Conversations with Crumpets

Josh was playing with Ethan
Michael:  Daddy, that's my Ethan!

I painted Michael's room blue
Michael:  Mommy paint my room black again!

Michael:  Mommy I want my brown walls back!

Me:  Should we sing a song?
Michael:  I want popcorn popping.
Me:  I looked out the window and what did I see?
Michael:  No, mommy.  I want popcorn popping, I don't want to sing popcorn popping.

Me:  Are you still mad at me?
Michael:  No.
Me:  Okay.  Do you still like me?
Michael:  No.
Me:  Okay then.
Michael:  But I love you.

Elli has named her boots Princess boots or Elsa boots.
Me:  What boots are you wearing today?
Elli:  Uh Elsa!
Me:  Okay the silver ones.
Elli:  No!  Princess!
Me:  Okay the pink ones.
Elli:  Yes, pink.
Me:  Okay come here.
Elli:  No, Elsa!  Elsa boots!

Michael wrapped a blanket around himself
Michael:  Mommy I'm pretty.  I'm a pretty princess.  Look at my pretty dress.
(I think someone gets a little jealous when I ask Elli if she wants to wear a pretty dress)

Me:  How old are you?
Elli: ...Elli!
Me:  That's your name.  How old are you?
Elli:  ...L. E.
Me:  What's you name?
Elli:  One!

Michael went poop in the potty without any coaxing
Michael:  I want cheesecake!
Me:  Okay, we can do that.
Michael:  I want a car!
Me:  Okay, you get to pick one for going poop.
Michael:  I want marshmallows and chocolate!  And a butter cookie!  And Ice cream!  I want everything!

Doing a puzzle and Michael starts freaking out
Michael:  Mommy I'm missing a piece!
Me:  It's in your hand.
Michael: ....oh yeah.

Michael:  Mommy, you have something in your belly?
Me:  What is it?
Michael:  A baby!
...don't get any ideas

Me:  Michael when you get old you can work like daddy.
Elli:  Elli?
Me:  You can work or you can have babies.  How does that sound?
Elli:  Babies!!!

3

Michael is 3 now and I'm still floored by how fast time has gone by.  This kid brings a lot of laughs and love to our family.  Of course he brings plenty of craziness, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Here are a few things about Michael:

• He is fully potty-trained, even night-trained.  I'm so thankful I really didn't have to night-train him.  
• His favortie movies: Monster Inc., Toy Story, How to Train Your Dragon, Brave, Frozen, and the Princess Diaries 2
• His favorite TV shows:  Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Daniel Tigers Neighborhood, Super Why, and Chuggington
• Favorite Foods:  Mac & Cheese (the Dragon kind), Peanut Butter, Spaghetti, Quesadillas, and any kind of fruit
• He is amazing at puzzles.  I've noticed that he likes to find order out of them, it calms him down and holds his attention.  He has mastered all of out 24 piece puzzles.  He is pretty good at the few 60's he's done.  We have a few 100 piece puzzles that he likes working on, especially his Dragon one and his TMNT puzzles
• He is interested in reading, but doesn't sit still long enough for me to teach him what sounds the  letters make.  He does like me to read to him a lot.
• Loves Ethan.  Whenever Ethan is laying on the ground he goes up next to him and cuddles.  He picks out Ethan's clothes and PJ's whenever possible.  He helps me change his diapers.  He sings songs to him and talks to him.  Ethan even "talks back" to him.
• Loves having Elli as a partner in crime.  They are generally really good together.  Unfortunately they get into trouble together too.  Nothing too bad, but I will say lately I've had to wash marker off the cushions on my chairs multiple times.  
• Thanks to homeschooling he knows the first three Articles of Faith.  It's cute when he recites them...loudly....in sacrament meeting....because I told him to think about Jesus.
• He managed to escape the terrible two's with only a handful of tantrums that weren't diffused in less than 2 minutes.  I can only remember two horrible ones, one at his cousins baptism, and the other a few days later at home where he sat in a corner and screamed for a half hour.  

