Staci and I have been friends for about six years now, pretty much since we met when joining Christ Covenant. We have camped together, done Bible studies together, eaten many meals together - I even went into labor with M at her house over a bowl of chili! She blesses me in so many ways. For example, she is an amazing coupon clipper and queen of a bargain...and she gives me the extra "freebies" that she has worked hard to find! This morning's bounty included soap, deodorant, toothpaste, shaving cream, croutons, tea, salad dressing, glass cleaner, and body wash.
We have the added joy of being neighbors and having our children grow up together. This summer, we decided to create our own "Mother's Morning Out" program and take turns watching the children so we can get out of the house each week. Today was my turn to have the kiddos. Here's the evidence of a morning full of fun.
Two little monkeys sitting on the chair...
Building together - some combination of a hospital and brigade with guns...
What are the big boys doing, Mama?
Drooling on blocks
We're taking some time off from potty training until N's bladder is a little bigger. Every 30 minutes is just not working out for us right now! So, we're happily back in diapers until further notice.
We also enjoyed G's time off for Memorial Day. We spent Saturday and Sunday at home, and then ventured out to the Carl Sandburg home in Flat Rock, NC on Monday. Once we were home, I told G that I wished we could get an "hour by hour" forecast of how things will go on trips like this. Here is how it played out for us:
9 - gas in the car, on the road, everyone happy, M takes a little nap and N enjoys the ride
11:00 - arrive in Flat Rock but decide to go on a wild goose chase for a raincoat since it's threatening to rain
12:00 - arrive at Carl Sandburg home with a whiny toddler who is anxious to see the mountains - we never did find that raincoat since stores are selling bathing suits now
12:15 - I feed M in the car while Daddy and N start the hike up to the goat farm
12:45 - I join them and look around the barn and pet goats with N while Daddy hangs out with M
1:30 - we've had enough of the goat farm and decide we're hungry for lunch
2:00 - Daddy goes to the car to get our lunch stuff (I have both kids while he does this, so I carry M in the baby bjorn and push N in the stroller - everyone looks at me with great awe and wonder)
2:45 - kids fall asleep as soon as we crank the car
3:15 - they both wake up screaming as we slow down to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but they get over it and ride happily so we decide it's worth it to stop at Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain since we've come all this way
4:00 - it's raining when we get there, but we wait for it to pass, and then we explore the lake and look at the ducks and N runs up and down the ramp to the gazebo...we enjoy the mountain scenery and ask ourselves why didn't we just come here to start with?
5:00 - on the road again after a quick stop for Frostys
6:30 - the "screamfest" begins when M decides it's time to eat...after his tummy is full, he still screams for an hour because he wants out of his carseat
7:30 - M falls asleep and we can all breathe again
7:45 - we pull in the driveway and unload...although we are exhausted, we're glad we went! I get particularly sentimental when we go to Black Mountain...it really does seem like just yesterday that we were college kids falling in love during those magical summers at Ridgecrest.
It's Friday and the potty training week has gone by very quickly. Although I tried to go into it with low expectations, I was secretly hoping that N would just "get it" in 2 or 3 days. He is "getting it," just not all together and as quickly as I had dreamed, I suppose. My patience has been tested, and I have had to adjust to the new "power dynamic" in our relationship...but all is well, and I think we're moving in the right direction.
The good part is that he tells me when he needs to pee pee a lot of the time. He likes his rewards - we started with m&m's, but teddy grahams have ended up being the preferred treat. The not-so-good part is that he hasn't pooped on the potty yet, and sometimes he has temper tantrums. He would much rather play outside than bother to come inside for a bathroom break, so I've caught him in the act in the yard a number of times...but I guess boys will be boys, right?
At this point, we are continuing with training since he is showing signs of improvement and is pretty positive about the whole experience. I had originally planned to use regular underwear only, but now I am thinking that pull-ups are a pretty good thing, especially since he can typically only make it 30 minutes or so between bathroom visits. I know they will come in handy when we want to leave the house, or when we have a lot going on and the idea of having to clean up a bunch of messes is overwhelming. They worked really well yesterday when we spent all morning visiting Great Grandma for her birthday.
We took a round of family photos a few nights ago. Our church is putting together a pictorial directory and asked each family to submit a photo. Here are a few of our favorites from that batch.
N helping Daddy set up for the family photo
One of my favorites
Snuggling with M - I love this cuddly age!
Daddy giving kisses
