Eva (quirk &) Quote of the Week and Grace Moments

This is Eva yesterday. And those are cheap toy sunglasses from the pediatrician for doing well at a check up.

She's been wearing them for 3 days only removing them to sleep.

Recently, I asked her why she needed to wear them all the time...

"I wear dees open glasses just like Mommy. Mommy has glasses, Eba has glasses."

So we've been shopping and to the park, all the while with my little "Lady Ga-Goggles" insisting she needs her "open" glasses. (open = not sun glasses) I guess she wants to be like me. (happy grin) I'm glad she isn't imitating some of my "uncute" habits - not getting dressed until 2pm, having a doughnut for dinner, talking too much, etc. Instead, much grace is visible in this little four-eyes' life as she's "catching" many good things from Mummzie and Dad as well as Lady 'Lage and of course all her little friends. Please and thank-you are a normal part of her vocabulary as well as "How you doin' , Mommy?" and "It's ok. We'll twy again!" Her happy voice is often heard encouraging her dolls and toys and disciplining them in love. She chants scripture while jumping on the couch, sings about amazing grace while trying potty, and when she knows Mummzie is having a hard day she is no longer fearful, but gently pats my back saying, "Is ok, Mom. It be all better. Mommy sad, but she be happy-heart soon."

That's my girl. Praise God for early work in her little life!

Potty Training Boot Camp: The (maybe not so) Dirty Details

The Goal: Potty Train Eva (26 mos.) in one week.
The Plan: No diapers unless she's in bed. No pants, just undies. No couch sitting. (sorry kid) No outings all week unless Eva's a quick learner. (sorry mom) Set timer for 15min - 30min intervals until her pattern is established. Lots of fluids, lots of attention, lots of patience, lots of encouragement.

PTBC Day 1
...8:30am: Little Recruit wakes up cheerful... and clueless about what Squad Leader Mummzie has in store for her in the next 24hrs. (and rest of the week +)
...9:30am: Fed and now dressed in new ("Pwitty!") undies, Little Recruit is prepped for Operation Pee In Potty. One timid Recruit and one over-excited Leader head for the bathroom. After 15 uninteresting minutes Operation Pee In Potty is declared a "No Go".... for now.
...9:45am: Squad Leader Mummzie sets the all important timer...15min.
...9:50am: Little Recruit informs Squad Leader Mummzie that "Pwaywoom is WET! Fwoor is wet!"
...9:52am: Little Recruit is back on the potty as Squad Leader Mummzie attempts to soak up the pancake sized puddle in the playroom.
...10:15am: Squad Leader Mummzie hopefully employs secret weapon Warm Water Bowl with Toys. Amazingly, still no-go.
...11:55am: After 2 more cases of "friendly fire" the body undie count is now up to 3. The casualties line the side of the bathtub as Squad Leader Mummzie marches her reluctant and recently renamed Recruit "Puddles" out of the unused bathroom to the lunch table.
...12:10pm: A smiling Recuit Puddles informs Squad Leader Mummzie that she is going to pee in her booster seat.
...12:11pm: Operation Pee In Potty seems destined for failure as Squad Leader Mummzie mops up the kitchen floor. Thank God nap time is only a little more than an hour away.
...12:35 WE HAVE A HIT! Operation Pee In Potty has a tablespoon of a success! Recruit Puddles is awarded two mini Chocolate M&M Medals of Accomplishment as Squad Leader Mummzie realizes she just danced because of urine... and she'll likely do it again.
...12:58pm We have a second strike! Recruit Puddles seems to be catching on!
...1:25pm "Mummy, there's uh-oh ina room." Or not.

...1:45pm Recruit Puddles is unhappy to be diapered for her nap. Squad Leader Mummzie is happy she is as she arranges soggy undies (count now up to 5) and mop cloths tub-side so they will not drip on the floor. There will be laundry tonight.
...4:00pm Little Recruit Puddles awakes with a heavily soiled diaper and excitement for a new pair of ruffle undies. "Whicha ones I wear?"
...4:20pm We have another hit!
...4:50pm More reason to call her "puddles."
...5:00pm Squad Leader Mummzie, debating the wisdom of it, offers up the last undies of the batch. Then, a brainflash! "Eva do you see the cupcakes on these ones?" (A delighted gasp) "Let's keep these undies nice and clean so they look pretty!"
...8:00pm A damp, but triumphant Squad Leader Mummzie reviews the day. After the "cupcake beauty bribe" Recruit Puddles did good work to keep (everything) dry. She's such a girl. Operation Pee In Potty is declared a success... for today. Tomorrow: Operation All Day Dry Undies.

