At Last

Over the past two months, Philip and I have been working together on potty training, and tonight, Philip finally earned his last sticker for his chart. Those of you who encouraged me along the way, thank you. This was no walk in the park, but then again potty training rarely is. Honestly, I was ready to give up before I started. I was sure we were going to be on this journey for the next year, at least, but thank goodness we will not be.

Instead of handing out candy after each success, we do a sticker chart. Once the sticker chart is filled up, a bigger (within reason) reward is given. In Levin's case, he knew long before we began, what he would want. That being, a weed eater. Philip never came up with what he might like, so mommy got to decide. Conveniently enough, the item had been purchased months ago and stashed away for a future birthday gift or something. What can I say, I love finding good deals.

Philip was pretty excited. In fact, for the past few weeks, he has been talking about when he would earn his treat, whatever it would be, it would be something he could share with his brothers. And share he has done. What a sweet kid.

Now, if Owen is like his brothers, I have a good 2 1/2 years before I need to begin this whole process again. Phew, I could use a good break.

Kids can be so funny

I want to share with you all a funny little conversation that we had, with Philip, over lunch today. Somehow, the question of whether cows dance or not, came up. Without pausing to think about the answer, Philip jumped right in and said, "No...well, sometimes, when they do the milk shake." Where do kids think up these things?

Party

Here are the pictures, from Owen's birthday party, that I promised to share with you.

Just In

We had well child check ups for both Levin and Owen this morning, and they both did great. At five years old, Levin weighs 43# and is 43 " tall. He was happy to share any and everything the doctor asked or did not ask.

Following a rough week of sickness, Owen is doing much better. I took him into the doctor last Friday, after a week of flu like symptoms and no appetite. He showed a slight ear infection in one ear, but nothing we felt needed treatment. The days following, proved to be long and hard, and daddy was gone for an overnight trip in the middle of it all. We all came through, and his ears looked better at the doctor today.

Now twelve months old, Owen weighed in at 22#, 5 oz., and is 30 inches. This puts him at 34% for his weight and 51% for his height. Hard to believe, but he weighs two pounds less then Philip did at 12 months, and is only 7 ounces less then Levin was. But, he is an inch longer than both the other boys were. Hmmm.... It is fun to see at each stage where all three boys have compared.

Happy First Birthday Owen

In honor of Owen's birthday, I will share a few pictures. The first picture is one taken an hour or so after he was born, one year ago. The rest of the photos were all taken this past week. It sure is amazing how much a baby can change in just a years time. Happy Birthday sweet Owen!

Birthday breakfast. Chocolate chip pancakes with whip cream.

No Excuse

I will not try to make any excuses for the delay in posting, but will simply jump back in close to where I left off. I have intended for some time to catch you all up on Levin's family birthday party, which took place a week after his actual birthday, but let's face it. Blogging takes time, and well, I would rather spend my free moments doing other things. So, since nearly two months have past since this party, I will share just two pictures.

Levin, wearing his chef coat, made by Grandma Ann. He got to help mix up his birthday cake.

The finished product.

I will be back soon to share pictures from Owen's first birthday party, which we had this past Saturday. I cannot believe he will be one on Friday!

Sneak Peek

So, after many months of looking at sock monkeys online (for the boys), I finally settled for making my own. I mean, how hard could it be, right? When I was out at Pacific fabrics last week, I picked up a set of Rockford Red Socks, and got to work.

So, he's not perfect, and I learned a bit through my first try, but overall he turned out ok. His legs are not quite as lumpy as this picture portrays, but you get the idea of what he looks like. I am planning to give this one to Owen for his first birthday, which is in just over a month! So, shhhhh, don''t tell him.