I know I've been a bad blogger. There are several factors. Mainly, as I've explained before, my internet access has been limited. We tether Shaun's phone to the laptop to get the internet at home right now and I just haven't been online very much. I just use my blackberry to keep updated with facebook, email, and bloglines. I know I can blog via email, but it's just too much use of my thumbs for me! Anyway, another factor is the fact that God's been doing a work in our lives that I just couldn't blog about, until it came to fruition. And since I really, really wanted to blog about it, I just stayed about from blogger! But I can talk about it now....
We're moving. To another city and another church. There's so much to tell about the whole story that I just don't want to go into it all for the time being. For now, just being able to tell that God is moving us is enough. This is going to be a hard move for us. First Southern has been home to us for almost 3 years. We love these people. They've been incredibly good to us. We've dedicated 2 precious boys here. We've seen so much growth during our time here. I'm especially going to miss my kids I teach in Sunday school. I LOVE those kiddos. I've had the priviledge of seeing 4 of them accept Christ and be baptized.
And then there's the little boys that Cayson has made friends with. His first friends. I know he'll make more, but...we'll miss them all the same.
So, where are we moving? To Heber Springs, AR. Greers Ferry Lake. Boy this is tough. ;) It is incredibly beautiful there. We are excited about the ministry opportunities there. But that's for another post. I just wanted to finally reveal what's going on in our lives. Our last Sunday is this upcoming Sunday, so keep us, First Southern, and Heber Springs Baptist Church in your prayers during this transition time.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wii Fit
Mandy asked me about our Wii Fit, so I thought I'd share our experience with it so far.
We've had it about a month or so and we really like it. The "games" are divided up into 4 categories: yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balance games. The yoga and strength training is pretty much self explanatory. I've never done yoga before, but I really enjoy the stretches. And the Wii Fit helps to make sure you do them correctly. (To a certain point, there are ways of "cheating", but that would defeat the purpose.) I hate working out, but the strength training exercises aren't bad. I get more motivated because I'm wanting to get a higher score. And to add minutes to my fit time bank.
The aerobics has a hula hoop, advanced hula hoop, basic step aerobics, advanced step aerobics, a long aerobics that you can actually change the channel and watch tv and just rely on the sound from your Wiimote to let you know when to step, a short run, long run, 2 player run, and rhythm boxing. I love doing the advanced step aerobics. It's pretty fun and takes a little bit of coordination. The rhythm boxing is pretty fun, too. You have to follow your instructor and perform the same moves as he does. And at the end you get about 10 seconds for a free-for-all, which is great for getting out stress!
The balance games are the most "game-like". There's a soccer game where you have to shift your body weight to the left, right, and center to hit the soccer balls with your head. But you also have to dodge cleats and panda heads! There's also a ski slalom, a ski jump, snowboard slalom, a tightrope game, and some others that are pretty fun.
I left out the body test part. At the beginning you can take a body test which measures your bmi and weight. Then you do a couple of balance exercises. Then the Wii takes your real age, bmi, weight, and your results on the balance exercises to determine your "Wii Fit age". This really doesn't mean much to me because from what I've seen, the major factor is your results on the balance games. It is nice being told I have a Wii Fit age of 20, though!
I haven't lost much weight yet; it seems to fluctuate. But I haven't really cut back on my calories and I haven't been very disciplined to consistantly work out everyday. But that's a goal. If you want to know more about the Wii Fit, just google it and I'm sure you can find a better review than this. But my opinion is it's a great way to get active and I'm sure weight loss can be achieved, but you have to do a lot of the "hard" stuff! You're not gonna lose weight by playing balance games for an hour!
By the way, Cayson absolutely LOVES it! Everyday he asks to "pay da wii". Or to "soboard". And most of the time he's content to stand on the floor and copy whatever I'm doing. As long as he has a wiimote in his hands! (We take the batteries out of his...shhh, don't tell!) He even likes to do "goga" (yoga). It's just so cute! He tries his best to do exactly like I'm doing! Even when I put my wiimote down to do strength training or whatever, he has to do the same.
So, if you have about $100 to spare, and can find one, I'd definitely recommend the Wii Fit!
