A funny thing happened in the bathroom this morning. As all mom's of small children know, it is pretty much impossible to go to the bathroom without company during these days of toddlerhood. So today I went to the bathroom and, just after I sat down, Ben came in, pulled up a small stool and said, with a big grin, "Let's talk." That was a first and I couldn't help but laugh. I said "OK, what would you like to talk about?" and he said, with another big grin, "Porcupine."
This is such a cute age:). The boys are so much fun. I love to watch them play together. They are really enjoying each other these days, when they are not aggravating each other:). Three times now I have heard one of them (usually Nick) ask the other one (usually Ben), "Can I play/sit/read with you?" and the response was "Yes, please." I just heard it again this morning when Ben was getting up in a chair to play with this Leapfrog alphabet toy and Nick asked if he could play too. I love hearing them be nice and sweet to each other.
Favorite things to play these days are:
bus - lining up the tall chairs for the island, bringing along some stuff animals or the boy dolls that Aunt Kathy gave them, one of them (usually Ben) with the little steering wheel toy that makes noises like a big truck. If Nick gets the steering wheel first, Ben just can't stand it. Eventually Nick usually gives in and gives it to Ben and then everything is once again peaceful. This happened just today and, once Nick gave the toy to Ben, Ben said "I so happy now!".
shopping - they take their shopping carts and drive them around the house, pretending to shop for groceries or other things. They also like for me to write out a grocery list for each of them sometimes.
driving - they frequently pretend they are driving their trikes, 'bike' or big truck to the grocery store, Home Depot, Sam's Club, daddy's office or to Aunt Kathy and Mama's house. This can keep them busy for quite some time. They will also take other toys or animals along with them sometimes. They are getting better at pedaling now and they practice this while they are driving to where ever they happen to be going. They always tell me, multiple times, "goodbye" or "see you later".
trucks - they enjoy getting all of their matchbox-size cars and trucks and playing with them on the couch. They make mountains and valleys from the cushions and pillows and they have a ball.
trains - they enjoy playing with their train table and have started putting together long lines of trains and moving them around the tracks.
dress up - they dress up in the dad's old ties, any hats that happen to be laying around and their policeman, fireman and cowboy dress up clothes and they pretend to ride horses or motorcycles.
cooking - they love pretending they are cooking up all kinds of foods and then bringing them for me or anyone else who happens to be here to taste.
other - they also enjoy coloring, cutting, pasting, painting and putting together puzzles.
outside - they love being outside, although we have not been out quite as much lately. Now that it has cooled down a bit, we will start getting out every day again. They love playing in the water (pool, hose, sprinkler, spray bottles, etc.), in their sand box, on their swing set/slide, with their wagon, and with all of the other little push and ride on toys. They enjoy digging in the dirt and playing mud pies, coloring with chalk on the sidewalks and blowing bubbles. I have been wanting to get them this for quite a while now. The dad just agreed yesterday that we could go ahead and get it but now I can't find the deal I had found before so I don't know what I am going to do now. I'm thinking about it but I think it might be a good thing to have, since we will be homeschooling and they can't really ride bikes around here safely. We really need to have some things they can do to get some good exercise. I'll have to think about it some more though.
In other news, Ben has had a few accidents lately. I think it is confusing for him because we use pull ups when we go to church and some other places where bathrooms may not be easily available. We are back to square one with Nick. He is now wearing diapers again and he is very happy about it. He wants to lay down for his diaper change and will say "I baby". Not sure what this is all about but he has clearly regressed and is enjoying it. I thought he might refuse to wear the diaper and want to start going to the bathroom like a big boy but NOT. I guess he is just not ready yet. I have no doubt that he can do it if he wants to. He just gets busy playing and does not want to stop to go to the bathroom. Ben will say "I big boy" and I praise him for going to the potty. But today, after he had had an accident, he said he wanted to wear a diaper. I did not let him and I told him he is a big boy and knows how to use the potty and he seemed OK with it. It is a difficult situation, since they are so close in age but I am not ready to go back to square one with both of them. He is normally pretty good about it though. I think I will retrain Nick after he turns three and the holidays are over, unless he shows interest again before then.
Our friends from Kansas City are coming to visit for Labor Day weekend. I am so looking forward to seeing them. The kids will have a ball together and it will be nice to catch up with my friend. We are also planning a short vacation sometime in September, although the details are still a bit fuzzy. It will be nice to get away though. It's been a long time.
Naps these days are getting shorter and shorter. I am lucky if I get an hour to an hour and a half for a break. I miss my breaks, although I am thankful the boys are playing together more these days. They are also very funny and fun to hang out with but I am not getting done all that I need to get done. They are napping now but not for long.
I must get busy now. Sorry I am not updating as much these days. With the shorter naps, too many things to do on my list and all of the election news to keep up with, I don't have much time left for updating now days. I have more pictures to post but will have to do it later. See ya!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
August 17, 2008 Part 3
The dad took these pictures. 
The boys are still in their P.J.'s so this must have been in the morning. Not sure where I was at the time but they were having fun.
Pretending to drive a bus.
I have no idea what the attraction is to sitting under the table while eating a snack. They are waiting for me to be ready to go somewhere and, for some reason, this is a popular thing to do these days. If you look closely, you can see that they are holding hands and Nick has his eyes closed and is praying.
Dancer was sitting in this basket and Nick decided that he wanted to sit with him.
I was surprised that Dancer hung around for this close-up attention from Nick but I think Dancer really likes Nick most of the time.
This is my nephew, reading to Ben, as Ben is dressed up in his police uniform. They are starting to really get into the dress-up thing now days.
And here is a picture of my sister, with Nick on her back and Ben standing on her legs, as she crawls around the room giving a horse ride. Ben was pulling her pants down and he is quite heavy so I am sure he did not feel too good on her legs. She is quite the trooper:)!
Here is one of our painting sessions. 
Ben and I were using paint brushes. Nick was using his fingers and paint brushes.
This is the fish I painted this time.
Here are the yummy muffins I made. We ate them while they were still warm, while we were painting. They are chocolate chip, banana walnut muffins:). (must have chocolate!)
Here is Ben, just as his new black eye was starting to emerge. You can still see the bruise on top of his scar too.
One day we just got out a bunch of craft supplies and started gluing and coloring. 
The boys had fun but I did not have any crafty ideas that we could make. Now I have this book so we will have good projects for a while.
Ben got caught up in the spider web I made:).
And here is the spider.
Unfortunately, none of this was any where near toddler proof so it didn't last very long. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
The boys are still in their P.J.'s so this must have been in the morning. Not sure where I was at the time but they were having fun.
Pretending to drive a bus.
I have no idea what the attraction is to sitting under the table while eating a snack. They are waiting for me to be ready to go somewhere and, for some reason, this is a popular thing to do these days. If you look closely, you can see that they are holding hands and Nick has his eyes closed and is praying.
Dancer was sitting in this basket and Nick decided that he wanted to sit with him.
I was surprised that Dancer hung around for this close-up attention from Nick but I think Dancer really likes Nick most of the time.
This is my nephew, reading to Ben, as Ben is dressed up in his police uniform. They are starting to really get into the dress-up thing now days.
And here is a picture of my sister, with Nick on her back and Ben standing on her legs, as she crawls around the room giving a horse ride. Ben was pulling her pants down and he is quite heavy so I am sure he did not feel too good on her legs. She is quite the trooper:)!
Here is one of our painting sessions. 
Ben and I were using paint brushes. Nick was using his fingers and paint brushes.
This is the fish I painted this time.
Here are the yummy muffins I made. We ate them while they were still warm, while we were painting. They are chocolate chip, banana walnut muffins:). (must have chocolate!)
Here is Ben, just as his new black eye was starting to emerge. You can still see the bruise on top of his scar too.
One day we just got out a bunch of craft supplies and started gluing and coloring. 
The boys had fun but I did not have any crafty ideas that we could make. Now I have this book so we will have good projects for a while.
Ben got caught up in the spider web I made:).
And here is the spider.
Unfortunately, none of this was any where near toddler proof so it didn't last very long. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
August 17, 2008 Part 2
I'm back from nap duty and have thought of a couple more things I want to document.
Ben thinks he is so funny these days. He will do something, laugh at himself and say "I funny!", with a great big smile. He cracks me up. Other things he says a lot these days is "mommy, come see!" and "you like it?". He is still stuck on this porcupine thing and, most of the time, that is the answer to the question "what would you like to eat for breakfast/lunch?". It is also the answer to any question to which he does not know the answer and it is normally accompanied by his big, beautiful smile.
Ben has this thing about computers. He just can't seem to resist pushing buttons, even though he knows it is a no no. Today, I caught him (again) playing with the dad's computer and I disciplined him for it, as he knows very well will happen in this situation. I was holding him afterwards and he said "I turn three, I computer, I turn three". I cracked up laughing. He knows that when he turns three he gets to start watching a little tv so I guess he thought he might also try for a computer of his own. He wants one "like daddy's" because, as he says, "I wike it best". I saw a Leap Frog type letter/phonics-learning thing at the homeschooling consignment store yesterday for $10 and I almost bought it. It opens up like a computer and it has a small (very small) screen in the part that folds down. It also has a keyboard of sorts so it looks very much like a laptop. I know he would love this thing and now I'm wishing I would have bought it. I'll have to go back over there sometime and see if they still have it or something similar. His birthday is at the end of September so it will be here before we know it.
This morning at breakfast, Nick said "I want milk please". Both boys are doing very well with their pleases and thank you's, although they are still learning when to use want, would like, etc.
It is so funny having toddlers because, one day, you are suddenly hit square between the eyes with something you have been saying all the time but you never realized you said it that much. The word that recently hit me in the eyes is "need". Suddenly, out of the blue, both boys started saying "I need that", "I need to..." or "but I neeeeeeed it", etc. to me and to each other. It really cracked me up because it made me realize how often I tell them they need to do so and so or I need to do so and so. Very funny. The other popular thing to say now, if things are not going just the way one of them wants it too, is "I so sad". This is usually Nick's saying and he says it with so much inflection and meaning in his voice that it just takes everything I have in me not to crack up laughing, especially since it is usually said about something really funny, like the cat does not want Nick's display of affection, or Nick does not get his way about something he wants. Very funny. I really love it that they can communicate so well now. It is so much fun. I frequently tell them that they are two of my favorite people in the whole wide world. So now they will sometimes, out of the blue, say "mommy, whole wide world". Very cute. Nick is especially very affectionate these days. He is definitely our little touchy-feely guy but Ben does not appreciate it much when Nick is touchy-feely-huggy with him. On the other hand, Ben does need a lot of hugs and holdings at various times too.
In other news, the dad is working on finishing up the master bathroom floor, from the tiling project. He is still doing hospital duty, rounds every morning, on-call until 6:00pm weekdays and all night on Sat/Sun...or something like that. We have had a lot of things interfere with finishing up the bathroom floor, most significantly the dad's recent hospitalization. But he has it almost finished. He has put all the baseboards back up, the nail holes are caulked and he is now doing the final touch-up painting and some final caulking. He has done a beautiful job and the tile looks really nice. He really pays attention to the details and does a wonderful job. We are both very pleased with the tile that we picked. It ended up looking very nice in our bathroom.
