Who Knew?

Who knew how much fun we'd all have with Bridget' s new hula hoop? Last night after dinner we went outside where everyone had turns. None of us could do it very well at first, but then we got the hang of it again. We couldn't stop laughing at each other though-Caroline's toes would wiggle as she did it; Todd did it with his thumbs up; and I have a special move I use to keep it from falling down! Bridget's loves trying it too and every time she can get it to spin we cheer for her. We also realized it can be quite a good workout for your stomach muscles!

Caroline is imitating Todd's signature move here!

Todd was the last one to get it and he was determined to do it!

I found that if I stuck my butt out I could keep it from falling!

Bridget has just as much fun watching us, as she does playing with it herself

And where was Ross during all this fun? In the Bumbo seat! His favorite hang out spot.

By the way, the potty training is getting better each day! Thank goodness we stuck with it. We even made a trip to Publix yesterday with no diaper on. That was a big deal. Thanks to everyone who have given us ideas and encouragement! It's so nice to have friends who are going through all the same things at the same time!

A Breakthrough Day

We had to do it. Potty training, that is. We'd been delaying it for one reason or another, but last weekend we decided we had to give it a real effort. And Day 1 was horrible. I think we gave up by mid-afternoon and didn't bother with it the rest of weekend. Monday morning came and I knew that I couldn't keep delaying, so it was off with the diaper and on with the undies. A few different friends suggested the idea of a sticker reward chart, so I made that during nap time and had it waiting for her when she woke up. She loved it until she realized that it had something to do with going potty. Then it wasn't so exciting anymore. But I made a huge deal about it and later that night before bath time when she went potty, we sang and danced like crazy people and put up her stickers!

Celebrating our first few stickers

Tuesday came and we were back to square one. By the end of the day we did get to put up a few more stickers, but there were still more accidents than successes.

Wednesday started the same with 2 morning accidents, but then she went on the potty...and did it again and again and again with much less resistance than the first few days. The sticker chart was filling up and by 4:00 it was full! Her prize? A hula-hoop. What's a 2 1/2 year old going to do with a hula-hoop? I have no idea. But she's been wanting one forever and every time we go to Target we get out of the cart to play with them.

It's complete! (Her smiling face is now always accompanied by hands on her cheeks!)

Today, she proudly rolled her own pink, sparkly hula-hoop up the the checkout lane herself. Once at home should found all sorts of "fun" things to do with it.

The rest of the day and night was accident free! We still have a long road ahead of us with this potty training thing, but it feels great to have had such an amazing day!

Never A Dull Moment

Our days begin just before 7 a.m., Todd is out the door to work by 8:00, and then it's just me and kids for the rest of the day. And whether we stay at home all day or are out and about, it's a jam-packed day. There is plenty of chaos thrown into our happy little days at home, but it's those moments that are soon forgotten when I get a random "I wub you Mommy" from Bridget or a big drooly smile from Ross.

Some of our more chaotic moments this week included our first real attempt at potty training...(this obviously falls under chaotic since we went through 4 pairs of big girl undies and 3 outfits in just under 4 hours); Bridget's long awaited discovery that the couch cushions come OFF the couch; and a stained bright yellow load of kitchen towels thanks to a glob of play-doh that somehow made its way into the washing machine.

This is obviously much more fun than coloring with them

One little monkey jumping on the couch!

Fortuneatly, both of the kids do so many incredibly cute things to balance out the chaos. Ross is pretty much done being a newborn and is just a big happy baby! Everything makes him smile and he is so content with hanging out and taking it all in. He coos and babbles all the time now and it is the sweetest sound. He's graduated from making me bounce him to sleep to letting me rock him in our new glider, which is a huge relief to my arms and back. And while I do wish he would fall asleep on his own in his crib, rocking him isn't so bad at all...his big, fat cheeks all smooshed up against my chest is a beautiful thing!

And where do I even begin with Bridget? To know her is to love her, that's for sure! She was quite the artist this week, doing lots of painting and drawing. On Saturday she helped Daddy with some gardening (with her rainboots on, of course!) and we loved having Caroline around for few days. Bridget is very independent and likes to do things "all by myself" these days. In just a few short months she has gone from saying words to talking up a storm. She says anything and everything and we all have to be careful what we say around her!

Daddy and Bridget work while Mommy and Ross watch!

And then there are times when everybody just wants to do nothing...These moments are rare, but I enjoy them while I can!

Picture Post

Just some pictures to share for now...bedtime calls!

Tummy Time!

This was sweet...she's turning the monkey that hangs from the mobile so Ross could see it. She still doesn't really interact with him too much, so this was a big deal to me!

Saturday was a pool day!

Caroline is home for the summer and has been hanging out with us a lot!

Lunch break!

Ross was all ready for the pool with his hat and swim trunks, but surprised us all with a 3 1/2 poolside nap in the stroller. Now, why won't he do that at home??

A baby deer right in our backyard. We see deer often and Bridget always yells, "Reindeer!"

