Adventures in Potty Training

Ok, so we've been at it for a few weeks (read months) now and Lucas is still not completely potty trained. We have made it this far: he manages to stay dry when we're not home. That's about it. At home he's constantly wetting and dirtying his pants, which is really frustrating to me. Doesn't it make more sense to do better at home than away? I don't know... I think I'm starting Kimberly now, so that by the time she's 2 she'll be done lol. This is getting a little ridiculous. Sunday and Monday he did sooo good, I thought that he'd do better this week... nope. I think a lot of it is laziness on his part for not wanting to stop playing to use the bathroom. His pants are right there, so why not fill them? Grossss. Anyone have any tips for me to get it to click?

Daniel has not had a wet bed for a long time now, so we are excited for that. He has done really good with the staying dry at night thing, makes me wonder why we didn't do it sooner... Maybe that should be how I get things to click with Lucas? I don't know if that'll work as he's only wearing pull-ups at night anyway, but I'm doing a lot more laundry to make sure he has enough underwear for the day...

I did put Kimberly on the toilet to see if she'd be scared like the boys were, but she did really good and even did a couple farts. haha Who know's maybe she'll be trained before Lucas! She's growing up way too fast. I can't believe that in a month she'll be 1 already! Where has the time gone?

Congrats to Kyle and Susan on the birth of another daughter Kaylee Sue! (Such imagination!) haha Hope all is going well for you!

Well, the boys are for some reason emptying the towel closet, so I better get going....

Is there any hope?

Yes, another post today... :)
I'm wondering what you all think. I was really hoping Kimberly would be a girly girl, but she likes to play with the boys' tractors and she even makes noises to go along with it. Is there any hope that she won't be a tom-boy?

Nose back to the grindstone...

We had a busy weekend with a lot of running around. Sunday had the usual 2 trips to church, but we also had a graduation open house between those 2 trips, so we really were not home much at all. Poor Kimberly only slept 20 minutes all day, but she did really good still. Yesterday I took the kids to the parade in Jamestown with my niece Pam, brought Pam back home, went to the in-laws for lunch and stayed there until about 4, then came home. It was really windy yesterday and that seemed to tire us right out! Peter was doing field work all day, so he was beat when he got home, not to mention covered with a healthy layer of dirt. Thankfully they're about done with field work for a little while, so maybe I'll get to see him! Between tire work and field work, he's been lucky to make it home to have supper as a family. Makes for really long days for me and the boys really miss their dad. But that's life with a farmer. :)

I'm praying for more cooperation from the kids this week, or I'm not going to get my sewing done. Wedding #1 is this Friday and I still don't have my top done. If only sleep wasn't so necessary I'd be all set. haha Then I'd have lots of quiet time to work on my projects without interruption.

Not too much else is new right now... just more of the same ol' same ol'. Laundry, dishes, laundry, kids, kids and kids. That's about what my days consist of, with an occasional break to get groceries. I want to get my carpets cleaned before summer really kicks in and it gets really hot and humid. I'm hoping maybe next week I can pick up a cleaner from somewhere and get it done. (Pray for good weather so the boys will stay outside!) :)

Anyway, laundry and dishes await and if I don't take care of them, nobody will. Hope everyone had a good Memorial day and stayed safe!

Happy Birthday Peter!

Another birthday today! My dear hubby celebrates 33 years today! He's been gone all day and I have no idea when he's going to be home, so it makes it harder to really "celebrate". I'm hoping he gets home soon because I REALLY need a walk to clear my head. It's been a long day and I'm sooo ready to crawl in bed for a week!

I got NOTHING (or so it seems) done all day. Everytime I was going to start on something, I had to discipline a boy again, or clean up another mess they made, or comfort a crying kid. Kimberly has not been feeling good again today, and I'm not sure what's up with that. She's been sleeping a lot and has had a bit of an upset tummy.

Well, the boys are inflicting pain on one another yet again, so I gotta run!
Happy birthday honey, and I hope your day was better than mine! haha

The Park and other birthday pics

Here're some pics from yesterday...