I have a list of things that I need to finish but I can't seem to spend enough time on any one thing to be able to mark it off my (mental) list. I really need to write down my list, as I might be more focused and be able to accomplish more that way. I am still working on analyzing our grocery bill and we still have more work to do on our budget. I am still working on lifebooks for the boys and am feeling very guilty that I am not further along. At some point soon, I will need to start shopping for fall clothes for the boys, as I am sure nothing from last year will fit them. There are many of other things on my list of to-do's but those are my top priorities right now.
Pictures to come. Happy Sunday!
Ben thinks he is so funny these days. He will do something, laugh at himself and say "I funny!", with a great big smile. He cracks me up. Other things he says a lot these days is "mommy, come see!" and "you like it?". He is still stuck on this porcupine thing and, most of the time, that is the answer to the question "what would you like to eat for breakfast/lunch?". It is also the answer to any question to which he does not know the answer and it is normally accompanied by his big, beautiful smile.
Ben has this thing about computers. He just can't seem to resist pushing buttons, even though he knows it is a no no. Today, I caught him (again) playing with the dad's computer and I disciplined him for it, as he knows very well will happen in this situation. I was holding him afterwards and he said "I turn three, I computer, I turn three". I cracked up laughing. He knows that when he turns three he gets to start watching a little tv so I guess he thought he might also try for a computer of his own. He wants one "like daddy's" because, as he says, "I wike it best". I saw a Leap Frog type letter/phonics-learning thing at the homeschooling consignment store yesterday for $10 and I almost bought it. It opens up like a computer and it has a small (very small) screen in the part that folds down. It also has a keyboard of sorts so it looks very much like a laptop. I know he would love this thing and now I'm wishing I would have bought it. I'll have to go back over there sometime and see if they still have it or something similar. His birthday is at the end of September so it will be here before we know it.
This morning at breakfast, Nick said "I want milk please". Both boys are doing very well with their pleases and thank you's, although they are still learning when to use want, would like, etc.
It is so funny having toddlers because, one day, you are suddenly hit square between the eyes with something you have been saying all the time but you never realized you said it that much. The word that recently hit me in the eyes is "need". Suddenly, out of the blue, both boys started saying "I need that", "I need to..." or "but I neeeeeeed it", etc. to me and to each other. It really cracked me up because it made me realize how often I tell them they need to do so and so or I need to do so and so. Very funny. The other popular thing to say now, if things are not going just the way one of them wants it too, is "I so sad". This is usually Nick's saying and he says it with so much inflection and meaning in his voice that it just takes everything I have in me not to crack up laughing, especially since it is usually said about something really funny, like the cat does not want Nick's display of affection, or Nick does not get his way about something he wants. Very funny. I really love it that they can communicate so well now. It is so much fun. I frequently tell them that they are two of my favorite people in the whole wide world. So now they will sometimes, out of the blue, say "mommy, whole wide world". Very cute. Nick is especially very affectionate these days. He is definitely our little touchy-feely guy but Ben does not appreciate it much when Nick is touchy-feely-huggy with him. On the other hand, Ben does need a lot of hugs and holdings at various times too.
In other news, the dad is working on finishing up the master bathroom floor, from the tiling project. He is still doing hospital duty, rounds every morning, on-call until 6:00pm weekdays and all night on Sat/Sun...or something like that. We have had a lot of things interfere with finishing up the bathroom floor, most significantly the dad's recent hospitalization. But he has it almost finished. He has put all the baseboards back up, the nail holes are caulked and he is now doing the final touch-up painting and some final caulking. He has done a beautiful job and the tile looks really nice. He really pays attention to the details and does a wonderful job. We are both very pleased with the tile that we picked. It ended up looking very nice in our bathroom.
I have a list of things that I need to finish but I can't seem to spend enough time on any one thing to be able to mark it off my (mental) list. I really need to write down my list, as I might be more focused and be able to accomplish more that way. I am still working on analyzing our grocery bill and we still have more work to do on our budget. I am still working on lifebooks for the boys and am feeling very guilty that I am not further along. At some point soon, I will need to start shopping for fall clothes for the boys, as I am sure nothing from last year will fit them. There are many of other things on my list of to-do's but those are my top priorities right now.
Pictures to come. Happy Sunday!
August 17, 2008
....so little time. There is not enough time in a day to do all of the fun things that there are to do these days.
The boys and I have been having a great time lately. After receiving some great advice from an experienced homeschooling mom and also reading the articles on this site: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/early.htm, I have changed my philosophy on my homeschooling approach for preschool...or maybe it is that I have finally come to a conclusion regarding my homeschooling approach for preschool. Either way, it is a good thing.
Most (pretty much all:) people that I know who have children 3 to 4 years old are sending their kids to preschool one, two or three days a week. So, I started really feeling some pressure (from myself!) to start 'doing preschool' at home a couple of days a week. I kept thinking about it and pondering it and wondering if I should start this but, after the advice and the articles I mentioned above I am no longer putting pressure on myself about this.
Our approach with preschool homeschooling is that we are pretty much not going to do it:). What we will do is lots and lots of reading, cutting, coloring, reading, running, jumping, skipping (once they learn how:), reading, painting, playing with playdough and modeling clay, reading, going to the zoo, museums, parks, the library, reading, etc.....pretty much what we have already been doing:). Doesn't that sound like fun?
I am really excited and having fun with the boys again, now that I am no longer worried about 'doing preschool' at home. The really neat thing about it is that I finally realized that we were already doing all of the things we need to be doing and we just need to keep doing it. We need to do more field trips type things (zoo, museums, library, etc.) but, other than that, we are doing great and the boys are learning all kinds of things along the way.
We are really getting into the painting thing lately. I really enjoy it a lot and could spend a lot more time doing it if the boys had longer attention spans. Yesterday I visited the local homeschool consignment store and got some great deals on some simple art books. One of them shows great examples of some simple things to make with finger paints. Another one shows some great things to make with playdough, which will be very fun. The third one has lots of great projects, from drawing and coloring to painting and also making crafts. We are going to have a great time with each of these books.
The weather here is now a bit cooler and more tolerable. I am not much of a morning person so I really prefer to have our outdoor time in the afternoon, after nap. The cooler weather helps with this. Yesterday I showed the boys how to make mud pies:). Now that is the first time I have made mud pies since I was a little bitty kid and we had a ball! They really enjoyed it. After we were done, we hosed them down and then put them in for a quickie shower with the dad. That was the first time they took a shower and they really enjoyed it.
One of the things I love about kids this age is how any new thing is such a novelty to them and will keep them busy for the longest time. It does not have to be anything fancy or special. I can just find something in the back of a kitchen cabinet and pull it out and they have a blast. The other day they were having a grand time with the colanders and one day they had a fun time with these two little lunch type bags that keep food cold. It really does not take much.
Another thing I found at the homeschooling consignment store is a set of sequence puzzles. Each puzzle has three pieces and, when you put them together in the correct sequence, they show a "story". An example of one: the first pieces has a picture of a caterpillar crawling along a leaf; the second piece has a picture of the caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon and the third piece has a picture of the butterfly that the caterpillar has become. The boys really like these more than I thought they would. This morning they spent quite a long time working the puzzles. When they finish putting one together, they want me to tell the "story". They love that part. I had been wanting something like this for quite a while and I got this yesterday for $5, which I thought was pretty good.
In other news, Ben is sporting his second black eye in the 20 months that he has been home. We went to "the jumpy place" the other day. That's the indoor jumping place where they have those big blow up things that kids can play on. Ben was jumping off one of them onto the floor and he fell and hit the side of his face, just beside his eye. This happened when he still had a nasty looking bruise on the other side of his face, right on top of the scar where the mole was, from a fall he had at the mall play area. Fortunately, the first bruise was pretty faint by the time the black eye really made it's appearance. I was telling someone about it over the phone the other day and B was listening to my conversation. I said "poor kid!" as I was telling the story and B turned around and smiled at me, laughed and said "no poor kid!". It was funny. They are talking so much these days....I know I say that every time. It still just amazes me how well they communicate already.
As for the potty training, we are basically back to square one with Nick. He just does not have the time nor the desire to go to the potty, unless we are out and about and Ben has to go. They both like seeing all of the public bathrooms so they do great when we are not home. At home, Nick might as well be in a diaper these days and we are discussing doing just that. I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not so sure that Nick would really care one way or the other but I really cringed at the thought of doing that to him at this point.... mostly because I think he understands potty training and he can do it if he wants to....he is just not interested just yet. He does not turn three until mid November so I think he is still somewhat young. I am content to let him continue to wear his pull ups. They are easier, he can undress himself, which he likes, and he does not have to lay down (like a baby) when he is changed. The dad was pondering this too and was wondering if it might be a good incentive for Nick to put him back in diapers and lay him down to change him, so he sees the distinct difference between himself and Ben. I have thought this too, at times when my frustration level was high, but I am pretty much past that and I have just accepted that he will start going when he is ready. What do you think? I would be interested in hearing the opinions of other experienced mom's out there, especially those with boys.
Ben, on the other hand, is really doing very well. He usually just runs in the bathroom, pulls down his pants and goes when he needs to go. He might or might not yell "I have to pee/poop" on his way to the bathroom. If he does yell it, he will also yell "coming?". But other times, he just disappears and I later see him come out, naked from the waist down, saying "mommy, I done!", with a big smile on his face. He still has an occasional pee accident, although I am not quite sure they are truly accidents so much as on purpose to get attention. When it happens, he is usually standing at the bathroom door or just in front of his potty chair and when he tells me about it, he has a huge smile on his face, as he says "mommy, I pee pee floor". And it is that kind of smile that says "look at me, look what I did, isn't that funny?". I believe I am correct in my interpretation of this, since I have seen him have one accident that truly was an accident, when we were at church one day, and he was not happy about it at all. But, the vast majority of the time, he is an ace at going to the potty and I am very appreciative that he is doing so well. If both boys were doing what Nick is doing, I would have put them back in diapers and waited a while before trying again.
I have nap duty today so I must run now but I plan to post a bunch of pics a little later.
The boys and I have been having a great time lately. After receiving some great advice from an experienced homeschooling mom and also reading the articles on this site: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/early.htm, I have changed my philosophy on my homeschooling approach for preschool...or maybe it is that I have finally come to a conclusion regarding my homeschooling approach for preschool. Either way, it is a good thing.
Most (pretty much all:) people that I know who have children 3 to 4 years old are sending their kids to preschool one, two or three days a week. So, I started really feeling some pressure (from myself!) to start 'doing preschool' at home a couple of days a week. I kept thinking about it and pondering it and wondering if I should start this but, after the advice and the articles I mentioned above I am no longer putting pressure on myself about this.
Our approach with preschool homeschooling is that we are pretty much not going to do it:). What we will do is lots and lots of reading, cutting, coloring, reading, running, jumping, skipping (once they learn how:), reading, painting, playing with playdough and modeling clay, reading, going to the zoo, museums, parks, the library, reading, etc.....pretty much what we have already been doing:). Doesn't that sound like fun?
