Feeling Better

We've had a rough week at our house with Nathan and Tyler both being sick. Both boys were not sleeping well while they were sick. Tyler even had to sleep in our bed a couple nights because he was coughing all night long and we didn't want him to wake up Nathan who was already having trouble sleeping with all the congestion. Thankfully, they're finally on the mend and we're all getting more rest.

Here are a couple photos from the past week or so.

Tyler wanted to show his fire hat to his little friend Kay-Kay at the mall

Nathan and Kay-Kay at the mall

These photos were taken just a couple hours after Nathan's fever spiked to 103.9. Clearly he was feeling better after the Motrin kicked in.

On top of catching a cold, Tyler also fell while running up the stairs and hurt one side of his nose. It doesn't show up in the photos very well, but it was pretty swollen and bruised. Poor guy had kind of a rough weekend.

Just wanted to include a recent photo of our frumpster, who is in serious need of a haircut.

Getting Out

Yesterday was the first non-rainy day we'd had in a while, so of course I took the opportunity to let the boys play outside. It wasn't super warm, so jackets were still necessary, but I think we all enjoyed the fresh air. Tyler was excited to break-in his new shoes--another pair of New Balance. This pair has velcro instead of laces, so he can put them on all by himself, which is a big deal to both he and I.

Pointing out his new shoes

"Nice, cool, awesome!"

Fun with the sand box

Nathan loves feeling the sand

It's official! No more...

DIAPERS!

Warning: This post is all about potty training, specifically pooping in the potty, as opposed to in the pants. So, if you are not a parent (and therefore have not been desensitized to all bodily excretions), or if it has been a while since you had young children (and therefore have been un-desensitized), do yourself a favor and skip this one.

After giving potty training an unsuccessful go last fall, we revisited the issue 2 weeks ago. This time, Tyler definitely seemed more ready and a couple days into it he was saying, "No more diapers!" He was doing a great job staying dry. Unfortunately, we still had issues with constipation as we have for the past 5 months or so. He would do this thing where he'd sit down whenever he felt like he needed to go. Basically, he was trying to stop it from happening.

During the past couple weeks, I would see him doing his little sit down and I'd sweep him up and set him on the potty, which he didn't like. Everything I've read says you're not supposed to make them poop on the potty if they don't want to, but I choose not to believe everything I read. I would reassure him that it would be okay and patiently sit with him, reading books, singing songs, encouraging/pleading for him to push, etc. One night we sat there for 35 minutes before he finally went. I seriously almost cried--tears of joy, relief and exhaustion.

Even though he would poop on the potty every 3 or 4 days, I would have to force him every time. Then, this morning, Tyler did something that I was beginning to think would never happen.

Out of the blue he said, "Mommy, I have to poop!" and willingly walked to the bathroom. I was so shocked. Thrilled, but shocked. I would say that it was a fluke, but he did the same thing again just before lunch. (He didn't go yesterday, hence the reason why he had to go twice today).

I'm certainly hoping that we can make a habit of pooping in the potty, but for now, let me just say I am one happy mommy today. It has been a good day.

• My big boy has decided that pooping in the potty is a good thing.


• We went to Costco (which is like a Sam's Club, for those of you who don't have one nearby) and only spent $25, which must be a record low. We usually never make it out of there without breaking the century mark. I actually stuck to the items on my list this time, which helps.


• We went to the park because the sun has finally re-emerged!


• My boys are napping at the same time!!!! (Can I get a woot-woot?)

If it weren't for the fact that Nathan's had a low-grade fever for the past two days and is now sounding really congested over the monitor, this day would be almost perfect!

Rainy Days

It has been raining for about a month. Not really, but that's what it feels like. A week ago I was driving with the windows down because the highs were in the 70s, but for the past 5 days it has been cold and rainy. Due to the weather, we've all been trapped inside, which is rarely a good thing. Tyler, in particular, really needs the opportunity to run off some of his energy outside. We try to wear him out inside, but that can sometimes lead to destruction (of toys, furniture, etc.). Needless to say, spring can't get here soon enough.

I tried to take some photos of the boys yesterday after church. I wasn't so successful capturing them both on camera at once because Nathan just refused to sit still.

Nathan had just grabbed for Tyler's face Caught making a mess

These last few photos are from a week or so ago. I just thought Nathan's eyes looked beautiful in these. Oh, how I wish they would stay blue like his daddy's.

A New Favorite

After the March snow we experienced last week, we are now having a spell of warm weather here in NC. As a result of this welcome rise in temperature, I discovered a new favorite thing of mine. Yesterday I rolled down both windows in the front of my car instead of reaching for the A/C. Upon Tyler's request, I rolled down his window and then Nathan's window. Smiles immediately appeared on both boys' faces and they even started squealing with delight. Watching them in my rear view mirror, I just couldn't help smiling and laughing along with them. It's amazing how something as simple as feeling the wind on their faces could bring out pure joy in my boys.

For those few minutes in the car, I forgot how tired I was due to the time change and the fact that Nathan was awake from 3:30 to 4:45 that morning (still not sure what that was about). I forgot about potty training. I forgot about my to-do list for this week's MOPS meeting and the piles of laundry I had waiting for me at home. Instead, I just enjoyed the moment--a moment undoubtedly given to me by my Heavenly Father as a reminder to slow down and enjoy simple blessings like the wind that I so often take for granted.

I think I'll be rolling down the windows a lot this spring.

Little Firemen

On Tuesday Tyler and I went to visit a fire station with some of the other moms and kids from our MOPS group. (The tour was during Nathan's naptime, so he stayed home with Tim). Tyler was so excited to see the fire trucks and find out whether they had a fire dog. There was no dog, and he was quick to point that out to me.

At the tour we found out all about the gear that the firemen wear. The moms had the idea to time one of the firemen to see how fast he could put it all on--boots, pants, jacket, hood, air tank, helmet and gloves--and it was right at a minute. The kids probably weren't as impressed as the moms. I think most of us were wishing that we, too, could get ready for our days' work in that same amount of time.

After the gear check, we went down to the garage to climb on a couple of the fire trucks. The kids got to go inside one of the engines and a ladder truck. Tyler thought we were supposed to go for a ride in the truck, so he quickly claimed a seat and asked where I was going to sit. Even though we didn't get to go for an actual ride, he still enjoyed checking out the big trucks.

At the end of our visit, the firemen passed out little fire helmets to all the kids, which was the perfect parting gift for our son. He loves his fire hat and wore it for most of the day. He has been telling just about everyone he's met this week about it.

That night, Tyler was pushing Nathan's little wagon around our main floor and Tim was pushing Nathan around on a little bus. They were pretending to be rushing to a fire on fire trucks and were having a blast (pun intended). I guess this is the kind of thing that happens in a house full of boys.

Another Snow Day

We woke up to a couple inches of snow this morning, and of course Tyler wanted to go outside right away. Since Tim wasn't back yet from his business trip to Tulsa, we had to wait until Nathan's morning nap to go play in the snow. I took lots of pictures of Tyler playing the snow--here are a few of my favorites...