Chocolate Love

I decided to have a family home evening lesson about love and forgiveness. Mostly, because, James and I have been having trouble "loving" James Micheal while he is potty training. I saw this idea in our FHE book that showed you how to make a heart shaped cake. So, I did, it was really easy to make and didn't take me more than an hour from start to finish. We had our lesson and when I pulled out the cake, James Micheal went crazy. We each had a slice, and I think James Micheal and Makayla enjoyed it the most. Makayla ate a whole piece by herself. The kids were both so messy, that James and I both helped give them baths and put them to bed. It was a lot of fun, and I could tell the kids enjoyed it too. Enjoy the pictures!!

Number TWO

So, this week, I decided I would be cleaning up my last poopy pull-up.That's right, I am potty training officially. It has proved itself to be challenging. But, I think James Micheal is handling it well. I was making good progress with him, but he still wouldn't go number two in the potty. But today something wonderful happened!!!!I almost can't believe it, my son went number two in the potty. Not only did he go number two,he went in a bathroom he had never been in before, while we were at a baseball game, and he was wearing big boy underwear. He didn't have any accidents today. We were so happy, that we stopped by the store and let him choose a big boy candy. He was so pleased with himself. This is a picture of him after he enjoyed his candy bar, and yes, that is chocolate on his face, not Number Two.

Happy Mother's Day

Well, I had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. James woke up with the kids and let me sleep in. He also, made me breakfast, got me roses, and got the kids ready for church. He did the dishes and got the house ready for when my parents were coming over later that day. Church was great. After we came home, James made me and my mom and dad dinner. My mom made me a strawberry pie and my dad got me a giant chocolate bar. It was a really great day. When everybody left, James passed out on the couch. I think he most have been exhausted from serving me all day. He is the best. I had a lot of fun and it made me realize how grateful I am to be a mother and have a wonderful mother. Happy Mother's Day.

Cooky of the Year

So in my old school, Cooky Book that I got from Grandma Divis, I found these recipes called, "Recipes of the Year". I took the recipe from 1940-1945, which was the time frame for World War 2. They are called caramel cutouts. They look really pretty, but taste kind of like nothing. I guess they were really popular back then, because they didn't take a lot of ingredients and they were quick to make. So when the women had to go to work because the men were gone, they were still able to make cookies. Not very good cookies, but still, cookies.I know that was a really boring story, but I really wanted to just post a picture, while the kids were napping today.

For the Love of Jello and Walkers!

James Micheal has now decided that he loves Jello. He loves slurping it up with his mouth as you can see from this pictures. I wish they made Jello that was dye free. So, that James Micheal's clothes could be dye free too. Oh well, he loves it too much for me to care.

Makayla is doing well. Our physical therapist suggested we get her a walker, to see if she likes it. They are guessing that she probably will not crawl first, but walk. She hates being on her stomach so much, but, she loves standing up. So they suggested, we work on the walking. She loves the walker, and she has been pushing herself backwards in it. Which is a big step for her. Yea Makayla!!

Not Yet!

So, Makayla went to her ocularist today, to see if she was ready for a full prosthetic in her right eye. And the verdict is no. They said she isn't ready yet, and it might not be until fall. The problem, is that her eyesocket has no real control. So she wouldn't be able to hold it in place properly,and it would end up turning in circles all day long. He is going to put in a new spacer that is more mushroom shaped in the back, tomorrow. Hopefully, this one will work. Our ocularist,says this is a slow process, and sometimes it seems like we take one step forward and two steps back. Oh well, she still is a cutie, and patience is a virtue. Man, am I going to be full of virtue when this is all done.

Slow Down, Babe!

So, I tend to call everyone in my household; babe, baby, honey, sugar. Ya know, all those dumb pet names. Well, when we are driving(and by we, I mean James), I tend to say, "Slow Down, Babe!" a lot, because I am a terrible back seat driver. So, today I was driving around running errands,and we came to a stop at a stoplight. When I revved the car, during the green light, I hit the gas a little hard. And James Micheal yells, "Slow Down, Babe!" I guess I scared him a little bit. It was so funny. Talk about having a sponge for a son. Jeez! We better be careful what we say.

The Little Drummer Girl

Makayla has been sitting up very well lately. She loves playing with her toys, especially her drum toy. She sat up and would just hit the drum so it would keep playing music. She must have been really exhausted. Because after the drum rolled away from her, she fell asleep in the weirdest position. She is very flexible though.

Fun Day!!

Yesterday, James Micheal started out the day well. He got out his Lego's and train set(which are his two favorite toys), when I saw something strange. He did a great job of dumping out all of his toys, and ended up sitting and playing in the box. My son has become the stereotypical kid, who would rather play with the box than the toy.

Later that day, I was doing therapy with Makayla and James Micheal started to put all the blankets he could find right behind her. He has seen us put pillows behind her, before, so she wouldn't hurt herself if she fell. So, he decided to take the necessary precautions. As soon as Makayla felt the blankets behind her she fell backwards, on purpose and just giggled. I tried to pull her up to sitting position again, but she just kept falling backwards. James Micheal decided to join her and they had and impromptu slumber party.



I guess James Micheal saw me taking all these pictures of them, so he decided to snap a few himself. With his toy camera. What a cutie. Yesterday, was a fun day, for both the kids!

Saturday Morning Messes

This is what I woke up to, Saturday morning. James Micheal had taken out at least ten videos. Had taken all the twizzlers, we had and lined them up front to back all along the floor like a giant train. And he had taken all the fruit out of our fruit basket and was hitting them with his plastic baseball bat. Needless, to say he got a big time out, and had to help me clean up. But, I did enjoy his twizzler train, it was quite creative.

