This blog is a record of my life as the Lord shepherds me through His will. It is a testament to the lessons I learn, or attempt to learn.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Lots of things to commemorate today!

I DID IT!!!

And we have success!  Ilijah not only went pee-pee on the potty, he did it all by himself!  We were going commando again this morning and I had to go get Bella from the room.  When I returned, I saw Ilijah going pee-pee on the potty unprompted.  I was sooooo super excited!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Hmm?

I wasn't quite sure what I should title this post, so I thought I would get some help from the Friends and Fam.  You guys vote and we will decide together!


Here are some of the titles I came up with:







Uhhg, Will I Ever Get My Teeth Fixed?






13 Going on 30 . . .









It takes a Dozen + 1 . . .












Here We Go Again . . .












The Threequal . . .












Micah is a Psychic . . .












THE VIA FAMILY TAKES OVER THE WORLD ONE CHILD AT A TIME . . .










Thank You Lord For Your Little Blessings!!!!













Etc. Etc. Etc.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

A little down time

So I finally had some alone time while both kids were sleeping . . . this is a miracle since they are usually not on the same schedule!  So, I thought I would grace you all with my presence.  Also somewhat of a miracle, ha.

Now to catch you up on what has been going on around the Via house.  Ilijah and Bella are growing like weeds!  Each of them have quite the personality, and I just love seeing their little minds grow.  Here is a little of what they are all about these days:

ILIJAH

- Still does not like to eat, and when he does, it is mostly fruit or carbs
- Will play in the water (bath or pool or little puddle in our yard) for hours if you would let him
- LOVES the movie Cars and can name almost every character in it
- Says AHHHH! after every time I say Lightening (one of the scenes in the movie)
- Absolutely loves his little sister and will often share his toys with her
- Frequently asks where sissy, Heidi, and Daddy are (he calls all dogs Heidi after my moms dog)
- Is sad that his mommy made the new puppy go bye bye
- Asks for cookies every time he is hungry
- Says please (or rather "Pees!") when he wants anything, and it is the kind of pitiful begging that would melt even the Grinch's heart
- Loves to run around bare butt naked (as you have seen previously, we are going commando for potty training)
- Hates it when he has an accident on the floor, but still doesn't really know what he should do about it
- Still doesn't ever wake up happy
- Still doesn't like to play in his room by himself
- Would rather drink his weight in liquids than eat solids at all
- One of his favorite pass times is to line, reline, and continue to line his cars up in a row and park them in their garages (whatever that happens to be at the time, box, table, chair, ones foot, behind the couch, etc.)
- Likes to read stories, but only for about 8 minutes, and then he will move on to the next best thing
- Loves to spell his name and sing his ABCs
- Loves to identify other letters on signs and cars and whatnot
- Plays with his cars, trucks, trains, and planes 24/7 (he literally sleeps with them and then asks about them first thing when he wakes up)
- Thinks Spiderman is pretty cool, which I am sure his father is proud of : )
- Still loves sports
- Still loves to sing and dance
- Does not like having his diaper changed any more, hence the potty training
- Is passionate about pretty much everything
- Dislikes the vacuum now, which never used to bother him
- Enjoys helping anyone out in any way that he can
- Is equally as much of a daddy's boy as he is a momma's boy
- LOVES FAMILY TOGETHERNESS! (what Via doesn't?)
- Sundays are still super long for him, and he is usually out before we get out of the parking lot at church
- Enjoys coloring with markers
- Likes to figure things out for himself
- Explores almost everything
- Super enjoys watching movies (again, he is his father's son)
- His eye color has now changed from a vibrant blue to a dark blue/green/brown
- He gets taller and skinnier every day
- His hair is finally starting to fill in now that he is 1 year and 9 months old
- He loves to put objects like rocks, batteries, change, and grass in his mouth
- Likes to spend his mornings in bed with mom and dad
- Loves days when we can all just hang out together
- Is confident yet caring
- Loves animals and can identify several of them (some of them he still calls dogs)
- Wishes he could live outside
- Doesn't like it when daddy has to go to work
- Loves to bathe himself in mulch . . . not sure why?
- Loves all of his Uncles which also include Bubba, Conway, JoJo, Chad, Flash, & Micah buddy
- Thinks that the moon is one of the coolest things that comes out at night
- Can identify airplanes whether they are a spec in the air, the stream of exhaust from the tail in the sky, or a model on Pappa's shelf 
- Knows when things are yucky and exclaims "BLAHG!" every time
- Doesn't like to blow his nose, but knows when he needs to and asks anyways
- Likes to observe everything and think about what is going on
- Is very obedient, but still has to push his boundaries just to make sure
- Enjoys flushing the toilet
- Finds foods tastier if they are not his
- Loves to pray
- Likes to brush his own teeth
- Loves to pretend to read and laugh at his own jokes : )

IZABELLA

- Scares easily
- Is very tenderhearted
- Loves to smile and giggle
- Loves her brother very much and enjoys being around him
- Loves Praise Baby and it is the only DVD she will watch
- Has mixed feelings about baths and water
- Is comforted by her passie and blankie
- Her favorite spot is on her mother's chest as she is being rocked back and forth
- She is a snuggler (takes after her aunt Kendra)
- Loves to look pretty
- Spits up terribly all over her pretty clothes
- Loves to eat and enjoys eating solids, especially carrots (thank goodness!)
- Is tall and skinny just like her brother
- Looks just like her brother
- Is free spirited
- Is very vocal
- Loves to play with her toes
- Sleeps on her side (it is the sweetest thing ever)
- Doesn't like to be alone
- Will only enjoy a johnny-jump-up or exersaucer if you are sitting right there with her
- Dives after anything she wants
- Scratches your face off with her super sharp and long nails (she did not get those from me)
- Smiles with her eyes
- Has her mom's dimple on her left cheek
- Has dainty long fingers (everyone says she will be a piano player)
- Sits up on her own
- Often does sit-ups when she is watching Praise Baby
- Has had her first cheerio and whole piece of banana
- Sleeps very well
- Enjoys everyone, but loves her momma
- Loves to look back over her shoulder
- Wishes she could do everything her brother can do
- Does not like to go #2
- Loves to make you feel like you are the best thing in the WORLD!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Going Comando UPDATE

Well, we are still trucking on our bare bottom bash with Ilijah.  So far we have had three pee-pee accidents, and one poopy.  However, Ilijah hates it when he has an accident, so that is good. 

Friday, May 7, 2010

New Best Friend

Ilijah has had no problem with getting comfortable with his new potty.  He has had no fear of it.  As a matter of fact, I have had to work super hard at keeping him away from it when he is not using it.  He just loves playing with his potty . . . not so sanitary (even if I do clean it thoroughly).  Blahg! 

Thursday, May 6, 2010

The little things in life.

Can I just say that I LOVE it when my children just fall asleep on their own?

Going Comando!

This morning, we are trying a BOOTCAMP tactic for potty training. Ilijah has been bare butt naked all morning, and has only had one accident so far. I read this tactic on one of the parenting websites and just thought that it was a good way for Ilijah to see cause and effect. Now let me preface this with the fact that this is not our first attempt at potty training. I don't think that I would start with this technique. We have worked on potty training subtly and have had good success, but now I feel he is ready to dive in and go for gold! We will see how long this tactic will last for us, but after potty training a puppy for a short while, I CAN HANDLE ANYTHING!