Happy Anniversary!

Happy 53rd Anniversary Mom and Dad!

We love you!

P.S. Audrey saw this picture on the table and brought it to me with a puzzled look on her face. She said, "Mama, this looks like you and Pops but it isn't. What is this?" I told her it was Grandma and Grandpa when they got married. She thought that was pretty neat.

The Teacher in Me

I think that being a school teacher is a lot like being from Texas. No matter how long you've been gone you always feel it's necessary to identify yourself as being one. There are many things I miss about teaching. But this post is just about one aspect of myself as a teacher and now as a mom.

I remember the first day I walked into my new classroom at my school in Utah. I looked over that little room and planned what I would do with every square inch of it. I worried and thought about how to make it inviting and conducive to learning. I also wanted it to reflect a little of who I was. And so I planned and arranged and decorated and rearranged and planned some more. When my students walked into that room I was ready. I was organized. I had it together. I repeated that process in Texas.

I was not a haphazard teacher. Everything in my classroom had a purpose and everything we did had a purpose. I was rigid in my own organization of my classroom and that helped me to be a good teacher. It helped me keep it all together without a lot of the frustrations and mishaps that can occur when you're dealing with so many students and their parents. It doesn't mean that my desk didn't get cluttered or I never got behind on grading papers, but I felt organized and for me that is a good feeling.

When I traded my classroom for a house and my students for a baby I thought my life would be less complicated and would be easier. I did not know how wrong I could be. Mathematically it doesn't make sense how taking care of two tiny children and one husband can be so much harder than taking care of 135 junior high kids and their parents. But somehow it is. I sometimes find myself wishing for the structure and organization of my classroom.

I dream of a house where everything has a place. I want a house where when you bring something new into it the new item immediately flies out of your hands and into its designated spot. I want a house that is dust free and has spotless bathrooms. I do not enjoy clutter. I imagine a house that looks like something out of a Martha Stewart magazine, however impractical that may be.

But I am a stay at home mom now. I have two kids who are growing up too quickly and demand most of my time. And for some strange reason I have a house that will not stay clean and clutter free in spite of my best efforts. It doesn't seem to matter that I wipe crumbs from the counter tops ten times a day. And it seems that something is always sticky. Our living room is filled with a baby swing and stationary jumper and I'm always tripping over toys, spit-up rags, the diaper bag, bouncers, and the infant car seat. Once upon a time I was able to do all of the laundry in one day. But now there is always a load in the dryer and usually a couple of baskets waiting to be folded and someone almost always has an overflowing hamper.

Some days I feel like giving up. But sometimes, right now is one of them, I feel at peace with the disorganization. Housework will never go away. But my babies will grow up. And as I look around at the disarray it reminds me that a family lives here. It reminds me that a little girl who loves puzzles and play dough and books plays here. It reminds me that a baby boy who rolls over and grabs his feet and chews on a baby spoon learns here. Yes, sometimes I long for the control I was able to wield in my classroom. But for now I'm okay with things the way they are.

I remember reading this poem when I was little. I've committed it to memory and repeat it to myself when I feel discouraged or guilty about playing with my babies when so many other things need to be done.

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow
So quiet down, cobwebs
Dust, go to sleep
I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep

So if you stop by and notice the carpet needs to be vacuumed or the counters have crumbs on them I ask you not to judge me too harshly. Someday I will have the immaculate home I dream of. Someday I will have the space and time to have everything organized. But today, I am a mom with all the good, the bad, and the ugly that being a mom entails. And there are handprints on the sliding glass door and a stroller in the entryway and a sticky Dora placemat on the table. And I'm okay with that. Today.

The Inevitable Potty Training Post

Everbody else has one. And now we do too. A post about potty training that is. I apologize for boring you with the details, but I'm documenting this for future reference.

Before I get started about our journey with Audrey I want to say that I do not ever remember wearing diapers. And when I was little Pull-Ups did not exist. I do remember wearing training pants with rubber pants over them. My mom and most of my family were firm believers in the "train them early" philosophy. I'm the youngest of seven kids, one a boy, and my mom said we were all potty trained by 18 months. Before I had kids that seemed reasonable. I mean, why would anyone change one more diaper than they had to? Now that I am a mother I am amazed beyond belief that that is even possible. The picture below proves that my mom must have had an iron will, although maybe the fact that she used cloth diapers had something to do with the early potty training.

This is a picture of my sister Connie holding my first niece, Jennifer. Jennifer's mom is Sandy, not Connie, but she just happens to be holding her in the picture. Jennifer was a newborn and I am exactly 18 months and 3 days older than her. Notice that I am wearing training pants sans rubber pants in the picture. Pretty impressive. Not for me, but for my mom.

But I do not have an iron will and so I waited, and waited, and waited to potty train our little Munch. But finally the day arrived when we could not wait any longer. It was time. Back in October when I was still pregnant I tried potty training Audrey one day. It lasted about two hours and then I gave up because it was clear she didn't know when she needed to use the bathroom. Matt and I decided we would wait until we were in our own house and he would take a day off work to help since we would have two kids by then.

