The potty chair has been out for about three months now. She uses it frequently, but not all the time. We've checked out half a dozen books on toilet training from the library and read them over and over. I think she's getting it. And when she poops she is quick to rush to the bathroom and TAKE OFF her pull-up by herself (remember, "I do it!!!") and "clean" herself up with wipes {disgusting}. I made the mistake of buying the princess pull-ups and showing them to her before I was fully committed to spend a week or two devoted to taking her potty every 20 minutes, and cleaning up accidents. We have just about finished the pack. She has big-girl panties ready and waiting, and stickers as a reward for using the toilet.
All this to say....I'm gearing up. I kept telling myself that after Christmas I was going to focus on potty trianing. Then kept putting if off til "next week". Now, it's the last day of January and I need to kick myself in gear. I am hopeful that with some work on my part, she will get this thing. If you moms of girls have any advice before I dive in head first, let me hear it. Craig gets all the credit for potty training Wyatt a few weeks after Anna was born so this one's all mine. I'll keep you posted on our progress.
My incentive is dreaming about what I could do with that extra diaper money each month!!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
We got our snowman!!
Seems as if we got dumped on out here to the west! This morning we woke up to a 2 hour delay and about 3 inches of snow. It's now turning to slush, but before heading out to school/work Craig and Will built this snowman. We were given this cute snowman "kit" and were really hoping to be able to use it this winter. Fun!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Our short-lived winter wonderland
The snow is just about gone now, but we enjoyed a little time outside this morning in our winter wonderland. Who knows, there might be more tomorrow?
Getting ready to play in the snow with Dad this morning!
Will had high hopes of making a snowman, but our snow was really powdery so the snowman ended up being about a foot tall.
Our little blue-eyed snow baby, all bundled up.
This is from a few days ago, and is one of those classic photos that will be really funny in about 10ish years or so. Anna is all about the "girly" things in life, but she is also a sister of two brothers, and when they play "super-heros" she loves to join in as "spiderwoman"!Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Dreaming of Spring
Despite the chilly weather, today is one of those beautiful clear winter days that gives me an ounce of hope that spring is not too far off. I find myself gazing out the window into the sunshine and imagining about 30 degrees warmer weather on a late spring day when my sweet peas are just about ready to bloom. I love sweet peas for their many colors, their smell, and the fact that the more you pick, the more they bloom. Only about a month til I buy the seed packet and start them indoors. Spring is really not too far off, is it? One can dream.....
Friday, January 18, 2008
Wyatt's Dance Moves
Here I am a stay-at-home mom who has been spending way to much time staying at home lately. So, how do you spend a cold January afternoon? Dancing in the kitchen to Toby Mac, of course. Wyatt's favorite song is "Hush little baby", and I laugh so hard watching him dance, it is good therapy for me. (I'm his mom though so I don't expect you all to think this is that funny). If you care to watch be sure to notice:
1. His outfit. The sweater vest and plaid shirt are his FAVORITE and he begs me to let him wear them everyday because they are so "handsome". Today I gave in.
2. The cookie he takes bites out of while performing.
3. The "Egyptian" and "the Zombie", dance moves that Wyatt invented.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
It is (just about) finished
Anna's new and improved big girl room is just about finished. We stayed with the same color theme so everything matches, but we did give the walls a fresh coat of paint and changed them from a light green to a very soft pink, called "slipper". It is ever so girly and was very fun for me to pour all my love for pink, feminine, shabby chic into one room. I was given so many of the items for her room, I really spent very little money, but it all came together. Here it is.....
My dad made the picket fence headboard for my niece and now she's now 10 and isn't using it, so we are borrowing it for Anna's room for a while. My other niece who's 14 gave Anna this nightstand. The framed picture above her bed was stiched by my grandma and my parents had it framed for Anna's room before she was born.
Here is Anna's special rocker that she likes to sit and look at books in and rock her babies. Ama made a slip cover for it and gave it to her as a 1st bday present.
A little bookshelf in the corner. I love the antique lamp, it was in my room growing up, and the corner shelf was also my grandma's and I painted it pink.
This is not new, she has had it in her room all along, but I love it. Craig's parents custom made this shelf to go above her window.
Her simple dresser and accesories above. I found the miniture white hutch at the Assistants League in Salem for $7. And my mom-in-law gave me the metal shelf abover her dresser, which I painted pink as well.
