Fathers' Day

Children's Children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. Proverbs 17:6

Pictures and Popsicles: More from the Farm

Presley didn't mind sharing with her great grandpa.....not that she had a choice. ;o) lol!
We tried very hard to get some pictures of all the kids together, but it didn't go too smoothly. We were still happy to get one of Grandma and Grandpa with all their greats ;o)

Picture Perfect Personalities

This picture pretty much sums up what it's like when we get all of these kiddos together. I love everyone's expressions because their personalities just shine through their little faces.......Presley being dramatic, Logan and Reid completely exasperated with their cousin's screaming, sweet Grant trying his hardest to be just as content as always, and precious Clay is probably wondering what his parents got him into! ;o) I also love how Corbin is all smiles and is hovering over everyone big brother style. ;o) Oh Goodness!!!!

4-Wheelers, Tractors, and Cows.....Oh My!

While in Colorado we visited the Axtell farm.....a farm that has been in the family for many years. It was great to see my Uncle Vaughn, Aunt Joyce, my cousin Brian and his family. It was such a beautiful day out on the farm and we spent all afternoon outside. Presley really enjoyed herself......well, as long as I was right by her side. ugggggg. She loved walking around and looking at the barn. She still talks about the farm and says, "I wanna go to to the farm." She loves animals so it was no surprise that she loved the cows. I had no luck getting her on the tractor! She was terrified of it. I couldn't even get her to sit on the huge wheel........or touch it! My Aunt Joyce prepared a wonderful meal and the food was delicious........as usual. ;o) We had a great visit with my Aunt and Uncle after all the kids went to bed. It was a great day at the farm- a day filled with fun memories. ;o)

Isn't our host the cutest???Logan couldn't believe his little eyes when he saw that huge tractor pull up

Reid and Corbin on a ride in the great big tractor
This is the only tractor this little girl would get on!
Here's a few videos.........or 4! ;o)

Aunt Reen

Presley adores her Aunt Reen. Last year when we visited Colorado she took to her Great Aunt right away. When Presley is out of her element, away from her daddy, and in an unfamiliar territory she tends to be extra clingy to me. However, Laureen had special privileges! ;o) Presley and I stayed at my Aunt's house while my dad and the other girls stayed with my grandparents. Laureen has two cats and Presley and I are the only ones not allergic! Presley LOVES cats and was in heaven when she saw that her Aunt had not one, but TWO cats. One is named Jack and the other is named Oliver.......aka "Jack-Over" ;o) Presley didn't realize that they each had a name until the day we left, and then she had a special name just for Jack to whom she referred to as "Jacks." I would love to get a cat for Presley, but Joey is allergic. boo! Presley has adopted a cat down the street from us and always walks down the street to visit it.......it has even visited us inside the house a few times. ;o) Here are my faves....

My Aunt is a great artist and Presley loved watching her draw. She would dictate what she wanted her to draw and then Laureen would draw it for her. Now that we are at home, Presley constantly dictates to me what she wants me to draw.......she has come to find out that her mother is NOT an artist. ;o)

Oliver was not happy that Presley was on the lap of his mommy!

And we're......

potty trained! ;o) Well, at least I think we are..... lol. We'll see what the future holds! Potty training has been a laid back process for Presley. I still give props to my little sister who told me to....
1- make potty time a part of her daily routine early on
2-keep the pull-ups off because they are useless.
I started making potty time part of her daily routine when she was 18 months and it worked wonders. Presley doesn't like to be interrupted when she is playing, what toddler does? So, by introducing "potty time" into her daily routine at 18 months (which only involved her sitting on the potty while I read her a book or two) allowed for less of a battle between us when I interrupted play time and told her that it was "potty time." It was also during this time that I worked on developing her vocabulary a little bit so that she had the words to use once we started potty training. She also became comfortable with the potty during this time so she wasn't scared of it when it came time for potty training.

I bought books on potty training and I searched the internet for ideas. I picked the ideas I liked best and then tweaked them to fit Presley's personality/learning style. Here are things we tried and used...

Chart: I started off using a chart, but she wanted to wear the stickers rather than sticking them to a piece of paper. So, that idea was trashed early on. Presley responds well to praise and sweet treats. ;o) The sweet treats work best because she rarely gets them so she'll do anything for a cupcake or a lolly pop!

Are you dry?: I started off asking Presley if she needed to go potty and she always said, "no"...I don't think she understood what I was asking her. She has yet to tell me that she needs to go to the potty so that leads me to believe that she is about 80% potty trained. We have a 90-120 minute routine where I just tell her "it's potty time!" and she'll usually go during that time. Instead of asking her if she needs to go potty, I ask her if she is still dry. At first, she would respond with a "no" each time I asked her. After a few accidents and allowing her to feel the outside of her undies she grasped what "wet" and "dry" meant. If she has dry undies when we sit down on the potty then she gets a sticker or a stamp on her hand. If she is successful at going potty then I give her a cupcake.......this idea came from Potty Wise. It worked with Presley. ;o) I think out of everything I've tried, asking "are you dry?" is probably the most beneficial tip I have received!

Potty Journal: I just started this a few days ago and it has helped with setting a routine.

Busy Pail: This came from Sara too ;o) A bucket of "stuff" is kept in the bathroom for Presley to keep busy with while we sit and wait. At first, I allowed Presley to play on my iPhone while she waited to go potty, but then she wanted to sit on the potty every few minutes. However, it did allow for me to know that she is able to say, "I need to go potty."

Sesame Soft Potty Seat: I decided against using a potty chair...I like the potty seat best for Presley.

Gerber Potty Training Pants: These are thick potty training pants (cotton) that I really like for Presley. They fit her well and they are thin enough for her to feel when she is wet, but thick enough to prevent leaking on the carpet....Joey's not an advocate of the no panties potty training method.

Anyone else have any potty training secrets or helpful hints they've tried or have heard about? I guess it's ok for her to be trained on a routine??? I know she can stay dry, but I am finding a hard time getting her to tell me when she needs to go...maybe that comes later in development??? She starts a 2 day preschool program in the fall and I would like for her to be able to tell her teachers when she needs to go....they would like for her to be in the process of being potty trained.

Day 4: Denver Children's Museum

Our 4th day in Colorado was spent at the Denver Children's Museum. It was cold and rainy that day so being indoors at the Children's Museum was a great idea! This children's museum was great....although, I have nothing to compare it to because I have never been to one with Presley. According to Sara, the children's museum in Houston is the BEST one to go to. We took lots of pictures and Presley just LOVED it...she had a ball.

Grant & Presley started off in the tot area---they loved playing here!

Presley planted everything in the Garden...and Grant picked it.

Lots of art activities

Shopping at the grocery store---this was Reid and Presley's favorite place!

playing on the huge magnetic board-----building & playing with trains