Ava's Prayer...

Every night before bed Eriik asks Ava what she wants to pray for and every night she answers:
"Girls, Jesus, and.....I go potty in the potty" She says girls because she wants to pray for her girlfriends, Jesus, because that is who she is praying to, and potty in the potty because she has heard Eriik and I on many occasion pray that Ava will learn to use the potty! You see we have been pretty lax on the whole potty training thing up until now, and she has just gone to the potty when she was in the mood, and would go in her pull up the rest of the time. We just recently started getting a little more serious about it, and she has been bucking against it. So...I had to bring out the big guns....meet "The Princess of the Potty"!!!!

OK...I realize that it is just a miniature Sleeping Beauty doll, but humor me OK...Ava thinks she's cool. She resides in the medicine cabinet above the potty (we call it her Castle), and "talks" to Ava while she is sitting on the potty. She gives her little "potty pep talks", which Ava gets a big kick out of. Ava will get to free the Princess of the Potty from her castle (and keep her) if she stays dry for a whole day. In the mean time she gets to put a stamp on her potty chart and a couple mini marshmallows everytime she uses the potty. This "princess of the potty" thing better work...cuz I'm running out of ideas!

You know...10 years ago, I NEVER would have pictured myself dreaming up these kinds of schemes to get a 2 year old to use the toilet!!! What has happened to me?!?!? Oh well....I'm a mom...that's just the way we roll I guess :)

Random fun at home

Well...the kids are done with their summer program (Discovery Days) that they were going to twice a week, and so we have been finding ways to stay busy...at home and out and about. We went to Kids Station with Alec's Karate buddies, Dairy Queen to play with our MOPS friends, the public pool with the Webbs which is always a good time, and Alec went mini golfing with his bud Carson, but I didn't get pics of any of that. So, here are some pics of the kids hanging out at home this week. A couple of the pics are of Alec and Ava with their tent that I helped them build. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of building tents around the house with my brother Shawn. I think kids just like having a secluded little place to hide and call their own. The only problem with the tent was that Ava kept wrecking it, but at least Alec learned how to fix it in the process. The last few pics were taken this evening after dinner...they were still in their church clothes, and I thought they looked cute so I had to break out the camera!

Ava eating a Popsicle...or as she calls it "popskull".

Inside their "tent"

Taking a break from splashing in the water...sitting up in their play gym.

Accomplishments of the week!

Well this week has been a week of accomplishments for Alec and Ava. For Ava it was as simple as sleeping in a "big girl bed". We didn't actually take away her crib, we just took off the bars. This was very scary for Eriik and I to "uncage" her, and we had been putting it off till after my family came for a visit. We were so afraid that there would be sleepless nights for us and for her. She is a very busy girl, and a very determined one! But to our surprise, it has been very uneventful...she has stayed in bed, and slept through the night just like usual. The only bad thing that happened was that the next morning when she woke up Eriik went in to get her and she was on the other side of the door and he bonked her head when he opened it. But all in all, it's been easy smeasy! So, all our fears were for nothing! Mission accomplished...at least till she learns to open doors!



Alec's accomplishment for the week was to get a 1st place trophy at Karate! Mr Hitt, the instructor, surprised the kids by bringing a huge trophy to class on monday and telling them that the kid who does the best in class gets to keep it! Now...let me explain something...Alec is a pokey one. He's never in much of a hurry to do anything, and the same goes when he is at Karate. He is almost always last anytime they do any kind of race. BUT...he is very determined to do things CORRECTLY...no matter how slowly he has to do it. (he's just like his daddy!) He is the only one that does a perfect jumping jack, or push up, and he usually follows instruction very well. I think the reason that Mr. Hitt gave him the trophy was that he had them each say their little "speech" ...(Knowlege in the mind, strength in the body, honesty in the heart, to be a good person, to make a good friend) and Alec was the only one to say it correctly and very loudly. Anyway...He was sooo excited to get the trophy and carried it around with him all day long. He ate lunch with it, took a nap with it....it was hilarious! Anyway...we are very proud of him!

Splashin around!

On Monday while my family was still all here we went to Splash Kingdom and had a really great time. We went last year, by ourselves, and had to stick to the kids section the whole time. But this year with all my family helping with the kids Eriik and I got to enjoy the water slides a little. It was unusually cool that day...I have never known it to drop below 90 in July in these parts! It was great to go on a Monday because we didn't have long lines at all...there were a couple times that we just walked right up to the slide and went down! Alec, Ava and Laura only caught cat naps on the way there and back, but they seemed to love every minute of the water park. Ava did start to fall asleep when we were in the wave pool which was really cute. We had a really great time, and were absolustely exausted at the end of the day. When we got home we had pulled pork sandwiches which I had waiting for us in the crock pot, and after getting the kids to bed we played a little Cranium. I also included some random pics of the family reunion.

Jimmy must have been worn out from playing dress up!

Love the face Alec!

The whole gang!!

Well, we just had my whole family out to visit. It was so great to have everyone together. My brother Jimmy and his family are going to be heading back to Africa in a couple weeks, and will be there for two years, so this was our last chance to have the whole fam together before they leave. We had 14 family members in our home from Friday to Tuesday(we were missing my nephew Rex who is already back in Africa), and it was so much fun. It was really laid back, we had a good time battling it out on the Wii, swimming, eating, talking, playing games. We spent one of the days at Splash Kingdom (which will be a whole other post)! It was unseasonably cool during their visit which was great (it was 80's- 90's verses 105 which it had been the week before)! My good friend Meredith did me a HUGE favor and took some family pics out at Mod Cobb. Here are some of them...check out what a great job she did! Meredith...you ROCK!

This one is the "Framer"!! Alec made that silly face in every single picture with this pose....and Ava was not in the mood to smile, but it was the prettiest location and best light.

The four sibs with Mom.

Alec and Ava both smiling...just not our favorite location.

Summer Glow!!

We had so much fun at the annual Balloon Glow this past Saturday night! It was even more fun to share it with my mom who is in from Missouri! She just got in Friday afternoon, and will be joined by the rest of my siblings and their families this coming Friday. Anyway...as usual it was really hot for the hot air balloon festival, but we decided to go a little later this year to avoid some of the heat...we didn't get there till around 7:15. Besides the balloons, Alec and Eriik loved see all the airplanes that they had on display. The balloon glow is absolutely beautiful, and a one of a kind experience....it's a fun tradition! We didn't get the kids to bed till after 11PM, but it's worth it and they loved every minute of it!

The kid's favorite balloon...The Purple People Eater!

These crazy bannana guys were handing out information on the Monkey hot air balloon

Mom bought the kids little glow swords, and they had a lot of fun with them.

Happy 4th of July!!

Last night we ventured out to sit in a parking lot and watch fireworks. Our town always does the fireworks show on July 3rd, and we usually try to make it even though it means keeping the little ones up till 10PM! This year our friends Christian, Luciana, and their kids joined us. I posted a video clip of the fireworks finale that I had to significantly cut up because I got caught up in the momment and started singing along to the music...there was no way I was going to post that! I recorded the kids dancing to the music during the fireworks too which was adorable, but it came out way too dark to post. Anyway...we are heading out to a friends house this evening to shoot off some fireworks of our own. You all have a fun 4th of July!!!!