We've had it about a month or so and we really like it. The "games" are divided up into 4 categories: yoga, strength training, aerobics, and balance games. The yoga and strength training is pretty much self explanatory. I've never done yoga before, but I really enjoy the stretches. And the Wii Fit helps to make sure you do them correctly. (To a certain point, there are ways of "cheating", but that would defeat the purpose.) I hate working out, but the strength training exercises aren't bad. I get more motivated because I'm wanting to get a higher score. And to add minutes to my fit time bank.
The aerobics has a hula hoop, advanced hula hoop, basic step aerobics, advanced step aerobics, a long aerobics that you can actually change the channel and watch tv and just rely on the sound from your Wiimote to let you know when to step, a short run, long run, 2 player run, and rhythm boxing. I love doing the advanced step aerobics. It's pretty fun and takes a little bit of coordination. The rhythm boxing is pretty fun, too. You have to follow your instructor and perform the same moves as he does. And at the end you get about 10 seconds for a free-for-all, which is great for getting out stress!
The balance games are the most "game-like". There's a soccer game where you have to shift your body weight to the left, right, and center to hit the soccer balls with your head. But you also have to dodge cleats and panda heads! There's also a ski slalom, a ski jump, snowboard slalom, a tightrope game, and some others that are pretty fun.
I left out the body test part. At the beginning you can take a body test which measures your bmi and weight. Then you do a couple of balance exercises. Then the Wii takes your real age, bmi, weight, and your results on the balance exercises to determine your "Wii Fit age". This really doesn't mean much to me because from what I've seen, the major factor is your results on the balance games. It is nice being told I have a Wii Fit age of 20, though!
I haven't lost much weight yet; it seems to fluctuate. But I haven't really cut back on my calories and I haven't been very disciplined to consistantly work out everyday. But that's a goal. If you want to know more about the Wii Fit, just google it and I'm sure you can find a better review than this. But my opinion is it's a great way to get active and I'm sure weight loss can be achieved, but you have to do a lot of the "hard" stuff! You're not gonna lose weight by playing balance games for an hour!
By the way, Cayson absolutely LOVES it! Everyday he asks to "pay da wii". Or to "soboard". And most of the time he's content to stand on the floor and copy whatever I'm doing. As long as he has a wiimote in his hands! (We take the batteries out of his...shhh, don't tell!) He even likes to do "goga" (yoga). It's just so cute! He tries his best to do exactly like I'm doing! Even when I put my wiimote down to do strength training or whatever, he has to do the same.
So, if you have about $100 to spare, and can find one, I'd definitely recommend the Wii Fit!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
What I've Been Up To
I know it's been a while, but our internet situation is kind of limited right now. Long story. We still have internet, we're just getting it via tethering Shaun's HTC Touch to the laptop. Which means I don't get much internet time. Other than checking my email and reading bloglines. So here's a brief update on the Martin clan:
We got new phones. Like I said, Shaun got an HTC Touch and I got a Blackberry Pearl 8130. That's how I've been checking my email and such. We like them pretty well. I've gone through a love/hate/love/hate/LOVE relationship with mine. Basically, after I got it I found out that it didn't do Picture Messaging. Boy was I mad! It's my fault that I didn't research it enough before buying it though. However, tonight Shaun was able to FINALLY download the newest OS for my phone and it fixed the pic messaging problem. Yay! So I LOVE my phone now! he he
We've been racking our brains trying to come up with costumes for our family for fall festival without spending an arm and a leg. I think we've finally come up with something, but I don't want to reveal it until we know for sure.
My whole family came up last weekend (minus my dad). We spent that Saturday in Rogers shopping. It was so much fun!
I've been focusing on really cleaning my house. Taking one room at a time. I'm not finished, but it's getting there. (Although right now it's a train wreck from spending this weekend doing just about nothing!) Oh well, back to work tomorrow!
We got a Wii Fit and we love it!
I guess that's it for now. I have to go help my husband change the sheets on the bed so we can go to bed. Have a great week!
We got new phones. Like I said, Shaun got an HTC Touch and I got a Blackberry Pearl 8130. That's how I've been checking my email and such. We like them pretty well. I've gone through a love/hate/love/hate/LOVE relationship with mine. Basically, after I got it I found out that it didn't do Picture Messaging. Boy was I mad! It's my fault that I didn't research it enough before buying it though. However, tonight Shaun was able to FINALLY download the newest OS for my phone and it fixed the pic messaging problem. Yay! So I LOVE my phone now! he he
We've been racking our brains trying to come up with costumes for our family for fall festival without spending an arm and a leg. I think we've finally come up with something, but I don't want to reveal it until we know for sure.
My whole family came up last weekend (minus my dad). We spent that Saturday in Rogers shopping. It was so much fun!
I've been focusing on really cleaning my house. Taking one room at a time. I'm not finished, but it's getting there. (Although right now it's a train wreck from spending this weekend doing just about nothing!) Oh well, back to work tomorrow!
We got a Wii Fit and we love it!
I guess that's it for now. I have to go help my husband change the sheets on the bed so we can go to bed. Have a great week!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Fireproof your marriage
My husband and I had a real date last night. A double date, in fact. With no kids! I don't remember the last time we did that! We went to eat and then to see the movie Fireproof. What an amazing movie! It's from the makers of "Facing the Giants" and "Flywheel". Cinematography-wise, it's a much better quality than the previous films. And the acting has improved. I think everyone could identify with this movie, regardless of their marital state. It deals with issues such as internet pornography and emotional affairs. If you are married, it will challenge you to examine your marriage and see where you need to work on things. Everyone should go see this movie, but be sure and bring some tissues!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Updates on the Boys
I haven't given any updates in a while so here ya go!
Bryce
Bryce is such a delight! I have been blessed with such a good baby. I always thought Cayson was pretty easy, and he was, but Bryce is easier. Which is good because Cayson has hit the terrible twos! More on that in a little bit.
Anyway, Bryce is totally content to just sit and watch. He loves to smile and to get attention from his mommy and daddy. His eyes just light up. He will fall asleep on his own; I hardly ever have to put him to sleep. He loves to rock, which means we need a new rocking chair. Ours is broken and Cayson never cared to be rocked anyway. He also SLEEPS ALL NIGHT! I am so glad that Cayson was born first because he didn't do this until he was 8 months old. And I didn't care because I was told that breastfed babies would take longer to sleep all night. If Bryce had been first, I would have been very frustrated by Cayson! But God knew what He was doing!
He loves being in his sling, most of the time anyway. In fact, that's the only way I can get him to take a bottle. It's weird because usually breastfed babies won't take a bottle from their mom. But he won't take one in the church nursery at all. (And in case you're wondering why I need to give him a bottle when I'm the one that has him in the sling, well it's usually when we're shopping at Walmart!)
He's already started teething. Usually every night at about 7 or so he starts getting a little fussy and majorly drooling and chewing on whatever he can find (usually his fist or mine or Shaun's finger).
He's just such a good baby. I love him more everyday, if that's possible!
Cayson
Like I said, Cayson has hit the "terrible twos". He's not terrible though, just really high-spirited! He's curious about everything! He gets into whatever he can, but he's so quick to say "sorry" if he messes up. Potty training is going pretty well. I let him run around bare-bottomed right now and he goes just fine. But put some pull-ups or training underwear on him and he won't pull them down. He just goes and sits on the potty and goes in his pants. I'm not too worried about it right now. I know it'll come. I'm just working with him on learning how to pull his pants down and back up. And he started telling me last night at church that he needed to go potty, but he didn't like sitting on the grown-up toilet.
He can count to 18 and he's learning his colors and shapes. He knows a triangle and circle and the names of the other shapes. And he knows the names of the colors, but has a hard associating what color goes with what. Sometimes he gets it right and sometimes he doesn't. He loves to count, though. And he's really developed a love of reading. His favorite show is Mickey's Clubhouse and his favorite movie is Cars. He loves to sing and dance and pretend to play "air instruments". He can spot a guitar, trumpet, piano, saxophone, flute, and drums a mile away! At choir practice at church he will get a book just like everyone else and sit and sing with us! He knows that God made him for His glory and will tell you that too! He also loves to pray. And now he insists on praying at mealtimes. Once, I was feeding Bryce when it was time to pray so Cayson made Shaun come over to the couch so we could all hold hands and pray together! (Tearful moment!) He loves airplanes. And, boy, can he play ball! If he doesn't have a ball in his hands, he's not happy! And it doesn't matter what kind of ball, either. But he's really into football right now. He loves to throw it to someone and then after they catch it, he runs at them to tackle them! And he can stiff arm, too. He also likes to drop-kick the ball.
