Another milestone

Braden has had a big week! Potty training himself, and now tonight is his first night in his big boy bed! We finally got the mattresses picked up, and figured tonight is as good as any. He told me he would rather sleep in his crib. (Avery told him we needed to put it in the shed in case we had another baby--but that's a whole other train of thought...)

I asked him why he wanted to sleep in his crib, and he said he was scared because his big boy bed was too big for him. I put his bumpers on either side of him so he could snuggle up like he normally does in his crib. (And so he would have less of a chance to roll off the bed.)

We did our nightly bedtime ritual, but instead of all getting in Avery's bed to sing and pray, we moved the party to Braden's bed. Avery was the most excited I think.

When we left the room, my little man's tiny body was tucked into what seemed like a massive bed.

Add another *sniff* here.

(Pictures still to come...)

Braden's potty training

Yesterday Braden decided he wanted to start going potty. I've never pushed it with my kids. I've always felt that when it's time, they know it, so why mess with the accidents and such until necessary. (With Avery, I waited and it only took a few days for her to catch on.)

Apparently Braden decided yesterday was the day. We have been talking about it in passing, and if he sees someone else going potty, he will try. He's never had success until yesterday.

Right before bed, he asked if he could go, and he went. Avery was there the whole time encouraging him. She ran out and told Kenny. We all applauded and shared M&Ms.

Well, today when Braden woke up he was dry, so I asked if he wanted to go potty again. He said yes, and tried, but had no success. We tried big boy underwear for a bit, but then I had the other kids' schooling going on and didn't really have time to clean up a mess. At one point, he had on a pull up and asked if that would leak. Before I realized what he meant, he shivered...I did know what that meant! After a while, I thought I'd try the no pants at all method. It worked most of the morning.

Later, while I was fixing lunch, I heard him screaming my name. I ran in and he was sitting at the table. He had an accident and didn't really know what was happening. I felt so bad because he was so scared. We got him cleaned up and diapered up.

Fast forward to after my games tonight. He spent the afternoon and evening with his Nonna. When I met up with them at Kenny's football game, Braden asked me, "is this going to leak?" So I asked if he needed to go potty. He said yes! So off we went, and went he did! His diaper was dry at that point.

We finished watching the game, came home, and were getting ready for baths. I took his diaper off and it was still dry. He always knows Avery goes potty before getting in the tub. As I was filling up the tub, I turned around to find him going potty without being asked!

My little man is catching on!

Braden's Big Boy Bed

We just bought Braden his big boy bed. ~Sniff~

I've kept him in his crib for so long because he really does love it. Also for selfish reasons because it keeps him trapped a little longer in the mornings while I stretch and try to roll out of bed on those mornings where he deems it necessary to wake up before the booty crack of dawn.

We've been on the lookout for just the right one for a while now. I knew we were inheriting Kirk's mattresses when he went off to college, and I figured that would be a good time to make the switch. Well, the time has come; Kirk left yesterday, leaving his mattresses for the taking.

I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this new turned-over-leaf. Thankful that he's growing into such a healthy, sweet, big boy, but saddened because he's my baby. Seeing him go to sleep at night in a big boy bed is just one step closer to the he will be the one moving to college.

Avery's switch seemed more natural because we were moving to a new house, and since we were expecting Braden's arrival in a few months, we just set up her big girl room when we moved in.

So this is where I am now. Avery gave up her crib for Braden. Who is Braden giving up his crib for? Kenny said, "let's get to work!" I'm not sure it's that easy. I'm still on the fencepost about a third child. That doesn't have to be decided now, but that in itself makes me sad. Am I closed for business? I feel like our family is complete, but don't really want to be. Weird. Thoughts. Swirling. in this now tangent paragraph.

At any rate, Braden is completely thrilled, as am I because we found the PERFECT bed! I just thought I had found the perfect bed a few weeks ago, and was watching and waiting because the price seemed to keep falling from week to week. Good thing I did because the one we ended up with is ten times better for crazy cheap!

