OK, so I'm not a natural blogger. It's only been a mere TWO YEARS since my last post!! But better late than never (or not at all), right?!?
So a lot has changed in the last two years...as I was reading back over my earlier posts, I can proudly report that both kids are fully potty trained, they can both swim across the pool independently (and I can even bring reading material with me to the pool!!), and we've now been on our second Disney Cruise (to Alaska!!) which was just as fabulous if not more than the first. Not to mention the fact that both kids are in "big" school now, hence the time for me to come back and update this blog for the first time in two years!!
Yes, life is good and the Hong family continues to be blessed. (Praise God!!) Ed is now working for one of his customers, Clipper Petroleum, as VP of Operations. He has been there for almost a year now and is supremely happy with his job and with his employer and co-workers. We have been afforded many luxuries through his new job, including suite tickets to Braves and Falcons games, tickets to the PGA Championship, conventions-turned-vacations in Amelia Island, and last but not least, an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas this October which is turning into our 10th anniversary celebration. About the only drawback of his new employment is that his office is in Flowery Branch, about 40 miles away. But his commute is against traffic both ways and it doesn't seem to bother him. He is also about 10 minutes from my parents' house, which comes in handy sometimes. But he barely travels at all, compared to the increased travel he had toward the end with FleetCor, and he is really respected and appreciated by his bosses, which goes a long way. They are very family-oriented and just really good people so that has been wonderful. It's a blessing all the way around and I'm so happy for Ed and proud of him.
As for the kids, they are in 2nd Grade and Kindergarten in the blink of an eye, and everything is going well so far. Daniel has really sprouted and all of a sudden just looks like a Kindergartner and he seems to be getting along just fine so far at IHM. He's also playing soccer (Daddy is coaching his team again) and he had a blast playing t-ball/baseball for the first time in the spring. Daddy is teaching him to hit lefty and he really has a good-looking swing. He and Ed went on a daddy/son trip to Houston this summer to see the Red Sox play the Astros. Daniel made it through all 3 games and really seemed to enjoy it so I think Ed is getting his wish of sharing his love of baseball with his son! He made strides this summer with swimming though he wasn't yet ready for the Tuesday evening meets. I think he'll be a big part of the team next summer! He has matured a lot in a short time and I'm really proud of him and excited for him to be in "big" school this year. Unfortunately, Elizabeth's Kindergarten teacher left the school but the assistant (Mrs. Aponte) is still there and the new teacher (Mrs. Reed) seems like she will be great. He still loves cars, especially from the Disney Cars movie, and also enjoys playing Wii and he's even making strides in learning to read! Yay!!
Elizabeth is taking 2nd grade by storm and continues to love school. She really missed her friends and her school this summer and was excited to get started again. She has Mrs. Moody and seems to like her so far. She is also a budding athlete, having played t-ball/baseball in the spring (they were on the same team at Briarlake - a big PLUS for mommy and daddy!!), she played basketball at IHM last winter and will play again, and she's even picking up soccer again right now after not playing since she was 4. She also swam on the swim team over the summer and attended a tennis camp. Whew! She's a busy girl but she seems mature for her age so she handles it all in stride. She loves to read and seems to inhale books, magazines, newspaper comics, whatever she can get her hands on. She joined a Daisy troop (now a Brownie troop) at school in the spring and really enjoys the other girls and the activities. She's also very into Webkinz and loves the activities on the computer that correspond with the animals. Her room is a mess and her mom laments that she's a pack rat but I love her kindness and spirit so I'll learn to work with her on that! :)
As for me, I'm learning to enjoy my free time now that both kids are in school. Linda Cavalli called me a couple of weeks ago hinting at the opportunity to fill in for someone at Coke who is leaving. But I think I'm blissfully content to fill my time on my own for at least a little while longer. I have a long list of house projects I'd like to tackle and I'd also like to make sure I'm fully available to the kids when they are home, especially with Daniel adjusting to everything in Kindergarten and Elizabeth's responsibilities and homework increasing. I enjoy getting my exercise by walking in the morning, taking my time with cleaning the kitchen and house, and then settling into whatever errands or projects I have for the day. This is really the first full week so I'll see how I feel in a few weeks but I really want to take this school year to just enjoy, get some things done, and adjust. I'm also excited to have more time to catch up with friends, to have coffee or lunch, and some free time to read and do devotionals and take part in WOW again at church. I can't complain...I'm blessed to have this life and this time to myself and I hope I can make the most of it and do what He plans for me.
For odds and ends, Zac and Heather are getting married in March in the Bahamas (finally!), my grandfather, Ben Duke, passed away in May after a battle with Alzheimer's (may he rest in peace, in a truly better place), Daniel will be having surgery in December to have his birthmark removed from his back (but hasn't had any trips to the ER lately!!), Dad has finally retired and he and Mom are currently on a Mediterranean cruise, Bryan and Andrea (and Anthony) moved to Connecticut a few weeks ago (boo!), had my 20th high school reunion in July, which was a lot of fun (Barbara and her family stayed with us), and for all practical purposes, life is good and we continue to be blessed with good health, lots of joy and few sorrows, and we strive to achieve His plan for our lives each day. Hoping to grow closer to Him, and to my ability to update this blog more often!!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
October 27, 2009: Autumn in Full Swing!
OK, I have absolutely no chance of doing this update any justice since I waited over THREE MONTHS between posts so I will just do my best (and try to do better in the future!!)
We had an absolute DREAM vacation on the Disney Cruise!!! It was honestly the most amazing time and we all loved it - me, Ed, the kids, AND his parents. We are already planning another Disney Cruise for 2011!!! The kids ask me almost weekly when we can go back on the "Magic Boat." Everything was truly magical and Disney knows how to do it right. We enjoyed everything from the nightly shows (we even got to see "G Force" almost before it was out in theaters), the Pirates IN the Caribbean dinner and party, the Mad Hatter tea party that Elizabeth and I attended, the "adult only" dinner at Palo that Ed and I attended, the massages in the spa for Ed and me, the splashes in the Mickey and Goofy pools on the top deck, the semi-submarine tours in Cozumel and Grand Cayman, the trolley tour in Key West...whew! It was all fabulous. I have an entire photo album to remember the whole thing. We waited all summer for our vacation and it was well worth the wait...can't wait to do it again!
Oh, and Elizabeth got lost on the second day and it took a while to find her...but all's well that ends well!
Elizabeth absolutely LOVES Kindergarten!!! She has had a GREAT start to the school year. We love her teacher and we just love everything about IHM. There's honestly more to love about the school every day. It really feels like a community and we are so pleased with everything. I am getting to know more of the kids and the parents and everyone is just so wonderful. We really couldn't have asked for a better experience. Elizabeth loves it so much that she asks why she can't go to school on Saturdays and Sundays!! I hope her love for school lasts a LONG time!
Speaking of Elizabeth, my baby girl has turned SIX!!! We had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday (several times, of course). We had a birthday party for her on October 4th. We invited several of her "old" friends from YCS and several of her "new" friends from IHM. We had an outdoor/backyard BBQ cookout. Despite a dreary forecast, the rain held off and the kids had a great time running around in the backyard, enjoying burgers, dogs, and cupcakes and ice cream, and tearing into a pinata full of candy! Then I went to Elizabeth's classroom on her birthday and enjoyed reading to the kids...Elizabeth also got to read a book to the class! I brought her favorite - banana mini muffins - to share as the snack. Then Mom and I took Elizabeth to the American Girl Bistro at North Point Mall. We let her pick out a doll (one that looks just like her and she named her Lizzie) and we enjoyed brunch. We all had a wonderful time and we hope to do it again sometime when NaNa is in town so she can join us. We also went to Bambinelli's for dinner on Elizabeth's birthday to round out the celebrations. Whew!
Daniel is loving the Tiger class at YCS and he loves going to school 5 days/week just like his big sister. He also loves staying for playgroup and one day last week, he even told his teachers he was staying even when he wasn't!! I am really enjoying having all 5 mornings each week to myself and especially the "extended" day each week on Wednesday when Daniel stays for playgroup. With all the crazyness of the school year beginning, the consignment sale at YCS, and Elizabeth's birthday, I am just now getting my head above water to begin some of the projects around the house I'd like to do (cleaning out closets/pantry, updating photo albums, downloading from the video camera onto DVDs, etc.). I'm sure with the holidays just around the corner I may not be able to make much headway very quickly, but I feel good that it will all get done!!
As for activities, Elizabeth is enjoying tennis on Mondays at Dekalb Tennis Center and Daniel is enjoying "Tiny Tykes" soccer on Sundays with TYSA. Both kids are also enjoying choir on Wednesdays at church. There were other offerings at IHM for Elizabeth, but we felt like this was enough for all of us while we are adjusting to "big school." Elizabeth definitely needed some time to adjust to Kindergarten and especially to the longer school day (she came home tired and cranky the first few weeks) but we made it through and she is really doing well.
Ed and I are doing fine. He is exhausted from a busy year as chair of SPR for the church but that will thankfully be over in less than two months. I feel like we are due a date night in the near future but fortunately we are taking our Asheville trip again this year in December so I am very much looking forward to that. Our ALTA seasons have ended without making the playoffs but we enjoyed the exercise and we are looking forward to some quieter weekends.
The Dawgs' season has been up and down but we made the trip to Nashville and had a great time and there are a few home games in November so we'll make the most of it!
Mom and Dad finally sold their Snellville house in mid-October (YAY!!) and the entire Atlanta area is recovering from some record flooding. I just knew when we were talking about "record drought" a couple of years ago that everything is cyclical and it will all come back around. Now we are all tired of the rain and the days with sunshine are few and far between! Still, we are enjoying fall and the changing of the leaves along with some cooler weather.
Halloween is this Saturday and we will be crashing the Dormineys' neighborhood again! Elizabeth will have to choose between Princess Minnie and a witch, and Daniel will be a firefighter again like last year (hey, the costume still fits and it looks good!) We will have a lot of fun and hope to make a party of it!
That's all the major news from the Hongs...I will try to update before the next major holiday. I am so excited for the holidays this year! IHM has a special "Grandparents' Day" on Tues Nov 24th so Ed's parents will be coming here for Thanksgiving....we will all be at Mom & Dad's new house for Thanksgiving dinner!! Then we will be here for Christmas and will be leaving for Houston on Dec 26th for a few days and Burt and Audrey will also be there. I love it!!
We had an absolute DREAM vacation on the Disney Cruise!!! It was honestly the most amazing time and we all loved it - me, Ed, the kids, AND his parents. We are already planning another Disney Cruise for 2011!!! The kids ask me almost weekly when we can go back on the "Magic Boat." Everything was truly magical and Disney knows how to do it right. We enjoyed everything from the nightly shows (we even got to see "G Force" almost before it was out in theaters), the Pirates IN the Caribbean dinner and party, the Mad Hatter tea party that Elizabeth and I attended, the "adult only" dinner at Palo that Ed and I attended, the massages in the spa for Ed and me, the splashes in the Mickey and Goofy pools on the top deck, the semi-submarine tours in Cozumel and Grand Cayman, the trolley tour in Key West...whew! It was all fabulous. I have an entire photo album to remember the whole thing. We waited all summer for our vacation and it was well worth the wait...can't wait to do it again!
Oh, and Elizabeth got lost on the second day and it took a while to find her...but all's well that ends well!
