Potty training

So this week I decided to start potty training, the boys seemed ready so I started!  Well, lets just say I was pretty frustrated the last couple of days.  The first day was just easing into it, day two was full underwear and they did GREAT! Only a couple poopy accidents and one pee from Landon.  Tristan woke up dry from his nap which was a big step!  Tristan was dry all day until we had to go to kindermusik which I thought was hard because the toiliets there were BIG and they had to have a pull up on.  Day three was pretty good for the sitter in the morning only poopy accidents and went pee on potty.  but for me in the afternoon is when frustration set in.  Landon woke up wet from nap(no big deal expected) and tried to go but didn't have to.  Tristan woke up DRY from a three hour nap so I was thinking wow Tristan is really get the hang of this!  But then...we sat on potty both boys and neither went so that is fine (I thought) we will try again in 20 min.  (I had the timer set for 15-20 min).  Then we go outside and with in a minute Tristan pees and Landon pee a min. later.  So as I am frustrated we go back in try again and change and go back out.  Yep you guessed it another accident.  So then I decide maybe they are to busy outside we need to go inside for awhile.  And they Landon was playing with the potty and Tristan was trying to go and I got frustrated and min. later we were ALL crying! :)  sorta funny now but Wednesday was not so funny:).  Anyways our afternoon went on with more and more accidents.  So I woke up Thursday with different attitude and said they are only two and maybe they are not ready but I will try again.  The sitter texts me saying potty training is not going as well today... and it continued when I go home.  Lots of accidents.  I even got new books and potty's for them.  They were excited for the potty's and books we sat on them for about 15-20 min. reading and then outside to pee (accident).  So I decided to try another idea my friend gave me with her boy.  Since it is nice out we went outside naked, just a shirt, I had been doing just shorts or just underwear.  This way I said if they went potty I would just say good job you went potty and not go through so much clothes and maybe they needed to figure out peeing more then I thought.  That went ok, they peed and POOPED, yep Tristan pooped outside:) I sorta laughed at that.  He says, "mommy poop, mommy poop".  I said, "you pooped?" Yep he said and I went over they and yep he sure did.  So we went inside cleaned up and stayed inside with just shorts on and trying potty every 20-30 min.(I didn't know if I was having them go too often).  But we kept having accidents so about 5:00 after a good 4 days I decided they were NOT ready yet and I just need to relax and try again some day.  I was getting too frustrated and it was not worth it, I was getting mad at my little guys for no reason(well reason but not a good reason).  I was talking to a friend of mine and she said don't stress this small stuff it will happen sooner than later and then the real stress will come when they are driving. I stopped and thought about that twin 16 year olds driving...now that is STRESSFUL!!:).  So as much as I thought they are ready and showing signs maybe they are not.  I hope to try again in a couple weeks or so when i can find some time and hopefully it goes better.  I started comparing myself to others...I would hear my 18 month old is totally potty trained, boys are harder to train than girls, boys are easy, why are you trying already they are too young, when are you going to potty train?  UGGGGHHHH so with that I leave you with don't stress the small stuff and my kids nor anyone else will go to high school with a diaper on.  If they are not ready they are not ready.  I told myself that they are my boys and perfect in their own way even if they are not "potty trained" by such an age or date!  When they are 5 or 10 no one is going to say you were not potty trained until xx years old, and if they do I may have words with them.:)

Happy FRIDAY everyone!

