Camping

check out what my big boy did this weekend!!!!



we went camping on Bull Shoal's Lake this weekend with some friends who own a boat so we got to get in the water and do fun things like water skiing and intertubing. I haven't waterskied since high school, and I am proud to announce that I got up on my first try. I guess it's like riding a bike... once you learn how to get up and keep your balance on water skis it's not something you forget how to do.

anyway... my camera died shortly after taking these pics so I didn't get anymore of the kiddos camping which I'm bummed about... but I just wanted to show off my little man being brave.

The Best $8 I've Ever Spent

Two days ago I went grocery shopping. Been in the mood lately to make a good lasagna, so after I met with our minister at church to talk about life, I swung by the grocery store right next door. It's THE BEST grocery store EVER. anything I ever want... yup, I can find it at Hy-Vee.

So, there I am perusing the motzerella cheeses, when my eyes catch sight of the familiar thomas the tank engine packaging. I decided to take a quick stroll past them without stopping long enough for Levi to completely freak out at all of the train stuff... and I noticed that they had a pair of cool trains that Levi didn't have for his collection yet. (Bill and Ben, if you must know) They were normally priced at $10... but were on sale for $7.99.

*rewind*

I've been at my wits end lately with my THREE YEAR OLD about potty training. We had ALMOST gotten peeing down, but pooping... nope. the kid absolutely refused.

*fast forward*

I saw these trains and they had the word "incentive" written all over them. It'd been a good long while since Levi has gotten any new trains. So, I put them in the cart. Of course, Levi immediately got excited thinking that I was just frivolously throwing money around. but, oh no... i had specific plans for those trains. When we got home and he was expecting to be able to play with his new trains, he was dissappointed to find out that he wasn't going to get them until he pooped in the big potty.

DARN IT!

He did what you would expect him to do. Immediately he told me that he needed to poop on the big potty. Of course! Why was I not surprised? So, in he goes, and gave grunting and pushing an honest effort, but no poop.

*sigh*

We went all night, talking about how he would get the trains when he pooped in the potty. Bed time came and he went to sleep. I kid you not, FIRST THING the next morning, I'm laying in bed and I hear this little voice at my head saying that he needed to poop.

WONDERFUL!

We went into the bathroom, and sure enough... POOP!!!

(in case you're not keeping up, this was yesterday)

I put big boy underwear on him and for the rest of the afternoon we had NO accidents. When he needed to pee, he would go into the bathroom and do his business. and he pooped two more times I might add. Last night we went to church. Levi LOVES wednesday night church so I knew he would be disappointed if we had to leave. I took a pull-up "just in case" but didn't take a change of clothes and told Levi that if he peed in his pants we were going to have to go home. When we got there I let his teachers know that he was wearing big boy underwear and to please ask him occasionally if he needs to go potty. When I picked him up from class they told me that they never had to ask him, because when he needed to go he let someone know. He went all through church with no accidents!!!!

he had one minor accident before bed, but other than that he was in big boy underwear all day yesterday. he wore a pull up at night. and today he's been in big boy underwear all day with no accidents. and we've had poop on the potty today too!!!

I think Levi is completely potty trained!!!

that $7.99 was the best 8 bucks I've spent in a good long while!!!

CONGRATULATIONS LEVI.... You are among America's finest that poop on the potty!!

*dreams of all the money I'll save now that I only have ONE kid in diapers*

Shelter Gardens

Saturday was such a beautiful day!! John and Madison came up and we took the kids to Shelter Gardens. I love going to the gardens, and this was our first time there this year. It was my kids first time there EVER. they LOVED it! I took a lot of great pics. The flowers were so beautiful, and all the little critters scampering around and the water in the ponds were just so beautiful. The gardens has a little old timey school house too. It was just a great day. There was a wedding party there taking pictures.
after the gardens we went for cold ice cream from shakeys! YUMMY!

waterfall



Tree Hugger



Audrey



dorks (me and john)



Madison



Maddy and Levi



All of us in the old schoolhouse



Fish in the waterfall pond



Madison and Levi watching the fish in the waterfall pond.

Mystery Rash

calling all medical professionals...



I've put steroid cream (Triamcinolone) on it, and I've taken Prednisone pills for six days. It's still here with a vengeance and spreading like wildfire. I'm miserable.

I've had it for going on a month now.
It itches BADLY
It's triggered by heat

diagnose me!!!

