Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Potty Training 101
Hadlei has finally done it! She is potty trained! Well for the most part anyway. Leave it to one of my children to be stubborn about something like potty training. Couldn't tell you where they get their stubborn streak from ;)
I had the other kids trained between the ages of 2 and 3. I would have done the same thing with Hadlei but with all that went on with my gram last year getting Hadlei trained was the last thing on my mind. Things obviously calmed down on that front but I have still been extremely busy with other things and I just wasn't too worried about it. Last week I decided that now was as good a time as any to get her trained. She has had a Dora potty seat for quite some time so I was making her sit on it 6 or 7 times a day. It wasn't working. She told me that she wanted to sit on the big potty. So off to Walmart I went and I bought her a potty ring to fit on the toilet - Dora of course :)
Here we are 4 days later and she is trained! The first two days I asked her every hour if she had to go potty. She did pretty good and wet herself only a few times. These past two days she is going on her own. She'll tell me she has to go and then calls me in when she's done. She has even gotten out of the pool twice to go potty. And she'll stop playing and come upstairs to go as well. Those aren't really typical actions for a 3 yr old. We ran errands over the past few days and I let her wear her big girl underwear. No accidents!
Her dad and I are so proud of her. And she knows it because every time she goes she asks if we're happy with her. I'm not surprised that she learned so quickly. Hadlei is an extremely smart little girl. What gets me is that she wasn't willing to train unless she was able to sit on the big potty. Little stinkpot!Labels: kids
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Forever Charmed
I had my heart broken yesterday. I went to Barnes & Noble to get my Charmed magazine that is published bimonthly. When I got out to the car I did what I always do and I flipped to the last page to see the next publication date. I gasped as I read what I had been dreading for a while now. The issue that I was holding was to be the last.
Gram was next to me and asked what was wrong. I explained to her that not only had my show been taken away and my book series ended but now my magazine was done,too. I sat there rambling and I think she was amused by it! I was a wreck! They may as well have ripped out my heart,thrown it on the ground and stomped on it!
Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but I LOVE everything Charmed. Anybody that knows me knows that. I have trading cards,stickers,coasters,clocks,jewelry,magazines,books,
playing cards,cds,scripts,autographs(thanx KK),stamps,notebooks,pillowcases,purses,
bags,curtains...the list goes on and on. I plan on getting a tattoo as well but need to do a bit of research before I go out and let someone permanently color on my skin. Yes,I know I'm obsessed and I'm proud of it :)
They couldn't just leave well enough alone and continue my show,books and magazines. What am I supposed to do now?! I used to look forward to going to the bookstore to get the latest book and/or magazine. How could they do to me?!? I think I'm going to need a support group :/Labels: misc
Friday, July 18, 2008
Picture Perfect
I finally got around to getting professional pix of the kids done. I hadn't done a group pic since approx 2004. At that time there were 3 kids. We're up to 5 now. And individual pix haven't been done since around 2002. So it was definitely time for an update.
You would probably think that taking 5 kids in for a group picture would be hard - if not damn near impossible. And that would be true in most cases but not mine. We had 7 poses taken - 1 group,5 individuals and 1 of all the girls. Most of them were done in one shot. The group pic took like 3 or 4 and I think the girls was done in 2.
Gram bought the wardrobe for the kids. I picked it out. They all had to match to some extent - like in the same color family. I think it made for a nicer picture vs. crazy colors everywhere. Yes,Shelle,I'm just like you!
I did struggle a little with Jordan. He was going to get a buzz cut and at the last minute decided not to. He did his own hair and when I tried to fix it he got a bit irritated with me. So I left him alone. I think he looks better with a buzz cut but I know I can't dictate his hair style for much longer so I let him have this one. Baby steps :)
I must say that they are a pretty good looking bunch of kids. I have had so many people tell me that Hadlei should model. Maybe I should look into it. Dakotah is turning into quite the lovely young lady. Her picture just blew me away.
I tried to get Shae to loosen up. She tried too hard to smile instead of just relaxing. She'll get the hang of it :) Sky fits in so well with the kids. Just by looking at the picture you would think that she has been with them since day one instead of only the last 6 months.
