Such a sweetie (and STINKER!)...

How could you not love this face, right?!?!

Let me tell you a little story that happened recently.......

 

Remember when I got my new couch recently?  We hadn't even had it a week when the 'incident' occurred.

 

Uh-oh..I can hear y'all saying that over there....

 

Makayla and I were having a casual night just before bath and bedtime.  Sitting on the couch, eating chips, watching tv.  She let out a little 'toot' and I asked her if she needed to go potty.  Now mind you, she hadn't went potty in a while (another story for another time..we just kinda fell off the bandwagon).  But after sitting there for a minute, she got up and headed that way.  So off we went.  We did our little routine but she didn't do anything.  Since it was bathtime, I figured since I had her halfway naked we'd go ahead and start things.  Since she was reading books in the bathroom, I left her there (she always has stayed and read) and I went through the house and got her pjs and diaper (took less than a minute).  I came back through the house and found her in the living room.

 

Uh oh.

 

She was standing in front of the tv and turns to look at me with this 'look' like she had done something.  I looked and saw a puddle on the floor and said "Makayla!"..not in a mean way..just suprised..I didn't think anything of it. But her 'look' told me otherwise.  When I turned on the overhead light, I saw that she had peed on my NEW COUCH and then got off and continued on our floor.  I was livid!!!!  I told her she knew better and to get back in the bathroom (during all of this I had left her pjs on the back of the couch), to sit down, and read books.  I went back in to get her jammies and back in and guys..she had pooped on the bathroom floor during the two seconds I was away!!!! 

 

Oh My Gosh.

 

Whose child was this?!  Surely not mine...

 

After some crying and a lot of talking about the situation, we had both calmed down.  When we were doing prayer time and got done..I looked at her and asked if she understood why mommy had gotten so mad.  She shook her head yes.  I asked if she knew better than to do it again.  She shook her head yes again.  She cried a little..and I told her it was all ok..that mommy would get it cleaned up and that I loved her. 

 

This is where she got me.  When I was about to lay her down for bed..she turned to me..and put her head on my shoulder and wanted me to rock her.  And that I did.  And I silently cried.

 

I understand why when parents say it hurts them more than the child when they punish them now.  I know I hurt more than she did..but we both learned lessons that night.

 

She learned not to go potty anywhere else BUT the potty. 

I learned to never leave her without some type of underwear on.

And..I learned that vinegar takes out urine smells.

 

My couch survived.

 

:-D

 





Toddler Travels

Anyone who has a toddler knows that traveling can sometimes be hit or miss.  With the trip we took over the weekend, I'd say we hit somewhere in the middle.  There were times I wanted to pull my hair out, but then there were times she was just her old self! 

The one thing I was a bit nervous about was sleeping arrangements.  Thankfully I had read a post of fellow blogger Rachel's arrangements she had made for her son, Henry, when converting him from a crib to a 'big boy' bed.  It was so helpful!  Before our trip, I got out our pack and play and found that Makayla had outgrown it.  So my plan on this trip was to take the mattress off of one of the beds in our room (we had 2 queen beds) and put it on the floor and then stuff pillows and rolled up blankets under the fitted sheet.  That way she couldn't push them off in the middle of the night!  And you know what, it worked wonderfully!!

Her setup

 

 

 

The first night she rolled off the bed into the floor (somehow!) but didn't wake up since she was just a couple inches off the floor (mattress height).  She was, however, curled up in a ball from what Damon said because she had no blanket on her.  When he woke up around 7am and found her like this he tried to put her back in bed and cover her up, but then she was up for the day.  But that was ok!  We like to get early starts when we are on vacations.  Only downfall is, normally Makayla is a LATE sleeper (anything before 9am is unusual for her..um yeah..she takes that after me!), so around 11am-ish, she would get cranky and take a quick nap. 

 

Our biggest problem was crankiness with this trip.  Bedtimes being thrown off, naptimes off as well, and different sleeping arrangements combined with long car rides is enough to make anyone cranky.  But a toddler..yeah..you know they just don't handle schedule changes like an adult does!  When we were at Blackwater Falls, she wanted to walk down to the falls.  No problem, right?  It worked, mind you, but there was like over 200 steps that leads to the falls (not including going back up)!  That's alot of walking for those little legs!  She handled it like a trooper, but at times it would have been easier carrying her a little ways (even though she is heavy).  Only problem there is she got MAD if we tried to carry her.  Oh and the falls themself?  She could have cared less..the steps were way more fun apparently!

 

I just noticed I got her sippy cup in the picture!  She was mad!

But the steps were sooooooooooo fun!

 

Being her sweet self and stopping for a photo op!

 



The thing with traveling with a toddler, you just have to learn to roll with it.  When they start to throw a fit, don't make a big deal out of it..just take them away from the situation (whether its a store or whatever) until they calm down.  The first day was the most trying for me because the last time we'd traveled with her she was really good for us. 

 

But she was also 11 months old too.

 

Traveling with babies is SO much easier than with a toddler!  Whoever said sleepless nights, crying, and more crying comes with babies sure didn't know mine!  She was such a good baby, traveled well, and the whole nine yards.  Now she's got some attitude (that's part of developing!) and can say "No!" so it makes for a whole different experience. 

 

The best advice I can give on traveling with a toddler is this..try to keep as much 'normal' as you can.  That is, bedtimes/naptimes/story reading/potty training (if your doing so at that time)/playtime.  We did bedtime away from home the same way we did at home.  The only thing I wished I had ready to go the day we traveled up was her portable dvd player.  We brought it along so she could still watch her sign language dvds that she's addicted to (it was a lifesaver too!!) at the room, but I didn't check it out before we left and didn't know there was a car adapter (wasn't sure if it was charged..again..I didn't check).  She could have watched it while we were riding!  I know that would have helped immensely!  I had it ready to go on the way back but she was good the whole way down so it wasn't needed. 

