Blake's Giggles

This is the happiest sound in the world - I could listen to it all day long.

Choo-choo Grandma & Everyday Magic

We had a wonderful weekend with Grandma Alley from Laramie. She came down for the weekend and spoiled all of us with her love and help. The kids got confused with two Grandma Alleys (my Mom and my Dad's mom), so Trenton started calling her Choo-choo Grandma because of the choo-choo trains he hears while we're in Laramie. The name has stuck and she's now one of the most magical women in my children's lives. They absolutely adore her, and it has been delightful for me to watch them make the same memories I remember making with her as a child. She has all the patience in the world with them and brings out and points out the best in each child. It helps me as a mother to see my children through someone else's eyes and to watch her enter each of their little worlds to understand them so well. There is a reason she is a Great-Grand Mother.

We enjoyed some time out in the hammock together - Grandma is incredibly willing to try new things. She has more patience for technology than I do - a sharp mind and willing heart. How blessed are we and our children to have her!

Here, little sister...let me help you up.

Steve drove up to Laramie to pick Grandma up, and they stopped on the way home to jump off rocks (the kids beg us to let them do that every time we drive by). They had an absolute blast. It got me thinking...how do we raise them to always love the true miracles of life; the flowers, clouds, bugs, the thrill of jumping off rocks. I don't want to 'pollute' them with our manmade technology, amusement parks, etc., as it concers me that filling their little hearts and minds with those things will push out the love for the simple. No 'super-vacations' yet, as Steve said. As parents it's certainly a time to relish in the everyday magic with our little ones.

My Creations

This blog should have been entitled "Why I Don't Do My Creations" with 3 kids under age 4...this is what happens to them. I had made a pan of brownies as part of a dinner I was taking to a family, and Kali got a spoon and just scooped away. I have what it takes to make a meal to take to someone down to a science...dessert first, nurse Blake, Kali on the potty, bodily fluid clean up, wipe tears, cook the chicken, change a poopy diaper, referee a fight, chop veggies, put child in time out, assemble casserole, talk on phone, take child out of time out, etc, etc. This threw it all off :).

I knew it was way too quite while I was nursing Blake. I usually read to her while I nurse to keep her within my sight; she rarely lets me do anything alone, she's my little shadow. But this afternoon I should have realized I would pay the price for a peaceful, solitary nursing. 6 minutes...I left her alone for 6 minutes.

Potty Training

Who says it's easier to train girls? To be fair, we are starting to train Kali 5 months before we started Trenton ( 2 yrs 4 months vs. 2 yrs 9 months), but Trenton literally got it in 4 days. We are on Day 10 and to count we have 3 pee-pee's in the potty and 2 poo-poo's. It's not the poor girls fault - I just get too busy to sit her on the potty and read books until she goes...over and over. I usually do good the first 5 trips, and then I get the illusion that she might actually act on the urge herself and ease up a bit. Acting on the urge has onl happened twice, but I'm holding onto the fact that it HAS happened...it can happen again! We don't have the luxury of waiting like we did with Trenton...her urine gives her horrible, painful diaper rashes that have sent us to pediatric dermatologists. So the adventure begins. I do have to say it is so fun seeing her delightful personality through all of this. Her latest line today went like this:

Mom: "Kali, do you need to pee-pee in the potty."

Kali: "Maybe next time." (in her sing-song voice, big smile, head bobbing back and forth)

This is Kali in her very first pair of underwear and her favorite bathroom pasttime (I wonder who she got this one from!).

Florida

I have determined I am officially the last person to post a blog...I had good intentions back in November and started this blog after our trip to Florida. It was too much work downloading the pictures to not post it, so pride aside I am posting the blog I started 5 months ago and catching up on the minor events that happened since then (a new baby, a wedding, a funeral, etc.) So to all my dear friends who have asked me to blog and especially my patient husband...her we go!

I can't think of a better way to start our family blog than by describing our fabulous trip to Florida. We went to visit my brother John and his wife (aka my-new-best-friend-love-her-to-death) Emily. John is in pilot training for the Air Force in Pensacola and we aren't going to be able to see them over the holidays, so we thought we'd take a family vacation before baby #3 arrives. We got a double treat when we found out our cousin JeVonne was competing in an Ironman in Panama City Beach, so we spent some time over there too. I am blassed with a hubby who takes lots of wonderful pictures, so I'll let the pictures tell about our weekend.

The kiddos holding hands for take off (Steve always encourages Trenton to comfort Kali, help with her, protect her, etc. He knows it's his job now - pretty cute).

Kali melted into Aunt "Emmy's" arms after we landed.

We were all fascinated with the dolphins we saw on our dolphin cruise in Panama City Beach.




We stopped at Shell Island on the cruise. The water was crystal clear and the sand was white 'powdered sugar.' We didn't come equipped with swim suits so we let the kids go in their underwear, but it wasn't long before Trenton took things into his own hands!








We met up with JeVonne, Uncle Billy, Paul and JV's roommates and Steve passed out the T-shirts he had made to cheer on JeVonne. Steve had a blast staying the night with Uncle Bill and cheered JV on in her craziness (112 mile bike, 2 mile swim and 26 mile run!). Emily and I decided we couldn't do that in two weeks, let alone the 12 hours JV did it in. Steve made a video of her awesome feat - go to You Tube and type in JeVonne McDonald. It's great.

We went to an Irish Pub and celebrated Steve's birthday - there was a live band and he had to kiss a moose! Emily also made the most delicious Key Lime Pie and had gotten him B-Day presents. What an awesome sister-in-law we have!!!!!

As hindsight is always 20/20 - we are sooo glad we went when we did. Kali is no longer free and airline tickets are out of this world with the rising gas prices. We had such a blast...John and Emily were great hosts and it was so neat to see their lives and that part of the world. I think we'll make a goal of seeing them at least once in each place they live...hmmm, that's a fun thought!