We've moved...again. But this time it was just south a couple of blocks and we're luckily still in our same ward. The new place feels twice as big has 1.5 baths, stairs and what I'm told are great views of the Cascades, but I've yet to see them with all the clouds. We were lucky enough to have fabulous weather both the weekend before and after and then a stinkin' blizzard the very weekend we decided to move. Needless to say it was character building. Thank goodness for Nathan and Amy's connections in the area or else I don't know how we would have gotten the couch over here (I do know and it would have cost $$). Mack and Henry seem to really like the new place. There's a little boy down the street Henry's age and two more really close in age to Mack. He loves his "new friends!" and "buddies" as he calls them. I think I'll call them all "The Puddle Brigade". Tyler's and my favorite perks have to include the several hundred dollars we're saving in a cheaper rent and enjoying much closer parking. Tyler would also point out here that we can see part of the movie theater from our back deck (maybe this is the great view everyone is talking about?).
Last week at work, Tyler won a Wii for being the top dog for X number of days. Way to go Tyler! We NEVER had any intention of buying a system. I would always say, "That's something our kids can do someday at a friends house. I don't want one." Well, I guess I can eat my own words now, because I can't help it...I love the darn thing. It's AMAZING! We put the little things on Mack the other day and had him box. Funny stuff, arms everywhere.
I think this post reads similar to a phone conversation where there isn't really anything left to talk about (probably because I wrote it while taking breaks to give out breakfast, help Mack on the toilet, nurse Henry and put him down for a nap). So I'll finish by telling you about the weather. It's raining again/still, and I like it.
I almost forgot about the Easter Pictures...
A couple of weeks ago--almost a month now--we decided Mack was ready to potty train. More than a few people were surprised at our choice to undertake such a huge task at his young age (about 22 months), but thankfully Tyler and I, as Mack's parents, are the the ones responsible and most qualified to make that decision. Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest...
The potty training has gone relatively smoothly for us. I credit most of that to Mack being such a laid back happy kid, but some people have still asked me "How'd you DO it?" so I'll tell you:
It all started with a big family night trip to the store to pick up a little toilet for Mack. We marched--yes, marched--around the store until we found just the right one and then Mack proudly carried up to the front. After that we headed over to Target and picked up some poster board, car stickers, Teddy Grahams, and training pants (aka: extra thick underwear, not pull-ups). That night we suggested Mack try sitting on his new toilet (right next to our toilet) and danced and marched around while singing about how great toilets are, and how much we L.O.V.E. going potty and poop on the toilet. HOORAY! I made Mack a sticker chart and gave him a sticker for every time he sat on the toilet. The next day, he started out the morning in a diaper and I continued to have him sit on the toilet, until he we got the timing just right and he happened to go potty in it, for which he received some teddy grahams in a bowl (he loves getting snacks in a bowl). Once he did that, I put him in underwear and we've never looked back. We moved all Mack's books into the bathroom and basically lived in the there for the rest of the week. Mack and I didn't leave the house once until Saturday. It was tough, but I really think that if I'd given in and taken him out, or put him in a diaper, it would have been back to square one. One crucial "turning point" in the potty training was when we ran out of clean underwear. I let Mack run around the apartment bottomless and that seemed to really help him realize how everything "works". On that Saturday, Tyler took Mack to get sushi (my reward) and Mack used the toilet at the grocery store nearby (stripped down, sitting backwards). He went to church that Sunday in underwear and had no accidents, but didn't use the restroom either. So....several weeks later I wouldn't hesitate to say that Mack is daytime potty trained. He still uses a diaper at nap time and nighttime, but wakes up and uses the toilet then goes straight into underwear. He has a little trouble telling us when he needs to go, but has NEVER (knock on wood) had an accident while out of the house and when he does have one at home, he always realizes it as it's happening, gets us and then finishes on the toilet. As an added bonus, Mack has NO problem going poop on the toilet, and isn't afraid of flushing etc. We're so proud of our little kid! Just yesterday he used the toilet at the Science Center. Way to go Mack!
*2 Potty Training Stories*
Mack was sitting on his little toilet when Henry started to cry. I told Mack to sit still and I'd be right back. While I was in the living room for-I swear!- half a second. Mack went potty (I could tell because I heard him yell "YEAH!" and clapping his hands. As I stepped back in to the restroom, Mack lifted up the insert that holds the potty and, while attempting to dump the potty in the toilet, instead dumped the potty all over the floor. I didn't know what to do, so I simply threw up my hands, said "oh NO!" and started laughing. I told Mack to "Stay STILL", but he decided to walk over to the sink and ended up slipping on his urine and falling flat on his back (in a puddle of urine-remember). Meanwhile, Henry had started to cry again. Tyler walks in the door to find a crying infant, a puddle of urine, Mack in the bathtub, and me attempting to get ready to mop up the floor. He had been gone less than 5 minutes to pick up the mail, which is sometimes all it takes for chaos to take over, and a good reason to never leave your kids home alone.
