Before you read the following scenarios, remember they both happened today!

1.  I walked past Caleb and I got a very brutal whiff of something.  I stopped to smell at Caleb’s butt and it was definitely the location of a very potent smell.  In the past, we would have walked back to his room and changed his diaper.  We haven’t done that in over a week now.  In this new moment I start scrambling on getting him to the bath tub and deciding the easiest way to get his clothes and underwear off without him stepping in his poop or getting it everywhere.  We have yet to perfect that technique.  In this moment I feel defeated and completely worn out on potty training.  I may feel a little too OCD and too big of a germ person as well.  🙂

2.  Today I went into the toy room (where Caleb likes to take his nap) to get him up.  Even though he is in a room full of toys, he still lays happily on his Elmo bed and calls for me to come get him.  The first thing he says to me when I walked into the room was “mommy, I need to go potty.”  Excitedly, I took his diaper off (not brave enough to not have those on for nap time just yet.)   It was dry after a 3 hour nap!  He goes pee right in the potty-points his penis down and everything!  (We are into the real term around here.)  In this moment I am so so proud and think its clicking for the little guy! 

Overall, we are having some interesting days and needing Jesus more than ever!  Just as Jesus will give me the strength to be patient in the hard, dirty moments…I need the joy and love to be thrilled and appreciative of the happy moments. 

p.s.  Why can’t poop be as easy as pee in the potty training process?????

I made a christmas tree skirt!!!  I have been wanting to make this for months!!  It could be a little late (for christmas 2009) or WAY early!  I like to think I am ahead of the game!  🙂  My wonderful mother in law brought me over a tree skirt she made, to see how she did it, AND she taught me how to edge with that cord like thing!?!  I already forgot what it’s called!?!  I love the touch the edging adds to make the skirt look professional and finished! 

I love color!  This skirt has tons of fun patterns/fabrics, colors, and textures-and they all go so good together!  (well, in my opinion they do :)) It reminds me some of my family.  The four of us are so different, yet we have something that is really special and that is love. 

I got to get away this weekend with my best friends.  It was crazy fun, but I missed my boys!  I thought of how Matt was probably making breakfast in his hoodie (with his hood up) while trying to wake up.  I thought of Caleb running around in his underwear doing his “moves” and throwing “guys” up in the air.  I thought of J turning his little hands in excitement of stretching and reaching his favorite toys-which led to getting a bouncy ball in either fist!  Ha ha of course I thought of many other cute memories and pictures of them, but these are three I wanted to share! 

Not all of you may know, but I am going to be doing a craft show with my sister, Olivia in the fall.  You might remember me saying that my brainstorm date with Matt gave me goals for this year.  One of my goals was to enter in a craft show-and I found the one I want to do!  I get to do it with my beautiful and crafty sister-it will be a blast!  I think I am going to try to recreate this skirt a couple of times to take and sell at that show!  I am sure many of my creations to come will also be featured this fall!

Ha ha the picture with J kind of looked like a skirt on my cute BOY, but I was trying to be creative without having a christmas tree to model my skirt.  This one kind of back fired, but was still too cute not to post!

I had to do a picture with my wonderful colors of life that I know I am so so blessed to share life with!

If a picture could tell of your day…these two would be a BIG part of mine.

Caleb:  We are day 1 in the potty training camp!  He has been SO scared to sit on the toilet.  We have attempted a few times to begin this process…and his fear has stopped us every time.  Today we met his BFF, Cole,  at his favorite store, Hobby Lobby.  Cole is being potty trained, so we talked about it the whole ride home.  We might have stopped and  found some “guys” at the thrift store to help the motivation.  Whatever the reason (BFF peer pressure, the “guys”, the lure of snacks, or he is just older) may be, when we got home he sat on the potty!!!   Notice in the picture he has his cup.  It is full of his latest favorite drink “sparkling water”.  He is currently enjoying a popsicle.  Still no luck in the potty-but he is trying!!!   (It was getting a little boring in the bathroom, so we just turned on Mickey Mouse for his enjoyment.)

Jeremiah:  We are working on getting him mobile!  We do lots of standing and attempts at tummy time with objects in front of him.  There are lots of efforts on  being intentional with him so we can get him moving!!  Last week, we got this walker for him…and he is starting to get the thing moving this week!  Progress! 

Stay tuned for the latest updates!

Hello!!!  I need to first give a shout out to my newest blogger fan…Hi Jason!!!  🙂

My craft this week had to do with wood again!  This time I bought a 2×1 piece of wood at Home Depot.  *Do you think people have ever bought one piece of wood to make wood stacking blocks for kids there????  Ha ha I am sure they have, but as I was picking my piece of wood out…surrounded by men who were stacking piles of wood on to their carts…I felt a little silly with my two boys and one piece of wood.  🙂 

My wonderful husband cut the wood to my measurements for me…and helped sand them!  Together we came up with the ‘rustic’ look that they are painted.  I LOVE them and can’t wait to make more!!!  So my question to you is…what is your name????  Would you like to see it in block form???

Who is Luke you might ask??  He is the baby growing in one awesome girl’s belly!!!  Matt’s cousin, Anna, is incredible, and we had a shower for her this past weekend at our house.  I love her and her hubby, and I am so excited for another baby to be in the family!!! 

These blocks decorated the counter where we laid the food out!  It was so cute!  Anna is doing a “sports” theme room…so the blocks were custom to her theme and her baby Luke.

Details:  ($3 a block) Each block measures 2x2x1.  Let me know your theme and colors-and create something for you!