This is how he rolls!

I finally saw Anderson roll over on our trip to the beach. Since then he has become a "pro". It was difficult to even get a video clip of it. As soon as I lay him down, he starts to roll over. He's starting to enjoy his "tummy time"! Check out the clip of how he rolls...

The Polite and Pleasant Princess

I had said a while back that I was going to blog about the "behavior system" we (meaning I (-:) put into place. A few months ago Anagrace began acting what we call "sassy". Sassy meaning she was talking back, using an inappropriate tone when speaking to us and stomping away when we would correct her. After constantly correcting her verbally, I made a visual behavior system using a chalkboard with a princess face on it. With each "sassy action" she is told to remove a pretty clothespin (that she decorated herself) from the princess board. As clothespins are removed, the princess's smile begins to turn downward. Also, as the clothespins are removed there are more consequences she receives from us. If she keeps all of her clothespins (we check it twice a day-after lunch and dinner) she gets a lot of verbal praise and a treat from the candy bowl. Since we put this into place, she has been a much more polite and pleasant princess to be around!

*Disclaimer: I did not write this blog for criticism in my parenting skills! I am sure that this may make some people cringe...Oh Well! It works for us! Just thought I'd offer it up in case anyone wanted to try something similar.

Vacation???

As my hubby informed you, the kids and I were out of town last week. He referred to it as a vacation, but I would have to disagree. It was merely a change of location. A vacation is not a vacation with 2 small children! I went with my mother and grandmother, who were very helpful, but it still was not relaxing by any stretch of the imagination. There were several instances that we just had to laugh at the circumstances. It was extremely hot! We carried 3 chairs, a baby swing, an umbrella, a baby 'tent', sand toys, and a bag filled with towels, sunscreen, and magazines to the beach everyday. By the time we got there, we were sweaty and exhausted. It seemed that for various reasons we could not stay on the beach for much more than an hour. It was a lot of work and not much resting! There was an incident with an umbrella on a windy afternoon that still makes me laugh when I think about it. In fact, Mom, Grandma and I had quite a few laughs on the trip...and that was what made it worthwhile. I really enjoyed our time together.

"How The Tide Turns"

No blogging last night (late night at work). But I was very excited to get home today and see the family. Only to find out they decided to turn the 2-3 hour drive from the beach into a 6 hour ride and will not be home until later this evening. Which is probably a good thing since I decided to open the cell phone bill when I arrived and found a $180.00 phone bill. No this is not for 3 months or even three phones. Just my lovely wifes phone bill for last month. I went straight to the gym and let steam out and now I am again excited to see my family. So I went from excited to HOT to excited again.

"Guy's Day Out"

This is Justin again the family is still on vacation without me! I have to stay and work to pay for said vacation.
Well this is the second day without the family and it was 100% guys day out. My bother-in-law Austin and I went to church and then met up with his dad and a family friend to go mountain biking for 2 hours. After a brief rest I went out with Austin and Mikey wake boarding. Know that things have slowed down I find myself stairing at the clock wondering if it's to early to go to bed, it's 7:00pm!

Home Alone!

I guess it's my tyrn to edit the blog since my family has left me and gone to the beach (this is Justin, Chelseas wonderful husband). This is the first night that I am home alone and I find myself fighting sleep at 10:00pm because Chelz and I always have our "talk time" and then we get in bed together. I dont want to get into OUR bed by myself. I guess I will sleep on the couch until Wednesday when my family returns. It's wild how we get into our routines and when something changes it's hard to stay on path. And what's even wilder is how much our families mean to us! They have been gone less than 12 hours and I can't wait to see them.

I missed it....AGAIN!

Anderson rolled over the first time on July 28th, and then again a few days ago. I missed seeing it for my own eyes both times because of laundry! Add "missing my son's milestone" to the list of reasons why I hate...no loathe... laundry. (What other household chore requires so much time...sorting, pretreating stains, washing, very occasionally ironing, folding, putting it away...and it is NEVER really done!?) Did I mention I loathe doing the laundry? Anyway, both times Anderson rolled from his back to his tummy after I placed him on his activity mat to do one of the many steps involved in the laundering process. He began to cry after rolling over, I guess it scared him and he wasn't really sure what had happened. When I checked on him and realized what had happened, I cried a little bit myself! I can't believe I missed it...twice! That makes me think...how much do we as mothers miss because we are worried about things that in the "big scheme of things" don't really matter? Please tell me I am not a bad mommy, and that you other mothers sometimes stress more than you should about the things "undone"! I struggle with how I am going to get it all done and be a good mommy, too. I know that I cannot completely abondon the chore of laundry...the Prevette family would be one wrinkly, stained, stinky mess...but perhaps I should not let it bother me so much that the dirty clothes hampers are always full. It's just part of life...and life should be spent focusing on the things that really matter, like family. Next time I'm gonna see it!

