We've Had A Breakthrough

Tuesday morning I tried putting big girl panties on Syd. She was so proud. I had to go to the dentist and my mom was here with the kids. Well, I guess she peed as soon as I left. So, that was a bust.

For some reason, yesterday at about 9:30am I put them on her again. I can't remember why I did it. I don't know if she asked or what. But she did great. Before lunchtime she had already gone on the potty 3 times. I let her stay in her panties for nap time just to see how she did. Amazingly, she stayed dry. About 20 minutes after she got up she had an accident. So, we cleaned her up and put new ones on. She did great all evening. Since grandma and papaw had taken Ethan, Landon, and Jenna, it was only me and Peytie and Syd. We decided to visit Pastor and Becky. I let Syd keep her big girl panties on and Peytie insisted he wear them too.

They wouldn't go potty in a new environment. I couldn't get Syd to pee. Peytie didn't even want to sit on the potty. He went in and peed all over their couch. Normally I would feel bad about that, but I warned them before we came over. They knew what they were getting into. It was funny, Peytie was so proud of it. When Pastor and Hannah got back from picking up food he proudly announced, "I peed on couch!" They thought it was funny.

After the accident with Peytie I didn't want to risk anything with Syd so I put her diaper back on. Sometime that night she came to me and wanted me to change her. She had pooped a little and didn't want to do it in her diaper. So, I put her on the potty and she did her business!! BREAKTHROUGH!!! She gets it!! Or so I thought... It is so nice to have a wonderful parsonage family. Thanks for letting us come over and hang out!

I let them sleep in underwear. That didn't go nearly so well. They both peed everywhere. So, first thing this morning I gave them baths. They were both back in their underwear rearing to go. I decided to go to the gym and daddy had to take over. He didn't do so hot. He didn't realize you have to ask them every minute or so if they need to go and remind them NOT to pee in their panties. So, an hour later I walk in the door with a wet Peytie and a wet and poopie Syd. Yeah, daddy needs a little more training.

5 Little Monkey's Jumpin On The Bed...

One fell off and bumped his head! I have been waiting to use these costumes since last Halloween. They were perfect for us this year. I mean, I feel like a real zookeeper all the time, and they are like wild monkeys.

On Saturday we got dressed up and packed into the van. We made our scheduled stops and the kids did pretty good. I am looking forward to the day when we aren't in car seats anymore. That was a chore to load and unload them about 10 times. They enjoyed it this year. They figured out that people were giving them candy at each stop. So, when we had to collect it from them before we got back into the van, we had five screaming, kicking, flailing monkeys. It was great fun, let tell ya. They wanted to eat all the candy as soon as it was handed to them. Lots of candy had to be thrown away because they chewed it up while it was still in the wrapper. It was a little stressful this year, but worth it.

I am already thinking about our costumes for next year. If you have any good ideas leave me a comment!

Elmo's Potty Time!

Well, we haven't gotten past Veggie Tales yet. I have to say, Veggie Tales is burned into my brain. What is even worse, Rob knows them frontwards and backwards too. That tells you how bad it is for me because he is only here about 20% of the time. So, I see it 5x more than he does. In any random conversation he will insert a phrase from one of the shows. I told him I feel sorry for him because he has all these random weird sayings in his head and busts them out at any given time. It's pretty funny when he does the impressions.

I went on Veggie Tales strike the other day. I told them we weren't going to watch it today and they begged and begged. So, I put in Elmo's Potty Time. They liked it. Hopefully that will plant a seed and maybe we will be able to start potty training soon. Right now they don't get it. Syd is the closest and she still doesn't really get it. That is one battle I will NOT fight. I am not going to stress myself out if they aren't ready. So, I guess we will be in diapers for a while longer.

The Best Gadget I've Found!

Well, I can't say that I'm big into gadgets. I admire them and wish I had an endless supply of money so I could try them all out. When push comes to shove, I can't justify myself spending money on something that I don't technically need.

I have been on a mission for a few weeks now. Ethan has this obsession with light switches. It drives me CRAZY!! He also has an obsession with opening and closing doors, but that is another post I will have to do. Anyway, I was desperate to find something to keep him from messing with the lights. I finally found it!
I ordered 5 of them in case they didn't work. The down side, they cost $6.50. They work great and I have won the Battle!! Now if I could only keep him away from the doors.
You push that little button on the side when you push the switch up or down. It automatically locks. Easy for adults to use, impossible for toddlers!

