Friday, January 30, 2009

potty training 101

1. Create a sticker chart with photoshopped pictures of potty, and let your kid put a sticker on the corresponding act each time. (Thanks for the idea, Glenda!)
2. Stock up on fruit snacks or other potty treats your kid enjoys (and give them a treat EVERY SINGLE TIME they go, even if it means they're on a sugar high for a few days)
3. Limit liquid intake.
4. Buy underwear with characters your kid likes so they won't pee on them (and make sure you tell your kid that the character will be really sad if they get peed on).
5. Don't stop after day one because you're already tired of the mess!
6. ENJOY having a potty trained kiddo (after about 5 days)!!!
GOOD JOB BIG GIRL!! Mommy is so proud!! and so happy I don't have to change diapers anymore!! woohoooooo!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

random pic Wednesday...

We're going way back today...to the location on my computer called old pictures; these are actually pictures that we copied onto this computer from our old desktop before it crashed. :) Enjoy!

folder 5, picture 8
- This is Aubrey when she was about 10 months old (I think). I was trying to get a picture of her smiling, but my camera was suuuuper slow at that time. I took about 30 pictures before I got one! This is one of the outtakes...thank goodness for digital cameras!!
folder 6, picture 11 (there weren't 11 pics in this folder so I added 1+1 and used pic 2)- This is a picture of our sweet puppy, Romeo, that we bought as a "friend" for our Yorkie, Tootsie. Turns out a yorkie and an olde english bulldog don't really play well together. So, we gave our Yorkie to my great Aunt Gloria, who absolutely loved her. We gave her away because she absolutely HATED Aubrey and would always snap at her. We wanted her to have a good home, so she made the trip to Colorado to live with my aunt, who still has her today. Romeo was the sweetest little monster anyone could ask for, and he was really careful when he was around Aubrey. However, he also had a thing about eating through fences and gnawing on our house. With a child, a husband in residency, a full time job, and then a new pregnancy, I felt like it was the best thing for him to live with a new family that had more time to devote to him. I found him an awesome home with a family in Bastrop, complete with 4 grown kids and a lake! I am sure he is much better off, but we really miss him still!

folder 11, picture 11- Kinda funny....this was Aubrey's 11 month birthday! I took a picture of her in that birthday hat each month of her first year and I have them all in a frame. Once again, this is one of about 25 pictures trying to get one of her smiling (she was really into her food!)
Folder 8, picture 6- This was before we started the photo shoot for Aubrey's one year party picture invitations---you guessed it, a luau. :)
Folder 14, picture 7- These pictures are obviously not in the correct order on our computer...this is Aubrey in the hospital the DAY she was born. I can't believe that was almost 5 years ago!

Folder 18, picture 11- Aubrey's one month birthday...my mom and I took LOTS of pictures of Aubrey! :) She was such a cute subject. :)

Folder 19, picture 13- Aubrey playing with daddy after bathtime (about 5 months old)
Folder 21, picture 7- Pops was showing Aubrey the new hot tub at the house...sorry I cut you out of the picture, Pops!

Folder 24, picture 5- My brother, Chad (on the left), with one of the Reichenbach boys before prom their junior year. They were crazy. It's hard to believe that Chad will be graduating from college in May!!

Folder 27, picture 7- Dave and Aubrey (about 18 months) at Pier 39 in San Francisco. On the plane flight there, a lady, who was obviously in a poor mood, saw me holding Aubrey and said, oh, have I died and gone to hell?? I couldn't believe she said that!! and loud enough for me to hear! Well, Aubrey was AWESOME on the flight, and she slept for most of it. When we were getting off the plane, the lady commented on how great she was and that she had just been on a flight where two little boys were running up and down the aisles and bouncing around in their seats...but c'mon..........I still can't believe she said what she did when she got on the plane! I know she obviously didn't have kids, and I think she might be someone who shouldn't!!
That's it for today!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

sledding...

It's actually tooooooo cold to sled right now, but I forgot to post these pics last month....after Aubrey sent Addy down the stairs one day on a swimming kickboard, I thought it was time to bust out the real sled in order to avoid some serious injuries. I got them all bundled up in their snowsuits...which takes about 45 minutes...but when we went outside to get the sled, the storage room was locked somehow (we don't have a key!). At first, I thought it might've been frozen shut, but I think something must've fallen on the lock from the inside. Anyway, the girls were REALLY disappointed. We had to wait until Daddy got home, but by then it was too late...so, we had to wait until the weekend. Dave ended up using his credit card trick to open the door (he missed his calling as a burglar), and the girls were finally able to sled down the tiny hill behind our apartment. Fun times!!

Showing off their new snowboots
(before figuring out we couldn't get the sled):


Aubrey tried to use the kickboard as a sled, but it didn't work:


so they just ended up making snowballs the first day...




but then daddy came to the rescue!!!