Behavior-wise, he's a typical two-year-old. He has meltdowns when things aren't done exactly like he's used too. He's very independent as well. Still taking naps, but on weekends he doesn't like to because his daddy's home and he doesn't want to miss a minute!
As for me and Shaun, not much has changed. Life is good!
Bryce
Bryce is such a delight! I have been blessed with such a good baby. I always thought Cayson was pretty easy, and he was, but Bryce is easier. Which is good because Cayson has hit the terrible twos! More on that in a little bit.
Anyway, Bryce is totally content to just sit and watch. He loves to smile and to get attention from his mommy and daddy. His eyes just light up. He will fall asleep on his own; I hardly ever have to put him to sleep. He loves to rock, which means we need a new rocking chair. Ours is broken and Cayson never cared to be rocked anyway. He also SLEEPS ALL NIGHT! I am so glad that Cayson was born first because he didn't do this until he was 8 months old. And I didn't care because I was told that breastfed babies would take longer to sleep all night. If Bryce had been first, I would have been very frustrated by Cayson! But God knew what He was doing!
He loves being in his sling, most of the time anyway. In fact, that's the only way I can get him to take a bottle. It's weird because usually breastfed babies won't take a bottle from their mom. But he won't take one in the church nursery at all. (And in case you're wondering why I need to give him a bottle when I'm the one that has him in the sling, well it's usually when we're shopping at Walmart!)
He's already started teething. Usually every night at about 7 or so he starts getting a little fussy and majorly drooling and chewing on whatever he can find (usually his fist or mine or Shaun's finger).
He's just such a good baby. I love him more everyday, if that's possible!
Cayson
Like I said, Cayson has hit the "terrible twos". He's not terrible though, just really high-spirited! He's curious about everything! He gets into whatever he can, but he's so quick to say "sorry" if he messes up. Potty training is going pretty well. I let him run around bare-bottomed right now and he goes just fine. But put some pull-ups or training underwear on him and he won't pull them down. He just goes and sits on the potty and goes in his pants. I'm not too worried about it right now. I know it'll come. I'm just working with him on learning how to pull his pants down and back up. And he started telling me last night at church that he needed to go potty, but he didn't like sitting on the grown-up toilet.
He can count to 18 and he's learning his colors and shapes. He knows a triangle and circle and the names of the other shapes. And he knows the names of the colors, but has a hard associating what color goes with what. Sometimes he gets it right and sometimes he doesn't. He loves to count, though. And he's really developed a love of reading. His favorite show is Mickey's Clubhouse and his favorite movie is Cars. He loves to sing and dance and pretend to play "air instruments". He can spot a guitar, trumpet, piano, saxophone, flute, and drums a mile away! At choir practice at church he will get a book just like everyone else and sit and sing with us! He knows that God made him for His glory and will tell you that too! He also loves to pray. And now he insists on praying at mealtimes. Once, I was feeding Bryce when it was time to pray so Cayson made Shaun come over to the couch so we could all hold hands and pray together! (Tearful moment!) He loves airplanes. And, boy, can he play ball! If he doesn't have a ball in his hands, he's not happy! And it doesn't matter what kind of ball, either. But he's really into football right now. He loves to throw it to someone and then after they catch it, he runs at them to tackle them! And he can stiff arm, too. He also likes to drop-kick the ball.
Behavior-wise, he's a typical two-year-old. He has meltdowns when things aren't done exactly like he's used too. He's very independent as well. Still taking naps, but on weekends he doesn't like to because his daddy's home and he doesn't want to miss a minute!
As for me and Shaun, not much has changed. Life is good!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Seizing Divine Moments
On Sunday nights at First Southern we have several different small groups spread throughout Lavaca, Central City, and Fort Smith. We are all (except the students) going through a study called Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. It's a 10 week study on the life of Jonathan. We just finished chapter 2 last night, but this study is already getting to me. It's all about seizing divine moments and not living a passive life. The life of a christian should be full and exciting, not safe and boring. And that's where I am. Well, I guess life's not boring (it can't be with Shaun for a husband! ha ha) But it's certainly safe. In the book, Erwin talks about a time that he was at the beach with his 10 year old son and they saw a double amputee struggling with walking. He had crutches, but he kept falling. Erwin made the decision to just steer his son the other way. But his son stopped him, saying that he had to help that man. And because his son tried to help him, several other peope noticed and began to help, too. How many times am I faced with similar situations and I just decide to be neutral and not get involved?