Big, Bigger, Biggest Smile:)

Home Sweet Home

This weekend was our first in awhile with no big plans that kept us away from home. We've been having so much fun lately with parties and a wedding and out of town visitors...but it sure was nice to just be at home.

Although, I can't say I stayed at home all weekend. I had a fabulous time on Saturday, having lunch with some girlfriends. It was great to sit outside, eat and drink and best of all chat, chat, chat! We promised to do it again soon and I hope we do!

We kept Mother's Day simple and special by starting our day with a yummy breakfast at home and then church. I wanted to make a point to hand the camera over to Todd today, so the kids have proof that I did exist when they were babies!

Attempt #1: Bridget refused to join us and sat at the door and said, "I can't! I don't like pictures."

Attempt #2: We promised her an afternoon of the kiddie pool and the hose if she posed for just one picture. She hesitantly agreed.

So later that day we had to make good on that promise, because you know she didn't forget! We haven't had the pool out since last summer when Bridget looked like this...

And look at her today!

Ross wore his first pair of swim trunks and had his first dip in the pool. Bridget played outside all afternoon right through naptime. She better sleep good tonight!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the many mothers I know! I can honestly say that I learn things from each and every one of you and am so thankful for you!

The Good, the Bad and Some Really Tough Days

We have a lot of good going on and first and foremost, Ross is 3 months old! He is such a sweet boy, I can hardly stand it! The most exciting thing about this age is all the smiles and giggles he gives us. Each big grin is cuter than the last one! He is big and strong and is finally learning to like tummy time. I am still nursing him and there seems to be no sign of stopping anytime soon, as he is growing and thriving like a champ. Nighttime sleeping is going great. No, he's not sleeping all the way through the night yet, but he is only up once around 4 or 5 am, and after a little milk he goes right back to sleep. We've moved the bassinet to his room and moving him into the crib is next...and that needs to happen very, very soon. He barely fits in the bassinet anymore!

3 months old!

We love a happy baby!

Two goofballs

Now, daytime sleeping is another story...up until a few days ago he was doing fine. Sleeping anywhere from 1-3 hours at a time. Then, all of the sudden he started consistently waking up after only 30 or 45 minutes. Yikes! He's also been having a really hard time falling to sleep. He's gotten very used to falling asleep in my arms, but when there is a 2 1/2 year old in the house too, that is not very ideal. I hate "shushing" her while she is playing because I'm trying to get Ross to sleep. So that means I'm on a mission to get him to fall asleep on his own, in his crib. NOT. FUN. But we're trying and I'm hoping that a few very tough and tearful days will pay off in the long run.

And my big girl? What can I say, except that she is perfect in every way. Her whole world has changed so much in the past 3 months and you'd never know it. She cracks us up every single day with the things she says and does. I love being able to have her by my side all day.

Daddy works so hard all day, but when he gets a few extra minutes he will Skype us to see what we're doing! Bridget looooves that! We have a lunch date with Daddy later this week and we can't wait!

A Party Girl Already

Bridget loves a good party and this weekend she was in heaven with not just 1, but 3 of them!

We first celebrated Livi's 3rd birthday at the Ercolani house. As usual, Carrie had A TON of delicious food and Bridget wasted no time in positioning herself right in front of the Cheetos!

Bridget and the girls played outside on the new swing set and inside in Livi's toy-filled bedroom. The girls play so good together and I love watching her interact with her friends. She's such a good, sweet playmate to her friends and she makes me so proud to be her mommy! We sang Happy Birthday, had ice cream cake and had a great time! We love you Livi!

Staying close to Daddy during the Happy Birthday song

The girls

We left the Ercolani's and headed straight to my parents for their annual Kentucky Derby Party. We got there early to relax a little and make some outfit changes. Lots of people would be meeting Ross for the first time here, so I wanted to make sure he looked his best. Not hard to do...he's a handsome guy!

Bridget was a wild woman at the party. She socialized with everyone, ate I don't even want to know how many Snickerdoodles, and pretty much stole the show! It was a HOT day and her curly ringlets were drenched in sweat, but that certainly didn't slow her down. She didn't slow down until the car ride at about 10:00 that night! My horse came in 3rd and I won a whopping $4!

You gotta wear a hat to the Derby party!

Stayed close to the cooler, so she could steal ice cubes to cool off!

Napping in between all the fun

We spent Sunday morning relaxing before heading back out for an Elmo Birthday Bash for our sweet friend, Samantha. It had been awhile since Bridget and I had gotten to do something with the just the two of us, so we left the boys at home for this one. We saw and caught up with lots of great friends and Bridget had a ball on the playground. The Elmo themed party was adorable and Elmo himself even made a surprise appearance! Bridget saw him coming and practically jumped out of my arms to get to him. She high-fived him and started babbling away. I'm pretty sure Elmo had no idea what she was saying, so he just nodded politely! I love the confidence she has when it comes to things like this. She's going to go far with a personality like that!

I Spy Bridget, front and center right next to the birthday girl!

Elmo!

Cooling off with a drink

We have the greatest friends and family and loved all the time we spent with them this weekend! Up next is Mother's Day weekend and I'm pretty sure I know exactly what I want to do...RELAX!