Success...

So a few months ago, I had posted a blog about potty training. It has been an uphill battle with Hunter on potty training. After awhile the rewards and praise were not working and it was a constant battle with him. We had just about given up. About a month ago, my mom and I took the boys to my dad's new business ventures grand opening. On the way back we drove past Murrieta Elementary and told Hunter this could be the school he goes to next year from Kindergarten. He got ecited and wanted to check it out. Well the school was locked down for the day (it being around 530pm). So we looked through the bars and my mom pointed out to him the Kindergarten classrooms and the playground and lunch tables. We showed him all the different parts of the school that we could see. He was sooooo excited. He talked about nothing else the rest of the night and nearly driving me and Mark crazy with asking us constantly when does he get to go to school. This makes us excited (but sad too, especially for me) that he will have a good transition when it comes time for Kindergarten. But of course we told he doesn't get to go for another year and he would also need to go potty like a big boy before he went to school. Well that cause uproar with Hunter cause he didn't want to go potty in the toilet.
So Memorial Day weekend comes around. Mark and I were trying to push Hunter to try to go in the potty. It wasn't going so well. On Monday, Memorial Day, it turned into a big fight with Hunter who kept lashing out at us. We felt defeated. I tried to calm down Hunter (who had spent considerable time yelling, screaming, and crying at us and anyone else who got in his way, including Jaxon and my parents, which is such a big NO-NO! in our house). As I tried to calm down Hunter I told him he couldn't go to school with other kids until he went potty in the toilet. That started him screaming and crying all over again. So I asked him do you want to go to school, he tells me yes, so I ask him what does he need to do to go to school. He tells me he needs a backpack, and a lunch box (of course I started to laugh, cause it was so cute cause he immediately stopped crying, and said all this in a happy, sweet voice) and I interrupted and asked if he needed to do anything else and he tells me to go potty like a big boy. I got all excited and told him good job and that he was right. So he goes running off to Mark telling him he wants to go potty like a big boy. So he teaches Hunter to go pee standing up. Hunter got so excited and when he was done started to ask us if he could go to school now. We tell him very soon he can go. We put his new "diaper" on (training pants) and tell him just let us know next time he wants to go and we will help him. Ever since that day he has gone in the potty (with the exception of when hes asleep, but that has only happened about 5 times in the almost 3 weeks since the "first" time) both #1 and #2.
Last sunday his it almost marked Hunter 2weeks going in the potty we let him wear his big boy underwear, which is Transformers (we had bought them months ago in an attempt to bribe him to go in the potty, didn't work). We told him that he would only wear his training diaper during naps and at night. He was so excited running around showing me, Mark, Jaxon and my parents his new underwear. He enjoys it now and it isn't a headache for me and Mark with all the fighting we used to do with him. He even gets 2 M&M's when he's done and a sticker. I think we have made past the most difficult part. Now to just get him completely through the night with no "mistakes".
Now if only we can have an easy time with Jaxon. He shows interest when Hunter goes, but when we ask if he wants to try he tells us no and runs away. He's definitely not there yet, but since he loves doing everything his big brother does maybe he will want to do it too. Cross your fingers!

Last one for today!

For Memorial day we just relaxed at home. I decorated the boys' door in honor of today. I made us a delicious dinner of barbecued chicken, mashed and au gratin potatoes and corn. The boys also had cheese with their dinners. We all had Kool-aid fruit punch as our drinks. I thought the dinner was a very appropriate Memorial Day dinner. What's the day without some BBQ?

I will also say what I said yesterday in my Facebook status- Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all the service men and women who have given their lives for our country! A speical thank you to my heros- My Dad, Bruce Meyer (Navy seal, Vietnam); My Grandpa Paul J Meyer (Marine Corp, WWII) RIP and My Grandpa Cicero Allen Huddleston (Army, WWII and Korea) RIP- you are both much loved and missed and thought of everyday!

CPK pics

These are some of the pictures from CPK.


Hunter's birthday

Hunter loving the sundae

Jaxon's birthday

So yummy!

Jaxon's 2nd birthday

Jaxon is not a big sweets boy. HHe loves candy, but not so much cake. So made him brownies instead.

He got shy when we sang him happy birthday

Ate the whole piece of brownie

My baby is 2!

Dived into the presents

Proud of himself for blowing out the candle

So on Jaxon's birthday, May 23, we didn't really do much. We went to CPK for his birthday meal. We hung out at home and watch movies and played with their toys. That night, it was just my parents and the 4 of us. Jaxon blew out his candle and attacked his presents. He got more enjoyment out of the clothes than Hunter did with his. Jaxon also got a few Leap Frog videos that he was really excited about. After everything was unwrapped, brownies eaten, it was off to bed in his new jamas while watching one of his new videos. It was a very simple happy day. I can't believe my baby is 2. He is growing so fast and learning so much. He is doing so well with talking and it seems like everyday he can say something new. He counts to 10 and recognizes the numbers. knows his letters and is just becoming such a little man. I love both my boys so much!

Soccer

So Mother's Day weekend and the following weekend, we attended my cousin's soccer game. She is this amazing player who as a junior has a full-ride to University of North Carolina-Greensboro (I believe) to play soccer. SHe has also been scouted by the Mexican National Soccer team (they do the Olympics andWorld Cup) (she's half- Mexican, so she qualifies). Her soccer team is the 13th in the nation and has won the national title a few times. She's awesome. They play games all over SoCal and those 2 weekends they happened to be playing in town. So we attended her games. They were awesome. They won all their games. So proud of her.

The weekend following their last soccer games down here, we went to go visit my uncle up in Fontana and spent some time there with my cousins. The boys had so much fun. One of my cousins is following in my footsteps and is becoming a band nerd =) One of these times I will make it to a field show of hers. Can't wait!

Eagle Scout ceremony

My nephew (by marriage) became an Eagle Scout recently. We drove out to Mission Viejo for his coronation ceremony. It was a very nice time. We had lovely refreshments afterwards. My sis-in-law (different one, not the one's whose house we had the birthday party at) made this amazing cake with a wilderness theme. It was a marble cake and so delicious. Wish I had thought to take a picture of it.

M's birthday

Another day, another birthday. This time it was B's daughter M's 4th birthday. We went to Chuck E Cheese. It was a fun time. The boys love it there. We had cupcakes and the boys just loved the atmosphere. Too bad I had a headache at the end though! I am getting old! LOL