Atticus' Bible Study

In an effort to spend more time studying the Bible, I have been trying to read Jesus Calling daily. My Bible and Jesus Calling book sits out on the table or on the window seat. A few day ago, I didn't make Atticus nap and told him he could help me clean house and play. At one point, as I was sitting at the computer (probably checking email or people.com - sometimes Mama needs a break!), Atticus comes over to me and picks up the Jesus Calling and...

Atticus: "I need to do my Bible Study."
Me: "You do?" I didn't bother to explain he didn't have the real Bible.
Atticus: "What is a Bible Study?"
Me: "Well, we have to read our Bibles and study what God is telling us. It's a time to just talk to God and listen to God."
Atticus: "Can I take your Bible to the couch to do my Bible study?"
Me: "Of course, Atticus."
He gets on the couch and starts looking at the pages as if he is trying to read the book. Being the crazy mom that I am, I quickly grab my camera to snap a picture hoping he doesn't see. He doesn't! I go back to the computer while giving him his space and I hear:

"Be a good boy. I want to be a good boy." At this moment, I realize he is repeating what we say when we pray lately, which is "God, help Atticus to be a good boy." I'm melting inside. Watching this sweet little boy do his "Bible Study" is the most encouraging thing.

It lasts maybe 4 minutes, and he comes to me and says "Lets do our Bible Studies together." At this point, I show him the Bible and do a very short Bible story with him. Then, I tell him to go find a book about God and he brings me his Noah's Ark book that we read together. Then, we pray and we are done.

I cannot explain how wonderful this little event was. It's just so powerful to see God working in our little children. It is also a good reminder that he is watching what Vic and I do and say all the time. We know this because we constantly notice him repeating phrases we say, but who would have known he would have noticed this or heard me say it once or twice? I don't do my Bible Study in front of the kids, because I need peace and quiet. But, he has noticed. And, last night after a church function, when we prayed at dinnertime we included, "thank you for our church family." Today, as I put him down for a nap, I told him we had some people from our church coming over tonight and he immediately said "what will we do with our church family?". He remembers everything. It's just another reminder of how hard parenting is. While we are not perfect, we are helping mold the minds and hearts of little people around us and have to keep showing them how God wants us to act, even when we do not want to act the right way. We have to give them the strongest foundations so they are instinctive with their kindness, thoughtfulness, patience, and love when they leave our little homes to go out into the world on their own. And by on their own, I mean preschool or kindergarten or to a friends house. I must, must, must keep striving to serve the Lord better so that Atticus and Grace will follow suit.

And, while doing that, I will do Bible Studies with Atticus anytime he asks.

We are potty trained!

***warning: lots of "poop" and "tee-tee" talk in this post....it's just our life these days.

So, for Atticus, the 3rd time was the charm. If you remember, we attempted potty training last June and then again sometime in October/November, but it just didn't take. He wouldn't tell me when he would need to potty and then we would just have accidents. While I didn't mind an accident, I decided if he wasn't going to even tell me, there was no point in pushing it over and over. Everyone I talked to told me little boys take longer; they told me that many little boys don't even start training until 3; and they told me that when they were ready, they would just use the potty with no problem. Well, it turns out that those items fit Atticus. I am so proud of him though. He started about 2 months ago and hasn't looked back.

A week after we got back from our craft room renovation weekend, I decided to just put him on the potty to see how that particular Monday would go. I pulled out the Toy Story and Mickey Mouse underwear, his mini potty that fits on the big potty and started talking up potty treats. On the first day, he tee-teed with no accidents! The second day, he did it again! We were so proud. He would tell me he needed to potty and would sit on the potty and go with no problem. The one thing we were concentrating on those two days was also pooping in the potty. He refused. I think he just didn't really know how, but it was not until late Tuesday night that he finally pooped on the potty. We were thrilled and he was too. Even that next day, I started to put a diaper on him to go for a playdate and he told me he wanted underwear. So, that is what he wore. We went to the children's museum and while he didn't make it completely to the bathroom before a teeny tiny accident, that has been the ONLY time we have been out that we have had any kind of accident. He always tells me when he needs to go and if we are driving or somewhere whose potty I don't want to use, I ask him to hold it and he does. Now, he has learned to tee-tee outside and loves to do that at the park. It's not quite as clean, but it does the trick when we don't have access to a potty. Sometime, he prefers that in the backyard as well. But, he has really done a great job. We don't really do potty treats anymore and though we have had accidents at home when he just gets too busy outside playing to tell me he needs to go, they are not normal. We also put him in a diaper at night. I would say 70% of the time he is dry when we change him out of his diaper that next morning. And he may always be dry but sometimes we are just slow to put him in his underwear.

