Our Walk to the Bus

Every day that the weather is good, Dustin, Lee and I walk Dustin to his bus stop which is about 2 blocks away.  We have many adventures on our way to the bus stop, and today was no different.
Today, I started off walking to the bus with Dustin and Lee.
Then, Darth Vader decided to join Dustin and I.
Soon Dustin and I were visited by Yoda as Dustin and Yoda raced to the sign.
We then had Buzz Lightyear show us the rocks that he had picked up along our route.
Slinky Dog tried to beat Dustin in another foot race to the corner.
Finally, Woody found a lava rock which he brought the rest of the way to Dustin's bus stop.
While waiting for the bus, I was attacked by two pirates who keep on saying "Arrrrr, yo ho yo ho" over and over!
The great thing about having so many characters accompany us on our walk is that they all come with their own theme music and action sounds.
I should really video tape these walks. . . . they are hilarious!!!  No two walks are ever the same!

To Infinity . . . . and Beyond!

Lately I have been feeling down in the dumps.  I don't really know why, but I just have felt sad all of the time.  I am not one who likes to wallow in pity, and so this has really been getting to me.  As I was doing laundry I thought to myself that I should start thinking about things that I am thankful for to help me feel better. . . . but I thought better of that. . . . I just didn't want to do it.
And then it hit me. . .
LITERALLY
A light saber slashed across my shins followed by the bluest eyes and the biggest grin I have ever seen and I knew I was in heaven.
Time is so fleeting and since I am now done having children, it has become very apparent that I won't have moments like these for much longer.  So, I sat down, ate some banana bread and watched the action unfold.
There it was. . . two Jedi knights. . . . one named Buzz Lightyear and the other, Darth Vader. . . . battling it out with a light saber and a spatula for the ruling of "Infinity and Beyond". 
There was action!
There were sound effects!
There were tongs involved at one point!
And in the end 5 or 6 different super heroes were quoted as the battle raged in my family room.
Who won?
Does it matter?
The prize?
A kiss from mommy who now sat contented with life and who wished that she could capture moments like this one to infinity and beyond.

Did you know?

Dustin is AMAZING!!!  He knows EVERYTHING!  Here's a little tidbit that you may not know in the words of the genious himself:

"Did you know that the people in the tv can see us?  Yep.  If we can see them they can see us.  See?  Mickey Mouse just asked me a question and I helped him find Goofy."

You just can't argue with that logic!

Pointer Finger, Family and a Remote Control

I have to write this post today because Dustin has been driving me crazy all week and so I have to remember why I love him. Seriously. . . I am at my wit's end with this kid and I don't know how much more I can take!
Anyways, last Sunday when we were all at my Grandparent's house, I decided to show Dustin that I was magic. He was getting into trouble (again) and so I told him that if he sat under the light in the family room and said "abracadabra" then the light would automatically turn on or off. He didn't believe me, so I said the magic words and all of a sudden the light turned off. Dustin got really excited and so he jumped up and said the magic words and all of a sudden the light turned on. Now, Dustin is a really bright kid, so as soon as this happened he looked to see if there was someone standing next to the light switch. No one was because unbeknownst to Dustin, that light is controlled by a remote control that my brother just happened to have in his hand. We all laughed continuously as Dustin turned the light on and off with his magic words and his incredible magical powers.
As with all games, it did start to become old after a while (sooner for us than for Dustin) and so we told him that the light needed to go to sleep and so his magical powers wouldn't work while the light was sleeping. Dustin (totally convinced that he was the one with the magical powers) didn't believe us, so while almost everyone went back to their various activities, Dustin sat on my dad and discretely pointed his finger at the light and very quietly said "abracadabra" over and over again. Unfortunately, the light had, indeed gone to sleep and it took Dustin about 5 minutes to finally convince himself that his magical powers would have to wait until the light had woken up again.
I guess that the kid does have some magical moments. . . I will just have to hold on to those when he is being a holy terror!

Brothers!

Have you ever noticed that some people seem to just be born to do a certain thing? Sometimes it seems as though there is just natural talent oozing out of them? That's what I have always felt about Abby and the cello. I had always hoped that one of my children would want to play the cello, and then when Abby was 3, she was invited to attend a cello camp for a week and by the end of the week she could play 3 songs on the cello. I knew right then that the girl HAD to play the cello or else I would kick myself for the rest of my life!
Last night was Abby's cello recital. She takes from a teacher who has a double music degree in singing and the cello. The first 5 performers were singers and then my Abby played the cello. I sat in the perfect spot to video her and she was doing such a good job. . . and then. . . Dustin came into the room! The room was silent and so it was very obvious when he came running down the aisle and proclaimed that he was going to chop off everyone's heads. He kept on walking directly in front of my camera and talking. I couldn't make the kid be quiet and Otto was in the hallway with Lee, so he couldn't help.
I felt so bad for Abby, who just endured it and played on, and as soon as she was done, Dustin was quickly whisked away into another room and given the biggest lecture of his life!
I always wished that I had had more brothers, growing up. But now I am grateful for the one that I have because he never used to bug me, or tease me, or hurt me. He was a great little brother. . . . I hope that one day Abby can say the same thing!

