Easter Weekend

What a great weekend!  I mean, it really really was.  The weather was amazing, the time was balanced between scheduled and free, the company was good, the holiday was great.  Its been awhile since we've had a 3 days weekend that I have enjoyed more!

And I guess that is the first note; Chris actually had the day off on Friday!  I don't think he's ever had Good Friday off before.  It was such a treat to have him home for a bonus day, especially after he had been out of town the few days prior.  We had no real plans that day, except for Good Friday service at 7:00pm, so the day was ours.  I got to go for a long run, the kids played with Daddy, we both got a few things done that needed to be.

Of course of one those things was dying our Easter Eggs.  Plenty of little bowls to go around this year, which was good since Annabelle really loved plopping them in an moving them from one color to another.  Sam was a bit more patient (What?!) but insisted on having all of his cups full at one time.  Good thing I hard boiled 2 dozen eggs!  Too bad I'm the only one who will eat them.  The fun did not stop once the eggs were died - there was mixing of colors to be done ("I'm doing science, mom!") and hands to be dipped.  Once the eggs were dry, there were some pretty awesome stickers to be applied!

 

 

Saturday morning was one of the most noteworthy to go on record in the Hunniford Household.  I woke up to bright sunlight streaming through my windows as my daughter cheerfully called out to me at 8:05am.  Sam did not wake for another 10 minutes.  That's right: both children slept in on the same day...a Saturday...a Saturday with no scheduled morning activities.  We all slept till 8:00am.  Honestly, that made the weekend right there.  The rest was the icing on the cake.

But the icing was pretty sweet, too.  Because as soon as we got up and dressed and fed and packed a few things into the car, we headed to Millican, TX for the day.  What's in Millican, you ask?  Nothing.  And that is the beauty.  We have friends who's parents own 35 acres out there, complete with a barn and a climate controlled barn room, on which you are free to do nothing all day long.  They invited a few families up for the day and it was great.  The kids rode the Gator, went fishing, played stomp rockets, caught bugs and picked bluebonnets.  The grown-ups chatted, the guys played horseshoes.  We ate BBQ and watermelon for lunch.  We even got Annabelle to take a bit of a nap.  Sam found a playmate that could match him almost perfectly in skill, force and enthusiasm for sword fighting, and parents laid-back enough to let the game continue. Annabelle waved to and greeted the deer head mounted on the wall.

It was peaceful and social all at the same time.  Annabelle appreciated ever single cow she saw out her window on the drive up, and both kids fell asleep on the drive home.  We ate dinner outside that night, because we are becoming addicted to this beautiful weather.

(There are no pictures from our day in the country, because we did not touch our electronics all day.  Ahh.)

We prepped our Resurrection Rolls before bed.  Sam was very "into" the whole process.  He bought into all the symbolism of the marshmallows being Jesus, preparing his body for burial with the spices, and sealing him in the tomb.  Annabelle was totally "into" tossing marshmallows into the butter and cinnamon.  And then licking her fingers.

 

Chris and I were a bit hurried to get things done on Saturday night after the kids went to bed; we had plans for 8:30 church and friends over immediately after.  The bunny had baskets to assemble, a movie to wrap and a swing to hang.  And a house to tidy up.  And lunch to prep.

What movie?  Umm, Frozen, duh.  To which you either respond, "You didn't own that yet?" or "Why, Sam isn't into Princesses, is he?"  Well, no we didn't own it yet and no, Sam isn't into princesses but both of my children are just as obsessed with this movie as every other child in America.  In fact, "Let It Go" is the first movie song that my daughter has sung along to.  It may always hold a special place in my heart.

What Swing?  Turns out, probably the coolest swing ever.  It was in constant use yesterday and has already been fought over today.  It replaced the baby swing on our front tree, holds 250 pounds, can spin and swing all kinds of different ways.  The Bunny rocked it this year.  They got their first glimpse of it as we backed out for church, so they were more than ready to be unbuckled when we got home!

