Summer Update

Here I go again - more than a month between blogs. So much going on this summer. Gracie started daycare June 1st. It was traumatic for her (and momma) for a couple of weeks. She does really well now, but comes home in a very cranky mood every evening. I will be glad when she is fully adjusted. Ron says I'm much calmer now. It's better for everyone because I can focus on work & then be done in the evenings & spend time with my kids.

Ronnie finished baseball on Wednesday. It was kind of a sad ending. His team was tied for 2nd place for the season. They played their hearts out & I was hoping to see them play in the championship game. The kids had fun & seemed okay with their loss. They did their best. Ronnie continues to improve in baseball & I think it will be his best sport, but he says he likes basketball the most. He struggled a little at the end with his batting, but he was starting to tag people out & getting very good defensively. He was selected to be on the All Star team (which just means he plays one game on Saturday).

On another note, I asked Tiffany to teach Ronnie how to swim underwater without plugging his nose. She showed him one time how to breate & my little fish took to it immediately! I am so proud. I can't even do it. Then he spent the next half hour trying to teach Momma how to swim. He is doing strokes in the pool & can do hand stands & flips. Amazing to see!

Gracie turned 2 on June 12th. She is getting so big. She no longer receives therapy through First Steps. She still doesn't talk as much as her peers, but she is improving every day. She loves to play dress up, play with her kitchen & be outside. She's not a fan of swimming. She'll swim for a few minutes & then be done. We have started on potty training. She likes to run around naked with flip flops. I would take a picture, but it's probably not something I could post... :) Yesterday, she peed in the dog crate & the laundry room. She moves to a new room in daycare on Monday & will start the potty training regime. She's interested in the potty, but doesn't really get the concept. So, stay tuned...

The dogs... What can I say? I want to get rid of them. They are destructive & annoying for me, but the kids are so attached to them. I talked to Ron about finding them a nice farm to go to, but Ronnie said he wouldn't be able to go on without them. He would just die. My dear husband said we will keep them for now & hope that they calm down once our fence is up & they can run around & get their energy out! I have a hole in my wall & my screen, there is pee on the carpet, puke on the carpet, & a chewed up deck & tree dug up in my back yard. So, once again, I lose the battle with the dogs & will tolerate them to keep the peace. That's it for now. See you in a month!

Pottys, baseballs, and whatever else!

Gracie received a potty chair for Easter from Aunt Shell. She LOVES to strip naked & sit on the potty, but will absolutely not pee in it. She peed in my chair instead. Nice. Now I can't keep her diaper on. She can be a bit of a stinker. Her speech is taking off in leaps & bounds! I'm so excited to hear her ask for things using words. She says phone very clearly & has called many people on my contact list without my knowledge. She has learned to jump & does it whenever she can. If you see her, ask her to jump for you. It makes her very happy to do this! She still loves her doggies & they have learned to be patient with her. She hugs them very tight around the neck & they just lick her face & tolerate her.

Ronnie is playing baseball & is tremendous! He hit an in-the-park home run yesterday & was named player of the game. He rarely strikes out. I love to watch him play, though I find myself getting a tad competitive. Quite sad to be "that" mom. I love our parents of the kids. We hang out & talk & have a good time. It's hectic, but fun. Not much else to report. Gracie starts daycare on June 1st & it will be the first time she is away from me everyday. I think it will be good for both of us, but I know I will miss having so much time with her.

I get to go to Shipshewana with my Mom on Monday. Can't wait to go & have fun & relax! We get to eat a meal cooked by an Amish family & go to the shops & flea markets. Then in a couple of weeks, I get to go with my sisters to West Virginia to celebrate my Nannie's high school graduation. Yes, she is 91 & graduating from high school! Isn't she amazing?!?! What an inspiration she is!

I've been on facebook a lot more now & have stopped blogging as often. Things are plugging along. Ronnie is starting to read books now & it amazes me that he can do that at the tender age of 6. Gracie is starting to say some words clearly now, but she likes to drop the first or last sound from each word. She has a great new speech therapist who is really teaching me how to work with Gracie.

