June 2017- Month of Birthdays

June means a month of birthdays in our family. Otto kicks it off turning 3 this year! We all had our traditional Chinese noodles on June 2nd in honor of Marissa's labor and sacrifice.

Everyone who participates gets their pictures in on Facebook. The Barbers (aren't they cute?), the Ruetz, Grandma Carolyn and Otto's cousin Jackson. 

We also celebrated with Matt's family before Grandma and Grandpa went on their trip to Oregon. Then, we had a "small" celebration at our house. Originally, the idea was that we wouldn't have a formal party for him this year and a few family members for some dinner and cake. However, it turned to to quite a celebration because we have so many awesome family members attend. The Reeders, Wisers (Marissa's sister and her children), Nana and Papa, Uncle Coltan and Aunt Megan, Grandma Joyce, and Coltan's mom Trina were all there to help us make it special for Otto. He got a water/sand table for the backyard and it was all we could do to tear him away and have some cake! He is one loved little boy.

We also love to honor Aimee and Shawn's birthdays this month. It is Grandma Becky's birthday in June, but we had to celebrate with them after they returned from their trip

An old friend from High School posted that he'd be selling some produce at the first Salt Lake City Farmer's market. Matt had to work that Saturday, so Otto and I got to spend a fantastic morning together. We got some delicious pastries, tried some homemade foods, played at the park, FINALLY got my first henna tattoo. I was on the lookout for a new anklet for the Summer, and I happened upon a tradesman that makes jewelry from precious stones. He said that the customer is drawn to the stones they are most in need. I chose a green from Australia and learned afterward that the description was incredibly personal to my situation. I know that wearing the anklet was going to bring me closer to prosperity.
Along those lines, Matt and I have been taking an online course by Allyson Chavez called the 3 Pillars of Prosperity. This foundations course has been experience in energy work, connecting to our higher power, gratitude, subconscious reprogramming, and connections in support of success. We have learned so much from being in this course, including keeping our eyes out for opportunities that help us follow our chosen path.





Nana and Papa took Otto for a weekend and allowed time for Matt and I to play. We finally got the peddle boat in the Oquirrh lake and spent the day enjoying our beautiful community. We docked the boat by SoDa Row and walked up to The Break for a hamburger. It was a fantastic day to relax. Matt wasn't convinced about keeping the boat, but after that day he can't wait to get it out there in the water again.

Matt had some slow weeks at work which gave him a little more time and freedom to work on projects at home. He fixed up a few motorized Huffy bikes and sold them to a collector. He bought an ATV and spent time taking the carburetor apart and back together (a few times) to get it working properly. It makes him so happy to tinker with things in the garage and find new projects that people are selling online. He is so good at it because he can usually tell what is wrong with a vehicle by the description and he likes to bring joy to the new families that buy his newly fixed up project.
While he's been having a great time with that, I had a fun girl's night out with Megan and Jena. Jena had tickets to Dirty Dancing at Eccles theater. I didn't mind that it was basically a stage version of the movie because I do so enjoy watching great dancers dance. It was a lot  of fun to dress up and have a nice evening out.
After Otto turned 3, I had to seriously get busy potty training. I bought him a book with a sticker chart and a bag of jelly beans plus extra packages of underwear. He had a very rough start the first day, but after that it was smooth sailing. He got a sticker every night that he spent the entire day dry. He was earning his favorite birthday gift that we kept on a shelf for him to see. He gets one jelly bean every time he goes on the potty. Every 40 minutes I ask if he needs to go potty and if he is keeping his underwear dry (to keep it in his mind). He can say, "no", but I wait 20 minutes and take him to the potty to try. He still wears a pull up for nap and bedtime. He was really excited about his Lightening McQueen underwear. It is amazing how many times poop and peepee are a part of everyday conversation every day, all day. Otto loves to talk a lot anyway, so we had long, drawn out conversations on the potty. I imagine that anyone overhearing us in a public restroom would think it was hilarious.
Otto didn't just get potty stuff for his birthday, he also got a pass to Thanksgiving Point. We have enjoyed the Curiosity Museum and Ancient Life Museum. He has met a new best friend at our exercise class. The first time I asked him what his new friend's name was, he said, "Cranky". I was laughing about it while sharing his response with the other moms. One mom said, "Did he mean Frankie? That is my son's name." Turns out, he did mean Frankie and we set up a play date at the museum with our new friends.
 We also used our pass when Coltan's mom was in town, we visited the Ashton Gardens. Otto liked feeding the fish at the pond. It is a beautiful place to see. However, taking a 3 year old to the Light of the World garden may not be the most reverent. While others are quietly contemplating the statues, he is shouting, "Look! It's Jesus! Jesus is talking to the crying woman." At least he knows who Jesus is.



 We participated in the Grand Opening of Discovery Kid's preschool in their new building. I was on duty to paint faces, but we got to tour the building and see the classrooms where Otto will be going and where I will be teaching. We met Princess Belle and Otto was completely star struck. He couldn't even speak to her (which is saying a lot).


Things about Otto:
1. He still loves trucks and is either playing, watching, or talking about trucks constantly.
2. He is so excited to start preschool. He keeps saying, "When I'm 3, I go to preschool!"
3. He names his Poops. Mommy Poop, Daddy poop, baby poop.
4. He loves to sing songs from the radio. He keeps singing, "Belina" which is actually, "Believer"
5. He is INCREDIBLY kind to the other kids at the exercise class. He shares his toys, and he comforts kids who are crying.
6. He started speaking in make-believe words and gobbedy-gook language. It drives me NUTS.
7. He loves watching movies with scary parts. He says they are exciting. We took him to see Pirate of the Caribbean 4 and I asked him if he'd be too scared. He said, "No. It is just pretend!"
8. He goes weeks without having to go to Time Out hardly ever. Then, a growth spurt hits . . . to be continued in July. . .