Soccer Savvy

Ever since I have seen my son at age 1 throw a ball, I knew he was in for great things. The time finally arrived when I could put him in an organized team. Not that 4 year old soccer is that organized, but it is adorable to see these kids in action. I love his coach. His name is Coach Mike and the kids adore him. Actually, this last week, he wasn't there and all the kids were torn to pieces. They didn't know if they wanted to play without him. I am a little bummed because he is not going to be able to play in August because he is starting school. I didn't know that when I signed up. Oh well, that is the way it goes. It really seems that he really enjoys it, but after the first practice, Elijah said to me, " Mom, are we going to play Baseball now?" I guess that it is a hint to where his heart is.

Aqua Madness

I have been hearing about these Aquatic centers around and I thought it would be fun to organize a little play group with all Elijah's friends from pre-school. It was so much fun to see the boys swim in these great swim structure. The water was shallow and perfect for the boys to play in. Having this place in Folsom was such a treat. It was so close. Five dollars for 4 hours of entertainment. What a bargain. My biggest complaint about the place though is that their lifeguards did not have consistent rules. There was a huge, red slide that I wanted to take Elijah on. He is a daring kid so I knew this slide was small potatoes compared to other things he has done. Well, I asked one lifeguard if there was any height requirements to the slide. He said there wasn't and also added that he could wear his life vest. Well, I got Elijah all pumped to go on it. As we hit the top, there was a board of rules for the slide. It had a 48' height requirement. 48 inches! You can go on Space Mountain at 40 in at Disneyland. This slide was tame in comparison. I asked the guy manning the slide and begged for Elijah to go down. He didn't think it was such a good idea. He told me to go down and ask another lifeguard to give him the o.k. SO I did just that, trying to convince them that he would not be scared. DENIED! Then she proceeded to tell me that the diving board didn't have a height reqirement and he could wear his life vest. So, again feeling desperate to redeem myself from the disappointment that I have so far caused my son, we went to the diving board watching others plunge into the water. Well, just as our kids were about to go, another lifeguard whistled her whistle saying they were not allowed to wear the life jackets on the boards. Now, I am all about following rules, but when everyone in the same place is saying different things, disappointing our kids left and right, that is when I want to tell them to stick their rules where the sun don't shine. I know, hasty and rude, but I couldn't stand seeing the look on his face when I kept promising something I couldn't keep. Very sad. We still had a good time though. Surfs up!

Potty Time!

I thought I would give a little update on how Julianna was doing on the potty. I can honestly say I never thought Potty Training would be this easy. I struggled so much with Elijah. He would never tell me when he had to go, so I had to nag him to death to get him to go. I would bribe him with treats and it would be such a huge investment of my time. I would take every accident as a personal failure and many times I would cry to him, asking why this was so hard for him. I drove myself absolutely crazy with it all. Well, I am not struggling any more. Julianna tells me when she needs to go or she just walks into the bathroom and sits there and POOF! She does her duty and then she is done. I feel so relieved that I haven't been enemies with her at this time. It has almost bonded us closer together. It sounds funny, but it is one of those things that you feel like you have risen above this and you see a light. No more DIAPERS!!! I feel so great. It really has made my mood so much greater this past week. So, I know by the time I get back from my trip next week, it will hopefully be ingrained never to have another accident and use the potty every time. YIPPPEEE!

Training Day

I had a dream yesterday about Julianna going to the bathroom. It was a wonderful dream and I must say it sparked something in me. I have been dreading potty training her for a long time now. I guess since the last time I potty trained Elijah. It is really the last thing I want to be thinking about or doing with my time because I know my personality. I am a bit of a drill Sargent when it comes to this. I time potty sessions by the hour and I watch them like a hawk. You know, signs of going in their pants, retreating off to the corner and all that chaos. It is so much easier to just let them do it themselves, but I have yet to see one of my children do it that way. I guess I just want to check off this task off my list.
So I bought this cute little toy kitchen two weeks ago at a garage sale. It was an amazing deal. Fifteen dollars for the kitchen and five dollars for two boxes of kitchen stuff filled to the brim of endless fun and entertainment for my domestic diva to enjoy. I was so excited for this opportunity to start using this as a bribing tool to potty train. So, I showed all the stuff to Julianna and let her know if she started to go potty in the toilet she can have this kitchen. I didn't really have the kinks ironed out of how many times she had to go or anything, but I thought I had time to think about it until she decided that she actually wanted to do. Well, it wasn't working. So, I just came to the conclusion that my mom would have to be the one to do the dirty deed. But today, after that wonderful dream, I felt like today was the day. I was ready for whatever. So, I started a half hour time regimen. Every thirty minutes I would put her on the potty with some toys that I got from her kitchen stash. A little side note I would like to mention is that getting her on the potty was really my battle with her. So the whole kitchen toy thing was my secret weapon. I was thrilled when sat there for fifteen minutes without getting up. Inside I felt this inner high knowing that I found something that actually worked. So, it went on like that all morning without a drop of urine hitting the seat. I knew that she would have to pee sometime. I was getting anxious. It was 10:30 and I knew that I had to get to the gym, but I knew if I left that she would most surely go in her pants, so I felt strongly that we had to wait until she went. It was eight minutes left on the timer until she had to go sit again, when she came to me and said she peed on the floor. Inside I just wanted to die. All morning, I patiently waited by her side to only hope that she would go. Then for eight minutes short of success. I told her no, you can't go on the floor, you are supposed to go on the potty. I tried not to seem upset but it was so hard. I started to clean up the floor when she called me to the bathroom. She told me that she peed in the potty. I didn't really believe it until I saw it. I went in the bathroom and she DID go in the potty. The crazy thing is that there was tons and she did tons in the other room as well. I was so happy. She actually went without me. It was a victory. I made a huge deal hugging her and telling her how happy I was. I could tell that it was a huge deal to her as well. Well, she has gone again today and I am feeling that this could work. I can actually do this and come out alive and happy in the end. I know it is a rocky road ahead and there will be accidents still to be had, but I feel more prepared this time around. I am feeling very hopeful. Cheers to Play Kitchens!!!