Thursday, January 22, 2009

be inspired.

Foam shapes and visors from
the dollar store

equal FUN!

and inspire...

table dancing,
self-portraits,

and creativity.

Not bad for two bucks!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

RaNdOm pic Wednesday!

We have nothing going on this week, so I thought I would try something new...I have TONS of pictures that never make it to the blog (some of which I should really send to the recycle bin on my computer). They're just sitting in their lonely little folders waiting to be picked. So, every Wednesday I'm going to randomly pick a couple of pictures to share. In order to keep it random, I'm going to use dice. The first roll of the dice will tell me which folder to pick from and the second roll will be which picture to post out of that folder. The number one rule being that I HAVE to post the picture, regardless of what it looks like! (and give you the story behind it)....sounds like fun, huh?

1) Folder 9, picture 9- I was about 20 weeks pregnant with Addy in this pic, standing in front of our fireplace at our house in Temple.


2)Folder 12, Picture 6- This was Aubrey checking out the pumpkins in our front yard. I got the sign behind her in Canton and it said "The Watkins' pumpkin patch". Addy wasn't born yet, but I already knew her name so I had it put on there as well...then someone came in our yard one night and STOLE the sign! I was pissed, I mean who wants a personalized sign? Aubrey still talks about it every Halloween.


3) Folder 7, picture 3- This was from a bridal shower I threw for my sister-in-law. In it is her mom, June, my sister-in-law, Candice, and my mom, Patti. She loves the color pink, so that was the theme. :)

4)Folder 8, Picture 8- This was the cake that I bought from the "crazy cake lady" for Kody and Candice's rehearsal dinner. Turns out the crazy cake lady was actually a wife of a teacher I worked with and he was crazy too. It was ok because the cake turned out great and it was perfect for our barbecue themed rehearsal dinner. Everything was really cute, and once again...pink! :)

5) Folder 5, Picture 10- This picture was taken at my cousin Ashley's wedding. This is the extremely handsome Hunter (Ash's youngest brother) holding Aubrey.
I think that's about all I have time for today! More random pictures next Wednesday!

Monday, January 19, 2009

forget a mani or a pedi...

give me a bodycure:


but I'll pass on the

acetone rub-down

next time!

*Children, I do not recommend trying this at home!*

Friday, January 16, 2009

what lazy parenting looks like...

we're on the second episode of Dora...there have been a few shows in between...

there's only so much to do when the temperature is below zero...

maybe we'll get up later today...

but maybe not.

we're quite cozy in our corner of the couch.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Honest Scrap

My friend, Katie, tagged me for something called Honest Scrap...after checking out hers (and some others), I figured I would give it a go. Afterall, the girls and I aren't venturing far from the homestead these days for two reasons:
1) It takes about two hours to get bundled up enough to actually go outside.

2) You can only stay outside for as long as it takes you to get to the car or you'll freeze to death, regardless of how much clothing you have on your body:

Yes, that was the ACTUAL temperature on my car thermometer this afternoon at 1:30 PM. It warmed up to a balmy -5 while we were inside the mall. If you couldn't tell, Addy was really peeved that we were going outside today. It's been so cold that school has been canceled the last two days.

Anyway, onto Honest Scrap...basically, you list 10 random things about you that are true and then tag seven other people to do the same. Fun times. So, here we go:

1) I rarely sit down when I eat. I don't know why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I am always up getting other people's food so I just eat along the way and by the time I sit down I have like 2 bites left.

2) I can not deal with any injury that involves the mouth. When I was in first grade, I fell on a sidewalk and basically busted out my two front teeth. They hung there for a week or so before falling out, but it was horrible and I still cringe when I think about it. Therefore, all mouth injuries go straight to Dave (and there have been more than I care for with our two little ones).

3) I canNOT physically perform any sport that requires something being strapped to my feet; e.g. skiing, snowboarding, ice-skating, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc...It was hell going to rollerskating parties as a kid.

4) I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Part of the problem is that I feel like I would be good at lots of stuff, so I just end up doing nothing. Not exactly fulfilling long-term, but it's working for me at the moment.

5) I am addicted to the internet. I mean, duh...I met my husband on the internet so I feel a sort of connection to it and I would feel lost without it. I am also a blog stalker, so beware.

6) I keep a rolling tally in my head of the calories I consume on a daily basis. I can also rattle off the number of calories in almost every fast food meal. I'm not exactly one of those women who is naturally thin, so I have to work at staying fit...knowing stuff like that helps.

7) I am a pretty good speller, but I did lose two spelling bees in elementary. Misspelled fiery (firey) and extraordinary (left out the a). I was really upset with myself.

8) I have no idea why people can't correctly use common homophones, such as to, too, two or there, their, they're...I mean, C'MON!!!

