Quiet, OCD, and "More please"

Oh I love the quiet moments during the day. When McKenna is sleeping. When Hannah is resting. When no one is saying "Mama... can I have a drink?" "Can I play outside?" "Can you get this for me?" and I am able to think about no one but myself. You got it.

I watch a friend's baby once a week and occasionally I watch another friend's 2 children who are two and four. Today I got to watch ALL FIVE children (total) at the same time!!! It was complete and utter chaos. I realized that one of the reasons I love to teach is because of the structure. We have a schedule to follow. Every day there is a certain time to do each thing we do. The kids listen (or at least they are supposed to) and I am their BOSS. HA. When you have two babies, a 2, 3, and 4 year old at home there is pretty much none of the schedules or structure involved like a typical school day. No matter how structured I try to be it doesn't turn out well. Who wants to be structured when you're at someone's house to play?

I also realized I am slightly OCD. I pick up after the kids as they blow through like a tornado. If one toy with lots of little parts is out you better bet we pick it all up before the next toy with lots of little parts gets taken out. I also like the shopping cart toys to stay with the shopping cart... the legos to stay with the lego wagon... the dominoes to stay in the domino container. No mixing and matching. Or I get stressed. That's just me. It's the way I am. And if this gets mixed up I really try to let it go. But that only works for so long.

Lastly I would like to officially announce that both of my children have a love for something. Chocolate. I would like to say it has successfully been passed down from my grandma to my mom, to me, and now my children. It's the first thing Hannah asks for in the morning (apparently she must see someone sneak brownies before breakfast??) and it's what she also wakes up asking for in the middle of the night.

Well my quiet time is now over. Hannah is trying to type with me and it's not working very well.

Camping!

Went to Lake Pleasant a few weekends ago and had a great time as a family. We tent camped in a really big tent that we borrowed. McKenna slept for about two hours total all night and Hannah slept like a rock. The next day we met up with some of Matt's coworkers for some fun on the lake! Hannah even went on the jet ski!!! We had an awesome time despite the lack of sleep and a baby with a fever... We'll probably wait until BOTH girls are a little bit bigger next time!

Mom's At Central

It is my second year attending the MOM's On A Mission at Central Christian Church. I love it.

Every other week we discuss the book we are reading called, "The Bathtub is Overflowing but I Feel Drained" by Lisa Terkurst. The opposite weeks we have guest speakers, craft days, and special planned things.

Today was so uplifting. We have a wonderful woman who comes in to discuss the Bathtub book with us. She is so encouraging and so lighthearted. She tells us real stories from her own personal experiences. Today she reminded us to be thankful for things that we may not think to be thankful for. For example, everyday I see crumbs on the floor and it just bugs me. But I need to stop and be thankful that those crumbs mean I have two healthy little girls who are eating and enjoying their food (even though they are leaving some behind). Or the dirt that gets tracked in from outside everyday- be thankful that Hannah loves to play and is physically able to run in and out of the house to leave those little dirt marks everywhere.

Thanks, God, for my beautiful little girls and the joy they bring me everyday. Help me to have an "attitude of gratitude" and be thankful for even my annoyances.

"Why?"

Hannah's most asked question lately is, "WHY?" "Why, mommy? Why daddy?" "Why? Why? Why?"

It is her response to EVERYTHING. When I give an explanation for something she answers with "why?" and then I answer further and of course she responds again with "WHY?". It is never ending. She is never satisfied.

A typical conversation sounds like this:

Hannah: Daisy is sad, mommy. Why is she sad?

Me: I don't know, maybe she wants to play with you.

Hannah: Why? Why does she want to play with me?

Me: She likes to play with you.

Hannah: Why?

Me: Because you're fun.

Hannah: Why am I fun?

... and on and on it goes...

The other day I said, "I don't know, Hannah." And she said, "But I want you to know!!"

Guess she is just curious about everything! Sure is helping me to learn patience!!

Potty Training Day #4

What a difference success can make!!!! Hannah sat on the potty yesterday and got a little drip out- just enough to celebrate! I told her she could choose any special treat and she decided she wanted a popsicle. We went right to the store and she picked out the ones she wanted. Then, last night Hannah was in the bathtub when she realized she had to go poopy. She told me and I instantly put her on the potty. SUCESS!! It happened! She was so excited. Even though it was bedtime, you better believe we had that popsicle again! As she went to bed, we prayed about going on the potty and I told her if she did it again the next day she would get another popsicle. She went to sleep a very happy and determined girl.

