Potty School Drop Out

Our dear, sweet Gavin is now over two and a half years old. With that, comes the joyous responsibility of teaching him how to use the potty. This has always been one of my most dreaded tasks as a mother. However, if you would've asked me three years ago after I trained Cameron, I would've told you it was a piece of cake and that those other moms that were having difficulties must be doing something wrong. With Cameron I think I cleaned up one poopy pair of underwear (I honestly don't know how anyone uses cloth diapers), and he never had any other accidents. I never read any books on potty training and didn't have any of those silly childrens books about going potty. I now realize that I was extrememly fortunate and that Cameron basically trained himself, and I should receive zero credit. Well I can now tell you that I have done all of those things I didn't do with Cameron, I've read books and sought out advice from anyone and everyone willing to give it. We've checked out hoards of those silly books with everything from jungle animals that sit on the potty, to a train that says "chugga chugga poo poo" to ones that show animated drawings of poop and pee. We've tried stickers and candy incentives, songs and silly dances, special Mickey mouse underwear, and even a coveted lawn mower as the final reward once he has mastered this feat. All to little avail! He will pee on the toilet every time I take him (drag him kicking and screaming), but he never tells me when he needs to go and refuses to poop anywhere except on those new Mickey Mouse undies that have now been washed a zillion times. Who knew it could be so much work? I've been tempted to throw in the towel, but I know he can do it and it is all just a power struggle between the two of us. I cannot, I will not give up! This will be the event that I bring up as a guilt trip when he is older. Some moms make a big deal out of carrying their children for nine months and then enduring a horrifying labor, that was a snap for me, especially his delivery, but potty training has been miserable, and I don't see an end too soon in sight. I am seriously tempted to fly to Chicago for this program. A woman that makes a living from teaching kids how to use the toilet in her "Booty Camp." It's only $250 and in one day she has a 98% success rate!

Farewell Party

Today we had a going away party for my sis Becky and her family who will be moving to Bogota, Colombia on July 10. It was nice to get the cousins together one last time for BBQ, badmitton and croquet, and the weather held out for us. Having my sister so close these past few years has been such a blessing, and Cameron and Gavin have also greatly benefitted from having so many cousins close by. We will miss them so very much in the coming years, but hope that they can all enjoy this rare experience.

A week of PLAY!!

This week has been perfect- absolutely PERFECT weatherwise. The hot and humid days of last week have been replaced by breezy 75 degree divinity and we have been taking full advantage of it. Among the highlights are a trip to Rady Park in Warrenton with several other friends from church. The shady playground there is a nice alternative to the bright shadeless ones nearby, but most of the kids preferred playing in the shallow stream, building a dam and getting helplessly muddy and wet. Next time we will be smarter and bring a change of clothes so the people at Chick-fil-a don't wonder if my kids pooped their pants... We also went to one of our favorite places, Frying Pan Park with my sister and her kids where we saw cows, goats, pigs, horses, and chickens and the highlight for my kiddos as always was the tractor ride. We brought a picnic lunch and the kids ran wild in the open spaces, something that they aren't able to do nearly enough. Other than that, we have been frequenting many playgrounds and playing outside most days. We have also been really breaking in our new grill that Jeremy got for Father's day. There's nothing like the smell of food on the BBQ. This is the kind of weather I could definitely live with year-round. We are packing everything in to enjoy it while it lasts. All too soon we know that the icky stickiness will return.

Sweltering

The dog days of summer already? The weather said that with the heat index the temperature would feel like 110 degrees today and we're barely into June. So this afternoon we felt it was time to break out the ol' Slip N Slide. The boys wore themselves out while Mason and I tried to stay cool on the porch, although even mom took a few turns (just to show them how it's done...). What a great invention and they make them better year after year. You can't beat water fun on these humid Virginia days.
Two months old today and a smile finally caught on film!

Mason's Blessing

In our church when a baby is a couple of months old, they are given a blessing to name them and present them to God. We performed this ordinance yesterday here at our home with many friends and family present. Jeremy gave the blessing and Mason didn't make a peep the entire time, in fact, he barely made any noise the entire time he was being passed around from person to person and I still don't cease to be amazed at how good this baby is! The older brothers also had a small role in the day, Cameron sang a song called "Teach Me to Walk in the Light," and Gavin sang "I Am a Child of God." It really was precious to hear their little voices and I was amazed at how well they each did. We were especially grateful that Jeremy's parents came from Texas to be a part of the day, and the kids enjoyed every minute with their grandparents that they don't see nearly enough. We are so thankful for everyone that came and gave their support for Mason's big day.