Three will bring us a whole new challenge.  I'm worried about more back-talking, fighting with Elli, and completely getting rid of naps (he still takes about 3 a week).  I'm grateful potty-training, deciphering every word, and explaining the difference between girls and boys is over with!  

Happy Birthday little man!

That time he got stuck in the chair and couldn't get out.  It only took 5 minutes to get him out of it.

First big boy bed

The shoe fettish phase

Oh buddy, how you've grown.

Conversations with Crumpets

Me:  Thank you for trying.
Michael:  Thanks, but I didn't try very good.

Michael threw a blanket over me
Michael:  Mommy you look pretty, pretty, pretty in your dress!

Me:  Do you want to start preschool?
Michael:  Yes, with the girls!
Me:  No, you're doing preschool at home.
Michael:  Well I do dance with the girls.

Me:  Are you mad at me?
Michael:  No, I'm not mad at you anymore.  I was mad at you earlier.

Me:  Do you like preschool?
Michael:  Yes!
Me:  What's your favorite part?
Michael:  Painting!
Me:  We only did that once.  Don't you like reading books?
Michael:  No, I don't like reading books.  I like to paint!

Michael:  Mommy draw me a boy.
I drew a stick figure on his paper
Michael:  Mommy, uh-oh you forgot his pants!  You didn't give him hair!  Where his face?

Josh's aunt has a dog named Chowder
Michael:  What's for dinner?
Me:  A potato soup thing.
Michael:  I don't like soup.
Me:  Well good thing it's a chowder.
Michael:  I don't want to eat dog!

Michael saw one of his grandmas in a skirt with pantyhose
Michael:  Mommy!  Mommy!  Mommy!  Grandma has grey legs!

Elli fell and hit her head, in the same place she has 100 times before
Michael:  Seriously child.


I realize not a lot of these are from Elli, but she's been too busy running around the house singing Frozen songs lately.  EVERY Frozen song.

Michael's 3rd birthday party (parties)

Like I said before, life has been a little crazy.  Michael turned 3!  I still can't believe he's 3, time has gone by so fast.  Oh well.

Since we have a lot of family, we have to do multiple birthday parties for our kids.  Michael really wanted to go to Jungle Jims, so we decided to take the kids and a few cousins.

Michael loves my sisters kids.  LOVES.  So much so that I'm surprised he hasn't tried to run away to their house.  Sometimes I think he believes they are his older sisters.  He'll hate when he realizes they aren't.  Anyways, they had fun helping Michael and Elli get on to the rides.

They had fun picking out prizes and candy to munch on.  We went out to lunch to celebrate Michael's birthday with my family.  

Two weeks later, closer to his actual birthday, we had a joint party with Josh's side of the family.

Michael had a lot of fun at his parties.  So much so that he keeps thinking that every birthday we celebrate is his too.  I've had to tell him multiple times that he doesn't get a gift on my birthday, only I do.  You can imagine how well that went over.

Homeschooling

After much thought, a lot of research, and article after article we have decided to homeschool.  At least for Preschool.  We'll decide after that, but more on that later.

Our journey to homeschooling started over a year ago.  I'm not entirely sure where I picked up the idea.  It's so popular now that it really could have been anywhere.  Wherever it was, I'm glad I did.  Since then I have looked at several curriculum plans, planned out multiple years, read many blog posts, and found a lot of convincing studies on topics that concerned me.  Through this process I slowly narrowed down a few choices for Preschool (there are many more I've looked at that only cater to older children).

1. Calvert.  This was the first option I found.  I loved how interactive their curriculum seems to be, but it didn't seem to involve much reading.  It's secular and very expensive.  
2. Sonlight.  This is a big brand used mostly by Christians.  They put the emphasis on literature and include multiple stories and poems to read every day.  There are a lot of optional activites that go along with the stories.  It's $325 for the Pre-Kindergarten year.
3. The Learning Box.  I have a friend in my ward who told me about this a few months ago.  There are different sized boxes (a 3-day, 5-day, and younger 3-day) that include lesson plans and almost everything you would need to do crafts.  It's very interactive.  It is expensive (the cost of sending a kid to an in-home Preschool) but it is cheaper if you pre-order for multiple kids.  There is a base price of around $50, and every child after that is an extra $5 (just for craft supplies).  

