The Baby Panel is HERE!

Here is the baby panel we had taken with Robin Hickman Photography. The idea of the baby panel (as you can probably see) is to take a picture at the different stages of a baby's first year. He did a great job...I'm very pleased with the outcome...and even more excited to have these stages documented professionally! Keeping in mind, these are pictures of pictures...and I'm still trying to figure out my Photoshop Elements Program! :o)

3 months - holding head up:

6 months - sitting:

9 months - standing/cruising:

12 months - WALKING!

(You can click on the photo of the panel and it should make it bigger for you)

Potty Training 101

Ali and I had tried out the whole potty training thing a couple weeks back and I can say with absolute certainty I was going about it the wrong way. And maybe there isn't really a wrong way to potty train (I'm certain she was learning SOMEthing) but by the end of the day, if you are wound up tighter than an eight day clock then I'd say something was wrong.

Wait. Rewind. I'll start at the very beginning (a very good place to start - *wink*). Back when Noel was born, Great Grandma Swenson got them both a potty chair for such a time as this. So we had it set up in the bathroom downstairs...and whenever they would find the door ajar, it was such a fun toy to play with!

So then...when the time got closer...I pulled it out of the bathroom (since we haven't mastered the art of opening doors, yet) and put it behind the front door...thought maybe that would give her a little privacy back there (fat chance when you have a little brother following you around and swings the door wide open on ya). Still...something fun to play with.

Birthday #2 came and went...and my neighbors advised me not to even try PT until she was at least two. So, tired of trucking up the stairs to change 2 sets of diapers..I bought Toilet Training in Less Than a Day, recommended by my neighbor and began to study up. I found my old Cabbage patch doll and did a little dry run to show Ali what the fun-toy-in-the-corner was all about. She seemed uninterested. When I tried to show her what to do...whining and crying. So. I was done for a while...she wasn't ready. And you cannot push that kid. If she doesn't want to...she ain't gonna do it!

So I waited a month or so...and showed her again (for about a half day). This time she seemed to understand what was going on...but not that I wanted HER to do it. So. I waited again.

Fast Forward to November 10. Tracey was coming for the week (see post below) and I thought it was a perfect time for her to help me with the potty training! One to administer the PT and the other to entertain Noel, make food, etc. So..I put "big girl pants" on Ali and proceeded to begin the training. The following, folks, is what I was talking about above when I said I did it WRONG: It was a Monday. We have small group Bible study on Monday nights. I didn't start the PT until after she was up from her nap...like 3ish. And Bible study is at 6:15. Trevor gets home at 5:30. I need to have dinner ready when he gets home so we have time to eat and get over there (only 2 houses down). Thankfully this day, Tracey would be arriving in time for dinner and to babysit the kids at home, so I wouldn't have to get them ready to go. But she was later than she anticipated...so I was under this time constraint, trying to get dinner in the oven (Homemade Mac & Cheese), and since Ali figured out that she'd get a piece of candy every time she went potty...she'd go every 2 minutes...even if all that she could squeeze out was a couple drops. So I'd get the butter melted and have to stop, cheer, hug, candy and empty the potty. Then add the flour, stop-cheer-hug-candy-empty. Drain the pasta, stop-cheer-hug-candy-empty. And the clock didn't stop ticking closer and closer to 6:15...

Needless to say...by the time we got to Bible study...I was buzzing...about ready to burst into tears from the unrelenting stress of those 3 hours! So, friends. That would be the WRONG way. They (whoever "they" are) certainly have it right when they say to choose a week when there is nothing going on, let your duties pile up and don't stress about them, and eat frozen pizza and leftovers...cause it will make the experience WAY less stressful. It's already a stress in itself, trying to teach this little person, who has never even thought about going potty, to totally revise their thinking!

Tracey and I tried it again the next day but she wasn't able to pull her pants up very well and would get frustrated...so we both (Ali and I) threw in the towel. I think the night before crushed my confidence for a bit. I didn't want to feel that frustrated again about PT! It certainly wasn't fair to Ali or worth it to myself!