Savor It!

When I think about it my heart starts to beat faster, my palms start to sweat, I breath quicker breaths and my throat tightens. I think it is a mini panic attack. I can't help it! As positive as I try to be I just don't see anything good with what is coming. Just the thought of winter makes me want to curl into a ball and dream it all away. Can you blame me? I mean, do you want to spend the next 5 months cooped up in the house with five 2 1/2 year old kids? I sure don't!

So, I am doing my very best to see something positive. Right now we are going to savor every moment of nice weather. We will admire God's awesomeness in the trees. We will jump and play in the leaves, dig in the dirt, and ride our toys in the driveway. I love it when the leaves show their true colors. So, I am savoring everything I can. Storing it away in my mind and heart and praying it will be enough to get me through this winter.

In an attempt to enjoy the last days of feeling the sun's warmth shining down on us, we went to the park. I am trying to remember everything they are doing so I can be blown away by how much they change over this winter. They next time we go to this park they will be 3 years old and into a new phase of life. As much as I look forward to their growing, I want to bottle this up and never forget how special they all are.

5 Kids + No Nap =

Exhausted!! That would be the perfect way to describe poor Landon. I was in the kitchen preparing for dinner and when I walked into the living room this is what I saw. Poor guy! He was out like a light. I felt bad for him so I gently leaned him over.

Thank you God, it's Friday!!! Not that it matters much, but daddy will be home tomorrow!!! It has been a rough week. Lots has happened so I'll start with Monday.

We took our first trip to the zoo. I have to say, anyone in the Evansville, area should get a season pass. It is $8.50/person each trip to the zoo. But!! If you get a family pass you can go for free for a year plus get great discounts all around the U.S. It only costs $59 for your entire family! We will be spending a lot of time at the zoo for the next year. Jenna had a crash and burn while we were there. She fell right on her forehead. Now she has this big scab on her head.

After we had seen everything we ate lunch. We went and sat at the entrance and unpacked our lunches. I have never seen so many bees in my life. They were everywhere. They were landing on all of us. Luckily they weren't stinging anyone.

Tuesday morning I was up bright and early to take Jenna to her 9:15am appointment at the feeding clinic in Evansville. When we got home Peyton and Sydney went to grandma's house to spend the night.

Wednesday we stayed home for the day. It has been so yucky and cold outside that I didn't want to get out. I did get a few closets cleaned and organized.

Thursday morning we started out kinda rough. Jenna's head was scabbing over from Monday and she decided to try on a plethora of hats. I was in the kitchen when she walked in with blood all over her forehead. The quarter sized scab was pulled off and sticking in her hair. So, she has this big huge band aid on her head. While I was doing that the other kids were downstairs. When I got down there Peyton and Sydney were completely naked and had peed all over the couch. I was so Mad!!! So, I spanked them, put them in bed for a couple minutes, then put them in time-out. They were pretty upset with the consequences. Right before we were about to leave to go to my moms house Ethan came to me and showed me where Landon bit him. Yes, I said bit!! So, he got his mouth smacked and put in time-out.

Today was pretty rough too. Syd and Peytie stripped down again. They both got the same punishment again. Without a nap today we needed to go to bed early. So, 7:00 rolled around and they were out in about 5 minutes. Thank the Lord!!!

Good Night Moon!

We have a little cardboard book called, "Good Night Moon." This book is loved by everyone in this house. It is the book we read a hundred times a day. They talk about it and apply it to our everyday lives. A few weeks ago they started noticing the moon. They get so excited when they see it. They even spot it in the morning when it's still in the sky.

I love how their minds are starting to work. Occasionally we are out late and when we get home everyone jumps out of the van. They go running into the driveway and search for the moon. As soon as they see it everyone is yelling and shouting, " da Moon!" They are celebrating this silly round thing in the sky. But really, they see the moon for what it was meant to be seen as. It is an amazing part of God's creation.

Peyton, our most wild and adventuresome kiddo is probably the most awe struck by the moon. He loves everything about those few minutes outside celebrating God's awesomeness. After a few seconds he looks at me with excited eyes and says, "I wanna touch it!" He begs and begs to just get one little touch. How sweet and innocent they are. These are the little things I hold onto and never want to forget. I have looked forward to this age for quite some time. The age when they can communicate what is going on in those little heads of theirs. I can't wait for all the funny conversations they have with each other. Times when I can melt into the background and listen. Times like these make the rough times worth it.

Guess Who Did This!!

