Greg now has someone to watch all the UK games with - Zach. Zach absolutely loves watching the UK football and basketball games with his dad. He's picking up on his dad's cues to shout at the refs, cheer when UK scores, and fuss when a play doesn't go UK's way. He's watched enough games now that he knows when it's appropriate to say the different things. Like father, like son!
The girls have watched a few games with Greg, but Zach is the only one who will sit the entire game to root for UK with his daddy.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Santa's Coming, Mommy!
The other morning we woke to see a little bit of snow covering everything outside our house. It wasn't much, but it was enough to turn everything white. As soon as the kids saw it, they just knew that Santa was coming -- that day! I tried to explain to them that Santa was coming but not for a few more days, but they wouldn't hear it. They just knew that Santa was going to show up that day!
They've talked a lot about Santa this year. They've wanted to send him letters, and they've wanted to give him a call. They've talked a little about going to see Santa, but we haven't made plans to do it just yet. We have discussed it. It will be interesting to see if they sit on his lap and talk to him this year!
They are really getting into Christmas this year. They started fussing at me the week before Thanksgiving to get the house decorated. Now that it's decorated, they fuss at me to get some presents under the tree. They will make excellent drill sergeants one of these days!
Still, though, every day they tell me Santa is coming, and every day I tell them that as long as they're being good, Santa will definitely be here.
They've talked a lot about Santa this year. They've wanted to send him letters, and they've wanted to give him a call. They've talked a little about going to see Santa, but we haven't made plans to do it just yet. We have discussed it. It will be interesting to see if they sit on his lap and talk to him this year!
They are really getting into Christmas this year. They started fussing at me the week before Thanksgiving to get the house decorated. Now that it's decorated, they fuss at me to get some presents under the tree. They will make excellent drill sergeants one of these days!
Still, though, every day they tell me Santa is coming, and every day I tell them that as long as they're being good, Santa will definitely be here.
The Push to Finish the Playroom
Over the last six months, we've been working on converting the finished side of our basement into a kids play room and office area. The downstairs is divided into two large rooms: one finished and the other unfinished. We did the project ourselves, which is why it took so long to get it done. It's hard to come up with opportunities to work on a project like that when you have three little ones to take care of and spend time with.
Greg built a half wall to separate the two areas. We talked about a full wall with a door, a full wall with french doors, and half wall with a door, and a half wall with no door. We settled on a half wall with no door. In hindsight, Greg's wishes he built a full wall with a door -- too hard for him to work from home when the kids can see him on the other side of the wall!
It really is hard to get motivated to work on a room remodel project when you can't start until the kids are in bed! By October, the room was ready for me to paint, and most nights it was easier to put it off than find the extra energy to paint. Those put-offs haunted me by the first of November when I was facing my Christmas decorating deadline! I usually start decorating the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I vowed I would not decorate until the playroom was done. Too many toys!
Over the course of two and a half weeks, we got the room painted, carpet tiles laid, trim work completed, and toys moved in. There were a lot of late nights, but the room is now functional. Decorating the play area and finishing our office will happen later! Hopefully sooner vs. later! Lol!
The kids absolutely love their space! They have a huge blackboard wall, a dress-up corner complete with a mirror that used to be in my bathroom, cubicles (some with pull out bins) to hold most of their toys, and plenty of floor space to hold all their toys that were too big to get out before now. They have their rocking horse back, a kitchen that grandma and grandpa Wilkins got them last year for Christmas, and a smart cycle that grandma and grandpa got them for their birthday last year. I got a great deal on a nice size table and four chairs, so they have a table where they can have tea parties, color, or play with their play doh. They can spread out on the floor and play with toys or color, or they can just dump all their toys on the floor and not have me swooping through every hour picking toys up. Now I swoop through every 2-3 hours!
Greg built a half wall to separate the two areas. We talked about a full wall with a door, a full wall with french doors, and half wall with a door, and a half wall with no door. We settled on a half wall with no door. In hindsight, Greg's wishes he built a full wall with a door -- too hard for him to work from home when the kids can see him on the other side of the wall!
It really is hard to get motivated to work on a room remodel project when you can't start until the kids are in bed! By October, the room was ready for me to paint, and most nights it was easier to put it off than find the extra energy to paint. Those put-offs haunted me by the first of November when I was facing my Christmas decorating deadline! I usually start decorating the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I vowed I would not decorate until the playroom was done. Too many toys!
Over the course of two and a half weeks, we got the room painted, carpet tiles laid, trim work completed, and toys moved in. There were a lot of late nights, but the room is now functional. Decorating the play area and finishing our office will happen later! Hopefully sooner vs. later! Lol!
The kids absolutely love their space! They have a huge blackboard wall, a dress-up corner complete with a mirror that used to be in my bathroom, cubicles (some with pull out bins) to hold most of their toys, and plenty of floor space to hold all their toys that were too big to get out before now. They have their rocking horse back, a kitchen that grandma and grandpa Wilkins got them last year for Christmas, and a smart cycle that grandma and grandpa got them for their birthday last year. I got a great deal on a nice size table and four chairs, so they have a table where they can have tea parties, color, or play with their play doh. They can spread out on the floor and play with toys or color, or they can just dump all their toys on the floor and not have me swooping through every hour picking toys up. Now I swoop through every 2-3 hours!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Is it Halloween Time Yet?
I've been getting that question every day, several times a day, for the last couple of weeks. It hasn't helped that Halloween decorations have been sitting out for a couple of weeks.
We took the kids to the Louisville Zoo's Halloween party the first Saturday it was open. Pop Pop and Mom Mom went with us this year. I think we went the first weekend last year, too, but last year we were wearing shorts. This year, we had on jackets and warm clothes under the kids costumes.
Zach dressed as a pirate this year, and the girls dressed as fairy princesses. They went back and forth between being Tinkerbell and a princess, so I compromised and put them in princess dresses and added wings and a wand. They were happy!
I'm not sure why, but his year's party didn't seem as good as last year's. The only thing I can figure is that it's because the train wasn't running. The kids also didn't seem to get as much loot as last year, either. This year the zoo was going to charge it's members admission on the last two weekends, so I guess they cut back a little or didn't get as much in sponsorships as the last couple of years. The kids still had a good time, though, and that's what counts!
Zach wasn't up for any photo ops with the characters this year, and neither was Hannah for the most part. Jessie didn't miss too many cheesing opportunities. Zach did almost get into a sword fight with Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean, but once he saw what ol' Davy looked like up close, Zach changed his mind! It was pretty funny.
As we've done for the last couple of years, we're going to take the kids trick or treating in Covered Bridge. The kids have done really well with walking through a part of it, and they've come home with a lot of treats, too!
We took the kids to the Louisville Zoo's Halloween party the first Saturday it was open. Pop Pop and Mom Mom went with us this year. I think we went the first weekend last year, too, but last year we were wearing shorts. This year, we had on jackets and warm clothes under the kids costumes.
