Close, but no cigar?

Okay, every time I talk about this subject, I feel like no matter what I say I need to follow it up with "no pun intended".

So Gabe has had some success with pooping and peeing again. Earlier in the week I was to the point of strangling someone. He had pooped in his pants everyday for over a week. I was determined to not give up but there is only so much a girl can take. Finally a couple of days ago, I put him back in a diaper. He keeps his underwear dry AND keeps his diaper dry, I just figured if he was going to continue to have poop accidents I might as well save myself the headache and backache of doing about a million loads of laundry to keep up with his "issue".

On Wednesday he came running to me and told me he had to poop, YEAH!!! He successfully used the potty to poop on Wednesday, Thursday and today. Because of this he got his long awaited Potty Car!! YEAH!!! I have been so proud, I thought we had really turned a corner, something finally clicked, and then today he gets DIARRHEA, and fills his underwear again. Poor guy, I can't be mad at him, but I think you all may hear me screaming if he poops in his pants again. So for today we are back in diapers, I guess we will try again another day. I haven't given up hope yet.

It's really coming down now!!

SNOW!!

The view from my front porch.

There is something so peaceful about snow. I hate the aftermaths: the crowded grocery stores (okay maybe that's pre rather then post), falling on my behind (twice while pregnant with Gabe), the slush and salt all over my pants and my car, the kids whining and begging to go out into 1/4" of the white stuff that is totally mixed with mud, "but Mom it is snow" .... before all of that, before all the yuck, it is just so peaceful.

Click on the picture.... you can see the snow!!

P.S. My girlfriend Nancy has just gotten in to the hair clip selling business. They are super cute and stay in a kids hair like a tic on a dog (okay maybe a bad description but I am from Kentucky, I couldn't think of anything else!!). Check out the link, in my link section!

If you are over 50 you might want to disregard this post...

Okay, so through this amazing thing we call the internet I was able to locate one of my favorite friends.  Cheryl Pfennig and I were friends all through high school.  We were total dorks together and had tons of fun giggling through orchestra at STUPID Mrs. Webb, who we were fairly certain had married her own brother, who marries a guy with the exact name as your maiden name, I mean really....  okay so in retrospect we were silly, but we did have a ton of fun.  

Anywho, I recently found her on MySpace.  Say what you will about that site, it is a fantastic place to rekindle old friendships.  Thankfully there's only one Cheryl Pfennig on the entire planet!!  While giggling like a sophomore through her profile I stumbled upon a great website.  I dunno about the rest of you ladies but I love fashion.  As I type I'm watching Project Runway.  Cheryl put me on to a HILARIOUS website.  I won't mention the name on here, it's kind of a "wirty dord", but trust me, it is SO funny.  I don't laugh out loud very often, but this site had me chuckling.

It's so good to be back in touch with you Cheryl!!  

P.S.  You know all those countless days we played together in orchestra....and you know how I occasionally beat you for first chair.....even to this day I can't read music for crap I had a good ear and always listened to you or Erica Smith play the piece and just copied.  Am I a loser or what?!  That's suzuki for ya!!

More Bathing Beauties

Aren't they cute taking a bath together?! This was the first time they were in the bath together. Gabe started the water and for some reason Joel FREAKED out. After I got him calmed down they both enjoyed being in the bath together. My boys are so sweet!

Brotherly Love

We have been trying to put Gabe to bed a little earlier then the other boys.  He needs the extra rest but he also LOVES to take a bath by himself.  The other day I put Gabe and Joel to bed and then put Sam and Ethan in the tub.  I told them if they wanted to stay up late then they had to BE QUIET!!  All of a sudden I hear them yelling at each other.  I go running in to tell them to hush and found them like this:

Poor kids, they honestly thought they were being quite but since their ears were under water they couldn't hear themselves!  Mermen brothers!!

Am I the only one in the dark ages?

I'm a big fan of Erika's blog urbangraceinteriors.typepad.com.  Most of the time she updates everyday and a ton of her blog is very useful.

