Elaina's 1st football Practice

Wow I am way behind on blogging.  I guess I need to do a lot of post this week to catch up. 

About 2.5 weeks ago the kids and I went up to watch the end of football practice.  Josiah was super excited and Elaina just slept through most of it.  I made the mistake of telling Josiah that we would go to the football field after his nap, so as soon as he woke up he was asking to go to the "Foofall Field" as he calls it.  I had a hard time making him wait till it was time to go. 

On the way to the car he noticed Trey's old hat in the garage.  He had to take it with him.  He put it on and looked at me and said "I coach."  He also told me that he needed his whistle. 

I was shocked to find out that is was a little chilly outside.  I had Elaina in a onesie so I had to cover her up with a blanket that I had in her bag.  I am not the type of person who thinks that all babies need to be bundled up; the breeze really was chilly.

Josiah had a lot of fun watching the practice and Elaina had a nice outdoor nap.  The highlight of Josiah's evening was when Trey got a break and got to come say hi.  The team was practicing late so we were not able to stay till the end.  Josiah was not happy about that.  I think it broke his little heart that we had to leave.  I prefer watching the last 30 minutes or so and then letting him run around on the field with Trey.  He likes that better too, but we still had fun.

Train Ride



The best family shot

 Last week a friend told me about a train ride that was geared for children.  The ride was suppose to be a round-trip from Springdale to Fayetteville and take about an hour, but it went from Springdale to Roger and lasted about 2 hours.  I didn't really care where it was going so that was no big deal that it was a change.  I wanted to take Josiah so that he could see/play with other kids and I could see a friend from high school that lives up here that I haven't seen in several years.


Happy to be on the Train


Josiah loved the train ride.  He was not rally interested in the other kids on the train.  I tried to get him away from the window to interact with the kids, but he was glued to the window.  He was just staring at everything that we went past, and most of the time it was trees.  At one point I asked him if he was having fun and he waved his hand at me and said I ride the train.  It was like I was bothering him by asking him that. 


Family photo on train


It was really hot on the train, but he didn't mind.  Elaina did ok with the ride and heat as well.  She fell asleep at one point.  The train was air conditioned but I think it had been over worked this summer and it was taking a break.  When we got back to the station I discovered that it was a nice cool day outside, and I think that it would have been cooler with the windows open instead of the AC. 


Elaina sleeping on the train


We had to stop on the track and wait for a freight train to pass before we could get back to the station.  During that time Josiah did go play with a little boy across the aisle for a few minutes.  They were watching the tractors working out the window.  I think it was a bull dozer but Josiah calls all construction equipment tractors.  He did tell me during this time that he wanted to ride the train some more.

This is how he spent 90% of the ride

When we got back to the station, I could tell that he was really tired.  He was red faced bc of the heat and then the tears began to flow.  He was holding his little finger up and using his pitiful voice asking for one more ride.  He was not very happy that the ride was over.  He was so tired that I had a hard time keeping him awake the 5 minutes it took us to get back to the house. 

So So Sleepy

After we got back to the house and had lunch he took a long nap.  I was shock that the train ride seemed to wear him out more than playing does. 

Josiah says the funniest thing

I found this in the list on my post and noticesd that I have not published this so I thought I would.  I think I started this the 1st of July so the whole potty training comment is old but it is still something that I want to document so I am leaving it on here

