Back in the Game

If you are physically fit, you aren't allowed to make fun of me for the things I am about to write. I went running yesterday and ran 2 miles without dying (or stopping). It felt so good to be out in the sun and finally getting back into the swing of things. Now if I could only be committed to eating right I might actually loose this baby weight...

Life's Hard Being the Fourth...

More hugs, more kisses, more people to love you, more pokes in the eye, the only thing you get less of is SPACE! Poor kid doesn't get any attention around here!

Like Father, Like Son

I love it when they wear their matchy matchy shirts. They look even more alike... if that's possible!

Transitions...And Lots of Them

Brother buddies
Nathan's "cheese" face. Don't worry, Daddy's hand is there to protect Tanner...just in case.
How can someone so cute cause so much trouble? Today he and Kate stole the frosting for the cake and snuck it into Kate's room and were devouring it by the handful. Nathan had both of his fists caked in frosting. I had just put new sheets on the bed for guests that were coming over tonight. Let's just say they didn't make it and the kids were lucky they did.
This was yesterday when I let Nathan run around in the pull-up. Isn't he so cute?
Tanner and Daddy have become pretty good buddies since Daddy sprained his ankle. Daddy is my Tanner holder. That way I can get work done without having my baby crying. That breaks my heart.
He just loves tummy time.
Tanner at one month old. How handsome he is!
He doesn't suck his thumb much because he can't find it, but we have convinced him the last couple of days to take a pacifier. I think this will be very nice, especially at night when he thinks he is hungry but shouldn't be yet.
Nathaniel's foot over a week after the accident. I don't know any wife that loves her husband playing church basketball. It still looks pretty bad and it has been almost 2 1/2 weeks.
My cute kids- minus Kate. She was changing for bed. I wish I would have waited for her since this turned out pretty cute.
My big Tannerboy. Below it almost looks like he is smiling.
There have been A LOT of transitions going on around here. Katelyn is getting a violent shove into potty training and is doing REALLY well today. She finally did her business on the potty and so she got to stay up from naptime and make a treat of her choice - a cake with crunchy frosting (rainbow chip). She has been peeing on the toilet for a week now but hasn't had a single accident free day...until today! (But today isn't over yet, so I shouldn't have said anything.) She had a really disastrous accident the other day where she pooped in her pants and then took them off in her room and consequently ended up with poop all over her clothes (the ones on her and the ones on the floor she had thrown out of her drawers), the carpet, and herself. She came down the hall and told me she pooped but she wiped it up. I was about to be excited about it (thinking it had been down on the toilet) until Nathan went behind her and said, "EW!" while pointing to the back of her. I knew we were in trouble to say the least.
Nathan is on his 4th night in his big boy bed. The first night Nathaniel was gone at a scout dinner/cake auction and Nathan cried for 2 1/2 hours...no, I'm not exaggerating. He stopped literally 2 minutes before Nathaniel walked in the door. The next night I was gone at a RS activity and he cried off and on for 2 hours. He stopped 10 minutes before I came home. Last night our beloved friends Megan and JD came over to watch our kids while we went on a DATE!!! I felt bad for leaving them with our kids since Kate hadn't been accident free yet and Nathan cries for so long you start to lose sanity. I told them they could either keep him up and we would deal with him when we got home or they could just let him cry and ignore him. Megan took it as a personal challenge to get him to sleep before we got home (bless you, Megan, bless you!). She is a real live super nanny and every mother could learn some effective tips from her. She got him to sleep and he didn't even cry. Every girl needs a Megan. I will miss her dearly when we leave here. (By the way, Megan, I tried a similar approach today and it went much better. He barely cried!)
Today Nathan decided he wanted to try to go potty on the toilet like his sisters. As I was sitting folding laundry in the living room Nathan grabbed a pink princess pull-up and brought it to me. I had put a pull-up on him the other day after letting him sit on the toilet and he loved it. He looked SO cute in it and he felt like such a big boy. So, today when he brought it to me I figured why not? He looked adorable in his navy polo and pink pull-up. After a few seconds he poked at the front of the pull-up and I asked him if he needed to go potty. He nodded (remember he isn't real vocal) and I hurried him to the bathroom and put him on the little plastic potty. He sat there at actually peed! I was so excited I was yelling for Nathaniel to come and see and congratulate his son. He hobbled down the hall since his sprained ankle is still hurting. We all cheered and clapped and gave him treats. I think Kate doing her business today had something to do with her younger brother having success on the toilet at the same time she was potty training. I thought it was a fluke, but he kept pointing at his pull-up and I would run him to the potty but he never quite made it. He was very excited about it all day though. Then tonight he started pointing and I took him into the potty (which was in the kitchen...I know that sounds disgusting, but he can't open doors and when he points to the pull-up we don't have time to make it down the hall yet). I didn't think he had been successful so we put the pull-up back on. Later he wanted to try again and when I took him in, there was urine in the potty. I was surprised and really excited...until he hit it out of my hand and pee splattered all over the KITCHEN FLOOR! This is why we do not have portable potties in the kitchen. I was really mad then. It really negates the excitement when you have to clean up a big mess. I was still excited that he had gone, but I was honestly very frustrated (not to mention it was exaggerated by sleep deprivation). Nathaniel got Nathan ready for bed and I took my frustration out on the sack of potatoes that also were compromised in the accident. I know, that sounds ridiculous, but I have been trying hard to be more patient and keep on top of everything- housework, potty training, taking care of Nathaniel with his injured ankle, my calling, and the kids. I love it all and I am glad these transitions are happening, but usually they come one at a time. Oh, the joys of having kids close together!

