7 January 2016

Christmas Vacation

We went to Oregon for Christmas this year and the kids had so much fun! Jared and Kate sure love each others' company, and the adults were able to bond over some late night games. It was a blessing to have all of my family there, and most of Ben's. I planned this trip a bit differently this time by sending out an actual itinerary of what we were doing before we came (Kendra and I planned it out). This way I had a pre-planned list of activities to do with the kids, and I didn't have to feel the stress of being in someone else's house with nothing to do. I'll be keeping this in mind for our next trip. I'm flying to Oregon with the kids by myself in February, and since I won't have a car it will be a little different, but it will be nice to have a change of scenery.

This video does a good job of depicting Kate and Jared throughout the visit. They love having the attention of their aunts and uncles!

The most fun activity was when we took the kids to pump it up Jr. They had huge blow-up slides and Kate was able to do it "all by herself," which she loved. William took turns going down the slides with Ben and I, Freddy, Stephen, and Tim. It was a blast, and both Kate and William giggled non-stop. It's always kind of a shock for Kate when we come home and it's just us again:) She gets so much love! Although, we did use the second week of our vacation to practice some important skills...



Kate is potty trained! (almost?) She wet the bed last night, but really she has been doing fantasitc. It is quite the game changer! I have been dreaming of this phase for what feels like so long. People always talk about how hard it is, but they often forget to mention that it's worth it! I have been changing and wiping two bums for 15 months, so even if she wets herself once in a while, it's still WAY better than changing multiple diapers a day! Hallelujah!

William is getting so expressive- I can't wait until he's talking like Kate! I bought them some toy dishes and they played together this morning like a true pair. It is a joy to watch.

Ben and I are ready to go for our new years resolutions! I'm going to read and write more, and Ben is going to lose 30 pounds! There's nothing like a new year to give an excuse to get back on track.

Also this happened:

Even though I think it will end up not being too expensive, it strengthed my testimony of having an emergency fund. You never know when your house will start to fall apart!