It's My Potty...

...and I'll try if I want to.

Did you know that the average potty training age for boys is anywhere from 31 to 38 months? Seriously! For the record, I am beginning to think there is some merit to these “experts” and statistics. Apparently even "child genius’s" have an opinion about being diaper free…it’s frowned upon.

For the past few months Pearce has been showing some interest (even minor) in potty training. He often tells us when he is wet or dirty and sometimes he even tells us before he dirties his diaper. Being the “our-child-is-a-genius” parents that we are, of course we think Pearce can beat all statistics and potty train before the age of two!

I find myself daydreaming about sitting on the couch with Oprah as I tell her just how we conquered the potty for Pearce, followed by Barnes & Noble book signings of our best-seller, “How to Push Your Child to Overachieve in the Bathroom”…all the while enjoying a diaper free darling. So these are the thoughts that fill my mind as I nudge Pearce to excellence.

When we first bought Pearce’s potty I watched everyday for the UPS shipment to arrive. Seriously, I was gung ho about this new addition to our lives. When it arrived I was just certain that Pearce would be so overcome with joy and gratitude that he would drop his drawers, grab his favorite board book, and potty where civilized society expected him to! That’s not exactly how it played out.

Pearce was actually very eager to sit on his potty and he even knows to call it “potty” but I think he is under the impression that it is some modern looking chair for his enjoyment. Maybe he has been sneaking issues of Architectural Digest to bed? I have actually learned quite a bit about potties and their many uses….here are just a few:

Potties make fabulous hats. Pearce discovered this a few nights ago. I gotta tell ya, when he placed it on his head it sort of resembled some modern day cowboy hat. Not bad, Pearce.

 Potties make excellent "carts". Pearce has spent plenty of time packing his potty full of trinkets and toys and pushing it from room to room as he moves about the house. Clever use…you can never have too much storage, can you?

Potties…ahem…clean potties make practical dishes. Pearce’s potty has already housed some of his favorite snacks: string cheese, crackers, and gold fish. I can appreciate the need for somewhere to store your food. After all, his little cheeks can only hold so much.

Potties also make convenient toothbrush holders. Pearce loves to snatch Jimmy’s toothbrush and gnaw on it a bit (that’s a whole other sanitary issue), and the other day he found the proper place to store daddy’s toothbrush: in his potty. It fit perfectly and the colors coordinated nicely. Aren’t human mouths the grimiest places on the human body? Surely the potty can’t be too bad. It was actually cute until the next day when I looked over to see Pearce marching towards our toilet with Jimmy’s toothbrush in hand. No joke, thank goodness he has trouble getting the lid up.

Last, potties are the perfect lounge chair/stepstool a kid could ask for. Pearce has been known to tip over his potty to attempt greater height…to reach something he shouldn’t have, no doubt. And he finds great joy in sitting on his potty on his terms. Need a place to rest your feet? Find the potty. Prefer to sit while you brush your teeth? Find the potty.

Oh Pearce, you bring my heart joy.

Introducing….Jake. And Brenda.

Alright folks, we have done what I swore we were not ready to do…we have pets...ducks. Well, they are more like quasi - pets. Technically, they are not our ducks but they come close. They are a boy and a girl who wander our street and have come to love our house. You may wonder where they got their names. Apparently the ducks started visiting our street a few months ago and the neighborhood kids decided they needed names. Like any normal kids would have, they chose the names Jake and Brenda. Pretty cute, huh?

I looked up the definition of pet and here is what I found:

Pet: noun.
1.An animal kept for amusement or companionship.

While we don’t keep these two in our house, they do serve as companions and we even feed them everyday. So in my mind, they are pets. Let me tell you how we got to know Jake and Brenda. One evening Pearce, Jimmy and I were in the backyard and I decided to go grab the mail. When I rounded the corner from my back gate I saw two little tail-feathers wiggling along our driveway. And they were precious! I ran inside, grabbed some bread and called for Jimmy and Pearce to come look. We probably spent 30 minutes that first night just oohing and ahhhing over these two.

Everyday in early evening we look out our front door to see two little ducks waddling up our driveway. There is something sort of enchanting about having ducks in your driveway. I love the way we can count on them to come over each night, sort of like an old neighbor coming over for dessert and conversation. In fact, last night I left the front door open to run inside and grab the bread. When I came back out I saw Jake on our front porch, with Brenda, headed toward the inside of our house. I think they might just move in if we let them! So this is how we have been spending our evenings lately. We sit outside and wait for Jake and Brenda to come for dinner. Pearce gets so excited as they cross the street and make their way toward our lawn. He squeals with delight and says, “Hi Ducks! Hi Ducks!” He is so precious.

