Pretty

One of Brightlie's favorite words right now is "pretty".  She uses it to describe, well, mostly herself  :)  And although we encourage other adjectives, such as happy, smart, and nice, she seems to like 'pretty' the best.  Guess its a phase she is in, because I have to agree, she was looking quite stylish this past week!

She is such a joy in our home!  Although the "terrible twos" are a struggle at times,

i love this age and watching her personality shine!

 Pretty in he high heels and her pink sparkle skirt- time to strike a pose!

 Dressing up like a princess is always in style...

 Practicing for her future prince charming  :)

 Her HIGHNESS, on her throne - high heels and all!

She is doing really well at being a "big girl" (potty trained)

At dance class, looking oh so pretty in her

sparkly blue tutu!  

(Don't mind the worried expression, all

the other girls were getting a sucker as I was trying to capture the picture...)

It's hard to say Goodbye...

Noel. Rigby. Brightlie.

This week our biggest event was the adoption of our two dogs into other homes.  Now, if you are not a pet person, its hard to understand the attachment one feels towards towards their friendly canine companions, but we have enjoyed dogs in our lives.  I grew up with dogs.  Rigby was Paul's first official pet that was "his".  And it has been a blessing in our lives to have Brightlie grow up not being afraid of dogs, but loving them, feeding them, and playing with them.  

However, we've known that this day was coming.  Our backyrd is not really big enough for two big dogs.  And we have crappy, complaining neighbors who drive us nuts over our dogs.  And Paul and I are not "inside pet" people, yuck! So that is not an option.  And we have a newborn on the way.... and with Paul approaching graduation, the chances of us moving to a new home/state is a very realistic possibility.  So, we talked about it and decided that we would find loving families to adopt our pets, so that they can have happier, more enjoyable lives.  My Aunt took Noel, which is great because she has a farm (Schnepf Farms) and Noel will have tons of room to run and play, as well as that her mom also lives there. (so she will have a dog friend.)  Yesterday Rigby too was adopted, officially, via Petsmart's SAFE rescue program.  He was adopted with 3 hours of being there, which was amazingly fast the woman told me!  He is going to a new home, where he will be loved by a family with two girl, and a doxen puppy, so he too will have a doggie friend.  Although B is sad and keeps asking where her doggies are, we are happy that they are both happy and in new, more stable homes  :)

One final semester.. :)

It is hard to imagine that January is already half-way over, and Paul is already back in school after the holiday break- but whoo-hoo!!!!! This is his LAST official semester at ASU!  (well, before he starts on his Masters, still  to be determined).  Brightlie has been a little sad this week to not have her best friend around, but she has been having a blast playing around the house, enjoying playdates, and just being a goof!  :)  

This week, we spent a few hours each day with our lovely friends, the Andersons.  My friend Elisa and I took the girls (her daughter Mikayla & B are the same age) to Chandler Mall, Paradise Bakery, the park, and both our houses, all on Mon.-Thurs..  We LOVE spending time with them, but i was dumb and didn't even take any pictures!  Boo!  

But I did take some of B playing around our house and being her normal happy self, and those moments are important too  :)

 Daddy & B- we love going out to eat at Rubios!  Yum!

 My lil princess, taking a rest (she was dancing around the house, playing

and having a blast! Notice her beads- she loves wearing necklaces lately)

 Bathtime fun!  

 Snuggling up with her bear  :)

 Brightlie & Anna Christiansen- BESTIES!

Such cute girls (they love to hug) and we had a blast 

going out to dinner at Red Robin with the Christiansen Family on Friday night!

Our family!

Rockin it in her "big girl" panties!

So, my primary goal to kick off the New Year was to get 

B potty trained with time to spare before the arrival of baby #2.  

Here's how it went:

(So happy in her panties-I think she looks is adorable!)

