The T-Rex and The Ladybug

Once upon a time, there was a T-Rex and a Ladybug -- an unlikely pair, perhaps, but they loved each other very much and were great friends. In fact, they were brother and sister. Every day, the T-Rex and the Ladybug would dance and play games together, like peek-a-boo and hide and seek.

The T-Rex was fascinated with his tail. He found it incredibly funny that he actually had a tail and he enjoyed showing it off. The T-Rex also found the Ladybug's antenna hat very funny and every time she put it on her head, he laughed and laughed and laughed. When the T-Rex laughed, so did the Ladybug. She didn't realize he was laughing at her.


The T-Rex and the Ladybug couldn't wait to go to the Trunk or Treat event at church. They had been talking about it for quite some time. The T-Rex was excited about playing games and filling his bag with candy. The Ladybug just wanted to show off her cute antenna hat and black and red striped tights.

As they were preparing to leave for the festivities, the T-Rex said he could not put on his dinosaur outfit until he arrived at church because, "T-Rexes are too big for car seats." He was right. Car seats do not accomodate large spiky tails. Car seats also do not accomodate puffy ladybug tummies, so the Ladybug had to wait to put on her outfit as well.

Mom, please....I know I'm cute, but no more pictures, ok?

They arrived at Trunk or Treat just in time for the puppet show, which they both loved. The Ladybug squealed with delight, jumping and dancing to the music. The T-Rex watched intently as he viciously devoured a corn dog and chips.

Hey! I'm a T-Rex!

After dinner and the puppet show, the T-Rex and the Ladybug headed out to play games and collect candy. Actually, the T-Rex did all the playing....and the collecting, but the Ladybug had fun observing. She wanted desperately to participate, but enjoyed herself as a spectator, nonetheless. Next year, Ladybug. Next year.

That's right...I hang out with Batman.

At the end of the night, both the T-Rex and the Ladybug were exhausted. The T-Rex spent a long time in the jump castle and upon exiting, exclaimed, "I was getting sleepy in there!" Then, he looked at his mother, pointed his finger up and said, "I am almost finished." He waited for his turn once again, and went back into the jump castle for round two. T-Rexes love jump castles.

T-Rex had to get rid of his outfit as it would have hindered his jumping ability.

As he rode home, The T-Rex fought sleep and talked about the fun he had. "I had a lot of fun," he said. The Ladybug drifted off to dreamland in a matter of minutes. She was one tired bug.

It was a great night for The T-Rex and The Ladybug. They both had a wonderful time. Now....let's see what's in that candy bag!!! :)

I Think He Has a Promising Future as a Comedian

From the time Jacob began eating solid foods, he became a bottomless pit, eating anything and everything (except macaroni and cheese -- never would and still won't eat that). He has never been picky. If you put it in front of him, he will eat it. He may not like it, but he eats it. Unfortunately, his eating habits are starting to change and I became very aware of this change while having lunch with him this afternoon.

The lunch menu for today was grilled vegetable pizza. Yum. A few months ago, Jacob would have devoured this within a few short minutes. Not today.

JACOB: Oooooooh. Pizza!

ME: Yes. Pizza!

Jacob grabbed a piece and hurriedly took a big bite.

JACOB: Ewwww. I don't yike it. Is dis yike a joke?

All I could do was laugh. Where does he learn this stuff? After I regained my composure, I tried my best to get him to eat the delicious pizza. No such luck. He refused to eat it. He said, "If I eat all my pizza, can I have a monkey pop?" I said, "Yes, you may have a monkey pop if you eat your lunch first." Even the monkey pop bribe didn't work....and that was his idea!! Oh well. I guess it's time to start trying recipes from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook!

So you might be wondering, "What in the world is a monkey pop?" This is another funny story. At the beginning of summer, on a Publix run, I discovered frozen chocolate covered bananas in the ice cream section of the store. They have become a favorite snack around our house -- especially the dark chocolate ones. After all, dark chocolate is good for you, right? Anyway, I haven't bought any in a while, but decided I would buy a box yesterday since they were on sale.

Here is our conversation as we strolled down the frozen food aisle:

ME: Guess what we're going to get, Jacob......

JACOB: Ice cream????

ME: Nooooo

JACOB: Some cheese?????

ME: Nooooo....better than cheese.

Then, I pointed out the chocolate covered bananas.

JACOB: (with A LOT of excitement) MONKEY POPS!!!

