Niles Apple Festival

So, to kick off the fall season, we traveled to Niles and attended the Apple Festival.  We spent most of the time on the rides with Michael, and managed to leave without buying any apples!  Oops!

Here are some pics from the fun:

 

Getting his face painted.  He was concentrating on sitting very still.  Such a serious face!

 

Riding the motorcycles.  We do not know the kid up front - he just insisted on riding with Michael!

 

In the big rig!

 

One of his favorites, the carousel!

In the house of glass/mirrors with mom!

 

Boy, this mirror makes me look funny!

 

Ahoy, Mateys!!

 

Next weekend:  The Pumpkin Patch!

Potty Training Boot Camp

Well, "Boot Camp" is a harsh term, but we had a mission to really get the ball rolling this weekend. MJ had all the signs of being ready, but up until this point, he would just sit and sit and sit on the potty, but wouldn't go. We decided to spend the entire weekend at home, and do this thing!! So here was the plan:

1) Bottom half totally nekkid. We have tried everything else (Pull Ups, Training Pants, regular underwear), with no success, so bare bottom it is!

2) Pump the boy full of fluids.

3) Take him to the potty once every hour, unless he needs to go sooner.

4) Keep him confined to the kitchen and family room, to minimize cleaning up accidents all over the house.

I am happy to report that we had great success!! On Saturday, he went on the potty 8 times!! We had some small accidents, where he would start to go, but then we would tell him to hold it and then rush him to the potty where he would then finish going. We were really encouraged at bath time. He said he had to go potty, so Mike plucked him out of the tub, and Micheal went potty - on the regular toilet, not his potty chair!

Since Saturday went so well, we decided to try the underwear again. That didn't go so well. He peed twice, and pooped once in his underwear. So, it was back to bare bottom again. From there he went potty 8 times throughout the day on his potty chair. Woot!!

We have a potty chart in the bathroom, and whenever he pees in the potty, he receives a sticker. He is proud of his stickers, but by the end of the day Sunday, he didn't even care if he was rewarded a sticker or not. He would just run into the bathroom when he had to go, did his business, then ran back out and continued playing. I just hope that going to daycare doesn't set us back too much. He has to wear Pull Ups there, and I am not sure if he has learned enough to ask to go to the potty, or if he will just go in his Pull Up. I am anxious to get the report when we pick him up this afternoon!

Our 4th Wedding Anniversary

We had a nice evening out, just the 2 of us. We enjoyed a scrumptious dinner at The Vine, and then decided to take a stroll along the River Walk. It is so nice to see the efforts the city is putting into making the downtown area look clean and inviting!

We ended the evening with a flick - Tropic Thunder. Not exactly a date movie, but we thought it was hilarious!

Here were are at The Vine. Yes, I am a dork, and asked the waiter to take our picture. It is rare that we have a picture of just the two of us. Once of us (mostly me) is usually taking the pictures!

Who needs a ladder?

Michael has discovered a way to climb up to the top bunk of his beds without the ladder.  I caught him up there after I went in his room to see why he was being so quiet.  He was all smiles and proud of himself.  When I asked him how he did it, this is what he did (never dropping Mr. Lizard):

 

I got too nervous watching him that I stopped taking pictures and went over to him, so I didn't get anymore shots until he was at the top:

So, we had to remove the toy that he used as a step stool.  Hopefully that will deter him for a little while, until he finds something else to use, that is!

Congrats Pinkey & Kooter!

Well, this weekend was the big day!  Our close friends, Mike & Tanya, are now Mr. & Mrs. Michael Koets.  Congrats to them, and we cannot thank them enough for allowing us to be a part of their special day.  It was an honor, and we also thank them for a great time Saturday!  The bride looked beautiful, the groom was as handsome as ever, the wedding was perfect, and the reception was a blast!!  The only drawback was the rain, which in turn produced two tornadoes in the area, as Tanya was walking down the aisle.  But we were safe.  If rain on your wedding day is good luck, than rain & tornadoes mean these two are going to have a very long, looooong, & happy life together!!!

It was a busy weekend, and it was a bit of a challenge for us.  Our adorable son decided to use this weekend to demonstrate what the "terrible twos" really meant!  We love this boy to death, but man, did he stress us out!   I think all the excitement, lack of naps, and change in schedule was the root of all of it.  There were times when it didn't matter what we did, he just wouldn't be consoled.  Our apologies to Mike & Tanya (or anyone else that was in earshot of his wails) if his behavior disrupted anything too much!

But he certainly made us proud!  When the time came, he walked down that aisle like a champ, and I think Mike & I were both holding back tears as we walked behind him.  All the tension we felt over the last 24 hours just melted away.  He got a little impatient and hungry after the ceremony was over, but once we reached the reception, he found his new buddies, Tyler & Ryan, and he had so much fun with them!  We hope there is another opportunity to get those boys together again.  They are great kids!!

We had arranged beforehand that Michael would go home with Grandma & Grandpa Kissel that night, and when the time came, he didn't want to go.  I felt bad for him, and as much as I was ready for a break, I was sad to see him leave.  I missed the little dude as soon as he left.  But man, did it feel good to finally relax!!

I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked at the reception.  My camera sat at the head table most of the night.  I didn't even get a picture of Michael in his tux.  I know the photographer took some, so I am anxious to see how those turned out.  If anyone out there has one, please e-mail it to me!

We missed the gift opening the next day, but we needed to relieve Grandma and Grandpa.  He did great with them, and I am sure he would have been fine there for a few more hours, but we missed him.  Plus, we needed to get back to the dogs too.  We relaxed the rest of the day at home, and posted our pics on Facebook.  Here's a few: