This weekend

So many times this weekend I caught myself thinking how much Jason has grown up.  It was contrasted by Elizabeth who has entered the terrible twos a week early.  There were lots of little things that made me realize Jason has really become a big boy.  Every time he needed to get dressed or changed for bed he just got it done.  He put his clothes in the hamper and picked his clothes or PJs and got into them.  He did great ice skating and didn't get upset at all even when he fell over and over again.  He cleans up his toys when we ask most of the time and while we were out back doing yard work he helped a lot cleaning up the debris.  There are so many little things, but they really make a big difference when you put them all together.

Elizabeth on the other hand seems to be battling us about everything.  She wants to drink all the time and that makes potty training more difficult.  She doesn't want to sit in the stroller or be carried or hold hands.  I can not count how many times during the day I hear "I do it"  even when I know she won't be able to do it.  I know this is a phase that all kids go through, but it would be nice if the terribleness was kept to a minimum. I'm even more concerned because on Friday both kids are having hand surgeries again.  Elizabeth was the most difficult last time because she wants to hold everything, but doesn't have enough hands. It sure is a good thing she is cute!

Elizabeth's birthday build a bear

Ice Skating for his first time

 Elizabeth stealing Mommy's shoes

 little Momma taking care of her baby

The kids playing with friends at the playground

Ride on

So you guys remember the car that we got Jason for his birthday, he likes it and his sister loves it.  So that he could keep up Jeff got a bike, well instead of his car Jason wanted to follow Dad around on his tricycle.  So Jeff and Jason rode around the block like that a few times and we knew we had to get Jason a big bike.  Jason was SO excited, but we were having a hard time finding a bike that fit him just right at some of the more affordable stores.  He was so discouraged that at one point he said that he would just rather ride his tricycle.  Finally we tried the Richardson Bike Mart, which was where we got Jeff's bike from.  It was pricier than we wanted, but Jason loved it!  He tried out a couple and we think this one fits him best.

 

Now he loves to go out cycling with Dad and gets upset when Jeff goes out on his own.  Jason is getting a bit big to ride in the stroller so we put our double in the attic and on our most recent walk I had Jason ride his bike next to me.  We do have a few kinks to work out, there is really no way to bundle him up really well when Jason is riding, so mornings can get a bit chilly.  Also Jason can ride his bike downhill faster than I can walk so we have to work on him slowing down.  Jason isn't the only one getting in on the bike riding action.  Jeff also installed a child seat on the back of his bike.  Elizabeth has only gotten to ride on it once, but she seemed to like it. 

 

 

It is looking more and more like I need to get a bike to keep up with the rest of my family!



Snow fun

With two little ones it can get pretty tough to get out and spend some time together alone.  Jeff and I didn't get to go out on valentine's day so instead we used the collaborative efforts of our parents to get away for a few days of skiing.  My parents lent us their condo at a ski resort and Jeff's watched the kids while we jetsetted to the mountains.  Jeff and I took a lesson our first day and felt like stars.  I'm not sure if we needed a more advanced class or if the other people in the class needed to be in a lower one.  We started the class with 5 of us and one lady left early on due to altitude sickness, then another girl got to cold and left after lunch and then there were three.  The worst part was the other guy was AWFUL!  I mean the class would stop in one place and he would stop 10 feet away and not be able to get to us reliably.  He was out of control and Jeff and I were concerned to go down the hill anywhere near him.  Thankfully no skiers were injured, but the same can't be said for at least one tree on the mountain. 

Then next day we spent half of the day skiing and then went down the mountain to Denver for some shopping and movies.  We took a break from skiing the next day and went snowmobiling in the morning and tubing in the afternoon.  We kept saying that Jason would have LOVED the tubing.  We rode this moving sidewalk type of thing up the hill and of course Jason would have loved tubing down!  The day after that was our last day so we spent another half day skiing, returned our skis and headed back down the mountain for an early dinner and our flight back home. 

 

Our tour guide Snowmobile Steve with Jeff

On our return we discovered that our kids had been complete angels for their grandparents and we were so excited to see them!  We left a few days later and have been returning to life as usual since we got home on Sunday.

