And the Winner Is..............

Thomas the Train!!!!

I made P's costume this year and have been stressing about it nonstop because he didn't seem to like it. I figured out that it was too heavy for him so last night I tore it apart and tried to make it lighter. When I realized I couldn't do that I pieced it back together the best I could and went back to Square One. This morning, while eating breakfast, I spotted the neighbor's wagon. It turned out to be the perfect (well, almost but I'll get to that) solution! After he realized he didn't have to carry it on his shoulders, P loved his costume and talked about it all day!

We got to VC, ready for the parade this evening. I thought I had parked close to the registration area but after starting up the hill I realized we were further away than I would've liked. Checking the time, I decided to pick up the pace. If you've been to our little town you know that it's uneven to say the least. Unfortunately, the unevenness and lack of time caused my little train to derail. He fell out of the wagon and scratched up his face a bit. It scared him more than anything and I thought he wouldn't get back in the wagon. But, like a trooper, he did. When we got to the registration area I realized that his costume was all messed up. Luckily there was a stapler that a lady let me borrow so I "bandaged" up the train to the best of my ability.

My hard work and P's personality won us 1st place in the costume parade! He blew his whistle all the way to the front and let everyone know he was Thomas. He looked absolutely adorable and I was so incredibly proud of him!! After the parade we did his favorite part....getting suckers. He trick or treated at some of the local businesses and got enough candy to feed an army (which is great because that's what we're going to do with most of his candy- send it to troops overseas). Once we had tons of candy he asked to go see the local train. It was the least I could do so that's where we ended the night.

It was a lot of fun for the both of us. He made me one proud mama all the way around! It was indeed a very Happy Halloween!!

Fall Pictures

Since I already blogged earlier today, this one will mainly be pictures. Several bighorn sheep were supposed to be released this morning but P and I couldn't find them. Instead we saw a dirtbike competition and followed a train for quite awhile. After church we enjoyed the beautiful Fall weather by taking a walk and looking at the ducks and geese. Here are some pictures from our time together....

Fun Day All Around

I have long since learned that if P has fun he'll talk about something for days. Well, I have a feeling that I'll be hearing about yesterday for days! The morning started with us meeting up with some friends at Scheels, where the boys played and the mamas caught up on life. Then we went over to the park and had a picnic, enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. After P's nap I carved his pumpkin. I asked if he wanted a Curious George pumpkin or a Thomas pumpkin. After much going back and forth he finally decided on a Curious George pumpkin. He didn't help with it but he liked to come check on my progress every 5-10 minutes. He was very excited when it was done but the best part for him was the candle inside the pumpkin. When I lit it he kept saying, "George on fire!". We got cleaned up and got in our costumes for our neighborhood Halloween parties. I dropped P off and made my way-as the Real Housewives of the Highlands-to my party. I didn't stay long because it was way past P's bedtime. But the time I was there was fun and I know P had a great time at his party. He was covered in orange from eating chips and he kept talking about his buddy, Eddie, and the movie they watched. Even this morning when he first woke up he said, "Fun Eddie". I'm sure I'll be hearing a lot more as the day goes on!

Although you can't get the full effect in the picture my costume consisted of dark circles under my eyes, food in my hair, food stains on my shirt, the local poison control phone number in my pocket as well as a diaper and puzzle piece in other pockets. Topped off with 2 mismatched shoes. It wasn't elaborate but I was comfortable and people laughed when I told them what I was.

Animal Lover

P has loved ALL animals since he was a little tyke. I think he knew more animal sounds than words for a long time. Well, yesterday I had to go to Petsmart to get Ruby some new dog food. I was going to do it while P was in school but figured that's one errand he'd really like to do with me. I was right! We got there and checked out the fish. Then he heard the birds and got all excited. We watched the birds "play" for a long time before he discovered the cats at the back of the store. I am not a cat fan but P loves them. So I take any chance I can show them to him without actually having to own one. He could've watched the cats sleeping until the store closed. But I finally pulled him away to get what we had come for. P asked if he could get Ruby a toy. He decided on a monkey only to change his mind at the register and get an elephant instead (That's his latest animal obsession). He was so excited to give it to her and it hurt his feelings that she didn't want anything to do with it. He continues to find it, carry it over to her and lay it down by her. Eventually she'll realize it's hers and play with it. I love how he loves animals so much!