So. For some reason I tackled the project again yesterday (I think she might have had diaper rash and I put underwear on her for airing out purposes). She knew this time...that when she had "big girl pants" on...she was supposed to go to the potty. I showed her an "easy" way to pull up the pants...and she GOT IT! She had a few accidents yesterday...but for the most part she went on the potty. I think she probably spent the majority of the day on the potty...cause, of course, she got rewarded with candy or juice or fruit leather (I switched to fruit leather after about the 20th time she went cause she was getting way to much candy...and she was just going to GET candy).

Today...we woke up...put on the big girl pants right away...and come nap time (noon) they were STILL DRY! YIPPEE!! She's gone quite a few times today...but the big stepping stone today is that she's been going without me asking her if she needs to!

Moral of my NOVEL BLOG ENTRY: Don't push her, don't let it stress me out, and take it one step at a time!

Bye Bye!

For Amy!

Here we are side by side for you... Me in the white, Tracey in the Navy! I'd say we look similar! :o) Wouldn't know there were 6 years between us, would you??

To Market, To Market

:: To buy a plum bun...or not.

:: We are going in today to pick up Noel's Baby Panel from the photographer. It's a collection of 4 photos documenting Noel at 3, 6, 9 & 12 months. I haven't seen his 3 month picture since it was taken...as with the others at their corresponding time, so I'm super excited to see it! I'll take a picture of it and post it later so you can see it too!

:: Also have to get some groceries and finish off my Christmas shopping! Well, maybe not finish it off, now that I think about it....I'm still not sure what Ali and Noel are getting yet! So hard when they can't tell you what they'd like!

:: I did my Beth Moore Daniel & David studies this morning. I have a Friday morning ladies bible study group where we do the David study, and Monday night small group where we are doing the Daniel study. It's certainly true what they say! When you take that hour or so to sit down and solely devote that time to the Lord...He truly blesses your day and you bless Him by giving Him time!! What a great feeling to make Jesus happy and glorify Him!! Now I need to work on making Him an integral part of the rest of my day!

:: A treasure from this mornings Daniel study for you: "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." 1 Corinthians 1:25

New Curtains

We used to have these and HATED them. They were always breaking and falling off. So we decided on these:

And the fancy curtain rod:

They are a dusty blueish green to match the countertop. We like them LOADS better!

Buzz & Braids

Noel got a LOT of hairs cut compliments of Auntie TT:

Ali also got a cute and complimentary hair-do:

Auntie "TT"

Tracey is here to stay with us all week. She's certainly one of Ali's favorite people!

playing "put the ball in the bucket and take it out again"

She arrived around 4 pm yesterday and is planning on leaving on Sunday, so we have the week ahead of us. Tomorrow we will go into town and do a little Christmas shopping. It's always fun for me to take a trip out of the house...especially when the kids don't out number the adults! :o)

Ali watched a little Sesame Street and Martha Speaks this morning. Assuming the patented Ali pose:

Tracey brought over a little Guitar Hero fun...and we've been jamming out during all our free time...
and a little extra, too...Noel's gonna be a pro! He's studing closely:

but there's always time for a little reading!

Trace, we're SO glad you're here!

Irish Beef & Stout Stew

I desperately emailed all the cooks in my address book a few weeks ago for some new recipes. I was getting dreadfully tired of eating the same food over and over again. To the point I actually said to Trevor "I hate food. I hate eating it, I hate preparing it...I'd do just fine if I never had to deal with food ever again!" Well. This isn't practical...especially when I have 2 growing children that need food (although, I think Ali would be fine on the no-food plan...she doesn't eat much of it anyway...unless it's sweet...and dinner doesn't tend to be sweet a lot in our house. Noel on the other hand would not enjoy this plan-those of you who can hear him all the way to Michigan when he's hungry can attest to that!)

So...with all that being said. I tried this stew from an Everyday Food that my mother-in-law brought over last weekend. It was pretty tasty (Ali didn't think so; Noel did)! I thought it was pretty colorful after I had finished putting it all together that I wanted to show y'all! It didn't call for carrots...but I thought they'd add a little more to it....so there they are!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to my desperate recipe call...I can't wait to try them all! I just need to remember to write down the ingredients on my list before I head to the grocery store!!

Well...post #1 down...let's just see if I can keep it up! I wasn't real good at it last time...but I'm optimistic (for now)!