The consequences of potty training while camping

Pres did really well while we were camping with potty training. He only had one accident. YEAH! But, he got used to being able to pull down his underwear and go anywhere. The other day when he and Ma were outside playing in the sprinklers, Pres came in and wanted us to pull down his underwear but wouldn't let us take him potty. He proceeds to run outside completely naked and peed right there on our back lawn. AHH! Thank goodness no one was driving by at the time! Oh the joys of boys...

Anderson Rach camping

We went to Anderson Ranch this past Thurs-Sat. and met Ryan's parents there. We had fun exploring, soaking up the warm sunshine, enjoying the beautiful scenery, playing in the incredibly dirty water (but hey, it kept them busy and happy! and obviously I forgot to pack the swimsuits!) and spending time with G & G. Pres got to try his hand at fishing with the new pole Grandpa got him. Thanks again! Don't you just love Pres' outfits? Hey, the rain boots are great as fishing boots. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Check out this sweet fire truck!

I love old trucks, old barns and such and so when we were taking a drive by Lucky Peak, we passed this fire truck and I made Ryan go back the same way so we could take a picture by it. I thought it was so cool!! The kids had fun climbing on it too!

BBQ

We went to a bbq at some friends' house the other weekend and the kids all had a blast playing in their gigantic sand box, on the trampoline and with their little dog. Thanks again for the invite. It was tons of fun!

My little bugs

My daughter, the bug lover

On one of our outings, Pres kept finding these big, ugly stink bugs and would stop and watch them, but if they got close to him he would run and grab Ry or I. But Ma on the other hand would go right up to them and grab them. AHH! Pres didn't like this as you can tell from one of the pics of his funny stance and face.

Pizza at the park

We had pizza at the park a little while ago and as you can tell from Ma's face, she enjoyed it!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

As I sit here trying to think about what I want to say on my Mother's Day post, I am drawing a blank.  It is not that I don't have anything to say about my Mom and my Mother in Law, but the problem is trying to pick out of all the good qualities they both have and trying to write it down and explain how wonderful they both are in a decent sized post.  My Mom is so selfless and gives service all the time, not only to my family, but anyone she comes in contact with.  She is not just my Mom either, but also my friend.  I can call her anytime and just talk.  She always says what I need to hear and is always there for me.  She is so patient and loving and her example gives me so much to work towards as being a Mom of two little kids.  I hope I am half the mom she is.  Thank you for all of the help you have given me and continue to give me.  Sorry but you are never going to get rid of me.   I will ALWAYS need you.  :)

My Mother in Law is so patient.  She has raised 5 kids, 3 of them boys.  The boys love to tease and pick on her and she is so good to be patient with them.  She has taught 2nd graders for many years, another thing that takes a lot of patience.  Thank you for your example.  She is such a great cook too.  We always love going to visit because we know we will never be hungry and there are always lots of freshly baked goods at her house.  I need to take some more lessons from her and steal some of her recipes!   Thank you for all the help you have given us too and it has been nice to be closer so we can see you more.  And thank you for raising a wonderful son!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Exploring, potty training (again) and more

The weather cooperated and was nice for a while and we were able to explore a little more. Pres has had fun getting up close and personal with any and all bugs. If he sees one, he will literally lay flat on the ground , or crouch over to look at it and become so immovable you would think he is stuck to that spot with superglue and duct tape! The kids end up half naked by the time we are done taking walks though because of deciding that freezing cold mountain water looks good to go wading in. We have also had some rainy days lately where the kids decided to go out when it was hailing and froze in the rain (April showers in Boise are NOT as warm as April showers in Texas), and in between, I have been trying to be more creative with the kids. I made homemade fishing poles and fish, but that ended up making more of a mess than being a success. And, who knew paper bags from the grocery store could hold so much entertainment? We colored on them, made paper bag faces, Ma liked to sit in hers and have Daddy swing her across the kitchen floor in it and Pres discovered the scissors and had a blast cutting the ends of it. He decided to then see what else scissors could cut and tried to cut Ma's baby doll's face. It didn't quite work, but it did make Ma sad, put him in time out and had the scissors taken away. He did this a couple weeks ago and still talks about it. Funny, he remembers things he does, things on a movie, times he is put in time out, where Dad's office is, but will NOT remember the 20 times I tell him to stay by me at the store. KIDS! :) We have also enjoyed trying out the newly discovered Tillamook ice cream (thanks for introducing us Lindsay!). Pres is showing you here how much he enjoys his ice cream. He will lick the bowl until it is gone and tips his head back to get every single drop! That's my boy!!
We have SIGNS!!! Now when people drive by the office, they know what we are!! HOORAY! Things are finally coming together. Taking longer than we thought, but are slowing getting there. The exercise flooring should be here this weekend and we should open on Monday. Cross your fingers and toes!!
Isn't it nice when your find that you not only enjoy doing something, but other people enjoy it too?? We went to a cinco de moustache party yesterday (people drew moustaches on their faces... I guess it is a tradition with the family that invited us...) and had tacos, dessert, and watched bike races. I was in charge of bringing a dessert, which was pretty much gone by the time you could say "cinco de moustache"! Everyone loved it (so thanks again Amy for the Apple cake recipe!!)! I love baking and having other people enjoy it so that it doesn't all go to my hips and the hard work of exercising I have done lately does not go to waste!! We had a fun time hanging out, meeting people, and the kids, of course, found muddy puddles to get into and had to be stripped to diapers in the car. Thanks Charise for inviting us!!
Speaking of diapers... this is potty training day 1 for Pres ( a second time around). The diapers he and Ma have been using are now too small for him so I have been prepping him the past week that I am not going to buy him bigger ones and he has to use the toilet. We only had one accident this morning, and made it to the library and back without any problems! I was going to try to train Ma at the same time (she tells me she needs to go to the bathroom and Pres doesn't!!), but I have decided that trying to remind one kid every 30 min to use the bathroom is enough for now. Maybe in a couple weeks I will try it with Ma.
Sorry so long of a post! I guess my subconscious was kicking in telling me that I really didn't want to do the laundry, dishes, or figure out what is for dinner so it came up with another way to keep me busy. Ever have those days???!!!