The joys of potty training.

 

Potty training is just so much fun.

With Claire we got this.....

 

With Crue we get this.....

Can't decide what potty to use???   Just use both.... and try not to kill yourself in the process.

T-ball

We decided to put Claire in T-ball this year and so far she has loved it.   She has a couple good friends on the team with her and her coaches have been the best. 

 

Yesterday was Opening Ceremonies and she got to ride in the back of a truck during the parade.  She was pretty excited about that.

 

Claire and her team during Opening Ceremonies.  It was a lot colder than I thought it would be so she ended up stuffing her arms inside her shirt. 

 

Crue thought the best part of Opening Ceremonies was the bounce houses.

Warning...there are lots of pictures of Claire on this post but I seriously can't get enough of her in her cute little uniform. 

Isn't she a doll.

 

See that totally fake smile??  Yep, this is about the time she got tired of me taking her picture.

 

 Here she is about to come home.

 

The game was pure entertainment.  Her team did a great job and we are excited for the next game.

Different Girl

 

Claire (In a very proud of herself voice):  Mom, do I look like a different girl?  Cuz I just looked in the mirror and said "Whoa!! I sure look like a different girl."

 

Thank heavens she did this AFTER she got home from preschool because school pictures were this morning and that red lipstick is going to take days to wear off.

Highlights

The highlight of my day was walking into the room to hear my little man just singing his little heart out. --- "a sunbeam, a sunbeam...(mumble, mumble mumble)....a sunbeam, a sunbeam"

Talk about a melt your heart, proud mommy moment. 

It totally made my day and I must say it made up for his little stunt earlier in the day when he decided to empty out the entire canister of salt so he could make a sand castle on the kitchen floor. 

We love this our Crue Buddy so much. 

I also got to end the day by watching our little t-ball star do an excellent job at practice. 

Luke and Claire spent time practicing in the backyard over the weekend and it sure paid off.  She has great coaches, many friends on the team, and we are excited for the games to begin. 

 

 

Conference Weekend

Conference weekend brought our favorite family into town and we spent the day with them at the zoo.  We love it whenever we get to spend time with Grandma Amy, Grandpa Stacy, Kassie, Libby, and Ryker. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Between sessions of General Conference on Saturday we decided to start restoring the playhouse that my grandpa built years and years ago.  I have many memories of playing in it with cousins when I was a kid and now our kids can start making memories too.  Claire instantly declared that she was moving out of the house and into the playhouse and that she would come visit us.....sometimes. 

 

 

My grandpa seriously built it years and years ago - 1958 to be exact.

 

 

 

 

These kiddos are always the happiest when they can play in the dirt or mud.

 

Crue and his favorite shirt.  He is quick to point out to anyone that will listen that his shirt shows Georgie and a basketball.

 

 

 

 

Bedtime

I came across a new blog tonight that I seriously LOVE!!  Check out mommyshorts.com.  I Promise you will love it.  This came from her....

Bedtime Stalling 101 (As Taught By My 2yo)

(this totally had me thinking of Crue....okay, Claire still uses these tactics too)

Bedtime Stalling is something every toddler should master by age two. If you use my personally-tested strategies, by the end of this post, you should be able to push your bedtime a full forty-five minutes. With a little practice, you'll be eating midnight snacks, watching horrible skits on Saturday Night Live and ordering Slankets off late night infomercials in no time.

LESSON ONE: PAJAMA WRANGLING & DIAPER CHANGING DEFLECTION
What has to happen before you go to bed? You must change into your pajamas. Make this change as difficult as possible by running around the house at full speed. If a parent catches you, keep your arms and legs moving. If he/she succeeds in getting your clothes off, do not let that deter you from making a quick getaway and running around fully naked.

 

LESSON TWO: A SUDDEN APPRECIATION FOR DINNER
This tactic is best carried out if you have a long established behavior of "not eating" like myself. I have spent a full year making a "big show" of turning down every dinner option offered. This way, when I show a sudden interest in nourishment at exactly the same time that my parents start the bedtime process, they are genuinely torn between their desire to get me into bed and their fear that I might starve to death.

 

LESSON THREE: YOUR TEETH CAN NEVER BE TOO CLEAN
Do you like brushing your teeth? If not, LEARN. Spending time on proper tooth hygiene is important for both a healthy mouth and serious bedtime deflection. Brush your heart out. Ask for more toothpaste. Ask to use the Dora toothbrush and then change your mind and ask for the Thomas one. Run your brush under the water for an inordinate amount of time. Decide your teeth aren't quite clean enough and start over. You get the idea. When your mother finally decides enough is enough, employ my patented tactic— "THE IRON GRIP".

LESSON FOUR: SECURITY ITEM(S) SEARCH PARTY
The more security items you have, the longer it will take your parents to locate them. I have established the need for two blankies and one (possibly two) sippy cups of water. About an hour leading up to bedtime, I suggest hiding these items around the house. Precious minutes will be awarded to you when your parents are forced to go on their nightly security item search.
Once they find them, it is helpful to pretend they did not get the right ones. If they bring a blue sippy cup, request an orange one. If they bring your blankie(s), say something simple like "the other blankie(s)". This is particularly effective if there are actually no other blankies as it can lead to a wonderfully lengthy back-and-forth.

LESSON FIVE: BOOK SELECTION DIFFICULTY
Book selection is the crux of all bedtime stalling tactics so I will break it into three parts.
1. Time to select books: Take as much time as possible by not being able to make up your mind, asking your parent's opinion and then dismissing it, not being able to find your "favorite" book, being distracted by a nearby toy, etc.
2. Length of books: Smart toddlers know that longer books equal longer bedtime routines. Which books are longer? The heavier, fatter ones. If you have trouble lifting the book and you catch your parent doing a quick eyeroll, chances are, you are on the right track.
3. Begging for more books: If your parent says that you can have two books, ask for three. If they say three, ask for four. The important thing is to never be satisfied. And just because you and your parent finally agree on a number, doesn't mean you can't beg for more later after all the books have been read. In my experience, after-reading begging works about 50% of time.

LESSON SIX: ENGAGE & AMAZE
The books are now finished and there is not much time between you and your bed. Perhaps a quick lullaby if you're lucky. If your parent sings you a lullaby, always remember to say the word "AGAIN" when he/she is finished. If not— you must act quickly before the light is switched off.
It is at this point, you should employ extraordinary measures. All day, your parents have been trying in vain to talk to you, to get you to smile for the camera, to count to twenty, etc. Now is your time. Put on your most devoted smile. Conjure up every word in your vocabulary and try to start an actual conversation. Sing a song. Say "I love you". Look he/she in the eye for a prolonged period of time. Your goal is to make it as tough as possible for your parent to walk away.

LESSON SEVEN: THE LAST CHANCE HURRAH
If your parent picks you up to place you in your crib, your stalling minutes are numbered. You can try to make a break for it— arch your back, kick your legs, protest, etc. But the way I see it, you've got two options— lie down and accept the inevitable or scream their name as they walk out the door.
My suggestion is not to fight it. You've done excellent work and there's always room for improvement tomorrow. Slankets will be yours to purchase for quite some time.
Sleep tight, class!