Cousin Time

Charlie Safari

We had a great MOPS event at Charlie Safari. The best part is that moms get to play too. I was able to jump in the bouncy toys, crawl through the tunnels and slide through the slides. This was Abigail's first trip here, and she really enjoyed herself. She's really working hard right now at trying to learn how to jump.

Kidgits

We discovered Kidgits at the Tacoma Mall at Christmas time. Basically, you pay $5 for your child to become a Kidgits member, and you get to go to the VIP quick line for Santa Claus. So worth the $5. However, you also get to go to a variety of events they put on at the Tacoma Mall. The event this Saturday was for mini-chefs. Abigail was given her own muffin tins, a wire whip, measuring spoons, cookie cutters and bowls for her kitchen. She then was able to decorate her own apron, play games, dance and make a fruit loop necklace that she only wanted to eat. After the fun there we were able to go to See's Chocolate and use a gift card we had on hand. Then, we used our Kidgits discounts to "buy one kids cone at Baskin n' Robbins and get one free." Well, we had a $2 gift certificate there. We basically had a fabulous day spending no money. Can't complain about that!

Baring Cabin Weekend

Our friends, the Huebners, have a wonderful cabin in Baring, WA. We decided, at the last minute, that we needed a weekend away. What a good choice! What a blessing that they were willing to share their fabulous cabin with us. Our good friends, Ty and Rachel joined us, and we were so glad they did. Abigail was so easy on Friday and Saturday, which made the trip extra better. We played cards, read, went down to the river to throw rocks in the water, cooked together and ate together. It was all very relaxing.

Smiles

Who Loves You?

Today I was getting Abigail into the car after she was with grandma. I said, "Grandma loves you so much! Who else loves you?" She replied, "Jesus loves me this I know." I love that she knows that already!

Time Out

Abigail has been pushing the limits a bit more lately. She still is a pretty obedient child, but we have had more tantrums lately. If she doesn't get what she wants, the whining and crying begins. We're trying a variety of tactics to see what works. The current strategy is to let her be in time out until she calms down. She often says she's done whining and crying right when we get into the time out area, so that's good. We had a rougher period very recently where we couldn't seem to help her get a grip even though we weren't giving in, being consistent, disciplining, complimenting positive behavior...trying everything you're told. We're still working through that somewhat. When Abby goes to time out, once she calms down, she apologizes for what she's done. Then, we hug and pray together. There are times when I put her into time out for disobeying, and she apologizes by saying, "Sorry, obeying (she can't say disobeying yet), whining, crying." I've tried to explain she hasn't been whining and crying, so she doesn't need to say sorry for that, but I don't think she gets it. When we go to pray, she also says, "Pray, Whining, Crying." So, we pray for that even if she's not struggling with it at the moment. A funny moment the other day was when we were in the car and I heard her playing with her edible "bunnies" (similar to "Goldfish"). She was having them walk around her car seat and saying, "Walka, walka, walka." Suddenly, in a firm voice she says, "Time out, Bunnies! No walking!" Love that kid. As the Pritchards say, "We love you too much to let this behavior go unpunished."

Kenzie at 2 months

Two months have flown by so quickly with our newest edition. She has been such a joy to have around our house. I recently said that it's amazing how you can love someone so much who has only contributed a lot of poop, spit up, sleepless night, a warped body and a greater lack of independence. However, she is now contributing more than that. We love the smiles she's showing that are often so huge. She's cooing at us, so we're having our little conversations together. She's a very easy baby to have around - fairly low maintanance and very sweet. Her eyes seem to be staying blue but a darker blue. Her hair is still dark with a slight red undertone. She seems to have darker skin. People say she looks more like Jeremy, and I agree. She's checked out perfectly at the doctor. She is 10 lbs 4.5 oz (36%), 23" long (76%), and her head circumference is 14 3/4 (19%). She is growing at a steady and healthy rate. She is sleeping fantastically - giving me 5-7 hour breaks at night. She is awake more but still is sleeping a lot throughout the day. She has blessed me by having the same nap time as Abigail. She is very loved by her big sister. She is very loved by us all.

Potty Training

I think potty training has officially begun. I know the bottom picture is gross, but it's classic. Abby has gone poo poo on the potty twice. Once was inspired when she heard me talking to her friend, Markus, about his successes on the potty. The second one was right before a bath. She said she wanted to sit on the potty. We've been trying to have her sit on the potty for some time with no luck, so when she was on there long enough, I told her it was time to get in the bath. She wouldn't come. I patiently waited when all of the sudden her poop face occurred. She did it! She peed on the potty once while watching a movie. That's been our attempts lately. I need to give the kid more water I think. She seems interested in it...probably because of the candy reward she gets in the end. I'm glad she's shown interest and has experienced success. A new phase has begun.

My Family