We are just so very proud of him! And I find it so funny that is was very true that when he was ready, that is when potty training finally clicked. So, sometimes there is not a right or wrong way to do something like potty train. We just learn as we go!

While Atticus has learned lots of things about potty parts and potty habits and things we only talk about and do on the potty, we have had a few funny conversations. During the first two days, here were a couple:

Mommy/Daddy (over and over while trying to teach him to poop): "Atticus, you have to focus" (and we would point to our heads. So every time he used the restroom after that for a week or so, he would get a serious look on his face, point to his head, and say "Mommy, Focus". or "Daddy, Focus". We would also tell him we were serious about him using the potty. At one point, he said "I am serious. I need my diaper!"

We are always trying to come up with reasons for why we do certain things, but in one instance on that first day, Atticus beat us to the punch: Atticus: "Mickey will be sad if I poop in my underwear (as he wore his Mickey underwear)."

And the second night of not yet pooping, Atticus was in the bathtub. He was holding his hand on his bottom and looking uncomfortable when Vic asked him, "Atticus, what are you holding?" Atticus replied, "I have to keep my poop safe." Keep it safe? What in the world?

These days, he doesn't have as much to talk about because he just goes to the bathroom and does his thing. He does, occasionally tell us that he needs his privacy so that we will leave him alone. And honestly, that is the best way to get him to go - just leave him alone for a few minutes. He also needs his magazines to read sometimes while sitting on the potty. Typically, they are magazines with either animals or toys in them. He will also make it clear to me that it is ok to toot in his underwear but not poop in it. He also is very excited when he poops and has to point it out to us in the potty. Gross, I know. Boys.

Also, "poop" is the answer he gives me sometimes when I ask him something. "Atticus, what color is this?" "Poop color". "Atticus, what do you want for a snack?" "Poop". "Atticus, what shirt do you want to wear?" "Poop." It's so strange. I mean, he doesn't pick this stuff up from Vic and I because we don't talk like that. He isn't in school, nor do his little friends talk that way when we play. But, he has learned that poop is not appropriate to talk about, so I guess that is why he thinks it is hilarious to answer with "Poop" when we ask him something. Seriously, I hope this is just a little boy thing. I can't imagine my sweet little Grace giving me those answers. Oh and to top it off, one day at Sunday School in the opening which has all the teachers and kids together, everyone had to say something they were thankful for. I was curious what Atticus would say because we talk about what we are thankful for all the time. His turn comes up and what does he say? "Poop." Then he looks at me and grins. What a stinker! #punintended

So, these are the days of potty training. And, this 3rd time has been so much better. I love not having to change his diapers anymore. They were disgusting. I love that he goes to the potty and washes his hands and is so proud to do those things. I'm really hoping that I do not jinx myself by writing this post, but seriously, this is a big feat and we are so happy!

 

Grace's One Year Picture Failure and then SUCCESS!

So, as you know, I have usually had the kids pictures taken at Portrait Innovations in town. It's fast, not expensive, and they give you the pictures the day you take them. We always have good luck with them and for studio pictures, we are always pleased. For Atticus, I took him at 2,3,4,6,8,11, and 12 months to have his picture taken. 1 and 2 were really just practice because he didn't start smiling until 3 months. Then, it seemed like we had lots of holidays that came and we just had to have his picture made (and when I say we, I mean just me - Vic wasn't sold on this necessity). And, this doesn't include the Erwin Family portrait we had made either. Whew - lots of pictures. But, with Grace, I thought I could handle just doing newborn, 3, 6, 9 and 12 month pictures. So, we did all of those. However, we only did 3 and 6 month pictures at Portrait Innovations and she actually did great! So, in Grace's defense for what I am about to tell you, she had little experience. I will take all the blame.

