From the mouths of babes . . .

(See this post for a similar story about Sarah.) 

The kids were all at each other a few Sunday afternoon's ago as they cleaned up from a little too much nap time fun. Even Lydia was in on the bickering. Several times we called them into the living room to talk to them about the things we were hearing. At one point Dave had both Sarah and Josiah standing before him and talked to them, again, about looking out for the interests of others before their own interests. This has been a theme in our home lately and means lots of asking, “Sarah, what do you think Josiah would most like right now” and “Josiah, how could you best love Sarah.” Dave started in on this line of reasoning and Josiah responded with something like, “well, Dad, I think Sarah most wants to fight, so I should probably keep fighting with her.” 

We weren’t able to hide our laugher. 

The situation was diffused and we all relaxed a little and had a good chuckle. And Dave clarified that fighting with each other was never an option, plus it wasn’t really what Sarah was hoping for. Sarah thought through what Josiah needed and the clean-up job happened slowly, but surely. These are the hard, precious, mundane moments that we treasure so dearly.

Did it rain on you today?

[setting: Cook living room on a cloudy Monday morning]

Josiah: Mom, did it rain on you while you were running outside?

Me [thinking I have the most considerate little boy in the world]: Oh sweet Josiah, it actually didn't rain on me at all. Did it rain here? I'm so glad I missed it!

[long pause]

Josiah: Then why is your face all wet?

[long funny awkward pause]

Dave: Well son, your mother sweats . . . a lot . . .

The Golden Rule (Four Year Old Style)

Sarah: "Stop it Josiah . . . or I'm going to kick you!"

I heard those words, which I had never heard from her mouth before, and with a little shock in my voice called her to the kitchen to see me. When she got to my lap she was very matter of fact. She said she wasn't really going to kick him. She knew that wasn't ok. 

When I pressed her on why she threatened him, she very plainly stated that she knew you are supposed to treat others like you want to be treated. Since Josiah was kicking her and kept kicking her, he must have wanted to be kicked. 

I must admit, I laughed out loud :)

Four year old logic and sisterly love at its finest! 

Hiccups!

Baby Sister gets the hiccups regularly. They are fun to watch when wearing a shirt with stripes!

August 1, 2014 at 36 weeks, 4 days

I kind of feel like Santa Clause . . . my belly jiggles like a bowl full of jelly :)

"He had a broad face and a little round belly,

that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly."

Crisis or Comfort?

We had a problem. For the last several weeks anytime Sarah cried, Josiah would aggressively come over and start hitting her. Not only did I have a sad Sarah to comfort, but then I had to discipline Josiah, and often discipline Sarah for retaliating. It was overwhelming- I couldn't rightly do it all at the same time!

While Dave was home over the Thanksgiving break he saw the same senerio play out a few times, but at least we could divide and conquer to comfort and reprimand. And then it hit us. (Pun intended!) He was trying to comfort her.

Sarah has always had a compassionate heart when it comes to Josiah's sadness. Early on we taught her to pat his back when he was sad. And it was that pat on the back that he was trying to imitate.

So we taught him to gently rub Sarah's back and now we are good to go. It was a grand misunderstanding that has turned into a much appreciated act of kindness. And also a reminder to us as parents- we've got to rely on the Lord, because there is often so much more at play than our eyes can see!

Willing To Trade For a Boat

There are hundreds of reasons I love my little brother, but this surely makes the top 10. He is trying to relieve my parents of this entertainment center, and is willing to trade for a trailer...or a boat :)

Wrestlemania 2013: Cage Match

A Fist Bump to start the match

The Classic Pin

The Sleeper Hold

The Gigglemaker

Not really sure what to call this

The Elbow Pin

We're not really sure who won

January's Visit

January came through the Cook household and left. That means a little more to Sarah than it might to you or me.

You see, Sarah enjoyed the buildup to Christmastime very much, so much that she didn't really understand it was over after Christmas came. It certainly didn't help that we followed tradition and left the tree up for almost two weeks. So, to help her move on, we very quickly started telling her that January was coming.

"Sarah, January is coming!" we would say. "January is coming. January is almost here!" We hyped it up for a few days during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.

