Potty Training Attempt #1

It has been 5 days since we started potty training. Day one was great, Day two was horrible and day three, four, and five were a battle of the wills. I decided this morning that it is just not working. I know she is capable and has shown she has amazing bladder control, but she just doesn't want to do it. Since she is an independent little girl, I decided I would wait until it is not a battle. That may be in a few days, weeks, or months. Hopefully the next attempt will be less stressful on mommy and Riley. So for now I will choose to enjoy not having to run to the bathroom every 30 minutes. This picture shows the desperate measures I used to get her to use the potty. You can not see them, but she does have a plate of oranges on her lap. I should have stopped three days ago, but I think her mommy is just a stubborn as her.

The BIG Day

I can't believe that Quinn is now considered a "toddler" and Riley is a "preschooler". This year has just flown by. By God's strength, we made it through the year with minimal injuries and mental breakdowns. To all those strangers who looked at my pregnant belly and my baby girl last year only to tell me I needed depression medication and alcohol, I would like to respond by telling them that I made it through the first year with neither one. I would like to say that it is because we are amazing parents, but I would have to give most of the credit to God and friends and family who helped us out in so many different ways.

We celebrated the day by potty training and discontinuing bottles. Happy Birthday guys! However, we also made cupcakes, watched too many movies, consumed too much sugar, and ate dinner at McDonalds. Riley enjoyed her new doll with hair and boots. She called her "Martha" for a while, but now she is just "baby". "Baby" has boots, but Riley has to take them off in the house and set them next to our shoes. Quinn did not care about his gift, which makes me glad I only bought him crayons. I hope he is always that easy to please!

All in all, it was a wonderful day to celebrate the lives of our two little miracles born on the perfect day for a perfect purpose. Riley makes our lives full of joy, helps her parents learn patience, is an amazing big sister to her brother, and loves people with passion. Quinn constantly shows affection to us by giving kisses all day, brings joy by his laughter and huge smiles, and brings sweetness to our lives. I am so blessed by the both of them and I can't wait for another year with them!

Christmas and Stuff

We had a wonderful Christmas! We moved our Christmas tree on Christmas morning to the floor so the kids could actually touch it. They opened the simplest gifts and enjoyed each one of them. Riley's favorite was her M&M's and spin brush and Quinn's was his foam sword. I wish I would have discovered the spin brush sooner. Riley asks to brush her teeth all day! I made homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time and they were delicious! We spent the day with family and the kids enjoyed the gifts and, of course, the food.

One of Riley's gifts were Elmo and Dora underwear. We stared potty training yesterday. Overall, it was a pretty successful day. She went on her own 3 times and was very proud of herself! Today has been rough. She screams the second we walk in the bathroom and she has not gone on her own so far. I am trying to not make it a battle, so I am hoping she will eventually just get it. I am trying to be patient. I am sure she is ready, she just has to make the effort. Please pray for me!

Quinn is turning into a CRAZY little man. He is constantly climbing and falling. He has bruises everywhere and is always getting hurt. Last week we made a trip to Walmart. Quinn had a black eye, a bump on his head, and a shoe mark on his face. Yep, the stares were a little uncomfortable. He attacks Riley all day long. Good thing he is so cute and generally sweet.

Updates

Christmas is almost here and my two little ones have a big birthday coming up! I still have a hard time believing they were born on the same day just one year apart. God must have decided December 29th was an awesome day!

Quinn is suddenly acting like a toddler. He walks all the time and it seems as though crawling is a thing of the past. Many moms are sad when their babies start walking, but I don't think there is anything more adorable then a chubby almost 1-year-old walking around the house with a proud smile on his face. Quinn says "ball" all day long. He loves to throw the ball to anyone who is willing to play. He still has no interest in toys, but had a wonderful time with a paintbrush and empty oatmeal container I gave him today. He loves to wrestle his sister and kiss his mommy. He eats faster then any child I know. His smile and laugh are contagious.

Here is our super cute little man!

Riley is such a joy! She makes me laugh on a regular basis. Over the past few days, she has begun to repeat me word for word when I yell at her, and of course her facial expressions are just as dramatic as mine! It is so cute and naughty at the same time. Unfortunately, she also yells at Quinn all day long. He doesn't seem to mind though. He just smiles and tackles her. She soaks up everything I say or do. I guess its time to be on my best behavior! She has been reading a Snow White book, looks at the evil witch and says, "Mommy". Ouch! I don't get too offended though because she says Mark is Santa Clause and I am the Columbia Pictures statue. Riley has decided it is fun to wake up extremely early, run into our bedroom, jump on us, and yell, "morning!". It is sort of cute at 5:00am, but we want to break that habit as soon as possible.

I had left the room for a few minutes and found Riley here. She even turned the tv so she could see better. Yes, she got in trouble, but pretty impressive!