And the post wouldn't be comeplete without a picture of the big girl asleep in her bed. She loved her new bed and was really excited to sleep in it the first night. I am still seraching for the perfect sign to put above the wall on the side of her bed. I want to find something that matches and says, "thank heaven for little girls". I found a regular fabric shower cutain at Goodwill for $3 in great condition that is a light green background with pink floral desing and matches perfectly. I am planning on hanging it as her closet door since we have been without closet door in the kids rooms for years. I just need to buy a rod to hang it from.
So there you have it, the almost finished project!
Shock Value Parenting
I don't know it I am the only parent who occasionally uses this technique. (I hope not!) I admit there are times I think a certain child could benefit from a little bit of shock value parenting.
Let me explain.
For several months now Wyatt has had a problem with lying. It is where his imagination and story telling cross over the line, and becomes a flat out lie. I'll pick him up from pre-school and simply ask him what he had for snack. He'll make up some off the wall answer like, marshmallows and jellybeans, when I can clearly see the remnants of cheese crackers on his lips. He'll say it with such a straight face though, that I do sometimes question myself. Maybe he is telling the truth this time, I think. He'll go on to tell me they got a new student in their class named Tim. He's fully describes Tim and I can always suspect he's lying by the amount of detail he'll put into something, so I come back with, "Oh that's nice, I'll have to ask your teacher how this new students is doing." That'll throw him off guard for a second, but then he'll come back with, "ummmmm, she was sick today, so she didn't meet him yet." I just waved goodbye to his teacher about 30 seconds ago. Another lie. I really think I could write a book entitled, The World According to Wyatt.
The lying about really insignificant things was starting to bother me so after a few other things I decided to try shock value parenting. I read him the story from the Bible where two people lied about something and God "struck them down dead" putting great emphasis on this part. We also read the 10 commandments and talked about how when you grow up, and continue lying you could go to jail and get locked up. (I know, I'm so horrible). Did this work? No, not really. He will tell anyone the story of God striking the liars down dead, but it still doesn't stop him from lying. Do I still think shock value parenting might work on him one of these day? Yep, I do. And when the opportunity presents itself I continue to try.
Yesterday Wyatt was balancing precariously on top of a step stool flailing and acting as if he was going to fall. When he did fall (on purpose, for attention) he landed on a VHS we has checked out from the library and cracked the plastic. I decided on the spot to try shock value parenting again and said something like this:
Oh, my gosh Wyatt, you BROKE the video that we checked out from the library. We are going to be in so much trouble, I bet the library won't ever let us come back!
He looked at me and for a second I thought it might work. But no, it really had no affect on him so I had him put the stool away and warned him not to play on it like that again, it just isn't safe and things get broken. The video, although cracked a tiny bit, will still play perfectly, so I let it go. It was at least 10 minutes later I passed the boys room to hear someone sobbing. I looked in and found Will on top of his bed with his head buried in the pillows crying his heart out. It took me a full minute to calm him down enough to get him to tell me what was wrong. "The library won't ever let us come back", he choked out.
Ok, now I really felt bad. I went on to explain to him that, yes the library will let us come back, the worst thing that could happen would be we'd have to pay a fine, and I mostly just said that to teach Wyatt a lesson. I apologized and he was fine.
Am I the only one out there who has tried this method? Maybe I should just stop the whole shock value parenting. I realize it is not highly effective in most situations. But I know it works on one kid. I just keep thinking that someday it might work on the other.
So, in closing I'll leave you with a totally unrelated quote from Wyatt, today:
W- Mom, do you know what girls do when handsome boys are around?
M- No, what?
W- They blink their eyes really fast.
Let me explain.
For several months now Wyatt has had a problem with lying. It is where his imagination and story telling cross over the line, and becomes a flat out lie. I'll pick him up from pre-school and simply ask him what he had for snack. He'll make up some off the wall answer like, marshmallows and jellybeans, when I can clearly see the remnants of cheese crackers on his lips. He'll say it with such a straight face though, that I do sometimes question myself. Maybe he is telling the truth this time, I think. He'll go on to tell me they got a new student in their class named Tim. He's fully describes Tim and I can always suspect he's lying by the amount of detail he'll put into something, so I come back with, "Oh that's nice, I'll have to ask your teacher how this new students is doing." That'll throw him off guard for a second, but then he'll come back with, "ummmmm, she was sick today, so she didn't meet him yet." I just waved goodbye to his teacher about 30 seconds ago. Another lie. I really think I could write a book entitled, The World According to Wyatt.