The Next Joker???

So, I saw "The Dark Knight" Saturday night with Sean. It was sooo good. I loved it. Other than Christian Bale being incredibly gorgeous, Heath Ledger was AMAZING! He was so convincing and talented. I was in awe the whole time. The funny thing is the very next day, Julianna was eating her toast with raspberry jam. When she was done, I laughed to think she resembled someone that I just saw. I don't know. I think we got a dead ringer for the next movie. Good thing she dosen't have to worry about the competition. R.I.P Heath Ledger.

SABBATH DAY BRENNER!

I don't know how may people enjoy a good brenner ( breakfast for dinner), but my kids dig it. It is one of the few times that my kids eat ALL of it and then ask for more. Sean decided that he wanted to make waffles, so the kids relish in helping. I cook with my kids all the time, so it dosen't phase me when it gets a little stressful, but Sean was having a hard time. It is amusing to watch, to say the least. Waffles, Anyone?

Julianna's New Baby Doll

Julianna has found her new toy. Abella! She plops in the baby stroller that is usually used for dolls, and Julianna just pushes her around and Abella LOVES it. It is really amusing to watch. I love to see the kids play with their friends. To see the friendships grow, it is really cute.

We didn't start the fire...

It seems that California is going down in flames. There has been really bad fires surrounding our area for a couple of weeks. I really have not enjoyed this summer for the fact is that we have had to stay in the house and it is July! There is nothing good about staying in the house when it is hot outside. I think that should be a punishment in some countries. Staying in the house with your energetic, crazy toddlers who just want to swim, but you can't because they will have smoke in their lungs and cause horrible side effects. Last night, Julianna had a really stuffy nose because she was swimming in the pool. It was a terrible night and I was so frustrated that it was all because of the fires. It doesn't seem right that we can't spend all day in the pool. What is a mom to do. At least with rain, they understand why they can't go outside. They just don't see the smoke or even seem to mind it. It is really hard. SO all I can do is take them to the gym, so they are not completely homebound. I just hope there is an end to all the fires. I do feel bad for all those homes that are being threatened. My prayers go out to them.

Swimming Fest '08

This summer we have lived in the pool. There is just no other way to keep cool in this Sacramento heat. It is hard to believe that I was apprehensive when I first saw the pool. Sean and I debated whether we should buy it because of the dangers that come with the pool. I was convinced that we would have a drowning on our hands. Now I don't know what we do without it. Our children swim so well and are becoming quite skilled. Elijah hardly wears his safety vest, unless he is in the deep end. He is half fish, I think. It also has been great for our monthly co-op. The kids have so much fun together. I'm sure glad we have a pool!

Match Maker, Make me a match!

I am starting to really understand why there are arranged marriages in certain countries. As a parent, you come across certain people and prospects for your kids that you would want to make sure happens for the welfare of your family. There is a little boy that I am dying to have Julianna marry. Yes, I know. She is two. But when you know, you know. His name is Elliot. We are involved in a co-op every Saturday night with 3 other couples. Elliot has been in the group for about 3 months and he has been such a great addition to the group. Well, I have mentioned to his parents that I want the kids to get married, but have not mentioned it to the kids of course. Like they ever think about that. That is my job. Well, Jessica ( Elliot's mom) came up to me at church today and shared the sweetest story about Elliot. He was looking through some pictures of temples and asking where his parents go married. He then asked what temple he was going to get married in. Jessica told him he can get married in whatever temple he wished. He then asked, " Do you think Julianna would want to get married to me in the temple?" OH MY GOSH! I died when I heard that. They are so cute together. Elliot, you can have my daughter. Let's just wait 17 years or so.

Biking is so much fun to do, fun to do, fun to do!

Our family recently bought bikes in hope that we can become more active in life and in the mean time spend some quality time with each other. Sacramento is filled with amazing trails that cross the American River and makes for an enjoyable ride. I love being able to go anywhere my bike takes me. It is becoming a Smith FHE tradition to go out to eat followed with some ice cream. You can't beat the price since gas has shot up to $4.50 a gallon. Not to say I haven't had some injuries with the kids. We all have taken a couple falls, but over all it has been minimal.It has really been the best thing we have ever done for our family. Let's hope that we continue to have tons of memories of beautiful landscapes and yummy ice cream flavors!

Fourth of July Festivities

We had a jam packed holiday filled with a bike ride to the parade, Wall E, and a barbecue with swimming, great food, and fireworks. It was fun to watch the kids watch the parade with an awe in their eyes and a shake in their booty.