Great Trip to Huntsville

Well, life has gotten very fast all of the sudden. I am sitting here at 11:30pm finally finding a minute to update our blog. Over labor day, we spent four days in Huntsville visiting friends and family. We took a great trip to a farm near my sister's house where the kids got to hunt for eggs from free range chickens, gobble with 40lb turkeys, feed ducks and geese, and enjoy some lovely horses. The kids all had a really great time and I got some great pictures.

During the whole trip, Ethan and Hannah Kathryn (my niece who turns 2 this month) had such a a great time with each other. As you can see from the picture.

I also got to see my dear friend Amy Schmitz, who had her first child on the Friday we were home. It was so great to be able to see her on such a special occasion. In addition to that, Ethan had a wonderful play date with Foster, my friend Tabitha and Michael's son who will be 2 in November. He is so adorable - as you can see!!

Our family friend, Kay Scott, also planned a wonderful game night for the Saturday we were home. It was so fun to see some friends we had not seen in awhile and have a few laughs. I love board games!!

As great as the trip was, unfortunately, Ethan caught a little bug that he passed on to me when we got home which made a for a rough week. Luckily, I can always count on Josh to take charge when I am sick. And luckily Josh didn't get sick. He took great care of all of us and we made it through to the weekend!!

Not much to report today. Ethan paid us a visit in the middle of the night, so I spent some hours on the floor again. Right now, Ethan is watching me update his blog. This is a picture I just took today. He has become such a HAM anytime the camera comes out.

He has also taken to spontaneously singing - usually at the dinner time or in the car. It is a different song each time. Sometimes Josh and I just look at each other and laugh because we can't believe how many different tunes he knows. Tonight, it was 'Eenie, Menie, Minie, Moe".

He is very excited about the ride he will be taking on the airplane soon. He has been talking about it all day. He tried to convince his father to take him to the airport "right over there, daddy" on our way to church this morning.

I will be going in to work late tomorrow so I can take another trip to the post office....still trying to find our week old mail and get our lock fixed. This time, Ethan will be at daycare!

Josh had a friend, whose name is Flaco (like a flock of sheep with an O on the end), stay with us this weekend. He was in town for a volleyball tournament. We did the usual fajitas last night and then Josh made french toast this morning. Ethan absolutely loved Flaco. He climbed on him, hugged him and followed him everywhere. I think he was just excited to have someone else in the house besides Josh and I.

Well, time for bath and bed time!

Ethan: 1 Mommy; 0

So today, for the first time, I experienced a full toddler melt down in public. It was at the post office. It is a long story for why we were there. Basically, out here in residential neighborhoods, you don't have mailboxes on your house. You have a big metal box with little boxes for each house on your street. Well, this week, our lock broke. B-R-O-K-E

You can imagine the joy that is trying to get it fixed. I was at the post office to pick up the weeks worth of mail held hostage by our broken lock. All was going fine until the man decided he actually needed to talk to me. Ethan did not want to relinquish my attention. I asked Ethan to stand next to me and gave him my phone to play with. That was not sufficient.

Next thing I know, the phone is thrown on the floor. Next to it is my son kicking and screaming. Though I don't turn around, I know that EVERYONE in the post office is looking at me. I pick him up. He continues screaming....this time "D-A-D-D-Y!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This whole time, I am still trying to explain my situation to the man who can not find my mail anywhere in the entire office. As I am holding my screaming two year old, he is asking me for a phone number. Basically begging me to leave and promising to call with follow up about the status of our mail. (by the way, he never called.)

So I snatch Ethan up and head out. I did not make eye contact with one person as I was leaving the post office. I put him in his car seat and buckled him in. I realized at that moment that I am really mad at him. I have been frustrated and irritated by my son's stubbornness and independence many times, but this time, I was mad. I could hear all the parenting books I have read screaming in my ears...."You can not be mad at him - he is just 2! Have a constructive conversation with him. Don't tell him he is bad" I struggled hard to find the right words to explain to him why I was so "disappointed with his behavior", but on the inside, I was just pissed off!

As I got into the driver's seat, I told him he was not allowed to talk to me the entire ride home. Two or not, he understood and he did not make a peep.

I had big plans for today, but the whole incident just threw me off. As I was driving, I couldn't decide what thing to do next. We ended up at home, had lunch, took a nap. I was exhausted!

I realize looking back on it, as a parent, you just can't win in that situation. When your kid is screaming, if you discipline them, you are too strict.....if you give in to keep them from crying, you are spoiling them. You just have to do the best you can and pray that it works.

Adventures of the Toddler Bed!

So about a week ago, Ethan (who turned 2 in May) decided one night, it was just time to climb out of his crib. Apparently two years and two months is the longest he could stand being "trapped" in there.

It was a very interesting event. The middle of the night...I here a frightened cry, but it is not coming from the baby monitor. It is coming from our door way. I JUMP out of bed - literally. I am half away when I exit our door and find our toddler coming towards me, from our stairwell, crying. I have no idea what is going on at this point. Basically, I wake the next morning with him in the bed next to me. I immediately realize, things are about to change.

Obviously, we had to transition him to the big boy bed. We made it a big event. Really talked it up. Went to the store and let him specifcally pick out new sheets, blanket, etc. He went with Thomas the Train. We came home and he "helped" us make his new bed. We made the bed with the fixings. He was very excited. He went to sleep through his normal bath time, story time routine. But apparently, 2am was the magic number. For the next three nights, he would wake up at 2am, open his door, come to our room, open our door and call for us. At this point, I had the monitor way up, so I met him at the door, took him back to his room and put him back to sleep.

"Don't leave, mommy!" Those are the magic words.

I slept on the floor next to his new bed for three nights!

Two nights ago, he got up at 11:30pm. Josh took him this time. Josh only stayed in there an hour or so, then snuck out and he was good the rest of the night.

Then, last night, EUREKIA! We went a whole night in our big boy bed.

As I type, I can hear him snooring throught he monitor. Let's all cross our fingers that the trend continues.

Momma needs her sleep!!