Elizabeth absolutely LOVES Kindergarten!!! She has had a GREAT start to the school year. We love her teacher and we just love everything about IHM. There's honestly more to love about the school every day. It really feels like a community and we are so pleased with everything. I am getting to know more of the kids and the parents and everyone is just so wonderful. We really couldn't have asked for a better experience. Elizabeth loves it so much that she asks why she can't go to school on Saturdays and Sundays!! I hope her love for school lasts a LONG time!
Speaking of Elizabeth, my baby girl has turned SIX!!! We had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday (several times, of course). We had a birthday party for her on October 4th. We invited several of her "old" friends from YCS and several of her "new" friends from IHM. We had an outdoor/backyard BBQ cookout. Despite a dreary forecast, the rain held off and the kids had a great time running around in the backyard, enjoying burgers, dogs, and cupcakes and ice cream, and tearing into a pinata full of candy! Then I went to Elizabeth's classroom on her birthday and enjoyed reading to the kids...Elizabeth also got to read a book to the class! I brought her favorite - banana mini muffins - to share as the snack. Then Mom and I took Elizabeth to the American Girl Bistro at North Point Mall. We let her pick out a doll (one that looks just like her and she named her Lizzie) and we enjoyed brunch. We all had a wonderful time and we hope to do it again sometime when NaNa is in town so she can join us. We also went to Bambinelli's for dinner on Elizabeth's birthday to round out the celebrations. Whew!
Daniel is loving the Tiger class at YCS and he loves going to school 5 days/week just like his big sister. He also loves staying for playgroup and one day last week, he even told his teachers he was staying even when he wasn't!! I am really enjoying having all 5 mornings each week to myself and especially the "extended" day each week on Wednesday when Daniel stays for playgroup. With all the crazyness of the school year beginning, the consignment sale at YCS, and Elizabeth's birthday, I am just now getting my head above water to begin some of the projects around the house I'd like to do (cleaning out closets/pantry, updating photo albums, downloading from the video camera onto DVDs, etc.). I'm sure with the holidays just around the corner I may not be able to make much headway very quickly, but I feel good that it will all get done!!
As for activities, Elizabeth is enjoying tennis on Mondays at Dekalb Tennis Center and Daniel is enjoying "Tiny Tykes" soccer on Sundays with TYSA. Both kids are also enjoying choir on Wednesdays at church. There were other offerings at IHM for Elizabeth, but we felt like this was enough for all of us while we are adjusting to "big school." Elizabeth definitely needed some time to adjust to Kindergarten and especially to the longer school day (she came home tired and cranky the first few weeks) but we made it through and she is really doing well.
Ed and I are doing fine. He is exhausted from a busy year as chair of SPR for the church but that will thankfully be over in less than two months. I feel like we are due a date night in the near future but fortunately we are taking our Asheville trip again this year in December so I am very much looking forward to that. Our ALTA seasons have ended without making the playoffs but we enjoyed the exercise and we are looking forward to some quieter weekends.
The Dawgs' season has been up and down but we made the trip to Nashville and had a great time and there are a few home games in November so we'll make the most of it!
Mom and Dad finally sold their Snellville house in mid-October (YAY!!) and the entire Atlanta area is recovering from some record flooding. I just knew when we were talking about "record drought" a couple of years ago that everything is cyclical and it will all come back around. Now we are all tired of the rain and the days with sunshine are few and far between! Still, we are enjoying fall and the changing of the leaves along with some cooler weather.
Halloween is this Saturday and we will be crashing the Dormineys' neighborhood again! Elizabeth will have to choose between Princess Minnie and a witch, and Daniel will be a firefighter again like last year (hey, the costume still fits and it looks good!) We will have a lot of fun and hope to make a party of it!
That's all the major news from the Hongs...I will try to update before the next major holiday. I am so excited for the holidays this year! IHM has a special "Grandparents' Day" on Tues Nov 24th so Ed's parents will be coming here for Thanksgiving....we will all be at Mom & Dad's new house for Thanksgiving dinner!! Then we will be here for Christmas and will be leaving for Houston on Dec 26th for a few days and Burt and Audrey will also be there. I love it!!
Monday, July 13, 2009
July 13, 2009: Summer Rolls On!!!
Whew...I figured I'd better update before our long-awaited VACATION coming up in less than two weeks!!
We've been pretty busy this summer and much to my delight, it HAS been a much better summer than last year. It's easier to take the kids to the pool now that Elizabeth is independent in the "big" pool and Daniel is 100% happy and content in the "baby" pool. In fact, he may be a little TOO content. I keep telling him that when he turns 4, he won't be allowed in the baby pool anymore but he keeps denying it. Hopefully he will feel differently in the next 6 months or so when I throw him in the pool for swimming lessons!!
Speaking of swimming, Elizabeth seemed to enjoy the "6 and under" swim team at our pool and the "mini meets" on Fridays. Of course, we were only able to participate in two of them but she made the most of them! She even got a 1st place blue ribbon in the first one!! She used a kickboard and there were "helpers" in the water but hey...she made it from one end of the pool to the other so I was proud. At the next meet a few weeks later, she got 3rd and 4th place ribbons. In all, she enjoyed it and she'll still be eligible for the 6 and under team next year. I hope to be able to start from the beginning when they start practicing and hopefully she can work her way up to swimming independently across the pool.
We had a good week at Auntie Pat's in early June. Pat and Norm enjoyed having the kids to visit and we enjoyed their company. We went to John's Pass, took a dolphin cruise boat ride, visited an outlet mall, and for the highlight of the trip, we went to Busch Gardens. The kids LOVED it. They both had a blast in the kiddie ride area and Elizabeth enjoyed the ONE roller coaster that she was tall enough to ride. I braved the "Sheikra" roller coaster and loved it and the kids rode with me on the log flume ride. They also loved the "zoo" area with all the animals and riding the train and the sky buckets. We'll definitely have to go back and in fact, the kids keep asking about it!
We also had a great week at Camp E.D.G.E., the theme for Vacation Bible School this year. Daniel had a great time for his last year in the nursery and Elizabeth enjoyed being part of the large Pre-K group. I volunteered as a guide for her group but I think I may have to go with a different group next year. Elizabeth became a little clingy after getting used to having me as her "teacher" for a week so I'd like to avoid that in the future. But the music was the best ever (at least I thought so) and the activities were fun so although we were exhausted, we had a great week.
We've been visiting the IHM library for a few weeks so that Elizabeth can participate in the summer reading program. She remains very excited about starting school there and she really is comfortable going there. I turned in a host of forms this week, including her first tuition payment, so it is really becoming real now!! Less than one month until her first day!! I know she'll be ready and I'm so excited for her.
We stayed in town for the 4th of July this year and attended some fireworks shows for the first time. On Friday night, we attended fireworks in Mom and Dad's neighborhood. They had food, games, a moonwalk, glow necklaces...it was really a fun evening. The funniest part was Daniel's reaction to the fireworks...he covered his ears with his hands and pretty much had his eyes closed the whole time! I was a little worried and feared we had made a bad decision but after they were over, he exclaimed, "That was great, Mommy!! Can we do it again??" So that's when I knew he was just fine!!! We decided to try the Decatur fireworks on Saturday night with the Trocchis. They have scoped out a great location on a lawn near Agnes Scott College. It was a great spot and we were a little further away from the fireworks launch location this time so Daniel bravely "opened" his eyes and ears and he loved it!! The kids keep asking when they can see fireworks again!! So glad we decided to try them out this year. Daniel's funny quote from Saturday night: "I like the blue ones, myself." He is my funny little clown sometimes!!
We just returned from a weekend at the Steeds' lake house in Alabama. The Merrills were also there. We had a great time and I hope we get invited back!! I managed to get up on two skis on Friday and we almost got Ed up. Other than that, we lounged in the lake in quiet coves, talked, drank beer, and just had a great time spending some quality "adult" time away from the kids. The only downer was that Mom's cousin, Joe Love, passed away a couple of weeks ago and his memorial service was on Saturday so we couldn't stay until Sunday. But Tara and Maddie watched the kids for us on Saturday while Mom, Dad, and Jody attended the service and everyone seemed to have a great time so all was well.
Now we have Ashley's wedding this weekend...I'm praying that all these kids do well in the service since it's at 7:00PM and it's outdoors!! We have the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. I'm bummed that we are missing the family reunion in Blairsville but Mom and I and the kids might go up on Sunday morning for breakfast.
We've had other odds and ends this summer...we've been to the zoo, to see "Up" in the theater, the kids have been to one week of camp at YCS and they have another one next week, we've gotten together with friends, we've visited Mom up in Flowery Branch...it's all been good. Daniel is now in underwear 24/7 and he can "take or leave" his afternoon nap so that has made things all the easier in terms of scheduling activities.
Oh...and Elizabeth is doing a tennis camp this week at Dekalb Tennis Center. She did it last week too...it's actually just 10-11 on Mon-Tues-Wed. She LOVED it last week and really seemed to take a liking to tennis. They do a great job with the kids by mixing up the hour with drills, games, skills, etc. They offer a "mini tennis" clinic on Mondays during the school year from 4:30-6:00 so I definitely think we'll be trying that. I'd like to keep her weekly activities to two - so that would mean tennis on Mondays and church choir on Wednesdays. I asked her if she wanted to do soccer again and she said "no"...same for ballet. She wants to try tee ball but I've heard good things about Briarlake Baptist and that t-ball league is in the spring so I think we'll wait until then. I'm not sold on giving up soccer forever or even some sort of dance/ballet for that matter but she seems to have a real interest for tennis and softball (just like her mommy!) so we'll see what happens...
I had a "wardrobe consultation" with someone named Kate, who is a friend of a friend of Amy McMillen's. She consulted me, Kristi, Balinda, and Amy Merrill all in the same week! We basically went through my entire wardrobe and tried on everything and determined what looks best on me, and we mixed and matched pieces of my wardrobe to make outfits. It sounds weird but it was FABULOUS! She really gave me a renewed sense of confidence in my wardrobe and helped me see what I need to look my best. I've already started buying new pieces and accessories, etc. I hope I can keep up with the enthusiasm! I need to buy an album for the pictures she took of me to remind me of the outfits. We all thought it was money well spent.
Now we have less than two weeks until our DISNEY CRUISE!!!! I am so excited and we NEED this vacation so badly!! Ed has been working practically 70 hours/week on a project and he needs the time off...plus it seems like everyone we know has been bragging about their trip to the beach or wherever and we have yet to go anywhere this summer (even our annual trips to Adel and Blairsville didn't happen) so we are dying for a getaway. Everything I've heard and read about Disney Cruises is fabulous so I cannot wait. I think the kids are going to have a blast. We are driving down to Cocoa Beach next Friday to stay in a hotel overnight and then we will board the ship on Saturday and meet Ed's parents who are flying in on Saturday. I have a feeling I will fill up the camera and the video camera with all the memories we will make!! Thank goodness the kids are in camp next week to give me time to think about what to pack and get everything ready!!
I could say I will, but I know I probably won't update again before the cruise. I'm sure I'll have lots to say afterwards, though!!!!
We've been pretty busy this summer and much to my delight, it HAS been a much better summer than last year. It's easier to take the kids to the pool now that Elizabeth is independent in the "big" pool and Daniel is 100% happy and content in the "baby" pool. In fact, he may be a little TOO content. I keep telling him that when he turns 4, he won't be allowed in the baby pool anymore but he keeps denying it. Hopefully he will feel differently in the next 6 months or so when I throw him in the pool for swimming lessons!!