I started laughing so hard, I almost fell over in the store. Monkey pops????? I have never, even once, called them monkey pops, nor have I heard Jacob call them monkey pops. He came up with that all on his own. So funny. He's a regular comedian :)

Here are a few pictures taken over the past couple weeks:

A couch, a football game, and two tired Duncans.

My crazy kids....

***UPDATE***

It took a couple hours, but Jacob DID finally eat the pizza (hence the pizza face) and subsequently, enjoyed a much coveted monkey pop.

THE MOVERS!!

At long last, the big day arrived. Jacob got to see Disney's The Imagination Movers LIVE and in person yesterday! How fun! He was so excited.....and so were Heath and I :)

Several months ago, when I found out The Movers would be doing a show in Charleston, I knew we had to go. The morning tickets went on sale, I put Heath in charge of making the big purchase because I had to take Jacob to the doctor for his three year well visit. He did a great job. We ended up in the middle section in the second row!

What are they doing up there???

Jacob jumped and danced the entire time. He LOVED it! I think it was especially fun for him because we were so close. We could have reached out and touched them if we wanted to. As a matter of fact, Mover Rich actually walked down our row and held out his hand for Jacob to give him five. Jacob, at that point, was so entranced by what was happening on stage, he didn't even realize Rich was standing right next to him. We had to pick Jacob up and turn him around so he wouldn't leave Rich hanging. :)

Hey, where did everybody go? Come back Movers!!

Towards the end of the concert, confetti was blasted from both ends of the stage. A concert just isn't a concert without confetti. :) Jacob thought this was the coolest thing in the world. He caught a little piece of blue paper and said, "Yook (look)! This one is the same color as my shirt!!"

As we were walking back out into the rain, Jacob said, "That sure was fun!" How cute.

All three of us had such a great time. Annabelle sat this one out and stayed with Papa and Grandma. I'm sure she would have had fun too, though. She breaks out some of her best dance moves when we're listening to The Imagination Movers.

Happy Fall!

I love autumn. It is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love the cooler weather (still waiting for that), football, the leaves changing to all shades of beautiful. I love fall flowers -- mums, orange, yellow and peach roses. I love pumpkins -- the way they look, the way they smell. I love Krispy Kreme pumpkin spice doughnuts, sold only during this one glorious time of the year. Ahhhhh....how I love fall and everything that comes with it. Well, almost everything.

Growing up, I remember thinking, "My family must be the only family in the world who doesn't celebrate halloween." While all my friends were talking about what they were going to dress up as and where they were planning to trick or treat, I remained silent. I never had anything to add to the conversation. I knew I wouldn't be shopping for a costume or walking around town collecting candy. I wouldn't be participating in anything having to do with halloween. Halloween was not something to be celebrated. It was, more or less, the devil's holiday.

Everyone has his/her own opinion of halloween and what this day signifies, but does anyone really KNOW what it is? Can anyone tell me the TRUE origin of Halloween? I did some (a little) internet research and found all kinds of contradicting information. Some people say the holiday originated as a pagan holiday. Others say, it is actually a Christian holiday. With so many different perspectives, who knows what to believe? But, if halloween truly is a Christian holiday, judging by what I see and hear, I'd say we've definitely veered way off track.

Now that I am a parent, I have a whole new appreciation for my parents' approach to halloween. For several weeks now, retail stores have been decked out in all their halloween decor. They have special halloween departments where you can buy candy and spooky decorations to turn your house into a haunted mansion. The problem with these displays is they are not toddler / preschooler friendly. For example, when we're in Target, I now have to walk down the pet food aisle to avoid walking past a particularly creepy looking skeleton wearing a top hat and trench coat. The first time we saw it, Jacob said, "I don't yike (like) the pirate. I don't yike the pirate." To him, a skeleton is a pirate, thanks to the Pirates of the Caribean ride at Disney World. All I could think was, "Great. Now, my three year old is going to have nightmares and all I did was take him to Target." Another time, we stopped at Walgreens so I could pick up something. Heath waited in the car with the kids while I walked in. Every window in that store was covered by some sort of scary image, so Heath ended up moving the car so he wouldn't be facing the building. The fact is, whether seeing these things scares Jacob and Annabelle or not, I really don't want to expose them to these images. Not yet, anyway. Why would I want to do that?

A friend and I were talking last night about halloween. At a checkout counter somewhere, she had seen a display of plastic machetes that, when waved around, looked like they were covered in blood. Why? Are these things really necessary? Does a child, or an adult for that matter, need to be walking around with a plastic, blood covered machete????? Ummmmmm....I don't think so.

