Boy Pants.

I've never been one to try and "train" Brayden to do anything.  I have kind of let him do things naturally.  I never pressured him to use the toilet, I just continued to patiently wash his cloth diapers until he was ready to wear underwear.  Well, a couple weeks ago, he finally decided he was ready to shed the diaper and transition to what he calls "boy pants."  I had already set the wheels in motion, buying him a potty and underwear several months ago. 

This is the potty we bought him.  I like it because it looks like a whimsical version of a real toilet and it is easy to dispose of the um, gifts, he leaves behind.  You can also take the seat off and it fits nicely into the adult toilet.  Very convenient.  It is kind of cute because it sings when the child potties, as a reward for using the bathroom.  Then it gets annoying when it randomly sings in the middle of the night even when it isn't in use.  That's my one complaint.

He never seemed interested until just recently.  It didn't require rewards or punishments.  He just decided he didn't want to wear diapers anymore.  My baby is growing up!  I really won't miss washing the diapers.   I can't say it will save me a lot of money because we don't use disposables.  I did go and buy some more "boy pants" with his favorite Cars characters on them.  His favorites have "Queen" and "Chesco Nuli" (Francesco Bernouli).  How cute does he look in these?

I also bought him some boxers, which he refers to as "Bubba pants" since Jacob wears boxers so prominently.  Check this out:

Way too cute.  He refuses to wear diapers, even when its time for bed.  I have to sneak a diaper on him after he falls asleep.  He has had some accidents along the way, especially in the beginning, but those have decreased as he had gotten used to not wearing diapers.  He also likes to pee off my front porch which we are discouraging.  My neighbors probably think we are so redneck, not that they ever step foot outside their house.

Anyway, I said all that to say this - Be Patient!  Kids will potty train when they are ready.

The New Year

It is 2012 and I was not even creative enough to come up with a Resolution.  I have had so much going on.  Joel and I put in a bid for a house and we are now in the process of purchasing the house.  The closing date is a week and a day a way, but I have a feeling we won't have everything done in time.  We are currently in underwriting and the mortgage company continues to request more and more information.  Since the housing crisis, getting a mortgage has become a painstakingly slow and tedious process.  Hopefully we will be moving into our new (and much larger) home by the end of the month.  We are all SO excited!

I had planned on starting an Ed.S. degree this semester but I knew I would have to pay out of pocket since I can't have a GA and teach on campus.  Unfortunately, we were only able to save up enough money to make the down payment on the house so I couldn't attend school for the Ed.S.  Therefore, I'm only teaching two classes and working as an intern for a company at VSU.

Since I have all this time on my hands, I have begun to do things for my enjoyment.  For so many years, I only went to college.  Now, I wish I had a full time job, but while I don't, I am doing things that I like.  I haven't done this in so long and it feels great!  I guess this has become my Resolution - enjoying things I like.  My dad got me a Kindle Fire for Christmas and since then, I have read about 12 books.  I forgot how much I like to read for pleasure.  For so long, I only read history books.  Reading really gives me an escape from reality.  And it is so much more convenient to download books to my Kindle than go to the library or bookstore.  I stick to the free downloads so that I don't have buyer's remorse.  If I don't like the book, I just delete it.  No driving, no shopping! 

I also started watching TV for pleasure. We got rid of cable (satellite) in an effort to be more frugal.  We now get our entertainment from Netflix and Hulu Plus.  I had been forcing myself to only watch educational programming and not bubble gum type shows, but over the holidays, I decided to live a little. I have heard so many great things about Grey's Anatomy for so long that I decided to give that a try since Netflix has all 8 seasons.  I started watching them and I am currently up to the end of Season 3. I am so glad I decided to do this.  For some reason, since I began to read and watch TV for pleasure, I have really become happier and more carefree. I can't explain it.

I also started using Pinterest yesterday.  This is particularly useful for me because I am not the creative type. I love all the ideas that I can get and hopefully put to use in our new home.  I can also find ways to fulfill my new frugal lifestyle that I hope to maintain when I get a full time job although I'm afraid the big spender will rear its ugly head again.

More later.

I'm such a slacker.

