One kid in diapers!!

Last week I decided that I was done changing a certain toddler's diapers.  I had talked to a friend who potty trained her boys with this 3 day method at 28 months and 23 months.  John Paul trained himself around 25 months and after trying some not so successful methods with Madeleine, she basically trained herself at 33 months.  So this was kind of new for me.  Basically you switch the kid to big boy underwear and tell him we are done with diapers.  Watch him like a hawk for 3 days and run him to the potty whenever he starts going, then give him a snack.  Sounds simple enough, right?  I started on Tuesday last week, hoping he would be good for John Paul's party on Sunday.  Well, for the first several days he was TERRIFIED of actually going on the potty.  Not sitting, just going.  He would scream and cry and throw a big fit every time while I tried to calm him down.  Ken thought I was traumatizing him but I thought that if I could help him get over this fear, he would have it down.  So on Friday and Saturday he seemed to be doing better with the fear.  Sunday was JPs party and since he REFUSES to go when I want him to, we had to just stick him in the car and hope for the best.  I stuck the potty seat in the van.  When we got to the playground, he saw it and wanted to go play right away and went in his pants as soon as he started playing. He hated it.  I changed him and cleaned him up, and  he hasn't had an accident since!  He is in undies full time (except at night) and I am loving it!!!  So proud of him!

Birthday boy!!

Some of my favorites

I'm loving my camera. I probably take between 100-200 photos a day ;)
Here are some of my recent favorites.
Any tips?

So far so good!

4 months

And it's baby boot camp time. Something has gotta give with these sleeping habits. As of today the cradle and cosleeper are gone and the crib is in our room! We are going to attempt to have her sleep there for naps and night. My back is killing me from sleeping on 6 inches of bed space with a giant baby attached to me all night.
Took a few 4 months pics, wasn't totally happy with any of them. Leo was crawling all over me while I was shooting ;)

Easter pics and first joke

All the kids learned their first knock knock joke from daddy last night.
Kid one: knock knock
Kid two: who's there?
Kid one: interrupting cow
Kid two: interr......
Kid one: Moooooo!!!

But Leo says it cutest.
Knock knock. Cow. Moooooo!!!

Easter Eve

Heart. melt.

John Paul asked to hold Sarah today which he has never done. I put her on his lap and he started talking to her and petting her head. I said, "Sarah, your big brother loves you!" And he said, "I really DO love her, mommy."

One year ago yesterday

Leo had his cleft palate repair.  I'm so amazed at how far he has come.  He is speaking so much more lately, he knows every one of his abc's, and he is such a great eater.  What a wonderful blessing he is to our family!  I'm still praying he doesn't need a second surgery.  Only about 20% of kids need it but his cleft was pretty wide, so he could be one of those.  We won't know til he's around 4 though.

Today we went to the Children's museum and I saw a little boy who was about 3 with an open cleft lip.  I asked his mom if he had a cleft palate too and she said yes.  I told her Leo had a cp and had surgery a year ago.  I told her all about it, showed her pictures, and she was able to see him and how well he is doing.  I told her he didn't mind the arm restraints and did so much better than we had expected.  They even have the same surgeon - for both the cleft and ear tubes!  She had just adopted him from China 5 weeks ago and he had had nothing but rice/formula bottles since then, and barely had been out of his crib!  He's THREE!  I gave her my phone number and told her to call me with any questions.  I'm so happy to have been able to help out and put her mind at ease.

Kids enjoying (hopefully) last snow

And I'm enjoying my new camera!

Madeleine is 6!!

I can't even believe it.

PSA

You're probably wondering why I haven't published any new pics with my awesome new camera.  Well, it's because it's not here yet.  I'm telling you right now, NEVER ever order anything from Mellodigital.  And apparently everyone on the internet knew they were thieves and liars except me.  (ALWAYS read reviews of a place before ordering something.  Lesson learned.)  Anyway, we cancelled the order and I ordered one on ebay and it should be here this week.  Unfortunately not in time for Madeleine's birthday, but soon afterwards.  While I've been waiting, I've been working on editing photos.  Maybe an old dog CAN learn new tricks!  We shall see!

