trapped in the basement!

I'm not going to lie...about once a week someone tells me to update the blog. Now, I ask you...if all you did was play inside your basement everyday and your kids had on their jammies all day AND you had on your jammies all day because you are so darn cold...would you have anything to talk about? Let me answer that for you...no you wouldn't. But thankfully we've had crazy weather and played outside recently. A few weeks ago we were hit with a winter storm...it wasn't too bad here and we just got a few inches of snow and ice. Clay and Clif got to play on the sled that Doc and Mam sent Clif...I mean Clay. They were hilarious on that thing...Clif would run behind Clay and then jump on it was funny. Now this week, we had spring-like weather. It has been awesome...unfortunately snow is coming on Saturday...but this week has been amazing. I didn't realize how much I missed being outside! It's been months since we have had weather above the 50s.

Clay-Jack has been really fun recently. Of course he makes us laugh all of the time. But, he's also become much more mature...we can finally reason with him somewhat. It's an amazing milestone for me personally, because it's exhausting to constantly feel like you and your child are on opposing sides. Until recently every single moment of the day was a struggle and a fight. It has been that way for so long, I had forgotten what it was like to not struggle with Clay! But, finally after much prayer...I think we have turned a small corner. (Ummm...there are still struggles it's just not every single moment.) Yesterday I decided to make Clay wear those horrible training pants...the underwear and the outer plastic covering (potty-training Clay has of course been one of the more difficult trials of motherhood for me!). He was really ticked about it, but every other type of potty-training has NOT worked. But in his first day in those things...he stayed dry all day. That's huge around here. Those of you that I've asked to pray about this...please don't stop! He also is still into characters. Recently, he has been a cowboy everyday, wearing his Dad's and Uncle Clay's old shirts, wranglers, a hat, boots and of course a belt. If you are interested in a challenge...try to put wranglers over those horrible plastic potty-training undies...not an easy task! He chooses his clothes everyday...and he's VERY adamant about what goes onto his body!

Evs has turned into a person...with likes and dislikes...opinions...and a funny little personality. More than once Clif and I have said, "Oh no...she's funny too!" We are a little worried that one home can only have so much crazy-funny personality in it! She's still tiny...almost 14 months old and 18.8 pounds, but fortunately she gained enough weight that they are no longer concerned. She's a serious eater...eating as much or more than Clay at every meal. She loves milk and her babies...and with the warm weather this week we bought her a swing for the playset outside. (That's the action shot!) She's still crawling and cruising on furniture. Strangers always comment on her crawling speed...she's been doing it so long that she is super-fast! She loves when her Daddy comes home from work...she's always there to clap and give him a hug when he walks in the door. Recently, she's become enamored with dogs. Luckily, all of our neighbors have sweet dogs that let her pat on them. We re loving getting to know her and even though I wish she was always quiet and passive...as a little sister myself...I love that she stands up to Clay already and doesn't let him push her around!

This month we are remodeling our downstairs bath...remodeling is a nice word. I will post some photos of that bathroom and you will be amazed and disgusted that we had a bathroom that horrible in our home! Clif tore everything out of there a few weeks ago and cut a hole in the floor for the new shower, and is currently framing the walls. Unfortunately work is slow because it's right beneath Evy's room...which means if we work when she's asleep it messes with her sleep, but if we work when the kids are awake...then Clay is always in the middle of it all...with a pencil behind his ear, a measuring tape and asking what he can do to help!