Potty Training, Round 2: JOEL

Jude was so easy to potty train! He was in full-time "underoos" by age 2 1/2, even thru the night! He totally spoiled us! He just really didn't like to be wet or dirty. He still always asks for a napkin with his meal and shows me his hands when they're sticky, etc so I can wipe them off immediately(even mid-meal). With help from his super sweet daycare teachers during the day and Jon and I working with him at home, he learned fairly quickly!!

Joel has been showing a large amount of interest in using the potty "like his big brother" lately so we thought it would be a perfect time to to start the process full force while Jude was out of town (staying with Grumpa & Mimi). I do call it a successful "starter week!" We were able to really spend some one on one time with him that we aren't always able to do when we have both boys fighting for attention. He really only had 3 at home accidents...and they were all within a 2 hour span. Ha! Outside of that he did wonderful! He had one "recess" accident at school and another right as I picked him up in the afternoon. Mind you, we were taking him to the bathroom atleast once an hour and watching him like a hawk!

When Jude arrived back home, things stayed positive! Jude was happy to show Joel how to be a "big boy" and use the potty and Joel was cooperative to "pee-pee for a treat!" 80% of the time and we worked to make it happen anyways the other 20% of the time. The biggest obstacle was and still remains to be morning potty time! He just does not like to go straight from the bed to the potty! Once he's there and goes, life is back to good. Until that point, there are tears! *sigh* Every. Single. Morning!

We are now in the home stretch of our second full week with Joel and I'm so so proud of him! He makes it throughout the day at school and has asked several times now "I go potty, mommy!" and has made it to the toilet without an accident!  I'm hopeful that we won't be needing to haul around a diaper bag much longer! Maybe...just maybe...we can even be successful in eliminating a "carry all" by our Cali trip?! Okay... I know I may be asking alot with that one. Hehe. A momma can dream! I'm not ruling it out though! Yay for super smart boys!!

I will end with a quick pic & story... can you tell me what's wrong with this picture?! I met up with several girlfriends for dinner at Mama's pizza this past Monday. Joel politely taps me on the shoulder, I turn to him...

Joel: mommy, I have treat?!

Me: What for?

Joel: I pee-pee'd!

Me: Huh? You need to go?! Let's go! (I start to take him out of his booster seat)

Lara: Umm, haha. I think he already went!

Me: Joel! NO NO! We don't go potty in our pants!!

(as the pee drenches his shorts, dribbles down his leg into his socks, shoes and ofcourse flows onto the booth bench)

Joel: I go pee-pee, Mommy. I get treat!

Jude was giving the camera a face to show how Joel SHOULD have been feeling. Joel was totally content with his little show and sported a big cheese smile! Silly monkeys! I had just picked them up from daycare, strapped them completely in their carseats when Joel tells me "I have to potty, mommy." I unbuckled both children, take them both back inside, take them BOTH to the potty, go back out to the car, buckle both boys again and we're on our way... Seriously?! What would I do without them to keep me busy?! By the way, I was also lucky enough to have forgotten an extra pair of shorts so I left Joel in his wet pants until we finished our plate of pizza and then strapped him in his car seat pantless for the ride home! I should be expecting my Mother of the Year Award soon I just know! ;-)

Adventures at Grumpa and Mimi's

Jude had such a blast last week with Grumpa and Mimi at their house out in the Dumas Canyan! He got to leave his little brother behind for almost an entire week to go on a "big kid" adventure with his two oldest cousins, Kathryn (8) and Ivye (5). They got to ride "Hershey" the donkey, "Dixie Raisin" the horse, "Molly" the pony sized dog & play with kittens just to start! Mimi kept them all busy with such fun activities! They had a tea party outside, went to the big city pool and got to help pick fresh strawberries! It was definitely a week none of the cousins, or grandparents will soon forget!! The smiles in the pics say it all!!  

Riding on Hershey

 Loving on sweet Dixie Raisin

Jude has been asking all weekend already when he gets to see Grumpa again. I love that he was able to have the week of bonding time! He thinks "Grumpa is awesome!"

