Am I a runner?

I am a runner!  I would never really characterize myself as such, but it is true.  I enjoy running and even look forward to the time by myself and the time outside.  I am a much happier wife and mother after a nice long run.  So, I don't know that I would have ever characterized myself as a runner but I am now!  I just signed up for my third half marathon and I am super excited.  Funny thing is that all three of them have been at the beach...Looking forward to march!  Praying it doesn't rain for the whole 2 hours as it did last year when my sister and I ran the Folly Beach 1/2!

Our Saturday

Yesterday was a lovely day.  Ben and Allen got haircuts in the morning!  Are they good looking! 

Then we went to the park for some outdoor fun and playing on their scooters. 

They love the zipline!

My cheeky monkey Nate

Ahhhhh, the man I love!  He let me sleep in till 9 yesterday.  Then I took a nap while the boys napped followed by a five mile run!  He continual serves me and the boys.  So blessed!

Playing in the "sand"

When I took Ben to preschool last week, I noticed that they had a large container with lentils in it and dump trucks for the kids to play with.  The boys got a set of dump trucks and other construction type trucks for Christmas.  So, I thought it would be fun to copy the idea. I did not have any lentils but I had barley and rice.  The boys loved it.  Since it is so cold outside, it is fun to have some different things to do inside.  Just thought I would share in case there are any other little boys out there that would like to fill their dump trucks up with "sand" and move it about. 

Preschool

Ben started preschool on Monday.  If you have talked to him on the phone or in person sometime since November, I am sure this came up.  He has been SUPER excited about going to "school".  Monday he started at Noah's Ark.  He will only go two days a week.  He has loved it so far and everyone has been great.  Plus, he has done great with the potty training!  So proud of my big boy!!

 I am loving have the time with Nate!  We are having a great time reading and playing together just the two of us.  I think this comes at a great time.  He is 18 months old and at the frustrated because "I want to communicate SO much but just don't have the words"...did your children do this?  He knows a ton of signs and is really picking stuff up all the time but he still gets frustrated. 

Tools and Cars are his favorite right now!

He got to take the "treasure chest" home his first day and returned it today.  We sent it back with his saw in it to show everyone. 

Ice Cream and chocolate syrup for breakfast!

Potty Training!  Oh, how I have dreaded potty training.  I don't really know why, but I have.  I have put it off and put it off and then finally I decided I needed to face my fears!  I know this shouldn't be about me, it is about Ben but for whatever reason, I had a mental block to potty training.  Then my friend Kara, recommended 3 Day Potty Training by Lora Jensen. Ben starts preschool two days a week on Monday and I just really started feeling convicted about not facing this fear.  So, I bought the book and it was a HUGE blessing to this mommy.  It is a super simple book and Lora's confidence in potty training is contagious.  It was so great to read this book and all of a sudden have tools and a method to go about this dreaded task. 

So, the days were picked for our 3 day boot camp of potty training.  The D's left early Sunday morning so that gave me two days with Allen at home and the third day I would be on my own with the Ben and Nate. 

Saturday we went into town and I bought all the supplies we would need.  Toilet seat, snacks, lots of drinks, mulitple pairs of underwear, and special treats for those pivotal moments!  Ben has been super excited about preschool so about a week befor,e I started tell Ben that he was going to stop wearing diapers and only wear underwear so that he could be ready for school.  (We had done no potty training up until this point.  Some friends has given us a kids potty and we have had it in one of our bathrooms for about 3 weeks.  Occassionally he would show interest in it but in the last couple of days before starting potty training he was wanting to try it out. 

Sunday, Allen took the D's to the airport and I got up and got ready for the day ahead.  Lora gives you step by step instructions on what to do.  We had breakfast and after breakfast when we went to get dressed I took a bag and put all of "Ben's" diapers in a bag for him to give to Nate.  I put him in underwear and a shirt and told him that big boys keep their underwear dry.  From that point on,  I continually told him to "Tell mommy if you need to go potty."  We came back down stairs, I showed him the potty and continually praised him for having dry underwear.  Then we got to hydrating.   I offered him all sorts of special drinks, gingerale, juice boxes, chocolate milk, and we sat around playing and drinking.  While I continually did spot checks for dryness and praised him for staying dry, then I would follow it with "Tell mommy if you need to go potty".  That morning he had two accidents and each time I rushed him to the potty, put him on it.  Then I would say, ok we are going to change you into dry underwear and lets keep our underwear dry.  The third time we had to go to the bathroom he said those great words "Mommy peepee's coming!" and we rushed to the potty.  YEAH!  He went and LOTS of praised followed.  Allen and Nate were told we all did the happy dance and he got a treat.  At this point I should say, I should have kept my treats small from the start, but I was so excited!  And Ben knew that I had given him a bunch of candy and from then on that was the expectation. (Note to self, for Nate start small). 

That day, he went down for his nap and did wake up from it wet.  However, while he was awake he never wet himself again.  That night, we put him down for bed and he went all the way till 6:30 and then woke and wet the bed, which has been the case ever since.  We are going to wake him and put him on the potty before we go to bed tonight and see if that helps.  He goes to bed at 7:30 and usually wakes up about 7, which I think is a long time to hold it.  The great thing about this book is that I have support and can send questions to the author who has potty trainied a ton of people!  Nothing like getting help from a pro. 

