Entertainment on the Potty

So, today I spent an hour of my life sitting on the bathroom floor while Natalie sat on the potty. It was after lunch so I thought for sure she would have to go since she just ate and drank some milk.

In order for me not to go insane (good thing Aubrey was sleeping), I took some videos of Natalie and she enjoyed watching the movies back even more!

I was able to capture this photo of the girls before Natalie snatched the bus away and said, "No!"  Her sharing is a work in progress! Aubrey is really getting around now so I think in no time we will have a crawler and my life as I know it is over.

I am really not the meanest mom ever, but this video had us all laughing on vacation. To preface the video, I had already done this about 5-6 times and Natalie laughed every time. We decided to capture her on video and I thought for sure she wouldn't have any reaction with me asking if Amanda was ready to catch it on video...little did I know the reaction Natalie would really have!  Poor Natalie :)

Potty Training Tales

I was not anticipating starting potty training seriously, but I think we are at that point now. Yesterday, Natalie showed interest in using her princess potty, so we tried it. After books, videos, singing, cheering, and lots of time sitting on the bathroom floor...over 30 minutes to be exact...NOTHING. Yep, nothing, instead Natalie decided to go potty in her diaper right after she got it on...ugh!

However, today we showed some progress!  Although we still sat on the bathroom floor for a long time, she did it!  She went pee pee on the potty for the 1st time...after several M&M's of course...haha!  I know parents usually bribe kids with m&m's after they go potty, but I don't think Natalie quite grasps this concept. It must have worked somewhat though because Natalie went potty twice and pooped once!  Go Natalie!

Although I am excited for Natalie, I am selfishly not looking forward to the many trips to the bathroom and future accidents. I thought I didn't have time before, now I really won't, but in the long run it will be nice to have 1 out of diapers!  I hope she continues to do well. I only wonder what this week will bring, and how she will do at daycare with it...that is if she continues to do well tomorrow.

Happy 30th, Bobby!

Bobby is now the big 3-0! Although he now says turning 30 isn't a big deal, the days/weeks/months leading up to it, he would often say things about turning 30 and how it was a little depressing...don't let him fool you :)

He was taking it harder than I ever thought he would and although I will only be 29 this year...turning 30 really doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me.  I think (hope) Bobby will be pleasantly surprised that his 30's may be some of the most exciting years of his life...and busiest!  Thinking of it, by the end of his 30's, Natalie will be 11 and Aubrey will be 10...now that is scary for me to think about!

When Bobby turned 25, I threw him a surprise party and gave him a weekend trip to Dallas to see a Cowboys game. At that time, the new stadium was being built and we said that when he turned 30 we would go back and see a game at the new stadium. However, neither of us anticipated having 2 kids by then...oh, how life changes!  Unfortunately, we couldn't make the trip this year, but maybe next year?!

Saturday, we went out for an impromptu birthday dinner at Stables here in town with Amanda, Matt, James, and the other Amanda, plus the 2 girls. The girls were good at dinner and we had a nice time. Amanda and Matt drove all the way from Indy just to have dinner with us. On Sunday, I had planned a party with some local friends and combined it with the Cowboys game that was in the evening. It was really nice to have people over!  In total, we had 11 of our friends and 2 additional kiddos. It's been awhile that we've had a get together, so it was a lot of fun!  Too bad the Cowboys lost.

Aubrey Update:
1. She is definitely enjoying squealing/screeching in her high-pitched voice!
2. She loves laughing at Natalie.
3. She is creeping into 6-9 month clothes :(
4. She is rolling over all the time now...even stomach to back.

Natalie Update:
1. She is repeating a ton of words and sometimes even phrases.
2. Her hair now fits in a ponytail.
3. She is not sharing her toys very well at home.
4. She very much enjoys throwing things in the trash.

Happy Halloween 2012

We had a successful Halloween with our little spider and flower!  This was Natalie's first Trick-or-Treating experience and she really liked it. Since Terre Haute does Halloween 2 nights in a row, we spent last night giving out candy, which Natalie LOVED. She loved running to the door and watching all the kids in their costumes.

The book Natalie chose from the library...notice the author's last name...ironic!

Tonight, we had the girls' daycare parade, then headed to Sam's club for our free 5x7 Halloween picture, then to the library for a book, went around our neighborhood (twice since people turned their lights on a little after it started), and then finally home to pass out candy to other kids. We had a lot of fun!

