I am NOT gonna blog...

...and you can't make me.

Independence Day, our way

I have to admit...I don't really like fireworks.  It's not really the danger or the explosion, it's the noise.  So, instead, we decided to do a bonfire.

Sorry, the photo isn't great, but the kiddos loved it, as you can see.  It was a fun time, with our friends and family and bratwurst.

I love my babies.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Jubilee is still here

In the debacle that is potty training, I have been getting complaints that I am neglecting to post pictures or updates of my Jubilee.  Okay, so here are some Jubee pics, to satiate even the most rabid Grandma.

Jubee in the pool.  With a hat on.  Don't ask me what was going on, I'm just the mom.

Again, pool, diaper, hat.  Yeah.  Classy, Jubee.  It's a good thing you are super cute.

Pretty much my favorite picture of anything in the history of ever.

Yes, that IS dirt in her eye.  And all over her face.  And all over, well, everything.

Laying in the back of the travel trailer.  It's a good place for a nap.  

Isn't she a doll, though?

I'm pretty sure these dinosaurs are reenacting "the first kiss" scene 

from Gnomeo and Juliette.  Really, Jubee?  Dinosaurs?  Kissing?

Verbatim

Me: This shirt is not horribly attractive.
Hubs: I think it's attractive.
Me: Just because it's low-cut doesn't necessarily mean it's attractive.
Hubs: Well, I still think it's attractive.
Me: You must have low expectations of attractiveness.
Hubs: Baby, you are my expectation of attractiveness.

I can't tell if I've been insulted or not.

Potty Training 101

In Dante's Inferno, Dante is guided by Virgil, the Roman poet, through ten concentric circles of Hell.  Each circle's sinners are punished in a fashion fitting their crimes. This is the order: First Circle (Limbo), Second Circle (Lust), Third Circle (Gluttony), Fourth Circle (Greed), Fifth Circle (Anger), Sixth Circle (Heresy), Seventh Circle (Violence), Eighth Circle (Fraud), Ninth Circle (Treachery), and culminates in the little-known tenth circle where proud mothers are humbled by eternal potty training.


Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

Potty training week 2

We seemed to hit a brick wall with potty training this week.  It was also a very busy week, I drove to Kansas to help a friend who is moving pack, plus with allergies and the heat and whatnot...well, it was simply nuts.  We weren't quite as consistent as we should've been, honestly, and Sammy seemed to prefer being a "baby," showing signs of increased whininess, throwing more fits, and demanding diapers.


I was talking to a friend about it today and she suggested that I just tell Sam that he isn't a baby anymore and that he needs to start using the potty like a big boy, instead of coaxing him and bribing him, I take away the choice and just tell him what my expectations are.  So, I did, and we had an amazing turn around today.  He's been outside playing in the baby pool off and on most of the afternoon, but in underwear when he's inside, and voluntarily has gone in the potty twice, with NO accidents!  He even held it in the pool and went as soon as he got in the house, no questions asked, no bribing, I don't even think I asked if he needed to go!  I'm pretty excited.


So, here's Sammy in the pool.  Blowing bubbles.  In his underwear (I've got a bazillion pairs, do I really need to switch him to trunks in our very isolated backyard?  I think not).

Here's a future blackmail picture, Sammy showing off his dinosaur undies.  Aren't they cute?  I got 'em at H&M when he was 12 months old.  I like to plan ahead, I had high hopes that I would be one of those supermoms who had their kid potty trained at 18 months old.  Ah, naivete.

It's all gotta be uphill from now on.  Right?

Allergies

Is it possible to OD on bee pollen and nettle leaf tea?  I was afraid so, so I bought some Claritin, too.  There's two options here 1) nothing works on my allergies, or 2) everything is working and if I wasn't doing all these things, I'd be dead due to seasonal allergies.

In order for this post to NOT be horribly depressing, I'm going to include some cute pictures of Sam that Cam took at the air show.

Oh, and how 'bout a video of Sammy freaking out?  Yeah, he loves him some airplanes.

Potty Training mid-week update

This was not an ideal week to potty train.  Everyone in the house has a cold, except me, I have had some horrendous allergy attacks.  Ugh.  But we are persevering...potty training won't beat me this time!

I read somewhere that tv is terrible during potty training, because they forget what they are doing and just "go."  So we have been trying to find things to do around the house in this horrible whether...like looking at the horrible weather.

Sammy has been playing with a lot of blocks.

Yesterday, we went to Columbia to see Ruthie's program for her Bible Study thingy she does.  

Sammy got to wear a pull-up instead of undies (yeah, I might be a slacker mom, but I know my limitations).  He did "go" on a public potty at the church we were at, but also "went" in his pull-up.  That's pretty much how potty training is going overall, the amount of accidents and potty "goes" are breaking even.

I went to sleep with my whole face swollen from allergies, so I slept in late.  Well, I didn't "sleep" as much as was unable to open my eyes.  My husband came into the bedroom and said, "hey, honey, when do you want to get up?"  "Ugh," I moaned, "8?"  "Then consider this your wake up call, 30 minutes late."  I really need to get a move on and get some undies on Sam.  He's getting the wrong idea this very second.

Help.