PTBC Day 2

...11am After a late start due to Squad Leader Mummzie having a morning appointment, Recruit Puddles is doing great showing understanding of her new "job" and enthusiasm about getting more "medals" and praise. "Mommy go 'Yay Eba!' for me." (big grin) "I will if you go peepee."

...12:00pm Lunchtime. "Eba no peepee ina booster seat. Peepee goes ina potty." So far SO good!
...2:00pm Recruit Puddles is down for her nap as Squad Leader Mummzie wonders if she has the same Little Recruit she signed up with yesterday... no accidents?!
...4:30 Recruit Puddles wakes with a dry diaper and a request to "go peepee ina potty."
...5:30pm Squad Leader Mummzie thinks she may need to rename Recruit Puddles as, once more, we have a hit!
...5:45pm Nervous Squad Leader Mummzie packs Recruit Smarty (formerly known as "Puddles") into the car to go to her buddies the Delages' house for the evening. Will Recruit Smarty be able to continue her progress amid the delightful distractions of playing with friends?
...5:55pm We have a hit! ... away from home! Amazing! Recruit Smarty is awarded one fat marshmallow by Lady 'Lage (that's what Eva calls Tiffany) and a ruckus of praise from her buddies.
...8:00pm Squad Leader Lady 'Lage's report is impressively positive.
...8:30pm Recruit Smarty is reluctantly diapered ("I no like diapers.") and sent to bed. Operation All Day Dry Undies is a shocking success.

PTBC Day 3
...11am: Another "spotless" morning. Recruit Smarty is getting this "potty thing."
...4:00pm: Another dry nap... it can't be this easy.
...4:30pm: Oops, Squad Leader Mummzie forgets to check on Recruit Smarty during her hour-long play time in her room... and we have wet carpet and a very sad and embarrassed recruit.
...8:00pm: Another "go" at buddies house, and this time it was on the "bigga boy" potty!
...8:30pm: Squad Leader Mummzie is quite impressed little Recruit Smarty's rapid training and very grateful to God for this unexpected mercy!

PTBC Day 4
A perfect day! Hooooooooooray!

PTBC Day 5
...9:00am: Squad Leader Mummzie reassures Recruit Smarty that it is "okay" to peepee in her diaper as they head out for a longer drive to Richmond and a day of friends and family.
...10:15am: One whiny Recruit Smarty begins bouncing uncomfortably in the back seat. Is she really trying to hold it?
...11:15am: An amazed Squad Leader Mummzie flushes the mall potty as Recruit Smarty says "bye-bye peepee!" to over 2 hours worth of it.
...6:20pm After realizing that she hasn't seen any "#2" in a few days, Squad Leader Mummzie employs secret weapon "Laxative" in one clueless recruit's supper milk.
...8:00pm Squad Leader Mummzie throws the DRY all-day-diaper away.

PTBC Day 6
...8:00am Operation Poo In Potty is initiated.
...11:00am RS:"I have an ouchy inna leg." SLM:"That's because you needta go poo-poo." RS:"I go later."
...1:00pm During a regularly scheduled potty time Recruit Smarty calls from the bathroom, "Dere is grapes in dere!! Inna potty! Look, Mommy! Look!!" (was that an over-share?) Sweet success!
...1:15pm: RS: "We needa call Mimi! Call Branpa! Call Eban! Call Eli! Tell her poopy inna potty!" (This kid knows when she's a winner.)

PTBC Day 7
...7:00pm Recruit Smarty is naked ...and dancing. She is quite proud of her week's work. Squad Leader cannot help but join in...but just with the dancing part.

One week of only one real difficult day of potty training. Totally amazing and totally wonderful! God knew I needed a boost.