Zach dressed as a pirate this year, and the girls dressed as fairy princesses. They went back and forth between being Tinkerbell and a princess, so I compromised and put them in princess dresses and added wings and a wand. They were happy!
I'm not sure why, but his year's party didn't seem as good as last year's. The only thing I can figure is that it's because the train wasn't running. The kids also didn't seem to get as much loot as last year, either. This year the zoo was going to charge it's members admission on the last two weekends, so I guess they cut back a little or didn't get as much in sponsorships as the last couple of years. The kids still had a good time, though, and that's what counts!
Zach wasn't up for any photo ops with the characters this year, and neither was Hannah for the most part. Jessie didn't miss too many cheesing opportunities. Zach did almost get into a sword fight with Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean, but once he saw what ol' Davy looked like up close, Zach changed his mind! It was pretty funny.
As we've done for the last couple of years, we're going to take the kids trick or treating in Covered Bridge. The kids have done really well with walking through a part of it, and they've come home with a lot of treats, too!
Our New Puppy
Yes, you read it correctly! We have a puppy now. Greg adopted Meg on September 11. She's an Australian Shepherd/some sort of terrier mix. She was 2 1/2 months old when he brought her home, and the kids and I instantly fell in love with her.
She's a very smart dog, and after a month of being a part of our family, she's already crate trained and is well on her way to being house trained. I'm hoping she starts doing a little better with her potty cues because I don't pick up on them as often and I'd like.
When she first came home, she was about 3/4 the size of Scooter, our smallest cat. Now she's taller than all of them. Scooter tolerates her the best, Spaz and Tony avoid her at all costs, and Durango still tries to boss her around. I'm not sure how that situation is going to play out, but 'Rango isn't backing down!
After three weeks with us, she gained 3 lbs. Meg goes back for another puppy check up on 10/23, and I'm anxious to see how much bigger she's gotten. She, like the kids, is growing up so fast!!
Meg loves playing with the kids, but unfortunately she gets so excited she jumps on them and bites at them quite a lot. We're working with the kids to teach them how to teach her, but that isn't going so well. After the first week, if we had taken the kids anywhere, there probably would've been wondering if we were abusing the kids. They were pretty scratched up!! She's starting to lose her puppy teeth, so hopefully the biting will start to cease.
We haven't taken her to any obedience training yet, but she's been doing a pretty good job learning to leash walk, and we've been able to teach her how to sit, sit up, and lay down. Stay is going to take some time!
She's a very smart dog, and after a month of being a part of our family, she's already crate trained and is well on her way to being house trained. I'm hoping she starts doing a little better with her potty cues because I don't pick up on them as often and I'd like.
When she first came home, she was about 3/4 the size of Scooter, our smallest cat. Now she's taller than all of them. Scooter tolerates her the best, Spaz and Tony avoid her at all costs, and Durango still tries to boss her around. I'm not sure how that situation is going to play out, but 'Rango isn't backing down!
After three weeks with us, she gained 3 lbs. Meg goes back for another puppy check up on 10/23, and I'm anxious to see how much bigger she's gotten. She, like the kids, is growing up so fast!!
Meg loves playing with the kids, but unfortunately she gets so excited she jumps on them and bites at them quite a lot. We're working with the kids to teach them how to teach her, but that isn't going so well. After the first week, if we had taken the kids anywhere, there probably would've been wondering if we were abusing the kids. They were pretty scratched up!! She's starting to lose her puppy teeth, so hopefully the biting will start to cease.
We haven't taken her to any obedience training yet, but she's been doing a pretty good job learning to leash walk, and we've been able to teach her how to sit, sit up, and lay down. Stay is going to take some time!
Potty Training: All Three are Day Trained; Yipee!!
Guess the title says it all!
Jessie finally stopped having her daily pooping accidents in August. One day, she and Hannah went to poop on their potties at the same time, and from then on, Jessie never had another accident! Whatever fears she had were overcome that day she and Hannah shared their poopy experience.
Zach took a little more work. All summer long we coaxed him, reasoned with him, threatened to put him back in diapers (pull-ups are way too expensive if your child isn't serious about learning to potty!), and we even recruited the girls to help persuade him to go. Nothing! No way. Uh uh. Forget it! I showed him his new underwear, and he screamed if I suggested wearing it. Finally, on September 13, the stars must have been in the correct alignment, because we were able to convince him to go, but not without some bribery.
One pair of Zach's new underwear was red with a black waistband and crossed racing flags in front. I explained to Zach that these were corvette racing flags and that all vettes had crossed flags. He didn't believe me, so I asked Greg to show him the crossed flags on his vette. They took Zach's underwear to compare. They were gone for several minutes, and when they came back in, that boy couldn't wait to put on his corvette underwear! Half way there!!
Now we needed to get him to use the potty. I sneaked into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of Cheerios and put them in a container. When I showed the container of Cheerios to Zach, I explained to him that they were special potty Cheerios. I told him he needed to sprinkle a few into the potty and then try to hit them with his pee. Would you believe that he knew how to go to the potty all along!?!?! He stood and sat to pee, and he pooped on the potty with no problem. He had way fewer accidents than either of his sisters -- even to this day. Just goes to show you that boys will go when they are ready and not a minute before!
Jessie finally stopped having her daily pooping accidents in August. One day, she and Hannah went to poop on their potties at the same time, and from then on, Jessie never had another accident! Whatever fears she had were overcome that day she and Hannah shared their poopy experience.
Zach took a little more work. All summer long we coaxed him, reasoned with him, threatened to put him back in diapers (pull-ups are way too expensive if your child isn't serious about learning to potty!), and we even recruited the girls to help persuade him to go. Nothing! No way. Uh uh. Forget it! I showed him his new underwear, and he screamed if I suggested wearing it. Finally, on September 13, the stars must have been in the correct alignment, because we were able to convince him to go, but not without some bribery.
One pair of Zach's new underwear was red with a black waistband and crossed racing flags in front. I explained to Zach that these were corvette racing flags and that all vettes had crossed flags. He didn't believe me, so I asked Greg to show him the crossed flags on his vette. They took Zach's underwear to compare. They were gone for several minutes, and when they came back in, that boy couldn't wait to put on his corvette underwear! Half way there!!
Now we needed to get him to use the potty. I sneaked into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of Cheerios and put them in a container. When I showed the container of Cheerios to Zach, I explained to him that they were special potty Cheerios. I told him he needed to sprinkle a few into the potty and then try to hit them with his pee. Would you believe that he knew how to go to the potty all along!?!?! He stood and sat to pee, and he pooped on the potty with no problem. He had way fewer accidents than either of his sisters -- even to this day. Just goes to show you that boys will go when they are ready and not a minute before!
Highlights of Our Summer
Wow! I've really been remiss in keeping my blog updated, and I really don't know where the time has gone! Can you believe it's October already?!?!?!
Just to catch things up, I'll highlight the rest of our summer.
