Good Stuff

Another daunting day of potty training has come and gone. I changed Jack only 5 times before nap today (7 yesterday). He napped and when he woke up, I knew it was time to get out the big guns. I used Play-Doh as his new incentive. I initially had planned on some M&Ms for peeing in the potty, but he is smarter than me and figures he can get those anytime. I am sticking to my guns and he hasn't gotten any...yet. So, he woke up from nap (dry diaper again) and I put him on the potty. No go. I then told him about the Play-Doh, sat him on the potty again and about 5 minutes later he said pee-pee and what do you know?!?! There it was. Yellow and all. He got the Play-Doh. Tried again before bath time and he didn't go, but instead went in the tub. Anticipating this, I looked and was about to grab him to put him on the potty (water makes you pee) and I was too late. So, we start again fresh tomorrow. I have also purchased CARS underwear for an additional incentive. The pee-pee walls may soon be coming down!

In other news, my MOST favorite treat ever is now available 3 solid months before the actual holiday it is intended for (see below). I love stores trying to sell things way too far in advance, so I may benefit.

Big Boys, Big Girls and Big Cupcakes

Kate turned 4 months old yesterday! Look at my big girl...

In other news, my other big kid is attempting potty training. Duh, duh, duh! We tried right before Kate was born and he wasn't quite ready. He didn't get the concept, so I thought now would be a good time. Since I am still unemployed, Kate is adapting well to baby life and Jack seems to say when he has gone to the bathroom in his diapers, why not try it again. Day 1 went as expected - difficult. I put underwear on him first thing this morning and by naptime, I had changed his underwear and pants 7 (yes, 7) times. I took him every 15 to 20 minutes and he didn't pee once in the potty. But, I am determined not to use pull-ups and keep trying. I didn't feel frustrated as I expected this would happen. Funny thing was, he slept 3+ hours today for nap and was bone dry when he woke up! Must have peed himself out this morning. So, tomorrow is another day and maybe some success. I plan on giving it at least 5 - 7 days to see if he is getting it or not. If not, we will try again in another month.

Tonight I made a "Big Top" Cupcake which was one of my Christmas presents. This thing is a total "made for TV" gimmick, but I love it. I thought it would be cute to make fun cupcakes for events and just because. My carrot cake with cream cheese icing could use some work, but it tastes good. I will try and work on the aesthetic appeal for next time!

It Was Wonderful!

Christmas. It was just that - wonderful! We spent last weekend with extended family and parents of Craig's and really enjoyed our time. The kids were great in the car and even survived minimal naps and less sleep. The week of Christmas was full of more visiting with family, gift exchanges and a trip to the local kids/nature museum. Jack and Kate got way too many toys and trying to find spots for all of them was hard, but they seem to be enjoying them. Craig and I got what we wanted and feel very blessed by a generous family. I got a new toy - an Ipod Touch and it is a lot of fun. I will try not to be addicted to it like my Blackberry (aka crackberry). Now, as a parent, I am enjoying seeing what the kids get. Kate had no clue, but Jack seemed more interested this year. He still would stop with the first gift and just play with that and I had to remind him he had more, but he caught on pretty quick.

It was kind of chaotic Christmas day with three 18 month olds and one 2 year old, but we learn as we go. First, we learned to limit the amount they get. Second, spread the kids out to open their gifts. Third, just buy 4 of the same thing and everyone will be happy! NOT, they all want the one item the other kid has. Oh, well. There were only a few screams and minimal hitting. Just kidding. The kids were actually very well behaved and got along well.

I enjoy so much our little babies and our nieces and nephew. Seeing them excited is so sweet. I can't wait until they truly understand Jesus and his birth. It was a whirlwind of a month, but overall very rewarding and fun. Now, we wait for 2010. What? Head over to the kids' blog to see some great pictures of the holiday. Here is one thing I got that I am very excited about...

Christmas Changes

Christmas is in NINE DAYS! NINE! I can't believe it is coming so quickly. This will be Jack's 3rd and Kate's 1st. Here is a list of things that have changed since we have had kids:

Before Kids - Bought a lot of stuff for each other.

After Kids - Bought a few things for each other and now stuff for kids.

Before Kids - Used to decorate with houses, garland and other decor.

After Kids - No Decorations.

Before Kids - Woke up whenever on Christmas morning.

After Kids - 11am is now almost lunchtime.

Before Kids - Never yelled in the tree's direction.

After Kids - Now in tree's direction, "JACK! Stop stepping on presents, opening them and/or pulling off ornaments."

Before Kids - Never understood Christ's unconditional love.

After Kids - A little better understanding of His love.

Before Kids - Craig and I happy to open presents.

After Kids - Excited to see our kids excited.