WHY?!?

Kate is having a "naked on the tile" day today as a way to push her into potty training. I don't think we should have to have a day like this since she should have been potty trained for months on end by now. Anyway, I was having her spend naptime on the tile with a towel under her when she tells me her tummy hurts. I assume it is because she needed to use the bathroom so I have her go and sit on the pot for a while. She gets off and pees in the tub. (This wouldn't be as annoying if she hadn't peed on the floor in the bathroom yesterday and pooped on it the day before. Why are the accidents on the BATHROOM floor and not IN the toilet!) I go in and tell her she needs to stay on the toilet and not be playing in the bathroom. She must have brought in a spoon from Eliza's tea set because the next time I went in to check on her she is SPOONING THE TOILET WATER INTO HER MOUTH!!! No, she hadn't gone to the bathroom yet, but I haven't scrubbed the toilet this week. What on earth was she thinking? Gee, I'm so thirsty that I can't wait another second to get a drink from the sink and since I'm sitting here with water right under me I'll just drink that. I was so grossed out I gave her a couple of drops of my essential oils hoping they would kill any germs now growing in her body. I talked to her about how gross it was to touch toilet water and how you could get really sick doing it. I had to go and take care of Tanner and when I came back she had put her sippy IN THE TOILET! I was SO mad but took a few seconds to explain to her that I was going to spank her since I had already told her not to touch the toilet water and she totally ignored me. I didn't want to spank her immediately since I was mad so I wiped up the toilet and then she said, "Mom, are you going to spank me hard?" I am getting very frustrated with the messes she gets herself into. I just have to remind myself that the kids are still transitioning to the changes going on here at home since Tanner joined our family. I have to think that this is not all transition problems but has to do with my parenting. What need am I not fulfilling for her? Does she need attention so badly that she will drink toilet water to get it? I know I've been a little busy since Tanner has come, but it's not like she's neglected!

At a Loss

I am at a total loss as to what to do with this little cutie. She has turned into a holy terror lately. I can not believe how much destruction can come from something so cute and little. Kate is so different than Eliza it is interesting to watch as they grow. Eliza will ask for something and if I tell her no she will get mad and throw a tantrum or yell and have attitude with me. Kate on the other hand will not ask for something because she knows I will probably tell her no. She will just sneak it and go off and hide with it. She snuck the frosting out of the fridge the other day and a cupcake off of the counter, went into the laundry room and hid in the corner as she ate the cupcake and handfuls of frosting. Funny to anyone that isn't cleaning it up.
She also has a paper fetish. Anytime she gets any kind of paper near her she rips it into thousands of little pieces. It is so annoying to find tissues torn to shreds in her room so when you open the door it looks like it has snowed in there. I can't leave toilet paper out where she can get to it otherwise it is unraveled all over the bathroom (no, she isn't potty trained yet-VERY frustrating). She doesn't color pictures, she rips them up and leaves them all over the floor. I don't understand it, but I try to let her rip as much as she wants at the table as long as she cleans it up. Strangely enough, she doesn't find it appealing in that setting and so therefore I continue to find various types of paper ripped apart all over my house.Kate is so unmotivated to be potty trained I could pull my hair out about it. She is 3 years and 7 months old and STILL is in diapers. She can go potty on the toilet, she just doesn't want to. She tells me she just doesn't want to. Rewards don't work, bribes don't work, and punishments don't work. I have tried everything I can think of to get her to have a desire to be potty trained. I have even made her stay on the tile with nothing but a shirt on so that she couldn't pee in her panties or diaper. It only works sometimes. She isn't even motivated by the "Big Girl Party" I promised her where she could choose the treat, movie, and stay up late. Eliza is not happy that Kate is not potty trained because Eliza is dying to have the party.
I have told Kate that until she is potty trained she still has to have nap time. Eliza gets to have quiet time in my room with activities or books that allow me to still have a little time to relax. Kate has to be in her room with the lights off and no toys or books. I have told her that as soon as she chooses to be a big girl she can have quiet time instead of nap time. She is still not motivated. Instead she chooses to punish and torture me with the naughty things she gets into when she is in her room for nap time. She has unloaded everything she can from her closet probably 5 times in the last few days (wouldn't you say so Laurel? It seems like I always discover this when I am on the phone with you). She has snuck into the bathroom and put a rag in the toilet and flung dirty water (yes, Eliza didn't flush after herself) around the bathroom. She has pulled so hard on the curtains that the rod bent and they came off the wall. She refuses to wear regular clothes and only wants to wear pajamas. If I make her wear something else, she changes back into pajamas at nap time. She also takes her pigtails out no more than 5 minutes after I put them in. There's more, but I think you get the picture.
I sure do love my Katerloo, but I am exhausted trying to find a way to discipline her in a way that is effective. I figure she is needing more attention since baby Tanner has come so I have tried to give it to her in positive ways, and still no progress. I hope I find something that works soon or I will have a breakdown. (There's authentic for you, Brynn!)

New Pictures and Updates

I can't believe how fast time flies. This little guy is changing so fast. He is so fun to have around. I love this stage when they are so happy to sit and snuggle. Holding a sleeping baby is one of my favorite things. Sleep is another one of my favorite things and since I don't usually get to enjoy both of them at the same time, I am trying to soak in all of the cuddling I can right now. Soon enough he will be too active to want to snuggle all day. My babies always outgrow me rocking them to sleep around 3 or 4 months and just want the crib when they are tired. With each child I try to keep them a baby for longer. There are fun things about every stage your child is in, but there is something magical about babies.
Tanner only sleeps in his carseat. I don't mind as long as he sleeps. Especially this week since Daddy is gone in D.C. for a moot court competition. He left on Thursday at 5:45 in the morning and his flight just got pushed back a day due to the snow back east so now he flies in on Monday at 9:30 at night. I am pleased with how well things are going here. I was dreading having him gone, and although I miss him, I am holding up rather well. This morning at breakfast I was holding Tanner and pouring the milk in Eliza's cereal and she said, "Mom, you are doing a good job doing this all by yourself." I said, "Thanks." Then I wondered what she meant exactly. I asked her, "Doing what all by myself, getting your breakfast?" She said, "Everything! Especially loving your children." She sure made my day. I was worried how it would go with a 3 week old baby, no sleep, and stir crazy kids since we don't venture out much. I have been blessed with energy and patience and good weather for the kids to play in the backyard so overall we are managing just fine. Nathaniel sprained his ankle playing basketball the night before he left. We had to go buy crutches for him since he couldn't put any weight on it. As he was hobbling out the door, I felt sorry for him instead of me since he had to get around the airport (thank goodness he had JD on the same flight to help him) and then D.C. with is luggage and crutches and then get up in front of a bunch of judges and present his brief which he felt under prepared for. All in all I was thinking being home with my four kids was looking easy at that point.
I am trying to be better about tummy time than I was with Kate since she ended up wearing a helmet to reshape her head so it wasn't flat.
Look at that smile! Nathan loves his younger brother but doesn't know how to interact with him yet. He is a little rough with him. I am always trying to protect Tanner from being poked in the eye, bitten, thrown off of the couch, etc. I am convinced Nathan isn't trying to be mean, he just loves Tanner too much and doesn't know how to play with him yet.
Tanner certainly has the Richards hair. It is straight and stands on end. (I love that Nathan is pointing to it.) I guess his name suits him since my brother Tanner has the same skin tone and hair as my baby Tanner. Hopefully he can grow up to be just as likeable and fun as my brother.
Tannerboy after his first shower. I love it when they loose their cord so they can really be bathed.
My girls being silly after they got back from Nana and Papa's. The girls loved the relaxed attitude I had the first couple of days they were back. They got to wear their pajamas as much as they wanted and they didn't have to get their hair done. What more does a kid want?
All of my boys. I love the way Nathaniel looks in his hat. My boys are almost as cute as Daddy in it.
The handsome sleeping Tannerboy. Look at how perfect he is! I guess being his mother I might be a little biased. We are so glad he is here!