The Potty Tale

Once upon a time there were two beautiful girls named Amelia & Sophia.  They lived with their Mom and Dad and were such lovely, happy girls.  They loved to dance and sing and play pretend.  But there was one thing that they both refused to do . . . use the potty.  Their mother has tried everything she can think of, including getting a friend to help, but to no avail - they just don't want to use the potty.

But then there are those moments when I (oh, I mean the Mommy) think I see a breakthrough.  Like when we were traveling and Sophia suddenly decides she wants to pee in the potty and does so, successfully, 3 times in a row.  But then won't even try it once when we get home.

Or the morning Amelia surprised me by getting ready all on her own, including changing her own pull-up!  And continues to change her own pull-up, as long as it isn't poopy.

And lately, Amelia has been changing Sophia's diaper . . . as long as it isn't poopy.

One day this week, I told Sophia that she should teach Amelia how to use the potty because she was so good at it.  But Sophia answers with "no, Amelia is afraid of the potty".

On another day, Amelia spontaneously told me that she didn't want to wear underwear because "underwear is messy".  Perhaps this is because when she's worn underwear, she refuses to try to sit on the potty, so she gets the mess all over her and then has to help me clean it up.  I've been trying to convince her that diapers are messier . . . especially when they're not designed/built for big girls and can't hold everything.

And now my little princess has told me that she doesn't want to go to Kindergarten next year because she doesn't want to wear underwear.

Of course, the Mommy tries to convince herself that she's not a bad mommy because her children are stubborn and don't want to be potty-trained.  And she tries not to worry that she's going to have to homeschool her children because they won't get potty-trained.  The Daddy is saving his money for a new iPad, but what we really need is an iPotty.  I'm pretty sure I'd pay whatever the cost!

Random Travel Notes & The Last Few Days

• I come to the conclusion every time I go on a road trip - there are no good road-tripping snacks that don't involve wheat, oats, or peanuts . . . except for popcorn and some candy.  Needless to say, I ate a lot of popcorn and candy in the last 2 weeks.
• And speaking of snacks, I learned that it's not a good thing to bring snacks for the girls that they've never tried before.  I thought it would be a good idea, like bringing new toys to play with, but I was left with a bunch of snacks no one wanted.
• The activities/games/entertainment for the girls went better than last year.  There were only a few things the girls didn't want to play with, and ironically, it was the same things they loved playing with last year, just with a new look.
• In my preparations for the girls entertainment, I reserve movies at the library - movies they haven't seen before or for a long time so that they're new and fresh.  I got a bit ahead of myself this year and reserved some a bit too early.  When I went to the library a few weeks before we left, they handed me one of my selected movies.  I couldn't hand it back to them and ask them to hold it for me longer, so I took it home, intending to just renew the movie before we left.  But a few days before we left, when I tried to renew it, I discovered that the movie had a hold on it and I couldn't renew it.  Now for my dilemma - do I return the movie without the girls even watching it or take the movie with me and incur a late fee?  What a dilemma for a rules girl like me.  With Ken's encouragement (he's the little devil on my shoulder in this case), I took the movie with us, and returned it 1 day after we got home, and paid my $.90 late fee.
• While we were traveling and while at the reunion, all 4 of us slept in the same room.  I discovered that both girls talk in their sleep.  One night I heard Amelia say something and then Sophia answered her . . . and it made me giggle.
• Ya know how it is when you get home from a vacation, it seems like it takes as much time to unpack, unwind, and get back into the swing of things as it did to prepare/pack for the trip.  It seems like it has taken even longer than normal this time.  Amelia got the stomach virus on Monday - thank goodness Ken had the day off.  But then Sophia and I got the virus on Wed night/ Thurs.- thank goodness Ken was able to call in sick to take care of us.  And now it's Friday already and I still don't feel like I've gotten much done this week.  Here's hoping next week is better.

Thornley Family Reunion and Our Travels Along the Way

We started the long, hot drive to UT last Saturday for our family reunion.  Along the way, we stopped to have lunch with some cowboys.

We made it to Logan with minimal crying, minimal naps (Sophia took one 45-min. nap in 2 days of driving), and minimal snacking.  I don't think any of us really felt like eating when it was so hot and dry.  We visited the cemetery where my Mom is buried.  On the way there, Amelia asked if we were going to dig her up.  Hhm?  Perhaps I shouldn't have told her that's where she was buried.

And then we were able to play for awhile at a park with my dear friend Carol.  My girls loved this slide built onto a hill, and I loved watching Carol playing with my girls.

Still great friends after 40 years!

The 4 of us looking quite smiley.

After meeting my good friend, Tara, for lunch, we headed up to Bear Lake for our Thornley Family Reunion.  This is the house that 3/4 of the 40 of us stayed in.  The rest of the family stayed in a slightly smaller house just across the street.

And here is a view of the lake from our balcony.  The hillside around the lake may be dry and not so pretty, but the lake is still as beautiful as I remembered it.