Christmas is such a blessing and I get more excited each year as Jack and Kate begin to understand what Christmas is about. This next few days are travel, family and more Christmas celebrating. Have a wonderful next week with you and yours!

Girls Weekend!

This weekend Kimberly, mom, Kate and I set out for Kiawah Island, South Carolina and then Savannah. My mom had a business trip in Kiawah and we tagged along for some time away and relaxation. We got there Thursday night late - about a 7 hour drive and settled in to room service and bed. We stayed at The Sanctuary hotel on Kiawah. It was so nice and it was all decorated for Christmas.

Friday my mom went to her meeting and Kimberly and I had breakfast, checked out some of local shopping and met up with my mom again. We then drove up to Charleston for some outlet shopping and ate at Virginia's on King. It was like down-home southern food, but in a fancier, NYC-style place. We had fried pickles, Kimberly and I shared shrimp and grits and my mom had fried chicken with yummy sides.

Saturday, Kimberly and I got to sleep in some and then went to see the Angel Oak. It is huge. It is this old oak that is really old and very cool looking. We went back to the hotel and went down to the beach to explore. The beach in the winter is so cool - literally and figuratively. We had an impromptu photo shoot and enjoyed the beach. We left that afternoon after my mom's meeting and headed down to Savannah. Kimberly prayed and we were able to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons. It was delicious. I had crab cakes, my mom had crabbed-stuffed shrimp and Kimberly had chicken pot pie. Kate had sleep. She was the BEST baby the whole trip, except for the time when she pooped on the girl at this little shop we were visiting. I told her she could hold her and I warned her that she hadn't pooped yesterday. Needless to say, a few minutes later it was spotted and the girl had Kate's surprise on her shirt and arm. It was a mess and I was embarrassed, but the girl laughed it off and held her again.

Sunday, we got up and headed home. It was nice to see our families again. My neighbor Lisa graciously kept Jack on Thursday and Friday and he stayed with my dad over the weekend while Craig had to work. We really enjoyed our time and felt spoiled by the valet, bell hops and turn-down service. Now, back to reality of driving our own cars, carrying our own bags and turning-down our kids beds. It was nice while it lasted...and we don't even get tips!

I Love Sundays

Sundays are great. Yes, Satan does try and attack when you are going to worship, but overall at the end of the day, everything is just right. We made it to Sunday school and church this morning, got our Christmas tree after church, came home and Craig and the kids slept, I got to attempt a new baking thing, called my mom-in-law to wish her a happy birthday and she got to see the kids thanks to Skype (we now use this and really like it instead of Live Messenger) and went to dinner at my parents. All in all, a nice day. Another reason I like Sundays, is that I get to dress my kids up in cute clothes. Something new I tried today is making fondant using marshmallows and powdered sugar - very easy. I recently had it at our friend's son 1st birthday and it was delicious. I like the way fondant looks, but it usually is disgusting tasting. I used basic cake mix and vanilla frosting and prepared a cake a how I normally would. I then melted the marshmallows and put in a LOT of powered sugar to mold it into a ball. Eventually, it turned into the fondant I was looking for. The only thing, is I need to work on how to get the color better. I was looking for a deep red and it was more pink. Anyway, it was my first try ever and took some trial and error on the rolling out part, but it turned out decent and tasted great. I am thinking for kids birthdays, this would be fun. I also kept the leftover fondant to let Jack use as molding clay because he can eat it. Craig said that he would then eat Plato. He has done that before too. Thankfully it is non-toxic. Here are some pictures from our day...

The Season Begins!

Today was Jack's 3rd Thanksgiving and Kate's 1st. We had a great day. Jack actually spent the night with Papa and Gigi (and Blake) and Craig and I got some quality time with Kate last night at dinner and this morning. I did some cooking this morning and actually did a little shopping today. I headed to Old Navy at noon and got some great deals on jeans and stuff. I returned to find my sweet little girl had a major explosion and ruined her cute Thanksgiving turkey shirt. I was disappointed, but she couldn't help it. Ah, the joys of cute, little babies. We then went to my parents and had a tasty dinner. Today was pretty low-key (minus the 5 kids under 2 being toddlers and babies) and we enjoyed our day just eating and being together. I also was able to get some additional projects done the past few nights. I made 2 shirts for Paige and Claire using the backstitch and sewing some grosgain ribbon on the bottoms. I then painted a piggy bank for Kate. When I was little, I collected pigs and not that I necessarily want her to collect them too, but it is nice memory for me and she is my "little piggy". Tomorrow, we are planning on doing some shopping! Again, I am so wonderfully thankful and blessed with my children, husband, health, family and friends. God has given us more than we deserve. Thanks be to Him!