I look at them and know that I am truly blessed.Labels: kids
Friday, July 11, 2008
Leaving Home Part 2
Before we left for the airport we had to make a few stops so that Dakotah could say goodbye to some family and friends. First stop was right across the street at the Earles. Jim and Judy are like another set of grandparents to the kids. I have actually known them most of my life because they did Special Olympics with my uncles. When we moved in here it was awesome to find out that they lived right across the street. They are wonderful people. Next stop was a few houses down - Tessa's house. Tess is Kotah's best friend. They treat her like she is one of the family. They are going to throw a party for her when she comes home.
We left the neighborhood and went to the pizza shop to see her daddy. He said goodbye to her before he left for work but he wanted us to stop before we went to the airport. He came out to say goodbye to her and after she got back into the car he said a quick bye to me and ran into the shop. He was crying and didn't want Kotah to see it because he didn't want her to cry. And he knew if I saw him cry I would have cried. After we left the shop we went to see my gram. Gram held it together pretty well. And Kotah did,too. Me? Tearing up for like the 10th time that day.
We got to the airport a little after 3 and got their suitcases checked. We sat and spent some time together before they had to go down to the boarding area. Kotah called and said bye to her dad one more time and she saw that I was getting teary again. She started picking on me! Around 4 Kotah's grandma said it was time to go. She came over to hug me and I told her that I loved her and was going to miss her a lot. She burst into tears which in turn made me do the same. I just sat there holding her as we both cried. I think we left a puddle on the floor :) I tried to calm her down a little before they went through the ticket line. I told her to make sure that she waved to me after she got through the metal detectors. She did and I could see that she was still crying. Then again,so was I. I watched her walk off and I tried not to lose it. I was holding Hadlei (who had been running a fever all day) and she wiped my cheek and said,"It's ok mommy. Don't cry." Yup,you guessed it! That made me cry even more!
I got to the parking garage and put Hadlei in her seat and just sat there and cried. All of these awful thoughts about things that could happen to her ran through my mind. I sat there and prayed that she would have a safe flight. I was going to be a nervous wreck until I knew that she was safe on the ground in Oregon. Kotah called me around 7 and said that they had made it to Cincinnati. First leg of the trip was over and she was safe. She called again an hour later to let me know that they were going to be delayed about a half hour. The final call was at 3:15 am our time. She had arrived in Oregon and was safe in the hands of her dad. I felt much better after that last phone call - even though I had a splitting headache from all the crying.
Shae is taking this kind of hard. When I told her that I had talked to Kotah and that she was ok she started crying and said,"Why did she have to leave?" I felt so bad for her. She and Kotah are pretty close and now that Shae is old enough to realize that Kotah is gone she really misses her. I told her that she would be able to talk to her and she could send her letters and pictures. Hopefully I can keep her busy enough so that she can't think about it so much.
Thank you for yours prayers for her safe travel. They worked!Labels: kids
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Leaving Home
Well the day has arrived. Kotah will be leaving this afternoon to fly 3,000 miles across the country to visit her dad,stepmom and 3 brothers. Her grandparents are going with her. She has done this twice before but for some reason I am a little more apprehensive about it this year. I just have this feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach and I don't like it. Maybe I'm feeling this way because of all that I went through with gram last year. Almost losing someone that you love that much really has an effect on you. I just want my babies with me.
But I can't be selfish and I won't/wouldn't be. I know how much her dad and Sara and the boys love her. And I know how much they look forward to seeing her. And whether Dakotah wants to admit to it when it comes time for her to leave she's looking forward to it just as much. She's always wishy-washy about leaving. But I know deep down that she is very excited to go. And I wouldn't take that away from any of them.
It is,however,extrememly hard for me to let her go. I know that she will be well taken care of and she will be kept safe. It's the getting there that bothers me. I hate airplanes because I hate heights. Been on one once and that was enough for me. I know that they say that airplanes are the safest means of transportation but that is of no comfort to me. I always end up sitting in the parking garage crying my eyes out for at least a half hour. And I'm sure today will be no different.
Shae seems to be very upset about Kotah leaving. Kotah gave her a big hug before she left for summer camp this morning and when I looked over at Shae and she was rubbing her eyes. I asked her what was wrong and she burst into tears. She loves her big sister so much. They get along pretty well and I know Shae is really going to miss her. I may let Shae go to the airport with us so she can say goodbye. Hadlei is a bit young to understand what's going on. She's knows that Kotah is leaving but not for how long. And she thinks we're going with her :)
We'll be heading off to the airport in less than 2 hours. Pray that my baby girl has a safe trip.Labels: kids
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Camp
Dropped Jordan off for D.A.R.E. camp on Sunday morning. Surprisingly I was able to refrain from shedding tears. He has gone camping before but with friends or family. Never alone. I did tear up a little on the way home but I held it together.