Thanks to my friend Sarah's advice/email, i was ready for the "3 day Potty Training" method.  I read it, Paul read it, i stocked up on undies,kool-aid, treats, and then.... I got brave!
Day 1:  A Rough One
The morning started out with lots of praise, hope, and patience....but, that was long gone by the end of the night.  And by the time I put B to bed, i was begging Paul to go out and buy me some diapers.  (As part of the method, you get rid of all the diapers left in the house so there is no temptation to turn back! Luckily, we were at the end of the pack, so we were not wasteful)  It was hard for me (being prego) to try to run B to the potty/bathroom each time she started to pee.  It meant major focus on my part, and staying by her side ALL day.  Luckily, Paul was home, so we would take turns watching her, and he was very supportive of the entire ordeal.  But even between the 2 of us, it was still exhausting to watch her pee, clean up numerous messes, and deal with B's crying & frustration as we tried to rush to the potty all day.  By bed time we were all tired, and i wondered if it would ever click for her...prayers were full of pleading for patience and help that night.
Day 2: Much better..."CLICK"
B started to 'get it'.  She had a 2 big accidents (meaning she just stood there as she peed) but the rest of the day, she would run on her own to the potty, and even started telling us that she needed to go!  There was a few times where she would have get a little wet as she ran to the potty and was trying to get her panties off, but she was realizing what was going on.  By the end of the night, she was making it to the potty, undies off and dry, and peeing IN the potty!   Glorious.  Nap-time was a huge success. She stayed dry, which was great!  Nights are good for her too!  She goes potty before bed as part of our routine.  Then, we wake her up a little later before WE go to bed, and she goes.  Then, around 5AM she will wake up needing to go.  But then she is back to sleep til about 9AM and then she wakes up and goes again to start her day!  :)
Day 3:  Doing Good!
She's doing great!  NO accidents yet, and we are half-way through the day. :)  But by the evening (when Daddy got home from work) playing took priority, and we had one little accident, but she did make a run for it as soon as she realized...

Day 4: Outstanding!  Out & About...  :)

Today we ventured out of the house!  We went to Babies R Us, and honestly I was prepared for accidents.  I lined her car-seat, packed extra clothes, and a towel.  She went potty before she left the house, then we enjoyed shopping at the store, and then she went potty before we left Babies R Us.  We went next door to Ross for just a few minutes, and then headed home---- and it was a success!  NO accidents!  In fact, tonight we went to Target and then to Baskin Robins, and B did great!  She told us once at Target that she needed to go, so Paul and her ran through the store and she made it!  So proud!  Then we celebrated at Baskin Robins. Also, B went poop in the potty today & was very pleased with herself (she likes to clap for herself when she goes potty- it's adorable!)  So in total- NO accidents ALL day! HURRAY!

I am happy.  Brightlie is happy.  : )

I know that there might still be an accident, 

but I am so thrilled with her progress!  Wow, my baby is now a big girl!  

How exciting!  I love watching her learn, grow, and achieve- Yay Brightlie!!!!!

It's a New Year! Hello 2012!

I can't believe it is the beginning of another new year.  Time flies by so quickly!  Here are a few of the highlights that blessed our lives in 2011:
- No major tragedies (what a huge blessing!)
- We celebrated 3 years of marriage
- Joined Mom's Club of STV
- Paul & I  celebrated our existence of 1/4 of a century (our 25th birthdays)
-Found out we were expecting baby #2! (Aug.)
- Went to Disney Land with Brightlie for her 1st time!
- Brightlie turned 2 yrs old & started taking dance lessons
-Found out baby #2 is a GIRL

A few upcoming events in 2012 we are anticipating:
-Brightlie being potty trained! (beginning tomorrow- yikes!)
-The arrival of baby girl #2 in April
- Paul graduating from ASU in May
- Finding out where/if we will be moving (based on job offers Paul gets!)

We look forward to this new year, and hope it will be as wonderful as 2011 was!  We have set some family goals, are planning for the new addition to our family, and are thrilled for Paul's job prospects/ career to begin. What an exciting yr 2012 will be!