Potty training and cereal!

Emily wants to be such a big girl! She wants to sit in a regular chair at the table, she wants to open doors herself and wash her hands herself and put stuff in the garbage herself and just recently she has been asking to go "wotty". She tells me everytime she is "ucky", after the fact, and so I know it is getting close to the time to start potty training, but not quite...I usually wait until they are much closer to 3 years old, but I don't think she will let me wait that long! Brian had me helping him clean up the basement a bit on Saturday and we uncovered the potty chair. He brought it upstairs, and I cleaned it all up today and told Em she could use it after her nap. Of course as soon as she saw it she wanted to give it a try! No luck, but she sure had fun trying!! =)




Pushing the fluids!! =)



Sweet Nate Dog turned 5 months old on Saturday! It doesn't hardly seem possible!! He is just the best baby! I can't get enough of him!! I gave him a bit of "Super Poridge" (homemade rice cereal) on Saturday...He had all of us in stitches with his shivers and facial expressions! I tried it again tonight and I really don't think he is ready for it...we will maybe wait a couple more weeks...I may try sweet potatoes over Thanksgiving!



He LOVES bathtime! He just kicks and splashes and looks around! Emily came in to say hello to him tonight and he flashed her this sweet smile!

He also loves his toes!! He has them in his mouth all the time!! He has even figured out how to get his socks off!!


I love being home with these two!! We have a very nice routine down! We get Andrew and Kelli to school and then head to the YMCA. They have a wonderful Kids Zone...and Emily loves going to play with the baby and her "friends" (what she affectionately calls the childcare workers). They are so sweet to her and they love on Nathan too! They very rarely have to come get me, and it is great to have that time to myself every morning!! I have been running and I love it! I would have never in a million years thought that I would ever say that! I am up to 25-30 minutes and go 2.5 to 3 miles. I have a wonderful gal who is helping me and encouraging me! Her daughter is in Kelli's class. She also has 4 kids and has shown me lots of techniques and tricks to help me go farther and longer! I am very grateful!! She has a hurt foot, and my knee has been bothering me a little, so this week we are swimming! Swimming to me for the past 7 years, well really for my whole life, has really just been play...well it didn't feel like play this morning swimming 34 laps! =) But my body is changing, and I feel great! I have so much more energy, I am less stressed, my mind is clearer, and I am fueling my body instead of making it sluggish! It is long overdue, but I am so glad to be headed in the right direction! 24.6 pounds in 11 weeks! =) SO after the Y, we come home and snuggle and play and maybe do a little work around the house, then I feed Nathan, get Emily her lunch and then both kids go down AT THE SAME TIME!!! It is such a blessing to have those hours to get things accomplished! The kids get home from school and I usually have just enough time to get them in the door and get them a snack before the little ones wake up...It is just a really nice routine that works really well and the fact that I get some "Me Time" each day, makes the evening chaos all the more tolerable! We have been blessed with wonderful children, certainly not perfect, but great hearts, sweet spirits, and for the most part very obedient! It is such a joy to be granted the priveledge to grow these precious kids!