Week in Review

Tuesday: Anna Kate gets busted playing with the tushie wipes.





Wednesday: She makes up for it by being the star student in cradle roll. Anna Kate loves her cradle roll class. When I first started taking her, she screamed when I tried to put her in the seat, but once I was out of view she was always fine. Now she doesn't give me a second glance. Love the way she pumps those little legs under the table!





Thursday: Anna Kate working towards those Buns of Steel! I met a friend at a local park so the kids could play. I have lots of pictures of Wesley playing in these water spouts when he was a wee one, but this was Anna Kate's first time to play here. They kept the water turned off most of the year due to water restrictions (not much rain this year). The summer storms got them back in business! Love the way AK's hat isn't even close to being big enough to fit over her head - it was in the latest bin of Mimi's yard sale finds, and it didn't even occur to me to check and see if it fit before we left for the park! (below) Arrrrghh! Wesley's pirate face (we talk about pirates a lot now after seeing a pirate show at Sea World). Note that he lost 2 inches off his waist in diaper padding after potty training, and I had to cinch up his trunks!





Mom of the Year here letting complete strangers swing my kids. The big kids weren't evacuating, so I just stuck my kids on with them and asked them to hold on to Anna Kate. One big girl held AK while her friends pushed. They all kept yelling over to their day camp director, "Miss Davis! Look at the little darrrr'lin!"





Friday: Met my college friend and fellow mommy blogger Melanie at a Chick-Fil-A in Orlando. Here we are with our girls, Anna Kate and Daisy. We had been attending Spiritual Growth Workshop. Mel and her fam just moved to Orlando. Dan and Melanie also have the world's chunkiest baby boy, Isaac, who was so adorable crawling around with AK. We were gabbing too much to get pics. My favorite memories of Melanie are of her dorm-room dancing in the wee hours of the morning. We were reminiscing about it at dinner, so Melanie, this scan's for you! That's Whitney (Harding BF and roomie) in the black top teaching the girls a dance to N'Sync's "Bye Bye Bye." That's also her in the white tee in the photo on the top right, after she changed clothes (that's me in the white v-neck behind her) . Melanie is in the gray tee. good times.





Saturday: We met our very close (and long lost!) friends the Rogers at Sea World. Mike and Erin and their girls Rachel and Julia were our closest friends here in Florida until they abandoned us two years ago to return to their hometown of Fayetteville, Ark. We've seen Mike and Erin since they moved, but not the girls! Wesley was Anna Kate's age the last time Rachel and Julia saw him. They were big parts of his life in his first year! Mike actually moved to Florida a couple of months after we did back in 2004, and he lived with us (in our B.C. days - before children!) until he found a house and Erin and the girls followed that summer. Mike's sister Jerri Ann Lamb was one of my good friends in Lexington, Ky. It was fun having two Michael Rogers in the same house... especially when messing with telemarketers! Wesley riding his first "real" ride at Sea World... just ask him and he'll tell you all about riding the teacups. (below) Michael and Julia spinning so fast that I couldn't catch Wesley's face! Non-spinners Rachel and I were safely suspended in the teacup next door!





I tried to get some pictures of Shamu this time (by the way, they're ALL Shamu, and there were at least 4 killer whales performing in this show). Shamu swam up on this ledge and then twirled in circles - amazing!!! You really don't get a sense from this photo how Ginormous he is!! (below) Erin holding Anna Kate during the Shamu Rocks show. AK danced and clapped her hands to the loud music!





That's a person standing on Shamu's mouth! A person would dive down with Shamu and come out of the water standing on his lips! (Do whales have lips??)



It was hard to capture with a still camera, but Wesley was cutting a rug like a mug during the whole show! The Shamu Rocks show blares loud rock music, and Wes had his groove on big time! Two grown Shamus and a little baby Shamu on the far right. Mike, Erin, and the girls came home with us after we met up at Sea World and we got to spend the rest of the weekend together.

By the way... what a difference two weeks makes in potty training land!!! When we went to Sea World merely two weeks ago, we had just started potty training Wesley in earnest, and I had not yet tried putting him in underwear. He had been doing fairly well at home, but absolutely abandoned potty training at the park because he was not yet used to going anywhere but at home. So two weeks ago, I changed a soggy diaper in the penguin exhibit, and a full poopie load in the restroom of the Sharks restaurant. This time, only two weeks later, Wesley was in underwear all day, and did not have a single accident. He went pee-pee in the potty 3 times in the park, and even got my attention at dinner to tell me he needed to go poopie in the potty. I walked into the same restroom where I changed Wesley's poopie diaper two weeks ago, blew right past the changing table, and put my big potty-trained boy on the toilet! So proud I could pop!