Today I was enlightened.  Today she introduced me to Google Reader!  Am I the only one who's never heard of this before?  Basically all I had to do was find Google Reader, using google of course and then put in all the addresses of the blogs (or other websites) that I check often (a little P.S. Nancy, it wouldn't take a babysite website so I'm thinkin' you should switch to blogger!!).  Now whenever anyone updates their blog Google Reader will tell me.  No more clicking on links going through each and every blog to see who's updated AND seeing as how I love stats (I was going to get my Masters in Social Statistics had I not met and fallen madly in love with G) it will even tell me some stats on how often people update.  I LOVE IT!!  Very cool.

THANKS NANC!!

So how do you guys like the new look for my blog!  Isn't it fabulous.  

Well thanks to my dear friend Nancy, I have a wonderful new look.  What a wonderfully thoughtful Christmas gift.

Thanks Nanc, I love it!

Children+Potty Training=Bissell Pro Heat

If you have children you need one of these:

It's a Bissell Pro Heat 2x.  I really, really love knowing I always have this handy (though a little difficult to man handle) appliance around no matter what my children or my husband track through the house.  I should have bought one of these ages ago.  Have I ever told you about the time the boys got into my sprinkles?  Let's just say it is almost impossible to get pink and blue sprinkles out of light beige carpet when it has been LICKED in.  TRUST ME!!  Thank goodness for my wonderful neighbor, who saved the day with her cleaner and some good old fashion Oxy Clean.

If you have carpet and children, do not hesitate, buy one now.  It's perfect for all those annoying sippy cup stains, you know what I'm talking about!  I got mine at Costco, did I tell you I love that place :0)

It just goes to show ya....

Lovin' Tootsie Roll Pops

Licking a sucker of this size takes extreme concentration.  

In this picture Gabe is "in the zone".

"Man this is a HUGE sucker"

I knew it.  I knew I would jinx myself.  Need any lotto numbers picked, because I must be psychic.  I knew talking about Gabe's potty training success on the blog would mean sure potty training failure, but I had hope....  Silly me....

Here I was upstairs, loading these oh so cute pictures of Gabe chompin' on his pop when I got a wiff of something, something that shouldn't be in my house.  Yes you guessed it, you know what that smell was.  Lucky for me (note my sarcasm), I didn't have to rely on my nose long, I simply had to follow the poop tracks ground into my carpet.  Yeah, that's right, do you need to go back and read that again?  POOP TRACKS.  Evidently, because Gabe is a skinny minny, when he "accidentally" pooped in his pants the turds just rolled right out of his underwear and down his pant leg, which he proceeded to STEP in and then track through the house!  UGH!!!!

Don't worry, I have throughly steam cleaned every surface he touched, so you can still come and visit!  It only took me 45 minutes and lots of sweat and muscle to haul that silly cleaner up each and every step.  To top the event off as I was putting away the hose attachment and sprayed myself right in the face to include my EYES!!  YIKES!  So now, here I sit, re-showered, with sweet smelling carpet, and a very clean 2 year old.  

What a day, what a day......

So all that to say, no sticker for Gabe today.  He got a new toy that is still in the box, everyday that he stays accident free he gets a sticker on his box, after five stickers he gets to open the box and keep the toy.  He is very excited to earn his toy and this set back made him a little sad, but he promises to keep working at it!

Here's to tomorrow!

Sweet Success??

I'm afraid I will jinx myself by posting this two early, but I am happy to report that Gabe has had two full days with NO accidents!!  YEAH!!  Doesn't he look so sweet sitting there reading his book!  Also today, I bribed him to poop on the potty, if he pooped I would give him a tootsie roll pop, well, he pooped on the potty and right now he's downstairs enjoying sweet success!  I'm very proud of him, I'll post pictures of the adventure of a two year old with a huge sucker tomorrow.  GO GABE!!

(All this talk of sweet success, tootsie roll pops and pottying is starting to really gross me out!)

Rice Cereal

Well, I don't know about you other Moms, but I DESPISE starting solid foods.  I truly wish my children could go straight from bottles to big macs, okay maybe not that drastic....  Here are some pics of Joel's first experience with Rice, as with all my children, he was not impressed!

