No more babies in my house!

It looks like it is official. The day I have been waiting for to announce to the world. Tommy is finally potty trained. A couple weeks ago I hated life as a stay at home mom. I was at my wits end. Tommy was stubborn and I was trying to be just as stubborn. I was making him sit on the potty until he would use it. A couple times he said he was finished only later to go in his pants. Finally on Friday, November 18th, I made him wear underwear. By his reaction I knew it was the right move. He had no more excuses. He had to use the potty. He has had a few accidents here and there but more times then not he uses the potty! In fact today he had to go just before it was time for us to pick up Patrick. He would not get off the potty until he went. Luckily, I know another mother in the class who could bring Patrick home otherwise we would have been in a pickle. I am extremely happy that my diaper and wipes buying days are over. I will miss getting the bonus fuel perks from Giant Eagle. We haven't officially ditched rather burnt the diaper pail but I see that happening in the near future. Next week Patrick turns 5! It is so hard to believe! He will be star student for his class in a couple weeks so I had to look back at pictures from the past to print. It seemed like an eternity since he was a baby. It made me look at all the kids as babies. We also watched some videos of when they were little. Watching the videos of the babies made James ask for another one. He asked me yesterday how babies come out of my belly. I said it was magic. He then asked if the baby was cut out. I decided to go with it because its true even if it didn't happen to me. He then responded he was glad he was a man. Boy he doesn't know the half of it! LOL! The kids are still driving me absolutely bonkers at times. Don't they know they are supposed to be good at all times because Santa's elves are watching?? Maybe we should get an elf!

Dreams and Aspirations

Everyone has dreams whether they are realistic or not. I love that my kids have dreams and I have dreams for them. For example, I aspire that one day we will be a diaper free house! I'm truly hoping this will happen sooner than later. I am making Tommy aware of his choices but he chooses to be stubborn. So my dream is not yet a reality. Matt told me last week that John is still dreaming about becoming a Major League Baseball player. I love this dream. I hope he can hold on to it for a while. John was telling Matt "I know I am going to North High School, but it would be really cool if I could play baseball at St. Ed's." Matt was laughing because he was wondering where did the talk of St. Ed's came from. We only talk about two high schools in our house, Lake Catholic and Eastlake North. Matt was saying "What happened to Lake Catholic?" While I was saying "What part of 'he is going to North High doesn't he get??" as I don't even want to know what that tuition bill looks like. A month from today Patrick will be turning 5 years old. This really seems hard to believe. He is so independent and happy go lucky that I can't wait to see how he continues to grow. I think back at when he was one years old throwing a tantrum at 5:30 in the morning because he was the one not to get the waffle out of the freezer and he didn't get lifted up to put it in the toaster. So I asked Patrick what he wanted for his birthday and Christmas. His reply was "Wii games, Wii games, Wii games" with a giggle. I said yes I know that but realistically you will not get to play on the Wii 24/7. I could not get a straight answer out of him. So hopefully I choose wisely. I need to figure this one out soon. Yes I have the Wii games. James dreams are changing daily. I thought I had him all figured out for Christmas and now he saw a new catalog and now that is all out of the window. Too bad I already made a few purchases. Yesterday he rode a bicycle without training wheels for the first time. It does not surprise me he did this. He has such great balance on his scooter that I knew he would master this accomplishment. Matt was the one that got to witness this accomplishment. I'm so happy he did. James is also dreaming about going hunting for turkey. I'm guessing he chose to hunt for turkey because it is a small animal compared to a deer or bear. He will have to wait until he gets a little older but for now he can dream about it.

Oh my time has gone by!

Needless to say it has been a busy Summer and Fall with the boys. Also with Facebook and Twitter now available it is easier to type a quick thought or a funny story. John, James and Patrick are doing well in school. James is a lot more sociable in school than he was in last year. Patrick handled the transition to a new school that offered a Pre-K that was perfect for our schedule very well. John continues to excel and even has received an award for showing Respect for other people. As you can see Tommy's name should be included in this bragging about my kid in school thought however this child is stubborn beyond reason. I have taken away Wii, watching Wii, the computer - everything I can think of to not give him an excuse as to not use the potty. He is just refusing. People have bribed the child with money and still nothing. I have decided that James and Tommy will take care of me in my old age. After all they both dragged their feet at potty training so it is only fair! To top it off he is outgrowing naps so this makes what do I do with him while Patrick takes advantage of his Wii time. Right now he is in his bedroom playing. I guess this is the way it will have to be. Maybe this will help him get the message. I'm ready to send him away to potty training camp. If only there was such a thing!

As I'm typing I'm uploading pictures to Shutterfly to make the year in review book. I usually make it around now so I have a few extra copies made for Christmas presents and then I make one up after Christmas to include Patrick's birthday! It will be funny if I go way over 20 pages because we really haven't taken a lot of pictures. Hopefully the cell phone pictures turn out well in the book. Crazy technology. I should look to see if they have an app that uploads the pics from your cell phone. Man would that save time!

I would like to dedicate this post to my mother who misses these fun blog entries!

Birthday Fun!

Today is my birthday and the kids are very excited. I encouraged them to sleep in because let's face it the more peace and quiet in the morning for me the better! They did not take my advice and were up early. It was ok because before you know it breakfast was over and we were snuggled on the couch watching morning cartoons. Then the "hey Mom, I'm still hungry" statements started. I think I am going to make them go to Snackers Anonymous!

