Diving Superman

I used to be able to post videos on the blog...I can't figure out for the life of me where the stinking button went that allowed me to upload a video. If anyone in blog world can help please let me know.

I am really hoping this will work...but we will see! Here is a video(click on the word...I am hoping it will take you to the video) of my little Jake jumping off the diving board. He will be swimming without arm floaties before to long. He is so big and brave!!

Daily Moments

Welcome to our Tuesday Daily Moments. Where I join up with Jessica of The Creative Mom & share a picture from every day of the previous week. This week sure was a busy one(I even forgot to take a picture of anything on Wednesday)

Spent this week with a group of great kids during our churches Surge Camp(our version of VBS)

Opened up my bill pay drawer to get stamps & found 2 pacis...when it comes time to get rid of this I am going to have to search the house...very well.

Wednesday didn't get any pictures today...we did spend the afternoon with great friends at our neighborhood pool...just picture us there!!

Jake is officially potty trained...it has been over a month since we have had to buy diapers ;)

Tonight was Mommy date night!!! Here we are ready to go.  We went to "our favorite place"(jake's words when we arrived at Panera)

2 swimming cousins! Both little fish in the water at just 2 years old!

Here is Jake at his 1st movie Toy Story 3 (yes, I was the crazy mom with my camera in the theater) He loved it!!

Pray for Him

This is week 4 of the Completing Him Challenge at Women Living Well this weeks challenge is Ask your husband every morning how you can pray for him that day. Bonus: Fast and pray for him one day this week.

I have to say I do pray for Jason every day during my quiet time & then I also read the prayer coordinating with the date from "The Power of a Praying Wife" book (a great read).

But I very rarely ask Jason if there is anything specific he needs me to pray about. I am sure he has things that I don't pray about...simply because I don't ask him what he needs me to pray for.  I suppose I have been assuming what he wants me to pray for. I love the idea of asking him what his specific prayer requests are for each day.

Looking forward to seeing God work in my husband through prayer!!

Potty Trained!!

For several months now(like 8 or so)...we have been kind of working on potty training. I am sure doing everything every book has said not to do. Wearing a combination of pull-ups, diapers and on some days underwear. Sitting on the potty when I remembered to ask Jake if he needed to go. And on a few rare occasions taking him when he said he needed to go.

About 4 months ago he stopped wanting to sit on the potty at all. He would through a fit and not sit. I was afraid of what the books say...if you make it a negative experience they will never be potty trained...let them do it at their own pace...never force them to sit on the potty. So we took a step back and went to just wearing a diaper all the time. The potty was still out and occasionally I would take him in there.

I was seeking the advice of every parent I knew who had potty trained a child...especially the boy parents. After all the books say boys are harder then girls. Most everyone was telling me the same thing...you'll know when he is ready...just let him decide...don't push it....he'll get it before he has to go to kindergarten so don't worry about it! I really wanted someone to say "this is what you do and it will work." No one was telling me that...so we just kept with the sit back and wait.

One friend of mine loaned me a copy of the ebook "potty train in 3 days," I read over it and really it was one of those things that seemed too good to be true. So I stored it away for when I really thought I was ready to potty train.

One of my biggest fears has been how do you take your child into a public bathroom? I can't stand them & avoid them at all cost. But a child (especially newly potty trained) wouldn't understand the concept of holding it.

But the beginning of this month I decided I was done buying diapers it was time to get serious. We took a lot of the advice from the 3 day potty training guide and went with it.

Woke up one day & we got rid of a few diapers(I was too afraid to throw them all away as she recommends) but we did throw some away and hid the rest. And we started wearing underwear. The 1st day we had a few accidents, but each day got better. We even did underwear at nap & bed time. And he was dry when he woke up!!

So I have waited a couple weeks to write this post (a little fear that once I hit publish won't be true) I think I can officially say Jake is potty trained!!! I still remind him throughout the day to go, but he always tells me when he has to go. And I still help him get on the potty. We have had a few accidents, but I blame myself for them. Like, when we had been gone shopping and as soon as we got home I ran in to use the bathroom...not even thinking that he would have to go. And sure enough he peed right outside the bathroom door. But we are doing great and it has been a month since we even looked at a diaper or pull up (with the exception of swim diapers...I don't want to be the mom who gets blamed when our neighborhood pool is shut down for 3 days because of poop in the pool). I was able to give a package of diapers (minus 2) to a great friend of mine and I have a stash of pull-ups I need to give to another friend next time I see her.

Jake is a BIG Boy...with underwear on!!! (we are going to work on the paci next)

So here is my question for you seasoned potty training mommies....when do you start teaching your boy to stand up? ( he has done it a few times, but prefers to sit & it is less mess for me ;) ) And when is it ok to not put a swim diaper on them?  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Imagine It!

We love Imagine It! Children's Museum of Atlanta. Jake is the perfect age for it and for Christmas his Nana & Pawpaw gave him a year membership...we like it that much more because we get to go for free whenever we want.

They have so many fun things to do and every few months a new exhibit comes and gives us something fresh to play with & learn about. They just got a milking cow and I can't wait to take Jake. Plus the new exhibit coming in July is Conservation Quest all about going green...I can't wait for this one (I am sure Jake will like it too)!
                                   Wearing our favorite rain coat they have...the fireman!

                                                         Here we are fishing!

And Daddy & Jake playing in the bubble at the fishing pond

Raking the garden & planting veggies

Eating some fresh grown corn

Climbing in the tree house

Daily Moments

 Here we are week 2 joining up for Project Life Tuesday with The Mom Creative
Hope you enjoy this weeks peek at our daily lives!