When I first started this blog, I logged on daily and was constantly thinking of topics.  The excitement has worn off, unfortunately.  Right now I am on Christmas break with the kids and since I have no job, I'm spending the day cleaning my house.  I can never catch up with the cleaning, therefore, I have little time to blog.  I also wish I could read my book on the JFK assassination but I can't find the time to that either.  I don't know how I ever found time to watch TV when we had cable.

JOB.  It looks as though I will be teaching another semester of HIST 2112 at VSU in the Spring.  I was hoping to have found a full time job already, but I haven't.  I love teaching, so I guess adjunct teaching as a holdover for a full time gig is not too bad.  My first semester teaching at VSU went famously.  My students really enjoyed the class, as evidenced by their responses on the Student Opinion of Instruction.  I am excited that I will get to do it again in the Spring and adjust the course accordingly.

SCHOOL.  When last I blogged, I had recently learned that I could not continue with the M.Ed. in I.T.  Since, I applied for the Ed.S. I.T. program at VSU and was accepted for Spring Admission.  This time I know I can't get a GA so I am saving up money to pay for tuition out of pocket.  I've had enough of student loans.  I'm hoping that starting this degree will lead to employment since the M.A. in History is not doing me any favors.  I plan to continue to educate myself until I eventually find a job.

HOUSE.  Joel and I are currently under contract for a new home that is just down the road from my dad's house.  It is in the neighborhood where I spent my childhood - Tallokas Circle.  Our loan application should have arrived at the mortgage company today.  Buying a house is an incredible stressful process.  And that money that I'm saving up for tuition, yeah I might have to use that for closing.  Hopefully not.  Our closing date is January 26.  It took us two weeks to start the loan process so we are just hoping that doesn't slow us down any.  I cannot wait to move into a bigger home.  This one is two story but only the bottom story is move-in ready.  The upstairs is completely unfinished but we hope to turn it into living quarters for Jacob.  Teenagers want their own space.  The house we live in now, the one I bought in 2003 at the tender age of 19, will be going up for rent.  I'm dreading that process as well.  I don't think I have the personality to be a landlord.  We'll see.

KIDS.  The kids are keeping me busy, as they should.  Brayden recently turned two and he is such a cutie.  He loves his brothers and is most happy when they are home with him.  I'm glad it is Christmas break because they help keep him entertained all day.  Bailey will be 11 next week which I cannot believe.  He and Brayden are on the same level in a lot of ways.  Brayden actually has better language skills than Bailey.  Jacob, my teenager, is well, a teenager.  If boys are this bad, I would hate to see what raising a girl teenager is like!  Glad I have boys!

I think I'm done for now.  Hopefully I can find the time to post for Christmas...

Jake's 13th Birthday Party - Featuring Photos!

Bad Mom Alert:  I haven't hosted a birthday party for Jacob in YEARS.  I think he was turning 6 years old the last time he had a birthday party...you know, the real kind where you invited guests and have birthday cake and presents.  Footnote:  We normally take him somewhere.  Birthday parties are SUCH a hassle.  This one took me two days to recover from.  This year, since becoming a teenager is such a rite of passage, Jake deserved a birthday party.  He was actually pretty nonchalant about it.  I think it was more about preventing myself from feeling guilty.  Nonetheless, nonetheless...

I told my closest friends and family about it just informally.  It started as just a gathering to cook, eat, and swim but it evolved into a regular old party. 

Brayden had some friends over.  Laura, Splash, and I all had babies within a seven months of each other.  Marley the Redhead is twelve days older than Brayden.  Jordyn the Choker of Babies is seven months younger than Brayden and Marley.  These two young ladies can hold their own!  Brayden was a little freaked out by all the commotion.  He is definitely a passive and docile child.  He doesn't fight when kids take his stuff and he just sits back and watches.  This is certainly not a trait that I passed down.  I was the bossy kid.  This picture says a lot about their personalities.  Jordyn is Laura MADE OVER.

Here is another one of my best friends, Ashley and her two kids, Ashlyn and Cole.  Ashlyn is only four months younger than Bailey.  I can't help but think of what Bailey could be whenever I'm around Ashlyn.  Anway, this is not a sad post! 