Halloween Mayhem

As I write this, I can hear P in his room, playing. It's past his bedtime but I knew tonight would be a challenge. Why, you ask? Because this evening we went to 2 Halloween events.
Ever since he woke up this morning, P has been talking about wearing his costume and getting a sucker. But when it came time to go to school he flat out refused to wear any of his costumes (Yes, he has more than one!). I had told him that if he wore his costume to school he'd get a treat (That was my understanding from his teachers). He was bummed, to say the least, when we found out I was wrong! I picked him up early from school and told him if he took a good nap we'd go to our church's trunk or treat and get candy. I think he didn't really believe me after he didn't get a sucker-or any treat-at school but he played along. Lucky for him because the first thing he was given when we got to the trunk or treat was a sucker! He was so excited and proudly held it up for everyone to see. After playing a few games I talked him in to wearing his costume so he could get more candy. He'd go to each car that was giving out candy and said, "Trick or treat. Sucker!". It worked because that boy has more suckers than he'll probably be able to eat. He already ate 3 for dinner and had 1 for dessert. Hence the reason he's not going to bed.
From there we went to his school for their Harvest Festival. It was fun but super crowded. P tried to wear his Thomas costume that I made him but he was having trouble moving around. So we took it off and he wore his signature cowboy hat instead (although he now calls it his bull hat). His favorite part of the Harvest Festival was the bouncy house with the slide that his teachers were manning. I believe that he would've gone down it all night had I let him. But, alas, I told him it was time to go. I was so proud of him, how well he listened and how he acted like a big boy all the way around.
Tomorrow we'll continue the Halloween festivities by carving one of his many pumpkins, going to a neighborhood Halloween party and eating a sucker or two.

Happy Day of Birth!

Today Rob became as old as me. (Does that make us an old couple now? HA!) Although it didn't happen, when it was my birthday I wanted to spend the day by myself, shopping and getting pampered. On Rob's day of birth celebration (He doesn't like his birthday acknowledged) he wanted to spend the morning duck hunting and the rest of the day with us. We had fun going to the pumpkin patch (yet again), riding the mechanic bull (yet again) and picking out another pumpkin (yet again). From there we went to Scheels and to dinner. It was so incredibly nice to spend most of the day as a family because those days seem few and far between lately. Enjoy the pictures from our pumpkin patch visit........

Pumpkins, Painting, Patience....

For those that meet P, one of the first comments they make is how much energy he has. I don't know any different and most of the time his energy level matches mine. But, after the night we had last night, I knew today was going to be challenging. He and I are both busy bodies and we don't like to be cooped up. I figured I'd use today to do more potty training and get some Halloween costume pictures but neither of those happened. Instead, I set up paper in the kitchen and encouraged P to paint his pumpkin and do some masterpieces for Uncle Josh and Aunt Ashy.







But, he's not much into sitting and painting so my plan didn't last long. I talked him into a walk but he wore out quickly. I was hoping that that would mean he'd take a long nap since he's cranky today. But he didn't and, although he's not as cranky, he's still testing my patience. I will be happy when we are able to go out and about again tomorrow!

Fun or Not so Much?

On Thursday I picked P up from preschool and we met up with some moms and kids from my Bible Study at the pumpkin patch. P had a blast!! His favorite part was riding the mechanical bull and he talked about it nonstop afterwards. Although it was fun to watch, I pray that's not his career choice. After we left the pumpkin patch we headed West to visit my parents for the weekend. Friday morning we woke up to beautiful weather so we decided to go to a "local" pumpkin patch. (It took about an hour to get there) I'd never been there before but I have to say, after going, it is now my favorite pumpkin patch in the Sacramento area. There is sooooo much to do and a variety of pumpkins to choose from. My parents, P and I had such a fun time riding the train, petting the animals, climbing on play structures, going for a pony ride...

After we left the pumpkin patch I met up with a friend for a belated birthday dinner. It was nice to get away and have adult conversation sans a fun loving toddler. I stayed out later than planned but enjoyed every minute (Ok, maybe not when the waiters/waitresses came out with a sombrero and sang "Happy Birthday" but I liked the rest)

The rest of the weekend was a different story. Saturday I could tell P wasn't feeling well because he didn't eat any breakfast (Always the first big sign!). My parents and I wanted to take P to ride the Halloween train downtown but as the day wore on it was obvious we weren't going to be doing much. In all honesty I was rather scared because we couldn't get his fever to break and he slept way more than usual. By night my mom was giving him a sponge bath because he wouldn't get back in a lukewarm bath. We debated whether to take him to Urgent Care but decided to see how the rest of the night went. Fortunately, P slept through the night but yesterday morning we left early to head back home. I called the local Pediatrics Urgent Care and they asked me to bring him in even though his fever had gone down. Rob met us there and after waiting an hour, it was determined that he has strep.

