Pull-Ups for FREE

First off I feel the need to clarify... NO, I haven't come across any free pull-up coupons or such. But to us, this is even better ;)

So I walked into daycare to pick up Bethie and Ems on Monday. As soon as I walked into Bethie's room, the teacher said "I have something for you." She then handed me a bag full of Bethie's pull-ups. Apparently Bethanie has gone for over two weeks with NO ACCIDENTS at school, so they've stopped putting her in pull-ups at nap time all together as of Monday. We've not been so brave at home during the night, but Bethie has woke up dry every morning this week at home too. SUCCESS! Oh the money we are going to save now:) We've even been able to stop purchasing the swim pull-ups this summer, too. Hearing me comment to Tony about saving money by Bethanie completing her potty training, Miss Emmalie (being the princess girl she is) has voiced her thoughts on the matter...

$$ Saved = $$ for Emma's New Shoes !

Anybody need some pull-ups?!

Training, Words and Randomness

As the previous post hinted... we have had success at potty training! That's right. Bethanie has been wearing underwear during the day since May 18th. And doing so with increasing success. She has gone for two weeks without an accident at daycare and being called their "fastest learner". Apparently, once Bethie moved up to the 3-year-old room and saw everyone else out of pull-ups... she decided to follow suit. WHOO-HOO! If the night training goes as well (which it has been) Bethanie should be out of all pull-ups by the end of the summer. Can you say SAVINGS... Cha-Ching!?



We interrupt this Blog with a random thought... :)
I have to make mention of the Tim McGraw concert. IT WAS AWESOME:) And I'm not just saying that because he's hot in a tight shirt, skinny jeans and boots! Due to scheduling and baseball conflicts, Tony wasn't able to go with me... so my friend Aimee was gracious enough to come along and brave the drunk college girls with me. (I won't even get started on the grandma in wripped jeans dancing in front of us!).


Okay... I'm back on track now! The girls have been so funny lately with all of their cute little comments. It's hard to even keep a straight face when we're trying to punish them with some of the things that come out of their mouths. Especially Little Miss Emmalie. Her are a few of the cute things said in our home by the children lately...

• Emmalie (with a ladybug in hand): "Ladybugs aren't bugs. They're pretty red and black crawly things!"


• Bethanie (while riding in the car): "I tarted (giggle, giggle) and it stinks!"


• Emmalie (after daycare): "All boys like me, Mommy. (Hands on hips) What's not to like?!"


• Emmalie (after hitting her sister and being sent to her room): "Daddy loves me. He never puts me in time out!"


• Bethanie (at bedtime): "My eyes are heavy."


• Emmalie (randomly while dressing for the day): "Does God wear tennis shoes?"


• Devin (after his car accident): "It could be worse. I could be in an ER without any clothes and embarrassed!"

That is the latest news on our end. Life is moving fast and we're enjoying every minute of it. Baseball continues. Football conditioning and camps have started. Emmalie has officially been assigned to her grade school (YEAH!). Devin has had his first meetings with a movie producer out from California. And we will soon be looking into a big jump into twin beds for the girls.

Hope everyone has a great week.... :)

P.S. Did I ever mention Emma's gift of tickets to see the Jonas Brothers in concert in August? Yeah... I get to sit in a large, loud room with thousands of preteen and teenage girls screaming! Well, I guess that's what we go through for our children's happiness ;o

Photos Worth 1000 Words...

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words :)

Next up... "Success in Potty Training" and "Out of the Mouths of Babes"!

The Event Trio Ends with Kentucky

And, following six solid days of traveling, I bring you post #3 of our wonderful trio of events. Let me start by saying... "It's GREAT to be home and know that I don't have to live out of a suitcase anymore!". During the past six days, I have been in the following U.S. states: Kansas, Missouri, Illinois (three times!), Indiana, Maryland and Kentucky. I guess you can say I've "made my rounds"!