Eva Quote of the Week

Mummzie helping Eva gain self-control: "Eva, Mommy wants you to have self-control. Take a deep breath with me! (deep breath) Good! The Lord is helping you to obey and not be angry, that's great!"

Eva (suddenly back to angry): "No, Mommy. Lord no helping Eba. Eba is angry. Needs a bisapline now." (she was right, she needed discipline now.)

A Summer of Buddies

Evangeline has really grown this summer in her ability to play with friends, and I think that has been a direct result of having her buddies, Ruth and Faith Delage, around more! Because I love Tiffany, and because we love her girls (we love the boys too!), we have them over every-other Friday for the morning to play. So our "Summer of Buddies" has been truly a delight as we girls have gone to the park, explored the 'hood, picked flowers, made much sidewalk art, blown bubbles, perfected "pool soup" out on the deck, made puppets, watched videos, and eaten lots of mac'n cheese! We "heart" RuRu and Faithy! 

Working on that "Pool Soup" recipe.

Faith giggling: "Eva, no! Bubbles are yucky to eat!"

When one is thirst, suddenly all are.

Their "fort" in the playroom.

Princess and Prince Puppet (Faith's on the left) and their entourage.

Lately with Eva

Mummzie's two year old is nearly all little girl now and not baby girl anymore. Sniff! She's grown a whole inch in 6 weeks and is suddenly rough, noisy, and adventurous. What happened to my cautious, quiet, "pet child?" I do love her new ideas and silliness, makes me feel like she's, is after all, related to me! Eva-Jean (as her Mimi calls her) is still very obedient for a toddler and just as lady-like as ever, but she musta swallowed a gallon of water trying to be a "duck-el-ing-shark" at the pool last week and she is trying new things (like walking down the stairs) on her own every day. Yay for courage! Because of her new found curiosity, she's gotten into a bit more trouble (only a bit, she's still Eva) lately. Like here, she woke from her nap rather tangled in the dress she tried to escape from, then changed her mind and tried to put back on by herself.

"Dats better! Mommy biscuit!" (fixed it)

It's such fun to watch her come up with ideas for creative play, like here, where she was helping unload the groceries and suddenly decided to feed the local "duck-el-ings" Greek vinaigrette.

She ran around for 10 minutes trying to offer the ducks the dressing.

As she's matured she's been easier to travel with and quicker to enjoy new things. It was such fun last month to go see Great Grandmama and Granddaddy in Richmond.

Discovering just how silly Granddaddy can be.

"Do I look beautiful, Eva?" "No!"

Her latest and greatest (to her) joke is whenever anyone asks her what sound a horse makes the answer is always " Moo!" (hysterical fake laughing) She definitely is my child.

(Below: Mom, Patch, and us girls dressed from "head to toe" as cows for Chick-fil-a Cow Day. Free food? Campbells are always there!)

Love my job as "Mummzie" to this little girl!

A Happy 4th of July

Every year here in Spotsy, the Saturday before the 4th of July, at the Courthouse they hold a huge Independence Day celebration. There's live music (blue grass is my fav), some 25 moon-bounces, games and train rides, a petting zoo, you can climb inside a fire truck or ambulance, meet civil war time reinactors, shake hands with your local congressman, and when dusk falls, watch a 30minute firework spectacular! And the best part? It's all free! (except the food) We first found out about it last year and that was one of the first tastes of Spotsy we'd had yet, and you know us "wannabe rednecks"... we loved it! If any of y'all are thinkin' of visiting us, come next year around the 4th and party with us!

Best view of the festivities is on Daddy's shoulders.

We weren't alone!

Worth going for all by itself.

One happy little patriot (who got to stay up until 10:30!)

Land of the Free

"More sno-cone?"

a good day

We "heart" OBX!

Eva loved the cold "Ushin" SO much!

the Beach Babes

the Fishermen

what they caught

there was much partying!

for we had not one, but two birthday girls to celebrate!

Eva feeling well-celebrated

on this island...we can dress

there was also much eating

and of course, much foolery and twaddle!

eli perfecting foolery and eating. she's so talented.

our corolla "sand shack" from behind. great place.

it was a blessed and beautiful vacation!