BYE-BYE BINKY

TALIA IS TURNING TWO NEXT MONTH AND I REMEMBER THIS TIME LAST YEAR BLAKE AND I WERE TELLING EACH OTHER THAT WE WOULD BREAK TALIA'S HABIT OF THE BINKY BEFORE SHE TURNED ONE. WELL.....

EVERYONE I'M SURE IS JUDGING US BEHIND OUR BACKS BUT WHATEVER! WE KNEW WE WOULD DO IT EVENTUALLY.

WE TRIED ALL THE SUGGESTIONS PEOPLE GAVE US. SNIPPING THE END, ONLY GIVING IT TO HER AT NIGHT ETC. SHE STILL WAS A BINKYAHOLIC. DURING THE TRIP TO DC SHE MADE ME CRAZY. SHE WOULD LOSE IT THEN CRY TILL I FOUND IT. I WAS DONE!

THE MORNING WE GOT HOME I SAID "ALRIGHT TAY TODAY WE ARE GONNA THROW YOUR BINKY IN THE TRASH." I FOUND ONE BINKY AND WALKED HER OUTSIDE. I OPENED THE TRASH CAN AND SAID "THROW YOUR BINKY AWAY".. SHE SAID "NO" (OF COURSE) AND THEN I PROMISED HER A COOKIE AND AFTER MUCH THOUGHT SHE TOSSED IT IN. I PRAISED HER BY JUMPING UP AND DOWN SCREAMING HOW WONDERFUL SHE WAS. SHE WAS TICKLED PINK AT HER ACCOMPLISHMENT.

AN HOUR LATER I GOT ANOTHER BINKY AND ASKED HER TO REPEAT WHAT SHE HAD DONE EARLIER WITH THE FIRST. THE REST OF THE DAY IT BECAME A GAME AND SHE GLADLY TOSSED THEM IN ONE AT A TIME. ALL DAY I WOULD REMIND TALIA THAT SHE THREW THE BINKY IN THE TRASH AND IT WENT BYE-BYE. THAT WHEN SHE WENT TO BED SHE COULD NOT HAVE IT ANYMORE. (I HAD NO CLUE IF SHE UNDERSTOOD)

THAT NIGHT AFTER HER BATH WE WENT IN HER ROOM AND I READ HER THE "BYE BYE BINKY" BOOK. SHE CRIED AS I READ IT AND I PUT HER TO BED. WAS IT A LONG NIGHT??? HELL YES IT WAS A LONG NIGHT!!! SHE WOKE UP EVERY COUPLE HOURS CRYING. THE WEIRD THING WAS SHE NEVER ASKED ONCE FOR THE BINKY SHE JUST CRIED. I WOULD CUDDLE HER AND TELL HER I WAS SORRY THAT THE BINKY WAS GONE BUT THAT SHE WAS A BIG GIRL NOW. THE NEXT MORNING WE FOUND ANOTHER BINKY. SHE INSTANTLY POP-ED IT IN HER MOUTH TOOK A FEW LAST SUCKS AND TOSSED IT IN THE TRASH. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY WORD OF IT SINCE. SHE ALWAYS CRIES FOR HER BINKY. ITS PRACTICALLY HER FAVORITE WORD BUT SHE HAS NOT SAID IT ONCE.

THE WEAKNESS IN THIS WHOLE SITUATION WAS BLAKE AND I. WE WOULD ALWAYS START TAKING IT AWAY BUT THEN GIVE IN. NOW WE CANT. THEY ARE ALL GONE!

THE TRASH MAN SHOWED UP AND WE RAN OUTSIDE TO WATCH HIM DUMP THE TRASH INTO HIS TRUCK. WE BOTH WAVED GOOD BYE TO THE BINKY'S AND TALIA YELLED "BYE-BYE BINKY" WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE..... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

washington d.c.

Krista and Ben moved to Virginia for the semester. Ben was offered an "ex-tern ship" with Senator John Kyle at the capital. Pretty exciting stuff. While they were out there Talia and I took a trip out to visit and tour the city. I was more then freaking out about the plane ride with Tay but... it went perfect. BEYOND PERFECT. My little girl was an angel and behaved herself the whole time. The whole trip in fact! Looks like prayer really does work. Thank you sweetheart for not making Mommy want to lose her mind!!!

The trip was so much fun. Every day was better than the last. The week went by sooooooo fast. While Ben slaved away at work Krista and I took the girls out. I was blessed to get the chance to spend time with family and see our Nations Capital.

THE FIRST DAY:

WE DID THE WHOLE TOURIST THING. WE PARKED AND WALKED TO ALL THE MONUMENTS NEAR THE CAPITAL

THE CAPITAL WHERE BEN WORKS

IF YOU LOOK REALLY CLOSE YOU CAN SEE JENNY AND

FOREST IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WATER.

