This Weekend...

Lauren & Tyler got to play!

Chloe wanted some cake, too!

What a nice weekend!

On Saturday night, we celebrated my Mom's birthday with some cake & ice cream at her house.  The kids had fun playing outside and I got to catch up with the rest of my family.

My Mom-isn't she beautiful?

I have been reflecting on my relationship with my Mom a lot the past couple months, mainly because a co-worker of mine lost her mother recently.  I've been thinking about how far we've come since the days of my teenage years (when I thought she was the meanest mother in the world!).  I thought about all we've gone through, together.  The bed-wetting years (ugh!), soccer games, dating Mark, the unexpected death of both of her parents, my wedding, the "financial crisis of 2004", and the birth of my children.  She has ALWAYS been there for me, even when she could barely stand through her own tears.  I know how lucky I am to have such a special friend in my Mom; I just hope I can give her back some of what she's given me!

Ben with his pumpkin

On Sunday, after watching the Bengals STINK IT UP again, we decided to raise our spirits by carving our pumpkins.  Okay, carving their pumpkins-I didn't get one because I'm not a huge fan of the carving of pumpkins.  It's not the mess, it's the fact that I am horrible at anything creative.  Seriously.  If you want to watch me break out in hives, set me down with a scrapbook project.  I am way too much of a perfectionist to be creative!

LJ preparing to "draw" her pumpkin face

Mark, getting into the Halloween spirit

Me, finding some creativity!

Finally, I decided to help carve Lauren's pumpkin after she had finished drawing on it.  

all finished (& bathed!)

What do you think?  Mine is the one in the middle. Sadly, this is one of the best pumpkin carvings I have ever done...

Bike Ride

Tonight, Ben and Mark went to another Boy Scout meeting, so I got to spend some QT with my girlie.  We went on a bike ride down our street; it's one of our favorite things to do!  I have begun riding my bike ~2.7 miles, 3 days a week for exercise.  The kids would take a bike ride every night, if they could.  Now is the perfect time of year to spend the evening outside, enjoying the beautiful fall colors and crisp air.  Did I mention I love the fall?

Mooky even got to come along for some exercise!  He keeps up really well for being almost 14 years old.  

It's kind of hard to see, but this is the "big hill" that the kids like to ride down.  I know, I'm a horrible mother for not putting a helmet on her before we left.  I completely forgot-until we got to "big hill," of course!

Fall Activities

This weekend we spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying fall in Ohio-my favorite time of year!  Each year we go to Shaw Farm in Milford to let the kids play, pick pumpkins, see some animals, and go on a hayride.  I love it!  

'we're tired of posing for the camera!!"

on the hayride!

chillin'

After we went to the farm, we grabbed some pizza from LaRosa's and went on a haunted hayride.  I wasn't sure how Lauren was going to hold up on a hayride with people jumping out at us, especially since she hadn't gotten a full nap AND we had to wait in line for about 90 minutes.  We passed the time talking, sipping hot cocoa, and took turns warming up by the bonfire.  Once it started, Lauren hid her head in my shoulder and covered her eyes.  When they started yelling, beating the wagon with sticks, and chasing us with chainsaws, she moved her hands to over her ears.  All in all, she did really well!  Ben, on the other hand, was completely freaked out!

the bonfire

LJ fighting sleep

I couldn't get many pictures because it was so dark!  Here are the few that I did get:

Potails

Tonight was a big night in the White house; Lauren FINALLY went poop in the potty for me!!!

I found out last week that she has been pooping in the potty at the babysitter's house nearly every day.  I was floored!  Almost every night she poops in her underpants, which is a huge mess!  She will wander off and just when I start to realize that she's quiet, the smell creeps out of the room and she appears with a guilty look on her face.  She has gone for my mom, she has gone for Mark, but she would not go for me!  Even though it has been a huge inconvenience, I thought it was better to keep her in underpants than going back and forth between diapers and underpants.  

Tonight, she said she needed to go pee and called us into the bathroom.  Much to our surprise, she had gone poop!  

Our deal is that if she goes poop in the potty, I will paint her toenails.  Every time she would poop in her pants, I would say, "Lauren, you need to go poop in the potty like a big girl."  She would reply (with much enthusiasm), "So I can get my potails painted?"    

