sometimes he prairie-dogs them in his underwear. And when he does finally use the toilet, he usually ends up clogging it.

--being so busy playing that he doesn't want to take the time to use the toilet, so he pees his pants instead, and then he goes and changes his clothes so that nobody (he thinks) will notice. And then I do notice, and make him tell me where he was at when he did it, and he has to scrub the floor.

--wetting the bed. almost every. single. night.

In the beginning, he would wake up in the morning and say he 1. pee-peed, 2. sweated, or 3. did nothing.  This is what the terms meant: "pee-peed"--that he was soaking wet with urine, "shweated"--that he dibbled a little bit but he wasn't too wet, "did nothing"--basically that.

Now whenever he wakes up, he says only one of two things: that he "shweated" (how he pronounces it)" or "did nothing". "Shweated" now means both dibbling or peeing the bed!

Yesterday morning I said to him, "Kanyon, you are soaking wet! You didn't sweated! You peed the bed!"

He said "Look mom--there's no pee running down my legs. So I didn't pee-pee, I shweated!". Totally makes sense, right?! Silly boy...

Eat More Chikin

I had a chicken-eating-craze in August. In just the first week of the month, we ate chicken for dinner 4 nights in a row! It wasn't planned that way...but one evening I was hungry and I was in the grocery store (not a good combination, right?!). The rotisserie chickens were on sale for $5 each, so I bought 2. Also, the 9 pc. box of fried chicken was on sale for $7, so I bought that for dinner that night. I split apart the rotisserie chickens to have different chicken dinners the next 3 nights (I LOVED that the chickens were already cooked!!). One night we had Ranch Chicken Bites, another night we had Poppy Seed Chicken, and the other night I tried a new recipe for Chicken Pot Pie.

I found the recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out! It was much easier to make than I thought, and I will definitely be making it again. But since our freezer usually has more beef in it than chicken (since we live on a ranch that raises beef), I think I will alter the recipe in the future to make Beef Pot Pie using cut-up steaks and beef boullion, instead.

Later in the month, I tried another new chicken recipe that I found on The Pioneer Woman's website called Chicken Spaghetti. It looked super delicious, and she had step-by-step instructions on how to make it, which is perfect for me (Josh teases me because I cannot make any food without a recipe or instructions in front of me).

It wasn't as delicious as I had anticipated, but the boys and Josh really liked it, so I think I will put the recipe in my "Keep" pile. Except next time, I'm going to add more chicken to it, and use some Mexican flavored shredded cheese for some extra flavor.

My boys have figured out that one of my goals for this year is trying one new recipe a month. Whenever we sit down to eat and they see what's for dinner, if it's something they don't recognize, they will ask "Is this a new recipe?" or "Is this your new recipe for this month?".  And they're getting better at trying the new foods without complaining, too!

Oh, and btw, my mom knitted the hot pads that are seen in both photos!

Summer 2012 Top Ten

Here's the completed list:

1. Grow a garden
We grew potatoes, corn, onions, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and corn. And we've been eating so well lately with all the produce from this year's garden!

 

 

2. Go camping somewhere new
For my birthday, we went camping at Reservoir Lake in Montana. We were gone camping for 3 nights--our longest camping trip yet. We had a wonderful time! (more to come about that in another post)

3. Celebrate the 4th of July with the Tolmans
We had a fabulous time going to the parade, having our own fireworks show, performing in a family talent show, and celebrating July 4th and Ed & Kathy's 40th wedding anniversary with family.

4. Host the BH Tolman family reunion
This was one of my favorite BH Tolman reunions yet! We had such a great time in our backyard with extended family members!

5. Take the boys to swimming lessons
This was the first year that all 4 boys were enrolled simultaneously, and they all had a positive learning experience! They did so well and are much better swimmers now!

6. Watch Ammon's golf tournaments
Ammon had 4 9-hole golf tournaments in Eastern Idaho this summer: Rexburg, American Falls, Teton, and Aberdeen. He got 4th place twice & 5th place twice. Each year, he steadily improves!

7. See Jonah, Micah, and Kanyon play soccer
The boys had fun early in the summer playing soccer. They all scored goals for their team during the season, which was their favorite part (besides the snack, of course). And they got to attend a mini-camp directed by the BSU Soccer coaches, too. 