Back to Sunday morning: the kids woke to hunt their hard boiled eggs, bunny baskets and the movie.  They were very excited about it.  Sam is getting to be much more skilled in his hunting, although he could still benefit from slowing down and focusing on the task at hand...but that is true in so many avenues of his life!  Annabelle, the more methodical of my children, is a better hunter than he was at her age.  And quite adorable when she declares "I find it!" with great enthusiasm after every single conquest.  They were each allotted a few bites of candy, which they ate instead of their resurrection rolls, and were torn away from their new movie to heard to worship. 

Worship was wonderful, as always.  My children looked adorable (always the most important part!), even if they don't smile well for a picture.  Sam once again participated in the Flowering of the Cross during the opening Hymns, this year charging forward all on his own, with great confidence, the first kid up there.  He sat quietly, working on his Children's Worship sheet, until the older kids were dismissed for Children's Worship.  Some days I have hope that he really is maturing on schedule!

Some family friends followed us home from church and stayed until the late afternoon.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch together, all 9 of us at our big table out by the pool.  We did our hunt for plastic and confetti eggs with the kiddos, plus our neighbor Eliza, and the kids did their best to resist eating all the candy at once.  They played outside for hours. The swung and climbed and ran and pretended.  My kiddos melted down a few times, and we eventually sent Annabelle for a nap around 3.  The adults visited for hours, sitting in the shade of our trees out front.

After they left we finally cleaned up the kitchen (and Sam's room and the playroom - wow!) and ate, what my grandmother would call, Supper.  Then it was back outside.  The neighbors came out to check out the new swing and we all stood in our yard for a bit chatting and swinging until it was time for jammies.  A lovely way to end a great weekend.

I love Easter.  I love what it celebrates, and I love that there is less pressure than Christmas.  Really, it allows for a much greater focus on the actual holiday.  Happy Easter, everyone!

Bonus Picture: A friend tipped me off to the idea of packing Sam's lunch in Easter Eggs.  Raspberries in one, grapes in another, bell pepper, cracker, sausage sticks.  His teachers raved about it, said it was like he was opening a present with each new egg.  Sam was beyond thrilled and ate every single bite.  I think this may be a new family tradition!

Potty Training 2.1

Potty Training is certainly one of parenthood's most special challenges.  I was more terrified to potty train Sam (potty training 1.0) than any other milestone we'd crossed, but he surprised me and he did so much better than I expected.  I think I had forgotten just how much work it really is - how much of your life must revolve around another's bathroom habits for a period of time...

So with all that forgetting, when Annabelle asked to sit on the potty at Grammy's house over Christmas I was cautiously excited.  When she pooped that first time, and then peed in the potty three additional times that day, I was pumped.  She was only 22 months old, and she WANTED to potty train!  Let's do this!

We returned to Houston and practiced several times per day on the potty.  She was occasionally telling us before she needed to poop and knew just what to do when we sat her on the potty.  I re-read the blog post I wrote about training Sam and considered that adequate preparation for such an enthusiastic student.  I made her a chart and picked a weekend in early January to officially potty train (potty training 2.0).

And wouldn't you know, my children are completely different people.  Sam, who showed no interest before our big weekend, was 75% potty trained by then end of day 2.  He wanted nothing to do with a timer but found great pride and accomplishment in placing his stickers on the chart.  Annabelle got excited by the timer going off and ran to the potty, but really didn't care whether we did a sticker or not.  She did well on day one, even went to a birthday party and stayed dry, but by the end of day two we were sitting somewhere around 10% trained. 

It became clear that she was holding it on the potty and letting it go about 5 minutes later in her panties.  She had made an active decision that she was not going to use the potty.  We decided she was too young to push and put a diaper back on her for bedtime.  She curled up in my lap for stories and snuggled like never before.  She was emotionally and physically exhausted.  We backed off.

