Family Picture...Finally!

So back in August while most of the Hardy family was in town, we took some family pictures. I bribed my friend Colleen to come snap them with my camera, by taking pictures of her earlier that day. (I still want to blog some of  those pictures, they were so cute!)

I was forced into editing our own family picture today, because someone in the ward was wanting one. So it was a quick edit, but I just had to post it, because it's the best family picture ever. I did have to do a head swap on Winston, the other two, I can deal with. I was tempted to do a head swap on Malcolm, but he was looking at the camera, while Winston wasn't.

Thanks Colleen for the great picture! You're the best, and the greatest photographer! I miss and love you!

I watermarked the picture, but I'm not trying to take credit for taking it!

I sure love my family! I'm thankful that we have an eternal family and we get to be together forever!

Tying Shoes

I was feeling like a failure of a mom when Malcolm was coming home from school with his shoes untied. Apparently his teachers weren't willing to tie his shoes for him. I mean I can understand, if you have 30 students, you sure can't be tying every shoe that gets untied. He said his teachers told him he needed them in double knots, which of course I did, but apparently they were coming undone.

I had tried teaching Malcolm to tie his shoes several times last school year. But unfortunately he didn't wear shoes with shoelaces very often, so we never practiced. He wanted to wear his favorite pair of shoes everyday that I hated, which were Transformer light up shoes that had velcro. (Thanks mom for that purchase!) This year I have refused to let him wear them. They are very worn out anyways, but I just can't stand them. I hate character shoes, well character anything, except underwear. They are cute on little boys, and they make them excited to potty train.

I just had it in my mind that teaching the art of shoe tying was tough, because it takes patience, and time, which I just never gave into. I always have the kids put on their shoes right before we walk out the door, since I don't like shoes worn in the house. So that means that I end up tying the shoes so we can get them on faster. During the summer, I require flip flops for easy exits.

So in the mornings when I was tying Malcolm's shoes, I started going slow and walking through the steps with Malcolm, so that he could see what I did. Then he started trying a little bit but I would end up doing it when he couldn't get it. In just a few days, he wanted to try it himself. So as he was tying I just told him what step was next. Cross, then under and through and pull tight. Make a bunny ear, now follow the bunny around the tree and through the hole. Pull tight. Now double knot, cross, under and through, and pull tight. He did it all by himself! Then he even did the other one with the directions again. He was so excited and wanted to keep practicing, but had to go to school. He came home and did it a couple more times and even said that he wanted to practice at school, so he untied it and did them again. Yay!

Here I thought it was going to be so hard, and I had no clue how to teach a child to tie his shoes, but I did it! Well I give Malcolm all the credit for doing it. I'm proud of Malcolm for wanting to try new things and not giving up! Go Mack!

Bunny ear

Chase the bunny around the tree

Through the hole

And pull tight

Then double knot

Yay!!

Winston wanted a picture of his shoe, but I wanted the picture to be more of his sweet face!

Back at it again

Yesterday was my first day back to school. Though school for me is at home on the computer. Last Spring I registered for three online classes, not knowing what I would end up doing. I've decided to just do one class and drop the other two. I don't need the stress of going to school full-time while Matt's gone as well.i stress very easily. So I'm taking a Child Development class. The credits won't help me graduate, but I've been wanting to take it all last year and couldn't get in. I'm excited for what I will learn!

The only thing that's sad about not being able to commit full time to school, is I could've finished my degree this year. I only have 35 more credits left to graduate with a transfer degree with an associates in arts and science. Someday I do hope I can graduate, though I don't know that I can finish it all online anyways.

I've Got Talent

I was on my way home from running errands, when I just couldn't stand another second of the gum I had been chewing for over an hour. It had to go and I wasn't going to wait the couple minutes left until I was home. While stopped at a stoplight, I rolled down the window to spit it out. The light changed at that moment, so I quickly spit the gum out. Apparently I didn't turn my head enough, because it landed right on my side mirror! I laughed at myself, quickly brushed it off and hoped no one saw my talented skills. I don't think I will be winning any spitting contests anytime soon.

Quinn Quote

A Quinn quote from today, "I almost have a mustache."

Yum

I just had hot chocolate and homemade rolls for breakfast. Yummy!

Potty Training

We've been doing the fun and enjoyable thing of potty training Winston. He's younger then when I potty trained my other boys. They were just over three when I potty trained them. My doctor always said to not push them, and wait until they were ready. I felt like Malcolm and Quinn were ready after they were three. Winston has shown interest, so I decided to push him more then I would have the other boys. I figured it would be a money saver, and we need to save as much money as we can, where we can.

I tried it for a few days, then gave up, after so many accidents. I don't like potty training younger, because there are so many more accidents then when they are six months older. I gave it another try, since I just really need to save the money.

At first he liked wearing Quinn's underwear, but then he didn't like them. Since he knew he could just go in his diaper if it was on, I decided to just let him go naked. He seemed to like to go potty when he was naked, and never had an accident that way. It worked for him, and since we were just around the house all day, I didn't mind doing less laundry.

I was taking him to the potty ever half an hour or hour, and if he went, he got a starburst. We have a little potty seat you put on the toilet, but he prefers it without it. He practically falls in the toilet, but whatever works for him. I always potty train my boys to sit on the toilet. I'm not sure if that's the way you should with boys, but less mess is better to me! Winston is so funny to watch get on the toilet, I wish I could video it! Love how excited he was in this picture.