Best Buds! Grumpa and Jude bug! ♥♥♥

Playing on the back porch. Mimi said "This is a man's house. Jude has a car in every room. Earlier he had Woody from Toy Story driving a pink Barbie corvette"

I was so thankful she kept in conversation with all the parents all week sending us adorable pics and text updates. She's always SO thoughtful! The kids are lucky to have her in their lives and we as parents are so fortunate she loves our kiddos like she does!! ♥♥♥

All the kids LOVE Mimi's kitty cats!

"Kitty Katy Kathy Kid"... That's what Stan calls Kathryn, when he's not calling her Suzy! :)

Mimi says - "We named Jude Captain Courageous. At first he'd barely get in the water but soon he actually stood under the big pail as it dumped right on his head. He grinned from ear to ear. Of course big cousin Kathryn encouraged him to be brave."

While Jude bug hung out with Grumps and cousins at the city pool....

I hung out at our neighborhood pool and caught some sun myself while Joel napped. *sigh* Life is good!

Anybody care for tea?!

 Looks like Hershey would like some, too.... hehe.

Enjoying their last full day at Grumpa & Mimi's

Mimi spoiled the cousins from arrival to departure! She handmade them personal goody bags for their road trip home, which included coloring books/markers, goofy glasses, candy, cheetos (Jude's favorite!), dancing and singing flowers and a very very sweet love letter! ♥♥♥

Joel is invited to join in the Panhandle adventure next year but for now...he seemed to enjoy his time "left behind" just as much as Jude enjoyed his time away!

Four Eyes Proud!

There is nothing that can prepare you for the feeling of sight! Especially when you don't honestly realize you're vision is "going south"...haha. I've had a pair of cute reading glasses for about 5 years now. I used to wear them maybe once a week when my eyes were tired and I was staring at the computer screen too long or more so, if I thought they looked cute with what I was wearing! ;-) In the last year or so I've worn them more and more frequently! Then came the blurred vision while driving. "Was that an exit sign?! Whoops!" *sigh* After continually trying to convince myself I didn't NEED glasses for some time, I finally went out to have my eyes checked. Let me just preface the story by admitting that I have had vision insurance for over a year now b/c when I renewed insurance, I knew I needed to have my eyes checked out.

So....it's an off Friday at work and I have the plan to head to Costco so thought I could just knock out having my eyes checked while there. NOPE! Strike 1...their vision center is out of my network. Okay, no biggie, I'll go next door to Target Vision Center. I tried calling buy no one answered. The recording gave the hours and mentioned walk-ins were welcome so...I headed over. There was an OPEN sign on the door but it was locked. I knocked...no answer. I tried calling again...no answer. Feeling somewhat defeated at this point, I googled for optometrists close by. Seriously?! VERY few results! When all else fails...FACEBOOK to the rescue! I posted asking for advice from my LM friends on where to go and within 5 minutes I had 10ish replies with referrals. I made my apt for the following Wednesday at 4:00.

I show up to my apt 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork and can't help but notice that there are 4 other people in the waiting room, all in glasses. At this point I'm still not convinced I need anything more than maybe some OTC reading glasses but I'm definitely curious what the dr will say, too. After waiting over an hour, I'm at wits end and am about to walk out! Ugh!

Worth the wait! Dr Ditto apologized for the crazy wait time and assured me that was not typical. He then started the eye exam. WOWSA! I could NOT see! He showed me line after line that was just flat out blurry. I seriously was in disbelief and felt like I was being tricked! After he advised I would have most definitely failed my driver's vision test this year had I not auto-renewed online, he brought the "magic" and showed me what the charts looked like with glasses. Uh-mazing!!! SOLD!

I picked out some cute new frames and the staff told me they'd call when I could come pick them up in a couple days.

Ta-da! I picked them up yesterday... Words cannot explain! Everything is so crisp!! I feel like I'm in the middle of a 3D movie! It's an intense feeling. I keep taking them off and putting them back on! Haha. I wish I could show Jon the difference so he'd understand 100%. So neat!

 

Signed,

Four Eyes :)

Ready or not...here they come!

Grumpa Stan is on the road headed back to the Panhandle and with precious cargo! Ivye, Kathryn and Jude will be staying with him and Melanie thru Thursday. Dear Lord let my child behave and be okay and be give Grumpa and Mimi the patience they will most definitely need to enjoy having the added energy in their home this week!

So what if I missed a year…Here’s what’s going on RIGHT NOW

Having not blogged in about a year, I’m finding this post to be EXTREMELY difficult! I started drafting one a couple weeks back and then I ended up just deleting it. I started another draft last week and after several revisions, I deleted that one as well. That being said mainly to warn that this post may be a total massive jumble of sentences but I just gotta get thru it! Haha.

I’ll start with my family b/c that’s easy…I’ll just hit the highlights.

Jon –

Remember that toy chest that he started over a year ago? It’s finally almost done! AND, it was actually worth the wait! Yes, I was beginning to wonder (sorry babe!)… The man takes his time but he sure does good work! He had it 90% complete and then decided he didn’t like it. Seriously?! But alas, all that’s left is to stain! YAY! Next project…bunk beds for the boys. I’m thinking if he starts them next week they may be done by the time Jude is in 1^st grade. Hehe.

Here's a picture of the Toy Chest, version A. The lid was wharped a bit from being stored during our move transition.

And, Here's a picture of Version B... Isn't it pretty! I'll post a final picture once it's stained and complete! What'd I tell ya?! Worth the wait!

He’s still very into Ultimate Frisbee. When I first heard of the game, years ago…I thought it sounded nothing short of silly. Now that I have watched Jon play it, they totally don’t mess around! It’s like Frisbee meets football meets soccer meets rugby…yeah, that’s what it’s like! :) He plays every Monday night at the LMRA and most Saturday mornings at Gateway Park. He’s good! Dave played this season (on another LMRA team) so Nicole and I brought the kiddos out to watch the evening they played each other.  

 Cousins

                                    

Jon playing frisbee with Jude

Joel showing off skillz...

The yard work never ends! I thought moving into a brand new house would provide a weed free brand new yard. WRONG! What would I do without a husband that finds lawn care therapeutic?! Answer – pay someone else to be my yard guy, haha. Thankfully, Jon is amazing when it comes to keeping our yard looking good! I bet he’s spent no less than 72 hours (not consecutive ofcourse) pulling weeds by hand!! Outside of that, he’s added borders to block out weeds around our front trees and flower beds & he’s helped me plant several new plants/flowers. Most recently he sought out a couple local places to buy fill dirt and mulch in bulk at a great price! He spent last weekend starting to fill in the dips of our yard to eventually even it out to a flat beautiful “golf course” look and we bought mulch and fixed up the front flower bed. I love pulling around the corner and seeing how it has all come together! Keep up the good work, babe! :)

Here's a "drive by" pic I took a couple weeks ago. This is pre border around the trees in the front, yellow rose bushes, fill dirt in the yard and mulch in front beds... I'll post some more pics soon but it does give an idea of what we're working with. :) I wish I had a pic pre-weed pulling!

Jude & Joel –  

So I’m super anxious about letting Jude go visit Grumpa and Mimi this week. Stan, Jon’s dad, will leave Dumas in an hour or so (around noon thirty) to head this way. He will stay the night with us then take Jude, Ivye and Kathryn back home with him to hang thru Thursday. I’m not positive he knows what he’s getting into! Haha. Jude is such a good kid and I KNOW he’ll have a blast so I hate to hold him back from going this year but ofcourse, I have some “mama bear” concerns… My head is running! What if he gets homesick? What if he misbehaves…will they discipline like we do? Will he feel left out going with Kathryn and Ivye? Is he just too young still? *sigh* Being a mom is hard stuff! I’ve talked with him every night about it and he remains consistent in wanting to go so that brings comfort. He keeps asking if he’ll get to play with the kitties. They’ve had 3 new litters in the last month so there will definitely be kitties…not to mention the donkey, horse, Molly dog and other critters! As hard as it is to let my babies grow up, I know they are… and I’m so thankful for the family and friends that help keep them grounded and loved along the way!

It’s time to potty train Joel! It’s not easy giving Joel the individual attention like we were able to with Jude so Jon and I plan to really focus on him while Jude is gone this week. It would be AWESOME if we could get him potty trained by our Cali trip!

The “Terrible Twos” were easy! The “Terrible Threes” suck! Don’t get me wrong, Jude is HILARIOUS and I love the good days of his three year old little self! BUT Whoever said that year two was the hardest was not a mother to my boys. Jude is TESTING us with everything he has (another reason why I fear his weeklong trip to Grumpa and Mimi’s)! Did I mention being a mother is hard? Haha. I watch Joel studying, just sitting back taking notes and it makes me cringe! So far, routine is the best medicine! Consistency is such a hard battle when you’re a busy family but it’s truly necessary! Any little thing that doesn’t go “his way” is so dramatically the end of the world for Jude! Example - Heaven forbid I help him open his string cheese when he wanted to do it all by himself, even tho yesterday he threw a massive fit because he couldn’t open it alone & needed help. I will say he is coming around more lately (prayers up and fingers crossed)! He understands consequences and he knows he SHOULD be using manners. AND MAJOR MOM BONUS, him and Joel have been playing so great together lately!! {{Heart melts}} I see a lot of Jon in Jude and imagine he was similar growing up…strong willed and stubborn to his core but extremely motivated and smart with a big heart! Joel reminds me more of myself…kinda selfish (note: I absolutely hate admitting that’s a characteristic of mine), very social and a bit hyper sensitive..ugh, yep…that’s me!

Here's a quick video of the boys trying out their new bounce house... we bought it a couple weeks ago and I swear we've already used it enough to get our moneys worth! :)

And me...

I am loving calling Fort Worth home! I don't know why it took me so long to agree that moving from Keller to Fort Worth was best for our family... Jon has been trying to convince me for years! He was totally right (he usually is, shhh!).

I love our neighbors, the convenience to work & the boy's daycare and our new church! It's such a joy coming home each day!


I'm still sewing! Not as much as I would like to most days but I make time here and there to try new things & manage to always have the boys in matchy matchy holiday appliquéd shirts. :) Right now I'm working on stuff for Dave and Nicole's baby boy (Ryker), due July 24!

This week I'm helping my mom out by watching her business (www.mnmshopping.com)  while she's on vacation. It's been kinda fun! I get to play in all her new trendy clothes and post on her FB wall, etc w/o the responsibility of owner stuff like paying rent! :-P

Here's one of my favorites right now, blk & white chevron skirt & Bubble necklace. I wore it on Mother's Day. :)

I definitely don't leave the family much time for boredom! ;-) I tend to pack out our calendar.  Jon jokes with me quite a bit about not being able to sit still! Better than the alternative, right?! Life is too short to waste it on a couch!

I am 100% confident God has his hands on every part of our lives and it gives me such a comforting peace of mind! I've never been happier and I'm not taking it for granted! I work hard to play hard and give thanks for my every day and blessings!

That's all I got for now! Feels good to be bloggin' again!

Hugs,

Brooke

Blogging for my Soul

I go back and forth on whether or not I should invest time into blogging. I have always loved the idea of having things written down to reflect on later and the ability to share what’s going on in our lives with family and close friends that are interested! Time just gets away from me! Having the Facebook app on my phone keeps it at my fingertips so I do keep that up to date but I’m more leery of what I put on the site lately and though I do put lots of pictures, I try to keep it somewhat vague and high level. When I write in this BLOG, It offers more gratification and it can be very therapeutic! Even if noone reads it, I have it for myself and my family and I do hope to turn it into a book one day for J&J. So…all that to conclude that I miss blogging! I shall start it up again! :)

XO,

Brooke

Where to begin? The boys, ofcourse!

It's been months since a blog & I only have about 20 mins to throw this down so ofcourse my first update will be - J&J!

I am in love with my two little guys!! They can definitely frustrate the heck out of me but oh my gosh I love them! They crack me up and light up Jon's& my days like nothing else can!