He was so excited to go. Pat and I bought him a fishing pole and he was bursting at the thought of being able to use it at camp. He and Pat went out last week and tried it out. Their biggest catch - seaweed :) I hope he has a really good time this week. I know that he will be safe because the camp is run by the Onondaga County Sheriff's office. I have nothing but complete trust in them. I have a few friends that work for that department and I think they are the best bunch of cops around. None better.
I was a bit irritated Saturday morning because Jordan's father called and asked me if he had to go to camp. Reason being was that they were going camping themselves and wanted Jordan to go. I said that he absolutely had to go period. Just another shining example of his "parenting skills". I had told him over a month ago that Jordan had been accepted to camp and when he was going. He had plenty of time to change his plans if he had wanted Jordan there that badly. What really pissed me off is that he had Jordan wanting to go with them. He had been walking around the house for weeks saying how he couldn't wait to get to camp. 2 days with his father and he was singing a different tune. Bill had put Jordan on the phone and it took me a few minutes to pull out of him what was going on. The whole time I could hear his father saying,"Tell your mother what you want..tell her. Go ahead..tell her." If I could have reached thru the phone I would have strangled him. I had to explain to Jordan that he couldn't back out now because they wouldn't have been able to fill the space a day before they left and that meant that if he didn't go that someone else that really wanted to be there would lose their chance because he backed out at the last minute and that wasn't fair. Before I hung up I told him that they had better have Jordan home in time or there was going to be a very big problem.
Needless to say he was home on time. And he was just as excited as he was before to go to camp. I hope he is having lots of fun. I miss him a lot and can't wait to hear all about his week.Labels: kids
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The 4th
Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July! We had planned a little BBQ/going away party for Kotah. She is leaving for Oregon for the summer to visit her dad so we wanted to have a little party for her. My mom and gram came and so did grama and grampa Wood. Pat was able to take the day off from work - which is extremely rare.
The kids had a blast playing in the pool all day. I stayed out of the pool because it was too cold for me :) Grama and grampa got in with the kids but grama didn't last too long. It was too cold for her,too!
We had a really nice day just hanging out together. Kotah decided that she wanted to spend the nite with my gram because she was going to miss her while she was gone and she wanted to spend some time with her. So she and Julie went home with gram. The rest of us just crashed. The kids really weren't too interested in seeing fireworks and that was fine with us. We were tired and I think they were,too. Besides,we weren't going to fight the mob in town just to see some light in the sky.
Happy 4th!Labels: family, holidays
District 8 Champions
I would like to congratulate the Muck Dogs on winning the Little League District 8 Green Division Championship! The boys played a great game. They were down 0-5 for the first 3 innings. They scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd - it would have been 5 but the ump said one of the boys didn't touch homeplate when he came in - he did but I guess the ump was cleaning his glasses ;) The boys did a great job pitching and held the other team to the 5 runs they had scored. The Muck Dogs ended up scoring 5 more runs in the 5th inning to guarantee their win. 9-5 was the final score.
The boys were so excited. Two championship wins back to back. When they won their season championship game they pelted their coach with water balloons. When they won this championship game coach said he didn't want to get wet so the boys covered him with silly string!
Congrats on a great season and post-season boys! You did an awesome job this year!
* Kotah's team also went to the District 8 tournament but they were knocked out in the first round. They played a team from Geddes and I honestly think they should have checked the ID's of two of the girls on that team. They were huge! And when I say huge I mean HUGE! (remember the comparison,Dean?) There was no way that those girls were between the ages of 8 and 11. They were like 5'7"-5'9" and like 200 lbs!
I think that most of the girls were worn out from their regular season games. They played extrememly hard all season. You could tell that some of them were just ready for it to be over. They were down 7-15 and in the last inning caught up and passed the other team. Score was 17-15. They couldn't hold them and Geddes won 18-17.
Even though they didn't win the District 8 Championship the Sunbirds had a phenomenal season and have a lot to be proud of. Congratulations again girls! You rocked!Labels: kids, sports
