Royals

Four years ago my parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.  As a gift my siblings and I purchased tickets for the family to go to the KC Royals baseball game in late May.  (Playing against the CO Rockies, my hubby's favorite team, no coincidence here...)

There is no known way to type how much they LOVED it.  Even all caps doesn't do it justice.

This picture is a perfect representation of the day. 

My mom, has this thing about getting the family together at one time.

We could make a fairly good drinking game out of the number of times she mentions how much she loves it when we are all together.

You see...

We are fun.

It took much longer than we wanted, but we finally were able to schedule another family outing to the K.

This year we added a few more faces to the fam!

 

BONUS!  It was "WSU Shocker Day at the K."  This only doubled the excitement for Ethan.  He was going to get a cool hat in WSU colors and see two of the top basketball players throw out the first pitch.  Awesome.

DOUBLE BONUS!!  The WSU basketball team had seats RIGHT. BEHIND. US.

One of the BEST point guards in the country, Fred Vanvleet was caught making silly faces at baby Katerina, who was soaking up all the attention. 

She didn't even cry when I asked him to hold her for a picture. :)  

I sure hope it doesn't take another four years to enjoy a game together! 

The 7 Year Itch

The end of the school year in May marked the 8th time I closed up my classroom for the summer.  As I locked up my room and reflected on the past 9 months, I couldn't help but be amazed.


This was with out a doubt the year that tested my desire for teaching the most.  I have felt it coming ever since baby number one came along.  Feeling like I was just putting in my time until I can officially say I'm done for a while and go home to be with my babies.


This year was hard.  Both emotionally and professionally.  Major technology upgrades meant spending a lot of time trying to figure out the new iPads and how the kids were supposed to use them in a practical way.  Figuring out and creating new lesson plans to match the new Social Studies standards that were put in place this year. Trying to prepare lesson plans for 8 weeks maternity leave.  Computer hard drive crashing AFTER finishing said lesson plans for long term sub.  Redoing all lesson plans for long term sub, while coaching volleyball 8-9 months pregnant.  And that's just the first two months of the school year...


Returning from maternity leave didn't make things much easier, and by Spring Break I was looking for anything and everything to find a way out.  How much more time do I have to spend doing this?


Then something happened. 


Things in my classroom started falling in place. 


The technology got easier.


I was still redoing lesson plans from the failed hard drive, but it turned out that the new plans were better.


Both 7th and 8th grade classes finished with some cool end of the year projects, which they ROCKED!


People noticed.


And I noticed that spark returning.  That drive that made me excited to be in the classroom. 


And for the first time in 7 years I'm spending the first few weeks of my summer thinking about August.  The changes, the room arrangement, the lesson plans, the projects, the new classes and new faces. 


Maybe, just maybe I've turned a corner.  Made it through the 7 year itch.


And found the motivation to keep going. 

Back in the Hot Seat

Back in January we decided that Jackie had been showing all the "signs" of ready to try potty training.  I was very excited...hoping the "independent" part of our child would produce an early end to diapers.  We started slow.  Waking up in the morning, after nap (at daycare) and before bath at night she sat on potty.

We were thrilled.  Each and every time there was a little pee in that potty.  She was happily accepting her treat each time.  Daycare was seeing the same results and at times even better.

After about a week, we moved on to trying "big girl panties" at daycare.  I bought some cute little pink and leopard spotted training pants, plastic covers and sent her on her way.   The results were mixed, but still having some success each time she sat down.

Then...almost as abruptly as it started it ended.  She had a couple accidents and that was it.  No more big girl panties.

She would scream NO, cry, and lock her legs straight anytime we tried to get her to sit on the potty.

So we backed off.  Way off.  We didn't even ask her if she wanted to go potty for almost a month.

Her 2 year birthday came and went with her still refusing to sit on the potty, wear big girl panties, or do anything other than wear a diaper.

We ask her everyday.

Everyday, same answer.

