Potty Training Pierce - take 3

This is how my day began ...

... and this is what I did all day.  No accidents - hooray!

We've tried this before but the first time I was pregnant with Alayna, the 2nd time Alayna was too little and time consuming.  This time I have to keep pulling her off the toilet and the bathtub, but she and I are a little bit more flexible with our schedules.  Third time's a charm :)  Pierce informed me that he was all done wearing diapers and would like to only wear underwear.  Well, okay then.  We put underwear on this morning and we've had a great day.  Mommy is exhausted, but that's okay.  Pierce does a really good job holding it.  He has a hard time letting it go.  Any experienced mommies out there are more than welcome to offer me some tips.  We set the timer and when the timer goes off we go sit on the potty.  I usually have to pour on some warm water to help him relax and go.  This morning he seriously held it for three hours!  The afternoon was much better.  Anyways, guess what I'll be doing this weekend?!

Go to the Ant

This may not be the best passage to memorize.  Poor Pierce was up for 2 1/2 hours last night terrified that there were ants everywhere.  Wild-eyed he kept pointing at his bed and brushing off his arms and letting out little deep-voiced screams (if there is such a thing).  It was absolutely pitiful.  I think he went to bed with bugs on the brain.  I did happen to say, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," and proceeded to nibble all over him.  Probably not the best thing.  Poor guy.

Silly Hair, silly kids

Wind! Oklahoma weather is not supportive of a good hair-do.  We went for a walk and road bikes this morning.  My bangs were pinned back and the rest was ponytailed.  Hudson asked me why I always made my hair look so funny.  He also decided this morning what he would get me for my birthday ... in September.  He's positive that I would love to have a pink dress and a gold ring with a pink jewel.  Of course.  

We're learning character-quality centered Proverbs right now.  We've been talking about laziness vs diligence and learned the Proverbs 6 Go-to-the-ant passage.  The last verse of that one is: "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come like a thief and scarcity like an armed man."  The boys like to make up actions for all of our verses.  That one is hilarious.  I'll have to get it on video.

Alayna can officially scale the wall.  She can walk all the way around the train table, down the fire place ledge and pull the car/toy cart on top of herself.  Lovely.

The giant baby fears nothing.  She crawled around all day with the boys rubbery spiders in hand or mouth.  The boys loved it.  They would scream and run from her.  

Defending themselves against the spider-eating giant baby is no easy task.  Super-heroes require super gear ;)

Grand dad came to visit Saturday.  The kids always love it when he comes.  We played outside most of the day and nearly blew away.  My eyes are red and swollen from this allergen-infested air.

It's just a formality

"What's a formality?"  Explain that one without using more big words!  

"Does Spiderman love God?"

"Did God make the Romans and Philistines special too?"  We were reading a story about how special and loved we are by God and our families - a Max Lucado special.  Why does a little brain immediately go too Romans and Philistines?!  I explained that God did make them and that every person is special and unique, but sometimes they reject God.  "What happens when they reject God?"  Do we really have to go there already?!  I went all the way back to Satan rejecting God and wanting to be God and explained pride in 4-year-old terms.  Pierce was listening intently too.  That's why when we brag or when we act selfishly we get in trouble.  I didn't think it was necessary quite yet to explain Hades in detail.  

So, this morning Hudson got the blue bowl and Pierce got the green one - we take turns.  Hudson starts bragging in his little sing-song way, "I got the blue bowl.  I got the blue bowl."  I put my hand on his head, "Hudson, you are bragging.  Do you think that makes Pierce feel good or bad?"  He answered, "Bad ... I'm sorry Pierce.  Will you please forgive me."  Pierce always asks forgiveness too.  He hasn't quite figured that one out yet.  Then Pierce said, "We don't bwag (brag), and we don't wegect (reject) God, and we do NOT say poopy." !!  And mommy kept a straight face and said, "That's right, now eat your breakfast!"

I pray for wisdom and seek wisdom from the Word every day.  I never know what questions my little ones are going to throw at me and I am responsible for shaping and training their little hearts.  That's HUGE.

A post for Shannon

I haven't taken any new picture the last few days, but I do have a couple of stories that I've already told everyone who reads this blog, except for Shannon.  So ...

The boys and I were talking about who's birthday is next and what kind of cake everyone should have.  Butterflies, robots, aliens, spaceships and planet heroes were all mentioned.  So they asked me what kind of cake I was going to have.  I said, "Well, what kind of things do you think I like?"  Hudson thought a moment, then answered, "Well, probably laundry and coffee."  So, I guess I'm going to get a pile-o-laundry cake ;)

I was holding Hudson after his nap the other day.  I never hold him anymore because he's huge.  So I said, "Oh Hudson, can't you just stay four forever?"  For the little boy who is constantly wanting to know when his birthday is, and can't wait until he's 8 (don't know why that's the magic number), this was a ridiculous question.  I continued my sappy mommy questions, "Are going to grow up and move away?"  He smiled, "Yes mom, but I'll invite you to my house."  Sniff, sniff.