I was in the kitchen when I heard a real cry from Ethan. I say that because Ethan is always whining and throwing tantrums. I know immediately he was in pain. So, I went into the living room and found Ethan laying on his back on the floor with Peyton sitting beside him. He wouldn't tell me what Peyton did so I stood him up to examine him. I found my cell phone beside him and knew that was the source of the fight. I turned him around and saw a wet teeth ring on the back of his shirt. I lifted up his shirt and was horrified. This is by far the worst bite we have had. So, I reacted pretty strongly. I smacked my sweet Peytie in the mouth, put him in bed for 2 min, then put him in time-out for 2 min. I also gave him a HUGE guilt trip. We talked about how he hurt his bubby and made him cry. We also talked about how we do NOT bite in this house. We also talked about it throughout the evening.

I was so furious when I realized what he had done. I showed daddy and grandma. Each time I showed them I made sure Peytie was right there. When they saw it and asked what happened he would say that he bit Ethan then ,"No biting!" I know he got the picture. I'm glad he got it. Thankfully, we haven't had biting problems. Hopefully it will stay that way.

Balloon Melt Down!

This is the picture we had for about an hour and a half the other night. We went up to Heritage Days on the square this past weekend. The kids got balloons. I never thought that balloons would be that emotionally frustrating for the kids. We tied them to their wrists or clothes. They didn't understand that they wouldn't float away if they were attached to them. So, they cried continually in fear of losing their balloons. Seriously, this is all they did until bed time. They were convinced that the balloons would float away if they let them go. Even when we showed them that they wouldn't go away if they let go, they still freaked out. So, Peyton and Ethan had to have their balloons tied to the outside of their beds so they could see them until they fell asleep. Thank the Lord, the next morning the helium was gone and they were all on the ground. Funny, the things we understand that we just assume they understand.

We have been taking Jenna to a feeding clinic in Evansville for a few weeks now. A Psychologist and feeding specialist sits with us and they feed her. They do mouth exercises and are teaching her to eat. I am amazed at the progress we have made. I really haven't done much with her in between visits. Her eating hasn't gotten any better, until today. We went to our appointment yesterday. Today for lunch we had salisbury steak, garden corn, cheesy hash brown casserole, carrots, applesauce, and rolls. The meal started a little rough. She is really bad about spitting out what she doesn't want. But, after a few minutes of being taken away from the table, she decided she would eat. That little girl ate every bite off her plate.

This may seem silly and small to most people, but this is something Jenna hasn't ever done. She ate an entire plate of food that she didn't really want. By that I mean, it wasn't sweets, candy or junk food. I was so proud of her! She was excited too. It takes her about 40 minutes of constant attention and me feeding her, but she did it! The feeding clinic is doing something that is making a difference. It is a lot of work, and I hope I have the stamina and patience to keep doing it. For now, keep praying for our little Jenna.

Hero of the Day!

This morning I let Gray (our gray kitten) in the house. KeeKee (our little tort) wasn't around. That was a little odd, but I didn't think much of it until about 9:30 when she still hadn't shown up. I was sticking my head out of the house and calling for her when I thought I heard her crying. Here is where I found her.

I called the Fire Dept. and they came to take a look. Unfortunately, since she was up in a power line they couldn't help. But they did turn on their lights and talk to the kids a little. The kids love firetrucks. So, thanks to the firemen who came to try to help. So, I put some food at the bottom of the pole in hopes that she could successfully climb down. I could have left her up there longer, but I saw no reason if Duke Energy was willing to come and get her down. So, I called them up and within an hour our hero for the day showed up to get her down. Thank you so much for saving KeeKee!

When Mommy's Kiss Just Isn't Enough...

Elmo bandages do the trick. We are constantly scraping our knees and stubbing our toes. Landon practically cut the tip of his off the other day. It is so funny. They come up to me and say, "Boo Boo, Mommy fix it (whimper, whimper) band aid (sniff, sniff)."

All better mommy!

They always amaze me. Today I got out a banana, which they rarely eat when offered (except for Peytie). Instead of cutting it up I just peeled it and offered them to bite it. The boys took the biggest bites. It was like they were trying to see who could get the biggest bite. I can't believe how big they are getting. Yes, that is a bugar on Landon's nose (Yuck)!

