Good News & Bad News

We have some Good News & Bad News around here.
First, the Good News....
Claire is 100% potty trained as of Friday!
Last week we were having a hard time having her go #2 in the toilet (she would wait until she had a pull up on) So, Thursday night, Kevin told her if she started going poop it in the toilet, then we would get her a big girl bed (she has been asking for a big girl bed for a few weeks now).
Well, that seemed to do the trick for her & everyday since then, she goes pee and poop in the toilet! Hooray! Now, we need to follow through & get her a big girl bed.....I am NOT looking forward to that.
On to the Bad News.....
Claire got the stomach flu on Saturday night.
She didn't eat most of the day & kept telling us that her tummy hurt.
Sure enough, she puked (for the first time ever) on Saturday night. Poor thing.

It made us sad that she was sick, but we were also bummed we had to miss church.....again!
Because of sick kids or being out of town, we haven't been to church the entire month of February. We were so looking forward to going yesterday & then Claire got sick.

Claire's tummy was still hurting her yesterday and she kept asking me for to get her a band aid for her tummy. I finally gave her one & she told me that made her tummy feel better.
She is obsessed with band aids, by the way! We go through at least a box of month. Anyone else have a toddler who is a Band Aid hoarder?
I am keeping my fingers crossed that no one else gets it and that we stay healthy this week!
I have my sister's Bachelorette Party this weekend....no time to be sick!

And, if you haven't entered my Pioneer Woman Cookbook & Book Giveaway yet, make sure you do!

Here's to a healthy & happy Monday!

Pioneer Woman Cookbook & Book Giveaway!

Remember when I met The Pioneer Woman earlier this month at her book signing?

Do you remember that I said I bought an extra cookbook & had her sign it for a giveaway?

Well, that giveaway starts now!

But wait.....!!!
Because I love the PW (and all of you) so much and think her new book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is *so* cute, I bought one last week to giveaway also! (Sorry, it isn't signed by the PW)

One person will win the signed cookbook & one person will win Black Heels to Tractor Wheels!
Two winners! Ye-haw!

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post letting me know your favorite Pioneer Woman recipe.
(My favorites are the Chicken Spaghetti and of course, her Cinnamon Rolls)
If you haven't made one of her recipes, then you really, really, really need to & you can just let me know what you *want* to make!
Followers of my blog get an additional entry, so follow along if you aren't already!

Giveaway ends next Sunday, March 6th
{Winners will be picked via random.org}

Friday Night = Pizza Night

When Kate was a few months old and I was still teaching full time, I started a new tradition for our family.
I declared that Friday Night was Pizza Night.
It was one of the best decisions ever. EVER.
I don't know about you, but by the time Friday evening rolls around, I am D-O-N-E.
I am so tired & I don't even want to think about making dinner.
That is the beauty of Friday Night Pizza Night.
I cook every other night of the week, so it is a great way to kick off my weekend.....No cooking!
It makes meal planning so easy because I know that every Friday night we will have pizza.
Usually we get a Digornio Pizza because we can get them on sale for $5.
Tonight's Pizza was a Digornio.
Both girls are pizza snobs & only like pineapple on their pizza, so for $3 I can buy a mini Digornio & add some pineapple to it. Easy!

1-2 times a month we will "splurge" and order pizza.

Of course, Friday Night Pizza Night isn't complete without some beverages.
Wine for me, Beer for Kevin.
Cheers!

It is almost pathetic how much I look forward to Friday Nights.
Since having kids we almost NEVER make plans for Friday nights.
I cherish our Friday Nights.

Friday Night Pizza Night isn't complete without some sort of dessert.
Tonight I made Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. YUM.

I am off to go catch up on our DVR'd shows from the week.
That's how we roll on Friday nights!
Do you do Friday Night Pizza Night?

Kate's New Trick

During snack time, Kate told me to go get my camera & take a picture of her so she could show me her new trick.

***Note the gap in between her front 2 teeth. I love that gap, by the way!***

"Look Mommy! I have a new trick! My straw stays in between my teeth!"

"Aren't you so proud of me Mommy? Take my picture!"

Think someone is a little jealous of all the attention Claire is getting as we potty train her?
Kate has resorted to sticking a juice straw in between her teeth & asking me to take pictures of it. *sigh* I need to make sure I have some good 1 on 1 time with her this weekend!

