Bye, Bye Binkie

It's just short of a Christmas miracle. I have been cursing for weeks that Nicholas's binkie HAD TO GO! I vowed I'd never be "one of those parents" that let my child walk around with a binkie in his/her mouth when they were two, let alone talking. I now regret passing any kind of judgement because of A) how hard it is to take away and B) how much comfort it brings these little tikes who get so attached to them. You pick your battles and that battle was never worth fighting for me.

Nicholas has had an intense love affair with his binkie. It has brought him so much comfort in his short life; that, along with his blanket. The two go hand in hand. I can't tell you the number of times Mark and I have gone searching for that DANG binkie. The count has to be in the thousands. It's a MUST where ever we go since the boy only knows one volume...and that is extremely LOUD! His high pitched scream pierces your ears. The binkie at least muffled it.

So, yesterday, Nicholas came to me with the saddest look on his face. His binkie was broken. It was the last binkie in the house since the others have all disappeared and I have refused to buy new ones. It was beyond repair - broken. I told him we'd have to throw it in the trash. He said, "No way" to that in his whimpering voice and continued to suck on it. I could tell he wasn't liking it but he wouldn't put it down.

When Mark came home, I told Nicholas to show dad what had happened to his binkie. He sadly showed Mark. I had kind of given Mark the heads up. Mark asked him if we should throw it in the trash and surprisingly he said "Yes!" and went and threw the binkie away himself. We both could not believe he did it. Believe me, I've been thinking of very creative ways to get rid of it and this was not one of them. Could it be this easy?

He asked for his binkie before bedtime and we kindly reminded him that it was broken. He whimpered sadly to himself. We put him in bed and closed the door. We could still hear him whimpering softly for it but then the most amazing thing happened....he went to sleep. It was amazing! He WAS up at 4:00 AM asking for his binkie but seemed to understand when we told him it was in the trash. He's asked for it a few times today but instead of throwing his usually tantrum, he just gets a little sad thinking about it. We left it in the trash and he's gone in to look at it a few times. I really think he's given it up. Even though I couldn't be happier, I have a feeling the next few days are going to be a little rough as he goes through withdrawals. I'm so proud of him, though. Growing pains are never easy!

Tulips Galore

We headed up north to the little town of Woodburn to attend the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. We've heard so much about it and it really was spectacular! We are talking rows and rows of tulips in every color imaginable. It was beautiful! We had fun taking pictures of the kids. They were not so cooperative but we got a few good ones. There was a children's area with slides, horse swings and rubber duck races. It was really cute! It was such a gorgeous day in Oregon. Springtime here is absolutely amazing! There is color everywhere! I love it!

And so the fun begins...

Today was our first official day of potty training. Karlee has been showing all of the signs (telling me that she's pottied in her diaper, wanting to sit on the potty after the fact and going through all the motions--wadding up mounds of toilet paper, wiping, flushing and washing hands). So, I was thinking I should run with it. On Tuesday, I bought all the goods: the Princess and Cars underwear, the Elmo Potty Movie, the gummy bears. I had all morning with no where to be so I said to myself, "Let's do this thing!" Believe me, it's a day I've been dreading for a very long time. Seriously, potty training has to be the worst part of motherhood. It don't have the patience for it. But today, I put on my happy, cheerleading face and was the biggest fan ever!

It turned out to be a huge sucess. There were no accidents and Karlee even went twice. Her face completely lit up when it all came together the very first time. She got it! We made a huge deal out of it....clapped, danced around... ate treats. She loved it! Nicholas was very apprehensive about the whole thing until I brought out the jar of gummy bears, then he was all for it. This was the first day I have even got this kid to come close to the potty! Now, I just have to figure out how to get him to want to wear underwear. He prefers his diaper. It'll come, but I have a feeling it will be slow going with him. Macy has a been a huge help too! She has entitled herself to gummy bears for helping.

So, hurray for today! This potty training thing just might be okay! At least, I have a glimmer of hope that wasn't there before.

Easter Festivities

Our neighborhood had their annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday morning. Even with all the rain, it still went down. Nothing ever stops for the rain. It's just a part of life here in Oregon! I love it but I hate it! Nicholas LOVED the egg hunt! He caught on right away. Karlee was too cold to participate for very long. Macy was grouped with the older kids and only got 3 eggs! There were tears over that. Nicholas offered to share some of his. He is so sweet! The kids LOVED opening the eggs and finding candy inside. I definitely have some chocolate lovers in the family, just like their Mom! Easter candy seriously has to be the best of all the holidays! Don't you agree?