P is an AWESOME patient and I attribute most of that to the fact that he's been through so much already in his young life. He takes medicine without a problem and just wants to cuddle when he's not feeling good. But last night I got a taste of what it's like to have a not so awesome patient. P kept spitting out his meds. By the third time, Rob gave them to him and he was able to get P to keep them down. (YAY!) Around midnight P woke up and was inconsolable. After I thought he was asleep I went back to bed only to hear him crying a few minutes later. I went back in and couldn't get him to stop crying so I told him I'd stay in his room for the night if he stopped crying. It took awhile but he finally stopped. This morning he woke up super early when Rob was getting ready for work so I had him crawl into bed with me. Once he woke up for good a couple hours later he seemed no worse for the wear. His fever has broken and, although he doesn't want to eat, he has more energy than he has since Saturday.

Here are some pictures from the fun times at the pumpkin patches........

Big Treat!!

Today we hit a milestone...rather, P hit a major one! He finally went potty on his big boy potty not once but twice!!! It was rather comical and I'll share it with you if you'd like but it is kind of "detailed" so most of you will probably appreciate the fact that I'm not posting all about what took place. :) I was so proud of him and he was excited because he got 2 Skittles. He kept telling everyone who would listen that he had gotten a big treat! Hopefully we'll be able to keep up with this so he can be potty trained sooner rather than later.
On a completely different note, the day didn't start out all that great. It was a gymnastics day, which is not always my favorite. I had pulled him out of the Tuesday class because the parents stood back and let their kids do whatever while the poor coach ran herself ragged trying to control the class. One parent in particular drove me crazy because she gave me idle threats constantly. There's nothing more that irritates me as a parent or teacher. I'm sure there's times I've said something and didn't follow through but I try my best NOT to be like that. Anyway, the Monday class wasn't working for our schedule so I put him back to the Tuesday class. He started acting up immediately, once he saw who was in his class, to the point where I pulled him out right before his favorite part (stamps) and took him home. On the way home he got in trouble and I was dreading the rest of the day to be honest.
However, when he woke up from his nap we had so much fun. We went to the local park and then decided to go for a walk. We visited a "farm" and fed a horse, 2 donkeys and a few goats. A donkey and a goat followed him around the fenceline, which was super cute. (Of course I regretted not having any of my cameras!) On our walk back to the park P informed me that he had shot a deer and had pushed an elephant. I love his imagination these days!!
Once we got back to the house we spent a lot of time reading. He kept asking for another book each time I finished one. It made my heart happy! P made me proud today for 3 reasons...he went potty on the big boy potty, he enjoyed reading A LOT of books and he kept saying "Thank you much!" every time I gave him something or I took the time to read him another book. By the end of the day he had completely melted my heart again, like he does most days. I'm proud to be the one he calls "Mama"!

Funny Monkey

I dread the days immediately following Rob going out of town because P has meltdowns and behavior problems. But today, with the exception of 2 meltdowns, it was a calm day. We didn't have anything planned so I decided to attempt potty training again. I spent A LOT of time sitting on the stepping stool in the bathroom, reading potty books to P while encouraging him to "go potty like a big boy". One time he was on the potty for about 20 minutes without going. As soon as he stepped outside the bathroom he pee'd all over the carpet. This happened 3 times so I deemed it a failure (not him but the potty training for the day). Towards the end of the day I was trying different tactic in hopes of getting him to go. At one point I mimicked going to the bathroom and made a "potty face". He imitated me, but looked more like a professional wrestler, his face turning beet red. I laughed so hard and that egged him on so he even posed for the camera (which I can use for blackmail later in life!)
We also took a walk today that had the same effect as potty training....tested my patience and made me laugh. I wanted to wear him out before his nap so I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk around the block. He did so we set out with the dogs. Because we live in a rural area you can hear every little sound that's out of the norm. P kept thinking he had heard a car coming so he'd run to the nearest ditch and take a seat, all the while yelling "Car coming!". What should've been a 15 minute walk turned into about 45 minutes. I loved it but after awhile I got tired of trying to convince our son that a car was not coming.
Most of the day he's had me laughing. I enjoy days like this, especially when I've been in the mindset for something completely different. It's a nice- and very welcome- surprise!

