Pottying

So we really don't write much on here, and I am not sure if anyone really reads it...BUT we are having a bit of a dilemma at our house and I am looking for any advice I can find. We are trying some potty training with Erin. I wouldn't say she is super excited about it, so we are having trouble getting off the ground (literally - she is having accidents on the floor!). She knows when she is going and will keep going if I catch her in the act and plop her on the potty (little plastic potty for now...the big one is terrifying to her). She will sit on the potty if I ask her to, and will stay there if we read books or sing songs, but won't actually start going when she's sitting there or voluntarily go sit on it. We have been at it for 3 weeks, stuck in the same stage.

She won't wear underwear and I am anti-pullup (for now) due to their cost and I cannot see much difference between those and diapers...so we end up only trying at home and I let her go bare-bottomed. She loves it, but it is a huge mess! I am going to get some cloth training pants tomorrow and try those, just to hopefully help contain the mess.

So, if anyone out there reads this and has any helpful pointers, we would love to hear them! I am not ready to give up yet! I think she is capable of doing it, but just doesn't seem to care enough to try.

15 Months Old!

Our baby is 15 months old! She went to the doctor for her checkup on Friday and weighed in at 23 lbs. 14 oz. (approximate), which is the 66th percentile. She is 31-3/4" tall (86th percentile), and her big ol' head is 19" around (96th percentile). She is our big girl! Everything checked out good, and she got 3 shots, which she was NOT happy about. She was also generally not happy to be there, but cooperated the bare minimum.

So, what's the latest with Anna Kathryn? She is now a walking pro. She has not crawled in over 3 weeks and rarely falls anymore. She is into everything, and we lovingly call her our terror. She really is...loud, opinionated, bold, and curious! We love it and wouldn't trade it for anything. She is the polar opposite of her sister, which is lots of fun, and challenging at times! She is saying a few things - dada, mama, yogurt, go, again, bye-bye, and elmo. We love it! She is not afraid to tell you what she wants, and there is usually no question about it. She has 12 teeth, a molar on each side. She drinks like crazy - milk, water, juice boxes, whatever she can get her hands on. She eats ok - definitely more picky than Erin, but she will eat well if she likes what she has. And she's a serious snacker! I often feel bad because Erin gets a lot of attention, but Anna makes sure that she gets what she needs too. I love having time alone with her now that Erin is in preschool 2 mornings a week.

Anyway, that's our little big girl in a nutshell! We love her so much!

Bonus Room Redo

Those of you who have been to our house know the beauty that was our bonus room. Here is a reminder of the brown and orange sponge paint. Try to ignore the adorable (much younger-looking) kid in the foreground:

Yesterday, we (mostly Bob while I watched the kids) repainted the whole room a lovely light green. It is MUCH better! We are glad to have that crossed off our list!

This picture gets the color most right. It is ironically very close to the background of this blog:

And I found this cute tree decal at Target:

I might want to get another one or something similar...maybe we'll have a forest someday!

Fort Wayne trip!

We just got back from a great trip to Fort Wayne! We are pretty pooped tonight, but here is a short recap:

Thursday 8/4 - left at 6am, got there around 6pm, no problems.
Friday 8/5 - to the lake, boat ride, swimming.
Saturday 8/6 - zoo, dinner with Dr. Katie, Fort Wayne "sightseeing"

Sunday 8/7 - church, back to the lake for the big family get-together, another boat ride and swimming, big dinner at the lake with everyone.

Monday 8/8 - left around 6:15am, got back around 7:30pm. We had a couple of construction delays and a little traffic, so it just took awhile longer, but the kids still did great.

All of our pictures are HERE. We had a terrific time, and the girls did great! I will try to write more after we get some rest...Bella also did great here at home with our pet sitter. It was a wonderful trip!

Preschool

Erin is now in her fifth week of school (technically fourth - they were closed one of those weeks) at White Plains in Cary, and I am just now writing a post about it. I must say, I am so very proud of our big girl! She was not too sure about it at first, but she has willingly gone every day without any screaming, has participated somewhat in the class activities, and the teachers say that she is adjusting very well. Let me just say that this has been a pleasant surprise...anyway, we are so happy that she was able to start going there. Anna and I are also very happy to be buzzing around Cary two mornings a week...we've gotten a lot done in the shopping department! All necessities, of course.

Here's Erin on her first day, snubbing her Care Bears backpack.

Now, saying cheese:
We're so proud of her! She's doing a great job!