And when I say we feed them “bread”, I mean the good stuff. They don’t eat Wonder Bread...they get multigrain flatbread and they LOVE us for it. I am actually glad these are our first “pets” because Pearce still isn’t quite sure about the whole feeding them process. For example, Pearce will take an entire piece of bread to feed them and either throw it whole or tear it up and toss the pieces, only to walk around and eat the torn up pieces off the pavement himself. I am not kidding. Last night Jimmy and I tried (unsuccessfully) to explain the process to Pearce. He simply looked at us, then down at his bread, and said, “No, No.” as he munched away at the pavement pieces. Oh dear. Can you imagine if this were Kibbles and Bits dog food? Pearce would think it was the greatest new cereal in town!

On another note, sweet Pearce got his first skinned up knee this past week. He was running (as usual) to the car and slid on the pavement. He handled it like such a champ that I didn't even know it was bleeding until we got home. Of course I had to take pictures and he was so brave while I doctored him up! I think the presence of Elmo must have helped...

Oh dear...

Do you every have those days where you feel that you are screwing your child up royally? A day when, no matter what you do, you seem to see your quirky lacking in the motherhood department? Last week I had one of those days. If life were truly a game of baseball, I would have struck out an entire Major League team. Seriously.

It started with Pearce’s doctor’s appointment. I went to pick him up at Miss Sheron’s only to find him in a Christmas t-shirt. That’s right, a Christmas t-shirt. Why?, you ask. Well, because I am an irresponsible mother who forgot a back up change of clothes for my son and his shirt that day was covered in lunch. So, the Christmas t-shirt was necessary to save him from stains galore. Strike One.

When we got to the doctor’s office, I realized that Pearce’s hair was a mess. We only see Dr. B and her staff every once in awhile and Pearce needed to look cute. He was already wearing an oversized Christmas t-shirt…the odds were stacked against me. How on earth was I supposed to fix his signature hairdo? As I walked into the hospital I noticed Purell hand sanitizer on the wall. So, like any mother would have, I doused his ‘do in Purell. I am not kidding. Strike Two.

As we discussed Pearce’s possible ear infection, I assured Dr. B that the infection was in his left ear (if any infection at all). So, Dr. B pulls out her little tool and informs me that Pearce has a major wax build up in his left ear. Strike Three.

After cleaning the waxy residue from both ears she informed me that Pearce does in fact have an ear infection, however it is not in his left ear as I asserted. No, his infection was in his right ear. Yes, I am the observant mother of the year. Strike Four.

Upon completion of Pearce’s appointment, I got into my purse to get the car keys. The usual, friendly jingle of my car keys was absent and my heart began to race. I frantically dug through my bag and literally dumped it on the hospital bed only to find that my keys were no where in sight. I had locked my keys in the car. Thank the Lord for AAA. Strike Five.

Since AAA said they would be approximately an hour, I decided to pacify Pearce with whatever I could. Since he is my son and I am certain we share some sort of characteristic…I took him to do what I would do in a moment of boredom: we went to eat. I promptly walked into the hospital deli and grabbed Pearce a bag of Baked Cheetos, opened it, and plopped him down to start munching. I took my time choosing my snack, and when I went to pay I learned the deli does not take checks or credit cards. Ironically, I never carry cash. Fabulous. Like any responsible mother would have, I left Pearce sitting up to his elbows in Cheetos, in the deli full of strangers while I ran to the ATM down the hall. Strike Six.

So that was my brush with craziness. To be perfectly honest: I was frustrated, overwhelmed and cranky. But thank goodness that even at our worst, the Lord can take these rough days and reveal Himself in the midst of chaos….

When I got home, the Terminix representative was waiting for us to do our annual termite inspection. The result? Termites. Swear. Could somebody please take over my life right now? Please?

While the rep and I were in the kitchen discussing the financial woes that were to come in treating our new ‘wood-eating friends’, the Lord spoke to me through the Terminix guy. I was busy feeling sorry for myself and lamenting the day I had just survived, when he noticed our kitchen chalkboard with scripture on it. He then said, “You know, that verse is really cool. Another verse I like is ‘Be still and know that I am God’.”

