HUGE PROGRESS!

WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR BIG BOY!!!! Stetson fully earned his first sucker tonight! We have been giving him one for "trying" or for each small accomplishment as far as potty training goes. Tonight, though, he did exactly what he was supposed to do!!

It was so cute to watch him with his sucker. He was so proud of himself! Please excuse his lack of a shirt but if you saw the post before this one, you understand why.
He picked a blue sucker and it turned his entire mouth blue.
After we got him all cleaned up, I got him ready for bed. I had already read his book, tucked him in and kissed him goodnight when he said "Mommy, I need to go potty." He has been saying that this week ONLY after I tuck him in. In other words, he has used it as a stall tactic. Well, since you never know if he is telling the truth or not, I got him out of bed and we went straight to the bathroom. I was so surprised when Stetson went potty again! That's twice in one night!! Talk about progress!!

In honor of his accomplishment, Daddy upped his "treat". Rather than a sucker, Daddy gave Stetson a new ball (well...new for Stetson). He was thrilled and once again SO proud of himself!


CONGRATULATIONS, BIG BOY STETSON!! MOMMY AND DADDY ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Mmmm, Mmmm, Good!

I think Stetson enjoyed his dinner tonight. What do you think? He has remnants on his shirt, his face, and even his head. What a mess!

Angels are Watching Over Me

This morning I was driving to work after dropping Stetson off at school. I was cruising 45 mph (the speed limit) on a four lane road in the far right lane. A truck from a side street was turning left onto the road I was traveling on in the same direction I was traveling. In other words he was to my left (sorry if that is confusing). Anyway, he decided to turn as I was approaching. I figured that he would be turning into the left hand lane since I was obviously in the right hand lane. I put my foot over the brake just in case, though. That was the best decision I have made so far today. I'm not sure why, but the man had turned and was coming into my lane. I slammed on the brakes (the new Yukon has great brakes, by the way), steered to the right as far as I could to avoid him, hopped the curb, and narrowly missed a telephone pole. Whew! Don't ask me how, but I missed him as well as everything else. My Yukon is undamaged! The truck finally realized what he had done, tapped his brakes, and then kept on driving.

Our Excitement

So I was sitting in my chair watching tv tonight and all of a sudden our entire entryway was flashing. It caught me completely off guard and J noticed it at the precise moment I did. We both jumped up (without saying a word to each other) and went to the windows.

I'm sure you've already figured it out but this was the view right outside our window...

I apologize for the quality of the photo but I was trying to be discreet. I mean, who takes pictures of stuff like this?? As J would say, the "blogarrazzi" has struck again. Anyway, we thought this person was getting a ticket for running the stop sign or speeding or something. Like most people do, we stood there and watched the whole thing (sad but true). It all seemed normal until the policeman took out his flashlight and started looking in the street (for something the driver threw out perhaps?). He searched for a while but then went back to his car and "ran the driver's plates" etc. The driver ended up with a ticket for something but that was the extent of it. Not very exciting but how often does a police car park in front of your house with all its lights flashing? Too bad Stetson was already asleep...he would have flipped with excitement!

Patience My Dear

Anyone who has children understands that being a parent is a big ol' lesson in patience. It begins just waiting for your child to be born...seems like it takes forever huh? Then you have to wait out a newborn's cries so they don't think you will respond each time. You move to waiting for them to speak their first words, sit up for the first time, take their first steps, etc. The list goes on and on and on. I'm sure it probably never ends to tell you the truth.

Anyway, I have learned a whole new lesson in patience. The lesson is called potty training. Oh my goodness! Stetson is still not 100% sure about the whole thing so I have to "help" him each time he tries. My help involves telling him that it is okay to sit on the potty, it is okay to relax, distract him so he doesn't think about what he is doing, and wait...and wait...and wait. This evening I spent an entire hour in the bathroom (total time during different attempts) during a two hour period. Whew!

We never had a complete success but the fact that he tried that many times and stayed in there is a huge success. Every little step is a step in the right direction. In honor of his progress, Stetson was rewarded with a popsicle!

"Daddy, I exhausted all my energy just to get this popsicle. Will you feed it to me?"
"You're not fast enough. Give it to me and I'll bite it!"
"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH, THAT'S COLD!!"

BAM!

Our little boy has discovered a new talent...cooking! Just call him Emeril. He helped Mommy and Daddy cook dinner tonight and did a really good job. Although these pictures show him playing more than cooking, he REALLY did help! It was so much fun for all three of us to cook together.

Another use for the stool...
Did you notice the hand towel over his shoulder? I think he's a natural!
"Mommy, I am busy here. Must you interrupt for a picture?"
The apron Stetson is wearing is one that J made when he was in 7th grade...isn't it cute? It fits Stetson almost perfectly!

Football Training Camp

I thought this was too cute to not video...