We spent a couple of days with mom, and did, in fact, make it to the water park. The girls had an absolute blast. Zach, the ever cautious one, needed quite a bit of time to warm up to the idea. The water park was pretty busy and had kids of all ages running around. The girls wasted no time in getting wet, and at times it was difficult to keep up with them. If we go again next year, I'm wearing my swimsuit and getting in there with them!
We were supposed to go to the Cincinnati Zoo while we were up at mom's, but Cincy was getting a torrential downpour on the day we were going to go. Instead, we opted for the children's museum at the train station. The children's museum there is like Kidzone at the Louisville Science Center, but the entire museum is nothing but kid-sized activities. It was pretty crowded -- especially for a weekday, but the kids had a great time. They played in a kitchen, a grocery, a bus, car garage, vet clinic, construction zone and many other play areas. You could fit about 10 Kidzones into this museum space. It was really neat!!
We went to the zoo quite a bit this summer thanks to the cooler temperatures we had. The train never came back this year, so we doubled up on our carousel rides each time we went. The girls wasted no time in showing no fear to ride the horses that go up and down. Zach, Mr. Cautious, needed to work up to them. At first, he sat in one of the "carriages." He finally got brave enough to start riding one of the stationary animals, and then on our last trip, he too rode on of the horses that move up and down. He was soooo proud of himself! My babies are growing up so quickly!
Since it was so cool and rainy, we didn't get to swim in Pop Pop's pool that much, but the kids gained a lot of confidence about being in the pool during those few dips. They were still able to wear their water wings and sit in their floats from last year, but the floats didn't get much water time. Zach usually preferred to stay on the steps, but the girls wanted to be out in the water "swimming". We adults got some upper body workouts!
Jessie blazed the trail in the pool when it came to learning new things. She's definitely our fish! She loved jumping into the pool from the sides, and she had Hannah joining her fairly quickly. Zach eventually started jumping in, but he wasn't up for letting go of our hands. They all three also started "swimming" on their own. They were doing pretty good at maneuvering themselves around. Even though we didn't swim often, I hope they will retain what they learned so we can continue to progress next year.
Just to catch things up, I'll highlight the rest of our summer.
We spent a couple of days with mom, and did, in fact, make it to the water park. The girls had an absolute blast. Zach, the ever cautious one, needed quite a bit of time to warm up to the idea. The water park was pretty busy and had kids of all ages running around. The girls wasted no time in getting wet, and at times it was difficult to keep up with them. If we go again next year, I'm wearing my swimsuit and getting in there with them!
We were supposed to go to the Cincinnati Zoo while we were up at mom's, but Cincy was getting a torrential downpour on the day we were going to go. Instead, we opted for the children's museum at the train station. The children's museum there is like Kidzone at the Louisville Science Center, but the entire museum is nothing but kid-sized activities. It was pretty crowded -- especially for a weekday, but the kids had a great time. They played in a kitchen, a grocery, a bus, car garage, vet clinic, construction zone and many other play areas. You could fit about 10 Kidzones into this museum space. It was really neat!!
We went to the zoo quite a bit this summer thanks to the cooler temperatures we had. The train never came back this year, so we doubled up on our carousel rides each time we went. The girls wasted no time in showing no fear to ride the horses that go up and down. Zach, Mr. Cautious, needed to work up to them. At first, he sat in one of the "carriages." He finally got brave enough to start riding one of the stationary animals, and then on our last trip, he too rode on of the horses that move up and down. He was soooo proud of himself! My babies are growing up so quickly!
Since it was so cool and rainy, we didn't get to swim in Pop Pop's pool that much, but the kids gained a lot of confidence about being in the pool during those few dips. They were still able to wear their water wings and sit in their floats from last year, but the floats didn't get much water time. Zach usually preferred to stay on the steps, but the girls wanted to be out in the water "swimming". We adults got some upper body workouts!
Jessie blazed the trail in the pool when it came to learning new things. She's definitely our fish! She loved jumping into the pool from the sides, and she had Hannah joining her fairly quickly. Zach eventually started jumping in, but he wasn't up for letting go of our hands. They all three also started "swimming" on their own. They were doing pretty good at maneuvering themselves around. Even though we didn't swim often, I hope they will retain what they learned so we can continue to progress next year.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Busy, Busy, Busy!
The last couple of weeks have been really busy for us. It all started on Friday, July 3, when we took the kids to see some fireworks. We received an invite from one of Greg's co-workers to come to his house to watch some fireworks, and all we had to bring was ourselves and a blanket or chairs to sit on. Fortunately, the kids took a great nap that day, so after dinner, we all piled into the Commander and headed out to Taylorsville Road near the Jefferson County line.
Frank, Greg's co-worker, has a large piece of land on which fireworks could be set off at a safe distance. Several other people with their kids were there, and a former co-worker of Greg's from Humana, Paul, had purchased some kid-friendly fireworks to set off before the big show.
Zach, Hannah and Jessie were mesmerized watching the snakes, speeding/flaming fire engines and race cars, spinning pagodas, and neon-colored fountain-type fireworks. Paul also set off several colored smoke bombs for the kids to run through. Zach and Hannah didn't care for the smell of the smoke bombs, but Jessie had no problem with running through all the different colors of smoke. Eventually, Hannah ran through some too, but I was with her holding her hand.
After it was dark, Paul and another guy ventured out into the field to set off fireworks. It was a very impressive show, and I'm sure it was a costly show as well. These fireworks had to have been a commercial grade that was approved for home use. The kids absolutely loved watching them go off, and after each firework ended, Zach shouted, "Good job, Paul," or "How about another one, Paul!" Paul was a very popular guy with the kids that night!
On Tuesday, July 7, we picked up Lindsey from Mimi's workplace so that she could spend a couple of days with us. We headed out to the zoo where we saw all kinds of animals (yes, even more than what we were able to see when the kids and I went the week before), and we had another picnic lunch. It was a hotter trip than the week before, too, so I made sure the kids stayed well hydrated. They didn't get much playing time in the Islands play area because it was just too hot. They were overheating quickly, so we went as fast as we could to the Herp Aquarium where we could cool down and get out of the sun for a while. We haven't been in the Herp Aquarium for a long time, so it was neat taking them there now that they were old enough to look into the various window displays and comprehend what they were seeing. We also visited the Gheens Room again, and happily, the penguins were much more active than the last time. Since the train still isn't running, we rode the carousel twice again: once when we first got there and again before we left.
After leaving the zoo, we came back home where Lindsey and the kids enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie snack before taking a nap. Lindsey and Hannah were the only ones that slept. Lindsey was battling allergies, so between the heat and the decongestants, she was ready for a nap! Unfortunately, the cookies were enough to re-energize Zach and Jessie. How Hannah and Lindsey slept through their noise is a mystery to me!