I looked at all three way too much.  They all have pros and cons.  I eventually decided to go with Sonlight with a few changes.  The optional activites have become a must, and I'm adding at least one craft project a day.  You can see the first three weeks worth of curriculum online and I've scoured Pinterest for craft ideas to go along with the books and stories scheduled.  Hopefully we will have a package on our front porch by tomorrow and we can start next Monday.

There are a lot of reasons why the homeschool idea stuck with us.  The biggest reason is cost.  $325 for a year (not including crafts and a few activity costs) is hard to beat.  Around here in-home programs are around $60 a month, the school district programs are $80 a month, and most private Preschools start at $100 a month.   Another big reason is being able to start Michael when he showed interest in school, which now he does.  He asks everyday when he can start Preschool.  Because of his age he would normally have to wait until next fall, but this way he doesn't have to.  Other reasons include: he sleeps in late and still needs a nap in the afternoon making morning or afternoon Preschool difficult, Elli can join in instead of crying the whole time he's gone, he can build up his attention span slowly instead of being expected to instantly pay attention to a teacher for an hour+, he has people close to his age to socialize with at home, and I don't believe kids really learn how to socialize by being around a bunch of other kids their age who don't know how to socialize.  

For now the plan is just Preschool, but we will see.  I'm not against homeschooling later on if one of our kids doesn't seem to be excelling in public school.  We'll just take it one day and one year at a time.

Conversations with Crumpets

Me:  Elli I love you.
Elli:  Thank you mommy!

Michael has been saying some really cute prayers lately
Michael:  Bless us to have cookies.  Help us go zoo.  Bless us eat apples.  Bless us eat candy.

Me:  Elli, did you hit Michael?
Elli:  Uh huh!
Me:  Why?
Elli:  Michael hit me.
Me:  Are you sure?
Elli:  Yeah (with the biggest smile on her face)
*twenty seconds later*
Michael:  Elli hit me again!

Josh:  Michael, stop it!
Michael:  No!  I very, very sad.  I so, so, so sick.  I'm very, very mad!

Me:  What's you name?
Elli:  Summer!

Josh was leaving for work and Elli saw him
Elli:  No!  I come, I come!  Cuddle me!

Michael:  I want fruit. (x10)
Me:  For your snack in an hour.
Michael:  Stop asking me mommy.

My sister Brooke and her husband Nick took some family pictures of us
Elli:  Bye-bye Nickey Mouse!

Elli has had a runny nose
Michael:  Mommy, Elli's nose is running away.

Michael:  You don't get dessert, I tickle you!

Elli went to timeout for hitting me
Me:  What did you do wrong?
Elli:  Michael hit me!

Pumpkin Patch

Forgive me while I try and catch up on the last few months of out lives.  You'll see a lot of backdated posts.

Right before Halloween we decided we should get the kids some pumpkins.  Life has been a little crazy with Josh working two jobs, and we didn't think about pumpkins.  Luckily Josh had the Friday before Halloween off and we went to a pumpkin patch.

We loved watching these little monsters going through the small maze.  Except when Michael got lost for a total of 5 seconds and started screaming his head off.

We let them pick out their own pumpkins.  Michael's first pick was a 20lb pumpkin.  Luckily he changed his mind to a small 2 pounder he could carry around.  He also picked out a pumpkin for Ethan.  Elli, in true Elli fashion, ran way into the middle of the field and carried her little pumpkin back to us.  Ethan just hung out and ate my hair.