Kimberly likes chicken nuggets :)

Push me mom!

Dakota trying to get Kimberly's bottle

He got it, then she told him off! lol

Lucas with his birthday cake... I'm surprise he let me take the pic with the candles still lit!

Silly boy showing off his present! (it's a seek and find book with a big floor puzzle)

Another day of reflection

Lucas is 3 today. It never ceases to amaze me how fast they grow, and each year seems to go faster than the one before. We went to the park this morning for lunch and I had Lucas in big boy undies and he was dry the whole time we were gone!! YAY! Some days he does good, others not so much, but it's a start at least! :) In a year from now, I'm hoping he'll be dry day and night.

It's been busy the last couple days, but not overly exciting. Just the same old, same old. The weather has been really nice all week, so the kids have been outside a lot, which is nice. We turned the air on last night and I think it'll be a few days at least before we turn it off. Summer is here!

Peter has a dentist appointment tomorrow to get his tooth pulled, so he'll probably be around all day. He did end up going on Monday and was put on Amoxicillan for the infection before they'd pull it. He's still taking some Ibuprophen for the pain, but not much. He'll be glad to have it taken care of, but then he has to get more work done in his mouth. (Which I totally expected...) Fun stuff!

Thats about it for me today... gotta bake a birthday cake for the little man and wrap his present.

Lucas just a few days old so cute!

I COULD say I told him so....

But I won't. Peter has never been to a dentist... That in itself says a lot. He's terrified of the thought, but yesterday he had such an awful toothache, he wished there was one open on Sunday. He has a tooth that has been slowly breaking off over the last 5 years and the one next to it has been abscessed twice now (this being the second time he's had to take pain meds to get through the day). If I've told him once, I've told him a million times, "Go to the dentist!" Nope. He refuses. Apparently the pain wasn't too bad this morning because he's out working, but I'm really hoping he gets it taken care of yet today.

This weekend I got a lot done in the house again. I got a lot of cleaning done that was hard to get done with the kids running in and out. Peter was home most of Saturday afternoon, so the boys were out then too. I got my kitchen floor scrubbed (it gets really bad when Peter and the boys don't take shoes off when they walk on it and the shiny finish is completely gone in some areas), Bathroom cleaned top to bottom, cinnamon rolls and carrot cake baked and frosted (from scratch), 3 more loads of laundry done and other odds and ends finished up. I did not have enough time to sew, but since I got so much done Saturday, I figure I can work at it a little between laundry loads today. :) The first wedding is next week, so I really want to get that top figured out and made.

This week is looking busy again. Lucas turns 3 on Thursday and Peter's birthday is Saturday... I can't believe Lucas is almost 3!! He's finally doing (a little) better with potty training! Yesterday Peter got him dressed for church and put a pull-up on him, but it was still dry and clean when we got home from church at 12:30!! I was so happy!! That's the longest he's stayed dry EVER! So, slowly, but surely we'll get there... maybe by his 4th birthday? lol

Kimberly has learned to bop her head to music. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of music either, her head just starts bopping away. She first did it in church, then on the way home. She makes me laugh so much! She also pulls the funniest faces sometimes. Peter thinks she's been taking lessons from Lucas. They are such joys!

Caleb and Daniel have rediscovered the Discovery toys puzzles and games in the closet. Now that they know how to pick it up by themselves, I'm not too worried about it. They can play them too, as they know how to follow directions better. They're growing up!

I think that's about all the news for now. Work is awaiting my attention...

Oh, to have the "perfect" body shape.....:p

I was trying to work on my next sewing project last night. It's a new nice top, so I really didn't want to screw up, so I did one in muslin first to make sure the changes I made to the pattern were ok. NOPE! I was so frustrated! I have a new book coming (hopefully soon) that shows how to alter your patterns properly with confidence... I really hope it comes sooner rather than later. I'm going to try tinker with it again either tonight or Monday, and keep at it until it's right. Muslin is thankfully a cheap material, so I can mess around multiple times until it's right!

