todd family reunion 2012: breckenridge

for our todd family reunion this year we spent 4 days in breckenridge. we rented a big house for everyone to stay in. technically it was 2 houses, connected through the hallway upstairs which meant in addition to lots of bedrooms, there were 2 kitchens, 2 family rooms etc. we loved all the space and the kids especially loved the 2 hot tubs! logan was constantly asking to go in the "hot bath tub" (and i can't believe how long he could stay in there)! our days were spent eating, talking (2 things the todd's love), hopping in and out of the hot tubs, hanging out, hiking and biking. it was fantastic!

we celebrated my dad's birthday (a few days late)

the sunset looked amazing because of the smoke from all the wildfires

cheeto mustache and getting ready to hop in the hot tub (all decked out in his "goo goo goggles")

we went hiking one day on what we thought was a mile or mile and a half hike. it turned out to be steep and rocky and longer than we expected (if it was only a mile or two it sure seemed longer). my favorite quote of the hike from dave was, "i should have married into a fat family," meaning a less active family than ours! haha! logan actually proved to be a great hiker. i had a few of those "filled with joy" moments as i hiked with my little family in the beautiful colorado mountains. however those feelings changed when we put logan into the hiking backpack against his will so we could pick up the pace. poor dave spent the whole hike down with a screaming child right in his ear. but for a little while it was lovely!

getting ready for our bike ride. our huge group was quite the site on the trail.

stopping for ice cream in town after our ride

logan claimed someone's bike helmet as his own. you can never be too safe when eating ice cream!

this picture is so fitting: kids gathered around my mom while she reads to them.

one evening we walked along the riverwalk and stopped so the kids could play in the river. it was quite entertaining to watch and i think most of the kids left totally soaked!

i love these boys!

dave and i escaped with logan for a little morning date while emma napped (the poor thing wasn't feeling well the whole trip and was so sad, fussy and clingy). we went into town, got donuts and then headed to dave and i's favorite hat shop in breckenridge. it is our tradition to try on wigs and hats every time we are in town and now we get to share it with our kiddos (we actually went to breckenridge when logan was 2 weeks old and tried on hats then, although i don't think he wore any hats that day)! so fun!

(logan is sporting a chocolate mustache from his donut in all the pictures ;)

the morning we left we took the gondola up to the top of the mountain. logan thought it was so cool to be "flying" up above everything! at the top of the mountain there were tons of activities to do. most of our family did the alpine slide, logan jumped in a bounce house and dave and i rode the alpine coaster!

i love my family!

a few weeks ago we had our annual todd family reunion. i love it and look forward to being together with my family (it just doesn't happen as often as i wish it could). there are few people in the world i would rather be with than my family (especially my whole family together). ever since our reunion ended i have been thinking about how incredible each of them are. i am always inspired to be better when i am with them...a better mother, wife, sibling, daughter, friend and disciple of jesus christ. they are each amazing! 

angela, my sister: she is such a patient mom. they have lived in colorado for the past 2 years and so i have gotten to see her "mother" her 5 kids a lot and i am always amazed at how patient she is with them and how kind she is when she speaks to them. i also admire how she stands up for what is right, regardless of the situation or who opposes her.

mark, my brother-in-law: i think mark is one of the kindest men i know. he is sincerely interested in what is going on in our lives. even though he has 5 kids of his own, he is always willing to play with our kids. he takes such good care of them. he is always serving and so loving to everyone. 

suzi, my sister: i know i can always count on suzi. she is dependable and incredibly organized. i also admire the way she has supported her husband in his pursuits, even when it meant sacrifice for her. i admire the way she follows the spirit. she is a wonderful mother  and i think it's amazing that she has 5 kids (that in and of itself is awesome), but especially because each of her pregnancies is awful for the entire 9 months. 

matt, my brother-in-law: i think he is the funniest guy i know! i've known him for more than half of my life (wow) and he still cracks me up constantly. he is also great at making you feel important and good about yourself.

ryan, my brother: has an incredibly caring heart. he is one of the most generous people i know, whether it is with his time or resources. he gives freely, without making a big deal about it. i wasn't at all surprised when i was talking to lynda this trip and she mentioned how often they have people (even random people they met at church) stay with them because the people just need to a place to crash. as busy as ryan is, he serves faithfully in his church calling. his busy schedule is never an excuse not to serve. and he still makes time for his family and he is an amazing dad. his kids adore him and don't want to leave his side when he's around.