One of my favorite pictures of all time

Picasso

I rarely let my kids do any art projects.  I should let them do more, but honestly it's just a pain in the butt.  Elli is constantly eating crayons or sucking the juice out of markers.  Michael is yelling at her not to do it.  Ethan isn't content to sit and watch from his high chair.  One or more kids needs a nap.  One or more kids is hungry.  Half the time they need a bath right after.  I have to strip them down so they don't ruin their clothes, but they scream about not wearing anything.  You get the idea.  It's suddenly not fun and more of a chore for everyone involved.

A while ago I posted about how I didn't let Elli color for a long time.  I've let her color more, to the detriment of multiple markers.  We've had fun.  Really, we have.  Especially the next day when I change her diaper and discover she must have ate another crayon when I ran to get more paper.  Thank goodness Crayola is non-toxic.

I'm gearing up to start Michael in Preschool really soon (this is a post for another day though) and decided he needed a little more work with artistic things before I start doing crafts all day long.  So I let him paint.  I bought a ten pack of paints and found a day where Michael woke up from his nap before Elli.   He did great.  He loved painting and even got the concept of dipping the paint brush in water between colors.

His favorite thing to paint was Mike Wazowski.  As you can see he had me paint one in the corner.  He did have a problem with painting so much in the same area that the paper ripped.  Hopefully that will get better.

After he got the concept I decided to let Elli try the next day.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but there is a streak of brown paint coming out the side of her mouth.  Ten minutes later her paper wasn't painted any more than pictured, her face was yellow, and her paper plate had some pretty rainbow swirls.  How do I get this child to stop eating markers/crayons/paint/dirt??

Now the kids ask to paint every day.  Maybe I should have thought this through a little more first, but I like my wall covered in Picasso's of Mike Wazowski.

Conversations with Crumpets

Michael had a wipe in his hand and was wiping the ground
Me:  What are you doing?
Michael:  I'm wiping the sidewalk.  The ground is dirty!

Michael:  I NEED to clean the car mom.

Elli:  Poke.  Poke.  Poke.
Michael:  No touching me Elli!
A minute later
Michael:  Poke you Elli!  Poke my belly button!

Michael picked up a toy phone
Michael:  Hello?  Oh, hi!  Oh, my phone's dying.  I'll talk to you later!

We went out to dinner and Josh was taking Michael to the bathroom
Josh:  Come on buddy, this was.
Elli:  I coming!  I coming!

Michael was awake most of the night one night this week.  Josh went in to check on him.
Josh:  Why aren't you sleeping?
Michael:  There is a crocodile under my bed.
Josh:  No there isn't, let me show you.
Michael:  Yes there is!
He acted scared the rest of the night.  Then the next morning...
Michael:  Mommy I had a crocodile under my bed!
Me:  Really?  Were you scared of it?
Michael:  No!

Me:  What book do you want to read before bed?
Elli:  Train book, train book!  Mommy I sit lap!

Elli:  A B C D E F G Mickey Mouse!  H I J K L M M M M O P Mickey Mouse!  Q R S T U V W X W Z Mickey Mouse!

Michael and Elli LOVE Taylor Swifts Shake it Off, mostly because I found a Youtube video of a dad and daughter dancing to it....and it involves a horse mask
Elli:  Shake it off, shake it off!  Play, play, play.  Shake it off!

Michael:  I want to paint Michael Wazowski.
Me:  Oh Mike.
Michael:  No Mike.  I'm Mikey
Me:  Hi Mikey!
Michael:  No!  You not call me Mikey, I'm Michael!
Me:  Okay Michael.
Michael:  No, I not Michael Wazowski.

Michael:  Mommy you're pretty!  Let's put a dress on you!

Michael:  Elli you're cute!

Elli:  Airplane!
repeated a thousand times a day when she sees a plane

Oh Parenting.

These three cute kids are perfect.  They really are.  Except when they aren't.  Even then they are still perfect.  Doesn't make much sense, does it?

