Play-Doh Persuasion

I've never been the type of Mom to knowingly give my child something to play with that would require major supervision or undoubtedly make a mess, but when we recently bought some Play-Doh for Morgan's cousin for a birthday present (after parental suggestion), Morgan has been obsessed with the idea of Play-Doh. So I caved and bought him a couple jars of the beloved doh and he was hooked. Once I realized how easy it was to clean up, I got hooked too since it could entertain Morgan and Chloe for hours while I "supervise" from the couch, feeling queazy.

Well, luckily, there are a wide variety of Play-Doh colors, tools and gadgets to persuade a kid to do just about anything, so Play-Doh persuasion has been our primary potty training technique. I am happy to say that Play-Doh persuasion combined with the one-day potty training method works! It doesn't really take just one day and then no more accidents (as our lunch date this afternoon can attest), but they do learn that going in the potty is rewarding and how to listen to their bodies!

So bring on the finger paints and the glitter...I can handle it...I think.

Everyone Poops

Yep, it's true, and today for the first time Morgan pooped in the big boy potty!!! YIPPEE!!! He also peed standing up and didn't get any pee on the toilet seat...quite the accomplishment in his eyes - and mine! We are so proud of our big boy!

Passed Out

So pregnancy and I don't really get along well...at all really! I'm not the chic who throws up so much she has to be on an IV drip or the one who can't gain any weight because she can't keep anything down. I'm the type of pregnant lady who feels nauseous for 6 + months, can only eat a select and short list of foods without gagging, turns into a tactless individual who speaks her mind constantly - "Mean Jen", gets horrible headaches, gets gigantic - especially my face, and is exhausted the whole pregnancy.

This is why I must apologize to all you blog readers who find my blog funny, entertaining, and uplifting to read...for the next 6 months, it may not be so great! My dislike of pregnancy does not, however, affect my feelings on the result of pregnancy. Once they get into my arms and out of my belly, I couldn't be happier! Motherhood is challenging, but it is so much easier and more rewarding daily than pregnancy (this from a potty training mom)!!!

So, back to my story which illustrates this point... last night we got home from a BBQ at about 8 pm, I walked in the door, felt a little dizzy with fatigue and laid down on the couch. Morgan went potty in the big kid potty after a day of no accidents and I coudn't even drag myself off the couch to congratulate him. I'm sure Seth didn't really believe me when I said I couldn't move, but he, being the wonderful man he is, put the kids to bed on his own anyway. By the time he got back upstairs (about 8:30), I was asleep on the couch. I woke up long enough to realize how pathetic this was and that the wave of exhaustion wasn't going away, so I shifted into my bed and there I stayed, passed out asleep, until 8:00 this morning. Funny thing is, I still don't feel completely rested!

Six more months of this may just kill me...everyone cross your fingers that I will miraculously feel better (like a normal person) after the 1st trimester!

My Little Fish and Potty Tales

Morgan is officially growing up too fast! He started swimming lessons this week and absolutely loves them! The first day he got excited about blowing bubbles with his whole face in the water, jumping from the side, floating on his back, and kicking his feet and he just loves it more every time! I might add that while we were playing in the pool down in Cedar, I tried to get him to float on his back and kick his feet, and there was no way he was going to do that for me, yet, a "teacher" tells him to do it and POOF, he does it. So annoying! Regardless, I am amazed at how much he is learning and how fast! He is my little fish!

In other news, Wednesday marked the potty training day at our house (thus my absence from blogging)! We tried the one-day Potty Party method which I was a little sceptical about, but under reccommendation from my fantastic pediatrician, we did it anyway. Lo and behold by the end of the day, Morgan was walking into the bathroom of his own accord, pulling down his pants, sitting on the potty, doing his business, and then emptying the little potty into the big, flushing it down, cleaning the little potty and washing his hands! I couldn't believe it! It is a good thing his potty makes music when he goes, or I would have totally missed him going a couple of times! That does not mean he is "potty trained" by terminology I would use, because he still has accidents, but he understands what his body is saying and he wears big kid underwear (which he loves)!

This Face...

...cracks me up! Chloe makes the most mischevious little faces!

Cascade Falls

Here are the pictures of our waterfall hike. It was about a half mile hike and Morgan made it the whole way hiking on his own!

One of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on! Quick, challenging, and stunning...what more could you ask for?

Back to Reality

I am so glad to finally be home! I love taking the kids on vacation, but it is a lot of work and it is nice to be back in our normal groove again! This weekend we went to my family reunion down in Cedar City. We camped at the most beautiful campsite, spent lots of time at the pool with my family and my aunt's family, watched fireworks in Cedar City, endured a night of Chloe crying...all night long, slept soundly through an entire night (quite an accomplishment with 2 kids and 2 adults in one tent), missed all the kids' naps, hiked to a beautiful waterfall, and did a LOT of driving!

Grandma Colleen showed her great grandkids where she was baptized. Is that a cool font or what?

My cousin has a little boy Morgan's age and they are best buddies! They loved watching fireworks together.

The kids had so much fun exploring our campsite, getting really dirty and enjoying their camp chairs!

This picture pretty much sums up how all of us felt on the way home...exhausted!!!

The Fountain of Youth

A few weeks ago I went in for my first OBGYN appointment and had to get some blood work done. Seeing that all my tests were pregnancy related, the lady drawing my blood decided to make some friendly conversation...
"Is this your first baby?"
"No, it is my third"
"No way, you are way too young to have 3 kids!" (this was not meant as a compliment...this was a disapproving 'are you a crazy person?' comment)

This is fairly typical lately ... the looks, the comments ... and it drives me nuts, so I want to share some thoughts that have crossed my mind.

I realize that I am 24 years old and pregnant with my 3rd child, but...
I was not having kids in my teens...Morgan was born when I was 21.
Seth and I had been married for a year and a half when Morgan was born (fast I know, but we were happy and stable).
I had graduated from college before any of my kids were born and Seth graduated when Morgan had just turned one.
We bought a house before we got pregnant with Morgan.
My kids are almost exactly 2 years apart, which is actually pretty typical spacing.
And finally, all of our kids have been prayerfully planned.

So there you go, the crazy rantings of an irritated pregnant lady. On the flip side, the Young Women were over at my house for their class activity a few weeks ago and we were playing guesstures. The word was "Old Lady" and one of the girls pointed to me. Thank heavens no one guessed it...I am pretty sure that I haven't crossed that line yet!