I'm surprised this picture turned out, since I only got to take one picture, and then he stirred so I didn't want to wake him. It was also dark, and my shutter speed was slow, but I was lucky and it's a pretty stinkin' cute pictures!

After a couple days when he started to remember to go on his own, without me telling him, I decided we better get him his own underwear, and I figured it would get him a little more excited about the whole thing as well. He picked out Disney underwear with Buzz Lightyear, The Incredibles, Nemo and Wall-E. I'm never a big fan of character clothing and shoes, but when it comes to underwear, I'm all for the excitement it gives them to wear them and go potty. He loved them, and of course wanted to wear Buzz first. He wouldn't let me put a diaper on him for nap time, so he wore underwear, and luckily, he didn't pee the bed.

He has done great doing the #1 thing, but #2, he's not too excited about. He would try and get me to put a diaper on him but I wouldn't, so he ended up doing it in his pants a couple times. Gross! A couple times he waited until the end of the day when he got a diaper on for bed, and would do it then. So we got him a Buzz toy for when he went in the toilet. It took him a few days, but one day when we were swimming, he told me he had to go poo-poo. He calls it that, even when it's #1. We went to the bathroom, and first it was just pee. Then right after, he told me he had to go again, and he went a little #2, then he told me he had to go a third time, and he went #2 again! Yay! When we got home, he got his Buzz!

He loved his Buzz, or as he calls it, his dah-dah. The first few days, they were in separable. He slept with him.

Played with him non-stop. Had to take him when we went to drop off and pick up Malcolm, and to the store.

Had to eat with him. He even had to take Buzz swimming with him. So Buzz is now minus the few stickers he had on him, but Winston wouldn't give him up. Now he will play with other toys as well and let buzz go, but he sure loves him and always plays with him most. He loves having both his Buzz and his little teeny Woo-e, as he calls Woody.

I can't say he's fully potty trained yet, as he's still having accidents. Going #2 is still a hard thing for him. Today he brought a diaper to me three times since he didn't want to do it on the toilet. Eventually, he did it in his underwear anyways! Gross! Hopefully he'll eventually get that part, or else I might give up ever having him in underwear. A few times I've forgot to put a diaper on him at nap time, and he's woke up dry, another time, he woke up dry, but then wet before getting to the bathroom, and then a few times I've had to wash the sheets. He's even woke up dry overnight. That was awesome, but I won't be trying that for a while. My other boys potty trained at night REALLY fast, but they were older, and I'm not expecting that with Winston. So far he's had way more accidents then they ever did.

I'm just excited to be out of diapers and into this next phase. It will be the first time in seven years that we won't have to buy diapers. That will be awesome! Yay Winston! I'm so proud of that little stinker!

First Grader

Malcolm had his first day of school on Monday. Matt and I were so nervous for him. I was nervous about it being a full day of school, instead of the half. I was nervous about a new school, his school last year was so great. I was nervous about him knowing where to go and what to do. I was just nervous.

There was a meet your teacher night the Friday before school, which we went to and met his teacher and got all the important paperwork that had to be filled out. He has two teacher that do work share. I've never heard of it before, but one teacher works the first part of the week and the other works the second part, alternating Wednesdays. I don't have any problems with this, and I think Malcolm will be just fine with it. His teachers are Mrs. Walshe and Mrs. May. They both have kids and like to do the full-time mom thing, and work part time. I think it's great they can do both.

My sister-in-law Melanie has this tradition where she makes her kids an initial pancake on the first day of school. I thought it was a fun thing to do, so we've been doing it as well. Malcolm's M turned out a little sad, but there's nothing like sending your kid to school full of sugar. I had to wake Malcolm up, so notice how tired he looks, and I love his crazy bedhead going on!

It felt so rushed that first morning, so I just took a few quick pictures of Malcolm outside of the apartment. He's doing a little nervous/excited look here. 

The first day was chaos! All the parents are dropping the kids off and standing around and taking pictures, it made me nervous. We didn't know where to go at first, it seemed so disorganized to me, and I just can't stand disorganization. So this made me nervous. Malcolm started getting really nervous, also asked me if anyone would see his bald spot and make fun of him. Poor kid. When the teacher finally started leading them into his class, he seemed a little teary at one point. I didn't want him to go. I felt so sad all day, and just wanted to go get him, worried he was scared.

He had a great day and has a great rest of the week. He's really loving school and likes his teachers. He loves lunch time and recess of course. He's making friends and thinks he's a pretty big kid now that he's in first grade. He's adjusting really good to this new school, for me it's going to take some time. I loved his school and teacher last year!

It has been nice to be forced into an early morning routine that gets us all up and moving. I've been waking up at 6am, because I like being ready first thing in the morning. So my days seem a lot longer and time seems to be used a lot better, with more accomplished. That's a good thing.

Since I'm on the subject of Malcolm I had to share this picture. I was making dinner a few nights ago and used some onion. I chopped all but the last quarter of it or so, and was going to finish cutting it and save all the extra for another dinner. Malcolm for some reason wanted to cut the rest for me. He chopped almost all of the rest of it. Didn't like it when his eyes started burning, but I taught him the trick of rinsing your hands with cold water to make them stop burning. He was really confused why they made him cry, and why washing his hands made his eyes stop stinging. It was cute to have his help, and that he continued on with it, even when the onion made him cry.

I love this boy, and I wish he didn't have to grow up. I just want to hold him and never let him go. I really don't enjoy these school years so far, I like the time of just sitting at home and going and doing as we please. Those were the days!