• We were laying in bed trying to sneak in a few for minutes of sleep and Josiah had said eat several times.  I was still trying to get a few more minutes of rest before getting up.  He looked at me and said "you got to feed me"
• Josiah was sitting in Trey's lap watching TV and he tooted.  Josiah then looked at us and said "Sorry" and went right on watching TV.
• For some crazy reason neither Trey nor I put Josiah's diaper back on him after he took a shower.  He was running around the house like a mad man and then went into the play room and started playing.  We got side tracked with other things and forgot about the diaper (or lack there of).  I remember thinking wow he is playing so good by himself.  A few minutes later I commented to Trey that he was playing really good and Trey looked up and said yeah without a diaper.  He called Josiah into the living room and boy we better put a diaper on before you pee all over the place.  For some reason I asked him if he had peed and he pointed into the playroom.  I told him to show me and he took my hand and we walked to the playroom.  As we entered the room this smell hit me but I was not really sure what it was ( I guess I was in denial or something).  I asked again where he peed and he pointed of by his flashing light.  That is when I realized what the smell was and that he had not peed but pooped on the floor.  Of course I am trying not to laugh as I call Trey into see what HIS son had done.  Trey was just as shocked as I was, but we both agreed that we could not get mad at Josiah since we knew that he is just not interested in potty training.  So I guess it was our fault that it happened bc we did not have him in a diaper.
• I was changing Elaina's diaper and have noticed that if I ask Josiah to help me that he will not get into things that he is not suppose to.  Tonight when I was changing her I asked him to get me me a diaper.  He opened the drawer and got out a diaper, but instead of handing me the diaper he told me to go away.  He wanted to put the diaper on her.  I steeped to the side and Trey and I watched to see what he would do.  He looked at the diaper and figured out the back of the diaper and Trey lifted up her legs.  He had the front and back correct but put in on her inside out.  He patted the diaper and the walked off so proud of himself. 

Momma take a picture

I hear these words a lot.

Josiah will go lay down by Elaina and tell me to take a picture.  He also will tell me to take his picture through out the day, especially when he wants to get the little camera or Trey's old phone and take picture by himself.  He will say "I do it myself" or "Go momma, I do it."  So I have been able to get a few pictures of them together.

Of course taking a picture and getting a both of them to cooperate are 2 totally different things.  I these pictures Elaina did not cooperate.  In the first one she looked away and in the 2nd one she is either giving me the come on mom, really look or the if I lay still maybe they will go away and leave me alone. 

And when Elaina cooperates, Josiah decides that he needs to act silly.

I was lucky enough to get a couple of semi-good ones.  Although I think that I like some of the "bad" ones better.  I think that they capture our life so much better than 2 smiling, perfectly posed children.

Rainy Day!!

Last week we had several rainy days, which we needed.  I guess it has been a long time since Josiah has heard a thunder storm b/c he woke up sacred several times.  We finally decided that saying a prayer and asking Jesus to protect him & then giving him Billy the Buck Tooth Bat (stuffed animal) for him to hold.  I broke my heart to leave his room knowing that he was scared, but it was what was best for everyone.  I would have (and did try to) lay down with him in his bed or let him sleep with us, but that did not work at all.  He will not go to sleep in our bed at all.  He will toss and turn, jump on and kick us, or beg to watch Movers.

The rain was not all bad though, it did give us some fun playtime.  Josiah was staring out his window looking at the rain while Elaina slept in.  I decided that I would get her monitor and take him outside.  He had so much fun playing in the rain. 

I set a bucket out so we could see how much it rained, but Josiah decided it was more fun to dump the water out as soon as there was a little bit in it.

He also loved running and touching the fence.  I don't know why that was so funny to him, but he would run out from the patio touch the fence and run back.  He had the best laugh the whole time he was doing that.  He even made me do it several times with him, and I must admit it was pretty fun. 

I think that his favorite thing was the down spout.  He studied it for a while and then decided to use his bucket to catch the water.  He would fill it and then throw it in the air and laugh. 

 I wanted to get a picture that showed how much fun he was having and this was my first attempt.  It is nearly impossible to get a picture of him being still.  But I think that this truly shows how much fun he had.

I love his eyes in that pic.  To bad he is eating his bucket.  I was able to get a picture of him smiling so big that his eyes where closed.  I think that I enjoyed our time in the rain as much as he did.

Elaina missed all the rain run, but we did do a little photo shoot later in the day.  Here are a few of the highlights.  And yes that is poop on her onesie.  I did not even notice it until I was reviewing the pictures after I had taken several.  I felt like Mother of the Year when I noticed that. 

I love this picture, but I just hate that I didn't notice the poop.  I guess I will have to crop that out if I want to print any of these.

I did get a few head shots that you can't see the poop.  I love the all expressions that she makes.  I am glad that I was able to capture a few of them.