I made the mistake of watching part of Sewing with Nancy this morning as I was cleaning up, and got inspired to do some other projects... lol I get one idea and the rest keep coming! They made the cutest jean skirts from old jeans... I just might try it! I'm sure I can find some jeans at the thrift store for cheap that I won't feel bad about cutting to pieces, and then I'll have a new, fresh looking skirt!

Another project coming up is a change table cover. Mrs DeJong (a VERY sweet lady) found me a new change table at the thrift store and I only had to pay $8 for it! However, the cover on it right now is pretty gross, so I have my old pad on it for now. I'm going to be taking the cover apart piece by piece for my pattern, find REALLY cute fabric (I found a new source for that too) and make something amazingly cute! :) As always I'll post pics for ya'll to see.

Anyway, now that the boys are occupied outside with their dad, I'm going to do some baking and scrubbing. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a Blessed Sabbath!

Get ya'll up to speed...

Ok, I finally have a couple minutes to type up a new post! It's been a crazy couple days here. I managed to get 12 loads of laundry washed, folded and put away yesterday and today, and there's still 2 or 3 more to go! It never ends, I tell ya! :) I feel good though about what I've been able to get done, and even Peter was impressed... It really helps that it's nice out and I don't have to wait for the dryer to finish... just keep hanging them up outside and take the first load down when you put the third one up. It was a good system!

Kimberly is still not herself. She woke up without a fever yesterday morning, but at 5PM she had a temp again. Poor baby was up more than half the night (and me with her of course) and I said that if she woke up for the day with a temp still, the Dr was getting a call. She woke up at 5AM with a temp of 102.2, but at 8:30 she was fine and has been all day so far. She even ate some bananas for lunch and played for a while. Although she is sleeping more than usual, I am happy she ate something. (She had been nursing a lot still, so I wasn't TOO worried about that, but she wanted NO solids yesterday, so it's an improvement.) Here's to hoping tonight goes better!

Lucas and Caleb are still dealing with coughing, but they too are slowly getting better. We think Caleb's is due to his allergies, but nothing seems to be helping him much. We give him Claritin in the morning, and Benadryl at night along with his Flonase. Lucas seems to do better at night when we put Vicks on his chest before bed. He doesn't wake up through the night crying anyway.

So far, Daniel seems to be healthy as can be. We have said that he's just too slippery for the germs to stick. lol He has never had problems with allergies, so that's a good thing. :) He has never had the flu really either. I think he was scotch guarded with anti bacterial something at birth. lol He's a good brother when his siblings are sick though. So compassionate and sweet.

I hope to get started on my own sewing project tonight. We have 2 weddings to go to in the next month or so and I really need to get some clothes that fit properly, and making them seems to be the only way that's going to happen. I'm looking forward to having something unique and proper fitting! :)

Peter has been super busy so far this week too. It was after 7PM last night that he finally came home and he is booked through Thursday already. I'm glad for that though, as it was really slow for a while and we were starting to wonder if it was going to pick up at all. Thankfully, God has once again provided the work for his hands to do and with that, the finances to support our family. God is faithful!

Well, sounds like my bathroom is being transformed into a swimming pool thanks to Lucas, so I better run and mop up the mess. Have a wonderful day!

Just a few tidbits :)

Finally!!! Kimberly's second tooth made it's way through last night. We had a rough night because of it, but hopefully today will be better. She had a bit of a fever before supper and seemed to be really hot when she woke up at 2AM. She was in my bed with me for most of the night after that, after a dose of Tylenol to help bring her fever down. This morning at 8 she seemed to be doing a little better and was not warm anymore, so Ichecked for a tooth and it was through! I hope that she doesn't have that hard a time with all her teeth! Poor baby. :(

Last night we celebrated Daniel's birthday with Grandpa and Grandma Boverhof and Aunt Liz. Gpa and Gma brought KFC for supper and Liz picked up a birthday cake as my oven isn't working... It was one of the last cakes left so there wasn't much selection, but thankfully Daniel didn't care. :)

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my mom. I am so thankful for her! Love you Mom!