Dustin's point of view

Dustin: hmmmmm I'm hungry. . . I ate 2 minutes ago and now there is nothing left to eat. What should I eat? Oh look. . . here is a bag of colored sugar. . . that looks tasty. . . now if only I had something to eat it with. . . hmmmm . . .
Wait! Didn't Granny just give me some new playdough??? I LOVE playdough! It's kind of sticky, so that would work perfectly!
Oh wow! It's kind of hard to get the sugar onto the playdough while the sugar is in this bag. . . what can I spread the sugar out onto???? Perfect! Caroline is playing barbies so the barbie drawer is empty. I wouldn't want to get sugar in the drawer because mom will get mad, but she never said anything about turning the drawer over! That's great!!! This makes the perfect "table"! Now spread the sugar out. . . dip my playdough in it. . . and lick it like a lollipop!!! Perfect snack for a little boy.
Oh look! Here comes mom! Uh oh she doesn't look impressed. She is yelling at me! I don't know what her problem is. . . she has never told me that I can't eat the colored sugar with playdough. And doesn't she know that I turned the drawer over this time? What's her problem anyways? She needs to tell me these things before I do them instead of always getting mad at me!
Is she done yelling yet? I am getting hungry!

But I'm not dancing!

Nobody told me that potty training little boys was different from potty training little girls. So for those of you who are out there, it is VERY different!!! Once my girls were trained, that was it! There were no accidents and there were no messes where there was pee on the floor or wall! With Dustin it is very different! Dustin REFUSES to just waltz into the bathroom and go. In fact, let me show you a little conversation that we had recently:

It's 9 am and Dustin has been awake since 6 and I realize that I have not seen him go to the bathroom yet since he woke up.
Me: Hey Dustin! Why don't you go to the bathroom?
Dustin: No.
Me: Dustin, I really think that you should go to the bathroom because you haven't gone yet this morning!
Dustin: But I'm not dancing!
Me: (after trying to stop laughing) I'll give you a gum ball.
Dustin: (no hesitation whatsoever) OK!

Seriously ladies! I just want to say this is very different from when I had my girlies. Yes, some of them would wait until the last possible second, but they didn't have the added . . . ummm. . . how do I say this politely. . . how about. . . appendage that would allow them to pee in every direction. This has been quite the challenge for me and it seems as though we go through so many pairs of underwear that I have had to buy out Walmart's entire stock on Thomas the Tank Engine underwear and Bob the Builder underwear just so I can get through my usual two weeks without doing laundry.

So to you other mothers of sons out there. . . PLEASE let me know. . . am I the only one who has this fire hose challenge??? Is it only my son who won't pee unless he is dancing??? PLEASE say that there is at least one other mother out there going through this too!!!

Dustin

Well, we did it!! I can't believe it! I was gearing up for the long haul with the whole potty training thing. Dustin was TERRIFIED to use the toilet, but one of the special things about my son is that he does NOT like to be dirty. I think that this character trait of his, combined with the fact that the kid ADORES his mama were the key to our success. It took about 4 days to get him to actually not be scared to do everything on the potty, but once he figured out that 1-he wouldn't have to sit in it after he went and 2 - he got candy and trains if he went, he seemed to be okay with it. Dustin can even hold it through the night. . . . he has a bladder of steel! I am so excited that this was successful! This will be the first time that I will have a new baby and not have to buy diapers for 2 children! I am sooooo looking forward to it!
Dustin and his mommy are both a bit accident prone. On Monday, when I was making dinner, I was making the yummy enchiladas that my mom used to make for us. I was frying the corn tortillas in oil to soften them up and I was using tongs to pick them up with. Well, when I picked one of the tortillas up, boiling oil slid down the tongs and gave me second degree burns all down my pinky finger! It HURT so much! Even though I now have a blister the entire width and length of my pinky, it could have been alot worse, so I am really thankful that everything turned out okay.
Dustin's little accident happened this morning! He was running around on the main floor (which is all hardwood) and he slipped and fell and split open his chin. It just so happened that I have all of my children home today so it was fun times taking everyone with me to the doctor and getting crazy looks from the other people in the waiting room as I walked into the office, 9 months pregnant, carting around my 4 kids. Luckily we were able to get in right away and Dustin didn't need stitches. He was so good and laid there very still while the doctor cleaned out his wound and put steri strips on it. Dustin didn't even flinch or cry. I just held his head and I told him that the doctor was fixing his owie and that seemed to be good enough for him. I was so proud of Dustin for being so good, and I was soooo relieved that I didn't have to take him to the hospital for stitches.
All in all, it has been an interesting, but good week. Even though we had a couple of accidents and we were going through the rigors of potty training, I would call this week a success. I know that Dustin would too because he has gotten to spend so much one on one time with me because I haven't gone anywhere because I wanted to get this kid potty trained. I am going a little stir crazy, but Otto and I are going out for a nice dinner tonight, so that should cure me of that!

