First Day of School 2015

It’s that time of year again. Kiddos are headed back to school, and the long nine months of learning shall begin. This year, I am the proud mama of a 3^rd grader, a 2^nd grader, and a wee little tag-along. About two weeks before school started, the kids were starting to get itchy and ready for school to begin. Alex was least excited of the two, but glad to get back to seeing his friends again. Abby was excited because she got the teacher that she was hoping for. I can’t believe how much the kiddos have grown in just a year. Alex seems like he towers above everyone these days. Needless to say, things are about to go back to crazy-town. Time to put my room-mom shoes back on and prepare myself for seven hours of keeping Evie entertained. She'll be starting 3 year old preschool next year if I feel she's ready. But for now, it's three more years before I will be forced to get a job and leave the nest. My days so far, since school started, have been pretty much hours on end of playing Barbies, My Little Ponies, and a game Evie came up with called, "You're Evie and I'm Mommy". This is basically a role reversal game where I play the part of Evie and Evie plays the part of me. I'm going to be honest here. I really miss the kids already. Plus, we've already got the first cold of the year. Yippee. I'm so excited to see how much Alex and Abby will learn this year. I can only hope that what we continued to practice over the summer will help them along the way. Enjoy the new year, kiddos!

Alex 3rd Grade

Abby 2nd Grade

Evie 2 1/2 years old - Tag along

Potty Training: Round 3

 

When I got pregnant with Evie, potty training was the last thing on my mind. But as the days have moved on since then, I've gotten the question from several people. The dreaded question: "So have you started potty training yet?" My answer is always the same. "No. Not yet. She's not really ready." The truth? She's ready. She's been ready. Well...technically speaking. In all the books and blogs you read, the signs are pretty much the same. And she has had them nailed down for awhile now. The problem? She just wasn't ready. I was under the impression that when summer vacation started, I'd have her in running around all day in underwear outside so the puddles wouldn't be all over my house. Oh, I tried. I did. I really, really did. But what happened just made me realize that it wasn't worth it. She had temper tantrums. Big ones. And always because (and I quote) "I don't want to be a big girl. I want to be a baby!" So after the third tantrum, I threw in the towel. Literally. Because she peed on the floor in what could only be a planned attack on my sanity.

That's about the time that I decided to go on a new adventure to a land called "I just don't care". With Abby and Alex, it was different. They were 18 months apart and learning very similar things at the same time. It was (dare I say) easier. Evie marches to the beat of her own drum. I have gotten some guff from my mom. In my mom's head, all children should be potty trained by 18 months, like it or not. So we found out that Evie's cousin, Lexi, was potty trained and Evie wasn't sure what to think about this. They are just one moth apart in age. Evie started to compare herself and didn't seem to like that she was a "baby" and Lexi was a "big girl". Now, I don't know if this was a major factor, but it set the gears turning in her brain. I didn't know peer pressure worked at 2 1/2 years old. Sheesh. Then my mom started telling her how she needed to pee and poop in the potty...a lot. One day, Evie went up to my mom and said, "Nanny, I peed in my diaper!" (She does this every time she pees in her diaper.) She was very proud of this. Grandma? Not so much. And my mom let her know. I think poor Evie was sad that she didn't get a high five from Grandma. That, I believe was our spark that lit the fire in the toilet.

That very evening, Evie came home and (you won't believe this) POOPED in the potty. That's right. Not peed. Pooped. Poo in the potty is an epic moment that only parents can understand the significance of. (Well...parents and perhaps extremely constipated people.) She got to call grandma and hear how proud she was of her. Eight days later, now, and she hasn't pooped in her diaper even once. She poop trained herself. Ha! I've never heard of a kid doing that before the peeing. Usually the poopy diapers linger for quite awhile in the potty-training phase. Well, about three days ago, she started peeing in the potty. She's now spending several times each day in the bathroom. My sister-in-law said her third kid potty-trained herself. Looks like that's what my third child is doing as well. She's potty-training herself whether I like it or not.