This quote from the book really summed up things I had been feeling for a couple of years and didn't even realize it:
Time is ticking by faster than ever, it seems, and I don't want to look back and see that I never seized those divine moments. Jesus said that he came so that we could have life, and life more abundant. He's not talking about money or material things, either. I want that abundant life. I know that this book has the potential to be a turning point in my life, I just have to make the decision to let it.
This quote from the book really summed up things I had been feeling for a couple of years and didn't even realize it:
"The more you move with God-given urgency, the more God seems to bless your life. The more God blesses your life, the more you have to lose. The more you have to lose, the more you have to risk. The more you have to risk, the higher the price of following God. In some twisted way, God's blessings to us can become our greatest hindrances to seizing divine moments." --Erwin McManus, Chasing DaylightWhen Shaun and I first married, we didn't have any money or kids or even any stuff that was worth anything. We dreamed about doing all kinds of things. Then he started making more money and then we had kids. Now life all too often gets bogged down with the mundane. I tend to be safe so that my kids are safe.
Time is ticking by faster than ever, it seems, and I don't want to look back and see that I never seized those divine moments. Jesus said that he came so that we could have life, and life more abundant. He's not talking about money or material things, either. I want that abundant life. I know that this book has the potential to be a turning point in my life, I just have to make the decision to let it.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Some pictures we took in August
His first smile! I didn't mean to cut his eye out, but I was trying to hurry and capture the moment!
Precious little foot
Brothers
Welcome to the Blogging World!
Cheryl, our pastor's wife, has started a blog! If you get a chance, stop by and say hello!
What a Day!
For some reason, blogger is showing that I wrote this September 19 but I really wrote it September 20
Yesterday was one of those days that is horrible to go through, but in about 10 years will be hilarious. It'll be one of those stories that we tell Cayson's future wife about. One of those days. The morning was fine. We had scheduled him an appointment to get his hair cut at 3:45 so I made sure he went down for his nap at a good time. Usually he fights us at naptime when his daddy's home, but not yesterday. He went down without a fuss and went right to sleep. Little did I know, that was the calm before the storm! My first clue should have been that I had to wake him up from his nap. He's always a little fussy when he doesn't get his complete nap. The second clue would have been his response when I asked him if he was ready to get his haircut. He said a quick "No". However, I paid no attention to these clues!
Once we got to the salon, Shaun got his haircut first. Cayson was fine throughout that. He even sat still in the waiting chairs. But when time came for his turn...he didn't like it ONE bit! Shaun had to hold him and everytime the hair stylist, Donna, got near him with the clippers, he jerked. We fought with him for an hour! We would have left and come back later, but we have FAMILY PICTURES today!!! So that was out of the question. So we fought with him long enough to get it fairly even and we left. I wanted to cry! His hair was so cute before, it was just a little too long.
Once we got home, chaos ensued. Cayson was bouncing off the walls! It was Shaun's turn to cook supper, so while he was working on that, I was tending to Cayson and Bryce, too. My nerves were already to a breaking point, but the kicker came when Cayson pooped in the floor! Yes, he pooped in the floor. He didn't mean to. We're in the beginning stages of potty training. And I had been letting him run around bare bottomed while it's just us at home so he gets used to going in the potty. Then I'll add the training pants. It's working too. Except for poop, apparently.
Anyway, after that I told him to sit on the potty and finish, but he wanted to help clean up, bless his heart. That's something that normally wouldn't faze me, but after the day I'd had, I just went in the bathroom and made myself calm down.
It's a good thing, too. Because after supper Shaun wanted to try his hand at hair styling. Armed with a pair of kitchen scissors (all we could find, I think I left my good scissors at the church) and a beard and moustache trimmer, Shaun began. Oh boy. Let me just say that Shaun doesn't have much patience! What's really funny is I decided to see if I could do any better and I ended up taking off a longish piece of hair and Shaun had a cow. Even though you couldn't tell it was even gone. So I handed the trimmer back to him and he proceeded to get a big clump of hair, right behind Cayson's ear. At that point I didn't know whether to laugh or cry--in fact, I did both!