Speaking of swimming, Elizabeth seemed to enjoy the "6 and under" swim team at our pool and the "mini meets" on Fridays. Of course, we were only able to participate in two of them but she made the most of them! She even got a 1st place blue ribbon in the first one!! She used a kickboard and there were "helpers" in the water but hey...she made it from one end of the pool to the other so I was proud. At the next meet a few weeks later, she got 3rd and 4th place ribbons. In all, she enjoyed it and she'll still be eligible for the 6 and under team next year. I hope to be able to start from the beginning when they start practicing and hopefully she can work her way up to swimming independently across the pool.
We had a good week at Auntie Pat's in early June. Pat and Norm enjoyed having the kids to visit and we enjoyed their company. We went to John's Pass, took a dolphin cruise boat ride, visited an outlet mall, and for the highlight of the trip, we went to Busch Gardens. The kids LOVED it. They both had a blast in the kiddie ride area and Elizabeth enjoyed the ONE roller coaster that she was tall enough to ride. I braved the "Sheikra" roller coaster and loved it and the kids rode with me on the log flume ride. They also loved the "zoo" area with all the animals and riding the train and the sky buckets. We'll definitely have to go back and in fact, the kids keep asking about it!
We also had a great week at Camp E.D.G.E., the theme for Vacation Bible School this year. Daniel had a great time for his last year in the nursery and Elizabeth enjoyed being part of the large Pre-K group. I volunteered as a guide for her group but I think I may have to go with a different group next year. Elizabeth became a little clingy after getting used to having me as her "teacher" for a week so I'd like to avoid that in the future. But the music was the best ever (at least I thought so) and the activities were fun so although we were exhausted, we had a great week.
We've been visiting the IHM library for a few weeks so that Elizabeth can participate in the summer reading program. She remains very excited about starting school there and she really is comfortable going there. I turned in a host of forms this week, including her first tuition payment, so it is really becoming real now!! Less than one month until her first day!! I know she'll be ready and I'm so excited for her.
We stayed in town for the 4th of July this year and attended some fireworks shows for the first time. On Friday night, we attended fireworks in Mom and Dad's neighborhood. They had food, games, a moonwalk, glow necklaces...it was really a fun evening. The funniest part was Daniel's reaction to the fireworks...he covered his ears with his hands and pretty much had his eyes closed the whole time! I was a little worried and feared we had made a bad decision but after they were over, he exclaimed, "That was great, Mommy!! Can we do it again??" So that's when I knew he was just fine!!! We decided to try the Decatur fireworks on Saturday night with the Trocchis. They have scoped out a great location on a lawn near Agnes Scott College. It was a great spot and we were a little further away from the fireworks launch location this time so Daniel bravely "opened" his eyes and ears and he loved it!! The kids keep asking when they can see fireworks again!! So glad we decided to try them out this year. Daniel's funny quote from Saturday night: "I like the blue ones, myself." He is my funny little clown sometimes!!
We just returned from a weekend at the Steeds' lake house in Alabama. The Merrills were also there. We had a great time and I hope we get invited back!! I managed to get up on two skis on Friday and we almost got Ed up. Other than that, we lounged in the lake in quiet coves, talked, drank beer, and just had a great time spending some quality "adult" time away from the kids. The only downer was that Mom's cousin, Joe Love, passed away a couple of weeks ago and his memorial service was on Saturday so we couldn't stay until Sunday. But Tara and Maddie watched the kids for us on Saturday while Mom, Dad, and Jody attended the service and everyone seemed to have a great time so all was well.
Now we have Ashley's wedding this weekend...I'm praying that all these kids do well in the service since it's at 7:00PM and it's outdoors!! We have the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. I'm bummed that we are missing the family reunion in Blairsville but Mom and I and the kids might go up on Sunday morning for breakfast.
We've had other odds and ends this summer...we've been to the zoo, to see "Up" in the theater, the kids have been to one week of camp at YCS and they have another one next week, we've gotten together with friends, we've visited Mom up in Flowery Branch...it's all been good. Daniel is now in underwear 24/7 and he can "take or leave" his afternoon nap so that has made things all the easier in terms of scheduling activities.
Oh...and Elizabeth is doing a tennis camp this week at Dekalb Tennis Center. She did it last week too...it's actually just 10-11 on Mon-Tues-Wed. She LOVED it last week and really seemed to take a liking to tennis. They do a great job with the kids by mixing up the hour with drills, games, skills, etc. They offer a "mini tennis" clinic on Mondays during the school year from 4:30-6:00 so I definitely think we'll be trying that. I'd like to keep her weekly activities to two - so that would mean tennis on Mondays and church choir on Wednesdays. I asked her if she wanted to do soccer again and she said "no"...same for ballet. She wants to try tee ball but I've heard good things about Briarlake Baptist and that t-ball league is in the spring so I think we'll wait until then. I'm not sold on giving up soccer forever or even some sort of dance/ballet for that matter but she seems to have a real interest for tennis and softball (just like her mommy!) so we'll see what happens...
I had a "wardrobe consultation" with someone named Kate, who is a friend of a friend of Amy McMillen's. She consulted me, Kristi, Balinda, and Amy Merrill all in the same week! We basically went through my entire wardrobe and tried on everything and determined what looks best on me, and we mixed and matched pieces of my wardrobe to make outfits. It sounds weird but it was FABULOUS! She really gave me a renewed sense of confidence in my wardrobe and helped me see what I need to look my best. I've already started buying new pieces and accessories, etc. I hope I can keep up with the enthusiasm! I need to buy an album for the pictures she took of me to remind me of the outfits. We all thought it was money well spent.
Now we have less than two weeks until our DISNEY CRUISE!!!! I am so excited and we NEED this vacation so badly!! Ed has been working practically 70 hours/week on a project and he needs the time off...plus it seems like everyone we know has been bragging about their trip to the beach or wherever and we have yet to go anywhere this summer (even our annual trips to Adel and Blairsville didn't happen) so we are dying for a getaway. Everything I've heard and read about Disney Cruises is fabulous so I cannot wait. I think the kids are going to have a blast. We are driving down to Cocoa Beach next Friday to stay in a hotel overnight and then we will board the ship on Saturday and meet Ed's parents who are flying in on Saturday. I have a feeling I will fill up the camera and the video camera with all the memories we will make!! Thank goodness the kids are in camp next week to give me time to think about what to pack and get everything ready!!
I could say I will, but I know I probably won't update again before the cruise. I'm sure I'll have lots to say afterwards, though!!!!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
May 26, 2009: First "Official" Day of Summer Vacation!
So here we are just off the long Memorial Day weekend and school is officially OUT!! We aren't faring too badly on this first full day of no school...I am determined to have a different attitude for this summer and make it a better summer for all of us.
So...the kitchen is finished and it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! The renovation is completely documented on shutterfly. Everything came together and it's honestly my dream kitchen, especially for this house. The brand new white cabinets, the granite countertop, the tile backplash, the beautiful new appliances, the paint color...it's just exactly what I wanted. And I can't believe the difference in the new OPEN flow between the family room and kitchen...I really think that's my favorite part. In addition to the renovated family room...no more brown trim, brown mantel, brown bookshelves, brown doors....everything is now white and along with the new opening, it really makes the room a lot brighter. We also splurged on new faux wood blinds throughout the whole house so now the windows are updated too. SUCH a big difference and worth every penny! We are so happy.
Now for the not-so-good news. And it involves family. There has been a HUGE fallout between Mom & Dad and Bruce & Denise. Mom & Dad were using David as their real estate agent. They used him for the purchase of their new home but after his 90-day contract on the listing of their Snellville home ran out, they decided to switch to another agent. There were many reasons, including David's saying that he was "so emotionally involved" several times, and the need for my parents to rent the house if it would not sell, the "lowball" offer that fell through (buyers backed out), etc. Well, that was apparently the worst thing in the world Mom & Dad could have done. They all ended up at Granny & Pa's the day before Mother's Day and all hell broke loose. David gave Mom a mean look, Denise asked what was wrong, Mom told her, and then all the Duttons left the house in a huff. They all just happened to end up at the same pizza place and Mom & Dad got REAMED in the parking lot, in front of Granny & Pa and Zac & Heather, to the point that Bruce had to step in front of Denise and Zac had to step in front of Dad, so that David would not HIT Dad!! And it hasn't gotten any better in the 2+ weeks since then. Dad and Denise managed to sit down to talk last week but never came to a resolution. Denise just kept saying, "You don't do this to FAMILY" and they agreed to act cordial at family gatherings especially for the sake of Granny & Pa but as for anything else, it's all over. Mom & Dad are just torn up over all of it, to the point of being physically ill and crying constantly and apparently Denise is doing the same. Zac called Bruce the other day since both of them were there to witness and apparently it's worse than any of us thought. Bruce can't seem to see the day when he'll be able to even talk to Mom & Dad about it and he just kept telling Zac that he "doesn't understand and doesn't want to." I'm just baffled over the whole thing b/c while I understand David and the rest being hurt and even angry, I just don't see why they are THIS upset. It just doesn't make any sense to me and I guess it never will. I just hope and pray that time will heal since it looks like that's all we've got at this point. The first family gathering will be interesting to say the least...
I've seen Bruce a couple of times since the incident and I saw all of them at Avery's b'day party last weekend. They were certainly very cordial to us and we were in kind, but it was very hard to look them in the eye knowing the HATE they hold in their hearts for my parents!! And I just hate it for Mom because she now has all THREE sisters-in-law (Linda, Tara, Denise) who do not have full love and respect for her, for various family fall-outs. I guess it happens in every family but it's just so sad and unnecessary. In the midst of all this, I've heard of a 30-something father of two (friend of Balinda's) who died on Mother's Day of liver cancer and a 2-year-old who is fighting for her life after two organ transplants, a baby girl at the preschool who is fighting for her life every day because of being born with a hole in her heart....I just wish I could make everyone in this situation understand how precious and short life is and that as hurt as people may be, it could be much, much worse. We are SO BLESSED as an extended family with our health and our blessings...I just hope that the glory of God will shine through and help these broken hearts to heal as time passes. I am so sad over the whole thing.
Now on to better musings. The kids had their last day of school last Friday! Elizabeth's was definitely bittersweet since it was her last day of preschool EVER and her last day at YCS. But Michele was already on the beach and Kathleen does not evoke the most sentimental moments so I actually didn't get teary-eyed! Her class had a fun party with "diplomas," snack, a reading of "Oh, The Places You Will Go" and even a pinata. A fun time was had by all and I'm just so thankful for a wonderful preschool experience for her.
In the last few weeks, we've also had Elizabeth's church choir concert and her ballet recital! Both were fun and captured on video and with photos, of course. I think she will stick with choir for next year, especially since Daniel will finally be old enough, but she'll probably trade in her dance shoes for either piano lessons or tennis. She said she had fun but she didn't want to take dance anymore! The recital was really cute, though, and I was glad to see what she had been doing every Thursday afternoon for the last school year! Now we are on to summer and some swimming lessons! We'll only be able to participate in a couple of weeks of lessons in June so we'll see where that gets us. Elizabeth still seems to have a lot of interest in swimming so hopefully we can refresh her memory on all the progress she made with last year's lessons. Daniel on the other hand seems content with the baby pool for now and I'm just not anxious enough to press the matter with him just yet. He is, after all, still only 3!!
