Addendum to below posting...

Okay, after reading over my potty training posting, I realized I made it sound a bit easier than it actually has been. It really hasn't been that hard at all to potty train Marin, but there is a little more to the story. A few months ago I started letting her try going on the toilet. She would go pretty sporadically... at first it was a fun game, but then got old. Then I made this Tinkerbell sticker chart- where every time she went potty on the toilet she got a sticker and when it was full she got the movie. Anyway, it was fun and worked at first, but then she lost interest.... This whole time I was letting her wear pull-ups or diapers, never real panties. So I waited until after Christmas and put the pair of panties on... she had one tiny accident, where she told me she needed to go and we weren't quite fast enough, but that's it! In two weeks! It's not my amazing parenting, I didn't do anything special, it's that Marin was good and ready to be done with diapers. I still put a pull-up on her at night and about half the time it is dry the next morning. And she's had some issues with pooping in the toilet...I won't go into amazing detail there. She's getting the hang of that too though, pretty quickly. I seriously think it's because a) she's a girl, everyone says they're easier to potty train, and b) she is old enough and ready. I just thought every kid got potty trained when they were 2. That's why I've been stressing about this for months! But the more people I talk to, I realize that it's usually closer to 3 years old when their kids finally got it. Marin is 2 and 8 months so I feel pretty good that she's got the hang of it! It seems like there is all this pressure to get your kids potty-trained so soon, and I totally felt that, but now I'm a big believer in waiting and not stressing you and your kids out. But I'm sure every kid is different. Anyway, there's the rest of the story....

Oh, and thanks for the name suggestions. I like all of them! We've half-way decided on Kate Elizabeth, but it's still open for consideration!

Potty Trained!

WOO HOO! After much mental anguish (but not a whole lot of actually doing anything) Marin is just about potty trained. You know what it took? Putting a pair of "big girl panties" on her! Seriously, a week ago I put some on her. She said, "Mom, I will not go potty in my big girl panties," and she hasn't for a week and a half! She even wakes her dad up in the middle of the night and lets him help her go potty-- he's very thrilled about this. Everyone told me to wait until she was good and ready, so I didn't push it, and that turned out to be great advice! I wish every one of my kids would be this easy to potty train! I doubt I'll be that lucky... but at least I won't have 2 kids in diapers at the same time... speaking of, only 10 more weeks left and we don't have a girl name! Any suggestions?

5 Years of Bliss

**Warning: This post is incredibly long, and probably only interesting to close family members and future posterity. Read at your own risk!**

My sister Avree's latest post (about her anniversary, so appropriately entitled "3 Years of Bliss") reminded me that I let my "5 Years of Bliss" posting sneak by last month. I wouldn't be a good Utah-Mormon-Mom blogger if I didn't post something about my wedding anniversary and how wonderful my husband is. So here goes:

It was the big 5 years on Dec. 13, 2008. My actual wedding day, December 13, 2003 was absolutely perfect, the best day of my life up to that point... that's all I will say about that.

