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Coffee, Cats, and Deadlines: A Day in My Life
1 month ago
Showing posts with label roper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roper. Show all posts
Friday, January 17, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Christmas Pajamas
We had fun taking our annual Christmas pajama pictures at our new house this year. We actually took these the night that we moved in, which was exactly one week before Christmas! One of our favorite features of the new house is our fireplace on our back porch. It was a last-minute addition, we added it during framing, and I'm SO glad we did. We have enjoyed it so much. As you can imagine, Graem was itching to build a fire in it, and since we didn't have a tree up we thought it would be a good backdrop for the boys in their Christmas pajamas.
This is Duncan's "Say Cheese" face :-)
This is Duncan's "Say Cheese" face :-)
Monday, January 13, 2014
Happy New Year!
Happy new year to anyone who is still out there! :-) It's funny how taking a break from something can really make you miss it. The thing I have missed most about my blog is looking back through my old posts and pictures. For 2014 I have decided to give it another go. I've dusted off my "real" camera and am planning to start toting it around with me again.
I started with Mason & Roper's basketball game on Saturday, although the pictures aren't great because I grabbed the wrong lens! Clearly I'm off to a great start with my return to blogging. :-)
Team huddle...
Roper with the ball...
#1 fan chowing down on concession stand french fries...
These impressive bench-warming skills came straight from me :-)
I'll be back soon!
I started with Mason & Roper's basketball game on Saturday, although the pictures aren't great because I grabbed the wrong lens! Clearly I'm off to a great start with my return to blogging. :-)
Team huddle...
Roper with the ball...
#1 fan chowing down on concession stand french fries...
These impressive bench-warming skills came straight from me :-)
I'll be back soon!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Last Day of Preschool
Today was Mason's very last day of preschool. Ever.
In a few short months he will be a kindergartener!
I can so clearly remember his first day of preschool. Wow, time flies!!
Ro finished up 3K today. Next year he will have Mason's same sweet teachers that have done such a fabulous job of getting him ready for "real school."
Now...bring on summertime! :)
In a few short months he will be a kindergartener!
I can so clearly remember his first day of preschool. Wow, time flies!!
Ro finished up 3K today. Next year he will have Mason's same sweet teachers that have done such a fabulous job of getting him ready for "real school."
Now...bring on summertime! :)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
Lights at the Zoo
Last week my cousin Kate suggested that we take the boys to see the lights at the zoo...she is so sweet...how many college students choose to spend a Friday night with their little cousins? Then she offered to watch them Saturday morning while I got some Christmas shopping done and Graem hunted. Yeah, she is pretty great. (Thanks, Kate!)
Two monkeys + a goat:
Happy stinker...
They had a snow machine at the zoo entrance...M&R were pretty fascinated with the snow...
Happiness:
Two monkeys + a goat:
Happy stinker...
They had a snow machine at the zoo entrance...M&R were pretty fascinated with the snow...
Happiness:
Friday, July 20, 2012
Silly
Mason and Roper saw me taking Duncan's 4-month pictures and wanted in on the action...here they are pretending to be baby D.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Three Years Old
Roper turned 3 on Monday...I'm not really sure how these three years have passed so quickly!! It doesn't seem like it's been that long since he was Duncan's size...
Birthday
One Year
Two Years
Three Years
Birthday
One Year
Two Years
Three Years
Friday, May 18, 2012
Big Boy
I'm still catching up on April news...Roper woke up the second morning of spring break insisting that he wear big boy underwear.
The timing wasn't ideal...I had not intended to potty train Roper while Duncan was only 3 weeks old...I was hoping to start sometime in the summer...but how do you say "no" to a 2-year-old that wants to give all his diapers to his baby brother?
It was peer pressure at its best. We spent Monday with my friend Kate and her 2 boys (which since then has increased to 3 boys!). Jesse, Charlie, Mason & Roper had the best time playing in the sprinkler...and Roper was the only one with a swim diaper on under his trunks. I think he finally realized that diapers are for babies!
He embraced potty training...not to say we haven't hada few many accidents along the way. Graem was out of town for week 2 of potty training. He made the mistake of checking in He checked in with me one morning from his meeting in Arizona...
Yeah...that was a long day. Sometimes whatever happens in the morning seems to set the tone for the rest of the day, therefore that was one crappy day (ha). The other thing Roper has been doing is pooping in the yard. Ridiculous. But I think we've gotten through that too. Or maybe I should say he's gotten it out of his system (sorry, couldn't resist).