The next day, we headed over to Pop Pop's to go swimming. Pop Pop took a day off from work to join us, and we all enjoyed a great afternoon in the pool. Mom Mom Sue and Becky were back from their vacation and joined us later in the day. Sue's nephew Kyle is staying with her for a while this summer, and the kids had a lot of fun playing with him. Kyle is 11 but has three younger siblings around Zach, Hannah and Jessie's age. You could tell he could relate to them. He had them laughing so hard at one point that I was concerned the girls would wet their pants!
The kids got a lot of swim time that afternoon. Zach preferred to be out in the water in a float, and Hannah preferred to play on the steps of the pool. Usually, it's the other way around! Jessie, as usual, wanted no part of a float and wanted to be out in the water with someone so she could swim. Lindsey was Jessie's assistant of choice, so Lindsey didn't get much time to swim on her own until Mom Mom got there. Mommy got a workout swimming the length of the pool several times while pushing Zach back and forth! Mimi came over after getting off work, and we all enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner.
On Monday the 13th, the kids went to see Dr Kim for their 6-month dental checkup. Within the last month, Hannah fell and hit her mouth, so like Zach, she had a tooth darken, which required an x-ray while we were there. Fortunately, it's lightened back up, but I had already talked with Dr Kim about taking a closer look at it.
Jessie was the first up to get her teeth cleaned, and even though she sat in the chair all by herself the last time, she needed mom to sit with her this time. While Jessie and I were in the chair, Hannah sat for her x-ray all by herself. I was really impressed, especially since she's not had a dental x-ray yet. She was really proud of herself, too!
Jessie sat really well for her checkup and made it all the way through the polishing before announcing she was done. Hannah still wanted no part of the big chair, so we again sat her in my lap and leaned her back into Dr Kim's lap for a tooth count and quick inspection. Dr Kim said she could see where Hannah's tooth had been hit, so we go back in six weeks for another x-ray.
Zach was the man! He sat in the big chair all by himself, and he sat really well for the entire checkup! He even made it through the flossing. We all applauded him, and he was bashfully proud of himself! All the kids were rewarded with extra prizes for being so good!
The busy times keep a-coming! This Saturday we're going to Mimi and Jon's to celebrate Lindsey's birthday, and then next week, the kids and I are heading to my mom's in Cincinnati for a couple of days to go to the Cincinnati Zoo and a water park. Greg and I are thinking of taking the kids to the Louisville Zoo on Monday since the weather is going to be cooler than normal. Busy, busy, busy!
Frank, Greg's co-worker, has a large piece of land on which fireworks could be set off at a safe distance. Several other people with their kids were there, and a former co-worker of Greg's from Humana, Paul, had purchased some kid-friendly fireworks to set off before the big show.
Zach, Hannah and Jessie were mesmerized watching the snakes, speeding/flaming fire engines and race cars, spinning pagodas, and neon-colored fountain-type fireworks. Paul also set off several colored smoke bombs for the kids to run through. Zach and Hannah didn't care for the smell of the smoke bombs, but Jessie had no problem with running through all the different colors of smoke. Eventually, Hannah ran through some too, but I was with her holding her hand.
After it was dark, Paul and another guy ventured out into the field to set off fireworks. It was a very impressive show, and I'm sure it was a costly show as well. These fireworks had to have been a commercial grade that was approved for home use. The kids absolutely loved watching them go off, and after each firework ended, Zach shouted, "Good job, Paul," or "How about another one, Paul!" Paul was a very popular guy with the kids that night!
On Tuesday, July 7, we picked up Lindsey from Mimi's workplace so that she could spend a couple of days with us. We headed out to the zoo where we saw all kinds of animals (yes, even more than what we were able to see when the kids and I went the week before), and we had another picnic lunch. It was a hotter trip than the week before, too, so I made sure the kids stayed well hydrated. They didn't get much playing time in the Islands play area because it was just too hot. They were overheating quickly, so we went as fast as we could to the Herp Aquarium where we could cool down and get out of the sun for a while. We haven't been in the Herp Aquarium for a long time, so it was neat taking them there now that they were old enough to look into the various window displays and comprehend what they were seeing. We also visited the Gheens Room again, and happily, the penguins were much more active than the last time. Since the train still isn't running, we rode the carousel twice again: once when we first got there and again before we left.
After leaving the zoo, we came back home where Lindsey and the kids enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie snack before taking a nap. Lindsey and Hannah were the only ones that slept. Lindsey was battling allergies, so between the heat and the decongestants, she was ready for a nap! Unfortunately, the cookies were enough to re-energize Zach and Jessie. How Hannah and Lindsey slept through their noise is a mystery to me!
The next day, we headed over to Pop Pop's to go swimming. Pop Pop took a day off from work to join us, and we all enjoyed a great afternoon in the pool. Mom Mom Sue and Becky were back from their vacation and joined us later in the day. Sue's nephew Kyle is staying with her for a while this summer, and the kids had a lot of fun playing with him. Kyle is 11 but has three younger siblings around Zach, Hannah and Jessie's age. You could tell he could relate to them. He had them laughing so hard at one point that I was concerned the girls would wet their pants!
The kids got a lot of swim time that afternoon. Zach preferred to be out in the water in a float, and Hannah preferred to play on the steps of the pool. Usually, it's the other way around! Jessie, as usual, wanted no part of a float and wanted to be out in the water with someone so she could swim. Lindsey was Jessie's assistant of choice, so Lindsey didn't get much time to swim on her own until Mom Mom got there. Mommy got a workout swimming the length of the pool several times while pushing Zach back and forth! Mimi came over after getting off work, and we all enjoyed grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner.
On Monday the 13th, the kids went to see Dr Kim for their 6-month dental checkup. Within the last month, Hannah fell and hit her mouth, so like Zach, she had a tooth darken, which required an x-ray while we were there. Fortunately, it's lightened back up, but I had already talked with Dr Kim about taking a closer look at it.
Jessie was the first up to get her teeth cleaned, and even though she sat in the chair all by herself the last time, she needed mom to sit with her this time. While Jessie and I were in the chair, Hannah sat for her x-ray all by herself. I was really impressed, especially since she's not had a dental x-ray yet. She was really proud of herself, too!
Jessie sat really well for her checkup and made it all the way through the polishing before announcing she was done. Hannah still wanted no part of the big chair, so we again sat her in my lap and leaned her back into Dr Kim's lap for a tooth count and quick inspection. Dr Kim said she could see where Hannah's tooth had been hit, so we go back in six weeks for another x-ray.
Zach was the man! He sat in the big chair all by himself, and he sat really well for the entire checkup! He even made it through the flossing. We all applauded him, and he was bashfully proud of himself! All the kids were rewarded with extra prizes for being so good!
The busy times keep a-coming! This Saturday we're going to Mimi and Jon's to celebrate Lindsey's birthday, and then next week, the kids and I are heading to my mom's in Cincinnati for a couple of days to go to the Cincinnati Zoo and a water park. Greg and I are thinking of taking the kids to the Louisville Zoo on Monday since the weather is going to be cooler than normal. Busy, busy, busy!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
The Morris Family Reunion and Another Trip to the Zoo
The kids and I attended the Morris family reunion last Sunday, and it was quite the turnout! My cousin Kelly and her husband made it to this reunion, and it was great seeing them again. They live in Canada, so the opportunities for them to come home are few and far between. My cousin Robin arranged for the reunion to take place at a shelter house in Community Park, and it seemed to work out for us really well. Even the weather cooperated! Robin said there were about 60 of us there (and that wasn't the entire family!).
The kids were a little overwhelmed by all the people there, but as usual, that eventually didn't seem to matter. They were so good. They sat at the picnic tables with everyone else and ate pretty well (as well as you can expect a 3 year old to eat!), and they were really good about staying within my eyesight or with Mimi, Jon or Pop Pop. There really wasn't much there for them to do in terms of play (we were in a shelter house that wasn't near a play area), but they kept themselves occupied. Eventually, they began playing with Robin's granddaughter, Callie, who is around 1 1/2 years. They were so good with her. I received several compliments on how well behaved the kids were and how well they played with Callie.
Today we packed a picnic lunch and went to the zoo. I was a little apprehensive about taking them by myself since they've outgrown their wagon, which meant we'd all be on foot, but it all worked out okay. The zoo was extremely busy today. We arrived at 11:00 and ended up parking closer to the road than to the zoo. After I saw how far out we had to park, I set some ground rules with the kids before getting out of the car. I told them that there were a lot of people at the zoo today, so they needed to either stick really close to me or hold my hand or each other's hand. I also told them that if they got too far ahead of me and I told them to wait up, that they had to do just that. The best part about that pep talk is that they followed those rules for the most part -- at least until they started getting tired and grumpy and realized they had to walk themselves back out of the park and to the car!
Since we've been letting the kids play at the playground next to Lorikeet Landing, that's all Zach talked about doing. It was hard getting him to be patient and enjoy seeing the animals until we got to that playground! We rode the carousel twice, once at the beginning of our day and then again before we left, and the girls sat on their own horses (the ones that moved up and down) and did very well! Zach, the cautious one, stood with me between the girls and held on to me -- both times.
Since Zach was on a playground mission, it was a struggle to stop and see any of the animal exhibits today. We managed to see the baby giraffe, the rhinos, the gazelles, the attax, the bongos, and Scotty the elephant before having our picnic lunch. We shared some of our cheetos with a squirrel, and he seemed to like them as much as the kids do!
After lunch, we hit the restroom (it's so nice having at least the girls potty trained!), and then we stopped by to see the pygmy hippo and the gorillas. The water in the hippo exhibit had been recently changed, so it was very clear and we were able to get a good view of the hippo down in the water. The last time we were there, the water was so cloudy that the hippo was barely visible. We got a nice surprise at the gorilla exhibit. As soon as we walked indoors, one of the silver backs was sitting in his enclosure right next to the glass eating his lunch. The kids went eye to eye with him -- the best view of the gorillas they've had yet!
From there, we went straight to the playground. It was a long walk, but the kids didn't complain since they knew what was coming up next. Before turning them loose, I gave them another rule talk. That is a very busy playground, so I told them they needed to try to stick together so that I could keep an eye on them. They did pretty good about sticking together, and when one would get out of another's sight, they'd call for each other or ask me if I knew where the other was. I let them play for about 45 minutes, and then we made our way over to the Islands so we could see the penguins and the orangutan. Again, we had some really good viewing opportunities.
All three kids were absolutely exhausted by the time we got back home. They had no trouble laying down for a short nap! I wish I could've!!!!!
The kids were a little overwhelmed by all the people there, but as usual, that eventually didn't seem to matter. They were so good. They sat at the picnic tables with everyone else and ate pretty well (as well as you can expect a 3 year old to eat!), and they were really good about staying within my eyesight or with Mimi, Jon or Pop Pop. There really wasn't much there for them to do in terms of play (we were in a shelter house that wasn't near a play area), but they kept themselves occupied. Eventually, they began playing with Robin's granddaughter, Callie, who is around 1 1/2 years. They were so good with her. I received several compliments on how well behaved the kids were and how well they played with Callie.
Today we packed a picnic lunch and went to the zoo. I was a little apprehensive about taking them by myself since they've outgrown their wagon, which meant we'd all be on foot, but it all worked out okay. The zoo was extremely busy today. We arrived at 11:00 and ended up parking closer to the road than to the zoo. After I saw how far out we had to park, I set some ground rules with the kids before getting out of the car. I told them that there were a lot of people at the zoo today, so they needed to either stick really close to me or hold my hand or each other's hand. I also told them that if they got too far ahead of me and I told them to wait up, that they had to do just that. The best part about that pep talk is that they followed those rules for the most part -- at least until they started getting tired and grumpy and realized they had to walk themselves back out of the park and to the car!
Since we've been letting the kids play at the playground next to Lorikeet Landing, that's all Zach talked about doing. It was hard getting him to be patient and enjoy seeing the animals until we got to that playground! We rode the carousel twice, once at the beginning of our day and then again before we left, and the girls sat on their own horses (the ones that moved up and down) and did very well! Zach, the cautious one, stood with me between the girls and held on to me -- both times.
Since Zach was on a playground mission, it was a struggle to stop and see any of the animal exhibits today. We managed to see the baby giraffe, the rhinos, the gazelles, the attax, the bongos, and Scotty the elephant before having our picnic lunch. We shared some of our cheetos with a squirrel, and he seemed to like them as much as the kids do!
After lunch, we hit the restroom (it's so nice having at least the girls potty trained!), and then we stopped by to see the pygmy hippo and the gorillas. The water in the hippo exhibit had been recently changed, so it was very clear and we were able to get a good view of the hippo down in the water. The last time we were there, the water was so cloudy that the hippo was barely visible. We got a nice surprise at the gorilla exhibit. As soon as we walked indoors, one of the silver backs was sitting in his enclosure right next to the glass eating his lunch. The kids went eye to eye with him -- the best view of the gorillas they've had yet!
From there, we went straight to the playground. It was a long walk, but the kids didn't complain since they knew what was coming up next. Before turning them loose, I gave them another rule talk. That is a very busy playground, so I told them they needed to try to stick together so that I could keep an eye on them. They did pretty good about sticking together, and when one would get out of another's sight, they'd call for each other or ask me if I knew where the other was. I let them play for about 45 minutes, and then we made our way over to the Islands so we could see the penguins and the orangutan. Again, we had some really good viewing opportunities.
All three kids were absolutely exhausted by the time we got back home. They had no trouble laying down for a short nap! I wish I could've!!!!!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Oh The Cute Things They Do!
All three kids have been doing some really cute things lately. I've got to get them down "on paper" or I'll forget some of what they're doing.
