Candy Corn Bribery

I finally decided to start potty training my boy. The reason I put it off was due to his extreme panic/hysterics when I even mentioned the phrase, "do you want to sit on the potty?" Most people would say that the second child learns easier than the first because they see their sibling do it and want to do it themselves. To that I say, "not in this family."

So, this week it's this....
for this...So far, he's gone one time in the potty and several times in his pull-ups. It's tiring work to potty train as all you moms know. I just pray he gets it before I get cabin fever from staying home too much. *sigh*

Potato Head

This week is red ribbon week at Mikayla's school. It is put in place to talk about drug awareness. Even though Mikayla has no idea what drugs are (we tried to tell her to say no but she's still a little confused and thinks they're certain types of candy), it's good to start early.

The first day of the week was dress a potato day. It wasn't worded quite like that on her take-home paper so all of us kindergarten moms had no idea what we were doing. Luckily, the teacher let us do it again the next day so we had to take a special trip to the grocery store, buy a potato and then buy decorations for it. Mikayla's potato was a princess potato. Ok, mommy helped out a little but she did most of it herself. She was so proud of it. Now it sits in the potato garden at school.

Wii Fits

Our annual Costume party was last Saturday and I'm just getting to it now, I know. Without fail, we came up with our costume designs about 2 days before the big day so, implementing them in only a matter of hours was quite a challenge. I borrowed a sewing machine from Emily to make our headbands (since mine is being fixed by a Ving Rhames look-a-like and don't even ask how that is going..UGH). Saturday morning, Will and I were cutting and sewing on Wii logos to all of our shirts and, surprisingly, it turned out pretty realistic. One thing that slowed us down was the fact that I got plain foam instead of adhesive foam so I had to tack every letter on by hand. Needless to say, by the time the party was over, some of us only had "ii" on our shirts.

Here's a family picture we took at my parent's house before the festivities. Last year we didn't get that good of a picture so we had to do it purposefully this time. It was so good to see Heidi and Eric there with their kids. They moved a while away but make it a point to attend the Costume party every year. It's so good to see them!

I just had to include this picture. My friend, Craig, and his wife, Rebekah, came as a hunter and his targets. I thought it was, by far, the best costume and the funniest. He looked so different and yet embraced his character wholeheartedly. You guys looked great.

Everyone's costumes were so creative and it is always fun to see the transformation of our good friends into make-believe characters. One of Tyler and Mikayla's friends, Bekah, came dressed as cotton candy. Tyler loves her so much and looks up to her like his own sister. He loved playing with her that night.

Tyler and his Wii pose.

Mikayla and her Wii Fit physique.

After dinner, we played a huge game of duck, duck goose which was definitely a highlight of the evening. It was fun to watch kids run around (as long as I wasn't the goose) and laugh the whole way around.

Of course Lynnea's favorite place to be was right in the middle. It was like a huge playpen.

We had so much fun. Can't wait for next year's festivities. Hopefully we'll be able to start a little sooner on the costumes next year.

The Mantis

This Wednesday began like a regular day. I usually walk the kids to school but this particular day I had some errands to run so I drove the 2 minutes to the school. While the moms and kids were all standing there, as we do every day waiting for them to unlock the gate, we were introduced to an amazing member of the insect kingdom. The praying mantis. There he was, sitting on the fence, being admired/harassed by all of the little kindergartners. After a few agonizing minutes for the poor guy, Mikayla's teacher came out, picked it up, and said, "I think someone breeds these around here-does anyone want to take it home? They love aphids!" After she said that, she deposited the poor creature on the nearest mother...me.

I must say, I've never had the privilege of letting a praying mantis lumber/jog up my arm but there is a first for everything. I was holding the baby at the time and didn't have 2 hands to give it a jungle gym of activity so where did it end up heading? Toward my hair. I really don't know what the fascination was with my hair but, no matter how I tried to divert its attention, the goal had been set. Luckily, one of the grandmothers wasn't bug-shy. She picked it up and placed it back on the back of my hand (why mine? I don't know). We all feigned interest in taking the little fella home (I actually thought that getting rid of all of my aphids sounded like a pretty good deal) but no one had a box to put him in so the verdict was to deposit him in the tree nearby. It took a good 3 minutes for him to decide (after climbing back into my hair) that the tree was where he should be. It was a good nature lesson for the day. Oh, and it also climbed over Tyler's face. He wouldn't let me forget what a cool experience that was.