"January is coming," she one day said. "January IS coming! January gon' come an' tickle Sarah!"

"Ummmmm," we thought to ourselves. "Does she think January is a person?"

She did.

I thought for a minute about how to explain what a month is, or even the concept of time. Unsure of what to do, we decided to play along with it. The imagination is a good thing to develop, we thought. Thus, most of our dinner table conversation lately has had to do with the version of January who lives in Sarah's imagination. We wanted to know everything about this friend who was coming to visit. It turns out she has black hair, is very fun, and tickles with the worst of them.

Then, of course, January actually came.

"January is here, Sarah! Happy January!" "January is here? January is NOT here." "Yes, Sarah, January is here. January came!" Confusion built with each exchange. "January, where aaaaaaare you?" This went on for a while until Sarah finally accepted that January, whoever or whatever it was, had finally come, and either played along or actually started imagining the anthropomorphic month.

Emily and I wound up treating the month like a holiday, giving each other surprise gifts throughout the month that said, "happy January." Sarah really enjoyed it, once the initial confusion passed. She played with January most of the month, until we all bid the joyful month farewell. I would have felt just a little guilty about entertaining such silliness, but watching her little imagination blossom in other ways this January was reward enough. We're actually quite sad that January isn't coming back until next year.

Sarah, in the meantime, is having great fun with February.

Josiah's Chocolate Muffin

 

On Sunday Sarah knows that after nursery we go to the gym. Once in the gym she immediately goes to the left and sits down against the wall. I will then bring her a bagel, muffin, piece of cake or other sweet sundry from the snack table.  This system was established to minimize crumbs and increase the likelihood that I could have a conversation during the coffee hour. It takes great strategy to have conversation these days!

Yesterday we did go to the early service and this routine played out like normal. When my arm went numb from holding Josiah, I sat him down next to Sarah and let him play with the handle of my purse. He was chewing on the strap. Sarah was eating a chocolate muffin. I wasn't free enough to enjoy a cup of coffee, but I was talking to the kind soul that came my way to say hi. Then this kind soul suddenly started laughing and pointing at my kids. I quickly turned to see what the matter could be. Was there blood? Was there mess? Were there tears? 

It seems that Josiah had pulled Sarah's arm back such that he got a perfect bite of her chocolate muffin without ever taking it out of her hand. She realized what happened, pulled her arm back, and quickly ate the remainder of her muffin. I went to trying to wipe the chocolate off my eight-month-old's mouth.

We all had a good laugh while Josiah continued to drool chocolate and Sarah licked up the crumbs.

Potty Training Days

Meet Froggy Potty

Sarah has been interested in and seemingly ready for potty training for a few months now. We introduced "froggy potty" as interest peaked and Sarah got comfortable saying "hi" and occasionally even sitting down. Once, before her bath, she even went a little.

Even with this prep and these signs, we didn't want to be in early potty training days during our trip. So we held off and enjoyed a final month of disposable diapers while we traveled. Our first Friday back home Dave and I had a heart to heart. We weighed the pros and cons, imagined the successes and challenges. I then promptly set out to Kmart for a host of supplies.

My shopping cart:
panties
training panties
plastic covers
(let's be real...despite our best research, we had no idea what we were doing, so we got a little of every kind!)
another potty, specifically with a seat to go on the big potty, also serves as a stool at the sink
apple juice (diluted and called froggy juice)

At home:
froggy potty
stickers
goldfish

On Saturday, October 27, we woke Sarah up and with great enthusiasm showed her the new panties. She promptly picked a favorite and the chosen pair were donned. We started by asking her if she needed to go. She pretty much always said no. So we did "dry panty checks" every 15-45 minutes, depending on if she had produced at the last visit.

Our general system:

• she got a goldfish and sticker for dry panties and another pair for producing on the potty
• she could sip on her froggy juice as much as she wanted
• we put a diaper on for nap, bedtime, and leaving the house
• we let her wipe and had her wash her hands with each successful trip- she really liked this
• she has to sit when she wakes up, before and after a nap, before and after we go out, and before bed

Success? We think so. That first day she had a few accidents (look to the humor section for some of those stories!) and much success. Sunday morning she did her first dirty job on the potty and it didn't phase her. We are thankful that hasn't been an issue, thus far.

