A few things to keep in mind when potty training....

Since we are going on 9 months of potty training with Carlee, I thought I would share some things I have learned through this experience (I know this is such a great blog topic, huh?).

1. Wait until your child is ready and excited about using the potty. I learned that just because I was ready to stop changing diapers didn't mean Carlee was. If you wait, then maybe your child will potty train faster. I was potty trained not Carlee (I would just take her potty every 30 minutes, lots of work).

2. Be patient!! This is huge in having success. The more upset I got, the more Carlee was unwilling to use the potty.

3. Sticker charts and candy worked well for us. She now gets stickers for keeping her panties all the way dry. We're making progress.

4. They will have accidents, so be prepared. Stock up on paper towels, Clorox wipes and laundry detergent. You probably want to purchase extra shorts and lots of underwear. I learned that pull-ups don't work if you really want them to get the concept down.

5. Be prepared your bathroom will no longer look beautiful and clean anymore. Carlee insist on doing everything herself (wiping, washing hands, etc.). She wants her privacy just like me now.

6. Don't ask them if they need to go to the potty until they are going to the bathroom by themselves without you asking. Just take them before you leave the house and when you arrive at your destination. Carlee would always say, "No" even if she did have to go.

7. When they do have accidents, just say, "It's ok, we just have to clean it." Do not make a big deal over it or they will think they did something wrong and may never want to to it again.

8. Public restroom are disgusting, but know where they are at every store you go to. The closest one to the tree at the mall is in Build-A-Bear (if you did not know),

9. Don't have any expectations. I thought Carlee was potty trained in one week because she had pee-pee and poop in the potty, but I was wrong.

10. You might consider purchasing a kids book for them to read so they can get the idea. We got "My Big Girl Potty" by Joanna Cole.

11. One last thing- fiber, fiber, fiber. Make sure they eat plenty of it. hahaha

These are only my opinions and something I just wanted to pass on to the next mom who might be preparing for or in this fun season. God bless you! You will get through it and they will be trained before Kindergarten, I'm sure. Please feel free to comment what has worked for you so others can learn from your advice.

Quint's Shower

My Mother-in-Love, Randle, my Sister-in-Love, Quint and me
The delicious spread. Check out the daiper cake I made for her in the far right corner. It was my first one. I loved blessing Quint and my baby nephew. Many people showered her with love and encouragement. What a great time of fellowship, food and fun!
The mama-to-be and her belly. She is just adorable!

This was one of my first baby showers to throw and I had such a blast. Randle and I pulled it off after one crazy week and with God's help it all worked beautifully. I'm so thankful I could be apart of blessing my little nephew. We are excited that our family is growing. We are looking forward to meeting Nathan Elijah. I'm going to be an AUNT!!

Our 6th Anniversary Dinner

Greg and I went to Mark's American Cuisine. The evening was perfect. They sat us in the middle of the balcony. This restaurant used to be a church. It is beautiful and quaint. I loved it!
We enjoyed delicious food. Food that you chew slowly and let melt in your mouth. For the appetizer we had three different types of crab with some fruit. Here is a picture.
For the main entree I had Ivory King Salmon with rice pilaf and veggies. It was two types of salmon wrapped together. The presentation was beautiful. I almost didn't want to mess it up. I don't think I have ever had such wonderful food where I chewed it slowly to fully appreciate the taste. The meal was heavenly and made me think.... maybe this is just a taste of what the marriage supper of the Lamb will be like. I know it will be better, but the food was that good.
Greg had the Venison and Lamb chops with sweet potatoes and veggies. His was delicious. And for dessert he had Creme Brulee with sugar cookies and berries.

And I had a Blueberry tart that had a cream cheese filling and a graham cracker crust. It was divine! We pretty much shared our desserts. They put a candle on my plate to congratulate us. So thoughtful!
Along with our food we enjoyed our favorite wine Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. This restaurant is a great place for celebrating. The service was amazing. Every time I used the restroom, someone was there to pull out my chair or open a door. They don't even give you a menu until you are ready to look at a menu. It made me feel like a princess or royality. Greg and I had a lovely time talking and enjoying each others company. I loved this anniversary!

Strawberry Picking

It has become a tradition now to go to The King's Orchard to pick some strawberries during our Anniversary week. It was beautiful day for it. This year we decided to wear red, white and blue (instead of white and yellow, like last year) and actually match the strawberry juice that was seeping onto our clothes. Carlee remembered from last year that this was the place she ate strawberries as she picked them. She would say, "umm, this is delicious." Daddy and I helped her pick them at the stem, so the strawberry would not get bruised. Carlee did a great job and definitely tryed her best. Zachary on the other hand, clobbered the strawberries and destroyed almost everyone he touched. It was a sight. He was brutal to these delicate fruits. We couldn't help but laugh at his technique. We spent about an hour or so picking and ended up with 8 1/2 pounds. We like to freeze them and save them for smoothies. It is Greg's job to wash and dry the strawberries and choose the ones that will be frozen, saved for chocolate dipping, ripe and ready to eat quick or whatever (he likes to do this and is quit the perfectionist when it comes to taking care of these strawberries). This day was a lot of fun.... a bit challenging with two, but enjoyable.

Happy Anniversary Bebe' (for my husband)

Our Honeymoon in St. Marteen
Our First Anniversary, in San Diego
Our 2nd Anniversary, in Fredericksburg
Our 3rd Anniversary, we had dinner at Rainbow Lodge
Our 4th Anniversary, in Kemah

Our 5th Anniversary, strawberry picking and then dinner at Fogo de Chao

My bebe- You are truely the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are a picture of Christ in the flesh. I'll never forget the day we met and thinking, "he is the one I will spend the rest of my life loving." You are not hard to love bebe. I have been blessed by everything you are. You know me inside and out and yet you love me unconditionally just as Christ has told you to do. You sharpen me like none other and make me desire to be more like Jesus everyday not just by what you say, but by what you do. I love you and thank you for all you are to me and to our family. May the next year hold many great blessings from our Lord. Happy Anniversary!

Love always, your bebe'


Where will we go for our 6th Anniversary?? We are up for any recommendations you may have.

10 Months

Zachary is on the move: pulling up, cruising, crawling, and non-stop. I find him all over the place. He is always trying to find new things. One of his favorite places is the little corner in our living room that has Carlee's kitchen and food. He loves banging the pans, eating the food and playing with the faucet. Despite such movement, he still finds time to lay on my shoulder and give me sweet hugs..... and oh how he loves his mama. It melts my heart! Zachary is really starting to understand what we say. He definitely knows the word hungry and basketball. He is "ALL BOY!" This little guy is eating really good trying new foods and transitioning into eating bite size pieces. I forgot how long it takes to chew. Mealtime takes at least 30 minutes now. Zachary is waking up twice a night at the same times every night, so Greg and I are sleep deprived and about to start letting him cry it out. You can be prayer about this because he is very loud and demanding. Life is fun with these two. There is never a dull moment. I look at our life right now and can't help but thank the Lord for where he has us (Greg and I): desperate, dependant and in need of Him. Kinda like our kids, but we are His kids. We love our children and have so many fun moments with them. We laugh, cry and enjoy life together. God is Good!