I don't have a problem with costumes. I like to play dress up just as much as the next person. And I don't have a problem dressing kids up in costumes. Costumes are cute. They are fun. What I don't like is seeing kids and their parents dressed up as witches, demons, or bloody villians from horror movies. I mean, is this really a good thing?

While my family never celebrated halloween, most years, our church held some sort of fall festival event, which was always fun. So, even though I didn't go trick or treating, I still came home with more candy than any kid should be allowed to have.

Ok. So, I'm not a big fan of halloween...whatever it is. I will never be one of those people who sends out "Happy Halloween!" cards and you won't ever hear me wish you a happy halloween. Too bad stores don't sell "Happy Fall!" cards. Now, that's something I could get into!

Don't worry. My children will not be deprived. I will dress them up in cute costumes every year and they will have their fair share of candy. There may even be a little trick or treating. BUT, we will not be celebrating halloween. We will be celebrating fall......and the return of the pumpkin spice doughnut :)

Annabelle, What Am I Going To Do With You?

Spunky. Feisty. A little spitfire. That....is our Annabelle. She may be only 11 months old, but her personality comes out more and more each day.

Annabelle is into everything and loving every minute of it...until she gets caught. Then she throws a serious temper tantrum complete with screaming and big crocodile tears. She has become quite independent (as independent as an 11 month old can be) and enjoys freedom more than anything. She is happiest when she is down on the floor, free to roam the house as she pleases. She would much rather be crawling around on her own than carried in someone's (anyone's) arms.

Hey! Look at all these movies and games I found in the cabinet!

Her daily activities include making spit noises, dancing, eating random items she finds on the floor, and, though I can't be certain, I believe she may be devising a plan to take over the world. She is one smart baby girl.

Last Sunday in the nursery, Annabelle was sitting beside the toy shelf when she looked up and spotted a particularly interesting toy. She pulled herself up and pushed the toy off the second shelf onto the floor. Instead of playing with it like I thought she was going to do, she stood on it so she could reach the top shelf. Not because she wanted a toy on the top. She just wanted to bite the shelf. She was so proud, so excited, that she could reach the top...and bite it. I, however, did not share her feelings of elation. I abruptly put an end to her biting session by picking her up, putting the toy she used as a step stool back on the shelf and carrying her to the other side of the room. Of course, she got upset. Extremely upset. She expressed her discontent by throwing her arms up in the air and stretching out her legs, becoming stiff and rigid -- her way of trying to get out of someone's arms. The screaming commenced and the tears flowed. When I finally gave in and put her down, she immediately got quiet and made her journey back across the room to the toy shelf, knocked down the "step stool" and climbed up to again, bite that top shelf. She is something else. I couldn't believe she actually figured out a way to reach the shelf. I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. I mean, she was pulling herself up when she was barely seven months old. Not to mention, everyday she witnesses her brother stepping up onto his little green chair to reach things he's not supposed to be touching.

Annabelle cracks me up sometimes because when she's crawling around the house, more often than not, she's either pushing or pulling a toy along with her. She always has something in her hand and whatever it may be, at that moment, it is her most cherished posession. Take it away and face the wrath of the little drama queen. If you steal her toy, you have ruined not only her day, but her life. She is so funny.

So, tell me again. Why is Jacob making me wear these ears??? They do not match my outfit.

When Jacob was a baby, I rocked him and sang songs to him every night before bed. He would lay there in my arms, sucking his thumb and rubbing his blanket, perfectly still and quiet. Annabelle? Not so much. As I rock her gently, she squirms and squirms and squirms some more, trying desperately to make her way to the floor. As I quietly sing, she spits and does a little singing of her own. Isn't it funny how children can be so different?

No matter how stubborn or feisty she may be, I love her to death. It is those qualities that make her our little Annabelle. That is exactly why I love her. Plus, she's the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen. :) I guess it should be expected that my children would be stubborn. After all, they have two very stubborn parents.

As Jacob expresses in this video, "Annabelle made me happy!" Yes, Jacob. You are right. Annabelle makes us all very happy.

Here's one more video just for fun.......

It's Potty Time

On the issue of potty training, I've heard it all -- opinions varying from "Potty training can begin the day parents bring their newborn home from the hospital" (Seriously, I read about this in a magazine article) to " Don't worry about it. Just sit back, do nothing, and potty training will happen on its own." With the wealth of different potty training views, it is difficult to decide which direction to take. The thing is, lots of people have lots of advice, but I've learned that children are not "one size fits all." Each child is different and what works for one may not necessarily work for another.