Riley played in the snow for the first time with Daddy. Hopefully that will continue to be daddy's job. I am not a fan of the snow.

This picture makes me laugh. I was trying to get a picture of them in their diapers. I now have two kids running from me when I try to take pictures!

Chocolate Water???

Last night was one of those nights. It was a night that I wish I could look on from an "outsider". My kids love to eat, almost to the point where it is a little ridiculous. Their dad is the same way except he never gains a pound doing it! Mark works most evenings so it is just the kids and I for dinner. Usually it feels like a race. How quickly can I prepare the food, eat it, and put the plates in the sink before any meltdowns occur? I seriously break a sweat sometimes. Last night I realized how funny it would be to watch us. I looked over at Quinn and he was snorting as he was finishing his food in literally a couple minutes. I then realized I had to eat as quickly as I could to beat the after dinner chaos. I had actually forgotten to eat lunch that afternoon, so I was hungry! As I was stuffing my face, I looked over at Riley. She had thrown her silverware on the ground and was eating with her face smack down on her plate. We all ate our dinner in a matter of minutes and no one said a word, besides the occasional snorting.

After dinner, Riley wanted chocolate milk. I told her she needed to drink water. So after her dramatic whine, she insisted she have chocolate water. So being the awesome mom that I am, I decided it would be funny to give her some. I mixed some chocolate into a nice, cold glass of water and stirred. I handed it to her and looked at me as though I was crazy. She said "yucky" and then proceeded to drink. She did not drink much, but watching her was so enjoyable! I don't think she will be asking for chocolate water any time soon.

Yep, that is what dinner is like in our house. I really should have adult company more often!

I'm so thankful for...

Plenty of food and messy faces

Blonde hair and blue eyes
Warm coats and peaceful sleep

Grammy

Joy and toddlers

Passionate singing during dinner

Two perfect miracles

An amazing daddy and husband

Music and singing babies

Cousins, Ernie, and pigtails

My Intense Little Beauty

Just a look back into the past!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been able to finally understand my little girl. In many ways, she is very different from me and in many ways she is similar. I have really struggled with knowing how to parent her. I know she is still so little, but I feel like I need to make good decisions now because they will affect her when she is older.

Riley has always been early in all of her developmental milestones. Although I know there is nothing wrong with that, I don't always feel prepared for the next stage so suddenly. She crawled early, walked early, gave up her morning nap early, talked early, sang early, and started having some pretty intense temper tantrums early. I am constantly trying to figure out how to teach her to be obedient. I have read books, talked to other parents, and used the trial and error method. I have felt like I just wasn't getting her little personality and I was frustrated with her too often.

Today as I was in the shower (my one time a day I can get away and think), it hit me. She is intense! For those of you who know Riley well, you are probably thinking "Duh!". Well I know she is intense, but I guess I never realized the extent of it. She walks, runs, laughs, cries, loves, sings, dances, and talks with intensity. When someone visits, no matter who it is, she runs around the house and screams at the top of her lungs as if the greatest thing in the world just happened. When she kisses me it's not a little peck, it's a knock your teeth out sort of kiss.

Riley is full of passion. I need to embrace her passion more instead of becoming frustrated. For her passion will allow her to love Jesus with all her heart, love others intensely, passionately hate what is evil, and be thrilled at every little blessing that may come her way. I pray that I will never suppress that intense spirit and that I will allow opportunities to express the gifts God has given her. Even though I may pull my hair out in the process!

Just some cute pictures

Riley "going potty" aka reading with her pants down

Riley cuddling her sleeping daddy.

Focused on her picture

My first good reason I don't do laundry very often

You are so darn cute!

Benefit of being a second child... Riley would have never gotten away with this.

"Seriously mom, this is so much better then your healthy desserts!"

All About Quinn

Quinn has been changing so much over the past couple of weeks.

He has become quite the climber. I never knew how different raising a boy would be then a girl. He climbs and bangs on EVERYTHING. The nursery staff even made a comment that he climbs everything in the nursery. Yesterday I found him standing on our recliner. He was just laughing and waving at me.

He is so very close to walking. He took 7 steps in a row the other day. He tries and tries. If it were his choice, he would just walk to me all day long and of course I would have to clap and give him numerous hugs and kisses for accomplishing the task. He walks to Riley and she hugs him and says, "Good job brother!". It is so cute and once I charge our video camera, I will record it.

He eats everything! I have not found anything he doesn't like yet. I could feed him a can of green beans for supper and he would be happy!

He hates his car seat again. He is starting to puke every time he does not want to be in the car. Interesting...

He is determined. He doesn't stop doing things until he figures it out. He has been upset quite frequently the last couple of weeks. I think he is just frustrated when he can't figure things out (putting Lego's together, walking, climbing the couch).