The lying about really insignificant things was starting to bother me so after a few other things I decided to try shock value parenting. I read him the story from the Bible where two people lied about something and God "struck them down dead" putting great emphasis on this part. We also read the 10 commandments and talked about how when you grow up, and continue lying you could go to jail and get locked up. (I know, I'm so horrible). Did this work? No, not really. He will tell anyone the story of God striking the liars down dead, but it still doesn't stop him from lying. Do I still think shock value parenting might work on him one of these day? Yep, I do. And when the opportunity presents itself I continue to try.
Yesterday Wyatt was balancing precariously on top of a step stool flailing and acting as if he was going to fall. When he did fall (on purpose, for attention) he landed on a VHS we has checked out from the library and cracked the plastic. I decided on the spot to try shock value parenting again and said something like this:
Oh, my gosh Wyatt, you BROKE the video that we checked out from the library. We are going to be in so much trouble, I bet the library won't ever let us come back!
He looked at me and for a second I thought it might work. But no, it really had no affect on him so I had him put the stool away and warned him not to play on it like that again, it just isn't safe and things get broken. The video, although cracked a tiny bit, will still play perfectly, so I let it go. It was at least 10 minutes later I passed the boys room to hear someone sobbing. I looked in and found Will on top of his bed with his head buried in the pillows crying his heart out. It took me a full minute to calm him down enough to get him to tell me what was wrong. "The library won't ever let us come back", he choked out.
Ok, now I really felt bad. I went on to explain to him that, yes the library will let us come back, the worst thing that could happen would be we'd have to pay a fine, and I mostly just said that to teach Wyatt a lesson. I apologized and he was fine.
Am I the only one out there who has tried this method? Maybe I should just stop the whole shock value parenting. I realize it is not highly effective in most situations. But I know it works on one kid. I just keep thinking that someday it might work on the other.
So, in closing I'll leave you with a totally unrelated quote from Wyatt, today:
W- Mom, do you know what girls do when handsome boys are around?
M- No, what?
W- They blink their eyes really fast.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
What a wonderful day
I know the majority of people with kids in the public school system see a snow day as something that interrupts their schedule. Working parents have to make arrangement for their kids, and things just generally get thrown out of whack. With Craig being a teacher we have always been in the public school system and I continue to LOVE a snow day. Although a 5:11am call woke me up this morning to alert us of the two hour delay, I had no problem just turning my alarm off and going back to sleep. When I rolled out of bed at about 7:30 (major sleeping in for me) I was greeted to Craig and the kiddos snuggling and watching cartoons. A little after 8am we received yet another phone call giving us the news that school was cancelled! "SCHOOL'S CANCELLED", I yelled and we all began giving each other hi-fives, even Anna joined in on the fun, not really understanding what all the excitement was about. I not only had a lazy day with the kids to look forward to, but my husband had an unexpected free day off work, with pay! So cool. Now, can you see why I love "snow" days so much?
And, of course, here in Oregon a "snow" day seldom really means you're really stuck at home. We had a couple errands to run in Salem and then went to the Gilbert house for about an hour. Craig got some projects done around the house this afternoon and I have been working on Anna's new room. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week, so I will take pictures so you all can enjoy. She's slept really well for two nights in her BIG GIRL bed. I am so proud of her and yet a little sad that now the crib is definitely a thing of the past. Her room is turning out pretty cute though, and I'm excited to finish it.
So, just a random update. It was a wonderful day!
And, of course, here in Oregon a "snow" day seldom really means you're really stuck at home. We had a couple errands to run in Salem and then went to the Gilbert house for about an hour. Craig got some projects done around the house this afternoon and I have been working on Anna's new room. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week, so I will take pictures so you all can enjoy. She's slept really well for two nights in her BIG GIRL bed. I am so proud of her and yet a little sad that now the crib is definitely a thing of the past. Her room is turning out pretty cute though, and I'm excited to finish it.
So, just a random update. It was a wonderful day!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Just my thoughts, today.....
Looking back on the road of parenting that, for me, began nearly 7 years ago, it started out quite easy. Many people know that Will is a very compliant child. As a baby and toddler he was easygoing, and content. He never climbed out of his crib, never scaled his closet shelving, never jumped in the bath fully clothed, never took a bath in the kitchen sink without me knowing. When people would ask if he was "easy" I didn't quite know how to respond. I had nothing to compare him to so I didn't really know if he was easy or not. Let me assure you now, though, he was easy.
