All Rolled Into One

This is a very long picture post! It's been a few weeks since I've been able to post pictures. I've started my new job which I LOVE! It's a totally different working experience then I had before-not that I didn't love teaching- but, working for my pastor and with people within my church is just awesome! It's so uplifiting and positive. Not that every part of the job is positive, there are parents to please- and you can't always do that! And children with needs that are hard to meet. I have also had to learn that I am the director, so I make a lot of the decisions and that's the way it will be. That is really new to me- I am learning to like it! I have a great staff that I am so thankful for, they are so positive and just fantastic with children! I NEVER worry about Andrew and Madelyn! The biggest perk of the job is getting to see them anytime I want to! Andrew has learned that even though I am at school and come in his classroom or the gym or playground, it is "mommy's work" and he respects that. He had a hard time when I would leave crying and wanting to come with me, but now he says "bye Mommy" and just goes back to what he was doing. He is very protective of Madelyn! It's soooooo cute! He says "that's my sister" to anyone who talks to her! Absolutely precious! So, here are the pictures from the last couple of weeks...

Jason and I went to Lake Tahoe on a business trip. I had a fab-u-lous three days at the spa! I read and relaxed and enjoyed some "me time"! It was great! The snow was gorgeous. It snowed 24" in Reno when we arrived. It looked like a winter wonderland!

Madelyn has started to love her gym. It was Andrew's, but he never liked it. She gets in there and kicks and grabs at everything. She laughs and talks! I love it!

Mere and Don got Madelyn a rocking chair for her room. It finally came in and we were able to pick it up. Andrew really likes it!

My sweet boy!

My precious girl! She is looking at her big brother!

Just relaxing!

More gym time

Andrew is starting potty training. He prefers to use the "big boy" potty. This was the first day he used the potty at school (this is not the potty at school)! He ran up to me and said "I get jelly bean!" They get jelly beans when they go potty at school.

Splashing in his orange bathwater

Madelyn is enjoying her bath. She is still an avid hand sucker!

One of the perks of my job! Watching Andrew on the playground. Here he is on the slide.

Andrew got a cookie monster shirt from Wal-Mart the other day. I heard this sweet little voice saying, "cookie monster (mon-ter), cookie monster mommy." I looked all over to try and find what it was he was looking at and in the t-shirt section there was a cookie monster shirt. It's a 5/6 and so it is enormous, but he is so proud of it and showed EVERYONE his new shirt the next day at school.

Madelyn loves to sit in the bumbo seat. Yet another essential baby item that Andrew didn't like! Thank goodness she enjoys them!

I turned on A's Elmo Live! for Madelyn. She thought it was so funny and just laughed at him. I've never seen such a tiny girl that is so into the things around her!

The girl also enjoys watching TV. Our TV is over the fireplace, but she wasn't going to miss out on her shows!

Enjoying more Elmo. Andrew was napping, but later he saw her watching Elmo and decided that it was alright to share Elmo with Madelyn!

He did not, on the other hand, know that she was lounging in his chair!

I just love this precious girl! (and the precious boy!)

Riding the tractor at the mall today. He thought it was so much fun!

We also took a train ride (two actually, he rode with Nana the first round). It's quite a bumpy ride. I was nervous that he was going to get motion sickness!It was also quite windy!

Tonight Madelyn rolled over!!! Of course, we all missed it. Nana saw her do it and we saw her after she had done it. We were all on our hands and knees trying to get her to do it again. Andrew would say "come on, roll over Madelyn."

I asked Andrew to show her how to roll over and this is how he decided to do it!

He just pushed her over himself! We are still waiting for her to do it again, but she won't! I guess she's stubborn too!

I decided the other day that Iam determined to get Andrew potty trained. I know that he is capeable of doing it. He goes on the potty quite often, but not consistently. So, I did what I am best at- I made him a chart! I have a potty chart that is divided into weeks (8 weeks is my goal) and then there are the days of the week. He will get a small sticker each time he pee-pee's in the potty and an M&M. When he poo-poo's in the potty he will get a big sticker (they are Sesame Street stickers- surprise, surprise!) and he gets to choose a little book from the Sesame Street book collection. I thought that was good incentive for him. If that's not enough, I got him some Sesame Street underware too! So, here is hoping that I can get this boy out of diapers!

I had to explain Andrew's potty chart to him and he was excited, he said "Mommy make potty chart." I then, had to take away the books and explain how he could earn them. Shockingly, he hasn't messed with the books...or the potty!

So, this is what's been going on with our family over the last few weeks. We are just enjoying watching the kids grow and wishing that it didn't happen so fast!