Here is Joel doing what he always gets stuck doing at our gatherings -- grilling.  He is just so good at it!  You can probably gather from his facial expression that he does not want me to take a picture.  This is common.  He hates my lust for photos and video.  One day he will appreciate it.  One day.  Until then...the glare.

Featured here are Splash and her husband Terry, Brayden on the train, Marley, and Layla.  Oh, and Laura in the background.  We all stayed inside most of the time.  It is hot in South Georgia!

Now we are singing Happy Birthday to Jake.  You can see Terry and Joel in the background.  It is always good to bring husbands around for Joel to talk to.  They were probably having an intellectual conversation about football.  : /

Since I was so young when I had Jake, it would come to pass that none of my friends have kids his age.  Brayden should have lots of children his age populating his birthday parties.  Jake, not so much.  He did have his friend Stephen come spend the weekend with him.  I have known Stephen since his birth because my dad and Stephen's dad were friends.  (This happens when you have children as a child.)  Their family even gave me some of Stephen's baby clothes for Jake to wear way back then (he is 3 months older than Jake).  Anyway, I digress.

The party was a success. We crammed about twenty people (or more) into my tiny house (next year I hope to have moved!!) and the kids had fun.  I felt better about doing something for his birthday and won't have to live with the guilt of not having a party for the poor fella. 

Now, to start planning Brayden's second birthday party!  Maybe I will write a blog about his first birthday before it completely fades from my memory.

I am now the proud owner of a TEENAGER.

Invariably, when you have a child at the tender age of 15, you will have a teenager by the time you hit 28.  Well, I'm 28 and my little boy is now 13.  He turned 13 on September 1 and I've been meaning to blog since then but I've been busy chasing an almost two-year-old everywhere (oh, and looking for a job - two interviews next week!).  I really can't believe he is a teenager.  He is a great kid.  Sweet, respectful, smart, and well-behaved.  He is in a much better place in his life than I was at his age.  It is hard to believe that at his age, I was only a year from becoming pregnant with him.  Watching him grow up has really put my life into perspective. 

Here we are on his 13th birthday.  I would upload a picture of him as an infant, but honestly, I am too lazy to find one and scan it in.  I had just gotten home from a long day's work (3ish hours =D) and he had just come home from school. 

We had an intimate family dinner that night with the usual suspects (my five + dad) and made Jake's favorite food - bratwurst and pierogies.  My kid is strange.  The rest of us ate bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.  While we grilled, the kids swam in the pool:

Jacob is such a good big brother.

Then we had a little cake, featuring the cake that I wrote about here.

After blowing out the candles, Joel hit him with some silly string.  Bailey was TICKLED.  Can you tell?

While "Bubba" (How country, right?) opened presents, Brayden perched himself on the couch.  Is he not the cutest kid you have ever seen?

We got Jake some new clothes because suddenly, after all these years, he wants to wear "less immature" shirts.  Anyway, he got really excited about the Polo shirts he got because frankly, they are all the rage in junior high right now.  He also got some Abercrombie shirts, a Tommy shirt, some Hollister cologne, a new phone, some clothes to wear to his weightlifting class, and a couple of Xbox games.  I'm still trippin' on the new clothes that he asked for.  Junior high definitely changes kids...

Thought Potpourri

I am just throwing together a random compilation of nothingness just so I can calm my OCD.  I have really not had much to blog about because all I have been doing for the last several weeks is cleaning, taking care of kids, cooking, and working on my lectures.  I guess there is no better time than the present to review every little phase of American history since Reconstruction.  I am doing so much work for these classes in the fall!  Hopefully it will allow me to have extra time for the classes I am taking too.

I go back to school in two weeks and the boys go back in one.  I am sort of going to miss being lazy with them in the mornings.  I have everything worked out where the house stays clean, laundry stays done, and dinner gets cooked.  We are running like a well-oiled machine and now we have to redo a completely new schedule.  Brayden is not going to like this very well...with his brothers at school and mommy at work.  He wakes up every morning and wants to go see his "nene" and bubba."  He has gotten used to daddy being at work when he wakes up.  He's going to be just fine at home with "ursh" though.

I like having Bailey in school because his disability is really hard to deal with.  I need respite care!  I am not ashamed to admit it!  It also puts him on a schedule and gives him something to do all day.  He loves getting up and riding the bus and going to school to play all day.  Jake is a different story.  I like having him home because he is a good help and fun to be around.  I am also so sad that he is growing up so fast.  He is going to 8th grade this year and in pre-AP classes again.  I'm glad he is in them but man, they are stressful.  He is definitely not the fastidious student that I was (am) as a kid (and adult).  He is, for lack of a better word - lazy!  Maybe, just maybe, he will turn it around this year.

I am still majorly stressing over Brayden's little teeth and having to get them pulled.  Everything about him is perfect, and it really saddens me that his teeth aren't.  I know I should feel fortunate that this is the only thing that is the matter, but I can't help that wish he had healthy teeth.

Anyway, maybe I will have more things to say as life gets more varied after school starts back.  Right now doing the same thing day in and day out makes for a pretty mundane existence.  I have a lot of stuff to say politically on Facebook, but for some reason, I don't have much to say to myself.  I should though, because I'm sure I will be glad that I said it when I am old and gray...assuming I will remember how to log in and read this thing...

Okay, I'm rambling.

Ready...Set...Sigh.

I. am. crestfallen.  Brayden went to the dentist last week and we learned that he has to have an outpatient procedure in September.  I realize thtat even mild sedation dentistry is a necessary evil for a toddler, even if it is just to fill a cavity.  Putting my baby to sleep scares me bad enough.  So far, Jacob and Bailey have both been sedated for surgical reasons (the latter multiple times) and it never gets easier.  I HATE seeing them drift off into unconciousness.  I really hate when they wake up and are pissed off for the next two hours. 

Anyway, what's even worse than being put to sleep is what they are having to do to my baby.  It pains me to even think of it.  He has to have all four of his top teeth removed.  Removed.  He has so much decay in them that they can't be saved.  Not real sure what caused it, but he has had the decay from virtually the moment the teeth appeared.  They don't look that great up close, but at least they are there.  At least he can bite.  At least his tongue can touch them when he speaks.  At least he looks normal. 

He also has to have to cavities on the bottom filled and two caps put on up top.  That bothers me too, just because we brush daily and I have never had to have that done myself.  I can only imagine how much pain he will be in when he wakes up and recovers.  Bailey had the same procedure done...almost the exact same thing...when he was 3 or 4 years old.  He had his teeth smashed in at the daycare when he fell on concrete steps.  At least he was a little older.  It still took about three years for the teeth to grow back in (and then he fell at school and chipped half of the front one off. Ugh).

My little boy is so perfect to me.  I dread this September when his cute little teeth are coming out.  I worry about him having to go toothless for four or five more years when his new teeth will come in.  The dentist said that it won't impact his speech development other than a little lisp (that presumably wouldn't exist if he had is teeth, but anyway...).  My baby will have to start school without his front teeth...take his school pictures without his front teeth...learn to eat without his front teeth... I know he will adapt but he won't understand why we are doing that to him at first.

The one bright side is that if he is experiencing any pain from the tooth decay, at least after he recovers all that will be gone.  I just wish it wasn't there to begin with, but it is and I have to come to terms with that.

Whew, this has been bothering me for awhile and I had to get that off my chest.  Over and out.

Love the Beach, Hate the Sand

Our not-so-little family recently took a weekend trip to Panama City, partly to satiate my hunger for a beach visit and partly to celebrate our three year wedding anniversary.  I didn't want to be THAT family who went absolutely nowhere over summer break.  Yes, I'm keeping up with the proverbial Joneses.  We usually don't take trips longer than about three days because I am very much a homebody and a cheapskate.  During the three days, we spent a total of about one hour at the beach.  We love the beach, but we hate the sand.  Swimming in the pool was much better...but we could have done that from home.  We mostly perused the stores at Pier Point, watched movies, and cooked at the hotel.

Here's my little doll Brayden all dressed and ready to catch his first glimpse of the beach and all its glory.  How stinkin' cute is he??

Here are my boys at the beach.  Brayden was unimpressed.

Brayden loves the water, as long as it is in the confines of a "baff" tub.  The crashing waves and mouthfuls of saltwater intimidated him.

I am always the one behind the camera so I need at least one picture to prove I was actually there.