At least the big gap in her teeth is giving her confidence now, because Lord knows the years & years of dentistry and orthodontics required to fix that gap could cause some issues (not to mention it will cost us a pretty penny!)

The Tuesday that was like a Monday

You know what I love about 3 day weekends?

It means the following week is a short work week.
All day, I kept thinking it was Monday, but it was really Tuesday.
I LOVE that feeling!
That means the weekend is almost here (again!)
Our 3 day weekend was obviously consumed by potty training Claire, and I hadn't left the house in 3 days. The good thing about this is that it was pouring rain most of the weekend and by staying inside, we were able to get A LOT of cleaning done around our house.
Prior to this weekend, we have been so incredibly busy the past month with Kate's birthday party, pouring at ZAP, my sister's bridal shower & our Tahoe trip.
This 3 day weekend was one of our first free weekends in a month...and our house was a disaster. Because we have been so busy & I haven't been able to keep up with cleaning it.
It was so nice to finally have a weekend to clean & organize. I was able to go through clothes & closets and bag up stuff to giveaway.

We were able to have a little fun on Monday night.
We had dinner with my BFF & her husband (who were in town from Colorado).
Two of our other friends Jon & Carrie also joined us.
After dinner, we all came back to our house for dessert.
(thank goodness my house was clean!)
I made chocolate chip cookie bars & topped them with coffee ice cream, hot fudge, pecans & whipped cream. Yum.
It was a nice way to end the our potty training weekend...to be able to get out of the house & have adult interaction!

Which brings us to today, the Tuesday that felt like a Monday.
And, a beautiful day it was. The sun was out & the girls and I enjoyed the afternoon sun in our backyard.
Claire's newest obsession is the scooter.
The look on her face says,
"Look at me, I'm a Big Girl who hasn't had any pee accidents in 48 hours! But, you won't catch me going poop in a toilet...I save that for my pull up"
Kate is getting really good at the balance bike.

She was whipping around the back patio.

Kate also sharpened her tree climbing skills. She loves climbing trees.
And, on this beautiful Tuesday, the girls got some presents.
Last night my best friend AK brought over a Christmas present that she got the girls TWO Christmases ago but had left it at her in laws & just found it this week. Hysterical.

And, they got a package from my blog friend Rachel who sent them a Mary Poppins umbrella!

(Don't mind Claire's expression in the above picture...she was mad that she had to share it with Kate.)

She was much happier when she got to hold it on her own :)
Thank you SO much Rachel! The girls LOVE it!

Know what I love right now?
Tulips! Spring is on it's way!
And, check out what I put up in Kate's room.

I used the pom poms that I made for her Cinderella Party and put 2 in her room because they matched perfectly!

I hope you had a lovely Tuesday!

Potty Training Update

So.
Here we are.

Day 3 of the dreaded "3 day Potty Training Method"
Here is a little recap of our weekend of Potty Training.

Day 1: Saturday.
I had high hopes for Day 1.
Let's just say they didn't pan out.
Claire was 0 for 8 on Saturday.
Meaning she went potty ZERO times in the potty and 8 times in her underwear.
FAIL.
Day 2 : Sunday
It started off pretty good. Claire woke up in a decent mood & she went pee in the potty shortly after waking up. But, things went down hill quickly & she was 2 for 9 on the day.
She peed on the floor, on the couch & in her crib.
Pooped her pants. Twice.
I did A LOT of laundry on Sunday.
We were pretty frustrated at this point & I was totally second guessing myself at attempting potty training her.
Day 3: Monday (today)
It started to click today....finally!
Kevin was home in the morning, but then headed to work for part of the day.
My BFF & her family were in town from Colorado & her boys are the same ages as my girls, so they came over for a play date in the morning.
And, she brought me a Vanilla Latte :)

I made Monkey Bread, of course.
Claire had an awesome morning & had NO accidents!
I think she liked showing the boys that she was a Big Girl & could go in the potty.
She was accident free until she dropped a deuce in her pull up during nap time.

Claire managed to stay dry & go on the potty the rest of the afternoon and evening.
And, my friend Wendy potty trained her daughter also. They live around the corner & Wendy called to see if her daughter could use our bathroom so that the girls could have an impromptu "potty party". Go Jordis!
It was a good day.
We turned a big corner today.
No accidents at all (except for the naptime poop)
Claire went potty 7 times in the toilet.
I didn't have to clean up any pee or wash any underwear!