So, anyways, day two was great.  However, he did mess in his diaper twice with bowel movements.  the first time I caught him and the second was at nap time.  He did stay dry all day and through nap time. 

Day 3, I was hot on his trail to catch the bowel movement.  I encouraged him that if he put the stinky in the potty he would get ice cream with chocolate syrup.  And of course, day 3 we had no activity on that front.

So, day 4, he was supposed to be potty trained...so we went out.  We went to the YMCA and the boys were in the creche there.  I reminded him to tell his teachers if he needed to go potty and that if he was dry when I came back he would get a treat.  Of course, I was nervous through my whole work out because he had not been successful yet with the stinky and who wants to clean up someone else's poop out of underwear?!  However, noone came to get me and he was dry when I went to collect the boys!!  YEAH for some confidence building.  I praised him and told him what a big boy he was.  We came home had naps and then headed out to another play date at a fun play room here.  It was crazy, lots of kids, kids running everywhere.  I told him to let me know if he had to go potty and to come get me.  Throughout the time, I would go over and whisper in his ear and praise him for being dry and remind him.  At some point, his friend, who is a year older than him peed in his pants and his mom had to change him.  I was super nervous for my little guy and really wanted him to succeed and he did!!  Towards then, he came and told me that great little phrase of his "Peepee's coming!" we went off to the bathroom and it was a success! 

I know I am boring you all, if you have even lasted this long. 

But today, my little guy had ice cream for breakfast because he told me "Poopy's coming" and he was successful!

I am sure we will have our ups and downs on this road ahead but I am super proud of Ben and I can't imagine this going any easier.  This sounds crazy but it makes me excited about potty training Nate in the next 6 months.  The author of this books says she has potty trainined all her boys and others at 22 months.  We will see...

Thanks for letting me share WAY too much information!!

The big boy being silly!

Hyde Park- Winter Wonderland

One day we all piled into the van and headed into London to check out the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park.  It was great and definately on the list of things we will do again and again.  Loved it!  It felt very European and festive.

My sweet friend!

This was a great ride!  Allen was standing beside the horse when we first got on but the attendant told him he needed to sit with Ben.  Once the ride started, we understood why.  This was the fastest moving carousel ride we have ever been on, worth every pence!

Trying out some chestnuts...not sure what I think about them.

A highlight of the day was going to Chipotle!  Ben found his love for guacomole which just makes me so excited! 

The whole gang!

The Boys...

This past week the D's came to visit and it was a super special time.  We have lots of memories together prebabies and it is a lot of fun to be making memories with our little guys!  So, here are the four guys!  Ben, Nate, G, and J!  They had a blast together and it just makes me so excited to think about all the adventures ahead of them.
Ben driving a car at the Hyde Park winter wonderland.  He talked about driving the car all night!  Loving his new hat from Aunt Ash.

Nate!  I love those blue eyes!!  And the fact that he and G are about the same size.  Too cute!

Oh, G!  He is just too cute!  Funny story, last february I went up to DC when J was born.  G is small and I had been carrying him around that I had Nate in my arms and I set Nate down like he could walk!  Of course, Nate being only 7 months old could not walk and just sort of crumpled to the floor.  He was not hurt!

And the latest addition to the boys, J!  He was such a trooper hanging out in the stroller and dealing with all the loving tackles! 

Sorry this is blurry but I want to remember this sweetness!  Nate loved J being here, he continually signed and said baby.  He would go over and talk to him and give him toys.  I think he liked not being the youngest.

Nate also loved to eat G's food.  Food and G have their moments and Nate was always there to grab the quesidilla or whatever else G was not sure he wanted to eat! 

You can't tell but all three of them are in this little bus together! 

The boys hiking up the hill!  Oh what fun they are going to have together.  I don't have a picture of it but Ben loved making J laugh!  It was really fun to see him get a kick out of making J giggle. 

Love these boys and praying that they will come to know the Lord at an early age and serve Him all the days of their lives!

Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas!  It was such a sweet time as a family of four.  Allen and I have been married for 8 years and we have only been in our own bed for 1 Christmas and that was our first Christmas in Jordan where we were living in someone else's home!  To say that it was nice to wake up in our house on Christmas day was delightful is an understatement.  We have had a great time seeing family and friends in years past but it was really nice to not be getting over jetlag, etc for Christmas.  We had a very chill day of opening presents as the boys wanted to and then reading the Christmas story.  We had a yummy simple lunch and then the boys took great long naps!  We were so blessed to be able to talk to family on the phone and computer through the day.

Ben giving Nate a Merry Christmas hug/tackle!

Intently listening to the Christmas story.

Taking their scooters for a ride in the afternoon.  Ben has been asking for a scooter for months!  It is the hip toy here for little guys.

Allen being silly!  Love that guy!

Nate on his scooter. It also has a seat so he can sit and scoot.  However, until G came and showed him how to do it he just wanted to stand on the seat! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!