Weekend at home and Mother's Day

Jared, the boys and I went home to the farm this weekend and it was once again busy but fun as always!  Friday afternoon we went to Jackson (my nephew) track meet and then out to dinner.  All went pretty well, the boys LOVE outside in anyway so they were fine there but at the restaurant they were tired and HUNGRY so acting in prime form.  Saturday we cleaned mom and dad's house, hung out for most of the day went to church and then to my niece, Kelli's graduation party for a couple hours then back home.  Sunday was Mother's Day so we hung out with my mom and the kids.  Levi, Steve, Kristy, Alison and the kids all came over for breakfast and then after a little bit of hanging out all the kids (younger ones, 6 of them) and mom and I went to the park.  We played there for a couple hours and then back to mom and dad's for some lunch.  The kids had a blast at the park playing with their cousins, swinging, going down slides and just being outside.  One of my good friends from high school (Jill Cruise) was back this weekend too so her husband, her and their little boy Lennon came to the park too. Lennon is only one so he didn't get down and play as all the rocks would have went in his mouth:).  It was really windy but pretty nice for the most part.  It was so nice to see Jill and catch up on life.  Lennon was also in the NICU for awhile (24 days I think), so we compared stories and how we have different look on life and little things now.  After lunch we packed up went to the farm to see the "moo's" and got on the road.  The boys were falling asleep and didn't even want to get out of the car they were so tired!  So we got on the road and they slept almost the whole 3 hours back!  They were tired after playing all weekend with their cousins and outside at the park in the morning. 

Gracie and Landon on the left adn Tristan and Ellie on the right, they love their cousins... Wyatt and Weston were on the slide

 

As always it was great to be home especially on Mother's Day! I am not sure if I mentioned in an earlier post yet or not why I have been going home so much or not. If I did sorry to say it again and if I didn't here goes. My mom has progressed and gotten worse with her Alzheimer's. It is getting to a point that is too hard for my dad (the main caregiver). So the weekend before Easter dad had called saying he was putting mom in a nursing home April first (Monday after Easter). I was caught off guard, not that it was happening as I knew it was in the near future but that it was happening so quickly! So that week before Easter (right after boys surgery) I went home on Wednesday just me to spend some good quality time with just mom and dad and me! Jared and boys came later in the week. It was so NICE!! Then I went home many times since. As I love being home it has been hard not to be in Sioux City my home getting things done but it is all worth it. I just know once she goes into a home it will be a lot different then being in your "own" home. With having two year olds going to a home is not going as much fun and relaxing and they will be running around an bored quickly so that is why I am trying to spend as much time as possible at home. It is also nice when I go home that dad gets more of a break. Usually when I am home dad goes a lot which is fine! Mom usually follows me EVERYWHERE, which is also fine, I know it won't be forever. The plan is to put here in a new home that is being built and opens the first weekend in June. However, we are waiting on insurance to come back with what they are going to provide. It has been a long process but if she is not approved of getting more insurance money she will have to go to the older home which will be fine but it just is very institutional like and not "homey". A long story for the insurance stuff the "new" place is an assisted living with 10 rooms of memory care that is a locked unit for Alzheimer's patients. WIth it being a locked unit I don't understand how it is not covered but I guess that is why I don't work with insurance stuff. It is so nice and new and you bring your own furniture which I think will help her a little more too. But because this place is mainly an assisted living place the insurance is only guarantee $80 a day and it cost $170 a day, yes A DAY!! (can you believe that). So it is all in how they word it and code everything if more will get covered. The lady in charge of the place its called Windsor Manor thinks she can get her more money but all depends on the insurance company. My brother Ryan has been dealing with the insurance side of it which has been very nice of him, especially since he understands it all the most. We hope to have an answer within a week so any prayers for them to approve more money would be great!

Thanks for all your support and prayers in advance!

Swimming

This past week we decided to start the boys in swim lessons and it was trial the first week, which was nice.  That way if they absolutely didn't like it or didn't want to get in the water we didn't have to do it.  Well, at first they didn't like it(more scared then anything) but it was just at first and by the time they were in the water they were ok as long as I was right by the side of the pool.  I had to hold Landon's hand when he was sitting and waiting his turn.  When it was time to leave they cried because they wanted to stay.  So it was a hit and they were excited to do it. 

Tristan went first, Landon is more reserved and likes Tristan to do things first then he will!

Landon's turn!

 

We also do Kindermusik on Tuesdays so right now with swim lessons on Monday and Wednesdays and Kindermusik on Tuesdays the boys are pretty busy for 2 year olds! I told myself why am I putting them in all this when they don't have to, because in a few years they will be in everything and we will never be home. I guess I do it because they like it and it is good for boys socially. Kindermusik is learning different thing with music. They do colors, numbers, dancing, balance, all sorts of different things. It is fun our class is babies-3 so all ranges of development in it. The boys don't always participate a whole lot during the class but will go home and do what we did in class.