Potty Training Progress!

MK's teachers send home a daily report and for the last several days we've seen this!!! Yahoo for progress!!




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Happy Dad's Day!

Happy day to the best daddy our kiddos could ever ask for! Jim is such a great daddy. He spends a lot of time with our kiddos and he just gets a little better every day. Two ornery kids tend to push all the wrong buttons and teach us both a little about patience and love. We are both a work in progress but we share a common goal and we love our little family. Jim takes good care of us and is a great leader.

This morning we let him sleep in a little and then cooked him a yummy breakfast! We went to mass and then had his family over for a fish fry. It was a great day and we love him a whole lot!!

Thanks Jim for being a great dad and an even better partner.

We love you a bushel and a peck and to the moon and back!

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Landon lost a tooth!!

I wrote this several weeks ago but my iPhone app wouldn't publish it. I finally got it to work today!

Last week Landon showed me that he had a loose tooth! I couldn't believe it! I texted several friends to see if this seemed early to them and apparently it wasn't. I think I forget sometimes that my baby boy is 5 and is growing up! He wiggled it around constantly and I just knew it would fall out very soon. On Saturday he had a t-ball game and MK and I missed it because we went to a baby shower for a friend in Augusta. Jim sent me a text that Landon lost his tooth during the game! He said that Landon waved over to him and then Jim saw him looking around on the ground. Jim went out to see him and sure enough, Landon's tooth was gone! Jim crawled around left field (while the game was still going on!) and he found it!! Yay! Best daddy ever! We left his tooth by his bed for the tooth fairy and when Landon woke up this morning he yelled, "Mommy!!! Come see what the tooth fairy left me!!" He sounded sooo excited! She had left him some change-mainly quarters since she knows how much he likes video games...and she also left him a fun dip!!! I'm certain Landon thought that was just about the coolest thing ever!

I still can't believe our big boy has lost his first tooth! It's actually his third...but this one happened all on its own!













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Potty Training and Gum

Oh Sweet Maddie Kate!  Bless her heart she's just too strong willed (some may say stubborn) for her own good and I have no idea where she gets it.  Oh yeah…she's double whammied.  Her daddy might tell you that I'm a little "strong willed"…surely not!  I might say the same for him - only he'd agree.  Our girl knows exactly what she should do and I'm pretty sure she "feels the urge" in time to do it…but she's just not going to do it until she's darn good and ready.  How do we know this?  Because several weeks ago she was at her Nana's…Aunt Sissy was there and saw MK assume the poop position.  She always squats to do her business.  I guess it helps her.  Anyway, Aunt Sissy suggested that MK try to go poop on the potty and sassafras Maddie Kate told her, "Aunt Sissy…I'm NOT toiled trained yet!".  Well, there you have it!  She's too smart for her own good…we can have an intelligent conversation with her but we can't convince her to pee on the pot!  She'll say, "I'll go on the potty next weekend" and she'll say it with her finger in the air pointing at you as if she's in charge…and let's face it, we all know she is.  I do think we have turned a corner just this week!  She started at Camp Sunshine this week and she's gone on the potty all day there!  Her bribe of choice is gum.  We didn't give in to it very easily after she continued to swallow it but then Nana did her homework and learned that gum doesn't actually live in your colon until you enter the pearly gates.  So, gum it is!!  And it's working!  And can she throw a FIT if you don't come through after a trip to the potty!  This girl is gonna give us a run for our money!  Good thing we think she's awfully cute.

Last Day of Pre-K

Our dude had a great year!  He learned a lot and we learned a lot about him.  We are so thankful for Christ the King and we are looking forward to kindergarten!  I can't quite believe we have a kid old enough for kindergarten but it seems we do!  Landon has improved so much this year.  He can write his name fairly well and just recently when we're driving he'll pick out a sign and say the letters asking us what they spell.  He seems to be interested in learning and we hope that continues.  His teacher put together binders of his work from throughout the year and it's neat to flip through it and see his progress.  One of my favorite things they did is the monthly journal.  Each day the kiddos did a journal page.  Typically it was a drawing based on a question like what they did over the weekend and sometimes they got a free day to draw what they like.  His drawing skills definitely improved!  He seems to have a knack for numbers and can even understand basic math.  We have enjoyed watching him grow and talking to him about the things he's learned.

Here is Landon on the first and last days of school.  We started out the year tucking in shirts and ended a little lazy.  The night before the last day of school Landon had a t-ball game and was up way past bedtime…so, it was a rough morning!

The Pre-K class puts on a musical program at the end of the year.  Aside from trying to get pictures of our ornery boy afterwards, he did a great job!  He was on the front row and watching him perform up there with his buddies was the highlight of the year.  At the end of the program they all had a part to Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World.  That was my favorite.  A few times during that part Landon really got into it and you could tell he could almost feel the music.  I don't know why exactly but that made my heart so happy!!  I see so much of myself and Jim in him…he's ornery but he also has a sweet, sensitive side.

