Giveaway

No, not by me but my blog friend Kash is celebrating her 100th entry with a prize. Check it out!

R and R

A few weekends ago we decided to take a break from the rat-race called life and go camping. We had no idea how it would go with a two year old but decided to chance it anyway. We all had a really nice time enjoying wonderful weather, family time with no distractions, and the beauty of nature.

Family resemblance?

Rocks, dirt, a pail, and a shovel - what more does a kid need?

Gratitude Friday - Excitement Over Certain Bodily Functions

If you would have talked to me three years ago the words "poop" and "pee" would rarely enter the conversation. Little did I know that just under a year later those same words would come up with frightening regularity as we entered into the realm of parenthood. Oh, the encounters with those two functions.....
I'll spare you the details but any squeemishness that I may have had over those two excretions magically vanished within hours of giving birth. The enormity of being responsible for this tiny thing overwhelmed me and poop just became one faction of the whole experience. If that was all I'd had to deal with I likely would've developed post-pregnancy morning sickness and there would've been violent rock-paper-scissor wars between Trevor and I over diaper changes. It feels wierd saying this but it's a good thing there are a multitude of other mind-overloading adjustments with a newborn because the poop...
Anyway, the reason for this discussion is that after "playing" on the potty for months Sierra has finally, deliberately, and knowingly used her little potty for its intended purpose. For the last couple of weeks when she would ask to sit on her potty we would comply. There was leg swinging, getting off, back on, taking the seat off - everyting except going potty.
We could sometimes tell when she had to poop and would take her to the potty but she couldn't quite figure out how to get out at the appropriate time. Often, and quite soon after several ten minute potty sessions, she would go in her diaper.
Today during supper I heard her pass gas and asked her if she had to go potty.
"Uh huh," she said.
So off we trucked to the bathroom. I stripped her and she sat down on her potty and asked for a book which we read repeatedly. She appeared to be straining many a times but I was convinced it was all an act. Then she started wiping her bum every 3.4 seconds because she'd seen me do that (not wipe every 3.4 seconds, just wipe in general) and figured that's what's done when on the potty. I would periodically ask her if she was ready for her diaper back on and she kept saying
"More potty."
Finally, after what felt like eons I hollared at Trevor that it was his turn. Not five minutes after he took over there was victory. Sierra pooped in her potty and was quite marvelled by it. Than later, before Trevor changed her for bed he put her on again and she peed! Twice in one day she produced in the appropriate place! Let the bells ring out! Now I'm not naive to think she's trained just like that and am off to buy underwear first thing tomorrow or anything. But this is a very exciting start to an end!

I'm also grateful for my mother-in-law who's visiting for entertaining Sierra this morning so I could sleep in. What a luxury!
Happy weekend all!

News

This is the saying my mom got in a fortune cookie recently:
"A short stranger will soon enter your life with blessings to share"

How about somewhere around February 20, 2010?
Yes, I'm pregnant.
Whew I said it! I'm just over 12 weeks and it has been such a hard thing to keep a secret for so long.

That is the reason for my lack of presence 'round these parts lately. I am fatigued beyond fatigued and when I actually have a moment to myself to possibly blog it's all I can do to even push buttons on the TV remote. I am fortunate to not be plagued by spewing episodes in the Great White Throne but oh the tiredness! Mornings are mostly good, if I only had to function mornings I'd be doing just dandy. But no, 12:30 or so hits and I feel like a truck ran over me. It is all I can do to get to nap time (Sierra's that is) and then I flop myself into bed and pass out for an hour. I'm often grumpy and scuzzed out from noon on and simply cannot motivate myself to do anything. It sucks.

Ah and the hormones! My poor husband and daughter. It's not simply a matter of being tired it's seeing all the stuff' that needs to be done and not being able to drag my butt off the couch to do it. Seriously, I'm sure it's glued there some days and that is some good glue! I get annoyed with myself because just playing with Sierra some days nearly kills me. Feeling sluggish brings irritability, lack of patience and reason, and then the tears because men and toddlers just can't understand!

My back and other parts have also begun paining me. This really doesn't help in the area of sleep, funny how one thing is related to another. I feel like an 80 year old when I get up at times - all hunched over and groaning as my body unfolds itself and I limp to the bathroom. I love my bathroom. I'm there so often now, it's great.

There you have it. I am desperately hoping that as I am moving into the second trimester the fatigue ebbs. I know that with that many other unpleasant factors related to being pregant will also lesson. I really want to enjoy this pregnancy. With Sierra it was so foreign and I was very self conscious of my expanding body and I just wanted it over with. Since Trevor is convinced this is our last (me not so much yet) I want to cherish this time of growing a child inside of me.
Bear with me as I get myself out of my slump and back into what I feel is more inspird blogging. It's coming.

Summer Random's

I feel so out of the blogging routine that I don't even know what to post about anymore! I'm in the mood to type so I'll simply subject you to whatever comes out of my snot-filled, groggy head. Yes I have a lovely summer cold, thanks to Sierra. We're both busy going through a box of tissue per hour and making attractive sniff sounds in between nose blows. Well in Sierra's case the snot just runs down and into her mouth and then she smears it all over her cheek with her hand when she scratches her itchy nose. I love it.
Trevor came home with a laptap for me this week! I've been wanting one for a long time because Sierra gets positively irate if we try and sit at our computer while she's awake (all but maybe two hours a day). With the long daylight hours she's been going to bed later and by that time I'm often too tired to stare at a computer screen for too long. Now she is sitting, eating an apple, and watching T.V. beside me while I type! I'm in heaven.
We just had the pleasure of a visit from some friends who moved away on us a year ago. We were reminded why we like them so much and why it sucks that they now life so far away. At least with friends like them we'll be sure to keep in touch and make deliberate effort to see each other.
We finally have our heat wave around here. It's sunny and 30 degrees and our a/c needs to run and I love it! Earlier this week it poured for two days and turned our yard into a mud bog and we were all bemoaning the fact that summer hadn't really arrived yet. Here it is!

As for it being Gratitude Friday - I am happy for all the friends I've been fortunate to make so far in my life. They all enrich my life.

Gratitude Friday - Part 3 and On Time!

My parents have been gone for two weeks on vacation and Sierra has missed them like crazy. Every day she asks, "papa ganny?"
Every day I have to answer, "No, they are still gone"
To which Sierra replies, "In aiwpwane...high,high, (points up)...wi da sun."
"Yes."
It is so neat that we can live near my parents and that Sierra has such a close and special relationship with them.


In other news...remember how I said I spent nearly all of our grocery budget at the beginning of June? I did really well at buying the bare minimum until the last week and then I failed and gave in, so I ended up $100 over. Sigh. I'm not doing to great so far this month either. Then again I just bought a lot of meat which is a major expense so we should be ok for July aside from fresh fruit, veggies and milk. I'm pretty sure I can stay within budget this month.

Check it Out!

There's a cool giveaway over at Frugal Frog - if you like free stuff and wish to enter, go see what it's all about.

Gratitude Friday - Two Days Late

Friday was chaos beyond all chaos so I officially missed Gratitude Friday. I haven't had a moment alone with my computer for a long time so my blogging in general has been somewhat lagging. Things are just overall...crazy. I hope to fill you in and be back to my old self soon.
We spent some very much needed R and R as a family this weekend enjoying each other and the beauty of God's creation. We are incredibly fortunate to live only an hour and half drive from the Rocky Mountains to where we retreated for a brief reprieve from the insanity we call every day life. Even though our escape was short I am incredibly grateful for it and feel a little more capable of facing another week.