Potty Training 101

One of the definitive truths I've found being a mother of three, is that having more than one kid in diapers really is about as fun as it sounds. I feel like changing diapers takes up a healthy chunk of my day, which I could be spending doing something other than changing diapers. I also know that I am lazy, and it would require effort to potty train Rayce. So thus far I haven't been trying that hard. I figured when he was ready he would let me know. Dan must also think changing two sets of diapers is no fun, because he is actually taking measures to potty train Rayce; so enters the cars atop the fridge.

Rayce seems to have a slight obsession with Cars, the movie. He also has a couple of little cars from the movie, well, he lost his Lightening McQueen car so Dan replaced it with the tiny stipulation that Rayce couldn't have it, until he went poo poo on the potty. Dan ended up giving in after Rayce went pee pee on the potty (sucker). That's fine and I'm glad Rayce did it, but I don't mind changing the pee, it's the other stuff. Rayce ended up breaking that Lightening McQueen, so another new one sits atop the fridge, only to be given this time when he goes number two.

Avie experienced her first dip in the pool, and I think she liked it. She didn't scream anyway, so I assume she liked it. My friend Heather gave her the cutest swim suit. (Thanks Heather!)

Danielle made her goal of advancing to level three in swimming! She was very pleased with herself. As for Rayce, he ended up doing better in swimming than I thought. As long as Dan was actually in the water with him, he seemed to be okay. He even let his teacher help him a little.


What else we did this week:

A little soccer

A few chores

Some fun at the XRKade!

Avie Goes Camping!

So last weekend Avie had her first camping trip. Actually, now that I think about it, Rayce had his first camping trip as well. We went with two of my favorite families, the Cook's and the Lefteroff's/Deforge's. We went to a place right above Lake Mary just outside Flagstaff. The kids had a lot of fun, and Avie...well I don't know if I would say she's a huge fan of roughin' it, but she did okay.

She kept warm.

We were finally able to break in the tent we purchased about four years ago. Now, two kids later we've already outgrown it. Dan, Danielle and Raycey slept in the tent and Avie and I slept in the back of the MDX. Not the most comfortable I've ever been, but I didn't want to keep the whole camp up if Avie wasn't going to sleep.

Overall, other than a dead car battery (not ours), and a broken car window (also not ours), it was a pretty uneventful trip. There were a lot of smores, games, and a fair share of screaming kids (ours, of course). I don't know if I would be in a hurry to take a three month old camping again, but it sure made me appreciate my bed and my shower, and also Avie's crib!! It may be our first and last camping excursion for the next little while.

A beautiful sunset!

It didn't take long for the kids to get completely filthy
(I would have made a horrible pioneer).

Raycey sniffed out the marshmellows, and he wasn't putting them down until he got some.

Big Sis and Little Sis.

SUPERSTAR

Danielle's dance recital was this last Saturday, and she did an amazing job. She had her very own part in the beginning of the dance, and she didn't seem at all nervous. Completely opposite of me when I was her age. Her class only had ten weeks to prepare, but they did so well, especially for such a large class. Dan and I couldn't be prouder. We feel so blessed to be her parents. I often feel like I learn way more from my kids than they ever learn from me. Maybe that's one of the great rewards of parenting, or biggest frustrations, depends on the day and kid. We signed up for another session of swimming lessons. Rayce moved up from a parent taught class to being with a teacher, and it's going okay other than the fact that he won't allow his teacher to touch him at all. He likes to be in the water, but he mostly wants to do his own thing and not worry so much about technique. Maybe they'll demote us back down to parent taught. Danielle remains in level 2 another session, but is determined to move up to the next level, we'll see. Avie is talking up a storm, and just keeps getting cuter and cuter, if that's possible. She doesn't care for her bouncer much, or her swing; she prefers to be carried around like the princess she is.
Dan is starting to get back into the rhythm of studying, and hopefully he can get these boards out of the way soon so he can have some sort of a summer break.

Finally, Some Down Time.

Thank goodness for summer vacation, that's all I can say. We are finally getting a chance to relax, and actually spend some time as a family, and with some great friends. This last week has consisted of swimming lessons, more swimming with friends and a lot of BBQing. Our friends, the Christensen's have an amazing backyard pool that we have been fortunate to frequent these hot Phoenix days. The kids are having so much fun, and wearing themselves out at the same time, which is a huge plus. We've only had one incident so far, and that was Danielle getting stung by a bee while she was swimming in the pool. Dan told her it was a thorn so she wouldn't freak out as much. She still lost it for a good 45 minutes. Bee stings hurt, believe me I know. Poor girl, I finally told her it was a bee sting since I didn't think she could possibly lose it any more than she already had. I was wrong. So, we found out the hard way that she is not allergic to bee stings, and her finger is all right. I tried to get a picture of her swollen finger to put on the blog, but Danielle screamed at the top of her lungs that she just wanted to forget it ever happened. I can respect that, so no picture. Although, I did get a great shot of Austen and Rayce hanging out in their diapers, which I'm sure they'll appreciate when they're older. Austen has since been potty trained...Rayce has no interest.
Swimming lessons are coming along great. Danielle got a new pair of goggles and is now putting her whole head in the water. I have to admit I still plug my nose when going underwater (haha), so I am so proud of her. She may turn into a fish yet. Rayce is loving swimming too, especially with his friend Austen. Avie is not the biggest fan of the water, but she seems to enjoy falling asleep by the pool! Don't worry mom, she's never left unattended! (I know what she's thinking looking at that picture of Avie). Dan headed back to school yesterday to start studying for the boards and it's been really hard to let him go. It's nice to not have to parent alone. I had almost forgotten what it was like to eat meals together, all of us. The boards are kind of the last big hurdle for him for the next little while. So I guess we can give him a couple of hours a day to prepare. Good luck Dan, don't study too hard...cause I need all the help I can get!