Look in the background of the picture....a laundry basket!!!!!:-)

Cooking with a 3-year-old

It's always an experience when cooking with a 3-year-old! Anagrace loves to help out in the kitchen! Today I actually planned ahead for our dinner. Usually, around 5pm I start to wonder what I should cook for my hungry family. Anagrace and I made "Easy Beef Stroganoff" in the crockpot. I'll supply the recipe at the bottom of this post, if anyone is interested (it's so easy a 3 year-old can make it!).

We placed all the ingredients into the crockpot and stirred it up. Anagrace peered down into the pot and asked with a tone of uncertainty "Have I ever eat this before?" I told her no, but that she would like it. I reassured her, "It won't look the same when it's all done...it will be like beef and gravy!". To which she replied "Well, now it looks like throw-up and seeds!"

Here's the recipe, hope you enjoy:

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup water

1 lb. beef tips

1 pkg. onion soup mix

1 pkg. egg noodles

Combine soup, water, and onion mix in crock pot. Cook on low 4-6 hours or high for 2-4 hours. Cook noodles according to directions on package and drain. Serve "easy beef stroganoff" over noodles.

Rules!

My daughter and husband can come up with some ridiculous rules! Don't get me wrong, I like structure and boundaries...I was going to talk about the "behavior plan" we set up for Anagrace, but I had to vent about the rules that are placed on me! First, in order to play with Anagrace, she has multiple rules that I have follow. I have to say something specific that she tells me to after she does some kind of cue. She'll tell me something like "Mommy, you have to say 'The baby is hungry when I point to the food, then pick her up and give her the purple bottle not the blue one cause that's for the other baby". Or there is a certain way or order of how we have to play with her toys. It is kind of humorous, but frustrating. I've told her that she won't keep friends and her playmates won't play if she continues to make up rules as she goes along.

But, what was way more frustrating were the rules that my husband, Justin, came up with tonight. Get this, he says that he cannot change 2 diapers in a row! Are you kidding me? How many diapers do I change in a row. I believe the first diaper that he changed was the only diaper of the day! I'm trying to think of some rules for myself. I cannot cook dinner for 2 nights in a row. Or maybe when he says "I changed the diaper last" that means I get to go shopping the next day! How you like them rules!

In all honesty, Justin is a wonderful father and husband! And if I am being honest I have rules that probably drive him and Anagrace crazy as well....put down the lid, pick up your dirty clothes from the floor and place them in the hamper, if you are finished using/playing with something put it away, don't chew or talk with your mouth full...but all of my rules make sense!:-)

Inquisitive Little Girl

Anagrace has always been an inquisitive little girl. I cannot even begin to guess how many questions I answer in a day! Sometimes it gets overwhelming, especially if I don't know the answer or how to repond.

A few days ago her "theme of the day" was marriage. All questions about marriage.

"Will I get to wear a pretty princess dress like you did when I get married?"

"Can I marry brother?"...."Okay,then, can I marry cousin Parker?"

(I explained that we can't marry people in our family, to which she replied "But, Daddy is in your family!")

The theme lately has been about God and Jesus.

"How can he hear us when he's not in the room?"

"How does he take us to heaven?"

"Will brother go to heaven?"

I try to answer all her questions as best I can, so that her almost 4 year old brain can understand. Sometimes it is a challenge. I pray that I will be able to lead her to a relationhip with Christ by not only what I say, but by my actions. How I react to people and situations, that can be a huge chellenge! (I"ll talk about how I try to model good behavior in later post)

He wants to see the world!

Since the day he was born Anderson has been trying to check out the world. I noticed in the hospital that he was trying to pick his head up off of my shoulder. Now he's a pro at it. He's even able to hold his head up while on his tummy, which is not his favorite position to be in! He likes for me to hold him so he can see everything with his bright blue eyes.