Parenting is difficult.  One moment Michael is finishing a 60 piece puzzle by himself, Elli is counting to 10, and Ethan is laughing.  The next Michael is screaming while throwing train pieces, Elli is biting everyone in sight, and Ethan is spitting up sweet potato on the carpet for the 50th time.  There are days where I could say parenting is easy.  Then the next, parenting is a pain in the butt.  Let's be honest though, most days I go between those two extremes at least a hundred times.  Right at this moment I'm thinking this is easy, only because all three are napping.  Ten minutes ago I was telling yelling at Michael to go potty, I was forcing Elli to go to time-out because she was jumping on a puzzle, and I was forcefully ripping my hair out of Ethan's hands as he screamed.

For a while it was hard to not give in to these moments and have a mini-breakdown.  Lately I just go with it.  I have to keep telling myself that even if they are horrible all day they will all be smiling as I read them a story right before bed.  That moment every night where everything is perfect is what I look forward to all day.  I keep that perfect image in my head.  When we do have a few perfect moments throughout the day it's like Christmas came early.  The rest of the time - when everything is crazy - I just hold on to that perfect image and somehow these cute little monsters are still perfect, they are just learning.

Conversations with Crumpets

Michael went in the garage and closed the door so he was sitting in the dark
Josh:  Did you have fun out there in the dark?
Michael:  Yeah, I died.

Josh:  Give us a kiss before bed.
Michael:  But I kissed you last night.

Michael:  The mosquitos are gonna get me!

Me:  Michael count with me.  One.
Michael:  Two
Elli:  Three!
Michael:  No, three!
Elli:  Four!
Michael:  Four!
Elli:  Five!
Michael:  No Five!
Elli: Six!
Michael:  Eleven, twelve, thirteen!
Elli:  Seven!

Michael:  So I have a question for you.
Me:  What?
*silence*
Me:  What's this question?
Michael:  Ummm....I want to make you icecream!
Me:  Yummy what kind?
Michael:  No, a sandwich!
Me:  What kind of sandwich?
Michael:  A cooked sandwich!
Me:  How are you going to cook it?
Michael:  Because I want to!

Elli:  Look!
Me:  That's a bug.
Elli:  Bugs!
Michael:  Eww I don't like bugs.  They bug me.
Me:  That's what they're there for.
Michael:  Jenna says I bug her.
Me:  I'm sure you do sometimes.
Michael:  Me too.

Attitude

This pretty little girl is full of so much attitude.  Luckily she's still little enough that it's been more cute than frustrating.  Believe me, we are scared for her to hit the terrible two's.  Until then, we'll enjoy the cuteness her little attitude brings.

4 months

At least I took these pictures on the day he was four months, even if it took me over a week to upload them.  I also lost the "4" I used with the other two, so I had to come up with something else.

It's hard for me to think that 1/3 of Ethan's first year is gone.  How could it be gone already?  When did he get so big?  I miss my snuggly newborn.  Oh well, he's still adorable.

Here's what Ethan's been up to:

• Growing like crazy.  He weighs 13lbs 6oz and is 24" long.
• Working on tummy time.  He pushes himself around in circles and holds his head up really well.
• Sitting in the Bumbo.  He loves the Bumbo.  Here's proof that he's loved it for a long time:

Just napping

• Babbling.  He talks a lot (just like his siblings).  He says consonants every now and then, like the other day Elli was making farm animal sounds and Ethan threw in a few moo's.
• Getting kissed.  By everyone.  Michael has to give him multiple kisses a day or he gets upset.  Elli kisses him before bed every night.  With the giant cheeks of his who wouldn't want to kiss him?
• Enjoying getting out.  Instead of always falling asleep everywhere we go he's been staying awake long enough to experience the zoo, stores, parks, and seeing firefighters.

Overall this little guy is doing amazing.  We're happy this cutie is part of the family.

Conversations with Crumpets

Me: Do you want a nap?
Michael:  Yes I so so tired.

Lately Michael has been telling people what they can and can't do, and putting them in time-out.
Michael:  Ouch you hurt me.  I said you no hurt Michael.  Go to time-out!

Me:  Okay you can watch a movie.
Michael:  Frozen, Toy Story, Monsters, Brave!
Elli:  Anna Elsa!
Me:  Elli what do you want?
Elli:  Anna Elsa!