I am really excited and having fun with the boys again, now that I am no longer worried about 'doing preschool' at home. The really neat thing about it is that I finally realized that we were already doing all of the things we need to be doing and we just need to keep doing it. We need to do more field trips type things (zoo, museums, library, etc.) but, other than that, we are doing great and the boys are learning all kinds of things along the way.
We are really getting into the painting thing lately. I really enjoy it a lot and could spend a lot more time doing it if the boys had longer attention spans. Yesterday I visited the local homeschool consignment store and got some great deals on some simple art books. One of them shows great examples of some simple things to make with finger paints. Another one shows some great things to make with playdough, which will be very fun. The third one has lots of great projects, from drawing and coloring to painting and also making crafts. We are going to have a great time with each of these books.
The weather here is now a bit cooler and more tolerable. I am not much of a morning person so I really prefer to have our outdoor time in the afternoon, after nap. The cooler weather helps with this. Yesterday I showed the boys how to make mud pies:). Now that is the first time I have made mud pies since I was a little bitty kid and we had a ball! They really enjoyed it. After we were done, we hosed them down and then put them in for a quickie shower with the dad. That was the first time they took a shower and they really enjoyed it.
One of the things I love about kids this age is how any new thing is such a novelty to them and will keep them busy for the longest time. It does not have to be anything fancy or special. I can just find something in the back of a kitchen cabinet and pull it out and they have a blast. The other day they were having a grand time with the colanders and one day they had a fun time with these two little lunch type bags that keep food cold. It really does not take much.
Another thing I found at the homeschooling consignment store is a set of sequence puzzles. Each puzzle has three pieces and, when you put them together in the correct sequence, they show a "story". An example of one: the first pieces has a picture of a caterpillar crawling along a leaf; the second piece has a picture of the caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon and the third piece has a picture of the butterfly that the caterpillar has become. The boys really like these more than I thought they would. This morning they spent quite a long time working the puzzles. When they finish putting one together, they want me to tell the "story". They love that part. I had been wanting something like this for quite a while and I got this yesterday for $5, which I thought was pretty good.
In other news, Ben is sporting his second black eye in the 20 months that he has been home. We went to "the jumpy place" the other day. That's the indoor jumping place where they have those big blow up things that kids can play on. Ben was jumping off one of them onto the floor and he fell and hit the side of his face, just beside his eye. This happened when he still had a nasty looking bruise on the other side of his face, right on top of the scar where the mole was, from a fall he had at the mall play area. Fortunately, the first bruise was pretty faint by the time the black eye really made it's appearance. I was telling someone about it over the phone the other day and B was listening to my conversation. I said "poor kid!" as I was telling the story and B turned around and smiled at me, laughed and said "no poor kid!". It was funny. They are talking so much these days....I know I say that every time. It still just amazes me how well they communicate already.
As for the potty training, we are basically back to square one with Nick. He just does not have the time nor the desire to go to the potty, unless we are out and about and Ben has to go. They both like seeing all of the public bathrooms so they do great when we are not home. At home, Nick might as well be in a diaper these days and we are discussing doing just that. I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not so sure that Nick would really care one way or the other but I really cringed at the thought of doing that to him at this point.... mostly because I think he understands potty training and he can do it if he wants to....he is just not interested just yet. He does not turn three until mid November so I think he is still somewhat young. I am content to let him continue to wear his pull ups. They are easier, he can undress himself, which he likes, and he does not have to lay down (like a baby) when he is changed. The dad was pondering this too and was wondering if it might be a good incentive for Nick to put him back in diapers and lay him down to change him, so he sees the distinct difference between himself and Ben. I have thought this too, at times when my frustration level was high, but I am pretty much past that and I have just accepted that he will start going when he is ready. What do you think? I would be interested in hearing the opinions of other experienced mom's out there, especially those with boys.
Ben, on the other hand, is really doing very well. He usually just runs in the bathroom, pulls down his pants and goes when he needs to go. He might or might not yell "I have to pee/poop" on his way to the bathroom. If he does yell it, he will also yell "coming?". But other times, he just disappears and I later see him come out, naked from the waist down, saying "mommy, I done!", with a big smile on his face. He still has an occasional pee accident, although I am not quite sure they are truly accidents so much as on purpose to get attention. When it happens, he is usually standing at the bathroom door or just in front of his potty chair and when he tells me about it, he has a huge smile on his face, as he says "mommy, I pee pee floor". And it is that kind of smile that says "look at me, look what I did, isn't that funny?". I believe I am correct in my interpretation of this, since I have seen him have one accident that truly was an accident, when we were at church one day, and he was not happy about it at all. But, the vast majority of the time, he is an ace at going to the potty and I am very appreciative that he is doing so well. If both boys were doing what Nick is doing, I would have put them back in diapers and waited a while before trying again.
I have nap duty today so I must run now but I plan to post a bunch of pics a little later.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
August 12, 2008
Whew! I have been so busy lately that I just never feel like I have any time to sit down and relax, much less update the blog. We have not been doing anything special, just living every day life, but boy has it been busy.
One of my nieces is starting college on Thursday at a university near our house. She went to church with us on Sunday and has been hanging out with us a couple of days. The freshmen move into the dorm earlier for freshmen orientation so she had a couple of free days to hang out with us. We really enjoyed having her here and are happy that she will be so close by. The boys love having her around and I enjoy her company too.
My brother has also been around some, as he has a friend who has been in the hospital in our city. My brother has been hanging out with his friend at the hospital during the days and then staying here at night.
My sister, her two kids and my mom also came and spent the night with us one night recently, which was nice. So we have had a lot of company and the boys have been in heaven having so many people to play with and entertain them.
Speaking of the boys, they have really been getting along nicely lately. I'm not sure if this is just a fluke or if maybe they are hitting an age where they are playing together better or what, but it sure has been nice.
Nick is really turning into quite the little helper around the house these days. He wants to help me do everything from laundry to cooking and putting away dishes and loading the dishwasher. He can really do quite a bit too. I am going to have to start working on Ben though, as he tends to disappear during these times and does not seem to be the type to hang around and want to help as much. They often go through various phases at different times though so I am thinking maybe that is all it is....although he is sometimes less than happy to help out when it is time to pick up toys.
Speaking of picking up toys, the boys are both getting pretty good at doing more and more on their own. We sometimes have a pick-up-toys-time just before nap and then we normally have one just before the dad gets home from work. It is getting to the point where I can tell them it's clean up time and I don't have do spend quite as much time giving them specific instructions.
They talk all the time these days. When we are riding in the car, they normally talk to each other or to me. They were very excited to see the school buses out today, as schools are starting here this week.
We let them watch some of the Olympics the other night and they really enjoyed it. They were pretending to dive into the water. The living room floor was the water.
They are asking to watch more TV these days so we have told them that when they turn three years old they can start watching 30 minutes a day.
Well, it's bedtime and I hear some crying going on so I must sign off. It is also my night to sit with the boys while they fall asleep. We now take our laptop up with us and play songs for them. They love it! And they settle down and go to sleep pretty quickly. Gotta go now.
One of my nieces is starting college on Thursday at a university near our house. She went to church with us on Sunday and has been hanging out with us a couple of days. The freshmen move into the dorm earlier for freshmen orientation so she had a couple of free days to hang out with us. We really enjoyed having her here and are happy that she will be so close by. The boys love having her around and I enjoy her company too.
My brother has also been around some, as he has a friend who has been in the hospital in our city. My brother has been hanging out with his friend at the hospital during the days and then staying here at night.
My sister, her two kids and my mom also came and spent the night with us one night recently, which was nice. So we have had a lot of company and the boys have been in heaven having so many people to play with and entertain them.
Speaking of the boys, they have really been getting along nicely lately. I'm not sure if this is just a fluke or if maybe they are hitting an age where they are playing together better or what, but it sure has been nice.
Nick is really turning into quite the little helper around the house these days. He wants to help me do everything from laundry to cooking and putting away dishes and loading the dishwasher. He can really do quite a bit too. I am going to have to start working on Ben though, as he tends to disappear during these times and does not seem to be the type to hang around and want to help as much. They often go through various phases at different times though so I am thinking maybe that is all it is....although he is sometimes less than happy to help out when it is time to pick up toys.
Speaking of picking up toys, the boys are both getting pretty good at doing more and more on their own. We sometimes have a pick-up-toys-time just before nap and then we normally have one just before the dad gets home from work. It is getting to the point where I can tell them it's clean up time and I don't have do spend quite as much time giving them specific instructions.
They talk all the time these days. When we are riding in the car, they normally talk to each other or to me. They were very excited to see the school buses out today, as schools are starting here this week.
We let them watch some of the Olympics the other night and they really enjoyed it. They were pretending to dive into the water. The living room floor was the water.
They are asking to watch more TV these days so we have told them that when they turn three years old they can start watching 30 minutes a day.
Well, it's bedtime and I hear some crying going on so I must sign off. It is also my night to sit with the boys while they fall asleep. We now take our laptop up with us and play songs for them. They love it! And they settle down and go to sleep pretty quickly. Gotta go now.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
August 2, 2008
I have a cold and my throat feels yucky. I thought Nick was having allergy problems but, turns out, he caught a cold, probably from church last Sunday, and now I have it too and the dad's throat is not feeling too great either. So, not much going on around here today, other than just trying to get some rest and trying to have more patience than I feel like having.
For lack of anything else to say, here are some pictures for your entertainment:).
Playing 'train'.
Ben loves 'driving' and constantly asks to go back to our friends' house to drive the car.
The boys had a very fun time pretending that their stickers were bandaids and they were hurt. They kept coming to tell me 'I hurt mommy', in this little, pitiful voice.
The dad was getting ready to go out for his early morning bike ride, before it got too hot. They each have one of his bike shoes on and they are trying to tie a bow.
Here we are painting. We all really enjoyed this and I'm sure we will do it more often, now that we have some paints and paintbrushes. I especially enjoyed this and would really like to take some art classes someday. I have never taken an art class in my life but I just have this feeling that there is some sort of art person locked up inside me:).
Here is my finished painting. I think it would have turned out better if I had not been sharing paints with a 2 year old. The boys kept mixing the colors so I would go to get a nice bright orange and end up with brown.
My husband said he thought we should frame this picture and hang it in the boys' bedroom. I asked him if he was making fun of me but he said he really meant it, he thought it was good. Makes me want to try again with my own set of paints:).
For lack of anything else to say, here are some pictures for your entertainment:).
Playing 'train'.
Ben loves 'driving' and constantly asks to go back to our friends' house to drive the car.
The boys had a very fun time pretending that their stickers were bandaids and they were hurt. They kept coming to tell me 'I hurt mommy', in this little, pitiful voice.
The dad was getting ready to go out for his early morning bike ride, before it got too hot. They each have one of his bike shoes on and they are trying to tie a bow.
Here we are painting. We all really enjoyed this and I'm sure we will do it more often, now that we have some paints and paintbrushes. I especially enjoyed this and would really like to take some art classes someday. I have never taken an art class in my life but I just have this feeling that there is some sort of art person locked up inside me:).
Here is my finished painting. I think it would have turned out better if I had not been sharing paints with a 2 year old. The boys kept mixing the colors so I would go to get a nice bright orange and end up with brown.
My husband said he thought we should frame this picture and hang it in the boys' bedroom. I asked him if he was making fun of me but he said he really meant it, he thought it was good. Makes me want to try again with my own set of paints:).