Fun Fun Weekend!

What a fabulous weekend....Girls' Night Away, a photography class and an afternoon at the lake with my boys. Instead of writing about it I'll just show you some of the fun pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!!

The Big 3-6

I don't know about you but there are some birthdays that I can't wait for and then others that are just a part of life. Rob teases me because I like my birthday to last an entire week, but not this year. Don't get me wrong. I VERY much appreciate ALL that people did to make it special, from the special birthday cards to fabulous presents to the gorgeous roses Rob gave me to the fun dinners out.
I guess I did stretch out my birthday a couple days this year. This past weekend I went to my parents' for a visit. We went to Apple Hill, despite the torrential downpour, for my birthday celebration. We only went to one place because of the rain but we were able to get apples, pumpkins and a couple of yummy treats. My favorite part of my birthday celebration with my parents was when we went out to dinner. P is obsessed with elephants right now so I chose to go to Elephant Bar (even my birthday is about him...ha!). He LOVED the huge elephant and giraffes that decorated the dining area. It was fun watching him carry his HUGE stuffed elephant through the restaurant while everyone pointed at how cute he is.
Yesterday P and I got home and got to spend the afternoon/evening with Rob, who had come home specifically for my birthday. (Which in and of itself was a great birthday gift!) He spoiled me and made my birthday special with a beautiful card, a dozen gorgeous roses and dinner at one of my favorite places. That was another thing I thoroughly enjoyed. We went to a local Japanese Steakhouse, where they cook in front of you. We got a kick out of P imitating the chef (as did an older lady sitting by us). When they asked if anyone had a birthday at the table I told Rob I didn't want to be acknowledged. Usually I would want all the attention but I was perfectly content flying under the radar.
Overall it was a fun birthday. Because of technology, I didn't get a lot of birthday calls or cards. But I appreciated ALL of the birthday wishes no matter how they came. My birthday always makes me realize how loved I am...and how blessed I am to be loved by so many!

Blessed!

I can't remember the last time I got anything out of going to my parents' church. I go because it's family time and it's important to them but I go knowing I won't walk away feeling blessed. I was proven wrong today! I am visiting my parents and was actually excited to go to Arden today because the W&W team was going to share about their time in Namibia. One of my close childhood friends, Kim, went and I couldn't wait to see the beautiful pictures she had taken. (She's a VERY talented photographer!) What I wasn't prepared for were the tears of joy that streamed down my cheeks as she shared about her experience there. You see, Kim only came back to her walk with the Lord a few years ago. She had grown up in the church but had sought out the world for awhile before realizing what was important (I think God used her son in helping her see the Light!). I sat there, tears falling freely, thinking about how God has a plan for all of us. Had you told me 5 years ago that Kim would be going to S. Africa on a mission trip I would've laughed at you. Instead, God laughed at me and showed that His plan always prevails. It was an emotional service today and I felt very blessed to be a part of it. Thanks for sharing Kim. You rock!!

Mommyhood 101

I'm not gonna lie. The past two days were not fun with the lil man. There was a lot of hitting, kicking and throwing temper tantrums...from him of course, although I wanted to join in on the temper tantrums a few times. I went to bed, crying, thinking about what a bad mom I am. I lose my patience and raise my voice after he does something that I specifically asked him not to do. I lose my patience when he gets up from "Time Out" after he was put there for hitting me. I lose my patience when I'm changing his diaper and he hauls off and kicks me. Last night I was at my wit's end, wondering how I'm going to get through the 2's and 3's. But, before bed I picked up "Bringing Up Boys" and read a few chapters. Then I prayed that God would give me wisdom and patience today. I know millions of moms have husbands that work out of town a lot or are nonexistent so I can do it just like they do. I'm happy to say that today was a MUCH better day, even though he didn't get a lot of sleep due to the horrible storm we had last night. He didn't get 1 Time Out or swat today. We laughed and cuddled a lot. It was a really good day! The only time we had a little glitch was at bedtime. If we could only have small glitches like that then I would have no doubt that I can survive- and enjoy- the next couple years of "becoming independent".