Our potty training journey began with Jacob when he was about 18 months old. I took him to the pediatrician for his well-visit and was told by the doctor "NOW is the time to introduce the potty and begin potty training." I was skeptical -- very skeptical. How in the world was I going to make my little baby understand "the potty?". He hardly seemed ready, but we forged ahead, went to Target, and bought him his first potty, which also doubled as a step stool. When we took it out of the box, he immediately grabbed the little round, blue cushion from the seat, put it around his arm and went running through the house. "Well," I thought sarcastically,"this is going well." Over the next several days, possibly weeks, (I really don't remember) I tried to help him understand the concept of this new little seat. He was not at all interested, except to wear the seat cushion as a bracelet. Every time he saw the potty, he took the blue cushion and ran around the house with it around his arm. Sometimes, he would change things up a bit and put it on his head like a hat. I gave up. It was just too early for him.


Soon after he turned two, (actually a little before) I decided to try again. This time, he definitely understood how a potty is supposed to be used. We also bought a new one -- one that didn't have a removable seat cushion. The problem this time? I was pregnant, sick a lot, and wasn't really into it. Jacob began using his potty every night before bathtime, which was a good start. Somewhere around this time he began going poo-poo on the potty consistently. Now that was a major accomplishment. Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) had told me this would take the longest to master. Nope. Not for Jacob. He likes to do things a little backwards. He was doing very well and I was content for the moment. Although, in theory, it would have been great to have him completely potty trained before Annabelle came along, it just wasn't going to happen.


When we brought home "our new baby, Annabale" (in Jacob's words), he began to use the potty on his own...occasionally. If he did so, he always chose a time when I was feeding Annabelle. He would disappear for a while, then come into the living room with his pull-up off, carrying his potty to show me. "Yook," he said. "I went pee-pee all by myself!" Of course, then I would freak out because my two year old was carrying a full potty into the living room and there wasn't much I could do about it while Annabelle was still having lunch. I did manage to tell him "Good job!," but also made it clear that the potty was NOT to leave the bathroom. As most two year olds do, he tuned out the latter part and continued to bring me this "present" at the most inopportune times. Looking back on this, I think he was just begging for a little attention. Our new baby was taking up way too much of my time as far as he was concerned.


Then, he quit. He stopped using the potty during the day, except to go poo-poo. He did, however, continue to use it before his bath. With Annabelle to care for now, Jacob's potty training took a backseat, unfortunately.


Someone told me that one day things would just click for him and he would eventually potty train himself. I was banking on that idea and (can you believe it?) that's pretty much what happened. We just had to wait until he was ready. The average age for boys to be potty trained is 37 months. At 37 months, almost to the day, Jacob was potty trained. He's been doing very well now for the past month. Hooray!!!!!!!


When he reached his goal of no accidents for seven days straight, he was rewarded with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. We really hyped this up to get him into it...and he was definitely into it. I made a calendar for him and at the end of the day, if there were no accidents, he got a sticker. Before reaching his seven-day goal, if he had an accident, he would say, "Oh No. Chuck E. Cheese will be so upset. I won't get to see him." Pitiful.


We are thrilled with Jacob's accomplishments and I think he's excited about it too. The only problem now is, every time he uses the potty, he says with a smile, "I get to go to Chuck E. Cheese AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!" I'm not so sure about that. Going to Chuck E. Cheese's is an experience best held to once a year. That place is crazy. Fun, but c-r-a-z-y.



I think Jacob's favorite part of his evening with Chuck E. Cheese was the dance stage. He LOVED it! Break it down, Jacob!

Annabelle enoyed her visit to Chuck E. Cheese's too. I wish I had a picture of her with Chuck E. Cheese. She loved that mouse! Her eyes lit up when she saw him. She's so cute!!

Three Year Pictures

Jacob had his annual photo shoot last week and I am beyond pleased with the results. Janet Powell, you are AMAZING!!!! I absolutely love these pictures and I can't wait until Annabelle has her one year photos taken!!

Check out the pictures HERE!

It took Jacob a little while to warm up to the camera....or should I say...photographer. You see, the photographer is also the swimming instructor and we all know how Jacob feels about swimming. When I told him Mrs. Janet was going to take some pictures of him he said, "Mommy.......we're not going to the water?????" "We're not going swimming?????" "I don't have to blow bubbles?????" "No," I said, "you don't have to blow bubbles in the water." I had to work really hard to convince him we were NOT going swimming. Once he realized that, he did great. He played with his drumsticks and had a blast.