I *think* she is finally starting to get it.
She still needs a lot of reminders & prompting.
We are still bribing her big time with m&m's (sometimes even giving her one if she sits on the toliet).
Tomorrow will be a good indicator of how she is really doing.
We haven't left the house in 3 days, but tomorrow the normal routine starts back up.
I will be at work & they will be with my Mom (Sorry, Mom! I packed extra clothes for Claire!)
I don't feel 100% confident that she is potty trained, but we have made good strides the past 3 days.
Keep your fingers crossed for the rest of the week.
There is no turning back now!

It's Time.

You know it's time to start potty training when you find your 2 year old like this during naptime:
She had taken her pj's AND diaper off and was screaming that she had to go potty.
So, guess how we are spending our 3 day President's Day weekend?

Before {diapers}:
After {big girl underwear that she picked out at Target yesterday} :

We'll be watching a lot of this today:

The time has come. We are potty training Claire.
She has shown signs of being ready for the past few months.
*I* just haven't been ready to deal with potty training.
We are using the same method we used when we potty trained Kate, which is the 3 day potty training method.
That means we go cold turkey.
Throw away the diapers & start using underwear.
We have the potty treats all ready to go.
Mini m&m's for pee-pee.
And, gummy bears (which are really gummy vitamins) for when she goes #2.

Claire is so excited about being a Big Girl.
For the last few months, EVERYDAY in the afternoon she takes off her diaper & goes into Kate's room to put on Kate's underwear.

Let me tell you....there is nothing I would rather be doing on this cold, rainy, 3 day weekend.
Try not to be jealous of our awesome weekend cleaning up pee all over the floor.
Good times, good times.
Wish us luck!

Lake Tahoe with Friends

Last weekend we headed up to Lake Tahoe with our Small Group!
It was so great to spend a weekend together hanging out & having fun.

For the past year, Kate has been begging & pleading to go to Tahoe & play in the snow.
We only went once last winter and when we go in the summer, there is obviously no snow, so Kate has been so excited for this trip. The first thing she wanted to do was make snow angels.
Unfortunately for us, the last big snow Tahoe got was over New Year's so most of the snow was hard & icy. (And, of course, right now it is DUMPING snow in Tahoe....we were a week too early!)
Here are some snapshots from our getaway:
The first night we were there, we heard a lot of noise from the room Kate was sleeping in....turns out she wasn't sleeping, she was walking around with my UGGS on.
I forgot the Pack n Play for Claire. Oops. So she slept on the sofa bed. She actually did really well....we are thinking about transiting her to a big girl bed in the very near future. Wish us luck.

The weather was beautiful the whole time we were there.
Blue skies & 50 degrees. Gorgeous!

We went on walks & played in the snow.

On Friday night, we headed to the new Northstar village for dinner.
Our friend Dan, pulling all the kids in a wagon.

The village is awesome, there are a ton of shops & restaurants with an ice skating rink in the middle.

The girls were in awe of the ice skating rink & really wanted to try it.

Kevin & the girls checking out the ice skaters while we waited for our table:

Sweet Kira:
All around the ice rink are fire pits with cozy outdoor furniture.
We brought stuff to make s'mores for an after dinner treat!
Waiting for our marshmallows to finish melting:

Claire loves her s'mores:

And so does Kate:

Jackie's daughter Beka really wanted to try ice skating, so she took her. So cute!

My girls watched Beka ice skate & they really wanted to go.

So, Beka let Kate borrow the skates for a turn. Kate was in heaven!

Seeing Kate skate made Claire want a turn, so Jackie took Claire on the ice with her boots on & Claire thought she was skating also.

On Saturday, the original plan was to go skiing, but because the weather was so warm & there hadn't been any new snowfall in a while, we decided to go sledding instead.

Kate could have stayed on the sledding hill all day long:

Kate is just so happy in the snow, it was so fun to watch her.

Kevin & the girls ready to go down the hill:

Dan & Jackie pulling their girls back up the hill:

The girls caught on fast that walking up the hill was hard work, so they just caught a ride on the sled & made Kevin pull them up each time.

Sledding is fun!

My turn to take a ride down the hill:

It was such a beautiful day to go sledding!

Kate & I:

The Nickelson's:

The Dowd's:

Our little family:

The whole group:

Lake Tahoe is my happy place & it was even better being up there with friends.
All of the kids played so well together.
We are already planning our next trip for this summer!