Oh, but the day got better. We headed to Target ( I only choose to go shopping for necessities when I have 2, not 3. I bought the usual popcorn and coke and started shopping. As anyone with 2 kids knows, shopping takes twice as long with kids and is twice as frustrating. I finally gathered all of my purchases and arrived at the checkout counter. By this time, Lynnea had already been put in the cart, held, put back in the cart, and was now attached to my hip for the duration of the trip. But, I figured, I had made it. I had made it to the checkout without any major problems...until I put her in the main part of the cart with the popcorn.

Now, I don't know about all you Target shoppers but my staple is their popcorn. It's cheap, it's good, and it keeps my children entertained. I'm always very concerned with how much popcorn I drop through the slotted carts for fear that, if the employees find too much popcorn on the floor, they'll take away the treat forever. That just would not do. So, this time I was so proud of myself that I had made it without making a mess. Then it happened. Lynnea grabbed the bag. Not the top of the bag, the bottom of the bag....and started shaking. It seemed like slow motion but, within a few seconds, about 2 cups of popcorn lay on the floor, right in the middle of the walkway. I profusely apologized and tried to get out before they made me clean it up. As I was walking out I saw about 3 employees walking the way I had come and then one said, "OOOOh, what a MESS!" All I can say is..."please don't take away the popcorn...I beg you!!!"

Then, when I got back to the car and opened the door, Tyler's fake feather he had found at Michaels flew out the door and it was my responsibility to chase it down. All in a day's work, I tell ya.

On a fun note, we finally cured our craving for warm chips and salsa by going to a local Mexican restaurant with some good friends. Tom and Kristine and their girls joined us to pig out on fluffy chips and yummy food.

And then, tonight, was Mikayla's carnival at school. I worked the bowling booth which would have been impossible even for me to do well at. She got this sticky jellyfish at the "go fish" booth. Will took Mikayla and Tyler back later to do a few more games. I stayed home with the little one and had some quiet time...much needed quiet time.Have a great weekend, everyone!!

Pumpkin Day

Tyler, Lynnea and I went with the MOPS group to the pumpkin patch a few days ago. (I know, and I'm just blogging about it now?) Sorry, I've been busy. Anyway, there were quite a few of us that went to play in the pumpkins, take a train ride through forest-esque scenery, and feel like we were far away from city life.

The first thing we did was take a train ride throughout the park. Tyler loved it! He loves riding on any train, no matter what size it is. His excited shouts of, "mommy, look! water!!" made me feel like I hadn't taken him outside his entire life. Rebekah and I were a little nervous that my accident-prone son wanted to sit as close to the edge as possible and lean forward a little to watch the track go by but, despite my vice-like grip on his pants, he enjoyed it and told me later that his favorite part was the tunnel at the very end. Here's my view. Valerie, Rebekah, Michelle and I chose the back of the train. We conveniently chose a seat right in front of the "tour guide" if you will. His voice sounded so much like my Papa's and I almost teared up when he started talking about a war memorial on the tour. It made me miss my Papa so much. You could tell he was really into his job. Even turtles sitting on a rock caught his attention and he made sure to share his observation with all of the passengers.

Now, when I was coming to the pumpkin patch I thought to myself, "I'll get great shots of the kids in the pumpkins. It will be awesome!!" Well, after sorting through the blurry, dark, and no-smile shots, here are the best ones. Valerie, if you have a good picture of me on the train, can you send it over? If anyone else got good shots of Lynnea in the pumpkins I'd love to have one. For some reason, my photography skills were suffering. Here's a cute one of Tyler. He loved climbing all over the pumpkins and, as long as the workers weren't telling him to stop, I let him.

Lynnea looked like a little hillbilly sucking on a piece of hay. It was so funny. I went to take it away from her and then thought it woul make such a cute picture.

Lynnea loved being in the middle of the pumpkins.

This next picture is so typical of Lynnea and Tyler's relationship. Tyler can make her laugh so hard. I think all he was doing was trying to kiss her nose and she thought it was hilarious. I love the closeness that my kids share.

Tyler also loved the maze. I almost got lost and I could see my way out. It was a tough one!! =)

And then came the part we were all waiting for. The FREE pumpkin!! Well, you had to pay for it when you bought the ticket. When we first got to the park, I thought, "wow! you get to pick a big pumpkin for that price! What a deal." At th end of the "tour" they led us to this miniature pumpkin patch and said, "ok, every kid gets a pumpkin." I must admit, it was more cost effective to give out miniature pumpkins but I was hoping for a jack-o-lantern. I'll have to carve it out and make a vase like Michelle suggested. It sounds like the only thing you can do with a little guy this size. Tyler loved picking out his own pumpkin. Of course, I made him take a little time to do it. I said no to the first one because it took him .5 seconds to pick one and that just wasn't an "experience." He ended up finding a pretty cute one and we brought it home.

