Lake Norman

Last weekend me, Brian, and the boys headed to Lake Norman to spend the weekend with the Mullen/Lloyd Family!  It was a great time.  We played on the water, ate great food, drank fun drinks (watermelon - ha), and really enjoyed spending time with our family.  Thank you to Uncle Brian and Aunt Tracey for opening up their gorgeous lake house to us.  It is beautiful and we were so comfortable.  The boys loved spending time with their uncles and cousins and of course Ju Ju had to give baths!  Thank you for everyone making the trip, especially my papa mullen.  A great weekend was had by all as you can see in the following pictures.

On our way

Cousin Alec played played played with Logan and Austin.  He is a really sweet boy.

Looking into the living room from the kitchen

Brian and Logan in the kitchen

Breakfast Day 2

More of the kitchen

Grandpa Mullen playing with Logan and Austin

Papa and Grandma Mullen

Beautiful Living Room

Logan and his girl friend Delanie (who is actually Aaron's girlfriend) Alec and Papa Mullen

RyRy, Austin, and JuJu - we apparently were always in the kitchen!

Me and my brothers (from the left) Brett, Justin, and Ryan

I was obsessed with the pot filler!

Bathroom off the kitchen (loved the bathrooms like 7.5 of them:)

Front door - beautiful glass everywhere

Justin, Aunt Tracey, Brian, Grandma (I think Brian was helping cook)

Loved the towels also - all monogrammed!

This I will have - I was also obsessed with the bath mat.  It was like stepping on a pillow when you got out of the shower!

Bottom sitting area with spiral steps

Looking out the widows you can see another outside sitting area

Late night fun! (There is my cousin Adam and his friend Emily -I think)

The Entire Family (Minus Adam who was working)

Logan's Potty Training

I use our blog as a keepsake; something we will have forever.  So I HAVE to blog about today - Logan is potty training!

Today, August 7, 2010 Logan is 3yrs and 2.5 months old
Potty training has been a VERY slow process.  Brian and I talk constantly about our concerns with Logan's refusal to use the potty, wear underwear and or pull-ups.  He wasn't ready, however I was really beginning to worry and beat myself up as a mother.  I mean I am in the process of getting my master's degree and have steadily kept a 4.0 GPA but I can't potty train my son!  It was really wearing on me.  However today was the day.  Today everything changed.  I have to admit I honestly only had one diaper this morning.  I knew last night we were out, but thought I would just get up, throw the kids in the car and run into the store to buy diapers.  So we all woke up and OF COURSE BOTH KIDS WERE POOPED!  AHHHH - what to do...I had one diaper, 10 water diapers, a box of unused Pull-Ups, and a drawer full of Buzz, Woody, Thomas, Superman, Spider-man underwear.  So I told Logan that Austin had to have the diaper and he would have decide if he wanted to wear a pull-up or underwear.  He was so mad - he screamed, cried, pitched a huge fit and then realized the TV was off.  I told him I wasn't putting the TV until he decided what he wanted to put on to go to the store.  He decided he wanted Buzz underwear.  So on they went and on I went asking every ten minutes if he had to pee.  He got up from the couch and went in the playroom, about ten minutes into playing he said "Mom, hurry I have to pee" and we all, including Austin ran to the bathroom for Logan to pee!  What a celebration!  We danced, sang, ate candy,&  put a sticker on the chart.  Fifteen minutes later Logan again said he had to pee and off to the bathroom we all went.  He was doing great.  so I decided we would venture out to the Dollar Store to get something small.  As soon as we walked into the Dollar Store, Logan had an accident.  He was sad.  So we quickly paid for the green soldiers he wanted and left. I had packed extra clothes just in case.  So I changed him and off we went to Chick Fil A.  We ate and played.  Another accident.  It was time to go home.  Now that we are home Logan has used the potty again and is doing great in his underwear!
It is now almost 11 pm on August 7, 2010.  Logan only had two accidents and went pee pee on the potty 12 times!  We are so excited.  Even after bath when Logan told us that he needed a diaper for bed and then each time he had to pee he still went on the potty even with a diaper on!  Logan, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!  We are looking forward to day 2 of using the potty!  We love you big boy!

Blog Journal Day 6 & 7

Day 6 (August 6, 2010) Topic: 20 of My Favorite Things (in no particular order)

1.  My Husband (This picture was taken by our budding photographer, Logan)

2.  My boys

3.  Bethenny Frankel 

4.  Decorating/updating/painting our house (Austin in our newly painted bedroom and new bedding)

5.  Cleaning - seriously (My Dyson and Shark)

6.  My Laptop 

7.  Grad School (again seriously)

8.  Little Caesars $5 Hot and Ready Pizza

9.  My BlackBerry

10.  Ann Taylor Loft

11.  Taking pictures of my kids and editing/organizing them with

12.  Creative Memories - Memory Manager

13.  ETSY

14.  Candy -  all kinds

15.  Being a SAHM to the babies and Dakota our dog and Carly our cat

16.  Facebook and Blog Stalking - you know you do it too

17.  Date Night (though they are too few and too far between; need to work on that)

18.  Eating dinner out - anywhere

19.  Shopping - anywhere

20.  Holidays - all but especially Halloween its my favorite (from Pottery Barn, its my mantel inspiration for this Halloween)

Day 7(Aug. 7, 2010) Topic: A Photo That Makes Me Happy

Any photo that involves my babies is sure to make me happy.  You have seen this before but this picture really makes me smile every time I see it; especially since Logan was telling Austin "Bits don't be sad I'll take care of you" on our way to the gym.