Friday, March 19, was set aside as the big day to begin. For a few weeks she had been using the restroom at preschool so I knew she could do it. The plan was that we would stay home for four days and that by the end she would be potty trained. I did not want to be potty training for weeks or months.

I had all the supplies collected: training panties, rubber pants, puppy pads, M&Ms, new cups with straws, a potty chart, star stickers, and the ultimate reward of Dora panties. You'll notice that there are no Pull-ups in the picture. I was determined to potty train without them. I worried that if we used them they would become a crutch. Also, I heard from several more seasoned moms that they are so absorbant that kids can't always tell when they're wet. We wanted Audrey to know when she was wet and to be uncomfortable so she wouldn't want to be wet again. Unfortunately Matt did not take the day off so I was on my own with two kids. But since Audrey is a little older and capable of doing more for herself it worked out okay.

I talked with a lot of moms in order to decide on the best plan of attack and used a little from each of them. Audrey wore a t-shirt and her new training panties all day. The rule was that she had to sit on the puppy pad in case she had an accident. When she had an accident she had to clean it up (with Mom's supervision and help of course).

We gave her lots of milk, water, and the rare treat of juice.

Everytime she successfully used the restroom she got to put a sticker on her chart. I told her that when she filled up the chart (55 spaces) then she would get a special surprise. We also wanted to make the focus remain on staying dry. To do this I set the kitchen timer to go off every 15 minutes. If she was dry then she got an M&M.

At bedtime we put on the rubber pants. Audrey was at first not a huge fan and did not want to wear them. She gradually got used to the fact that she had to.

Nightime didn't go quite as well as daytime, but we persevered.

On Sunday night Audrey filled up her chart.

Monday morning she got her reward.

A Pinkalicious sticker book!

Monday night for Family Home Evening we celebrated the end of our four days of crash course potty training with a trip to Coldstone. Audrey enjoyed her favorite cotton candy ice cream with gummy bears. Yum!

I will admit that a week or two later we grew weary of a sad, cranky, crying, soaking wet Audrey waking up in the middle of the night. So we caved and bought some Pull-ups for nightime only. We call them her nightime panties and she is actually doing a pretty good job at staying mostly dry at night. We're hoping that when we finish this box we won't have to buy anymore. She stays dry during her nap so I think she'll be able to make it through the night soon.

Also, Audrey's final reward is Dora panties. We told her she had to go seven days in a row with no accidents during the day or during her nap. I am happy to report that today is day seven! She gets her Dora panties tomorrow!

Congratulations little Munch! We are proud of you!

Three Outfits

Audrey has started dressing herself. She now fully expects to either decide or have a major say in what she wears each day. It is both a blessing and a curse. I am both happy and frustrated with this new independence.

On the one hand it is nice. She gets up in the morning, turns off her nightlight, goes to the bathroom (more on that later), changes into her daytime underwear, gets herself dressed, and then comes into our room and wakes us up so she can watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Super Why or Dora or whatever happens to be on.

It's also pretty nice that Audrey is already concerned about things matching and going together. She never went through a phase where she wanted to wear shorts over her pants or snow boots with a summer skirt or anything crazy. She's never once come out looking like Punky Brewster. She actually does a great job at picking things that look okay together.

But on the downside, we are dealing with an Audrey who wants to wear one of three specific outfits everyday.

Outfit #1: The Ballerina

Audrey has some pink, super sparkly shoes that Grammy got her that she likes to wear with this outfit. Around the house she likes to lose the leggings but they are required if we're going in public.

Outfit #2: Mark Twain Yellow
This past summer we went to Hannibal. In the Mark Twain gift shop we got Audrey this t-shirt. You can see the top. Underneath the picture it says, "'Be good and you will be lonely.' Mark Twain." We thought it'd be great for Saturdays or just around the house. But it has become one of her favorite shirts. It's hard to see, but she's wearing a little yellow skirt. It's a hand-me-down from her cousin Anna and when I took it I imagined a little white shirt to go with it during the summer. But it's yellow, and so is the shirt, and Audrey loves wearing them together.

Outfit #3: The BYU t-shirt
Audrey loves her BYU t-shirt. This makes Matt and me happy because we are both pretty determined to convince our kids to go to college there. Part of the reason she loves it is because her Pops has a BYU shirt. Audrey has lately been big on comparisons. At random times during the day she will start talking about how we are all the same and different. Her favorite comparisons include eye color, hair color, birth month, names, and sleeve length. Yes, sleeve length. Lately she only wants to wear short sleeves. I again attribute this to the fact that her father wears short sleeves most of the time.

There are two other outfits that she'll tolerate when these three are dirty (and she loves gettting dressed up for church on Sunday). They are both inexpensive little stretchy pants and pull on shirts from Target. Since potty training (again, more on that later) we've only let her wear clothes she can get on and off by herself. I'm ready for her to start trying to mange jeans but she insists on the above three outfits.

