pee-pee in the POTTY!!!

Ok, so it really is the little things in life that get you so excited; but seriously this is a BIG deal!! We have been reading books, watching movies, talking about the business, etc. since before he was even two and the kid has shown no interest. His potty has been in hiding since January because it became a play toy instead of functioning as what it was intended for. Our pediatrician said to wait until mid-later summer to start pushing it a little more; so we honestly have not been in that big of a hurry. About a month ago I was at Babies R Us and purchased an Elmo potty seat that attaches to the regular toilet in David's bathroom. Again, he liked that Elmo was on it but showed no interest in wanting to use it. I left it there to collect dust until mid-last week when David was talking about pee-pee in the potty a little more (I think it's because we had Elmo's Potty Time playing in the car that day). We decided to start sitting him on the potty every night before bath time to see if he would do anything. We would run the sink water, tub water, even pour water on him and nothing! Daddy embraced a little milestone on Friday evening when after having him on the toilet seat with no results for 5 minutes he placed David in the bath tub and heard him say "pee-pee in the potty" while beginning to tee-tee in the tub. He preceded to pull David out of the tub and onto the Elmo potty. By the time mommy got up there to celebrate David was just sitting on the potty like usual and there was barely any (if none) "pee-pee" in the potty. Daddy claims it must of all ended up on the floor and toilet seat, but whatever we celebrated he got M&Ms and a sticker and we moved on to several nights with no results. This morning while finishing up breakfast David's face started turning red like it usually does when he needs to use the restroom; um hum you know where I am going with this! I figured I might as well ask him if he wanted to do it in the potty and got an "okay" as a response. We quickly ran upstairs, undressed and went straight to the potty. He sat....and sat...and then said "pee-pee" I looked down and he was actually going pee-pee in the potty! I was completely shocked that I started screaming and jumping up and down! David of course thought it was the greatest thing! When he finished he said to me "mommy, I go pee-pee in the potty again!" He was so excited that he wanted to do it again! I couldn't be prouder; I have been very nervous about potty training and this was a huge milestone/start to a long road ahead......yay David!!

(FYI...the picture above is not from today's events. It was taken a week ago before bath time when David would not do anything!)

Painting with Blueberries

That's right! Did you know that July is National Blueberry Month??? Neither did I, but hey it was a great excuse to try a new craft out with the kiddos. We had David's friend Lachlann over the other day to attempt painting with blueberries. If you notice I use the word "attempt". That is because that is exactly what it was, a bad attempt! David was frustrated because he wanted to paint with his paints NOT the blueberries. He let me dunk his hand in and humored me for a little while as he flopped mushed blueberry juice on his poster board. He then was "over" it and wanted it off of his hands immediately. Lachlann hated the whole idea! She was so upset about the thought of getting her hands dirty; typical girly-girl! She sat there stirring the mixture and occasionally flinging whole blueberries onto her poster board, but when her mommy took the plunge and forced her hand into the bowl she got sooooo upset and started crying! Quite the experience let me tell you and I will not even bother posting the directions on here because I wouldn't recommend doing it! The best part of it all was after they were done creating their masterpieces Katie and I looked at each other in disgust because while admiring their artwork we soon realized it might start to smell and mold! We decided we would save them to show off to the daddies and then throw them out; well David's is still in the kitchen but I plan on tending to that shortly!

Swim Lessons

We started our first round of swim lessons a few weeks ago; we are actually on our last week that's how behind I am! We decided to partner up with one of David's buddies to do semiprivate lessons at the YMCA. It was originally set for 30 minute lessons with both boys in the water at the same time with one instructor, but we learned quickly that was not going to work out. Think about it....2 two year olds in the pool, both with stranger anxiety, screaming and crying. It was a mess! We decided we would split the lessons up 15 minutes per child with the instructor and with a little M&M bribery it has worked for the last 2 1/2 weeks. Out of a total of 10 lessons David screamed through 5 of them, and as a mother it was difficult to sit back and watch. The funny thing about it was while he was screaming and crying he was doing exactly what the instructor was telling him to do and learned quite a bit! Must be a natural.

Here are a few snapshots of our swimming lesson adventure Summer 2010. Mommy got the whistle blown at her because apparently no cameras are allowed in the pool area...oops!!

goodbye twenties....hello thirties

So, I am officially thirty and it isn't so bad!

