16 Jul
Bryan spent a bulk of his vacation fishing, which I think is a sign that I’m just that much closer to convincing him that we do indeed need a boat. In the meantime, though, he had a blast catching sunfish and bluegill off the dock with the girls. I’m not sure who decided that every fish needs a kiss before it goes back into the water, but all involved oblige.
15 Jul
This picture was taken immediately after I had one of those, “Wow, it’s way too quiet around here” moments. I found Olivia in the bedroom of the back cabin, fixing up Bitty Baby with every single Hello Kitty Band-Aid in the box. As Olivia noted, “All better!”
13 Jul
We drove halfway to the cabin the night of July 3rd, just after a fabulous 30th birthday party for my wonderful sister-in-law, Laura. We finished the trip the morning of the 4th, arriving at the cabin just in time for the annual Fourth of July parade.
The parade was a bit smaller than usual, but there was still free beer. The girls were far more excited about the candy and water balloons.
After the parade, we went back to the cabin. Parties sprung up around the lake, and the neighbors invited the girls over for face painting.
After a bit of swimming, Grandpa and Gramma treated us to a cookout by the fire.
And, of course, there were a few fireworks…
Happy Fourth of July!
12 Jul
We’re back from a week-long vacation with my grandparents at their Minnesota cabin. I ended up with almost 200 photos, which I’ll share in the coming week. In the meantime, here’s a shot of the girls in their Fourth of July dresses (Thanks, Grandma Smith!) and festive headbands (Thanks, Gramma Great!).
12 Jun
After months of flak from Bryan, I decided to get serious about potty training Olivia.
Ava was fully trained at two years and three months (after one horrible week in which we decided to do away with pull-ups cold turkey).
Olivia is two and a half, and so it seems she should be ready. I’m not so sure, but I do know that her father is certainly ready on her behalf.
Last night, I did a bit of research on the one day training methods for older kids. The plan is pretty simple—set a timer to go off at regular intervals, ditch the diaper and load up on salty snacks and sugary beverages.
Nine hours later, behold the trained toddler.
Olivia seemed excited this morning, selecting Cinderella underwear and settling down with a tanker of orange juice. I set the timer for 20 minutes, and watched her promptly pee on the floor.
We’re on to Elmo underwear. I’d say it’s going well so far.
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