Long story shorter, we fixed it enough so that it's presentable, except for a bare spot behind his ear. This family picture will serve as a reminder to NEVER get haircuts for young kiddos the day before pictures!
(Oh, and I tried to get an "after" picture, but he wouldn't be still long enough! That gives me much confidence about pictures today!)
Yesterday was one of those days that is horrible to go through, but in about 10 years will be hilarious. It'll be one of those stories that we tell Cayson's future wife about. One of those days. The morning was fine. We had scheduled him an appointment to get his hair cut at 3:45 so I made sure he went down for his nap at a good time. Usually he fights us at naptime when his daddy's home, but not yesterday. He went down without a fuss and went right to sleep. Little did I know, that was the calm before the storm! My first clue should have been that I had to wake him up from his nap. He's always a little fussy when he doesn't get his complete nap. The second clue would have been his response when I asked him if he was ready to get his haircut. He said a quick "No". However, I paid no attention to these clues!
Once we got to the salon, Shaun got his haircut first. Cayson was fine throughout that. He even sat still in the waiting chairs. But when time came for his turn...he didn't like it ONE bit! Shaun had to hold him and everytime the hair stylist, Donna, got near him with the clippers, he jerked. We fought with him for an hour! We would have left and come back later, but we have FAMILY PICTURES today!!! So that was out of the question. So we fought with him long enough to get it fairly even and we left. I wanted to cry! His hair was so cute before, it was just a little too long.
Once we got home, chaos ensued. Cayson was bouncing off the walls! It was Shaun's turn to cook supper, so while he was working on that, I was tending to Cayson and Bryce, too. My nerves were already to a breaking point, but the kicker came when Cayson pooped in the floor! Yes, he pooped in the floor. He didn't mean to. We're in the beginning stages of potty training. And I had been letting him run around bare bottomed while it's just us at home so he gets used to going in the potty. Then I'll add the training pants. It's working too. Except for poop, apparently.
Anyway, after that I told him to sit on the potty and finish, but he wanted to help clean up, bless his heart. That's something that normally wouldn't faze me, but after the day I'd had, I just went in the bathroom and made myself calm down.
It's a good thing, too. Because after supper Shaun wanted to try his hand at hair styling. Armed with a pair of kitchen scissors (all we could find, I think I left my good scissors at the church) and a beard and moustache trimmer, Shaun began. Oh boy. Let me just say that Shaun doesn't have much patience! What's really funny is I decided to see if I could do any better and I ended up taking off a longish piece of hair and Shaun had a cow. Even though you couldn't tell it was even gone. So I handed the trimmer back to him and he proceeded to get a big clump of hair, right behind Cayson's ear. At that point I didn't know whether to laugh or cry--in fact, I did both!
Long story shorter, we fixed it enough so that it's presentable, except for a bare spot behind his ear. This family picture will serve as a reminder to NEVER get haircuts for young kiddos the day before pictures!
(Oh, and I tried to get an "after" picture, but he wouldn't be still long enough! That gives me much confidence about pictures today!)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Potty Chronicles: Day 4
The Potty Chronicles series
Potty Training Starts Today
He Did It!
Day 4
Well, today was a no go...but tonight was great! He went in the potty 4 times! And no accidents! He was so excited, too. It's very encouraging. But I know that it's a long process and we're just taking one day at a time!
Potty Training Starts Today
He Did It!
Day 4
Well, today was a no go...but tonight was great! He went in the potty 4 times! And no accidents! He was so excited, too. It's very encouraging. But I know that it's a long process and we're just taking one day at a time!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Potty Chronicles: He did It!
The Potty Chronicles series
Potty Training Starts Today
He Did It!
Day 2 of Potty Training
I won't go into all the details, but Cayson went in the potty on his own for the first time! He didn't even tell me he needed to go. He just sat down and went. There was one hitch, however. He didn't pull his big boy training pants down! (Not pull-ups, really thick underwear.) But it's a start!
Potty Training Starts Today
He Did It!
Day 2 of Potty Training
I won't go into all the details, but Cayson went in the potty on his own for the first time! He didn't even tell me he needed to go. He just sat down and went. There was one hitch, however. He didn't pull his big boy training pants down! (Not pull-ups, really thick underwear.) But it's a start!
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Potty Chronicles: Potty Training Starts Today!
The Potty Chronicles series
Potty Training Starts Today!
He Did It!