Tomorrow is the day we have scheduled for heavy-duty potty training, continuing throughout the next two weeks.  We are going to start with Sam, he's gonna pick out big boy undies from the collection he has in his under-utilized underwear drawer (dinosaurs or Cars, who knows?), and he's going to suck it up and potty in the toilet or in his undies.  Mom's here to help, which is good, because I need her to hold the babies back while I clean up the many messes I foresee happening.

Anyway, I need help.  Prayer.  Advice.  Meal plans that require no time or energy.  In that order.

Good news!

I stayed up for hours last night, researching napkins for my sister's baby shower.  Um, yeah.  Seriously.  Anyway, at some point early into the night, I got a little distracted and did a quiz on hgtv.com to find out my "organizational personality," whatever that means. Here are the results:

I prefer a moderately organized home.  Phew.  I'm glad I know that.  Wouldn't it be terrible if I never took this quiz, and I never knew what level of organization I'm most comfortable in?  Horrific.

Speaking of baby shower, I have a idea for it, but I need empty baby food jars.  Lots and lots of them.  So, let me know if you can hook me up with some.

Potty training is stinky

Of all the things I dislike with a vengeance in this world, potty training tops the list.  It's terrible and horrible and disgusting.  The worst is when people say, "my kid was really easy to potty train.  About 2 years old, he/she just started going..." ugh.  Even more terrifying is when people say, "I had to carry him/her to the potty every 10 minutes and clean up accidents every 20 minutes for a year until he/she was potty trained," because I know I don't have that kind of patience, and Sammy and Jubee will simply have to be the only otherwise-mentally-competent high schoolers in diapers.

Do they make diapers that big?

At what age will I have to switch from Huggies to Depends?

At least he's cute.

Mother's Day

Well, it's Mother's Day. I don't have any sweet pics to post or anything important to say today, except Happy Mom's Day to all you moms! A special shout-out to my mom, because while she doesn't read my blog or even have any idea how to get here, she's still the best mom I know.

That's me on the left, and the boys are my brother and my cousin. Aren't we cute? And isn't mom so sweet reading to us?









A couple of funny things Jubee has learned to say recently:
"Hey, what are you doin'?"
"Dang it!"
Uh oh, I'd better learn to watch my language.













And here's a super sweet pic of a super sweet sleeping monkey (or two).













Oh yeah, and we had a garage sale this weekend:

I guess I had more to say than I thought.

Easter

This Resurrection Day Eve (hey, that's a mouthful) we shared Communion with some of our friends. By Communion, I mean we shared a meal and friendship and fellowship, but we also did the bread and wine thing, too.

Before dinner, though, we did an Easter egg hunt...I thought I'd share some of the pictures my friend Aja took. Sorry, saving these pictures off Facebook and then uploading them on here doesn't really do them justice.

I love Jubee's glare in this picture. Don't you take my pink eggs!

A mouthful of Jelly Beans.

Sammy loves to ham it up for the camera...I think we should've named him Hammy instead.

Apparently, the secret to good pictures is candy. Why didn't I think of that?

Date Night

Last night was Date Night. We went to Macaroni Grill, cuz that's how we roll. Actually, we went because Cam likes the parking. And I go because I like the crayons.

This is some table art describing what I feel about about Macaroni Grill:


Here is some more:


Here is a portrait Cam did of me:


So, I did a portrait of him:


Here is the world's largest sardine from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs:


The waitress came by while I was taking pictures of our drawings on the table, and asked if we would like her to take a picture of the two of us together. Cam said, "A picture? Of both of us? Together? No, the world might implode from that much coolness." Thus, our streak of picture-less dates goes unbroken.

Killing Two Birds with One Stone

I don't know about you, but I have a major kitchen cabinet problem. Yes, pots, pans, cutting boards, mason jars, and storage containers all thrown haphazardly into a pile, a big lopsided pile. How do I find anything, you may ask? Digging. How does my slightly OCD mind deal with this problem? Not well.

Today, I identified some of the big problems. One...storage container lids. Two...large kitchen equipment I use once a year. And I came up with a solution.

After spending a couple hours this morning (Exaggeration? Who knows?) on Amazon trying to find solutions, I discovered this and this. I liked the idea, but I can't spend $10-20 on a cheap piece of wood, wire, or plastic, which won't even fit all my lids. Waste o' money, imho. For realz.

Then I came up with a solution!

Yes, the roasting pan I use perhaps once a year is now no longer taking up a whole section of cabinet by itself...it's also organizing my lids.

I'm not sure whether to be proud of myself or sheepish that I didn't think of this before.

A Day at the Park

Last week, Jubee and I were in Arkansas visiting my grandparents, along with my mother and sisters. My grandma had a (dangerous) playground a few blocks away, so we went for a slide and a swing.


This is my preggo sis and my baby Jubee, swinging away.


This is Mom, hamming it up for the baby. She's pretending to be kicked in the face and Jubee laughs. It's to teach her to be well-adjusted :-/


This is my sister Ruthie.


This is my sister Katie.


This is Katie hanging from the monkey bars. We learned something new this trip: Pregnant ladies shouldn't hang from monkey bars.

I won't show you the pic of Jubee at the ER after she fell off the bridge on the playset.

I changed my mind. Here it is. She's fine.