lynda, my sister-in-law: everything lynda does, she does all out! she has such an eye for details and makes everything look beautiful! and she is an incredible cook too! ryan works long hours and travels a lot and so lynda has to hold down the fort and tend to her 3 little kids alone a lot. but she doesn't complain and makes the best of things. like ryan, she is so giving and is always willing to help out. 

my mom: she cares so much about each of us and what we are doing. she makes you feel special by asking all about whatever is going on in our lives (this applies not just to family, but whoever she associates with). after her accident the outpouring of love and cards and service was incredible and touching. although it almost wasn't surprising because that is how my mom has been toward others (family and non-family alike), constantly loving and serving. it was a chance for others to give back to her and love and serve her like she has done to so many. i feel like my parents have really left a legacy to us of hard work and service. there could never be any doubt that the gospel is the most important thing to her and she constantly encourages us in our discipleship and praises us for living the gospel and teaching our families. she ensures our family stays united through family reunions and general conference emails. 

my dad: he quietly goes about doing so much for our family. especially with my mom being hurt, he has tirelessly taken care of her every need and worked overtime to get everything ready for our reunion (since my mom couldn't help). he is an amazing papa (grandpa) and is always willing to watch the kids (even by himself. he doesn't hesitate to babysit even a newborn and loves the bonding time with his grandkids). he has always been so supportive about whatever we (kids) have been doing. he is an incredible example of church service. my dad has always magnified his calling,  whatever it is (including being a wonderful home teacher) and you can always count on him to serve in whatever way is needed (clean the church, set up chairs etc.) i have never heard him complain about serving in the church (and he has constantly served...so there have been plenty of opportunities to complain).

my sweet david: oh where do i even begin...this could be it's own post! i love how he really listens to what i'm saying and then puts into action applying what i've said (ie. what he could do to be a better husband etc.). he is thoughtful and supportive. he is constantly telling me that i'm beautiful, a good mom, that he loves me and will often write thoughtful emails or text messages reiterating those things when we're apart. he always makes me feel good about myself. he helps me put things into perspective (or helps me see another perspective). he is supportive of the things that are important to me, even though sometimes it takes me away from our family. he works hard to support our family and is the most amazing dad. our kids adore him and i love watching him play with our kids. he takes his role as dad very seriously and is always trying to be better. he never hesitates to give me or the kids a priesthood blessing and i am so grateful he is so willing to serve our family.   

(as you can see in almost all the previous pictures, family pictures were rough this year for emma and logan) 

the "in-laws." i'm so glad each of them joined our family. they add so much!

potty training logan

for months i have been trying to gear myself up to potty train logan. it wasn't as much a question of him being ready as it was of me being ready. but finally 3 weeks ago i decided to just take the plunge and do it (with very low expectations, that it was going to be the worst thing ever). i found a program to use and we went shopping for all sorts of "potty training" items. we bought underwear, new pjs, extra sheets, treats, fun drinks, and little prizes. we got a few new videos at the library, new bubbles, sidewalk chalk and a new coloring book. and every time logan asked for any of those items i told him excitedly that it was for potty training. let's just say that by the time we began potty training he was pumped! so the key with the program i used is that for 3 days you don't leave the house and are literally attached at the hip with your kid (so you can know the second they begin to have an accident). that means no talking on the phone, no checking email, no getting online etc. 100% focus! i was dreading being at home for 3 days. we all love to get out, which is why i had all sorts of new activities for us to do. i must say that the 100% focus, with none of the "regular" distractions was wonderful. it made me realize how "plugged in" i am. it was a good reminder to me of really being present and engaged with my kids. our first day (june 14) logan had about 4 accidents before it clicked (and luckily 2 of those were outside). and once it clicked, he would run to the bathroom on his own and hop on his lightning mcqueen potty (and he even went poop. sorry for the tmi, but those who have potty trained kiddos realize that is quite exciting)! part of the program that we used was that you don't put them in pull-ups at all. not even at night. so i was ready to be up in the night changing sheets and pajamas, but we didn't have to! the first night about 30 minutes after he went to bed he pooped in his underwear (and lucky for me, i was on a walk ;) but after that little accident he stayed dry all night long! he totally rocked it and i am so proud of him! he has been good to his mama and made her first potty training experience about as good as it could get. he has had the occasional accident over the past 3 weeks and we have had a few instances of logan telling me he needs to go to the bathroom when we're in a public place and we rush (literally me running and pushing my cart through target) only to find it was a false alarm and he didn't actually have to go (and i have to remind my frustrated self that a false alarm is better than an accident in target). so there you have it. more than you wanted to know about potty training logan (props to you for making it all the way through)!