8. Vacation to Glacer National Park
This was one of my favorite activities we did together this summer. Glacier National Park is full of waterfalls and lakes, glaciers and mountains, and is absolutely breathtaking and worth the drive to go to.

9. Kala host her 15-year high school reunion
This was done the last week of August in Tremonton. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well. It was great to see old friends, and the newly remodeled high school, and talk to so many classmates.

10. Visit Grandpa Perkins in Spokane
We spent one night at Grandpa's house, and we looked at his old photo books, and listened to stories of his past, and were glad to see him still doing so well at the age of 95!!

Family Vacay Day 4

On Wednesday morning, July 25th (which was the fourth and final day of our vacation), we woke up, ate yogurt & poptarts for breakfast, and packed up the van for the last time. We left the cabin rental and drove about 20 miles to the west entrance of Glacier Park again. We went shopping for souvenirs at several shops & stores. We all got t-shirts, I got a magnet, the younger boys got pocket knives, and Ammon got a hat.

It was beautiful weather, unlike the day before; it was very warm and the water was calm, so we decided to rent a boat and take it for a ride out on Lake McDonald. We all put lifejackets on, and Josh got some training on how to run the boat from an employee. The rental cost $25 per hour, so we went riding in it for just one hour.

Josh and Ammon sat in the back of the boat, Jonah and Micah were in the middle, and Kanyon and I were at the front.

Kanyon absolutely loved it! He was so happy to be on the boat!

Jonah and Micah were very uneasy and nervous and didn't enjoy the first half of the ride until we finally turned around and started heading back.

Ammon wasn't too happy either because he wanted to just sit in the car and read a book, but we made him come along. Josh had him drive the boat for part of the time, which he did like.

Josh and I both enjoyed it--it was very peaceful and relaxing and we were surrounded by such beauty.

The small boat went about 15mph, and the lake was about 15 miles long...so we only made it about halfway across the lake before turning around and heading back to the shore to make it back in one hour. It's a long lake, and there weren't a lot of people on it at the time, so it was very serene!

 

After we got back to shore, another employee helped us get out of the boat and onto the dock. The boys got out, and then it was my turn. I have terrible balance problems when my feet aren't on ground. The first time I tried to stand up, I just flopped back down. I was holding a backpack with food and drinks in it, and I put the backpack on my right arm and tried to step up again onto the dock with my left knee. This was a huge mistake--my left knee has had problems for about 6 months and is painful to move. With all the weight on the left knee, my whole body collapsed, and I toppled on top of the man that was helping me. My other leg fell off the dock, and in between the boat and the water. My backpack pulled my weight to one side, where my butt and pants finally landed and slid towards the water. There was a brace to hold the boat right where I landed on the dock, and it ripped the butt of my pants open. I was so humiliated. My legs were already sore from the long hike the day before, and my left knee was in pain, and my pants were ripped open, and the guy that was helping me was so taken aback that he remained flat on the dock for a minute. Everyone who witnessed it was either laughing or shocked into silence. It was awful. The man kept asking me if I was alright, and I kept saying that I was, but I just wanted to get out of there quick. I finally got on both feet, walked back to the shore, paid the employee, and got in the car. I just wanted to go home.

We drove back to Kalispell, got gas and ate lunch in our car, then drove around Flathead Lake to Polson, down to Missoula, and finally home to Salmon. It was another long 6-hour drive. I was pretty quiet on the drive--rethinking about what had happened on the dock, and then I slept since I was up so much the night before with Kanyon. The boys were searching for more license plates on the drive to complete their game--they stayed busy with that, but never got all 50.

I was so happy to be home again. It had been a good vacation overall--the boys stayed pretty good in the car for being in it such long lengths each day, we had seen and done a lot of cool things, we had saved money by bringing our own food & sleeping bags, and we had a lot of fun together.

We want to go back to Glacier Park again next year and finish seeing the north east side--visiting Many Glacier and going into the Canadian Waterton part of it, too. And I'm already looking forward to it!

August 2012 on FB

Aug. 3: This was the 9th week of summer, & I can't believe August is here! Ammon's week-long scout camp was cancelled due to forest fires, so Josh went on an overnighter with him instead. I took the 3 younger boys to the swimming pool: Jonah & Micah jumped off the diving board in the deep end without help for the first time! and I stayed in the shallow end with Kanyon & got sunburned! We faithfully watched the Olympics each day, had 3 playdates with friends, ate chicken for dinner 4 days in a row, had ice cream every night, and consumed fresh produce from our garden.

