All grown up

Its been a long time... I'm SO sorry! Our computer was out of commission for a very long time- part computer issues and part Internet issues. It is all fixed now!

Let me update...

Starting at the most recent great news, Emily can officially ride a two wheel bike (no training wheels.) It took her like 4 minutes of some uncertainty, and then she was off.

Sammy is officially potty trained and he is SO good! Most of the time he goes without even notifying me or demand candy for his accomplishments. Here is a picture of Sammy with his little friend, Jenna. They will marry one day.

Lets see... we no longer have the dog and we've never regretted the decision to let him go.

As for future plans, I am going to the beach tomorrow through Wednesday with girlfriends, then I work a week, then I go to the beach with the kids and my friend Laura, and her daughter, the above mentioned Jenna. When I return from the beach, I am headed up to Michigan with the kids. When I get back from my two week stint in the mitten state, I return home only to turn around and head up to Nashville for a conference. The summer is flying by!!

So proud!

I am so proud of my little man!! He went ALL day in the same pair of 'Mater underwear with no accidents! He is wonderful. In addition, since he has had his adenoids out, he has been staying asleep in his own bed.
Yankee has also gone accident free today. (And he sleeps well too, but gets up much too early.)
Feelin' good... :)

Spring Break update (belated)

I am so behind on my spring break update! My sincere apologies! We had a good break overall. It went by so fast. There was a two hour window when I nearly packed up and went to Michigan, but I had planned other things here in Alabama, so I opted against it. We did some fun things like a trip to Pump it Up (an inflatable indoor playground), the library, McWane (a really cool science center) and the park.

Sammy had his adenoids out in addition to his third ear tube in his left ear. Although for a while he seemed worse, I can tell everything is healing and things are getting better. He still snores like a monster. He was a hit his sun glasses.

New Addition

We have a new addition to our family!! He is cute and, like Sam, he pees where he is not supposed to. Unlike Sam, however, he chews on everything.

My big spring break plans are to potty and yard train Sam and Yankee.

His official name is Yankee Motown Simmons. He is a Labradoodle. (Part lab, part poodle.) He is so sweet and calm-even for a puppy. He is 12 weeks old and has the same birthday as Emily!! (not the same year.)

new toys

We bought the kids new toys this weekend... Emily loved her Barbie Scooter, so we thought we would get her a scooter that is a bit more 'souped up.' She LOVES it. I love it!! It is a blast to go to the top of the hill and cruise down.

As for Sammy, he can't totally reach the peddles of his new 'big wheel' yet, so I stand on the back and get us up the hill, then crouch down and we ride down together- we go FAST and Sammy LOVES it!

I also got a new toy this weekend- a Blackberry Pearl. (Its a cool new cell phone with internet and instant messaging- I haven't figured out how to use it to its fullest potential yet.)

Whats happening...

Sammy has ZERO interest in potty training. We feel we have tried most 'tricks' in the books. He doesn't care if he gets Lightning McQueen or Mater wet... he doesn't even care that we bought him a gum ball machine and filled with it red "Lightning" jelly bellies. Even peeing on cheerios in the potty does not amuse him. He doesn't even mind marking his territory in every room of the house. Anyway, while he was watching TV, I tricked him into sitting on this 'chair'. I don't think he noticed it was a potty for a little while. Needless to say, we spent 3 days going through countless pairs of underwear and not one drop went into the potty.
We bought a Wii. Jason and our neighbor, Dustin, love to play each other like they are both professionals. They often end the game sweating and there is a lot of yelling involved. Emily is a pro at bowling and may still hold the best score on our Wii. She is impressive!!

I'm better!!

This weekend, we were all healthy! How wonderful is that? I am finally to the point where I can laugh without a huge coughing fit- and that feels great.
We also have tomorrow off- presidents day! Nice, huh? And the weather should be great... so its not like the snow days that they get in Michigan! HA!!
Not too much is going on here- besides playing outside when we have time- and that has been great!! The kids love the park and Sammy is quite the dare devil. Poor guy is going through a stuttering stage right now. Its so cute, but I know that he is frustrated. All is well with Emily. She is done with basketball and I think that is great for all of us. I do have to state though, that Emily, in our mind, should get the most improved player award. She started off very afraid of the ball and not involved at all. By the end, she was an amazing defensive player. The last two games, she nearly made two baskets too. Because her arms don't do straight up over her head, she was unable to shoot well, but she started to do underhand and she was reaching the rim. We are SO proud of her!!!
Also exciting, we found a new babysitter. She is a freshman so we'll have her for a few years. So, Jason and I went out on a date last night. We first went shooting at the range then we went to John's City Diner and they have the BEST hummus EVER. Then we went to a club with our neighbors, Becky and Dale and we had a a great time. Well, the girls had a great time becuase we danced to a head banging 80's band! The boys just watched as we danced on stage with the band.
Also fun, I have gone to Sips and Strokes twice. This is a super fun place that you bring your own wine/liquor and they teach you how to paint a specific picture. It is amazing fun!!