What happens when you don't listen to Mommy?

Answer: This happens.

I forgot I had these pictures from the other day but they crack me up and I wanted to share them. He loves to put all his cars in empty Huggies boxes. But this night, he dumped them all out and decided to use the box as a seat. I told him several times that he better not do that and of course he didn't want to listen. I think by the look on his face here, he'll maybe be more open to listening to me at a later time. Eh, probably not...so I'll have my camera ready.

Bragging on my Baby Girl

My first couple of blogs have been mostly about life with a 2 year old little boy, but I wanted to write something about my baby girl, too. Well, I say baby girl but she's 8 going on 18 and my first baby.

She is so much like me, it's scary. If I ever wonder how I am or how I come across to people, all I have to do is have a conversation with Gracie. She has my sarcasm down pat and what's even scarier is, it's not just imitation...she truly knows what she's saying. Though, I do need to tone mine down some so we can make sure her's doesn't make her write a check her rear can't cash.

She is one of the smartest kids I've ever seen. We are so proud of her. She's now going into 3rd grade and this year she'll begin her RLC (Resource Learning Center) classes for gifted children. Last year, she was tested in lots of different categories and given an IQ test and as a result, she was asked to participate in this class this year. Basically, 3 to 5 hours a week, she'll be taken out of her regular class and she'll go into RLC. While she's there, they will learn to basically "think out of the box". They'll have problem solving and experiments and discussions that dig deeper than regular classes. This year their theme is "Explore", so I'm sure that will cover lots of things. I do remember the teacher also mentioning that they will at some point this year be given a store setting, a check book, and items to purchase, tally up including taxes, and balance their checkbook. Wow...maybe she can help me after that too.

She is a bookworm and proud of it. She's always been interested in books and I'm hoping that rubs off on her brother too. She's in 3rd grade reading on a 5th to 6th grade level. She loves to find a series of books and start at the beginning and go all the way through them and her vocabulary shows it. Can you tell I'm proud of her??

She's finally taken an interest in sports. So far we've played one season of soccer and one season of softball. She just signed up for her 2nd season of soccer and that will start soon. I'll post pictures when that comes up.

But most of all, I'm so proud of her and her stand for God. She's such a sweet Christian girl with a tender heart and worries about others and their well-being and if they're saved or not. I know a lot of adults who don't even care about that.

I know she'll read this so I just wanted to let you know Gracie, that I love you very much and we are so proud of you and the young lady you've become. You have a beautiful heart filled with God's love and anyone would be very lucky to call you their friend. I hope you have a wonderful school year and I know you'll make lots of friends and learn a lot. Just don't go and get smarter than your mother!! I love you :)

P-O-T-T-Y spells lots of laughs, a little stress and sucker wrappers everywhere

Remember that song? Eddie Murphy's attempt at singing about his girl wanting to party all the time. Horrible song but catchy tune. It's what I sing to Jackson everytime he potties. "My boy likes to potty all the time, potty all the time, potty all the timeeeeeeee."

We'll also sit and sing other songs and put "potty" into them like, "Old McDonald had a potty, E-I-E-I-O." and "If You're Happy and You Know It, Pee Pee in the Potty". Nevermind that he looks at me like I'm crazy and probably wonders if it's normal to sing while being naked from the waist down and you're trying to "go". It keeps his mind off of what he's doing and it usually works.

Wow...potty training. I haven't done this in quite a few years. With Gracie, it seemed to go very smoothly (from what I can remember anyway) and with very little hang ups. I was always told it was because she was a girl and how I would see how hard it was when I had a little boy. So I was always a little worried about that when Jackson was born but thought, "Nahhh, I have lots of time." Well, fast forward two years later (man, time goes by fast!!) and we are staring (literally) down into the potty.

I started a few months ago just by putting the potty out so he could see it. He was curious and he'd go in and sit on it. That lasted about a week or so and then he didn't so much as look at it. Then he turned 2 and I thought why not just try again. I don't have to push him into it or force him to sit on it. I just let him go in with me and would tell him what Mommy was doing because she was a big girl. Talk about a weird conversation! And he's at the age now that he'll repeat the last few words you say but in the form of a question. So it's hard to keep a straight face when I hear my own words come back at me..."Mommy's a big girl?", "Pee-pee goes bye-bye?", "Tuck my turtle?"