We headed out to have our snack shortly afterward and were attacked by bright yellow bees. No kidding, I pulled out a fruit leather and, within seconds, 5 bees were settling in to get a lick. Needless to say, the moms quickly packed up their food and abandoned the snack area a little early. All in all, we had a great time!! Thanks, Aly, for planning it for all of us!

Fairy Dust and Toadstools

Mikayla was invited to the birthday party of a good friend this past weekend. This wasn't just any party. Camryn's mom, Aly, made us all want to hire her for party planning once we got a look at the details she so meticulously hand crafted. The theme was fairy princesses so each little girl got a set of wings and a skirt to wear adorned with glitter glue and fancy flowers. The table was set with fresh flowers and bright paper plates. The games were so much fun and Mikayla had a blast decorating her magic wand and eating yummy food. But the topper of the afternoon were the toadstool cupcakes. Yep! Made, by Aly, to look like little toadstools, these guys were delicious!! It was so creative. I'm glad Mikayla's birthday is in March so that there will be a little extra time to forget how elaborate a party could be. Mikayla's last birthday party was so much work (said facetiously). I actually had to drive my kids to Chuck E Cheese and PAY for pizza! After going through so much sweat and tears, I think a party like this would kill me. Seriously, I'd love to plan this cute of a party-maybe for Lynnea's one year?? Aly and Emily, I'm recruiting you to help me...

Even the poor dog got a skirt to wear. She was surprisingly not affected by it.

Here are all of the fairies and super heroes dining on toadstools. Thanks, Camryn, for a lovely afternoon and to Aly who made it happen. It was absolutely beautiful!!

Kitchen Backsplash: Check

Everyone has them. To do lists. Some lists consist of "things to do this week" and others are, "things to do before the year 2050." This project that we tackled today was one from the latter list. Ever since we remodeled our kitchen about a year ago, we've had tiles sitting in our garage to complete the backsplash. We were really excited about finishing the kitchen back then...unfortunately it fell into the "one of these days..." category.

Well, the day came today. It was a spur of the moment decision. We drove to Lowe's, bought "mud" for tiles, rented a wet saw, and proceeded to tackle the backsplash. Here is the before, (the part we are tiling is circled by a lovely shade of green). In addition to mudding, setting, and artistically designing the wall, we had to chase this...

and 2 others just like her. Between getting hot dogs ready for lunch with tile mud on my hands, refilling drinks, popping in Toy Story 2, and making sure the kids didn't kill themselves throughout the morning, we ended up finishing the wall. Well, we almost finished. We had to return the saw at 2:30 but we hadn't done under the window ledge so we're borrowing Jacob's saw (thanks, Jake!) to finish it up tomorrow. Then all we have to do is the grout.

Here's the finished product. I think it looks pretty good, if I say so myself. The darker tiles were chosen because they fit the exact gap of the light tiles without cutting them in half. The darker tiles also match our countertop perfectly.

Here it is:

Here's the side by the fridge.

and a close-up.

Ah, it feels good to finish something on your to do list. I need to do this more often.

Three Already?

My baby boy turned 3 today! I really want to make a slideshow but time isn't allowing it right now. Maybe in a few days. Words really can't express my feelings for this little guy. Tyler is such a compassionate, tender, quiet (most of the time) soul and I treasure my time with him. He's so loving to everyone. He's grown up right before my eyes. As the middle child, I think I forget how old he really is. He is such a blessing to me...

This year I asked Tyler if he wanted a party and he shook his head no. I asked if he just wanted family and he said yes, that would be ok. So we had just a family affair at Chuck E. Cheese. (Come on dad, you KNOW you were DYING to go there...) We had a great time yelling over all of the other guests, trying to find the games that did work when you put the coin in, ate pretty good pizza and indulged in an awesome mint chip ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Tyler requested the "green ice cream with chocolate chips" so I had to make that wish come true. However, he only took a few bites and then wanted to play again. At the price of this puppy, I couldn't just let the piece go to waste so I had a double helping of ice cream cake (I sacrificed for my son. =) ) It was oh, so good!! Here he is beside his favorite game of the night, "Whack a Shark." Yes, he definitely is a little boy, contrary to all of those people out there who have witnessed his dress up in princess stuff and requests for the movie "12 Dancing Princesses." Just to let you know, his favorite movie is Cars and his favorite toy are cars of any kind, especially those that make noise. That keeps me from getting worried.

Cousin Cheryl imitating Lynnea's normal look. She was fascinated with all of the lights.

Daddy and the birthday boy.

The Blue Screen. Ethan, Mikayla and Tyler had fun with this attraction. You stood in front of the blue screen and you could see yourself on the big screen. Of course, my "wanna be a star" daughter loved seeing herself on screen but grew tired of it quickly. My nephew, Ethan, amazed me with his endurance. This was, by far, his favorite thing of the night and he actually got a few dance moves out-so cute! Future boy bander, Cara!