So the week of her birthday, GG and I were excited to take her in for the big one year portraits. And, of course, I was anxiously awaiting to see the results to choose my one year canvas for my house that I want of each of my children! We had decided we would bring three outfits - a sassy one with a feather bow and lots of pearls, a sweet summer one and then her cupcake outfit that GG made for her birthday party. Well, it didn't matter what outfit she had on, she decided not to cooperate. We started with the pearl and pink outfit and actually got about 2 good pictures before she started crying. From that point on, she cried and cried and could not be consoled. We gave her goldfish, we held her, we laughed and jumped and sang to her to try to make her laugh or smile, we gave her breaks, we gave her the paci, we put Atticus in shots with her. Nothing worked. She would NOT settle down and relax. If I held her in my arms, we could have gotten fabulous pictures. But, I didn't want to be in those picture - I just wanted Grace in them of course. Even Atticus tried to make her laugh and actually did a good job which is why we got 2 sweet pictures but then he decided he was bored with that and would rather play the Ipad, so we lost his help rather quickly. It was just not good. So, I decided she must be tired and that maybe if we tried again the next day at a different time of day when I was sure she was not sleepy, we would have better luck. So, we tried again the following day. Still no success. It was better, but not great. She took some okay pictures with Atticus by her side, but still had tears and then when she was on her own, she just stayed unhappy. We got through about 50 shots or so to make the photographer happy and chose a few to bring home, but they weren't great. And we weren't even able to have the two from the day before because they require that they take at least 50 shots to consider it a session. So, those two precious ones were gone. So, instead of getting beautiful professional studio shots, I decided to just take a few of my own. I would have loved to have Mary here to do them for me. But, I got some that will work and I can still have my canvas! You can see below that she started off happy with Atticus and then decided this was terrible and then got semi-content (but with tear stained face) and then just got mad. By the end, they were trying tricks of covering me with a black blanket so I could hold her so maybe she would be happy. Didn't work. But, you can catch a glimpse of the black monster holding her in that last shot. Here are the studio and "outside my house" results:

The Morning After Grace's Party

I just love having pictures of the kids playing with their toys or hanging out with family. This morning was no exception. As our families that were about to leave town sat down to visit, the kids played with Grace's new dollhouse and stroller and other birthday toys. I just needed to document a few of these pics for myself!

Grace's 1st Birthday Party

We decided to throw Grace's first birthday party in College Station and invite some close friends and family. It was a really fun day! I will let the pictures speak for themselves. We had a cupcake themed birthday party with lots of pink, lots of cupcake liner garland, and lots of cupcakes! Those in attendance were GG, Mom, Molly, Janice, Jill, our neighbors Xiaoling, Wei, Patrick and Nini and our friends Katerina, Katie, Kirsten and Jonathan. We ate chicken salad sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, sugar cookies, crackers and dip, pink lemonade and of course, cupcakes! Everyone brought her the sweetest gifts including books, a car for her to ride, adorable swimsuits and clothes, her own toothbrush, her first dollhouse, her first baby stroller, a teapot with cups and pie, and lots of money! Atticus had to help me open the gifts since Grace wasn't so sure about opening gifts. Even Atticus got presents including his own chef hat and embroidered apron from Katie and Kirsten - so cute! My favorite gift was what Vic gave her. I had asked him to just choose something for her - a gift from her daddy. And boy did he find something sweet! He got her an adorable backpack with her name embroidered on it. It is so cute and will be so fun for her to carry. And I got her another doll..I love dolls! And when it came time to eat cake, she became even more unsure. While we expected her to just go after that giant smash cupcake, she was timid and held back. We have decided that Grace doesn't particularly love big crowds and being the center of attention. While Atticus has always LOVED being sung Happy Birthday to, Grace was not nearly as excited. Once everyone went back to eating and doing their own thing, she finally ate and became more relaxed. Oh and of course, Atticus helped her eat every bite he could of that giant cupcake! (have I ever mentioned his love of cake and icing?). We also got to chat with Ana and Charley on Facetime!

