Potty Training and Children's Choir Finale

I have changed diapers for over 9 1/2 years straight through. A few of those times I had 2 kids in diapers at the same time. To say that I'm ready to put the diaper days behind me, would be an understatement. I have a 3 year old stubborn little girl on my hands. The usual tactics of rewarding with a small treat and sticker chart, don't seem to entice her in the least. She likes getting them, don't get me wrong, but if she is not in a mood for a sucker, she just goes in her pants. If she is, then she goes to the potty like a champ. I think we are averaging about once or twice a day at this point. She is one smart cookie and I know she is the type of child that really is just going to have to make up her own little mind to do it, and they'll be no turning back. No amount of begging or bribery is really going to work.

Another thing that is different with her is that my other 3 kids would sit on the potty at my suggestion. If we were headed out the door, if it had been a while since they had gone, or it was bedtime, I could sit them up there and they would at least try. Not my Miss Chloe! No way, no how! She thrashes about and gets so mad if it is not HER idea.

I tried to put panties on her a couple of weeks ago when we were home. I thought to myself, 'it'll feel icky, so she'll surely go'. Ummmm...not my child! I cleaned up more puddles than I care to think about. I felt like I had a puppy instead of a child and I'm the one that threw in the towel on that genious idea, I'll be honest. It just wasn't working. Hopefully she'll make up her mind to do it soon.

But, you have to admit, she sure does know how to still look like a lady on the potty!
Last night was the final Children's Choir show for the year. The kids were very cute up there. Having short kids has its perks too, because they are usually front and center, so I get a good view. Micah and Abbi sang very well and Hannah was a sheep for one portion of the program. The kids have had a great year in Children's Choir.

It was also a variety show and the kids went up there to show their talents. Some of the kids just told jokes or whatever too. Micah and Abbi were suppose to go tell their jokes. They had been practicing and got them 'approved' last week. Abbi went up about halfway through the show and did very well. I'm very proud of her for facing her fear of getting up in front of people. She has come a long way in the past few years.

Well, I was still waiting for Micah's turn, when I realized the choir director was up there thanking people and drawing the program to a close. My heart began to race, and I looked over at Micah. He was looking back with the most heartbreaking expression and tears were already streaming down his face. I motioned for him to come over to me, and he said, "they didn't say my name...I didn't get my turn". I hugged him and told him that I was sorry and I knew that it was a mistake. His feelings were so hurt and so I sat there and tolerated the remainder of the program with a crying Micah sitting on my lap, but was so ready to make a dash out to the van, it wasn't even funny.

He cried for about a half hour and in the meantime, I had to keep my compusure somewhat. After church, Micah was already with me, I grabbed Abbi, flew up the stairs to get Hannah and picked Chloe up. I immediately went up to the youth area and found Jamie, who was unaware, because he was teaching this whole time. I told him that Micah got forgotten and his feelings were hurt (along with a few other emotions and words that were running through me) and that we needed to get out of there....now!

If Micah had shrugged his shoulders and said, "oh well, they forgot to put my name down" I would have been fine too. It is simply crazy how quickly Mama Bear will come out though when your kids are hurt. It doesn't matter whether it is emotional or physical. If my kid is hurt, then I'm hurt, and you better step out of the way.

We got home and he did his joke for us. We had a pep talk and he ended up fine before bed (probably before this Mama Bear was). He auditioned for his school talent show and made it today! WOOHOO! So, he will have his moment in the spotlight even if it wasn't at church. And, of course, Annie Jr. is coming up and I'm sure he'll steal every scene. At least he will to me, anyways.

Another Glimpse Into My Future?

Abbi has a little birthday party on Saturday and was told to wear a swimsuit, because they will be throwing water balloons and playing with squirt guns. Well, I've been in the process of getting our seasonal clothes out and have found that she has really shot up a lot more than I realized. She still has plenty of things to wear, but some of the things that I figured she could wear again, will now go to Hannah instead this year.

I dug out the old swimsuits and realized, once again, that Hannah will have plenty to choose from, but she probably needed something new. So, last night we headed to Target to get a new suit.

