Ryan's Room

Long last, Ryan has his own room.

Took a weekend to rearrange, sort through and figure out where stuff was going to go, but in the end, I am super happy with what we came up with. Ryan and Kathryn did well sharing a room. Kathryn tends to wake earlier than Ryan consequently waking him up before he is ready. My main reason for wanting Ryan to have his own space, is just that. He needed his own space. I needed him to have his own space. He now has a place to go and stay for "quiet time" during Kathryn's nap. A place to go if he needs to cool off if he is upset. And a place to tell his sister to stay out if he so desires. Although so far he lets her in to play and then she does something he doesn't like and he wants to kick her out.

I imagine that will be a reoccurring thing in this household.

That bed needs a bed skirt of sorts. I don't like the looks of it bare like that.

The kids' first push-pop.

Mommy 101

Sure, I knew going into parenthood it would be a learning experience. I don't think I realized how much I would learn about myself in the process. It's been interesting to say the least. And rewarding beyond words. A few simple things that I have learned lately: 1)With warmer weather, come dirtier children - therefore a dirtier house. The amount of stuff that gets tracked in, with kids running in and out is astounding - especially with those two beautiful rhododendron plants outside our back door. Their beautiful flowers now gone - leaving sticky stuff ALL OVER. I can't keep up on a spotless house and that's ok. At least that is what I tell myself when I step on gritty sand an hour after I swept. I don't need to keep up. Take that time and spend it outside in the sandbox with the kids. I will have the time and desire to clean up later. 2)And on a similar note - I have decided to quit mopping on a regular basis. A mopped floor is just begging for a cup of milk to be spilled. Or a container of yogurt to get dropped - and boy that stuff can fly! If I mop and something gets spilled my first instinct is to get aggravated. It's not any one's fault stuff gets dirty. Accidents happen. No use crying over spilled milk, right? I'll save the mopping for when needed. 3) I will burn more food now than I ever have in my life. I am not prone to burning food - I can usually keep track of what's cookin'. But I now have multiple tasks at hand - besides cook, being a referee is high on the list. I really want to take the approach of - You two work it out yourselves - but Kathryn is a bit young to not be manipulated by Ryan. I have to step in now and again (or what feels like over and over again). I burned the quesadilla the other day in the midst of reviewing the house rules of NO HITTING with both kids. So be it. Such is life. I like things to go as planned and have in the past gotten ruffled feathers when it hasn't. I'm learning, slowly but surely it doesn't always go as planned, nor does it need too. I'm thankful for Mommy-hood 101. I hope I am a better Mommy because of it. Recent stuff: Kathryn has just rocked the whole potty training thing. On about day 9 or 10 it all clicked and we've been mostly accident free since then. 2-3 nights of the week she'll wake up wet and the others she is totally dry. Very proud of my little girl and thankful to Ryan for encouraging her and giving me the tools to help her, by him going through it first. Kathryn also just got hit with another febrile illness and is about 24 hours into it. She is so so MOODY. My bag of tricks to comfort her is not working, making it hard for all of us. Not much new for Ryan. He seems to have sprouted an inch or two and still talks non-stop about everything/anything/nothing. Today he gave all of us imaginary names. Paul is Frank. Kathryn is Reena. Ryan is Bryan. And me, well I am Brunch. Yes, Brunch. Ummm, errr... ok. Odd and yet oh so funny! I am grateful for our backyard and fence. Giving me the ability to open the back door and let him go out and play, minimally supervised. I cook or do laundry so I can see him, but feel content to have him out there on his own. Joey watches too. If Ryan is out, I make sure Joey goes too. She'll bark if anyone attempts to open the fence gate. Ryan is a happier boy being able to play outdoors.

A true face plant. She was running down hill on a street and crashed - face first.

Using one of his favorite toys - the BIG bubble wand.

Thank you Walbrun family for that gift! Do they look alike there, or what?! And that is chocolate pudding aftermath. Her Daddy's hat when he was a kid. She requested the hat accompany her dining that evening Dinner with friends and a little music

Picnic with cousin Blake in our back yard

Bath time after hours in the sandbox. I washed them down. Drained the water of all the dirt and sand and started over.

Celebrating Joey's 8th birthday.

Actually I did not make the cake for the dogs birthday. I made it as a trial cake for a cake I am making for work on Tuesday. I have never made this kind and did not want to bring a flop of a cake to my co-workers. Good thing I did too. That cake was heavy as a rock - no joke.

Looked pretty once frosted though - and it was really Joey's 8th birthday, so we made an occasion out of it. The kids loved it, but they had no clue it was not at all how it should have been.

Flush. . . .

*Adventures in potty training*

Memorial Day weekend felt like the perfect time to potty train Kathryn. She has given me countless hints she is ready - the biggest one being her actually asking me to change her when she needed it.

That, and she has been using the potty off and on for months when she felt like it, copying Ryan.

Had I not done this with Ryan 9 months ago I don't think I would have had the courage to start with a 22 month old. The guide I followed for potty training Ryan, said 22 months was the optimal age (in her opinion). With nothing to lose, we went for it

Paul and Ryan left for the weekend, spending time with Paul's parents. That left me with all the free time needed to watch Kathryn like a hawk and encourage her to get to the potty. It all went as well as I expected. We hit a little glitch when the boys came home secondary to her distraction. Then another (err or a few more) when I went to work on Tuesday and she was watched by my aunt. That brings us to today when it was nearly an accident free day until outside playing - and I am thinking she wasn't thinking about making the trek inside.

So, it's a work in progress.

It's really hard to believe we are through with diapers. They were a big part of our lives for nearly 4 years. The changing table is now just a dresser. It's looks oddly empty and small.

My how fast my lil' ones are growing. . .

My back yard rhododendron!

It's super happy this year - just loaded with blossoms. And there are even some blossoms on the plant (when the photo was taken) not fully bloomed yet. I love spring!

And another happy note:

Paul just completed his first year in the insurance biz.

I gotta give him kudos for really just buckling down and learning insurance. They set a quota for him on day one, of how many policies he needed to get in his first year. If he met the quota he would be given a book of business, in addition to the book he built this year.

Very proud to say he met the goals and that puts him in a minority group of brokers (9th broker to do it in the history of the company) with AAA insurance that have met the quota year one. He worked LONG hours Monday through Friday. Good chunk of time on Saturday's and an hour or two on Sunday's as well. So very happy for him that it paid off for him, he deserved it!