We had a good Memorial Day weekend. We stayed home and had lots of time to relax with just the four of us and with friends. We went to Bambinelli's for dinner on Fri night with the McMillens and Balinda & girls. On Saturday, we went to BJ's to do some summer shopping and to Trader Joe's. In the afternoon, we went to Clara's b'day party which had been postponed from the previous Sat. The weather held up for the most part and the kids enjoyed the bouncy house outside. We ended up inviting ourselves along with the Bowlings for a pizza dinner. I'm really going to miss Clint and Balinda when they relocate to DC but I'm trying not to think about it!! Then on Sunday, we went to Sunday School and church. In the afternoon, we hosted the Pinabells and my parents for a steak cookout! We hadn't had steak on the grill for a while so it was good! And on Memorial Day, we had a lazy day for the most part until we all set out for a BBQ at the pool at 4:30...only to have Elizabeth throw up as soon as she got out of the car. So she and I returned home while Ed and Daniel went back to the pool. And it was the only decent stretch of sunshine we had all weekend! Apparently Elizabeth picked up a stomach bug somewhere and she continued to vomit on and off until 9:15 Monday night. Thankfully she was able to sleep pretty well and she's been fine all day today. We missed the swimming lesson this morning along with a trip to Chuck E Cheese with Jack and Colin but luckily that has been rescheduled for Thurs!!
We will be pretty busy for the month of June. Tomorrow we are hanging out with Mom, Thursday is the rescheduled Chuck E Cheese date with the Trevinos, and Friday we'll attend her swimming lesson/mini meet and hopefully stay at the pool for a while since it's the lowest chance of rain in a while!! Then Mom and I are headed to St. Pete with the kids to visit Auntie Pat next week. Then the week of June 8th is Vacation Bible School at church. The week of the 15th is free then the kids are in camp at YCS the week of the 22nd. So the month of June will be fine for weekdays, and the month of July is full for weekends! Hopefully I can talk Ed into a quick trip to the beach the weekend of the 4th, then we're at the lake with the Steeds and Fun Friday crew the weekend of the 11th, Ashley's wedding is the weekend of the 18th and we leave for the Disney Cruise the weekend of the 25th!! But July is a lot lighter on weekday plans...we only have a YCS camp the week of July 20th. So I'm hoping to use Erin Cavalli for some babysitting hours during the month of July. And then we only have one more week after we return from the cruise to get ready for KINDERGARTEN!! All in all, I think it's going to be a much better summer for all of us. If I can only keep my sanity, that is!!!
I also have some exciting weekend plans coming up...a day at the spa for Lorie's 40th b'day on June 6th, "Jersey Boys" at the Fox with Ed on June 7th, and Keith Urban(!!!) at Philips Arena with my mom on June 13th. So if we could only get out of this RAINY cycle here in Atlanta...all is looking good (remember the DROUGHT we've had the last few summers? Not anymore!!)
I think that's all I have to blog about for the moment. I feel like I've neglected Daniel in this update. He's been doing GREAT with the potty training, even at night and naptime! I'm thinking of ditching the pull-ups and going to 100% underwear after I finish this package. Unbelievable!! He also had a wonderful school year and I can't believe he'll be going 5 days/week next year! I think he's ready and he'll be so happy to be in school every day like his big sister. We've all enjoyed playing with our new Wii (purchased at an auction during Ed's and my trip to San Antonio last month) and even Elizabeth and Daniel are having fun with it, particularly with bowling! Elizabeth was making us look bad until Ed and I finally figured out how to beat her recently!! It's great for family fun and I just hope we can keep the "video game time" in check....so far so good!
So...the kitchen is finished and it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! The renovation is completely documented on shutterfly. Everything came together and it's honestly my dream kitchen, especially for this house. The brand new white cabinets, the granite countertop, the tile backplash, the beautiful new appliances, the paint color...it's just exactly what I wanted. And I can't believe the difference in the new OPEN flow between the family room and kitchen...I really think that's my favorite part. In addition to the renovated family room...no more brown trim, brown mantel, brown bookshelves, brown doors....everything is now white and along with the new opening, it really makes the room a lot brighter. We also splurged on new faux wood blinds throughout the whole house so now the windows are updated too. SUCH a big difference and worth every penny! We are so happy.
Now for the not-so-good news. And it involves family. There has been a HUGE fallout between Mom & Dad and Bruce & Denise. Mom & Dad were using David as their real estate agent. They used him for the purchase of their new home but after his 90-day contract on the listing of their Snellville home ran out, they decided to switch to another agent. There were many reasons, including David's saying that he was "so emotionally involved" several times, and the need for my parents to rent the house if it would not sell, the "lowball" offer that fell through (buyers backed out), etc. Well, that was apparently the worst thing in the world Mom & Dad could have done. They all ended up at Granny & Pa's the day before Mother's Day and all hell broke loose. David gave Mom a mean look, Denise asked what was wrong, Mom told her, and then all the Duttons left the house in a huff. They all just happened to end up at the same pizza place and Mom & Dad got REAMED in the parking lot, in front of Granny & Pa and Zac & Heather, to the point that Bruce had to step in front of Denise and Zac had to step in front of Dad, so that David would not HIT Dad!! And it hasn't gotten any better in the 2+ weeks since then. Dad and Denise managed to sit down to talk last week but never came to a resolution. Denise just kept saying, "You don't do this to FAMILY" and they agreed to act cordial at family gatherings especially for the sake of Granny & Pa but as for anything else, it's all over. Mom & Dad are just torn up over all of it, to the point of being physically ill and crying constantly and apparently Denise is doing the same. Zac called Bruce the other day since both of them were there to witness and apparently it's worse than any of us thought. Bruce can't seem to see the day when he'll be able to even talk to Mom & Dad about it and he just kept telling Zac that he "doesn't understand and doesn't want to." I'm just baffled over the whole thing b/c while I understand David and the rest being hurt and even angry, I just don't see why they are THIS upset. It just doesn't make any sense to me and I guess it never will. I just hope and pray that time will heal since it looks like that's all we've got at this point. The first family gathering will be interesting to say the least...
I've seen Bruce a couple of times since the incident and I saw all of them at Avery's b'day party last weekend. They were certainly very cordial to us and we were in kind, but it was very hard to look them in the eye knowing the HATE they hold in their hearts for my parents!! And I just hate it for Mom because she now has all THREE sisters-in-law (Linda, Tara, Denise) who do not have full love and respect for her, for various family fall-outs. I guess it happens in every family but it's just so sad and unnecessary. In the midst of all this, I've heard of a 30-something father of two (friend of Balinda's) who died on Mother's Day of liver cancer and a 2-year-old who is fighting for her life after two organ transplants, a baby girl at the preschool who is fighting for her life every day because of being born with a hole in her heart....I just wish I could make everyone in this situation understand how precious and short life is and that as hurt as people may be, it could be much, much worse. We are SO BLESSED as an extended family with our health and our blessings...I just hope that the glory of God will shine through and help these broken hearts to heal as time passes. I am so sad over the whole thing.
Now on to better musings. The kids had their last day of school last Friday! Elizabeth's was definitely bittersweet since it was her last day of preschool EVER and her last day at YCS. But Michele was already on the beach and Kathleen does not evoke the most sentimental moments so I actually didn't get teary-eyed! Her class had a fun party with "diplomas," snack, a reading of "Oh, The Places You Will Go" and even a pinata. A fun time was had by all and I'm just so thankful for a wonderful preschool experience for her.
In the last few weeks, we've also had Elizabeth's church choir concert and her ballet recital! Both were fun and captured on video and with photos, of course. I think she will stick with choir for next year, especially since Daniel will finally be old enough, but she'll probably trade in her dance shoes for either piano lessons or tennis. She said she had fun but she didn't want to take dance anymore! The recital was really cute, though, and I was glad to see what she had been doing every Thursday afternoon for the last school year! Now we are on to summer and some swimming lessons! We'll only be able to participate in a couple of weeks of lessons in June so we'll see where that gets us. Elizabeth still seems to have a lot of interest in swimming so hopefully we can refresh her memory on all the progress she made with last year's lessons. Daniel on the other hand seems content with the baby pool for now and I'm just not anxious enough to press the matter with him just yet. He is, after all, still only 3!!
We had a good Memorial Day weekend. We stayed home and had lots of time to relax with just the four of us and with friends. We went to Bambinelli's for dinner on Fri night with the McMillens and Balinda & girls. On Saturday, we went to BJ's to do some summer shopping and to Trader Joe's. In the afternoon, we went to Clara's b'day party which had been postponed from the previous Sat. The weather held up for the most part and the kids enjoyed the bouncy house outside. We ended up inviting ourselves along with the Bowlings for a pizza dinner. I'm really going to miss Clint and Balinda when they relocate to DC but I'm trying not to think about it!! Then on Sunday, we went to Sunday School and church. In the afternoon, we hosted the Pinabells and my parents for a steak cookout! We hadn't had steak on the grill for a while so it was good! And on Memorial Day, we had a lazy day for the most part until we all set out for a BBQ at the pool at 4:30...only to have Elizabeth throw up as soon as she got out of the car. So she and I returned home while Ed and Daniel went back to the pool. And it was the only decent stretch of sunshine we had all weekend! Apparently Elizabeth picked up a stomach bug somewhere and she continued to vomit on and off until 9:15 Monday night. Thankfully she was able to sleep pretty well and she's been fine all day today. We missed the swimming lesson this morning along with a trip to Chuck E Cheese with Jack and Colin but luckily that has been rescheduled for Thurs!!
We will be pretty busy for the month of June. Tomorrow we are hanging out with Mom, Thursday is the rescheduled Chuck E Cheese date with the Trevinos, and Friday we'll attend her swimming lesson/mini meet and hopefully stay at the pool for a while since it's the lowest chance of rain in a while!! Then Mom and I are headed to St. Pete with the kids to visit Auntie Pat next week. Then the week of June 8th is Vacation Bible School at church. The week of the 15th is free then the kids are in camp at YCS the week of the 22nd. So the month of June will be fine for weekdays, and the month of July is full for weekends! Hopefully I can talk Ed into a quick trip to the beach the weekend of the 4th, then we're at the lake with the Steeds and Fun Friday crew the weekend of the 11th, Ashley's wedding is the weekend of the 18th and we leave for the Disney Cruise the weekend of the 25th!! But July is a lot lighter on weekday plans...we only have a YCS camp the week of July 20th. So I'm hoping to use Erin Cavalli for some babysitting hours during the month of July. And then we only have one more week after we return from the cruise to get ready for KINDERGARTEN!! All in all, I think it's going to be a much better summer for all of us. If I can only keep my sanity, that is!!!
I also have some exciting weekend plans coming up...a day at the spa for Lorie's 40th b'day on June 6th, "Jersey Boys" at the Fox with Ed on June 7th, and Keith Urban(!!!) at Philips Arena with my mom on June 13th. So if we could only get out of this RAINY cycle here in Atlanta...all is looking good (remember the DROUGHT we've had the last few summers? Not anymore!!)
I think that's all I have to blog about for the moment. I feel like I've neglected Daniel in this update. He's been doing GREAT with the potty training, even at night and naptime! I'm thinking of ditching the pull-ups and going to 100% underwear after I finish this package. Unbelievable!! He also had a wonderful school year and I can't believe he'll be going 5 days/week next year! I think he's ready and he'll be so happy to be in school every day like his big sister. We've all enjoyed playing with our new Wii (purchased at an auction during Ed's and my trip to San Antonio last month) and even Elizabeth and Daniel are having fun with it, particularly with bowling! Elizabeth was making us look bad until Ed and I finally figured out how to beat her recently!! It's great for family fun and I just hope we can keep the "video game time" in check....so far so good!
Friday, April 17, 2009
April 17, 2009: Spring Has Sprung!!
