Potty training success!!!

Well it is day three of potty training...something I feel has been MONTHS in the making. Melia has been going potty on the toilet periodically for 6-8 months. We decided that 2008 would be the end of the Melia diaper Era. Potty training proved difficult while I was working, so I had to take advantage of being home for many days in a row without interruptions. It was too inconsistent for her...one day in diapers...one day in underwear while I was working. Sunday we bought pull-ups for night time only and Monday morning the no more diaper rule went into effect. She was not so sure about it when Monday morning came, she really wanted to keep her diapers. After the first few times of candy reward, she changed her mind. She has done fantastic. She has only had one accident in the first two days. We went out to do a couple returns and then to Chris's parents and at dinner had an accident.

She even woke up from nap yesterday dry. She still asks to keep her pull-up on after nap or in the morning, but them we pull out all the new underwear and remind her of the rewards and the underwear go on. I was determined to have her potty trained by 21/2 but her plans, schedules, and my lack of motivation at times kept us from that goal. She is three years old today and I can confidently say she is potty trained. There is no turning back. Yesterday we when we went out the diaper bag seemed so empty. Only having one in diapers will be nice (even for a little while).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Melly-lou. We love you and are so proud of you!!! You are an amazing, smart, independent, and loving child of God. I am proud to be your mom.

Nana and Poppy come to the rescue

***UPDATE - I woke up this morning feeling MUCH better. I got out of bed without feeling nauseous and feel like I am pretty much back to normal, bedsides a lingering headache (I can live with that) I am SO thankful that I have only had the flu like that a couple times in the 9 years I have been married, and we have never been that sick at the same time. I talked to my mom last night and Eva is still feeling a little under the weather. Hopefully she slept well and did not keep them up all night.

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas day. I was a little concerned with the girls being under the weather (Eva was not well on Wed). The girls slept great and even slept until almost 8 (late for them). We read the Christmas story with them , prayed, open presents and then packed the car to go to my parents. We had an exciting morning with 5 girls under 4 all opening presents at the same time. They had so much joy on their faces. We had a great breakfast and sweet family time. In the afternoon we went to Chris's parents (who live in the same subdivision) for more food, family and presents. Melia and Eva are the only grand kids, so they get pretty spoiled. My brother-in-law and his fiance bought them a 7 foot by 8 foot bounce house. They had a great time bouncing around. About half way through presents Chris was not feeling well. We packed up the car and headed home. About half way through our drive we had to make a road-side stop for him. No fun. We got the girls home and in bed and went to bed ourselves. He was up every hour after that. Around 1:30am the flu hit me like a ton of bricks. We spent the rest of the night taking turns in the bathroom, trying to care for one another. Morning came and I called my mom to see if there was any way they could keep the girls so we could get well and sleep. She drove over in the freezing rain and picked up our girls. They kept them for the day and even decided to keep them overnight. I am so thankful to them. They are the best parents anyone could ask for. They put their plans aside to serve us. Chris is feeling better and I am getting there. We spent the ENTIRE day in bed sleeping and trying to recover. Love you Mom and Dad. You're the best.

Picture time!!

Sunday night we had a Christmas program at our church. The girls were dressed in their Christmas outfits, so I thought I would try and get a few pictures of them. Here are my best attempts. As you can see in the last one, sister love was running short by the end of the night.

She had a pretzel in her mouth for this one. Melia gave it to her to try and get her to sit.

Melia showing off her new found skill...rolling her tongue

A hug turned bad

Missing socks...The washer ate them!

I think anyone doing laundry has had a sock come up missing. You swear all the matched pairs went in the wash together, but when you fold the laundry there is a mystery sock that does not have a match. The dog ate it, the washer ate it, you have heard and used all the excuses. Over the last week I have had A LOT of laundry to do, since my precious little one threw up in my bed, her bed, and on herself a number of times yesterday. (She is doing great by the way) Anyway, making the laundry situation even more complicated is an error message that the washer kept giving in the middle of the cycle. It would stop full of water, and would not drain. With much restarting and coaxing I could get through a load (two hours later). Chris decides to tackle the problem tonight. He goes through the manual and checks forums on the internet. Someone posted a message about having the same error, and said to check the filter in the front of the washer. Chris does so and finds four socks (Melia and Eva's), a thing for Chris's shirt collar, and a lot of lint all clogging the drain (it is not that big). The drain is now all cleaned out and the washer is working like a champ again. So next time you say "The washer ate the socks"...think twice, that may actually be the case.

Just in case you were wondering what it looked like :)

The last few weeks

Life has been busy and blogging has taken a back seat. In the last few weeks we have...

• made good progress in potty training
• had a snow day!!!!
• celebrated 9 years of marriage (more on that to come)
• Chris, Melia and I went to the dentist - Melia did great!! This was her second time going and she even sat through a fluoride treatment.
  
• I sang a solo in our Christmas program at church last night
• Eva is getting four molars (I have to say she has been a trooper)
• I am officially on Christmas vacation for two weeks!!!
• Finished wrapping all our gifts
• had a bow making party with Rebekah to finish up some hair bows for Christmas gifts
• had a game night with friends
  
• played in the snow with the girls
• and much more but those are the highlights...

A not so fun highlight...this morning Melia woke up at 5:00am crying. She came in bed with us and tossed and turned. She was kinda out of it, but it was 5am. At one point she says to me, "Its not nice to put sand on someones head in bed." Where do they come up with this stuff?? It has been months since we played in sand. Anyway, a few min later she starts rolling around, and without a word, throws up in our bed. Poor girl. She was laying down, when it happened, so it was down her face and in her hair. She had no idea what was happening to her body. This is the first time she has ever thrown up. She looks up when she is done and says, "Mama, I spit up ALOT!" a few mins. later says, "can we go downstairs, I am hungry?" I was able to talk her out of that one, but it took much convincing. We got her all cleaned up and removed the bedding, and tried to settle back down. About 6am she decided she wanted me to go lay in her bed with her. She is just about asleep at 6:30 when she sits up and throws up all over her sheets. Stripped her bed and back to my bed we went a bucket in hand. She threw up two more time over the nest couple hours, both times in the bucket, yeah for that. Chris stayed home a little bit and took care of Eva and got her down for her morning nap before he went in to work so I could lay in bed with Melia. She wanted to take a shower, so she took a nice long hot shower, put on some snuggly clothes and is now eating dry cheerios and watching TV. We'll see how that goes. She has been a trooper. We will spend the day watching movies, doing laundry (which there is alot of) and relaxing. The bright side...it is not Christmas day and we can get this out of the way before then.

Hot Pool

After a few months of fixing leaks, the hot tub is finally up and running. Melia was overjoyed yesterday, when Chris asked her to join him for a dip in the hot pool. She ran to her room, and immediately started looking for her swim diaper and swim suit. She was ready in a matter of seconds. She LOVES the water... even in the snow.

Our First Snowman

The girls and I bundled up and ventured out into the snow this afternoon. Eva could barely move with all her gear on but did not seem to mind being in the cold. Getting ready to go out, took almost as long as we were out :)

Melia wanted to make a snowman. She has been waiting since the first snow to make one. Melia and I rolled the snowballs and I stacked them. Before we even left the house she insisted on getting a carrot for the nose. She waited and waited until she was finally able to stick it it. She put the arms and helped with the M&M's we used for the mouth. One on the snowman...one in her mouth...We had a great time playing in the snow today.

The girls helped shovel the driveway too.

And the Stockings are Hung by The Chimmney with Care...

Thursday night a memory was made. Our family had a great night putting up the christmas decorations. The lights were low, we were sipping hot chocolate, a fire was roaring in the fire place, the girls were filled with excitement.

Melia had so many questions,

"What is this thing?" as she puts the stocking on her hand. and "What goes in here?"

"When will the tree light up?"

"Why is it poky?"