Sunday: Michael picked up our new double stroller, which I found on Craigslist for $100. Click here to see how much you would have to pay for it new... $300 plus tax and shipping!! I've been rocking the Craigslist lately! We have a Graco DuoGlider LX (which I got off ebay for $90 right before Anna Kate was born; it was originally about $275). I had to get the DuoGlider because it was compatible with my infant carrier. I've loved it and it's been great for strolling around the neighborhood, but it's rather large and heavy to have to always be breaking it down and putting it in the car and then getting it out again. Now that Anna Kate is almost out of her infant carrier and has long preferred riding in a stroller sans carseat, I wanted something lighter to keep in the car. Found this one on Craigslist - it's wonderfully light and glides with the slightest touch! I was concerned about it being pinkish, but for nearly $250 in savings, Wes is man enough to handle it. Besides, Anna Kate has ridden in a blue DuoGlider for a year now, so it's only fair! It really is only slightly pinkish, though, and even Michael approves. Wes is excited about it, and keeps asking to go for a walk in his "pink stroller." Okay, I admit, I posted a picture of a stroller because I failed to take any pictures on Sunday. Our church celebrated its annual Homecoming (always held the Sunday after Spiritual Growth Workshop), and we also dedicated our new family life center, which was cool. I had never been inside the new building yet. It's very new and clean and pretty. I pray God will bless us with an effective ministry.

Monday (today): Spent one last morning with Erin and the girls. Anna Kate loved having all the extra playmates! Wesley grew especially attached to "Miss Julia and Rachel" (which is what he called them - have no idea why he added the Miss to J's name). He stood on the front porch and cried watching them drive away this afternoon. And that's our week in review!

Goofy Kiddos & Sea Critters

Just some random photos I've been meaning to post; this one cracks me up! It's Anna Kate's "Tah-dahhhh, here I am!" face that she makes after crawling/climbing to reach me. Wesley's nifty just-out-of-the-tub hairdo. He loves this Power Rangers shirt, although he's never seen Power Rangers (and hopefully never will... I got more than my fill of that show when my little brother was a tot! Most bizarre children's program ever. Seriously strange!). I still remember the Power Rangers theme from hearing it so much around Corey, so I sing it to Wesley when we put on the shirt. So now Wes runs around in the shirt yelling, "Go Go Power Rangers!" He never quite gets the, "might morph'n Power Rangers" part right, but pretty close!

(below) Wesley continues to be quite affectionate with Anna Kate, but as she's gotten bigger, stronger, and squirmier, Wesley's hugs are turning into head-locks! I constantly have to yell, "Gentle, Wesley... Gentle... GENTLE!!!" while Wes is loving on AK to keep him from strangling her!





Wesley loves to get this musical water globe down from his desk and watch the glitter and listen to the music. I walked by his room and he had his chin propped up on his hands very angelic-like, watching the water globe. It was such a Kodak moment, but by the time I got my camera, he had turned his head. This globe is very special to me, because it was a gift from Linda Oldach, a wonderful Christian woman that taught me in children's Bible class several times at my home church in Lexington. This globe is among the gifts she sent with my mother when Wesley was born. Linda had just been diagnosed with aggressive cancer and she passed away very soon after Wesley was born. She never got to meet Wesley, but I'll be sure that Wesley knows why this globe is so special. (below) I attempted to make Wesley re-create the Kodak moment for me, but I couldn't get him to pose. He got fed up with all the camera nonsense... You can pretty much read the "Mommy, hold you!" on his lips in this photo!





Michael's parents came down last weekend for Anna Kate's birthday. Just seeing Grandpa was gift enough for Anna Kate... she goes to Ralph over anyone other than me and Michael. She just gravitates towards him! Patricia brought some baby dolls and Anna Kate got more for her birthday. I honestly hadn't realized that AK was old enough to play with a baby doll; she's always just played with the same toys Wesley played with as a baby. I knew she would want to play with dolls one day, but I'm shocked that even at this very young age, my little girl has a maternal instinct! I'm newly amazed at how specially and wonderfully made we are by our Creator!





I mentioned in the past couple of posts that Ralph and Patricia took us to Sea World. Wesley was enthralled! He has talked about it non-stop ever since! I wish I had more pictures, but I think Michael got a little happy with the video camera and failed to take many photos. Wesley got to feed a sea lion, which undoubtedly will be a story of choice for the next year (seeing as he still talks about feeding a giraffe at the zoo a year ago!). Wesley actually did toss a few fish himself, and the sea lion always managed to catch them mid-air!





