Undies

Last summer we thought we had it made; the babes loved to use the potty. And after a short hiatus over the winter, the kid seemed back in the swing of things in this cute little undies this spring. And then... we put the kibosh on the binkie. And the boy retaliated by refusing to even look at the big boy potty again.


So, new strategy. Last week we got a new sprinkler, and what self-respecting kiddo can play in the sprinkler with droopy plastic drawers? Right? Off they came. And what do all little boys do when playing outside without a diaper? They pee on the grass/bushes/house, of course.

Seriously, best potty training method... ever!

Capital Campaign

A trip home to BR is never complete without a visit with Lynn. Unfortunately, Spanish Town was rained out, so we only got a short visit with the city's finest. Luckily, our short visit was over some yummy hummus and delicious veggie pizza; yum! Thanks Lynn!


All through lunch Alexander refused to sit still (this was one of only a few restaurant trips for little Lightning McQueen, and he definitely lived up to his reputation...) At one point Lynn jumped into action just in time before the little booger could escape into the parking lot. He is f-ast.


And then we were off again.


OK, I know I already posted some of these poop pictures, but I just had to re-post the whole series. He ran away to escape the public potty...


Turned to see if Mama was watching...


You know what he did next... then he high-tailed it out of there! Even the boy knows he is mighty stinky!

Papa, Alexander & I are SO, SO lucky to have such an amazing extended family in Baton Rouge to welcome us home each Mardi Gras. We're blessed with some of the most amazing, talented, welcoming and beautiful friends on God's green earth. We love you all, enjoy (almost) every minute with you, and can't wait to see all of you again next Mardi Gras!

And don't worry, we'll try to keep in mind that fish and friends always start to stink after three days...:)

Winter Socks

So, winter's cold, right? You have to wear a nice warm coat...

A warm hand-me-down hat...

And, when all else fails to warm you up... socks. But not any random pair of store-bought socks, if you really want to warm up in Wild & Wonderful West Virginia, you need to put on some warm & cozy, Oklahoma-made, Jenny Brown socks.

Aren't they beautiful?

Jenny Brown even made Maia a pair, but she wasn't too interested in posing in her socks & big-boy gutchies for a picture.

Thanks Jenny Brown! We love our beautiful new socks; you are awesome! Now, get these things off!

Fl*sh It!

I don't think the boy's quite got the concept of "potty training" yet. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure he's still a little confused. OK, a lot.


I caught the little rascal in the act. He smiled, turned and ran, Super-Duper in hand, and hid behind our bed. After cleaning out his toilet-full-of-fun, I made my way into the bedroom to find the little guy playing a little cardboard applicator turned kazoo. Good times.

True, our 13-year-old Alexander is going to be mortified when he reads this, but after this morning, I think he has it coming!

And as his Papa was telling me, "Ah, how cute," on the phone, the boy struck again. I was standing right there. Back turned. Cleaning up the dry mess. And the little poopsic threw the plastic "so-peanut-won't-chew-them-up" Tampon holder lid in the pot. His Papa thought that was cute too... I'll give him cute.... grrr.

It's Raining, It's Pouring, Grandpa is Snoring

Note: I'm tired. The boy's been "sleeping" in bed with us since we came home from Brooklyn'd. Papa moved to the guest bedroom late last week. And the fever sent him to the couch last night. Which leaves me. Alone. All night. Sleepless. Tending the feverish magpie, washcloths and all. Baby-in-bed is definitely NOT my idea of a good time. Anyway, I'm tired. And a little crazy. So, while reading, please add a little colorful wording & craziness. Thank you & peace-out.

Saturday's popup thunderstorm was kinda like our boy's fever. One minute crazy happy to be poking grandpa's belly. The next (now as a matter-of-fact) 103.8* & sleepy. But he just can't get comfortable... well, he can't get comfy apart from Mama's lap. Right now, the boy's snuggled up with a pseudo-lap, ie. couch pillow. Oh, and now he has a cough. Poor baby!

But let's focus on the storm...Grandpa!


Dada (Uncle) Afanasi & Grandpa are the perfect house guests, they don't come inside. I mean, it would be great if they would come into the air conditioning, but instead they've spent their long weekend in the backyard, and during the brief thunderstorm, perched on the front porch.

This is the ideal situation for the boy (or at least it would be if he were feeling 100%). Playing outside from breakfast until the bedtime car ride.


This morning the krewe moved under the carport while the sun burned backyard. Papa rigged up a removable fence so that the babe could safely play in the shade. Until his fever came back full-force, we had a great day!

Nik & her Mama tried to sneak past our new fun fortrace, but of course that didn't happen! (Nikki is suffering from, most likely, the same virus as the boy. Her early-morning ER visit gave her a positive strep test... So, anyway, that's why her Mama wasn't concerned about her cruisin' 'round the yard with the boy.)

Before the evening fever, our big boy enjoyed a few hours of Mama's new potty-training initiative. We brought the potty outside, bared the bum & periodically asked (and signed)"Potty?"

Things were working great for a while. The babe peed on the potty twice, and never demanded a Raisinette (Since the fever began yesterday morning, the boy would sit on the pot, but refuse to pee... but he still demanded the Raisinette...)

Anyway, things were working great... until we got company, and Mama got shy. We put the boy's shorts on, sans diaper, and as soon as we covered up his package, he peed. Twenty minutes later, when I asked if he had to pee on the potty, a little trickle came out his pant-leg again. Although cute, we diapered him up. We don't want the company to judge. I guess the babes just figured anything covering his junk gave him permission to pee... I mean, who doesn't like to pee his pants?