We had one slight incident, when Vic went to get Grace out of the high chair, she came crashing down to the floor and bumped her head because she was not strapped in. I think that is the ONLY time she has ever not been strapped in, but of course, that is when she has to fall. I had unstrapped her to take off her adorable outfit before cake got eaten and while I knew she was not strapped in and would have known when I took her out, I failed to mention that to Vic. And I was in another room when it happened. Thankfully, we had friends in the medical field at the party to check her out and tell us what to do. She was fine and stopped crying very soon after. She ended with just a little bruise on her head. But, things like that are scary and it scared Vic to death!

While we loved every minute of the party and the decorations and the food and most importantly having our friends and family there, my favorite moment came that night. She was exhausted and while nursing, she fell asleep. So, I rocked her in my arms and let her sleep for half an hour before putting her to bed. It was so funny to me that she chose that night to let me do that. She only wants to nurse every other day or so and even when she does, she doesn't fall asleep in my arms anymore. So, it was the MOST special time of that day and of course, I cherished it while reminiscing the events of the last year and also of that night when she decided to finally make her debut. Oh my sweet little Grace - I hope we are always close and you will always let me hold you.

 

Grace: 1 year old

I didn't get around to doing an 11 month blog post, so I'll combine them here. Grace has changed a LOT from 10 to 12 months and we cannot believe how quickly her first year has gone. Here are a few stats:

• At 11 months, she weighed 19 lbs. 11 oz.
• At 12 months, she weighs 21 lbs. 3 oz.
• At 12 months, she is 28 1/2 inches tall
• She is now mostly into 12-18 month clothes although I am making her wear some 9-12 month clothes because our winter weather keeps popping up here and there and I don't want to buy a bunch of winter 12-18 month clothes. However, some of her 12 month spring things will probably fit for 2 or months.
• She is still in size 3 diapers.
• Her hair is getting just a little bit of length in the back--enough to grab a little between my fingers. It's so soft and sweet and while darker than Atticus', it is light blonde. I can't wait to watch it grow! Also, as of now, she still wears lot of headbands and bows. I am hoping she is always a girl that will wear bows in her hair!
• Grace took her first steps on February 15. It is important to note the date because Vic and I had a bet where he thought she would walk by Valentines Day and I did not. We made this bet at Christmas. Whoever won got 6 hours of kid-free time. Well, I won! I still need to cash in those hours. It was so funny though because she could have cared less about taking a step until the 15th. She had not even attempted or acted interested. I have been really surprised at her this past month while she learned to walk. Now, she walks and crawls each about 50% of the time, but walking more and more every day. The other funny part of this is that Atticus yells "Yook Drace is walking!" many of the times she hops up to go. He is just as proud as we are!
• Still takes a paci all night and lately, lots during the day. She is becoming more vocal about what she wants or when she is not happy and sometimes I just pop it in. I need to do it less, but goodness that paci is an amazing invention.
• Still napping 1.5 hours in the morning and about 2 in the afternoon and sleeping 12 hours a night without waking up.
• She says "mama" and "da". Typically she says mama when she is fussy or upset, but also sometimes sweetly. She says "da" when she is looking at Vic or wants his attention.
• Still has only 8 teeth.
• She is becoming a really good eater, although she is still sometimes very picky. I am learning to put her least favorite thing on the plate first and her favorite last. If I put them all out at once, she only eats the good stuff first and never touches the rest. Currently, her favorite foods are bread, cheese, crackers, strawberries, and yogurt. She will eat fish, sausage, and sometimes a little chicken. She will also eat green beans - hooray and has liked carrots and peas and beans and rice. Oh and surprise, surprise - she loves cookies!
• She started around 11 months to drop to only 2-3 nursing's per day. And, sometimes she will only nurse well for one feeding and not be interested at all in the other two attempts I try. Part of me is ok with this because I had planned to wean her around one year old. The other part of me is sad because I love nursing her first thing in the morning and most especially, before bed at night. And, the best thing to do when she is sick is to nurse her so she feels better. But, I am soaking it up every chance I do get and also happy that the transition to no longer nursing will not be too difficult.
• She is fantastic at using sippy cups. With Atticus, we used the soft rubber type of lids for a long time. But, she knows how to get water from the hard lids as well as use a straw.
• She is still learning to play and loving her toys. I recently got down all of the toy kitchen food and plates and toys and she has attached herself to one tiny little plastic jar and a spoon that she pretends with. She also got lots of new sweet things for her birthday that she is already playing with - her dollhouse and her stroller and her tea set. She also has some dolls and stuffed animals that I keep in her bed and when she is waking up in the morning and playing in her bed by herself, I can see her in the monitor picking them up and looking at them.
• She still gives lots of bedtime kisses and even plays the same game as Atticus of sometimes wiping them off when I give them to her while she grins and laughs!
• She also loves water and water faucets. She has a great time going to the big Jacuzzi tub in our bathroom and turning the faucet on and off. And now, if I sit her on the kitchen counter while I talk to Vic, she will reach for the kitchen faucet and turn it on and off. She will also imitate washing her hands with the soap on the kitchen counter as well. She is too smart!
• She is getting a mind of her own. She knows what she wants and when she wants it. Whether it is a toy, or some food, or just for you to pick her up, she will grunt and point until you figure it out. It's almost as if she is just dying to say the words herself but just can't get them out.
• She is also a hitter. She will look directly at Atticus and hit him if he is in her way or playing with something she wants. I tell her no and that we do not hit, so that not only does she understand but to also emphasize for Atticus. He loves her and while he can be rough sometimes, he typically is not ugly to her. So, sibling fighting is already starting I guess...I don't like it!
• Overall, she is still a mama's girl but also a daddy's girl - as long as one of us is holding her when she needs some loving, she is happy. One year old - it went fast!
  