This must be a record - just over two weeks since my last update! Amazing! I just had to post another update - we had a whirlwind day yesterday and I didn't want to forget all the emotions!
First of all, our kitchen renovation officially started yesterday! Scott and his helper Edward started by taking out the wall between the kitchen and family room. It looks AMAZING! Even without being finished (no drywall, no trim, no paint) it looks fantastic. I can't believe we lived in this house for 7 years with a wall there. Scott also said it was sagging by 3 inches so it's a good thing they fixed it! They finished quickly with the wall opening so then they tackled the cabinets. They are all out of the house and the entire contents of our kitchen are now piled into the guest room. We have set up the dining room for eating and we have some things in the basement too. AAHH! My head is reeling from all the displacement but I can clearly see that it will all be WELL worth it in the end. I picked out our granite slab on Monday so now we just need to pick out some paint colors and the tile backsplash. The cabinets are scheduled to be installed the week of April 27th and things should hopefully come together quickly after the cabinets go in. We are still hoping to be finished by Mother's Day weekend and I CAN'T WAIT to see the finished product!
The other outstanding news is that Elizabeth was accepted to IHM!!! It was a real roller coaster over the past 12 days. On April 4th, we got a letter in the mail informing us that she met the requirements for Kindergarten but she had been placed on the waiting list due to the number of applicants. I was honestly crushed and so disappointed because I just wanted to KNOW one way or the other and I really thought she would get in. We talked to Bryan and Linda and Linda told us that her Kindergarten teacher friend told her that Elizabeth tested really well but they had a number of Catholic applicants. Bryan told us that Catholic families typically apply to 3-4 schools so we were just hoping that a handful of them would decide to go elsewhere and that Elizabeth was near the top of the list. Well, April 16th (yesterday) was the deadline for accepted students to let them know and lo and behold, we got a phone call in the afternoon! I was outside with the kids due to all the chaos going on in the house and I just happened to look at the caller ID to see that IHM had called. My heart was pounding outside of my chest as I listened to the message from Maria Demos (the admissions director) and I ran upstairs to call her back. She was very excited to tell us that Elizabeth had been accepted and I could hardly hear her I was so happy! I called Ed immediately and he couldn't believe it. I told Elizabeth and she was so excited. I cried on the phone with Ed because I am so happy for HER. I just felt in my heart all along that IHM would be the right place for her and I'm so thankful that God opened that door for us. What a blessing!
On top of all this, my Mom told me that they got an offer on their house yesterday! It's a bit low but that is to be expected in this economic climate. The good news is that it's not a contingency and the buyers are not asking for anything special. At least it's a starting point and a number that they can work with. AND the buyers want to close on May 8th which would be wonderful since Mom and Dad are already out of the house and paying a mortgage on the new one. What a blessing for them if this can work out. I am praying for them!
It was such a wonderful day yesterday and I'm thankful for all these blessings! We also had a wonderful Easter. The kids attended an Easter egg hunt and pancake breakfast at church on Saturday morning. On Easter Sunday, we went to church at 8:00 and the kids and I came home while Ed stayed to count the offering. Ed came home and we left for a country buffet restaurant in Cumming to meet Mom and Dad, Granny and Pa, Brian and Paige, Jimmy and Lori, Ron and Linda, and David and Melodi. It was a departure from our traditional Easter and I missed going to Donna Dutton's house but she recently had back surgery and I can understand why she can't host anymore. Hopefully either Ed and I or Mom and Dad can offer to host in the future. I don't mind hosting something as long as we can be outside. The kitchen renovation will give me new confidence to host gatherings! But we had a nice time and it was good to see everyone.
Spring Break ended up being a fun week too. I was so worried about Ed being gone and finding things to do with the kids but we had a great week. The three of us went to Discover Mills on Monday and I found new shoes for the kids at the Stride Rite outlet. We ended up having lunch at Chili's and the kids rode the train and the merry-go-round. On Tuesday, we went to Tracey's house for a playdate and we all had lunch at McAlister's. Seeing as how it SNOWED on Tuesday and was really cold, it was good that we had indoor plans! On Wednesday, we helped Mom move some stuff from the Snellville house to the Flowery Branch house. Then we went to Mall of GA and shopped for a bit and had lunch at Ruby Tuesday. On Thursday, we went to the zoo with Whitney, Spencer, and Mitchell Payne. The entire population of metro Atlanta was at the zoo since it was the warmest day of the week!! We had fun anyway despite not seeing but a handful of animals. We ate lunch, rode the train and the carousel, and played on the playground instead. It was nice just to be outside to enjoy the weather. We played at their house for a bit on the way home and then Andrea and Anthony came over Thursday evening. We enjoyed some beer and wine and ordered pizza. We put the kids down and socialized for a while. On Friday, Ed came home around 11:00 and we went to Pappasito's for lunch. Elizabeth and I got pedicures in the afternoon and then I met Lorie and Co. to head down to Turner Field for the Braves' home opener. There was a two-hour rain delay and we left at the end of the delay, but the Braves ended up winning and we had a great time. Ed had a great time on his trip to Boston too but he was glad to be home!
The only damper to this week came on Monday when there were some high winds and a tree fell on Midvale Road, knocking out power (of course) to our house. It ended up being out for a total of 32 hours - from 10:30am on Monday until 6:15pm on Tuesday. The kids and I headed up to Flowery Branch on Monday afternoon and spent the night. Ed stayed at the house as long as he could on Monday night and then spent the night with the Pinabells since he needed electricity for his CPAP machine. He returned to the house early Tuesday morning to get dressed and check on Casey. The kids and I went to the Mall of GA on Tuesday and had lunch with Lorie and Colin. Elizabeth missed school on Tuesday which was kind of a bummer but if there was a day to miss, Tuesday would be the best one. We got home around 2:30 on Tuesday and it was a nice day outside so the kids played for while and the power came back on right before Ed got home. We know some friends (McMillens and our minister) who had to wait even longer but it's clear that we are near the bottom of the priority list when it comes to restoring power. But I need to keep things in perspective - we didn't lose any trees at our house and no one was hurt so that's what matters. I even SAW the tree on Midvale fall! I was turning left onto Midvale to head to the grocery store and in my rear view mirror, I saw a spark as the tree fell toward the road. So weird! So thankful that no one was hurt. There were lots of trees down in our area and lots of damage - all thanks to the wind!
Daniel continues to do great with potty training. He's had a few accidents here and there and it took him a few days to get comfortable with going poop on the big potty but I think he's really getting the hang of it now. Yesterday I was so distracted with everything happening and he still managed to get to the potty upstairs all by himself and go poop! He's worn underwear to school all week this week and he's done well. I hope today goes just as well and I might consider sending him to lunch bunch soon. I can't even imagine having a day until 2:00 all to myself and getting to have lunch with Tracey with NO KIDS!! It's been only a dream for so long!! Speaking of, the other good news is that I got a phone call from Shallowford Presbyterian before spring break and they added another 3-year-old class for their August camp! So Daniel will be going! All of us (the Tuesday gymnastics crew) are SOOO excited because it's the first week of "big" school. So all the older kids will be in school and now the younger ones will be in camp. It will be HEAVENLY to have that whole week of mornings free.
I'd better end this now since all the news is good!! I will update soon with progress on our kitchen. I took lots of "before" pictures and I'm keeping them on shutterfly so it will be fun to document the process. Can't wait for it all to be finished...it's going to be BEAUTIFUL!! Glory to God for all the blessings in my life!!
First of all, our kitchen renovation officially started yesterday! Scott and his helper Edward started by taking out the wall between the kitchen and family room. It looks AMAZING! Even without being finished (no drywall, no trim, no paint) it looks fantastic. I can't believe we lived in this house for 7 years with a wall there. Scott also said it was sagging by 3 inches so it's a good thing they fixed it! They finished quickly with the wall opening so then they tackled the cabinets. They are all out of the house and the entire contents of our kitchen are now piled into the guest room. We have set up the dining room for eating and we have some things in the basement too. AAHH! My head is reeling from all the displacement but I can clearly see that it will all be WELL worth it in the end. I picked out our granite slab on Monday so now we just need to pick out some paint colors and the tile backsplash. The cabinets are scheduled to be installed the week of April 27th and things should hopefully come together quickly after the cabinets go in. We are still hoping to be finished by Mother's Day weekend and I CAN'T WAIT to see the finished product!
The other outstanding news is that Elizabeth was accepted to IHM!!! It was a real roller coaster over the past 12 days. On April 4th, we got a letter in the mail informing us that she met the requirements for Kindergarten but she had been placed on the waiting list due to the number of applicants. I was honestly crushed and so disappointed because I just wanted to KNOW one way or the other and I really thought she would get in. We talked to Bryan and Linda and Linda told us that her Kindergarten teacher friend told her that Elizabeth tested really well but they had a number of Catholic applicants. Bryan told us that Catholic families typically apply to 3-4 schools so we were just hoping that a handful of them would decide to go elsewhere and that Elizabeth was near the top of the list. Well, April 16th (yesterday) was the deadline for accepted students to let them know and lo and behold, we got a phone call in the afternoon! I was outside with the kids due to all the chaos going on in the house and I just happened to look at the caller ID to see that IHM had called. My heart was pounding outside of my chest as I listened to the message from Maria Demos (the admissions director) and I ran upstairs to call her back. She was very excited to tell us that Elizabeth had been accepted and I could hardly hear her I was so happy! I called Ed immediately and he couldn't believe it. I told Elizabeth and she was so excited. I cried on the phone with Ed because I am so happy for HER. I just felt in my heart all along that IHM would be the right place for her and I'm so thankful that God opened that door for us. What a blessing!
On top of all this, my Mom told me that they got an offer on their house yesterday! It's a bit low but that is to be expected in this economic climate. The good news is that it's not a contingency and the buyers are not asking for anything special. At least it's a starting point and a number that they can work with. AND the buyers want to close on May 8th which would be wonderful since Mom and Dad are already out of the house and paying a mortgage on the new one. What a blessing for them if this can work out. I am praying for them!
It was such a wonderful day yesterday and I'm thankful for all these blessings! We also had a wonderful Easter. The kids attended an Easter egg hunt and pancake breakfast at church on Saturday morning. On Easter Sunday, we went to church at 8:00 and the kids and I came home while Ed stayed to count the offering. Ed came home and we left for a country buffet restaurant in Cumming to meet Mom and Dad, Granny and Pa, Brian and Paige, Jimmy and Lori, Ron and Linda, and David and Melodi. It was a departure from our traditional Easter and I missed going to Donna Dutton's house but she recently had back surgery and I can understand why she can't host anymore. Hopefully either Ed and I or Mom and Dad can offer to host in the future. I don't mind hosting something as long as we can be outside. The kitchen renovation will give me new confidence to host gatherings! But we had a nice time and it was good to see everyone.
