Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Day 3 of Addison's potty training was a bit messier than days 1 and 2. She had 3 accidents today (2 of those occurred before 8:00 this morning), but she still did well otherwise.

Unfortunately, our day got off to a rough start. When I went into Fischer's room to get him, I discovered a big mess in his bed. It was gross. I was very mad. And tonight he has duct tape around his diaper. We'll see what tomorrow holds....

Not too much else has been going on. I had a Dentist appointment today, and Addison was very worried that I had to get a band-aid at the "tooth doctor." She is obsessed with band-aids!

Fischer also has a new friend - a robot that apparently hangs out in his room? Addison sees it too, and they like to play with it. It's pretty funny to watch their little imaginations go crazy sometimes.

And they are becoming quite the experts at stalling at bedtime. What's funny is Fischer has recently started using a lot of the same tactics as Addison, but he's never been in her room to see any of it. So, they are doing the same things, but on their own! Tonight's stalling tactic was to talk about random stuff. Addison wanted to talk about eyebrows and Fischer wanted to talk about tickling belly buttons.

Here is Addison during day 2 of potty training.



Here they are this morning... don't they look so sweet and innocent?!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Day 2 of Addison's potty training went well! She had one accident and I think that was probably my fault. It was during lunch and I went a little too long without checking in with her about going. She did stop, tell me she went, then run to her potty after I got her out of her booster seat and finished up! She then, of course, returned to the table to finish her lunch.

I am thinking I will start with Fischer's officially training tomorrow or Thursday. I am sort of dreading it though. It's going to well with Addison that I hate to add anything to the mix, but it needs to be done. And, he takes his shorts and diaper off on his own to go potty several times a day anyway, so I might as well start working with him too. I just hope my nerves can take it! :)

Even though it's going so well with Addison, I am exhausted. I think it's just mentally exhausting to keep up with the schedule the entire time, and to keep up with what Fischer is doing too. It will be worth it in the end though. I need to keep reminding myself that I won't have to change diapers anymore, which has become quite a chore lately.

Keep your fingers crossed that tomorrow goes well too!

Monday, July 25, 2011

What a day.

You might recall that I attempted to start potty training a couple of weekends ago and ended up stopping the same day I started. I just couldn't handle it! Since then, we've been letting the kids use their potties throughout the day if they felt like it, but we definitely weren't forcing it. As of yesterday, they were both going several times a day - both #1 and #2.

I felt like it was time to step it up. But this time, I decided to focus on Addison first. This morning after breakfast, I put her in her big girl "undies" and the fun began! Fischer asked for his big boy undies, but I told him his turn was coming and focused his attention on something else and he was fine for the rest of the day.

I must say, Addison did SOO great!! I am so proud of her! I asked/told her to go potty every 20-30 minutes, but a lot of the time she would go on her own before then. She got to flush each time, but sometimes she got an M&M as an extra reward. At one point, before naptime, I thought we were in trouble. She was refusing to put her undies back on and was on the verge of having a melt down. So, I offered her an M&M and that's all it took!

She only had 1 tiny accident the entire day and that was tonight when were were all playing before bath time.  She got so excited during her game of "open the closet door and yell surprise" that she peed a little bit. But that was it!

I think I will give it another day or 2 before I start with Fischer. I do think he's ready, but only time will tell.... he did go on the potty several times today even though he was wearing a diaper.

The hardest part is not being able to leave the house these first couple of days (and then again with Fischer's first couple of days). But, it'll be worth it to be done with diapers!

Here's hoping that tomorrow goes just as well!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Addison and Fischer turned 2 years, 5 months old yesterday. We are inching towards 2 1/2 years - 30 months!! WOW!!

I was looking through some old pictures recently and came across this one. I'd forgotten all about it but I think it's so funny! It was taken when they were around 5 months old.

Friday, July 22, 2011

We've had a busy few days!

Uncle Chris, Carly and Carter (my brother and his kids) came to visit for a couple of days.



