I'M A NUT.

Nugget has this little song about an acorn that she sings from school. It's quite cute, and catchy. I have caught myself and Nick singing it on several occasions, to no one in particular. Ha. Just kidding. We do sing it, but usually to our kids. It goes like this:

I'm an acorn, small and round,

Lying on the cold, cold ground.

People always step on me,

that is why I'm cracked you see.

I'm a nut (click, click)

I'm a nut (click, click)

I'm a nut, I'm a nut, I'm a nut (click, click).

*On the 'click', you click your tongue.

** And if you want some added cuteness, you sing the second line 'coco crown' like our little Nugget does.

Anyhow, I saw this idea in Family Fun (Seriously, what would I do without that magazine?!) and knew we had to make it.

For a tasty little acorn snack, you need pretzel sticks (broken in thirds) mini nilla wafers, Hershey kisses, and chocolate frosting.

It's pretty self explanatory from there...assemble the pieces together using the frosting as your glue.

Quick and easy, and great for little helping hands. And yummy too.

Enjoy!

POTTY PRINCESS.

She did it. This little Nugget is finally potty trained. It was no easy feat let me tell you. Probably the most nightmarish thing I have encountered as a parent yet. When you really lay down the law, you can pretty much force your kid to comply with whatever it is your working on...sleeping through the night, saying bye-bye to the nukie, switching from a crib to a big girl bed. But not this one. I tried. And it didn't work. I couldn't make her go potty. Sure, I could insist that she sat on the potty until she went, but that resulted in lots of tears, many hours sitting on toilets and two frustrated parents. I can't tell you how many times I told Nick that I wish she was like a fish...that I could just squeeze her and the pee would just come out. We had several failed attempts, but now looking back I see what the problem was. She just wasn't ready.

Back in August I posted a cry for help out there in Facebook land, hoping other Moms could share their secret weapons with me. We tried the sticker charts. No go. We tried bribery. Nuh uh. Read a bunch of books about going to the potty. Nope. Turned the water on while she was sitting on the potty. Nada. The best advice, although it sounded like the worst advice at the time, was to pull back and lay off. What?! Were they crazy? I was not about to stop and start this process one more time. Come hell or high water, I was plowing through and was going to get this girl trained once and for all.

But there's wisdom to be learned from other mothers. One being my sister, who has four girls of her own. And another being my friend, Shari, who has seven kids. Yes, seven. They have been there and done that, and I really trust them and their advice. So I listened to them. They told me to back off, and reluctantly, I did. They both said that potty training should not be hard. When they are truly ready, its a piece of cake. I also got some great advice from another friend, Terrye, who had just walked through a similar process with her own three year old. She comforted me by telling me it was ok and that there was no magic in the number three. I wasn't the worst mom ever if she needed a little extra time.

We put away the potty chairs. Threw away the sticker charts. Didn't read the books. Just went back to diapers without a word, and carried on. Fast forward to our Utah road trip. We were at a gas station and I brought Nugget into the bathroom with me. Armed with a diaper and a wipe, I was going to change her, when she said 'Hold on Mom. Let me pee first.' Did her business, then said 'Ok, now you can change me.' Uh, do you think the girl was ready?

Her reward for learning to go pee, a kitty she's had her eye on for months.

Three weeks ago, I suggested to her that we try wearing undies that day, and she said 'ok'. And so the process began..again. Sister has an uncanny knack for being able to hold her potty in, which I guess is a great potty training skill in the long run. But instead of having accidents, she can just hold it in, pretty much all day. It took the first two days for her to figure it all out and get comfortable, and I'm happy to say that she's going all the time now. When I ask her to go, she goes. When she needs to go, she tells me and gets herself to the potty on time.

We've still got a little work to do, like overcoming the fear of going #2. She's done it a few times, but again, sister can hold it in, which is not good. But just like before, I know she'll wake up one day and decide she's ready for it, and that will be that.