I WAS TRYING TO GET ABE IN THE PICTURE WITH US BUT.....

DAY 2:

WE WENT TO GEORGE TOWN. WE WALKED AROUND,

DID A LITTLE SHOPPING AND ATE DELICIOUS CUPCAKES

THERE IS A SHOW ON TLC ABOUT THIS CUPCAKE SHOP IN DC. I TOLD KRISTA THAT WE HAD TO GO. THE LINE USUALLY WRAPS AROUND THE BUILDING BUT WE DIDNT CARE.... WE KNEW IT WOULD BE WORTH THE WAIT AND BOY WAS IT!!!!! WE CHOSE 6 DIFFERENT KINDS AND ATE THEN BITE FOR BITE. THE FROSTING IS THE BEST PART. VERY LIGHT AND FLUFFY AND THE CAKE IS MOIST TO PERFECTION. WE BOTH AGREED THAT THE RED VELVET WAS THE BEST.. YUM

WE WONDERED INTO THE CUTEST BABY BOUTIQUE. EVERYTHING WAS IRRESISTIBLE AND $PRICEY$ BUT WHEN KRISTA HELD UP THIS LITTLE NUMBER I COULD NOT RESIST! TALIA WILL HAVE TO WEAR IT EVERY DAY AND THEN BLAKE AND I WILL HAVE TO HAVE 3 MORE DAUGHTERS TO MAKE THE PRICE

REASONABLE BUT LOOK AT IT!!! IT IS THE CUTEST DRESS EVER AND THE PURPLE BOOTS.! WE WERE BESIDE OURSELVES WITH THE THINGS IN THE STORE.

LATER THAT AFTERNOON KRISTA WAS FEEDING TAYLOR AND TALIA DECIDED TEDDY NEEDED TO EAT TOO SO SHE TOOK KRISTAS NURSING COVER PUT IT ON AND FED THE BEAR.... KRISTA AND I WERE CHATTING WHEN WE TURNED TO FIND THIS. LOL

WE FINISHED UP THE DAY WITH COUSIN BATHS

DAY3:

WE WENT TO THE ZOO. LIKE MOST THINGS IN D.C. IT WAS FREE. (EXCEPT PARKING)

THE BIG ATTRACTION AT THIS ZOO IS THE PANDA BEARS. ONLY A FEW ZOOS HAVE THEM SO IT WAS SUPER EXCITING TO SEE ONE. IT WAS EATING TIME SO THE BEARS WERE INSIDE.

IT WAS FUNNY TO ME TO SEE COWS AT A ZOO HERE IN AZ THEY ROAM FREE. THEY ALSO HAD PRAIRIE DOGS. ..WEIRD

DAY 4:

TODAY WE WENT TO SEE THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE AQUARIUM.

IT WAS A SUPER HOT DAY!!!!

THE WHITE HOUSE. I WAS HOPING TO SEE OBAMA BUT I THINK TAY MIGHT BE A REPUBLICAN CAUSE SHE WAS NOT AS EXCITED AS I WAS AT ALL

ROUND 2...... YES WE WERE ASHAMED TO ADMIT IT BUT WE WENT BACK FOR MORE. IT WAS PROBABLY A GOOD THING WE WENT BACK FOR SECONDS BECAUSE KRISTA AND I BOTH FELT SICK AFTERWARDS... I DONT THINK I WILL BE CRAVING THESE EVER AGAIN. I DEFINITELY GOT MY FIX ON GEORGETOWN CUPCAKES!

ISNT SHE CUTE??? I LOVE THIS LITTLE FACE

DAY 6:

WE DROVE OVER TO THE WASHINGTON DC TEMPLE. IT WAS HUGE! AND BEAUTIFUL. I AM USE TO SEEING THE NEWER SMALLER TEMPLES SO WHEN I SEE THE LARGE ONES THEY AMAZE ME. IN THE VISITORS CENTER THERE WAS A DISPLAY OF A WOMAN'S SCULPTURES OF CHRIST. THEY WERE UNBELIEVABLE. THERE WERE SCRIPTURES BELOW EACH STATUE THAT REMINDED YOU JUST HOW WONDERFUL CHRIST REALLY IS. IT WAS A VERY HUMBLING EXPERIENCE.

THE GIRLS FELL IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER. WHEN TAYLOR WOULD GO TO BED TALIA WOULD CRY AND EVERY DAY THEY WOULD HAVE THESE LAUGH ATTACKS. TAYLOR WOULD BE SITTING IN HER BOUNCER WHILE TALIA WOULD RUN AROUND HER AND THEY WOULD BOTH SCREAM AT THE TOP OF THERE LUNGS AND THEN LAUGH HYSTERICALLY. IT WAS AWESOME.

SEE YA AT CHRISTMAS NEILSEN FAMILY

Good bye summer

-Summer Photo of The Call Family-