Louisiana Saturday Night

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Louisiana celebrating the wedding of Hannah and Jeff.  While the drive was a little long, we had absolutely wonderful time.  It took us around 11 hours to make the trek to Scott, LA, mainly due to the number of potty breaks that Reed had to take.  We did put a diaper on him but this kid refuses to use it anymore, which I appreciate.  However, I would have appreciated him giving us a little warning when he needed to go.  There was no I-might-need-to-go-in-a-minute-mommy, there was only "help, help, get me out of the car"!  He is too hilarious!

The night we arrived in Scott, Jeff's family hosted a gathering for all of the out-of-towners.  We ate yummy barbecue and sat around and listened to people play the guitar and sing.  It's always a good time with those guys.

On Saturday, we spent the day hanging out at the pool, picked up some boudin balls for lunch, basically a giant hushpuppy looking thing that is filled with pork, rice, and cheese (I was skeptical at first but it turned out to be very good), along with a quick stop at the drive-thru daiquiri shop, before getting ready to head to the wedding.

Nana and Reed playing in the pool.

Couldn't resist posting this awesome pic of Reed's pal Dawson.

The wedding was so beautiful!  Both the bride and groom looked wonderful and were so happy!  We were so glad that we were there to celebrate with them.  A good time was had by all at the reception, especially our kid.  He has got moves!  I promise to post a few videos early next week.  For now, a few pictures will have to do.

My parents!  We hardly ever catch my dad not talking during pictures, so I am pretty pumped about this one!

My boys!

Brother, looking handsome!

Hannah about to walk down the aisle.  She was beautiful!

Our family!  Yes, those are white socks on my kid, I forgot his socks and his belt.  Oops!  I guess it's better than forgetting my dress or Chris's suit.

Reed with Nana and Granddaddy!

The Newlyweds!

Reed danced from the moment the music started.....

And would dance with anyone and everyone.

I do have a little video of him dancing with the flower girl and it is adorable.

Congratulations to the Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Eubanks!  We are super excited for you guys!  Thanks so much for including us in your big day!

Forever Reign by Hillsong

Love this song!

 

And I really love that our kid knows part of it!

Reed's first, last day of school!

Our boy completed his first year of preschool last Thursday.  I opted not to get upset considering he has many more years of school to go.  I think I'll hold onto the tears until he is starting kindergarten.....please don't let that creep up on me too quickly.  On his last day of school, Reed and his class celebrated with a little party.  We gave hugs to his teachers Miss Mary Howard and Miss Janet, who have been awesome, and said goodbye to all his friends.  Hopefully we will have some play dates this summer so the kiddos can get together.  It was a great year of preschool for Reed.  We have been so very happy with the school and can't wait for next year.  For now, it's summertime!!!

Reed on his first day of preschool!

And on his last day of his first year of preschool.

Enjoying a yummy ice cream sandwich!

Working on his craft.

Reed and Miss Mary Howard

Reed and Miss Janet

What is this?!?!

See the video below to hear our child demonstrate making a one syllable word, a two syllable word.  I know that we are certainly southern and might speak a little slower than normal, but this, this is odd.  It doesn't just stop at ba-ed, he has also been extending mo-use, a-et (also know as that), and do-own.  Oh dear.  I am doing my best not to laugh at him (which I didn't do a very good job of in this video, oops), because it is quite entertaining, but to instead repeat whatever he says correctly.  It doesn't seem to be working so far.  The crazy thing is that he just started it this week!

 

Weekend Recap

We had ourselves a four day weekend this past weekend.  Chris's company had a retreat on Thursday and Friday and Reed and I got to join him.  Reed and I headed up to Barnsley Gardens after Reed finished his last day of school.  Once we made it to Barnsley it was so hot out that Reed and I decided to take a dip in the pool.  Unfortunately for me, because Reed didn't seem to mind, the sun had yet to warm up the water.  It took me at least 15 minutes to get the nerve up to get in.  Once I did, Reed and I had a blast splishing and splashing.

First day at the pool!

 Chris and I spent the evening at a dinner at the ruins, which is an awesome location, by the way, while Reed stayed with a sitter.  The next morning, Reed and I enjoyed breakfast on the veranda overlooking the golf course.  After breakfast, Reed and I drove to meet Kath, so that he could play at her house for the day.  We felt bad that he would have to be with a sitter all day,  considering I was getting a massage in the morning, woohoo, and Chris was playing golf in the afternoon.  This worked out so much better for Reed and I am sure he had a blast at Mike Mike and Kath's house, especially swimming in the pool and watching Griffin's and Gavin's baseball games.

