An Expensive Poop

(sorry to those that find this title offensive -

it's the reality around here right now!!)

So on Saturday we decided to "officially" start the potty training process - we've been talking about it for quite some time now and had some success but really not much (but I vow not to have 3 in diapers come September). A did remarkably well over the weekend with very few accidents...with the exception to pooping! Convincing a 2 1/2 year old it's okay to poop on the toilet is quite a challenge. So we broke out the bribes......but that didn't even work until last night!!!

We have been telling A that we would buy her a bike and/or cash register that she really wants for a few weeks now if she poopied in the potty. Well no 2 year old is quick to forget....so after sitting on the toilet for quite some time last evening (watching the DVD Elmo's potty time) - she finally did it!!! So it was off to buy the bike. And of course she wouldn't settle for the less expensive one...it had to be the Dora bike with the purple backpack....at least we have another girl on the way that this bike can be passed down too!!

Jesus Loves Me.....

Trials and Tribulations of Walking

We've been wanting/trying to get E to walk now for months.....he just isn't all that interested and it has suddenly become a game of talking 1 or 2 steps and purposely falling......if only he would realize how handy this would be for EVERYONE at this point.

Never Can Be Trusted.....

I left the room for less than 2 minutes and this is what I came back to......


E had gotten into the garbage can and retrieved a beer bottle out from last night.....


Although empty...you sure would have thought he was getting something out!!

Snake.....it's what's for dinner!

or rather - STEAK!

Tonight at dinner - A kept saying we were having "snake" for dinner, and saying "snake" was yucky!

So E asked if she would like to try his "steak" - and she agreed.

Her consensus - "Mmm that's good, it tastes like chicken"

Introducing....our NEW Puppies!

OUR PRETEND PUPPIES!!!

According to A we have 2 new puppies (well sometimes it's 3) - but their names are Jake and Mudd (very original considering the fact that that is the name of my brother's and sister-in-laws dogs). Lately they go everywhere with her....if they are being good - otherwise she puts them outside, up high, so only GIRLS can get them. (figure that one out??)
We keep telling her - these are the best kind of puppies to have (pretend ones) - no offense - we like dogs....just other peoples....not our own. So until A moves out she will probably only have pretend puppies......

Work Day or Father's Day......

As much as I insisted that E spend the day relaxing....he kept on working.


We began the daunting task of staining our fence yesterday (again "we" meaning E) - I tried helping but as soon as the kids weren't being watched they seemed to be doing something they shouldn't or wanted to be right in the middle of the painting action - so it was easier to just be on kid duty (I think).......

Happy Father's Day!

Could you ask for a better morning greeting than this???
Well maybe you could ask for it to happen just a wee bit later than 6:15am.!!
Happy Father's Day E - We love you very much!!!

Playground.....alteration

So 1 of the projects that we (a.k.a. - everyone knows "we" means E) completed was a change to the playground.


A can sucessfully climb up the "climbing wall" on the end of playground - but once she gets to the top she has no where to go because she is much to small for the "monkey rings" so we decided to build a bridge across to the main platform.


E did a great job - because A loves her new bridge!


And now she can even cross the "monkey rings" all by herself.


E's new love is the steps up to the slide.....the poor kids shins are bruised beyond belief. But once to the top he prefers to slide back down the steps rather than taking the slide down.

2 crazy kids!!

Summer....for today!

Finally - a day that feels like summer. We took advantage and set a pool up for the kids so they could play while we attempted about 50 different projects outside.


A - loved the pool today and the cold hose water didn't seem to stop the fun. We tried to fill it up early enough so that it would warm up a bit to use after naps....but I think the excitement cut the nap quite short.


The b-ball hoop kept A the most entertained...It was about 9 misses for every 1 shot made...but it made no difference to her.


A is taking our order for dinner - if only it were that easy!!!


E would have nothing to do with the pool or even going within 5 feet of it.....He loves the bath but I guess the pool just isn't on the same level yet....so his day was spent going between the playhouse and the sandbox.

Dinner.......

In what seemed like a good idea at the time.....turned out to be a very messy ordeal. With E's very unwillingness to sit at the table much anymore I decided it wasn't worth the battle tonight and gave him a muffin to eat on the kitchen floor.


A joined in....only to eat really the top of her muffin - that is all she prefers and then she proceeded to pass the rest of hers off to E.


Before E was done - he had not 1 but 2 muffins smashed all over the floor and continued to do so as he tried to escape the kitchen scooting along on his bum.....E became the human barricade to keep the muffin from escaping the kitchen.


But even that really didn't stop Little E - he was bound and determined to crawl right over E with muffin in hand - so now we not only had muffin all over the floor, but E was wearing it all over his clothes too!!

Everybody is.....

Kung Fu Fight'n

Bubbles.....

The perfect distraction......from the mud box - I mean the sandbox. E so desperately wants to be outside right now...and although it's nice - he really only wants to be swinging or playing in the sandbox and because we've had so much rain - it's nothing but mud in there right now....so tonight we scrambled for some distractions and bubbles and balls seemed to do the trick.


This is E's latest and greatest facial expression - It's "oooooo" for everything.

Home Away From Home.....

In between snow storms and rain storms this spring...E put together playhouse for the kids! A loves it - she is always cooking something for us in her house and well Little E - it's just one more thing for him to crawl around in and through.

The Truck Took It Away......

This is A's expression every time we ask her where the kitchen table went!


In a some what spontaneous move we sold our kitchen table this weekend in the town garage sale.....we've been talking about it for a long time because it just wasn't very kid friendly being counter top height and you could never pull an extra chair up to the table - we were always limited to the chairs we had - I kind of half doubted it would even sell - but it did - so now we spend our meals eating at a card table......E and I were joking last night - You know you are eating at card table when your son can push the entire table away when he is done. So the table hunt is on.

Rainy Days......

Our long winter is suddenly now turning into a long wet spring....although we can't complain too much because the area has been drought stricken for years.....the constant rain is getting to be a little ridiculous. We got home on Monday and it has again been raining ever since.


May ended up not only breaking the record for the wettest May ever but also the record for the wettest month overall on record. According to our National Weather Service we had 9.71 inches of rain breaking the previous record in May of 9.21 inches set in 1962 and 9.66 inches for the wettest month ever recorded in 1905.


Although this is just a picture out our front door - it hardly does justice to what is going on around us - many communities are being evacuated. Streets are impassable currently in Rapid City and thankfully we don't live anywhere near any streams because they all seem to be flooding at the moment. E and I were commenting yesterday that we are seeing water run in creek beds and streams that have been bone dry since we moved here 4 years ago. If the rain doesn't stop soon we are going to need something more than a lawn mower to cut our grass down.

12 days in MT......

Well here it goes.....12 days in MT - be prepared for a lot of pictures....I guess that comes with not updating our blog in over 10 days. But we had a great time while we were there and enjoyed the wedding and came home exhausted.


This is how our week began....long pants, long sleeve shirts and stuck inside trying to find something to entertain the kids....It rained almost non-stop for the first 5 or 6 days we were there.


So needless to say by the time Thursday rolled around and the bachelorette party - I was ready to pull my hair out with the kids...Thankfully Aunt L - had no problem entertaining the kiddos in the hallway with clapping and singing. A also had a "first" this night......off quietly in the bedroom "pooping" as she told us - I thought I had better check on her...and it was a good thing I did - come to find out - she was painting an old antique desk and the carpet with red finger nail polish. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point....it came off the desk....but I think it is forever stained to the carpet. And here to think I had just had the thought recently that I was surprised A had never gotten into stuff like that.....I guess I should think twice before having those thoughts.


Finally it was rehearsal night - A and M trying to be convinced to walk down the aisle together. Z already knew she wasn't going to - so Grandma got to carry her down.


The kids all did really well on the alter so I thought wedding day would go great....again one of those thoughts I probably shouldn't have had.


The Bride and Bridesmaids all done up and ready to get dressed.


Yes, even on your wedding day - your car still needs gas.


Almost ready to go.....After much manipulation on my dress we finally got it to fit around a 6 month pregnant belly - I won't lie - it wasn't the most comfortable - but it worked!


A & Z all done up for round 1 - we got them all dressed for pictures and then undressed again until the actual wedding started.

A & I


Little E has been such a handful lately that we decided to bring a babysitter to the church to watch him during the ceremony. He really wants nothing to do anymore with being strapped into a highchair or being held, he just wants to walk with you holding his hands.....ohh the day he finally figures it out on his own.



The whole wedding party - pictures always get a little tricky when you place a 3 year old, 2 year old and 1 year old in them.


The photographer did the best he could though....

All the Girls


The beautiful Bride


Maybe one of our best shots with the kids.....


The Happy Couple!


The whole Family


Uncle B and Aunt S


Uncle T, Aunt T and Z


So sweet and innocent here, and although I can't complain too much - A wasn't completely sweet and innocent on the alter during the ceremony but rather shall we say "busy". The ring bearer and A ended up walking down the aisle with the best man and myself which was fine, but once on the alter A was busy and distracting going up and down the steps, running back and forth to the first row and back up to me. I kept telling her to stand still and be quiet and she would look at me and say "just one more time". Finally my Mom suggested to her about going back to the back room where E was being watched...so off she went down the center aisle all by herself in search of Little E - I had to give E the look that someone needed to chase after her.





Papa discovering that his car had been written on too - thanks to Uncle B!!!!