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
July 29, 2008
Did I mention it is very hot here? Whew! I am so thankful that we have air conditioning. It is so hot that I pretty much have to get the kids outside in the mornings because the afternoons are just crazy hot. The weird thing is that it often feels very humid outside and yet my lips are chapped, my feet are cracking and my sinuses are totally messed up, all indications that it is very dry inside our house at least. Nick is also suffering from some bad allergies and/or messed up sinuses. His nose ran all day today and he complains about his eyes hurting when it is bedtime/nap time. Poor little guy.
We played outside this morning and the boys had a great time playing in the water, spraying the hose, playing in the sandbox and swinging. We really need some trees out back around the swing set though. It gets too hot to swing quickly if you are the one pushing the swings, although those little guys riding in the swings don't seem to notice or mind much.
We have several trees that we thought had some type of fungus. I had called several arborists, trying to get someone to come look at them, and nobody called me back. I finally found one who actually answered my call yesterday and came by this morning. Turns out several of our trees are still in distress from damage done when they built our house, long before we came along. One of the trees in our side yard is losing leaves like crazy. It most likely will not make it through the hot month of August, although if it does, it might be able to pull through. Anyway, the guy was really nice and provided me with a lot of information about the issues our trees are having and the best way to deal with it. He did not charge anything either. When I asked him what he charged he said not to worry about it this time and just to keep him in mind if/when we have more business for him in the future. We will likely hire him to do some special root feeding in the fall, which might help save the other trees. We really need to plant some trees.
I took the boys to the mall to play this evening. The dad had to work late so we ate at the mall food court and then the boys played for a while. It made for a much more relaxing evening for me, although I think we were all tired when we got home.
I have started singing songs to the boys at night, when they are lying in bed, the lights are out, and I am sitting in the chair in their room with them until they fall asleep. We spend the first 10 or 15 minutes singing songs and I think it really relaxes them and helps them fall asleep sooner. I think their favorite song is still I Dig Dirt but they also really like this porcupine song that my sister made up for them when she was babysitting for us recently. She is so funny. I love her sense of humor.
We are going to my sister's house to visit her family and my mom and another niece tomorrow. I think we are anyway. My sister's daughter had her wisdom teeth out today so we'll see how she is doing tomorrow before we take off. If we go, it will be the first trip we have taken out of our little city in our new van.
Something I wrote up above reminded me of something funny that Nick said the other evening, when we were reading stories before bedtime. I can't remember the sentence exactly but he was talking about something we had done the evening before and it called it "yesternight". I just love to listen to them working out how to put sentences together. Ben said something yesterday that was a very good sentence but some of the words were in the wrong place in the sentence, which made it funny, with his 2 year old cuteness. I should have written it down because I can't remember it now but I was impressed that he had all of the right words in the sentence, even if they were in the wrong order.
Well, I have not been very good about updating lately...must get better at this, but it is late and I'm exhausted, as usual:) so I am off to bed.
We played outside this morning and the boys had a great time playing in the water, spraying the hose, playing in the sandbox and swinging. We really need some trees out back around the swing set though. It gets too hot to swing quickly if you are the one pushing the swings, although those little guys riding in the swings don't seem to notice or mind much.
We have several trees that we thought had some type of fungus. I had called several arborists, trying to get someone to come look at them, and nobody called me back. I finally found one who actually answered my call yesterday and came by this morning. Turns out several of our trees are still in distress from damage done when they built our house, long before we came along. One of the trees in our side yard is losing leaves like crazy. It most likely will not make it through the hot month of August, although if it does, it might be able to pull through. Anyway, the guy was really nice and provided me with a lot of information about the issues our trees are having and the best way to deal with it. He did not charge anything either. When I asked him what he charged he said not to worry about it this time and just to keep him in mind if/when we have more business for him in the future. We will likely hire him to do some special root feeding in the fall, which might help save the other trees. We really need to plant some trees.
I took the boys to the mall to play this evening. The dad had to work late so we ate at the mall food court and then the boys played for a while. It made for a much more relaxing evening for me, although I think we were all tired when we got home.
I have started singing songs to the boys at night, when they are lying in bed, the lights are out, and I am sitting in the chair in their room with them until they fall asleep. We spend the first 10 or 15 minutes singing songs and I think it really relaxes them and helps them fall asleep sooner. I think their favorite song is still I Dig Dirt but they also really like this porcupine song that my sister made up for them when she was babysitting for us recently. She is so funny. I love her sense of humor.
We are going to my sister's house to visit her family and my mom and another niece tomorrow. I think we are anyway. My sister's daughter had her wisdom teeth out today so we'll see how she is doing tomorrow before we take off. If we go, it will be the first trip we have taken out of our little city in our new van.
Something I wrote up above reminded me of something funny that Nick said the other evening, when we were reading stories before bedtime. I can't remember the sentence exactly but he was talking about something we had done the evening before and it called it "yesternight". I just love to listen to them working out how to put sentences together. Ben said something yesterday that was a very good sentence but some of the words were in the wrong place in the sentence, which made it funny, with his 2 year old cuteness. I should have written it down because I can't remember it now but I was impressed that he had all of the right words in the sentence, even if they were in the wrong order.
Well, I have not been very good about updating lately...must get better at this, but it is late and I'm exhausted, as usual:) so I am off to bed.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
July 13, 2008
Not much new to report around here. We have had a pretty laid-back weekend. I took the boys to the park Saturday morning and we arrived early enough that nobody else was there. The boys had a great time and it was relaxing for me, not having to watch them quite so closely. It was also nice and cool out, although that does not last for long around here these days. The highlight of our park visit for the boys was swinging on the "big boy" swings. They really enjoyed swinging on the big kid swings and I enjoyed it too. It had been a while since I had been swinging and it was fun to go high again:). Nothing quite like that feeling. I think we are now ready to take down the baby swings and put up the big-kid swings here at home.
On the potty training front, things are going very well these days. Nothing has changed with Ben; he hardly ever has an accident. The only accident he has had in quite some time was last Sunday, just after we picked him up from his class. One of the caretakers had said to me that Ben had gone to the bathroom "all by himself" and I wondered what she meant because he can't pull his pants up completely, all by himself. I think he probably went into the bathroom all by himself and that is all he did. He was wearing a pull up, which we are still using for 'just in case' situations. Right after we picked him up, he said he needed to go potty so the dad took him to the bathroom, which was about two feet away. Before they were able to get his pants down, he had an accident and it went everywhere. Since he was wearing a pull up, it seems they probably had not taken him in quite some time. I'm not surprised though because his class has some kids who are potty trained, some who are potty training and some who are in diapers. The caregivers during the first hour of the class are the same every week so they know the kids, who is doing what and who to take to the potty. The second hour is with parents of take turns volunteering each week and they do not know the status of all the kids so you just never know whether they will take them or not.
Nick has been doing much better though. I decided to chill out and let him take the lead. I now ask him if he wants to wear a pull up or underwear and he chooses. He usually chooses a pull up but he normally keeps it dry all day, even during naps. It is kind of interesting that, when I started paying very little attention to his potty training, other than complimenting his efforts and success, he started doing better. Now he is having very few accidents and has not pooped in his pants for several days. His timing is not great though. He always needs to poop just before nap and night time bed time...and he is not just faking it, he really has to go. Maybe it is because he hardly ever slows down during the rest of the day. Anyway, they are both doing very well and they really like telling me what big boys they are.
On the crib VS bed issue, we are back to sitting in their room with them until they they fall asleep, for naps and bedtime. They are happy to be in their cribs but I think it is because they are very into the challenge of climbing and jumping these days. They can climb out of them now so we are now leaving the side of the crib down to make it easier. They really like it down so it is an incentive to lie down and be quiet. At nap times, they fall asleep very fast. At bedtime, not so much and it doesn't seem to matter what time we put them down, although they are a lot more cranky when they go down later.
On the potty training front, things are going very well these days. Nothing has changed with Ben; he hardly ever has an accident. The only accident he has had in quite some time was last Sunday, just after we picked him up from his class. One of the caretakers had said to me that Ben had gone to the bathroom "all by himself" and I wondered what she meant because he can't pull his pants up completely, all by himself. I think he probably went into the bathroom all by himself and that is all he did. He was wearing a pull up, which we are still using for 'just in case' situations. Right after we picked him up, he said he needed to go potty so the dad took him to the bathroom, which was about two feet away. Before they were able to get his pants down, he had an accident and it went everywhere. Since he was wearing a pull up, it seems they probably had not taken him in quite some time. I'm not surprised though because his class has some kids who are potty trained, some who are potty training and some who are in diapers. The caregivers during the first hour of the class are the same every week so they know the kids, who is doing what and who to take to the potty. The second hour is with parents of take turns volunteering each week and they do not know the status of all the kids so you just never know whether they will take them or not.
Nick has been doing much better though. I decided to chill out and let him take the lead. I now ask him if he wants to wear a pull up or underwear and he chooses. He usually chooses a pull up but he normally keeps it dry all day, even during naps. It is kind of interesting that, when I started paying very little attention to his potty training, other than complimenting his efforts and success, he started doing better. Now he is having very few accidents and has not pooped in his pants for several days. His timing is not great though. He always needs to poop just before nap and night time bed time...and he is not just faking it, he really has to go. Maybe it is because he hardly ever slows down during the rest of the day. Anyway, they are both doing very well and they really like telling me what big boys they are.
On the crib VS bed issue, we are back to sitting in their room with them until they they fall asleep, for naps and bedtime. They are happy to be in their cribs but I think it is because they are very into the challenge of climbing and jumping these days. They can climb out of them now so we are now leaving the side of the crib down to make it easier. They really like it down so it is an incentive to lie down and be quiet. At nap times, they fall asleep very fast. At bedtime, not so much and it doesn't seem to matter what time we put them down, although they are a lot more cranky when they go down later.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
July 9, 2008
Note: I wrote this a couple of days ago and blogger was not allowing picture uploads so I am just now getting back to finishing it:).
For some reason that I have not yet figured out, 'porcupine' is now Ben's new favorite word.
Me: What would you like for lunch?
Ben: Porcupine! (said with a big grin)
Me: Would you like a pot pie for lunch?
Ben: I like porcupine in pot pie
It seems that this word now comes up in almost all conversations. At times it is quite funny and at other times it is not quite so funny:).
Ben: My tummy hurt.
Me: Your tummy hurts? What's wrong with it?
Ben: Porcupine (some words that I didn't understand and then hand gestures indicating he is getting the porcupine out of his tummy, all said with a big grin on his face).
Yesterday evening we took the new van over to my friend's house (the one who has the twin girls). It was nice because we got to meet each other's husband for the first time and the dad's got to meet the kids. The boys were excited because we finally got the insurance for our new van and this was their first ride in it. They were also excited to get to visit the twin girls.
When we arrived, they were all outside in their back yard playing so we joined them there. The first thing the boys saw was this little, pink Barbie jeep....the kind that runs on a battery and small children can drive them. Both boys immediately ran over to it and got in. Nick was in the driver's seat first so he drove first but it wasn't long before Ben was there. Ben never got out of that car the entire time we were there. At one point, he did let Nick drive again without any protest, which was surprising, since he is very into driving anything and everything these days so this was a dream come true. He has been talking about it all day today too, wanting to go back and drive again today. He is so funny.
