Okay, so now will you put the lid down?

I think we all have a short-list of irksome spousal habits.  The ones at the top of my list are opening cabinets, cupboards, and doors and forgetting to shut them.  This usually results in me either hitting my head on an open cupboard, or simply having to shut it to do what I need to do.  If you open it, then shut it already.  It's terribly annoying and sometimes painful.  And, I suppose piggy backing on that would be the whole leaving the toilet seat up thing....a similar breed of annoyance only filthier. 

With two kids, I'm awoken nearly every night.  Most nights I don't have to get out of bed, but I wake, and toss and turn, and peer at the video monitor while I assess whether or not Chloe Belle will fall back asleep.  And, it's also not uncommon for Camdyn to wander down the stairs in the wee morning hours and crawl in to bed with us.  Of course, before we allow this we instruct her to use the potty, which she does.

Last night, this was our scenario:
A little voice moans from our bedroom door.  "Camdyn, go potty."  She flicks on the bathroom light and I hear her rustling around in my bathroom and then suddenly a little voice cries out, "Momma.  I need help.  Momma.  I fell in the potty and I'm all wet."  Hubs groans and turns over, I get out of bed to assess the situation.  Sure enough, the seat is in the upright position, and Cam's nightgown is soaked with toilet water.  Ugh.  For, the love, it's 6 am.  So, I instruct her to sit tight while I trudge upstairs to find her new bed clothes.  When, I return she is sleeping on the bathmat in front of our shower.  I re-dress her and we both climb in to bed....for 15 minutes of peace before the alarm begins signaling the start of a Monday morning. 

As the Hubs and I did our dance around each other in the bathroom I asked him...."So, you think you can manage to put the seat down before we lose another kid in the toilet?"  Hubs, "Girls, so demanding.....I suppose."  Cause, I tell you what, the next time the potty swallows a little girl, he'll be cleaning it up.

Happy Monday, Y'all!

What a Tangled Web We Weave

Well, it's Tangled...but not like that.

Last Friday night, Camdyn hosted her first ever "party" which was not related to a birthday. 

We had ourselves a Tangled in 3D pajama party with two of Camdyn's pre-school friends.  Cam's uncle JJ pre-ordered the Tangled DVD as part of her Christmas present last year, and when the box arrived from Amazon we couldn't wait to let her open it.  She watched the regular version over and over that weekend, and then the party planning began, so we put the movie away for a week so she would be excited to watch it with her friends on Friday night.

And, boy were they excited.

We started the evening off with playtime until the sun set, because 3D movies are that much awesomer in total darkness. 

Then, we opened a gift from Miss Becky.  She bought all of the girls tiny Rapunzel dolls, which they LOVED and played with all night long.

Then, Chloe went to bed, and the lights were turned down, and our living room transformed in to a movie house. 

The girls ate popcorn, and drank lemonade out of Rapunzel cups with purple bendy straws.  They giggled, and sang along with the movie.  They cheered, and covered their eyes, and comforted each other when things got a little scary.  They ate ice cream sundaes and stayed up way past their bedtimes.  They enjoyed themselves to the hilt.

I'm looking forward to more times like these, times spent with older kids who carry on their own conversations, kids who are building friendships, discovering the world, and exerting true independence.  I'm looking forward to more play dates, and sleepovers, and being the Momma that is down for that in a moment's notice. 

With every age and stage there are perks....and this is one of them.

Wordless Wednesday - Success

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."

~ Bill Cosby

On Sunday, we attended a birthday party at a local mini-arcade.  Chloe took to skee-ball, although her little arms couldn't quite push or throw the ball all the way up the alley. 

So, she climbed right up on the lane and shortened the distance.

And, she found the joy of success.
Happy Wednesday, Y'all!

The Vacuuming and toilet scrubbing can wait. I have children to enjoy.

On Saturday, we attended the annual egg hunt which is held by our church.  This year, scores of children attended.  Here Cam & her Bestie pose for a quick photo before they run off to play games.

They separate the hunt in to 3 different age groups.  The toddler hunt was held on the sand volleyball courts at the park.  We nearly missed it.  I had to run with Chloe in my arms to the back of the court so that she could pick up just a handful of eggs.  She was a natural egg picker upper.

And then the bigger kids lined up on the softball field for their turn.  Of course, the eggs aren't really hidden, they are more or less scattered throughout the field.

It was still fun.

Each child got to collect 10 eggs.  We ended up collecting more than that, so we threw a few back.

We let Chloe participate too because I felt badly for partially missing the toddler hunt. 

And in the wink of an eye - it was over. 

I asked Chloe if I could hold her basket and she said, "no."  I asked her if I could hold her hand, and she does this:

Every now and then I get to complaining about how busy things are; how our weekends end up jammed with one social activity followed by another.  But, then I stop and think...I wouldn't have it any other way.  The childhood joy of participating in events like this, the memories created year after year, make it all worth while. 

The vacuuming and the toilet scrubbing can wait.  I have children to enjoy.

 

Wordless Wednesday - Promises

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart...

i'll always be with you.”

