To pee or not to pee

Pardon the expression but I had to use it and laughing at my genuineness for a blog title is what got me thru this day. Let me just start by saying that potty training is HARD work. And doing two at once is even harder. But my motto from the get go with these two has been "Do or die. Eat or get eaten!" By the end of the day I was wishing some one would kill me!

I have had a few people to ask over the last few months when the kids were going to start using the potty and my reply was always "Oh, when the weather warms up." (Actually it was my excuse but whatever.) Well, the last two days they both have been asking me to use the potty and I kept putting them off telling them we didn't have time or not today or whatever else popped in my head. But as I was wandering thru Walmart last night, a little voice in my head went "heeelllooo, your kids are ASKING to use the potty." Sooooooo, I bought a pack of Minnie Mouse panties and a pack of Buz Light year boxer briefs. Then, this morning, after reading up a little on potty training, I took them to Wally world and let them each pick out a potty and some more underwear.

After about 2 hours of day one of potty training, I was really wishing I had stuffed those panties that I bought into the mouth of that little voice in my head! Again I assure you that just doing one kid would have been bad enough, throwing that second pee'er and pooper into the mix will make your head spin. Right after we got home and got everything set up, they were all excited about the prospect of tinkling in the potty like a big kid like Hannah, Isabella and Matthew (sorry Harrison!) and Audrey actually squeezed a minuscule amount into her Princess potty. I got all excited thinking she was going to be a breeze but uh, I was wrong. For the next 8 hours (minus the nap) she tinkled every where in the play room except that dern potty. After about my 6th wipe up, I wondered how come no one ever mentions how nasty potty training can be! They talk about how hard it is but not how nasty. She even got to where she would cry when I'd rush her to the pot to try and get a little bit in there and the two times she pooped she cried until I showed her her little turd in the pot. Then she started laughing! (I had to dump it in there, she didn't actually poop in the pot). Nice, I know.

I have read and heard how much harder boys are to train than girls and that may be true (may be) but boys sure are easier to clean up after than girls. James only wet his underwear 4 times to Audrey's 8 by the time I had to wash some undies (which was about 3 0'clock) and he was so much easier to clean up after. He only made a puddle once! But he never tinkled in the potty.

Audrey finally went in the pot right before supper and let me tell you, she was beside herself with excitement. I was in the kitchen and she rushed in jumping up and down screaming "I tee-teed in the potty mommy!! Come see!!" I didn't know what to expect because they had been saying that all afternoon trying to get a special treat out of their tough old mom but she actually had a lot in there. So I secretly gave her some M&M's as her reward for finally going in the pot!! After what seems like a million underwear changes, 2 poops not really in the pot, one runny poop compliments of the bubster, half a roll of paper towels, more wet wipes than when they were infants and several false alarms, we got one successful tinkle in the toilet. Whew, this is gonna be a long process. Hope I am as tough as I think I am.

Mississippi's Spring Break

Well, things have started settling back down around here. Nenie was the last Mississippian to vacate the premises and she left yesterday after church. We had such a wonderful week filled with lots of snacks, time outs, clothes foldings, dish washings, toy flingings, supper cookings, babies crying (okay, toddlers crying, JW never cries!) movie watchings, tantrum throwings, doctor goings, coffee makings and late, late nights!!

It was great! And even though it is nice to be back in our own little groove, it is terrible lonesome and quiet around here this afternoon!

Tuesday was the most beautiful day that South Georgia has seen in a long time and we took full advantage of it and played outside most of the day.

It truly was a wonderful time and we are so glad that everyone that came, came. James and Audrey enjoyed it, I enjoyed it and y'all know the Elder enjoyed it! Hope it isn't too terribly long before you all can come again, we don't like it that we are so far apart!

Moments with daddy

Today was a "holiday" for Jon. I say "holiday" because that is how it is labeled on the school calendar but it's really a furlough day. One of 6 teachers have gotten this year. But and how ever I did not post today to talk about the state's failed budgeting problems, I'll leave that for another day! Whether it is a paid "holiday" or not we enjoyed having Jon home with us this morning. It is a rare treat around our house to be at home and all together during the morning hours. Jon's either at work, we are at church or we are off somewhere visiting someone so, we enjoyed it!

I was back in our bathroom cleaning it and noticed that I was missing one little voice so I went in search of it and this is what I found:

And of course monkey see, monkey do so:

And when I came back in the kitchen to throw some things away I saw this:

James was really attached to his daddy this morning so he went with Jon to run a few errands while us girls stayed behind to have a tea party (or a coffee party according to the Princess!).