No!  Jackie want diaper.  (Yep, she talks in first person...All. The.Time.)

Until today!

She told daddy that she wanted to watch her movies. (A little side-note...this is not a Disney movie like a normal 2 year old would want to watch.  She literally means HER movies.  Videos we have shot with the camera.  It's all she wants to watch on TV. Ever.)  Ethan very calmly said.  "If you go potty in the big girl potty then you can watch your movies."  She said no and went on playing with her toys.

About 10 minutes later, she shocked both of us and took Ethan by the hand.  "Potty daddy. Watch Jackie movies."

She went into the bathroom, requested about a gazillion books, took off the diaper and SAT DOWN.

I cannot express how excited I was at this point.  It didn't matter if she actually went, this was a success already!

She didn't go.

She didn't get to watch her "Jackie Movies."  She didn't throw a fit.

Again this afternoon.  When I needed to use the bathroom she came with me, took her diaper off and sat down.  No fighting, no screaming.  Still no potty.

AND again, she took daddy by the hand after that trip to the bathroom and WANTED to put on her "big girl panties."

She peed in them, but didn't have a meltdown.

Today has been a HUGE turn around for us. We are hoping for her continued interest in at least sitting down on her little potty, because eventually she will go.

Still no potty, but we are back on the hot seat!

If I had a Green Thumb

If I had a green thumb...

It wouldn't have taken 2 and 1/2 years for me to get the landscaping done.  By done, I just mean the parts in the front yard visible from the street facing our house.  Look at the sides or back of the house...still weeds.

If I had a green thumb...

I wouldn't have had to cuss my way through a patch of weeds and bugs and dirt.  I really hate everything about those three things.  Weeds. Yuck.  Bugs.  Double Yuck.  Dirt... well, I can handle dirt, but it always seems to come with yuck and double yuck.

If I had a green thumb...

I wouldn't daydream about the beautiful flowers and plants surrounding the house, climbing plants on my mailbox and a beautiful vegetable garden running abundant with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and other yummy veggies.  I would have it.

However, throughout the last week I have learned much about working outside with your hands.

Such as...

Even without a green thumb...

I can pull a %^@* ton of weeds on hot days and sweat out bucket of water.  I can keep from screaming and running away from every bug and spider that popped up.  (And there were A LOT so that is saying something).

Even without a green thumb...

I can plant 3 yellow rose bushes (with only one thorn injury) and 3 blue hydrangea bushes with a 2-year-old helper.  She had a BLAST...maybe the green thumb will come with her!  I would gladly let her take over :)

Can you spot the stow-away!

Even without a green thumb...

I can pin down layers of that black crap on my own, on a windy day during nap time.

Even without a green thumb...

I can enlist my sister to help move wheel-barrel loads of rock and spread it out over the large flower bed during the heat of the day...after a workout.  During nap time.

Even without a green thumb...

The hubs and I can pick out and plant really pretty red, white, and blue flowers, finish up the last of the rock and finally put an end to this year's landscaping project.

And finally...

I can find small examples of what I thought was a failed attempt to plant strawberries last year.  Which gets me thinking that maybe my thumb could turn a very light shade of green if I were to plant more strawberries and hope for a whole patch next year!

Greenish thumbs crossed!

Cha Cha Cha Changes!

So...I decided tonight to change the name of my blog.  The name "Endless Chatter" really didn't fit anymore.  Partly because there were times when it seemed to be "ending." And because this title better describes what I talk about regularly.  The things that go on inside our Weber Haus.

:o)

Life with 2!

Adjusting to two kids has been much harder than I thought.  Not that I thought it would be easy, in fact, what has made it hard is the parts that I didn't think would be difficult or challenging.  Such as...