So onto the next day (today). I decided to not put any underwear on her. I thought that maybe if she didn't have the "comfort" of something to go in- she'd have to go on the potty. That must have done the trick!! She let me know every time she had to go and sure enough- she'd go! We had popsicles all day long! It was terrific. She even pooped again!!

I thought, wow! This is amazing. I wondered if I were to put underwear on her if she'd remember to go on the potty. YES! She did! And even better- I put a diaper on her for bedtime and she told Papa she had to go pee pee and she sat on the potty and went. She told him she "almost went in her diaper" but she didn't!!! HOLY COW.

I guess when Hannah makes up her mind she really makes up her mind. CHEERS to a very special day!! YAY, Hannah Grace!

Potty Training 101

Advice I have heard from friends/family/internet:

1. Motivate your child to WANT to go on the potty. (Tried it)
2. Read stories with your child while on the potty. (Tried it)
3. Set an alarm and have your child try to sit on the potty every 20-30 min. (Tried it)
4. Reward/celebrate your child for sitting on the potty. (Tried it)
5. Put on big girl underwear so she has an accident and begins to realize when she goes. (Trying it)
6. Have your child go in to the bathroom while you use the potty. (DO it)
7. Have your child go in the bathroom while her peers use the potty. (DO it)
8. Go shopping with your child and have her pick out special big girl underwear. (Did it)
9. Stay at home with your child and focus on potty training all day. (UGH)

So we are on Day #3 with wearing underwear and having accidents on the floor. How long does this process take??? I don't think I have enough patience!!! That's probably the true problem. I'm totally aware of this. But when Hannah fights me to sit on the potty I just give up. I don't want to fight over it. This is just frustrating to me.

I think she would wear diapers til she's in school if she could.

Get Creative!

We came up with a super fun game the other day. Here are some pictures of the great fun we had. The best part is that Hannah enjoys pulling her stuffed animals, too. (which means I get a break from the endless circles through the house!)

PS- Yes, Hannah is not wearing clothes. I'm not really sure WHY but hey- take advantage while you're a kid, right?!?

Making Cookies! Yum!

Lately I have been trying to include Hannah in a lot of baking and cooking. She LOVES to be a helper. She even has her own little apron (thanks, Grandma!). If I forget it, she says, "WAIT! I forgot to get my apron!" and quickly runs to her room to grab it. These pictures are our latest creation-- no bake chocolate cookies. YUM. I let her do the mixing- she chose her own spoon- a whisk. Then I mix a little. She loves to add the milk- she always says, "And now the milk?" We stir and stir and stir together. She has a blast. This particular type of cookie requires melting ingredients over the stove, so we mixed most of it in a bowl first. Then while I was melting it and stirring over the stove, she "washed" the dishes. Somehow she always manages to rip the sponge off of the handle and get lots of bubbly water everywhere. Oh well. She has fun.

I'm sure you can guess the hardest part of all?? WAITING for them to be ready! She asks if they are ready just about every other minute. We try to do something distracting- like have a dance party chanting "the cookies are cooling, the cookies are cooling" while we wait. Sometimes it works. :) After all the stirring, melting, cleaning, and waiting... she didn't like the cookies!! Luckily I keep a stash of chocolate cookies handy at all times in the cupboard and she was ok with eating one of those. Good thing my family loves chocolate... it's definitely in the genes!!

Dance!

Hannah has loved to dance since she was a baby. This is a sneak peek of how cute she will look when she is old enough (and potty trained) to be in dance classes!! Can't wait!

Mrs. Hannah... TBD

This sweet conversation happened tonight:

Matt: Someday God will give you a very special man to marry.

Hannah: What's his name? Jesus?

me: YES. :)

Hannah: And God will give me a man named Jesus to marry. And I will wear a pretty dress.

mckenna

mckenna is standing up on things.

she is also pulling hair. taking things from hannah (and other babies). crawling on top of other babies.

she growls when she wants something. no joke. it is a loud "grrrrrrr" and sounds very funny over the phone.

she isn't sleeping through the night any more. she wakes up twice to be exact.

she also doesn't like naps a whole lot anymore.

she's getting two new teeth. one on top and one on the bottom.

her laugh makes me laugh. her cry makes me cry. her smile makes me smile.

she loves to cuddle.

she loves to crawl over to me and get into my lap.

lately she's been a bit more of a complicated baby. but she's still cute.

i love my mckenna joy.