Oh, the Blessing of Sleeping Children!

I know I post a lot of sleeping pictures of my children. But, I can't help it. I have been blessed with children who love to sleep. They love their naps and going to bed. Makayla does tend to be a night owl. But, once she gets to sleep, she sleeps a good solid eight hours. I know what you are thinking, how could one women be so lucky?. Well, I don't know why. Maybe my next baby will never sleep and I will get what I deserve. But, for now I will sit back and relax.

Wake Up Call

Usually, James Micheal comes into my room at 7:15 exactly every morning to wake up. Well, today, I woke up to the sound of snoring. I look over on my husbands side of the bed which should be empty, and I see a small head, resembling my husbands, laying on his pillow. At first, I thought James's head shrunk, because I was still groggy. Then, I realize it is my son! He must have come in, who knows when, and crawled under the covers. He did let me sleep until 8:30 though, which was nice. And he is still asleep in my bed. Can you believe it?

Play Dough Fun

I found this great recipe for Play Dough in my family home evening book. I decided to make some for James Micheal. He loved it. He had fun rolling out the dough and using the cookie cutters to make shapes. It was a lot of fun, and really not that messy. I would have made some sooner, but, I was afraid he would try to eat it. Which, was a correct theory. Because, he almost put it in his mouth, he thought it was cookie dough. But, he seemed to understand me when I started molding things out of it. Enjoy my little artist's pictures

Sleepy Girl

I know I post a lot of pictures of Makayla sleeping. But, I just can't help it. She is so cute when she sleeps. And she always falls asleep with a toy by her or on her. I guess she is just so exhausted from all the work we make her do. Enjoy the pictures!

Saw Tooth Slumber

I wanted to post this adorable picture of Makayla sleeping on the couch. And yes, that is a saw in her hand. Don't worry it is a fake saw. She just decided to snuggle up to James Micheal's toy saw. It was too cute not to mention. What a sweetheart.

Makayla vs. The Crawling Ramp

The crawling ramp is probably the least favorite part of Makayla's therapy. I should just call it the crying ramp, because she hates it. When I say hate, I mean if she even smells it or touches it, she usually starts bawling. But, last night, when she was in an especially good mood, we decided to try the crawling ramp. And ya know what, she did wonderfully. She actually wiggled her bottom and her arms started moving forward at the same time. She was down that thing in five minutes flat. I guess she decided that if she didn't like where she was at, maybe, just maybe, she should do something about it. James and I are both so happy to see her finally moving. We were cheering her on and clapping. I am so pleased with our little Makayla. Way to go Makayla!!!!

Toys'R'Us Rocks!!

Makayla, my little darling girl, tends to, well....get bored of her toys after only a couple of days. They all seem to start feeling and sounding the same to her, I am guessing. So, every now and then we have to shop around to find good toys for her, that we know she would enjoy for more than a day. Which is difficult, because, I basically walk through the store like I am blind and try to find something that has texture, sound, and intrigue. That is not that easy when almost all baby toys are well, plastic. So, this is a challenge. Luckily, Toys'R'Us, had some great wooden toys. Makayla LOOOOVES wooden toys. Don't ask me why, but they are her favorite. We found one of those mazes toys with wood beads and wire. We had wanted to get one before, but I had never found one that was cheap enough. Wood toys are expensive! Anyways, we found one for ten bucks, and it has suction cups on the bottom of it, so it stays still. Eureka!! Someone at the toy company is a genius. So,here are some great pics of her playing with her new favorite toy.

Two Peas in a Pod?

So, I don't really know if I can say that about my nephew and my son, because they don't always get along. But, they are only nine days apart in age. They sure are a handful, but they are also so cute together. I am pretty sure it is a love hate relationship. I really do feel sorry for anybody who has twins. I only got a taste this week, but that was enough for me. Here are some cute pictures of them coloring and eating fruit by the foots. So cute!!

Goggles for Dinner

So, James Micheal happened to come upon our swimming goggles again. Which, I still don't know how he got them, where they came from, or where they go when he is done. But, I digress, back to my story. I was making Ham Bundles, possibly my husbands favorite meal of all time, that I make. I turn to see, who else, my little boy, wearing those dang goggles again. I was wondering to myself, where did those come from...again! So, I laughed as he ran around the room like a super hero with his big swimming goggles on. I sat him down for dinner, he began eating, I sat down to eat too. It took me about five minutes to realize that he was still wearing the goggles. So, I took a picture. He soon wanted them off again, to finish eating dinner. I took them off of his head and they have not been seen since. This has to be the most mysterious pair of goggles I have ever encountered. Well, enough of my dramatics. Have a good day everyone! We will see if the elusive goggles will make a third appearance in the next couple of months.

Ode to Potty Training

Well, I have decided to brave the beast of all beasts. Potty Training!!! I know what your thinking, "Audra, you haven't potty trained your 2 1/2 year old yet!" I know, I should have done it sooner but, I just haven't OK. So, this is my battle. An uphill battle that I can't see myself winning. But,I am going to fight to the death if I have too. I know I am being dramatic, but anyone who has ever tried or has potty trained an obstinate little boy, like my son, knows I have the right to be dramatic. He did go pee in the toilet twice yesterday, but he also had two accidents. So I think it is pretty much a tie right now. Will, see how this turns out. I hope to have him potty trained by the end of summer. Hope being the main phrase there. Any who, here are some cute pictures of James Micheal,putting on his big boy underwear. I don't think he gets the under part. Enjoy!