 

But I hope that my experience has helped you if your about to travel with a toddler anytime soon!  I know I'll know what to expect the next time and be a little better prepared!

 









Road Trippin'!

Can you believe Memorial Day Weekend is behind us and summer is 'unofficially' here?!  I hope everyone had a great weekend..I know we did!

We finally went on a trip!

It was long overdue too.  The last (overnight) trip of any kind we had taken was over a year ago.  A year!!!!   And Makayla wasn't even a year old at the time..she was just 11 months!  Now she's two!  We ventured up in northern West Virginia (our homestate, in case ya didn't know!) to the Canaan Valley region.  We had went there back when Makayla was really small (Labor Day Weekend 2011) and had a great stay so we decided to head back!  It was a great trip, despite a few minor technicalities (cranky-from-riding-in-a-car-for-hours toddler and a dinner that took TWO HOURS to be served to us at a local restaurant!).  I already can't wait to go back, honestly.  In the mountains of West Virginia, the views can't be beat.  The air is crisper.  The atmosphere is just amazing.  And did I mention, the views?!

Blackwater Falls

 

Thats me beside the sign!

Running in the open fields of Canaan Valley

The only decent shot I got of the two of us!

 

 

We stayed at the same place as last time, the Black Bear Resort Inn.  Its fabulous..the inn doesn't look like much from the outside but they have lovely rooms!!  My favorite part is the jacuzzi tub!!!!!!  They are HUGE..I'm pining for one in our master bathroom!  They have very large grounds..with..you guessed it..amazing views!  And a playground that we took advantage of, if not for a few minutes the first, very cold day we were there!

 

 

 

 

There was a festival going on in the surrounding towns that we checked out as well.  And you know, with a town called Thomas, we just had to go (in lieu of our cat,  Thomas, that passed away last year).  Tom-tom would have been proud!!  It was a very unusual town, almost like time had stood still but artsy and 'antique-y'!  Makayla passed out while we were there, so Damon and I took turns walking up and down the street checking out the antique stores.  There was a jewelry store I checked out that had handmade necklaces and the like.  Very neat!!  I saw a peacock necklace that looked EXACTLY like a peacock..it was very lavish and not something I could pull off, but wow it was unique to see!  They also had these necklaces that looked like the man on the moon and they even glowed a little (it seemed to me, anyways).  I heard a lady who worked there saying that the stone they are crafted from is from Germany and is the only place in the world where you can find it!  I think next time I'll bring extra cash and buy myself one!

 

We just did catch a picture of the Thomas sign as we were driving in!

Naptime...

Downtown





Antique storefront

 

Tomorrow I'll post about traveling with a toddler, its sure to be interesting!!!

 







 

Being "2"

Two years ago today, I would have told you it would be an eternity until my sweet baby I was holding for the first time would be turning a whole two years old.

Oh, how time flies!

The past two years have been an adventure.  A great adventure, I must say!  I look forward to the future years, watching my little girl grow and develop into a young, Christian woman. 

But for now, I'll relish in all her 'two-ness'.

 

Happy Birthday Makayla, my little chugga!



Winner winner, chicken dinner!

Congrats to Wendy for winning a $20 e-voucher to Firmoo!!!  You guys..I could have gave away 5 MORE of these vouchers but nobody entered!!!!

Don't Forget!!

If you might of missed it..I have a GIVEAWAY going on and it ends soon!!  Up for grabs are 6 $20 e-vouchers for some nice sunglasses from the kind people over at Firmoo!!  Just make sure you read the rules..and enter before its too late!!

Good luck!!

Something new...

Last week was pretty darn exciting in our household!  Why..you ask?  We got ourselves a brand new sectional for the living room!  Anyone who follows me on facebook knows all about it..but for my blogger friends..I wanted to share the joy with y'all as well!

I was beyond thrilled when we did our income taxes this year.  Actually, in tears.  With the really rough year we had in 2012 with Damon's unemployment for the majority of the year, plus some personal stuff (you know how that is!), I figured Uncle Sam would stomp us in the ground a little bit more.

Like we needed it.

To my suprise, we came out of the H&R Block office in very high spirits!  We were in desperate need of a new couch and I knew exactly how our payoff was going to be spent. 

I didn't take photos of our old couch..but it was in shambles.  Two holes had developed in the last couple months on one of the top cushions (no hiding it) and everytime you tried to lay down on it you could feel the bars (the ones that are built in for the reclining mechanism) through the cushions.  Even though it wasn't THAT old, it might as well of been.  Blame it on cheap design!

But this is what is now gracing our living room..and oh my..it is comfortable and soft!!



A Minnie Mouse birthday!

Yesterday we celebrated Makayla's 2nd birthday..even though she's not 'officially' 2 until this friday.  With it being so close to the Memorial Day weekend, graduations, and the fact that Daddy works evenings now, we figured having it early and on a sunday would be better!  She had a blast!  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....



 

Toodles!

The pictures I don't post

You know how it is when you have a toddler.  Pictures tend to be a blur.  Literally, about 90% of them.  Thats how it is for me anyways!  But you just get a good one now and then and those are the ones you have developed and/or post on the internet.

Wanna see the ones I don't post?? 

Damon w/his eyes closed & Makayla looking at something fascinating apparently

Trying to hold a 'wiggle worm'

Notice I'm telling Ravey to look at the camera, while Makayla FOR ONCE is actually looking right at it!

Ah yes, the toddler scream/yell/I'm-happy-so-I'm-loud

And my favorite, mommy is being mean and trying to take pictures with me

 

 Feel any better about the pictures you take?  I thought so!

 

And don't forget to enter my firmoo sunglasses giveaway!! Six chances to win!