Papa's Visit: Day 2

I kept Nicole home from school to spend time with Papa. We started out the day with a late breakfast and just hanging around the house. Papa and Nicole worked on puzzles while Allyson watched videos in between trying to "help" with the puzzles.

Allyson was in no mood for a nap so, after much crying, Papa went in to offer some comfort. He eventually rocked Allyson - and himself - to sleep. I was able to get some pictures without waking them up.

Later that afternoon we went to the Incredible Pizza Company for lunch and games.

We all got to enjoy the racetrack.

 Notice Daddy & Allyson got the "Andy's" car.

There were some rules to follow.

Totally forgetting that my youngest child was in the car with Britt, I ignored these rules.

Daddy & Allyson still managed to pull ahead and win the race.

Dad was all excuses since he was originally in the lead.

After we all played laser tag, Papa, Nicole and I enjoyed bumper cars, too.

Finally, everyone got to play their favorite games before it was time to leave.

 This is my favorite game!

Allyson like the basketball game.

Allyson used her prize tickets to get some glasses which she proudly wore the rest of the day. 

This day was not about health whatsoever. After playing games we went to Andy's. Again. Usually we visit every day when Dad is here and this visit was no exception. The girls were thrilled. Okay, we all were.

We had planned to have a steak barbeque that night but no one was very hungry. Still, Britt grilled the meat as we had marinated it all day. He lighted the chimnea and the girls each got to roast a marshmallow for one smore each. Again, they were thrilled. This was one sugar-filled day!

I didn't have the right chocolate. These really were not the greatest smores but the girls didn't care. 

Today was a great day!



Yeah! Papa's Here!

My dad was able to come to town for a quick visit. Nicole was sooo excited. After a quick dinner and a Papa "pony" ride we went to the same place we always go when my dad's visiting: Andy's Frozen Custard!

Seriously? More snow??

It was 70 degrees a week ago and will be in the 60's at the end of this week. But last night? Snow. That's Springfield... here they say if you don't like the weather just wait an hour because it'll change.

Potty Training

So I finally decided I was ready. Allyson has been ready for a while. But I've been quite comfortable with changing diapers instead of lugging a 2-year-old to the bathroom every time she "cries wolf" or cleaning up after accidents. Not that I've had any experience with accidents. Nicole was potty trained in one day and I don't remember her ever having an accident. It was a long day but when it was over it was over.

From the moment of her birth, though, I've been well aware that Allyson is not Nicole. That's not a bad thing. It just means I have to be constantly changing my "game." The things that worked with Nicole usually don't work with Allyson. Usually she's a little tricker for this mom. That proved to be true with potty training. And soon I realized I wasn't as ready as I thought.

That's not to say I wasn't prepared. I checked out the books from the library.

I bought the potty training doll. Heck, I bought a potty training doll that came with her own bathroom!

And she's not afraid to use it.

This dolly also talks (and talks and talks).

I had the treats.

And the panties.

With plastic pants.

And the videos were ready. Here's a little peek into our favorite from Disney's "Bear in the Big Blue House."

We started with opening her doll first thing in the morning.

She "potty trained" the doll until naptime.

Then, when Allyson woke up we would begin potty training her. But, right from the beginning, Allyson (who normally loves to sit and read books) wasn't much in the mood for any of it. She didn't really want to look at the books or watch the videos. She did love her dolly and the treats, though. And that's all she cared about.

We did eventually get her to sit on the potty as long as we (Nicole and I...Daddy had to leave for work) played balloon toss.

By the end of the day Allyson went through several pairs of panties and outfits. Mommy was frustrated and decided it was time to quit potty training. (I mean if you can't get it in a few hours why keep trying, right?) I decided Spring Break was a bad time and I would try again in a week or two.

A day or two later we went to Silver Dollar City. I put a pull-up on her and brought plenty of back-ups. The crazy thing is...I didn't need any of the back ups! Without even trying to remind her, Allyson let us know when she needed to use the bathroom. She stayed "clean and dry" all day!! So far it's been two days. I've been so much more relaxed about the whole thing which, as I'm learning, is exactly the way this little one rolls. Relaxed. Ahhh...