Spring Break ended up being a fun week too. I was so worried about Ed being gone and finding things to do with the kids but we had a great week. The three of us went to Discover Mills on Monday and I found new shoes for the kids at the Stride Rite outlet. We ended up having lunch at Chili's and the kids rode the train and the merry-go-round. On Tuesday, we went to Tracey's house for a playdate and we all had lunch at McAlister's. Seeing as how it SNOWED on Tuesday and was really cold, it was good that we had indoor plans! On Wednesday, we helped Mom move some stuff from the Snellville house to the Flowery Branch house. Then we went to Mall of GA and shopped for a bit and had lunch at Ruby Tuesday. On Thursday, we went to the zoo with Whitney, Spencer, and Mitchell Payne. The entire population of metro Atlanta was at the zoo since it was the warmest day of the week!! We had fun anyway despite not seeing but a handful of animals. We ate lunch, rode the train and the carousel, and played on the playground instead. It was nice just to be outside to enjoy the weather. We played at their house for a bit on the way home and then Andrea and Anthony came over Thursday evening. We enjoyed some beer and wine and ordered pizza. We put the kids down and socialized for a while. On Friday, Ed came home around 11:00 and we went to Pappasito's for lunch. Elizabeth and I got pedicures in the afternoon and then I met Lorie and Co. to head down to Turner Field for the Braves' home opener. There was a two-hour rain delay and we left at the end of the delay, but the Braves ended up winning and we had a great time. Ed had a great time on his trip to Boston too but he was glad to be home!
The only damper to this week came on Monday when there were some high winds and a tree fell on Midvale Road, knocking out power (of course) to our house. It ended up being out for a total of 32 hours - from 10:30am on Monday until 6:15pm on Tuesday. The kids and I headed up to Flowery Branch on Monday afternoon and spent the night. Ed stayed at the house as long as he could on Monday night and then spent the night with the Pinabells since he needed electricity for his CPAP machine. He returned to the house early Tuesday morning to get dressed and check on Casey. The kids and I went to the Mall of GA on Tuesday and had lunch with Lorie and Colin. Elizabeth missed school on Tuesday which was kind of a bummer but if there was a day to miss, Tuesday would be the best one. We got home around 2:30 on Tuesday and it was a nice day outside so the kids played for while and the power came back on right before Ed got home. We know some friends (McMillens and our minister) who had to wait even longer but it's clear that we are near the bottom of the priority list when it comes to restoring power. But I need to keep things in perspective - we didn't lose any trees at our house and no one was hurt so that's what matters. I even SAW the tree on Midvale fall! I was turning left onto Midvale to head to the grocery store and in my rear view mirror, I saw a spark as the tree fell toward the road. So weird! So thankful that no one was hurt. There were lots of trees down in our area and lots of damage - all thanks to the wind!
Daniel continues to do great with potty training. He's had a few accidents here and there and it took him a few days to get comfortable with going poop on the big potty but I think he's really getting the hang of it now. Yesterday I was so distracted with everything happening and he still managed to get to the potty upstairs all by himself and go poop! He's worn underwear to school all week this week and he's done well. I hope today goes just as well and I might consider sending him to lunch bunch soon. I can't even imagine having a day until 2:00 all to myself and getting to have lunch with Tracey with NO KIDS!! It's been only a dream for so long!! Speaking of, the other good news is that I got a phone call from Shallowford Presbyterian before spring break and they added another 3-year-old class for their August camp! So Daniel will be going! All of us (the Tuesday gymnastics crew) are SOOO excited because it's the first week of "big" school. So all the older kids will be in school and now the younger ones will be in camp. It will be HEAVENLY to have that whole week of mornings free.
I'd better end this now since all the news is good!! I will update soon with progress on our kitchen. I took lots of "before" pictures and I'm keeping them on shutterfly so it will be fun to document the process. Can't wait for it all to be finished...it's going to be BEAUTIFUL!! Glory to God for all the blessings in my life!!
Monday, March 30, 2009
March 30, 2009: Bring on SPRING!!
Well, I didn't intend to wait this long for my next blog post but I'm beginning to sound like a broken record! In this issue: Daniel's now THREE(!), Adventures in Potty Training Part II (much better results, I'm glad to report!), and finally...our KITCHEN REMODEL is officially ON!!!
So, we had several celebrations for Daniel's 3rd birthday! Ed's parents came into town for Valentine's Day weekend. It was great because they took the kids to Big Canoe Saturday morning and Ed and I were able to enjoy a nice day and overnight to ourselves. We had lunch at Pappadeux and then picked out the cabinets for our new kitchen! (More on that later). Then we had dinner that night at Goldfish using a gift certificate that Zac had given us for Christmas. We met some friends (Ron, Kristi, Lisa Tontala) at Limerick Junction in VA Highlands to take advantage of our "kid free" evening. On Sunday, we had Ed's parents, my parents, Zac, and Granny & Pa over to celebrate Daniel's birthday. He loved his Lightning McQueen cake and theme...for the second year in a row!
The following weekend on Saturday (Feb 21st), we celebrated Daniel's birthday again with a few of his closest friends at Jumpin' Jamboree. I wasn't sure if I would have a "kid party" for him at all but for months, when I asked him where he would have his birthday, he would answer, "At the bouncy place!" so I certainly couldn't disappoint him! I kept it small and only invited his "Tuesday gymnastics" boys (Sam, Eli, Mitchell, Miles) plus Jack Dorminey and Davis Merrill. Ella and Ava also attended as official siblings and friends for Elizabeth. We practically had the place to ourselves and everyone had a great time. Amy Merrill and my parents were even captured on film on some of the slides with the kids! I made cupcakes with Lightning McQueen and Mater toppers and gave out a Mater "Little Golden" book and small packs of M&Ms as favors. It went off without a hitch and really was a fun party for Daniel and all his friends!
Aside from that, we've just been busy with the usual things. We've had some wacky weather lately with some weekends of solid, pouring, depressing rain alternating with weekends of gorgeous, beautiful sunshine...must be spring! Mom and Dad are fully in the throes of their move. They close tomorrow on their "dream" retirement home in Flowery Branch. Their Snellville house is still on the market but they seem to be OK to let it ride a little while longer with renting as a possible option. I was in denial at first about their move but I'm getting used to the idea. The new house is only a difference of about 5-10 minutes door-to-door since it's all interstate but the distance is definitely greater. Hopefully not too much will change but we'll see. The biggest difference is that traveling back and forth between our homes during heavy traffic times (basically weekday evenings) will now be out of the question. I'm sure we'll all adjust and I know they will be happy in their new home, which is what matters!
I was able to go on a girls' weekend to Big Canoe last weekend (March 20-22) with Balinda, Amy McMillen, and Kristi. We all had a great time, except we missed Amy Merrill who couldn't make it because her Dad passed away on March 16th. We didn't do much at all, which was heavenly. The weather was great so we took a long walk/hike on the nature trails on Saturday and other than that, we didn't leave the house. We chatted a ton and ate and drank and slept and relaxed. It was the perfect weekend for some worn-out mommies! Hopefully we can do it again and make sure Amy can join us.
Ed and I didn't do too much for our anniversary since we are renovating our kitchen and since we are going to San Antonio in April. My parents babysat while we had dinner at Alfredo's. It was great and just enough to celebrate 7 years of marriage! I am really looking forward to our kid-free trip to San Antonio next month. It's really a work trip for Ed but he's calling it a "boondoggle" and it sounds like we'll have lots of free time!
So Part II of potty training. I guess it really is true what people are saying - if it's a disaster the first time around, just wait a few weeks and it will be much easier!! I kept waiting for another "perfect" weekend to try but things kept coming up and finally I decided to give it a concerted effort over spring break now that Mom & Dad are moving and therefore we won't be going to Florida to visit Auntie Pat. But I was also eyeing the weekend of March 28-29 since we didn't have much going on and I knew Ed would be around to help (he and Bryan are going on their guys' Red Sox trip the week of spring break....yay for me). So on Thursday, I decided to get the potty out to see what would happen. He took to it right away and had an almost perfect day! I got a Lightning McQueen matchbox car and allowed him to open it the first time he peed on the potty and switched to chocolate (Hershey's miniatures) thereafter. He was great at running to the potty each time and even getting his underwear up and down! He did poop in his underwear the first day but then on Friday we were hanging out with my parents and he not only pooped in the potty chair at their house but he GOT OUT OF THE BATHTUB ON HIS OWN to do it!!! We weren't even really paying attention to him and he did it all by himself!! I was thrilled!! His success continued and he's gotten really good at going poop and pee in the potty chair at home. Now we only need to work on going when we're not at home and transitioning to the big potty. I'm a little disappointed that he hasn't gone at school yet (including today after having a great weekend) but I've upped the ante and offered him a matchbox car if he goes so hopefully that will help. I'm still putting him in a pull up for school and when we leave the house (and for naptime and nighttime) but I expect to get a little daring and have him in underwear before too long. We have some things to work on but I'm THRILLED that we've come this far and I have no doubt that he will be fully trained by camp this summer....YIPPEE!! I have to admit that I'm a little emotional at the thought of not changing diapers anymore after more than FIVE YEARS of diapering someone's tushie but in the very next thought, I'm happy to have little people who are growing and reaching milestones. No more babies in this house, for better and for worse!! :-)
Oh and the kitchen is also exciting!! With the help of Uncle Bruce and his sidekick Scott Emory, we are finally tackling our kitchen renovation!! We will be getting new cabinets, new granite countertop, new double oven, new gas cooktop, and new over-the-cooktop microwave. The refrigerator, dishwasher, and floor will be staying for now. We are also knocking out the wall between the kitchen and family room and repainting the family room - the trim and bookshelves will be white to "match" the spaces. We'll also repaint the kitchen and have a new "overhang" of the countertop at the peninsula so we can have barstools. I am SO EXCITED!! At this point, we have ordered the cabinets and Bruce and Co. will probably be here to start the demolition in about two weeks. I can't WAIT to see the finished product and I have to remember to take a lot of before and after pictures!! It's going to be expensive (around $25K-$30K) but we have some money saved and between that, our tax refund, and Ed's unexpected bonus (Yay, Ed!) we have it covered, plus we recently refinanced (30yr fixed @4.75%), we will have no car payment once the van is paid off next month, and we closed last week on a new HELOC from SunTrust. Plus, it will all be well worth it! I'm sure I'll be updating progress as we go along. We hope to be completely finished by Mother's Day since Ed's parents will be here visiting but something tells me it won't go as smoothly as we'd like but I'm praying for as smooth a job as possible!
We should get a letter in the mail on Saturday from IHM! I am excited that we will finally know one way or the other. I am remaining optimistic that she will be accepted but at this point I am just anxious to find out so we can make plans and move on. We will be helping Mom and Dad move on Saturday so I hope we can hold out our anxiety until we can make it home to our mailbox!
I am trying to make plans for us next week for spring break. This will be the first time that Mom and I have not gone somewhere and especially with Ed gone it will be rough but it's only a week so I'm sure we'll be fine. We already have plans with Tracey and Mitchell on Tuesday and I'd also like to take the kids to Stone Mountain on a good weather day. Between that and spending time with Mom & Dad and the new house, I'm sure the week will go faster than I think...at least I hope so! Besides, we are now planning to visit Auntie Pat right after school is out in June and I think that will work better anyway.
I think that's all the excitement I can relay for now. I'm sure lots will happen between now and my next update. It's almost 70 degrees and sunny today so hopefully there will be more days like that and less of the torrential rainfall...I really do enjoy the spring weather in Atlanta!
So, we had several celebrations for Daniel's 3rd birthday! Ed's parents came into town for Valentine's Day weekend. It was great because they took the kids to Big Canoe Saturday morning and Ed and I were able to enjoy a nice day and overnight to ourselves. We had lunch at Pappadeux and then picked out the cabinets for our new kitchen! (More on that later). Then we had dinner that night at Goldfish using a gift certificate that Zac had given us for Christmas. We met some friends (Ron, Kristi, Lisa Tontala) at Limerick Junction in VA Highlands to take advantage of our "kid free" evening. On Sunday, we had Ed's parents, my parents, Zac, and Granny & Pa over to celebrate Daniel's birthday. He loved his Lightning McQueen cake and theme...for the second year in a row!