Day One of Potty Training
Yep, he's had enough time, hopefully, adjusting to Bryce. It didn't actually take long for him to get used to having him around. So now we've decided to start potty training actively. We'll see how it goes. And today he actually told us he needed to potty, we just didn't realize it. Usually he tells us after he's gone, but today he told us before. And by the time Shaun began changing his diaper, he'd already gone a little. And he finished the job a little later. I think this is the milestone that I've been both dreading and looking forward to the most. It will be great to not have to change a double dose of diapers and even better not to have to buy double the diapers. But I'm dreading the process. I have my own ideas of how I'm going to proceed for now, but I'd love to hear ideas from other experienced moms on what worked for you!
Potty Training Starts Today!
He Did It!
Day One of Potty Training
Yep, he's had enough time, hopefully, adjusting to Bryce. It didn't actually take long for him to get used to having him around. So now we've decided to start potty training actively. We'll see how it goes. And today he actually told us he needed to potty, we just didn't realize it. Usually he tells us after he's gone, but today he told us before. And by the time Shaun began changing his diaper, he'd already gone a little. And he finished the job a little later. I think this is the milestone that I've been both dreading and looking forward to the most. It will be great to not have to change a double dose of diapers and even better not to have to buy double the diapers. But I'm dreading the process. I have my own ideas of how I'm going to proceed for now, but I'd love to hear ideas from other experienced moms on what worked for you!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
My Sling!
I just wanted to show off my sling! I know a few of you are advocates for the Ergo, but it's not something we could afford. This is from The Peanut Shell. I absolutely love it! It's so cute, for one thing. Also, it's not bulky or complicated like a couple of carriers I had with Cayson. You can put the baby in several positions, although I've only tried the cradle style. And I've been able to breastfeed with him in it. Which is perfect for emergencies. There's been a couple of times at a restaurant that he would not take a bottle or I didn't have one for him and I really didn't want to feed him at the table, even with a blanket. So I just went to the bathroom, put him in the sling and was able to stand up in a stall and let him nurse.
I always use it when we go grocery shopping. We always go every other Monday night, the day Shaun gets paid. This way, Cayson can sit in the buggy and I can carry Bryce. He just about always goes to sleep in it. Also, I use it at church a lot. It comes in handy on Sunday mornings when I'm rushing around trying to get my Sunday School stuff ready and Shaun's trying to get last minute things done. I've also used it during choir practice. I can hold him and still be able to hold my music.
I always get such sweet compliments when I'm wearing it, too. And it's reversible. The inside is chocolate brown, which comes in handy if Shaun wants to wear it. I ordered it the week before Bryce was born and it has already been well worth the money!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Happy Birthday, Cayson!
Today my little boy turns 2 years old. It is so hard to believe that his infancy is completely gone. He's a full-fledged toddler now. It seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital, scared to death and wondering how we were going to keep this little baby alive! We've seen him go through so many milestones and stages. Each one met with complete awe from us. And every stage has been my favorite! He has taught me so many things, without even realizing it. And he's learned a lot, too! It seems like he learns a new word every minute! And he's learning really important things, like how to pray and how to say "Thank you" and "Please" and "Yes Sir". (We're still working on "Yes Ma'am".) And most of the time he says these things without us having to tell him to. He's learned how to count to fifteen, and we're still working on the alphabet. His favorite color is blue...he thinks everything is blue! Although, he's added red and green to his vocabulary. He just doesn't always get them right. He knows all of his body parts and the names of a lot of animals...and what sounds they make. He loves to sing and dance! His favorite songs are "Zaccheaus", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Jesus Loves Me", the Veggie Tales theme song, and "Lord I'm Amazed by You". He just loves to sing these songs and dance and just ham it up! He also loves to pretend to play different instruments, like the guitar, flute, saxophone, harmonica, piano, and drums. It's so cute because he'll "play" his instrument and pat his foot at the same time! I think his absolute favorite thing to do, though, is to play some sort of ball. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, it doesn't matter. He loves them all. And, boy, does he have an arm! He loves to pitch a baseball to you and do the wind-up. In football, he loves to throw the ball to you and then tackle you after you catch it! And when he has the ball, he's learned how to stiff arm! He loves to say "Set, hut!"