So last month was Tommy's birthday, mine today and in 2 weeks is John's. I usually don't make a cake for my birthday but instead look for a delicious pie or cheesecake. I found a pie at the store that looks so delicious. Its still in the freezer because my neighbor made me a cake! It looks very tasty too! I had my neighbor watch the boys a few times yesterday while I dealt with taking the car in and out of being repaired. The boys being excited shared the news I'm a little older today. In fact Patrick was kind enough this morning to ask me what my number is! He probably won't remember though which is fine!

I took Patrick and Tommy to the mall. It was great to have them run around and look at a few stores we haven't been to in awhile. We also got an Auntie's Anne's treat because I had a coupon for a free pretzel! Birthday treats all around!

And now for the rest of the story

So you remember how I said James has a door on his heart to let God and Jesus in? Well apparently that changed by the end of the day. First of all he was not at all thrilled when he was told he was going to mass for Ash Wednesday. Matt was holding his hand to get ashes and when it was there turn James let go and ran off. He was afraid to get ashes.

I also forgot to share another story from this week. I asked James about indoor recess on Tuesday and if he talked to some of his classmates. He said no we can only talk a little as the teacher has a video camera on us so we can't misbehave. John wasn't buying this and let James no he didn't believe she had a camera. James said she really does. I think it is in the closet!

The kids survived their first day of Lent and no Wii. We are asking they give it up only one day a week during Lent. Patrick used the time to catch up on some sleep as he didn't feel good. He has had a runny nose for almost a week. I sure enjoyed the peace and no fighting over who's turn it is and what game is being played.

We have had 5 snow days already this year and they are calling for more snow tonight and tomorrow. I really hope the school stay open so we can continue to look forward to our day off at the end of the month rather than have it a make up day!

Stories to warm your heart

I haven't blogged in a long long time. So I have a few stories to share that I wanted to capture in my blog. Lucky for you it wasn't how I kept waking up with poor Tommy the other night when he had the stomach flu. Actually these are about James. That young man is growing leaps and bounds. It brings tears to my eyes how proud of him I am.

On Monday John came off the bus upset. This was unusual because it is usually James I'm trying to get into the house because it is always "woe is me". I forgot even though its not my responsibility, to put John's library books in his bag for Library Day. This means he was not allowed to take any books out. Apparently he was disappointed. So as we were doing homework I asked John if he cried. He said no. Then I asked James if he cried at school. He said "Yes 2 times!" He then went on to explain how he was frustrated with a Cat in the Hat project they needed to complete. I didn't laugh out loud but I was sure laughing at the inside because he always has something that is "too hard" or "it takes too long". Two excuses I can't wait to leave his vocabulary but I'm not sure will.

Then Tuesday when James came home I made the mistake of asking if anyone is sick. Since they can't tell me anything funny or sad that happened at school I want to see if he knows who the kids are in his class. He then proceeded to tell me how one kid got sick and was throwing up in the garbage can. James was nervous because the kid wears glasses and he was afraid they would fall in the garbage can. Of course he went on to exaggerate that the kid was standing at the garbage can for a half hour.

Its only Wednesday but this is the best story. We were talking about Lent and going to church today. James said that God and Jesus are in his heart but he was confused on how they got there. I said - we let them in. He said "how? Oh I know they go through the door". Then he kept repeating how he has a door on his heart. I hope he keeps them in his heart forever.

Ok this story is about Patrick. The boys always go to communion with us when we are at Mass. We first did this because we didn't feel comfortable leaving them alone to get into trouble. But then later we just took the little one's leaving James and John. When John started to prepare for 1st Communion the priest suggested the children accompany us so they will know what to expect and what to do when they receive Communion. So when I go to Communion I always receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Two weeks ago I had Patrick & Tommy with me. Before I received the Body of Christ Patrick held Tommy's hand so we could stay together. I think it is so cute when the little one's hold hands. Then just as I bowed to receive the Blood of Christ I caught Patrick out of the corner of my eye bowing just like I bow before I received the wine. As we walked back to the pew I saw a lot of smiling faces from the other parishioners that saw Patrick.

Well I'm starting to get excited for Tommy. I think the little guy is starting to want to try to be potty trained. We have had some good days and we have had some accidents. He definitely understands the benefits of going the bathroom on the potty. It is really helpful that James is encouraging him too. Two weeks ago when the boys had a snow day James and Patrick gave a demonstration that started in the living room and then I made them go into the bathroom on how to pee standing up. Then we saw a remote control car that Tommy said he wanted. James said it would make a great "pooping prize!" Love it!

I survived the holidays!

I survived the baking, shopping, wrapping and a few kids and myself getting sick. We had a great Christmas. I think everyone was happy with their presents. James was reluctant about going back to school but when the time came he didn't put up much of a fuss. We are getting back into routine which is nice.

I have to laugh the kids TV station we normally watch is showing more commercials for Huggies Pull Ups. They have a catchy little tune called "The Potty Dance" When I say "Tommy this is your song" he says "No". I guess that is not his New Year's Resolution. I guess my New Year's Resolution to have my bra not be a handle bar is going to have to wait.