We welcomed Wyatt into our family just after Will turned two. We all adjusted great and life was pretty smooth. Then, on Wyatt's 4 month bday he had his first real roll. By the end of the day he was rolling across the room, even into other rooms and pretty much getting where ever he wanted via rolling. That should have been the first dawning for me that these two boys were like night and day. At about 5 months Wyatt was happy to army crawl and by six months he was a full-fledged crawler. Life for me became busier, of course, but Wyatt was always a happy baby. He took his first steps at 9 month and by 10 months he was a walker. Gradually we noticed more differences between our two boys. Where Will had always been content to play with his toys and basically do what mom and dad told him to, Wyatt was curious and fearless. We pulled out all the stops including a leash (yes, I used a leash on my child!) and a bungy cord on his doorknob to keep him in his room at bedtime. I spent the following summer chasing Wyatt.....literally....everywhere. Shortly before Wyatt turned two, and I felt like I was able to take a breather every now and then, we found out we were expecting our third baby.
When we found out Anna was going to be a girl, I was so excited. I had visions of me and my 2 year old daughter, happily walking hand in hand together in the store. She would hold my hand and we would shop together, looking at all kind of girly things and she would never once reach out to touch them. (Boy, the hormones must have had me really deluzioned!) I would sit in the rocking chair in her pink and green girly room awaiting the arrival of my sweet, calm, compliant, little girl. Anna arrived and boy was she sweet. She has also grown into a very, determined, spunky, fearless, and strong-willed little girl. As Craig puts it, "she's the girl form of Wyatt".
Here is a typical conversation with Anna as she puts her shoes on, yes I know some of this is her age, but you'll get the point:
M- here's your shoes, lets get them on
A - I do it!! (grabbing the shoes from me)
M- okay, you do it
(Anna forcing her foot into the shoe and having a hard time)
A - Help me!!
M- do you want me to help you (me reaching to gently help her out)
A -No, I do it!!! (grabbing the shoe back)
Repeat that process about 7 times before the shoes actually get on her feet.
And on it goes......
Now, I really don't mean to put labels on my kids. But lets face it, if you have more than one you are bound to notice the differences. They are each unique and I am so blessed by each one. Imagine what would my days look like if I had all Will's (predictable, serious....) Or all Wyatt's (I'd probably be in a funny farm). My point is, I know God gave me each of my kids for a reason. I need to focus more on what I can learn through each of them, in whatever stage they are in, and be joyful in the process. If I am being honest, I have to say Wyatt and Anna are definitely more challenging, right now, and yesterday was a particularly hard day for me. By 6pm I was running on empty, feeling like a sucked dry juice box (a term I stole from my mops magazine, because it is so fitting). Craig wasn't due home until late and I managed to make it through the evening. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Like I honestly don't feel like I can make the right decision, or any decision for that matter, in a given situation. After the kids went to bed I prayed and read my Bible in peace and quiet for a while. Nothing earth shattering was spoken, but I did feel a whole lot better about myself as a mom. The skill of parenting is something I'm sure I will never master. But as long as I am seeking the Master in it, I know I can't go wrong.
I truly thank him for each of my children. I am not at all worthy, but He has shown great love for me in letting me mold and shape these three.
We welcomed Wyatt into our family just after Will turned two. We all adjusted great and life was pretty smooth. Then, on Wyatt's 4 month bday he had his first real roll. By the end of the day he was rolling across the room, even into other rooms and pretty much getting where ever he wanted via rolling. That should have been the first dawning for me that these two boys were like night and day. At about 5 months Wyatt was happy to army crawl and by six months he was a full-fledged crawler. Life for me became busier, of course, but Wyatt was always a happy baby. He took his first steps at 9 month and by 10 months he was a walker. Gradually we noticed more differences between our two boys. Where Will had always been content to play with his toys and basically do what mom and dad told him to, Wyatt was curious and fearless. We pulled out all the stops including a leash (yes, I used a leash on my child!) and a bungy cord on his doorknob to keep him in his room at bedtime. I spent the following summer chasing Wyatt.....literally....everywhere. Shortly before Wyatt turned two, and I felt like I was able to take a breather every now and then, we found out we were expecting our third baby.