On my own personal rant, I get so irritated shopping for swimsuits for my girls. It seems like they are making suits that are marketed for adults. I refuse to dress my daughters as mini-adults, for crying out loud! Make some good modest clothing, please!

We ended up finding a couple of cute suits to try on. They were one-piece suits with little swim skirts, so very modest and cute at the same time. We headed to the dressing room. One of them didn't fit her too well in the leg area and I explained to her why we couldn't get the suit. She tried on the next one and it appeared to fit well and she really liked it. So, we purchased the suit...no problem...right?

Wrong! We get home and she wants to put it back on. Well, she thought it came too low in the front, it was riding up in the back, it was itchy, and the list goes on and on. I have to ask myself: what happened to the suit between the store dressing room and home?

So, this afternoon when Jamie gets home, we will return the suit and try to find another. Jamie said that he always wanted to be the cool dad and go shopping with his kids, but as the kids get bigger, he has decided that the task will be left up to me. I guess, only another woman can understand that you get something home and all of a sudden you think it is awful and wonder what you were thinking in the store. So, perhaps a small glimpse into all the "fun" I'll have shopping with 3 daughters (Micah is easy peasy!).

Jamie and I have ended up laughing about it though. We think that perhaps we need to order her a scuba diving outfit or maybe we can forget the whole thing and she can just wear a turtleneck. She is so concerned with being "covered," which is good, but also kind of funny at the same time.

Sometimes I Feel Like I'm Walking in Circles

2 nights ago our washing machine started making an awful sound. We just thought it was loaded uneven and it was almost done anyways. Well, yesterday, it was making that sound plus some other really weird loud sounds that didn't sound too healthy. I went ahead and did 2 loads with it sounding so loud that the kids covered their ears (and the door was shut to the laundry room). Upon further examination we realized that it just wasn't even working anymore and Jamie is going to head to Sears and Lowe's today to see what he can find to replace it (and how much damage to our bank account it is going to be). So, our plans to get Jamie's car paid off this summer will be shoved back a couple of months probably. Well, at least we'll have a washer the same age as our dryer, I suppose.

Hannah also got up sick this morning. She is very nauseated and holding nothing down in her stomach. So, just when she was back to her old self, she is battling another bug. I was hoping she would not have to miss any more school. At least it is just kindergarten, so the make-up work is very minimal. I just feel badly for her!

Fun the in Sun!

Yesterday we headed out biking on the Greenbelt and had a picnic. We went down a different trail the other day and spotted some picnic tables in the shade. So, we packed up some PB&J and ate lunch there. It was a really simple way for the kids to have some fun. It was very relaxing, and the kids were thrilled. I'm so glad we invested in some bikes. They have provided a lot of fun and exercise already.
As we were headed back, the girls and I ended up way ahead of the guys. Micah does really good riding on the way there, but somehow the way back is never as much fun and he seems to straggle a lot. So we stopped and waited for them to catch up.
And the stragglers that decided to finally join us!
Then we came home to rest a bit and we made ice cream in a bag. You mix the ingredients in a small ziplock bag, then put it in a large ziplock back with the ice and salt. So, we went out on the patio and shook


...and shook
...and shook

...and Jamie had to show us how to shake some more
Turns out, it didn't really harden like we wanted it to, so it ended up to be more of a combination of snow cream and a milkshake. It was still good, but certainly not something we could spoon into a bowl. I guess we didn't shake long enough, but I think our hands would have been frozen if we had gone on much longer. Whatever, it was still good!

Mother's Day 2009

It is Mother's day 2009. Throughout the weekend, I've been given little plants with decorated flower pots, sweet little pictures of my children, and a variety of homemade cards. I feel so blessed to have my children in my life. So, even though Mother's day is about us mothers, it wouldn't be a reality without them in it. I know that right now I'm living in the times that my mind will go back to when I'm older and my nest is empty.

This is one of the only years that I haven't been able to go visit my own mother. I'll call her later, and let her know that I'm thinking of her today as well. I'm the person I am today, because of her and my grandmothers. My mother taught me the importance of going to church. My grandmother taught me the importance of reading your Bible daily, and my Mamaw showed me patience like I've never seen. I can only hope to have a little piece of each one them.

