Monster to Cutie Pie

Rob and I were at our wits end earlier this week with our lil guy. He was hitting, throwing things (usually at me), purposely trying to break things and back talking like no one's business. Nothing-rewards or punishment-were working. Then two nights ago, as if some angel from above came down and transformed our son back into the sweet lovable kid that he is, he changed. The past 2 days have been blissfully happy and unstressful in the Herrington household. Yesterday we went to swim lessons and then met up with friends at the water park. While we were at the water park, I was telling my friend how I didn't have to keep a close eye on P this time like I had to last Summer when I had taken him there. Just as I was saying that I saw him about 300 yards away, his swim trunks down around his ankles, and proudly peeing into the toddler swim area. Young girls were screaming and running away, mothers were looking frantically for me and I....well, I was hiding. I finally went over to help him when it was obvious that not only could he not get his wet swim trunks up but that no one would go near him while he was exposed. Of course as I'm walking over there our family photographer that has known me for a few years blurts out, "Hey Jen, I thought that was P and I was wondering where you were while he was publicly relieving himself."
Last night P had a hard time going to sleep so I figured today would be a tough day. Plus, he was starting a new class at school which I thought would throw him for a loop. When I went to pick him up the owner, the secretary and his new teacher all met me at the door with cheshire grins plastered on their faces. I asked how his first day in his new class was and they are started laughing, saying it was good but they had a story to share. Apparently while all the kids were riding their bikes during Bike Day, his new teacher looked over to see P's shorts down to his ankles...and yes, you guessed it...peeing all over. Besides peeing wherever he feels the need, he had a great day. He's been a perfect angel all night, making us both laugh quite a bit. In fact, he's so excited for his carrot seeds to produce something that he checks them several times a day. Tonight he proudly announced that his carrots were growing. He was so excited that I had to look. When I did I started laughing hysterically because he had taken carrots out of the fridge and had shoved them in the dirt where his seeds were planted.
Days like the past 2 days are a blessing! We've had so much fun and he and I are looking forward to more fun with visiting my parents this weekend. (Hopefully my angel sticks around!)

**Make sure to scroll down to the other blog from today as well.**

Meet H and R

I had the priveledge of doing my first official photo shoot for a friend of mine today. She wanted pictures of her toddler and newborn so I did my research....and learned A LOT regardless about centering and lighting. I couldn't have asked for 2 more perfectly behaved boys to photograph. They cooraperated to a T and gave me their best. Here are a few of my favorites from today.....

The Good Life

Dinner is done (although the dishes are still piled in the sink as I HATE doing dishes!) and I am sitting on the front porch, enjoying the breeze and watching P water the pumpkins that have started to sprout up. This is the stuff I've longed for since we first decided to put our old house on the market. I love that I haven't had to fill my Yukon up in almost a week because it's an all flat commute now. I love that I can take P to the creek if I'd like and that Rob can set off for an evening hike to get ready for his hunts. I love that P can play in the backyard for hours and I don't have to worry about him. I love that P and I were able to plant pumpkins, tomatoes, flowers and carrots with a real shot of them producing something this year. I love that P can look out his bedroom window at night and watch the bunnies hop across the LAWN. I love that we're a little over a minute to the Chocolate Nugget Factory and it's even less time to the convenience store. Are there drawbacks on this house? Certainly! But, in my opinion, all the "luxuries" far outweigh the hassles. Life is good!

Summer Hikes

After having such a relaxing day yesterday I thought I'd end it with a quick jaunt to the creek with P after dinner. But that ended up in an exploratory walk/hike around the property with the dogs. We followed the fire lane up to the neighbor's property and then back around the creek, all the while finding fun "Mouse-a-tools" (If you don't know about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse then you probably have no idea what I'm talking about!). Last night Rob decided he wanted to get some exercise so he, too, went for a hike. He went back in the canyon where the fire had devastated hundreds of acres back in January. When he got home he told me about this lake that he had found and said he wanted all of us to go there. So after a faux nap this afternoon and loading up on ice cream at the Chocolate Nugget Factory (I see danger ahead living only 1 min., 9 secs from there), we headed out. It was so beautiful to see the burnt trees yet the new growth all around it. Our hike ended at this crystal blue lake, where we watched a pelican dive for fish. Since P did not take a nap and the hike was long for his little legs, he was getting tired on the way back. But it was a fun filled time together as a family, something I always enjoy!