Visit from Uncle Nic

Last weekend my dad and brother came up here to pick up my mom, who had spent a week with us.  They brought up the exersaucer that they had at their house for Elaina.  Of course Josiah thought it was for him, but he let his sissy sit in it.  We thought that the Jumperoo and walker would be better for her when she get a little more stable.  Josiah already calls the walker his buggy and I can only imagine what he will think of the jumperoo.  I am thinking along the lines of a giant sling shot. 

What in the world is this?

Elaina liked it and Josiah helped her discover all the toys.  I think part of the reason that he let her play in it was that he had his Uncle Nic.  Josiah loves my brother.  He will get his toy phone and call him all the time.  He will get the phone and I will here him say hi Nic and the jabber for a minute or two, then he will say bye Nic and put the phone up.

Elaina, Nic, & Josiah

This is one of my favorite pictures because it shows just how sweet my little boy is.



Sweet Little boy

No cute pics or anything tonight, just a memory that I want to document.  I was planning on taking the kids up to practice tonight and I knew that Elaina needed a bath before we went b/c it would be late when we got back.  I set Josiah up watching Toy Story 2 and started giving Elaina a bath.  Josiah sat and watched his movie for a while then walked over and said something that I didn't really understand.  I though he said pick me up but usually he says hold you when he wants to be picked up so I don't know.  I told him that I was giving sissy a bath.  He then ran off.  I thought that he was going back to his movie but he keep running past the TV.  He ran into his bathroom and then came back with 2 of his bath letters.  He ran over to the sink and but them in Elaina's tub.  He said here sissy for your bath.  He then ran back to his bathroom and this time he brought her a cup.  He was going back for more but got distracted by his movie,  I told him that it was ok that sissy had enough toys and he sat down to watch his movie.  This may not seem like a big deal, but his bath toys are some of his favorite things.  It just about made me cry that my sweet little boy was willing to share his "best" with his sister.  I pray that he will stay as loving towards her as he is now.

Sharing

Elaina LOVES to watch Josiah.  She will sit a smile and laugh as she watches him play.  Josiah has had a little trouble realizing that all the toys in the house are not just his.  He wants to sit in the baby swing and will even tell me to get Elaina out it she is in it.  But that is better than before when he would just go an sit on her if she was in it.  Or he wants to sit in her bouncy seat/ toddler rocker even though he has his own that is just like it just blue instead of pink. Oh and he has to sit in the Bumbo also and then gets mad when he gets stuck in it.



Elaina with the Chicken Webble



Here lately he has been willing to let her "play" with things and even play with her sometimes.  I get a little nervous at times b/c he is so rough and has a tendency to throw things on a whim, especially if he gets mad.  We are really working on the throwing!  I know that it is good for them to interact so I just sit near on high alert when he has something that he could throw. 

Josiah giving her the Frog Webble also

These pictures were taken the other day when Josiah decided to share his Weebles with Elaina.

He was showing her how the tree house worked



He was telling her to put Chicken Man (Toy Story 2 ref) in bed for a nap



Elaina's 1st jeep ride

Josiah has been telling me to put Elaina in his jeep while he is driving.  Well there are 2 problems with that: 1. She can't sit up and 2. Josiah doesn't steer it very well.  If I am lucky I can set him up in a big circle pattern and he will stay in it and make laps.  I thought that was great, maybe he could have a future as a NASCAR driver.  Nope, he likes to play with the tires as he is "driving."  Maybe he will start as a tire changer and work his way up to crew chief. 

Anyway back to the point.  Josiah has been begging for sissy to ride, and Trey finaly let her.  He was going to put her in the passenger side but Josiah wouldn't have it.  He wanted her to drive, so Trey put her in the driver seat.  Trey strapped her in and held on to her head and shoulders and Josiah stepped on the gas. 

He loved riding around with his Sissy.  I love that he likes to do things with her.  I am so thankful that God has blessed me with 2 great kids and an amazing husband.  I can't help but smile when I think about Trey walking around the yard being a hans (head and neck support) device for Elaina, just to make his little boy happy. 

4 months old

Elaina had her 4 month check up yesterday.  It was kind of sad to go to a new dr.  I really liked Dr. Wynn in Magnolia.  I had been going to him since 2006 when we moved there and he delivered both the kids and was Josiah doctor for 2 years.  I will miss the small town relationship that we had with him.  However it was nice to get the shots at the doctors office.  We were in and out with shots and a check up in about an hour.