I want to show a sneak peak, but his room is a mess now, with the treasure of a dresser I found a few weeks ago for super duper cheap, a new trunk to hold his toys that won't fit in the storage under his completely awesome new bed, the bed itself in pieces, plus the crib, changing table and rocking chair still in tact from before...oh and the futon. Can we say crowded? Plus, the icing on the cake (the bedding) is still in the process of being shipped. So, if anyone does care to see pictures, they'll just have to wait for the reveal that will come once it's all put together. Which will probably be soon because Braden is just as excited as I am, so I will be working hard to get it pulled together as quickly as possible.

This is the teaser blog...and a little journal for myself.

Hide and Seek

The kids and Kenny are playing hide and seek. Avery and Braden keep hiding together.

When Kenny comes into a room, he asks, "are they behind the (insert object here)?"

Braden answers with a muffled, "No. We are behind the curtains (or other object)!" Suprisingly, Avery has not gotten frustrated with him yet.

Updating

I've really been upset with myself that I haven't been documenting things on my blog like I used to. I blame it on Facebook, and the ability to add quick snippets as statuses. In the past, even if the snippet was quick, it usually blossomed into a full blown story. I blame my mom for that; for being the Mrs. Story-Teller of all times, then passing a little of the gene along to me.

So now that blame has completely been cast off of me, I want to attempt to remember a few of the things we've been up to. Unfortunately, our computer died a little while back. Fortunately, we have a fabulous friend who offered to build us a really nice one at a very nice price. I say all of that to say, now I have our great new computer, but no pictures have been uploaded in a long time, so those will come later.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the pool at Nonna's (Kenny's mom and dad's) this summer. We were worried for a little because Braden did not show interest in the water like he did last summer. Now, all worries are aside. We don't know when it happened, but some switch has been flipped, and we now have our water baby back. He is still more cautious than Avery ever was in the water, but at least he is in, and not sitting around the edge basking like a sunbather. Of course Avery has enjoyed the water since day one, and has 'graduated' to no floaties. She stays in the shallow end, but has tested out her minor swimming skills the few times she ventured a little too deep. We spend our time with Mrs. Potts (the giant teapot and accessories), having tea parties, playing dolphin (which consists of jumping out of the water, back into the water, headfirst), flipping under water, competing against daddy to see who can stay under water the longest, and many, many, many other exciting games.

The kids and I took a trip to Texas in June to visit my family. My brother was great to fly into Montgomery, only to turn around and travel the 12 hours it took us in the car, back to Forney. After our stay there, he was not scared off from the first trip, and did the same going back. I was very appreciative for the extra set of hands, and of course the kids were enamored with Uncle Jase since they don't get to be around him much. The trip itself really did fly by. Grammy and Pop enjoyed their grandbabies, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with everyone as well. I even got to spend one of the days there with my very best friend from high school. Seems like everytime we see each other, we pick up where we left off. It's neat to see how our lives are still similar; both married, two kids, same interests, etc. It is always hard to say goodbye after such a great visit, but on the flipside, it's always nice to come home. I was not the only one ready to see Kenny again; the kids were very ready to see their daddy. We got home late Wednesday night, and Thursday when they woke up, they asked, "Oh no, is daddy gone again!?" They were glad to hear he would be home after a short workday.

Volleyball has started up again. We have all three teams practicing together for the summer, and it's been a great group to work with this year. I look forward to seeing how the season turns out.

Avery has enjoyed going to VBS this week. I didn't get to help out this year, and Braden still isn't old enough for classes, but he and I always go early to pick Avery up. He enjoys the singing and 'dancing' in the wrap up session. Avery asked him to sit with her class, so he feels like a big boy. I often stop and wonder where my babies went.

I started the P90X workout, and am over halfway through week 2. Sometimes I feel like I've been doing it for a long time, but then realize I'm only in week two. I still have a little way to go before I hit my goals, but am very proud of what I am accomplishing now. My eating habits are so much better now, topped with exercising everyday again really has been a good lifestyle change for me.

