Kate's Accidents

The kind of accidents I am talking about are the ones that should be going in the toilet. I am out of ideas dealing with Kate and having accidents(both kinds) in her underwear. I have tried both negative and positive reinforcement and nothing works. She has an accident at least two times a day. I have tried Pull-ups and she ends up pulling them down when we're not looking. It's extremely frustrating at night because she is almost always peeing the bed and then I am washing her sheets all the time. I started telling her I was only going to wash her sheets once a week like I normally do and that if she has an accident she'll have to sleep in it. At first it really bothered her and she didn't have as many accident but now she doesn't care. I was even taping her Pull-up on at night after she fell asleep so she couldn't take it off. It worked but I just didn't want to have to keep doing it. I go in waves with her because I know part of it is not her fault. She still has constipation issues and so when she is sleeping at night and her body relaxes the urine that was backed up just comes out. I'll be really positive for awhile and do rewards and tell her how good shes doing and say "it's okay" when she has accidents but then it just finally wears on me and I turn into this mean mom who is always getting after her about her accidents. I'm allowing this to bring out the worst in me as a mother and I hate it. It stresses me out because it increases my laundry, my cleaning around the house and takes up extra time having to remember to remind her to go to the bathroom. It's gotten to the point where I have to remind her almost every time. This past two weeks have been really hard because Doug went out of town for 5 days and then Alexa and I were sick and so I was just getting back on top of things again and Kate started having more accidents so I've been really stressed about it. I know this time will pass and it makes me sad because Kate is such a sweet, cute little girl and I feel like I am missing out on who she is because I am always getting upset with her about the accidents. If anyone has any advice on this subject I would really appreciate it.

Alexa's 15 Month Checkup

Cheese!

I took Alexa in for her 15 month check up yesterday. She was supposed to have her well visit but due to a major diarrhea episode it turned into a sick visit. She has been battling with diarrhea for about 2 weeks and I thought she was finished with it and then just before we got to the doctor she had a blowout. She was such a mess and it had oozed onto her car seat which I had just cleaned the day before from her previous blowouts the week before. I got her all cleaned up and luckily I had a bag of clothes to take to the Goodwill so I found an old shirt of mine and put it on her. The diarrhea mess had gotten everywhere my shirt included but I was able to get it out. I was completely flustered when I finally made it inside for the appointment. After I explained to the front desk lady what happened she was able to get me in for a sick visit. The doctor said she could still do her shots but I decided to wait until her body is functioning like normal because she usually has a reaction to the shots and gets a fever.

Alexa says eyes and points to everyone's eyes, nearly poking them, its her favorite thing to do. She has started to repeat words we say. She has learned a couple of new signs, eat, fish and airplane. It was really cute, last Friday at my friends house Alexa saw a picture of her little girl eating and all of sudden Alexa started putting her hand to her mouth and saying eat eat eat and then she started laughing. When she sees an airplane she points at it and then does the sign with her hand up high and makes the airplane engine sound that I make. She says cheese when we are taking a picture and gets this huge grin on her face. I love it because she has these cute little dimples. She is so cute!

She gets our shoes for us and usually knows whose are whose. She lets Cocoa out of her cage when she's not supposed to, naughty girl.

She still loves to play outside. She wants to jump a lot lately. She'll point to the back yard and then make a motion like she's jumping up and down.

I Love Couponing

I am really going to miss having a grocery store that triples the value of your coupons. I have gotten some great deals. This is my latest bargain at the Harris Teeter. I got all the items pictured above for $13.50. In the past I have gotten Huggies baby wipes, 64 count, for $1, Electrosal gel tabs dish washing detergent, a years supply for just the cost of the coupons, $8.50, Shout stain remover for free, Viva paper towels for free, All detergent for $2, shaving gel/cream for me for $.45, dental floss for free at Walmart, Huggies flushable wipes for $.14 and many more food and other items for super cheap. I have about 6 months to a year supply of most of the cleaning and toiletry stuff. It's so nice because it's all the brands I like to use but wouldn't normally buy always because they're too expensive. I have some great friends out here who got me started on it and I am so thankful to them for it. I think it's fun to see how inexpensive I can get something for. It's kind of addicting.

