Progress Report

Potty training did not go quite as well as I hoped it would. It has been a struggle, especially with Rachel. Bekah is doing very good, until she gets tired, then she has accidents. Today she only had 3 accidents all day, not bad! But dear Rachel has really had a hard time with this. She knows when she needs to go, and you can tell when she needs to, but she refuses to sit on the potty. She will just go wherever she is. Once I asked her why she didn't tell me so she could sit on the potty, her answer, "the potty hurts." Oh great! Just what I wanted to hear. She makes a tiny tiny bit of progress every day. Hopefully someday soon it will "click" and she will do it.

The first two nights she peed in her bed about 5 minutes after putting her down and me begging her to try to go on the potty. She would just scream like somebody was just hurting her. Last night I decided to try pull-ups at night and she absolutely threw a fit. She did NOT want to wear them, she wanted her "Cinderella panties", and for the first night didn't have any accidents. Tonight I did not have any clean panties for her so she had to wear a pull up and just did not like it at all. Poor baby. And then there is Bekah who does great with the potty, but begged to wear a pull up. OY! These girls! I just keep telling myself that one day this will all be over and they really will use the potty all the time.

Marathon....

Not the running sort, mind you, but something entirely of a foreign nature.

Today we said good-bye to diapers for what I hope will be forever. We are going cold turkey. We have been building up to this for a while it seems. When Rachel came to me this last week with a diaper in hand and said, "Mommy, I'm stinky again", I knew there was no denying that the time was upon us.

So, this weekend I will be pumping them full of liquids in hope that get them to the potty as much as possible. I know there will be accidents, but practice makes perfect - so my paino teacher always told me. :) For rewards they will be getting the much coveted, but never before tasted Hershey Kisses.

Bekah did actually go on the potty tonight and was SO proud of herself. She was nearly beside herself with excitement in picking out which kind of Hershey Kiss she wanted (after all I had to get 4 kinds, LOL - Caramel, dark chocolate, milk chocolate and the new peanut butter filled!). It was too cute!

29 and counting...

Sunday I celebrated my very last year in my 20's! It's hard to believe that next year when I celebrate, I won't be celebrating a 20-something year! Yikes!!! It was a great birthday celebrated with family and I did enjoy it! The girls blew out all my candles at least three times. I am reasonably sure they thought it was their birthday, HA!

In other news, last Thursday I came home to mail that was just for me! It's so much fun to get mail that's not bills or notices etc. Instead, it was 3 great editions of Runner's World from a really great lady who is my running inspiration! OK, so, there's one missing...it's upstairs by on my nightstand...I didn't feel like going up to get it :) Thank you, Ms. Nomer!!! I am really enjoying them and appreciate it so much!

I had not run since last Tuesday, my herniated disc in my lower back was really giving me fits last week, but as of tonight I am back in the saddle. It was not an easy run tonight, but I made it and for now, that's all it takes!

My Naked Chefs

They wanted to "cook" instead of taking a bath. Too cute not to share :)

I DID IT!!!!!

I can't believe it, but I really did it! I ran two whole miles this morning! No, stopping, no walking! I was tired, but excited. I can't believe I made it to this point. I would have never thought I would be able to, but HOORAY!!!! This is just really an incredible personal milestone for me.

I am off to sleep now. It stormed for about two hours last night with house-shaking thunder that kept me up for two hours and I am pretty exhausted. I wish it would just rain, that would be nice, but the thunder just gets to be too much when it's the middle of the night. Ah well, at least no threat of tornados.

Progress...

Measured in a minute. Maybe not much to most of you, but for me, I am very excited! I am finally starting to get into some major running minutes. Tonight I ran 8 mintes walked 5 and then ran 8 more. Next time I am supposed to do my warm up walk of 5 minutes and then run the whole 20, but I may repeat what I did tonight one more time. I also found out the route I have been running is two miles. That's good to know!

I have decided when I can run the whole twenty minutes I'll by myself some running shorts. So, if anyone has any suggestions let me know!

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Summer is here with a bang! It's been 100 or at least high 90's for the last 7 days at least. It doesn't look like it's going to end anytime soon. I went running last night at 8:30 and it was still in the 90's. I looked like I had taken a dip in the pool by the time I got back!