I have been working on the football media guide for the upcoming season. It's in the wrapping up stage now. It's been a big project, and is taking me a while since I only work on it when the kids are in bed, and I think it will be nice when it's all said and done.

Kenny is excited about his football team this year. I look forward to seeing how they all come together because it seems like a fantastic group of kids.

I'm in the beginning stages of transitioning to Braden's big boy room. I've held off because sometimes it's just easier to let him play where he can't get out of his crib, but he is such a big kid now: literally. I'm not sure how much longer he will fit in his crib. It's exciting getting new things together to change it over. It will be a while before that's finished, but I will be sure to post pictures.

I guess that's it for now.

Beach Trip 2010

Kenny and I have been planning to take the kids to the beach for a while now. We just never picked a time. Last week, Kenny had his last day of school, and a week off before his summer schedule started. We figured it was the perfect time for a mini vacation. We normally stay in hotels when we go places, but we started looking into renting a condo this time around. It wasn't much more expensive, and the convenience of it was worth the little bit of extra we paid.

We left early Tuesday morning. The kids did fantastic on the trip, and the weather was great for 2 hours and 45 minutes. When we pulled into Gulf Shores, a gigantic black cloud rolled in, and for the last 15 minutes of our trip, it poured. Kenny and I just looked at each other.

Once we got settled into the condo, it was still raining, so we were glad for the indoor pool at the condo. Avery is a fish, so she jumped right in. Braden has become a little more cautious this summer, so he stayed around the edges.

Finally the rain stopped, so we headed out to the beach. Braden's words once we hit the sand were, "oh! It's yucky on my feet!" He must get that from his dad. I was glad he quickly changed his mind. He never did get used to the sand on his hands though. Avery ran up to the water and started jumping over waves. Braden screamed everytime we tried to get close. I finally talked him into sitting in my lap and letting the water run over our legs. Later on that day, he let me carry him into the water deeper. The waves were fun to jump over and through. Avery and Kenny had a ball in the bigger ones.

By then it was close to suppertime, and since it was Daddy and Avery's night to pick, they chose Pizza Hut. What a thrill..at the beach, and pizza, but it was good, and the company was great. After dinner, we went to the grocery store to get lunch for the next day. By the time we were finished there, the kids were falling asleep while walking so they went to bed when we got home. They spent the night in the same room, and they thought that was pretty neat. Until the next morning...

Avery is my sleep in girl, and Braden is my awake early boy. For some reason, he decided he needed to wake up even earlier than normal, and that in turn woke Avery up super early. We started the day at 5:50. Avery said, "Momma; I didn't sleep well because Braden talked all night long..."

We spent the morning at the beach, then came back to the condo for lunch. The kids were super ready for naps by then, and they slept for a good three hours. When they got up, we went to the outside pool, but the water was too cold, so we ended up at the beach again. We played there for a while then got cleaned up for supper. It was Braden's and my turn to choose that night. We went to the Gulf Island Grill. Much more coastal feel...very good food. We took the kids to the souvenier shops and then for ice cream before heading back to the condo for the night.

After another early wake up, we spent the next morning at the beach again. We met some really nice couples, whose kids and our kids had a ball playing with. They had little nets, and spent the day catching fish and hermit crabs.

Around lunchtime, we headed up to the condo, cleaned up, then packed up the car to leave. We stopped for lunch, then stopped again at the outlet mall for some shopping at Old Navy. I was excited to find a Stride Rite outlet and some extra extra wide shoes for Braden, at a very affordable price! We loaded up again, and the kids were asleep before we knew it. They slept for about two hours of the three that it took to get home.

We topped the trip off by meeting Nonna and Big Daddy for dinner, then headed back to their place for some swimming. The kids fell into bed and slept very soundly until this morning.

Then I laughed because Avery woke up before Braden this morning. What a great trip! Can't wait until we can go again!

Avery's 5th Birthday Party (67 photos), by Jamey Simpson

I'd like to share my Walmart Digital Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Getting My Sew On

I've been having the best time EVER, making outfits for Avery. I started out wanting to make a few pairs of shorts that were comfortable to play in. Then I threw in a few tops that we could mix and match.