Latest Craft

9/16/09-I found out how to make those Baby Legs that they sell for around $12 or more. I wanted to make some for MaKenna as arm warmers for school because she always gets cold in class. I made her a couple of pairs when school started. She loves them. They also look so cute on Alexa and she liked wearing them to bed tonight. Kate wanted some too, of course because MaKenna had some. She thought she was so fancy wearing them as you can see by her pose. They are so easy and inexpensive. It's just the cost of the socks which I've gotten most of them for $2.50.

Kate's Opinion On Modesty

Kate has been telling us lately that she thinks being "unmodest" is good. When she sees an immodestly dresses girl on TV or out around town she tells us that she likes the way they look and that they are pretty. I guess I should back up even further. Kate has been talking about things being ugly for some time now, her hair, some of her toys, people, things in books and magazines and more. At four years old she has quite an opinion on what is pretty or not. In fact one day last week she told Doug his singing was ugly. Then she said the look he was making while singing was ugly. She proceeded to show him what a pretty look was. I wish I would have had my camera at the time because you need to see her face to get a better understanding of how she is. I'll try to describe it the best I can. She puts her hands on her hips and turns her head to one side and then puts her lips together and puckers like she is going to give a kiss and then looks real serious. Then she said, "that is a pretty look." Of course we are trying everything in our power not to laugh too hard because she is completely serious. That brings me to yesterday. We were driving home after dropping Doug off and out of the blue she says to me, " mom what if I had an unmodest name." I asked, "what would an immodest name be Kate?" She said,"unmodest pretty Kate." I couldn't help but laugh and so I was trying to hide it. I'm sure it's just a phase but I am starting to wonder. I remember MaKenna at this age she would point out everyone that was immodest and tell them. She had no tolerance for it. It just shows how different each kid is. I am hoping this doesn't last.

Kate's Mug Shots

Kate stole some lip gloss from Walmart this past weekend while Doug was gone. I didn't find out for 3 days and the way I found out was that I caught her sneaking around with it. She has tried a couple times this past month to steal things but I would catch her in time. After I caught her and we talked about it she said,"will I have to go to jail mom." I told her what happens to people who steal stuff and she got a little scared. I made her take it back and apologize to the clerk and pay for it. On her own she decided she was going to pinky promise the clerk that she would never do it again. She reached her little hand up their with her pinky out so I explained to the clerk what she was doing and she though it was so cute she just laughed. A couple of the employees were telling me I did a good job they said "you have to start them young in keeping them honest."

Alexa Loves Purses

Alexa loves playing with the girls purses. She will climb all the way upstairs to get one. Then she will fill it with fun stuff and carry it around the house all day. She will take them in the car as well. It's so cute.

The Girls and Their Bikes

9/13/09-MaKenna had outgrown her bike so we went and got her an early Christmas/birthday present and bought her a new one. She loves riding it. The bike is big enough to last her a while. It's a cute little beach cruiser. Kate was thrilled because that meant she got a new bike as well. Well new to her. She is doing so well riding it too. She only had a little four wheeler before but had practiced riding her friends little bike last fall and so she had some experience already. She still has a hard time going up and down the curb and asks me to help her. She looks so cute in her little helmet and reminds me every time that she needs to wear it.

Daddy's Home!

Doug got home from Boston last night and the girls were so excited to see him and see what he brought them. :) They really missed him though. MaKenna asked about him every day he was gone. They loved talking to him on the phone. Even Alexa could tell her daddy was missing. When he called I'd put the phone up to her ear and she'd look at the phone and smile and then try and figure out where her dads voice was coming from. On the way to the airport to pick him up the girls were making him welcome home signs which they couldn't wait to show him. When we got there and he came out, the girls were shouting can we get out and see him and Alexa was saying "da-da, da-da," she's so sweet. The girls ran out and gave him a big hug and then as soon as Doug got in the car Alexa was smiling so big. The girls love their daddy. I was very happy to have him home again as well. I think I was in survival mode for the 5 days he was gone.