Natalie with her friend Emma

The 1st house

Last weekend, we carve pumpkins with the Fouse's and then on Saturday we went to a friend's house for a party.

Kevin (lion), Gavin (giraffe), and Natalie (spider)

Poor CareBear!

All 8 kids all sitting still!

 Natalie dancing 

Vacation 2012: Baltimore, MD

After leaving NC, we decided to head up to Baltimore, where Bobby's sister's family moved a little over a year ago. It is a 11/12 hour drive to Baltimore from Terre Haute and only 7 from the Outer Banks, so we incorporated into our trip. It was a quick trip, but a good one. We arrived Saturday evening and left Monday morning.

We enjoyed our little visit and got to experience the Inner Harbor and visiting with family.

I got to practice my photography skills while there. Hopefully they can use these pictures for their Christmas cards, which was the purpose.

 

 

At Camden Yards (where the Orioles play)...the only home run ever that has ever hit the building is by Bobby's idol and former Mariner...Ken Griffey, Jr. 

Vacation 2012: Outer Banks, NC

We have a fantastic vacation!  It was the perfect mix between relaxing and sightseeing!

I was really dreading the drive because I wasn't sure how Natalie would be. I made some new toys, bought some new toys, Bobby downloaded movies on the iPad, and I even wrapped some toys to reward Natalie for good behavior in the car. I packed lots of snacks and just prayed that the 15-16 hour (without stops) drive would go smoothly. We planned on driving 11 hours and stopping, then finishing the trip on Saturday. We had also gone back and forth about leaving during the day vs. night. We decided on leaving early in the morning and driving all day. I could not have asked the girls to be any better in the car!  They were absolutely AWESOME!  I didn't need to even break out the iPad or the wrapped gifts. We actually drove farther than we had anticipated and would have driven straight through if we would have known how great the girls were going to be. I think we used the iPad for maybe a total of 2 hours during our entire trip!

It was so nice to be with my family because they helped out so much with the girls. It definitely takes a "village" to raise kids. You can never have enough hands. Natalie loved the beach and pool...the ocean, not so much. Aubrey loved the water, too!

It was overall just a great time and we can't wait for the next trip!

Friday, October 12

We left in the morning and started our road trip. The leaves changing colors (probably at the peak time) made the drive go by so quickly because of all the beautiful scenery.  We actually met up with my parents at one point, but got about 2 hours ahead of them by the end of the day since they were on their motorcycles and needed to stop riding at dark.  We made it to Richmond, Virginia, which left us with only 4 hours left.

Saturday, October 13

Arrived in Rodanthe, NC by 4p!  The location of our house we rented was perfect!  Great view of the ocean, steps from the beach. The sound of the crashing waves was so awesome to listen to at all times of the day. We were south of the most touristy part of the Outer Banks, which made a 30 minute drive north or south to get groceries or do touristy activities.

The first picture I took and I love it!

our house was the blue one

path to the beach

House right down the beach that was used in the movie Nights in Rodanthe 

Doesn't get much better than this!

Sunday, October 14th

We enjoyed the beach, heated pool, and hot tub!

Monday, October 15th

We headed south to Cape Hatteras Light Station.

 

The site where the lighthouse was originally but was then moved to where it stands now.

Tuesday, October 16th

We headed up north a bit to Jockey Ridge State Park and later did some putt-putt golf.  The park has huge sand dunes which was interesting to climb with a baby strapped to you!  It was very windy and chilly at the top of the park, but with lots of sunshine!

Where did the ball go?

 

Wednesday, October 17th

Happy Birthday, Dad!

We went up to Corolla, NC to see the Wild Horses (looked like tame horses that had escaped from someone's farm). The ride on the beach was the most fun of the tour and both girls fell asleep. It was pretty chilly.

Later that night, we celebrated my dad's birthday with dinner and a homemade birthday cake!

Aubrey spent a lot of time in the Moby wrap this vacation since our double stroller didn't fit with all our other luggage

Beautiful sunset

Thursday, October 18th

We just lounged around the house, walked the beach, swam in the pool, soaked in the hot tub, and played in the sand.

I wanted to try and get family pictures for our Christmas card this year, but it didn't go as planned since the lighting went away quickly.

Friday, October 19th

We headed to the Wright's Brothers Museum which was very interesting...I liked it more than I thought I would. Bobby of course loved it, too!

Saturday, October 20th

We all left (well Matt and Amanda left the night before) and parted ways. We headed to Baltimore (7 hours) to visit the Mumaw's...those pictures will be in my next vacation post!