Speaking of Madeleine.  She got in huge trouble tonight for directly disobeying and spent most of the day in her room.  She came down at dinnertime and said she had asked God for help to be better.  We also prayed a decade of the rosary as a family (what we are doing for lent.)  I made sure to tell her that we still loved her and we would always forgive her if she asked, just like God does for all of us when we mess up.  She was pretty penitential :)  

We are doing the Papal Unit study this week over at Shower of Roses.  It has been so fun!  We watched Pope Benedict's departure yesterday, and talked about the conclave and looked at pictures of the Sistene chapel.  Then we made a German feast in his honor, complete with soft pretzels.  Yum!  

Ok I'll leave you with one more with my point and shoot I'm happy with, until my 3200 gets here!  This is the first really good smile I've caught on camera :)

Working on Photography

For the past few years, I have only taken pictures of my kids with my iphone.  I have some decent ones and I probably took thousands of pictures, but no really good ones.  I had a really old Canon power shot that took really bad pics - worse than my phone - so I just didn't use it.  My aunt and uncle gave me a new Nikon point and shoot and I've been having lots of fun with it!  And also I saved up for several months and finally ordered a Nikon d3200.  I'm hoping to get it this week or next and I can't wait to practice!  Luckily I have a very cute, non moving baby to practice on ;)

Here's my favorite picture from our photo shoot today....  

Any tips from my photographer friends out there?  

11 weeks today

Last night I put Sarah in her cradle around 9, she had been asleep since 8. I went to bed around 10:30 and woke up at 5:30 and she was still asleep in her cradle! And she slept til 7:30!

Destination Jesus 2013

So I did my usual volunteer security shift at DJ yesterday.  Love it love it love it!  Here's a picture of what the gym looks like transformed into a chapel.  It's beautiful, the kids are reverent, the music is great, the whole weekend is so much fun.

Sarah and I arrived at 7am in 10 degree weather.  She slept most of the time the kids were arriving, which was good because the doors kept opening and letting in the arctic air.  Two really great things happened this weekend, one of them sad but beautiful.

The first thing was on Saturday.... I took the kids to hear Ken play in the band.  (They loved it!)  In between the two sets of music they said the Divine Mercy chaplet.  The day before, Friday, my bff since junior high called me and said her mother was very close to dying.  The doctor had given her about 3 weeks at that point.  She was ready for her not to suffer anymore, but also very sad of course.  My mom said to tell her to pray the divine mercy chaplet, as she and her siblings had done for my grandma last Christmas as she was dying.  She did.  Then all 850 kids (including some of her grandchildren) prayed it on Saturday.  Immediately after leaving I learned that Gloria had passed away. So beautiful that we were all praying that prayer.  Please pray for their family.  Gloria has such a beautiful soul, mother of 9 children, gave selflessly her entire life.

The next thing happened on Sunday.  I had heard a talk about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which is kind of a montessori way of teaching young kids about Jesus as the good shepherd, the mass, Jesus laying down his life for his sheep, etc.  It's very hands on, and the kids play with a set - Jesus as the good shepherd, sheep, a fence, a "yard," and an altar.  There is a way to teach about it that sounded very beautiful.  The classes are expensive and I couldn't find the book used to save my life.  The book is called The Good Shepherd and the Child.  Anyway, when Sarah woke up from her first nap she decided to scream inconsolably for about 15 minutes.  As I was walking her up and down the hallway trying to calm her down, I ran into an Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia.  I asked her if she knew anything about the Catechesis of the Good shepherd.  She looked surprised and said she had just taken a class on how to teach it!  I told her what I wanted to do (make M one of these sets for her birthday and learn how to teach it as well.)  She was very happy and said she would love to help me!  She asked for my email (and I had to give her the yahoo one I rarely use because I couldn't really give my milkjugs one to a nun!) and she said she would meet with me.  I'm SO excited!  Also I asked Sew if her mom would paint the sheep for me.  She will and I sent them today!  So thrilled.  I have a peg doll of Jesus as the good shepherd, a board that I'll cover with green felt, a fence with a gate, 9 wooden sheep, and a beautiful box to keep it all in when she's not playing with it.  I think it will be a hit!

I got to attend the mass on Sunday, wearing Sarah on my chest, the same mass where I chose to be happy and praise God's name whatever happened in my life.  That was in 2006, right before my second surgery for stage 4 endo, right after my second lupron shot, when I thought there was a chance I would never be a mother.  Now I have my 4th beautiful sleeping baby on my chest.  Thank you God.

Happy valentines day!

All my little Valentines ;)

Yeah.... my kid is a lil weird.