Potty Training Part 2

So I decided this was the best time to potty train Noah since our Tuesday AM church class and Thursday AM Homeschool group are out until after Christmas. Noah is almost the exact age Cole was when he potty trained in 2 days, so I was hoping for similar results. Well, Noah did it even faster. After one day, he is in exclusively underwear day and night. I still can't get him to go #2 on the potty, but I am SO proud of how quickly he caught on and what a trooper he was in the process.

He got a plastic roach as a prize the first day, as he loves bugs. I DESPISE roaches, but this one has grown on me. Noah has had Roachy go through potty training too. When Noah pees, Roachy does. When Noah gets a jelly bean for peeing, Roachy does too. They have bonded in the process and now Roachy goes everywhere with Noah. Thankfully, he is about 10 times the size of any real roach I have seen, so there is no mistaking it for a live one :)

Kind of weird to be done with diapers so suddenly. Noah was SO ready but it does mark the end of a certain phase of his little life, and those goodbyes are always a little harder for me than the boys. Not having to change poopy diapers will certainly make this transition a bit easier :)

We took the boys camping last night with some friends from our church Bible fellowship class. The kids all had so much fun and it was great just making memories with them. We had a great time collecting wood and pine cones, making a fire, burning things, cooking out, exploring, roasting marshmallows, and just spending time with friends. Noah and Cole loved being able to run around and explore the campsite. Cole LOVED being the oldest kid and made it known that he was in charge of all the kids. He was a worthy leader :) We had taken the boys camping about a year and a half ago but it was at a very crowded site and Noah was a bit too young to really enjoy it. This time, we had the huge group campsite and seemed to be the only people in the entire preserve last night. The mosquitoes were kind of bad, but the kids didn't seem to mind. I slept in a tent between Cole and Noah and Brian slept in his own tent. They slept surprisingly well, and although I didn't, I would love to go again soon. I just love getting to have these little adventures with the boys! God has certainly blessed us with some wonderful friends too. In the last couple months, our class at church has started to grow and we have made some great new friends. Camping was a wonderful opportunity to get to know these families a little better. What a fun adventure for us all!

Homeschooling

My Big 5 Year Old!

I am still kind of in disbelief that Cole has turned 5! We had a wonderful time celebrating his birthday the last couple weeks. We did a party with Brian's family and some good friends last weekend. We had about 27 people over for swimming, pizza, and cake. Fun was had by all :) On Cole's actual birthday, the 14th, my parents, Austin, Ava, and Adam came over for more swimming, a delicious meal cooked by Brian, cupcakes, and alot of playing with the neighbor kids. Brian and I started Cole's real birthday with a scavenger hunt around the house to find all of his presents. I left him rhyming clues that he had to read to find each gift. He had a great time! His last gift was the big surprise . . . a new ceiling fan for his room! Anyone who knows Cole knows that was a HUGE deal for him :) He told me today, "Every time I go in my room, I just look at my new fan."

I feel so blessed to have such a sweet, sensitive, smart, and funny little boy. As his Mom, I eat up all the affection he gives me and never miss an opportunity to give him a big hug. I love playing War or Go Fish or just hanging out with him on his bed making his stuffed animals talk. I love what Cole calls "a day at home" . . . basically a day where we have no errands, no appointments, absolutely no where to be. We can just play together at home all day. Those are special days for the four of us. I love doing school with Cole . . . watching him learn new things and make new connections. He and Noah both love doing Bible trivia and they amaze me with their knowledge of the Bible at such young ages. I praise God for my sweet boys and pray for strength to help them meet each new stage with excitement and energy for whatever God has in store. I can't wait to experience 5!

RSV

I am a little behind on posting . . . these pictures are from April when Noah had to be hospitalized overnight with RSV.  He couldn't stop coughing and was having a hard time keeping anything down, so I spent the night with him in the hospital.  He was such a trooper, getting an IV and needing breathing treatments every 2 to 3 hours.  We were certainly blessed with excellent care and attention.  It's never fun to be in the hospital, but I was definitely reminded to be thankful for my normally healthy boys.  I was also grateful that Noah was so resilient.  A few weeks ago we were back at the hospital visiting a sick friend, and I asked Noah if he wanted to see the nurses who took care of him when he was there.  He said, "No, Mommy, they might give me an IV."  

Sweet and Silly Noah

Noah has us all rolling these days with the funny comments he makes. He is such a verbal 2 year old and has a great sense of humor and very outgoing personality. Last night on the way home from the mall with the family, I told the boys that it was bedtime when we got home. Noah responded, "No, Mommy, it's not bedtime it's poopy time." We all laughed hysterically, because he was serious and did have to poop. He then repeated the phrase another 50 times much to Cole's delight. We normally do not condone "potty talk" but this was pretty funny. Whenever Noah does something mean to Cole, I explain to him that it not only makes Cole and Mommy sad but that it makes Jesus sad. I am trying to teach him that more important than pleasing Mommy is glorifying God with our lives. So, the other day he and Cole were really well behaved on an outing, and I was praising them for it when we got to the car. Noah smiled and said, "I made Jesus happy." He also told me the other day that Jesus likes to sit "criss cross apple sauce and drink almond milk" (which Noah was doing) and that riding on a ride at Busch Gardens made Jesus happy too. He is such a character! He loves to sing Bible songs, the B-I-B-L-E in particular. He has a great dance that goes with it that I will have to post at some point. It always ends with, "It's in the book . . . HUH!" Noah is SO friendly, and at the mall play area last night, he went around to every kid in there and asked their name and told them, "I'm Noah." Noah can get into some trouble but he has the kindest heart and is always the first to tell us thank you for dinner or his drink or whatever we've given him. He has an unending supply of hugs and affection for us too. I am so thankful God gave us such a sweet and silly and smart little guy :)

Park Days

With the nice weather we've had this winter, we have spent alot of days at the park. Sometimes we meet up with friends, but most times it is just the boys and me. I so cherish my days with them. We have so much fun just running around and playing, and both boys love swinging lately. I remind myself how quickly these days fly by, which makes me relish them all the more. I really try hard to keep us from getting so busy that we can't just enjoy a beautiful day at the park every week. I thank God for those days that always seem to refresh us and leave us with fun memories.