Michael:  Mommy you eat salad?  I have some salad, I just love salad!
I give him a bite and he spits it out
Michael:  No, I hate salad!  Mommy why you eat salad?

Michael:  Mommy you go running?
Me:  Yes, I'm going after you go to bed.
Michael:  No I don't sleep, I need to go running.

Me:  Elli who's you favorite?
Elli:  Jenna, Michael!

Me:  We need to go to the doctor.
Michael:  Michael see the doctor?
Me:  No, just Ethan today.
Michael:  I want to go to the doctor.
Me:  Well you can go next time, you have to go every year around your birthday.
Michael:  No I not go doctor.  Ethan go doctor.  Ethan get shots!

Michael sang the song 'clap your hands and shout for joy' in nursery
Michael:  Clap your hands and soccer ball!
Me:  What?  Soccer ball?
Michael:  Kick the ball!
Me:  No its shout for joy.  Clap your hands and shout for joy.
Michael:  No, soccer ball!  I'm right! 

Michael:  Hi mommy!  Change my poopy!

Conversations with Crumpets

Michael:  Daddy, you not open the door for Summer, Jenna, Mandy, I do it!

Michael:  We eat dinner, stop playing!

Michael:  We go swimming, stop playing!  Get dressed!

Melissa:  Hi Kim!
Michael:  No that not Kim, that mommy!

Me:  Elli who is this?
Elli:  Chunky Monkey!
Me:  Can you say Ethan?
Elli:  No, Chunky Monkey!

Me:  Elli what's your name?
Elli:  Michael!

Melissa:  What's your name?
Elli:  L. E.
Melissa:  Elli?
Elli:  E. L.!  E. L.!

Me:  Michael you're birthday is coming up soon, how old will you be?
Michael gives me a blank stare
Me:  How old are you?
Michael:  2!
Me:  How old will you be?
Michael:  1-2!

Michael and Elli had been fighting over some toys 
Me:  Michael tell Elli you love her.
Elli:  Love you Michael!

Elli:  Want kisses!  Mommy want kisses!

Me:  Ugh I can't do this anymore.
Michael:  Yes you can mommy!  You can do it.  You can do it mommy!
Me:  Why?
Michael:  'Cause you can do it mommy!  You really can!

Ethan:  Aww, ohhhh
Michael:  Mommy, Ethan is talking to me.
Me:  Really?  What is he saying?
Michael:  He's saying he loves me!

Me:  Michael are Elli and Ethan sleeping?
Michael:  Yes, they sleeping.
Me:  Are you sure Elli is sleeping?
Michael:  Yes, she so so tired.

Running Again

I am not a fast runner.  I'm not even a slow runner.  I'm a ridiculously slow you-should-just-walk runner.  That stopped me from running for a long time.  It also held me back from running long distances.

When I got pregnant with Ethan I decided I was going to keep running the little bit I did, which was a mile, two tops, sporadically throughout the week.  Sometimes I went two weeks without running (thank you morning sickness).  I had to stop when I hit my third trimester.  Everything was too uncomfortable and I was too freakin' huge.

Here I am now.  I've been running a lot, and longer distances, despite not being very fast at all.  Three Saturdays ago I found a free 5k and signed Josh and I up.  Poor Josh had to wait for me to catch up, but I ran the whole thing.  My time was 37:47.  I could have cried.  I really wanted to cry.  My worst time in cross country was 35 minutes, and that involved not feeling great at all and working really late the night before.  But I didn't cry.  I took the fact that I ran the entire race, even at an you-should-just-walk pace, to mean that I was ready to push myself more.

Last week I decided that I'm going to try and run a marathon on Jan 1st.  It's at the Olympic Oval.  You run for 5 hours around the track, so for some it will be a marathon, for others it won't.  I would like to try and run a marathon but I know I might not make it with my you-should-just-walk pace.  So I set out to find a training schedule.