Yeah...the turtle. I thank my friend Tonya for that one. She called it that one time at church while changing his diaper and it stuck ever since. Man, I never had to teach Gracie how to "tuck" anything! So now, we have sitting down and tuckage....and trying to explain to him that he just has to do it without thinking about it. Yeah...right. So, he went a few weeks more after that not really giving a rip.

I started again two weeks ago. He has a little Elmo potty now where he doesn't have to tuck anything and he can sit and push a button and Elmo will tell him how proud he is and how he's growing up just like Elmo. And it works. So all this time, I could have mimicked a red furry monster and got the same result. Priceless.

The other thing I wondered about was rewarding Jackson when we got a result. I started off with M & M's and that worked for all of two days and he got bored. He would look down at them as if to say, "Big stinking deal...you want me to let go and pee in this talking toilet and all I get is five little pieces of candy?? Next!!"

I thought ok...what does he like....I knew I could promise him to go to the splash pad or to Walmart for a toy, etc but those were things that didn't give an immediate reward and he'd forget about the promises no sooner than he shook the turtle and pulled up his pants. So, we tried with some Dum Dum suckers. Wow....magic!

Dum Dum suckers are awesome. Even as a kid, I can remember loving them and looking at the pictures on the outside and all the flavors. He does that too! He'll look all through them and find just the right one and rip it open, declare what color it is, and pop it in his mouth. Instant reward. Now, it's had it's ups and downs too. Such as...as soon as he gets up, he wants to pee pee in the potty...for a sucker...before breakfast. He wants a sucker during the day but doesn't want to take his diaper off to go try and pee pee and doesn't understand why I just won't give him one right then. So we're working on that. But for the most part, he understands if he does it, he gets it.

Who knows...this may work until he's fully trained or he might look at me next week and flat out tell me no. And pooping on the potty?? Man, I have no idea what to do about that one. We'll just take it one Dum Dum at a time.

Have You Seen This Person??

We have a problem. There is a thief on the loose. He hits when you least expect it and he hits fast. He starts with the little cute puppy dog eyes and tilts his head. He watches you closely to see if you're buying it. Then he sneaks a little closer...eyes still on you...head tilted...and starts with that smile..just a little one at first so that his lone dimple slowly comes into view. By then, you're usually just mush and the sad thing is, he knows it. But you have to be strong...be strong I say! He's only 2! What could he possibly do?

So he slowly walks closer to you, leans over and says, "I give you loves, Momma." as he hugs me. Ok, that did it. I'm a big sighing puddle with a smile plastered on my face. He steps back, just watching me, with a huge grin on his face knowing he just won me over yet again....tilts his head and says...

"I have some of your coffee, K?"

"No, Jackson, you can't have any coffee."

"I need dat coffee."

"No, you don't NEED that coffee. You're a little boy. You don't drink coffee."

"I not little boy, I big boy."

At this point, he decides to move to the middle of the living room and starts dancing. I call it "Hey, your daddy tries to dance and it looks just like that" dance. He's shaking his buns and doing the 70's hand rolling thing in front of him and you can't help but laugh. And it seems he's forgotten about the need to be the next Juan Valdez.

You get up and walk away to put the laundry up. As you're walking back in, you hear this weird sound but can't tell what it is. You can't seem to find him either. You come around the corner and...ah-ha...you see that the sound was slurping and you now have an empty coffee cup.

He looks up at you with the biggest grin on his face and says, "Dat good coffee, Momma. I have some pease?"

"Jackson, you can NOT drink Mommy's coffee. That's for big kids, not little boys. And now you drank all of Mommy's"

"I get you some coffee."

"No, you can not go get the coffee yourself and you stay out of my cup from now on."

"Otay. I play cars."

And just that fast, he has snuck in, got the goods and fled. Yep, I'm a sucker. Some ladies have to say, "Lock up your daughters! My son is coming around!" I just have to remind them to put a lid on their coffee cups. Go figure.

Ice Cream + Jackson = BIG MESS

Riddle: What do you get when you put a high chair, a 2 year old and chocolate ice cream together?

Answer: This.

But he had fun, that's for sure!