Zach
Zach has his own workbench with his own tools to use, and he has thanked me almost every day for getting it out for him. It was a Christmas present from grandma and grandpa, but due to space constraints, it sat in the basement for a few months before I got it out. He loves his tools and tool bench and doesn't like it when his sisters start messing around on it.
Greg has finally been able to get started on building the wall to separate the finished side of our basement into two rooms. One side will be the kids' playroom, and the other will be mine and Greg's office. The other night, Greg was using his drill to screw some 2 x 4s together, and Zach had his drill out and ready to help his dad. Zach positioned himself as a mirror image to Greg and mimicked every move Greg made to drill the wall supports together. It was so cute! While Greg's at work, Zach takes his tools into his bedroom and works on building a playroom in there.
Greg traded the Jeep Liberty we owned in on a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 back in January. He made the mistake of telling Zach that he was going to buy Zach a truck. The next morning, Zach rushed into the living room and was heartbroken when he didn't see a truck. I told Zach that his daddy bought a real truck and took him to look at it through our bedroom window. Ever since he laid eyes on it, that has been Zach's truck. Every morning that he sees Greg before Greg leaves for work, he reminds his daddy to take good care of his truck and bring it back home safely. A few weeks ago, Greg wasn't parking the truck in the garage because of having the riding mower and trailer in there. Zach was getting very upset with his daddy for not putting the truck in the garage. Finally, Greg had to take Zach down to the garage to show him why the truck couldn't go into the garage. Greg also need to straighten the truck in the driveway so I could get the Commander out of the garage. Before I knew it, Zach was driving the truck in the driveway, and doing a very good job of re-parking the truck! He's a natural-born driver, and no, I'm not bragging or saying that. Zach has also driven the corvette into the garage. He sits in his dad's lap, and with the exception of a couple of corrections by Greg, Zach does all the steering. It really is something to see!
I have a habit of telling the kids how sweet they are when they do something nice for each other. Zach has picked up this habit now, and it makes me smile and laugh every time I hear him tell Hannah or Jessie that they are so sweet. A couple of nights ago he told his daddy that he was so sweet for buying us some candy on his way home from work. That got a laugh from both Greg and I.
Zach is now dressing himself every morning, and on some mornings he even picks out his own clothes. He is still wearing diapers (and sometimes pull-ups), so as soon as he gets changed, he grabs his clothes and takes off running so I can't dress him. Some mornings he feels especially mischievous and puts his shorts on his head (the waistband forms a headband so the legs of his shorts are flopping on top of his head). This usually last for several hours or until he realizes it's no longer funny.
Jessie
Well, it only stands to reason that if Zach "owns" the corvette and truck that Jessie should own the Commander. Within the last couple of weeks, it has gone from mommy's Jeep to Jessie's Jeep. She reminds me of this every time we go somewhere.
Here lately I've been making the girls and Zach some necklaces and bracelets. I've bought a bunch of beads and have made them several pieces. Zach has his own special-made necklaces and bracelets so as not to get confused with the girls'. The morning after I had made the girls each three necklaces and two bracelets, Jessie put all of her jewelry on and wore it for the entire day and the next couple of days. The only time the jewelry came off was for nap time and bed time. She still wears them a lot, so I've started calling her Bling Baby. She just smiles.
Jessie has been singing a lot lately. As a matter of fact, they all three have been singing a lot lately. Thankfully, they are all on key! Once one starts, they all start. It usually ends up in a shouting match because they each sing a little louder trying to drown out the others. When they realize they can't sing any louder, they start shouting at each other to be quiet. We have some very noisy days around our house! Jessie probably sings the most, and she usually ends up dancing as she sings. She makes up her own songs as well as singing a variety of nursery rhyme songs we've taught them. Zach has stepped his singing up a notch -- he's learned how to step down his notes while singing a single syllable. I have no idea where he picked that up, but it is really cute to listen to!
Now that Jessie is dressing herself, she's made it pretty clear that she has to have on something pink or something with pink in it. Sometimes we have disagreements on what she wears, especially on her strong pink days. I usually give in -- there is usually a more important battle to have with her later in the day. If she gets clothes for Christmas or her birthday, I bet there will be a lot of pink!
The other morning as we were finishing up breakfast, Greg was making kissing rounds with the kids. Jessie jumped up in my lap and told Greg to kiss mommy. As soon as he leaned over to kiss me, she grabbed my head and faced me to her and she gave me a big kiss. She thought it was funny that she stole his opportunity to kiss me and took it instead. It became a game for several rounds, and it had all of us laughing. We don't know where she came up with that game, but it's the best game I've ever played!
Today, we all three went to the zoo. Towards the end, the kids were getting really tired and started to trip over their own feet. On one of Zach's trips where he went all the way down, Jessie shouted, "Wipe out!". I just started laughing.
Hannah
Hannah has been doing a lot of role playing with her toys. On the same night I unboxed Zach's workbench, I also unboxed a dollhouse the girls got for Christmas. I went to the store and bought some extra furniture and family members for it, and it was an instant hit. The way it opens up, the girls can both play with it at the same time on separate sides. We learned a lot about taking turns the first few days the dollhouse was out -- I had to set time limits and tell the girls to swap sides so they felt like they were getting equal playing time. It wasn't long after that Hannah started acting out family situations with the dolls. It's really been cute to watch. Sometimes she re-enacts something that has happened in our day, and sometimes she makes it up. She was starting to do a little of that before I got the dollhouse out, but she has really taken off with the role playing. She basically has taught the other two how to role play. I didn't really notice Zach and Jess doing it until they were all three acting out parts of different people. Right now it's usually family (and not just within our immediate family). Hannah usually tells everybody who they are when they get started.
Zach
Zach has his own workbench with his own tools to use, and he has thanked me almost every day for getting it out for him. It was a Christmas present from grandma and grandpa, but due to space constraints, it sat in the basement for a few months before I got it out. He loves his tools and tool bench and doesn't like it when his sisters start messing around on it.
Greg has finally been able to get started on building the wall to separate the finished side of our basement into two rooms. One side will be the kids' playroom, and the other will be mine and Greg's office. The other night, Greg was using his drill to screw some 2 x 4s together, and Zach had his drill out and ready to help his dad. Zach positioned himself as a mirror image to Greg and mimicked every move Greg made to drill the wall supports together. It was so cute! While Greg's at work, Zach takes his tools into his bedroom and works on building a playroom in there.
Greg traded the Jeep Liberty we owned in on a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 back in January. He made the mistake of telling Zach that he was going to buy Zach a truck. The next morning, Zach rushed into the living room and was heartbroken when he didn't see a truck. I told Zach that his daddy bought a real truck and took him to look at it through our bedroom window. Ever since he laid eyes on it, that has been Zach's truck. Every morning that he sees Greg before Greg leaves for work, he reminds his daddy to take good care of his truck and bring it back home safely. A few weeks ago, Greg wasn't parking the truck in the garage because of having the riding mower and trailer in there. Zach was getting very upset with his daddy for not putting the truck in the garage. Finally, Greg had to take Zach down to the garage to show him why the truck couldn't go into the garage. Greg also need to straighten the truck in the driveway so I could get the Commander out of the garage. Before I knew it, Zach was driving the truck in the driveway, and doing a very good job of re-parking the truck! He's a natural-born driver, and no, I'm not bragging or saying that. Zach has also driven the corvette into the garage. He sits in his dad's lap, and with the exception of a couple of corrections by Greg, Zach does all the steering. It really is something to see!