8/5/10

Driving in the car today I caught Hannah saying: "I love you, McKenna"

SOOO sweet.

Hannah-isms

I have been trying to keep a mental list of the cute way Hannah says some words. These are the ones that pop into my mind as I type.

alligator= Gatorade or elevator
boon= balloon
poo= pool
bike= bark (can't say her "r's" very well
pike= park
Mermial= Ariel, the little mermaid
mermeed= mermaid

I'll post more as I think of them. She is so cute it makes me smile. :)

So Scary

The other night something happened that I hope never happens again. Matt and I just finished up giving Hannah her bath at her Nana's house and we were happily walking down the stairs when Hannah jumped, caught the edge of the step, and tumbled down the stairs in front of us. All I could do was yell, "Someone catch her!" as she hit her head and did a somersault. Ugh. It was the worst feeling in the world to see her helplessly fall and not able to do anything to help. I was holding McKenna and lunged for her at the bottom of the stairs. She stood right up, looked at us a bit scared and was fine moments later. Her cheek turned red and that's all that happened. It didn't even turn into a bruise.

My heart was racing and it took a while for me to get a grasp of my feelings. All I could think about was "what if this happened.... what if, what if, what if..." But her angels were protecting her and she was totally fine. I am so thankful that nothing happened except for an awful memory in my mind. Even though it was super scary- maybe she will remember what happens when she jumps down the stairs! Thank you Lord for your protection.

Sniff, Sniff

It's been such a wonderful time with my parents and grandparents and family. We played with their new dog, laughed till our tummies hurt, hugged each other each chance we got, and shared many stories.

I love visiting family. I love seeing my mom with the girls. I love the way Hannah follows her around like her little shadow. I love the way my dad can make McKenna giggle. I love how Hannah loves to be here. I love that Hannah runs right up to her great-grandparents for a big hug.

And mom, I loved driving your new car. :)

It's so hard to say goodbye. Hannah is getting old enough to understand what goodbye means. She understands enough to put a sad look on her face and say "I don't want to go buh-bye." Ugh. It makes my stomach hurt. I hate living 3,000 miles away from the people I love so, so much.

At least we can be so extremely thankful for being able to visit a few times a year. And we can do oovoo video chats and send pictures on the phone. Sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough. And that's how I'm feeling right now as I pack my bags and shed my tears. '

Just retire early, mom and dad! Come live in AZ!!! :)

Flying to Buffalo

Well... we definitely had a memorable trip to Buffalo!! Matt flew with us first to Philly. We got an entire row to ourselves in ROW 32... We also boarded with the "families" so we got on first. This is always a good/bad thing. It's nice to get on and not wait for others to board. But with a three year old... it's almost better to let her stand and get her wiggles out before boarding. My conclusion: if it's a 32 row plane and it's going to take an entire half hour (or more)-- just wait to board!!

The girls were great- Hannah kept herself occupied between her stuffed animals and her DVD player. The baby slept for a while which was great relief for us both. They were pretty quiet and I was a very proud mommy. Of course, Matt was a huge help.

THEN... about three hours in-- Hannah "hid" under the seat and I knew something was brewing in her diaper. Just as I suspected, the smell that filled the air confirmed my suspicions. Then I heard her whimpering and looking at the floor. I looked down and OH MY GOSH. There was diarrhea on the floor! AND on her shoes, her pants, her shirt... I didn't know what to do!! I began to take her shirt off and pants off (thinking that was the best place to start) and my plan was to strip her down to her diaper and take her to the bathroom to change it. After I got her clothes off, the flight attendant realized that something was happening (we were at the BACK of the plane) and she looked at me and said, "MAM! You cannot change a diaper here. You HAVE to go to the bathroom!!!!!" And I said, "I know!!" and continued to assess the situation. When we didn't move, she again said, "MAM! You cannot do that here!!! You have to respect the other passengers!!" And Matt turned to her and said, "We ARE NOT changing her diaper!! It is OUT of her diaper!!!" And the lady just stood there and handed us a garbage bag with a shocked look on her face. I wrapped the bag around Hannah and took her down the aisle (Bathroom: Row 22) and past the people in line. I said, "Excuse me... we have an emergency here!!! Please let us in the bathroom!!" and the people gladly opened the door for us.

