Potty Training Weekend; Day 1 - 5:55pm

While I went to the store, Kyra had two back to back accidents... given that Daddy was trying to cook, he ended Day 1 of Potty Training Weekend.  Maybe not so priceless...

Potty Training Weekend; Day 1 - 3:50pm

Number of Successful Trips to Potty: 5

Number of Required Outfit Changes: 3

Feeling that this MIGHT be Working: Priceless

Potty Training Weekend - Day 1; 9:40am

According to Kyra's teachers at school, she is ready to be potty trained.  Let's bear in mind that she is only 27 months old.  I personally think the teachers don't want to change diapers, but I concede to try.  They want me to buy pull-ups;  I do not want to buy them.  They are way more expensive & do not help a child learn that wet sensation.  So on Tuesday, I sent her to school with her new panties & plastic pants - 3 pair.  Tuesday evening, all 3 pairs of plastic pants came home, along with clothes to go with it.  On Wednesday, I asked Kyra if she wanted to put on her panties & she said NO.

Her teacher said the plastic pants were too hard for Kyra to manipulate and we should get pull-ups (I'm wondering if the school gets a commission on the sale of pull-ups).  I decided then that I would spend all weekend at home with Kyra - in nothing but her panties & clothes... my plan is to put her on the potty every hour and if she has an accident, let her feel what that is like.

So this morning, we put her in her brand new Princess panties and off she went to the play room.  Twenty minutes later, I went in to check on the kids & found that she had gone #2 in her Princess panties... We talked about where you go #2 and promptly threw away said panties... I then put her in her WalMart brand panties as I could see where this was headed... I'm willing to clean up a lot, but not that!!!

At 8am, after breakfast, I put Kyra on the potty & she did it!  We clapped, we cheered - we were all so excited!!  At 9:15am, I was on the phone & thought she'd be fine for a few more minutes... I checked again at 9:20am and yes - she had peed her pants... and was playing happily, although walking funny.  

Now, granted, it's only 2 hours into my Potty Training Weekend... but after she went in her pants, don't you think she would have told me, if she were in fact ready for this??  I'm not optimistic for what the weekend holds... wish me luck!

Memorial Day; part two

So remember I said we spent the day outside riding bikes?  Well, Henry got a new bike recently... while preparing for the Trike-A-Thon, an event he unfortunately missed because he had his 5 year check up, we realized he had outgrown his bike.  So we bought him a new one and gave his old one to Kyra.

Henry took to his new bike, complete with a hand brake, like a champ!!  He loved it!  He was a bit afraid to take corners, but found that riding into the grass & near the tree worked very well in avoiding them.  

Wanting desperately to be like Henry, Kyra put on her bike helmet (another hand-me-down from her big brother) and got on her "new" bike.  Here's the thing - she doesn't really know how to ride a bike... or a big wheel for that matter.  And it's funny - I clearly remember my uncle teaching me how to ride a bike without training wheels - but the concept of pedaling is not one I remember ever learning... or even ever having to teach Henry.  Now, she is only 25 months old, so maybe I'm being irrational here, but try as I might, I could not teach this child how to ride this little bike.  I was walking all bent over, trying to push her feet against the pedal and talking her through the motions, but she either didn't get it, or had no desire to do it.  Luckily, she became bored with the bike at about the same time I was about to give up on my teaching efforts.

I'm glad I have this blog though... because I know in a few weeks (or months? UGH) - she will figure out how to pedal... and I'll be able to remember every little detail of her accomplishment.

Memorial Day

What a beautiful day it has been - the weather has been perfect!  Not too hot, great breeze - we've spent all day outside... riding bikes, blowing bubbles, and singing...  I think we finally figured out how to post a video, so we'll just make this a short post so you can hear the next American Idol!  HA!!

Carowinds

Yesterday we tested out the Season Passes we bought to Carowinds.... an amusement park here in Charlotte.  Our goal was to get there right at 10:00 when it opened, stay for a few hours & get back in time for the kids to take, what we hoped, would be a nice long nap.   

First, we got there around 10:30 and had to activate our passes... there was some sort of gospel concert going on there, so every church group in a 100 mile radius was there as well.  The place was packed - a factoid that we had not anticipated... lesson #1 -  check the schedule for concerts!!!

However, my kids didn't even notice how crowded it was!  Henry was super excited!!  Carowinds is Nickelodeon based, so they have rides featuring Dora the Explorer, Scooby Doo, Rugrats and the beloved SpongeBob Square Pants.    Henry begged us to take him to the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion ride first, where we waited in line for about 15 or 20 minutes.  We got to the front to enter & he nearly freaked right out... it was after all, "haunted."  He didn't want to go in!  The girl working the front reassured him it wasn't scary and he finally got on.  We rode the carousel, planes, helicopters, boats (the dullest ride there, which Kyra and I waited in line for 30 minutes to get on) and Henry even got on a kiddie roller coaster which he loved.  We then waited in line for about 30 minutes to "drive" an antique car!  

So with all this waiting, I think you can figure out that we didn't leave in a couple of hours - more like 6!!!  We didn't get home until 5pm and the long nap I hoped they'd take?  Not so much!!    Oh well... here are some pictures from our day.