Updated: And now, here we are, several days later and he is still talking about this all day long and asking to go to "Joy Joy and Gracie's to drive car"....."I like drive car". My mom, sister and nephew were just here, spending the night, and they got a big kick out of how often he talked about porcupines and driving this car.
The other day he told me that his bear was crying. I asked him why and he said it was because he "hug him too tight". I said "oh really, you hugged him too tight?" and he said "um hmmm (yes) and kiss him too tight too". They are really getting to the point where they are saying funny things every day now, multiple times a day, so I must be better about documenting these cute, funny things.
Yesterday we were getting ready to leave the house and I asked Nick if he wanted to turn the lights off. I was quite surprised when he said "no, too busy looking at mail". He was indeed looking at a piece of mail that we had given him the day before. I guess turning on and off the lights is no longer the thrill it once was.
A couple of nights ago we were upstairs, getting the boys ready for bed. We were reading about Noah and the flood from their children's Bible. The dad was reading and, when he reads to them, he will frequently stop before the end of a sentence and let them finish the last word or two. It keeps them involved and it is amazing how much they remember. He was reading "...and all of the earth was covered with _____?", and he hesitated to let them finish the sentence. Nick very quickly said "dirt!". It is funny how the little things like this, that come up suddenly and take you by surprise, can make you laugh so hard.
People frequently talk about the 'terrible twos' and, quite honestly, I can see why at times. There are some trying times with the two's. But, at the same time, I think it is one of the most exciting times of all because their communication skills increase so dramatically during this time, they can express their opinions, questions and thoughts better, they want to do everything for themselves (and it is amazing how much they really can do) and they also start remembering everything. These are all wonderful and awesome things to experience as a parent. I continue to be ever amazed at how wonderfully God has made us.
The new van has been a huge hit with the boys. They really enjoy being able to see out much better. They have only ridden in it a few times so far but they (Ben especially) talk about it a lot. I could not count how many times Ben has said that he likes our new van and he is always wanting to go outside and play in it ("nice outside, van not hot" is his way of telling me that he thinks it would be a good time to go outside and play in the van. The dad took them outside and let them play in it one day so now Ben thinks they should get to go do this on a regular basis. I am not excited in the least by this activity.
My mom, sister and nephew came yesterday morning and left this morning. The boys had a great time with them, as always. They watched the boys and my sister put them to bed for us last night so we could go out. We went to the movies and saw Prince Caspian and we both thought it was really good. It makes me want to read the books, since I have never read them.
Unfortunately, for some reason still unknown to me, Nick woke up at 4:00am and thought it was time to be up. I tried to get him to go back to sleep and it was just not happening. My sister took the boys for a walk this morning and then kept them occupied so I could get another two hours of sleep in, which was wonderful. I am still tired though. Thankfully, Nick is now sleeping, as he was a very tired little guy. He went down at noon and I am hoping he takes a very long nap today.
Ben was not ready for nap yet so he is up and playing. He is so content to play by himself and has no problem whatsoever keeping himself busy and happy. It is fun to watch him play. He and Nick are such opposites. When Nick is awake without Ben, he is constantly wanting to wake up Ben and he hardly ever goes off and plays by himself. He wants company constantly. Ben has not once asked to go wake up Nick.
For some reason that I have not yet figured out, 'porcupine' is now Ben's new favorite word.
Me: What would you like for lunch?
Ben: Porcupine! (said with a big grin)
Me: Would you like a pot pie for lunch?
Ben: I like porcupine in pot pie
It seems that this word now comes up in almost all conversations. At times it is quite funny and at other times it is not quite so funny:).
Ben: My tummy hurt.
Me: Your tummy hurts? What's wrong with it?
Ben: Porcupine (some words that I didn't understand and then hand gestures indicating he is getting the porcupine out of his tummy, all said with a big grin on his face).
Yesterday evening we took the new van over to my friend's house (the one who has the twin girls). It was nice because we got to meet each other's husband for the first time and the dad's got to meet the kids. The boys were excited because we finally got the insurance for our new van and this was their first ride in it. They were also excited to get to visit the twin girls.
When we arrived, they were all outside in their back yard playing so we joined them there. The first thing the boys saw was this little, pink Barbie jeep....the kind that runs on a battery and small children can drive them. Both boys immediately ran over to it and got in. Nick was in the driver's seat first so he drove first but it wasn't long before Ben was there. Ben never got out of that car the entire time we were there. At one point, he did let Nick drive again without any protest, which was surprising, since he is very into driving anything and everything these days so this was a dream come true. He has been talking about it all day today too, wanting to go back and drive again today. He is so funny.
Updated: And now, here we are, several days later and he is still talking about this all day long and asking to go to "Joy Joy and Gracie's to drive car"....."I like drive car". My mom, sister and nephew were just here, spending the night, and they got a big kick out of how often he talked about porcupines and driving this car.
The other day he told me that his bear was crying. I asked him why and he said it was because he "hug him too tight". I said "oh really, you hugged him too tight?" and he said "um hmmm (yes) and kiss him too tight too". They are really getting to the point where they are saying funny things every day now, multiple times a day, so I must be better about documenting these cute, funny things.
Yesterday we were getting ready to leave the house and I asked Nick if he wanted to turn the lights off. I was quite surprised when he said "no, too busy looking at mail". He was indeed looking at a piece of mail that we had given him the day before. I guess turning on and off the lights is no longer the thrill it once was.
A couple of nights ago we were upstairs, getting the boys ready for bed. We were reading about Noah and the flood from their children's Bible. The dad was reading and, when he reads to them, he will frequently stop before the end of a sentence and let them finish the last word or two. It keeps them involved and it is amazing how much they remember. He was reading "...and all of the earth was covered with _____?", and he hesitated to let them finish the sentence. Nick very quickly said "dirt!". It is funny how the little things like this, that come up suddenly and take you by surprise, can make you laugh so hard.
People frequently talk about the 'terrible twos' and, quite honestly, I can see why at times. There are some trying times with the two's. But, at the same time, I think it is one of the most exciting times of all because their communication skills increase so dramatically during this time, they can express their opinions, questions and thoughts better, they want to do everything for themselves (and it is amazing how much they really can do) and they also start remembering everything. These are all wonderful and awesome things to experience as a parent. I continue to be ever amazed at how wonderfully God has made us.
The new van has been a huge hit with the boys. They really enjoy being able to see out much better. They have only ridden in it a few times so far but they (Ben especially) talk about it a lot. I could not count how many times Ben has said that he likes our new van and he is always wanting to go outside and play in it ("nice outside, van not hot" is his way of telling me that he thinks it would be a good time to go outside and play in the van. The dad took them outside and let them play in it one day so now Ben thinks they should get to go do this on a regular basis. I am not excited in the least by this activity.
My mom, sister and nephew came yesterday morning and left this morning. The boys had a great time with them, as always. They watched the boys and my sister put them to bed for us last night so we could go out. We went to the movies and saw Prince Caspian and we both thought it was really good. It makes me want to read the books, since I have never read them.
Unfortunately, for some reason still unknown to me, Nick woke up at 4:00am and thought it was time to be up. I tried to get him to go back to sleep and it was just not happening. My sister took the boys for a walk this morning and then kept them occupied so I could get another two hours of sleep in, which was wonderful. I am still tired though. Thankfully, Nick is now sleeping, as he was a very tired little guy. He went down at noon and I am hoping he takes a very long nap today.
Ben was not ready for nap yet so he is up and playing. He is so content to play by himself and has no problem whatsoever keeping himself busy and happy. It is fun to watch him play. He and Nick are such opposites. When Nick is awake without Ben, he is constantly wanting to wake up Ben and he hardly ever goes off and plays by himself. He wants company constantly. Ben has not once asked to go wake up Nick.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
July 5, 2008
The dad arrived home on Friday afternoon with the new van. It is in excellent condition and we are very pleased and blessed to have it.
My niece is still here and I have so enjoyed having her with me these few days. She is wonderful with the boys and they really enjoy her. She is planning to leave Saturday morning and we will definitely miss her.
Sadly enough, we did not do anything to celebrate Independence Day. I was having a difficult day. The dad did not get home until around 2:30pm-ish and then we had to run to the airport to retrieve his car. The boys went to bed about an hour late the night before and woke up an hour early that morning. They took a long nap but they were still very tired by 8:00pm, so much so that they did not even stir when all of the fireworks started going off. Some of them were very close by and very loud but the boys slept right through it all. The dad was exhausted after his tiring early morning trip to Louisville and the long drive home. I was very tired too from getting to bed late and getting up early with the boys and just generally not having much of a break for a while. So, we rested. Unfortunately, I woke up at 1:00am and could not go back to sleep, so here I sit.
As for the potty training, I pretty much gave up on Nick today and just kept him in pull ups. Funny enough, the whole time the dad was gone on the trip to Louisville, Nick never once told me he needed to go potty and he would normally fight me if I wanted him to go. After the dad got home, Nick told us he needed to go several times and voluntarily and happily went, but wanted the dad to be with him on some of the visits. I think this child has a very hard time with any sort of upheaval in his life. It will be interesting to see how tomorrow goes with the potty training.
Ben is completely trained and does not like to be wet, even in his pull up. He has never had a poop accident since day three or four of potty training and he gets distressed if his pull up is wet in the morning and he wants it off right away. Nick does not seem to mind too much if his is wet or messy. It is so odd with him because he seems to be able to go if he really wants to but then he ends up going in his pants so often. I think it may be a control issue at times. I have just about decided to keep him in pull ups because I think we may be moving into control battles and I don't want to go there....and I am tired of cleaning up pee all over the floors and furniture.
It sounds like we are getting ready to have a storm. I have been seeing lightening for a while now and I just heard a faint, distant rumble for the first time so it seems to be moving closer. I think I will try to go back to sleep now.
My niece is still here and I have so enjoyed having her with me these few days. She is wonderful with the boys and they really enjoy her. She is planning to leave Saturday morning and we will definitely miss her.
Sadly enough, we did not do anything to celebrate Independence Day. I was having a difficult day. The dad did not get home until around 2:30pm-ish and then we had to run to the airport to retrieve his car. The boys went to bed about an hour late the night before and woke up an hour early that morning. They took a long nap but they were still very tired by 8:00pm, so much so that they did not even stir when all of the fireworks started going off. Some of them were very close by and very loud but the boys slept right through it all. The dad was exhausted after his tiring early morning trip to Louisville and the long drive home. I was very tired too from getting to bed late and getting up early with the boys and just generally not having much of a break for a while. So, we rested. Unfortunately, I woke up at 1:00am and could not go back to sleep, so here I sit.
As for the potty training, I pretty much gave up on Nick today and just kept him in pull ups. Funny enough, the whole time the dad was gone on the trip to Louisville, Nick never once told me he needed to go potty and he would normally fight me if I wanted him to go. After the dad got home, Nick told us he needed to go several times and voluntarily and happily went, but wanted the dad to be with him on some of the visits. I think this child has a very hard time with any sort of upheaval in his life. It will be interesting to see how tomorrow goes with the potty training.
