Lesser of Two Evils

I had to ask myself for a long time--What would be worse: potty training a stubborn, crazy toddler at 8 months pregnant, or trying to do it with a newborn. I was going to tackle this terrible job 2 months ago, but of course things just kept coming up. This last week I finally had a week where I didn't have to be anywhere, so I decided to go with the first option and give it a try. Mia was fairly easy to potty train, so I figured that if I applied the same method this time it would work out just perfect. WRONG!! What I didn't take into account, was that Jada has about 100 times more energy than Mia, that she is a little bit more stubborn, and that chasing her naked body around our house would be a little harder than it was to chase Mia around our small apartment. I didn't ask myself once during the process "Why in the heck am I doing this?" I asked myself that about every 5 minutes. It turns out that a child has to actually hold still to even try to go potty and if a 2 year old decides they want to hold it, they can hold it for at least 12 hours. It didn't matter how many juice boxes I gave her or how much soda I offered her--she would just hold it. Needless to say--last week was the longest week of my life and there where quite a few tears shed on both sides, but it is over. This week we have moved on to using the potty every hour and trying to see how many public restrooms we can see. I thought we were making great progress until we dropped her off at a friends' house last night and she took advantage of finding a nice quiet corner where she could do her business--in her pants. Soooo, we still have some work to do on the #2s, but we are getting there.

I have officially decided that potty training is by far the worst and hardest job of parenting yet. Since I am terribly lacking in the patience category, it is/was a real struggle for me. I know we have a long way to go still, but things are looking better. Hopefully by the time this baby gets here we can have it somewhat mastered!!!! (ya right!!!)

Finishing Summer with a BANG!!!

Bullet Points

• We had our ultrasound and found out we are having a BOY!!


• We went on some fun adventures


• Mia learned how to waterski


• School started (bitter sweet)

Well, I don't really have a good excuse for not posting anything this summer, except that I am lazy and I would rather sit on the couch than sit at my computer. I wish I could say that I was off on grand adventures and enjoying every moment of the summer with my kids, but that is not exactly true. It was really nice when I had my laptap and I could sit on the couch and waste time on the computer, but my laptap has seen better days and Chip is usually on his. Anyway, now that summer is over, it is time for a routine again. This means school is starting, I am going back to the gym, I am going to clean my house, I am going to try to be a nice mom, I am going to try and wash the clothes, fold them, and put them away in the same day, and I might shower before noon. I know these are pretty lofty goals and might not be achievable, but at least it is something to strive for.

Despite our many days spent in our pajamas, hiding out inside, and avoiding the heat we had a fun summer. While I spent the summer getting out of shape, Chip spent most of his days on his bike. He finished off the summer with two century rides that would have killed me in the first 10 miles. I am proud of him and glad he is committed to his health!

Yes, we are having a boy this time around. I know I never formally announced that I was even pregnant, but oh well. I am a slacker blogger and will probably never get around to adding a growing baby ticker on my blog, so don't be disappointed. When the ultrasound tech showed us the picture and said, "There it is, what do you think?" I could not believe it. I had mentally prepared myself for another girl for so long, I was in shock. I made him recheck about 5 times and kept asking him if he was sure. He finally just said, "Unless that thing falls off, this baby is coming out a boy." Mia is so excited to have a baby brother and I don't think I have ever seen a bigger smile on Chip's face. I still have 4 more long months of frequent trips to the bathroom, a sore back, and wearing support hose, but it will all be worth it when we get to hold that little guy!!

Our last hurrah for the summer was a fun trip with some friends to Island Park, Idaho. (Thanks Olsens!) We spent a few days hanging out by the lake and exploring West Yellowstone. Mia was brave enough to try waterskiing and thanks to an awesome driver and the best training ski she LOVED it. She kept wanting to go again and again. Jada spent about 3 hours straight throwing rocks in the the lake and then finally passed out in my arms. (of course I had already tried to get her to take a nap in the pack and play, but after she climbed out 17 times I gave up)
























Now school is back in session and although that means Chip had to go back too, we are loving life. There is a reason why kids enter school/preschool at the age of 4. Mia and I have not been able to give each other what we needed lately (to put it nicely), so school 4 mornings a week has been a life saver for all of us. She loves school and is already telling me which kids are nice and which boys are mean. The bitter part of school is that Chip is gone 2 nights a week now, but the end is in sight, finally! December will not come soon enough!!!!