Pigtails

With summertime here and the weather getting hot I'm excited to learn that my little girl's hair is FINALLY long enough to put up in pigtails!!!!

I'm in girly heaven!!! =D

For Donna =D

about a month ago, the kids and I were at John's house. Levi was playing in the playhouse outside and came running over to us to tell us that there was a bird trapped at the top of the playhouse.
sure enough, when we got over there we saw this little hummingbird just buzzing its little wings to death trying to escape, only, it didn't know how. You could tell the poor thing was just exhausted.
So, John held his hand up, and the hummer calmed down long enough to sit on John's finger and let John help him out of the playhouse. I got to snap a picture of John holding the bird before he released it, and the little guy flew to a branch on a tree to gather himself before going on with his day.
AMAZING!!!!!

Mother's Day 2007

Mother's Day.

This was my fourth Mother's Day and I have to say that it was the very very best one yet!!

It all started on Friday. Two of my good friends that I'm in an accountability group with had invited me to go to Omaha Nebraska to see Beth Moore. I told them that there was no way that I could afford the conference ticket, travel and lodging expenses, and a babysitter for the weekend. Well, Mindi says to me that if I could arrange for a babysitter that she had someone who would pay for the rest!!!!! So, at THE last minuted I got a college girl from church to watch the kids. We were going to drive to Nebraska. It's a four? five? hour drive. But, THE DAY BEFORE, mindi tells us that we are flying. Her dad has a private jet that seats eight and he was going to have his pilot fly us up there. There were five of us total that all ended up flying to Nebraska together and the trip was only one hour as opposed to a five hour drive. I'd never flown in a private jet before and I'm here to tell ya I never want to fly commercial again!! I've been completely spoiled.



We get in the plane and take off and one of the girls, Jessica hands me a giftbag. I thought it was a thank you gift for Mindi and so I was holding it while Jessica rooted around in her purse for her camera. I handed the bag to Mindi and Jessica says "what are you doing? That's for you." Inside was a card that read "happy mother's day! we love you mommy. Love, Levi and Audrey." and in the bag was a necklace. In the circle of girls I hang out with these days, they all have this particular necklace and I was the only one who didn't have one. Basically it's just a silver chain and then you buy separate rings to go on it and there are different rings that say different things. They bought three for me. Mine say "son," "daughter," and "courage."



The Beth Moore conference was EXCELLENT!!!!!!! I bawled my eyes out more than a few times. There were six THOUSAND women (ok, and a stray husband here and there that had been drug along) women in attendance at the conference. awesome! We got to sit in the second row from the front down on the floor which just happened to be right behind the hearing impaired section and I fell in love with one of the translators they had for the weekend. Seriously, I could not keep my eyes off of her. When she was signing the praise and worship I got goosebumps. I want to be able to do that! It is a passion of mine to fluently learn sign languge and use it as a ministry! (bet ya didn't know that about me, did ya?)



downtown Nebraska was a lot of fun!






We had one room at a Double Tree Inn for the five of us which, I personally thought was a lot of fun. (I'm sure Tina wasn't as thrilled.)




On the way home Saturday afternoon, Mindi gave up her seat as co-pilot and offered to let us experience it. I got to sit in the co-pilot seat for take-off which... on man... that's something I'll never ever ever ever ever forget!



Sunday I got up and took the kiddos to church. After church when I went to get Audrey out of the nursery, the ladies attending the nursery told me that my phone had been vibrating in my bag the whole time. I checked my missed calls and I had three calls from a number I didn't know. I checked my voicemail and a woman had been calling to tell me she had a flower delivery for me but couldn't find my house. So, I called the number of the florist that she left on my voicemail and it turned out they were right by our church building, so I swung by and picked up the flowers. I was thinking it was probably from my parents, since this was my first mother's day ever that I haven't spent with them. But, I read the card and saw that they were from John!! Is he not the absolute sweetest?!? I'm twitterpated!



at around 4:00 when it wasn't SCORCHING heat anymore, I took the kids to the park to play and then to Sonic to get something cold to drink. While I was at Sonic, Mindi called and invited us over to their house to grill out. So, I took the kids over in their swimsuits and my two kids and her three kids all played in the water together and her hubby grilled for us. I got to eat a yummy dinner and relax with a glass of chianti.

I seriously could not have asked for a better weekend!

I'm so blessed to have awesome friends.

Happy late Mother's Day to all my mommy friends!!!! I hope you were all treated like royalty


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