Also, Happy 7th Anniversary to my brother Michael and his wifey Heidi! Wow, to think we'll be celebrating the same milestone later this year... time sure does fly when you're busy!!

This coming week I'm hoping to get more work done in the kitchen to get it ready for painting... My goal is to have it done by August, so I better get moving on it!

I made a clothspin bag last night. It took about an hour, but I used the decoative stitches for hemming the opening, so that took a while to get done, but it looks cute! As it was the first one I've done, I think it turned out really good! I did notice a couple things that could be tweaked a little for the next one, but you learn as you go, right? :) A simple project anyway and useful too! Pics below...

I'm home with 3 kids from church today... Kimberly has a snot nose and is cranky, Lucas is still coughing and Caleb's allergies are really bad today, making him sound like he's snoring all the time, his nose run along with coughing.

That's all the news for now... hope you all have a blessed Sunday and an enjoyable Mother's Day!

My mothers day flowers from the kids :) (Thanks Liz!)

Clothespin Bag front.... I think the fabric is ridiculously cute, don't you?

Cheeky Daniel showing his cake :) You can't see it really well, but Daniel and Lucas had already taken a finger of frosting off the big flower...

We really needed that!

Peter and I had a wonderful evening together last night! We went fabric shopping at Fields (LOVE that store!) and then for supper, where we were able to hold an uninterrupted conversation and then to Meijer for a birthday present for Daniel (yes, yes, I know we're a little late). I found some really nice fabric for Sunday clothes for me, and because I'm making them myself, I KNOW they're going to fit!!! :) Peter went through the fleece and found a couple blanket panels that he really wanted, so we bought them too. One for his dad and one for Daniel. They were the only 2 that had RED tractors on them, so he "couldn't not buy them" in his words. lol I don't think it's going to be so hard to get him to come fabric shopping with me anymore... haha

Last night was another rough night for Lucas. He woke up at 2 AM coughing and having a hard time breathing. I sat in the bathroom with him for a while with the shower on hot to hopefully help him, and so far this morning, his breathing is a lot better. I really wish I knew why he has been coughing so much! It's been a couple months now that he's been coughing and last night was the worst. If the shower hadn't helped, I think Dr woulda gotten a late call. I hope he's able to sleep better tonight... he's sooo cranky today! I half wonder if it's allergies, as he seems to start coughing if he's been outside.... He's going for a well child check at the end of the month, so hopefully we can get some answers for the poor kid.

Kimberly was up the night before for 2 hours, and nothing seemed to really quiet her down. We keep saying its that tooth that sooo close to coming through that's bugging her, but I don't know. She seems ok through the day, and last night she was fine,and that tooth STILL isn't through!! She's still a one toothed sweetie.

Well, that's all I got for now... it's raining today, so I'm probably going to be pulling out the play dough for the kids for entertainment. I can't bake like I'd like to as the element on the oven burned out this week, and I can't hang laundry out, so it's going to take twice as long to dry it all... Looks like I'll have to clean today then!

Hope you all have a great weekend and a blessed Sunday!

The results are in...

But I don't know anything new, really. I was told that I snore and that wakes me up, and they want to do more testing, which I said no to. They also told me that there is not too much they can do for me, but I have to lose weight (which I know already) and start consuming the caffine to stay awake. I'm a little miffed that they couldn't just tell me on the phone, but I guess they don't get paid $257 for a phone call. So, all that and I don't really know any more than I did yesterday. Grrr. Gotta love the health system.

I also had to take Lucas in as he'd been complaining of ear pain and not acting himself at again. Thankfully it's only one ear that's infected and he's once again on meds for that. Poor kid. He was in bed and sleeping before we were done with supper last night, if that says anything.