Discover Discovery

If you've been to our neck of the woods you know that we get a lot of snow for a long period of time, not just the "usual" Winter months. And if you've been around P you know that he has more energy than an entire roomful of people combined. So I'm trying to find places to take him during the Winter to get out his energy and help me maintain my sanity. I found one of those places today...the Discovery Museum. I met up with a friend and her son, who ironically has the same name as P, and is the same age. They had fun exploring and trying new things. We both bought year long memberships, which will come in handy once the snow starts falling. (Oh, oops, that's TONIGHT!). Here are a few of the fun moments the boys had together this morning and I can't wait to capture even more during the next several COLD months....

Happy Birthday!

I dreamt about her last night and woke up thinking about her this morning. Today is my ex-best friend's 37th birthday. For 2 years we celebrated out birthdays together. Last year we acknowledged each other's birthday. This year I'd bet my last dollar that that won't even be happening because in July we mutually agreed to write each other out of the other's life. It all happened because a professional decision got made into a personal issue. That got complicated with others getting involved, saying untrue things and causing unnecessary drama. Although Rob said she wasn't a friend to begin with if she let our friendship fall by the wayside without ever sitting down and talking it out it still makes me sad. We shared our pregnancies together. She was one of the first to hold P and then 1 1/2 days later she gave birth to her precious son. We've shared laughter, tears and everything in between. I thought we'd be lifelong friends, our sons growing up together and being best friends as well. But, as is the case with some friendships, it wasn't meant to be. So today, for what it's worth, I'll think about her and silently wish her a Happy Birthday.

Fall Colors?

Despite having plenty to do today all I've wanted to do is read a book I started yesterday. However, I've learned that when I REALLY get into a book I sometimes struggle to decipher between reality and fiction. Since this book is depressing I realized it was affecting my mood.
So I decided that the chores and cleaning could wait until tomorrow and P and I would go exploring in search of Fall colors. Unfortunately, the leaves haven't started changing all that much but we still had fun.
We shared ice cream, walked on the train tracks, went to the park and took some pics (Well, I took the pics). So, despite not seeing the colors change yet, we still had a fun afternoon out and about.

Sleeping Beauty

If you read my blogs or are "friends" with me on FB you are well aware of the fact that I survive on limited sleep. If you would've told me 5 years ago that I would function with 4-5 hours of sleep under my belt on a regular basis I would've laughed. Sleep is one of my favorite things in life! Last night I was finally able to fully enjoy my favorite thing....a full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Rob isn't feeling well so he slept on the couch to keep from disturbing my sleep with his coughing. This worked out perfect for me because when P woke up at 4am wide eyed and bushy tailed, Rob was ready for him. He kept him quiet enough for me to sleep until 7:15! I don't remember the last time I've slept that late without being woken up several times throughout the night!! Then after church we put P down for his nap. Rob and I both laid down, ready for a nap ourselves. Shortly after I fell asleep I heard a loud thud. I jumped up and went to P's room but I didn't hear anything so I figured I had imagined it and went back to sleep. An hour later I was rested enough to wake up. I thought I heard noise coming from P's room so I stood outside the door. When I heard him playing I opened the door. I'm pretty sure he never napped because it looked like a hurricane had hit his room! I confirmed this later when we were on our way to the Marina and he fell asleep in Rob's truck. I'm hoping that, after getting such a good night's sleep last night and P hardly sleeping the past 24 hours, I'll be able to enjoy another night of my favorite pastime...zzzzzzz!

Zing Zang Zoom!

Tonight we went to the circus, a first for Preston AND me! P was absolutely mesmerized and probably could've sat there all night despite being tired. I, on the other hand, was SLIGHTLY disappointed. I had it in my head that there would be numerous clown acts, several elephants and even a couple tigers. There were 3 "eephants" (What P calls them), maybe 3 clowns and no tigers whatsoever. Needless to say, the acts and animals they did have were impressive. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get the best pics due to photo restrictions so here are the few that turned out.






All the way home P talked about the "eephants" and motorcycles. When we asked if he liked the dog and cat acts he said "kitty cats" then went back to telling us all about the "eephants" coming out. His enthusiasm was the highlight of our night and made the circus a very enjoyable family event.