Just funny

Okay, so if you haven't/don't have a potty training kid, you will not appreciate this post. But I'm using this blog as a place to record our family's "accomplishments" - no matter how big, small, or stinky they may be! I found a way to print our blog, so I'm liking this more than photobooks!

Last night at bible study, a brief part of our conversation was about unforgiveness. Our leader told us about her experience with holding back forgiveness from someone who caused her physical and emotional pain. How she finally, after a very long time, was able to forgive him. In the most southern twang you can imagine, she said before she was able to forgive she had been experiencing "spiritual constipation". HAHAHAHA! I LOVE her!! I can still hear everyone laughing it up after she said that! But it truly does clog up =) that conversation line to God if you aren't careful. I have definitely experienced it more than once, I'm ashamed to admit.

Anyway, after bible study, I got a call from EC (with Bo's help). She had to tell me that she went "poopoo in the potty by herself!" How timely =) Bo said she wouldn't let him dispose of it until I came home to see it. He didn't prompt her to go. She just went in the restroom, came out with a wipe, went back to the restroom, and then came back out to announce her accomplishment =) Here she is with her clean potty.

I'm not whacky enough to take a picture of "it". Come on people, I do have limits!

I have to admit, I have not been "potty training" EC. I thought about it when I was pregnant, but then the thought of taking her to public restrooms with a huge preggo belly put things into a different perspective. Can't you just see her army crawling under the stall walls as a big pregnant Emily chases her yelling "Get off the floor. Gross!" We have kept little potties in all our restrooms and in February we started giving her a candy heart every time she went potty #1. At Eric's birthday party, we gave him a Thomas the Train "cozy blanket". EC insisted she needed a Dora cozy blanket. So we told her if she went poopoo in the potty, we would get her one. Months go by, and Grandma found a Dora blanket on sale at Publix. So EC got a Dora blanket this weekend that she is in LOVE with! No worries about what to get now that she has gone potty though, she wants a Dora backpack =)

Today, she has been great about going potty. But she did ask for a diaper before lunch after she "tried" to go poopoo again. She was very adiment about having a diaper too. So we will see if she keeps it up.

We are reinforcing the letter A this week. Here is one of our crafts.

There is nothing like tearing up tissue paper and painting it onto card stock! I had to sneak my photos because she didn't want me to take any.

I'm also starting insanity again. Hopefully I will not injure myself... and apparently my workout wore someone else out too.

There is nothing like having a smiling little cheerleader one second and this little sleep angel the next! I had to give her a sassy because she kept choking on those beautiful little fingers. They are her favorite toy right now!

Guess who is 12 weeks old!

Sorry I have been absent lately. Some where in all the traveling last week and the consignment sales the week before that, I got TWO weeks behind in my bible study. Yikes! If that isn't the devil at work, please tell me what is! So I have spent my spare time (ha) trying to catch up. I finally finished the two weeks that I missed, now I have to get through this week's lessons before Monday. I hate having to do so many lessons in one day. I feel like I'm cheating myself out of my quality time with God, but I am determined to complete the entire study with our group. So here's to getting four more lessons and lots of reviewing done by Monday. Oh, did I mention we are traveling tomorrow? =) Check out these cookies I made for bible study last week. Amazing!!

Okay, so check out my littlest sweetie at twelve weeks!

Wow where did the time go!

Here are a couple of new things she is up to...

Scooting around in the walker. She LOVES it!

Trying out the Bumbo in her easter jammies from her friend Lily!

And in this one she is actually in her high chair even though you can't really see any of it because I covered it with a blanket. Also, you can see she is cuddling her blanket. She loves to cuddle things in her sleep now.

And Miss EC is 2 years and 5 months - whoa slow down chick!

EC tried out her new desk from Katie this week! Thank you Katie for letting us borrow it!

You can see I helped her write upper case A, then she told me she needed to write lower case a by herself. We will keep working on that =)

EC's cuteness:

When Annabelle gets the hick ups, EC says "She's got pick ups"

Tonight at Target I made the mistake of going by the "Easter" isle. She told me she wanted Dora, then she wanted Chuggington. I told her she could pick one thing because she was very good at dinner and while we were shopping. So she told me, "I want Chuggington, but you need Dora to go home with you momma." Gotta love how she thinks! She tried it again later when I said we were not going to watch Dora. I told her I was going to watch my show and she was going to bed. So she said, "You are gonna watch your show momma, then I'm gonna watch one Dora." She said some other stuff that had me rolling with laughter one the inside =)

I recently read this article about choosing a guardian and this article about deciding if you should become a guardian to someone else's children. If you have a child/children and don't have a guardian picked out, you need to get on it people! We are getting on trying to get ours officially in writing, so someone other than the person/people we have picked out will know! =)

Our Saint Patty's Day Story

Anyone who knows poppa knows that is a true story!

Before bed last night, Poppa was holding Annabelle while EC and I were brushing our teeth. Poppa had Annabelle just giggling up a storm! It was precious. She has really started giggling so much more this week, but Annabelle gave her first giggles to Aunt Deb and cousin Jessie when she was 7 weeks old.

Poppa told EC that he was going to let Annabelle sleep in his bed, to which she replied, "No, Annabelle sleeps in us, our bed" and later, "Momma is gonna get Annabelle from Poppa's hands." She is very serious about keeping her little sister close.

Girls only slumber party!

So Bo spent the week in San Diego working insane hours. Waking up on GA time, finishing the day on CA time. He is such a hard worker. We have all missed him. EC has asked for "daddy's music" in the car and constantly pretends she is going to work to get daddy for me. So sweet! However, there is one thing she likes about daddy not being here and that is having a girls slumber party with Annabelle and me!

I tried to get a better picture of Annabelle, but since I was taking these in the pitch black dark of night none of them turned out very well - and then EC started to stir.

So these pics will have to do! But it was too sweet to see them sleeping together - right before EC put her elbow into the side of AB's face =) These were all taken at Deb's house on Monday. Check out my drool monster

She talks about as much as EC - if you can fathom that!

I think she is just precious

Okay I'll stop gushing about my babies...

After spending the week at my parents house I have determined it is FULL of stuff. Some would say all junk, but I have found a few precious items this week that mom is going to let me take home. I think this will be perfect painted and then given a light wash in the nooks and crannies to make the details pop.

There are two more, a fish and a butterfly. The plan is to hang them above the stove in our kitchen. They were holders for hot pots and pans that my mom used on our table when I was little. I found them just sitting on the corner of a cabinet when I was walking to the laundry room. What a treasure! And check out these beautiful cards I found on her painting table.

I plan to place black and white pictures in the card so they show where the words are now. Then I'll put them in white frames - possibly with white mats - and hang them in Annabelle's room.

What do ya'll think? Any suggestions?

Here is one of mom's latest paintings

I LOVE it and of course she doesn't. The picture does not even begin to do it justice. I told her I'm going to steal it if Deb or Sandy don't claim it!! It would look fantastic in a chocolate brown frame.

Okay, two more pics of the girls because I love the crazy, blonde curls on her head - especially post nap =)

And these sweet cheeks are dying for me to squeeze them!

I wonder if she is dreaming about catching pink elephants =)

Toy Room/Entertainment Room Part II and work update

Trying to find bins that fit our new book shelves has been an adventure! EC and I went to three different Target stores and only found three of these bins (click on the word to take you to the webpage that shows the bins). I found two more at the Target off Spout Springs when I went to visit Deb on Monday. I plan to check the Newnan Target and the Target at Atlantic Station on our way home Friday. So I have five and I'm looking for three more. I could order them online, but then I would have to pay shipping and wait weeks to get them. Since I'm doing so much traveling this week, we might as well stop in the Targets along the way!

I also loved these Dr Suess bins, but they are three inches too short and more expensive - although shipping would be free because I have Amazon Prime =)

Well, I spoke to my boss (Stephen) about work this Monday (hence my trip to Deb's house, she kept EC while Annabelle and I drove to work - Bo has been in San Diego all week.) I asked Stephen if I could take an unpaid personal leave for the next three months. I'm still not sure what I want to do about working or staying home. Stephen said they would like to have me back now, but they would be willing to work with me because they don't want to loose me. That was good news, so we are waiting for all the paper work to come through on all of that. I appreciate working for a company that is willing to work with me!

Sorry this post is kind of random. I'm trying to carry on a conversation with my mom and random questions from EC while I type! Hope everyone is having a great week!

Children's Museum

Oh what fun EC and I had Saturday at the Children's Museum with Mary, Elizabeth, and Ann Marie! That place is so cool. If you have children (or one you can borrow for a few hours), it is really awesome. A yearly membership, if you live near Atlanta, would totally be worth it. I could see spending hours there with children of all ages - even those in their 20s, 30s, 50s =)

EC seemed to spend the first part of our time there just taking it all in. She went from area to area just checking it all out.

When we finally decided to pry EC and Ann Marie out of there, we all had lunch at Chick-fil-a's house =) It was a great morning!

Bo and Annabelle were at home having some daddy/daughter bonding time. She slept a long time and took two bottles from daddy before I made it home. He said she did great! No crying - woohoo!

Annabelle has been drooling for about three weeks now. EC did the same thing at her age. I know the drooling will continue for the next three months before we actually see any teeth. She also started rolling from tummy to back this weekend. She doesn't do it all the time yet, but she has been able to roll off her tummy several times and seems to be quite satisfied with herself! I also caught her intentionally grabbing her toy elephant in the car on Friday. I looked over and saw her with a steady hand staring down her elephant and inching her fingers closer and closer to his snout until she successfully held it in her hand. AWESOMENESS! So glad I got to see her big accomplishment =)

We all spent the last part of the week at Scott and Amelia's house. Emma Catherine and Eric had a fun time at Eric's nanny's house (Ms. Jill), while Amelia and I went to consignment sales. I did not have any luck finding a good double stroller, but I'm not giving up yet! I did find some great summer clothes for EC and Amelia picked up several new things for the newest baby girl McVay (FYI: Eden and Audrey are the top two names now. I'm cheering for Audrey. I love Audrey Hepburn. And if they go with Audrey, then the new baby would have an A name like Annabelle! Eric and EC, Audrey and AB!)

Here are some fun things EC has done/said lately:

When I picked her up from Ms. Jill's house, "Momma, I missed you so much." And before I leave her room at night she says, "Momma, I love you so much."

We ate hibachi on Friday night with Scott, Amelia, and Eric. When the cook did the "big fire" volcano as Eric calls it, he started screaming and crying out of fear. So EC started rubbing Eric's arm and telling him "it's okay buddy". Note that this is the same girl who screamed and cried the last time we ate hibachi.

When EC and Eric played at Ms. Jill's house she would randomly hear Eric say, "Come on Cafrin". To which EC would respond, "I'm comin, I'm comin"

Jill also said they would often bicker like an old married couple in the van "It's mine" "mine!"

Ah, what a great age!!