We saw several amazing shows. I thought it would be neat, but I had no idea how absolutely stunning it would be! I literally teared up the first time Shamu leaped out of the water! We have no photos of that show, because we were all too mesmerized! Here's Anna Kate checking out the dolphin show (she was actually more interested in the baby sitting behind us - pretty sure that's what she was pointing at!). Ralph took this pic of the dolphins.





We ate at Shark's Underwater Grill inside the park. It was incredible! Sharks casually swam by throughout our entire meal - I almost dropped my fork a couple of times! There was nothing but glass and a couple of feet between us! It was really hard to get good photos because it was pretty dark, but here's Wesley sitting in his high chair.





Anna Kate was too overstimulated to nap, and she held on until we were strolling in the parking lot! She was awake when we left the park, but crashed somewhere en route to the car. Anna Kate never sleeps on the go, and usually requires being in her crib in a quiet room to sleep... I still cannot believe she just slumped over and crashed like this!



It didn't last, because she woke up when I transferred her to her carseat. Then she proceeded to stay awake for another 45 minutes or so (I'm telling you this girl is a serious sleep-fighter!) before crashing again right before we got home. I thought it was funny that she fell asleep grasping her snack in the stroller, and then fell asleep grasping her juice in the car. We Rogers women don't relinquish our food! Ralph was generous enough to make our tickets season passes, so we'll get to come back and enjoy Sea World all year! Wesley has been asking to go back every single day.

Quick Potty Training Update: Doing great! Wes has been in underwear since last Wednesday. I've still been putting a Pull-Up on him at night, but he usually is dry when he wakes up in the morning. I've been letting him nap in his underwear, and he hasn't had any accidents. The only big accident he's had was at church last night. He usually goes poopy in the morning, but he held it because he was at church. I tried to get him to go yesterday afternoon, but I guess he was all off schedule. He ended up having an accident at evening church, but I think it's because he was in the children's program, and I had not adequately talked to him about telling the teacher if he had to go. I'm sure he knew it was coming, but was not sure who to ask or where to go. I felt bad. Even then, though, he was still dry! We're definitely in underwear for good... I'm sure there may still be the occasional accident as this becomes second nature to him, but I can't see going back to diapers or even Pull-Ups except at night. Those GeoTrax are as good as his!

Jupiter Beach & Potty Training Digression

Michael had a conference in Jupiter Beach this week at the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa. The kids and I hitched a ride and hung out while Michael was in meetings. We left Sunday, the day after Anna Kate's party, and returned today. Here's Anna Kate checking out the view.





I'm a big 1-year-old girl and I know it!





Wesley showing off his potty candy for the camera. I finally decided it was time to get serious about potty-training about two weeks ago. I had taken the kids with me to Toys-R-Us to get gift ideas for Anna Kate's birthday. Wesley was mesmerized by the GeoTrax display. He got a freebie DVD with cartoons about the GeoTrax characters with a toy he got for Christmas, and it's long been a favorite. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a GeoTrax display and realized it was his beloved cartoon come to life! He has talked about GeoTrax non-stop ever since. I decided to capitalize on the motivational incentive, and created a train track potty chart complete with a picture of the GeoTrax central station at the end. For nearly a year, we've had the Bob the Builder potty seat and the jar of potty candy in the bathroom closet, but Wesley failed to take interest and there was no point in pushing him. Now that Wes has a tangible (or at least visual) incentive, he's been making strides in potty training. He will tell any stranger he passes on the street, on the beach, or in the elevator that he goes poopy in the potty for GeoTrax. When he sits on the potty, he runs his finger along the tracks and says, "Wesley goes poopy in the potty, gets stickers, and the train goes chuga-chuga-chuga-chuga-choo-choo!! chuga-chuga-chuga-chuga-choo-choo..." until his finger reaches the picture of GeoTrax, and then he slaps the picture and says, "And we go to the store and buy the GeoTrax!" For the first week, it felt like we lived in the bathroom. The hardest part of potty training by far has been trying to keep Anna Kate occupied while I sit and monitor the potty process (I have to witness pee-pees to be able to reward accordingly). Initially Wes had to sit for long periods of time, and the pee-pee almost seemed to take him by surprise. Now that he's learning how to both hold his bladder and empty it on cue, our time in the bathroom has been mercifully shortened (he used to strain to no avail and yell, "Mommy, help!"). By last Thursday, Wesley was staying dry pretty much all day, even during naps. Then Mimi and Grandpa came and we went to SeaWorld on Friday and Anna Kate's party was Saturday, and Wesley threw potty training out the window. I had a little chat with Wes on Sunday, and I figured I could use our time secluded in a hotel room for a few days to get him back on the wagon. He's been doing great - he put all his poopy in the potty for the past two days! He even went poopy in a restaurant bathroom today! So when we got home this afternoon, I decided he was ready: I stripped off the pull-up and put him in underwear. It's actually training underwear, with extra padding, so he can go a little without making a mess. We went through 3 pairs in the first hour, but after that, he was putting himself on the potty on a regular basis. With the training underwear, he would start to pee-pee, feel it, stop, and run to the bathroom. He had damp underwear at first, but never enough to leak. He wore the 4th pair for several hours before it was time for bed and stayed dry, going to sit on the potty without prompting. He felt like such a big boy in his underwear; he kept saying, "Just like Caleb and Gabe!" (his cousins). He's earned over 10 stickers on his potty chart just today, and at this rate, he'll have his GeoTrax in about two weeks! I'm hesitant to celebrate too soon, and I know that potty training is a long process that includes occasional regressions and the accidents. But I've seen it click with him in the past few days, and I'm super proud of my poopy in the potty boy!