Her prize for going poopy like a big girl!

We couldn't be prouder of our little Potty Princess. And we are so thankful that we made it through this nightmare of a milestone, which turned out to not be so nightmarish after all. My lesson learned? Listen to your kid. And sister. And Shari.

EIGHT MONTHS.

I know I say it every month, but really, Where does the time go? I still think of my little man being only six months old, then I have to stop and think Wait, he's seven months. Oh my gosh, no EIGHT! He is just cruising right along to that magical first birthday, which yes, I have already started planning for. I came across his ultrasound pictures last night while cleaning out some things, and it was interesting to think that when I saw those images for the first time, I had no idea who this little fella was going to be, what he was going to look like, and how he would change my life. He is such a little honey and I wouldn't trade him for the world. Along the same thoughts, I was reflecting also on how much Nugget loves her brother, and how those two can really get each other going, laughing and being silly. And I wondered, Does she remember life before him? Does she remember when she had us all to herself? Either way, I don't think she'd trade him for the world either. Those two have a special bond, and they're going to grow to be great friends. I just know (and hope) it!

Look Dad! I can almost touch my hands over my head!

*an inside note on that, Nick thinks it's hilarious that babies arms are too short to touch over their heads. Dinosaur arms, as we like to call them. Not for long though Daddy, this one's growing!

Here's where eight months have brought us:

*Little man is CRAWLING! Living life in the fast lane. Ha. Actually, he's quite cautious and has stayed pretty close for the first few weeks of learning this skill. I don't think he even ventured off his blanket that we spread out for him. But the last week or so he's getting more confident, and will come after me if I'm in the office or kitchen.

*He's starting to pull himself up, but only to his knees. Those little legs will be stronger in no time, then we better watch out!

*Has two more teeth, bringing him to a total of four. And I think another one is working it's way in too. He has two on the top and two on the bottom.

*Drools all the time. Probably has something to do with all those choppers!

*Makes his ooh face when he's excited, which is pretty much all the time, and says 'ooh' over and over, often simultaneously while flapping his arms and legs.

Love the drool on his chin.

*Has tons of hair! It has been one of those things that I hadn't really thought much about, being as i'm with him all the time and the change was gradual for me. But people have been commenting on it like crazy, so yes, looking back, his hair has grown quite a bit. I was actually thisclose to getting it trimmed up a tad (over the ears and in the front) the other day, but then chickened out. I'm not ready for that yet!

*The trip to Utah, learning to crawl, and teething has thrown off his sleep schedule a bit. Some nights are better than others, but for the most part he's a good sleeper. A light one, but good. He's still taking three naps a day, and sleeping for the night from about 6:30pm to 5:30am, give or take.

*Weighs 16 pounds and some odd ounces. He was weighed when I had him in to see the doctor last week, but I wasn't thinking about that really at the time, so I didn't get an exact number.

He's a sweet and snugly little bug and we just love him to pieces!

SNIPPETS.

Despite our clothing attire in our pumpkin patch photos, it is indeed fall here in MN. Some days are gorgeous, with the perfect mix of cool and warm, and we spend the days playing outside, walking to the park, and hunting for the perfect fallen leaves. Some days the wind is whipping through here like nobody's business, and I have to hold on extra tight to my babies for fear they will blow away. And some days are a mix of the two, cool and sunny, yet windy enough that we don't last long outside.

Today was the later. I like the excuse to stay inside where it's warm and cozy and spend my day doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that, with really no place we have to be. But although I don't mind these kinds of days, I'm starting to notice that my kids do. Nugget has been a little extra wild the last few days, tired of being cooped up and playing with the same toys. That makes me really nervous for winter. Because there are gonna be lots of those days. But it's the cycle of the seasons and there's no escaping it, so I guess I'll just pray for extra patience. And craft projects to keep her busy.