Aug. 4: I've had a pinched nerve in my lower back for 3 days! ugh...so painful!

Aug. 10: Our 10th week of summer in a nutshell: Josh & I took Ammon floating down the Salmon River in tubes for his first time, I took Jonah to the ER for a bee sting on his eyelid that made his eye swell completely shut, Ammon attended NASA camp at the school, the younger 3 boys rode their scooters on a slopey sidewalk at a park, we went swimming as a family at the pool, we went to the lake one afternoon and laid on inflatables, I painted & completed a pumpkin project, and the girl that was living with us this summer moved out.

Aug. 13: it's snowing ashes, the sky is so smokey that we can't see the mountains that are 2 miles from our house, and the air feels like we're eating campfire smoke constantly. I don't like forest fire season in Salmon.

Aug. 14: Thank you, facebook friends, for all the birthday wishes! My hubby was so good to me today, and I really appreciated all of your kind remarks all day long as well!

Aug. 16: it's a miracle! The sky was filled with stars last night, and today there's blue skies shining on me! What a relief not to breathe in smoke or feel the depression hovering with the orange haze today!

Aug. 17: This was a great 11th week of summer: we went camping for 3 days & 3 nights, Josh made a delicious dinner for my 33rd birthday, a friend brought me a delectable chocolate cake, saw Magic Mike in the theater, got some awesome new sandals, spent 2 days cleaning out closets and updating wardrobe sizes for the boys, Ammon started XC practice, and I started working at school to prepare for what happens in 10 days!

Aug. 21: Leaving tomorrow for 5 days in Utah. I suddenly feel very unready for everything in the week ahead...taking a solo trip with the kids, hosting my class reunion, starting another school year.

Aug. 24: The 12th and final week of summer is over. just 4 days left until school begins. It's been a full week! I tubed down the Salmon River with friends, danced with Josh at an outdoor rock concert, cried while watching "We bought a zoo", played SkipBo with my boys, picked veggies from our garden & entered them in the fair, took Kanyon to the dentist, shopped for school supplies, watched the BE county fair parade, toured the Brigham City temple, and did final preparations to host my 15-year class reunion tonight!

Aug. 27: Here's to new beginnings...3 cheers for the first day of school tomorrow. It's coming whether I want it to or not, so I might as well tip my glass off to it!!!

Aug. 31: 50% of the people in this household now have the snuffles. I blame it on the smoke and poor air quality from the local fires that are burning out of control. I wish it would snow in the mountains so that we could have blue skies again!

Family Vacay Day 3

On the morning of Tuesday, our 3rd day of vacation, we woke up, ate the cheap hotel's small continental breakfast, packed our car, and left the town of Whitefish. We drove about 30 minutes before we reached the west entrance of  Glacier National Park.  

I had tried to prepare as much as possible before going to Glacier, since none of us had ever been there. I checked out books from the library about glaciers, animals that live in that region, and a book specifically about Glacier National Park. I read the books to the kids at Family Home Evening the 2 weeks prior to our vacation, and we discussed what glaciers were, what kinds of animals we'd see in the park, and what the scenery and temperatures would be like. I looked at the national park website and got information about trails and rentals and fees, etc. We looked at maps of the park, and discussed things we wanted to see that we would have time for, since we would only be at Glacier for a day and a half. But for as much as I prepared, I was still blown away by the grandeur and beauty that is present there.

After arriving at the park, we stopped briefly at the Visitors Center for a park map, and continued on our way. We drove past Lake McDonald, and stopped to walk the trail to view the McDonald Falls.

We drove onto the most famous stretch of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, where the road narrows and climbs upward along the edge of the mountainside. On one side of the 2-lane road is a ledge made of stones. On the other side is the edge of the mountain itself.

The views were truly spectacular, and we couldn't stop marveling over the majestic mountains, and gorgeous waterfalls, and amazing road. We drove about 20mph, but we still had to pull over and stop several times to enjoy the views more fully.