There in lies my next joy. She wants me to sit with her on the bathtub while she goes. I don't mind. Really. But it's All. Day. Long. I give her M&M's as a reward for pooping and so she will go into the bathroom and try, try, and try harder to go again...to no avail...for a few bits of candy. And the toilet paper. Oh, the toilet paper! She unrolls and wipes like more times that I can handle. I have to confiscate it on a regular basis. And don't try convincing her that she doesn't have to go. Because that's about the time that she yells at you and tells you that she does. Hours. I've spent hours sitting in the bathroom with her today. I'm not exaggerating. I know that I'm not supposed to say this, but diapers are so much easier! Yeah, I know. Potty training is important. And believe me, I'm proud as punch! But this has definitely changed my days. One day, it will be smooth sailing, but the beginning of potty training is exhausting. For now, I'll cheer, give high-fives and M&M's, dance around like a proud mama chicken, and be her best cheerleader. One day, I'll just be glad if she doesn't have poop-streaks in her underwear. (If you don't understand this reference, you're not a parent.)

Seriously though...super proud of Evie. What a huge step to being the big girl that I can't believe she's already growing into so fast. Where did my baby go?

Bikin' Evie

Evie is learning to ride a bike now! She decided to do this right about the time she decided to start potty training herself. She’s become a big girl over night and I’m not sure I’m ready for it. She has been trying really hard to pedal on her bike and then suddenly, she got the hang of it. We practice in the church parking lot across from our house. She still struggles a bit, but boy is she excited about this. I’m excited to think that I can take bike rides with the kids without towing that massive bike trailer behind me. Granted, that’s still a bit of trek away, but now it’s in sight. Yay! Go Evie, go!

17 days

I glanced at the calendar today to see how many days of summer vacation were left and was floored when I realized that there were only 17. That means that I have but 17 days left to fit in a last few fun things to do with the kiddos. My summer has been riddled with a few problems. The entire month of July was one long headache. Not figuratively speaking. I actually had a headache that lasted for an entire month. Luckily, August is finding me not suffering with daily pain. Unfortunately, having daily pain like that is a real downer. I was finding it hard to concentrate on anything beyond the pain in my skull. So perhaps the kids suffered along with me. They did, however, say that this was the "best summer ever" at one point, so maybe that means I didn't fail altogether.

That being said, I'm hoping to amp up my awesome-mom meter and actually DO something with them. One, I want them to have a great last few weeks of vacation. But two, I want to enjoy my last few weeks of having them home with me all day. Truth be told, I've said the words, "I can't wait until school starts again" at least a few times. My guilt for this is heavier than I want it to be. But honestly, I hate it when they aren't with me all day. It's a constant reminder that they are growing up and will eventually not enjoy their days with me any more. One day, they'll be locking themselves in their bedrooms and avoiding my existence like any other normal teenager. And I will miss these days...

Friday movie nights - with stove popped popcorn. 

Fishing with my mom and the kids.

Swimming in the backyard - in the Big Blue Blob.

The 4th of July at the firework show in my home town - when the kids were in awe.

 Drive-in Movie theater. Blankets, snacks and lots of bathroom breaks - with a triple feature.

Thunderstorms with a full bed and Alex sleeping on the floor because he couldn't fit.

Shucking corn with Grandma.

 Playing outside barefoot and fancy free - and sometimes getting along.

 Popsicles after swimming.

Summer baseball - and learning that Alex is actually really good at it.

And all the times in between.

Family Trip

We WERE planning on going to Manhattan to visit the places that I spent a decade enjoying. (Kansas, not New York.) There has been so much flooding lately from the massive rains this summer, that the places that I wanted to take the kids aren't exactly ideal. So we opted for a little change of schedule. First up, we decided to check out the zoo. There have been some changes to it and the kids love going. So on Josh's day off, we went as a family. I actually think it was the first time that we've gone with just us. Usually someone else joins us or Josh is working and we go without him. My mom worked and so she couldn't go this time. Taking family pictures in our usual spots was...well...a bit more challenging. The zoo wasn't busy so there weren't even people walking by that could take the pictures for us.

We had a blast. The kiddos really enjoy seeing the animals and Evie was in her element. It was also our very first official trip without any kind of wagon or stroller. Big step. Huge.

Evie got nailed in the face by a hungry goat.

The updated rain forest exhibit was pretty nice. Very bright.

Josh's favorite exhibit is always the fruit bats. He stares at them forever.

What a cutie.

He was pretending to be a wildlife man.

Just gettin' ready to step in the tiger poo.

She loved this.

