Family Photo

It's been a while (last Christmas) since our last official family photo.  Penny asked me the other day if we had one that he could use to display our family as he begins the job hunt process.  We took many pictures, but Laine was not in the mood to smile for the camera... what two year old is?  This is the best one we came up with.  Enjoy!  

 

Apple Picking

What started as a weekend when Penny had to be out of town turned into mother-daughter bonding time.  We did several fun things together and tried to make the most of our time without Daddy.

  

One thing I've been wanting to do with Laine is go apple picking.  This weekend we made it out to Eckert's Farm near St. Louis and picked some apples and a pumpkin.  


We went for a wagon ride, ate the apples while in the orchard, and wandered through the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin for us.

Once we got home Laine and I made a yummy apple crisp thanks to Shannon Walker's great recipe.  I'm normally not a huge fan of apple pie, but this was delicious.  Thanks Shannon!

Potty Training! (Part 2)

This has been a much better week in the potty training process.  Laine made it through church this morning without any accidents, and I was able to make it through the morning without tears in my eyes.  (Pregnancy emotionalism played a role in the tears last week, I'm sure!)  Laine has also used the potty several days in a row in public places - a huge step for her.

All of this to say I'm realizing potty training is a process, no matter how few days the books say it takes to potty train your child.  The initial fundamentals were quickly picked up, but it takes a little longer for practice to become perfect.  Thanks for everyone's encouragement!

My little cyclist

Laine has become an accomplished (tri)cyclist lately, and I couldn't be more excited.  A few more years and we'll be able to go on real bike rides together!

Learning to cook

Laine has been interested in "helping" me cook lately.  Whenever I start fixing dinner she gets out the step stool and pulls it up to the counter.  It's been really fun to show her what I'm doing and let her do a few things here and there.  She often sticks her hands right in the middle of the mixing bowl though, so I have to be quick to stop her from eating our uncooked creation!  It makes me look forward to fixing meals and other goodies together in the future.  (Note the partially hidden view of the baby bump - 25 weeks along now!)

Spoke too soon

Okay, so since I posted yesterday morning Laine has had several potty accidents while we've been out of the house.  This morning at church was a disaster!  I'm sure this has happened to others, but it makes me want to give up!  I know I need to be perseverant, and it will "click" with her soon.  Just wanted to get that out there.

Potty Training!

This week was Potty Training Week for Laine!  We started on Tuesday and worked diligently at teaching, talking about it, and practicing using the "big girl potty" for the next few days.  Laine was a champ and learned quickly how to ask to use the potty and then use it.  I think she was more ready than I realized.  I've been putting off training because I didn't want to put in the effort, but it's been a fun process to see her do so well.  I have to say that I was thoroughly exhausted by the end of the first day though.  I haven't been that intense about staying right by Laine's side all throughout the house in months!

I borrowed three potty training books from neighbors, and my favorite one is called Three Day Potty Training by Lora Jensen.  I highly recommend buying this book online and using it to help train your little ones.