Happy 1st Birthday Grace!

Happy Birthday to our little Grace! Today, we celebrated with a pretty normal day of a playdate to the Children's museum, Chick-Fil-A for lunch (ok so Atticus cares more about this than Grace right now), GG coming into town and a little family dinner with cake. The most fun part of the day was watching Grace tear into her chocolate cake after dinner while we sang Happy Birthday to her. We turned out the lights, lit the candle and sang. She didn't really know what to do, but reach once for the burning candle. Then, it was time to blow it out. After watching Atticus attempt to blow it out, she pursed her little lips together and blew threw them making more of a noise than actually blowing out any air! It was hilarious! Atticus finally got the candle blown out and we gave Grace some cake. She tore into it, which gives me high hopes for her smash cake she will have on Saturday at her birthday party. She liked her cake and was messy and cute, although Vic had to laugh through his cringing of her messy fingers covering her chair with cake and icing. We are excited to celebrate more of her birthday at her birthday party this weekend!

 

 

Atticus' Sleeping Habits

Around November/December, Atticus started coming to our room in the morning about 6:00 or so and laying on the ground, with his blanket, to fall asleep again. It was funny because he knows he should stay in his bed and cannot sleep with us. But, one morning he came and we actually found him outside our room on the floor of the kitchen with his blanket. Then, a couple mornings later, he was on the floor of our room next to Vic's side. Vic started putting a pillow down there for him to lay on. Every morning he would do this and when he woke up around 7:00 or 7:30, he would see us and be up for the day. Well, after Christmas, he started coming to our room and patiently waited until we put him in bed between us. This was still around the same time of the morning, but didn't happen every morning. Then, it progressed to coming to my side to get into bed with us. Then, it progressed to him just climbing over me while I was sleeping and putting himself in between us under the covers. Well, it was adorable and cute and he was snuggly and would typically go right back to sleep. And since it was around 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning, it wasn't worth it to me and Vic to take him back to his room and put him back to bed and deal with an upset little boy who might wake his sister. Then, for a week or so, he started coming about 1:30 in the morning. One night, he was crying so I just stuck him between us and quickly realized that would never work. He just moved around and stuck his feet in our backs so 20 minutes later we were headed back to his bed. We had to fall asleep with him a couple of times to avoid too many tears. But, after that, when it happened in the middle of the night, we just took him back and put him down and he would go back to sleep. Fortunately, that middle of the night stuff stopped and he is back to coming to our room around 6:30 or so to climb into bed. Now, though, as we continue to sleep (well as I continue to sleep - Vic is typically already at the gym), he will either sleep or just lay there and sing softly to himself or talk to himself in a whisper until I wake up. Sometimes I am awake but love listening to him. He is so sweet to not want to wake us and so sweet to just snuggle up with us. I have never been one to want my kids to sleep with me. I want them in their beds and us in our bed. And one day soon I'm sure we will have to nip this  morning routine in the bud, but for now I love it. I get my good night of sleep and I get to wake up to a sweet little boy who is happy and ready for the day. The only drawback is that when I want to wake up early in the morning to exercise or to just be productive before kids wake up, I am not successful. Atticus won't crawl into my bed because I'm already awake, but I also get zero time to myself to get things done. Oh well - I don't really like waking up early anyways, so I just enjoy this instead!

