Elmo Diapers

We've worked to "train" Adam to tell us when he has a dirty diaper. I made a point of talking about his dirty diaper thinking it would help potty train earlier rather than later. So when I saw him doing the deed, I would ask him, "are you going pooh, pooh?" He started responding, "pooh, pooh" and running to the changing table. Ok, maybe not the best word to teach a 1 year old but he was learning and we were proud. At the changing table we often distract him by letting him hold the diaper because thanks to people in marketing diapers have pictures of toddler's friends on them. The diapers we typically buy have Elmo on them. This led to an amusing conclusion. It took a few times of Adam asking before we realized, "I need Elmo" means I need a clean diaper, please. Yes, Adam asks for an Elmo whenever he has a dirty diaper. We bought a different package of diapers the other day (they were on sale and we had a coupon, sorry Elmo!) Now his diapers have Winnie the Pooh on them, and unfortunately, this may mean we'll be back to him saying, "Pooh" very soon. Oh well. Elmo was a fun substitute for awhile :)

Adam really loves Elmo even though he associates him with dirty diapers. He must if he's willing to share his paci...

I had a moment recently where I had to laugh realizing Adam has been trained in other areas. I guess a lot of what we do at this age is condition. You've all heard of cats who come running at the sound of a can opener or Pavlov's dog who drooled at the sound of a bell. Well Adam get's excited and ready to eat one of his favorite foods, apples, at the sound of the vegetable peeler. I was peeling potatoes last night and he came running, "apple, apple, apple." I felt so bad that I grabbed and peeled an apple and fed the conditioning.

My question to you is: what similar pavlov response do you experience in your home? I'm sure we have many if we really think about it. Maybe we haven't trained our kids to drool at the sound of a bell but do they start salivating when you open the refrigerator to get lunch ready? Just curious...

Back to ballet for Beth

We started Ballet classes again for Beth. She's so happy to be back in her class. We toyed with the idea of sending her to a different program but decided that even though it's probably not the best out there to stick with what she knows and so far loves. It was a good decision. She was thrilled to be back, and half the girls are the same as her last class so she'll tell you all her friends are there. This amuses me because she never talks to anyone in class, none of the girls talk to each other. They all talk directly to the teacher (I don't know how she manages to listen to the constant chatter directed at her from 12 three year olds. I have trouble listening to my one!) Beth walked into her first class, went straight to the teacher, and said, "Jason is 5 now. We went to Big Bear. I'm still 3." The teacher happily nodded and then listened to the next random tale directed at her. I'm not sure how they get any dancing done but they do.

I thought I'd take video so you could see her hop across the floor. My first video shows the not-so-brilliant side of me. It's only 2 seconds long because I quickly realized what I was doing was not going to work. I'll admit this is not my first time doing this! I'm sharing it because it's good to be humble and it will hopefully make you smile at my silliness. The second video is much better. She's watching herself in the mirror making sure she has big arms, big hands, and a big smile, and you get a great view of her truly enjoying herself! (P.S. no sound necessary)

A Rite of Passage...Space Mountain

Jason has always been a big boy with weights and heights measuring off the charts since he was 2 months old. So it should have been no surprise that he was tall enough to ride Space Mountain when he was a mere 2 1/2 years old. But Andrew and I wholeheartedly agreed that he was not old enough for the ride even if he was in fact tall enough. We decided he had to wait until he was 5 years old. It seemed like an age old enough for such thrills...and it seemed eons away! Well here we are 2 1/2 years later and Jason finally got to ride Space Mountain.

While waiting in line (only a 15 minute wait, yea!) Jason said, "This is going to be so much fun. My legs already feel like they're on the ride!" Now being the worrier I am, I was concerned that he might not like it, it might be too scary, too fast, would I scar him forever! Again I wasted time and energy worrying. After the last turn we rounded the corner back to the "launching station," and Jason says with the biggest most sincere smile ever, "That was so much fun! I loved that ride. I think Daddy will love it, too." Hint was taken and he rode again with Daddy and then again with Mommy. Yes, he rode three times and after the third time asked if he would get to ride the next time we go to Disneyland. Andrew and I are glad we waited until Jason was 5. He may have been fine a year ago or even younger but waiting made the ride that much more exciting, special and memorable.

PS Did I mention it was pouring today? We decided to brave the rain bringing umbrellas, ponchos and spare clothes in the car. It was a great decision. There were no lines, it didn't rain constantly (just most of the time), and did I mention: no lines! We walked onto Splash Mountain (we had ponchos so why not), Dumbo, and many others. Have you ever heard of walking right onto Dumbo? We got wet but we'd do it again! We were cold and tired at the end of the day but soup and hot cocoa for dinner put a perfect ending on our special day!

Adam's Hugs

Adam's vocabulary has been growing exponentially over the last few weeks. A new favorite this week is hug. He asks for hugs repeatedly and it's really cute. He's always been a cuddlebug and having him verbally ask for it has been fun. Today at Disneyland we got to see his love for hugs go beyond the family as he hugged Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. I didn't think he'd even go near them but while waiting for the rest of the family to ride Splash Mountain I set him down and he walked right over to Eeyore and gave him a hug, then Pooh, and Tigger, too. Ain't he sweet...

And then there's his favorite - Buzz Lightyear. When we went on Buzz's ride, he took a moment and just stared at Buzz through the bars (obviously listening intently to his commands for future reference when he becomes a space ranger). You can just see the awe on his face. He had many admirers as we kept the line from moving for a moment. This really is one of my favorite ages. He's understanding so much, yet he's still just an adorable little baby.

