Andy: 25 Months and Potty Trained!?!?!?!

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Have I told you lately how much I love this sweet, sweet boy?




No? Well, let me fix that... I love this sweet, sweet boy. I love that he can fall asleep ANYWHERE and actually prefers to cuddle up on me while doing so. His sweet cuddles and loves and kisses are priceless. Just priceless. I love that he loves "Cars" and "Thomas" and "Elmo" and Rocks and Dirt and Animals and Bike Riding. I love all the "little boy" stuff about him - so far anyways...

But. The whining. The whining is about ready to send me over the edge. Jump off the cliff, lock myself in a room, run away type crazy folks. This child is going to be the one. He is going to be the one that sends me to the nut house.

A few weeks back (August 24th) in fact. Andy turned 25 months old and mastered the whining. He spent the majority of the previous 24 hours whining. Just whining. I could have given him away. I'm serious. You laugh. But, I'm serious.

I think he sensed my frustration. What? My mood was readable by all around me? Me? Not good at hiding my emotions? Not good at being "fake"? Me? Never. ahem.

Anyways... where was I? Oh Frustration. Yes, the brilliant child of mind sensed that he had to do something. Something to right this wrong. Some men send flowers. Some gravel. Some buy gifts. My little man? My little man PEE-PEED ON THE POTTY!!! Yep, you read right. He peed on the potty and never turned back. Not once. Not once.

The next day we got out the Elmo and Thomas and Lightning underpants and spent the day drinking fluids, peeing on the potty, and calling everyone who would listen to share our excitement. Andy WAS POTTY-TRAINED!!! A 25 month old BOY. "They" said it couldn't be done. I had my doubts as well, but in the bottom of the 9th he knocked it outta the park. It was definitely a "pee or get off the pot" type situation in our relationship.

The following morning him and Daddy did some lawn mowing. Apparently, he was on the potty, heard the lawn mower start up, and took off. He was so excited to help daddy he might have forgotten to pull up his underpants. Oh well, give him a break. He is new to this! ;-)





So, anyway... Andy is 25 months old. It seems like FOREVER since I have done an "Andy update" post. What is Andy up to besides relieving himself you ask? Honestly, I don't know. I'm so overwhelmed with that excitement and new found love for him that I can't think straight! NO really. Let's see...

I think the whining is 1. He is two, and 2. He is teething. Not sure which it is more, but I don't really care at this point. Why you ask? Well, because he is potty-trained!!!!

Since turning two, he learned to ride his strider bike. He is a make-believing fool. Loves puppy. Loves all things "Lightning/Mator". He is SMART. He has an arm like you wouldn't believe. He has a girlfriend (ha-ha). Loves Camping. Sleeps like a champ. Travels well. Loves swimming. Is a "Mommy's Boy". I could go on and on. But then no one would feel bad for me about the whining. What? You don't. Well... humph.

August: It is time...

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I haven't blogged in almost SIX MONTHS. It is time. It is time put the fingers to the keyboard and reflect on why I haven't, and why I think I need to start again.

What have we been up to you ask? Well, you didn't, but I'm pretending you did. I'm going to pretend that someone, anyone, noticed that I hadn't blogged. Even if ABSOLUTELY NOBODY INCLUDING MY HUSBAND SAID ANYTHING! But, I'm getting off track...

Well let's see. What have we been doing? We had sabbatical, then the end of the school year for Abby, Trav's Birthday, Fathers' Day, camping, July 4th, more camping, Abby turned FIVE, Andy turned TWO, more camping, etc. We have been busy. It has been fun. I will probably, slowly, work on some of the above blogs. At some point. But, as of today, I decided that I need to cut bait and just move on or I would never get back into it.

This weekend was the first weekend since. Well. I'm not really sure. The first weekend in a LONG time that we had nothing on the books. And, even though we have had a TON of fun so far this summer, I will have to say that this weekend was one of my favorites. It just goes to show you, it doesn't matter what you are doing, as long as you are doing it well!

With the quietness and relaxation, of this weekend, has come reflection. With reflection as come the need to blog. I haven't blogged on a regular basis for awhile. We have been busy. This time of year the family sees my kids on a regular basis, and we are doing a lot of activities with said family. So, there isn't a lot of need to "update" them on what we are doing. But, today. Today I felt the need to take some photos and rectify that...

August is almost over. And, with that has come SUMMER. Finally... That being said. Summer is over for us in just 2 1/2 weeks. Abby starts Kindergarten and life goes back to "school schedule". That is a bitter pill to swallow for a Mommy that 1) LOVES the sun, and 2) is sending her baby to Kinder this year. Instead of getting depressed by the looming end of our short summer, I decided to just take some photos around our yard and take in the beauty of what it was. Summer. Home. Family. Friends. Blessings.

This last week we spent time as a family spreading dirt. You wouldn't think that would be fun. But, it was time as a family and the kids were pretty cute little helpers. With the amazing kindness of our neighbor Matt (his wife and kids were out of town and I think he was bored), it went twice as fast and the kids and I could barely keep up with their dirt hauling skills!

Really folks. How cute are they? How could you NOT enjoy manual labor if they were by your side?

Later in the week, Austin spent a TON of time raking out the dirt just right, adjusting sprinklers, and seeding our new lawn. Somedays I forget he is my dorky little brother and I get impressed with his skills. For a moment. Then I remember who he is... ;) Anyway, the new yard is on the way, and I'm so excited to see it in a few short weeks - grow damnit!!!




Because really... it is all worth it when you get to watch your pets, kids, and friends enjoy the fruits of your labor.

This is the beauty of my yard. Sometimes, okay most of the time, I get caught up in the work and stress that is weeds, dying trees, and messy bark and forget to focus on the beauty that is. My camera helped me with the "focus" part this weekend... ;)

This weekend we also got to watch the AirShow. From our back yard. Now, we don't see it all. But, the excitement of waiting for the planes to fly over is one of my favorite parts of the weekend. It is an excuse to hang in the yard for three days and not worry about the laundry, or dishes, or bills, etc. We just hung out as a family with our friends and neighbors and enjoyed the weekend.

Lastly. I mentioned blessings. I think this entire blog is a testament of the blessings around us. My Family, My Kitty Cat, My Yard, My Life. All are precious gifts from God. Sometimes it is nice to just stop and count your blessings. Or Freckles. Or both...