When we found out Anna was going to be a girl, I was so excited. I had visions of me and my 2 year old daughter, happily walking hand in hand together in the store. She would hold my hand and we would shop together, looking at all kind of girly things and she would never once reach out to touch them. (Boy, the hormones must have had me really deluzioned!) I would sit in the rocking chair in her pink and green girly room awaiting the arrival of my sweet, calm, compliant, little girl. Anna arrived and boy was she sweet. She has also grown into a very, determined, spunky, fearless, and strong-willed little girl. As Craig puts it, "she's the girl form of Wyatt".
Here is a typical conversation with Anna as she puts her shoes on, yes I know some of this is her age, but you'll get the point:
M- here's your shoes, lets get them on
A - I do it!! (grabbing the shoes from me)
M- okay, you do it
(Anna forcing her foot into the shoe and having a hard time)
A - Help me!!
M- do you want me to help you (me reaching to gently help her out)
A -No, I do it!!! (grabbing the shoe back)
Repeat that process about 7 times before the shoes actually get on her feet.
And on it goes......
Now, I really don't mean to put labels on my kids. But lets face it, if you have more than one you are bound to notice the differences. They are each unique and I am so blessed by each one. Imagine what would my days look like if I had all Will's (predictable, serious....) Or all Wyatt's (I'd probably be in a funny farm). My point is, I know God gave me each of my kids for a reason. I need to focus more on what I can learn through each of them, in whatever stage they are in, and be joyful in the process. If I am being honest, I have to say Wyatt and Anna are definitely more challenging, right now, and yesterday was a particularly hard day for me. By 6pm I was running on empty, feeling like a sucked dry juice box (a term I stole from my mops magazine, because it is so fitting). Craig wasn't due home until late and I managed to make it through the evening. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Like I honestly don't feel like I can make the right decision, or any decision for that matter, in a given situation. After the kids went to bed I prayed and read my Bible in peace and quiet for a while. Nothing earth shattering was spoken, but I did feel a whole lot better about myself as a mom. The skill of parenting is something I'm sure I will never master. But as long as I am seeking the Master in it, I know I can't go wrong.
I truly thank him for each of my children. I am not at all worthy, but He has shown great love for me in letting me mold and shape these three.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Cruella de Ville
The other day I was getting on Wyatt about something....like not getting his shoes on when I told him to.... or something like that. He looked at me and said. "Mom, you're kind of reminding me of Cruella de Ville right now." Wow. I guess I need to tone it down a little.
Do you see any resemblance??
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Happy New Year!
We had a fun, and rather uneventful New Years Eve with the kids and Craig's parents. We went out for a yummy breakfast and then laid low for the day, since I woke up with a super bad sore throat. Over the past three days I have drank probably 20 cups of tea and I am starting to feel better today. Craig had a great idea of making ice cream sundae's with all the fixings for a special New Years Eve treat, and I think that may have to become a tradition! The kids have been practicing "cheers" at mealtimes the past couple weeks with whatever drinks they have, so they were very excited to get out fancy cups (I had to rinse them out, they were so full of dust) and sparkling cider to toast with. We rang in 2008 at 9pm with the boys (Anna already in bed) and then sent them off to bed. 
CHEERS!!
"Cheers" photo with Ama and Papa.....
The friday before New Years we had to return a coat at the Lincoln City outlets, so we decided to make a day of it and visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. I can't believe how cool this place is, and all for FREE. I had to post some pictures of our fun. The kids loved it!
Touch pools......
Anna was a little hesitant about actually touching, but she loved all the "shishys"
Here I am with the three at the touch pools.....Wyatt's favorite were the baby skates (they look like sting rays only they don't sting) and he was not shy about touching them!
This is the octopus, Jimmie. She was out and moving all over. The volunteer tried to let us touch her, but then she became a little too feisty. Last time we went Jimmie was sleeping so it was pretty awesome to see her out and about.
CHEERS!!
"Cheers" photo with Ama and Papa.....
The friday before New Years we had to return a coat at the Lincoln City outlets, so we decided to make a day of it and visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. I can't believe how cool this place is, and all for FREE. I had to post some pictures of our fun. The kids loved it!
Touch pools......
Anna was a little hesitant about actually touching, but she loved all the "shishys"
Here I am with the three at the touch pools.....Wyatt's favorite were the baby skates (they look like sting rays only they don't sting) and he was not shy about touching them!
This is the octopus, Jimmie. She was out and moving all over. The volunteer tried to let us touch her, but then she became a little too feisty. Last time we went Jimmie was sleeping so it was pretty awesome to see her out and about.
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