Memorable Mother's Day

Mother's Day hasn't always been one of my favorite days.  A few years I ago I decided to basically write the day off and pretend it was just another Sunday in May.  So, this year comes along and I am actually having a lovely day.  No expectations will help with that.  Everyone made me a lovely breakfast in bed.  Stu got me a composter.  The twins made cards for me and bought me flowers and they gave See's chocolate bars to the moms at church.  I taught a lesson in Relief Society about adversity and Joseph Smith in the Liberty jail which I was not all that excited about but turned out OK despite my bad attitude.  My sister came over in the afternoon and rallied the troops to cook dinner for my mom and I and we had a splendid meal.  It was a beautiful day and after dinner we decided to go outside and enjoy the sunshine.   A basketball game was suggested and I thought what better way to celebrate mother's day than to be a "good mom" and play with my children.  Ha Ha!!  No good deed goes unpunished.  The game had barely begun when I suddenly found myself in great pain and falling to the ground.  Not sure how it happened.  One minute I am guarding my man-Adam, the next I am on my back in wailing like a child about my ankle.  Tried to hold myself together but I was unsuccessful.  I hobbled to a chair and thought I would put my foot up, ice it and play spectator until I was feeling better.   As Tracy pulled off my sock to look at it and put the ice on it I changed my mind.  My ankle was HUGE and looked a bit deformed and I was going in to shock.  Shaking, nausea...interesting experience.  Stu loaded me in the car and dragged me off to the ER for an x-ray.   My ankle wasn't broken, just badly sprained but incredibly painful nonetheless.  I got IV pain meds and was incredibly grateful!!!  I had an amazing nurse who did one of the best IV's ever and coincidentally turned out to be an LDS guy from Sherwood in the Woodhaven ward.   So a couple hours later I returned home more comfortable, with more drugs to get me through the next couple of days and a new respect for sprained ankles.  A Mother's Day that was memorable if nothing else.

Potty Party!!!

I have a friend who LOVES potty training and does it in a day.  I was shocked and disbelieving.  Who loves potty training?  Certainly not me!  I decided that the next time I needed to potty train a child she would be my mentor and that I would do whatever she said.  The past year I have been asking questions and getting ready knowing that Samuel was getting close to that magical age but was still unconvinced that I could actually enjoy the process.  

Well...today I am a believer.  Thank you Kelly!!!!

Today we had a potty party with Samuel and by early this afternoon he was using the potty every time with no coaxing or reminding.  It is a miracle!  I still can't believe how easy it was.  I didn't think he was going to get it but he did and he was amazing.  We had the greatest time and now I too can say that I love potty training. Why didn't I know about this 5 kids ago???  Boy would it have made life much easier for my little ones and for me.  I am planning to have a few accidents here and there but I think we can officially say that Sam is potty trained.

Hooray!! Now we only have 1 in diapers...

Happy 1st Birthday

James turned 1 year old on January 2.  What a blessing he has been to our family!  He has a sweet and pleasant nature and has been a very easy baby.  We love our James!!

James has learned patty cake and to wave bye-bye.  He is on the cusp of walking but just hasn't shown much interest since he is a very speedy crawler.  He has mastered the stairs, going up and down, and loves to climb.   He likes to play with balls and scavenge the floor for tiny bits to explore with his mouth.  Nothing is safe from his eagle eyes and fine motor skills.  James enjoys bonking his head, especially against someone else.  Just say "Noggin'" and you will find out.

James is a pincher.  His favorite thing to do is get a tiny piece of skin between his fingers and squeeze.  He especially enjoys necks, mine in particular.  He loves to cuddle and has become quite attached to his pacifier since his last round of teething.

Happy Birthday James!!  We love you so!

Pumpkin Patch pictures

Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday we went to get pumpkins with Phil and Katie's family. I wanted to go to a farm in Canby that we went to last year with the Barney's and my dad. I thought I found the right place but when we arrived I was disappointed. Hoffman Farms was not the right farm and we will not go again. They have a lion and tiger caged up on the property, what is up with that?? The pumpkins are lined up on a grassy lawn rather than in the field so we missed some of the ambiance of a pumpkin patch.  We decided to get pumpkins since we were already there and we let the kids get some kettle corn and pick one activity. It wasn't quite what I had in mind but at least we got pumpkins and a few pictures.  I need to figure out the name of the other place.  It was much better!!!

Teeth

James has his 4 top teeth all coming in at various stages. He has really taken to his pacifier during this little transition and I have to say I am quite enjoying it. He has been mostly pleasant through the whole ordeal but is up more at night than I would like. He has finally started crawling on all fours this week and is starting to creep around furniture a tiny bit. My days are numbered...

Milestones for James

This has been a big week for James. Over the weekend one of his top teeth emerged. Now the fun begins... He started vocalizing more this week. He makes sounds kind of like Tarzan, only not quite as loud. Yesterday he pulled himself up to standing on a chair at our momschool. He isn't crawling on all fours yet but he is pulling himself up on anything he can. I am not sure I am ready to chase 2 toddlers around.