What do you do when you are trying to get five kids teeth brushed and teach them how to drink from an open cup and spit all in one educational moment? You improvise! We use the bathtub to spit in and then we dump our cups out on the floor! Actually, we are working on that last part. At least the bathroom is a water friendly place. The sink is just too small a target with five spitters. "Look momma, I have a tongue!"
"Do these glasses make my face look big?"

Friday Night Football!!

I took Peyton, Syd, and Jenna to the Princeton Tigers football game on Friday. I wasn't sure how they would do, but they had a blast! It was hilarious. They would yell as loud as they could, "Go Tigers!" They met lots of new people and had so much fun.

Momma. what do you think about that last play?

Peytie and Pastor Gary.

We found something Jenna excels at. She will chew a piece of gum all night. I shouldn't be surprised. The girl never eats. She is the queen of chewing and not swallowing. So, this was right up her alley. She was so proud that she got to have gum. Peyton and Syd swallowed theirs pretty quickly. They just didn't get it.

Never Ending

That is how I describe my list of things to do. Today the van had to go to the shop to get the brakes worked on. So, before I dropped the van off and got stranded at home I went by the store and bought some ammonia. Now, whoever came up with the label "Lemon Fresh" must be on something because I wore a surgical mask to keep from permanently damaging my nasal cavity. I'm sure everyone knows how awful that stuff smells. But it works! I'm so glad my mom told me not to mix bleach with it because I probably would have tried that. Wouldn't that be a great headline "Quint Mom Found Dead On Kitchen Floor From Mixing Lethal Cleaning Chemicals!"

No, the picture above is not poop. Shocking isn't it! Seems like everything these days involves poop of some kind. Anyway, I only got the open area of the kitchen done. I used almost the entire bottle. That stuff in the trash can is the stuff that came up from the floor. Now I am sweaty and annoyed. I hate feeling like I didn't get anything accomplished. I know I did, but the truth is, not a single person will notice the slave labor I put in today. So, why did I do it? I guess because I refuse to walk on the floors without shoes on. I know they are disgusting and can't stand it. Maybe because the kids had to walk on them everyday without shoes on and it was embarrassing when their feet would be black from walking on them. Yeah, I know I got a big task partially done, but I also know that now I have to find time to finish it now. It is hard because I can't do it with the kids home. I don't want them to smell that awful stuff. So, I guess my entire free day next week will be devoted to finishing the job. Lucky Me!

Urgent Request!

I know all the supporters of my family pray for us constantly. I have a special request. Please pray for my brother and sister-in-law. They have teenage kids and you all know that brings challenges. There are some very serious things going on with their family and they need urgent and continuous prayer. I love Mel and Shawn to death. The devil is trying to rip their family apart. They are going through a lot and I would really appreciate it if you all would join me in praying for them tonight. Before you lay your head down to go to sleep just ask the Lord to keep his hand on them.

Lord, you know the situations right now, and you are in control. I know they are seeking your guidance and strength in this difficult time. Please give Mel and Shawn a peace about their situation. Let them know that you will be with them throughout this tough time. Lord, they love you and want their kids to know you. They have done their best to raise their kids up to know you, but at some point a kid has to make their own decisions and reap the consequences. Just be a pillar of strength for them right now Lord. Give Mel and Shawn some relief so they can lay their heads down tonight and rest knowing your hand is in this. Your word says, "Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Pr22:6) We are putting all of this in your hands Lord. In Jesus Name,

Amen

Busy, Busy, Busy

That pretty much sums up our lives lately. We have been feeling our time with family and friends. Lots of learning and growing. Their talking has changed immensely. The kids are talking in full sentences and learning their colors and numbers. It is so fun to watch them play together and watch their minds work. One day we got home and got every one's shoes off. We were picking them all up to put them in the closet. We couldn't find Syd's. When we put everyone else's away we found hers. She took them off and carried them to the closed and opened the door and put them in. She does that every time now. She is so smart and figures things like that out all the time. She is mommy's little helper. She has kind of figured out how to fold washcloths. She also loves to carry her babies around and feed them their bottles and give them baths.

We've been cracking down on the kids about telling us "No." We decided to get rid of warnings. If the kids tell us "No" we immediately put them in time-out. It is amazing the change we have seen in them. They have done much better at listening to us. The boys are the kids who are bad about it. Especially Ethan and Landon. Peyton is bad too, but he picked up on the punishment faster than the others.

Rob is back in school. Another semester of 2nd shift and classes. I hate 2nd shift and the stress that comes with going to school at the same time. He is doing it for us though and I support him completely. I am so ready for him to be done. Until then, we are getting by.