Leah's Top 5

Okay, so I'm usually a spoil sport with these type of things...but because I love you so, Kate, here it is. :-)

Top 5 Things I Couldn't Live Without Under $5
1. Jamba Juice
2. Trident Gum
3. C.O. Bigelow (Bath & Body Works) Lip Shine in Cinnamon
4. Redbox (recent development)
5. McDonald's Cheeseburger (yes, I'm pregnant)

Top 5 Favorite Movies
1. Return to Me
2. Sound of Music
3. Lady and the Tramp
4. Cars
5. Fiddler on the Roof

Top 5 Baby Names You Love But Won't Use
1. Ginger
2. Molly
3. Eleanor (Ellie)
4. Matilda (Tillie)
5. Sage
Interesting....all girls names and we are having a boy....Hhmm....

Top 5 Songs I Could Listen To Over and Over Again
1. Everything, Michael Buble
2. Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows
3. Life is a Highway, Rascal Flatts
4. All-American Girl, Carrie Underwood
5. Makes Me Wonder (RADIO EDIT!), Maroon 5

Top 5 People Who Have Influenced Your Life in a Positive Way
1. Christ!
2. Eric
3. Gretchen Naugle
4. Megan Stover (and fam!)
5. Andie Eggimann

Top 5 Things That Stay in Your Purse at All Times
1. License
2. Debit Card
3. Ipod
4. Gum
5. Nail Clippers

Top 5 Moments That Changed Your Life Forever
1. Coming to Christ
2. Leaving for Whitworth
3. Breaking up with Eric....or is that Eric breaking up with me?? :-)
4. Marrying Eric
5. Maggie & Sam. In that order.

Top 5 Obsessions You Have Right Now
1. Potty Training
2. The Office
3. Survivor
4. Nightly (in-bed) crossword with Eric
5. Analyzing Miles ultrasound (he looks a lot like Sam we think....only time will tell!)

5 Places You Would Like to Go
1. A Birthday Breakfast with my honey (less than 24 hours away now! Wah-hoo!)
2. Disney World...again.
3. The Beach
4. Camping, I really don't care where...just get me out please!
5. An east coast museum spree. I am a museum junkie...

5 People I would like to see their Top 5
1. Andrea Moffat
2. Andie Eggimann
3. Ariana Tobin
4. Christine Miller
5. Jen Wilson

It's Parker Time!

The Parkers were so gracious and drove down to visit us yesterday and today from Matt's parents in Seattle (Thanks Dale and Laurette for letting us steal them for a bit!!!). Here is a great pic of the boys playing in the nasty garden....err, I mean- really fun mud. (Does anyone else thing Sam M. looks a bit like a fireman from a pin-up style calendar?)

Sam M., Sammy P., Maggie, and Zoe. It was a fun thing to see the three eldest play together, they are only 3 days apart in age. Crazy.

If you click on the pic to zoom in, you'll see all the cuteness of the hug between Sam and Zoe.

Thank you so much for coming down Matt and Kate! We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed getting to catch up (oh, and learn Seafarers too!)!!!

Photos By Eric.

Eric had a photo shoot with the kids last night. These were the only shirts they were willing to wear yesterday- so although it was rather chilly yesterday, in our hearts we were "Just Hangin' Out In Sunriver, OR" all day long.
Eric calls these first two "quintessential toilet training toddler".

(Sam looks like he's been in steroids in this one I think...it's a look he is sure to be proud of years from now)

I am calling this one "2 happy guys and a semi-grumpy girl".

Here comes the sun, la la la la la....

We hit the zoo (along with several other THOUSAND people) today. Luckily we got there right when it opened and didn't have to fight the crowds too much. Here is a cute pic of Sam, that silly sun obscured the monkey...but the little boy is cute, eh?

Maggie, sporting her elephant ears. It is a birthday weekend for one of the elephants...so there were all sorts of elephanty type stuff around...some was even free. Nice move Zoo.

The kids helped wash the car for the first time. The LOVED it. I mean, really LOVED it.

(yes, they are only in underwear, t-shirts, and flip-flops...but that is twice as much as most kids in rockwood when the sun is out. We've really embraced the culture.)

Progress, on several fronts.

Here are my underwear clad children playing happily in the living room yesterday afternoon. They have been playing really well together lately, which is good since we haven't really been going ANYWHERE. As far at the toilet training goes: Sam had ZERO accidents yesterday (nap time included), and Maggie only had 2 (the wet spot on her shirt is some spillage from her lunch). Sam even took himself to the bathroom once yesterday, and Maggie did twice...with no prompting from Mom. Oh happy day!

Last night we got some things put up on the walls of the kids' room, a couple hook racks and whatnot. The kids were way into helping Eric out. They helped hammer in drywall anchors and even put screws in them afterwards....even if they were the wrong screws in the wrong place. Sam was kinda bummed we didn't let him us his real hammer (yes, it has a metal head on it with a nice sharp claw) but he adjusted to the plastic one eventually. They were also very busy leveling things and measuring anything within reach. It was cute...especially in the undies.

Here is one corner of the room 'done'. We are hoping to hit baseboard this weekend and get the rest of the toys out of Miles' room and organized somehow in S&M's. It's really a wonder how much space we found in there when we got the kids out of the twin beds and into the bunk bed. (Yes, my 2 1/2 year old son sleeps on the top. I know, we are irresponsible parents...)

Monday funnies?

Okay, so we were at Eric's parents' house this evening and I asked my father-in-law to email me this pic so I could document it. I regret to inform you that I WILL NOT be posting any pictures of my current singleton pregnancy...BUT, I am far enough removed now from the pregnancy with the twins to blog a funny pic that was taken two weeks before they were born. In case you are wondering, I was also so wide side to side that I couldn't get my own arms all the way around that belly. Looking at this pic makes me feel rather slender right now. I hope you get a good laugh out of it.

36 hours in.

I know that most of you probably don't want (or need) an hour by hour account of the potty progress for Sam and Maggie, but it's good therapy for this mama....so hang in there while I vent. :-)

SO, our initial thought and assessment was that Maggie would be 'easy' and Sam would be simply tagging along and wetting his pants along the way. As it turns out, SAM IS DOING AWESOME and Maggie is a wee bit more stubborn (imagine that!) and slow to catch on....or something.

Official success percentages thus far:

Thursday - - Sam:68% in the toilet Maggie: 35% in the toilet
Friday AM - - Sam: 77% in the toilet Maggie: 46% in the toilet

I so DON'T want to potty train them and yet so DON'T want to quit that I need these numbers to keep myself going for the afternoon and into the next day. Every ounce of my body wants to throw in the towel any given moment of the day, so I'll keep my tallies and try to keep myself going. They've got to officially get out of diapers someday....right?

The part that makes me so happy was that Sam stayed dry during his nap yesterday AND all of last night too. I am sure it's just a fluke, but it made Mommy and Daddy very happy (almost as happy as Mommy's reward for making it the first 24 hours, hot bath and Jamba Juice, did last night).

A silly conversation with a silly girl when she was refusing to go pee...(yes, she DID have to go):
Mommy: Maggie, why aren't you going pee? Don't you want a gummy bear?
Maggie: No.
Mommy: You DON'T?!
Maggie: No, I want ice.
Mommy: Okay, I'll get you some ice. You go pee. (she immediately did her business and received her ice- what a goof.)

No Post?

If you don't see much posting in the next few days....it's because I have TWO kids in underwear.

...and I am NOT turning back.

:-)