At the end of the year they also had a field day.  I went for a little while to watch and all the kiddos had such a great time!  Watching them was fun but I think my favorite part was watching my dear friend Marie man the rope on the rock climbing wall while wearing sweet Annabeth.  She is absolutely amazing!!  Definitely the highlight of my visit to field day!  

Lions and Frogs and Bath Time Oh My!

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Landon Battreal

I'm behind on the blog as usual...Landon has been 5 for two and a half months and I've yet to take his pictures and post a blog. It's on my to-do list. Before I get around to it I just have to post to document how our guy is growing up. He's growing up too fast! I can't believe our baby boy is 5! He's really matured just in the last few months and we kind of like having him around. He's a smart little guy who is full of energy and orneriness. I wouldn't have it any other way. He's about to wrap up just first year at CTK as a "pre-k'er" and then he will be off to kindergarten. We have lots to share in his official 5 year post but for now here are a few of my iPhone pictures from recent months.














  Stay tuned for our dude's 5 year post sometime before he turns 6!

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"Snow" Day Sweetness

The kiddos were out of school today! The weather never got too bad and there wasn't any actual snow to play in. I worked from home while daddy went to work and in between work activities I enjoyed some super sweet snuggle and play time. I just love days at home with my babies! They watched tv, played with their "electronics", and we played puzzles and toys. They probably had a little too much "electronic" time but we sure enjoyed our day. Landon worked on writing his name on thank you notes for his birthday and while it was definitely the most challenging part of our day they turned out sort of ok.


Yep, he wore pjs all day!



Ornery MK and mommy with the ginormous forehead. :). I've read that a deep, high and curved forehead signifies idealism...and a personality test I took at work tells me I'm an idealist. So, there you have it. Ha!




Tonight after bath time Landon, who never ever gives sweet kisses and always gives ornery zerberts, gave me the best ever sweetest kisses on the cheek before bedtime. Ah, I sure love this silly boy!!



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Maddie Kate is 2!

Actually, she's exactly 2 years and 3 months today.  I've avoided posting her 2 year blog because I hadn't taken her 2 year pictures yet.  Last weekend the weather was gorgeous...so while daddy and Landon went to Chuck E. Cheese's to check it out for his 5th birthday party, which was today, Maddie Kate and I headed to the front yard to take some pictures.  I know, the front yard - real creative...but when the subject of your photo shoot is as cute as MK, anywhere will do.

Maddie Kate - what can we say about Maddie Kate.  

Cute.  Sassy.  Girly.  Ornery.  Fun.  Brilliant.  Loving.  Bossy.  

Those are just a few words we'd used to describe our girl.  She's just a little ray of sunshine and she makes us happy.  Her happiness and giggle are infectious.  We love her a "bushel and a peck" and "moon and back" a million and one times.

At her 2 year checkup Maddie Kate weighed 33 pounds (96 %) and was 3 ft tall (92 %).  She's grown since then!  She's our big, healthy girl!  She wears a size 3 in most clothes, a size 6 diaper and either a 7 or 8 shoe.  She loves her sparkly shoes and her leopard boots.  She likes to play with my make-up and as she puts it on she'll say "I boo-ful" or "I so pretty!".  When she finds something she likes she holds it tight and says "I yuv it!" or "it's so boo-ful!".  

Maddie Kate's vocabulary is amazing.  She's been speaking in full sentences for a long time now, she can sing the ABC's all the way through, she can count to around 13, she knows most of her colors and can name and point out all her body parts - including eye lashes.  She can almost do the sign of the cross perfectly and joins in our mealtime prayer.  Sometimes she prays for "all the people" - she got this from hearing her bubba say he wants to pray for all the people in the tornado a while back after he heard about a bad one.  So sweet, these kiddos!!  Ornery too - but they sure have their sweet moments that makes us grin.

Favorites...

Foods - cheese, pirate booty, popsicles, strawberries, blueberries, cheese ravioli, macaroni and cheese, squeeze applesauce, cheese eggs...really, she likes most all food and especially loves anything with sugar in it!  If you give her something she isn't fond of she'll say, "I not yike that!".  Her very favorite thing is sharing a breakfast bar with her daddy in the mornings.

Books - She loves her "Hello" by Highlights book subscription that her Aunt Barbara gave her.  She also likes Fancy Nancy, Ladybug Girl, and she is particularly fond of plain ol picture books.  She likes "Brown Bear Brown Bear" and one of her recent favorites is one she received for a birthday gift called "Izzy the Ice Cream Fairy".

Television - Sofia the First on Disney Jr., Doodlebops, Barney, the Children Singing video at Nana's house and PAW Patrol.

