Licking the Beaters

I'm blogging about this because my poor children have been stuck with such a Type A mother. I've never offered for them to lick the beaters because I don't want them to eat raw egg. We baked a cake for Lorne and used Egg Beaters so I let them lick away! Who wants to bet I should probably use them from now on.....


Chloe takes her beater-lickin' seriously!

I know he looks like Lorne, but the cheese is all Kelly!

"Are you going to finish that?"

What a little bugaboo!

Happy Birthday Andrew!

Jesse and Laura's son Andrew celebrated his third birthday at MyGym in Plano. The kids all had so much fun running and playing on all of the equipment. Our kids did great, but Sawyer was none too impressed with the zip line. He seemed ready to ride, and then the girl didn't lift him properly so he had time to get scared, I think. All in all it was a fun way to spend an afternoon, and the kids took great naps afterward!

I thought this was a great picture of Sawyer!

Chloe is our little dare devil!

The birthday boy with his motorcycle cake.

Christopher, the big brother.

Sawyer and Sophia enjoyed their cake and juice.

Chloe and Presea think they're getting away with something.

I'd love another picture like this one in fifteen years to see how they have all changed.

Chloe is Seventeen Months Old!

Chloe is now seventeen months old, still going on three! I swear this little girl was never really little. Once she realized she could try to keep up with her big brother there has been no turning back!

I don't know if it's that the pushing has decreased or she is just better on her feet, but she seems to be getting knocked down less and that is a blessing. She is actually holding her own more and more. I was checking out at Sam's the other day, placing the items on the belt, when I heard a Chloe scream erupt. I looked at Sawyer and asked, "What happened?" The old man behind us in line didn't miss a beat and replied, "She started it." It was classic! I think that was one of those moments I will never forget because it reminds me that it may not always be the big brother who is the instigator in the situation. I'd better keep my eye on little Buggy too!

The biggest thing from this month is that we moved her from her high chair to her very own booster on August 10th. We took the leaf out of the table so now we have a table with four chairs, two of them occupied by boosters, in the breakfast nook. It actually makes meals a *little* less hectic because we each have a child on both sides. It seems to make it easier to keep them happy. Lorne stored the leaf and the two extra chairs in the guest bedroom.

I'm not sure if her words are coming around as quickly as other children, but it sure is entertaining to carry on a conversation with her. She says the words ice, Annie, no, and Daddy very clearly. The rest is still a rousing rendition of squeals, grunts, and downright aggravation on her part. We're trying to use signs and also cut her off at the pass before she starts in on one of her rants, especially during meals. I know that the words will come, and if she's anything like Sawyer, once they get here they'll never stop!

Thanks for the ladybug outfit Miss Denise!

I was so glad to get a shot of our wiggle worm.

I can only seem to get one of them to smile at a time.

See what I mean?

Sawyer's Potty Prize

It has been Potty Training Central around here since July 19th. That was when we got serious about trying the potty training again. His incentive this time was a chart with stickers. He got to choose a sticker each time he used the potty and was clean and dry. I tried a "treasure bowl" last summer and almost went into the poor house buying Matchbox cars and other trinkets. I was so happy when the stickers worked.

It seemed like perfect timing for Sawyer to get to open his prize today since we're on day three of rain. It's too bad that I'm a horrible mother and didn't think to buy anything for Chloe. Instead of hours of entertainment, the morning was spent with hours of fighting over the cash register. I've definitely learned my lesson. I now know that I should have bought a little something for Chloe Bug. I think Lorne's going to get in the attic when he gets home so that we can recycle the toys and find something for her too. We're thinking that would solve the problem, but I'm thinking Sawyer will want anything CHLOE has since it will be "new" again.

Sawyer was very excited as he added his final sticker to his potty chart.

"What is it, Mommy?"

"I love my cash register!"

Chloe wanted to help Sawyer find the bar codes.

Sawyer responded in his usual way.