Family photo. Wish I wasn't standing like a weirdo.

After the zoo, we decided to hold up our end of the promise to spend a night in a hotel with the kiddos. They don't have much experience staying in hotels. Honestly, the last time we stayed in one was our trip to California for my brother's wedding. When Abby came up to me and asked, "You mean that we get to stay in a hotel kind of like when we stayed at Uncle Aaron's house in California? Yay!" That's right. My kids thought that our hotel was actually my brother's home. I failed them. Oops. After a lengthy explanation, they both realized that we would get to swim in an indoor pool and they were pumped beyond words. Instead of going to Manhattan, we opted to go see Josh's family in Oklahoma. We got a nice hotel there and had a great time. What was the kiddos' favorite thing about the hotel (besides the pool)? The ice machine. It was just down the hall from us and they were fascinated by it. All around, we had a great time for our weekend getaway. We visited the local swim park, had lots of play time with the cousins, and got to enjoy splashing around a creek finding crawdaddys and minnows. (My van still doesn't smell right.) I wish I could say I got pictures of this. But alas, I was too busy keeping Evie from drowning and trying not to look like the worst parent in the world as she had a tantrum/meltdown in front of all the world. As my inlaws witnessed this, they were either thinking that I'm the worst parent in the world, or they are simply thankful that they no longer have a two-year old. Oh, I did get video of Evie screaming in her carseat. And, by screaming, I mean...um...there are no words to describe it. And that, my friends, is why we don't travel. I won't even show you because then you'd never be able to look at me with respect again.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Round 2

I decided to donate my hair…again. I’ve been growing it out for about two years and have successfully donated to Wigs For Kids. I really enjoy this process. I love getting that big chop. It’s so shocking! This time I went shorter than the last time and I love the style! Of course, I have to actually spend time every morning making it look decent. Once about one year of growth hits, I just go with a pony-tail everyday. I grew up with hair down to my butt until I was in high school. Even then, I didn’t go shorter than shoulder-length. These days, I kind of prefer the soccer mom thing. I don’t like calling it that, but it’s kind of what it is. I’m glad that I did it again and fully plan on growing it back out for round three in another couple of years or so. It’s nice knowing that some kid somewhere is getting a wig because I donated.

Low Key Summer

I call this "Ugh...I need a haircut." :-)

 We're having what one might call a low-key summer. Usually by this time, I've set up our big Big Blue Blob and the kids will have spent a lot of time expelling their copious amounts of energy by swimming in it. I will have had a nice big garage sale and have a fairly large amount of "summer fun money" that we will spend doing odds and ends through the summer vacation. Our local reading program is being eagerly awaited and swim lessons are in full gear with two very excited kids ready to enjoy it. Sounds like fun, right? Yeah. It was. But for some reason I've been really unmotivated to do much of anything. Maybe it's because the school year was so hectic and busy with everything I was involved in. Maybe it's because I'm a lazy mom. Either way, I think this summer might go down in history as a bit of a dud when it comes to fun-filled days and nights.

The kids have been begging to get the Big Blue Blob up, but I just keep coming up with excuses as to why I "can't do it right now". I know they want it and I know I should oblige, but it's just one more thing I have to clean when I'm already behind on my cleaning duties here. I told them I'd get it put up after the next round of rain is gone from the forecast. We'll see.

As for the garage sale, that ship has sailed. The city-wide sales were this past weekend and it rained. Again. P.S. The drought is officially over. I didn't feel like putting the thing together this year. I've been good-willing or sending junk away to other garage sales for donations instead. I could have still had a nice little sale when it was all said and done. I just couldn't muster the energy. So no summer fun money for us this year. The kids were pretty bummed about that too. I think they have me in the dog house so far. I've already heard, "this is the most boring summer vacation ever" at least three times.

We usually plan some small getaway for the summer. In the past we've gone to see The Wiggles a few times, gone to the Oklahoma Aquarium, and stuff like that. This year? Bubkis. Nothing. Nada. We thought about going to visit K-State because that's where Josh and I went to school and met. But it's looking like that, too, will be a bust. I'd better step up my game or my kids are going to be driving me nuts with the "I'm bored" phrases. I do, however, do my best to keep them somewhat entertained.

A rare moment when all three of them weren't trying to kill each other.