Terrified!

I just can't believe how terrified Dustin is to do his business in the toilet!! We spent the ENTIRE day, yesterday, in front of the tv, on the toilet. I FILLED that kid full of liquids and he held onto his pee for 5 hours because I wouldn't let him get off of the toilet until he had done his business. I am sure that he got quite uncomfortable, but unfortunately for him, the kid's mother is stubborn! Well, he FINALLY went and FILLED the potty! We both got so excited and jumped up and down and ate chocolate bars. Then I let him run around for a couple of hours and then we sat down again and he kept on holding it!

Today he has peed in his pants like 5 times because we have spent the day driving kids places and cleaning the house. I just can't believe how terrified he is to pee in the toilet. I would think that he would like it because the kid hates to be dirty. Apparently he also hates change. . . . Otto says he has no idea where it comes from (he says it with a big grin and while he is staring at me, but I have no idea what he is talking about!). It may take a year like it did with Anne, but I am DETERMINED to not have to buy diapers for two babies if I can help it. I have done that before and it SUCKS!!!!

Battle of Wits

Okay, I have now decided to bite the bullet and see if I can potty train Dustin before Lee is born. The thing that I have learned from attempting this with my girls is that what it basically comes down to is who is more stubborn. . . . mom or child? Abby was a dream to potty train. She wanted to be all growned up so I simply put underwear on her and never had a problem. Even at nighttime. Anne . . . she was STUBBORN!!! It took us almost a full year to break her. . . . ooops I mean potty train her. Caroline was also stubborn and still has the occasional accident. But Dustin. . . . oh Dustin! The kid is actually TERRIFIED of the toilet! I have tried everything I could think of in the past.

- I bought him a Diego padded seat to put on the toilet

- I bribed him with toys

- We bought out Walmart of all of their Bob the Builder, Spiderman and Thomas the Tank Engine underwear (which Dustin calls panties by the way)

- I have tried candy rewards

- Dustin, Otto and Uncle Jason had a peeing party one day

- We tried standing up

- We tried sitting down

- We tried standing up and putting cheerios in the toilet for him to try and hit

This time, it is GOING to work! It HAS TO!!! The kid is almost 3!! We went out this morning to Walmart and bought this little toilet that sings when you pee in it! My kids respond well to music, so I figured it was worth a try. We also bought a whole bunch of Thomas the Tank Engine trains so that when he poops he gets a new train. (Kind of puts a whole new meaning on the phrase Toilet Training doesn't it???) I also bought all of his favorite candies and put them in a special candy jar so that when he pees he gets a candy. However, I bought a TON of candy so that he can see that every time his sisters pee that they get a candy. (I have to see if maybe sibling rivalry will work. . . that's how desperate I am). Dustin even got new Thomas the Tank sippy cups so that he can carry them around all day and drink from them. THIS HAS TO WORK. If it doesn't, I don't know what I will do!

I need imput ladies and gentlemen!!! Any ideas???? Anyone??? Anyone???

My Boy.

As I keep getting closer to having this next baby, I have been thinking more and more about why I love my kiddies. I hope to take the time to write about each of them, and so I have decided to start with Dustin. Right now he is at a very fun age (2) where he is trying a whole bunch of new things. I really want him to know what I love about him at this age, so please bear with me!
- Favorite Color: ORANGE
- Favorite Toy: Thomas the Tank Engine
- Favorite TV Show: Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Dora
- Favorite Pasttime: Breaking things and "fixing" them, doing puzzles, watching his sisters play on the computer, cuddling with "Mama"
- Favorite Characters: Mickey Mouse, Thomas, Dora, Bob the Builder, and "Winnie the Poop"
- Favorite Food: Chicken and fries
- Favorite Snack: Anything that can be found in the pantry, from chips, to lunch snacks to flour and sugar
- Favorite Book: The Monster at the End of This Book (It's mommy's favorite too!!)
- Precious Moments: Dustin LOVES his Mama!! He always wants to be around me.
When you sing the "Clean up" song from Barney, Dustin will clean as long as you keep singing and point out things to pick up. . . .if you are patient enough, he can clean an entire room!
Dustin will just randomly burst out into song (he also gets that from his Mama!!)
Dustin loves to tease his sisters.
Dustin is VERY particular about things. If something is not done in what he thinks is the proper order, he freaks out. He also likes for things to be in straight lines and they always have to be put back in their spots. (I LOVE this about him)
Dustin HATES to be outside in the cold.
Dustin is nervous in water. However he loves baths.
Dustin loves people, especially if his Mama is there.
Dustin can "Shake and Bake"
Dustin loves to take off his pants
Dustin loves his Nana and Papa and Auntie Manda and Uncle Jason's dog "Mac" (His name is really Max, but not according to Dustin).

I am very excited to watch my little boy grow up. I am very interested in the type of man that he will become. I told Otto that we need to make sure that we put him in sports because right now he really just likes music, electronics and "fixing" things, so we need to make him a little more rounded. Thinking about these things makes me so grateful that I am his mom.