Coffee Milk

My definition of "coffee milk" is milk with a little bit of coffee added and cream and sugar. Stetson's definition is milk poured into a coffee cup. I never even used the term "coffee milk" to describe what he was drinking; he came up with that all on his own. Many years ago I purchased plastic coffee mugs (don't ask me why because I have no idea. I mean, who would put burning hot coffee inside a plastic cup?) Anyway, I'm glad I did because they are perfect for Stetson. He feels like such a big boy drinking from the coffee mug, especially when Mommy is drinking her coffee.

All After Naptime

After Stetson woke up from his nap, we played at home for a while and then met Mama Bear and Papa Bear for dinner at Fishmonger's. Seafood is one of my favorites and Stetson likes it too. He and I shared an order of fried catfish...so yummy but not on my diet (oh well).

For dessert, Mama Bear had a surprise for Stetson...a blow pop! Stetson sure does love suckers.
After dinner, we went to Starbucks. The adults had coffee and Stetson took the opportunity to play with the cement truck Aunt Allison and Uncle Chris gave him while we were in San Antonio. He also made sure to give out lots of hugs!

We had so much fun this evening! We can't wait to do it again soon.

All Before Naptime

If you haven't noticed from previous blog posts, Stetson's hair has gotten a little out of control. It is past time for a haircut so we got that chore taken care of this morning. Whew!

It has always amazed me how good Stetson is in the chair. He loves to get his hair cut and keeps very still. Here we go...the bottom is going first!
And now the top! Uh oh...no scissors this time...what is Mommy doing??
The finished product! And he even got a sucker for being so good! Mommy decided to let him hold the sucker but not eat it until after lunch.
As soon as I told Stetson he had to wait until after lunch, he was miraculously hungry! It was close enough to lunchtime that I decided to treat him to Chick-fil-a. Yummy!

I have learned that we can't go anywhere with a playground and NOT let Stetson play. He loves to play (but what kid doesn't?). He is finally old enough to really enjoy them. Wee...down the slide...let's do it again!
Stetson called these "shutters". They were little white tiles with pictures on them that you could flip. While in San Antonio, he helped Nonnie open and close the shutters every day and while playing he said "I miss Nonnie."
After lots of playing it was time to go home and get ready for a nap. When we pulled up we noticed Gramps' car parked outside. It was time for more playing! These two always have so much fun together.

What a busy morning! Stetson is now resting so he can enjoy a fun-filled afternoon.

The Deer Hunter

Daddy is at the lease this weekend getting ready for deer season and Stetson is very aware of what that means now. All I told him was that Daddy was hunting (even though he is not). Well, all morning Stetson keeps telling me that HE is deer hunting. I think he has his Daddy's genes...look how serious he takes his "play".

"I'm going to find the biggest buck I can with this powerful rifle. Do NOT get in my way."
"I repeat...do NOT get in my way." I don't think he's joking...look at that face!
I believe the obsession has begun. I can look forward to years and years of hunting season with BOTH my guys.

Fun Tag

I love games! Here are the instructions to a game I came across. I would love if you would play along.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew/know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Let the games begin!

Who Knew?

One of the errands that J and I ran while Stetson was with Mama Bear and Papa Bear last Saturday was to purchase a stool for Stetson. The purpose was to help him get on and off the potty. (You can SO tell that I'm a Mommy now because I would never talk about things like this before) Anyway...we found two stools that we really liked so we bought both of them.

A short one for use upstairs...
And a taller one for downstairs (it can double as a seat too)...
Apparently, Stetson has just been waiting for us to buy one. I never knew how many uses a stool could have but Stetson knows them all! You can use it for help getting on and off the potty, as a foot rest while on the potty, as a seat anytime, as a way to reach the sink to wash your hands, as a way to see yourself in the mirror, as a way to turn on and off light switches, as a way to get in and out of bed, as a way to reach anything, and the list goes on and on and on. So pretty much, we didn't buy Stetson a stool...we bought him freedom to do anything he wants to!

As a side note...we were also looking for a wooden toy box. We looked everywhere...Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, furniture stores, nude furniture stores, Pier 1, Gardenridge, etc. If you know where we can get one or happen to see one when you are out and about PLEASE tell me!

Pajama Day

Today is pajama day at school! Stetson picked out the ones he wanted to wear last night, but Mommy had to do a little persuading. He picked out a set of pants pjs, but that would be WAY too hot today. So, he settled on his "Choo-Choo Train" jammies. I never thought that getting Stetson dressed in the morning took a lot of time but I am here to tell you that it takes longer than you think. I was running 15 minutes AHEAD of scheduled today!

Happy Birthday, Christopher!

Happy 7th Birthday, Christopher!!! We can't believe you are already seven...my how time has flown. Have a WONDERFUL day and we wish we could be there to celebrate with you! Have some cake and ice cream for me!