He seems to always have a bruise, bump, or cut. Yes, it is possible to be more adventurous then Riley. Pray for me.

He makes an adorable duck.

Week of Firsts

First Halloween:
Mommy and Quinn spent his first Halloween shopping. We walked around Target, Kohls, Babies R Us, and Barnes and Noble. I am not sure he enjoyed it too much, but mommy enjoyed spending some alone time with him. Riley went to Huntington to stay the night with Grandma. I assumed it would be difficult getting her to wear a costume. After some creative efforts, she finally wore her dog outfit. They were able to go to a few houses and I am sure she enjoyed it.

First Surgery:
Quinn had tubes put in his ears early Monday morning. While we were in the waiting room, he had a burst of energy. He began yelling and crawled a mile a minute. He even tried to climb the walls. There were a lot of babies and toddlers waiting for surgery and Quinn was definitely the biggest and the most hyper child. When it was his turn, it felt strange to leave him with a nurse. Thankfully, the surgery only lasted 15 minutes. I heard him screaming after he woke from the procedure and I wanted to jump over the front desk to hold him. I was able to see him soon after that. He cried for about 45 more minutes, but was content the rest of the day. Thinking back on the morning, I realize how blessed I am to have a healthy child and how thankful I am to only have to deal with such minor issues.

First Steps:
I was able to capture Quinn taking his first few consecutive steps. I can't believe how time has flown!


First Mullet:
Yes, its true. I gave Riley a mullet. She has always had a slight one, now its just more obvious. Her hair was really uneven in the front. She won't let me put anything in her hair- no ponytails, pigtails, or barrettes. Since her hair was always in her face, I decided I would buy scissors to trim her bangs. I gave her a sucker and began. She kept moving so I just did the best I could. I forgot that when hair is wet, its longer than when it is dry...ooops! She totally rocks the 80's style now. I thought about making the back of her hair a little shorter, but Mark says no. I decided hair grows and she is still an incredibly beautiful little girl. Maybe it will be the new trend, however, any advice on how to style mullets is appreciated.

Short and Sweet

I am going to make this post as short and informative as I can. Riley took the keys off our computer and some of the most important keys do not work. Here is what has happened in the last week.

* Riley is acting more and more like a two-year-old. I will spare the details. I continue to pray God will use her fiesty personality for a great purpose!
* Quinn took his first step. He usually looks like he is going to walk, but I think he realizes its just much easier/quicker to crawl. Take your time little buddy!
* My children have not been sleeping well, but I am sure its just a phase, or teething, or growth spurts...
* My wonderful friend , Karen, helped make some meals to freeze. It has been so helpful to have pre-made meals. I hope to continue doing this in the future.
* Eating and cooking healthy is a lot of work.
* We love story time at the Library. Riley does not like the "story time" because it is too boring, but she loves it when they sing songs. Quinn once again just sits there.
* Riley has been kneeling by her bed to pray for her stuffed animals and babies. It is so stinkin sweet!
* Quinn loves food, even more then Riley. It is so nice that he eats everything I give him!
* I will leave you with a couple of my favorite pictures that my friend Abby took a couple of weeks ago.

Do I have twins???

Lately I have felt like I have twins. Quinn is getting taller and Riley's rapid growing has slowed down. Their hair is starting to look more similar and they both have bright blue eyes. They wear the same size diapers and occasionally wear the same size pajamas. They follow each other everywhere and they are starting to "fight" over toys.

Today Quinn had another appointment with the Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist. He still has fluid in his ears, so he will be getting tubes in a couple of weeks. Hopefully the tubes will prevent any more ear infections. He has learned to give kisses. That boy has always loved getting them and now he can give them. The other day he threw up on my face as he kissed me. It was disgusting, but funny at the same time. He is very active and will still not play with toys. He does enjoy throwing them though. To my surprise, he has not attempted to walk and I am very happy with that! Today he tackled Riley and laid on top of her as she cried. She seemed so helpless and I just had to smile as Quinn was laughing.

I think this picture is Mark's all time favorite. She loves carrying his racquets around the house. Riley is still sleeping in her new bed. The transition was so much easier then I expected. Most of the time she will lay there until I come get her. Maybe that means potty training will go better then expected too! Riley as been very interested in watching everything I do. She pulls her chair up to the table to watch me cook and loves to watch me get ready in the morning. I have caught her having pretend conversations with her friend from the nursery. It is very strange, but I think she just always wants someone to talk to. She stands at the windows and yells for the neighbors to come play with her. She is such a social butterfly. Guess who did this?