Here is a picture of my sister and I with our mother last August.
Yesterday we made a trip out the one of our favorite parks. Well, we were going to brave the BBQ fest, but we scratched that idea when we realized we were going to have to hike 3 miles just to get to where it was. I'm not sure I missed all that much, because we had a nice day anyways. The kids played, we walked a bit, and someone gave them some leftover bread from a b-day party to feed the ducks. I had my camera along as usual and I captured this treasure. This is just my kids being silly little kids, but I love it.

Hannah sings for Mother's Day (A Little Early)

The Kindergarten choir recited a poem and sang a little song for us mothers. It was very sweet, as usual. She is feeling a lot better. Her post-op was rescheduled for Monday, because the doctor was not going to be through with her surgeries or something. She was just mad that she is still 'restricted' until we know things are healed up in there. She was hoping to get to run and eat some potato chips. Of all the things, she is craving potato chips and can't have them.
Micah skipped church last night, because he had Annie practice. Hopefully he won't have to miss many Wednesdays. I know there are worse things, but it is nice for him to go and fellowship with his church friends. Since this is the first week, we figured it was best for him to go on. I guess it never occurs to people that others may go to church during the week?

Abbi told me this morning that she got another dog tag from school. I asked her what it was. She said, "A on a roll". I asked, "A on a roll?" At 6:45 this morning, my brain was not quite functioning yet. She came and showed it to me. It was "A honor roll." HA! I kind of like the sound of "A on a roll" though. It is a catchy phrase! We are proud of her and all our smart kids!

Chloe is being her usual energetic self. She started the new class at the Library this week since she is now 3 years old. It is "circle time" instead of "story time" and geared more towards older children. She was super ticked the entire time and pretty much refused to have a good time. She sat over there puffed up like an old wet hen. When we left she said she didn't like it and one of the reasons was because they didn't sing "5 little Monkeys" Go figure. Maybe she'll like it better next week.

Busy Busy

Hannah started back to school today. She did well, although her throat is still sore. She probably didn't drink enough today though. Maybe by this weekend, she can put sore throats behind her. I hope so anyways! She is glad to for things to be back to normal.

Micah is at Annie Jr. practice. I knew it would be busy, but hearing all the information made me realize more than ever that maybe it was a good thing he got a part with no lines. HA! He will be practicing around 3X a week for 2 hours a session, which of course, is right in the middle of supper, so we are having to shift our schedules on those days to eat an early dinner. Tonight I wasn't prepared for him to be gone so long, but now I know and can plan accordingly. Many of the minor characters were double cast, so he will only be performing every other night of the production. There were over 60 kids to audition and 37 or so participating. I'm very proud of him! But, much to my dismay, they aren't letting on-lookers in on practices. They want to keep it a surprise for opening night and it also helps with the distractions of the actors, so we came on home.

Jamie is helping at the church and will be all week, pretty much. They are trying to get the sanctuary in working condition. The church remodeling has been very exciting! I can't wait to see it all complete.

We also got some potential bad news from the IRS today. Instead of the refund we were suppose to have tomorrow, they are saying we now owe 3X as much! I went out to tell Jamie and Jamie thought that I had gotten a phone call that someone had died. I can only imagine how stressed my face must have been. I feel a wee bit better after Jamie called our accountant though. She is going to look at what they are saying, but she said not to sign anything, because she doesn't think they are correct. Maybe I can breathe a sigh of relief over that one next week. Seems like we are always suppose to be financially strapped no matter what we do!

Micah the Actor

Micah is getting ready to get very busy! He got asked to play the part of Sandy the Dog in the theater production of "Annie Jr.". He is so excited and so are we. He gets quite a bit of stage time and I'm sure he'll have a ball. We will find out more on Monday when we go pick up the script and they do a dry run through. So, "stage mom" can be added to my list, I suppose. It'll make this summer very busy, but we will all look back with fond memories.

Hannah is doing well today. Her throat is a bit sore still, but she is acting more "herself," so I'm very happy about that. It is hard to see your child laying around pitiful for more than a week! Maybe we are on the definite uphill run now.

We are headed to Murray here in a bit to get some family pictures this weekend. I still haven't packed, so I guess that is my cue to shut 'er down!