It was so hot yesterday, so we went to McDonald's for an ice cream treat, then spent the rest of the afternoon in the shade playing in the pool. The kids had fun playing with their cousins, and Fischer especially loved having Carter as a pool buddy!



And, as usual, it's always nice to have some extra hands here. Scott was out of town so it was even more appreciate! Carly is 14 and so good with the kids - they especially loved listening to music on her iPod.



Then today, Scott and I had to go pick up his new car. We had to say goodbye to the Explorer, which was a little sad. But, we are really liking his new Avalanche so far - and Addison and Fischer have loved riding around in "Daddy's twuck."




In other news - the kids are using the potty SO well. I have lost track of how many times a day they are going. I am not forcing it at all and they are doing great! Addison will take off her own pants and diaper sometimes (which isn't always a good thing), and go all on her own! Yay progress!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Our streak continues!! Last night, Addison and Fischer both used the potty after taking their baths (and Fischer evened the score by going #2!) Not that it's a competition or anything.... :) And, Addison used hers yesterday morning too. Woohoo!  I'm definitely liking this more laid back approach for right now. It has become part of our bath time routine and that seems to be working well. I've tried making it part of our waking up and/or getting dressed routine but haven't had much luck yet. We'll keep working on it though.

Last night was a bit chaotic because Scott is out of town. So, I was doing baths on my own, and they both decided to use the potty at the same time. So, as Addison was going, Fischer announced he was pooping in his diaper and wanted to sit on the potty. So, I, of course, encouraged him to sit down!! As he was going, Addison finished and decided to go ahead and take her potty apart and carry it to the toilet so she could dump and flush (which is their reward). She happened to spill it along the way, just as Fischer freaked out that he had poop on his leg (gross, I know) and stuck his hand in it. Talk about messy, disgusting CHAOS!! But, I tried my best to stay calm kept reminding myself that they had just had potty success, which is our goal. So, I cheered them on and explained to them why it's gross to spill pee and touch poop.

Ugh.

Ok, enough about that!

It seems that as the potty business starts to get better, their sleeping is getting worse - especially for Addison. I don't know if it's related or just a coincidence. She has started finding every reason imaginable for us to stay in her room at night when we are tucking her in. Her routine is becoming longer and longer each night. And she's having a hard time falling asleep once we leave, and has been crying a lot. Once she is finally asleep, she eventually wakes up and cries some more. This has been going on for the past several nights and it's tiring!! I'm sure this is just another phase but I hope it passes quickly!

I've been bad about taking pictures lately! Here's one of Addison in one of her favorite pair of shoes (she doesn't care that they are too big). She is in love with shoes now, and is currently napping with a pair on. Whatever it takes, I guess!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Potty training. I really can't wait until I don't have to say those words ever again. :)

I decided to start officially potty training last Saturday. I got the big-girl and big-boy "undies" washed and ready to go. As soon as the kids got up Saturday, I took their diapers off and put their undies on. I made a huge deal about the potty (and had been for several days leading up to this), talked about how the undies needed to stay dry, offered rewards, etc.... I put (or attempted to put) them on the potty every 20-30 minutes. By noon I was worn out, completely frustrated and a little bit grossed out. I expected messes, but one in particular about sent me over the edge... I'll spare you the details.

So, I realized I was in way over my head. I thought I was mentally prepared but I clearly wasn't. I put their diapers on them for nap time and then just kept them in diapers the rest of the day. I felt like a quitter, but it just wasn't working. They had gone on the potty before, so I knew they were capable, but that morning, they just did not care about it. At all.

After a few days off from potty training, I decided to sort of ease back into it. And, I was thinking I would start doing Fischer first instead of doing them both at once. Starting Wednesday night, I started asking them to use the potty before baths. As of tonight, Fischer has gone 5 nights in a row, and Addison has gone 4 (and tonight, she went both #1 and #2!!). I've put them on the potty at other times of the day with no success, but bath time is going great. And, instead of rewarding them with M&Ms like I had planned to do, they are getting to flush the toilet whenever they go. I realized how many times a day I was having to tell Fischer not to flush the toilets, so I thought maybe he'd work towards getting to do it! And this seems to be motivating them much more than the M&Ms. Who would've thought flushing the toilet would be so exciting?! :)

So, I think I'll keep doing this routine for a few more days, and then decide what to do from there.  Thankfully their preschool that they are starting next month doesn't require them to be trained, so at least I don't have pressure from them!