Although Napa was our big birthday celebration; my amazing husband went above and beyond to make this particular birthday unforgettable. The festivities began Thursday evening with a surprise party at our favorite Mexican restaurant here in Katy. All of the mommies and kiddos from our play group and close friends who live out in Katy were there! I was completely shocked and amazed that he even pulled it off without me knowing. David loves birthdays and was so excited to help mommy blow out her candles.

On Saturday the hubby planned a dinner out at the Oasis in Austin with some close friends and family. We enjoyed the view, food and drinks. We picked the Oasis for several reasons, but the biggest was it being kid friendly. After dinner we took David up to the dance hall to see the live band. He is obsessed with guitars and music, so we just knew seeing it live for the first time would make his evening! He loved it; we even got to see some new dance moves on the dance floor!

I wanted to thank all my friends and family who made this birthday so special. I am truly blessed to have you all in my life; especially my husband Dave! I love you honey!!

Family Beach Session

Check out the previews from our family beach session here;
Amanda Green Photography

I am very pleased how these turned out considering the fact that all three of us were sweating profusely 10 minutes into the session. Whew was it hot! Note to self....plan a beach session before we get the Texas summer heat wave.

Thanks Amanda for doing an awesome job; we cannot wait to see the rest!

San Francisco

After our wonderful time in Napa we drove through Sonoma, across the Golden Gate Bridge into freezing cold San Francisco! I believe the high was 52 degrees, which was a nice break from the 93 degree heat we have been facing in Houston but still a tad chilly. We met up with our friends Melanie and Travis, who flew up there to spend some time with us and celebrate; thanks y'all. Here are some of the pictures from our visit to San Francisco enjoying the sites, food and the company!

Alcatraz

Irish Coffees at the Buena Vista

Lombard Street

On Friday evening we headed out to dinner at a restaurant in the Marina district called A16. When leaving the hotel we called for a cab and actually got a limo!?!?! I don't think I have been in a limo since middle school; classic! The restaurant was super cute and we actual had a famous run in with Michael Keaton...batman! We wanted to ask for a picture/autograph but he was leaving the restaurant alone and we figured he probably did not want to be bothered. It was a good celebrity sighting though!

On Saturday evening we dined at an authentic Chinese restaurant in china town. It was quite the experience. Very interesting.....

Wine Country

Here are a few of the many pictures from our recent Napa trip. It was truly amazing!! We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery, peaceful atmosphere, great food, and of course the yummy wine. It was an early 30th birthday/much needed, and probably the last (at least for a while), mommy-daddy trip.

Pride Mountain Vineyards

We started our morning with our driver taking us up to the top of Spring Mountain Road for our tasting at Pride Mountain Vineyards. We did the tour and tasting here, really enjoyed the cave experience and even got to try some wine straight out of the barrel. The interesting thing about this vineyard is that it sits right on the Napa/Sonoma county line. They grow grapes on both sides and have to specifically label and produce them on their specific sides accordingly. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and the views while we were there; it was beautiful and we could not have asked for a better day.

Spring Mountain Vineyards

This is where they filmed the show Falcon Crest; it is a vineyard and the estate is beautiful with the original house and views from the show. This is the one vineyard where Dave and I both loved every wine we tasted, and because it was my birthday trip our server brought out some goodies from under the counter. He let us try a 1998 Cabernet and a 1988 Cabernet to taste the difference as the wine ages; it was such an amazing experience and the wine was wonderful.

Hall/Sequoia Grove/Cake Bread Cellars

With Napa being known for both great food and wine it was difficult choosing a place to eat. I could personally spend 3-4 days here enjoying it all. For our one night in Napa to enjoy it we ate at Bouchon. Here is a snap shot of us at dinner; we both really enjoyed the steak frites.

Our next day in Napa was a short one, but none of the less perfect. We got up and enjoyed massages at our hotel and then headed to Silver Oak for an early tasting. This is one of our all-time favorites.

After our Silver Oak tasting we had lunch at Mustard's Grill and headed to our last winery, Vine Cliff. This was originally planned as our big tour, however their caves were shut down due to them being sulfarized which was really disappointing. We made the best of it, enjoyed the wine and scenery and then headed on our way to enjoy the beautiful drive back to San Francisco where we met our friends Melanie and Travis; pictures to come.