I also stopped at a few garage sales and found 4 nice pairs of jeans for Lucas and Daniel (now I can throw a few away and return a couple pairs to Sears), a snowsuit for next year for Kimberly and a couple summer oufits for Kimberly. YAY! I love garage sales!!! I can't complain about the prices either... :) Caleb was bummed that I didn't find any pants for him though... I told him he's just gotta stop growing, then he can wear the ones I bought for him last year still... Nope, didn't listen... still growing. Apparently, Daddy lets the boys grow so when they're big like him they can help do tires. lol Those are Daniel's words. :)

I'm so glad when the weather forecasters are wrong... :)

Yup, they were really off today. Last I heard, we were supposed to have showers today. So far, not a drop! I managed to get some pampass grass dug up and Peter split it and some daffodils and an easter lily planted. I also got all the edging along both sides of the driveway and sidewalk done. It was good exercise, and I don't mind that kind of exercise. :)The boys have all been outside since breakfast, except for a few minutes for lunch and an hour this afternoon for a break. Now, I'm pooped! I was actually thinking ahead yesterday and pulled meat up for tonight's supper and that's in the oven, so it's an easier supper.

Today is Peter's parents 57th wedding anniversary and we're planning on stopping up there for a bit tonight. I can't hardly imagine 57 years!! Wow! We are thankful for all the years God has given them together!

Daniel said he had a good birthday yesterday. After supper, we took the kids to Dairy Ranch in Dorr for ice cream as a birthday treat. I also made Daniel's favorite for supper~ psghetti and meatballs, and I actually did the meat balls! It was a hit, so I think I may be doing that again. Daniel thinks it's still his birthday today because he got another card in the mail today, and why would he get a card if it wasn't his birthday? :) Gotta love the logic.

Tomorrow I find out the results of my sleep study. I'm not too nervous right now, and I hope I don't get too nervous. Pray for a good result! I'll keep ya'll posted as to what I find out.

Wow! Daniel is 4 already!!!

I can't believe how fast my kids are growing up!! Today is Daniel's 4th birthday!!! He is so excited to be 4 now. :) We are going to pick up some Wendy's for lunch and hang out at the park with Pam and Dakota for a while. It'll be nice to get out of the house and do something fun with the kids.

Daniel~ about 6 months old

Daniel about a month ago... still cute as a button! :)

Hopefully a not so busy week...

Whew! Last week was a little too busy for my liking! Between a sick baby for 2 days, very busy boys getting into everything they shouldn't, planning and throwing a shower, I'm soooo ready for a quiet week! I don't think it's going to be too quiet though. Daniel turns 4 tomorrow (WOW! that went fast!!) and Thursday I have a dr appointment to find out my sleep study results, as well as an appointment that night to get a haircut. But we'll see...

As I mentioned, we had a bridal shower on Saturday, and it went off really well! Everyone had a good time and the food was great! I made an apron again, and I love how it turned out! I didn't do the rick-rack on it, as the pattern on the fabric was busy enough, but I did embellish the pockets with a little ribbon. It turned out really cute! (Check out the pics...) We also played a really fun game that had everyone laughing. It was a more wild game than we're used to, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. :) Jessie also got some really great gifts! I was tempted more than once to steal... (don't worry Jessie, I didn't! :) )

Good news! Good news!!! Daniel is no longer wearing pull-ups to bed!!!! He had 2 accidents on the first couple nights but has now stayed dry by himself for 2 nights!!! YAY!!! Now for Lucas... He's getting better, but isn't quite where I'd like him to be.... maybe in the next couple weeks before his birthday something will click!

But now that the sun is shining and it's not too chilly out, I better get started on bed sheets... they all need to get done this week, along with the other usual laundry piles... Mmmm I can smell the fresh air in the clean sheets already!! Nothing beats it!

Here's pics of the apron... They didn't want to upload staight for some reason...

Cute story

The boys went outside after lunch today, and I was looking out the slider doors and saw the cutest thing! Caleb was up by the sandbox looking for Daniel, who was running in the garden. When they saw each other, they started running towards each other with their arms wide open. When they met in the middle, they hugged a big hug and started walking around the yard holding hands. I have no idea what they were saying, but it was so cute just to watch! They love each other so much and I hope that they continue to be best buds! I wish I had the camera handy to get it on video, or just to snap a couple pics. Oh well, those are pictures that are forever in my heart! :) <3