Dum-Dum

One of Stetson's all-time favorite things is a Dum-Dum sucker. I even have a standing deal with him that he can have one whenever he uses the potty like a big boy. So far it has only worked once but he tries to convince me to give him one when we change his pull-up.

Tonight he had a big dinner so I didn't want to give him a very big dessert. My solution...a sucker. He was beyond excited!

"Yummy. I sure do like these things"
"Man, they last forever! It's still not gone but I managed to bend the stick."
"I guess I'll just bite it. Soooooooo gooooood!!"

The Rest of Our Vacation

I know that I haven't been posting very much lately, but that's what vacations are for right? Anyway, it is now Sunday night and our vacation is coming to an end. We have had a very relaxing week and feel ready to face reality again. Vacations are the best!

So, I thought I would also fill you in on what we have done since our return from San Antonio (if you even care). On Thursday, I got up and took Stetson to school so he could play with his friends and so Mommy and Daddy could catch up. We took a long nap when I returned from dropping him off, which was wonderful! We then got dressed and turned in the Jeep (THANK GOODNESS) and ran errands. We got a lot accomplished but we missed our little guy!

On Friday, we picked up Mama Bear and went swimming. We had so much fun and Stetson really enjoyed jumping off the diving board. That boy is a dare devil! After swimming, Stetson stayed at Mama Bear's so he could spend the night. They went to McDonald's and played until Stetson couldn't play anymore. J and I had a nice dinner at Olive Garden. It was very odd to wake up Saturday morning without Stetson being in the house. I woke up at Stetson's usual 6:45am and tried to get back to sleep.

Saturday J and I ran more errands and then headed to pick up Stetson. He was having so much fun there that he didn't want to leave! Mama Bear and Papa Bear bought him a real soccer ball as well as a little whale pool that sprayed water out of the whale's spout. He loved them both! Thank you for watching him and for his gifts! I did manage to get a picture or two of Stetson showing us his soccer moves.

And finally, today was "Sunday as usual". We have a Sunday routine that we followed today as well...grocery shopping, laundry, and getting ready for the week. It was kind of nice to get back to normal but I'm sure I won't be as excited when my alarm goes off in the morning.

Mommy's Little Protege

When you ask Stetson what he wants to be when he grows up, his usual response is "lawnmower" or something like that. Actions speak louder than words, though, right? If that is the case, then Stetson just might follow in his Mommy's footsteps.

The only problem is that I keep my office a LOT cleaner than this!!!

This is what we walked in on when we realized that Stetson was in his playroom and it was too quiet. We obviously waited too long to check on him.

Summer Vacation

We took a trip to San Antonio to visit my family as part of our vacation. We left on Saturday and returned today. We had such a great time and were sad to leave. For reasons unknown, I was horrible about remembering my camera or to take pictures (I guess my brain was on vacation as well). I did manage to get a few, though.

Here is Stetson in the cart at the grocery store. He thought this was the coolest grocery cart ever! I will say that it was pretty hard to steer, though, because it was so long.

On Monday, we took the kids to a kiddie park. It was perfect for the little ones! I apologize but this is about the only outing that I remembered my camera (lots of pictures). Here is Stetson driving a fire engine. There were lots of cars to choose from but he went directly to the fire engine!
Stetson and Alyssa driving a boat. Alyssa was a little scared of this one at first but she warmed up quickly.

Mommy and Stetson on the merry-go-round. I'm not sure which one of us had more fun.
Brendon was kind enough to ride with Stetson on this one. It was a helicopter that went around and around but also flew up and down. Mommy and Daddy were too big to ride with Stetson and he was too small to ride by himself. Thanks, Brendon!
The McCorkle women...watch out!
"Adorable Alyssa" (notice the name of the plane she is flying).
Stetson is driving a horse-drawn carriage here. He actually did it correctly too!

Another fire truck....surprised?
Here is Nonnie helping Stetson fly a helicopter.
Choo-Choo...here comes Conductor Stetson!
Stetson thought this was a motorcycle and I didn't correct him. As you can see, there were LOTS of rides.
Stetson driving a boat by himself. He loved it!

Stetson and Daddy on the merry-go-round (yes...we had to ride things more than once).
Stetson's first school bus ride! This was like a miniature roller coaster and I'm so glad he sat in the front because the back-end whipped around corners and he wasn't very good at holding on.
I got a smile as he came around a corner in the bus. I love his arm out the window. Unfortunately, there were no planes with Stetson's name (shocker, I know).
Here is a video of Stetson driving the horse-drawn carriage.

And a video clip of Allison and Chris with Alyssa on the merry-go-round and then come Mommy and Stetson.

We also went swimming, played outside, and had lots of fun just hanging out at Nonnie's house. Stetson had an absolute blast and already misses everyone (as do J and I). Thanks, Mom, for letting us invade your house and for being such a great hostess. We love you!