The Boots

I had to take back some shoes Audrey received for Christmas (didn't put them on her in time and she grew out of them). Technically, I should have bought Audrey something, but she has everything and Caleb really needed rainboots. So, with the credit, and the boots being on sale, I think I spent $2.

These are Caleb's favorite shoes. He wears them everyday if he can. The cutest part? When I was growing up they were called galoshes, so that is what I called them at first, and the name stuck. So cute to hear Caleb say, "Mommy, I am going to wear my galoshes today, okay Mom?"

Everyone that sees him in them compliments his cool boots. I think they are pretty cool too!

Clean and Dry

Our new favorite words. "Caleb, are you clean and dry?" Nope we have not banned him from the dirt and the rain. We are refering to his BIG BOY UNDERWEAR he started wearing this week. We are all pretty excited about it.

Ever since Christmas, his pull ups have been mostly dry. While we were visiting family, we ran out of the pull ups we had brought with us. We decided to stay an extra day, and I figured we would be about 2-3 pull ups short for our last day. I was bummed to have to go to the grocery store to buy pull ups, as I get a deal on them online. Well, it turned out to work in my favor. We bought those pull ups that have the little pictures that disappear when you pee. At first, Caleb thought it was cool to make the helicopters on his car pull ups disappear. Then, we got smart and started giving him Trader Joe's chocolate cat cookies (kind of healthy chocolate?) every time his pull up was "clean and dry". Well, that worked wonders. He had been clean and dry for several days with a little wet here and there. So, we told him if he could stay clean and dry for an entire day, we would let him wear his big boy underpants. We have had some cool Elmo underwear for quite awhile now, and he got some race car underwear for Christmas from my cousin. I also have some training pants from One Step Ahead. He really liked that idea.

Tuesday was our first try. We went with the cool race car underwear first. Around 10am, as we were getting ready to go out for the day, Caleb said,"I don't have to go potty, I don't." I said okay, let's go and make sure (knowing that he has said this before when the urge came and he was too busy playing to want to go... I think he almost says it to himself to convince himself). Well, he threw a fit when I said that, so I talked to him about telling me when he needed to go, and figured we may have to have an accident to get the idea of underwear anyway. About a minute later he said, "Uh oh Mommy, my chair is all wet." Sure enough, he was wet, and the chair was really wet. Thankfully, it was his little chair that easily went straight to the bathtub and was hosed off with the shower hose. We tried again Wednesday, but tried the training pants to see how well they held the pee if he had an accident. We went to the dentist for the first time (more on that later) and after our visit he said, "My pee pee is coming out." Poor guy, by the time I asked the receptionist for the bathroom, he got his clothes off, and his rain boots he HAD to wear, even though it was not raining yet, well, by that time, he was wet. However, I am loving those training pants! They held the pee in so his pants were not at all wet.

Yesterday, he was clean and dry the entire day. Although, we did do a pull up at nap time. We were all quite pleased about it. Today is another success thus far. I think tomorrow we may try the cooler Elmo or race car undies again since I think he has the hang of it.


I am so proud of Caleb!

Bed Time and Nap Time

Looking at these pictures, I wonder why I ever dreaded putting Caleb to sleep and negotiating a new baby at the same time, by myself. Thankfully, Caleb loves Audrey and is great with her. Audrey adores Caleb too. Just this week especially, we have noticed how she lights up and smiles when she sees him. I love it!





Just so you all don't think I am crazy...Audrey does not stay in his bed with him. She lays there for story time and prayers. When I leave, she comes with me. However, she does LOVE being in Caleb's bed. I set her down there when I need my hands free or when Caleb adn I are playing in his room and she is quite pleased to be there. It is pretty funny.

We are buying a house... in Santa Barbara!

Or so we think, hope...

A few months ago we put our names on the affordable housing list here in Santa Barbara. It usually take awhile to get a call, and we were at the bottom of the list. However, due to church connections and the current market, we have had quite a few people contact us about buying their property. This all happened as we were getting ready for Christmas. As you can imagine new baby, toddler, Christmas, and buying a new house combined leads to little to no blogging for almost a month. Perhaps I will find the time to put up some pics of Caleb and Audrey, because they sure were cute over the holiday, but we'll see...

Anyway, after seriously looking at a few places, checking out real estate too, we have come to a decision. The catch? We have to wait for the owners to find a new home. They are looking every week, but haven't found the right place yet. So, we could be moving soon, or not so soon.

I drove by the property on the way home today to take some pics:
View from the street (1st yellow unit you see).

View from the inlet/cul-de-sac


It is a two bedroom (very spacious bedrooms) and 2 1/2 bath. It is two story. Gotta love that the 1/2 bath is downstairs and therefore the only one that I have to keep looking nice all the time. The kitchen has a ton of light, connects to the dining room which connects to the living room and backyard. The backyard is small compared to what we have now, but nice. Patio area and some lawn space, and a storage shed out there. When you walk in the front door, there is an entry way, the 1/2 bath, stairs and then the garage which is a two car garage with space for laundry. We are hoping to use some of the garage space as a playroom. Upstairs to the right is a HUGE master bedroom with a bathroom with 2 sinks (hooray) and a walk in closet. It also has a "secret room" that only kids can stand in that is used for kid hang out/fun sleep space. Caleb loves it and the door is his size. Pretty cute! To the left of the stairs is another bathroom a nook that currently serves as an office space, and the 2nd bedroom. The area has potential to become two bedrooms with some creativity. We think we will do a remodel and turn it into 3 bedrooms if we have another child (hoping to) or when Caleb and Audrey hit puberty, whichever come first. There is a ton of storage space (attic, little nooks, under the stair case, closets, etc.). The property is off the street in a little inlet/cul-de-sac with 5 other units. It is quiet and safe.

We LOVE it and are pretty excited. The ONLY drawback is that it is downtown, and not central, but hey, this is Santa Barbara. From there, I can still drive to most anywhere in town in 10 minutes or less.

Pray that the owners find a house, that interest rates stay low, or go lower, and that we can figure out how to move with a toddler and a baby.

President Obama

Today is a historical day. The fact that both of my children are napping at the same time and have both napped for slighty over an hour now, pales in comparison to the history making event of our Presidential Inauguration. President Obama is the first African American to become President. This should not be an amazing thing, but given the history of slavery and prejudice in our country, it is an amazing thing and a wonderful thing. My objections to Obama have nothing to do with his race, and everything to do with his policies, primarily his take on life and abortions. However, regardless of my objections to his policies, he is now the President of the United States of America, and that is no small thing.

Although I did not vote for Obama, I want to show respect for him as our new President. He is the President of our country and that is an authority I am required to submit to and respect. I want to model that respect and submission to my children as well. I found Dr. Laura's impressions today interesting and I too am impressed by many of these things. See the blog article below and the link that follows:


There are many things that concern me about our new president. Many policies that frankly, make me nervous. But there are some things that I am impressed by, and hope he will set a tone and become a role model for our society.

I am impressed by President Obama’s work ethic. I am impressed by his clear love for his wife and family.

I am impressed that during the campaign, Michelle Obama made sure she was home with her daughters 5 days a week.

I am impressed that they have invited the children’s grandmother to live with them in the White House.

I am impressed that the first black president got there through his own hard work and not because of affirmative action programs.

I am impressed that President Obama took the time to visit with some of our wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan the day before he took office as Commander-in-Chief.

Now, I hope that through these actions, our new president will serve as a role model for all Americans - to take their vows and responsibilities as seriously as the day they made them.

http://www.drlaurablog.com/

Congratulations Mr. President and family! May God bless you with wisdom as you serve as President.