I have a habit of telling the kids how sweet they are when they do something nice for each other. Zach has picked up this habit now, and it makes me smile and laugh every time I hear him tell Hannah or Jessie that they are so sweet. A couple of nights ago he told his daddy that he was so sweet for buying us some candy on his way home from work. That got a laugh from both Greg and I.
Zach is now dressing himself every morning, and on some mornings he even picks out his own clothes. He is still wearing diapers (and sometimes pull-ups), so as soon as he gets changed, he grabs his clothes and takes off running so I can't dress him. Some mornings he feels especially mischievous and puts his shorts on his head (the waistband forms a headband so the legs of his shorts are flopping on top of his head). This usually last for several hours or until he realizes it's no longer funny.
Jessie
Well, it only stands to reason that if Zach "owns" the corvette and truck that Jessie should own the Commander. Within the last couple of weeks, it has gone from mommy's Jeep to Jessie's Jeep. She reminds me of this every time we go somewhere.
Here lately I've been making the girls and Zach some necklaces and bracelets. I've bought a bunch of beads and have made them several pieces. Zach has his own special-made necklaces and bracelets so as not to get confused with the girls'. The morning after I had made the girls each three necklaces and two bracelets, Jessie put all of her jewelry on and wore it for the entire day and the next couple of days. The only time the jewelry came off was for nap time and bed time. She still wears them a lot, so I've started calling her Bling Baby. She just smiles.
Jessie has been singing a lot lately. As a matter of fact, they all three have been singing a lot lately. Thankfully, they are all on key! Once one starts, they all start. It usually ends up in a shouting match because they each sing a little louder trying to drown out the others. When they realize they can't sing any louder, they start shouting at each other to be quiet. We have some very noisy days around our house! Jessie probably sings the most, and she usually ends up dancing as she sings. She makes up her own songs as well as singing a variety of nursery rhyme songs we've taught them. Zach has stepped his singing up a notch -- he's learned how to step down his notes while singing a single syllable. I have no idea where he picked that up, but it is really cute to listen to!
Now that Jessie is dressing herself, she's made it pretty clear that she has to have on something pink or something with pink in it. Sometimes we have disagreements on what she wears, especially on her strong pink days. I usually give in -- there is usually a more important battle to have with her later in the day. If she gets clothes for Christmas or her birthday, I bet there will be a lot of pink!
The other morning as we were finishing up breakfast, Greg was making kissing rounds with the kids. Jessie jumped up in my lap and told Greg to kiss mommy. As soon as he leaned over to kiss me, she grabbed my head and faced me to her and she gave me a big kiss. She thought it was funny that she stole his opportunity to kiss me and took it instead. It became a game for several rounds, and it had all of us laughing. We don't know where she came up with that game, but it's the best game I've ever played!
Today, we all three went to the zoo. Towards the end, the kids were getting really tired and started to trip over their own feet. On one of Zach's trips where he went all the way down, Jessie shouted, "Wipe out!". I just started laughing.
Hannah
Hannah has been doing a lot of role playing with her toys. On the same night I unboxed Zach's workbench, I also unboxed a dollhouse the girls got for Christmas. I went to the store and bought some extra furniture and family members for it, and it was an instant hit. The way it opens up, the girls can both play with it at the same time on separate sides. We learned a lot about taking turns the first few days the dollhouse was out -- I had to set time limits and tell the girls to swap sides so they felt like they were getting equal playing time. It wasn't long after that Hannah started acting out family situations with the dolls. It's really been cute to watch. Sometimes she re-enacts something that has happened in our day, and sometimes she makes it up. She was starting to do a little of that before I got the dollhouse out, but she has really taken off with the role playing. She basically has taught the other two how to role play. I didn't really notice Zach and Jess doing it until they were all three acting out parts of different people. Right now it's usually family (and not just within our immediate family). Hannah usually tells everybody who they are when they get started.
Hannah does a lot of role playing even without the dolls. Sometimes she grabs her Dora purse, wraps her baby blanket around her like it's a coat, puts on her sun glasses, and goes grocery shopping (like me) or to get a haircut. When she "comes home" she tells me about all the things she bought. She and I have also played beauty shop. The problem for me is that when it's her turn to fix my hair, I start getting sleepy from having to sit still for so long!!
All three kids really love to dance, but Hannah seems to be a natural. We usually turn on 80s dance music for them, and they all take off. Here lately, Hannah has been choreographing her dance moves. You can see her thinking ahead about how the song's rhythm or beat or sound will be changing and then she adjusts her dance moves to the change. Some of her dance moves includes putting her hands on her hips and shaking her hips from side to side, holding on to a table and doing a one-leg lift stretched out behind her (and yes, she has the cupped hands moving with the left life!), or jumping up and landing on her knees and shins (ouch!). You really never know what she's going to do, and it never seems to be the same moves for the same song. She gets embarrassed though, so it's hard to get her to dance for anyone other than us.
Celebrating Father's Day
We celebrated a fun-filled Father's Day this year that began as any other Sunday with the kids jumping into bed with dad after getting out of their own. The kids love the weekends and curling up with their dad to watch TV while he continues to sleep and I go about getting breakfast ready.
I fixed their favorite breakfast (Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing and a bowl of fruit), and then we started getting ready to go to Pop Pop's for some swimming and a cookout. We called grandpa and wished him a Happy Father's Day. They are talking so clearly now on the phone -- they had grandpa laughing the whole time!
We got to my dad's around 1:30, and we all immediately began munching on pretzels and Pop Pop's ham dip. The kids love pretzels and that dip -- they get that honestly!! If dad hadn't had that dip set out, I would have had a hard time keeping them out of the pool! At least it's getting easier to get everyone ready to go swimming now.
This was the kids first time swimming this year. They still have the water wings and floats they used last year, but the floats didn't see a whole lot of action. The girls wanted to be out in the water with us. Zach was still content to hang out on the steps, but he did much better this year about getting out into the deeper water with someone.
Greg and I think Jessie is going to be our fish. She has no fear of the water. She was kicking while "floating" in the water, and we even had her jumping into the pool from the side. She got a little braver with each jump. She started out holding onto the hands of whoever was in front of her, then we'd start to move a little further away so she had to jump toward us. One time I let her go under the water to see what she would do. She did great! She blew out her nose as she rose to the surface and wasn't upset by it; although, I had to stand a little closer to the side of the pool for her next few jumps.