Mornings. I am a morning person.  My FAVORITE time of the day is just before the sun comes up, when the house is quiet and I have it ALL TO MYSELF to do whatever I want.  Read.  Drink a Spark. Fold laundry.  I didn't even consider my morning routine when I was thinking of all the things that would change with baby #2.  I knew I would be up again in the middle of the night, but getting ready for work in the morning was a kick in the pants.  Some tips I learned along the way... Pack lunches the night before.  One less thing and 10 more minutes.  Shower the night before.  Get up when the alarm goes off.

Sleep training a different baby.  They all said it would happen. The second wouldn't be like the first.  We were spoiled. We knew it.  I knew the things that worked with Jackie may not do the trick for little Kit Kat.  I totally underestimated my resilience and stubbornness with baby #2.  I could be as tough as I wanted with Jackie. She would sleep in her crib and not get conditioned to the swing.  She would "cry it out" when she reached the appropriate age and I would get up four times a night if I had to.  Kat...slept in the swing for the first 3 months of her life.  Then GRADUALLY moved to the crib surrounded by the Boppy and a pillow to "sandwich" her in there and make her feel all cuddled and supported.  She is now 7 months and JUST NOW starting to sleep in the crib without a pillow.  She still has the Boppy and a blankie and a paci...

The paci.  There will FOREVER be the argument on the thumb vs. the pacifier.  I have both.  Jackie is attached to that thumb, and I am fully aware that it will be a bear to get her to stop... she slept through the night consistently at 4 months old.  It was rare for me to get up by the time I started school up again.  At 7 months I still get up 2-5 times a night to stick a stupid paci back in Kat's mouth.  "Why don't you just let her cry it out.."  Cause I have a toddler sleeping...who has developed a nasty habit of GETTING UP...

Toddler regressing...it happens to most kids, each experience is different.  I heard stories of wanting bottles after new baby came home, or wanting a diaper and refusing all the potty training that had been successful, and in my case, deciding to suck my thumb when I saw baby brother...a habit that I would hold on to for a long time. (I do not currently suck my thumb...I gave it up for Lent in the 3rd grade and never looked back!)  Jackie has chosen two areas to revert back to either be like baby or get extra attention.  Either way...I am ready for her to move on.  #1  She wants to be spoon fed dinner.  This has only occurred since Kat started eating actual food.  Now she wants help eating too.  And like a sucker, I do it.  Because I made that dinner, it's good for her and she is going to eat it!  Ethan is a much better "bad cop" at dinner time than I am!  #2  Sleep.  She ROCKED the sleeping thing from 4 months old to about the age of 2. Then she discovered that she could get out of her bed and the pitter-patter of her little feet across the floor to our bed at night was NOT as cute as it sounded... So now she has a child lock on the INSIDE of her door, and that worked like a charm for about a month.  Now she gets out of bed and screams and cries at her door until someone comes to get her.  She then states "couch daddy" and wants to sleep with him on the couch.  I am the bad cop here... but between her and Kat and that stupid paci I am up more now than I was with new born.  It. Is. Killing. Me.

However, on the flip side, there is so much fun that comes with these two little girls that most people didn't tell me about when they were shocked to find out we would have two children so close together (19 months).

Jackie as "Mommy."  There is nothing cuter than watching your toddler become a "Mommy."  Watching the nurturing and compassion she has for that little plastic doll is the highlight of my day.  Her most recent obsession is changing baby's diaper.  She can tell me if her dolly has a "Stinky POOOEY" or just a little potty.  Her baby is fed peas and carrots daily and goes for walks, takes naps, and gets swaddled in the blanket.

Watching Katerina soak in her sister's every move.  Kit Kat has her eyes on Jackie any time she can.  That little baby lights up whenever Jackie comes over to play Peak-A-Boo, Patty Cake, or just give tickles.  Even when Jackie went on a 9 day trip to visit family, Kat lit up with a HUGE smile when we would Facetime and sissy came on the screen.  Too cute!

Jackie is now talking away and every day she soaks in new words and experiences.  The time has come for us to really start watching everything we do and say... those little eyes and ears are amazing and her little brain remembers EVERYTHING!