Here are a few pictures from our potty training adventures.... I'm sure they will love looking at these one day :)


Wednesday, July 13, 2011

This morning, we attended our last class at My Gym. For the time being, anyway. With preschool starting next month, I figured it was a good time to take a break from gym classes.

They had a good time each week, but I think Fischer was starting to get tired of going. I think Addison was in her element though. She could lead circle time, that's for sure. She remembers every little part!

We'd like to thank Dianne (Di-Di) for going with us each week! We couldn't have gone without her!

Here they are during their first class - last September (on my birthday, actually)!




Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The kids say and do funny things everyday. A lot of times, I find myself saying "What did he/she just say?" And "Where is the world did he/she get that from?!"

The other day, Fischer fell while he was playing. He looked up at us and said "Well, that was interesting." He has said it several times since and it's always hilarious.

Both kids have started wanting to see themselves when I take pictures. So much so, they won't stand still long enough for me to actually take the picture because they excitedly walk towards me saying "see myself!!" I need to make them understand they need to stand there just a few seconds longer!

Fischer has also started saying "Well that's a great idea!" when Scott and I suggest doing certain things. We are always thankful for his approval. :) He's also said "Well that sounds nice" several times.

Last night at dinner, we were saying our blessing before we started eating. I glanced up and saw Addison and Fischer making little faces at each other, then Addison put her finger to her mouth and said "ssshh!!" and then they both started cracking up. How could we not laugh too?!

Addison has become very, very interested in shoes lately. We were lucky enough to receive a large bag of hand-me-down shoes from my cousin. Most of them are still too big, but they are so cute! Addison doesn't care that they are too big, and has decided that she needs to wear shoes most of the day, even during nap. She loves showing them off, especially to her Daddy! Tonight when I told her to go pick out her jammies (pajamas) she said "Oh! And my sandals too!"

As usual, I could go on and on but I'll stop for now. We are hoping for some cooler weather soon because today was just too hot.  We hope you are all staying cool!

Monday, July 11, 2011

One of these days, we might be able to sit and rest a bit... but it doesn't seem like that will be happening anytime soon!

We are slowly getting the garage cleared out, but there is still so many things to find a home for and put away. I am the type of person that needs everything organized and in order, so we definitely still have some work to do.

As if that isn't enough, we are now down to 1 car. Not fun with a husband who travels for work and 2 kids who don't like being cooped up in the house. Luckily we haven't really run into any scheduling problems!

During our building process, Scott's car (which was my car pre-babies) started acting up. However, because of all the paperwork with the bank, we weren't allowed to do anything that would affect our credit until we closed on the house. So, obviously, buying a new car wasn't an option. So we had to sink some money into the other car and hope that it lasted through the rest of the building process. Well, it did, and with 2 weeks to spare. How generous of the Explorer.  But now, the poor Explorer is sitting in our driveway, about to be traded in on something new. It's a little sad - there are some memories tied to that car. But, I'm sure our new car will bring new memories.

We do have a new car picked out but we are waiting for it to be transferred to our local store so we can check it out. Hopefully, by this time next week, we'll be back to having 2 dependable cars!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

We had our first overnight guests in the new house last night! Our friends, Rett and Carol, and their dog Thor, came for a visit. Bo and Thor got along great, and Addison was pretty much obsessed with him. The poor dog couldn't get away from her. To her credit, she is very loving and usually very gentle with animals!



We just hung out at home while they were here, and spent some time outside since it wasn't crazy hot. It has been raining quite a bit, and Fischer found a big mud puddle in our driveway (that's still just dirt). He splashed around in that for about 30 minutes. He was so dirty but loved every minute.