A Big Congrats!

So one year of Dental School down, three to go. Looking back, this first year actually went pretty fast, although some weeks felt like they just dragged on and on. I'm just glad it's over.
If Dan goes anywhere, Rayce goes into a slight panic wondering where he is. I guess he never got used to not having him around. They've been pretty inseparable since last Thursday. Dan has not been able to get a nap in yet, at least not a good nap. It feels like we should be doing something exciting to celebrate this milestone, instead, we are buying A/C filters at the Home Depot. Oh well, it's better with Dan around. I'm not the only one now saying "Rayce stop that", "Rayce don't touch that", "Rayce stop pulling Danielle's hair". Have I mentioned before he's a little physically high maintenance?


It rained here last week which was so nice, it even cooled down to the low to mid eighties. Rayce insisted on puting on his heaviest winter coat to go outside and play in it.
It only lasted a few days and now the temp has risen back up to around 100 degrees, which is okay because the kids started swim lessons today. I was a little worried that I signed Danielle up for a class that was a tad advanced for her, but she did great. She tries really hard to swim without getting her face wet at all. I've tried to tell her that getting your face in the water is kinda an integral part of swimming, but she seems to think it unnessesary. I don't care how she swims as long as she can. She was excited to wear her new swimsuit we got her at Target yesterday. I was sure it was going to be too big, but it fits her perfectly. I must be in a bit of self denial about how fast she's growing up. Raycey had fun at swimming lessons too, but I don't worry about him as much, he doesn't seem to be afraid of the water at all. Hmmm... that could be more worrysome than Danielle's fear of the water. It's crazy how different our kids are, and how similar too.

Avie is three months old today, and she's recently taken to sucking her thumb. I don't know if it will make her teeth all crooked, but she looks so cute when she does it. It's nice to not have to always be shoving her pacifier in her mouth. We always know where she is too, with all the smacking sounds she makes sucking it. She's a hoot.

Hula, Hula

Okay, so this blogging thing is turning out to be very therapeutic. I can keep my family and friends updated on what's going on, and it's way cheaper and less time consuming than formal therapy.

The days are creeping by at a snail's pace right now. Most likely because I'm so ready for Dan and Danielle to be done with school. Hopefully, we'll have a month or so of time with Dan before round two.

This last Friday the CDM (College of Dental Medicine) had an end of year luau for they're poor worn out class to relax before this last week of exams. It was a lot of good food, which is what usually draws me to any given event. Aside from the food, we were able to chat with all our dental pals and watch a performance of traditional Hawaiian dances. Danielle and I attempted to do the Hula, she looked great, but I have not been blessed with the gene that determine's coordination. It was still a great time.

Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on this week. It is starting to get really hot again, reminding me why I didn't like Arizona when we first moved here. I'm finding that my body has really acclimated to the heat. So, I'm sure when we go to visit Utah, the ninety degree weather will feel a tad chilly. For all of you needing an Avie update, she will be twelve weeks on Thursday and is continueing to grow and entertain us daily. Strangely, she wasn't that impressed with the luau.

Almost There...

Happy Birthday to my awesome husband Dan! He is thirty-two years old today, and I am more in love with him than ever. He is a wonderful father and husband. It's hard to have him gone, but I know he's working so hard to be the best at what he does. I am so proud of him, only about a week and a half left of his first year, YAY!!! His reign as the current class president is about to come to an end (Wahoo!). Although he's not completely out of the woods yet, he still needs to study and take his first year boards, which he is planning to do the beginning of July.What a ride this first year of Dental School has been. Our lives have changed so much this past year and a half. We moved to a new city, Danielle and Dan have both started new schools, we had a new baby. The change has been a lot to take on, but good. We miss our family and friends in Utah so much, but we are having a great experience here. I admire Dan working so hard to do what he wants to do professionally, and not giving up when it got hard.

Anyway, I could go on for a while, so I'll stop now. This last week was pretty uneventful. I was completely caught off guard by Rayce's dental appointment. The good news was he was perfect at his appointment. He did amazingly well. The bad news was he had ANOTHER CAVITY! So he had two fillings. For all of you out there wondering if I ever actually brush my kids teeth, I can say most of the time I do. Rayce just happens to like juice and sugar more than your average child. At least that's what I tell myself. I always say Rayce is the equivalent of having five kids anyway. He is a complete handful and not making too many friends in the neighborhood. He's taken to throwing rocks at the neighbor boy's head. I was not at all prepared for the aggressive nature of a boy, or maybe it's just my boy. Whatever it is I need to put him back in soccer as to channel some of that aggression into something that could make us lots of money someday. Who knows, maybe he'll end up in a profession fitting his personality such as an ultimate fighter.