Blog Journal Day 5

Day 5 (August 5, 2010) Topic: Favorite Quote 


"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” - Dr. Seuss

Blog Journal Day 4

Day 4 (August 4, 2010) Topic: Favorite Book

Here is another secret about me...I LOVE to read!  At any given time I am reading 3 or 4 books.  I love to read books pertaining to motherhood, education, family, parenting, friendships, mysteries, and of course romance.  (That picture is my bathtub - my favorite place to read)!  I am not the best cook, but I love cookbooks and collect them; I will go through the entire book and sticky note the recipes I want to try.  I know my library card number by heart just like one knows their social security number.  I can rattle off the 14 digit number anytime; I never even take my card into the library anymore! 

 

I take the boys to the library weekly to check out books.  They love it also.  We go so often, they know where to return books, where the children's area is, the dvd's, the room where they climb the BIG steps, the place where I read to them, the tables they sit at and read, and where the "mommy books" are.  I melt when we walk into the library and Logan says "this is a quiet place bits."  I love how they both want to find the right books and dvds to check out and even more that they know how to check out books.  Soon it will be time to get them their own library card and that will be a celebration for sure!  I love our weekly trips to the library.  I am passionate about reading and books.  From the time I could read I have had my nose in a book.  I hope my children will love to read also.  I love to read to the boys and as a teacher I know how important it is to read to children.  So favorite books (I will list favorite children books since at the moment that is my favorite genre): Good Night Moon, Runaway Bunny, all Eric Carle & Dr. Seuss books, Love You Forever, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Are You My Mother?, and if you have never read The Most Thankful Thing by Lisa McCourt - buy it and read it to your baby (no matter how old that baby is)!  I read it when I was teaching to my class at Thanksgiving time and cried like a baby (I was pregnant with Logan).  

I love to read to my babies.  I feel lucky that I have these babies to read to - every single day.  

30 Day Blog Journal Days 1-3 (already behind)!

While I was thumbing through some of my favorite blogs, Live.Laugh.Love...and Libbi , had started her own 30 Day Blog Journal, an idea she got from Just to Keep in Touch.  This will for sure encourage me to blog each day:)  I am already behind so today's post will be for the first three topics.  If you want to join in on the fun and or see the list the topics, visit Just to Keep in Touch.  Of course I will add some other posts throughout the month of August and a recap of July (summer flew by).  I like this because I am turning our blog into yearly books and a lot of these posts will be information pertaining to our life.  So without further ado...

Day 1 (August 1, 2010) Topic - Favorite Song

I really don't have a favorite song.  Favorites to me are the songs that I hear that bring back memories.  Of course the song I danced to at my wedding with my husband "Bless the Broken Road" is a favorite.  Any time I hear a song I like I usually put it on my blog.  Right now "Smile" by Uncle Kracker is on my blog, a catchy and sweet song.  I love country, rap, pop, oldies, kid's songs, alternative, rock, hip hop, dance, etc.  I watch Glee weekly and then go to I Tunes and download the music - songs from the past that remind me of memories or that I just love and have forgotten.  Songs that remind me of my husband and songs that I sing to my babies will always be my top favorites.  "You Are My Sunshine" is a song I sing nightly to both boys and Ray LaMontagne's "You are the Best Thing" is a sexy song that I will dedicate to my love, Brian.

Day 2 (August 2, 2010) Topic - Favorite Movie

Again, I don't have one favorite.  Here is a confession...I love musicals or movies with lots of music; Grease, Singing in the Rain, Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing, Mama Mia (to name a few).  I also like comedies; Anchor Man has me on the floor laughing every time I watch it.  If you know me, you know I laugh.  A LOT.  So any movie that makes me laugh is a good movie.  I also love to watch Disney movies with the kids.  Oh and I don't like vampire movies - can you believe it?  I am on TEAM NO ONE!  

Day 3 (August 3, 2010) Topic - Favorite TV Show

Honestly now that I stay home, I watch more tv at night than I ever have; in between spending time with Brian, laundry, grad school work, etc...I like reality TV a lot.  The Housewives (Atl, NY, NJ, OC), Bethenny Getting Married?, Rachel Zoe Project, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, etc. I also love Law and Order SVU, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Dateline, 20/20, CNN, my lover Anderson Cooper's show AC 360, Modern Family to name a few.  I don't watch soap operas, talk shows, or any other type of day time tv.  I do like to watch the morning news, but the tv is off or on PBS for the kids during the day.

Whew!  Caught up!  Tomorrow is August 4, so its day 4 and the topic is Favorite Book.