Addison thought she wanted to play in it too, until she slipped. She landed on her butt, got very dirty, and very upset. She wanted to come inside to change clothes but we were able to distract her enough so that she could start having fun in the backyard.



Here is one of Addison and Fischer playing nicely together! Seeing that never gets old!


After our guests left this morning, we headed to the grocery store for our weekly shopping trip. After naps, Scott and Fischer went to Wal-Mart to get a new TV for our bedroom while Addison and I hung out at home. I finally organized our pantry today and pulled out several older bread items. So, Addison and I took a bag out to tear up and throw into the trees for the animals. It was obvious that Addison thought the animals would come eat it right then, so she was pretty disappointed when nothing happened. She was also convinced that a giraffe would be one of the animals coming to eat the bread... I guess we need to get back to the zoo soon so she can get her giraffe fix!



Later in the afternoon, we took a trip to our local dump. Since moving to our new house, I've had to get used to some aspects of country-living. Not having trash pickup is one of them. Addison and Fischer love going to the dump though, so it makes for a nice little afternoon outing. We pass cows and donkeys on the way, so that's always fun for them.

Oh, and Buddy is still hanging around our house. He let Carol put him back into his cage last night but was gone again this morning. We've enjoyed seeing him hang around though - he must be having a great time!

Why do the weekends always go by so fast?

Friday, July 8, 2011

We are still trying to get unpacked and settled around here, which is why I've been neglecting this blog.

Hopefully I can get back on track soon!

The big news around here is that Buddy, our bunny, went missing. We realized yesterday morning he wasn't in his cage. It looked like he pushed the wire down just enough to hop out... then, this morning, Fischer kept pointing through the window and saying "Look! Bunny!" Then he said, "It's Buddy!" I didn't believe him but looked anyway. Sure enough, it was Buddy!! Scott went out and Buddy hopped right up to him and let him put him back in his cage. He started eating right away and slept most of the morning.

Then, we got back this afternoon and he was gone again. Even after Scott changed the wiring to keep him inside. We did see him again tonight hopping around, but this time, he wouldn't hop over to Scott.

I hope we at least keep seeing him around - he's made it clear that he doesn't want to be in his cage... Not that I can blame him, but we are worried about him!

My theory is that a female rabbit lured him out... we'll have to be on the look out for baby rabbits!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

As I've said before, I really wish I was better about writing down some of the funny stuff Addison and Fischer say!

I do remember a few things from the past few days though:

Yesterday, Scott was trying to put something together. He said "shoot" or "crap" or something along those lines, and Addison goes "What is it, honey?" We could not stop laughing.  Later in the day, I asked Scott for something as he was going inside. A few seconds later, Addison cupped her hand over her mouth and kept yelling "Oh Honey!! Honey!!" Then she looked at me with a sad look and said "He's not coming."

We got them each a pair of goggles yesterday (which have already broken...good thing they were only $1!). Anyway, they were so excited about wearing their "gobbles." I kept making them say it over and over because I loved that they were calling them "gobbles." :)

Last night, Fischer ran into our room, jumped up on our bed and got under the covers. He grabbed one of Scott's books, opened it, cleared his throat and said "Onfe Ufon a Time." He was so serious - it was so cute!

Addison is becoming more motherly each day. She always wants to make sure things are neat and clean, and she also enjoys bossing Fischer and Bo around. Neither of them care for it too much...

The other day, we were outside playing in the driveway. Fischer saw a lizard and excitedly yelled "Mommy! An Iguana!!" Later, when we were coloring, he asked me to draw an octagon and a pentagon. He seems to remember everything from the books we read!

That's all I can remember for now...

We are still busy trying to unpack. We still have stuff at our old house. :( I don't think the moving will ever end. But, we have to have everything out and the house cleaned by July 15, so there is an end in sight. It's been challenging finding the time to unpack and organize on top of the daily chores we still need to be doing. Nap time and after bed time have been very busy.

Scott got all of our Ikea furniture put together! It's so nice having a handy husband. I will take pictures of all of our purchases and put them on here soon! Everything is slowly coming together!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy 4th of July! :)

My little swimmer, ready to play in the pool... :)

After pool time, ready for some dinner!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Happy One-Week-In-The-New-House-Anniversary to us! :)

Last Saturday, we were up bright and early - 5:45 to be exact. The kids decided to wake up extra early on moving day. Not what we were planning, but we worked with it! I headed over to the new house after breakfast to start unpacking some of the suitcases we'd taken over the day before. My main goal was to get Addison and Fischer's closets as organized as possible before actually moving in. I knew once they were in the house, it would be nearly impossible to do any sort of organizing. :) Meanwhile, Scott took the kids to the Farmer's Market for their weekly treat of boiled peanuts and lemonade.

After working on the closets, I headed home. As I mentioned before, our friends Melissa, Ryan and their baby Logan came to help us move. Jim showed up too, and we were so appreciative of the extra set of hands. Our original goal was to bring their beds over first and have them set up by nap time, so they could at least try to nap. It didn't work out that way, but that's ok. We went with the flow!

After a long day of moving stuff (for the boys, anyway...the girls pretty much kept up with the kids!)...we were ready to spend the night at the new house. Scott made a delicious meal (as usual) and we tried to stick to Addison and Fischer's bedtime schedule.

I wasn't sure how they would react to having their own rooms. We'd been coming here for weeks, and each time we pointed out each room and that it was their own room, and not shared. So, we put them to bed and waited for them to cry and/or freak out. They never did! They were so tired since they didn't nap that day, so I think that helped us out. I was so excited that they did so well!!

Fischer woke up first on Sunday morning and immediately asked to "see Sissy!!"  I really should stop expecting the worst when it comes to the kids because they always prove me wrong!

I finally found my camera cord today, so I hope to post some pictures tomorrow!

Friday, July 1, 2011

I can't believe that tomorrow night will already be a week that we've been staying in our house. We looked forward to the house being done for so long, and now it seems like the time is flying already!

Scott took last Friday off and the moving process began. We used that morning (while Dianne watched Addison and Fischer for us) to move a lot of boxes, which we loaded in our cars and a trailer the night before. We unloaded and unpacked as much as we could before heading home for lunch and naptime for the kids. We actually got quite a bit done in those few hours - it's amazing what you can do without having to keep up with the kids!

That afternoon, we ran a few errands and ended up eating dinner out at a Japanese restaurant. Last time we ate at one, several months ago, Addison was terrified and cried throughout most of the dinner. Scott was convinced this time would be different. He was wrong. :) Addison sat on my lap the whole time, but Fischer LOVED it. We decided that it will have to be a Daddy/Son outing from now on.

After putting the kids to bed, we watched the Gamecocks play in the College World Series. Then, we headed to bed to rest up for Saturday, which was another moving day. I had a hard time relaxing because I was so worried about how the kids would react to the move. I was so worried about putting them in their separate rooms... turns out, I had nothing to worry about.  More on that later!

In other news, the kids were nice and both slept all night last night! I woke up feeling rested and refreshed. Unfortunately, Fischer had a fever tonight. Hopefully he sleeps ok. It was so weird - he was totally fine and in a great mood. Then, around 5 pm, he started crying and/or whimpering and wouldn't stop. I picked him up and noticed how hot he felt. I took his temperature and it was around 102. It was so sudden. Then his nose started running a lot. He refused to eat dinner and just wanted to lay on the couch, and kept asking Scott for more "fish and hunt stories." Listening to Scott's stories has become one of his favorite things. I offered to tell him a shopping story while we were cuddling on the couch after dinner. I told him about my trip to Mall of America in high school. Then, I said "Do you want to hear another shopping story?" And he said "No." Oh well. :)  Anyway, we went ahead and gave him Tylenol and some Children's Pepto Bismol to hopefully stop anything before it starts.... his fever had gone down a little by bedtime, so we'll see what happens tonight.

It's never boring around here, that's for sure!