We put a diaper on her for church Sunday and then had friends over to watch football. She only had one accident late in the afternoon, after people had left. She then went Monday to Friday at lunch without an accident! We asked her if she needed to go and put her on the potty often. It was some work, but certainly no more work than diapers. 

She did well over the weekend, then we had a really busy, out every morning, kind of week. Sarah continued to do well, but there were times when we were out that we had to tell her she could go in her diaper. Unfortunate, but so goes life.

She continues to enjoy going and has very few accidents. And when she does have an accident, we almost always know exactly why (based on time, what she last ate, fatigue, etc.). Amazingly, she doesn't go in her diaper during naps or at night. We haven't braved going without a diaper in bed, but maybe that is what we'll work on next. She does often goes in her diaper by the time we get home after nursery. I don't think she has had a dirty diaper since we started though...interesting. And wonderful!

Three weeks and four days in we can say that we are quite satisfied with her new independence. Not changing diapers is a blessing. Sarah's happiness is bountiful. As seems to often be the case these days, it seems like her growing up in this area has made her grow up faster in every area.

Stories:

• When we first gave her froggy juice, she tried to feed it to froggy potty. First she tried to dump it in the pot, then tried to put it to his little face. It took a few hours before she fully grasped that froggy juice was for her to drink...and was delicious. I don't know that she had ever had apple juice before!
• On Sunday morning we were a little late to church waiting on that first stinky! Thankfully, she doesn't normally have trouble going. We haven't been late since :)
• Once she fell while standing up and her hand, holding the toilet paper, went in the wet potty. She immediately tried to go back in to get the paper out. We had an extra long hand washing after that incident!
• Another time she had an accident, freaked out, and started running toward me. Except she slipped and landed on all fours. And every time she tried to get up she kept slipping. Don't worry- I quickly scoped her up and got her to the potty. All in all though, it was just like watching the three stooges!
• When we would ask her if her panties were wet, without fail and with a straight face she would answer, "not to wet, not to dry." I think the political ads of late October left an impression on her.
• On day six, the Friday I left for the weekend, Dave, Sarah, and our church secretary went out to lunch. Having gone 4.5 days accident free, Dave decided to take Sarah out in big girl panties. He said she did great at lunch. They went to the bathroom for a dry panties check during the meal and she was dry, but didn't go. On the walk back to church Ann was holding Sarah and felt something a little warm. They brushed it off and kept on walking. A little bit further and Ann noticed that the warm was spreading. Yuck! Sure enough, Sarah's full force had been unleashed. Dave got Sarah cleaned up, but Ann had to stay in her wet clothes. She said that by late after she was starting to really smell and had to go home early. Oops! And that is why we always take her out in a diaper!

Funny Faces

This impromptu photo shoot made us smile. We thought we would share the fun with you :)

Olympic sport?

We love the Olympics around here. How would I get to London? You might think swimming would be my dream sport.

Alas, after the week we have had I would want to create a new sport.

If fruit fly demolishing was an Olympic sport, I would be in London right now- winning gold!

To Laugh Or To Cry

To laugh or to cry. That was the question.

My sweet baby girl had just pooped in the bathtub. She didn't even know what happened as I scooped her up and carried her yucky and screaming to another bathtub to clean up. In the meantime Josiah woke up and was crying. It was time for him to eat. A pacy was quickly popped in his mouth and I finished bathing Sarah, for the second time. I realized in the process that it was raining and my nearly dry diapers were getting wet. They were quickly pulled in. I put her down for her nap and he had settled down, so (after a frantic call to my mom for tips and tricks) I went to work cleaning and sanitizing the bathtub. And then I laughed.

From the moment Dave and I found out about Josiah we dreamed and speculated about what life would look like with kids- plural. We wondered what kind of work they would do and what hobbies they would love. We dreamed about weddings and grandchildren and vacations. We also looked to the immediate future. How would I possibly keep dry diapers on everyone? Would we ever be able to enjoy flying again? We knew the immediate future would be wonderful, but also have its challenges. Many of our friends have two young children and we have heard many of their wild stories. We knew when it got hard we would have a choice, to laugh or to cry.