I took the girls out to my parent's house for a swim yesterday afternoon and they seemed to have more fun standing on the side of the pool throwing their Veggie Tales toys into the skimmer for Papaw to get out then actually being in the pool. Silly girls.

In other baby news (yes, I do know they are not really babies anymore, but indulge me for a moment) I have finally decided on a method for pottie training. We've tried a couple with no success and it was recommended to me that if you try something and it's not working you should stop and wait 30 days before trying something new. This site was recommended to me and I ordered the book. It's a very different concept in pottie training methods, but one that I have personal testimony from people who have tried it and been successful with it. Now, I just need three uninterupted days at home with them to do it!

We survived our first vacation with the girls. It was fun, but I will say it was definitely a challenge that at times we were wishing we had not taken up. There were little things along the way that weren't to bad, it was just the one day we really needed the girls to take a nap that was so horrid. It was the day we went to the Grand Ole Opry in the evening. We had toured the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Auditorium earlier in that day, then the very minute we got back in the van they were OUT! It took us 10 minutes to get back to our hotel and in then they woke up and absolutely refused to sleep again. We tried everything! Patted backs, laid down with them anything we could think of, but without success. So, that night at the Opry they were crazed little girls. Fred and I both missed the first 15 minutes of the concert and I missed a lot more. Oh well, at least my mom got to enjoy it and that's what we really wanted. The girls did, however, do great in the car. All that time in the van and they still beg to ride in it!

I have recovered from the tumble down the stairs and am doing good. I didn't get to run for a whole week and I could feel it. Last night I went running and just for the heck of it I tried to push myself just to see what I could do. I ran four minutes walked two for my 30 minutes and was suprised I could do it. It was not easy at the end though, but I am proud to say I did it!

Now, just for fun, here's a couple of pics of my cuties!

I am beginning to wonder if it might be getting time to shape up some girls hair a little. There's still not a whole lot of it, but it's starting to look pretty scraggley. Here is a picture of the girls walking down the stairs at the Ryman Auditorium.

Accidents Happen

This has just not been my week. For some reason my alarm did not go off this morning and I woke up 30 minutes late. So, i was running around trying to get showered, dressed and everything ready in 30 minutes. That, of course, meant that I was getting the girls up late. Both of them were sleepy mode this morning and didn't want to walk down the stairs. Trying to save time I picked up Rachel with my left arm and Bekah with my right. Off we went. Somewhere around the second or third step from the bottom my left foot slipped out from underneath me and down we all went. I instinctively held tight to the girls and somehow managed to fall backwards and hang on the both girls. Bekah slipped down on my side but didn't fall.

I have no idea what I landed on, just that I felt major pain in my neck and shoulders. I asked Bekah if she was alright and got, "I'm just a fine, Mommy." I was sitting on the last step trying to catch my breath, and Rachel said, "Mommy, hurt?" I told her that yes, mommy was hurting. So, Bekah leaned over and kissed my shoulder and said, "All better now, Mommy." It was very sweet. I do wish I could have fixed it all.

Unfortunately, after dropping the girls off getting into work I could barely move my head and neck. I told my supervisor what had happend and she told me to get to the doctor. I got my case that was going to court today ready in case I didn't make it back and headed out to my Chiropractor. The verdict was Whiplash. Not fun. She adjusted my neck and back and told me that I would really be sore tomorrow. I guess nothing I can do about it now.

Lesson learned: Taking one girl down that stairs at a time really doesn't take that much more time

What is that saying?

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Right? I am pretty sure I experienced this first hand yesterday in a courtroom. I got totally blasted by a judge yesterday for not only not having the most recent drug test of a mother and father on one of my cases (even tho I was told I did have them by the parents), but also because I did not test the mother for Methadone, which is a legal substance in Oklahoma. However, I am now under a court order to test her for this, which I am pretty sure violates her civil rights. Hmmm....but, nothing for me to do as I have NO power. C'est La Vie! I suppose... I am counting down the days until next week, vacation here I come!!!!!

Upping the Ante

This week I am going from a 20 minute interval run to 25 mintes. I also ran for 5 solid at the end, which was not easy. It had been a long day at work and I was tired, so that was a challenge for me. But I'll keep it up and do it again tomorrow!