Then I hit a minor bump when my machine died mid-stitch. I was lucky enough to inherit my grandmother's Bernina, and have loved learning and using it over the past years. Well, apparently the main board decided to go out, and since it's a computerized machine, that means it's dead until I want to pour over $500 into getting it fixed. Of course that got pushed to the back burner for now, so I am blessed to have a friend who is letting me borrow hers until I can make some other sort of arrangement for a new machine.

I have several other ideas floating around in my head for different designs, and can't wait to tackle them! These are what we have so far. (There are also a few other pairs of shorts that I haven't taken pictures of...solid colors to go with the different shirts...)

Easter!

Here is last year's Easter picture:

Here's this year's progression.....

...and he's spent...

Fences, cruise ships and sinks.

There I was, working on our fence that our dog keeps getting out of. Avery, Braden and our newest buddy, Chance, were playing 'cruise ship' on the swingset. I had the door open so they could go in and out to the bathroom. (I should have learned my lesson about this from the previous open door post...)

I was pretty smug because everyone was getting along, coming and going; having a great time!

I noticed Braden follow Avery into the bathroom but came out shortly after she did.

No biggie.

Until about 30 minutes later when Avery and Chance ran out telling me water was "running over the edge of the sink!"

Yep. Braden. Water on. Flooded bathroom.

And here I thought my biggest worry of the day would be the blisters that were forming from the fence-mending...

Recipe for Disaster...

Words cannot describe how much the kids and I are enjoying this fabulous spring weather! We have been outside everyday for hours at a time. A new routine has begun since after naps there is actually daylight left. The kids get up, and we all go outside to play. After a few hours, I head inside to start supper while the kids continue their play. I prop the back door open so I can hear them; this also allows them to come and go if they need me or need to get a drink.

For those who have not seen our back steps, they are a little scary to say the least. I've provided a picture so you can see the steep, concrete, coupled with no railing. This obviously makes me nervous because Braden sometimes has trouble with his center of gravity, and Avery is, well...clumsy.

Today was no different, except that one of the neighbor's kids was here playing too. (That's a side story in itself. I love the fact that my kids are getting old enough to have friends over to play with by themselves...this week, two of the four neighbor's kids have been over to play...)

So...imagine: back door propped open. Me, back and forth between dining room and kitchen. Braden, in and out.

All moms out there know the zone you get in where you hear the things going on around you, but aren't necessarily focused in on them...imagine me in that place.

Another piece of this puzzle: Braden's police motorcycle that Santa brought him. He loves this, but it stays inside most of the time because it's small enough to ride around inside, and I don't want the wheels to get all messed up if he takes it outside.

...Back to the not really focused zone....

I faintly hear Braden say, "I get my poyeece motosicul..."

The statement barely registers with me. I hear him hop on his police motorcycle and head off.

Then I realize the door. Propped open.

Then the cries begin; followed with Avery's screams, "he drove..well, not really drove..he flipped down the stairs!" (Braden never cries about falls, bumps, etc. unless he is truly hurting.)

I bolt to the door not knowing what to expect. Broken bones? Gashes? Missing teeth? At least blood?

None. of. the. above!

God is truly good. What could have been a night in the ER was only a minor abrasion on his face and hand. Wow.

Other than the fact that he wasn't hurt, I am so so so glad that I didn't have to see it happen. My heart was pounding enough at the thought of what could have been.

On the other hand, poor Avery will probably have nightmares tonight.

My Knight

My beloved rodeo decided that she was past her prime and started making her aches and pains known a little while back. Nothing major, but the little things started adding up into a pile of big bills in order to get her back to normal. Kenny and I had been tossing around the idea of a larger vehicle anyway. So instead of pouring money into the the rodeo, we decided we should trade it in while there was still some value left, then use the money we would have spent to fix as a down payment on something newer.