We haven't started potty training yet; I didn't want to force the issue before the baby came. We'll start soon, though. I'm working with him right now to make sure he can pull his own pants up and down. He already tells us when he needs a diaper and if he's peed or pooped. Usually, anyway. I'm just waiting for a two week stretch that we don't have to go anywhere and we can hit it hard without having to worry about traveling.
He's sleeping most of the night in his big boy bed; he gets up around 5 and comes in our bed and goes back to sleep.
Behavior wise, he's mostly pretty good. Like every toddler, he has his meltdowns, but they usually don't last long and don't happen too often. He loves to help around the house and with Bryce. Especially throwing things in the trash, doing laundry, and loading the dishwasher. In fact, when he's having a meltdown, I can usually tell him I need help doing something and he will immediately cheer up. He does pretty well with Bryce, except for when he's wanting cuddle time with me. If Shaun's home and I'm nursing Bryce, Cayson will often tell me to "give Bryce [to] Daddy". He still loves to play with my hair. Now we'll be buying groceries and he'll start saying "hair, hair". I love that he still wants to cuddle with me.
I have so many great memories so far of Cayson's first 2 years. I'm looking forward to making many more!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Fed up!
Guess what? I have an iPod Touch. It's been fine since I got it. Well today I decided to finally upgrade to the newest software. And guess what? Now my iPod won't come on AT ALL! I'm not sure what happened. I don't have the technical vocabulary to really explain it. All I know is when I tried to download the update it kept saying there was an error. I tried to install it 3 times and after the 3rd time it didn't even recognize that my iPod was plugged into the computer. Shaun tried to call for technical support and, after waiting 10 minutes to talk to someone, right when the guy was starting to tell him what to do, they got cut off. Not sure what happened; Shaun was calling from our house phone. Anyway, by this time it was time for Shaun to head back to work. Has anyone had this problem? Or can someone give us an idea how to fix it?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Cover Up
This summer I've had the privilege of teaching a teenage girls Bible study. I started this last year and we all had a blast. This year, because I had a baby in the middle of the summer, we took the month of July off. So now we're trying to play catch up to get done. The study I'm leading is called "His Girl". It covers issues such as self-esteem, purity, dating, girl politics, etc. Tonight's lesson was on modesty. This is a tough one for teenage girls. For one thing, it's hard to find fashionable clothes that are also modest these days. Especially for their size. Another, there's so much pressure from the world to reveal more than they should.
To start our study tonight, I had them make 2 giant paper dolls. Then one team had to make 2 outfits for the doll that were modest. The other team had to make 2 immodest outfits. For their first outfit, the immodest team made the extreme. A tube top with extremely short shorts. I then had them create an outfit that was closer to what they might see one of their classmates wear. After they were done, we had a "fashion show" of sorts. We talked about what made the clothes inappropriate and how you might make the outfit more modest by adding another piece of clothing. However, we all agreed that the only way to make the first outfit more modest was to just put clothes on top of it!
After the fashion show, we watched the video portion of our study. Then we discussed some Scripture and talked about how what we wear should glorify God. Then we made a list of modesty standards for them to keep in their purse for when they go shopping. Finally, I challenged them to go home and go through their closets and see if their clothes fit the modesty standards. If they don't, they should get rid of them.
This was a tough lesson to teach, but we had a lot of fun! I just pray that the concepts we discussed made an impact. Here's the pictures of our paper dolls:
To start our study tonight, I had them make 2 giant paper dolls. Then one team had to make 2 outfits for the doll that were modest. The other team had to make 2 immodest outfits. For their first outfit, the immodest team made the extreme. A tube top with extremely short shorts. I then had them create an outfit that was closer to what they might see one of their classmates wear. After they were done, we had a "fashion show" of sorts. We talked about what made the clothes inappropriate and how you might make the outfit more modest by adding another piece of clothing. However, we all agreed that the only way to make the first outfit more modest was to just put clothes on top of it!
After the fashion show, we watched the video portion of our study. Then we discussed some Scripture and talked about how what we wear should glorify God. Then we made a list of modesty standards for them to keep in their purse for when they go shopping. Finally, I challenged them to go home and go through their closets and see if their clothes fit the modesty standards. If they don't, they should get rid of them.
This was a tough lesson to teach, but we had a lot of fun! I just pray that the concepts we discussed made an impact. Here's the pictures of our paper dolls:
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