On Tuesday, we all spent the day on the lake.  Our house rental came with a voucher for water "toys" so we were able to rent a few things that everyone was able to enjoy.  I took a ton of pictures, but these are just a few of my favorites.  My brother, Paul, looking like he was getting ready to go crazy on the lake.

Tila and Amelia building sand castles together.

Our family's turn on one of the paddle boats.

Jared doing the paddle board with Sophia.  Sophia LOVED riding on all the water toys.

Rachel doing crafts with the girls.  Thanks to my sister-in-law, Cheryl, the girls had plenty of crafty things to make and thanks to my nieces, I didn't have to help them make them - so everyone had fun!  

I loved the way that so many of my siblings and their children played with my girls, who are the youngest and only have a few cousins their age to play with.  I probably wasn't as good at playing with other people's kids as they were about playing with mine.

On Wednesday, we went on a small hike up Logan Canyon, the Limber Pine Trail.  It's just a bit over a mile, perfect my girl's little legs, and thanks to cousins, they had plenty of help and cheerleaders along the way.  Here's Alison with the girls.

And that afternoon, we went swimming.  Amelia loved swimming with her cousin Richelle.

That night the "Other Thornleys" were able to join us for dinner.  SO good to see my cousin and best friend, Kathryn.  (We're still friends after 40 years too!)

I tried taking a picture of the 6 youngest cousins . . . but forgot that where I had them line up was making them stare directly into the sun.  Oops!  But I didn't want to try to round them up to a different location, so I just went with it and laughed afterwards.

Laura and Tila playing with my girls on this cool airplane that was on the patio of one of the houses.

On the 5-10 min drive to the beach on Thursday, Sophia fell asleep . . . just as we were pulling into the parking lot.  

A picture with Grandpa.

Sunrise over Bear Lake on Friday  morning.

Friday after the reunion, we drove down to Riverdale to meet up with our friends from Grad School.  Our girls are similar in ages and had fun playing at the park/splash pad.

I think it wears out Ken when I have to/want to see so many of my friends when we come to UT, but it's important to me.  I'm grateful that I have great friends . . . and lucky that so many of them are in UT, which makes it easier to visit them. 

Friday after dinner with my Dad, and visiting more friends, the Hymas' family, we met up with Carol again.  This time to enjoy the fireworks in Hyde Park as the city celebrated July 24th . . . on the 18th . . . apparently Hyde Park celebrates on the Friday before the 24th each year.  This was the first fireworks that the girls had seen, and I was worried that they'd be too scared of the loud noises, but they absolutely loved them.  Yeah!

And on Saturday before we left my Dad's house to come home, we took a few more pictures.  Amelia loved picking the sweet peas - she picked a bouquet each day we were there.

Stopping at Multnomah Falls on our way home on Sunday.  It's not nearly as impressive from the parking lot as it is close up - but the girls still liked it.

A highlight of our trip was when Sophia surprised us by wanting to use the potty and did so successfully 3 times in 2 days.  Like I've said, she knows how to use the potty, she just doesn't want to . . . unless it's on her own terms.

And another highlight was listening to the girls singing along with the Disney Tunes cd that we have.  Don't mind the camera falling at the end - that just adds to the humor of it all, right?

This year, Ken and I took turns driving.  It gave us both a break - him from driving, me from playing activity coordinator for the girls.  I loved watching/listening to him playing with the girls.  Overall, the 4-day drive went well.  The girls broke last year's record by only sleeping for 1 1/2 hours during the 4-day drive.  And of course, both times Sophia fell asleep, it was just before we were getting to a stopping place.

I was glad that Ken had Monday off, as Amelia was sick throwing up all day yesterday.  Thank goodness that didn't happen until we got home.  Better stop bloggin' and get back to reality - cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc.

Remlinger Farms

Ken had Monday off, so we spent the day at Remlinger Farms (thanks Groupon for a great deal).  We've never been before and weren't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a good experience.  The whole park/farm is geared for kids 2-10 yrs old and the girls loved it!  The girls wanted to ride on everything and weren't afraid of any of the rides.  They went on their first pony ride and smiled the whole time.  I was with Amelia and didn't have the camera, so sadly, no pictures of Amelia.  But both girls LOVED riding on the ponies and rode like a pro. 

Here's a video of Sophia riding the pony.

Monday was a great day to go because the crowds were minimal, so the lines were short, if not non-existant.  They had a good variety of rides - like driving an antique car and this canoe ride.  The girls liked dipping their hands in the water . . . I'm just glad they didn't try to get in the water.

The girls liked the carousel and the spinning pumpkins, the corn cob airplanes and the 2 different trains.  Amelia wanted to go on the roller coaster so Daddy went with her.  Amelia loved it . . . Daddy, not so much ;)  Sophia wanted to go too, but Mommy was a wimp and wouldn't ride with her.  Maybe next year?

They even had fun "non-rides" like a hay maze/hay jump and these cool digging toys in a giant sandbox.  My girls thought that was almost as fun as the rides.

