A muddy proposition

In honor of our 12th anniversary.......this is the story of our LONG engagement.

It was a wet Thursday night and my college roommates were getting ready to go to City Limits, the bar in our college town. I really didn't want to go but they were being completely relentless, insisting that I go. I had a chemistry (I think) test the next morning and really really needed to study. Needless to say, I went. We had been at the bar an hour or so and up walks Willie, which was strange since he lived 90ish miles away, I then understood the roomies insistence that I come out that night. Of course I was thrilled to see him and off we went to the dance floor. After a few songs we went back to our group and he told me that he wrecked his truck en route to the bar that night. He assured me it wasn't too bad but wanted to show me. So off we go to the parking lot, once we got to his truck he told me to get in, I was confused and I wanted to see the damage. Quite firmly he said, get in the truck , I need to talk to you. So I turned around and climbed in, when I look back over at him he is down on one knee in the muddy parking lot asking me to marry him. WHAT??? I was shocked, I was thrilled, I was a wee tiny bit amused. Only I, the world's biggest tomboy would get propositioned in a bar parking lot. Of course I said yes and thus began the 18-month engagement and here we are 12 years later....still laughing and playing in the mud!

Riding the Potty Train...oh yeah!!

After trying and stopping , and trying and stopping, and trying and stopping....you get the point. 3 weeks ago IT TOOK. Everyone kept telling me it would click and it did!!! I am excited, for so many reasons, buying diapers for two was getting ridiculously expensive, Kimber trying to "help" when I changed Matt was comical...kind of, Matthew's need to "see poop" when changing Kimber...well...not so comical.

So my firstborn is now streaking around the house in underwear which is cute but bittersweet. I catch myself still thinking it is weird to hear the toilet seat going up or down when Willie is not home. I bought him some boxer briefs last week and after seeing his little booty in them really just wanted to return them immediately, he looked at least 5 in them and I am SO NOT READY for that!!

Tee-Tee was our first step and wasn't too awful hard. Poo-Poo was the part I dreaded. See Matthew is a "pacer". Some kids hide and poop, some kids sit and grunt, my kid performs a fast pace to get the job done. For months I have been baffled at how I would get him to stay still to poop when he has been pacing to poop for nearly 2 years. We came up with the idea of a PUSH PRESENT and we let Matthew pick out a big Buzz Lightyear at the store with the understanding that he would not get it until he pooped in the potty. We put it up within his line of sight but way out of his reach. After church on Sunday he kept asking for a diaper to poop. Every time he asked I took him to the Buzz Lightyear and reiterated the fact that if he pooped in the potty he could get Buzz down, well it worked!!!! I was thrilled, who knew I would be this excited about another person's bowel movements.

Once again, parenthood is never what you expect it to be, much harder and more rewarding than anyone ever lets on!

Happy 10 Months Grey Bear!!!

Ten months, yep, you made it, we made it and what an exhilarating adventure. I am in full birthday planning mode. I want to make your special day so very special.

At ten months you are almost walking, you do the sumo stance a lot and just stand there and I know one of these days you will take a step and life as we know it will once again shift. You try to do EVERYTHING that your brother does, including climbing onto the couch, chair, fireplace hearth and into the bathtub. We get tickled watching you, as soon as you pull up on something, you immediately hike your right leg up in preparation to scale said obstacle. I am completely astonished by your appetite, you typically eat more than Matthew at most sittings.

I do believe you are the happiest baby on the planet, even though you are getting four top teeth as I write. You are NOT A SLEEPER. I hear stories from moms who talk about the kids sleeping 10 or 12 hours at night and I am convinced that you and your brother both acquired a gene from your father and you WILL NEVER EVER EVER sleep this long, until I need you to mow the lawn or something in 12 years. I am lucky to get a 5-hour stretch from you followed by a 3-hour one. You are getting better at naps but an hour nap is average.

Your brother has finally started calling you Timber, instead of baby. You boys have also started playing steamroller and wrestling and you think it is the most fun ever. You seem to adore him and think everything he does is just awesome. I am pretty sure you have NO CLUE that he is older and theoretically wiser.

Once again, we love you and feel blessed beyond measure to have your little non-sleeping big appetite self in our world!

Oh Ramona......

I am a reader, always have been, always will be. Though parenthood has slowed my pace CONSIDERABLY I am still a reader. Even as a kid, I loved reading so when I find out that Ramona and Beezus are coming to life in a movie, my first thought is what 'tween girl I can borrow to give me an excuse to go see it. The hubs wouldn't sit through it....even for me!

Wordless Wednesday

Things I Never Thought I Would Say

After our recent trip to the zoo and watching Madagascar 90,236 times, this is a common request around here:

"Please roar quietly, you're scaring Kimber", mind you Kimber is sitting in his carseat next to Matthew with a look of complete adoration.

Mono.....Mono......Mono........

No, no one in our house has Mono. "Mono" is how Matthew says "Bravo".

His German teacher says bravo to the kids for a job well done and some part of his Curious George DVD utilizes the word as well.

We have been potty training pretty hard the last few weeks and tonight after dinner I walked into the bathroom and Matthew was standing on his stool pee-peeing into the potty. This was the first time he went on his own without asking me to assist. I was elated and when I saw him I started praising him profusely and he jumped off the stool and screamed...."mono...mono....mono". I died laughing and am still amused at my little man.