Hannah wasn't quite as brave as Jessie, but she did her darnedest to try to imitate everything Jessie did. She also jumped into the pool but she never wanted us far from her when she did.
Zach, Mr. Cautious, even jumped into the pool. He'd never let go of our hands to do it, but that's okay. I was very surprised that he wanted to jump in. I'm so proud of all of them.
As usual, Pop grilled a couple of very juicy and very delicious pork tenderloins. Amy and I pitched in on the dinner, and everyone ate their fill. We still had a lot of leftovers, though!
By the time we got back home, the kids were exhausted! Zach was asleep within minutes of his head hitting the pillow. I don't think we've ever seen him fall asleep so quickly!
It was great spending the day with Greg, the kids, Amy and Jon, and Dad. Nothing like spending the day with some of my favorite dads!
I fixed their favorite breakfast (Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing and a bowl of fruit), and then we started getting ready to go to Pop Pop's for some swimming and a cookout. We called grandpa and wished him a Happy Father's Day. They are talking so clearly now on the phone -- they had grandpa laughing the whole time!
We got to my dad's around 1:30, and we all immediately began munching on pretzels and Pop Pop's ham dip. The kids love pretzels and that dip -- they get that honestly!! If dad hadn't had that dip set out, I would have had a hard time keeping them out of the pool! At least it's getting easier to get everyone ready to go swimming now.
This was the kids first time swimming this year. They still have the water wings and floats they used last year, but the floats didn't see a whole lot of action. The girls wanted to be out in the water with us. Zach was still content to hang out on the steps, but he did much better this year about getting out into the deeper water with someone.
Greg and I think Jessie is going to be our fish. She has no fear of the water. She was kicking while "floating" in the water, and we even had her jumping into the pool from the side. She got a little braver with each jump. She started out holding onto the hands of whoever was in front of her, then we'd start to move a little further away so she had to jump toward us. One time I let her go under the water to see what she would do. She did great! She blew out her nose as she rose to the surface and wasn't upset by it; although, I had to stand a little closer to the side of the pool for her next few jumps.
Hannah wasn't quite as brave as Jessie, but she did her darnedest to try to imitate everything Jessie did. She also jumped into the pool but she never wanted us far from her when she did.
Zach, Mr. Cautious, even jumped into the pool. He'd never let go of our hands to do it, but that's okay. I was very surprised that he wanted to jump in. I'm so proud of all of them.
As usual, Pop grilled a couple of very juicy and very delicious pork tenderloins. Amy and I pitched in on the dinner, and everyone ate their fill. We still had a lot of leftovers, though!
By the time we got back home, the kids were exhausted! Zach was asleep within minutes of his head hitting the pillow. I don't think we've ever seen him fall asleep so quickly!
It was great spending the day with Greg, the kids, Amy and Jon, and Dad. Nothing like spending the day with some of my favorite dads!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Potty Training: Two Down and One to Go!
Well, Jessie is finally day-trained with the exception of the daily pooping accident. She's pretty good now at getting to the potty in time to pee, but pooping is another story. She can do it -- she's pooped on the potty several times, but for some reason she just doesn't do it. She knows it's wrong to poop in her underwear, and she knows she's supposed to poop on the potty. She's even wearing big girl underwear now, but that still isn't enough incentive to keep her underwear clean. It's so frustrating!!
Hannah is doing really well. She uses the potty like a pro! Sometimes we still have to call daddy at work to let him know she peed and pooped on the potty, and she's happy with a neat sticker as her reward. For the last three days, Hannah's had nap time accidents, but I'm hoping this isn't the start of a backslide. She has been staying dry during her naps. I've already warned her that I'd put her back in her pull-ups during nap time if she keeps having accidents.
Both girls have had several dry nights in the last week. I've cut down on how much I let the kids have to drink after their naps. When the girls have woke up dry, they get lots of praise. I'll just keep a watch on this for now before trying to night train them.
Now for Zach. I don't know what I'm going to do with him. He's still not really showing a consistent interest in using the potty even though both his sisters are way ahead of him. One day during one of our you-have-to-learn-how-to-use-the-potty talks, I showed him his big boy underwear. Before we started our second round of potty training, I got way ahead of the game and bought all three kids their big kid underwear. Now it looks like Zach will outgrow his before ever getting the chance to wear it!! So, on the day of our talk, I showed him the three pair of Cars underwear he had sitting in his drawer. He got so excited that he insisted on wearing his Lightning McQueen underwear. I warned him that he couldn't pee or poop in them because he'd get all wet and messy and that he'd have to go to the potty to keep them dry. He said okay and took off. I was surprised that he kept them dry for a couple of hours before he finally had his "accident." They didn't stay dry because of using the potty -- he just didn't go for that period of time! When he finally went, he came walking up to me like he'd just gotten out of the saddle and said, "Mom, my underwear's all wet!" Back to the diapers we went.
I'm really debating on how to proceed with him. Do I just wait for him to finally say he's ready, or do I put him through a crash course using big boy underwear and just forgo the training pants? If I tell him it's potty time, he refuses to go, and yet he wants to wear his big boy underwear. Hmmmm! I think I need to think about this a little more.
Hannah is doing really well. She uses the potty like a pro! Sometimes we still have to call daddy at work to let him know she peed and pooped on the potty, and she's happy with a neat sticker as her reward. For the last three days, Hannah's had nap time accidents, but I'm hoping this isn't the start of a backslide. She has been staying dry during her naps. I've already warned her that I'd put her back in her pull-ups during nap time if she keeps having accidents.
Both girls have had several dry nights in the last week. I've cut down on how much I let the kids have to drink after their naps. When the girls have woke up dry, they get lots of praise. I'll just keep a watch on this for now before trying to night train them.
Now for Zach. I don't know what I'm going to do with him. He's still not really showing a consistent interest in using the potty even though both his sisters are way ahead of him. One day during one of our you-have-to-learn-how-to-use-the-potty talks, I showed him his big boy underwear. Before we started our second round of potty training, I got way ahead of the game and bought all three kids their big kid underwear. Now it looks like Zach will outgrow his before ever getting the chance to wear it!! So, on the day of our talk, I showed him the three pair of Cars underwear he had sitting in his drawer. He got so excited that he insisted on wearing his Lightning McQueen underwear. I warned him that he couldn't pee or poop in them because he'd get all wet and messy and that he'd have to go to the potty to keep them dry. He said okay and took off. I was surprised that he kept them dry for a couple of hours before he finally had his "accident." They didn't stay dry because of using the potty -- he just didn't go for that period of time! When he finally went, he came walking up to me like he'd just gotten out of the saddle and said, "Mom, my underwear's all wet!" Back to the diapers we went.
I'm really debating on how to proceed with him. Do I just wait for him to finally say he's ready, or do I put him through a crash course using big boy underwear and just forgo the training pants? If I tell him it's potty time, he refuses to go, and yet he wants to wear his big boy underwear. Hmmmm! I think I need to think about this a little more.
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