Michael spent all day in meetings, so Wes and I hung out on the balcony a lot while Anna Kate took naps. This was the side-view from the bedroom balcony. We had suite with a 2nd balcony off the living room. We actually stayed at this resort for the same conference two years ago when Wes was Anna Kate's age. We just had a single room then and I remember it being very difficult to keep him occupied in a room with just a bed. It was super nice to have the extra space this time! Three years ago this conference was held on Sanibel Island and I was about to pop with Wesley. My biggest memory of that trip is that I was excited that I could crank the AC up as much as I wanted and not have to foot the power bill. I kept it positively arctic in that hotel room - I remember Michael shivering and covering up with blankets when he came in the room! Last year this conference was held in Sarasota, but we missed it because I had just had Anna Kate! I'm digressing a lot tonight... focus, Hannah, focus!





Michael did get to eat dinner with us each night, and we enjoyed eating out at a restaurant 4 days in a row! A big treat for us! Here's Anna Kate filling Chili's with cuteness and Wesley giving Daddy luv'n in Atlanta Bread. (below) Anna Kate admiring a fountain outside of a restaurant. We had a wet-bar-type area in the living room of our suite with a microwave and mini fridge, so I was able to feed the kids breakfast and lunch in the hotel. It was nice to get out as a family at night!





The first night, I took the kids on a walk on the beach by myself so that Michael could get work done on his presentation. I carried Anna Kate in the backpack and Wesley walked, dragging a stick behind him "making GeoTrax" almost the entire way. We must have walked about 3 miles total, and Wes didn't pooter out until the very end. But for about 10 minutes I was in fact carrying Wesley in the front and AK in the back... a good 50+ pounds of Rogers kiddos! The second night, Michael went down the the beach with us. He's been walking slowly, putting very light pressure on his injured foot. It was slow going, but it was so nice to be together!





Wesley got drenched when a wave surprised him as he was hurling a shell into the ocean; we had to strip him down to his Pull-Up! I enjoyed being free to walk with my boy. Anna Kate snuggling Daddy because I gave her the cue word: "Awwwwwwww...." AK actually did fall asleep the night before when I carried her in the backpack; she fell asleep resting her head on her arms, which were crossed in front of her. So adorable! Every person that walked by had to admire. (below) Sweet Wes kisses!





I did spend a lot of time in the room with the kids during the day, letting AK take her morning nap and waiting for the usual Florida afternoon showers to clear. Wesley was so easy-going and good to entertain himself. I actually had a much easier time this year with two kids than the year we came with just Wesley when he was a baby! He would play "maggots" (magnets; he has several magnetic books) on the balcony, play computer games on the laptop, sit in his "tent" (the Pack 'n Play with a sheet thrown over it), or jump/dance on the bed.





Bust'n his groove thang!





In the afternoons, I'd emerge with the kids to the beach or the pool. The only way I got Wes to sit by Anna Kate was to tell him I'd go get his toys out of my bag if he'd sit with Anna Kate.... Wesley is always a blur of motion at the beach!





Makes me melt!





It was an adventure trying to bathe two kids in a fancy resort; we had two posh bathrooms with granite showers, but no bathtubs! Anna Kate crawling around in my shower.





Then I resorted to sink-bathing, although the shallow pedestal sink was less than ideal! Anna Kate had to hold on to the faucet to keep upright since all sides were slanted. Then of course Wesley had to do whatever Anna Kate got to do. I have to admit I set him up for this photo; I wanted him to look in the mirror and he wasn't cooperating, so I told him to kiss the mirror. So no, we don't have a little narcissist on our hands!