~Winnie the Pooh

My Cup Runneth Over.

Becky is one of my dearest friends and she is responsible for the pint sized cuteness that is Handsome in the photos above. Chloe Belle adores Miss Becky and last Friday I captured this sweet photo of the two of them together. The moment after I saw this on my display, I said half joking, half serious, mostly both...

"I think I'm going to leave Chloe to you in my will."

She just absolutely beams in her presence.

Happy Wednesday!

Something has changed....

There have been big developments in our

household this weekend....

Notice anything different?

Yes, I cut the back of Chloe's baby mullet a few weeks ago.  It looks better, I think, but that's not what I'm talking about.  Look again....

You got it!  Baby is wearing undies! 

We had a wonderfully lazy Saturday morning.  We were sipping coffee, listening to country music and chatting on the couch with Gramma when a little voice said, "I go pee pee."  Before I had a chance to peer over the back of the couch Chloe threw a slightly wet diaper over, which she removed herself.  Um...okay.  So, I grabbed a pair of teeny tiny undies and asked her if she wanted to wear them.  We put them on her and she started playing away with her big sissy.

About an hour later she says, "Mommy I go pee pee."  So, following standard potty training protocol, we put her on the little potty in our living room and we walked away.  A few minutes later she stands up and points to it and says, "I go pee pee."  Sure enough....she did!  Whoo hoo!  She was rewarded with 2 M&M's.

She continued to use the potty on her own accord throughout the weekend.  Of course, we had a few minor accidents where she would start to go in her undies, then remember, and finish on the potty, but she is making progress. 

She even started teaching Baby how to use the potty.

And properly wipe.

We've re-entered the "potty talk" phase of life.  This phase means re-learning where the potty is located in every restaurant, store, gas station, etc.  It involves constant questioning "do you have to go potty?"  "Do you need to pee pee?"  "Please don't pee pee in your undies."  "Try and stay dry."  The learning process is underway. 

And, I'm just following her lead.  I'm not pushing her.  I know that when she's ready, she's ready.  This morning I gave her a choice - diaper or undies.  She chose the undies and went to school with them on for the first time.  I expect she'll have an accident.  But she's proud of herself, she's following her big sissy's lead, and she's growing up.   

I already know that I'm going to miss the diaper days and feeling that padded diaper on my hip as I attempt to hold on to the few precious reminders of her infancy. 

I still have the paci though and I have a feeling that will be the last baby reminder that I'll she'll let go of.

Round 'em Up

Last Thursday night the whole family (Gramma included) attended Kindergarten Round-up at the elementary school that Cam will attend next year. 

When we walked through the door I was surprised to see kids in cowboy hats and then it dawned on me the Round-up name was actually a theme!  As luck would have it, it was rodeo week at Cam's school, so she had on her horse shirt, and pink cowgirl boots, and then was issued a cowboy hat when we registered.  CUTE!

If you know my kid, then you know how much she loves all things country western and she was in her element at Kindergarten Round-up.

I tried to stifle the urge to take photos, but I just couldn't, so I snapped this one of Cam & her pre-school school friend just as we entered the cafeteria (using my purse camera which is always with me).  Of course, Cam was having a hard time focusing because there was so much to look at, horse photos, a face painter, a balloon maker, and a magician. 

The girls got their faces painted and they browsed the library and book fair before the orientation began.  They assigned each child to a kindergarten teacher based on the colors of our program.  About 10 minutes in to the program they dismissed the children to go with their assigned Kindergarten teacher to see the classroom, read a story, and make a craft.  The parents were supposed to stay in the cafeteria, but you know how excited parents are, so ALL of the parents walked the children to the classroom.  Cam walked right next to her teacher all the way down the hallway.  She was talking her ear off about her cowgirl boots, horses, and all things rodeo related.  It was really awesome to see just how easy going and out going she is. 

Shortly after arriving in the classroom they instructed the parents to return to the cafeteria for more information and insured us that our children would be fine.  Well, I didn't hesitate, I think we were the first parents out the door.  I  was not going to be that hovering, clingy mom.  So, I left my kid sitting on the carpet, with her hand raised and about to ask a question about the craft.

The rest of the orientation was pretty basic and they returned the kids to us about a half hour later.  Mine was all smiles.  She was so proud of the horse she made and she said to me, "Momma I liked that class, but it was way too short!"  And, some kids were crying in the parents arms, traumatized by the separation, new environment, etc.

While getting ready to leave for the evening two different moms (well, I assume they were moms) came up to me and told me what a great job Camdyn did.  I don't really know what she did that made them say that; did she ask good questions about the story, did she share nicely, did she use good manners?  I'm not really sure, but I was proud of her for making an impression. 

Now, I don't worry for one second about Cam liking Kindergarten.  She's a social kid, she'll make friends easily, and she'll adapt well.  I don't expect that she'll cry on her first day.  I just hope that she develops a respect for her teacher and the rules and that it all kind of clicks for her next year.

One thing is for certain....I think that both of us are excited about Kindergarten next year!