I'm trying to let it go and not let it bother me. Most of the time I do pretty well. I'm not too concerned about how she looks because I figure that anyone who has ever had a kid her age understands what's going on. I do insist on fixing her hair (although you wouldn't know if from the pictures above) and wearing bows. I'm grateful that she's so independent and capable, but sometimes I just want her to wear some of the other cute clothes she has.

The Last Couple of Weeks

Here are just a few random pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Audrey loves, loves, loves books. We try to go to storytime at the library once a week and check out some books then. We haven't been in forever but finally went last week. We got a bunch of books and Audrey eagerly devoured them. When Matt got home that night they sat and read while I worked on dinner. We are doing our best to create lifetime readers and book people.

Truman started rolling over. He rolled from his tummy to his back at just over four months old. He started rolling from his back to his tummy a couple of weeks later. I'm proud of my little guy's accomplishment, but I wish he would stop! I'm not ready for him to become mobile! Rolling is just the first step. It's all over now!

He has a smile that can melt your heart.

Just chillin'. This was after breakfast one morning which is why Audrey's hair is not fixed and Trumey is in jammies.

Little T has also recently started chomping his hands all the time. There must be some teeth in there trying to get through.

Yesterday Matt and his dad installed a ceiling fan in our living room! They also put one up in our bedroom. I'm so excited and think they look great! Thanks guys!

Easter Festivities

Easter was so much fun this year. Audrey is really starting to understand the holidays and get excited about them. In addition to teaching her about the Easter bunny we also spent time telling and reading stories and scriptures about the resurrection. When you ask her why we celebrate Easter she says it's because of Jesus. And at the Easter egg hunt they had at church they asked why we celebrate Easter and Audrey, all by herself without any prodding, said, "Resurrection." That's a big word for such a little girl to remember and I was so happy.

Our Easter fun started the Friday before Easter. Instead of a play group this month, they had a little Easter egg hunt for the kids at church. Audrey thought it was so much fun to hunt the eggs and then eat the candy!

On Saturday night we colored eggs for the bunny to hide. Audrey's mom is opposed to the expensive Easter egg dye kits so she has yet to experience using one of those. We do it the old fashioned way.

And we get pretty good results.

Easter morning our little munchkins were excited to see what the Easter bunny left for them. Trumey got a basketful of baby food, a new cup, some bigger bottles, and a couple of books.

Audrey was thrilled with her goodies. She got some big kid markers (real markers, not the Color Wonder ones), new sandals, coloring books, Berenstain Bears books, lacing beads, a Tiana dress, The Princess and the Frog DVD, and lots of candy.

This is not related to the Easter bunny in any way, but we finally got out Truman's jumpy toy. He seems to like it for short periods of time so far. I love it.

Then it was egg hunting time! We had an Easter miracle this year! It was not raining Easter morning and we even had a little sun. So we were happy to find that the bunny hid the eggs outside this year. It was Audrey's first experience hunting eggs outside and she really enjoyed it.

Matt at first was not thrilled with the prospect of standing outside in the relative cold while Audrey hunted eggs. But afterwards he admitted that it really is better outside.

Our backyard is still a dirt (mud) pit and our front yard is tiny so it was pretty easy for Audrey to find all the eggs. She is still talking about how the bunny hid an egg on the car. But seriously, he was really limited on where he could hide those things.

Since Easter Sunday was General Conference the kids didn't get to wear their Easter clothes until today. If you aren't LDS and don't understand what I'm talking about, General Conference is a twice yearly broadcast from Salt Lake City of talks and instruction from the prophet and apostles and other church leaders. You can either go to church and watch it there or stay at home and watch it in your pajamas if you have cable, satellite, or the Internet. We watch it at home. Conference is always the first Sunday in April and the first Sunday in October. Sometimes it falls on Easter. When I was a kid it always bummed me out when it was on Easter because I would get all dressed up in my Easter dress and then go to church and sit in the dark for two hours watching the broadcast (it was the olden days and only a very few people were lucky enough to get to watch it on cable). But I'm older and wiser now and can appreciate the importance of hearing the prophet speak. So I'm fine with waiting a week to wear the new Easter clothes.

So here are the kiddos in their Easter best. I think they're the cutest ever, but I am a little biased.

Our little man is FIVE months old now! It's hard to believe.

She looks so angelic.

This picture reminds me so much of Audrey's cousin Paige.

My cute boys.

Me and my blue-eyed babies.

I thought I'd throw these pictures in for fun. Since it was conference Sunday I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and regular rolls for dinner. It's a tradition that started with my roommates and me back in college. I've been doing it long enough now that I've finally gotten it down pat.

So if you're ever in the neighborhood, we have fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls the first Sunday in April and October! Happy Easter!

Happy Easter To All!