Last night, Mack was in the bathroom supposedly pooping. I was in the living room nursing Hank, and Ty was in and out of the bathroom folding laundry. In an instant we hear Mack yell "YEAH!" and flush the toilet. We're assuming he went poop, but with this kid it's hard to be sure. Tyler hurries in to check everything--the toilet is empty and seems to be working fine. A little while later, he realizes the toilet isn't quite flushing right. Tyler managed to unclog whatever was blocking it. So either Mack had quite the poop, or I'm going to find out later that he is missing a car. I'm not sure which option I prefer.
Fern and I had the honor of attending a Rick Steves travel class in Edmonds, Wa. He is a great speaker and a life long idol of Fern's. If you're not sure who Rick Steves is, click here.
Let me get this out the way and show you a picture of the beautiful loaf of egg bread I made a while back for dinner. Did I mention it was a weeknight? Nothing less than a Tuesday night mind you. I had to skedaddle to Mutual AND Tyler had signed us up for the missionaries. I'm expecting my medal in the mail any day now. That bread was good. I think I'll make it again tomorrow.
This is a picture we took of everyone from Tyler's side of the family together for Henry's blessing. My mom has some pictures up on the Porterfield blog of her and my Dad with the boys so I won't post them twice. I always leave these kinds of days wishing we'd taken more pictures. I don't think we got a single one of Tyler, the boys and me with my parents. I guess we were too busy having fun. It was great having my folks here and I really wish they could've stayed longer. We picked them up from the airport Saturday morning and bummed around Seattle. We went to Pike's and explored the shops underneath and across the street, including my Mom's favorite antique store down by the waterfront parking--you know the one I'm talking about. If you've never ventured beneath the main level of the market, you're really missing out. Next time you're there, be sure to check it out. There are a few good shops mixed in with some really odd ones. Once we were done there, we headed over to the Seattle Center to do all the things one does there. AND THEN, we drove up to our neck of the woods and got seafood for dinner. I'm not sure how Mack was able to stay awake for everything. It was Henry's first time out of the house for an entire day, and I think he took it pretty well. The next day was Henry's blessing and after church, everyone crammed into our apartment for Chili and Scones. Given that Ty's family aren't big sweets people, I was worried Scones wouldn't exactly be their cup of tea. But Tyler insisted it would be okay and the Scones actually turned out to be a big hit. Later that evening, after our bellies were full and everyone had gone home, it was time to take my parents back to the airport. Like I said, it was great having them. We loved taking them to do all our favorite things and can't wait for next time.
We recently became members at the Pacific Science Center. Since Mack and Henry are still free, it's a great bargain for our little family. They have a wonderful toddler area along with a bunch of other great exhibits and my favorite -the Tropical Butterfly House. There is even a private little area for nursing if your little guy (like my little guy) feels like being a tad difficult that day. On our first trip to the PSC, Ty took Mack on one of the rides at the Fun Forest with some tickets leftover from when my parents came. Mack LOVED it, as you can tell from this picture. If you look closely you'll also notice that Tyler and Mack were matching that day. It shouldn't be hard to take advantage of our PSC memberships. I try to take the little men into "town" once a week. I tell Tyler it's my way of fighting the suburban hermit syndrome. I think he thinks I'm a little nuts. All I know is, the boys and I really enjoy getting together with him once a week for our special lunch.
I want to leave you with a little bit of an explanation for pictures Tyler posted on our last update. The ones of Henry with the blanket behind him were rejects from a little photo shoot we did in our living room for Henry's baby announcement. If those were the rejects you can just imagine how cute the announcement is going to be, so if you want one and you're not sure we've got your address, drop us a line. The profile shot of Mack with the ferry in the background is from a picnic we took two weeks ago (last Saturday was Ikea and dinner at Ty's folks' house), at the Edmonds Ferry Dock. We also took the photo shown above. It was Henry's first picnic, and we all had a good time watching the trains, boats and scuba divers and throwing in a few rocks.
We brought Henry home on Friday the 29th. Luckily Fern's mom is here to make the transition from 1 kid to 2 easier (i.e. I don't have to wake up to change diapers). Here are some more pics of the lad:
Santa definitely came for Mack and me this Christmas. Fern gave me a TomTom GPS navigator that I love. I will never get lost again (not that I did before). Mack doubled his toy supply including a total of 14 new cars. I think he is in toy overload. When he came out of his room and saw his presents he said "Santa!" very matter-of-factly We spent 2 and a half hours opening presents, mostly because Mack only wanted to play with the cars he opened first. Fern got some pretty cools gifts too but lets face it full-term pregnant women are hard to shop for. Everything I got her was a hit except the embroidered slippers that she described as "fit for an 80 year old woman" Oh well, I'm a dad now which means I have to buy at least one lame gift. On Christmas Eve, Fern hosted a very successful party with tons of holiday snacks. We did the traditional nativity, ate open-faced sandwiches and performed a talent show.