Ben is completely trained and does not like to be wet, even in his pull up. He has never had a poop accident since day three or four of potty training and he gets distressed if his pull up is wet in the morning and he wants it off right away. Nick does not seem to mind too much if his is wet or messy. It is so odd with him because he seems to be able to go if he really wants to but then he ends up going in his pants so often. I think it may be a control issue at times. I have just about decided to keep him in pull ups because I think we may be moving into control battles and I don't want to go there....and I am tired of cleaning up pee all over the floors and furniture.
It sounds like we are getting ready to have a storm. I have been seeing lightening for a while now and I just heard a faint, distant rumble for the first time so it seems to be moving closer. I think I will try to go back to sleep now.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
July 2, 2008
And the verdict is......bringing back the cribs was a resounding success! Yay!!
The boys were both very very excited to sleep in their cribs again. Ben was even talking about it this morning and told me he liked having his old bed back. They were both whining about nap time until I reminded them they get to sleep in their cribs and then they were practically jumping up and down.
We did, however, find out last night that they can now both climb out of their cribs without falling and banging their heads on the floor. They showed us not long after we had come back downstairs, after putting them to bed:). Nick has almost learned how to climb back in and is more likely to be the one to climb out. It seems it is much easier to convince them to stay in their cribs than it was in their beds though. For the most part, they are staying in their cribs pretty well.
So, overall, I am very relieved and thankful that this work out and I get a re-do on this one:). They have not asked for their new beds back so I think they must be relieved too.
The dad leaves very early tomorrow morning for KY to get the new minivan. My niece is here for a few days and the boys had a very fun time playing with her today. Also, my friend and her twin girls came over for a play date today and that was fun. The boys played outside this afternoon, after their nap. My niece played with them while I cooked dinner on the outdoor grill.
Dinner was wonderful but I am just now really getting my first bit of downtime for the day and I am very tired. Time to chill out and read some online news.
The boys were both very very excited to sleep in their cribs again. Ben was even talking about it this morning and told me he liked having his old bed back. They were both whining about nap time until I reminded them they get to sleep in their cribs and then they were practically jumping up and down.
We did, however, find out last night that they can now both climb out of their cribs without falling and banging their heads on the floor. They showed us not long after we had come back downstairs, after putting them to bed:). Nick has almost learned how to climb back in and is more likely to be the one to climb out. It seems it is much easier to convince them to stay in their cribs than it was in their beds though. For the most part, they are staying in their cribs pretty well.
So, overall, I am very relieved and thankful that this work out and I get a re-do on this one:). They have not asked for their new beds back so I think they must be relieved too.
The dad leaves very early tomorrow morning for KY to get the new minivan. My niece is here for a few days and the boys had a very fun time playing with her today. Also, my friend and her twin girls came over for a play date today and that was fun. The boys played outside this afternoon, after their nap. My niece played with them while I cooked dinner on the outdoor grill.
Dinner was wonderful but I am just now really getting my first bit of downtime for the day and I am very tired. Time to chill out and read some online news.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
July 1, 2008
So, yesterday I talked about getting to have a do-over on this mistake I made of putting the boys into beds too soon. Unfortunately, I did not see the thoughtful comments that were left until just now. But, fortunately, the boys were very happy with the idea of getting their cribs back. Nick even cried last night because we had not had time to set them up yet (and still haven't).
Now, I realize this does not mean they fully understand the implications of this decision. I may still meet with some resistance, once they do understand the implications. We will see. But, so far, I have approached it with a sense of excitement and the boys were excited about the idea. So, we'll see. I'm not sure when we will have time to set them up. Maybe tomorrow I will have time to do it. My niece is coming to stay a few days with us so she will be a big help.
Today the dad had his check up appointment with the infectious diseases doctor to see how his leg was healing and I decided to go too. Turns out it was all very good news, except for the fact that the dad has to continue taking the IV antibiotics for another two full weeks. That is a bummer for him because it is a bit of a pain, making sure the meds stay refrigerated, remembering to take them out in time before taking them that they warm up enough and then sitting once a day for 30 minutes to allow them to drip in....but then again, on the bright side, at least it is only once a day and he can do it all himself. They are suppose to deliver additional meds to him tomorrow evening.
He is leaving early Thursday morning for Louisville KY to check out and (hopefully) bring home the van that we are (hopefully) purchasing so hopefully the meds will arrive here on time. He will arrive in Louisville around noon-ish their time (I think) and will take a cab to the dealer where he will meet the guy who is selling the van. He will check out the van and then have the dealer check it over. If everything goes well, he is hoping to complete all of the paper work and start out towards home later that day, spend the night somewhere along the way and arrive back home sometime on Friday. He is suppose to take his medication sometime during the afternoon so I am not sure how he is going to fit it all in. I guess he could let it drip as he drives down the highway, as long as he has somewhere to hang it from:). That might look kind of funny and might worry some people though:). I'm sure he will figure it all out. He is a very resourceful person.
We are praying everything will go well in Louisville with this van deal. It is such a good deal that my husband is concerned that maybe the vehicle is a lemon or something. I think we just found a great deal and it will be fine. It is a Toyota after all and it has a transferable 5 year 100 thousand mile warranty so I think our risk here is low, as long as the vehicle is in good condition. I think it will be though because it has such low mileage and is fairly new. It looks good in all of the pictures.
On the potty training front, I am going to take back what I said yesterday about Nick. After seeing how today has gone, I think I have misjudged how much control he actually has. I find it strange though because sometimes he does just great and seems to have a lot of control but other times it seems he does not or maybe he forgets until it is too late, which is probably more the case. He did very well this morning, pooping and peeing on the potty but then had accidents a bit later doing the same two things in his pants. He was excited and running back and forth between windows, watching the riding mowers do the neighbors lawn. They are big mowers and both boys get excited every Tuesday when they come to mow the neighbors lawn. I took the opportunity to go freshen up. Not long after, I saw Nick had wet his pants and soon after realized that was not all he had done in his pants.
So, in retrospect, now that I have watched him more, I think I misjudged and he is still figuring it out. Ben, on the other hand, has never had an accident. He is one of those kind of kids that would make a parent look like an expert in potty training....and I thought he would be the difficult one. I have so much to learn. Overall, I still think Nick is doing very well. I just need to remember that he needs reminders and I can't assume that he will always remember to tell me that he needs to go in time.
My sister tells me that I am paying for my raising:). I may have mentioned this in an earlier post but my grandmother, who recently passed away, used to always tell this story about me when I was potty training. She said that I would play outside until it was too late for me to make it to the bathroom. One of the times I came in with wet pants, my grandmother finally told me that if I did it again, she was going to spank me. She said that I looked up at her with great big tears in my big blue eyes and said "But grandma, I start in time. I just don't get there in time." My mom used to tell my sister and I stories about how my sister, who is 15 months older than I am, used to sneak me into the house and change me so I would not get in trouble for wetting my pants. So I need to remember this and remember that Nick may not always have enough time to tell me or to get there, when he realizes he needs to go.
Well, the boys are waking up from nap so I must go. Another hot day here in Oklahoma.
Now, I realize this does not mean they fully understand the implications of this decision. I may still meet with some resistance, once they do understand the implications. We will see. But, so far, I have approached it with a sense of excitement and the boys were excited about the idea. So, we'll see. I'm not sure when we will have time to set them up. Maybe tomorrow I will have time to do it. My niece is coming to stay a few days with us so she will be a big help.
Today the dad had his check up appointment with the infectious diseases doctor to see how his leg was healing and I decided to go too. Turns out it was all very good news, except for the fact that the dad has to continue taking the IV antibiotics for another two full weeks. That is a bummer for him because it is a bit of a pain, making sure the meds stay refrigerated, remembering to take them out in time before taking them that they warm up enough and then sitting once a day for 30 minutes to allow them to drip in....but then again, on the bright side, at least it is only once a day and he can do it all himself. They are suppose to deliver additional meds to him tomorrow evening.
He is leaving early Thursday morning for Louisville KY to check out and (hopefully) bring home the van that we are (hopefully) purchasing so hopefully the meds will arrive here on time. He will arrive in Louisville around noon-ish their time (I think) and will take a cab to the dealer where he will meet the guy who is selling the van. He will check out the van and then have the dealer check it over. If everything goes well, he is hoping to complete all of the paper work and start out towards home later that day, spend the night somewhere along the way and arrive back home sometime on Friday. He is suppose to take his medication sometime during the afternoon so I am not sure how he is going to fit it all in. I guess he could let it drip as he drives down the highway, as long as he has somewhere to hang it from:). That might look kind of funny and might worry some people though:). I'm sure he will figure it all out. He is a very resourceful person.
We are praying everything will go well in Louisville with this van deal. It is such a good deal that my husband is concerned that maybe the vehicle is a lemon or something. I think we just found a great deal and it will be fine. It is a Toyota after all and it has a transferable 5 year 100 thousand mile warranty so I think our risk here is low, as long as the vehicle is in good condition. I think it will be though because it has such low mileage and is fairly new. It looks good in all of the pictures.
On the potty training front, I am going to take back what I said yesterday about Nick. After seeing how today has gone, I think I have misjudged how much control he actually has. I find it strange though because sometimes he does just great and seems to have a lot of control but other times it seems he does not or maybe he forgets until it is too late, which is probably more the case. He did very well this morning, pooping and peeing on the potty but then had accidents a bit later doing the same two things in his pants. He was excited and running back and forth between windows, watching the riding mowers do the neighbors lawn. They are big mowers and both boys get excited every Tuesday when they come to mow the neighbors lawn. I took the opportunity to go freshen up. Not long after, I saw Nick had wet his pants and soon after realized that was not all he had done in his pants.
So, in retrospect, now that I have watched him more, I think I misjudged and he is still figuring it out. Ben, on the other hand, has never had an accident. He is one of those kind of kids that would make a parent look like an expert in potty training....and I thought he would be the difficult one. I have so much to learn. Overall, I still think Nick is doing very well. I just need to remember that he needs reminders and I can't assume that he will always remember to tell me that he needs to go in time.
My sister tells me that I am paying for my raising:). I may have mentioned this in an earlier post but my grandmother, who recently passed away, used to always tell this story about me when I was potty training. She said that I would play outside until it was too late for me to make it to the bathroom. One of the times I came in with wet pants, my grandmother finally told me that if I did it again, she was going to spank me. She said that I looked up at her with great big tears in my big blue eyes and said "But grandma, I start in time. I just don't get there in time." My mom used to tell my sister and I stories about how my sister, who is 15 months older than I am, used to sneak me into the house and change me so I would not get in trouble for wetting my pants. So I need to remember this and remember that Nick may not always have enough time to tell me or to get there, when he realizes he needs to go.
Well, the boys are waking up from nap so I must go. Another hot day here in Oklahoma.
Monday, June 30, 2008
June 30, 2008 Part 2
I may be getting ready to try the impossible, but we'll see. I am sooo ready for the boys to go back into their cribs. Even though I actually do enjoy sitting with them and watching them fall asleep twice a day, I would like a little of my extra time back. I think they just were not ready and, for some reason, I thought they needed to be in a bed in order for me to start potty training them. Now I know that it is fine if they stay in cribs while they are being potty trained and we can continue to use pull ups during naps and night times.