Gracie likes to "cook" for me with her toy plates & food. It's probably her very favorite thing right now. She still loves her babies. When she gives me food, I must ask for More. The other day after I asked for more, she stared at me until I said please! Too funny. She starts daycare on June 1st. I'm feeling a bit guilty to know that she will be in daycare while I'm home with Ronnie during the summer, but I know it's what is best for all. Working from home is challenging & she's not getting the attention she needs or demands! Grandma got Gracie a toy cabinet that works well with her kitchen. That thing can keep her occupied for hours. I'm still trying to decide what color I will paint it.

The dogs are getting so big & still chew up everything in sight. They are chewing the bark off of our tree & have almost dug it up. We will be putting in an electric fence soon, but are waiting for money to fall from the sky so we can do it! That's all for now, so onto the pics...

She likes to take the food back & forth from her table to the cabinet...

Gracie LOVES to sword fight with Ronnie. No injuries yet, but stay tuned...

Dr. Ronnie!

Spring - Great times!

I love this weather we are having today! It is amazing how great weather can make everyone's moods brighter! We have been playing in the back yard a lot. I hope we will be putting up a fence in the next few weeks so the doggies can run & Gracie can be kept in the yard... Gracie's fits are becoming fewer. I am learning to be more patient with her. Today, she didn't want to take a nap for me. I finally gave up since the rest of us were in the back yard enjoying the day. Then I went to Walmart for my weekly grocery trip. She cried herself to sleep in the cart. It was the most adorable thing to see her sleeping in the cart & I wish I would have had my camera with me! I will start putting that thing in my purse when I leave home!

I'm super excited that I am going to become an aunt again! Sarah is expecting & I am so excited!!! I know Gracie will love having a baby close to her age on my family's side to play with. Of course, she has Neva on Ron's side. Send prayers Sarah's way. After what I went through twice, I'm sure she can't help but be a little nervous. I know she will be fine & will have a wonderful, healthy baby, but pregnancy is hard & she's at the beginning. Other than that, things have been about the same.

Gracie has a new speech therapist. She is wonderful! She is teaching me how to sign to Gracie by using hand-over-hand techniques. It's been noted that the words she learns to sign are the words she eventually verbalizes. Tiffy is teaching her to count. She can count 1-2-3! She's getting so big & will be 2 in June. She starts to daycare June 1st. I think that will be a tremendous help for her to be around kids her age. On to the pics...

Midnight is coming to get me!

Carley is licking her lips!

Chillin' (What they do best!)

Ronnie smiling - the only smile of the day. He was trying to be pouty today!

Gracie saying "Wee!"

Stop taking pictures!

I mean it Momma!

I'm gonna getcha Momma!


Gracie LOVES her big girl swing. She wouldn't sit in a baby swing this year!

The neighbor boy, Trystan with Gracie.

Relaxed & full of Patience

This blog is to thank Becky for her wonderful advice! Perhaps others have given me similar advice before, but I wasn't ready to hear it or heed it. Gracie's tantrums have been increasing to the point that I have become too frustrated to deal with it. Saturday was Ronnie's last Upward Basketball game. I was excited to watch him play, but as usual, Gracie didn't have any interest in sitting still. At one point in the game, in a fit of frustration, she flung her head back & hit her head into my mouth & made me bleed. I took her to the bathroom where I proceeded to cry. I wasn't crying from the pain, but from the frustration that I have when I cannot "control" her! I am constantly being stared at in public with some frustrating glances. That is embarrassing to me. I never see other kids being as loud, disruptive, or as bad as I seem to think Gracie is behaving. She can be extremely mouthy & despite her lack of vocabulary, she can talk back with grunts & gestures. Fortunately for my sanity, Grammy offered to watch Gracie & Ronnie for the weekend. I didn't realize how much I needed some space & time away from the kids. Crying on the phone to Becky, she gave me the perfect advice at the perfect time. I have been praying for help. Becky reminded me that Gracie can understand more than I realize. Before I take her somewhere, I need to tell her gently what my expectations are. Then I can tell her that if she is good, she can get a reward. Rewarding positive behavior is something I have tried to do, but have failed greatly.