Doug Is The Biggest Loser

Doug decided he wanted to lose some weight after trying on clothes last week and they didn't fit. He started last Saturday and his goal was to lose over 11 pounds before he left for Boston which was this Friday. It would be 11 1/2 pounds in 7 days. He didn't reach his goal but he still amazed me and lost 10 pounds. He is so good about being dedicated when he has a goal. He was exercising two times a day and cutting out all junk food.

Cocoa's A New Dog!

I am a little embarrassed to admit this but I will, we just got our dog Cocoa's hair cut for the first time last week. We've had her for about 7 months and had been washing her at home. We got a little lax on the brushing part and so she was so matted that the groomer had to practically shave her to be able to comb through her hair. She looked like a completely different dog when we got her back. She wasn't as cute anymore. I hope her hair grows fast or she might get left somewhere accidentally. lol I'm kidding of course. It wouldn't be on accident. Alright so maybe I don't love this dog and am trying to do my best to be good about having her. We have talked many times about getting rid of her and even tried once but it didn't work out with the other family that wanted her. Doug and I talked it over a couple of weeks ago and decided that we would keep her with the idea that he would work on training her. I didn't realize how much work a puppy really is. If anyone who has young children or a baby is thinking about getting a dog I say wait.

The Home Stretch

Doug is in Boston right now for his annual Perio conference and I just finished talking to him a little while ago and he said, "do you realize we only have 9 1/2 months until we are finished?" It just hit me that we are really almost done. I know that we are in the last year here but when I thought about it being under 10 months it made me realize how little time we have left. There are still so many things I want to do over here. This past week I had been reflecting on our time out here and how much I have grown. I have met some great people and seen many interesting and beautiful things and places. The pace of life out here is much slower and although it really bothered me in the beginning I've actually gotten used to it. I don't know that I could live in a big city again with all the traffic and so much going on all the time. I never thought I'd say that but I have come to enjoy a more relaxed environment. Doug and I have talked incessantly about where we want to move and still have yet to come any closer to a decision. Our families are mostly back west and so that is a big draw but we don't really want to live in Vegas again. We thought about areas close to it and we have some good friends down in AZ so that is an option but I don't know that I could handle a hotter place than Vegas. There's CA but that place is kind of a mess right now and it's too expensive . Doug served his mission in TX so we have talked about moving there as well but nothing has felt right yet. This is such a hard decision. I know we'll figure it out. I just want to know now! :)

Columbia SC Temple

I am ashamed to admit this but I went to the temple for the first time since we have been out here today. I know I'm a big slacker. I have committed myself to going more regularly. Doug and I were going to try and do a session together but we couldn't find someone to babysit all day for us. The closest temple is in Columbia which is about 2 hours away so it's an all day thing. Alexa seems to be doing better with other people so we might be able to get a babysitter next time. Otherwise I think we will just take turns. Doug will go one trip I'll go the next time. We can't even switch the same day because the sessions are too close together.

It felt so nice to be there. It feels like home to me. I think I felt it even more because I hadn't been in so long. It's good to know that we can be many miles from our earthly homes but feel so close to our heavenly one. I love the temple and the comforting feeling I get each time I go.

I'm Back!

Well I never really quit blogging, it has just taken me a while to finish all my posts. Have fun catching up on our lives for the past month.

Green Smoothie Challenge

I have been doing this challenge for the past 13 days where I have to drink 3 green smoothies and make one of them a meal replacement. If you are not familiar with what a green smoothie is, I wasn't when I heard about them, it is a smoothie which has lots of greens blended in with other vegetables and fruits. The only liquid you use is water. I feel so great. I have more energy and mental clarity than I have had in a long time. I also don't have as many aches and pains as I used to. Man I sound old. Doug is doing it with me. We haven't followed it exactly because it is a lot of produce to buy which adds up but we drink at least two most days. If you are interested the website is greensmoothiechallenge.com. I encourage everyone reading this to give it a try.