Determined

I have been on one of my determination streaks. I go through those every once in a while. Now that I have accomplished running a race, I am determined to get our family eating healthier. I have realized how much I bear the responsibility of our health since I buy and cook the food. Mom, I know you are so proud right now! I have started planning every meal a week ahead of time and I put everything on a weekly chart. I realized that I can make sure we eat healthier when I can think through every meal. I have also set aside one day a week to bake all our breads, snacks, and desserts for the week. I have tried hard to bake with more whole wheat flour and I was even able to put some spinach in one of our desserts. Yesterday was my baking day and it was extremely tiring and difficult with both kids on my leg, but I did it! I am not sure how Mark feels about all this, but I do know he will eat healthier because there is not another option unless he cooks or goes grocery shopping. I think his body will thank me later :)

Preparing for TWO Toddlers

Yes, its true. I have been working tirelessly for the last 3 days switching bedrooms, taking down cribs, putting up a toddler bed, and storing away clothes and toys. I sit here tearing up just thinking about how my babies are growing.

As memories flooded my mind, I slowly packed the adorable bumper pads, mobile, changing table, baby swing, lamp, Quinn's hospital going home outfit, Riley's first birthday dress, and her big sister shirt. I sat in the room remembering the week we stenciled the wall when I was pregnant. I remembered looking at the empty nursery as I was on my knees thanking God for the chance to be a mother.

I thought about the long nights consoling Riley as a newborn thinking "Will she ever stop crying?" and "Will I ever sleep again?". I looked back on the day I put a "I'm going to be a big sister" note in the crib next to a sweet barely 5-month-old baby.

That was the room where I realized some babies do sleep after picking up Quinn from his long nap. I forgot what it is like to not take care of a baby, and that is an amazing gift.

As sad as this transition has been for me, it has been exciting to prepare for the next step in our journey. I love their new rooms and Riley is doing great in her toddler bed. The first night, she was so scared. I had to lay with her until she fell asleep. I held my hand on her chest and her little heart was pounding so fast. The next night I only stayed with her for a few minutes, and tonight I walked right out after our prayers.





I can't believe in just a few months we will have two toddlers in the house. In the meantime I plan on soaking this time up. I know it will be over too soon. We are a blessed family.

Apple Pie for Dinner

We had apple pie and ice cream for dinner last night. It was one of those days. The kids have had colds so they cried all day and their afternoon naps lasted approximately 25 minutes. The morning started with both of them waking early. There were meltdowns in Kroger, a box of cheerios spilled on the floor, and a kitchen drawer thrown by a very strong 1-year-old. My make-up was found all over the crib. A certain little girl drank some of her daddy's Cologne and poured it in our bedroom and over her body. Dinner started out as a disaster. I decided that I was just going to give us all some grace. I promptly served apple pie and ice cream for the main course. Everyone was happy for the 15 minutes we were eating. I am thankful for the tough days because they make the other days seem so much sweeter. This morning is already going well. I worked out already and Riley is playing paddy cake with her toast. It is going to be a good day!

Here they are taking their morning bath:

Summary of the Week

Over the past couple of weeks I have been trying to come up with ways for us to get out of the house. I have learned that doing this makes everyone happy, even though the process can be very exhausting. We went to the Library for story time. It surprisingly went good. They had puppets and sang songs. Riley sat the entire time (this is very rare) and Quinn smiled as we all sang really cheesy songs. I met some other moms and I hope to go again. Last Friday we went to Salomon Farms for a fall festival. Riley picked out her own little pumpkin and Quinn sat and stared at the pumpkins and hay.

On Saturday morning we got the kids up, ready, and out the door by 6:40am for my first race. Mark was kind enough to drop me off and take the kids to watch. All the ladies were impressed at his parenting skills. I have to admit, he is very patient with them and is great at multi-tasking!

Riley is getting so big! She can sing the entire alphabet except M,N,and O and she counts to 12. She occasionally calls Quinn "Ninn" instead of "brother" or "bubby". This makes me very sad. Most of her words are now pronounced correctly too. She is growing up way too fast. During Quinn's morning nap, we try to do some special activities together. We have had some tea parties with water and crackers. Today I let her work on sorting the silverware drawer. It seemed boring to me, but she loved it!


Quinn is in to everything. He is emptying pots and pans and crawling in the cabinets. He stood on his own for a couple seconds yesterday. Hopefully he can hold off on his walking for just a little bit longer. He loves food just like his sister. He eats everything I give him, unless it is baby food. If he is not eating what I have, he looks at my plate and fusses. He even eats things he doesn't like. I can tell because he cries the entire time he is chewing, but he will still eat it. Don't worry, I sometimes will give him a break and feed him something else.

We are working on finding the best ways to discipline Riley. Over the last week, I have put her in the corner when she continues to fuss or throw a temper. Today I heard her crying, I looked over and she was playing. She would say "sit", sit down pretend to cry and say "no cry!". She did this over and over. Of course, she stopped by the time I got my camera out. She sure is a smart little Drama Queen.

That's all for now. I really should blog more frequently so my posts aren't so long!