The following weekend on Saturday (Feb 21st), we celebrated Daniel's birthday again with a few of his closest friends at Jumpin' Jamboree. I wasn't sure if I would have a "kid party" for him at all but for months, when I asked him where he would have his birthday, he would answer, "At the bouncy place!" so I certainly couldn't disappoint him! I kept it small and only invited his "Tuesday gymnastics" boys (Sam, Eli, Mitchell, Miles) plus Jack Dorminey and Davis Merrill. Ella and Ava also attended as official siblings and friends for Elizabeth. We practically had the place to ourselves and everyone had a great time. Amy Merrill and my parents were even captured on film on some of the slides with the kids! I made cupcakes with Lightning McQueen and Mater toppers and gave out a Mater "Little Golden" book and small packs of M&Ms as favors. It went off without a hitch and really was a fun party for Daniel and all his friends!
Aside from that, we've just been busy with the usual things. We've had some wacky weather lately with some weekends of solid, pouring, depressing rain alternating with weekends of gorgeous, beautiful sunshine...must be spring! Mom and Dad are fully in the throes of their move. They close tomorrow on their "dream" retirement home in Flowery Branch. Their Snellville house is still on the market but they seem to be OK to let it ride a little while longer with renting as a possible option. I was in denial at first about their move but I'm getting used to the idea. The new house is only a difference of about 5-10 minutes door-to-door since it's all interstate but the distance is definitely greater. Hopefully not too much will change but we'll see. The biggest difference is that traveling back and forth between our homes during heavy traffic times (basically weekday evenings) will now be out of the question. I'm sure we'll all adjust and I know they will be happy in their new home, which is what matters!
I was able to go on a girls' weekend to Big Canoe last weekend (March 20-22) with Balinda, Amy McMillen, and Kristi. We all had a great time, except we missed Amy Merrill who couldn't make it because her Dad passed away on March 16th. We didn't do much at all, which was heavenly. The weather was great so we took a long walk/hike on the nature trails on Saturday and other than that, we didn't leave the house. We chatted a ton and ate and drank and slept and relaxed. It was the perfect weekend for some worn-out mommies! Hopefully we can do it again and make sure Amy can join us.
Ed and I didn't do too much for our anniversary since we are renovating our kitchen and since we are going to San Antonio in April. My parents babysat while we had dinner at Alfredo's. It was great and just enough to celebrate 7 years of marriage! I am really looking forward to our kid-free trip to San Antonio next month. It's really a work trip for Ed but he's calling it a "boondoggle" and it sounds like we'll have lots of free time!
So Part II of potty training. I guess it really is true what people are saying - if it's a disaster the first time around, just wait a few weeks and it will be much easier!! I kept waiting for another "perfect" weekend to try but things kept coming up and finally I decided to give it a concerted effort over spring break now that Mom & Dad are moving and therefore we won't be going to Florida to visit Auntie Pat. But I was also eyeing the weekend of March 28-29 since we didn't have much going on and I knew Ed would be around to help (he and Bryan are going on their guys' Red Sox trip the week of spring break....yay for me). So on Thursday, I decided to get the potty out to see what would happen. He took to it right away and had an almost perfect day! I got a Lightning McQueen matchbox car and allowed him to open it the first time he peed on the potty and switched to chocolate (Hershey's miniatures) thereafter. He was great at running to the potty each time and even getting his underwear up and down! He did poop in his underwear the first day but then on Friday we were hanging out with my parents and he not only pooped in the potty chair at their house but he GOT OUT OF THE BATHTUB ON HIS OWN to do it!!! We weren't even really paying attention to him and he did it all by himself!! I was thrilled!! His success continued and he's gotten really good at going poop and pee in the potty chair at home. Now we only need to work on going when we're not at home and transitioning to the big potty. I'm a little disappointed that he hasn't gone at school yet (including today after having a great weekend) but I've upped the ante and offered him a matchbox car if he goes so hopefully that will help. I'm still putting him in a pull up for school and when we leave the house (and for naptime and nighttime) but I expect to get a little daring and have him in underwear before too long. We have some things to work on but I'm THRILLED that we've come this far and I have no doubt that he will be fully trained by camp this summer....YIPPEE!! I have to admit that I'm a little emotional at the thought of not changing diapers anymore after more than FIVE YEARS of diapering someone's tushie but in the very next thought, I'm happy to have little people who are growing and reaching milestones. No more babies in this house, for better and for worse!! :-)
Oh and the kitchen is also exciting!! With the help of Uncle Bruce and his sidekick Scott Emory, we are finally tackling our kitchen renovation!! We will be getting new cabinets, new granite countertop, new double oven, new gas cooktop, and new over-the-cooktop microwave. The refrigerator, dishwasher, and floor will be staying for now. We are also knocking out the wall between the kitchen and family room and repainting the family room - the trim and bookshelves will be white to "match" the spaces. We'll also repaint the kitchen and have a new "overhang" of the countertop at the peninsula so we can have barstools. I am SO EXCITED!! At this point, we have ordered the cabinets and Bruce and Co. will probably be here to start the demolition in about two weeks. I can't WAIT to see the finished product and I have to remember to take a lot of before and after pictures!! It's going to be expensive (around $25K-$30K) but we have some money saved and between that, our tax refund, and Ed's unexpected bonus (Yay, Ed!) we have it covered, plus we recently refinanced (30yr fixed @4.75%), we will have no car payment once the van is paid off next month, and we closed last week on a new HELOC from SunTrust. Plus, it will all be well worth it! I'm sure I'll be updating progress as we go along. We hope to be completely finished by Mother's Day since Ed's parents will be here visiting but something tells me it won't go as smoothly as we'd like but I'm praying for as smooth a job as possible!
We should get a letter in the mail on Saturday from IHM! I am excited that we will finally know one way or the other. I am remaining optimistic that she will be accepted but at this point I am just anxious to find out so we can make plans and move on. We will be helping Mom and Dad move on Saturday so I hope we can hold out our anxiety until we can make it home to our mailbox!
I am trying to make plans for us next week for spring break. This will be the first time that Mom and I have not gone somewhere and especially with Ed gone it will be rough but it's only a week so I'm sure we'll be fine. We already have plans with Tracey and Mitchell on Tuesday and I'd also like to take the kids to Stone Mountain on a good weather day. Between that and spending time with Mom & Dad and the new house, I'm sure the week will go faster than I think...at least I hope so! Besides, we are now planning to visit Auntie Pat right after school is out in June and I think that will work better anyway.
I think that's all the excitement I can relay for now. I'm sure lots will happen between now and my next update. It's almost 70 degrees and sunny today so hopefully there will be more days like that and less of the torrential rainfall...I really do enjoy the spring weather in Atlanta!
Monday, February 9, 2009
February 9, 2009: Adventures in Potty Training (NOT!)
So we're into the second month of the year now and rapidly closing in on Daniel's 3rd birthday. Which made me think that he was probably ready to be potty trained, right?!? Mmmm...not so much.
We decided to try "potty training boot camp" the weekend of January 30th. It was Super Bowl weekend but aside from that, we didn't have much going on and it seemed like a good weekend to stay inside so I decided to go for it. We kept telling him the whole week that he was a big boy and that he didn't need to wear diapers anymore and that the diaper fairy was coming to take all his diapers away. (I had used the same "shoe fairy" trick to get him to let go of his Lightning McQueen shoes a few weeks earlier when I had to buy him new shoes. BTW, he's a size 9W now. Elizabeth is a 10...not much bigger!!) He seemed on board with the concept plus I was down to only changing about 3-4 diapers/day meaning he could stay dry for long periods. He's developed a very predictable pattern with pooping too (can I mention "pooping" in a blog??) Pretty much right after lunch like clockwork. I even took him with me on a couple of trips to Target to buy "big boy" underwear. He chose Lightning McQueen and Thomas the Train and he seemed very excited about wearing them. All a recipe for success, right??
I followed a document that I had saved for "Potty Training in 3 Days." I pretty much thought it would work that way since my memory told me it was fairly easy with Elizabeth (once she got the hang of it on the 2nd or 3rd day). We brought out the potty chair that we used with Elizabeth and I got it all cleaned up and ready to go. We even asked Daniel to sit on it a few times before we started so he would get familiar with it. Well...things did not quite go as planned. The first day (I really didn't start until Friday afternoon since he still went to school on Friday in a diaper) he wore the underwear and didn't really do anything in the potty. I had to drop Elizabeth off at Ella's house for Ella's birthday party and when I picked her up, Daniel peed in the car. Things didn't go much better on Saturday. I decided to let him go "nekkid" in hopes that I could catch him in the act a little better and in hopes that he would get to the potty in time. The one thing that he's NOT ready for is pulling his pants up and down, or even his underwear. I managed to catch him a few times but he didn't have control of his, ahem, "device" and pee usually ended up all over the carpeted floor in the playroom. Plus, he still didn't poop all day. I managed to get a bit of a reprieve when we met Ed and Elizabeth at Fellini's for dinner after they had attended the Woodward girls' basketball game (in support of Jonathan Merrill). I put a pull up on him for that and he actually stayed dry. We also started using nighttime pull ups overnight and although they would be wet in the morning, he didn't soak through them which was good. This whole time, I was using M&Ms as his reward when he would even get a little bit in the potty, which wasn't often. He doesn't go that often in a day so we didn't get many opportunities to practice!
Finally on Sunday morning while Ed and Elizabeth were at church, he needed to poop. I tried every trick in the book to get him on the potty but he refused. He was visibly upset and cried. I even offered him a diaper or pull up but he finally stood there in the playroom and pooped in his underwear. I brought him into the bathroom with me and stripped him down and showed him that the poop goes into the potty. We had a couple of semi-pees in the potty but still no total successes. I even called Whitney Payne since she has potty trained two boys including Mitchell (who is in Daniel's class) and she gave me a great pep talk and told me to be patient and stop thinking that this is the worst thing I've ever done, which I was definitely thinking at the time! I had a near breakdown (probably just as much for being on house arrest all weekend as for the potty frustration) but decided to forge ahead.
I sent him to school on Monday in a pull up and told his teachers to take him to the potty. I went inside to pick him up and Stayce Bushart told me that he went in the potty but she was a bit distracted when I was speaking to her so I'm not sure I believe her. Nevertheless, he definitely had the same pull up on as he went to school in (I knew because the others had his name on them) so maybe the peer pressure had helped. I decided to make a sticker chart to see if that helped and thinking of peer pressure, I also made a sticker chart for Elizabeth. I figured it might help if he could see her getting rewarded all the time and it might motivate him. It seemed to work in the beginning and I thought we had turned a corner on Monday night. Ed was away at a church meeting and I persuaded Daniel to sit on the potty after dinner by convincing Elizabeth to sit on another potty chair next to him. It took several minutes but he actually peed into the potty and held his "device" down the entire time so that it all went into the potty!! I was so thrilled. I gave him two stickers and called my parents and I really wanted to call the president or anyone who would listen!!!