Songs - Maddie Kate can sing!  She knows the words to so many songs and sings a lot throughout the day.  Her favorite songs to sing are "The Wheels on the Bus", "Jesus Loves the Little Children", "Jesus Loves Me", "If You're Happy and You Know It", "Ba Ba Black Sheep", today she started singing the hokey pokey and she loves the nursery rhyme cd we play in my car.  She also loves the singing nuns that she and her nana listen to and her favorite song to sing at church is the "ha-ya-you-a" or hallelujah!

Activities - She's still a big fan of swinging when the weather is nice, she likes to put together puzzles, play with toys, read books, color and "write her name", play with her babies (and she uses kitchen towels instead of baby blankets!), play with her bubba, cousins and friends at school.  Her friends at school are of course still Papi, Julia, Hazel, Ryan and Charlie Gray.  She comes home telling all kinds of stories - most of which have to do with biting Papi...and most of the time they aren't true...which is good considering the fact that if she bit Papi as many times as she's told us she bit Papi she's be expelled.

If you can't tell - we're quite proud of little Maddie Kate.  She's probably going to grow up to be a bossy, arrogant little thing as a result of everyone always making a fuss over how smart she is...she's going to keep us on our toes for sure!

Maddie Kate, your daddy and I love you so much!!  You keep us entertained, you make us smile and we are very lucky to have a couple kids as great as you and your bubba.

Oh no!  I almost left out talking about sleep habits!  I don't know if it's because we're just done obsessing over it or if it's because it's actually getting better.  Both...but it's not perfect.  One of us still sleeps with her and we continue to indulge her in her horrible sleep associations that will take til she goes off to college to break.  Watered down juice at 2am - diaper changes a 3 - elbows in the ribs ALL night - toenails digging into our sides - then there's the sweet way she says "I awake!" when she wakes up that just almost, but only almost, make us forget.

PS - Landon had a GREAT party today and turns 5 on Monday.  5!  5!!!!!!!!  Maybe I'll get his 5th birthday post published before Easter.

MK's "Yucky" Day

I'm just a little behind on the ol' blog these days! I will be catching up on the last few months of 2013 soon!

Yesterday was gymnastics day...and since MK is 2 we signed her up for toddlers in action which is a mommy and me class. It's the same time as Landon's class and it's fun to watch him with his class while I participate with MK.

The highlight of "nastics" is most definitely the snack bar after class. Landon gets a white cherry icee if he's good and MK gets a juice box. She'd much rather have an icee but she'd just make a mess and even though I'm sure it's the same, I feel like the juice box has less sugar. Anyway, yesterday I told her that if she tried really hard on the rings and then walking up the soft stairs at the bar that she could have an icee. Bribery at its finest...and it failed miserably. She was happy to skip both activities because she knew she would still get her juice box. After class we went to the snack bar and I let Landon order and pay. When he asked for a cheery icee and a juice box for his baby the lady told him they were out of juice boxes! Oh no! So, what did mommy do...she asked the lady to give "Landon's baby" half an icee! MK's eyes got so big and she told about 5 people on the way out that she got her icee! I said, Maddie Kate, this must be your lucky day!" She replied with "yep, it's my yucky day!"

...

On the way home she took the lid off and made a giant mess. Thank goodness white cherry icees aren't red!












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Muffins with Mom

Landon's school has a little event called Muffins with Mom around the holidays. The Mom's go to school with their kiddo to enjoy muffins and then we got to do a little shopping at Santa's Secret Shop. I think Landon enjoyed having me there as much as I enjoyed being there. He picked out a few presents and I got to bring home a couple of arts and crafts he made for the special occasion. He already told his dad what he picked out for him and he let his baby sister open hers early. He picked out a pink flamingo egg that hatches in water and a small bottle of pink nail polish for her. I let him pick out one thing for himself and he chose a dinosaur that hatches in water like the pink flamingo. Both were big hits and the topic of conversation and excitement in the Battreal household. MK carried her "pink amingo" around for days!

Mr Ornery Pants is not a fan of the camera as shown in these silly pictures I took on our fun morning.













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Maddie Kate's 2nd Birthday Party

We enjoyed hosting MK's birthday party at our house again this year.  I have the best time planning parties for the kiddos!  This year's theme was extra fun to work with.  We love Minnie around here and Mimi made MK's sweet party dress!  The weather didn't really cooperate - we had a light drizzle most of the day but it didn't get in our way as we spent the afternoon celebrating our girl and visiting with our family and friends.  Landon had the idea for the piñata and it was a big hit!

We can't believe our girl is already 2!  She's just about the sweetest baby girl we know and we are looking forward to her second year.

Pumpkin Tradition

We continued our favorite "pumpkin carving chicken pot pie supper" tradition this year and just in time for Halloween! Landon enjoys it more and more each year and MK even got in on the goop scooping action this year! Grody.

It's getting increasingly difficult to get good pictures amongst all the crazy. Someone's eyes are usually closed or the kids aren't interested. Still, fun memories were made and this is a tradition we look forward to each year!

Landon and Daddy carved a super scary vampire and MK and I carved a super cute lovey eye'd one.






















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