The girls played in the tree box, while they waited for the tree to be fluffed and put in place.

Over the next few days I have been able to put everything else in it's place. This is my favorite time of the year; it is so beautiful. I love sitting on the couch, with just the lights from the tree lighting up the room. It is so peaceful and romantic.

Take time this season in all hustle and bustle to find JOY in all of it.

The cats quickly found their place nestled under he tree.

THE REASON WE CELEBRATE!

First SNOW of the season

Tonight the girls played in the snow on the deck. Melia was so excited to slip her little feet into her boots and make foot prints in the snow. Eva stood at the door protesting until she was ready to go out.

The snow was falling, resting upon their cheeks as they played.

Melia made her first snowball of the year, and then promptly "squished it".

Eva was tentative at first, not sure that all the fussing at the door was worth it. She fell just a seconds after heading out, her hands got cold and wet, which was followed by crying. After a few minuets, it was back out for more. This time a little more willing to explore the deck and feel the snow (without gloves, because she would not keep them on).

I am looking forward to many more days of being bundled up for a day in the snow.

Cat or Baby!!!

Yesterday I get home from work and am in the kitchen, with the girls making dinner, when I look over and see this...
Yes, that is our little Eva drinking from the cat bowl (face first). A look of disgust crossed my face, but then I thought, I need to capture this moment. I promptly grabbed the camera and snapped a few pictures.

Her face and hair were wet when she looked up.

I washed her face and put the food tray out of reach, or I know she would of been right back there as soon as I turned my back. She drinks like this from the bath tub, much to her daddy's dismay, but I have never seen her do this before. Melia played in the cat water when she was little, but never drank from it. All I could do was laugh, it made my night.

Iceman Cometh 2008

This weekend Chris and his friends participated in a 27 mile off road bike race...up and down hills, through the woods, single track trails, rain and hail they road on.

Getting ready to ride

The love of my life...so proud of you Chris!!!

Go 2117!!! I love you

And the racers are off...

Rebekah and I sat out in the cold, rain and hail ALL day to cheer our boys on. We were able to meet and watch them come through a checkpoint 16 miles into the race.

We then waited at the finish line to watch them complete the race they have been training for several months.

The finish line...Victory!!! What an accomplishment...Chris was able to complete the race in 3 hours 23 min. I am so proud of him. He pushed his body to the max, but completed the goal.

A great weekend with our best friends



The racers after the race

parties, news, and playhouse disney

This weekend was filled with three birthday parties and a baby shower. We were not able to make it to all of them, but had fun at the ones we did. Saturday afternoon, Melia and Eva were invited to a party for the little boy across the street who turned 3. It was at a place called "Pump's Playhouse". Basically two rooms filled with inflatables, to run, jump, and climb in. I was a little apprehensive about going, seeing that Chris was gone for the day at the MSU vs. UofM game, but I braved it on my own and it was worth it. Melia loved it. Although she did almost completely ruin another little girls (probably about 5 years old) day, when they were playing chase, Melia caught her, and yanked on one of her braids :( . Time-outs at birthday parties are never fun. I overheard the little girl an hour later, telling someone what happened, and she was still frowning. I was completely embarrassed. Why do kids do things like that? She sat in time-out, gave the little girl a hug and apologized. I apologized to the mom also, who says it is okay, but I am sure is thinking, "why can't you control your kid?" Anyway...Eva did great observing and playing a little in the first room, but when it came to the second room she had had enough watching...she wanted to be a part of the fun...aka mom climbing up a little rope ladder, holding Eva and sliding down an inflatable slide. More of a workout that I expected. She was not satisfied after one or two turns. She wanted to go over and over again. After about the 5th or 6th time, the whistle blew and it was time for cake and ice cream. Melia also got to drive, with a little help, a small go-cart around an inflatable track. What fun!!!

