Signs of Hope

Surprisingly, this has been a good week.  Although I wouldn't wish for my kids to be sick, there has been something really sweet about just being home this week and doing nothing.  They are doing much, much better and we are grateful.  We're not totally back to normal but we're getting there.

It's fun to just watch them play (and sometimes fight) in their jammies all day.  Carter loves to push Ava's babies around and walk around with her strollers.  I'm not sure how, but we seem to be raising kids who are obsessed with pushing strollers??  Ava asks me daily for another stroller for her babies.  We already have a fleet, but apparently that is not enough :)

With each day this little peanut has been getting more and more life back in those eyes.

He has been my little shadow this week, which has been good and exhausting.  I do love all the extra snuggles but when he goes down for a nap or to bed at night, I won't tell you that I'm not glad for the break!

See what I mean about the stroller??  Here's my little shopper, reading magazines in bed with me and telling me what she'd like (today) for her birthday, which is in April :) Oh she makes me laugh!  She's been a little nut this week, I've loved watching her play too and realizing how quickly she is growing up.  I just about had a breakdown in Target today, realizing that she's almost 3.  I just game to grips with her being 2, how can I possibly embrace 3??  Before I know it we'll be talking about kindergarten and that very thought made my eyes well up with tears.  I'm not ready to send her yet!!

Thankfully we still have some years to go and some milestones, but we've also turned a big corner this week too.  Because we were home so much and it finally seemed like the right time, I jumped into full time potty training, this time with her big girl undies :) We've been doing pull-ups for awhile and she's done great, so it was time to make the move.  I got official and made her a chart...

...moved her potty into it's new spot...

...and promised 2 jelly beans for every successful time she went.

"Beans" as she calls them, also what she calls m&m's.

We had a few minor accidents yesterday but overall she is doing so well!!  We are terribly proud of her and almost shocked at how well she is doing.  I'm trying not to set myself up for thinking we won't have any relapses or big accidents, but I'm glad we waited until now to go full boar.  She does seem to be ready to do this.  

Of course now that she's potty training, she's also lobbying for her ability to drive.

And she has her sights set on Mexico, I think :) 

Her aunt Katy is getting married there in a couple of weeks, we all wish we were going!!

While I was vacuuming one afternoon, I came back to Ava's room to find her lined up on the floor with all of her babies.

I asked her what they were doing and she said they were going to "watch a movie."  Since there is no TV in her room, she actually asked me if they could listen to her "Booty and da Beast musik?" and of course I said yes.  She laid there and sang along to the soundtrack for awhile, it was pretty cute.

Meanwhile her brother had a little tea party...

...and used her baby's bunk beds to climb up into her bed.

But it didn't bother this little dreamer.  She was lost in the land of princesses.

I got inspired to bake this week, mostly because I was home so much and I have a horrible sugar addiction at about 3pm everyday :) I had some bananas that were going bad, so I found a recipe for some Martha Stewart Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting.  Let me tell you, they did not disappoint!

We ate them for breakfast (without frosting) and for dessert too.  Kind of a fun alternative to banana bread.  They were so moist, I'll definitely make them again.

This is Carter's familiar pose when he is getting sleepy.  He just walks around the house with his paci in, holding that giraffe by the tail and stroking it.  I LOVE it and I will miss it when he's too old to do this.  He is looking like and acting like such a big boy these days, so when I see him like this I get a glimpse of my baby again :) 

Last night was when we really knew that Carter was officially feeling better.  He's had such a low appetite for the week and it's been a struggle to get much food in him.

Until last night when he ate 2 heaping bowls of spaghetti, by the handful.

Although it was a disaster of epic proportions, it did our hearts good to see him happy to eat again.

Today we've done more of the same and this is how Ava's chart looks tonight!  I'm crossing my fingers but so far today, we've had no accidents.  I can't believe it.  My baby is handling this rite of passage better than her Mama :) 

And finally, after my post about my home and trying to keep our room free of clutter and our bed made everyday...I thought you'd appreciate seeing exactly what it looked like today.  Although it is my goal to keep it picked up and for our bed to be made, I do live in reality!  Somedays it just doesn't work out and today was one of those days.  I never want to give the impression that I'm not who I say I am :) There is some freedom in just keeping it real, right??

Thanks for your kind comments on my last post and for all of you who have checked in with us this week.  We are on the mend over here and enjoying the "forced" break that unexpected illness brings.  

I hope you have a blessed weekend!  Really glad it's Friday!