First Kiss

Well, Mia had her first kiss the other day. Oh know! After school the other day Mia had a play group with Grace and Wyatt. Poor Wyatt is the odd man out, and apparantly got stuck playing the prince for both Mia and Grace. That night at dinner, Chip was asking Mia how her day was and she was telling him how she got to play at Grace's house.

Chip: What did you guys do?

Mia: We played Sleeping Beauty.

Chip: Did Wyatt like playing that game?

Mia: Ya, he was the prince, and he even kissed me. (Somewhat shy and embarrassed.)

Chip: (Rather surprised) He did?!?! On your cheek.

Mia: (Still shy, but proud!) No, right here (pointing to her lips)!!!

Me: Well, did he kiss Grace too?

Mia: No, just me.

Wyatt is a pretty tough kid and doesn't like to show a whole lot of lovey emotion, so I have no idea how she convinced him to do that. When we broke this news to Wyatt's parents, they asked him about it. He just blew it off and told his Dad it was only because they were pretending and then called his dad a name. Boys and girls are so different it is amazing. We often wonder if we should be worried about these two because they really love each other. I guess we should just let them take advantage of their friendship for as long as it lasts, because it won't be long before they both think the other one has "coodies"!

As for Jada...she washed her own mouth out with soap today. Mia and I were downstairs putting some toys away before bed and I could here Jada upstairs coughing. I went upstairs and she met me at the top of the stairs with a disgusted look on her face. I asked her if she ate something and she just said "tasty". That is what she says whenever she tastes something really gross (like when I wash her hands with Purell and then she trys to suck on them.) As soon as I went to pick her up I could smell the peach hand soap from the bathroom on her breath. I asked her if she ate soap and she said yes. I guess she learned her lesson!!!

Jada Had a Birthday!

Well, Jada is finally two. Her birthday was actually a month ago, but I am obviously a slacker blogger and am just now getting around to posting an update! We had a great party with family and Jada loved her lady bug cake. We definitely did not need any more toys in this house, but Jada's birthday could not go unnoticed. Her favorite toys were her toy fire engine and her pink tea set. I guess with a two year old we can now expect more and more words, more tantrums, more defiance and a lot more fun.
Jada is already following in her sister's footsteps. She already loves the color pink, loves and can name all the princessess, and is talking up a storm. Between these two girls there is never a silent or a dull moment.

Happy Birthday Jada!!!

Why We Love Summer!

Lazy Days of Summer

The Swimming Pool

Backyard BBQ's


Fun Holidays with Friends and Family

The Annual Family Trip to Sun Valley
=
Lot's of Fun with Cousins

Latest and Greatest

Mia's Latest Accomplishments

graduation from 3 year preschool

danced in a fabulous dance recital

learned how to load the dish washer

learned how to work the DVD player all by herself

finished season 3 of soccer with 0 goals (but a lot of dancing!)

Jada's Latest Accomplishments

learned how to climb in and out of her crib--great!!

now has to sleep in a "crib tent"--wow!!

learned how to take her clothes off

got her first real hair cut

Latest Phrases and Words

"Oh my Gosh"

"Ewwe Gross"

"Back out" right before she spits food out she doesn't like

agigator=alligator

cocodile=crocodile

hacocopper=helicopter

Maama Noanne=Grandma Joanne

"shoes oss"=shoes on/off

Just Do It!!

I just bought my first guitar and I am pretty excited about it. I have wanted to learn how to play the guitar forever. I had mentioned to Chip that I wanted a guitar for my birthday and he totally surprised me on my birthday with a guitar and lessons. Of course we wasn't too sure of my commitment level so he just got me a rental guitar and the lessons so that I could try it and see if I really wanted to commit. It has been four months now and I am loving it. It is much harder than I thought it would be, but I like the challenge and it is really nice to do something for me every now and then. It is so nice to put the kids to bed and then pull out the guitar and do my practicing. Although I don't get to practice every day like I should--it is nice when I do. Since I earned some extra money last month I decided to spend it all in one place and buy my own guitar. I turned in my rental last week and am loving my new purchase. I am writing this to urge all of my friends and family to decide today and do something for yourself. It is really easy to get in bed at night and realize that you did not do one thing for yourself (maybe you didn't even get a shower in). I know that is life as a mother and a wife, but sometimes you need to find something that you really enjoy and just do it!