We did, though, continue to practice.  Mostly when we were out, because she loves to check out any and all public restrooms.  She gradually gained her confidence back, and turned 2.

The weekend after her birthday we geared up for Potty Training 2.1.  This time I was better prepared for HER potty training personality.  I was ready to give her more of my undivided attention, to set her up for success.  And she did great!

Was she completely potty trained?  No.  But this time she was on board, more motivated and more willing to put up with the process.  By the end of our three day period I was nervous, but not afraid, to take her out in public in panties.  She was not accident free, but they were few a far between - sometimes days!  In fact, by the time we were about 10 days in we realized that she was actually only having accidents at home.  Hmm, maybe a bit lazy?

And then, all of the sudden, she went 10 days without a single accident.  I declared her potty trained and gave away the last of our diaper supply.  (Cute story: She saw them sitting in the car awaiting delivery to Baby Julia.  "Ahh!  I got daw-pers!!!"  "No no, honey, we're giving those to Baby Julia.  You're too big for diapers now, you wear panties!"  "Oh." and now she talks frequently about Baby Julia wearing diapers.)

Two days later, she had three accidents in one day.  Grr.  I asked her over and over "where does your poop go?" and she would reply "daw-pers" or "poop panties" with a flirtatious little smile.  She knew she was getting to me!  Again - these were ALL at home accidents.  PLEASE, no one tell her that I carry extra clothes with me, I really think she doesn't know.

So now here we are, 6.5 weeks in.  She has not worn a diaper since the morning on March 8, and I'd say she is mostly potty trained.  Now she comes to tell me immediately if she has an accident, "Mama, poop panties, bad."  Again, a big note of difference between my kiddos: Sam got very upset with each accident he had - they were truly accidents.  She doesn't care - I believe hers to be on purpose.  But we are back to those being few and far between, closer to one or two per week now.

Of course that accident count is during awake hours only.  This girl does NOT stay dry overnight.  Again, new territory for us - Sam night trained himself before we potty trained.  I was really hoping that if I left her in a situation where she would feel the wet all night and in the morning, that would motivate her to stay dry.  It has not, so I finally gave in and bought her a box of pull-ups for overnight.  And then she figured out the system and often hangs in her bed, her happy place, and doesn't call me until after she has peed in her pull-up.  Oh that makes me mad!  But all in due time...that's what I keep telling myself.

My girl enjoys picking out her own pair of panties each morning.  She looks through the stack for a particular princess, or sometimes pushes them aside in favor of a pair of hand-me-down Thomas underwear.  That's right, my girl wears boy underwear some days. 

So now the focus my shift to moving her towards independence and ownership of this process.  Yes, she asks to go sometimes, but we remind her a lot.  And she is 95% dependent on an adult to get her on and off the potty.  Its not that she can't do it, but she did fall in once when the seat slipped and she is pretty leery of repeating that experience.  And she is no good at pulling her panties, leggings and pants up.  I'm really really trying to be better about allowing the time for her to do it, but girlfriend is SLOW! 

I do envision myself at least somewhat involved in her potty life for at least the next 6 months, likely 9.  I am ok with that, but it makes me miss the "kids bathroom" in our old house - it's layout was much more conducive to multiple people hanging around the potty!  But I am glad we did, glad we went with it when we saw the signs.  There are so many milestones in parenting that are bittersweet, but saying goodbye to diapers is NOT one of them!

Grammy and Papa

We bought a house with a guest room.  And then that guest room sat unused for 10 months.  Until it had 3 different sets of visitors in one month.  Our guest room has finally felt some love...

Grammy and Papa came to visit for almost a week at the end of March!  Looking back, its funny to think that Annabelle was in diapers when my parents came at the beginning of the month, and she had no (awake) accidents when Chris's parents were here at the end of the month...but the details on that are for another blog post entirely.

They arrived Wednesday night with a bang - after bedtime, and in the middle of eating the re-warmed spaghetti, the power went out.  We found candles and flashlights but ultimately found a fire just outside the family room windows to be a fantastic source of light and entertainment for that first evening.

