Can't Figure Out Why I'm Out of Foil

So, I just can't figure out why I haven't any aluminium foil left.




Decided to finally finish what I started with AJ a while ago. Helmets for 'soldiers' and 'fighters' and 'space guys'. It was his idea to make the backwards ones with the hole for his eyes.







If you do not already own an aquadoodle for your kids, it is a must have. We couldn't find one of the pens for it, so I hauled out the paint brushes and water.

Voila! Happy children.





AJ has been asking me over and over to bring the scooter back in the house. So I had Unlce Paul bring it in. Here's Dexy taking off.






Another masterpiece by Master Alton C.



If you'd like a good laugh, and you are not the 'faint of heart', please visit this site (there is some profanity) to see what this illustration reminded me of....





AJ's Phrase of Day

What he said, "This is making me have a pleasant motion."
What he meant, "This is making me have an unpleasant emotion."

He's was 'angry' at his hot cocoa this morning. 'Anger' in the movie "Enchanted", is defined as 'an unpleasant emotion'.

Took me a minute to clue into what he was talking about.

Some Pics From Last Week


Here's the football I forgot to post before.




This is the puck I forgot to post before.






This is Dexter. See how much he likes the new paintings?




Here are Dexter and Rya in my room while I'm folding laundry. They're pretending my dresser is some sort of water cooler and they're making pouring noises as the imaginary water is flowing into their cups and jugs.

Dexter's Growing Up:

Debunking-Dexter's-Darting
So, normally, in any store, I've learned that Dexter must be in a stroller because he 'darts'. He just takes off, and surely does not stop when I ask him to, nor does he return to me, when asked.

He has learned to start going crazy in the stroller doing the ever so popular 'stiff as a board' move or the 'alligator spinning and breaking it's own arm' move to show me his dislike.

We went into a hobby store today too look around and I decided to allow Dexter the freedom of 'staying close to mommy' while not in the confines of a stroller. He did it! He stayed close, and when he started to wander, and I quietly asked him to stop, he actually did.

Don't even get me started on how excited the boys were in the hobby store. Dexter was going crazy for the big trucks and AJ was going buggy-eyed over all the wooden Thomas accessories like bridges and trains that he doesn't have. It was a really fun time. They were both VERY well behaved. Nice. And it was close to lunch time too.



To Train or Not to Train
So, with AJ, we did 'early start potty training' which I would describe more as 'parent training'. There's no forcing your kid on the potty or pressure involved, it's just making the potty an every day part of life from a very young age (9 months) and taking your baby to the potty at key times when you know they'll pee.

One of our first days of pottytime with AJ at 9 months was amazing with 8 pees on the potty! It was so fun. AJ loved it. We'd read stories. I couldn't understand why some people found it so surprising that he would stay on the potty for the full 5 or so minutes or until he peed. I just read him potty stories or sang songs. It was great.

It made for full days in underwear, and 'potty trained' for AJ by 19/20 months. 19 months (Thanksgiving) was when he learned to 'make himself pee' on command so to speak.

However, all that was fine and dandy, but he still wears pull ups for bed now, at age 3.5 . He has about 5 -7 dry nights a week. I know there's nothing wrong with that. But I wonder, had I been able to be more consistent (ie. no daycare days) or had I just 'waited', he probably would have 'done it all... nights and days' all at once.

So then.....

When Dexter was 9 months. My plan was not to do it the same as AJ, but I did really like the idea of making the potty a positive thing and an every day part of life. So, at the very least, I wanted to start doing 'potty time' with Dexter at the 'for sure' times, like right after afternoon nap, and right before bath.

The first time I put Dexter on the potty, he leapt right off. I soon understood why so many people were so amazed that AJ would just sit there patiently on the potty.

But... no big deal. Diapers are way easier than potty training and WAY less effort on my part, so I wasn't too upset. lol.


But Dexter just loves to be like his brother. He loves to stand at the potty, sit on the potty, and he loves to sit on the little potty, but only with clothes and a diaper on. I noticed a couple months ago, that often when he'd stand at the potty, he'd actually pee. I could feel the diaper get warm. Also, when he sits on the potty, he pushes and 'toots'.


So, a few times in the last week or two, I've tried to convince him to let me take off his diaper and he can 'pretend' to be like AJ.

But he won't stay at the potty.

At my mom's on the weekend. When his diaper was off, he peed at the potty. I say 'at' because some went in and some went on the floor and all over the potty.

At home, he wanted to try more. He even came running to me to ask to go pee in the potty right after we had already tried. But I just missed it. He had just gone in his diaper.

So, what do you think? Should I jump on this opportunity and see where it takes us?
Should I, instead, just let him lead, offering every so often that he try it without pants?

Advice? Two bits?