Happy Birthday to me!

My birthday weekend was really fun! I barely have any pictures to document it, but I want to remember it! Friday was my actual birthday. After a morning playdate at the park, my good friends Cecilia and Meghan took me to lunch at Wings N More which was a wonderful treat! The kids and I ran some errands and headed home and I even went to workout on my birthday when Elena, our babysitter arrived for one of her weekly sits. Then, the evening was dinner and gifts while we waited on Ana and Charley to arrive late into the night. Vic and the kids gave me some cool kitchen finds. One was this little bowl that holds your salt. Vic and I put salt in a big plastic container to grab pinches when cooking, but it's rather embarrassing to pull it out for guests. So, Vic found this little bowl with a spoon! So cute! Also, they got me these measuring cups in the shape of a Mason Jar. Ana had shown these to me on Pinterest and I loved them! But, they could only be purchased in the store. So, Vic headed that way a couple weeks before to find them and the World Market employees almost laughed when they said they can barely keep them in stock. Apparently, because of Pinterest, they have become really popular! But, Vic kept going back until he found them on the shelf and picked them up for me! He even had Ana looking in the DFW area for them. I love them and while I am nervous to use them because I worry I will break them, they will also look great sitting on my counter for years to come. Atticus also made me a birthday cake from blocks that evening, which was so sweet and fun! It was a great day!

Ana and Charley arrived late that night and we all got up to workout the next morning. The boys went for a run and Ana and I went to Piranha (zumba) with our friend Katherine. We ate lunch at Boston's Gourmet Pizza and then we handed off our children to Ana and Charley and they practiced parenting for a few hours. Vic and I got to go to the MOVIE to see American Hustle. Ana and Charley had told us a couple months back that they wanted to come so we could go to a movie and then they wanted to cook dinner for us. This was a big deal, because prior to 2014, we hadn't seen a movie together since September 2010. Kids will do that to you! So, we went to the movie, kid-free, and really enjoyed it. It is a con-man movie with a surprise ending and was good all the way through. Plus, each and every year, we always want to try to see some of the Oscar nominated movies so we can enjoy the awards season more. And this one was on the list!

After the movie, we headed home to have dinner with Ana, Charley and our friends Chris and Katherine. It was just a really fun night. Ana cooked this amazing Balsamic Chicken and made this delicious chocolate cake and a Butterfinger pie for Vic. Apparently, Atticus helped make the Butterfinger pie and asked for lots of Butterfinger bites along the way. Katherine brought these delicious asparagus wraps with a brown sugar glaze. YUM. Lots of delicious food and wine and after kids were in bed, we played Fish Bowl outside (like charades). It was just so much fun! I still can't really thank those 4 enough for giving Vic and I such a fun birthday weekend (we celebrated Vic's too).

Although Ana and Charley had to leave super early the next morning to get back to Dallas before a new ice storm hit (it was 80 degrees on Friday and got down to 22 by Sunday), we were really glad they came. So, 31 is starting out to be a really good year!!