2 months old

My latest project

I've always said I'd rather give birth than potty train...although that IS creating more of the problem, now isn't it! Anyway, baby #3 entered our family in April, and she has proved to be a sweet little addition to this madness we call home. She is now cooing, smiling, and you will hear an occasional squeak from her. :) She was born with tons of wild black hair that is already changing to blonde. Her siblings think she is just the cutest...and often tell her so.

Oh, and about potty training, I think the little guy FINALLY has the hang of things. Guess what worked....waiting until he was ready.

The Dump

I love these photos of Daddy and DD (click on photo to see slide show) waiting for the big dump of the water bucket! The kids are so blessed to have such a great Dad that loves to be with and play with them! He's still a kid at heart, and one of the things I love about him!

Pottytraining

Pottytraining...(insert long sigh here)...I'm convinced that word alone can give hundreds if not thousands of parents cold-sweat nightmares, me included. There are times where I think I'd rather give birth. Of course that's just creating more of the problem now, isn't it! It seems like we've been at this for a year. It's not that he can't do it, it's that he doesn't care. He WILL go in the potty if you put him on it every 10 minutes, but not once, not ONE SINGLE TIME has he actually told US he needed to go. I keep thinking maybe he's not ready, but then I wonder if it's really HIM or ME? Oh don't get me wrong, I'm ready to stop buying diapers and wipes by the cart-full once a week. I'm ready to stop doing diaper duty. But I'm really getting tired of hauling around the "little green machine" to clean up the puddles. My only comfort is that every parent goes through this. Most kids make it through alive. And on the other side, there's the oasis of happiness and harmony, right? (OK, so I've already done this potty-training thing once and I know that's not true.) I guess we have time--he's only 2. I'll just keep buying diapers. After all, my sanity is worth something, right?

Fun (with) Friends

This is the first year we've actually done something fun for New Years in a long time. We met dear friends of ours in Iowa for an extended weekend of indoor waterpark fun, conversation, and relaxation. And boy did we ever accomplish those things! It's always fun to get away, especially when you enjoy the company so much!

Motherhood Rollercoaster

I always knew it, people told me, but you don't REALLY realize it until your kids keep you up all night, wake you up too early, and throw up on the open stairs where it overflows onto the shelves of toys stored underneath (this pretty much summarizes my last 24 hours). What is it I always knew? Motherhood is a full-time job. No, that's not even accurate, because full-time is considered 40 hours a week. No, motherhood is a 24-hour, non-stop, roller coaster ride, with lows as low as the highs are high. Part of the problem is there's no one to take over when you've had enough. Oh sure, I can hand them off to my husband, or ship them off to Grandma's house, but I'm still the Mom. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Sure, there are times I wonder what it would cost to sell them on eBay (and no, I wouldn't really do that...yet) but there are times where you want to hug them close and just smell their hair or feel their warm foot on your leg. Times where they actually share or are nice to each other. So I guess if I have to take the bad with the good, then bring it on. I can handle it...I hope!

Gotta Love Cathy Z

"What do you want for Christmas?" Ah, that dreaded phrase I hear sometimes as early as Thanksgiving. My answer, "I don't know, let me think about it." Well, this year I asked and got something that exceeded my expectations--Cathy Zielske's book, Clean and Simple Scrapbooking, the Sequel. I love it! Honestly, I probably like the layouts in her first edition a little better (don't get me wrong, they're BOTH great!), but her advice and instruction really hits home with me in the sequel. I'm convinced that any scrapbooker can benefit from both of her books! But, then again, I love Cathy's style. Clean, simple, tell the story. I'm a "what's the point" kinda gal, and I think Cathy is, too. I just gotta love Cathy for that!

Computer Literate?

2007 is here already, can you believe it? I've decided this is the year to join the online blogging community...apparently it helps develop better scrapbook journaling, which is one of my goals for 2007. I can't imagine why anyone would want to read what I've rambled on about, but oh well, here goes nothing!


Today, I thought I got a virus on my computer. It was weird that every time I went to click and type somewhere (like a new web address), the box filled up with dashes. So I started a system scan. Nothing. Hmm, must be one of those new virus's (is that a word?) that they don't have a fix for yet. I just hope it doesn't lock me up before I can get it removed. Then I realized my pile of papers, magazines, and books that can be found just to the right of my keyboard had shifted and was resting on the upper right corner of my keyboard...on a dash. Wow, I wish all "virus's" were that easy to figure out!