big girl now!

A couple weeks ago on a Saturday while I was gone to work most of the day, Dan watched the girls.  And I don’t know what he did but Tessa suddenly became really interested in potty training.  She asked to use the potty (and did so successfully) several times throughout the day.  The following week she would ask me if she could wear underwear and I would just tell her that she had to use the potty first.  After a week of sincere interest I finally gave in.  I did what I swore up and down I would never do… I potty trained Tessa.

Potty training Sophie was a N-I-G-H-T-M-A-R-E!  She was very stubborn and even though she was “trained” she would have accidents on purpose to maintain control, show me who was boss, and to just drive me plum crazy!  It was such a traumatizing experience for me that I have refused to train Tessa up to this point.  And if she hadn’t been so persistent I wouldn’t have done it.  I didn’t like who I became when we were training Sophie, we were NOT friends. 

 

Tessa has been a BREEZE compared to Sophie.  I don’t know if it was my lower expectations or the fact that Tess was just more ready, but I’ll take it!  I think her older sister’s example was key to her interest in potty training.  The first couple days she went through several pairs of underwear a day but she would only start in her undies and finish in the toilet, not bad!  I am all for not scrubbing the couch or carpet!!  She still dampens her underwear at least once a day when she waits too long but she is doing really great.  I am so proud of her.  We’re on our 2nd week without diapers, and it’s pretty nice!  It will be a total 4 month break before we get back into diapers with this next one.  Not something I anticipated.

The first couple of days we kept Tessa pants-less so we could more easily see when she’s having an accident and also make her more aware of her…. uh, functions. :)  Sophie wanted to wear a pink shirt and under wear just like Tessa, so cute.  These 2 do most everything together these days.

By the way, hope those crib climbing pictures didn’t stress you out.  Tessa can’t climb OUT of her crib, just in, but we do have bunk beds on order expected to arrive this week.  Then they will seem like REALLY big girls!

party at the Wells’! & Tess asking for undies

Actually there were 2 parties. 

We spent Saturday in the Wells’ beautiful home hanging out while the guys put together their new playground.  It was a bigger project than anticipated due to some “help” from the children (we think the girls got into their piles and lost some pieces, so the guys had to get creative).  Fortunately the company was stellar!  We love an excuse to hang out with at the Wells’.

So someone made and then took a couple bites out of this sandwich… and disappeared.  No one claimed it!  I don’t know why I thought it was so funny, but it was, so I took a picture.  (Still think it’s yours Ann, who else could make a sandwich and forget about it but a mother of young children! And I don’t like mayo, so it’s obviously not mine.)

 

 

The next day was Melody’s 2nd birthday!  And it was close to Brian’s birthday as well, so it was a double party.  Nice of them to share eh?  We were glad to be there.

 

I really like these pictures I got of Tessa in the swing.  I know I am biased so help me out, is she not the cutest thing with those big brown eyes?  Oh how I love to hold her and kiss those cheeks!

 

Present day update: (these pics are a month old, gimmie a break, we’ve had a busy summer ok?) Anyway, Tessa is showing interest in potty training.  In fact she up and peed on the potty 3 times today!  Whoa.  I am NOT interested in potty training Tessa, I repeat, NOT INTERESTED.  She’s only 20 months old.  Potty training Sophie is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, EVER.  I don’t have the patience for it.  But if Tessa wants to train herself, that would be great. :)  I do have over 300 diapers though… (sale at Costco) so it would be best if she waited for at least a few months.  Seriously, I am dead set on NOT pushing her.  I will NOT take any initiative with her because I learned the hard way (and boy was it awfully hard) with Sophie that if it’s mom’s idea, it’s a bad idea and they want no part of it!  I’ve heard these magical stories about kids who train themselves.  Can they be true?  My mom claims that I did it all on my own because she didn’t have time to (my sis Jenny was born) when I was 18 months old.  Really?  Granted, this is coming from a woman that told me child birth doesn’t hurt, “it’s just uncomfortable.”  I love you mom, but when I felt my first real big contractions, I was calling you a liar in my hospital bed!  Heaven help me.

almost there!

 

I need to take a break from the chronological for just a moment (I have a bunch of pictures from the Quincy Reunion trip to post) and bring some attention to the NOW.  Dan is studying his brains out, not literally we hope, for the Bar Exam he’s taking next week.  This poor man not only endured 3 years of law school but now an additional (and expensive) 2 month bar prep course that mandated almost all his time.  And it is coming to the end, he is ALMOST THERE!  The test is next Tuesday and Wednesday, so wish him luck!