A friend from church who is a foster -soon to be adoptive- parent and I are considering starting a small group at our church for those who are foster parents or who are considering being foster parents. We think that in a church of 10,000 there has to be something we can do to create support for foster parents and also to recruit those who might be considering becomeing foster parents. So, keep us in your prayers as we consider what we can do to help provide for these kids in need. Currently the state of Oklahoma has approximately 14,000 children in state custody and only 7,000 available placements. That means a lot of these kids have to stay in shelters, group homes and other various places that aren't exactly a warm and loving environment. These kids are in the system thru no fault of their own and deserve some love and stability, even for only a short time.

And 1 more makes 4!

Happy 4th Anniversary to my Fantastic, Helpful, Understanding husband! This is not the best picture I have of our wedding day, but it was the one most available, so it's the one you get tonight! :) It's hard to believe it's been 4 years. Really, that's such a short amount of time, but it feels much longer -- in a good way, though. So, SO much has happened in these last four years, I never would have guessed on this day four years ago that we would have: 1) Both made major career changes 2) struggled and beat the monster of infertility 3)expanded our family by 2 members 4) sold two houses and bought one 5) endured 12 of the most excruciating weeks of Hep C treatment for Fred, only to have it fail. It's really been something! And, while there have been times that have been very tough, I would not trade a minute of my years with my wonderful Fred! We have been so blessed!

Thank you, Fred, for being the wonderful man you are and being my rock of support. You make me smile and feel special every day! You are truly a gift from God! I love you!

A fried of ours who graduated seminary recently told us that it is not suggested that people make more than one major life change in a year's time. I can't think of a year when we had less than one major life change. We've made it thru and are more devoted to each other now than we were then. No matter how life changes, at least I know that as long as we are here on this earth my Fred will be right beside me.

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire

My sweet, tiny, demure little Bekah told me a big fib for the first time on Saturday. I had made sausage for breakfast at the request of said tiny one. She was the only one eating it, so I knew when I saw sausage on the floor by a little wooden rocking chair, where it came from. I said, "Who made this mess on the floor?" Big brown eyes looked up at me and said, "Elbis did it!" Hmm...last time I checked, Elvis, being a cat and all, didn't eat sausage. I explained to Bekah that Elvis didn't eat any of the sausage, only Bekah did. So, I asked my question again. The tiny little one looked at me and pointedly restated, "Mmmmoooommmeeee!!!!!!! Elbis DID it!!"

I hate to admit it, but I was fighting hard to keep from laughing on one hand, and crying on the other. I can't believe they have gotten to the point of understanding how to lie! AGH! Where are my litle girls going?! Bekah had to sit in the naughty chair for her deed, and after that fessed up to her doings. My work has only just begun.

2 Down - Countless days to go

I mentioned a while back that I had agreed to run a 5k in October. I started running Tuesday using this plan. The first day was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Today was a little more difficult than I expected. HA! Things really never are what you expect. I have no idea why this would be, but no matter, I did it!

Tomorrow is my very last day of CORE training. That means next week I go to work in the "real world." I actually enjoyed being in class. It was kind of nice just go to class, yak with coworkers on break, think about what I was having for lunch. It was almost like being in highschool again, only not as much homework!

I did have to conduct a mock interview today on video. OY! I hate watching and hearing myself on video. I hope that I did OK with it. I have to say that after watching training videos of how interviews should go, my skills are rudimentary at best. I know it's something you learn over time and experience, but to think I will have to be doing this for real starting next week is more than nerver-wrecking!

I wish I had a fast forward button to skip the "learing process" at the beginning. But, even our very seasoned instructors say they still make mistakes in interviews. I guess the human factor means mistakes are always present, no matter how competant of an interviewer you are.

I just had to post that Bekah peed on the potty today! YAY! I know that's not a lot of excitement for most of you, but I am SO proud of her!

Rachel still has no interst, LOL. I am not worried yet. Now, if she turns 5 and is still saying, "No yike pee pee potty" then I'll be concerned. =)

My chicken turned out great! Thanks again to Earle-girl for the recipe!

Now, as promised, a real update!