Find one I did.  One night last week I was supposed to run 4 miles.  I found a route I wanted to take and set off.  It had me go through a neighborhood I've never been through before.  Well I got lost.  I knew I was too deep into the neighborhood and I hadn't seen the park I was supposed to run by.  After heading back towards the main road I finally found it.  I was ready to quit running, but at that point my legs felt comfortable enough that walking would have felt worse than running (plus at my speed it was basically the same thing, one just bounced my ponytail a little more).  I felt great when I got home.  After mapping everything out and trying to remember streets I had gone 5 miles, the longest that I've ever ran straight.

Last Saturday I ran a 5k my ward put together.  I was the third woman to finish!  Okay, okay, I was one of three that actually ran.  There were a couple that walked it.  At least that means my you-should-just-walk pace is actually slightly faster than walking now!  I didn't notice my time, and I really didn't care.  It was fun to just get out and run.

So this week, and many weeks to follow will be full of running.  If the marathon works out I would like to do the Salt Lake and Ogden marathon for sure.  There are a lot of races I would love to do, but running gets expensive, so we'll see.  For now it feels good to be running again.

Conversations with Crumpetts

To understand this one you need a little back story.  We have a few little play goggles to go with the toy work bench.  Michael learned it was more fun to put them on his butt and go around shaking his butt saying "I goggle butt!"
Elli:  goggles, goggles, goggles
Michael:  No Elli, they aren't goggles!  They don't go on your head.  You put them on your butt.  See, I goggle butt!

Josh:  Mommy's a bad influence
Me:  Michael, who is a worse influence, mommy or daddy?
Michael:  Ummm Michael!

We watched a Living Scripture movie about Nephi for FHE
Michael:  Nephi build a boat?
Me:  Yup.
Michael:  Yay!  He go surfing?
Me:  Not quite.
He's also been praying for Nephi to not get hurt by his brothers

Me:  Who is your favorite person?
Elli:  Elsa!
Me: Elsa?
Elli:  Anna, Elsa!

Me:  Michael do you want to wear your underwear or pull-up during your nap?
Michael:  Underwear pull-up.
Me:  Which one?
Michael:  Underwear pull-up!
Me:  No, you have to pick one.
Michael:  No, I want two!
Me:  Underwear OR pull-up?
Michael:  I wear my underwear pull-up.

Michael:  Look!  Batman riding a horse!
Me:  That's a dinosaur.
Michael:  Elli, Batman ride a dinosaur.
Elli:  Batman!  Batman!  ROAR!

Me:  Yo ho ho ho a pirates life for me!
Elli:  You ho, pirate me!

Michael:  I want syrup and butter!
Me:  You don't want a pancake?
Michael:  Syrup, butter, and pancake!

Goggle Butt

Yes, I'm revisiting goggle butt.  Mostly because Michael does it all the time!  Elli usually puts the goggles on her face, like any normal person would do.  Then Michael gets upset and grabs the other pair and tries to show her how to do goggle butt.  It's been a great source of contention in this house.  But he loves being goggle butt....

Potty Training

Disclaimer:  There is a lot of potty talk in this post

We are in the midst of potty training.  Well, we've been working on it for over a month now.  It's still a little bumpy, but we're mostly there.  Potty training has been....interesting.  Is it weird to say that I've had to grow as a mom?  Before I could easily go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted.  I grabbed the diaper bag and took off.  Unless a kid pooped I'd rarely change them when we were out and about.  Now I have to plan around more than just naps, I have to plan around bathroom trips.  It's not more difficult, just more thought required for everyday things.  Then there is the issue of separating the successes and disappointments on the potty from everything else.  When Michael would pee his pants after I'd asked him every 5 minutes for the last hour if he needed to go, I'd take it personally.  Instead of just changing him and reminding him not to pee in his pants I'd be upset all day that he wasn't getting it.  Of course the postpartum hormones and being locked in a bathroom all day didn't help.  I got over it after the first week, but I haven't had to deal with that too much as a parent until now.