My soul is desperately craving some me time. But you know what's funny about that? When I actually get it, I don't want to leave my kids. So I've settled for my me time being the hours after they are in bed until I crash too. It seems like I battle myself every night trying to prioritize my to-do list. And although things like blogging, scrap booking, and reading call my name, it's the mundane things like cleaning, washing dishes and doing laundry that usually win. I'm always trying to catch up, or gasp, get ahead, but somehow I always end up feeling like a hamster spinning around and around on that darn wheel and never really getting anywhere. Humph, not sure where my ramblings are taking me, or what point I'm trying to convey here, but my balance is off and I'm not liking it. Woe is me.

Anyhow, guess I've just managed to find myself some time to blog, so lets get down to the good stuff.

It's no secret we love us some projects around here. But we haven't done this one in ages. When I took the paints out half of them were all dried up and crusty, leaving us only with two color choices. But the beauty of kids is that they don't care. My littles had a ball, and Nugget said to me 'It's fun to make messes, isn't it?' You're darn right sister. Especially if you're not the one who has to clean it up!

How dirty boys get clean.

Often times when I take the kids to play outside, we wind up at a park. Which is silly cause we have an awesome setup at our house. Toys galore. I'm not sure what it is, but something about fall and our deck begging us to play here, we've been giving our own toys some more attention these days. And it feels good.

I hate blurry photos. But I've said from day one that I don't want to be a photographer. I just want to take really good pictures of my own kids. For the most part I'm pretty happy in my success at that. But sometimes even I take a blurry photo, which gives me the hunger to learn more. And learning makes me happy.

So even though it's blurry, I still want to remember it. I call this the 'Two for one'.

 Remember how much I adore Mother Nature?

I hope we'll have time yet this fall to sneak in one more bonfire...

The last of our garden harvest was colorful...

And this little fella is not my friend, but he is Nugget's. He lives underneath our hot tub cover (well, I don't know if he actually lives there, but he's usually there when we check). Nugget and Daddy like to visit him often, although I jump and scream every time it moves.

Don't you hate when you pull an outfit out of the closet for your babe to wear for the first time, and you think whoa, maybe I should have pulled this out sooner? Case in point.

Sister thinks it's hilarious to be one of the pumpkins at the grocery store. She laughs even harder when I 'pick' her. Oh, the simple joys of childhood.

We made some more pumpkin jars, but have yet to give any more away...and no, this is not her Halloween costume. Just every day attire around the Slavik house.

We made another fall craft that was lots of fun, although it required several steps and sat scattered on my kitchen table for a few days. But I absolutely love how it turned out, and sister loves it too. It's now hanging in her room, which was a good excuse to take down the windsock she made back who-knows-when.

Brother has been a little under the weather this week. It's never easy to see your kids not feeling their best. I'm overly cautious (cautious of ending up in the ER in the middle of the night that is) so I brought him into the doctor just to make sure it wasn't an ear infection or something. Those are the worst. But everything checked out just fine, which has left me to blame it on teething. I think I can see the first hints of an eye tooth poking through already. Poor little guy. They just keep coming in, one right after another.

The only good thing about having sick babies is that they want to snuggle more. The other night the only way I could get him to sleep was to rock him in my arms. The second I laid him in his bed, he was wide awake and sad. So back to my arms it was. And I sat there the whole time, drinking him in and thinking how much I loved this moment. Because the older they grow, the less they want to snuggle. And I wanted to yell down to Nick to grab my camera and come take a picture, because I wanted to remember it forever. But my rule is you never, ever, wake a sleeping baby, and yelling downstairs would have broken my rule. So I held him until he started to stir, and I knew he needed to shift positions. I kissed him gently and put him to bed, and tucked that sweet memory into my heart forever.

You can see in his eyes that something's up. And yes, we rock pink Nuks around here when all the blue ones seem to be lost. Sister's been watching, and learning, and is already a little Mother Hen.

Well see now, these pictures just done went and melted my heart. I already can't recall what I was whining about before. I'm tired. My bed is cozy. That's enough for tonight. Goodnight.