First Bite!

"Is this good or bad?  I think bad!"

"Do you hate me?  Is that why you are doing this to me?"

Rice cereal would not be complete without the classic baby shudder.

Happy Baby after gagging and crying, guess will try again another day!

P.S.  How unfair is this?  After one day of dieting, Greg lost almost 5 lbs and I lost 7/10ths of one, needless to say I was a wee disappointed.  On the other hand he does have a lot more to lose!!

Happy New Year!

How can it possibly be 2008?  It seems like just yesterday that Greg and I were ringing in 2000, cringing and wondering if all the Y2K gloom and doom was really eminent!  Now it seems funny at how worried some people were.  I know some people who are probably still using the toilet paper they had stockpiled in their basements!  

Well with the New Year comes new hope and new resolve to get things done in our lives.  Here are a few of my resolutions:

1.  Lose 15 lbs.  Don't call me today, I've only eaten 9 of my 2o points for today (Weight Watchers) and I'm a little grouchy!

2.  Get caught up with scrapbooking.

3.  Exercise, maybe even start running....I hate to sweat so that might be a hard one!

4.  Have a quiet time.

5.  Get my house in order.

6.  Stay on our budget and pay off bills faster.

7.  Potty train Gabe.

I'm sure there are more....I just can't think of any right now, I'm too hungry ;0)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  We left on the 19th for Kentucky and just got back on Sunday night the 30th.  We had a wonderful time.  Here are some pics from our time there:

Gabe licking the icing off of the beaters.  

Decorating Christmas Cookies.

GABE, STOP licking the SPRINKLES!!!

Our finished product, all though I'm not sure how edible!

Gigi and Papa with the boys on Christmas Eve, 

the boys all in their new Christmas jammies.

Joel with Grandpa Spencer.

Ethan very intently studying his new Spiderman computer.  

Cousin Anna tries to help.

Playing with Gabe's new Honey Bee hop.  

Fun for the kids but who knew the Flight of the Bumblebee could be that annoying!

Happy New Year!

Yet Another YouTube Video

Okay, I know I've been posting videos a lot lately, but this one is really funny. (Well at least I know my Dad will laugh :0)

Crack me up that he's jumping rope with a bra!!

Enjoy:

The Wonder of Christmas

Well, I don't know about you guys, but so far we have had a very nice holiday season.  Our decorations are up, I've been to a cookie exchange, the boys have wondered in awe at our Christmas village, we've driven up and down Old Town Alexandria admiring Christmas lights, most of my shopping is done (but not wrapped, YIKES!) and every night we've been reading books about the true meaning of Christmas (Which I have to say I do not recommend "The Legend of the Candy Cane", published by Zonderkids, it is a wee bit on the creepy side.  I had to stop more then once to remind the kids that we don't talk to strangers, we don't go in strangers homes and never, never take candy from strangers!)  Anywho, the other day we put Joel under the tree so he could admire the lights and decorations.  I didn't think he would be able to but he did manage to grab an ornament and promptly set to gum it, crazy baby.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas, especially through they eyes of your children!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Muppet Style)

If you, like me, grew up in the 80's then you were probably a fan of the Muppets.  I still have a special place in my heart for Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and the likes.  

My father and I have a very unique sense of humor.  We often find things funny, that many may not.  I suppose it's a special father daughter bond we share.  When I first heard the Muppets singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas with John Denver, I knew he would love it.  It makes us both laugh.  I love to see my Dad laugh, he has this silly gasp for air thing he does when he gets really tickled that makes me smile even just sitting here thinking about it!  He recently sent me this YouTube "video".  It's really just audio with a picture, but I think it's really funny and I can see me Dad watching it over and over and laughing every time.

My favorite line is:  

Gonzo: Now bring us some figgy pudding, now ... 

Miss Piggy (spoken): Piggy Pudding? 

Gonzo (spoken): No, FIGGY pudding, it's made with figs. 

Miss Piggy (spoken): Oh, sorry. 

Gonzo (spoken): And bacon. 

Miss Piggy (spoken): What?! 