Jude:
Age: 2 1/2... the half part is very important to him. When you ask him how old he'll be at his next birthday he'll respond "3 1/2"
Favorite Book: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Little Blue Truck series
Favorite Toy: A Truck, trailor and boat set that his aunt Pam bought for him at a garage sale :)
Favorite Food: Any kind of orange (cuties, reg, mandarin...), watermelon and pizza
Favorite Animal: Tiger. But he really LOVES dinosaurs!!
Favorite activity: Anything outdoors...pools, the zoo, playgrounds...ANYTHING as long as it's outside. He can run forever, too! Wears me out! haha.
Phrase: "Hey mommy (or Daddy or Joel), look! Watch this! Do this!"
Potty Training: Check! He's doing so great! Still has accidents (mainly #2) but I'm so proud of him! He wears "underoos" all day and we still do pull-ups at night"
Daycare: He does great! Very friendly and interactive. He takes after me in this area...doesn't meet a stranger and he loves to learn!
Favorite Song: Old McDonald had a Farm
Coloring: Still a blondie but his eyes have turned very brown, like mine. He's so handsome! He is a mirror image of Jon's pics at Jude's age (minus the eye color).

Other things...
Give the kid a guitar and he's in Heaven on earth! We want to get him in lessons in a year or so.
He loves trains, trucks, tractors...the construction around town doesn't bother him one bit! ;-) Fire trucks, police cars and ambulances are a hit! And airplanes and helicopters...be still his heart! A true boy!
So verbal! He'll talk anyone's ear off! I love it!!! I also love that he can tell me things that go on at school, etc now. If I have a question, he'll get me an answer! VERY helpful! Not hard to know who's biting him at daycare these days! (ugh, drives me crazy btw)
He's getting into dressing himself. I still get to pick out his clothes but he wants to do it himself!
Bedtime is usually a beating! The kid doesn't want to sleep! Naptime is brutal as well! If we start bedtime at 7:30, he'll be asleep by 8:30 if we're lucky!! It's a process... AND he wakes up grumpy :( It takes a pop tart and a good 10 mins before the smile comes out in the mornings.
Mr. Independant! "I'll do it" or "Let me" should have probably been included in his favorite phrases...

Joel:
Age: 16 mos
Favorite Book: Busy Bear the Builder
Favorite Toy: Anything that Jude has ;-)
Favorite Food: Hot dog weenies cut up, bananas, mandarin oranges, grapes, watermelon, green beans...yeah, he's definitely my lil' eater (if you can't tell by pics alone)
Favorite Animal: Monkey
Favorite activity: Again, Anything outdoors...pools, the zoo, playgrounds...ANYTHING as long as it's outside.
Phrase: "woah" and "ought oh"
Daycare: Has always done great. No tears when we drop him off but it is always refreshing to see that huge smile and baby run towards us when we pick him up.
Favorite Song: 5 little monkeys & Jesus loves me
Coloring: Blondie with hazel eyes :) precious!! He is my little doll face!

Other things:
SO SWEET! If you need a cuddle, he's your boy!
Loves socks and shoes!
Has started talking!! Words - momma, daddy, doggie, animal sounds, mine, no, ought oh, milk, eat, "i wuv youuuuu" (ofcourse my favorite), sock, shoe, house... The vocab is growing!
Still in a crib and will be for(ever) a while. After our experience with Jude, we're keeping Joel in as long as we can. Haha. Goes to bed fairly easy and always wakes up happy!
Completely on table foods and sippy cups...has been a while but that update is probably not in any blog I posted.
Wants to be JUST like big brother! Monkey see, Monkey do!

I know there's tons more but these are the basics. Hope to find some more time this month for blogging! Here's some summer pics of the boys...

At G-dad & Gigi's playing in the backyard...a boy's Heaven! 

 Joel watching Jude's every move...

 Just took this last week...Joel is looking more like big bro everyday!

 J3...my heart!

 Who knew you could have so much fun in 1' of water! LOL

 Best Buds!

Joel's 18 mos dr appt

Ice cream date with G-dad & Gigi...Mmmm! 

XIT reunion in Dalhart 

PLAYGROUND!!

At the lake...Who's cool?!

Jude wants to be just like daddy!

Both boys LOVE corn on the cob! 

Sea World!

 Rocky Mountains in Colorado

 Driving the train up Pike's Peak in CO

Look! A pine cone!

"Super Baby" Joel :)