While I am on the topic of potty training, Nick went poop in the potty two days in a row just fine. He told us he needed to go and he had no problems with going. I really believe that this child is very capable of peeing and pooping in the potty when he wants to. I am sure there are some times when he gets busy playing and forgets but I have very little remaining doubt that he is quite capable when he wants to. He even asked to be taken to the potty when he was at church, with no accidents whatsoever. Today he has had two poop accidents and one pee accident. I have a feeling it has something to do with my extra vigilance to enforcing time outs for bad behavior. To be fair, I was also trying to get the house cleaned up so they were getting extra negative attention and not enough positive interaction, which I am sure did not help. I was planning to take them to story time at the library this morning but we were running late and then Nick poop his pants just as we were trying to get out the door. Nick was disappointed that we didn't get to go but it was probably a good natural consequence. I was pretty matter of fact about it and was not angry. Ben did not seem to care one way or the other.
Back to the crib thing, they actually do pretty well at night time. Once they are asleep, they sleep through the night with no issues, although Nick often does wake up too early. If he was in his crib, he would just go back to sleep for a bit longer. At nap time, they wake up way too early and I have to take them back to their room and sit with them while they go back to sleep. They woke up from nap too early on Sunday and the dad let them stay up. They were miserable little people for quite a while, especially Nick. They did this again a few minutes ago and I took them back to their room and sat with them again until they fell asleep again. Nick was upset and crying for a few minutes, mostly because he was way too tired.
Moving them to beds too soon was definitely one of the biggest mistakes I have made. I want a do-over. I want them back in their cribs. I think I am going to run the idea up the flag pole and see how well it flies with the boys. It will be interesting to see if they want their cribs back or not. I need to think of a fun way to sell this idea.
While I am on the topic of potty training, Nick went poop in the potty two days in a row just fine. He told us he needed to go and he had no problems with going. I really believe that this child is very capable of peeing and pooping in the potty when he wants to. I am sure there are some times when he gets busy playing and forgets but I have very little remaining doubt that he is quite capable when he wants to. He even asked to be taken to the potty when he was at church, with no accidents whatsoever. Today he has had two poop accidents and one pee accident. I have a feeling it has something to do with my extra vigilance to enforcing time outs for bad behavior. To be fair, I was also trying to get the house cleaned up so they were getting extra negative attention and not enough positive interaction, which I am sure did not help. I was planning to take them to story time at the library this morning but we were running late and then Nick poop his pants just as we were trying to get out the door. Nick was disappointed that we didn't get to go but it was probably a good natural consequence. I was pretty matter of fact about it and was not angry. Ben did not seem to care one way or the other.
Back to the crib thing, they actually do pretty well at night time. Once they are asleep, they sleep through the night with no issues, although Nick often does wake up too early. If he was in his crib, he would just go back to sleep for a bit longer. At nap time, they wake up way too early and I have to take them back to their room and sit with them while they go back to sleep. They woke up from nap too early on Sunday and the dad let them stay up. They were miserable little people for quite a while, especially Nick. They did this again a few minutes ago and I took them back to their room and sat with them again until they fell asleep again. Nick was upset and crying for a few minutes, mostly because he was way too tired.
Moving them to beds too soon was definitely one of the biggest mistakes I have made. I want a do-over. I want them back in their cribs. I think I am going to run the idea up the flag pole and see how well it flies with the boys. It will be interesting to see if they want their cribs back or not. I need to think of a fun way to sell this idea.
June 30, 2008
This little car was given to us by my friend who has the twin girls. Both boys enjoy it but Ben really loves this little car. 
He has this thing about driving and is always pretending that he is driving. One day, he was walking around while holding his hands out in front of him. 
With each hand he had his thumb and a few fingers touching each other, pressed together tightly at the fingertips, almost like you would do if you were holding up some clothes or something. I asked him what he was doing and, with a big smile, he told me he was driving the car. H
e loves to pretend to drive and especially to back up and he pretends to do this while driving around the small big-wheel-type bike thing that we have in the house, as well as the ride-on truck and the two trikes.
We have to really keep an eye on him around the car and we can never, ever leave the car running with him around. He loves to sit in the driver seat of any vehicle and pretend to drive. It is definitely one of his favorite things to do these days. If I turn my back for a second while in the garage, he will be in the driver seat of my car and he is so disappointed when I tell him he cannot do this.
So, it is not a wonder that he loves this little car so much.
Before we got this little car, he would only go outside if an adult was outside with him, much to Nick's disappointment. Now that he has this car, he wants to go outside all the time and he gets very upset if he does not get to drive it first.
The funny thing is that it seems that Nick understands when Ben gets a bee in his bonnet about a particular toy and he tends to give in to Ben in these situations. It is really very interesting to watch.
So, one of the things I am very grateful for this summer is this little car and how happy it makes our little driver.
Just so you know, in the first picture he is parking, in the second one he is driving, in the third one he is backing up, in the fourth one he is "mailing some letters" (I had to ask him what he was doing on this one:) and in the last one he is posing for a picture after he parked (they are out of order:).
He has this thing about driving and is always pretending that he is driving. One day, he was walking around while holding his hands out in front of him. 
With each hand he had his thumb and a few fingers touching each other, pressed together tightly at the fingertips, almost like you would do if you were holding up some clothes or something. I asked him what he was doing and, with a big smile, he told me he was driving the car. H
e loves to pretend to drive and especially to back up and he pretends to do this while driving around the small big-wheel-type bike thing that we have in the house, as well as the ride-on truck and the two trikes.We have to really keep an eye on him around the car and we can never, ever leave the car running with him around. He loves to sit in the driver seat of any vehicle and pretend to drive. It is definitely one of his favorite things to do these days. If I turn my back for a second while in the garage, he will be in the driver seat of my car and he is so disappointed when I tell him he cannot do this.
So, it is not a wonder that he loves this little car so much.
Before we got this little car, he would only go outside if an adult was outside with him, much to Nick's disappointment. Now that he has this car, he wants to go outside all the time and he gets very upset if he does not get to drive it first.The funny thing is that it seems that Nick understands when Ben gets a bee in his bonnet about a particular toy and he tends to give in to Ben in these situations. It is really very interesting to watch.
So, one of the things I am very grateful for this summer is this little car and how happy it makes our little driver.
Just so you know, in the first picture he is parking, in the second one he is driving, in the third one he is backing up, in the fourth one he is "mailing some letters" (I had to ask him what he was doing on this one:) and in the last one he is posing for a picture after he parked (they are out of order:).
Saturday, June 28, 2008
June 28, 2008
Written Saturday evening; posted Sunday afternoon:).
It seems like it has been so long since we have just had a normal day. The dad came home from the hospital on Tuesday and went back to work on Wednesday around noon. My mom and sister came to visit on Thursday, spent the night with us and left after the boys went down for their nap on Friday.
And today is Saturday already. The dad is back in the master bath, laying the rest of the tile. He had it all cut and most of it was already cemented down so it won't take long to finish the rest. Tomorrow he is planning to finish grouting at least in the small toilet room, so he can put the toilet back in after it dries. It will be nice to have our bathroom back to normal soon and the tile is looking really nice. I'll post some pictures when it is finished.
This morning it was a rainy kind of day around here and I knew the boys were probably ready to get out of the house for a change, so I told them I would take them to play in the play area of the mall. They were very excited and so we all got ready to go and I packed a couple of snack cups and an apple. We were finally headed out the door and on our way to the mall. I gave the boys their snack cups so they could eat a bit on our way over to the mall, because I knew they would want to play when we got there and it was almost time for snack. We happily drove over to the mall and I got out and got the stroller out of the trunk. I opened the door to get Ben out and saw that he had taken the top off of his snack cup, which is fine. They do that all the time because it makes the little fish crackers easier to pick up. But, he also dumped a bunch of them out all over the car. Now if this had been an accident, it would have been no big deal. But after asking him about it, it was very clear, as he happily sported his mischievous grin, that he had dump the crackers intentionally, which he knows is a no no. I scolded him and picked them up and then went ahead and put him in the stroller. I went around to get Nick, opened the door and found that he had done the same thing, only he had dumped many more. Well, that was the end of our happy little trip. I picked up the crackers and put them away and put Ben back in the car and took the boys back home, through their (loud) protest. At one point, when they had quieted down a bit, I gave them a bit of a talking to, about how to behave when someone is doing something nice for them and about my disappointment in their behavior. They were very quiet the rest of the way home. That was our hard lesson of the day.
Thankfully, the rest of the day went better. We actually had a new milestone in potty training today. Nick finally, for the very first time, went poop on the potty. Yay! I decided to keep him near me today and I explained nicely to him why, that I wanted to help him learn when to run to the bathroom to go poop. He was very good about staying with me, never complained and happily played nearby. I also told him he could have two prizes from the 'big box' if he poop in the potty today (yes, I was desperate). I watched him closely for 'the look' (which was challenging because I had never caught it before so I was not quite sure what to look for with him:) and would periodically ask him if he had gone in his pants (knowing he had not) and remind him to tell me when he needed to go. Finally, I saw a different, kind of surprised look on his face. He quickly looked at me and said 'poop!' and he took off running to the bathroom and the rest is history. I was quite surprised that he recognize it, told me and ran to the bathroom. I am hoping that now that he has done it once, he will continue to do so. We'll see. He and Ben each got a small flashlight and a digital Matchbox watch for this huge milestone. We were celebrating big around here and even called MaMa and Aunt Kathy to tell them about it.
Everything else with the potty training is going pretty well. Once in a while Nick will have a pee accident but not very often. Ben never has any kind of accident and has not since it 'clicked' with him sometime during day three or four of our potty training efforts. So they are both doing very well with it and we have not had any accidents yet while we have been out and about, away from home. 95% of the time the boys wake up from their naps dry and sometimes they wake up in the mornings dry but not as often. We are still doing pull ups for naps and night time. Overall I would say our potty training efforts have been very successful.
In other news, we are very close to closing a deal for a 2007 Toyota Sienna XLE that has about 16,000 miles on it. If all goes well, my husband will fly to Louisville KY on Wednesday evening, close the deal on Thursday, after having it inspected by the local dealership, and drive it back. My husband has to provide 60 days notice to schedule vacation time at his job. Fortunately he had already asked for Thursday off and he has Friday off for July 4th, so it seems everything is working out OK. We think we are getting a great deal on this vehicle. I found it on www.AutoTrader.com and it is being sold by a private owner. I hope it works out. It will be nice to have some extra space when we are out and about and I would love to be able to take some longer trips for vacations in the future. After we purchase this vehicle, we will sell my car.
Did I mention that the boys are growing up way too fast? They are talking so much now and understanding and remembering so much too. They learn so quickly, they are constantly surprising me.
I am finding more and more wonderful children's books at my favorite used book store. I got some really good ones the other day, when I took my mom over there. I have noticed that you pretty much can't go wrong if a book is either a "Children's Choice" or a "Weekly Reader" book club book. I have also learned to be a bit pickier about the books I select and make sure that I will enjoy reading them over and over again:). Some of our favorites are Little Locomotive, If I Owned A Candy Factory, Caps for Sale (we love this one), Petunia and many more that I can't recall the names of off the top of my head.