9) I have my dad's feet. And they look better on a man.

10) I have a kickass memory. Simple as that.

So, I am now tagging the following people, in no particular order. If you haven't checked out their blogs, I suggest you do sometime. I am also including 8 because I like to change rules:
Allena
Kerri
Ashley
DeLayne
Alison
Karen
Stacey
Faith

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

EYE love my girls

Took Addy to the pediatric opthalmologist today to see if she needs glasses. The resident said he thought she was a little farsighted, but his attending came in and said she thought it was normal for her age....my question...is it ever normal to be farsighted, regardless of age? I mean, if you're farsighted at 2, won't you still be farsighted at 22? 42?? etc?? My mind was mush after 3 hours of waiting, eye-dilating, waiting, seeing the resident, waiting...you get the picture. By the time I actually saw the attending physician, I was not in the mood to be there any longer. Therefore, that question did not really pop into my head until I was in my car. Oh well, it gave me someting to do ALL morning! And the best news is....we get to do it all again in 6 months! (to see if Addy's vision has improved....???)

Moving on, tonight Aubrey was into pouring drinks for everyone and she was very proud. She had given Addy some diet Pepsi (don't judge me) in HER Sleeping Beauty cup with the cool straw, and it was really sweet because Aubrey doesn't share her Sleeping Beauty cup with just anyone...well, I asked her if she could pour me some diet Pepsi.

"Can you pour mommy some drink too?"
"Sure I can, mommy, but I'll get you a glass cup... "
"Thanks sweetie"
"because that's a mudder cup" (translation: mother cup)

I thought that was hilarious. Anyway, we're bracing for the expected 5-6 inches of snow tonight!! Yikes! The highest temp on my car thermometer was 3 today. That's right, I said 3.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Happy Monday!

from our perky, pig-tailed princesses...

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Friday, January 9, 2009

Mommy said we had big plans today....


but all we managed to do was have a tea party, dress up like princesses, and make more MeSsEs. Fridays are the best! Happy weekend to all!



Thursday, January 8, 2009

the road goes on forever (much like the pictures in this post)...


I think I am just now recovering from our holiday road trip. The new toys are still not put away, but I've stopped trying because you can't fit an elephant into a mouse hole. We had a very successful trip. We kicked off Christmas on Sunday, Dec 21 with an early visit from Santa. He brought lots of good stuff, including every princess costume known to man. Seems like Santa thought ahead and bought them all half off right after Halloween...smart man. The girls were adorable opening their presents, and it didn't matter that I hadn't bought them matching pajamas because the stripped off their clothes to try on the new costumes....








We left town on Christmas Eve, and drove for about 14 hours. The girls were awesome in the car, and we were able to make it all the way to Hillsboro. We went ahead and stopped because we were going to meet up with our friends in Temple the next day. Addy woke up at three in the morning, and in her disoriented state, managed to walk off the bed and faceplant onto the floor. Makes for awesome Christmas pictures for the rest of the trip...

What it looked like as we were leaving Iowa:













The girls after about 12 hours in the car:































Christmas Day at the Hogg's was spent eating time-consuming Southern food, drinking red wine out of styrofoam "Ho, Ho, Hogg" cups, and watching the kids make mudpies in the backyard. In Aubrey's words, "it just felt so good to be back in Texas" For reference, Addy turned 2 on 11/22 and reaves turned 4 on 12/5...my kid is gigantic!










After the Hogg's, we headed to Nanny and GGDada's house, where the girls ended up talking Nanny into opening every one of their presents! Those girls know how to work those grandmas! hehe GGDada was busy helping Dave figure out his computer, so he didn't get to see them open any.























The next day we headed to Mimi and Pops' house for the annual Kohl Christmas photo shoot, which always produces some laughs. I will post outtakes another day:

















Attack of the unflattering green shirts....a gift from Clearance, I can only assume:














While we were down south, we also went to Gruene with Houston and Katy. We stayed in a really cute place, ate great food, and listened to Todd Snider at Gruene Hall. It was a blast! I didn't have my camera, but I managed to get some decent pics with my phone.



















In addition to all the fun stuff, we were productive too. I took the GRE, and Dave and I went looking for houses with our friend, Meridith who also doubles as our realtor. We found an awesome neighborhood, Grand Mesa at Crystal Falls, in Leander, and we can't wait to get back this summer to see if there are any houses that will work for us on the market. If not, we'll start building! It's a really exciting time in our lives right now! We weren't even that bummed about coming back to Iowa, knowing that we have less than 6 months left here. We left Austin last Saturday at 2pm and drove straight through. We parked in front of our apartment at 6 AM on Sunday morning, 16 hours later and about 70 degrees colder!!
And finally, the reason why my living room still looks like a storage unit. This was our car on the return trip: