How Sweet It Is....

I had a meeting with Dylan's teacher this afternoon. He is having trouble completing assignments and getting out of his seat a little too much. I wanted to talk with his teacher to see if there were any other issues with him and to let her know we would be working with him at home to help with these issues as well. I expected to only hear negative comments and little tolerance for "trouble making" kids. I was soooo surprised and sooooo pleased to hear her only say positive things about Dylan. He really is an amazing kid. He is a helpful, sweet, and loving child. But like any kid, he does have his trouble areas. School in general seems to be one for him. We have been talking with him each night about what is expected and what we know he is capable of. Yesterday was the worst day so far since school has started. By some miracle, Trey and I were both able to handle the situation in a positive way. We spoke with him calmly and placed the responsibility of his actions on himself. He determines whether or not he will have a good day. AND IT WORKED!! His teacher told me today how he tried hard to keep up and finish his assignments, he stayed in his seat, and did not talk excessively today. She said it was the best day he has had so far. She went on to say how sweet and helpful he is. She agreed with me in saying that she thinks he can handle his own behavior and she will do whatever it takes to help him have a great school year. Teachers are really special people. I was really proud of Dylan today. It was a great feeling to hear her say so many wonderful things about him and to know, as parents, that we are having a positive impact on his life. My favorite part was when she told me how hard he tried today to improve in the areas we talked about with him the night before. I wanted him to know how proud I was so I did something that I rarely ever do...I stopped by the local bakery "How Sweet It Is" and bought the kids each a cupcake. (I was sure to let him know that I will not be buying cupcakes for every single good day at school) But that it really means alot to me that he was able to work really hard and have a good day at school. Even without the cupcake, I think he understood how rewarding it is to make good decisions for himself. We will continue to work on this daily I am sure, but at least it seems we are moving in the right direction.

The babies aren't babies anymore...

Laiken started preschool last week. I thought I would have a really hard time with this milestone because she has spent everyday since birth with me. She was so excited about going that I decided I could not be upset about this exciting new adventure for her. She is my Little Miss Independent. Laiken loves preschool. She is happy when I drop her off and happy when I pick her up. She tells me about her day in detail. She talks about everything she did and all of the children she interacted with. She is proud to have so many friends. I am proud that she is able to remember the names of books the teacher reads, games she played, and every other small detail of her day. When she is describing her friends, she always names them by name first. Next, she will describe their hair, what they wore that day, and always adds whether or not they wore glasses. I love hearing about her day.

Today she walked in the living room, playing "teacher", and we had this conversation...

L-Who can read? Raise your hand.

Me-(raised my hand)

L-Do we talk when the teacher is talking?

Me-No.

L-Good answer. Do we talk when the teacher is reading?

Me-No.

L-Good answer. Do we mess with the lights while the teacher is reading?

Me-No (with a giggle)

L-Good answer. Do we talk when we are in line?

Me-No.

L-Good answer.

And honestly, this went on and on for about 30 min. Her voice was very stern and serious. And I was seriously cracking up.

Laiken also started ballet classes 3 weeks ago. We have had 3 classes and are on our 3rd pair of tights. My little princess absolutely adores dancing. She is the only little girl in class who cannot take her eyes off of the mirror. She makes my heart smile.

Jack is having a hard time with preschool. He wants to go with Laiken so bad. I think he is sad without her. I bought him a Thomas train and tracks on Laiken's first day of school to ease his separation anxiety. It worked for a few days. Today Trey came home from work around lunch time due to rain, and the three of us went to a catfish house for lunch. It was really special to spend time with just the three of us. With 3 kids it is rare to have one on one time with any of them, so when ever the opportunity arrives, it is definitely special.

It's the little things in life that matter most.

Bananas are one of those things that if I buy a few, the kids eat them all in two days. If I buy more than just a few, nobody wants to eat them. This week no one wanted bananas and I had at least 16 in the fruit basket. So I decided to try my mom's recipe for homemade banana pudding. It was around 4 o'clock and I was standing at the stove stirring pudding. The kids were playing with a loud, annoying dirtbike toy and Trey was listening to country music videos on the tv, very loudly as well. I called to him to please turn it down and please move the kids to the back bedroom. I was tired and a little grumpy. With a little less noise and chaos, I finished the banana pudding and placed it in the fridge. Travis Tritt's "Drift Off To Dream" came on tv. I asked Trey to turn it up. I love that song and haven't heard it in awhile. At that moment, there was silence from the kids in the room, or maybe I tuned them out. :) Trey took my hand, put his arm around my waist, and we danced in the kitchen. He sang the song to me and it reminded me of our first dance on our wedding day. Laiken was watching and screamed to Jack and Dylan, "Come quick, mommy and daddy are dancing like they are married!" And we danced while the kids laughed at us. It's times like this that matter the most in my life.

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.

She is older than she looks...

Laiken will be turning 4 years old on July 6th. She is old enough to begin attending a preschool. I have started talking to her about school to see if she is ready to start. She has always been with me since she was born. Aside from the two nights she stayed with Aunt Lisa when Jack was born, the one night she spent with MawMaw, a few times hanging out with Gran Gran, and the two times she stayed at Delainey's house all day to play, she has spent all of her time with me and Jack. I love my kids and I spend all of my time with them. I rarely go anywhere my kids cannot go, so why not take them with me. Jack is happy this way. He gets upset when I leave and is so excited when I return. My little man still needs me. Laiken, on the other hand, loves when I am not there. It makes her feel grown up and independent. She is in love with the idea of going to school. She has been talking about it nonstop since I mentioned it to her. She talks about the friends she will make, the things they will do at school, and mostly she talks about me and Jack not being there at school with her. I just smile and nod my head. I am glad she is ready because I am not. Yesterday she told me that she will ride the bus to school. That is where I drew the line. No. She is too young to ride a school bus. She was mad and told me that she will run out to the bus fast and it will take her to school. Ha! We'll see. Now that we have talked so much about her going to school, I am getting a little excited. I can't wait to take her school shopping for supplies, new clothes, and a monogrammed backpack. I just cannot imagine what me and Jack will do all day without our Laiken.