Tony called me in Washington DC on Wednesday to let me know that his beloved uncle ("Big T") had passed away. He really wanted to be there for his Dad and Grandma. So we decided, without hesitation, to make the trip to Louisville. Let me put this into perspective... we live exactly a 10-hour drive from Grandma Carolyn's house. That's without extra stopping time for two little girls. The thought of a trip of this nature with the kids could've easily changed our minds. But you all know how Tony and I love a challenge:)

We left home at 10:30 pm on Thursday and arrived to Grandma's at 11:30 am (Eastern Time) on Friday. This was Tony's wisdom... he's such a brilliant guy! From past experience making this trip when Devin and Dalton were younger, he remembered how much easier it is to make at least one part of the trip at night. Em and Bethie did great with this plan. They both slept for a large majority of the trip, and Bethanie even managed to wake up and tell us when she needed to potty (staying dry until we were 10-minutes away from Louisville). While I'm on the topic of traveling with our toddler, I want to share some tips that we've learned for L-O-N-G travel times... (Keep in mind, Tony and I have never taken a trip this long with kids between the ages of 18-months and 5-years for a reason!).

• Night travel IS a good thing if you can manage it. That way a toddler can sleep... and you don't have to entertain an extra person while driving!
  


• When traveling with two girls (or boys) so close in age, remember to bring two of everything! The ONE doll was fought over more than once... always, miraculously, while I was driving:(
  


• Books, books and more books. These kept the girls entertained for at least two hours of the trip home yesterday.
  


• Cover the car seats and floor boards in a protective sheath! Toddlers often create their own fun... so the backseat mini food fight with goldfish crackers ala Bethie and Emma is going to be a mess to clean.
  


• You can NEVER take along enough snacks and drinks for a toddler. Bethie snacked the entire way home... no kidding! She won't eat, so we put her in the car and somehow that makes her hungry. CRAZY!
  


• It is NOT a good idea to allow a toddler to maintain hold of her Louisville Slugger mini bat souvenior. I'll only say that this spells headaches for everyone else in the car... literally. (Get my drift here?!).
  


• When a toddler says "I need to go potty"... translation really means that you have no more than 2-minutes to pull over before he/she is going to go!
  


• Even during daylight hours, it IS possible to get a toddler to sleep for 2-3 hours of a long trip;)

The funeral mass was beautiful. Tony was extremely honored to be asked to serve as a paul bearer for Big T. It was easy to tell how many people loved Big T and were touched by his untimely passing. I felt terrible when the kids and I arrived at the church. The girls have nothing black or dark in their closet that isn't winteresque. So, for 85-degree plus weather and no time to go shopping, the girls were in spring dresses that made them stand out a bit too much for my likings.

Following the mass... we celebrated Big T's life by sharing memories and spending time together as one large family. I learned at that time just how similar Tony's family and mine really are. Here are some pictures from the post-mass dinner...

Cousin Kristi... All A-Glow!

Grandma Carolyn and Uncle Clem

Grandma and her grands and great-grands

There was some great conversation had

Grandma Carolyn & Great Uncle Joe looking at the pond w/Steve

Though the reason for our last minute trip was one we sorrowfully focused on, we were able to spend some good quality time with Grandma Carolyn and other members of the Haag family as well as get some sight-seeing in to further introduce the kids to Louisville. Emmalie and Bethanie will forever remember the balloon rockets at Grandma's house and her flowers they both repeatedly asked to pick:) Here are some of our cherished photos from time with Grandma and sight-seeing...

Who Knew?! Dalton CAN Smile:)

Tony... "Huh, What?!"

Bethanie learning about cameras from Grandpa Butch

One of our trip events... a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

Emmalie tries her hand at batting at the Louisville Slugger Museum

Emmalie hammed it up for the camera all weekend

Bethanie... "No more pictures and smiles, Mom!"

Bubbles were a balancing act for Bethanie

Emmalie loved the bubbles

The girls outside grandma's garden

A happy Haag family

Emmalie & her Grandma Sharon

Emma gets some advice from her Great-Grandma Carolyn

Emma & her Great-Grandma Carolyn

After a stop in St. Louis for lunch and more sight-seeing, we returned home at 7:00 pm last night. The drive was beautiful and we were able to enjoy so much of that during our trip home... SEE... :)

Emma's favorite part... the tunnel to Grandma's house!

Home... Here we Come!

Saying good-bye to Kentucky

The Rainbow over Indiana on the drive home

Travel Necessities... :)

This Memorial Day, we added Big T (Uncle Tony) to the list of loved ones who's lives we honor... Mom, Grandma Hilma, Grandma Rosie, Grandpa Baldwin, Grandpa John and Uncle Leroy. And we thank God for having the fortunate ability to make this impromtu trip back to the land of the Haag family roots.
That is it for the wonderful words of our life's trio of recent events. God Bless.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA CHET.... 35 years and counting, right?!