Check out the video!!

I love you Daddy!

An Elf Merry Christmas from the Spencers!

Check this out!!!

Click HERE!!

It takes a few seconds to load, but be patient, its' worth it!!

So sweet.....

I love the Ellen Show. Ellen DeGeneras (sp), is hilarious! I recently saw this clip from her show and thought it was super sweet.

I know he has his faults but I still love President Bush!

"Friends"

We (Greg, Tim, Anna, and I) love "Friends"! Greg actually told me once that he finds "Friends " funnier then Seinfeld. I thought that was huge. One of the best thing about "Friends" is finding similarities in fellow friends and family, for instance, this is my brother, he considers himself VERY sophisticated (minus the porn comment):



This is me, I'm notorious for hating to share food:



This was Sam at soccer this year, don't get me wrong, he was actually pretty good at playing, but he ran, well, like a kid (oh and he never ran into a horse either):



Do you have any favorite "Friends" moments?

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

I used to LOVE Christmas.

Now that I'm a Mom, I like Christmas, but I must say, some of the magic wears off when you are the one putting it on!  

I love music.  If I don't say so myself, I have an amazing knack for memorizing lyrics to songs.  I started playing the violin at three, switched to viola in elementary school and played through high school.  Music is in my genes.  My mother played the oboe, my dad was in a rock -n- roll band, my sister played the cello for a couple of years and you should here my brother play the trumpet.  It's pretty amazing.  I love a catchy melody and a good "key change".  I enjoy a good Christmas song, so in no particular order here are a few of my faves!

1.  Mariah Carey -  "All I Want for Christmas is You"  I used to always sing this one when Greg was in Iraq ~ "I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need......"

2.  Mariah Carey - "Jesus, oh What a Wonderful Child"  Say what you will about Mariah Carey, but that girl can SING!  Darby and Erika, do you remember singing this in choir at Southeast?  I'm not sure we ever actually performed it but I do remember singing!

3.  Michael English - "Mary Did You Know"  I love songs that really put you in the place of Mary or Joseph.  Can you imagine how it must have felt?  How scared and lonely they must have been?  My two favorite lines from this song are "did you know....this child that you delivered, will soon deliver you" and "did you know that your baby has walked where angels trod, and when you kiss your little baby you've kissed the face of God"

4.  4Him - "A Strange Way to Save the World" This one's from Joseph's perspective.  

5.  Jennifer Knapp - "Sing Mary Sing"  I don't know if this is technically a Christmas song but I love it!!  I love the thought of Mary lullabying Jesus, just like I sing to my boys.

6.  Steven Curtis Chapman - "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"  Just a beautiful song.

7.  Amy Grant - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"  Growing up, we listened to a lot of Amy Grant.  I always loved her entire Christmas album.  It is a must have for holiday cheer.  

8.  Silent Night - By anyone...  Have you ever seen Band of Brothers?  Well I have, I LOVE that series.  I especially love that on Christmas Eve the shooting stopped and they lyrics of Silent Night drifted up from where the soldiers lay ready and waiting for fighting to resume.  On the two Christmas when Greg was deployed (I'm sorry this has been an ongoing theme lately, it's on my mind) we would sing this song to a candle lit chapel and I would imagine that movie, and hope that the Iraqis would give our troops a Silent Night.

9.  Dean Martin - "Baby it's Cold Outside"  In 1995, Greg and I both worked at American Eagle.  We didn't know each other, he worked in Bowling Green and I worked at the one in Louisville.  I got a great Christmas CD from my days of working there.  This song is on there.  Greg and I can't put up a tree without this CD playing!  I love to hear the old classic voices!

10.  Eartha Kitt with Henri Rene - "Santa Baby"  We never did Santa growing up, my parents felt it took away from the true meaning of Christmas.  We haven't done Santa either.  My boys have sworn on their lives to not tell other children, I'd hate to ruin someone else's holiday.  This song is just fun and just feels like Bing Crosby, White Christmas and my grandparents all wrapped up in one!

 

Enjoy!  Check out itunes for any you haven't heard!!