Sunday we celebrated my brother in laws 26th birthday. His girlfriend planned a picture scavenger hunt as part of the celebration. We ran around town with a digital camera capturing pictures of everything from a mid-air shot of someone jumping off a swing to french braiding a strangers hair, which we did while in a laundry mat folding a strangers clothes (also on the list). We had one hour to complete as many of the 26 items that we could. Rebekah and I, along with three others were on a team, and guess what...WE WON. We beat our husbands team, which made it even a little more exciting. (sorry boys)

We also were able to share the news with family and friends that we are expecting again. There will be a third Baby Rayner coming in June. Melia is sure it's a boy. This was Melia's initial response...I said to her in the car on the way to work Friday Morning, "Mommy has a baby in her tummy." She responded with, "No mommy, Eva Kay isn't in your tummy anymore, she is in her car seat." I had to laugh and then explain that this was a new baby, which she then insisted was a boy baby.

We ended the weekend with a trip to Playhouse Disney at the Palace. We were joined by friends, and Melia had a great time playing and watching.

Where have I been? Here there and everywhere

These last three weeks have been pretty busy and the blog has taken a backseat to life...A little glimpse of the last three weeks...

• Taking care of my girls (who have had colds for 10 days)
• Working
  
• Planning a baby shower for Rebekah - coordinating food, making center pieces (thanks for your help Laura) etc.
  
• Attending/having family events - The weekends have been full of family fun
• Nursing a cold/sinus thing of my own
• Having play dates
• Going to story time at the Library
• A trip to the apple orchard with family and friends
• Taking care of my niece and friends baby on Thursday's
• Having a dinner out with friends
  
• sleeping, sleeping, sleeping and more sleeping...I cannot tell you how many time I have been in bed before 9:00 leaving my poor husband alone all evening. One or both of the girls have been up through the night every night but 2 over the past few weeks. Colds, congestion, and a really bad diaper rash (Eva) have been the culprit. I have had the girls in our bed, Rocking Eva, and sleeping in Melia's bed more times recently than I would like to count...but all is well now. The girls are healthy, and I am felling much better myself.
• I am sure there is more, but those are the highlights
  

A glimpse into my day today...It's a whole lot of FUN!!! I love it.
7:30 - Sydney arrives
8:00- my girls wake up
8:0012:00- playtime and naps for eva and syd
11:30 feed my 7 month old neice cereal, fruit, and a bottle.
12:00- feed my girls lunch and try to get myself fed in between
12:10 - my girlfriends little one Elizabeth arrives (11 months)
12:15- Melia decides it's time to potty train and strips down to bare but to sit on the potty in the kitchen during lunch. (quite a sight) although she did have success. Over the next two hours she did pee int he potty twice and poop once. She ended her time in underwear by peeing on the laundry room floor, but overall I call that a successful potty time.
12:40 - Eva is out of the high chair and Elizabeth is in...her turn to eat.
1:10 - Syd, Melia, and Eva play while I give Elizabeth her bottle
1:30- Clean up every toy in the living room before nap time
1:45- wipes three out of four noses which are dripping down their faces
1:55 - Melia, Eva, and Sydney in bed for a nap and Elizabeth plays on the floor while I update the world on my life :)
2:20- off to put the house back together before they all get up from their naps

Hope you enjoy your day as much as I do. I love love love taking care of the all these girls.

Just Because

Last night as I am playing with the girls waiting for Chris to get home from work, in he walks with a dozen red roses. They are beautiful. Along with them, a wonderful card telling me how much I am appreciated and loved. I LOVE getting flowers. This made my whole night!! I love you Chris!!!

Of course then I had to try out my newly learned picture taking skills :)

Disney On Ice

Last night we had the opportunity to take Melia to Disney in Ice at the Palace. My brother, two nieces, two other couples and their kids came along as well. We were given tickets for a suite. This is totally the way to go. When the kids got antsy, they could get up and walk around and we had our own bathroom. When you ask Melia what her favorite part was, she will tell you "Mickey". The show was based around the Incredibles, a movie she has not seen before, but she still had a great time watching and playing with friends.

An action shot...

Melia's face as the show started...

The kiddos at the end of the night...