Springtime

Piper and Rick collected sticks together to help clean up the yard. Our landlords came over and cleaned up the front and backyard. Piper and I are planning to plant some tomatoes, strawberries, and carrots on the side of the house.

Piper is modeling her new spring jacket too.

We went to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday. Our friends made these cute egg cake pops from a recipe on Bakerella.

Piper and Ellie enjoying the spoils from the hunt.

Toronto

The weather wasn't great in Toronto but we had a great time with Rick. We stayed at the Four Seasons and Piper declared "I want to stay in this hotel forever." I think that she was mesmerized by the pancake room service and the in-room movies.

Here's Piper hard "at work" at the hotel desk.

During the first day there Rick had to work so Piper and I went to the Ontario Science Center. It was packed with kids but we stayed for a few hours.

Looking through the "noculars"

Doing some shopping at the fake grocery store

Our future grocery cashier. Her dad, a former bag boy, would be so proud.

Enjoying our "decadent" Sunday room service. Rick was trying to class it up as much as possible.

CN Tower, the tallest free-standing structure on land in the world at 1815 ft. tall

What a big moose!

This is Piper standing on the glass floor with a street-view at her feet.

Me sitting on the glass floor

She's not scared. (Or "shared" as Piper pronounces it.)

Road trip

About a week and a half ago Piper and I took a road trip to Toronto to visit Rick.

Here are some shots of Piper outside of Cracker Barrel eating her first marshmallow Peep. Yum.

We stopped in Niagara Falls on the way. Before we got there Piper had told me that wanted to go swimming in the falls. She changed her mind once she saw the power of the current. Piper loved just being able to run around in the cold mist. I wish that we'd had more time there.

Love that rainbow

Something's different

Recently we've started potty training Piper. We've tried to ease into it, using pull-ups when we're away from home and training pants when we're at home. She's taken to it pretty well. We've been low-pressure but she is always excited to get a sticker and a mini-marshmallow when she stays dry when I check her, or when she sits on the toilet, or when she goes. We still need to get over the hurdle of using a toilet outside the house. But our girl is sure growing up.

Cutie in her undies

I saw an idea in a potty training article on how to protect our new couch while potty training. So yes we went to PetCo and bought this incontinent pet blanket. Piper knows that she has to sit on it whenever she's wearing underwear and sitting on the couch or an armchair. Don't judge me for treating my child like a sick dog.

Kirtland

About ten days ago we took a little day trip to Kirtland. We got a little lost getting there but enjoyed it. We watched a short movie about the history of the church in Kirtland. Piper got upset when they tarred and feathered Joseph Smith. We then took a tour around Historic Kirtland.

Unfortunately we got to the temple 15 minutes too late to take a tour inside. We did take some pictures outside though.

I was smiling in this picture as opposed to the next photo where I have my eyes closed...

But Rick and Piper are smiling in this one.


Piper on the temple steps

Ellie and Piper

Yes, I'm finally back to blogging.

Here's a picture of Piper and her friend Ellie at a church basketball game. It's crazy how old Piper looks in this picture; she looks like she could be 15.

Beautiful After the Belly

My old college roommate Bonnie has this great health blog that you should check out. Click here for Beautiful After the Belly. Bonnie is a Certified Personal Trainer with a specialization in Maternal Fitness and Tupler technique and she also does nutritional consulting. Her tips mostly apply to pregnant women and women who've never been pregnant. Here are a few bits of wisdom she's shared:

• "Crunches are the mother of horrible things a postpartum women (even if it's been decades) can do to her body. Crunches can actually CREATE a separation of the rectus abdominus (the 6-pack muscle)."
• "According to a study that appeared in Diabetes Care, a journal published by the American Diabetes Association, a diet rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) may help reduce abdominal fat better than a carbohydrate rich diet."

Check it out; it's packed with information and great advice.