Josh and I decided we had hit that point at the end of Summer where we were done camping (I refused to potty train in the Spring and Summer because of camping) and realized it was time.  Michael showed the signs, and he was getting there in age.  Plus he'll be the young kid in Sunbeams and I don't want him to be the only one not potty trained.  So we dove right in.

The first day I made Michael sit on the potty for 3 hours until he peed.  He watched Frozen, did puzzles, ate a sleeve of crackers, and had 3 sippy cups full of water.  Eventually he peed.  About a week later and making him sit on the potty for an hour after breakfast, he pooped.  We bribed him with a mashmellow every time he pooped for the first 3 weeks.  Now he gets a fruit snack every 10ish times he pees.  He has a sticker chart now and has to get 20 stickers, but we'll give him stickers for cleaning up toys and letting us brush his teeth without biting the toothbrush.  If he poops he gets a hotwheels car.  If he goes a full day without an accident he gets a small tractor (thank you Walmart!).  Lately we won't give him a tractor unless he pooped in the potty and didn't have any accidents.

Fast forward to today.  He rarely tells us when he needs to pee, but if we tell him to go every 2-3 hours he doesn't have an accident.  Most mornings and after naps he wakes up dry.  I've been leaving him in underwear for naps (when he takes them, I think he's been playing with toys and not napping).  He's never had an accident involving pee on the carpet.  Pooping is another story.  He's pooped in the potty a total of 5 times.  He holds it in and goes every other day now.  He thinks there are snakes in the potty when he poops.  Kinda funny, but very frustrating.  So every other day I have to clean poop out of underwear.  Luckily we have one of those flexible shower heads that reaches over to a toilet, so I just power wash it out and don't have to hand scrub.

Getting out has changed a little bit.  It took about two weeks but now Michael feels comfortable peeing in big toilets.  We took him out in pull-ups a lot at first (oh how I hate pull-ups), but luckily we don't have to anymore.  We've gone to the zoo and he doesn't have accidents the whole time we're there.

On a good note, Elli has peed in her little potty a handful of times.  I don't think she's quite ready for potty training, but hopefully soon.  I'd rather get it done in the winter when we really can't do much anyways.

On another good note, without the diaper Michael will continue to fit into his 2T clothes all winter.

He's spent many lazy days lounging in his underwear

Ethan's 3rd month

This post is late, mostly because I took the pictures a little late, but here it is!  Ethan has changed a lot in the last month, here's a little update:

• He's moved into 3-6 month clothes
• Last time I weighed him he was already 13lbs
• He smiles all the time, ALL THE TIME
• He takes a 3-4 hour nap every afternoon, and a short morning and evening nap
• He's continued to roll over

Overall he's just a happy little boy.  I'll leave you with cute pictures

Conversations with Crumpets

We've been potty training so a lot of these are potty related.

Me:  Do you need to go potty?
Michael:  No, I berry berry done.

Me:  You can have a marshmallow when you go pee in the potty.
Michael:  I went pee!
Me:  Did you?  Or are you lying?
Michael:  Ummm....I just want a marshmallow.
Me:  Did you pee?
Michael:  No I want a marshmallow!

Michael:  Mommy I berry full.  I berry berry done.

Josh:  Do you love mommy or daddy?
Michael:  I just want cheerios.

Me:  Michael do you want to go to the pool?
Michael:  Oh I would love that!

Michael:  Watch Super Why?  I berry want to.
Me:  Okay we'll watch Super Why.
Michael:  Oh I'd love that!  I love that green Super Why!

Elli:  George, George, George
Me:  Should we read Curious George?
Michael:  Oh, Elli would love that!

Michael:  Dad, you're awesome!

Me:  I have a surprise for you in the trunk.
Josh:  What did you get me?
Me:  You'll see.
Michael:  It's pizza!

A month later....

I keep meaning to blog, and then I forget, or Josh takes the computer on a business trip, and it doesn't happen.

So I'll try to blog a little more, until then, here are a few pictures

Michael does puzzles all the time

Do they look alike?

Naptime snuggles

We call this goggle butt.  Michael is constantly doing it and running around.

Fun piggies

More baby smiles :)