Wow. Okay God, I am listening. Be still and know that I am God. Such a powerful verse. And here’s the deal: I don’t read this as a request. It is written as an order. I think the words are so intentional here. He does not tell us to feel that He is God or hope that He is God. He instructs us to know that He is God. This says so much about my God’s determination to reach me... he spoke to my heart through a Terminix rep. I needed to hear that. How dear that we serve a God who cares enough to seek us!

And for those of you that read this and are rightfully concerned about Pearce’s well being, rest assured that he has at least one fabulous parent. (See post below.)

Workin' Men

Sunday afternoon Jimmy and I (emphasis on Jimmy) started putting together Pearce's new swing set. To us, this thing was a beast. The instructions were about as clear as my skin in 10th grade, however we were determined to get this done for Pearce. To be honest, I was not looking forward to it. I was secretly hoping I would wake up at 10 am one Saturday morning, pour myself a cup of coffee, and look outside to see...gasp!..Pearce playing on his new swing set while Jimmy looked on. I would then learn that Jimmy had gotten up at 5 am so that he could surprise me with blessed sleep and a new swing set for our son. Pretty sweet, huh? Well friends, this dream did not come to fruition. What did happen was so much better than that.

 I love that Pearce loves Jimmy. Seriously, this kiddo adores his daddy and I can't say I blame him. Jimmy has the kindest spirit of anyone I know. He is the type of person who genuinely cares about people and tries to do what is right, no matter the cost. I remember when we first got married and money was tight. We decided to go to a movie and I had the brilliant idea to use our old student id's from OU to get cheaper tickets...sounds good, right? When I presented this idea to Jimmy his response to my marvelous, yet mischievous plan was silence...followed by, "Brooke, our integrity is worth more than the money we would save."  Enter: shame, guilt, and a little bit of  "are you kidding me?!"...

Either way, you can see why I love that Pearce looks up to his daddy. I love the way Jimmy comes home from work and literally beams from ear to ear as he says, "Hello sweetheart! I missed you today!" And you know what? No matter how many layers of stale cheese, black beans, and dirt Pearce has on his grubby little hands; Jimmy picks him up and lets Pearce paw all over his perfectly pressed, wrinkle free, dry clean only shirts as they wrestle around on the floor. I love the way I can see Jimmy's pain when Pearce is hurting. His heart is so tender toward this little guy and while he encourages Pearce to run, fall, and explore...he always keeps a protectful watch over his boy. And the prayers he prays over our son...oh how they must move the heavens...

 Whatever Jimmy does, Pearce does too. It is so sweet to watch Pearce shadow Jimmy's movement. While Jimmy's motions are clean, swift, and effortless; Pearce's are choppy, slow, and full of heart. He tries so hard to get it right and it is so endearing to watch. On Sunday when we started building Pearce's swing set, he was so eager to help. He marched inside, found his screwdriver (pronounced "scewdriber") and high tailed it back outdoors. He literally mimicked almost every move Jimmy made. He then decided to sort the box of nuts and bolts and I am telling you people: we must have a genius on our hands. That little stinker sorted all the bolts out of the hardware. Look at this picture below:

Pearce also went around kissing Jimmy and I and cheering us on with his little, "Hi. Hi Daddy. Hi Mommy." And Jimmy was so patient with him. Poor thing, it never failed that Pearce would pop up in Jimmy's face at the exact moment all of Jimmy's effort was focused on the one tough bolt. Instead of shooing him away, Jimmy would thank him for his help and encouragement. So dear.

I took some pics of my boys working hard and they make me smile....

Spring Fling

I have two favorite seasons: fall and spring. I have to admit that I am a bit of a disloyal person in that to me, neither spring nor fall have one advantage over the other. I will not choose sides...no... spring and fall will have to love eachother and accept my partial, but equal love for them. But, now it's springtime and that is what I want to write about today. 

I have a few loves in springtime and wanted to share them:

~ Thunderstorms. There is something so powerful, yet soothing about a spring storm. I love how the storm  bellows up to my doorstep to ruin my "to do list"... it is almost as if God is giving us permission to stay indoors, off the roads, and away from my chores to simply marvel at His power. Then He smiles and says, "Oh and by the way, here is a wonderful scent called "fresh rain" to enjoy while you rest."  Awesome.

~ Snowcones. At some point during the spring, snowcones reappear. I don't know that there is any rhyme or reason to the "springtime snowcone debut" but I sort of like the excitement of not knowing. I love driving  by the same, empty snowcone stand day after day and the joy of ...surprise!... The snowcone stand is open. I whip my car around for my very first Silverfox of the season and savor every last bite. So fun.