And after spending twice as long at the park as we had anticipated, we headed home, with great memories and looking forward to going again in the future . . . as long as the Groupons just keeps on comin'.

More Random Happenings

• Ken and I had our 9th wedding anniversary last week.  We went golfing and out to dinner on Saturday to celebrate.  We learned how to golf when we first got married and have enjoyed doing it together, but it's been over 4 years since we've been golfing.  I was a little nervous, but actually didn't do as poorly as I thought I would.  We had a great time, except for the bee sting I got while half way through our game - serves me right for wearing sandals instead of shoes while golfing.
• I've been preparing for our road trip to UT and I think I'm all ready.  This year I made a few adjustments to the "entertainment" after last year's trip.  I made/bought less activities to hand to them and instead, tried to create/think of more activities that we can all do together.  The girls and I made BINGO markers out of glass beads, paper, and magnets.  That was already a hit on our road trip to the beach last month, so I'm hopeful it will still be good.  And how do I determine success?  If the girls play with it for more than 5 minutes.  BINGO lasted 30 minutes when we played with it on our way back/forth to the beach - that is a major success in my book.
• Recently Amelia has wanted to have "tea parties".  She doesn't actually want to drink anything (so water works out perfectly), she just wants to pour it from teapot to cup and from cup to cup, etc.  Today she really wanted to have a tea party, but it was cold outside (which is the where we have tea parties so that I don't get grumpy about the mess).  Not to be deterred, Amelia sat outside, by herself, in her jacket and wrapped up in a blanket to have a tea party for one . . . because neither Sophia nor I wanted to be outside in the cold.  Eventually, she ended up back inside, where her and Sophia had a tea party on the rug - so it wouldn't be so messy.  And everyone was happy.

Strawberries and More Strawberries

It's that time of year again . . . it's strawberry time!  Ken LOVES strawberries.  I like strawberries, but Ken LOVES strawberries . . . and so do the girls.  So on Saturday afternoon, we headed to the berry farm, rode the "Berry Express" out to the fields, and started picking.

The girls did pretty good.  Well, mostly okay.  Sophia had a hard time only picking the ripe ones, but Amelia did great.  And they only got bored right near the end of our picking . . . but then I got bored too . . . but Ken said I had to keep picking ;)  Here are Sophia and Amelia saying "strawberry".

So what do you do with 2 overflowing flats of strawberries?  I wish I knew!  I wish I was more of a strawberry connoisseur, but all I really know what to do with them is make strawberry jam. 

I'm wondering if the checker at the grocery store could guess what I was making today since this was all that was in our cart.

Once I got the strawberries cleaned and hulled and chopped, the girls helped me stir in the lemon, pectin and sugar . . . lots of sugar - oye!

Amelia was so proud of "her" jars of jam.

Amelia took this picture . . .

and this video (it's a bit long but fun to hear Amelia narrate).

Sophia wasn't as excited about "her" jam.  I think the whole long process wore her out.

I feel like I spent all day making 3 batches of jam. . .

But overall, I don't think I spent as much time as Ken spent the last 2 days, as he cleaned, cut and prepped his overflowing flat of strawberries to freeze.

We're all set for strawberries. 

Now we have blueberries and blackberries to look forward to.

Stay-cation

Neither Ken nor I had anything planned or on our calendar for last weekend, so Ken planned us a little stay-cation.  The girls have been wanting to go fishing for quite awhile, so we started Saturday morning by fishing at the local community lake.  When Amelia was just a baby, somebody gave us a cute little pink fishing pole and it's been collecting dust for years . . . until now.  Amelia was all set with her fishing pole and her chair.

She was so excited to actually be fishing.  When I asked her to smile, she smiled and yelled "Happy New Year!".  Hopefully we didn't scare away any fish . . . or any neighboring fishermen.

Sophia was sad that she didn't have a fishing pole just her size, but she happily used Ken's pole.

 She was so excited to reel in the line "by myself".

 Could Sophia be any happier?

The girls lasted A LOT longer than I thought they would . . . almost a whole hour.  The girls said they had fun, but Amelia was sad that we didn't catch a fish.  The person next to us did, so at least Amelia got to see a live fish up close and personal.  Maybe we'll have better luck next time?

After lunch, we headed to a Burfoot Park in Olympia.  A park with playground equipment AND beachfront.  The girls loved it.  It was such perfect weather too - not too hot, not too cold.  The only thing that would have made it better was if I had actually planned appropriately and brought swim clothes with us, so that the girls didn't have to run around in their shirts and diapers.  Oh well!

And then on Monday, we headed to the Pt. Defiance Zoo in Tacoma.  I've been there before and think it's a perfect size zoo for little people.  Completely walkable and able to see all the animals within a few hours.  Amelia's favorite animals were the fish in the aquarium and the polar bear.  Sophia loved watching the walrus swim.  She was content to sit and watch the walrus swim back and forth, back and forth.

All in all, a great weekend - very relaxing and minimal amount of money spent.