She Did It!

By golly, I think Olivia is getting the hang of #2 in the potty! Tonight she asked George to make a BM in the potty, and she did it! In a way, I thought this day would never come. On the other hand, I know that we all end potty-trained eventually. It's hard to be patient but everything we've read warned us not to make it a power struggle...let her do it on her own time and on her own terms. That approach seems to be working. God knows that all the bribery didn't. My big girl. Sigh.

The TV Cart

Grocery shopping with kids in tow has taken on a whole new meaning...I visited a store yesterday that had revolutionary TV Karts. We've all seen the shopping carts with the little fire engine seats on the front for the little ones who need to rush to the 5 alarm fire in the aisle 11. The TV Kart puts the fire engine to shame. Imagine shopping while your brood sits comfortably in the seats while watching Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse, or Special Agent Oso. The screen is about the size of a portable DVD player and there are parental controls on the upper portion of the cart. While they enjoy their cartoons, parents can even enjoy a series of commercials or a brief show on parenting tips. I wish I could say that the novelty of the TV Kart kept my two entranced for the entire journey thru the store. Unfortunately, it would have taken a visit from Special Agent Oso to pry the kids off of each other as they wrestled and pushed at one another. It's a great idea, and while the novelty of the TV Kart wore off quickly, it did make me wonder what else is being developed to help mom get thru the grocery store with two unruly children.

Here Ye Here Ye

Livy made a big girl poop in the potty! According to George, it was bountiful! She called me at work to tell me the good news. Maybe we're actually making some progress?

Today was picture day at preschool. I dressed Nate in a red corduroy button up, jeans and his new Toy Story cowboy boots. My little cowpoke was looking mighty handsome if I do say so myself. Olivia insisted on wearing her new kitty cat shirt instead of the outfit I had picked. I actually somewhat enjoy when she exercises her independence. I imagine I was behaving the same way when I was her age. Either way, I'm excited to see the pictures. Hopefully they were able to catch a good shot of the siblings together that we can use for our Christmas cards this year. Is that too much to ask?

Potty Talk

Olivia and Nate have developed a bad little habit lately. They insert the lovely word, "poop" into every possible nook and cranny of a conversation. Apparently they had quite a good time with George one night singing, "Row row row your POOP" which caused Nate to giggle wildly. It's their new favorite pastime. Unfortunately Olivia is calling her brother things like "poopyhead" and it's not quite as cute as the little song they were singing that night. Today we were on our way to get her flower dress altered. I told her we were getting her dress "altered" and she said, "ha ha I'm not a turd! Turd. Turd. You said I was a turd!" Ahh, thanks Dad.

I'm also going to blame this next story on Dad too. He has the propensity for using, ahem, colorful language while driving. Not always cursing, but when another driver annoys him, there's always a comment. While at a stoplight today, Olivia shouts from the backseat, "c'mon bluehair!" Not seeing an elderly driver near us, I asked, "why did you say 'bluehair?" She replies, "that car with the loud music playing." So, she doesn't really know what "bluehair" refers too, but she thinks that whatever annoying drivers around us are "bluehairs." I so enjoy trying to understand how her little mind works.

Little Fishy

Olivia started swim lessons at the YMCA tonight. Reports from Dad indicate she had a ball and was impatiently waiting her turn to impress the teacher. I think I was about Olivia's age when I jumped in the Zukley's pool and decided to teach myself to swim. She is definitely following in my footsteps in that regard. She's fearless in the water.

Hopefully Nate will get a permanent spot in the Perch class. He's on the waiting list right now but they let him participate tonight because there were 3 no-shows. So, while George is helping Nate on one side of the pool, Livy is participating independently in the Pike Plus class on the other end of the pool. I think it will be a fun way for them to spend their Thursday nights. Maybe it will wear them out which means a stress-free bedtime for George!

Taking Daddy to the Zoo

We became members of the Philadelphia Zoo recently. George hadn't been there yet so one Sunday when it actually wasn't raining (a rarity this summer) we went for a visit.

In the primate house, we saw some rare White-faced Sakis. They look a little like our children!



In the Big Cat area, Nate got excited about this waterfall.

The petting zoo is always a big hit.


One last bit of fun at the fountain before we left. Next trip we are hoping to visit the new aviary. Olivia has also asked to ride the camels.

Flower Girl in Training

Olivia has been asked to be the Flower Girl in her cousin Tricia's wedding on Sept. 26th. We've been talking a lot about what Flower Girls do. She got to try her dress on recently to see how well it fits.

I found some silver ballet slippers at Target a few days ago. I asked her to try them on, hoping they weren't too big. She slipped her feet in, walked around a bit, then kicked them off. "These damn shoes! They're too big." I tried really hard not to laugh, I really did. This kid is lucky she's so cute. It's the only thing that saves her sometimes.

I'm going to try and take both kids with me to Michigan. So many of my relatives haven't met Nate yet and it would be a shame to travel all the way there and not take him. Getting through the airports might be interesting, but once we arrive, there will be plenty of extra hands. We are looking forward to seeing everyone!