~ New Life. In spring, everything around us is blossoming. We just moved into this house and I love exploring all the new blooms each time we walk outside. Each plant, tree, and bush are like a present from nature just waiting to reveal itself. Here are some pics of our trees..

 We also get to celebrate the new life we have in Jesus Christ with Easter. What a wonderful way for God to remind us of His faithfulness each Easter season! The trees and bushes that once showed no sign of life are once again blooming in beauty! So cool.

And I have a new reason to celebrate new life in the spring...springtime is when my older sister, Beth told us she is pregnant! This fall, we will have another precious family member to love!!!

~ Claritin. Because let's face it, allergies are a booger.

One of the things I love about being a mom is that I get to see things through a whole new light and that is wonderful. I find myself watching Pearce and how he responds to the world around him and I am reminded how awesome everyday would be if I would just sit still long enough to enjoy it. We played outside today and a ladybug landed on Pearce's cheek! It was as if this little ladybug popped on over to say, "Hello Pearce! Welcome to my garden!" I watched for about five minutes as Pearce played, totally unaware of his new companion and when we finally acknowledged the bug, it flew away. I suppose they had a private conversation that ended with Pearce promising not to flood Ladybug's home with his new pirate water table. Either way, watching Pearce play was delightful.

I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pics....

Sweet boy longing for the outdoors...

Pearce the Person

Okay, many of you parents out there know what I am talking about when I say this:

How in the world did Pearce become a real person already?

I am not talking about the fact that he obviously exists...don't worry, I have known that for awhile. But I mean, I feel like we have blinked our eyes and we no longer have a baby on our hands...we have a real live person. I couldn't sleep last night so I started thinking about this weekend and how memorable his second Easter was. Rapid thoughts were running through my head as I started thinking about all he does and continues to do and I get teary-eyed just thinking about his precious nature.

 First, he loves his "Pops". We all got so tickled this weekend when Pops got to our house and Pearce ran to him and simply patted my dad over and over saying, "Pops, Pops, Pops." Except it sounds more like "Popcsh" with a little 'sh' at the end of the word. It's like he couldn't believe his eyes and wanted to make sure that everyone knew, (including himself) that this was, in fact, Pops.

Three Generations...

Pearce also adores his Papaw, my grandpa. We had the privilege of having Papaw stay the night with us Friday night and Pearce was in hog heaven. He happily walked between Pops and Papaw and gave them kisses galore! When he woke up Sunday morning, the first person he asked for was Papaw, then he went downstairs to the couch where Papaw had been sitting and patted the seat asking for him...so cute.

I was so proud when Pearce saw his Easter goodies yesterday. He smiled and stared at his basket and said, "whoaaaa, thank you" over and over. Each item he pulled out was greeted with a genuine, awestruck "whoaaaaaa". Seriously, where does he learn this stuff?

Our yummy Easter donuts...

I also love how he responds to others. I really think he is keeping some sort of secret from us and is planning to run for office soon. In public, Pearce greets each person we see with a sweet wave and a little, "hi". If someone dares ingnore him, Pearce continues to repeat "hi" until they politely reply. And when the mood strikes him, Pearce often blows kisses to people as we leave the store, gas station, whatever. This kid is awesome.

 He loves to do whatever "grown up thing" Jimmy and I are doing. I cannot remember when loading dishes in the dishwasher, driving to and fro, and cleaning up spills were such fun. But these are the things he often imitates and I am finding joy seeing them through his eyes. Recently, he wanted to do pushups with Jimmy...

Pearce also has a fascination with wiping his nose. I am always running around trying to catch his post nasal drip and he has caught on! Check out this pic of him wiping his nose during dinner one night...so proud!

And let me just show off a bit here: Pearce is an expert animal sound maker. For months, he has been impersonating his favorite animals. My favorites? LION, ELEPHANT, PUPPY, CAT, MONKEY, DUCK, and BIRDIE.

We are also getting oddly close to potty training. Pearce is not shy about telling us when he is wet or dirty. He even sometimes tells us right before he dirties his diaper. Last week he woke up from a nap and simply stated "Poopy". Then, he went and got a diaper, handed it to me, and laid down so I could change him. Again, he is a social genuis.

Okay, so here are some Easter pics....he rocked the JCrew style suit quite well and he knew it for sure.

Can you blame him?