Well, it's almost bath time and then bed time for the boys and then the husband and I are going to watch a movie we rented (I'll watch it and he'll probably fall asleep:), then church tomorrow morning, then we eat out for lunch and then we'll come home and I will rest while the boys take a nap and the husband grouts the bathroom floor. Yes, we lead an exciting life around here:).
It seems like it has been so long since we have just had a normal day. The dad came home from the hospital on Tuesday and went back to work on Wednesday around noon. My mom and sister came to visit on Thursday, spent the night with us and left after the boys went down for their nap on Friday.
And today is Saturday already. The dad is back in the master bath, laying the rest of the tile. He had it all cut and most of it was already cemented down so it won't take long to finish the rest. Tomorrow he is planning to finish grouting at least in the small toilet room, so he can put the toilet back in after it dries. It will be nice to have our bathroom back to normal soon and the tile is looking really nice. I'll post some pictures when it is finished.
This morning it was a rainy kind of day around here and I knew the boys were probably ready to get out of the house for a change, so I told them I would take them to play in the play area of the mall. They were very excited and so we all got ready to go and I packed a couple of snack cups and an apple. We were finally headed out the door and on our way to the mall. I gave the boys their snack cups so they could eat a bit on our way over to the mall, because I knew they would want to play when we got there and it was almost time for snack. We happily drove over to the mall and I got out and got the stroller out of the trunk. I opened the door to get Ben out and saw that he had taken the top off of his snack cup, which is fine. They do that all the time because it makes the little fish crackers easier to pick up. But, he also dumped a bunch of them out all over the car. Now if this had been an accident, it would have been no big deal. But after asking him about it, it was very clear, as he happily sported his mischievous grin, that he had dump the crackers intentionally, which he knows is a no no. I scolded him and picked them up and then went ahead and put him in the stroller. I went around to get Nick, opened the door and found that he had done the same thing, only he had dumped many more. Well, that was the end of our happy little trip. I picked up the crackers and put them away and put Ben back in the car and took the boys back home, through their (loud) protest. At one point, when they had quieted down a bit, I gave them a bit of a talking to, about how to behave when someone is doing something nice for them and about my disappointment in their behavior. They were very quiet the rest of the way home. That was our hard lesson of the day.
Thankfully, the rest of the day went better. We actually had a new milestone in potty training today. Nick finally, for the very first time, went poop on the potty. Yay! I decided to keep him near me today and I explained nicely to him why, that I wanted to help him learn when to run to the bathroom to go poop. He was very good about staying with me, never complained and happily played nearby. I also told him he could have two prizes from the 'big box' if he poop in the potty today (yes, I was desperate). I watched him closely for 'the look' (which was challenging because I had never caught it before so I was not quite sure what to look for with him:) and would periodically ask him if he had gone in his pants (knowing he had not) and remind him to tell me when he needed to go. Finally, I saw a different, kind of surprised look on his face. He quickly looked at me and said 'poop!' and he took off running to the bathroom and the rest is history. I was quite surprised that he recognize it, told me and ran to the bathroom. I am hoping that now that he has done it once, he will continue to do so. We'll see. He and Ben each got a small flashlight and a digital Matchbox watch for this huge milestone. We were celebrating big around here and even called MaMa and Aunt Kathy to tell them about it.
Everything else with the potty training is going pretty well. Once in a while Nick will have a pee accident but not very often. Ben never has any kind of accident and has not since it 'clicked' with him sometime during day three or four of our potty training efforts. So they are both doing very well with it and we have not had any accidents yet while we have been out and about, away from home. 95% of the time the boys wake up from their naps dry and sometimes they wake up in the mornings dry but not as often. We are still doing pull ups for naps and night time. Overall I would say our potty training efforts have been very successful.
In other news, we are very close to closing a deal for a 2007 Toyota Sienna XLE that has about 16,000 miles on it. If all goes well, my husband will fly to Louisville KY on Wednesday evening, close the deal on Thursday, after having it inspected by the local dealership, and drive it back. My husband has to provide 60 days notice to schedule vacation time at his job. Fortunately he had already asked for Thursday off and he has Friday off for July 4th, so it seems everything is working out OK. We think we are getting a great deal on this vehicle. I found it on www.AutoTrader.com and it is being sold by a private owner. I hope it works out. It will be nice to have some extra space when we are out and about and I would love to be able to take some longer trips for vacations in the future. After we purchase this vehicle, we will sell my car.
Did I mention that the boys are growing up way too fast? They are talking so much now and understanding and remembering so much too. They learn so quickly, they are constantly surprising me.
I am finding more and more wonderful children's books at my favorite used book store. I got some really good ones the other day, when I took my mom over there. I have noticed that you pretty much can't go wrong if a book is either a "Children's Choice" or a "Weekly Reader" book club book. I have also learned to be a bit pickier about the books I select and make sure that I will enjoy reading them over and over again:). Some of our favorites are Little Locomotive, If I Owned A Candy Factory, Caps for Sale (we love this one), Petunia and many more that I can't recall the names of off the top of my head.
Well, it's almost bath time and then bed time for the boys and then the husband and I are going to watch a movie we rented (I'll watch it and he'll probably fall asleep:), then church tomorrow morning, then we eat out for lunch and then we'll come home and I will rest while the boys take a nap and the husband grouts the bathroom floor. Yes, we lead an exciting life around here:).
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
June 24, 2008
He is doing much better today. They did a cat scan on his knee last night and everything looked good. He said the redness, swelling and heat in his leg is much better this morning. They are currently making arrangements so he can continue to give himself the IV antibiotics after he leaves the hospital. He has to have it for two more weeks. They put a pick line in his arm yesterday and took his IV out, so he will be able to administer the medication through the pick line at home or at his office. He is suppose to get out of the hospital sometime today, once they arrange the medication situation. He said that he may not get out until this evening, since sometimes they move a bit slowly.
I took the boys to see him yesterday at the hospital. I planned it where they had their snack with him and we took some snack food for him too. That kept them occupied for a while and then dad read a book, to which nobody paid much attention because they were too busy checking out the room. It is quite a challenge to keep Nick from pushing buttons, so a hospital room is not the ideal environment for him, although he is doing quite well with leaving my laptop alone these days, which is nice.
The dad's leg looked better yesterday too but I was surprised at how bad it had been when he had finally gotten settled into his room and the residents/docs had examined him. They marked on his leg where the redness was and it had crept down almost to his foot. It was a good thing they admitted him when they did, as it seemed pretty aggressive.
He sounded completely like his old self today. He took a lot of stuff with him to the hospital to work on and it seemed like he was getting a lot done. He had his work laptop with him and the hospital has a wireless network that he has access to so I'm sure that helped to alleviate his boredom somewhat. Knowing him, he will come home, change into work clothes, mow the lawn and be back in his office seeing patients tomorrow.
There is just nothing like a situation like this to remind one to appreciate ones husband more:). He is such a blessing to me and the boys and we would be lost without him.
I am so looking forward to getting back to normal around here. This vacation did not quite turn out like we had expected. The next time he takes a vacation, I think we need to leave town.
I took the boys to see him yesterday at the hospital. I planned it where they had their snack with him and we took some snack food for him too. That kept them occupied for a while and then dad read a book, to which nobody paid much attention because they were too busy checking out the room. It is quite a challenge to keep Nick from pushing buttons, so a hospital room is not the ideal environment for him, although he is doing quite well with leaving my laptop alone these days, which is nice.
The dad's leg looked better yesterday too but I was surprised at how bad it had been when he had finally gotten settled into his room and the residents/docs had examined him. They marked on his leg where the redness was and it had crept down almost to his foot. It was a good thing they admitted him when they did, as it seemed pretty aggressive.
He sounded completely like his old self today. He took a lot of stuff with him to the hospital to work on and it seemed like he was getting a lot done. He had his work laptop with him and the hospital has a wireless network that he has access to so I'm sure that helped to alleviate his boredom somewhat. Knowing him, he will come home, change into work clothes, mow the lawn and be back in his office seeing patients tomorrow.
There is just nothing like a situation like this to remind one to appreciate ones husband more:). He is such a blessing to me and the boys and we would be lost without him.
I am so looking forward to getting back to normal around here. This vacation did not quite turn out like we had expected. The next time he takes a vacation, I think we need to leave town.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
June 22, 2008 Part 2
Please be praying for my husband (see last post). Also, here are some pics I have been meaning to post:
Here are my two cuties, hamming it up and playing with Aunt Kathy.
The boys
were still in their PJ's one morning and I was in the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast, when they came in wearing these dress up outfits that they pieced together all by themselves.
Here are my two cuties, hamming it up and playing with Aunt Kathy.
The boys
were still in their PJ's one morning and I was in the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast, when they came in wearing these dress up outfits that they pieced together all by themselves.
June 22, 2008
Yesterday evening, the husband thought his knee was getting worse and was thinking he might have to go into the hospital for IV antibiotics. He talked to another doc and they decided that he should wait until this morning to see how it was. When he woke up this morning, it really looked better, his fever was much lower and he was feeling better. We got ready and went to church, thinking that the worst of this was over.
When we got home from church, his temp was again on the rise and he was feeling so-so again. A bit later, he called a couple of other docs and they all agreed that he needed to be admitted to the hospital for the IV antibiotics. So, off he went.
I am waiting to hear from him, that he got settled in OK and what his room number is. He said he will likely have to be there for two days at least.
All prayers are appreciated.
In other news, potty training is back on track and going well. We have had no accidents around here all day yesterday and today, with the exception of Nick's once a day poop episodes:). We came close to catching him today but we were still a little too late. Hopefully I will be able to catch him in time soon.
Neither of the boys had an accident while at church today, which I thought was pretty good. So I am very pleased with their potty training progress at this point. Our two week mark at potty training is on Tuesday. I think they are doing really well for less than two weeks at this and I am very happy not to have to buy diapers anymore. We are still using pull ups for naps and bedtimes and they also wore them to church today. Most of the time when they wake up from naps, they are both dry and N was dry when he woke up this morning, for the first time. Now I just have to teach them how to pull up their own pants so I can quit visiting the bathroom 15 million times a day:).
When we got home from church, his temp was again on the rise and he was feeling so-so again. A bit later, he called a couple of other docs and they all agreed that he needed to be admitted to the hospital for the IV antibiotics. So, off he went.
I am waiting to hear from him, that he got settled in OK and what his room number is. He said he will likely have to be there for two days at least.
All prayers are appreciated.
In other news, potty training is back on track and going well. We have had no accidents around here all day yesterday and today, with the exception of Nick's once a day poop episodes:). We came close to catching him today but we were still a little too late. Hopefully I will be able to catch him in time soon.
Neither of the boys had an accident while at church today, which I thought was pretty good. So I am very pleased with their potty training progress at this point. Our two week mark at potty training is on Tuesday. I think they are doing really well for less than two weeks at this and I am very happy not to have to buy diapers anymore. We are still using pull ups for naps and bedtimes and they also wore them to church today. Most of the time when they wake up from naps, they are both dry and N was dry when he woke up this morning, for the first time. Now I just have to teach them how to pull up their own pants so I can quit visiting the bathroom 15 million times a day:).
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