On Thursday, Daddy and Papa both had to work and Sam had school, so it was a pretty low-key day.  But there was much playing to be done, and even the execution of one or two designs from one of Sam's favorite shows, "Design Squad." 

Friday was awesome - but mostly for me.  With two extra adults in town, I FINALLY got to use my gift card to the spa - you know, the one I got for my birthday in August!  I had less than 2 hours worth of appointments, but spent 5 hours there.  Reading, relaxing, in the hot tub, on a chaise, sipping cantaloupe juice or coffee.  Ahhh.  It was wonderful.  And then I went home and made meatloaf for dinner and took the whole fam to soccer practice, because THAT is my real like.

Saturday morning Sam and I were out the door early for soccer pictures.  It is always always always colder and windier at the soccer fields.  We all froze so badly waiting for those pictures.  Oh my hands hurt just thinking about it.  By the time the game started at 9:15 it was already a bit warmer, but Annabelle was perfectly content to be held and cuddled the entire time while the rest of us clutched our coffee and I jacked Sam's socks up to his mid-thigh and he wore his jacket under his jersey (with no shirt under the jacket.  Seriously, the weather report was horrifically misleading).  He played great, though, and Grammy and Papa were happy to get a chance to see him play.

You would never believe that afternoon that I had been frozen a few hours before.  After naps we went to our Sunday School Class's Crawfish Boil.  What's that?  You've never been to one?  You must not live in the Gulf Coast.  I now love the tradition.  This one was planned out by some native Louisianans and they did a fantastic job - even had the biggest crawfish I'd ever seen.  I am now getting to be pretty good at cracking those things open!  The kids wouldn't taste it, but Annabelle enjoyed petting the live ones before they went in the pot.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture of that, or of me holding it for her!  And she kept waving at them in their little baby pool as they crawled around, completely unaware of their pending doom.  "Hi!  Hi!  Hi!"  Sam wouldn't touch, and was really too busy to look.  I mean, there were big kids and friends and a bounce house and and awesome swing and cookies and juice boxes and...When it was time to go he asked why we didn't stay very long.  We'd been there over 3 hours.

Sunday was Grammy's birthday!  After church we went to brunch and then enjoyed some more beautiful weather in the back yard.  Chris and Papa made the birthday dinner (my man can grill a very nice steak!) and we had giant cupcakes for desert.  Yum!  And no, it does not really require 3 people to blow out a candle, Sam could have handled that one all on his own.

Monday was more perfect weather so we hit the zoo, sad to send Daddy to work instead.  I mean really - I was neither hot nor cold the whole day, in the sun or the shade.  It wasn't too crowded, and I got to see a 7 week old elephant nurse.  I was far more captivated by the baby elephant than the children were, but I mean come on!  If you look closely, the elephant on the left has a baby under her and he is nursing.  And yes, they baby-proofed the elephant enclosure.  I'm embarrassed to say that Annabelle called the elephants "cows."  She seems to call small animals "woof woof" and big animals "cow."  We got her straightened out, but further education is required.  At least she does seem to be calling horses "neigh."

Sam has been climbing on this same elephant statue since he was younger than Annabelle.  This year he made it to the top.

Have you ever fed a Giraffe?  We did for the first time and its fun!  Sam was all over it - did all of his lettuce and most of Annabelle's.  My animal-loving lady was a bit intimidated when those giant heads started swinging around looking for lunch!  I have a feeling that one of my children might ask to repeat that experience every time we go!

And we topped Monday night off with dinner out for Tex Mex - because you can't come to Houston and not indulge in some fine Tex Mex. 

Tuesday morning was back to reality - Chris took his parents to the airport while I handed Annabelle off to a babysitter, took Sam to school and headed to my once-a-week job.  Everyone was sad to part ways, but a few of them will be seeing a lot of each other soon...