The "blue screen magic."
Here's the whole gang, minus the photographer.

Ethan, enjoying his "spicy" drink.

And, here's my dad, my sister and me. I was sad that my mom couldn't make it due to sickness but my dad came to wish Tyler a happy birthday. Lynnea attached herself to him (she's liked him ever since he gave her foot rubs at a month old. Who wouldn't want to get that kind of treatment-she's no fool). My parents are amazing...that's just all there is to it.

Thank you all for celebrating with us. It's amazing how time flies, huh? Pretty soon, our kids won't be kids any more. We might be happy with the fact that, when that day comes, Chuck E Cheese will no longer be attractive to them. I must hand it to Chuck. He knows how to entertain the children!! Thank you all for wishing my boy a happy birthday today! He may look shy but he loves the acknowledgement.

Hair Raising Moments

When it comes to having kids, there can be quite a few hair raising moments, especially if you're blessed with a clumsy one like Tyler. My friends and family can attest to the fact that, for every 3 steps, Tyler trips at least once. Due to this frequency, when he does fall he jumps right back up again unless it really hurt.

So buying my son a scooter was a big decision. The walk to school is a good walk to take on a scooter so I bought him his very own since big sister already had one. Surprisingly, Tyler's pretty good on any transportation but his own 2 feet so he speeds along on that thing like it's a second pair of legs. Here are my 2 scooter babies in action. Beware, Tyler looks a little preppy but it was a little chilly - had to don the sweater. In other news, I gave Will a haircut this last weekend. For as long as I've been cutting his hair (since dating days), I've cut it pretty short since that was the easiest to figure out. For the past few weeks as his hair has been getting longer and longer, more and more people have been raving about his hair! It is a shock to both of us but he decided he wanted to have a different haircut and capitalize on all of those comments. I think I did a pretty good job trimming the sides for a seamless look all around but I didn't take a picture. I'll take one later. Since I had everything out, Lynnea's bangs begged to be trimmed so I took advantage of the strapped-in-the-booster-seat-child and attempted to trim the bangs. They didn't turn out perfect but at least I didn't cut her, right? Here she is (or at least her face) pre-haircut. Pretty cute...

"Shedding" Responsibilities

Our backyard had come to a standstill.
Our motivation was lacking.
Then, Will took Monday off of work...I know, can you believe it? He took a day off of work and spent the WHOLE day putting together this beast. I just want to let you know that if you ever decide that you need a shed in your backyard and buy one from Home Depot or Lowe's, get ready to spend a few days putting that guy together. We've been working on it for a few days, hours at a time but Monday, it was finished. I can't figure out if he took the day off because he was tired of me nagging about "finishing the backyard" or if he just felt motivated and decided to actually get it done. Whatever made him do it, thanks babe! Here's the finished product!But before I get too excited, here's the rest of the project...so much left to do. Maybe one day my kids (hopefully, not my grandkids) can run around in the finished yard and say, "mommy, I LOVE my backyard!" That's the goal, anyway.So you can't think that the kids were inside, behaving themselves while I helped Will with the shed, can you? Unfortunately, once I set Lynnea down on the ground, I realized, from her reaction, that she doesn't get out much, with the exception of sitting in grocery carts and shopping carts. Look at this face-and she's only this excited because of dirt! No, she's not just happy to be outside-she's altogether out of control with excitement! I guess we haven't gotten out much (due to the hideousness of our backyard) and I feel so ashamed. I grew up in the outdoors, going outside as much as I could to play in the dirt and run around. All that to say, I'll be going outside more often so that Lynnea's face won't look like she won the lottery when she touches dirt. My son tried to be a little helper while we were working. He just gets in the way most of the time and he's having a hard time with the word, "listen" but we're working on it. I love the time I spend with him during the day. He's 100% boy and I'm loving watching him figure things out, play with his sister, and develop his own likes and dislikes.

Nope, she's still not excited...what is wrong with my little one? Why can't she ever be happy about anything? Seriously, this child is so happy, most of the time. You'd think, in this picture, that she was 5 and on a ride at Disneyland. Ah, the joys of childhood. I wish I could be that happy when I got behind the steering wheel of my car. Her smiles are contagious, however, and I can't help but laugh when I see her laughing.

And my oldest. She still has a little "kindergarten attitude" and even informed me that she likes school better than being home (I'm still trying to get over that one. It hit my self-esteem a little hard this week) but I have to understand that she's growing up, becoming an individual and that is a good thing.

I love my kids!!