But then came Tuesday. We went to gymnastics in a pull up and I showed him the bathroom there and tried to get him to sit on the potty but he refused. As we were driving home, he was kicking his legs and I could tell he needed to go. I told him we were almost home and I raced home as fast as I could. I immediately stripped him down and got the potty out. He started dancing around and saying, "It hurts! It hurts!" I kept encouraging him to sit on the potty but he was so wrapped up in the sensation that he refused. He finally started peeing all over the kitchen floor and I tried to pull him over to the potty where we managed to get a little of it in there but still made a huge mess. I was crushed. I decided that he just wasn't ready and neither was I so we would drop it. Then I went to a Parent Council meeting the next morning at the preschool and that just HAPPENED to be the day that they gave out the brochure on the summer camps, which by the way, he MUST be potty trained to attend. I got all frustrated and discouraged all over again. To top it off, when we got home, Daniel started doing his dance and crying and saying, "It hurts!" all over again and I kept telling him that he had a diaper on so he should just go and he kept acting hysterical until he finally paused and peed, then he was fine. I got worried that something might really be physically wrong so I actually took him to Children's Medical Group that afternoon to make sure he didn't have a bladder infection. We saw Dr. Calk and he's decidedly laid back so that helped a lot. He said that bladder infections are very rare in 2-year-old boys so he said it's more likely that Daniel is freaked out by the sensation of needing to go rather than the pain of going. We tried (unsuccessfully) to get a urine sample (ha!) and then $20 and a dose of reality later, we left. I was distraught all over again and consumed with the idea that my child would never be potty trained and especially not in time to attend summer camp and give me some relief from my summer of hell like last year.
I remained in that fog for the rest of the week and then finally snapped out of it over the weekend. I've since read a million googled web pages and solicited countless advice from others about potty training and it seems that most unsuccessful attempts are rendered successful a month or two later. I'm praying we fall into that group! I'm trying to devise some foolproof strategies for next time and I'm hoping we can just declare that diapers are no longer an option and even though I might have to carry a towel and extra clothing every time we leave the house for a while, I'm hoping we can stick with it. If all else fails, there are three full weeks this summer before any YCS camps start so that will have to be the final battle!
So aside from that nightmare, things have been moving right along. Elizabeth had her testing appointment at IHM on Saturday. I think we absolutely did the best job possible of preparing her. It was a great decision to bring her with us to the Open House so that she was familiar with the school and then we "talked up" the fact that she would be returning for one of her teachers to "ask her some questions." I decided long ago that Ed would take her since any separation anxiety tends to be worse with me and it worked out well because I took Daniel to a birthday party. Ed said that she did fine and seemed to be very at ease with the whole thing. She told us that they read the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" as a group (with two other kids) and that they played with blocks and did some drawing with colors. She told Ed that she spoke with three teachers in total. I just said a prayer that they would see her for who she is and I know that will be enough. Our application process is now complete. Missy Perry was planning to write us a letter of recommendation and Linda Cavalli was planning to put in a good word for us with the principal and perhaps the admissions coordinator. Bryan Pinabell may also write a letter for us. So for now, that's all we can do. Now we wait until April 3rd when the letters go out and just pray for God to show us the right path of education for our kids!
We had a fun social outing with our Sunday School class this past Saturday night to Loco's and then bowling. It was a fun evening and just what the doctor ordered since Ed is busy as ever with church committees and work and I was coming out of my funk with respect to potty training failure. This weekend Ed's parents are coming into town to celebrate Daniel's birthday. They are planning to take the kids to Big Canoe on Saturday and Ed and I have dinner reservations at Goldfish (on Valentine's Day!) I hope we can spend some quality "couple time" this Saturday and then enjoy our family celebration for Daniel's birthday on Sunday. I need to remember all the blessings in my life and relax about the little things...surely Daniel will be potty trained by the time he leaves for college and like Whitney told me...even if he's not, he'll be out of my house by then!!
I hope to update soon with all the details of Daniel's birthday events...can he really be 3 already??? Where did my baby go???
We decided to try "potty training boot camp" the weekend of January 30th. It was Super Bowl weekend but aside from that, we didn't have much going on and it seemed like a good weekend to stay inside so I decided to go for it. We kept telling him the whole week that he was a big boy and that he didn't need to wear diapers anymore and that the diaper fairy was coming to take all his diapers away. (I had used the same "shoe fairy" trick to get him to let go of his Lightning McQueen shoes a few weeks earlier when I had to buy him new shoes. BTW, he's a size 9W now. Elizabeth is a 10...not much bigger!!) He seemed on board with the concept plus I was down to only changing about 3-4 diapers/day meaning he could stay dry for long periods. He's developed a very predictable pattern with pooping too (can I mention "pooping" in a blog??) Pretty much right after lunch like clockwork. I even took him with me on a couple of trips to Target to buy "big boy" underwear. He chose Lightning McQueen and Thomas the Train and he seemed very excited about wearing them. All a recipe for success, right??
I followed a document that I had saved for "Potty Training in 3 Days." I pretty much thought it would work that way since my memory told me it was fairly easy with Elizabeth (once she got the hang of it on the 2nd or 3rd day). We brought out the potty chair that we used with Elizabeth and I got it all cleaned up and ready to go. We even asked Daniel to sit on it a few times before we started so he would get familiar with it. Well...things did not quite go as planned. The first day (I really didn't start until Friday afternoon since he still went to school on Friday in a diaper) he wore the underwear and didn't really do anything in the potty. I had to drop Elizabeth off at Ella's house for Ella's birthday party and when I picked her up, Daniel peed in the car. Things didn't go much better on Saturday. I decided to let him go "nekkid" in hopes that I could catch him in the act a little better and in hopes that he would get to the potty in time. The one thing that he's NOT ready for is pulling his pants up and down, or even his underwear. I managed to catch him a few times but he didn't have control of his, ahem, "device" and pee usually ended up all over the carpeted floor in the playroom. Plus, he still didn't poop all day. I managed to get a bit of a reprieve when we met Ed and Elizabeth at Fellini's for dinner after they had attended the Woodward girls' basketball game (in support of Jonathan Merrill). I put a pull up on him for that and he actually stayed dry. We also started using nighttime pull ups overnight and although they would be wet in the morning, he didn't soak through them which was good. This whole time, I was using M&Ms as his reward when he would even get a little bit in the potty, which wasn't often. He doesn't go that often in a day so we didn't get many opportunities to practice!
Finally on Sunday morning while Ed and Elizabeth were at church, he needed to poop. I tried every trick in the book to get him on the potty but he refused. He was visibly upset and cried. I even offered him a diaper or pull up but he finally stood there in the playroom and pooped in his underwear. I brought him into the bathroom with me and stripped him down and showed him that the poop goes into the potty. We had a couple of semi-pees in the potty but still no total successes. I even called Whitney Payne since she has potty trained two boys including Mitchell (who is in Daniel's class) and she gave me a great pep talk and told me to be patient and stop thinking that this is the worst thing I've ever done, which I was definitely thinking at the time! I had a near breakdown (probably just as much for being on house arrest all weekend as for the potty frustration) but decided to forge ahead.
I sent him to school on Monday in a pull up and told his teachers to take him to the potty. I went inside to pick him up and Stayce Bushart told me that he went in the potty but she was a bit distracted when I was speaking to her so I'm not sure I believe her. Nevertheless, he definitely had the same pull up on as he went to school in (I knew because the others had his name on them) so maybe the peer pressure had helped. I decided to make a sticker chart to see if that helped and thinking of peer pressure, I also made a sticker chart for Elizabeth. I figured it might help if he could see her getting rewarded all the time and it might motivate him. It seemed to work in the beginning and I thought we had turned a corner on Monday night. Ed was away at a church meeting and I persuaded Daniel to sit on the potty after dinner by convincing Elizabeth to sit on another potty chair next to him. It took several minutes but he actually peed into the potty and held his "device" down the entire time so that it all went into the potty!! I was so thrilled. I gave him two stickers and called my parents and I really wanted to call the president or anyone who would listen!!!
But then came Tuesday. We went to gymnastics in a pull up and I showed him the bathroom there and tried to get him to sit on the potty but he refused. As we were driving home, he was kicking his legs and I could tell he needed to go. I told him we were almost home and I raced home as fast as I could. I immediately stripped him down and got the potty out. He started dancing around and saying, "It hurts! It hurts!" I kept encouraging him to sit on the potty but he was so wrapped up in the sensation that he refused. He finally started peeing all over the kitchen floor and I tried to pull him over to the potty where we managed to get a little of it in there but still made a huge mess. I was crushed. I decided that he just wasn't ready and neither was I so we would drop it. Then I went to a Parent Council meeting the next morning at the preschool and that just HAPPENED to be the day that they gave out the brochure on the summer camps, which by the way, he MUST be potty trained to attend. I got all frustrated and discouraged all over again. To top it off, when we got home, Daniel started doing his dance and crying and saying, "It hurts!" all over again and I kept telling him that he had a diaper on so he should just go and he kept acting hysterical until he finally paused and peed, then he was fine. I got worried that something might really be physically wrong so I actually took him to Children's Medical Group that afternoon to make sure he didn't have a bladder infection. We saw Dr. Calk and he's decidedly laid back so that helped a lot. He said that bladder infections are very rare in 2-year-old boys so he said it's more likely that Daniel is freaked out by the sensation of needing to go rather than the pain of going. We tried (unsuccessfully) to get a urine sample (ha!) and then $20 and a dose of reality later, we left. I was distraught all over again and consumed with the idea that my child would never be potty trained and especially not in time to attend summer camp and give me some relief from my summer of hell like last year.
I remained in that fog for the rest of the week and then finally snapped out of it over the weekend. I've since read a million googled web pages and solicited countless advice from others about potty training and it seems that most unsuccessful attempts are rendered successful a month or two later. I'm praying we fall into that group! I'm trying to devise some foolproof strategies for next time and I'm hoping we can just declare that diapers are no longer an option and even though I might have to carry a towel and extra clothing every time we leave the house for a while, I'm hoping we can stick with it. If all else fails, there are three full weeks this summer before any YCS camps start so that will have to be the final battle!
So aside from that nightmare, things have been moving right along. Elizabeth had her testing appointment at IHM on Saturday. I think we absolutely did the best job possible of preparing her. It was a great decision to bring her with us to the Open House so that she was familiar with the school and then we "talked up" the fact that she would be returning for one of her teachers to "ask her some questions." I decided long ago that Ed would take her since any separation anxiety tends to be worse with me and it worked out well because I took Daniel to a birthday party. Ed said that she did fine and seemed to be very at ease with the whole thing. She told us that they read the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" as a group (with two other kids) and that they played with blocks and did some drawing with colors. She told Ed that she spoke with three teachers in total. I just said a prayer that they would see her for who she is and I know that will be enough. Our application process is now complete. Missy Perry was planning to write us a letter of recommendation and Linda Cavalli was planning to put in a good word for us with the principal and perhaps the admissions coordinator. Bryan Pinabell may also write a letter for us. So for now, that's all we can do. Now we wait until April 3rd when the letters go out and just pray for God to show us the right path of education for our kids!
We had a fun social outing with our Sunday School class this past Saturday night to Loco's and then bowling. It was a fun evening and just what the doctor ordered since Ed is busy as ever with church committees and work and I was coming out of my funk with respect to potty training failure. This weekend Ed's parents are coming into town to celebrate Daniel's birthday. They are planning to take the kids to Big Canoe on Saturday and Ed and I have dinner reservations at Goldfish (on Valentine's Day!) I hope we can spend some quality "couple time" this Saturday and then enjoy our family celebration for Daniel's birthday on Sunday. I need to remember all the blessings in my life and relax about the little things...surely Daniel will be potty trained by the time he leaves for college and like Whitney told me...even if he's not, he'll be out of my house by then!!
I hope to update soon with all the details of Daniel's birthday events...can he really be 3 already??? Where did my baby go???
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