After the kids went down for naps Jon headed out for Orlando, FL for a quick preaching trip. He got my bro-in-law to fill in for him in the morning at Tired Creek so he and my sista and their crew will be here shortly to kick off our week long (hopefully longer) flow of company! Tomorrow, Sydney Jo Sanders will be coming for a few days (YAY!!) and on Monday, Nenie, SuSu, Auntie Em, Harrison, Bella and JW will be arriving to spend a few days. I say hopefully longer because we are trying to talk Nenie into staying for at least a week if not more! Sooooo, the blog will more than likely get put on the back burner for a while!

Art class

Okay, so it's not really art class. I am not that anal about structured activities for my children! But they did enjoy it oh so much and I did enjoy watching them. For the most part anyway, except when James would freak out because his paint thingies woulds fall over and he'd scream for me to set them up for him again. That part got a little old, real fast! They love to paint and draw with and on any thing. I have to keep all pens and paper up and out of their chubby little reach or they will draw on things that they are not supposed to draw on. i.e receipts, important medical papers and they even tried to give each other tattoos on their belly's a few days ago. It takes ink a good 3 bath nights to come completely off!

They would much rather draw with markers than crayons (imagine that) so I broke down and bought some washable ones the other day and they love to sit and draw with them. And they are a lot neater than I imagined they would be; they hardly get any on their hands and faces. They are both pretty good at drawing circles and lines (or snakes) and they each have extraordinary imaginations as to what their scribblings are. They draw all sorts of animals and flowers and love to draw me and Jon! I have never been very artistic, especially when it comes to drawing things, but I never realized how bad a I really stink at it until I started getting requests from my chillins!!

PK's

Sunday night while I was watching my kids run off some steam in a church lunchroom, I actually felt a tiny twinge of sorrow for them. Me and their daddy were exhausted from our whirlwind weekend of church services, ordinations, baptisms and long car rides so I could only imagine what they felt like.

Friday afternoon when Jon got home from work we rushed up to Cool Springs for their winter meeting (and to see granddaddy and nonie) and barely made it in time! Then we went to my cousins just up the road to spend the night and the kids didn't get to bed until almost 10:30; three hours past their bed time. The next morning we got to spend a little time with granddaddy and nonie before we headed to church early for the baptism of another one of my cousins and his wife. It was a precious service! We then had church, ate lunch, jumped in the car and raced up to Gray to witness a dear friend of ours be ordained as a minister. James and Audrey only got a 30 minute nap so needless to say they were not very willing to act as they should during the ordination, so their sweet Nonie (my step-mom) took them into the cry room for me so I could listen in peace. After the ordination was over we enjoyed visiting with a lot of people we hadn't seen in ages and the kids had fun playing with lots of other kids they hadn't seen in ages.

We stayed at the church till most everyone had left and then went over to our good friends house (the newly ordained Elder and his wifey) and visited until our kids just couldn't take it any more. We then went to the Parker's home to spend the night and the kiddos didn't get in bed till after 9:00 that night. Sunday morning we went to church at Mt. Zion (where I had to take them out for most of the service, James actually fell asleep and slept for 45 minutes and Audrey had the most disgusting blowout, ever) and then jumped in the car and raced 3 hours South to Valdosta for church.

Now do you understand why I was feeling sorry for my kids on Sunday night? Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go back and omit one single thing from our weekend trip. Not even if I could. It did make me realize though that they could get burned out, if we took trips like that every weekend or every other weekend for that matter. Even though they couldn't sit peaceably thru another church service, when we told them we were going to church again, on our way to Valdosta, they got all excited saying "Yay, we goin to church mommy." I don't want them to loose that. And that is why me and the kiddies are staying put this weekend, instead of accompanying their father down to Orlando, again!

Interview with Thing 2

She is going to kill me. Plain and simple. Not only is she the cutest little girl EVER but she's pretty dang smart too! Twice this week, in order to dodge a swat (or two) to the buttocks area, she has "changed her attitude." Literally. One night she stuck her hand in her poo as I was changing her diaper (something she knows is just not good) and I said "Audrey Grace, I ought to spank you for that." She immediately started whining "No, I not get spanking mommy. I change my attitude!" All I could say was "Well, you better."

Then yesterday, we were on our way home from story time and I was on the phone. Audrey was pitching a moderate little fit about wanting some gum (which I did not have) and when we got home she was still crying. So I told her that when we got in side she was going to get in trouble for pitching a fit and acting ugly while mommy was on the phone. When I opened her door to get her out she did the funniest, the cutest thing she has ever done in her short little life: she took a ridiculously deep breath, wiped her little eyes as hard as she could and said with out crying "No mommy, I changed my attitude." All I could say was "Well, good." I mean seriously y'all, what am I supposed to do with that????!!!

Interview with Thing 1

I know, I know he is my son but dang it if he ain't the cutest little boy around. He woke up before Audrey did one afternoon and was in the best, most entertaining mood. We had a lot of fun that afternoon! It's so nice sometimes to just have a little time alone with them. And honestly, if he gets any cuter I just don't know what I'll do with myself!