Alll in a Day's Work

When Jada was a baby I knew it could only get worse. She was literally the best baby ever--she never cried, she slept through the night at 5 weeks, she wanted to eat when I wanted to feed her, and she was always happy. I thought, I was in for it with my next kid, but I had no idea that Jada was going to pull a switch move on me. Don't get me wrong she is still the sweetest thing, but she definitely has a mischievous side. If there is some way to cause trouble, she will find it.

Well, the last couple of days have been full of those moments... Yesterday I had put Jada down for her nap. She had been in there about a half hour and was still making noise so I decided to go check on her and see what sort of mischief she was up to. When I first walked in everything seemed normal. She was standing up in her bed sucking on her fingers. Typical!! As I walked over to her she pulled her fingers out of her mouth and pointed at her hand and said "Guck (yuck)." As I looked a little closer, there, smeared all over both of her hands and all over her face and tummy was poo. Sick! And remember when I walked in the room she was sucking on her fingers. I know that many of you have experienced similar experiences and have children smear poo on things in your house, not fun. That is gross, but what is even grosser is that Jada put it in her mouth. I wouldn't even be surprised if she actually ate a piece. She has been known in the past to eat dog and cat food without batting an eye, so I wouldn't put it past her to have tasted what she pulled out of her diaper. Sorry, I know this is gross, but I am still recovering.

At KFC that night while I was filling up our drinks, the worker was complaining about how people make such a mess and don't clean up after themselves. I was agreeing with him 100%. I take my drinks over to our table and Mia goes to pick hers up and spills the whole thing along with half of her nuggets all over Jada and the floor. That guy was probably looking at me thinking, "now you". Of course I didn't want him to clean up after us, so there I was mopping the floor of KFC on my hands and knees. Why do I try to take my kids out to eat by myself anyway?

Later that night Mia fell of a horse. Then she fell and scraped her knee. Luckily she was more worried about her scrape on her knee than falling off the horse! I finally got my kids in bed at 10:30 and collapsed on the couch knowing that it would start all over again today!!!!

When I got Jada out of her bed this morning I literally asked her "What do you have in store for me today?" She of course just smiled her mischievous smile that I love. Well it was barely 10:30 am and I had already caught her in the act of sticking a key in the electrical outlet. I thought I was safe because I put outlet covers on all the outlets that are not being used, but Jada is smart enough to just unplug the lamp and then plug in her keys. Ten minutes later she found and Advil in my sister's purse and put that in her mouth. Luckily my sister saw her with something in her mouth and fished it out or I would have been in trouble.

Oh the joys of taking care of these girls. I am just glad they add so much excitement into my life. I am not complaining, just sharing with all the rest of the moms out there who experience these same types of things daily. Kids will be kids and I try to not let it get to me. I am just glad that I get to share in these experiences with them everyday and I don't have to just hear about them later. However, I would have gladly let someone else clean up the poo mess!!!

Princess Heaven

Yes, we did it! We finally took the girls to Disneyland. After much debate about where to go for our family trip this year we decided to bite the bullet and go to Disneyland. We had such a fun time and you could say that Mia was in heaven. After two days in the parks we headed over to the beach for a couple of days. It was the perfect trip, but a little exhausting.

Highlights

Meeting every single princess and getting thier autograph and picture.
Seeing Jada run to Mickey Mouse and give him a hug. She has slept with "Mouse" every night since.
Hearing Mia ask Belle if she found "true love's kiss." Belle' was practically speachless and Mia was so excited to find out the Belle knew Giselle. We could not stop laughing.
The princess dinner!! Worth every penny.
Spending hours in the giant Disney store and only spending $30!
Spending the day at the beach and seeing the kids have a blast.
Dad not having to work or study! Some nights he didn't even turn on his computer.
Pina Coladas at the pool.

What We Couldn't Have Lived Without
Fishy Crackers and Chex Mix
The jogger. We love it and it made the perfect bed for Jada during the day!
The princess dinner.
Spending two days at the beach AFTER Disneyland.
Park Hopper passes.
A fridge in our hotel room.
Frozen bananas at the beach.

Overall we had a great time. I think Mia was the perfect age for this trip. She still believes everything and was amazed at everything. The parades were fun and so were all the shows. I would highly recommend the Alladin and Playhouse Disney shows in the CA Adventure. The girls both loved them. Jada was a pretty good travel companion most of the time and she was a good sport. As long as she was strapped in the jogger she was fine, but if you let her out she would have taken off running and not stopped. We had a great trip and made lots of memories.