And now my potty training disclaimer/tips to anyone that might be embarking on this filthy adventure...
I take a very relaxed approach to potty training. I'm by no means an expert, but after going through this dreaded experience with two children, I've made some observations that worked for us that yall might find helpful.
One of my college roommates (Becky) passed along some helpful advice which I've since shared with friends...a good indicator that your child is ready to start training is when they wake up in the morning or from naps dry. This shows that they have some "bladder readiness." Another good sign is when they wake up insisting that we give all their diapers to the baby.
During "training," when we're home & awake, I put them in underwear; when we go out or when they go to bed, I put them in pull-ups. This breaks all the potty training rules that you'll read in books, most of which tell you to go cold turkey to underwear. That's just not practical for us, I can't tolerate having to clean up an accident in the car, grocery store, etc.
It's helpful to potty train when its warm outside, so you can spend as much time in the yard as possible and minimize damage to your floors & furniture.
I try to take them to the potty about every hour or within 30 minutes of eating/drinking. The rewards system worked well for us...m&m's or jelly beans or gummy bears or skittles or tic tacs. I mixed it up to keep it interesting. 1 treat for staying dry and clean + 1 treat for #1 + 2 treats for #2. Which means they could max out with 4 treats on each trip!
Mason and Roper both caught on to #1 before #2...so I had to be a little manipulative with their diet to get them going. For instance: oatmeal & prune juice for breakfast, then straight to the potty. This would typically result in a reward, and before long they got the hang of it.
Just for boys (might help with girls too, not sure?) -- a friend of mine taught me to put them on the potty backwards, ie facing the tank. This was more helpful for Mason, who we trained to do #1 sitting down at first. Roper went straight to standing up because that is what he saw his big brother doing. We used a potty seat with Mason but not Roper. Potty seats are gross. Anyway, the sitting backwards helped direct the spray into the water & also seemed to give him some security for #2.
Those are just some tips that worked for us that hopefully some of you will find helpful. My two oldest have been trained before turning 3, which I count as a success, especially considering that Roper was a baby when Mason was potty training and of course we had a brand new baby when we started potty training Roper. The good news is that I only had 2 children in diapers for a matter of weeks this time!!
The timing wasn't ideal...I had not intended to potty train Roper while Duncan was only 3 weeks old...I was hoping to start sometime in the summer...but how do you say "no" to a 2-year-old that wants to give all his diapers to his baby brother?
It was peer pressure at its best. We spent Monday with my friend Kate and her 2 boys (which since then has increased to 3 boys!). Jesse, Charlie, Mason & Roper had the best time playing in the sprinkler...and Roper was the only one with a swim diaper on under his trunks. I think he finally realized that diapers are for babies!
He embraced potty training...not to say we haven't had
Yeah...that was a long day. Sometimes whatever happens in the morning seems to set the tone for the rest of the day, therefore that was one crappy day (ha). The other thing Roper has been doing is pooping in the yard. Ridiculous. But I think we've gotten through that too. Or maybe I should say he's gotten it out of his system (sorry, couldn't resist).
And now my potty training disclaimer/tips to anyone that might be embarking on this filthy adventure...
I take a very relaxed approach to potty training. I'm by no means an expert, but after going through this dreaded experience with two children, I've made some observations that worked for us that yall might find helpful.
One of my college roommates (Becky) passed along some helpful advice which I've since shared with friends...a good indicator that your child is ready to start training is when they wake up in the morning or from naps dry. This shows that they have some "bladder readiness." Another good sign is when they wake up insisting that we give all their diapers to the baby.
During "training," when we're home & awake, I put them in underwear; when we go out or when they go to bed, I put them in pull-ups. This breaks all the potty training rules that you'll read in books, most of which tell you to go cold turkey to underwear. That's just not practical for us, I can't tolerate having to clean up an accident in the car, grocery store, etc.
It's helpful to potty train when its warm outside, so you can spend as much time in the yard as possible and minimize damage to your floors & furniture.
I try to take them to the potty about every hour or within 30 minutes of eating/drinking. The rewards system worked well for us...m&m's or jelly beans or gummy bears or skittles or tic tacs. I mixed it up to keep it interesting. 1 treat for staying dry and clean + 1 treat for #1 + 2 treats for #2. Which means they could max out with 4 treats on each trip!
