Potty Training Update

It's been about a month since we started potty training with Collins so I thought it was time for an update (I know the suspense has been killing you all). I am excited to report that Collins figured it all out super fast, and overall potty training has been EASY! I really did not think this would be the case based on her willingness to go around in a dirty diaper for so long, but she picked it up very quickly. She's only had two accidents in the past month, wears underwear to school now, and tells us when she needs to go to the potty and does. She has started requesting "privacy" and shutting the door on us which is fine by me- I'm all for some independent pottying!

Now that she is potty trained, sleeping in her big girl bed, and only a few months from turning three, she seems so grown up to me. My baby is officially a little girl which makes me very happy and only just a tad sad. :)

The Countdown Begins

We are officially one month away from Baby Fork's arrival! Unless she decides to surprise us early, she will come via a c-section on Wednesday, January 15, at 8 a.m. We got the doctor and the date we wanted so let's hope she agrees to our neat and tidy plan. :)

There's plenty to do in the next four weeks including Christmas, finishing up the baby's room, and deciding on a name- just to name a few! Brian is squeezing in a last hurrah right now in Park City...isn't this incredible?

Good thing it's a short trip as this belly can't get much bigger!

Collins has started giving my belly kisses and claims to be very excited about her sister's arrival. I hope her Dad and I are as ready for it as she is!

Christmas Festivities

With Christmas only a week and a half away, Christmas festivities are in full swing around here. Things we can cross off our Christmas to-do list:

1. Putting up the Christmas tree...

2. Going to see a Christmas play..."Frosty the Snowman" has become a bit of an obsession around our house since Collins's first live theatre experience.

 

3. Sporting some Christmas pajamas...

 

4. Sitting on Santa's lap for the first time (no joy but no tears!)...when he asked her what she wanted, she said a pig.

 

 

5. Baking Gingerbread cookies...

 

 

6. First Christmas pageant at church! She's been singing "Little gray donkey, klip klop, klip klop" around the house and was ready to march in as a star this morning. It was adorable.

  

 

Not much left to do to get ready for Christmas except enjoy a couple of parties, finish wrapping some gifts, and watch a few Christmas movies. And then- as Collins said the other night- "Santa Claus is coming to town!".



Counting our Blessings

It was such a fun Thanksgiving this year. We spent several leisurely days in Hickory visiting with our family, enjoying each other's company, and devouring lots of sweet potato casserole and pie! Thanksgiving is the best holiday because you get to eat amazing food, watch football, and count your many blessings. Here's what I was thankful for this Thanksgiving...

1) Quality time spent with those that we love...

2) New and fun experiences- Collins held her first cat- Charlie!

 

3) Seeing our first snow of the year! So festive...

 

4) Spontaneous bursts of song...Poppy's musical instruments made these live performances extra fun.

 

5) Collins turning into a little girl all of a sudden! She looks, acts and talks like she is so big. Plus, she has caught onto potty training really fast- I'm so proud of her!

 

6) I'm also thankful that our family of three is going to turn into a family of four in six short weeks!

 

Collins is Thankful...

for her partners-in-crime at the park. I am thankful to watch these cuties grow up together!

Potty Training is Happening

The official potty training has begun. We have gone round and round on when we should start this momentous change and finally decided the time was now. It has been two long days at home with LOTS of time in the bathroom, but Collins has done relatively well. 

Number one has come easy- number two not as much (which is pretty typical). Our first accident happened this morning in the backyard while kicking the soccer ball. You should have seen the look on her face when the trickle headed down her legs! Once back on the potty, she explained that she was busy playing soccer so didn't want to stop to use the bathroom. We still have some work to do! 

Bake Sale is in the Books!

The big project I've been working on for the past three months is officially in the books- hooray! I really enjoyed co-chairing the Bake Sale at church for the first time, but man, it was a lot of work. More than you would envision for a church Bake Sale that is for sure! Meetings during preschool time, cooking parties at night, and lots of communication about the coveted lemon tarts and yeast rolls has occupied a lot of my time lately. I was happy to get through this one!

The Bake Sale went great logistically, and women were lined up an hour before our doors opened. We survived the initial surge where determined women with large shopping bags grabbed up every soup, casserole and baked good in sight! I was proud of how smoothly everything went, but was disappointed when I got our initial numbers. It wasn't as much money as I hoped to raise. I have yet to get the final number, but I know it is a significant amount of money that will all go towards helping people in the community. So for that, I am thankful. I am also thankful that I can now focus on the upcoming holidays and the baby who will arrive right around the corner!

A Big Transition

Big news- Collins slept in her big girl bed for the first time yesterday! She took a really good nap in her new fluffy white bed and didn't put up a fight about it at all. I was so excited for her to take this successful first step in transitioning to her big girl room.

But she was not ready to sleep there overnight last night- choosing instead the safety of her crib- so we will give her time to get used to the idea. Hopefully, she will be a permanent resident of her new room soon!

Love for a Pig (and a Wuf)

At the Carolina/State tailgate party, Collins was caught being very ladylike with the food on the buffet...

As we waited for the team to arrive at the pep rally, Collins got lots of bonding time in with Mr. and Mrs. Wuf.

A twirling showdown...

Poor Missy (the other Tar Heel brave enough to come into enemy territory) got swarmed by the wolves...

but did I mention that the good guys won the game? :)

A Halloween Fit for a Princess

Collins was THRILLED with the pink princess costume Donna made her for Halloween. She told everyone she came into contact with about it, she beamed and primped when she put it on, and now post-Halloween refuses to take it off!

The Halloween festivities started last week at church's Fall Fest. Collins could not have been more excited to jump in a bounce house, decorate her own cookies, and hang out with her cute friends.

On Halloween, her class at school did a parade and party.

Our neighborhood had a parade and pizza party, and then the trick-or-treating began! We had a great time hitting the houses in our neighborhood with Collins's friend, Livie, and her parents. Watching the girls jump out of the wagon, run to the front doors, attempt to say "trick-or-treat" and "thank you", and get so excited made the holiday so fun! They gained momentum and excitement with each house, and probably could have gone on all night if we had let them. When we got to Gigi and Pop Pop's house, they answered the door and Collins announced, "I am not here to play!". :) I will always remember the excitement Collins experienced this Halloween!

 

Pumpkin Patch

We had to get one more pumpkin patch visit in before Halloween and visited a really cool farm in Durham. Collins got to feed goats and cows, run through a hay maze, swim through corn, take a hayride, and pick her own pumpkin. It was such a fun morning!

Fall Favorites

Fall is without a doubt my favorite time of year. Between the weather, the food, and the fun activities that happen around now- what's not to love? We packed as much seasonal fun in this weekend as possible starting Friday night with the Broughton homecoming parade and football game. Then Alli and I had our annual viewing of the Halloween classic "Hocus Pocus". Saturday morning we went to the fair. Collins loved her first go-round on the fair rides...

and gobbled up her corn dog and ice cream.

Later that day- she took on a leaf pile...

Sunday, we went to Brian's work Halloween party at the park where Collins won the costume contest! She was an adorable ballerina- but this is only costume #1. On Wednesday, she will debut Donna's latest Halloween creation!

Think Pink

Collins refuses to acknowledge that any color other than pink exists. She is a bit obsessed, and our new book "Pinkalicious" only further fuels her fire.

Here is the complete pink ensemble Collins put together the other day. The pink tutu is now a permanent accessory!