Here are some of our pictures. I am warning you there are a lot!

Good Bye Winter

The end of winter is always bitter sweet for me. I am happy to see the tulips coming up and know that warmer weather is approaching, but I am also sad to see winter go! Winter always ends with regrets of not enjoying it enough. This year I only got up to ski 1 time for myself. I did get up a number of times with Mia so the season was not a waste! Most of the resorts are closing this week, so Mia and I decided we would try to get in one last day!! We had a blast and she is really starting to get it! We actually made three runs today, which is good for us. She is still trying to learn how to turn, instead of going straight down, but she is getting better.

Although I am sad to see winter ending, I am excited for the longer days and the warmer weather. My tulips are already blooming (even though the darn deer ate half of them), and we have already been to the park 2 times this week. There is nothing better than seasons!! Hopefully we have a good long spring this year before it gets too hot.

More Marriage Talk

The other day I was snuggling with Mia on the couch and she was looking at my wedding ring. She was telling me how pretty it was and then proceded to tell me what she wanted her wedding ring to look like. Serious! What other 4 year old is designing their wedding ring? I don't know where this girl came from.

Today she was playing on the floor with some of her princesses and she said:

Mia: Mom are the princesses at Disney Land real or are they just costumes?

Me: I think they are real.

Mia: Hum, I think they are just costumes, cause they look different. (Mind you, we have not been to Disney Land, so she must have just seen commercials.)

Mia: I hope someday I can be a real princess. Mom, you are a real princess cause you got married.

Me: Oh really?

Mia: (Thinking.) Actually Mom, you're not a real princess cause princesses fall in love ALL DAY with the prince, and dad goes to work all day.

Who new I was that close to being a real princess. Maybe I should tell Chip he needs to quit his job so he can stay home and "fall in love with me all day" so I can be a princess. I don't know what to do with her.

I did it!

Well I actually did it last night. I voted for American Idol. Does this make me a true American now or does it make me a true fad follower?? I have never really been much of an American Idol fan and sometimes was actually annoyed at all the hype about AI. I have watched it here and there when there was nothing else to watch, but this season it is different. Maybe it was the writers strike that turned me into a follower or maybe it is because this season there really are some really talented people. I gave up last season when some of the people that really sucked kept staying on week after week, but this season it seems different. All the people that I didn't love are gone and most of the ones left really are good. I won't tell how many times I voted last night, but I did vote for more than two people.
Chip was in the other room studying and he heard me dial. I was caught!! I was slightly embarrassed when he was laughing, but oh well--I am embracing it now!!! When I was watching it will Mia she said "Mom, when I sing on TV someday will Dad get to be there?" Watch out AI, Mia is already getting ready!!
Go American Idol!! Can't wait for the results tonight. I hope I did not vote in vain!

Underwear Snatcher

This little girl is crazy. Everyone told me that I was in for it with my next child since Mia was so easy, but I didn't believe them. I really thought Mia was a good kid because I had taught her to be. Laugh--HA HA! Jada is sure sweet but she is crazy busy. She will climb anything, empty everything, rip anything and stir the toilet water anytime she sees the door open. Her newest trick is turning on the sink in the bathroom and then emptying all the drawers into the sink of running water. She has also developed a fascination with Mia's underwear. I moved them down into a bin where Mia can reach them, so this also means that Jada can reach them too. Bless her heart, she thinks they are hats. This is what I walked in on one night when we were getting ready for bed!!

From this to this!!

This...

to this... Notice the dear that have decided to make our yard their home...

they better not eat my tulips again

As you can see, we recently returned from a week long cruise to the Caribbean. I am still having a hard time adjusting to reality, but it was worth it. Thanks to our great friends who are "DO'ERS" all 10 of us were able to plan this trip kid free. We had a ton of fun and made lots of fun memories. Cruising is a great way to travel with a group like this. We experienced some great firsts...karaoke, parasailing, endless food and pina coladas, and sea sickness. Since I had all this time on my hand I gave into my friends' urging me to read Twilight and was soon hooked. Of course I got home from the trip with mountains of laundry and two sweet girls who wanted to spend time with their mommy, and all I could do for two days was read. Now I am having cruise withdrawals and Twilight withdrawals. Not a good combination, but I am getting through it. Actually coming back to the snow is a help. I got myself and Mia up to the slopes and skiied for the first time this year!! Love it. I have to say that although I love the beach and the sunshine, I would never trade it for the mountains.