Mason and Roper both caught on to #1 before #2...so I had to be a little manipulative with their diet to get them going. For instance: oatmeal & prune juice for breakfast, then straight to the potty. This would typically result in a reward, and before long they got the hang of it.
Just for boys (might help with girls too, not sure?) -- a friend of mine taught me to put them on the potty backwards, ie facing the tank. This was more helpful for Mason, who we trained to do #1 sitting down at first. Roper went straight to standing up because that is what he saw his big brother doing. We used a potty seat with Mason but not Roper. Potty seats are gross. Anyway, the sitting backwards helped direct the spray into the water & also seemed to give him some security for #2.
Those are just some tips that worked for us that hopefully some of you will find helpful. My two oldest have been trained before turning 3, which I count as a success, especially considering that Roper was a baby when Mason was potty training and of course we had a brand new baby when we started potty training Roper. The good news is that I only had 2 children in diapers for a matter of weeks this time!!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Strawberry Patch
These pictures are well over a month old, but they are too cute not to share.
Mason LOVES strawberries. If you ask him what his favorite food is, he will usually tell you strawberries and bacon and chicken wings.
Back during the week of spring break from preschool we met our friends the Parnells for picking strawberries. Duncan was with us too but he was in the baby Bjorn...kind of hard to get a picture of him while I was carrying him!
Sampling the berries for quality control...
The boys always end up with red goatees by the end of a trip to the strawberry patch!
Mason LOVES strawberries. If you ask him what his favorite food is, he will usually tell you strawberries and bacon and chicken wings.
Back during the week of spring break from preschool we met our friends the Parnells for picking strawberries. Duncan was with us too but he was in the baby Bjorn...kind of hard to get a picture of him while I was carrying him!
Sampling the berries for quality control...
The boys always end up with red goatees by the end of a trip to the strawberry patch!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Catching Up: Easter
I'm determined to catch up on the blog posts that I've had floating around in my head for the past few weeks!
My Easter pictures are limited and really random...Duncan had just turned 3 weeks old at that point and the whole weekend is kind of a blur! Thursday we went to the zoo with friends...Friday we cooked out & hunted eggs with friends...Saturday we had our church egg hunt at the beautiful Saluda River Club outdoor center...and Sunday we celebrated the resurrection of our Savior with a beautiful church service followed by visiting family at the farm.
Easter baskets were sort of an afterthought for us this year. The week before Easter I took M&R to get Easter shoes and Mason begged to try on these:
Me: "We aren't here for tennis shoes, we are only getting Easter shoes."
Mason (on the way out of the store): "That's okay, Mama. You don't have to buy those orange shoes for me. The Easter Bunny knows I want them and he'll bring them to me."
Yeah. There could be worse things that a little boy wants from the Easter Bunny, right? At least shoes will be worn and they are definitely better for him than a bunch of candy! So, the Easter Bunny obliged Mason's #1 request and also brought some for Roper.
(For some reason my iPhone photos turn out blurry when the flash is on)
Please note the shoes and ignore the fact that my child brought a huge stick in the house.
We made these "resurrection rolls" on Easter morning. They turned out just right and were really tasty!
All of the ingredients have a meaning...the dough represents the cloth that Christ was wrapped in; the marshmallow represents Jesus, all white and pure because he was without sin, etc. Hopefully we can make this a tradition!
Here are Mason and Roper right before leaving for church:
While we were at the farm Duncan got to meet Gigi. Here is Gi with her eighth great-granchild!
Me: "We aren't here for tennis shoes, we are only getting Easter shoes."
Mason (on the way out of the store): "That's okay, Mama. You don't have to buy those orange shoes for me. The Easter Bunny knows I want them and he'll bring them to me."
Yeah. There could be worse things that a little boy wants from the Easter Bunny, right? At least shoes will be worn and they are definitely better for him than a bunch of candy! So, the Easter Bunny obliged Mason's #1 request and also brought some for Roper.
(For some reason my iPhone photos turn out blurry when the flash is on)
Please note the shoes and ignore the fact that my child brought a huge stick in the house.
We made these "resurrection rolls" on Easter morning. They turned out just right and were really tasty!
Here are Mason and Roper right before leaving for church:
While we were at the farm Duncan got to meet Gigi. Here is Gi with her eighth great-granchild!
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