Fuquay 5K

A few weeks ago we got to join with our church and reach out to our community at the "Run the Quay 5K."   Our church set-up a tent at the finish line and handed out snacks and drinks to the runners as they finished.  

Tyler brought the camera with him and did some filming of the event and of those from the church who were there.  It was a great day getting to know some of the families of our church and helping get the churches name out to our community.  

Neal was a big help that day too.  His favorite thing was to stand along the sideline and clap for the runners as they came by.  He also helped hand out drinks and snacks and even helped Tyler do some filming.  

Watching the race was a lot of fun but Tyler and I decided that next year we would like to participate in the actual race instead of just cheering from the sidelines.

A Story of Success

Well last week was a success!   Neal did great!  He far surpassed my expectations in the potty training, so he was ready.  (Here he is playing with a few of his prizes)

We were out from the house several times this weekend and he did great.  You would think we were parents of a newborn though if you look at the diaper bag I carry with me (haven't carried a diaper bag around in awhile).  It is filled with all the things we may need for any unexpected accidents so it is packed full.  

If you had been at my house this week you probably would have found it quite comical at how quickly I would run across the house with Neal when he said he had to go.   Though I think Neal may have taken advantage of this a bit 'cause a few days into the week he would say "chase me mama" as we would run to the bathroom.  By the end of this week I was ready for a treat from the busy week and Neal was well deserving of something special for doing so well (no accidents!) so we got some ice cream.

Now you will find this in our kitchen...

That's right a "big boy chart" (aka: potty chart).   Whenever Neal tells me he has to go potty and is successful he gets to put a sticker on the chart.  He LOVES it!  It's amazing how somethings as simple as a few fun stickers can motivate a child so much.

So this week, back to more normal activities and NO DIAPERS!

My week...

Look what fun we are going to have this week:

That's right we are potty training!  We started yesterday and so far so good (I think Neal was ready).  So our week this week consists of staying at home, Neal running around in his "big boy underwear", lots of sweet tea drinking, book reading and M&M's for rewards.

I won't really be blogging much this week (especially since this small post has taken me over 2 hours to finish) but next time I blog we should have a boy who is out of diapers!

Saying Goodbye

Monday was a big day for Neal, he got his big boy bed!

Along with this fun new transition into growing up we told Neal that since he was a "big boy" now he had to say goodbye to his binky.

The first night was not so fun, he had a hard time falling asleep and was awake for about 2 hours until he finally fell asleep.  His nap the next day was similar, taking him over a half hour to fall asleep.  Also, he wasn't sleeping as long as usual (waking up early and only taking a 1 hour nap).  But like always he adjusts quickly and last night he did great!

This morning I walked into his room and told him he could get up and he said to me "Mama, Neal big boy sleeping, no binky"  He was so proud of himself and I was proud of him.

Neal teaches me a lot in how well he adjusts to change.  I'm not always so good with change in my life (especially unexpected changes) but seeing Neal trust Tyler and I and accept change, with little hesitation, reminds me that I need to continue to trust God without hesitation when change comes.

Feeling more like home

We are so excited to finally have our own house here in NC!  We moved in a little over a week ago and are getting close to having all our boxes unpacked.   When we moved from AK we sold almost all our furniture so last weekend we took a trip to Charlotte, NC to shop at IKEA for some furniture.

It was a great family trip ( it's about a 3 hour drive) and we were able to find almost all the furniture we needed.   Neal loved shopping with us and pointing out all the things that he liked.  All that furniture shopping made for one tired little boy (or I guess a silly boy who was pretending to sleep while we paid for everything)

Once home we had our work cut out for us, assembling everything...

Assembly wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated.  I was even able to assemble our nightstands by myself while Tyler was at work.

All of us were involved in putting together the furniture, even Neal, who was very helpful in putting together kitchen chairs.

So, finally a year after moving out of our home in AK, one month of driving cross country, and over 2 months in the TWR lodge we finally have a house that is slowly beginning to look like home.

 It's good to be home.

Life These Days

You can't spend really anytime in our house without seeing our little guy running around.  Even if we aren't at home you won't be able to miss the signs that a toddler lives here.  I noticed this the other day in several different ways.

First I opened up the bedroom door and found these lined up along the pillow "sleeping"...

Later that day, while Neal was napping, I opened my makeup drawer to finishing getting ready and found these little guys smiling up at me....

I love all the little clues that Neal leaves around the house showing what he has been doing.  I love coming across his toys placed in random places throughout the day and once he has gone to bed.  It reminds me how much life has changed for Tyler and I and how much I wouldn't wont life any other way. 

Plus,  no matter what your day may be like you can't help but smile when you go to get a bandaid for yourself and only find these...

Ready, Aim, Fire!

While in Georgia we got the opportunity to go the the Infantry Museum. It was incredible to see the history of the Infantry and the dedication and stories of so many who gave their lives and sacrificed so much for our country. Now, going to a museum with a toddler is a little hard and I didn't get the chance to see the whole museum but what I was able to see was amazing.

About halfway through out time there Uncle Matt decided to take Neal into the simulation rooms where he could try shooting some guns from a Black Hawk and an army Jeep.  While we waited for our turn in the simulation room Neal sat buy Tia and occupied his time by playing with her phone (no surprise)

Neal's favorite part of the museum was getting to shoot the guns (don't worry not really shooting it was all simulation).  His Uncle Matt helped show him the proper way to shoot.

When we had to leave Neal said "more shoot da guns" over and over. We will be coming back again to visit Uncle Matt and Tia and we will have to make sure that Neal gets to go back and "shoot da guns" again.