Have yourself a fabulous weekend.

FALL IS MY FAVORITE.

I love this time of year. Kids are in school, routines fall back into place and life seems to slow down a little. The air is cool and crisp. The wind blows our hair and we are snugly warm under blankets. The colors are vibrant and the sound of leaves crunching under our stroller wheels makes me happy. My kids' laughter calls me to go play with them instead of to clean up whatever mess is awaiting. Soup stews on the stove and I smile, thankful for all the blessings I have been given.

Fall would not be what it is without trips to the apple orchard, baking pies and homemade apple sauce, sipping hot cider, jumping in piles of leaves and picking out the perfect pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. We've been busy soaking it all up. Savoring every last second, as we know winter is just around the corner. I am happy. My kids are happy. Many memories to treasure have been made.

Fall would not be fall...without a trip to the apple orchard. We like the Ma and Pa kind the best. No crazy carnival games, face painting, or pony rides. Just get right down to the good stuff. Picking apples. After all, that is what we came here for. We like supporting our local community, and the scaled back versions are just more us.

Brother was happy as a clam to be at the orchard, as long as Daddy kept giving him apple slices to munch on.

We picked the Keepsake variety, just the right size for a little Nugget snack.

We picked the Sweet Sixteen variety, perfect for making pies.

And we picked the Courtland variety, which stays white while cooking, making it great for applesauce.  

An 'N' for Nugget and Nick, who make one delicious apple pie.

Fall would not be fall...without making projects. We love us a good project around here, and the creativity seems to flow just a little more when it revolves around a holiday. (Thanks to fellow bloggers and Family Fun magazines.) Nugget loved this project so much that she made four of them, but so far has only shared one with our neighbors. The rest she wants to keep. Which is just fine. But now I have to raid our fridge (again) for more jars so we can actually share some of these cute creations.

Fall would not be fall...without jumping in the leaves! Or in Brother's case...eating them. There is an awesome tree right across the street from our house, and every year I love admiring its changing leaves from our front windows. I always take some time to capture Nugget playing in them, and now this year Brother got to join in on the fun.

Nugget's leaves.

Brother's leaf. How can you resist chubby little baby fingers?

Mama's leaf.

Going in for the taste test.

The verdict? Not as good as they look.

Fall would not be fall...without a cute new hat. And I would like to introduce Brother's new 'ooh' face. He's pretty vocal these days, and this seems to be his permanent new look, as he is always in awe of something.

And last, but definitely not least, fall would not be fall...without a visit to the pumpkin patch. This was Nugget's favorite activity by far. Before we went she had already picked out in her mind which kind of pumpkin we each should get. Brother was to get a teeny little one, she was to choose a squat one, a tall skinny one was for me , and Daddy got a big, fat, bumpy one. She did a good job of helping us find our assigned pumpkins, and even brought one of her pumpkin books along as a reference manual. Seriously, how did I ever get along life without her? She cracks me up, my little Nugget girl. (a random side note...Nugget insists my favorite color is yellow, although I repeatedly tell her it's pink. What a hoot she is. )

 These two have such a special bond already, and I love watching it unfold.

 Nugget's perfect little pumpkin.

 Again, went to a local Ma and Pa pumpkin patch, although this one was just the Ma and her 11 kids! It was awesome. Without even asking, one of the ladies approached us and wanted to make sure we got a family picture. I handed over my fancy camera and she worked it like a pro. She couldn't get enough of my kids and snapped a ton of pics, all which turned out awesome. Yay for a nice family photo!

 Cutest pumpkin in the patch.

 And don't forget this one. She's quite adorable too!

 Our little pumpkin family.

 We ended our fun with a tractor ride around the pumpkin patch. Brother was in Heaven and didn't take his eyes of the enormous tractor tires the whole ride. Such a boy thing already!

More fall fun to come. Hope you're loving it up too!