Monday we took Jake to one of our favorite places...Imagine It! Children's Museum. Here is Jake & daddy inside the bubble at the fishing pond...love their smiles

No idea why...when Jake found this swim diaper he had to put it on his head...such a silly boy

We had our weekly play date with our sweet friends from church...since it is summer most of our play dates include the pool. Here is Jake "swimming" in the kiddie pool. He loves the water!

Playing with his shake-n-go cars and race track...don't mind the shirt he wanted to pick his clothes out(it is really a jammie shirt)

Jake loves Pawpaw's motorcycle helmet...anytime it is left out Jake love to wear it... funny how it makes his head very wobbly.

Jake helped me Saturday afternoon making Oatmeal Raisin cookies for Pawpaw & an apple pie for daddy...complete with Dad written in the crust. Being in the kitchen together is one of our favorite things.

Here we are our little family of 3...on Father's Day. I had almost forgotten to get a picture of the 3 of us...so it was at the end of the day when I remembered to get this one.

From This Day Forward

Completing Him Challenge Week 3!! Yeah it is all about our wedding day. I just shared a post with a few wedding pictures when we celebrated 6 years on May 22!! But I love sharing our wedding...after all it was one of the happiest days of my life!

Our wedding was a fairy tale dream come true. Everything I ever wanted it to be. It was an outside garden wedding in May...beautiful!! Well, except for the small fact that it rained ALL morning. We were scheduled to start pictures at 4pm before our 6pm wedding time. Did I mention everything was outside. We had a back up plan, but it wasn't pretty. Thankfully at 3pm it cleared up...the rain was gone just in time. And by a blessing actually cooled the day off some. The night before at our rehearsal it was SO hot!!!

In total fairy tale style I rode up in a horse and carriage where my dad & step-dad awaited  to walk me down the isle to my handsome groom.

We had a lot of the traditional things beautiful vows & a sweet poem we recited back to each other Jason starting then each saying every other line:
Sometimes your nearness takes my breath away
and all the things I want to say can find no voice
Then, in the silence I always know
my eyes will speak my heart.

Our Pastor had been my Pastor for many years and was also the same Pastor who married my mom & step-dad. It was such a joy to have him marry us one of the thing she share with us was a saying he had seen before it said: "I enjoyed your wedding. Will I be invited to your marriage? God"

Mixed in with the traditional we threw in a few nontraditional too. Instead of a unity candle we poured sand. Since we were having our wedding outside I was worried about it being windy and the candles going out. Sand was the perfect option. We each had different colors of sand. Especially once I found a great reading about it: "As you pour most of the sand from these two containers into the one container, the grains of sand will be joined together as one, never to be separated again." I loved how true this is...we will never be able to completely separate my purple sand from his blue sand and have them be their own color. This is the way we want our marriage to be never able to separate!

After our wonderful ceremony he headed to the back yard of our wedding site for a super fun reception! And then Jason & I were off to happily ever after wedded bliss. With a honeymoon in the happiest place on earth...Disney World!!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Oh my goodness we are starting to really see the fruits/veggies of our labor.

I know I say it every time, but it is so much fun!!

Jake & I go out every day(sometimes several times) to check on the garden. Looking to see if anything is ready to be picked. We have picked a couple of jalapenos and banana peppers, but nothing had been ready yet. We could see the changes and how much everything was growing, but most of it just wasn't ripe enough yet.

This week we were able to pick lots of green beans and we still have lots more growing. We got a couple more jalapenos too.

Our squash, cucumbers, & tomatoes are really growing. I can't wait to get to pick those.

Daily Moments

Jessica at The Mom Creative host Project Life Tuesday. Each week for 2010 she post a picture for each day.



I am totally late in getting in on this, but I love the idea. It is a great way to take pictures of the every day, as well as, the super exciting. Since a lot of time we are at home playing most of our pictures will be every day moments. Cute little things from the week. Those of you who follow for Jake updates will love this. I am shooting to participate every week. And of course since I am a little late it will just be a photo a day for half of 2010.
 Playing baseball with Daddy



 Making shapes with rice...showing me the bike

 He thought because he was playing with the fire truck he had to wear his fireman hat


Sporting his sunglasses and riding around the house

Love the hand on the hip in this pic... he put all the birthday hats on the fire place tools & said he was making something

Wearing his swimming life jacket and showing me his big muscles

 

Working in the yard is one of Jake's favorite things to do...he loves to mow with daddy & of course has to wear his hat backwards just like daddy

Dating Days

We met when I was 15 and started working at Little Caesar's Pizza...the same place he worked. Because Little Caesar's was the best place to work and we really didn't do any "working" at all we just hung out at work. Everyone would come up there just to hang out.  At 15 this was the best job to have. And because of all the hanging out working Jason & I were able to become good friends.

The summer after my high school graduation we started spending time together... not just at work. We had the best time hanging out and just getting to know each other aside from the work stuff. Before we knew it we were dating and together ALL the time!



 I really don't remember the exact moment that we officially started dating. But I do know that when I was 16 I told all of my friends I would one day marry Jason. They all laughed because at this point we weren't even dating. It took almost 2 years, but we did start dating! 

During the shuffle of life we have lost the spontaneity of dating. I am sure it has something to do with the responsibilities of being an adult and not to mention our precious 2 year old Jake. It makes it a little harder to head out for a late dinner when you have to get a baby sitter or you are tired from the day.

But this is definitely something that I will be focusing on now that I have had to reflect. I am sure we still won't be as spontaneous and carefree as when we were "just" dating, but I know there is a way to have a happy medium with where we are now.