Could this be it...

We have really been working hard at getting Sophia completely potty trained. She has been partially potty trained since November (with #2) and has had a little trouble sensing when she needs to go tinkle. Well, lately I have been putting her in cloth underwear when we are at home and a pull up when we are out and about. I ask her quite frequently if she needs to go potty and even if she says no, I still have her try. She is getting better and better about telling us that she needs to go potty and making it to the toilet before she goes in her pants. The last few nights around bed time, Jeff would rock her, put her in her bed and she would fall asleep. Then after about a half hour she would stand at the top of the stairs saying, "potty mommy". So we would run to the toilet and she would go! Then she would go to bed and again she would say she needed to go potty, so I would pick her up and put her on the toilet. And again, she would go. I wasn't sure if she was just going a little each time to stall or if she was becoming so sensitive to the feeling of needing to go, that she would want to go every time! After three times of doing this, I would rock her once again and she would finally fall asleep for the night. On Friday morning after she woke up, I told her before we played or ate breakfast, she needed to try to go potty and we needed to change her wet pull up. Well to my surprise, her pull up was completely dry! She had gone through the entire night without going potty in her pants! I couldn't believe it and was so extremely proud of her! She grinned from ear to ear when I told her how proud I was of her and I took her to the store to get big girl underwear. She picked out her very own big girl undies and has been wearing them since. I'm sure she will still have accidents every once in a while until her body and mind get the timing down completely. But I am really hoping that when we go camping in July, I will only be taking one set of diapers for little Peyton. I can't believe what a BIG, independent girl Sophia is becoming and I am so proud of her!!!

Letting Go...

So from the sound of things, it looks like we will be saying good bye to our dear old man, Shakespeare, as he adopts a new family in need of "man's best friend". Shaky has been with Jeff and I since we first got married and has been our baby up until we had our two girls. But now because of hectic schedules and the girls needing our attention, Shakespeare's needs have been put on the back burner and that isn't exactly fair to him.

Rhonda, who is the woman that contacted me about having a potential family for Shakespeare, came by on Tuesday. She wanted to see him in person and get a chance to experience his disposition and personality. She took some more pictures of him to email to the family (still in Africa until June), and played with him a bit. She thought he was really sweet and would be a great fit for this family.

The next morning she sent me an email letting me know that the family is 99% sure they want to adopt Shakespeare. They just want to do a trial run when they arrive back in Oregon to see how he adjusts to his new surroundings and new family. My initial reaction was a little regret, just because he is a part of our family and we may be saying good bye to him for good! But after I thought about it more, I realized he would give this family the love they needed, and they would do the same for him in return. They seem like a very sweet family and if they can give him the attention he deserves, then it's best if they adopt him.

We will know the final outcome the middle of June when they return home. For now we are enjoying every minute with Shaky and giving him as much love and attention as we possibly can, something we haven't done the last few months. It's true how that saying goes, "you don't realize how much you miss something until it's gone."

A Bit of Inspiration...

I am always looking for new lunch and dinner ideas for Sophia that are both healthy and appealing to the eye. I saw this recipe on "The Today Show" and thought I'd try it! It's extremely easy and tastes delicious! Sophia loved it too! It's a healthy alternative for the popular PB&J.

Ingredients:

-honey wheat flat bread wraps (found at Fred Meyers)
-fresh organic strawberries (sliced)
-creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Spread the peanut butter on the flat bread wrap, then layer on the sliced strawberries, then roll up like a burrito and cut into fourths. It's that easy and trust me your kiddos will love it! It's healthier because the flat bread wrap is high in fiber and has more nutritional value than white bread and the fresh strawberries have less sugar than jam or jelly. Enjoy!

New Home?

We have been contemplating finding a new home for our oldest pug Shakespeare. He is a sweet, 8 year old, fawn pug and was our very first "baby" so to speak. Now that we have two kids, our lives are quite busy and it's hard to give Shaky (we call him), the attention he deserves. Though he is quite content laying around the house throughout the day, it would be nice to be able to take him on daily walks and get him some much needed exercise. After he almost choked to death after swallowing part of a raw hide bone, I was convinced that we no longer would be looking for another home for him. However, my father in law told a customer at his paint store about Shakespeare and she said she might know a family that would adopt him. She contacted me via email and told me a little bit about this family. This is what she wrote:

"Theresa Cumpston my friend (and landlady), has one more month teaching at the Harare International School in Zimbabwe, then comes home with her two darling children, Mary (12) and Bryce (10) Their father, Jeff, our beloved band instructor at West Linn High School, died in August; struck by a motorcyclist while bicycling. They have to leave their dear African doggie, Shadow, behind. Could be that Shakespeare will be just the "therapy dog" their family needs."


After reading this, it just seemed meant to be. The kids are the perfect age for Shaky and it sounds like he would be dearly loved by this family. Rhonda, the women I have been emailing back and fourth, wants to meet Shakespeare for the family and let them know what he is like, before they return home in a month. Could this family be Shakespeare's new family? I guess we will find out in a few weeks.? I'll keep you all posted!