I stood Hannah up and tried to wash her down. I had wipes, paper towels, and handsoap to work with... Poor Hannah looked down and said, "That's a lot of poopy, Mommy." We got her bathed and "clean" and I came back to our row. The flight attendant was holding McKenna and Matt was scrubbing the floor.

I apologized to the people around us and explained (minus the disgusting details) what had happened. Once they found out what happened they were more understanding.

WOW. This was one trip we will NEVER, EVER forget.

Needless to say, the rest of the flight was less adventurous. I even made it to Buffalo on my own with the girls.

Getting Ready

We are going to be heading back east to visit my family!

Matt will fly with me and the girls to Charlotte... then it's just me from Charlotte to Buffalo! Hopefully someone can pick us up at the airport Saturday in the afternoon... still working on that.

Let's also hope that McKenna does a better job sleeping at night. Or it could be a loooong couple of days!

I can't wait to see family and hopefully some friends, too. And get some relief from the 116 degree weather here. It's been soooo hot here lately.

We Have A Crawler!!!

Today McKenna crawled to get to a toy!!!

She got right up on all fours and moved those legs to slide across the floor and get exactly what she wanted. She took right off- as if she was trying to say "LOOK! I knew I could do it... I have been keeping it a secret, mom!"

Once she did it, she was hooked. She is already into things and I am running around the house baby-proofing and cleaning up little things I didn't know were in her reach!!

Life is about to get BUSIER!! YIKES!

Getting Close

McKenna is trying so hard to crawl! For weeks she has been moving from a sitting up position to down on all fours... she will lean forward and get what she wants and then move right back into her sitting position.

The funny thing is... she never learned how to roll to get to places! If she ends up on her tummy she cries until someone gets her. Until recently-- she CAN move back to a sitting position. I even asked the Dr. what was going on with the no-rolling... and he said it was ok. He could see that she was clearly strong enough to do it- she just hasn't. More like she won't.

So I guess we will pass the rolling stage and go right to a rocking-crawling stage. We have caught her moving with her legs AND arms just a few times. So it's happening... she's just taking her time.

When I was at work yesterday I saw this little baby girl (no bigger than McKenna) zooming around on her hands and knees. Guess how old she was?? 9 months. Same age as McKenna. Oh well. I am not concerned. As far as I AM concerned she can take her time... it makes things easier!!

Friends Are Needed

Today we went over to a friend's house and stayed there for hours. It was a blast!! There's just something nice about being in someone else's house... playing with someone else's toys... lounging with a friend. McKenna even took a nap! (It was extremely short- but she did!)

It was just such a nice afternoon. I am so thankful for the great friends I have made while being a stay-at-home mom. I have really been able to do some fun things and meet great people. Thanks to meetup.com and my MOM's group at Central I have a super group of friends!!!

So cute!

Yesterday I went grocery shopping with the girls. Surprisingly- it ended well.

My favorite part of the trip was when Hannah was bouncing through the aisles exclaiming, "I'm Hannah the Explorer! Dora-Hannah the Explorer!!" It was pretty cute. She was very excited to announce her new title to everyone in the store.

Maybe the trip went so well because we were greeted with cookies first thing when we walked in... thank you Fry's!!! I like walking in AND out of the store with a smile on my face. SUCCESS!

Being Three

Hannah is not three yet. We still have nineteen days to say she is two.

And if it's going to get worse... I better buckle my seatbelt.

People say three is harder than two. Oh. My. Gosh. THEY ARE RIGHT.

Now is the time that my mom is getting me back for ANYTHING that ever made her mad when I was growing up. I certainly am getting my share of parenthood.

Time Change Woes

I recently visited my sister in Florida... and traveled alone with just McKenna. I am pleased to say that she did a great job on the flight there AND back!

But for some reason she has such a hard time adjusting to the time change. She had a very hard time taking naps and woke up about 2-3 times each night!! She could only be consoled by nursing... UGH!! My sweet sister tried so hard to help out during the dreaded 1 or 2 am waking times but she wanted nothing to do with her. She just screamed. And screamed. Oh and did I say screamed?