Adam & Eagan

For 10 weeks old, Eagan has a big fan club. It's so funny to watch his brothers and his cousins constantly trying to get his attention, trying to get him to smile or look their way. This baby is not neglected, nor given much peace! This is especially true if Adam is around. You see, Adam is Eagan's fan club president. He loves to give Eagan his pacifier or cover him in a blanket or hug him or poke him...He just loves Eagan! It's pretty cute (when he's not waking him up or loving him a little too tightly). I even managed to catch the loving on video for you all to enjoy. Sorry it's such a dark video. I still think it's worth watching, and most of the fun is in the sound anyway :)

Jason is 5 years old!

Jason celebrated his 5th birthday in Big Bear. He's been praying for snow since fall began so it seemed like an ideal place for a party. All he asked for was snow, costumes and a Superman cake. He did give Beth permission to be a ballerina rather than a superhero like the boys.

With the help of his cousins and a winter storm, he got what he wanted! And thank you Aunt Casey for decorating the cake just like he wanted!

Can you see his five fingers hiding in those mittens? I told him to show me how old he is knowing he couldn't with the mittens but for some reason, it didn't phase him as he happily showed me, he's 5!

We also gave Jason a little surprise birthday at the park the following Tuesday. He had asked if his friends could come to Big Bear, too, and when we told him that wasn't going to happen, he seemed a little disappointed. So at our weekly park day, Daddy showed up with balloons and cookies so his friends could sing to him and share in his big day!

Jason happily shared his balloons with his friends cuz what good is a bunch of balloons if you can't share them with friends?

Sledding

Sledding in Big Bear was so much fun. And in case you don't believe me, here's a video of Adam to show you just how fun even the smallest hill can be! (You need sound to enjoy it, and trust me, it's worth seven seconds of your time!)

Adam dominated this hill right outside our cabin (thanks Daddy for building it!) We took turns and it went something like this: Adam, Jason, Adam, Beth, Adam, Jason, Adam...and waiting his turn was still challenging! There were bigger hills that were more the right size for Jason and his cousins (and their daddies). You can look at the last post ("snow play") for a few pictures of the big boys and Beth sledding, or you can just watch Adam over and over again (or am I the only one who can't get enough of him?)

Snow Play

We spent the weekend in Big Bear celebrating Jason's 5th Birthday. Due to a storm the weekend before, we enjoyed piles of snow. And thanks to a great family friend, we enjoyed a great cabin. It was a beautiful sunny weekend, and the kids had a blast! They enjoyed sled rides, a snowball fight and plenty of relaxing time by the fire. The Longs joined us for the weekend multiplying our fun. They've lived the last four winters in Bosnia so the boys were really missing snow. Nick catches some "air" with the sled. And then there's Stacy, enjoying some snowboarding over a jump he made.
I did learn that I don't want to dress my kids in winter gear everytime they want to step outside. I pulled on many gloves and zipped jackets and tucked socks into pants and wow, I'm glad I live in Southern California! Although I must admit, they look cute with hats pulled tight around their face and the mitten hands, awww....

...if only I could keep a hat on Adam!

Visiting Robinson

I was blessed recently by a trip to North Dakota. I wasn't sure it would be a blessing considering it's North Dakota in January and I was attending a funeral, but it was an amazing weekend for me.

A little history...My Grandma grew up on a farm in Robinson, North Dakota with her 10 brothers and sisters. And I've grown up hearing stories of that small town life (there are two streets in Robinson!) ...walking to the schoolhouse in the snow, having all the playmates you needed in your own family of 11 kids, and living life on the farm (my 89 year old Grandma still has all her teeth, and she says it's from drinking all that milk straight from the cow). That lifestyle created a special bond in the Leland family, a bond they've passed on to us. And because of all this, I've always wanted to go and see the sights for myself, to walk where they walked, worship where they worshipped, and see what they saw. On December 7, 2007 my Great Aunt Esther, 96 years old, passed away. She was the last family living in Robinson so if I was going to visit, this was probably my last chance. Her funeral was January 5, 2008, and I was there with my mom, a handful of her cousins, and two of my Grandma's siblings. It was a chance to spend a weekend with family I've known all my life but never spent much time with. It was a chance to get a personal tour and see that yes, it's a walk in the snow from the farm to the little schoolhouse and wow, the wind really does go right through you and yes, you can see both ends of town from the corner of 1st and Main. It was a chance to be told by a stranger that you can tell from my smile, I'm a Leland. It was a chance to see my Great Uncle Allen cry and mourn over his sibling's gravestones. It was a chance to sit around a table and hear stories and memories and laughter. I'm seriously thinking someone should make a reality tv show like this: a weekend of relatives who barely know each other in a small town where the nearest market or restaurant is 30 miles away. There's just something different about strangers when they're family...That's entertainment :) Anyway, I was honored to be a pall bearer, blessed to finally be in Robinson, and did I mention I got to make a snowman with Haaken, my 4 year old cousin who was the only one there from my generation (in a family tree sense, that is). It was a great weekend. Check out more pictures at http://www.skellyfamily.shutterfly.com/ They are almost all scenery, mostly views up and down the two streets and all the sunsets and sunrises. The wide open plains with scattered snow, a few trees, and the occasional farmhouse make for amazing pictures.