Nature Walk...

Since the weather has been nicer, I try to go on a 1 mile speed walk around my neighborhood at least 3 times a week with my girls. I put Peyton in the front pack and Sophia in the stroller and out we go to enjoy the fresh air. There's nothing Sophia loves more than to be outside and on our walks. She'll point out flowers, rocks, pine cones, the moon, clouds and cars. She always comes back with her pockets full of rocks or pine cones. It's also a learning time for her as well, because if she points to a flower, I'll ask her what color the flower is or how many pine cones she sees. P.S. She can now count to 7!

Through my child's eyes...

Last Friday we went to the park with my good friend Kristen. I was snapping away as usual and taking a ton of pictures of Sophia playing. Sophia saw me and wanted to take a picture of Kristen with my camera. Taking an extremely huge chance here, I handed over the camera and showed her the button to push to take a picture. I guess I wanted to see a picture from her perspective. This is what she captured and I love it!

Go, Go, Go...

This weekend was one of our busiest yet, but we couldn't seem to sit still or stay indoors with the gorgeous weather we were blessed with! And in Oregon, you have to take advantage of the sunny days when we do get them!

Friday morning I went to pick up my bride's maids dress for my best friend, Piper's, wedding that I will be in on May 8th. It's simple, black and slimming, thank God! I had to guess on a size since I was pregnant when we went to pick out the dresses and get fitted for a size. Thankfully, it fit! It's still a bit tight around the ribs, but I'm hoping in three weeks, I will have lost a little more weight and it will fit better. After getting my dress, I went to my mother in laws to pick up the girls. Then we headed out to Gresham to go see my good friend Kristen. We picked her up from work, then went to the park. When we were parking the ice cream truck arrived, so we stopped and got an ice cream for Sophia. She thought it was such a special treat! We laid out a big beach towel and sat down to enjoy the sun. While Sophia enjoyed her ice cream, Kristen and I got to visit. It was such a warm and beautiful day! Peyton was an angel the entire time and slept in her car seat. After finishing off her treat, Sophia was ready to play! I had brought a big container of bubbles and was blowing them for her to run after and pop. She absolutely loves bubbles! And I guess so does every other kid her age because once I started blowing them, kids turned and looked and wanted to come pop them with Sophia. Their was one little boy that played with Sophia, popping bubbles, for quite some time. They were giggling and running around together. It was cute to see her interact with the kids at the park. Then we took her over to the swings, the slide, and the play structure. I love that Sophia is content and totally memorized by inexpensive entertainment, such as bubbles and the park. And I am really enjoying this age! After a few hours at the park we dropped Kristen off and headed home. Sophia must have worn herself out at the park, because she fell asleep on the ride home.






Saturday morning my mother in law and father in law picked up Sophia and took her to their friend's daughter's birthday at the Portland Children's Museum. While she was off doing that, my sister in law,Katie came over and we did a little browsing/shopping at Target and Nordstrom Rack. So many people were out shopping getting spring and summer clothing and sandals. I got a couple pairs myself with a gift card I had received for my birthday. Thanks Auntie Shannon! After our shopping trip we headed back to my house and then Barbara dropped off Sophia. She had so much fun at the Children's Museum and had even brought home a mask she had made there. I am hoping to take her back, because I would love to do crafts and play there with her!


I was able to spend a few hours with the girls, before I had to head down town for my best friend's bachelorette party. I met all the girls at Hotel Vintage. They had rented a room to stay in for the night for those who wanted to. We had a drink and them headed out to Rock Bottom Brewery, a yummy restaurant down on 2nd. It was packed!!! The food was delicious and the atmosphere was really fun!

After that, I headed home, but not before getting stuck in the parking garage elevator with my the bride, Piper, and our friend Christina. I have to admit, we all got a little nervous and were wondering how long we were going to be stuck in there! Thankfully the guy on the other side that was waiting to get into the elevator, pried the doors open so we could get out! I headed home to see my hubby and girls and fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow!

Sunday morning we made a few pits stops at various places, then got a coffee and headed out to my parents place in Sandy. I couldn't wait to get there and sit out in the sun! My brothers and Jeff all have air soft guns so they have these air soft wars out on their property.

While they were doing that, me, my little sis, my mom, Sophia and Peyton all hung out on the back patio relaxing and soaking up the rays while my dad grilled sliders on the BBQ.



We enjoyed a yummy lunch, relaxed on the back patio some more and jumped on the trampoline, and around 7pm headed for home. After getting the girls baths and down for bed, Jeff and I were exhausted after a busy weekend and couldn't wait to get some much needed shut eye! So off to bed we went!

I swear, we didn't sit down the entire weekend, but when we get such nice weather like we had, I want to enjoy and do as much as possible, and I think we did just that! Jeff and I are looking so forward to the summer so we can have many more weekends like this last one!