So tonight was the night.  I let her pick the color and she picked what my friend, Sandy, would call "brazen hussy red."  I didn't care, though.  It was her prize to pick.  I'm so proud of my big girl!!!

Update:  I gave her a bath and put her in a diaper and nightgown prior to painting her nails.  She just pooped in her diaper while I was typing this. Children are so humbling, aren't they?

My Little Cub Scout

Tonight was Ben's second (he missed the first) Cub Scout meeting.  Mark and I decided I would go with him this time.  I have to admit, I was thinking that this was kind of a father-son thing, but I was curious to see what happens at the meetings.  Once I got home and realized the other option was staying home with Lauren who was constantly whining AND had pooped in her underpants twice already, I was all too happy to go.  Surely, I would not have to clean up poop at a Cub Scout meeting, I'm thinking.

First of all, just to give you some insight, we are a mess as a family.  We are usually completely unorganized, unprepared, and always late to any event.  If it's football practice, a wedding, church on Sunday, birthday party, funeral-doesn't matter what it is-we are getting ready at the last minute, buying a gift & card on the way, and pulling into the parking lot with tires squealing-10 minutes after the event has started.  A quick disclaimer:  I was not raised this way, don't blame my parents.

Tonight was no exception.  My dad had gotten Ben off the bus today and taken him to his house.  When I went to pick Ben up, Dad and I spent some time talking about what I was learning in the Bible study I'm doing on Revelation.  During this time, Lauren was filling her underpants in a corner downstairs, apparently.  My mom walks in the door and is greeted by Lauren saying, "I pooped in my pants." My mom proceeds to help me clean her up, while my poor dad stands in the kitchen, looking on with a hue of green on his face.  Dad had prepared a nice roast for dinner, complete with crescent rolls, but unfortunately had lost his appetite.  Needless to say, I leave in a hurry.

At 6:45 (meeting starts at 7:00) it's go time.  Ben has decided to beat our tree in the front yard with a stick instead of getting his Bear handbook, flashlight, and pencil that I told him he needed.  Mark is looking all over the house for his Boy Scout shirt, hat, and scarf from the 1980's to dress Ben in.  I am sharpening a pencil, untaping the flashlight from my bicycle (that's for another blog entry), when Ben says, "I left my bookbag at Mamaw & Papaw Miller's house-my Bear handbook is in there!  This is the White family at it's finest.  So we jump in the car, speed to my parent's house, grab the bag, and head to the school.  We walk in just in time to hear the Scout Master point to each boy and say their name.  Awesome.

As they start the meeting, I begin to dig in to my Bible study homework.  I fill out a couple questions, do some reading, but I can't focus at all.  Ben is marching up to the front of the room with the Boy Scout flag, reciting the Boy Scout pledge, learning the special handshake, etc.  It's adorable!  I just sit there smiling and taking it all in, feeling so guilty for making Cub Scouts into a father-son thing.  It's a boy thing, and I am so blessed to be able to share in these times with my son.

After learning how to make trail mix, the Scout Master announces we're going on a nature hike.  We set off with our flashlights into the woods.  By this time, it's dark and there is some non-threatening lightening and thunder overhead.  We walk for a little while and we are told to shut off our flashlights and listen to the sounds of the animals and insects.  The boys are silent, staring at their surroundings.  As we continue on, walking through spiderwebs, the sound of a bat's flapping wings can be heard right by our heads.  Ben decides to come walk next to me and says, "Mommy, this is scary!  Are you sure he knows his way back?"  After what must have seemed like a lifetime to him, we walk out of the woods and head back towards the school.

When we get in the car to leave, he reiterates his dislike of the nature hike at night.  "Who takes a bunch of kids into the woods at night?" he says  That's what I love about my Benny; he can make me laugh without even trying.  He says the funniest things sometimes, he reminds me so much of his daddy :).  I also love the age he's at now.  He can seem so "big" at times, but he'll still hold my hand when he's scared and trust that I won't let anything bad happen to him.  I know there are difficult stages to come, so I try to relish what's in front of me today.

Except for a pair of underpants full of poop, I do not relish that.

First Entry

Welcome, to the White family blog!  I've been wanting to do this for awhile; I really like checking in on other people's blogs and seeing what they're up to.  I hope you enjoy!