Merry Christmas!

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!!!

Conversations With Asher

9:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Here are a few things Ash has said already this morning.

Dora: Happy, happy birthday!
Asher: Thank you (in a quiet, appreciative voice)
Dora: Happy, happy birthday!
Asher: Thank you

Firetruck: Never play with matches.
Asher: Yes I WILL play with magnets! (indignant at the thought of being told not to!)

Asher: Mom, you did a great job putting this train set together! (sincere and innocent)

Asher: When do you think this frog will stop going in my mouth? (I believe he was referring to the frog in his throat.)

From the Pool to the Pumpkin Patch

All in one day! Such beautiful weather we've been having here in Wisconsin!
***Asher finds kitties wherever we go. I don't know if we'll be able to get away without having one in the next 15 years.***

The Royal Family

Today Asher has started saying "Thank you, Queen Mama" every time I do something for him. He says it with the sweetest little voice, without even a hint of sarcasm. I have to admit, I kinda like it!

Mary Jane Watson

Liv had a brush with Spiderman today. He showed up on the playground and Liv couldn't contain herself. He brushed past her a couple of times and she giggled excitedly! Then she started following him everywhere he went. He was very agile and climbed around just as you imagine Spiderman would. At first I thought Liv was in love at first sight. But on second thought, knowing my courageous and daring baby girl, I think she might want to BE Spiderman!

Lake Kegonsa Camping Trip

One night just wasn't enough!

Happy Birthday Kiki!

Happy Birthday Kiki! We love you and can't wait for you to visit!

All Dressed Up...

....with no place to go.

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Liv!

Roseola and the Playground

Sweet Liv has Roseola. She looks pretty rough but feels just fine. Pictures don't do the rash justice, but I'll share one anyway. For those who don't know, Roseola is a high temp for 3 days and then a rash that lasts 1-2 days. Kids with it feel fine and aren't contagious once the rash breaks out. We are keeping a low profile though, cuz if I saw a kid at storytime that had a rash all over their face the way Livie does, I'd be running for the door! Her meds didn't take away her double ear infection so she's on a stronger drug now for the next 9 days.

Today is the first real summer day - hot and sunny. We've been outside most of the morning, planting flowers and enjoying the playground. Both kids were peaches and kept their hats on the whole time!

Liv is going to be our dare devil! Ash has never liked the swings, but Liv loves them. Ash tried the bouncy teeter-totter today for literally one second, got scared, and wanted off. Liv would've ridden on it, higher and higher, all afternoon!

Time For Dinner!

Enough for One Day

After an intense day, Ash crashed hard for his nap. Unfortunately his pull-up was not up to the task and he woke up after 40 minutes or so, soaked. He wasn't going back to sleep after changing his clothes and he was an emotional wreck from being tired and waking up like that. So we decided to give it a rest for the day and start fresh again tomorrow.

Success!

After a third accident we were about ready to throw in the towel. I was going to put Asher down for a nap and get Evansville's resident expert on the phone for advice. We gave it one last try before naptime and it was worth it!

It had been two hours and many gulps of lemonade since the last accident so I knew it was going to happen any minute. He sat on the little potty great for a few minutes, but then he started getting scared and tearful. He knew it was coming and it was weird and new for him. I felt so bad making him stay seated even though he was crying a bit. But then he did the sweetest thing. He started singing to himself to make himself feel better. He sang "My God is so big!" and that seemed to put him at ease. I started singing too and then tried to tickle the tinkle out of him. But that didn't work. It was getting really late so I told him it was time for a nap and we needed to put on a pull-up.

I left the bathroom to get the pull-up, then heard him yelling "look what I did, look what I did!!!" Sure enough he peed in the potty and he couldn't have been prouder! And neither could his Mama!

Boot Camp

Well, the big day has finally arrived. We started Potty Training Boot Camp at O700 hours this morning. The day started with a game of pretend with Ash's big floppy puppy. We put big kid underpants on him, gave him a drink, and took him through the potty process. Right off the bat Ash was excited and wanted to try. So we picked out some Thomas undies and went to sit on the potty. The seat was cold though, and Ash was not happy about that. He jumped off in a hurry, but we were able to get him to sit longer on his subsequent trips to the bathroom.

So far Ash has kept a good attitude. He's enjoying his salty snacks and lemonade, and is excited about the m&ms he gets when he has dry undies. But, of course, our regular little boy who does a number 2 right after breakfast every day, has not had to go yet. And, our little boy who seems to hold water like a camel, has already had two accidents. He has sat on the potty about 8 times now, with no luck.

I'm already ready to be done with this. But we will press on! Seeing his cute little butt in big boy undies is worth the effort. =) (I would've posted pics but the new computer is not cooperating)

Cabin Fever

We were bored. The kids were restless. We needed something new and fun. This is what we came up with.

Ash is closing his eyes to avoid looking at the camera. If you're wondering why you don't see more pics of him it's because they are almost impossible to get!

Livie Stands Up!

Yesterday, for the first time ever, Livie pulled herself up to a standing position! She was pretty proud of herself, as was I.

Indoor Winter Fun

Snow Day

Today was officially a snow day and Dad stayed home from work. So we took advantage and had as much fun as we possibly could.

Here's Main Street with the snow pushed up in the middle.

Kyle got his workout in by shoveling over half of the driveway before our friend John finished the rest with his snowblower. Thanks John!

Getting ready to go outside. It turned out to be a gorgeous day, but a little windy.

I wouldn't say Livie liked the sled per se, but she tolerated it. She must've enjoyed it somewhat because she cried if I took a break from pulling her around.

Finally, we stopped at the playground for some winter fun.

AND WE'RE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!

All for Liv

Sweet baby Liv has been growing like a weed lately! She is eating baby food with gusto, laughing at her brother, growling like a pirate, and finding her loud voice! She cruises around in the walker now and can get to almost anything she wants by rolling on the floor or attempting to crawl. She has quite a reach when she goes from sitting, to her knees, to her belly to grab something. She's able to go from her belly back up to a sitting position now. And she has 6 teeth! My oh my she is growing too fast!

Here are a few pics and videos for you to enjoy, all highlighting sweet Liv.

While mom was downstairs doing laundry, Asher was squirting bubbles on Liv's head! She was soaked but thankfully none got in her eyes.

This is our bucket of beans. Not a new toy, but for some reason it was a major hit this day. Liv played for half an hour and Ash for a whole hour! Mom even got to read her magazine while they played, awesome!

Aunt Janny sent lots of cool gifts for Christmas...You won't be surprised now if you see these headbands on next year's Christmas card.

And here's a video of Liv trying to crawl. She's so close!