Yummy, yummy blueberry pancakes!

 On Saturday we had our friends Jen and Josh out for cookout.  We hadn't seen them in quite some time, boo, so we were excited to see them.  And they brought their precious pup, Maggie.  Reed liked playing with her but was still a little unsure if she got too close.  Towards the end of the evening, both of the kiddos were pooped.

Don't worry, Reed is just posing here, however, had he stayed there much longer he would have been asleep.

Heard from our 2 year old!

Reed:  Stop snoring Mommy.

Me:  I am not snoring, Reed, I am breathing.

Reed:  Stop breathing Mommy

Overheard in the midst of eating dinner.

Reed:  My stomach hurts.  It hurts really bad. (obviously faking)

Me and Chris:  He knows what he is doing.

Reed: I am smart'n you.  (One can only assume that he means he is outsmarting us, at 2, no less!)

"It's delicious!"

While walking through Nordstrom....

Reed:  Mommy, do you need new shoes?

Me:  I would love some but I am not going to get any today.

Reed:  Mommy, are you sick?  (LOL!)

While cruising through the mall, with Reed in his stroller....."this is making me sick."

Any time we tell him that we certainly think is going to be fun, he responds with "it's going to be so much fun!"

After he nearly had a major fall from the couch....

Me:  Are you hurting somewhere?

Reed:  Yes.

Me:  Where?

Reed:  My feelings.  Kiss it and make it better.

He has recently started giving me presents, which include everything from his toy box.  "Here's you a present."

"That hurt my feelings."  

Fun with the water hose!

The Bruners came over for dinner the other night and the boys discovered the kid-size watering cans.  They then needed some water to fill those cans, which turned into giving the boys free reign over the water hose.  It was entertaining for us to watch and they certainly had a great time soaking each other.  When the sun eventually went down, Reed and Brick were both begging for a towel.  It was a fun evening with good friends and silly boys.

"This is fun!"

"I'm gonna get you Brick!"

Brick was good at dodging the water.

Thatcher was such a good sport getting sprayed by the big boys.  And look at those baby blues!!

 

Potty Time!

Well, I think that we have passed the point in which I might jinx myself by writing this post, so here it is.  Our potty training story.

Full time potty training started about 4 weeks ago.  I wasn't feeling the greatest one Wednesday and knew that we would be home all day, which kind of seems like the most ridiculous time to start potty training, but we started any way.  I heard that going completely pants less worked for friends, so I tried that.  But, after the second or third time he peed in the floor, I was completely over cleaning it up.

So, we turned to 3 Day Potty Training, which my friend Kristen recommended.  She told me that it had worked on both her daughter and her son, who is younger than Reed.  So, a big thanks should be given to Kristen for pointing me in this direction because this is ultimately the method that worked.  And while I am thanking Kristen, I want to send a big congratulations to her and her family on the arrival of their new little one, Crosby!

Back to potty training, I completely did a 180 after purchasing the 3 day potty training book and reading through it.  No more timeouts for an accident.  Underwear would always be worn.  No more asking Reed if he had to go potty every 15 minutes.  The method in this book is about recognizing the signs that your child is about to go potty and get them to the potty before they go.  An accident is blown off, but any form of success is highly praised.  This method worked so much better for Reed.  I should have known that the kid would never be potty trained if we were constantly punishing him.  He pretty much refuses to sit in timeout, so the punishment is pretty much on us.

Reed caught on quickly.  I made the mistake of not dedicating 3 full days to at home, no distractions potty training that the book recommends and it still worked for us.  I sent him to school in underwear a few weeks ago.  Reed is very shy and timid around people other than us, so I was extremely nervous that he wouldn't tell his teachers, but he did so good.  Sure, he had his share of accidents for a week or so but after that, he's been so good.  We are so extremely proud of him.

And, I can't recommend the 3 Day Potty Training guide enough.  If you do end up buying the book, make sure to search for coupon codes for a discount.  I certainly think that different methods work for different kids, but this one worked for us.  Good luck on your potty training adventure!  We are so proud of our big boy!

I know you guys don't want a post without a picture of our cutie, so here he is in all his potty trained glory, and sweatbands and a headband, lol!  Teal will be happy that these are getting some use!