Much Needed R&R

I was beginning to believe that there was not going to be a relaxing day for me this Summer. Between the end of the school year, moving and weekend trips I have not had a day to just SIT. If you know me, you know that it's rare that I long for a relaxing day but I felt like one was much needed. Today proved to be the relaxing day that I had only dreamed about. P crawled into bed with me shortly after Rob went to work this morning and we went back to sleep....well, maybe he didn't (???) but I did! Then when I woke up we laid in bed for a few minutes, cuddling and watching "Toy Story".  When I finally rolled out of bed, I saw ominous clouds looming and figured it'd be a good day to get things done inside. At P's request he went outside and as he was walking out the door he asked if I could make it rain on him please. Although it's nice that he thinks I possess God-like powers, I had to explain that I could not do that. After doing a few things around the house, I had the best of intentions of running a few quick errands this morning. But when I looked out in the backyard and saw the fun P was having I decided to let him be. An hour or so after he went outside, he came back in and asked if he could put his jammies on- something he NEVER does. After he got them on, we cuddled on the couch and watched "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" until lunchtime. When lunch was over and I told him we were going to lay down for an early nap he didn't protest. Once he wakes up then we'll run the couple errands that I have, but I can't begin to tell you how nice today has been- with P's attitude and how relaxing it's been. I pray for more days like these in the future because it's just what we both needed!

Passing Judgement

"Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matt. 7:1,2



This is not P, but it might as well have been

This is a verse that is hard for me to live by. For some reason I am a very judgemental person and it drives me crazy. But today I got a taste of my own medicine. I was exhausted when I woke up this morning and could tell P was still tired from yesterday as well. So I texted my friend and told her we were going to pass on going to the water park today so we could just lay low. In hindsight, I wish we would've laid low until after naptime but I'm tired of not getting anything done around the house so I thought we could run errands this morning, take long naps then I could get house stuff done this afternoon. Wrong!
P and I set out on errands and the first two, albeit short ones, went ok. Then we went to Kohls so I could get maternity shorts before my Kohls Cash expired. It started off bad and ended way worse! In the short time we were there, P threw 2 small toys (which I refused to pick up and some other kid or store employee were lucky enough to find) and then proceeded to throw his shoe at a mom in the checkout line that was trying to calm her baby down. Needless to say I was mortified! But, the icing on the cake was when the cashier looked at him, saw that I was purchasing maternity shorts and said, "Oh my, and you want another one?" in a dismayed voice. I could've crawled under a clothing rack and cried until closing time. When we left the store, P was sufficiently punished and I decided my errands weren't that important after all. So we headed home, ate lunch and P has now been sleeping for over 3 hours.
Being in that situation made me realize that I don't know what's going on in other people's lives when I see them...especially with unruly kids. There were many times as a single person that I'd judge a parent based on the here and now. A few of my friends with kids even warned me against it, saying that I may do the same thing given the circumstances. I flat out refused at the time but now chuckle when I catch myself doing the very thing I said I wouldn't do. I will no longer judge a parent based on their child's actions at a grocery store, even if I don't agree with how they handle the situation, because I am not in their shoes at that particular moment. As horrible as the shopping trip was, it was a good reality check, one I hope I don't have to encounter much more.

Fine Line

P has had the last 2 weeks off from preschool. Last week my main focus was on unpacking and organizing the house. So this week I've tried to make the week mostly about him. It's been a fine line between getting things done (ie errands, laundry, housework) and making time with him a priority. He started swim lessons on Monday, which he's enjoying. Yesterday we met up with some friends to have a picnic at the park after swim lessons. Today we met up with some friends from Sacto to spend some time at the lake. Tomorrow we're meeting up with some friends at the local water park. It's been a super fun week for me and him, but I'm worn out! I also feel like I still haven't gotten the house organized and I desperately need to clean it. But sometimes-okay, 99% of the time-it's more important to spend time with your child than to have a spotless house (right, Mom??) It's a fine line but I'd rather create the fun memories, knowing next week I MAY have a chance to actually relax and do my own thing when P's back at school. (Actually, I'll only have 1 day to myself for my entire Summer break but such is life.) Here are a couple pics from today's fun....