In between the fussiness of that we still had a wonderful time. Makes me really wish we all lived closer to one another. Seeing my sister's house and the life she lives without me there makes me really miss her more! We spent our days just hanging out and enjoying one another's company. I got to see her neighborhood and where she goes shopping and where she goes to the movies... and where she works and most importantly what her life is like! (And her routine with getting out that umbrella-- BOY did it rain!!)

I sure am thankful that we do get to see each other once in a while. And thank goodness for cell phones and the internet! I don't know how we'd live without technology.

Here's to my sister's great job of being a hostess... love you lots.

"I love you Mommy"

The last few nights have been on the rough side... Hannah has had a fever and a cranky attitude to go with it! I am so thankful for my dear Arizona Mom, Sue, who has been so helpful in helping me out with Ms. Attitude. It is music to my ears to hear, "Do you want me to take her for a little bit?" It's hard not to jump up and down and shout "YES!!!!"

So the other night in between the waking up numerous times... Hannah was sharing our bed and I was lying there wide awake. I was wondering if she was ever going to fall back asleep when I heard a quiet whisper, "Mommy?" "Yes, dear?" I answered. "I love you" she said and closed her precious little eyes.

It may have been THE LONGEST NIGHT since McKenna was a newborn. But in that sweet little moment we shared I silently thanked God for our beautiful daughter Hannah. Even when she keeps us awake and drives me crazy at times.

Day 3: Magic Kingdom

The moment we walked into Magic Kingdom I truly felt that we were here. We were at Disney World! In front of us was the castle and all around us were people who were having a great time! There were Mickey Mouse hats, Goofy t-shirts, the Dumbo ride, the teacups, and "magic" everywhere we looked. We were able to walk right inside the castle. My mom's eyes were teary because she was just so excited that we were all finally there together.

There were little girls dressed up in princess outfits with their hair and make-up done. We met characters along our way and stood in line to get a big hug from Donald Duck first. We saw parades and musicals. It was a blast!

We headed back to the hotel midday to take a rest so we could go back for fireworks at night. Hannah rested and swam a bit. (Gotta get all the swimming she can get!!) We headed back for the fireworks and enjoyed icecream during the show. It was a fantastic time!

Day 2: Epcot Pics

Riding the shuttle... Getting painted like "Tinker Bell"... Meeting Donald Duck


Grandpa and Grandma!! ... Giving Daisy Duck a big hug


Watching the parade with Grandma! ... Giving Nemo a kiss

Day 1: Animal Kingdom

We decided to take it a bit slow on our first day- 3 of us had never been to Disney and mom and dad hadn't been for a looooong time. We knew we would be very excited and tempted to go non-stop once we started. Starting here was a great plan. I researched lots of helpful websites to see what days were busiest on certain days and overall this seemed pretty helpful. I think we just went at the perfect time of the year. (beginning of May) Lines were 20 minutes at a maximum!! Unbelievable. We loved walking all the way up to the beginning of the line and saying "Wow, we would have been waiting HERE!" But instead we zoomed right through!

First thing we headed to was the Safari... which was AWESOME! We boarded a "real" jeep and trucked through the muddy waters and fields of Africa. Everyone had a great time. Hannah was excited and McKenna slept through the whole ride.

After going on rides and enjoying the animals we ended the afternoon with a great parade with Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, and other characters from the Jungle Book. It was a blast to watch Hannah so excited. She danced with the music and giggled as the characters walked by. This was a really neat parade- the people were dressed in costumes and came right up to the crowd as they walked by.

It was a great start to Disney. Everyone was exhausted after the first day of adventure. The park closed a bit earlier than the other parks, which was probably good for some. Matt and I went back to the hotel and took Hannah and McKenna swimming!!

New Blog!

Due to inconsistency with blogging... I have completely forgotten (surprise, surprise!) the email that I created to login to our previous blog. So here is our new blog... welcome!

Here is our first family photo taken during our vacation to Walt Disney World!! This was our first day and we were at Animal Kingdom. Notice we do not have sunburns yet and we look full of energy!!

I will post more about the trip another time. THIS time I used an email that I currently check so I won't forget what my login info is...

PS- For any of you who were wondering, YES I HAVE A FANNY PACK ON. I proudly sported one during the whole trip and it was very convenient!! ( And so did my sister and mom, too. I'm sure we were pretty funny to look at )