Elaina did not like going to the doctor very much.  She was laying on the table and the dr slided her down the paper a little so he could get a better look at her.  I guess the sound the paper made scared her bc she started SCREAMING.  She cried during the entire exam until I was able to pick her up when he was finished.  After the dr left she sat in my lap and played with her dress and blanket.  She was back to her normal happy self.  She was fine when the nurse measured her and weight her and was smiling at her when she came back in for the shots.

The nurse wanted Elaina laying down for the shots (for her 1st shots she was sitting with me holding her).   Well she did not want to be put back on the table, bc she started screaming the minute I put her on it.  The shots were no where in site but she was SCREAMING.  The nurse had to give her the oral vaccine first and I was afraid that she was going to spit in back on her.  She was not happy at all.  I had to hold her arms while the nurse gave the shots.  She HATED being held down.  She really didn't cry any loud during or after the shots than she was before.  Again as soon as I picked her up she calmed down, with in a few seconds she was not crying at all.  She didn't even fuss when I put her in her seat. (She usually fusses when you put her in it if you don't start moving right away).

Elaina's 4 month stats

• weight--18 lbs 5 ounces
• length--26.25 inches
• Sleeps like a CHAMP.  Goes to bed around 7-8 each night and sleeps till about 8 or 9 each morning.  She has on occasion slept till 10
• Eats about every 2 hours unless we are out and about then she will wait about 4 hours between feeding.
• Eats rice cereal on occasion.  We feed her that when it seems that she can't get satisfied with just milk. 
• The last few times I have tried to give you a bottle you have not been to happy with me.  I don't know if it has been the temp or flow of the bottle, but you have not wanted it.  We are going to have to work on that so we can go to the park and such if the weather ever cools off any.
• Appears to be teething.  She has "bumps" on her gums in several places, is drooling all the time, and chewing on everything that she can get into her mouth.
• Rolling over back to belly all the time.  Can roll belly to back, but doesn't do that as much.
• LOVES watching Josiah play.  She will just watch him and smile as he plays.
• Doesn't seem real happy when she sees her reflection in a mirror.  She gets that hey who is that baby look.
• Wears a size 2 diaper (mainly bc I bought them instead of size 3 last time at Sams and I don't want to waste them)
• wears size 3-6 month clothing, but size 6 month in pajamas for the length.
• Like Mozart on the mobile (Josiah had to have Beethoven)

• Starting to play with some of her toys.

I am truly blessed to have 2 great children.  Elaina, I love you and your brother with all my heart.  I can't wait to see all the exciting things you do this next month.

Potty Training take 2

We were reallying working with Josiah on potty training back in March.  He was doing really well with it, but his little world got turned up side down and the potty training seemed to vanish.  His baby sister was born, daddy started a new job and moved, we sold our house and moved in with Mamaw and Papaw.  Lets just say that all that was way to much for the little guy to handle so back to diapers he went.

Well he has been going to the potty on his own at times (mainly at nap and bedtime b/c it is an excuse to get up) so we decided that it was time to try again.  My mom came up for the week to help us get him out of diapers for good.  Yesterday he did pretty good.  There were several accidents so also several successes.  He stayed dry during nap time and also woke up dry this morning.

I made the mistake of thinking hey this is going pretty good this time.  HA HA HA.  This morning the potty has become Josiah's number one enemy.  He has screamed every time we get near the bathroom today.  I am talking about grabbing the door, wall, or what ever he can to prevent you form putting him on the potty.  Oh and his favorite place to pee is in his highchair.  He has done that 3 times today and we are just at nap time.  I lost count of how many times that I have changed his underwear. 

He is napping now and I hope that he wakes up in a better potty mood.

Well I am finishing this post after he has went to bed.  He didn't really get up in any better of a mood than he had when he went to his room for his nap.  However he did get better as the afternoon/evening progressed.  He ended the day by sitting on the potty with out screaming and actually peed in it several times.  Of course he has had to get up about 3-4 times saying he had to potty.  I hope that tomorrow is a little more productive day.