Tonight when Gracie came home, we went to Burger King. I sat Gracie down & told her we were going to Burger King & that Mommy expected her to sit in her seat & eat her dinner. I told her I expected her to eat without screaming. If she did this, she could have a cookie after dinner. It worked! She was wonderful! And she ate dinner. Tonight she has already gotten out of bed 5 times. (It's 9:30 pm). The last time she got up, I told her that I expected her to stay in bed. I told her that if she got up again, Mommy would have to spank her. I told her this very gently while holding her & giving her a kiss. I asked her if she understood & she said "S". She stayed in bed. I didn't have to yell at her & she listened. I pray that I can continue to lovingly reward her & see positive results. I'm staying positive for now. I was born without the patience gene. God granted me the privilege of having a beautiful daughter - one who is a lot like her Mommy. Maybe that's my frustration??? She's too much like me!

Midnight & Carley got neutered & spayed. They had to wear the collars to stay away from their stitches!

I've become a redhead. I look like Gracie now!

Gracie pulled something heavy down onto her head. Ouch!

Poor Carley looks so sad in her collar.

Gracie loves her Mr. Potato head & likes to wear the glasses!

Ronnie playing basketball...

Gracie loves her puppies!!!

Click on the picture to start the video. Please forgive my daughter for choking her little puppy. She knows not what she does!!!

Stupid Question - Save it for another day!

I have been having a frustrating few days lately & I just really need to vent. I'm using my blog for this & if someone gets offended, I may be terribly sorry. Then again, I may not. Some stupid thoughts that I must share: "Did you know the dogs pooped on the carpet?" My response: "Why yes I did know that, as a matter of fact. I quite like the smell. I am fresh out of candles, so I thought I would leave it." Of course I didn't know that! Duh! Be a doll & clean it up!

"Is Gracie allowed to play with that?" (insert inappropriate item here such as laptop, hand mixer, outlet, etc). My response: "Of course she can play with that. She is my child prodigy & knows how to use anything safely." No! Grab the item or move her away from the outlet. Divert her attention. Stop pointing out things that are insanely obvious & not okay to play with. I may not follow her every move every minute of the day, so if I miss something, I apologize!

Another one: "The remote is on the floor. The dogs may chew on it." My response: "I know it's on the floor. That's where we like to keep it. It helps us find it faster when we need it." Let me walk all the way over from the other room to pick it up. Please don't strain yourself to move 2 feet over to actually just pick it up. Please don't worry about it. I wasn't doing anything anyway.

"I think you should get a second opinion on why your child is so sickly." My response: "Yes. Her runny nose & cough are insanely rare. I should seek out a specialist right away." She chews on everything. She drops stuff on the floor, picks it up & puts it in her mouth. She shares toys with the dogs. She goes out in public & (gasp) catches germs. It's called the common cold. It happens. I wanted to put her in a bubble, but it was just not practical.

I'm feeling like I'm not doing anything well. I am doing too much & can't do anything to perfection & it is bugging me. I am feeling like everyone expects me to do more & do things better & are disappointed when things aren't perfect. I get tired of the messy house. I get tired of the whiny kids. I get tired of not getting enough sleep. Gracie has been sick & I have had little to no sleep & am tad cranky. So, if you have a stupid question, please do me a favor. Save it for another day!

Kids, dogs, What else???

What's been going on, you may ask. It's been awhile since my last blog. Same thing everyday. Work, watch the kids, yell at the dogs - don't pee inside! The dogs are learning to scratch on the door when they need to go potty. Ronnie still loves them & I figured he would be bored with them already! Gracie loves to pet the dogs & pull their tails. The doggies are very patient with her.

Ronnie has started Upward Basketball. He's actually very good this year. He is hustling & shooting & guarding. I'm very impressed. He gets better at each game. I have been having trouble getting any good pictures of him because it's dark in the gym & my camera doesn't do well with action shots. I did happen to get a good one of him playing with his friends while on the bench...

We had a day or so of good weather & made the most of it. Gracie would much rather be outdoors. We bought a new Wii game - Outdoor Challenge - & I HIGHLY recommend it. It's a bit pricey ($60), but it has been well worth the money. It gets Ronnie off the couch & jumping around. That's all for now. Enjoy the pics...

Gracie found Tiffy's lip gloss!

It's been a couple of weeks & Ronnie still loves his puppies!

Midnight

Gracie & her Developmental Therapist - Candy. We LOVE Candy!!!

Gracie emptied her toybox & climbed in!

Ronnie in Upward. Playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" on the bench

I love this!

Gracie stripped of all of her clothes & then wanted to play the Wii!