What to be, what to be?

Driving home from work the other day, a firetruck drove past us near our house. Any time we pass the fire station, Darren's face lights up. The same happens as we drive past the dirt bike track every day too. So of course, any time we see a dirt bike in the back of someones truck, a fire truck driving by or a cop car on the streets, we always point Darren in that direction. After the truck passed I asked Darren what he wanted to be when he was older. He said lots of things. I asked him to tell me what his favorites were and he said "I want to be a doctor, a fire truck, a police man, an Army guy, a dirt bike rider, a baseball player and maybe a soccer player too!" Of course, I told him that he could be anything that he wanted to be. I then asked Jaycee what she wanted to be. She said, "Hmm, a mernade!" For those of you that have had the chance to actually have a convo with her, you know that this statement was in her usual Indian like dialect. Short, sweet and down to business! Obviously, you get from the picture that the translation is a mermaid. Because she is only 2 and 1/2, she didn't quite understand the question, but cute and hilarious none the less!

American Bearby

My little Dare is growing up! Growing up FAST! Some of the things that he says just melt my heart. Take the other night for example. Jaycee and Darren were in the kitchen eating their dinner at the table. Jaycee called out for me saying that she had to go pee pee. (I swear she conveniently waits to go pee until she is already buckled in her seat :) I go to the table, unbuckle her in her booster chair and take her out. Darren looks at Jaycee as serious as can be and says "You can do it Sissy! Make Bubba proud!" Not only did it melt my heart, it got me cracking up. What a little man to say something like that. So Jaycee is done and headed back to the table, climbs into her chair and says "I did it!" Darren said "I am so proud of you! Give me a five!" I tell you, the two of them have quite the bond. They are pure entertainment and anyone that knows them can definitely vouch for me on that one. Although I don't always write down the hilarious and sometimes incredible things that they say, I have to share that Michael and I had been teaching Darren about America as we passed by a community that had the American flag waving in the air. It spiked Darren's interest. How do you explain to a 4 year old that he lives in the United States of America, as well as his home, that he is American and the flag symbolizes that? Well, I don't know either but we did. So after I picked the kids up yesterday after work, Darren sees an American flag blowing in the wind. Apparently our little conversations have stuck because he tried to explain to me that he was American. It went something like this:

Darren: "Hey mom, there is the American flag, see it?"

Me: "Yeah Dare! I see it."

Darren: "Mom, that's the American flag, where I live. I love flags. Did you know that I am an American Bearby?"

Me: "You are my what?"

Darren: " I am your American Bearby! That means I am your American boy! And you are my American Mama, Dads an American boy and Jaycee is an American sister!"

Me: silence. One, the kids is just way too smart! Two, I just love that kid. All I could do was smile. After all, he was right!

Happy Birthday!

Today marks Michael's 27th birthday! Yes, 27! As in 3 years left to 30! Whew, does that sound just around the corner or what? When you have dated someone when you were in your early teens, its pretty weird to be so close to that 30 year milestone. Sheesh, you would think that I am the one that was turning 27 or something. But all that aside, Happy Birthday Michael! We Love ya!

We're throwin' a Potty!

Literally! Since Michael had been home with the kids for nearly 2 months (I am happy to report that he is back in the working world again as of last week) he really worked with Jaycee on potty training. She has done such a good job! We started with the same potty that we used for Darren, although Darren rarely used it. For those of you that have used a plastic, un-flushable potty training chair, you can feel my pain when your child is overjoyed to see the humongous turd in the little potty. I, on the other hand, stare in disbelief and cringe at the thought of disposing this turd, cleaning the tray and still have an appetite for dinner. Okay, that was an exaggeration, my stomach isn't that weak, but still! So tonight, plastic royal flush potty meets plastic recycling bin.

Although she has an accident every now and again and we are still working on the night time diaper vs underoo battle, she is pretty much potty trained! Man, that feels good to say! It also is a relief to think of no more diapers! NO MORE DIAPERS! Darren wasn't potty trained before Jaycee was born so that means that we have consistently bought diapers now for just over 4 years straight. Now if I were a mathematician I would try to calculate. Since I am not, I will give my best guess at $30 a box, 2 boxes a month for 3 years for Darren and 2 1/2 for Jaycee? I am not even going attempt the math on that one! All I know is that we aren't buying diapers anymore, didn't even mess with the glorified diapers they call pull-ups and Jaycee is going, at times all by herself, on the big girl potty! Woot Woot!