 

 

Big Girl

IMG_7743, a photo by RachSal on Flickr.
Normally February is a month mostly about Jason, but lately Elizabeth has been showing us what a big girl she is.  We decided to start potty training her about a week ago and she has done so well!  We used a book called "oh crap potty training" for both kids and although I don't love the title, it works pretty well. Monday was our naked day and it was a great day for the kids.  We played all day at home and they even got a few treats.  I spent the day watching Elizabeth like a hawk and any time she looked like she was going to start going or did start going we would rush off to the potty and she would get very high praise if she did anything and if not we talked about coming back and trying again later.  By the end of the day I think she was getting the idea.


For the next three days Elizabeth was still learning and I was doing lots of watching.  After Monday she wore clothes, but no diapers or underwear.  One of the things in the book talks about how pull-ups are really diapers and underwear feels too much like diapers so they should be avoided until potty training is more established.  We did take a few small trips out of the house, but mostly stuck close to home.  I was getting a little frustrated on Thursday when I still didn't feel like she was getting it and kept peeing in her pants.  I tried to keep my frustration to myself since the whole program is about instilling pride and confidence in Elizabeth for what a big girl she was becoming.  Friday morning I woke up ready to tackle this and we had a chat about how Elizabeth was going to be a big girl and use the potty every time.  I guess she had a change of heart also because since then she has done so well!  Elizabeth stayed dry all Saturday even though we were in Dallas for half of the day and she wasn't used to being in those different bathrooms. 

Sometimes I tell Elizabeth that she needs to go potty and if she doesn't go we talk about getting up and that she should tell Mommy or Daddy when (not if) she needs to go.  I am so happy when she just comes out and tells me she has to go and we race to the potty.  She still wears diapers for naps and nighttime and she does still have a few accidents.  Since we aren't wearing underwear or diapers we have been avoiding dresses and skirts for a while (sad Mommy) so I got her nicest pants outfit on her on Sunday morning and we were getting ready to go to church when Elizabeth raced out of the room.  I guess I was still half asleep because I didn't think about where she was going until a few seconds too late when I found her in the bathroom next to her potty trying to get her pants off.  Sorry sweetie!  later that day we were all playing in the backyard while Daddy mowed the lawn.  I was doing something with Jason when I heard Elizabeth say "pee on tree?" When we are playing in the backyard we let Jason pee on a tree since no one can see us and obviously Elizabeth was trying to do that also.  I know you've enjoyed this post all about potty training, I didn't realize I had quite so much to say about it.


There are other ways Elizabeth is turning into such a big girl.  It seems like we can't do much for her anymore.  She always tells us "I do it" and she is talking up a storm!  Thank goodness she still loves to cuddle and it is so nice that she doesn't fight naps and just tells us "I go to sleep now."  Who is going to fight her on that?  I can't believe in just over a month my little baby girl will be 2!

happy valentine's day!

from my little love bugs

Our Boy

IMG_7797, a photo by RachSal on Flickr.

Yesterday was Jason's 4th birthday.  I can't believe it has only been 4 years since this sweet, sensitive little guy graced us with his presence.  It seems like he has been a part of our lives forever.  Then again it is amazing how we have seen him grow from that little baby that we brought home.  When I was pregnant with him I would wonder about what he would be like and look like and when he was born we learned more about what he looked like, but we are still learning who he really is.  The other day Jeff said that Jason might even be more of an engineer that he was.  Jason is always trying to figure out how things work and what makes them go.  He got a robot from one of his friends as a birthday gift and he loves to watch it walk and talks about how there are wheels on the feet to help it move.  Jason is good most of the time, but when he isn't I'm normally the one to scold him.  His response is something along the lines of I'm sorry, please don't yell at me.  I'm working on teaching and not yelling and count that as one of the many things he has taught me.  I mean not everyone knows the name of just about every engine on the island of Sodor!  I don't know where Jason's future will lead him, but I am thrilled we get to be along for the ride.
 

Party weekend!

Wow we had a great weekend!

Jason had his birthday party on Saturday and he had a wonderful time!  We were so thrilled that so many of Jason's friends were able to come.  If you know our son you will understand why we had a train themed party.  It was a rainy day so we did all our activities inside, but I hope the kids had a good time.


 



Funny story.  I intended to make Jason a cake in the shape of a train, but when I went to take the cake out of the pan it crumbled apart so this was our back up cake


Favors


Cake pops from the crumbled train cake


Daddy built a huge track for the boys to play with


The party continued long after our friends were gone

We sure had a wonderful time at a friends party on Sunday.  Jason and Elizabeth had a great time driving around on their electric cars and getting their face and hand painted.