Tex Mex Calzones

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1880021

If this site address doesn't work go to www.cookinglight.com and search Tex Mex Calzones.

Pair this recipe with a little Black Bean salad and enjoy a little Mexican heaven!

Black Bean Salad

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup  quartered cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 T lime juice

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

1 T olive oil

Toss well to coat  (I added some sweet corn as well).  Serve with chips or eat it all by itself - yummy!

Easter

The brothers - Hudson thought he was making a cool face.

Alayna was the only photogenic child Easter morning.  This picture was taken after I said, "Okay, smile for real!"  Piece had a gunky eye so he looks a little Quasi Moto

We caught our first snake of the season on the sticky pad in our garage.  The boys insisted that it was a baby Anaconda.  It was still alive, just very stuck - all the more fun to touch and play with!  Unless you're the mommy ;)

Easter was rainy this year, of course.  That's okay though.  Indoor Easter egg hunts can be pretty fun and entertaining.  We actually did our egg hunt Saturday at Mimi & Papa's house.  The kids had a blast.  The only other thing different about this Easter is that I have a little GIRL who wore a gorgeous little Easter dress.  Daddy melted into a little puddle of mush when he saw her.  And, like all little girls do, she continuously pulled her dress up all day long and chewed on it.  Modesty is not our best trait yet ;)  Oh well, that will come.

We're going to be brushing up on our picture taking skills for next year's shot.  The boys will learn to smile like normal people!

Hair & Mud

This is my new hairdo (pardon the no-make-up-sleepy-eyes face) - nothing too exciting or different.  But I like it.

This is what the boys did after the storm last night.  I should have taken a picture of the bath water!  DISGUSTING! 

Fruit

This is the bookshelf I put back together every day at least once.  The giant baby is also sneaky.

The boys and me watching Bolt.  I'm obviously way into this movie or just really tired - probably both.

This is what boys do - he thought he was pretty funny.  I did too, so I took a picture ;)

My green-eyed big boy.

Ah, the giant baby sleeps.

Went to a Gracia Burnham conference last Saturday that my Women's Ministry at Discovery sponsored.  For those who don't know her, she and her husband were missionaries in the Philippines.  They were kidnapped and held hostage for a year by a terrorist group connected to  Al Qaeda.  On the day she was rescued her husband was shot and killed.  

The whole talk was incredible, but one thing that stood out to me was the woman she became through her affliction.  She said she was married to a great man, had three great children, they were missionaries who daily ministered and gave of themselves to others - and she thought she was a pretty great person.  After they were captured, they were constantly on the run through the jungles, always hungry and exhausted.   She had cried every day for eight months and lived in absolute misery (and she really did have every right, as far as man is concerned, to cry every day and be miserable) when she asked her husband, "Where is all the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc that I'm supposed to have?"  She was not liking the woman she saw once she was put in the fire.  His response to her was that those were gifts of the Spirit and that they should ask the Lord for those things.  So they began to pray and experience a great transformation of their own hearts.  They were able to see their captors as the lost young men that they were, and they were able to show love and compassion toward them and begin serving and ministering to them.

I was recently in my own small jungle when David was in the hospital.  When the pressure was on and the future was uncertain, I didn't like the woman that I saw in myself.  As I prayed this morning I began really asking the Lord for EVIDENT fruits of the Spirit in my life.  I've heard at least 100 times, "Don't pray for patience"!  But here I am.  I don't want affliction, I don't want jungles in any way, shape or form.  However ...

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word ... It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes."  Psalm 119:67, 71

No News is Good News

I'm blogging because it's been OVER A WEEK since I've written anything!  Where does the time go.  I think I feel pressure to put a picture or two in every post and that usually takes more time than I have.  Really - the kids look just like they did last week ;)

We've been busy, but who isn't?  I've always got kids hanging off of me, but who doesn't?  Even as I type, Pierce is spread across my lap.  He's getting so big.  

I'm so thankful for a night of nothing to do.  No church activities, no aerobics classes, and daddy will be home.  Last night was crazy.  The Y clocks are different than mine and I don't really know which ones are right.  I got there about 15 minutes early according to their clocks.  I had a new lady in my class who was just silly.  I gave her preliminary beginner instructions, but had to focus a lot of energy on her through the whole class.  She kept flailing her arms around awkwardly and splashing her feet out of the pool on our kicks.  It was crazy.  By the time class was over I was exhausted!  David has Bible study on Monday nights, so we got home for a late dinner, said goodbye to daddy and played star wars & planet heroes all night.  Then we read 473 library books before bedtime.  The giant baby likes to read books too - she wants to climb over them and turn the pages for us and chew them a little bit.  The boys don't like that.  I don't like being outnumbered at bedtime!

I'm making chicken and rice for dinner - cheap and easy, that's how we do dinner around here.  Come on over - we'll have plenty ;)