Kate's First Haircut At A Salon

Tuesday 8/25/09- Kate got a haircut at a salon for the first time. She was so excited. We went to Famous Hair because it was inexpensive for a kids cut. Kate doesn't know the difference. While we were waiting she was looking through the different hair style books and found several styles she liked. Of course all of them were kids with straight hair. Kate has a love hate relationship with her curls. The lady called her name and then she went back and got her hair shampooed. She was loving it. She was completely relaxed except for her neck looking a little strained. Then the stylist asked her how she wanted her hair and she said she wanted braids. The lady just laughed. She thought Kate was so cute. We finally decided on just trimming it and adding some layers. Kate didn't want to go too short because she wants her hair to grow really, really long. The stylist and the one next to her kept commenting on how well behaved she was. They said that she should be a model for behavior of a child getting their hair cut. Kate does better for strangers than she does for me. She looked so cute up on the little booster seat getting her hair cut. She looked even cuter when she was all done.

8/26/09-Kate loved her hair that day but today when Doug asked her about it she said it was ugly and shiny. That's Kate for ya.

Myrtle Beach

Monday 8/24/09- Saturday night Doug told me he wanted to go out of town because he had Monday off. Sunday morning he woke up and said that he thought Myrtle Beach would be fun to check out. We can't go too far because our car is acting up so Myrtle beach being 1 1/2 hours away sounded possible. We headed out Sunday afternoon and it was a pleasant drive. We had never been that far North in the direction and the roads are more open with less trees so it didn't seem as claustrophobic as the SC I've come to know so far. We stayed in the Dunes Village Resort which we were able to get a great deal on. It was such a fun place. They have an indoor water park with a couple of slides, some pools, hot tubs and a little water play area for toddlers. We had a room on the seventh floor which overlooked the ocean, it was a beautiful view. The room itself was so nice too. We had two beds and two TV's with DVD players, we had a kitchenette area as well. After getting there the girls quickly unloaded their things in the dresser drawers and then wanted to go swimming. So we all changed and headed down to the water area. That night we had Godfather's pizza, which wasn't as good as I had remembered, and the girls watched a movie until they fell asleep. Alexa was not wanting to go to bed. We let her run around the room until she was completely exhausted and then she reluctantly fell asleep on our bed. She was passed out. I think it was 10:30 which she normally goes to bed at 7:00. It was so funny watching her fight going to sleep. Monday morning we woke up and went on the balcony to watch the sunrise. We are not morning people but it was so nice outside and the sunrise was beautiful. Then we cooked our own breakfast of Eggo's, eggs, fruit and juice. After breakfast we played at the hotel water park and then walked over to the beach. We then decided to go miniature golfing. Apparently Myrtle Beach is known for their many places to mini-golf. There was one on every corner. We went to the Big Kahuna which is one of the well known places from what we read so we thought it was going to be something great. It just had a volcano that erupted every so often. None of the holes were part of anything real exciting they were all just on the green. Don't get me wrong we had fun and so did the girls which this was their first time so that was enjoyable to watch them. They did well. Kate was funny to watch, when the ball didn't go where she wanted it to she would just pick it up and put it close to the hole and then drag it in with her club. It was pretty hot and Kate got tired early. About two holes before the end she just went and picked up her ball and said she was done because it was too hot for her. After golfing we went and got some ice cream and a drink for the girls to cool them down and then we headed back to Charleston.

I have a little funny story about Kate on the drive up. She had this preschool activity book that she got from her birthday and she was looking through it in the backseat. She then started marking x's on some of the pictures so I thought she had figured out what to do. I asked her if I could take a look at her work and found out she was just putting x's on random pictures. When I asked her about it she said she was x-ing out all the things she thought was ugly and weird looking. First of all I don't know how she has picked up saying things are ugly because we don't say that around her but I hear her saying it about things when she is playing with her friends. When I started going through the pages I just started laughing because it was so funny to me how serious she was and how random it was about the things she x'd out. There were many x's throughout the book and on every page. She is too much sometimes. I guess it's good that she knows what she likes and doesn't like.

The trip was very short but we had a lot of fun. We can't wait to go back.