I love to hear stories about how people met. In fact, I tag everyone who reads this to post how they met their husbands (if you have one, that is), I love hearing all the details so much! So I will tell you about how Mitch and I met, if you didn't already know. If you hate hearing stuff like this, feel free to stop reading, I won't be offended (I won't even know, duh). It was a crisp, cold February day in 2003, the birds were singing, the sun was shining... he he just kidding. It was a day in February 2003 and I was going to work on a service project tying quilts in our student center. I was going for all the wrong reasons... seriously, I was applying for my dietetics program that month and hours of service counted A LOT on the application. I also joined the Red Cross and volunteered at a local school lunch program that month. I was on a mission. Anyway, I walked past the area where they were tying quilts and saw not one person I knew and decided to keep on walking and ditch it. Then I remembered my application and decided to suck it up and work for an hour. I walked over to the quilt and asked a guy wearing a beanie, a Quiksilver hoodie, and skate shoes where I should start. He handed me a needle and some yarn and said I could start tying next to him. Now usually I am a little shy when I first meet people I don't know, but for some reason I just started chatting it up with this guy. I asked him all kinds of questions, starting with his name, Mitch. Then the next main question, what he was doing there, was a great conversation topic. He was from the "Tubing Club", actually the president of the club. He explained that yes, this was an actual University-sponsored club, and that they went up the canyon, built huge jumps, and did tricks off of them. They had to document service hours to get funding (to pay for tubes and parties) so that's why he was there. Then, several of his other roommates showed up, including Matt Ethington (my future brother-in-law). They asked if I wanted to join the club and being the huge extreme sports fan that I am (ha!), I said sure. Mitch said he would e-mail me an application and then we kept quilting away. Mitch had to leave for class a few minutes later so he packed up his stuff and was getting ready to leave... without my e-mail address. I was too chicken to speak up and give it to him and he headed off without it. I was a bit disappointed because my reasons for wanting to join the club were obviously related to it's president... and then... Matt to the rescue! He said, "Wait, Mitch you forgot to get her e-mail address!" So Mitch came back, got my address, e-mailed me the application (which I still have a copy of that e-mail and the application, it's hilarious), I joined, and about 9 months later I started my "5 Years of Bliss". And that's when Matt met Avree, and 2 years and 18 days later they got married in the same room as Mitch and I, and thus began their "3 Years of Bliss". Funny how things work out. Mitch was the first guy I ever had a huge spark with right from the second I met him. It's a good thing the feeling was mutual! I've said this before on my blog, I'll say it again, Mitch is the absolute perfect guy for me. Here's to many many more anniversaries!

Christmas in Wyoming

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas this year at Mitch's parents' house in Wyoming! Since it is an 8 hour drive to get there, Santa came a little early and brought Marin a new portable DVD player so she wouldn't go nuts in the car. She was so thrilled and calls it her "DVeedio player" (cross between "video" and "DVD"). We had to trek through some snow, ice, and heavy wind but we made it there Saturday, December 20th. Mitch's brother and sister's families and their combined 8 kids also stayed at Mitch's parents' house so it was a full house! His other sister lives up the road with her 6 kids so with Marin there were 15 grandkids running around, playing, screaming, laughing, eating candy, opening presents, sometimes fighting, but mostly having a blast all week!


We went to Mitch's grandma's house for a large (I'm talking 65 people) Christmas Eve dinner and little program. Mitch's oldest sister EmRee asked Marin to come up and lead the music for the program. She got pretty into it... here is a little video I took with my camera (sorry no sound, I told you I need a new camera!)


Here are a couple of pictures in case you didn't feel the urge to watch the movie...


Then, as tradition goes in the Moncur family, we headed home and Santa had already come (he likes them best I think)! This is what it looks like when Santa comes to 15 kids in one room!

Marin was so excited for Santa to come (because her parents totally psyched her up for the whole affair) and really enjoyed opening her presents, as you can see! Thanks to my mom, we really didn't have to buy Marin much this year!


Okay, I shouldn't have, but I just had to post this picture because these horrible candid shots are the story of my life! Whenever I go through our pictures after an event like this, without fail there are several pictures like this of me! I believe I am trying to get a Tinkerbell doll out of it's box. By the way, what is the deal with dolls being secured to their boxes so thoroughly that it takes an hour to finally get them out!?


Marin's favorite presents came in her stocking...candy, chips, Cheetos! All the junk food I don't normally buy. She had to take a break mid present-opening to eat her Cheetos and Doritos at the same time...


Well, Marin really cleaned up this year. This is the toy box that Mitch built for Marin and I painted. It turned into quite the project, but it matches her room perfectly and is so cute!
Okay, I know this is the longest posting ever, and has been mostly about presents and Santa, but I really didn't forget the true meaning of Christmas I promise. My favorite part about Christmas was getting to spend time with Mitch's wonderful family, who are such good examples to Marin. We missed JaDee and Nicole's family who recently moved clear to ALASKA, and JanaLee's family who were in Texas this year. And I can't let this post be done without listing some of the things I am so grateful for this year...

1. Both Mitch's and my families. Our kids get amazing grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins-- and we get amazing parents, sisters, brothers, and nieces and nephews!
2. For my 2 red-heads-- Mitch and Marin!
3. That our little nephew Bridger survived a very scary, lengthy pediatric ICU stay for an infection that almost took his life this year. We are still praying for him and his complete recovery!
4. For Mitch's secure job that makes it so I can stay home to raise my little Marin.
5. For the chance to add another little girl to our family!
6. For my primary calling that has taught me a lot this year (especially patience!)
7. That my sister Avree moved to Logan this year... woo hoo!
8. That my brother Jaren served a mission in Brazil and came home this year!

This is not an exhaustive list of course, I have many, many more things to be grateful for. These are just the big ones coming to my head at the moment. I hope next year my list will include "Marin being potty trained!" and "That I lost all my baby weight." Here's hoping! I hope everyone else had as merry of a Christmas as we Moncurs did!

Gingerbread House

Tonight for family night we made a gingerbread house with Marin. We were going to make gingerbread houseES, but as we got going, we decided one would be plenty! Of course, Marin enjoyed eating the candy much more than actually decorating the house. I made the "glue" (seriously though, royal icing is pretty much sugar glue) and Mitch piped it all over everything while Marin and I told him where to put it. Marin actually did have the attention span to get into decorating it as long as I told her what we were making (i.e. the fence, the door, the sidewalk, etc.). I think we'll make it a tradition. Maybe someday our houses will not have a gaping hole through the roof and be made out of actual gingerbread!

The "fence" was my idea. Isn't it lovely? Oh, and this is Mitch's creepy little snowman (or penguin?). I think Mitch should quit taxes and become a full time sculptor.


Remember I am 6 months pregnant and pardon my chipmunk cheeks!

Little cheeser! It is tough for me to get a good, non-fake-looking smile from Marin these days! And I do believe I have a pretty dang good-looking husband, even if he is pushing 30!

Christmas!

For my whole life I have been SO into the Christmas season and this year is no different. It has been even better because I have my own child who, for the first time, actually understands Santa Claus and presents and gets so absolutely thrilled over trees and lights that you can't help but feel the Christmas spirit! Seriously, wherever we go Marin practically screams how "boootiful" the lights on houses are and in the stores she'll scream "Mom, look at the boootiful Christmas trees!" Even in Walmart, where the tree is less than beautiful. I have been much anticipating Christmas morning when Marin gets to open her presents and have really had to hold back not getting her too many things (kids toys are inexpensive you can really get carried away I think). Anyway, my mom gave Marin this darling Christmas outfit, complete with little black sparkley Mary Janes and a cute little black pea coat (not pictured, but I will definitely get some professional pics taken soon). We made a Christmas paper chain today to count down the days until Christmas just like we used to do with my family when I was young. And we have many more Christmas activities planned. Ahhh, I love Christmas traditions so much and, well, I am just thoroughly enjoying myself this Christmas season!! Hope it's the same for the rest of you!

Thanksgiving update

Better late than never...

Well, I only set off the smoke alarms once while cooking my Thanksgiving dinner so I'll consider it a success! Actually it was for the recipe below and the veggies weren't even burnt, just a little dark on the bottoms. They were so yummy! Thanks Martha, seriously I am going to make them a bunch this winter because it's a really healthy recipe too. You all should really try it. I have a whole bunch of butternut squash from my garden and that was my favorite. Avree's little baby Spencer was right in the middle of his nap when all the alarms in my house went off! Poor little guy was probably scared to death! I also found another Martha recipe for the turkey that turned out yummy. I made some herb butter (just mix butter and fresh herbs) and rubbed it underneath the skin of the turkey (side note: it was pretty dang disgusting to reach my whole arm up inside the skin, but not as disgusting as sticking my hand up the turkey's butt and cleaning it out. In the middle of getting it all ready I had the thought, "wow I can't believe what I'm actually doing right now.") But... it really made the turkey really yummy and browned it nicely. I forgot to charge my camera batteries so Avree took a bunch of pictures for me, I'll post a few when she gets them to me (don't let the suspense kill you). I have the coolest family, it was great spending time with all of them, especially in my own house! It's the first time I haven't had to travel at least 6 hours for a Thanksgiving in the past 8 years. It was a whole lot smaller than I'm used to-- only 8 adults, but it was one of my favorites yet. And the best part-- we had SIX pies for only 8 of us. Yeah, that's right! My mom makes the best pies ever!