Motherhood....and the unexpected.

Potty training Jack has been a challenge. What part of raising Jack has not been???) He is definitely the one who keeps me on my toes and entertained. Potty training him has been no exception. Let me start by saying that the reason I started training him so early is because since the day he became aware of the business going on down below....he would inform me that he had a dirty diaper by reaching back into it and actually showing me a handful. He would say, "OH GOSH!!! I POOP!" And then try to hand me proof. After a few months of this potty training began. Pull ups were first. When he would have a dirty pull up, he would attempt to take it off and clean up himself. But he would always become overwhelmed by the mess and stop half way and scream for me. I can distinguish between Jack's "I am hurt" cry, his "sleepy" cry, "she took my toy" cry, and his "Oh My Gosh, I am covered in poop" cry. So pull ups did not work, they were overpriced diapers that he was happy to go potty in. I moved to big boy race car undies. He still tried to clean up his own messes and usually ended up with a bigger mess, but at least contained in the bathroom now. A few days ago I heard a distressed scream from the bathroom and Jack had some how moved the lid off of the tank of the toilet. It had fallen in the toilet and wedged itself in perfectly to flood the bathroom. It took me and Laiken 30 min and every towel in the entire apartment to absorb the water. Jack loved it. Potty training Jack has led to frequent nudity in public, including at a public pool. At the pool, he walked to the end of the diving board, pulled his trunks to his ankles and peed off the diving board into the pool. It looked like a rainbow! He was so proud, and I was too embarrassed for words. Luckily we weren't kicked out. Yesterday Laiken and Jack had a tea party in the living room with all of their dishes. When the party was over and dishes were scattered across the floor, Jack walked up to a tiny metal pan, pulled down his pants, and peed into it. Of course we were not alone, my neighbor and her 7 year old daughter were over here too. Potty training has been an interesting journey so far and I am sure it is not over yet, but maybe we are through the worst of it?? Something is telling me we are not.

2010 Stratford Peach Festival

These are some of the bows I made to sell at the Peach Festival.

The 2010 Stratford Peach Festival was my first festival selling my hair bows. It was a great success. I sold about half of what I made, and met a lot of new people. I was told by several people that my bows were amazing and my prices reasonable. Trey was off work that day and spent the whole day with me. It was very encouraging for him to invest his time too and to be so supportive. (that or he was hanging aroung to find the Peach Habinero BBQ Sandwiches he kept hearing people talk about) Either way it was nice to spend the day with him. The kids found a small patch of dirt next to my tables and played in the dirt ALL day long. I went through an entire pack of baby wipes (I hate dirt!) But I know they had a blast. It was a great day for all of us.

Laiken's 4th Birthday

Wow, I seriously cannot believe my baby girl is 4 yrs old. I guess time really does fly by as you get older. It seems like just yesterday when we brought her home from the hospital. Now she is about to start preschool. I truly feel blessed to have such a remarkable little girl for my daughter. She lights up my life. She is truly blessed as well, to have the best grandparents and aunt in the world. Maw Maw, Paw Paw, and Aunt Leigh drove all the way out to Oklahoma to spend her birthday with her. She was so happy to see them. The party was wonderful. We decorated cupcakes, had face painting, broke open a pinata, and had delicious purple Tinkerbell cake. It was a treat to watch Laiken open presents. She was so excited and so thankful for each one. She is an amazing kid.

We had a great visit with Mom, Dad, and Leigh. Unfortunately the 4th of July fireworks rained out across the state and we were all disappointed with that. Sunday we drove to the Arbuckle Mountains. We saw Turner Falls and a few national state parks. Mom got her magnet from OK and Dad got his shot glass (they collect them from every state they visit). Well, now they can check Oklahoma off that list because I am not sure they will be back to visit. On the way home, Daddy told Mom, "Besides Trey, Lacy, and the kids...Oklahoma just does not have much to offer me." Dont worry Daddy, I feel the exact same way. I am glad this is a short job, I am ready for the next one.