Things are going very well here, just very busy. I have this week and next week left in training. Then, they cut me loose. I hope I can keep myself together, learn not to take things so personally where attorney's and judges are concerned, and find a medium between wanting to bring all these kids home with me or just run the other direction. The thought of holding the future of a family in my hands is an awesome responsibility that I am not sure I could ever really be prepared for.

I had planned to start my Couch to 5k running program yesterday, but, alas, my best made plans were laid to waste when I was released from class early only to find my car deader than a doornail! Luckily, a couple of girls helped me push it to a different spot (hooray for a standard) and gave me a jump. I made it to my parent's house to get the girls, and there my dad took over. He cleaned the battery cables, tested it, replaced the cables - all to determine it was "failing under load" - whatver that car speak means?! I am just thankful dad knows! =) Daddy's are great! So, off we went to get a new battery! It was about 8 when I made it home last night, and after all that excitement I just did my regular exercise. But, I will do it! OH! This week also marks a year since I reached my goal weight and celebrated a 65 pound weight loss! WOHOO!

In girl news, they had their first real word argument the other night. We were coming home from dinner with some friends when it just barely started to rain. Rachel said, "It's rainin'! Get umbredella (umbrella)". A couple of seconds later we hear Bekah quietly say, "It's not rainin'." Rachel reacted and responded, "It's rainin', Bekah!" "It's not rainin', Chachel!" "IT'S RAININ' BEKAH!!!!!!!" It was too funny!

P.S. Earle-girl, I am trying your chicken recipe tomorrow night! Hope it works out! =)

My poor neglected blog

It's been so long since I posted an update, I promise to do it tomorrow, but it's too late tonight and I am too tired. :)

Caution! Kids at Play!

The girls are just too much fun lately. They are always saying the funniest things. This morning while they were still in their beds I was getting their bag ready to go, I was listening to Bekah on the monitor. It went something like this:

"Mommy? Mommy! Bekah's stinky!!" something inaudible, "What Darlin'?" said two or three times. "Ok, Mommy Chachel's up now, come oooonnnnn!"

Then tonight when they pulled down Daddy's bead curtain, Rachel says, "Oh! Dear me!" HAHAHA! I think that one came from a Pooh toy they have.

Tonight while I was making dinner Fred called me into the playroom. This is what I found.
Bekah had cleared all the books off that shelf and decided it would be a good place to hang out, I guess.
Rachel was busy playing with their farm animals. Here she is laying on top of the play table.

They are just so much fun right now. I wish I could just put things on pause for a while and enjoy this all for a little longer.

Bekah's Big Day

Today a major thing happened in toddler world! Bekah pooped on the potty! HOORAY!!!! At first she didn't seem to understand. She said "Uh Oh!" and seemed concerned she had done something wrong. We really cheered for her and I think in the end she felt ok with it, but I don't expect this will be a regular occurance yet. But I am excited none-the-less.

In other news I have agreed to run the race for the cure in October with a couple of girls from my new job. One is currently pregnant and due at the end of June. I figure if she can do it, then I should be able to. So, I am going to try this running "thing" again. I guess I better go find my Couch to 5K running plan and dust it off. I have to say tho, until it's really spring (we are expecting snow tomorrow) I am not even going to attempt it. I'm just a wuss. =)

Testing...Testing..1..2..3..

Does this thing still work?!

Well, I just finished a huge marathon reading tour this last week. A wide variety of subjects from domestic violence to poverty to the history of our agency. This morning I had to take a test on all of it. It's been quite a while since I have had to take a test so I was a little nervous. I wanted to do really well because the results for the class are emailed to every supervisors with students in this class. I missed 6 out of 58 and scored a 90. Not bad, but the perfectionist in me is not that happy. I had three of them right and second guessed myself and ended up missing them, BLEAN! Oh well, I guess a 90 will suffice.

I am behind on my Bible reading by about two weeks, but I am hoping I can catch up. I am also catching up on laundry and housework and everything else -- and I want to go back to school????? Makes me a little tired just thinking about it.

No other news really. We finally got nearly two inches of much needed rain this weekend. Hopefully it will abate the high fire risk we have been under for so long.

And for good measure, a Bekah funny:
Grandma: "Bekah, can grandma have a bye-bye kiss?"
Bekah: "No, it's all papaw's! ....Bekah's weally punny" (cute giggling)