Potty Training 101

Mommy woke up this morning and decided this was going to be the day. No more diapers for Ella and no more excuses on Mommy's part for the delay in potty training. We have been "introducing the potty" for over a year now, but have never gotten serious or taken the leap to actually letting Ella wear big girl panties. When Ella work up this morning, she got into big girl panties and was told we weren't going to be able to go to the park, go shopping (Ella's favorite activity), or get to go in her pool unless we started going to the potty. There was a LOT of whining and begging for her diaper, which was met with a firm "no, but you can get a treat if you go."

Though all the "experts" say you should not use bribes or rewards to get your kids to do things they SHOULD do, we are not following that rule at our house for potty training. Ella loves prizes, so prizes she will get. Mommy and Daddy are very tired of changing two sets of diapers.

We have stocked up on M&M's, both Ella and Mommy's favorite.

Our Little Ballerina

Ella has always loved to dance. Unfortunately, she inherited the rhythm and moves of her mommy and daddy, which aren't too great. We found a Baby Ballet class for 2 and 3 year olds through the city of Murphy which is just a few miles from our house. This is the picture from the first day. Ella did NOT want to leave Mommy's side and only enjoyed the part where she got a sticker at the end of class as Mommy forced her feet into first position while trying to juggle Audrey at the same time. We'll see how the next class goes...

Ella's Last Day of School

Today was Ella's last day of Kids Day Out for this year. They had cupcakes (that Ella made) for their morning snack, had pizza and juice boxes for lunch and got to watch a movie instead of taking a nap. They did every activity possible and played with all the toys! Ella was so worn out that she came home and told me she was ready to go night-night. That has NEVER happened when she has gotten home from school.

She has had such a great time this year and it is really neat to see how much she has changed since September. She loved her teachers - Ms. Connie and Ms. Mary -and all her friends in her class. Needless to say, it has been great having a few hours every Tuesday and Thursday to get some things done with two at home, but we are looking forward to a summer full of fun at the park and the pool!

This is a picture of her class taken last week- I am glad to see that all the other kids smile at the camera just as well as Ella does!

From Left to Right : Ryder, Ella, Katie, Sam, Britton, Cade, Jackson, Erin and Laura

From the Mouth of Babes

It amazes me the things that come out of Ella's mouth some days. It seems like it was overnight that she started really creating her own sentences and ideas and not just repeating everything John and I said. I had to share some of the great things she said today...

She woke up this morning to a little bit of rain outside. Our conversation went like this...

Ella: Storm woke me up mommy.

Mommy: I'm sorry baby, but you still slept like a big girl.

Ella: Yeah, there was thunder and rain. And there was a boat.

Mommy: A boat? Are you talking about Noah's Arc, Ella?

Ella: Mommy, Jesus said "NO, Don't be scared!"

I figured out she was talking about a Bible story she learned a few weeks ago in church. She remembered the one with the disciples on the boat in the storm and Jesus scolding them for being afraid. All those hours of reading her Bible are paying off.

Later today, we were heading home from a lunch date with Daddy and we passed by a big church on Central. Ella announced, "There's a church Mommy. I go to church, Audrey goes to church, Mommy and Daddy go to church, and big kids go to church. Mommy, I love church. I love God. I love Jesus." My heart filled up and I had to smile. How precious it is to hear those simple words.

Happy Mothers Day

One of my goals on Mothers Day was to get a picture of me and both of my girls. In the past 2 months, we have never gotten one and I thought Sunday would be a fitting day to get a good one. This is what the result of the photo session was.

Though the pictures didn't turn out and Audrey gave me my first "Happy Mothers Day" at 2 a.m. today, I feel so blessed to have a chance to be the mom to Ella and Audrey. There are rough days and many times that I am struggling at this mommy thing, but I am so grateful that God has given John and I the opportunity to raise and love these little girls.

I am so thankful to my mom who has to be the greatest example of raising 2 girls!! I don't know what I would do without the constant encouragement you give me to make it through!

Audrey Turns 2 Months!

It is hard to believe that Audrey is already 2 months today! Things have gotten so much better as she has finally gotten her days and nights figured out and has decided that she does like to sleep in her crib (as opposed to us holding her all the time).

Her stats for her 2 month check up are :
Weight - 12 pounds, 3.8 ounces (79%)
Height - 22.75 inches (60%)
Head - 15 7/8 inches (82%)

At 2 months, Audrey is:

• Smiling a lot


• Enjoying bathtime a lot more.


• Will sleep for 3-4 hour periods during the night.


• Likes to lay on the floor and watch Ella dance around her.


• Spits up quite a bit, but it doesn't seem to bother her too much.


• Holds her head up and looks around.


• Has officially decided that 6:15 is her wake up time every day!


• Hates getting into the car seat, but once we are moving in the car, she falls fast asleep.


• Goes to the park, shopping, church and pretty much everywhere else!

Since I did not start this blog until recently, I am including her 1 month stats too.

Her stats for her 1 month check up are :
Weight - 9 pounds, 12.3 ounces (61%)
Height - 21.25 inches (50%)
Head - 15 inches (67%)

Best Friends

How sweet it is to have best friends. Ella met Madelyn last May and decided right away that she would be her best friend. Madelyn has a little sister, Harper who is just 4 months older than Audrey. We are hopeful to two of them will be the best of friends too.
We went to see the butterfly exhibit together. The girls got to hold little pieces of cantelope and the butterflies would come land on them. Ella and Madelyn were much more interested in hugging each other though!

The Choice to Blog

I always thought that "blogging" was for computer geeks and people who had way too much time on their hands. Maybe I now fall into one of these categories, because I have decided to start a blog for our family for a few reasons. First, I am the worst at writing things down about the girls. I can't remember most milestones for Ella, which I am sure she will be upset about when she gets older and finds an empty baby book. Second, I really enjoy reading my friends' blogs, so I thought I might let others get the same pleasure. However, most importantly, I have realized that the girls are just growing up so fast and with all our family out of town, I wanted to make sure no one missed a thing. So, here we go...