the potty diaries

this is what potty training looks like at our house:

nothin' but boots.

BUT it is working! we are on day 5 of potty training and things are going swimmingly. honestly, i wasn't looking to potty train this early. i was hoping to hold off until late summer because diapers seem so much easier for all our trips coming up this summer- but violet had other plans. she was ready! she sits on the potty all on her own and often tells me that she needs to go. what else am i waiting for, right? so, we got to it.

some struggles we have been running into:

*stickers are not a good enough incentive. she will demand a treat.
*violet has loved getting candy as an incentive. i honestly think she is trying to outsmart the system by only going halfway each time. she gets double treats that way...
*i opted to do the bare-bum method. this means little vi runs naked through the house for a few days as she tries to get it all down. day one, she had one accident. day two, she was PERFECT. no accidents. so, day three we tried to put on some underwear and pants- and that is where we ran into a problem. little vi was not interested in clothes. she was perfectly fine not wearing anything but boots. with some convincing, she put on pants...and promptly peed. awesome. it freaked her out to be wet, which is good, and since then she has been doing great in pants. we even made our first big, long outing yesterday and came home accident free!

potty trained before 2...? ok! we can handle that!

really special valentine

in our house, we had a different kind of valentine's day:

Really Special Valentine= RSV.

that's right r.s.v... poor little ivy had a terrible run in with the virus that took us to the hospital on valentine's day for suction sessions and doctor evaluations. she got plenty of love on the day dedicated to lovin' others. and the love continued for the next week.

luckily, by the time evening came around on the love holiday, we were able to sit down to candle light.

ivy is doing much better- with a little help from her monthly immune shot, she bounced back smiling all the while.

we love that little girl. especially on love day.

more birthday celebrations!

every month, we get together with my side of the family to celebrate the month's birthdays. we are big enough now to fill each month except november! i always love getting together with the fam- we are a close bunch.

as previously mentioned, february is a big month for us. we celebrated again for violet, cade and i - but we also share the month with my handsome dad.


violet loved all her gifts and dove into all the sweets.

look how excited i am for her! #momoftheyear

ivy got some lovin from cousin korb and aunt nettie.


ivy's a real peach- even if she hates how we sing for the birthdays. do you think she is feeling left out with all this birthday stuff? i hope not because we can't get enough of her.

violet's first sleepover

sure, she has had overnighters before- but i think this will count as vi's first sleepover.

her cousin owen came to play and they had a blast! i truly love watching these two interact. they are different in so many ways but they just seems to get one another. i love how they play, how they fight and how they make up. love it all.

they decided to sleep in a glowing tent. for you amateurs, this is a tent filled with glow sticks. the ultimate sleeping spot. i was a little worried that they wouldn't do well sleeping through the night like this- but it went great!

i should have taken more pictures of their adventures together- but after a fun, messy day, they ended up in the bath. serious giggles ensued as they splashed and soaked one another.


the sweetest moment of the day was when owen asked violet to be his "pretend sister." she just answered with one of her big hugs.

you see why i love these two?

the triple birthday!!!

with three birthdays in february, we find that we are celebrating all month long. there is nothing wrong with that- but we think our friends and family may be on taylor overload when the end of the month finally comes. so this year, we threw a big bash for all three of us at once! where else would you throw a triple birthday other than classic skating? i mean, i had my seventh birthday party there and cade is a maniac on skates. it just made sense.

don't worry, we classed it up a little with a nice spread.

and violet turned out to be a natural on skates. yes, this two year old was out skating with the rest of us. i may be biased here, but seriously, violet is the best.


she did, however, take a few breaks to sneak her fingers into the frosting.

and love on nana and granny.

and party with the rest of the guests we celebrated with. just for record keeping purposes, i think we should mention that cade and i counted over 75 people who came to party with us! we love all our friends and family- thanks for celebrating, snowballing, and dancing along with us as we karaoked to gaga.

gypsy cookies

we teamed up with some of our favorite neighbors for our recent movie and their boys felt like stars. plus, it was great way to spend a saturday night!

papa roach is 28

we love daddy. we REALLY love daddy. so... when we get the chance to celebrate with him we happily take it!

the birthday started off with breakfast with his girls. it was a "choose your own adventure" birthday where cade got to pick the perfect combination of activities. of all the creative options i gave him- he chose dinner and a movie. i should mention we rarely go out these days... i should also mention that i love a good date with my man.

granny and grandpa watched the girls- and we can't thank them enough! violet always has a blast with them .


the best present cade got this year?

ivy gave her first, great giggle. she is such a happy and smiley baby, but she would not laugh! even with our best material, this baby held out. turns out, she was waiting to give her daddy the perfect gift. sadly, her giggling hasn't improved. we are still working hard for her chuckles...

cade really is the best papa around. his positive outlook on everything that comes his way is refreshing. i love that he always sees the best in everyone and has a smile in every situation. it makes everyday fun. seriously, how many people can you say that about?

happy birthday, cade!

a snowless winter

violet and i have been so excited to play in the snow. and we have been waiting patiently for snow for months now. MONTHS.

every once in a while, we get a dusting- but it usually melts within the hour. even when it snows in the mountains or in SLC, we get nothing. it is almost creepy. a snowless winter? i am just really hoping that the snow isn't scheduled for spring because all this sunshine is giving us spring fever!

this little snow-seeker still manages to have some fun...

even if her snow pants still have the tags on them.

live from the mancave

death star d!

the fellas over at death star d dropped by to broadcast their weekly podcast from the mancave!

i thought it deserved a post.

(not pictured: cade and ross chasing a house full of kids upstairs)

saying goodbye to our granny

as you lighten another's heart
your heart will expand. -granny woolf

sweet granny woolf passed away and we already miss her so much. she is such an example of faith, love, and a joyous life. she truly LOVED life and her zest was infectious.

her funeral was full of beautiful stories that made us all laugh and cry. we celebrated her life with smiles knowing that she was finally back with her "yummy" husband and her two sons.

her body was laid in a beautiful spot that overlooks the salt lake valley. we gathered together on a fabulous january day to say our goodbyes.





and then we all ate cracker jacks and twizzlers- because granny would have wanted it that way.


we also took some time at granny's for a bit.


violet played on the same blue carpet that cade has played on for years. the cousins have had such great times at granny's.




and it was fun to do it again.

here are more of her poems

a happy heart
a thankful heart
a prayerful heart
and a sweetheart
makes heaven on earth!

love is just a word
until it means something to you.
and this meaning only comes when
you've given all of you.

i will guard
i will watch
i will guide
i will pray
i will be the best mother
for my baby today

Donna Rae Bartlett Woolf

Donna Rae Bartlett Woolf

1923 ~ 2012

Donna Rae Bartlett Woolf, 88, of Provo, Utah passed away on January 8, 2012, due to natural causes. She will be sorely missed.

Donna Rae was born July 7, 1923 to Helen Rose and Ross Bartlett in Roosevelt, Utah. She married her sweetheart, Bill Woolf, in the Salt Lake Temple May 29, 1942.

Donna Rae was an active and faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved her associations in the various auxiliaries where she served, especially the Young Women's organization. When Bill retired, they served four missions together, one to Ireland, one to North Dakota and two to Hawaii.

Donna Rae loved being a mother and serving her family and friends of which she had many. She enjoyed writing poetry and children's stories. The whole family will miss the hilarious Fourth of July and Christmas parties held each year.

Donna Rae is survived by her children, Leslie (Ray) Taylor, Trina (Dave) Axford, Melinda (Jim) Harris, JoAnna (Rick) Matthes, Ross (Suzy) Woolf, 22 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Bill and two sons Bart and David.