Biker Week at the Beach

This past Wednesday, we drove down to North Myrtle Beach for a long weekend.  Granted it was Biker Week, but that was OK.  We had a GREAT time!  Henry absolutely LOVED the ocean!!!  He would run into the waves & then run back away from them as they came crashing towards him - laughing the entire time!!  Kyra was a little more apprehensive about the water - she liked to stand close to it, and she even let the water touch her toes, but she was squeezing our finger the whole time!  Oddly, her favorite part was letting the hose rinse off her feet before we headed back in!

We also took the kids miniature golfing - something they have the most fun doing, even though they have no desire to actually learn how to play.  Brad and I also got to enjoy an evening out to dinner by ourselves and on Saturday night, we all went to a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game.   As we drove home on Sunday, the kids said, "Bye Ocean - see you in August!"

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip.

Mother's Day... a week later... and My New Bathroom

I can't believe I haven't posted a blog in over a week... granted we were at the beach for most of the week (more to come), but still!  I didn't even tell you about my mother's day.  It was nice... no gifts, mind you, but nice.

We spent most of the afternoon at Brad's grandmother's house in Lincolnton.  His aunt & uncle live next door & they have a bunch of cool toys for their grandchildren (their daughter was pregnant for her two kids at the exact same time I was for mine).  Anyway, one toy was the Gator.  I think that is what he called it anyway.  Henry was able to drive it himself!  He loved it, although mostly just kept going in a circle & even then, almost managed to run me over!!!  

While I don't have any 'before'  pictures to show, here are a couple pics of my bathroom 'after' it had been tiled.  Looks nice doesn't it?  Too bad we haven't figured out how to re-install the shower 'walls' yet so I haven't had the pleasure of using it entirely, but it sure is nice to look at!!!

Just Because...

My kids picked out their own outfits this morning & wanted me to take their picture while they held hands!  Could they be any cuter???

Meanwhile, it is Mother's Day weekend and when I asked Henry what Daddy bought me, he said nothing.  I'm rather concerned I'll be getting the shaft this year!!  Wish me luck!

Bike Day

This coming Friday is "Bike Day" at Henry & Kyra's school.  They are raising money for St. Jude's and having a "Bike-a-Thon."  So yesterday, Henry said that he needed to practice riding his bike.

Now, he hasn't wanted to ride his bike in over a year and a half... we had gone for a walk one morning, Kyra was still in a stroller and Henry was on his bike.  Even with training wheels, he was not the best bike rider.  He couldn't stop or get up any kind of hill.  At one point, towards the end of the walk thankfully, he started going pretty fast.  I can still see the scene in my mind - he was speeding down the sidewalk, screaming & crying like a girl, because he couldn't stop and Brad was chasing after him.  I was behind them, pushing the stroller & I admit, laughing my you-know-what off!!!  I know I should not have been laughing at my son, but you should have seen and heard this site!!!

I'm very happy to report that yesterday's practice session went great!  Daddy had to adjust the seat, but Henry could turn, brake, go up hills - everything!  I was so proud!  Here are a few pictures from the day... Kyra, as you can see, did NOT want to be left out of the action!  

Now, who wants to sponsor my son?

Lazy 5 Ranch

Today we took Grandpa to the Lazy 5 Ranch.  We took Henry there about 2 or 3 years ago... he HATED it.  The emus came up to the car window to get some food, and he freaked right out!  Started screaming & crying!  This trip was MUCH better!  He LOVED it!  

The first thing he wanted to do was feed the donkeys and then the goats!  He was so fascinated by this - he loved the fact that the goats went wherever he went & he even let them eat the food right out of his hand!!  Kyra, on the other hand, wanted NO part of feeding anything.  She didn't cry, but she was very leery of the animals and wouldn't really get too close to anything.  Then we drove through the "safari" and saw all kinds of animals - pot belly pigs, rhino, deer!  Kyra only wanted to see the zebras & Henry wanted to see the giraffes.  Both wanted Grandpa to feed everything - even the emus!!  It was so much fun - I can't wait to go back!

Beginner's Day

Yesterday I took Henry to Beginner's Day at JV Washam Elementary School.... where he will attend Kindergarten this fall.  He was SO excited!  More excited than I thought he would be - normally whenever we talk about Kindergarten, he talks about Ms. Clara & how much he's going to miss her and I've assumed that he was scared to death of leaving School 4!!

They gave each child a name tag with a colored circle on it.  Then, each of the EIGHT kindergarten teachers were holding a balloon of the same color.  After the principal had said a few words, the kids were to go to the teacher with the balloon that was the same color as the one on their tag.  Most mothers walked their child to the teacher.  When the time came, Henry let go of my hand, said bye and walked off without me.  I watched him walk all the way to the other end of the gym and find the right teacher.... he never looked back... and it was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears.  I can not describe at all how I felt - if you're a mother who has ever watched her child walk away from you, towards the unexpected, then I'm sure you know.  

Henry actually got to spend some time in one of the kindergarten classes - for about 45 minutes, while I heard a presentation about the PTO, after school care & the JV Washam Mision Statement!!  He didn't say very much when he got back - just that they read a book.  He didn't seem as excited as he had been either, although I suspect that it was a lot to take in and he is just taking some time to digest it all.  It was a great day for me though because the school looked great, the staff seemed very nice and I learned a lot about what to expect over the next few months as we prepare for this next step.

Later that afternoon I took both kids to Chuck E. Cheese's.  I do not recommend taking your children there.  I do not recommend taking your enemy there either!!  I was NOT a fan... but they seemed to have a really good time, so I guess that is all that matters!!