I had been doing some wishful perusing prior to the actual looking, so I knew a little bit about what our options were going to be. We knew we were in no hurry to buy because we truly did not have to get a newer vehicle, and I think that made the process a little more enjoyable. (Plus, jumping back into the car payment realm after having been out of it for so long was a little daunting.) In the past, when searching for a new car, we have had in mind exactly what we wanted. This time around we just had an idea: a SUV with a third row, or a (gasp) minivan.

Kenny's mom came to watch the kids one day so we could go out, uninterrupted, to do a little shopping. We found a few options that day and were on our way home when I caught a glimpse of a Honda Odyssey sitting in a small lot. After a wild u-turn (not really wild, just normal), we checked that one out. Of course we went home thinking the price was just too high because it was loaded.

I joked with Kenny that if he wanted to be my knight in shining armor, he could go buy that one for me.

He told me to not get attached since I hadn't even driven it because it was out of our range.

Over the next few days, we did some internet shopping and comparing. I soon began to realize that I of course do have an opinion, and my choices were narrowing because I admittedly have expensive taste.

After not much luck finding something elsewhere, we found ourselves back at the Odyssey. I got to test drive it this time....

My knight mounted his white horse and began to haggle. He got the guy down pretty low...and a pretty good offer for our precious rodeo as a trade. Alas, that day was not the day.

The next day, more haggling...dealing with bank loan, and walah!

A beauty sitting in my driveway, with a pricetag we can afford!

To Do's...

I forget how much I enjoy sewing until I begin a new project. Of course there can be frustrations; like when the bobbin runs out at the most inopportune time, or if a needle breaks...but for the most part, sewing is relaxing for me.

The other day I was inspired by Paige and Brooke. They are so talented, and I love how they share their ideas and how to accomplish them through tutorials. I have always enjoyed appliqueing (sp?) things, and Paige and Brooke's tutorial kicked me into gear to make Avery a valentine shirt. While Avery was at school, Braden and I ventured to Hobby Lobby to find some fun fabric. That evening, Avery sat in my lap and helped me complete the project. It was so much fun letting her learn to thread the machine, choose the stitch, and adjust knobs. I love the fact that she is interested in sewing. I shouldn't be surprised because she loves to learn. Braden also sat up in the chair next to us, so if felt like both of them helped so much. I think that's why this one feels extra special.
Once I finished Avery's shirt, I felt like I should make something for Braden. Since I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't look too girlie for valentine's attire, I revisited a pillow I started for him a long time ago. We're talking, probably over a year ago! When Avery was about two, I found some fun fabric, and I made a pillow for her. (Solid pink on the back with a zipper for easy cleaning.) She has always loved to prop up on it and watch movies, or use it in her room to hold her door. It has served many uses.

One day about a year ago, I found matching fabric, but in boy colors! I was super excited, so I came home that day, cut everything out, had the zipper pinned on to sew in, but had to put the project away before I finished it because I had company coming. (My dining room table serves as my sewing table.) So, a year later, I found that it was pretty silly that everything was ready to be finished, it just wasn't stitched up! (His is blue on the back with a zipper.) When Braden woke up from his nap to see his "couch" (he gets that and pillow confused apparently), he ran over, and fell onto it saying, "my couch! my own couch!" Now they get to prop up on matching pillows to watch their shows.Since I finished Avery's valentine's shirt, I've been wanting to make her another. So, when I found this turtle neck at Target for $.94, there was just no excuse to wait any longer. We went today to pick out fabric. She chose this one...not quite what I would have picked, but it has sparkles, so there was no contest in her book. I wanted to put a fun 'A' on it, but she wants a butterfly. I have strict instructions not to work on it while she's napping because she wants to help.
While we were out and about, I remembered two pairs of Avery's pants that still fit her great, but she has worn holes in the knees. So, we ventured over to the patches section and Avery made her picks. When we got home, I barely had my bag down before Avery was begging to fix her pants. I stitched up the holes; don't know if that's necessary, but I thought it might hold better, then Avery applied the patches. I did the ironing of course, and I might tack them on as well to reinforce them. At any rate, Avery is ecstatic!
Now I'm trying to decide if I should try to get the house in order or start on another project! (I'm so tempted to start the butterfly....)