Too Good to be True...

So I realized pretty early that it was a little too premature to think that Mason had adapted to his big boy bed!!! The first night he kept getting up about every 2 hours!! Then finally- he just got right up and climbed into our bed! Something I've been VERY against letting him do. But, I was sooo tired by that point that I couldn't hold my ground.

The next night, it was all drama to get him to go to bed. After several "fall-apart" tantrums and digging his heals he consented to just sit on the bed. His face was beet red and snot had consumed the lower half of his face... You know that face....I'm sure many mom's out there can relate! He FINALLY sobbed, "I don want bi'boy bed- I want small!" To which I realized that he wanted his smaller toddler bed, good 'ol trusty! Did I mention that Ben was out of town for ALL of this also! It had now been an hour of just getting him to sit on the bed. I was willing to try ANYTHING! So I went and got a portion of his toddler bed and placed it between his bed and the wall. Hoping that this would bring comfort and familiarity to him. So this is what his new "transitional bed" looks like now until I'm brave enough to remove the stupid thing...

He atleast would lay down now but NOT without a death grip on my arm to lay down with him! (another habit I DON'T want him to get used to!) The cycle of laying down with him for 5 minutes...me getting up....water works starting up again...crying so hard that he's gasping for air...him yelling "I'm Scared!"...UGH!!! This kept going AT LEAST9 more rounds. Then, at my wits end- the thought crossed my mind that we missed night-night prayers. And whenever I'm scared, prayer ALWAYS makes me feel better! So we jumped up, said a little prayer together...asked for safety and peace and that Mason would feel brave in his new bed. And- I kid you NOT... after Amen, he laid RIGHT DOWN, pulled the covers up, closed his eyes and said "Nite Mommy." And it's been So far..So good ever since!!
I LOVE THE POWER OF PRAYER!!!!

Movin' on Up!

Hi Ya'll! I'm really excited today because we just finished putting togetherMason's New BIG BOY ROOM!! Mason was starting to look like a giant in his toddler bed, so we realized it was time to upgrade his sleeping arrangements! After weeks of hunting and gathering for everything, it's finally all come together. I decided to keep it a "sports" theme to make it easier on me AND my wallet! :D I wanted to rocket the theme from looking so babyish, cutsy sports and throw as much big boy flare at it as I could. 'Course what I wanted to do and what Ben wanted were two seperated things! Marriage is ALL about compromise!!! Mason was soo excited helping set it all up. He kept saying, "This my Bi' boy bed!" I recorded the video sideways, so sorry in advance for the crinck in your neck! Ha! HA! Here is the final product, though I'm probably going to add a little painting flavor to it down the road too! (would LOVE any suggestions of colors/techniques all you creative geniuses out there got!!!! :D) I'm stoked with how it turned out! And Mason practically put HIMSELF to bed around 7:30 tonight!! ABSOLUTE RARETY!!! That's acutally why I have time to blog!! :D

Success is SWEET!

Update: YES! Mason is a BIG BOY NOW!!! After MUCH perseverance and LOTS of bribery... Mason is potty trained! He is out of diapers/pullups completely even through the night and nap time!
Below is a picture of his sticker chart that has come in so handy! After he fills up one row, he gets a "heart chocolate". (Special THANKS to a certain package LOADED with authentic German Chocolates!!:D mmm!)
Also a big thanks to "doggie" pictured below! "Doggie" is Mason's toy caterpillar that he likes to pretend is a dog. The game of "doggie" evolved from shear desperation one night- Mason was losing interest FAST! So, I grabbed the closest toy I could get my hands on to have Mason "teach" how to go potty. It became and INSTANT hit! Now He walks "doggie" through the steps then enthusiastically shouts, "K! Mason's turn!" And it has evolved! "Doggie" has to be put to bed now even before Mason will go down! UGH! I've created a monster!!!

Also below is a video of Mason after our 1st venture out in big boy underwear! We ran to a wedding reception then to Dairy Queen after wards. Needless to say, at DQ, we didn't make it in time!! We packed right up and headed home! But couldn't resist documenting Mason's funny new swagger! We are such mean parents!

I am SOO proud of my Big Boy! YEAH MASON!!!!

And thanks to everyone for their helpful advice! It REALLY just helped knowing that I wasn't alone and to keep trudging on! Consistency PAYS OFF!!! :D

My new motto: "if Sarah can do it, so can I!"

My darling friend introduced me to this WONDERFUL book! I just wanted to share it with you all! It's the first book in the "Sarah Series". It's about a hardworking, SPITFIRE girl named Sarah Agnes Prine (the author's Great-Grandmother) and it's her diary as she struggles on the Arizona frontier. It was filled with heartwarming moments and insights into the women of this time period! (Which has always been interesting to me!)

The beginning is kind of choppy English as she doesn't know how to read or write very well! It was a joy to journey with her through life lessons of love, sorrow and pure stubbornness! I laughed so hard and cried equally too! (which I DON'T normally do with a book!) She overcame some TREMENDOUS stuff!! I think that theres a little of Sarah that many of us can relate to today. Even Ben couln't help but ask, over my shoulder, what's Sarah was upto now! :D Truly, this book has touched my life in a way I can't explain! I appreciate the little things in life more! I see that there are things that I can work harder at. Just the amount of things that she was able to accomplish in a day, to me, is MIND BLOWING!

I hope you like it as much as I have! And if you've already read it and Loved it too- PLEASE share with me what you've learned from her! I find it interesting what different little bits of wisdom each person takes away with them...

HELP!!! Soliciting your Advice!

HELP!! We've endeavored into the "We're Serious Now" Potty training mode with Mason! I need TIPS!! I know that many of you out there have successfully trained boys and I NEED TO KNOW what worked for you!

We've been at it for about a week now... I'm to the point of letting him be in diapers till he's 10!! I'm soo frustrated!!! We've put him on the potty every 30 minutes with sticker chart reward after! It's time to step it up to the next level- Gimme any suggestions ya got! ... And YES!- we've tried the "sink the cheerio" trick! :D ...Actually it was goldfish crackers 'cause that's all I had on hand! It works good, but now he expects a snack when he's on the potty! UGH!!!!

They say EVERYBODY has a Twin Out There Somewhere....

It was brought to my attention that my favorite brother in law, Mario, often gets mistaken for John Legend! It was actually our waiter who brought it up. He was all smiles," ...So I bet you get this a lot- But, You look a lot like..." Now until he said that, I hadn't ever put the two together. But sure enough- the resemblance is uncanny! What do you think?

I tried to get Mario to throw his "John Legend" weight around and get us some upgrades at the Day Spa... No luck! :D








And just today I was told by a patient that I'm a dead ringer for the ESPN Sportscaster Heather Cox, who happens to live in the area also... Somebody BETTER tell me if my bangs start to look like this! I expect a true friend INTERVENTION!!! HA! HA! HA!! :D


To be fair though, here is a more RECENT picture of her... :D