the treat cups that sat on top of the tv as a constant reminder! he got to choose 1 piece of candy if he went pee and 1 piece of each candy if he went poop. even now, weeks later he still requests candy after he goes to the bathroom. sorry dude! that was a limited time offer :)

 

i can't get enough of him in underwear! he is so cute! the picture on the right was just after he went poop in the potty for the first time and had his stash of candy and his new car!

one of our activities on day 1 of our 3 day lock-down was making homemade gak. it was super easy (logan made it), super fun and he thinks the stuff is pretty sweet (me too)! (here are the directions for those interested)

there was also a lot of this going on during our lockdown (and after). chances are if you drop by my house, the couch cushions will be on the floor creating either a "tent" or a "slide." this is also when/how emma learned to climb up on the coffee table :)

i never got a picture of logan on the potty during potty training because we were all business (and just trying to make sure the pee went in the potty). so today i asked him just to "pose" on the potty. i just wanted to capture him sitting on his lightning mcqueen potty in the corner of our tiny bathroom for memories sake. in case you can't tell, he did not want to. i bribed him with watching a show if i could just take one. when i took a second (which was not part of the deal), he was not pleased. evidence on the right. 

 

he actually prefers now to pee standing up into the big toilet. it is so cute to see the little guy, with his cute little bare bum, standing next to such a big toilet. we have also trained him to pull up his shirt when it is hanging down so he doesn't pee on it! we had a few of those moments! 

and even though her eyes are closed, i had to put in a picture of one of logan's biggest supporters. she loves to be right with him...even in the bathroom. hopefully she will be inspired at an early age to potty train!

fun with finn and heston

last week i watched my friend's kids and since it was 99 degrees, we headed outside to play in the water (by the way, every time i see pictures of my backyard its ugliness kinda makes me want to cry). we started out with the sprinkler, but let's be honest, just playing with the hose is logan's favorite.

finn and logan turned the slide into a water slide and had a great time flying down it

these two are such great buddies and love to play together. i took this picture...

 which reminded me of this picture, taken nearly a year and a half ago. boy how they've grown! and time has flown.

 and these sweet pictures taken the day finn became a big brother (just a couple of months before logan became one)

father's day 2012

 

we were lucky enough to spend father's day with family and lots of yummy food. before church we had breakfast with the wesslers. man do i love breakfast food! 

i think this is a funny picture of the guys checking out pete's shade sails! 

i think this is such a great picture! i'm so grateful to pete for raising such a wonderful son. dave treats me so good and i think he learned that from his dad, who treats his mom like a queen. we're so grateful for him!

we met up with my family for a delicious dinner. mark put together a fun father's day game where i learned that the first father's day was celebrated in washington in 1910 (although it wasn't made an official nation wide holiday until 1972). 

i am still working on shooting on manual and a lot of my pictures didn't turn out. fail! i also didn't manage to get a picture of me and my dad or dave and the kids. but i did get a picture of the fruit "pizza" i made. apparently my picture priorities are a little out of whack. i am so grateful for a wonderful father who is kind, loving, has always supported me in whatever i have done and has been a wonderful example of living the gospel and serving others willingly and happily. and i am grateful for a wonderful husband who is the best dad. i love how apparent it is that he loves being a dad. he happily plays with the kids, reads to them, snuggles them and does whatever is needed for them. he teaches them the gospel, sings primary songs to them, gives them blessings and leads our family in scripture study and prayer. they are lucky to have such a wonderful example! watching dave as a father has only increased my love for him. it is one of the sweetest things for me to see. 

"Let us reflect gratitude for our fathers. Father is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children. Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family. This love for children, this desire to see them well and happy, is a constant in a time of change." President Thomas S. Monson