 

 

Okay, I guess I should clarify that Josh and I wanted to pull over to enjoy the views, but the boys liked to stop because they were playing the license plate game, and it gave them an opportunity to find more of the 50 states' licenses to check off their list. They would get out of the van with their clipboards in hand, and look at each car/truck/motorcycle that was parked or passing by. What a funny site. I couldn't believe they would rather check out vehicles than the view, but it kept them entertained!

I love how the Going-to-the-Sun Road was engineered so that you get the full effect of being in the mountaintops, not just because we could look down at the views below, but because we also got to see so many waterfalls next to the road, and we drove through tunnels, and we passed some cool rock formations and snow piles, too.

 

There was one large patch of snow by the road that looked like it was an architectural structure with 3 rounded doors. We stopped, and the older boys climbed up to it, and experienced the melting snow dripping on them!

 

We stopped for lunch at the top of Logan Pass. We ate tuna/pickle sandwiches in the car, and got out to see the Visitor's Center. We used the bathroom, and went back to the car because the Visitor's Center was PACKED full of people! It was terrible weather outside: the sky was overcast (which is why the distant scenery photos all look hazy), it was really cold and super windy! Josh and I wanted to hike the Hidden Lake trail, which was 1.5 miles, beginning at the Logan Pass Visitor's Center. After being outdoors in the cold wind, Kanyon didn't want to go out there again. He said he wanted to stay in the car, so Ammon opted to stay in the car with him. Jonah and Micah decided to go with us; we bundled up, and headed out in the cold wind to go hiking, while Ammon and Kanyon stayed in the warm car reading & playing their DS's.

 

The beginning of the hike was wooden boardwalks, but after several hundred yards, it turned into a snow field that we had to hike across. It was very slippery, and uphill, and the wind was fierce. I really struggled, and lagged behind the other 3.

 

It was so wonderful to walk on the mountaintops, and experience all the mountain scenery up close. There was melting snow forming creeks, fields of flowers, spots of grass next to chunks of snow, and we were lucky to see several animals, too. We saw several mountain goats, a few bighorn sheep, and one marmot along the hike.

 

It took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to the Hidden Lake lookout. And it was worth every step!

 

 

The way back down was faster, it only took us about 45 minutes. Again, I lagged behind the other 3. I stopped a few times on the way back to take a few photos of sections of the hike I had just completed!

 

We continued our drive past St. Mary Lake, and to the east end of the park. The western side of Logan Pass is much colder and has more glaciers and snow-covered mountains. The eastern side of the pass is much warmer, and there are lots more plant life and green grass growing.

 

We left through the East Entrance of the park, and drove south about 40 miles, to re-enter at the Two Medicine Entrance. We stopped again and all of us walked along the Running Eagle Falls nature trail to see the Trick Falls. It was an easy walk, and the weather was warmer, and the waterfall was so cool!

 

Then we drove over to Two Medicine Lake, and had a boat tour of the lake on the boat "Sinopah". It lasted about 45 minutes, and took us across to the other side of the lake and back. We were the only ones on the boat on the first half of the tour, then he picked up several hikers on the other side to bring them back across. The tour guide talked about all the surrounding mountains and the history of Glacier Park. It was interesting, and a different angle to see the park from the water looking up! 

 

 

After the boat ride, we all hiked one more trail to view a hidden waterfall that was not far from the lake. It was a .6 mile walk to the waterfall, and was fairly level but got really steep right before the waterfall. There was no good photography angle to see the long and pretty waterfall just right, but I enjoyed walking along with Josh, so I took a few pictures of him instead.

After that last hike, we drove about 60 miles to our cabin rental for the night. It was on the southern-most tip of the park, but located outside the park boundaries. It was the cheapest hotel I could find within close proximity to the park. The cabin had two beds, and a microwave and fridge, but the bathrooms were located in a separate building that was communal with the other 5 cabin rentals. It wasn't the most comfortable arrangement, but it had everything we needed.

 

I heated up Sloppy Joes for dinner, then the boys played outside until the mosquitoes got bad, then they came in & played cards instead. Josh read for a while, and I worked on cleaning out and reorganizing the car and all our baggage.

 

When it got dark, we all slept in the beds, except Ammon who slept in his sleeping bag on the floor. It was a very long night. We were right by the highway, and not far from the railroad tracks. The beds weren't very comfortable, and the noises & lights outside kept waking Kanyon up, which in turn woke Josh and I up all night, too. We were so glad it was the last night of our vacation!