This week has been awful, he is off to school by 7AM and returns home around 9PM.  And he studies after coming home for another hour or two after that.  Can you imagine studying for that long?  I just want to cry thinking about it.  I know I couldn’t do it.  I think the prospect of having to do it all over again keeps him studying for longer and longer, just in case.  He does need breaks though and a chance to see the kids so we’ve happily brought him a picnic dinner to the law school most nights for some family time. 

Wednesday was his birthday and that didn’t change his study habits one bit, when I sent him a message at 8AM to wish him happy birthday he replied, “Oh yeah, I forgot.”  We decided previously to celebrate his birthday AFTER the bar but it just felt wrong to ignore his birthday completely.  So the girls and I surprised him by bringing birthday treats to school… and then quickly leaving so he could get back to work.  I had planned to get cupcakes but Sophie and Tessa choose little cookies with character rings in the frosting.

 

There is a lot of love in these hugs and smiles for their Daddy.  We are so proud of him and grateful for the sacrifices he is making for our family!  I know it will pay off.  You can do it honey!!!

I passed by this little machine on our way to the restrooms in Macy’s this week.  I don’t know what it is… but it speaks the truth!  This is how I found it, didn’t type that in myself.  I had to take a picture with my phone and send it to Dan right away.

And, randomly… I’d like to add a few pictures I’ve wanted to blog but don’t know where to fit them in, so I figure at the bottom of this blog is as good a place as any.  Before I forget.

{I’m working with Sophie on going potty all on her own these days and since Tessa gets in on the treat afterwards, Sophie decided that Tess should participate in the work!  She drags Tessa in to sit on the princess potty (fully clothed) a few times a day.  I don’t care what it is, it’s cute when they do stuff together!}  {This elaborate contraption Dan put together one night in our old apartment because we couldn’t get the alarm to stop beeping.  You can’t see it but the alarm key pad is on the column in the right of the picture and he’s used couch cushions cinched down with an ace bandage and added pressure from the bug cushions and chair, to muffle the noise.  I laughed so hard in the morning when I saw this.}

Sophie likes to put her face in the leg holes of Tessa’s pool floatee.  My beautiful Sophie, what a funny little goof!

 

Have a good week!!

being a good sport

Would I have gone to the stake fair if I didn't have an assignment?

Probably not.

But I did...

I actually love the stake fair and look forward to it every year but this year (our 3rd) it was freezing cold and pouring rain!  It's usually hot and sunny.  The watermelon and snow cones weren't a big hit this year.  I think most of the people in attendance were there because they had to be. :) 

This one, on the other hand had a great time!  She LOVES the rain, and I painted her face like a cat.  She's really into pretending to be animals lately.

I was in charge of the face painting booth for an hour, my young women really came through.  Every single showed up ON TIME for her shift and painted faces for an hour (and one girl did 2 hours!).  I am very proud of them.  We were happy to be inside the semi-dry tent!    

In other news, Sophie is improving her potty skills.  I am much more relaxed about the whole thing.  She's finally started going #2 on the potty! (Can I hear a WOOT WOOT?!!?!!) She only has accidents on occasion now like if she's playing with a friend and too busy to bother with such matters.  I am SO proud of her.  We are getting along much better these days, I think I'm taking her off the market, she's not for sale anymore. :)

In fact, I want to gush just a bit about how much I love my kids.  Tessa is simply delightful.  I love it how every time we make eye contact she gives me a smile like she hasn't seen me in 5 years.  She is getting a back bone though and will scream or pull hair if her sister tries to steal her toys.  Tessa babbles as she happily plays with toys for an hour at a time.  Sophie's vocabulary expands daily and she is more and more well equipped to articulate to me what she's thinking about.  She will ask me to play puppies with her or even just "talk a me."  I enjoy being able to talk to her more and more.  She loves her Daddy so much and talks about him periodically throughout the day reminding me he's at school.  Sophie also loves to sing and knows the words to lots and lots of songs.  I think her favorites are, "I am a Child of God," "BINGO", "Old McDonald," "The Wheels on the Bus," and "Once Upon a Dream" of course!  I love my girls!