To cry means I have lost perspective. The little things are overwhelming me and life is feeling very small and out of control. I'm not saying that I shouldn't or don't cry. (Trust me, nothing brings on my tears like sleep deprivation!) Being sad is a real emotion and crying can be a really good thing, especially when we are crying out to our Heavenly Father. But usually in my case, it means that things aren't going my way and I don't like it.

To laugh means to embrace the moment. Call it hard, do the best that you can do, and laugh. See the big picture and let everything fall into perspective. It leads to being ever more grateful for what the Lord has given me and makes for much more fond memories. Laughing allows me to enjoy where I am, no matter the trial.

So that day, I remembered to laugh. Success! It wasn't quite how I planned to spend the day, but in all honesty the moment was pretty outrageous. I kind of wish someone would have been here to laugh with me. Now both kids are napping (win!) and the mail lady just rang the door bell. Josiah is stirring, but that's ok. I am thankful for the package she brought and that he loves a pacifier! Plus, every time he gets worked up he poots a little, and that's just funny.

To laugh or to cry. How will I view my challenges today?

Sarah's Newest Trick

We had fun at dinner this week :) Sarah is a such a sponge at this stage and continues to surprise us with all that she notices and remembers.

Ready to Shop

Sarah is ready to shop! Well, only if she is using a gift card. Otherwise this new move is mighty dangerous!

Mischief...

Since the addition of a bowl of Halloween candy to our living room coffee table, Sarah has loved taking the pieces of candy in and out of the bowl. Occasionally, she examines the differences in, say, a square of shiny Giradelli and a round white piece of taffy. This morning she was interested in a purple dark chocolate Hershey Kiss. There was normal play, some interest in unwrapping it, a gentle reminder that we don't unwrap the candy, and I left the room to brush my teeth. I came back to this overly innocent face:

I then went digging and found this in her cheek:

It seems from the remains of purple foil that she must have sucked the chocolate out of the wrapper. Sarah never really acknowledged the deed, never asked for more. Thus far. she hasn't tried to eat any other pieces of chocolate. Maybe she prefers milk chocolate? :)

Fun Photos :)

Dave and I had the treat of eating breakfast out at Dunkin Donuts last week via gift card. Sarah didn't get any breakfast sandwich, but she did get our balls of wrapper. She held on to them until she went down for her nap more than an hour later.

We had fires this week. Sarah loved helping Dad get things going.

Did Dad dress me this morning? Is my onesie buttoned outside my pants? Yes :)

We had a long Sunday morning at church. Solution? Put her down on a toddler car table during the second service, before the potluck lunch.

Hairdrierphobia

Sarah has a new found fear of my hair drier. She often hangs out in the bedroom while I get ready in the bathroom, but never before has drying my hair been an issue. For the last week or so not only does her little lip turn down and her eyes moisten when I use the hair drier, even seeing in makes her scurry for someones knees. Being the mean mother that I am, I even tested this theory so that Dave could see. With both Sarah and Dave in the bathroom I opened the bottom drawer of our vanity and Sarah peeked in. She quickly turned away, started crawling up Dave's leg, and let out one of her good cries that starts long and silent. Theory proven.

I'm not sure how her fear began, but I am now a mom who has to schedule time to dry my hair. It is the little laughs that make this job so much fun!

Look Who's Pouting Now!

Well, you may have read by now of how our honeymoon picture of St John, New Brunswsick is on the fifth page of a Google search, but perhaps this one is even more fun. On the first page of a Google search for "pouty face," look what we find:

Normally this would be at least moderately funny, but notice who she is next to! And our current commander-in-chief isn't far behind. Now that is some serious competition!

Famous Photographers?

Does anyone remember Honeymoon Part 2 | Saint John, New Brunswick? When we check out the blog stats, this 5th post is always, surprisingly, one of our most popular. (Along with "Spring Birds" and more recently, "The Pouty Face.") So we went on the hunt and were excited with what we found.

If you search "Saint John, New Brunswick" in Google Images, our picture of the Saint John sign comes up on the 5th page of images. I know, you're thinking that now that they are famous they are going to stop blogging and rule the world. Au contraire, we love our corner of the world, so don't you worry about all our page 5 fame :)